cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Human factors in the causation of road traffic crashes

Road traffic crashes (RTCs) are responsible for a substantial fraction of morbidity and mortality and are responsible for more years of life lost than most of human diseases. In this review, we have tried to delineate behavioral factors that collectively represent the principal cause of three out of five RTCs and contribute to the causation of most of the remaining. Although sharp distinctions are not always possible, a classification of behavioral factors is both necessary and feasible. Thus, behavioral factors can be distinguished as (i) those that reduce capability on a long-term basis (inexperience, aging, disease and disability, alcoholism, drug abuse), (ii) those that reduce capability on a short-term basis (drowsiness, fatigue, acute alcohol intoxication, short term drug effects, binge eating, acute psychological stress, temporary distraction), (iii) those that promote risk taking behavior with long-term impact (overestimation of capabilities, macho attitude, habitual speeding, habitual disregard of traffic regulations, indecent driving behavior, non-use of seat belt or helmet, inappropriate sitting while driving, accident proneness) and (iv) those that promote risk taking behavior with short-term impact (moderate ethanol intake, psychotropic drugs, motor vehicle crime, suicidal behavior, compulsive acts). The classification aims to assist in the conceptualization of the problem that may also contribute to behavior modification-based efforts.
Rotavirus Infection : A Disease of the Past?

Rotavirus infection is the most common cause of severe diarrhea disease in infants and young children worldwide. Vaccination is the only control measure likely to have a significant impact on the incidence of severe disease. Rotavirus vaccines have reduced the burden of disease in the United States and Europe and vaccine programs are being introduced in Asia and Africa where it is hoped that vaccine will have significant impact on severe infection. Long-term monitoring and strain surveillance are needed to assess the effects of rotavirus immunization programs and to determine whether changes in strain ecology will affect rotavirus vaccine effectiveness.
Characterization of the electrolytically induced isomerization of 1-phenyl-1-hexyne

Abstract In dimethylformamide containing tetra-n-butylammonium perchlorate, cyclic voltammograms for 1-phenyl-1-hexyne at a concentration less than 1 mM exhibit a single, irreversible reduction wave at glassy carbon. When the concentration of 1-phenyl-1-hexyne is higher, the cyclic voltammograms are more complicated. On the second and succeeding negative-going scans, a new wave is observed with a peak potential 200 mV more positive than that for the alkyne; and, when the concentration of residual water and the rate of potential scan are low, a pre-peak is seen prior to the wave for the alkyne on the first negative-going scan. These phenomena are due to electrolytically induced isomerization of 1-phenyl-1-hexyne to 1-phenyl-1,2-hexadiene, the alllene being easier to reduce than the alkyne. Digital simulation of the cyclic voltammograms for 1-phenyl-1-hexyne, plus simulation of the behavior of electroactive products (1-phenyl-1-hexene and 1-phenyl-1,2-hexadiene) formed upon reduction of the alkyne, has served to elucidate the mechanism for the alkyne-to-allene rearrangement. Two important mechanistic steps are required to model the isomerization correctly: (i) the rate-determining step in the rearrangement is deprotonation of 1-phenyl-1-hexyne by electrogenerated bases and (ii) protonation of the conjugate base of the alkyne by the parent alkyne is a rapid process.
Employee Trust: Traditional versus Telecommuting Work Environments

The purpose of this article is to report the results of a study designed to measure the effects of work environments on the levels of employee trust in the same organization. In one experimental group the subjects working in a traditional work environment were administered a survey to ascertain their level of trust. The same survey was administered to subjects working in a nontraditional work environment, telecommuting employees working at home. The study hypothesized that employees working in a traditional work environment would indicate a higher level of trust then telecommuting employees. The study predicted that increased social interaction and working in close proximity, often associated with higher levels of trust, would significantly affect perceptions of trust. The results of our study, however, failed to support our hypothesis. There were no significant differences between the two experimental groups.
Pathogenic Bacteria Prefer Heme

Bloodletting by physicians before the era of antibiotics may seem like a barbaric practice, but it may have been of some benefit to patients suffering from bacterial infections. In her Perspective, Rouault explains that most bacteria depend on a source of iron to grow and survive inside their animal hosts. A new study ( Skaar et al.) shows that the pathogenic bacterium Staphylococcus aureus uses several ingenious strategies to obtain iron from heme stored as hemoglobin in the red blood cells of its mammalian hosts.
Automatic registration of large-scale multi-sensor datasets

This paper proposes an automatic method for registering images from different sensors, particularly 2D optical sensors and 3D range sensors, without any assumption about initial alignment. Many existing methods try to reconstruct 3D points from 2D image sequences, and then match 3D primitives from both sides. The availability of appropriate multiple images associated with 3D range data, the well-known challenge of inferring 3D from 2D and the difficulty of establishing correspondences among 3D primitives when there is no pre-knowledge about initial pose estimation, lead us to a different approach based on region matching between optical images and depth images projected from range data. This paper details our interest region extraction method for optical images and also the efficient region matching component. Experiments using several cities' aerial images and LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) data illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach even when facing considerably geometric distortions.
Identification and characterization of a new mammalian mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase, MKK2.

