cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
On pebbling threshold functions for graph sequences

Given a connected graph G, and a distribution of t pebbles to the vertices of G, a pebbling step consists of removing two pebbles from a vertex v and placing one pebble on a neighbor of v. For a particular vertex r, the distribution is r-solvable if it is possible to place a pebble on r after a finite number of pebbling steps. The distribution is solvable if it is r-solvable for every r. The pebbling number of G is the least number t, so that every distribution of t pebbles is solvable. In this paper we are not concerned with such an absolute guarantee but rather an almost sure guarantee. A threshold function for a sequence of graphs g = (G1, G2,...,Gn,...), where Gn has n vertices, is any function t0(n) such that almost all distributions of t pebbles are solvabe when t » t0, and such that almost none are solvable when t « t0. We give bounds on pebbling threshold functions for the sequences of cliques, stars, wheels, cubes, cycles and paths.
Pulse–pressure loading effects on aviation and general engineering structures—review

Abstract This paper reviews various aspects of modeling an explosion on an aircraft, which can be extended to more general structures. A brief summary of material and structural models is given, followed by a detailed history of pulse–pressure loading models with an emphasis on free–free beams and how pulse characteristics affect a structure's response. Techniques to desensitize pulse shape effects are discussed, which culminate in the form of pressure–impulse isodamage curves. Studies using random loading models are also presented.
How not to design an active filter-thoughts on the choice of op-amps

Considers some of the issues which are too often forgotten when active filters are being designed. As a practising applications engineer working for an op-amp manufacturer the author is accustomed to being blamed for the failure of active filter designs to meet their specifications and would like to share a few insights on the choice of opamps.
Plane steady shock waves in Isreal-Stewart fluids

Abstract The plane steady shock wave solutions of the Israel-Stewart theory of relativistic dissipative fluids are studied. The Israel-Stewart theory is shown to fail to adequately describe the structure of strong shock waves. Physically acceptable solutions do not exist above a maximum upstream Mach number in any thermally nonconducting, viscous fluid described by the Israel-Stewart theory because the solutions become multiple-valued when the characteristic velocity is exceeded. It is also proven that physically acceptable solutions do not exist for thermally conducting, viscous fluids above either a maximum upstream Mach number, or else below a minimum downstream Mach number (or both). These limiting Mach numbers again correspond to the characteristic velocities of the fluid. Only extremely weak plane steady continuous shock solutions exist in the Israel-Stewart theory for the ultrarelativistic Boltzmann gas, or for the degenerate free Fermi gas.
Climate change in fact and in theory: Are we collecting the facts?

For the past 100 years, a mostly volunteer group of observers has formed the backbone of the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) Cooperative (CO-OP) network. These stations have provided most of the observations used to satisfy the Department of Commerce's statutory mandate of 1890... “to establish and record the climatic conditions of the United States” (15 USCA 313). Originally, this network was intended primarily for agriculture, but many other uses of the data have since emerged, such as the climatic planning of weather sensitive activities, input to engineering design studies, and input and verification for weather and river forecasts. In recent years, heightened awareness regarding climatic change and variability has challenged this network with yet another mission: the monitoring and detection of climate change. While not designed for that mission, the CO-OP network has proved useful in this respect. However, with some changes in operation, it could become even more valuable in monitoring for climatic change, and could do so in a most economical way. Similar practices instituted worldwide will be necessary for comprehensive study of climate change to the degrees of detail necessary to address specific policy issues and practical local-scale decision making.
Cluster diagonalization in systematically expanded Hilbert spaces: Application to models of correlated electrons.