Abstract Mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases are serine/threonine protein kinases activated by dual phosphorylation on threonine and tyrosine residues. A MAP kinase kinase (MKK1 or MEK1) has been identified as a dual-specificity protein kinase that is sufficient to phosphorylate MAP kinases p42mapk and p44mapk on the regulatory threonine and tyrosine residues. Because of the multiplicity of MAP kinase isoforms and the diverse circumstances and agonists leading to their activation, we thought it unlikely that a single MKK could accommodate this complexity. Indeed, two protein bands with MKK activity have previously been identified after renaturation following sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. We now report the molecular cloning and characterization of a second rat MAP kinase kinase cDNA, MKK2. MKK2 cDNA contains an open reading frame encoding a protein of 400 amino acids, 7 residues longer than MKK1 (MEK1). The amino acid sequence of MKK2 is 81% identical to that of MKK1, but nucleotide sequence differences occur throughout the aligned MKK2 and MKK1 cDNAs, indicating that MKK2 is the product of a distinct gene. MKK1 and MKK2 mRNAs are expressed differently in rat tissues. Both cDNAs when expressed in COS cells displayed the ability to phosphorylate and activate p42mapk and p44mapk, both MKK1 and MKK2 were activated in vivo in response to serum, and both could be phosphorylated and activated by the v-Raf protein in vitro. However, differences between MKK1 and MKK2 in sites of phosphorylation by proline-directed protein kinases predict differences in feedback regulation.
Direct evidence of a triple-path mechanism of formate electrooxidation on Pt black in alkaline media at varying temperature. Part I: The electrochemical studies

Abstract Electrooxidation of formate on high-surface Pt black in alkaline media has been studied at varying temperature by means of cyclic voltammetry and stripping voltammetry. In the positive-going scans from 0.10 to 1.2 V vs RHE, the formate oxidation produces three oxidation current peaks: (i) peak I (at potentials where the coverages of both surface hydrogen and oxygen-species are very low), (ii) peak II (exhibiting obvious potential shift from 0.66 to 0.51 V upon increasing temperature from 20 to 80 °C), and (iii) peak III (at higher potentials where a considerable formation of surface oxygen species commences). Both peaks I and II are closely correlated but they are independent of peak III. Among the three peaks, the temperature dependence of peak II is well in agreement with that of the stripping peak of a CO adlayer. These results suggest a triple-path reaction mechanism. Adsorption of formate onto Pt surfaces may result in formation of precursor adsorbates with different reactivity. Analogous to the reported dual-path mechanism, active precursor adsorbate is responsible for (i) a direct path involving the formate oxidation to CO 2 (leading to peak I), and (ii) an indirect path involving the formation of surface CO and its further oxidation to CO 2 (leading to peak II). An independent third path via oxidation of less-active precursor adsorbate to CO 2 with adsorbed HCOO as the most likely intermediate accounts for peak III. All the oxidation reactions involved in the triple paths are accelerated by increasing reaction temperature with different apparent activation energies. At elevated temperature, diffusion-limited oxidation currents are attained. It is suggested that both the activities of surface OH and precursor adsorbates play a major role in mediating the reaction mechanism as well as participating in the formate oxidation.
Interactions between carbonyl‐containing compounds and bismuth trihalides. A spectroscopic investigation

The high solubility of bismuth tribromide and bismuth trichloride in methyl methacrylate, propylene carbonate and other carbonyl-containing compounds and polymers results from the interaction between bismuth and the carbonyl moiety. It was established by infrared, 1H- and 13C-NMR measurements that in all these systems a 1:1 complex is formed. The bismuth trihalides are potentially useful as compatible X-ray contrast additives for carbonyl-containing polymers.
A Stochastic Hybrid Systems view at a class of non-cooperative games

In this paper, a class of non-cooperative games termed resource contention games is studied, modeled through multi-class Stochastic Flow Models (SFMs). We contrast the solutions between system-centric and user-centric optimization in this game setting, and illustrate the gap between the two solutions, which is commonly referred to as the “price of anarchy.”
A hydrogen-deuterium exchange study of membranous cytochrome oxidase.

Abstract The rate of exchange of peptide hydrogens of membranous cytochrome oxidase for solvent deuterium has been followed by infrared spectroscopy. The infrared spectrum indicates that the enzyme contains α helix and possibly β conformation. The exchange data show that a maximum of 59% of the polypeptide chains are in these conformations. Also, the data indicate that at least 60% of the cytochrome oxidase is exposed to the aqueous milieu which surrounds the membrane.
On the mechanism of cross slip in Ni3Al

The mechanical properties of L1(2) intermetallic alloys have been previously described by models based on the assumption that cube cross slip is the rate-limiting step. In this study, it was demonstrated that the cube cross-slip event must be reversible under a change in loading direction. This observation allows the cross-slip models to remain consistent with cyclic deformation data. Additionally, this observation was used as a critical test of the available cross-slip models. It was demonstrated that the rate-limiting step cannot be a total cross-slip event, in which both a/2 110-line superpartial dislocations cross slip to the cube plane. Conversely, the limited cross-slip event proposed by Paidar et al. (1984), was demonstrated to be consistent with the reversibility constraint. This lends additional experimental support to this model.
Wireless Sensors in Distributed Detection Applications

Detection problems provide a productive starting point for the study of more general statistical inference problems in sensor networks. In this article, the classical framework for decentralized detection is reviewed and argued that, while this framework provides a useful basis for developing a theory for detection in sensor networks, it has serious limitations. The classical framework does not adequately take into account important features of sensor technology and of the communication link between the sensors and the fusion center. An alternative framework for detection in sensor networks that has emerged over the last few years is discussed. Several design and optimization strategies may be gleaned from this new framework
The adenosine triphosphate requirement for nitrogen fixation in cell-free extracts of Clostridium pasteurianum

Summary 1. The requirements for the decomposition of acetyl phosphate in extracts of Clostridium pasteurianum have been shown to be the same as those for N2 fixation with H2 as the electron donor—H2, ATP, ferredoxin and Mg2+. The decomposition of acetyl phosphate (ATP) under H2 is not caused by an activation of enzymes by H2, nor by an ATP-dependent uptake of substrate amounts of H2. 2. Removal of ATP from extracts by charcoal treatment allowed N2 fixation from pyruvate to proceed appreciably when fixation from H2 was almost completely inhibited. Addition of increasing amounts of ATP to extracts freed of ATP by Sephadex gel-filtration showed that a much lower concentration of ATP-supported N2 fixation from pyruvate than from H2. One site of ATP action was thus localized between H2 and reduced ferredoxin. 3. A requirement for ATP in pyruvate metabolism has been established and may explain the ATP requirement for N2 fixation from pyruvate. It appears doubtful that ATP is required at the site of N2 reduction. 4. H2 acted as a competitor of N2 fixation when H2 was the electron donor, but acetyl phosphate (ATP) consumption increased with increasing pH2. When N2 fixation was completely inhibited by either CO or N2O, ATP consumption was only slightly decreased. Separate enzymes apparently function in ATP consumption and N2 reduction. 5. Mg2+ is required for ATP consumption as well as for ATP generation from acetyl phosphate by acetokinase (ATP: acetate phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.2.1). 6. A scheme is presented for the action of ATP in N2 fixation; an activated form of reduced ferredoxin produced enzymically with ATP is considered to function in N2 fixation.
Video Delivery Challenges and Opportunities in 4G Networks

Wireless network traffic is dominated by video and requires new ways to maximize the user experience and optimize networks to prevent saturation. The exploding number of subscribers in cellular networks has exponentially increased the volume and variety of multimedia content flowing across the network. This article details some challenges in delivery of multimedia content over 4G networks for several application scenarios. To augment the increasing demand for video applications in cellular and wireless traffic, these challenges must be efficiently addressed.
A remembrance of Victoria and the Canadian Army Medical Corps in the Great War

The North Pacific Surgical Association first met in Victoria in December, 1917, in the midst of World War I, or as it was known then, the Great War. On all sides, the toll in human life was staggering. Canada alone lost more than 60,000 men in the war. Our Association now returns to Victoria as the very last survivors of that generation pass into history. We honor the great sacrifice of the Canadian Army, recall the horrific conditions they endured, and honor the doctors and nurses who attended the countless wounded through the experiences of a Canadian surgeon from Calgary, Dr. Harold McGill, who served for 3 years in the thick of action on the Western Front.
What underlies medical donor attitudes and behavior

Donor attitudes, intentions, and behaviors have typically been conceptualized as organized along a bipolar continuum. This conceptualization is evident in I. G. Sarason et al.'s study of increasing participation in a bone-marrow registry in this issue. When the cumulative research on blood, bone-marrow, and organ donor behavior is considered, however, evidence suggests that a single, bipolar continuum may be insufficient and that a 2-dimensional (Positivity x Negativity) evaluative space may be minimally required to effectively represent and target the underlying substrates of donor behaviors. Negative beliefs and fears may constitute a particularly difficult obstacle to inducing donor behaviors and, thus, to promoting self-perceptions by people as donors. Understanding and changing these negative substrates, therefore, may be important if public health campaigns to increase donor behavior are to be cost-effective.
Evolution of fibre waviness during the forming of aligned fibre/thermoplastic composites