A method of cluster diagonalization in a systematically expanded Hilbert space is described. We discuss some applications of this procedure to models of high-${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{c}}$ superconductors, like the t-J model and the one- and three-band Hubbard models in two dimensions. The results obtained with this method are compared against results obtained with other techniques dealing with truncated Hilbert spaces. The relation between this method of diagonalization in a reduced Hilbert space, and perturbation theory and variational techniques is also discused.
Recollision Dynamics and Time Delay in Strong-Field Double Ionization

Three-dimensional classical ensembles are employed to study recollision dynamics in double ionization of atoms by 780-nm intense lasers. After recollision one electron typically remains bound to the atom for a portion of a laser cycle, during which time the nucleus strongly influences its direction of motion. The electron then escapes over a suppressed barrier, with its final momentum depending critically on the laser phase at escape. The other electron remains unbound after collision, and typically drifts out in a momentum hemisphere opposite from its motion just after the collision. Several example trajectories at intensity 0.4 PW/cm2 with various time delays between recollision and ionization are presented.
Differences in Health Symptoms among Residents Living Near Illegal Dump Sites in Los Laureles Canyon, Tijuana, Mexico: A Cross Sectional Survey

Living near landfills is a known health hazard prompting recognition of environmental injustice. The study aim was to compare self-reported symptoms of ill health among residents of four neighborhoods, living in haphazardly constructed settlements surrounded by illegal dumpsites in Tijuana, Mexico. One adult from each of 388 households located in Los Laureles Canyon were interviewed about demographics, health status, and symptoms. Distance from each residence to both the nearest dumpsite and the canyon bottom was assessed. The neighborhoods were selected from locations within the canyon, and varied with respect to proximity to dump sites. Residents of San Bernardo reported significantly higher frequencies of ill-health symptoms than the other neighborhoods, including extreme fatigue (OR 3.01 (95% CI 1.6-5.5)), skin problems/irritations (OR 2.73 (95% CI 1.3-5.9)), stomach discomfort (OR 2.47 (1.3-4.8)), eye irritation/tears (OR 2.02 (1.2-3.6)), and confusion/difficulty concentrating (OR 2.39 (1.2-4.8)). Proximity to dumpsites did not explain these results, that varied only slightly when adjusted for distance to nearest dumpsite or distance to the canyon bottom. Because San Bernardo has no paved roads, we hypothesize that dust and the toxicants it carries is a possible explanation for this difference. Studies are needed to further document this association and sources of toxicants.
ANTIBODY TO HEPATITIS-B-VIRUS CORE IN MAN

Abstract The hepatitis-B antigen (HBAg) is felt to represent the coat protein of the hepatitis-B virus. Antigenically distinct from this is the core particle represented on electron microscopy as the electron-dense core of the Dane particle and seen in the nuclei of liver cells during acute infection with hepatitis-B virus. Cores were purified from the liver of an acutely infected chimpanzee, and specific antiserum to the cores was raised in guineapigs. Anti-core antibodies in patients and blood-donors were sought by complement-fixation test. In 15 patients, antibodies to core appeared in acute viral hepatitis, type B, twelve to twenty weeks after exposure, usually during antigenaemia and well before the appearance of anti-HBAg. In 3 patients, titres of anti-core antibodies were not boosted by re-exposure to HBAg-positive serum. The prevalence of anti-core antibodies was lower than that of anti-HBAg in blood-donors and in haemophiliacs. Anti-core antibodies were found in all chronic HBAg carriers tested.
A phase II trial of 5‐fluorouracil, leucovorin, and carboplatin in patients with unresectable biliary tree carcinoma

BACKGROUND Unresectable adenocarcinoma of the biliary tree are associated with a very poor prognosis. 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) combination regimens have produced objective response rates in approximately 10-20% of patients. Leucovorin increases the selective cytotoxicity of 5-FU. There also are encouraging reports of carboplatin in combination with 5-FU in other gastrointestinal tract malignancies. METHODS Fourteen consecutive eligible patients were treated with a combination of carboplatin, 300 mg/m2, intravenously (i.v.) on Day 1 only and 5-FU, 400 mg/m2, i.v. with leucovorin, 25 mg/m2, i.v. on Days 1-4. All patients were required to have a histologically confirmed diagnosis and measurable disease. Patients were evaluated for response, survival, and toxicity. RESULTS A total of 48 cycles of therapy were delivered. The median survival was 5 months. One patient achieved complete remission and two others partial remission, for a total response rate of 21.4%. Four additional patients had stable disease for a median duration of 4 months. The therapy was well tolerated, with moderate myelosuppression as the main dose-limiting toxicity. CONCLUSIONS The current combination regimen of leucovorin-modulated 5-FU with carboplatin is well tolerated with appropriate supportive care, produces significant objective responses in 21% of patients with biliary tree carcinoma, and should be considered for the treatment of this disease. Cancer 1998;82:2321-2325. © 1998 American Cancer Society.
The effect of l-glutamate on the afferent resting activity in the cephalopod statocyst