Abstract A model for the in-plane deflections of a system of discrete axially loaded fibres in a viscous matrix has been developed to study the evolution of fibre waviness during forming of aligned thermoplastic composites. A simplified numerical solution approach to the theoretical model is implemented, allowing for the analysis of a large number of fibres with a reasonable computational effort. The results of the model show the maximum fibre deflections to be consistent with the linearized beam-column theory used in the model development, but that the time predicted to attain the maximum deflections is comparable to typical forming times. Non-uniform fibre loadings are modelled and the resulting distributions of fibre deflections are analysed. The interactions between neighbouring plies and between neighbouring fibres within a single ply are found to have significant effects on the distributions of fibre deflections and on the response times of the system.
An analysis of the relative roles of plasticity and natural selection in the morphology and performance of a lizard (Urosaurus ornatus)

Evolutionary ecologists have devoted substantial attention to understanding which factors dictate processes of mortality within populations. Our goal was to understand the dynamics of natural selection on two performance traits (bite force and sprint speed) and associated morphological variables. We first quantified performance and morphology for a sample of marked tree lizards (Urosaurus ornatus) at the middle of the breeding season. We then sampled the same population in the nonbreeding season to determine which of the original lizards survived, and we also remeasured morphological and performance variables for surviving lizards. We found evidence for directional selection favoring fast sprinters in male lizards, but also a nonsignificant stabilizing trend that disfavored the very fastest lizards. However, we also detected substantial seasonal plasticity in bite force and head width, suggesting that an analysis of selection on only preselection (breeding season) values may be overly simplistic. Urosaurus males and females with low bite forces (and narrow heads) in the breeding season generally increased their bite forces and head widths during the nonbreeding season. In contrast, lizards that were initially strong biters in the breeding season diminished in head width and declined dramatically in bite force (up to about 35%). We suggest that seasonal plasticity could act as a retarding force for selection on performance, and could dampen seasonal and year-to-year fluctuations in selective pressures. We argue that this phenomenon may be particularly likely for performance traits important for social interactions related to breeding, such as bite force.
The combined effect of environmental and host factors on the emergence of viral RNA recombinants

Viruses are masters of evolution due to high frequency mutations and genetic recombination. In spite of the significance of viral RNA recombination that promotes the emergence of drug-resistant virus strains, the role of host and environmental factors in RNA recombination is poorly understood. Here we report that the host Met22p/Hal2p bisphosphate-3′-nucleotidase regulates the frequency of viral RNA recombination and the efficiency of viral replication. Based on Tomato bushy stunt virus (TBSV) and yeast as a model host, we demonstrate that deletion of MET22 in yeast or knockdown of AHL, SAL1 and FRY1 nucleotidases/phosphatases in plants leads to increased TBSV recombination and replication. Using a cell-free TBSV recombination/replication assay, we show that the substrate of the above nucleotidases, namely 3′-phosphoadenosine-5′-phosphate pAp, inhibits the activity of the Xrn1p 5′-3′ ribonuclease, a known suppressor of TBSV recombination. Inhibition of the activity of the nucleotidases by LiCl and NaCl also leads to increased TBSV recombination, demonstrating that environmental factors could also affect viral RNA recombination. Thus, host factors in combination with environmental factors likely affect virus evolution and adaptation.
Encephalitis and Meningitis

Inflammation of the brain and meninges is a common cause of neurologic dysfunction in dogs and cats. A wide range of infectious agents has been demonstrated to cause encephalitis an meningitis, although there are many inflammatory conditions for which an etiology has not been found. Analysis of cerebrospinal fluid is the most useful diagnostic test to identify central nervous system inflammation. This article discusses the common causes of encephalitis and meningitis in dogs and cats, focusing on clinical presentation, diagnostic findings, treatment modalities, and prognosis.
Invited Review: Integrating Quantitative Findings from Multiple Studies Using Mixed Model Methodology

In animal agriculture, the need to understand complex biological, environmental, and management relationships is increasing. In addition, as knowledge increases and profit margins shrink, our ability and desire to predict responses to various management decisions also increases. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to help show how improved mathematical and statistical tools and computer technology can help us gain more accurate information from published studies and improve future research. Researchers, in several recent reviews, have gathered data from multiple published studies and attempted to formulate a quantitative model that best explains the observations. In statistics, this process has been labeled meta-analysis. Generally, there are large differences between studies: e. g., different physiological status of the experimental units, different experimental design, different measurement methods, and laboratory technicians. From a statistical standpoint, studies are blocks and their effects must be considered random because the inference being sought is to future, unknown studies. Meta-analyses in the animal sciences have generally ignored the Study effect. Because data gathered across studies are unbalanced with respect to predictor variables, ignoring the Study effect has as a consequence that the estimation of parameters (slopes and intercept) of regression models can be severely biased. Additionally, variance estimates are biased upward, resulting in large type II errors when testing the effect of independent variables. Historically, the Study effect has been considered a fixed effect not because of a strong argument that such effect is indeed fixed but because of our prior inability to efficiently solve even modest-sized mixed models (those containing both fixed and random effects). Modern statistical software has, however, overcome this limitation. Consequently, meta-analyses should now incorporate the Study effect and its interaction effects as random components of a mixed model. This would result in better prediction equations of biological systems and a more accurate description of their prediction errors.
A statewide survey of audiologists regarding auditory processing disorders.