Abstract The effects of bath application of l -glutamate and of excitatory amino acid agonists and antagonists on the resting activity of afferent crista fibers were studied in isolated preparations of the statocyst of the cuttlefish, Sepia of ficinalis . l -Glutamate (threshold 10 −5 M) and its agonists quisqualate and kainate (thresholds 10 −6 M) increased the resting activity in a dose-dependent manner. Glutamine (threshold 10 −5 M) was also excitatory, while d -glutamate had no effect. Also, no obvious excitatory effects were seen for NMDA and l -aspartate, nor was any antagonistic effect seen for the selective NMDA-receptor antagonist d -2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid ( d -AP-5). The spider toxin Argiotoxin 636 (threshold 10 −11 M), 2-amino-4-phosphonobutyric acid (AP-4), glutamic acid diethyl ester (GDEE), γ- d -glutamylaminomethyl-sulfonic acid (GAMS), and kynurenic acid decreased the resting activity and effectively blocked or reversed the effect of l -glutamate and its non-NMDA agonists. Preliminary experiments with statocysts from the squid Sepioteuthis lessoniana and the octopod Octopus bimaculoides gave comparable results. All data show that in cephalopod statocysts l -glutamate, via non-NMDA receptors, has an excitatory effect on the activity of afferent fibers, an effect consistent with its possible function as a hair cell transmitter.
Late Quaternary Vegetation and Climate of Southern Tierra del Fuego

Vegetation and climate over approximately the past 13,000 yr are reconstructed from fossil pollen in a 9.4-m mire section at Caleta Robalo on Beagle Channel, Isla Navarino (54°56′S, 67°38′W), southern Tierra del Fuego. Fifty surface samples reflecting modern pollen dispersal serve to interpret the record. Chronologically controlled by nine radiocarbon dates, fossil pollen assemblages are: Empetrum-Gramineae-Gunnera-Tubuliflorae (zone 3b, 13,000–11,850 yr B.P.), Gramineae-Empetrum-assorted minor taxa (zone 3a, 11,850-10,000 yr B.P.), Nothofagus-Gramineae-Tubuliflorae-Polypodiaceae (zone 2, 10,000–5000 yr B.P.), Nothofagus-Empetrum (zone 1b, 5000-3000 yr B.P.), and Empetrum-Nothofagus (zone 1a, 3000-0 yr B.P.). Assemblages show tundra under a cold, dry climate (zone 3), followed by open woodland (zone 2), as conditions became warmer and less dry, and later, with greater humidity and lower temperatures, by closed forest and the spread of mires (zone 1). Comparisons drawn with records from Antarctica, New Zealand, Tasmania, and the subantarctic islands demonstrate broadly uniform conditions in the circumpolar Southern Hemisphere. The influences of continental and maritime antarctic air masses were apparently considerable in Tierra del Fuego during cold late-glacial time, whereas Holocene climate was largely regulated by interplay between maritime polar and maritime tropical air.
Abstract P3-03-11: Oxazine derivatives of g- and D- tocotrienols display potent anticancer effects in vivo

Breast cancer is a multi-stage process which leads to the accumulation of abnormal cells arising from excessive proliferation, lack of apoptosis or a combination of both. Natural compounds such as g-tocotrienol have been shown to selectively inhibit cancer cell growth without harming normal cell viability with little or no adverse side effects. The antiproliferative and apoptotic effects of the tocotrienol isoform, γ-tocotrienol, have been firmly established in various cancer types. However, in vivo studies have provided mixed results, attributed to γ-tocotrienol rapid clearance and low bioavailability. In order to improve anticancer potency and bioavailability in vivo , γ- and Δ-tocotrienol were chemically modified with electrophilic substitution reactions on their chromane ring using Mannich and Lederer-Manasse reactions, resulting in the synthesis of various oxazine derivatives. Several of these oxazine derivatives (compounds 26, 31, 39, 40 and 44) were found to display potent anticancer activity as compared to their parent compounds when tested on +SA mammary cancer cells grown in culture. These in vitro studies were followed up with in vivo studies to determine the anticancer effects of oxazine derivatives on the growth of mammary tumors in mice. Female syngeneic BALB/c mice, 4-6 week old were inoculated with 1×10 6 +SA mammary tumor cells in the left mammary pad. Once tumor size reached 5mm in diameter, animals were divided into different treatment groups and received an intra-tumoral injection injected of 0-120μg/20μl tocotrienol or its derivative every other day for 11 days. Afterwards, mice were sacrificed, tumors removed and placed in -80°C until further analysis. Results from these studies showed that tumor growth rate was significantly reduced in the oxazine derivative treated animals as compared to the vehicle-treated controls. Western blot analysis of tumor samples showed that the growth inhibitory effects of tocotrienol derivatives was also associated with a significant reduction in phosphorylated (activated) Akt and reductions in cell cycle regulatory proteins cyclin D1 and cyclin dependent kinases (CDK2, CDK4 and CDK6). In addition, oxazine derivative treatment was also associated with a large increase in CDK inhibitors p21 and p27, as compared to tumors obtained from the vehicle-treated control mice. Western blot analysis also showed that tumor from oxazine-derivative treated mice displayed a large reduction in NFκB levels and its downstream gene product COX-2. In summary, oxazine derivatives of tocotrienols display more potent anticancer activity both in vitro and in vivo , as compared to their parent compounds and suggest that these tocotrienol derivatives may provide some benefit as novel anticancer therapeutic agents. This work was supported, in part, by First Tec International Ltd. (Hong Kong), Malaysian Palm oil Council and the Louisiana Cancer Foundation. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2013;73(24 Suppl): Abstract nr P3-03-11.
In Situ Diagnostics and Modeling of Methane Catalytic Partial Oxidation on Pt in a Stagnation-Flow Reactor

The effect of catalyst temperature on the partial oxidation reaction pathways of methane over platinum is investigated in a stagnation-flow reactor. A new experimental method is described that uses Raman spectroscopy to measure the concentration of CH 4 along the centerline of the reactor with the Pt surface at 900-1100 °C. The method permits the direct comparison of the measured reactivity with that predicted by the CHEMKIN SPIN stagnation-flow code when combined with recently developed partial oxidation elementary reaction mechanisms. A significant increase in the reactivity of CH 4 on Pt is observed between 1000 and 1100 °C, concurrent with an increase in the selectivity to H 2 and CO. No single mechanism available in the literature correctly models the increase in reactivity or the change in selectivity in this temperature range. The experimental results are interpreted by examining the competitive adsorption between CH 4 and O 2 and the two pathways by which CH 4 can undergo dissociative adsorption. The temperature dependence of the sticking coefficient for the direct dissociative adsorption of CH 4 is specifically identified as an important yet highly uncertain parameter in the reaction mechanism.
Gas separation membrane material selection criteria: Differences for weakly and strongly interacting feed components