This study surveyed all licensed Arkansas audiologists (N=127) regarding auditory processing disorders in children and adults, with 16 items covering demographic information, knowledge, identification and diagnosis, service provision, and referral. Analysis indicated 40% and 35% of the 62 respondents were “very” or “somewhat comfortable” with diagnosing auditory processing disorders in adults and children, respectively. In the current work setting, 58% did not provide auditory processing testing, 44% had never performed such testing, and 40% did not answer a question related to referral sources. The lack of consistent testing or referral probably leaves community persons with auditory processing disorders at risk for being overlooked or misdiagnosed.
AN ANALYTICAL INVERSION OF THE 180° EXPONENTIAL RADON TRANSFORM WITH A NUMERICALLY GENERATED KERNEL

This work presents an inversion algorithm for the exponential Radon transform (ERT) over 180° range of view angles. The algorithm can be applied to two-dimensional parallel beam geometry in single photon emission computed tomography. First the differentiation of the ERT over π is backprojected. A convolutional relation between this backprojected differentiation and the original image is then established. In order to invert the convolution relation, the least-squares method is utilized to obtain a numerically generated filtering kernel, which readily restores the original image. The advantages of the proposed algorithm are, first, it only requires half the view angles of the conventional inversion algorithm, second, it deals with truncation in ERT data in certain situations, and third, the numerically generated filtering kernel can be pre-calculated and stored for later applications. The algorithm is an analytical approach except for the pre-calculated inverse kernel.
Honey, I shrunk the XQuery!: an XML algebra optimization approach

A lot of work is being done in the database community on mapping of XML data into and out of relational database systems, specifically, the query processing over such data using XQuery. We discuss our solution, the XML Algebra Tree (XAT), as part of our larger XML management system called Rainbow.Rainbow uses XQuery to describe the loading and extracting of XML data into relational systems and also for the execution of queries against pre-defined XML views of that stored data. The XML algebra tree of the query against those views is merged with the queries that define the views to form a larger tree. Because the XML formatting operators are interleaved with the computation operators, this XAT must then be optimized before being translated into one or more SQL statements that can be executed on the database. SQL translation is composed of computation pushdown and SQL generation.The computation pushdown splits the tree into the XML-specific and SQL-doable operators, which is then going to be converted into SQL statements. However, the XAT after computation pushdown may contain unreferenced columns or unused operators. Leaving these operators in the tree will create unnecessarily large SQL statements and will slow down the overall execution.Our main contributions to XML query processing, outlined in this paper, are threefold. One, we describe an algebra based on XATs for modeling XQuery expressions. Two, we propose rewriting rules to optimize XQueries by XAT operator cancel out. Lastly, we show a cutting algorithm to remove unreferenced columns and operators from the trees. We have fully implemented the techniques discussed in this paper in the Rainbow system. A preliminary experimental study compares the performance of execution before and after operator cancel out and cutting.
Aerobreakup in disturbed subsonic and supersonic flow fields

This work concerns the breakup of millimetre-scale liquid droplets in gaseous flow fields that are disturbed from free-stream conditions by the presence of solid obstacles or other drops. A broad range of flow conditions is considered - from subsonic to supersonic, from highly rarefied to ambient pressures, and from fixed cylindrical obstacles to free liquid droplets (as obstacles). The liquid is water or tributyl phosphate, a water-like low-viscosity fluid of very low vapour pressure. We present data on deformation and breakup regimes, and, aided by numerical simulations, we discuss governing mechanisms and the time scaling of these events. Thereby a methodology is demonstrated for conveniently forecasting first-order behaviours in disturbed flow fields more generally. The highly resolved images lend themselves to testing/benchmarking numerical simulations of interfacial flows. These results, along with the experimental capability developed, constitute one of the key building blocks for our overall long-term aim towards predicting ultimate particle-size distributions from such intense aerodynamic interactions involving very large quantities of Newtonian and viscoelastic liquids.
Landmark matching via large deformation diffeomorphisms

This paper describes the generation of large deformation diffeomorphisms /spl phi/:/spl Omega/=[0,1]/sup 3//spl rlhar2//spl Omega/ for landmark matching generated as solutions to the transport equation d/spl phi/(x,t)/dt=/spl nu/(/spl phi/(x,t),t),t/spl isin/[0,1] and /spl phi/(x,0)=x, with the image map defined as /spl phi/(/spl middot/,1) and therefore controlled via the velocity field /spl nu/(/spl middot/,t),t/spl isin/[0,1]. Imagery are assumed characterized via sets of landmarks {x/sub n/, y/sub n/, n=1, 2, ..., N}. The optimal diffeomorphic match is constructed to minimize a running smoothness cost /spl par/L/spl nu//spl par//sup 2/ associated with a linear differential operator L on the velocity field generating the diffeomorphism while simultaneously minimizing the matching end point condition of the landmarks. Both inexact and exact landmark matching is studied here. Given noisy landmarks x/sub n/ matched to y/sub n/ measured with error covariances /spl Sigma//sub n/, then the matching problem is solved generating the optimal diffeomorphism /spl phi//spl circ/(x,1)=/spl int//sub 0//sup 1//spl nu//spl circ/(/spl phi//spl circ/(x,t),t)dt+x where /spl nu//spl circ/(/spl middot/)argmin/sub /spl nu/(/spl middot/)//spl int//sub 1//sup 1//spl int//sub /spl Omega///spl par/L/spl nu/(x,t)/spl par//sup 2/dxdt +/spl Sigma//sub n=1//sup N/[y/sub n/-/spl phi/(x/sub n/,1)]/sup T//spl Sigma//sub n//sup -1/[y/sub n/-/spl phi/(x/sub n/,1)]. Conditions for the existence of solutions in the space of diffeomorphisms are established, with a gradient algorithm provided for generating the optimal flow solving the minimum problem. Results on matching two-dimensional (2-D) and three-dimensional (3-D) imagery are presented in the macaque monkey.
Functional Complementation between a Novel Mammalian Polygenic Transport Complex and an Evolutionarily Ancient Organic Solute Transporter, OSTα-OSTβ

These studies identify an organic solute transporter (OST) that is generated when two novel gene products are co-expressed, namely human OSTalpha and OSTbeta or mouse OSTalpha and OSTbeta. The results also demonstrate that the mammalian proteins are functionally complemented by evolutionarily divergent Ostalpha-Ostbeta proteins recently identified in the little skate, Raja erinacea, even though the latter exhibit only 25-41% predicted amino acid identity with the mammalian proteins. Human, mouse, and skate OSTalpha proteins are predicted to contain seven transmembrane helices, whereas the OSTbeta sequences are predicted to have a single transmembrane helix. Human OSTalpha-OSTbeta and mouse Ostalpha-Ostbeta cDNAs were cloned from liver mRNA, sequenced, expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes, and tested for their ability to functionally complement the corresponding skate proteins by measuring transport of [3H]estrone 3-sulfate. None of the proteins elicited a transport signal when expressed individually in oocytes; however, all nine OSTalpha-OSTbeta combinations (i.e. OSTalpha-OSTbeta pairs from human, mouse, or skate) generated robust estrone 3-sulfate transport activity. Transport was sodium-independent, saturable, and inhibited by other steroids and anionic drugs. Human and mouse OSTalpha-OSTbeta also were able to mediate transport of taurocholate, digoxin, and prostaglandin E2 but not of estradiol 17beta-d-glucuronide or p-aminohippurate. OSTalpha and OSTbeta were able to reach the oocyte plasma membrane when expressed either individually or in pairs, indicating that co-expression is not required for proper membrane targeting. Interestingly, OSTalpha and OSTbeta mRNAs were highly expressed and widely distributed in human tissues, with the highest levels occurring in the testis, colon, liver, small intestine, kidney, ovary, and adrenal gland.
Myocardial magnesium transport: effect of gramicidin S and epinephrine.

Abstract Initial magnesium transport in low magnesium Ringer in the frog myocardium consists of at least two systems, a fast system with high capacity with a time constant of 30 seconds and a slow transport system that operates with a time constant of 165 seconds. Both transport systems appear to be electroneutral and can operate either against an electrochemical gradient or with an electrochemical gradient. The fast transport system can transport Mg2+ in an outward direction at 1.84 p mol cm−2 sec−1; the slow system causes Mg2+ to be transported outward at 0.05 p mol cm−2 sec−1. Gramicidin S (5 μM) decreases the slow outward transport system to 0.01 p mol cm−2 sec−1 and at concentrations greater than 1 μM inhibits not only slow magnesium outflux in low calcium Ringer but also inhibits magnesium influx during recovery of Mg2+ in Ringer. Gramicidin S at 5μM decreases Mg2+ influx from .04 p mol cm−2 sec−1 to 0.01 p mol cm2 sec−1 indicating that influx and efflux may take place on the same transport system. In the presence of 10 mM Mg2+ Gramicidin S increases magnesium content. Epinephrine increases magnesium efflux and overcome the inhibition of Mg2+ efflux by Gramicidin S.
Effects of Optison on pulmonary gas exchange and hemodynamics.

Abstract Optison® is a contrast-enhancing agent used in myocardial contrast echocardiography. It consists of small albumin spherules (approximately 4-μm diameter) containing a fluorocarbon gas, octafluoropropane. It is injected IV and, thus, may cause pulmonary manifestations of microembolism. To determine if any such effects do occur, we injected sequential doses of 1, then 3 and then 5 mL Optison® IV into 25 kg anesthetized dogs, and measured pulmonary hemodynamic and gas exchange variables frequently for 30 min after each dose. This was done in both 6 healthy and 6 pulmonary hypertensive animals, the latter produced by acute IV injection of 676-μm diameter polystyrene beads, raising pulmonary artery pressure from normal (15 mmHg) to 33 mmHg. Optison®-injected animals were compared with albumin-injected controls. Two animals developed severe hypotension in response to albumin and could not be used. Lung compliance and wet/dry weight ratio were unaffected by Optison® and no effects on gas exchange were seen at any dose or time in either group of dogs. In the healthy group, there was slight (1 mmHg per mL Optison®), transient and delayed pulmonary hypertension without change in cardiac output, suggesting a vasoconstrictor rather than mechanical basis for these small effects. No such changes occurred in the pulmonary hypertensive group. These results imply that usual human doses of Optison® (0.5 mL) will produce no significant hemodynamic or gas exchange effects in either healthy or pulmonary hypertensive dogs. (E-mail: pdwagner@ucsd.edu)
Chirped volume Bragg gratings as broad spectrum focusing or collimating elements

We demonstrate the use of chirped volume Bragg gratings (VBGs) as flat focusing elements for wavelengths different than the wavelength used for recording of the Bragg grating and with efficiencies of up to 95%. The VBGs were recorded in photo-thermo-refractive (PTR) glass with laser generating at 325 nm and were tested with wavelengths ranging from visible up to near IR spectral regions and beam sizes from one to three millimeters, achieving diffraction limited quality in all cases.
Culture of arterial chemoreceptor cells from adult cats in defined medium.

Abstract Recently patch clamp techniques and optical fluorometric techniques have been applied to freshly dissociated or cultured carotid body glomus cells to investigate chemosensory mechanisms of the carotid body. However, very few studies have shown the effects of the dissociation and/or culture conditions on the health and function of the cells. The purpose of this study was to develop a culture method which support healthy and functioning carotid body cells from adult cats. Carotid bodies were dissociated with 0.1–0.2% collagenase and gentle trituration. The cells were plated on glass wells coated with poly-D-lysin and Matrigel, and cultured in chemically defined medium. Culture was maintained for up to 37 days without overgrowth of fibroblasts. Glomus cells extended their processes within and from clusters. Single glomus cells acquired the shape of neurons. Glomus cells synthesized dopamine and its secretion increased during exposure of the cells to hypoxia. Tyrosine hydroxylase was expressed throughout the culture period. These results indicate that glomus cells cultured under conditions described here are healthy and function in a manner similar to that in vivo.
Classification and numbering of teeth in dental bitewing images

We present an algorithm to classify and assign numbers to teeth in bitewing dental images. The goal is to use the result of this algorithm in an automated dental identification system. We use Bayesian classification to classify the teeth in a bitewing image into molars and premolars and assign an absolute number to each tooth based on the common numbering system used in dentistry. Fourier descriptors of the teeth contours are used as features in the Bayesian classification. After the Bayesian classification, the spatial relation between the two types of teeth is considered to number each tooth and correct the misclassification of some teeth in order to obtain high precision results. Comparison between the two kinds of FDs was done to select the best method for teeth classification. Experiments with 50 bitewing images containing more than 400 teeth show that our method is capable of classifying and assigning absolute index number to the teeth with high accuracy.
Changes in the physico-chemical properties of the detergent octyl glucoside during membrane protein crystallization using a salt as the precipitant

Abstract In membrane protein crystallization experiments, numerous changes can occur to the physico-chemical properties of a detergent during vapor equilibration of an aqueous protein solution when the precipitant is a salt. The effect of salts on the behavior of the non-ionic detergent octyl-β-D-glucopyranoside was investigated. The increase in salt concentration caused a salt dependent decrease in the critical micellization concentration. Simultaneously, for a given salt concentration at a given temperature, the occurence of a clouding phenomenon resulted in phase separation. In the presence of ammonium sulfate the hydrodynamic radius of the micellar particles was significantly increased. The use of the detergent concentration as a variable for the crystallization of membrane proteins is discussed in the light of results obtained with bacteriorhodopsin.
Do children in foster care receive appropriate treatment for asthma

Abstract Asthma is the most common childhood chronic disease, and children in foster care have the highest rates of chronic conditions of any studied child population. The purpose of this study is to determine whether there are disparities in asthma management and health care utilization between children in foster care and other children covered by Medicaid in the state of Illinois. We use performance measures developed by the state child welfare system as well as those developed by the National Committee on Quality Assurance and used throughout the country. The study sample was drawn from linked administrative data on children in foster care and paid Medicaid claims. In order to determine the influence of living arrangement setting within the child welfare system, children in foster care were further grouped according to whether they lived in a stable home setting, a stable congregate care setting, or other living arrangement. We found that children living in home settings performed better on most performance measures than income-eligible Medicaid children. In contrast, children with asthma living in congregate care were particularly vulnerable as reflected in poor asthma care measurements and high utilization of hospitalizations despite positive performance on indicators of medication use. This population presents a significant challenge to the child welfare and health care delivery systems.
Vaccination of chickens against coccidiosis ameliorates drug resistance in commercial poultry production

Drug resistance is a problem wherever livestock are raised under intensive conditions and drugs are used to combat parasitic infections. This is particularly true for the anticoccidial agents used for the prevention of coccidiosis caused by protozoa of the apicomplexan genus Eimeria in poultry. Resistance has been documented for all the dozen or so drugs approved for use in chickens and varying levels of resistance is present for those currently employed. A possible solution may be the introduction of drug-sensitive parasites into the houses where poultry are raised so that they may replace such drug-resistant organisms. This can be achieved by utilizing live vaccines that contain strains of Eimeria that were isolated before most anticoccidial compounds were introduced. Such strains are inherently drug-sensitive. Practical proposals to achieve this objective involve the alternation of vaccination with medication (known as rotation programs) in successive flocks reared in the same poultry house. A proposal for a yearly broiler production cycle involving chemotherapy and vaccination is presented. There are few, if any, examples in veterinary parasitology where it has proved possible to restore sensitivity to drugs used to control a widespread parasite. Further research is necessary to ascertain whether this can result in sustainable and long-term control of Eimeria infections in poultry.
A Pollen Study of a Subalpine Bog in the Blue Mountains of Northeastern Oregon

This is one of a series of studies on post-Pleistocene vegetation history and general climatic trends in the Pacific Northwest. The forest succession is interpreted from pollen profiles of peat bogs and lake sediments. Bogs are common ill some parts of this region, whereas in others they are few and widely scattered. Peat profiles from many of the vegetation and climatic provinces of this vast region have been analyzed, and it is hoped that one or more profiles may be obtained from each plant association. In some cases it has been possible to obtain only a single peat profile from an extensive association. The pollen profiles of one bog mlay not portray adequately the vegetation history of an entire association, but the correlation of profiles from several should tend to substantiate or refute the evidence offered by a single bog. Pollen profiles of most bogs thus far studied show a fair degree of correlation, with the exception of those located in areas where a pumice mantle has been the major control of forest succession. The vegetation history has been interpreted from the pollen profiles of bogs located in the following associations: The hemlock-cedar of the Puget L-owland and southwestern British Columnbia, the spruce-hemlock of the Olympic Peninsula and Oregon coast, the larchpine of central, north central, and northeastern Washinigton, the hemlock-cedarlowland white fir of northern Idaho, the pine-Douglas fir on the eastern slope of
On the decay of correlations in ${\rm SO}(n)$-symmetric ferromagnets

We prove that for low temperaturesT the spin-spin correlation function of the two-dimensional classicalSO(n)-symmetric Ising ferromagnet decays faster than |x|−constT providedn≧2. We also discuss a nearest neighbor continuous spin model, with spins restricted to a finite interval, where we show that the spin-spin correlation function decays exponentially in any number of dimensions.
A multivariate analysis of hotel benefit bundles and choice trade-offs

Abstract Marketing research in hotels is generally limited to the analysis of guest related data, collected either during registration or from guest comment cards. The data obtained in this fashion have little merit as predictors of customer behaviour (Lewis, 1981) yet techniques of multivariate analysis are available which enable management not only to predict customer choice with some degree of confidence but to develop more appropriate segmentation, positioning and marketing mix strategies. This paper explores the application of these techniques in the competitive hotel market at the world's busiest airport—London Heathrow. With the cooperation of Holiday Inn management, a two stage programme of research was undertaken.
Auditors' and governmental financial officers' views on expanding the Sarbanes–Oxley Act provisions to state and local governments

Abstract This paper examines whether certain provisions of the Sarbanes–Oxley Act (SOX, 2002) should be expanded to include state and local governmental entities. Surveying governmental financial officials (GFOs) and their external auditors to gauge support for SOX-like legislation for governmental entities, we find the strongest support for auditor independence rules similar to SOX, management assessment of, and reporting on, internal controls, and severe penalties for destruction of records, fraud, and failure to report fraud.
Coherence-time and effective bandwidth of blackbody radiation

The coherence-time and the effective bandwidth of blackbody radiation are calculated on the basis of definitions proposed for these quantities byWolf(5) andMandel(6). The two sets of definitions are found to give results of the same order of magnitude. The coherencetime at room temperature (∼ 300 °K) is found to be about 2 · 10-14 s, corresponding to a coherence-length in vacuum of 6 · 10-4 cm. A table of corresponding values for various temperatures is given.