Abstract Insights into the basic principles governing sorption and transport in glassy polymers has recently led to large improvements in the materials used for membrane-based gas separation processes. Examples of such advanced materials taken from the polyimide and polycarbonate families are compared to conventional membrane materials to illustrate the value of a systematic structure-property approach to this topic. The current thinking regarding optimization strategies for gas separation applications will be summarized in two apparently simple rules for selecting candidate materials for gas separation membranes in the absence of strong interactions between the polymer and the penetrating gas mixture. Detailed consideration of a series of polycarbonates in terms of these two rules is presented. Finally, preliminary insights into more complex cases involving high pressure carbon dixoide, where strong interactions cannot be neglected, are also discussed for the polycarbonate family. The most familiar example of such interactions, “plasticization”, is generally undesirable since it tends to reduce the selectivity of the membrane for permeating components. The onset point of plasticization for the polycarbonates is shown to be related to the achievement of a critical sorbed concentration, so the less strongly sorbing materials resist plasticization up to higher pressures.
Pulpal response to bacteria in the dog

Twenty-six teeth from 8-month-old beagle dogs were used to evaluate the pulpal response to bacteria in bacterially contaminated minimally exposed and unexposed pulp in the dog. The effects were evaluated by means of serial radiographs, consecutive vital dye injections, and histologic sections. Periapical lesions developed in all of the eight teeth which were bacterially infected and exposed. Out of ten teeth which were bacterially infected and had cavities without pulp exposure, only two teeth in the acute group demonstrated inflammatory changes and loss of odontoblastic function directly beneath the infected dentinal tubules. Within the limits of the experimental design, this study demonstrated the pulpal responses of the dog with respect to bacteria.
Properties of ceramic KNO3 thin-film memories☆

Abstract We have measured electrical and spectroscopic properties of thin films (d = 75–500 nm) of ferroelectric ceramic potassium nitrate and developed a mean field theory which explicitly incorporates film thickness effects. Variations of Tc(d) are observed as are changes in the shape of Ps(T) with thickness. Comparisons with earlier work on TGS are made.
Thyroid function in patients with chronic renal failure

Chronic renal failure affects thyroid function in multiple ways, including low circulating thyroid hormone concentration, altered peripheral hormone metabolism, disturbed binding to carrier proteins, possible reduction in tissue thyroid hormone content, and increased iodine store in thyroid glands. Both plasma triiodothyronine (T(3)) and thyroxine (T(4)) are reduced. The low serum T(3) is not due to increased T(3) degradation or to decreased thyroidal T(3) secretion but is a result of impaired extrathyroidal T(4) to T(3) conversion. The reduction in T(4) is attributed to the presence of circulating inhibitors, which impair binding of T(4) to thyroxine-binding globulin. Despite decreased circulating T(4) and T(3), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) is not elevated. This absence of TSH elevation is not due to dysfunction of the hypothalamo-pituitary axis, because truly hypothyroid renal failure patients can mount a high TSH response. Thyroid hormone losses during hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis are trivial and do not require replacement. Serum inorganic iodide and thyroidal iodine content are increased in renal failure patients, and thyroid gland enlargement is frequently encountered. Experiments performed to correct the low serum T(3) level by administration of small doses of LT(3) to renal failure patients resulted in lesser nitrogen balance, greater leucine flux, and protein degradation. We speculate that the low thyroid state in uremia serves to defend against protein wasting and that misguided attempts to replete thyroid hormone stores may worsen protein malnutrition.
Determination of [13C]Pyrene Sequestration in Sediment Microcosms Using Flash Pyrolysis−GC−MS and 13C NMR

In this study, the use of a 13C-labeled pollutant probe, [13C]pyrene, and the application of flash pyrolysis−GC−MS and CPMAS 13C NMR provided analytical capabilities to study pyrene interactions with soluble and insoluble compartments of sedimentary organic matter (SDOM) during whole sediments incubations in aerated microcosms. Surface sediments were collected from a site of previous hydrocarbon contamination in New Orleans, LA. Over a period of 60 days, humic acid and humin fractions of SDOM accumulated increasing amounts of pyrene that were resistant to exhaustive extraction with organic solvents. The sequestered pyrene was evident in CPMAS 13C NMR spectra of humin fractions. The amount of sequestered pyrene in humic materials was quantified by flash pyrolysis−GC−MS, a technique that destroys the three-dimensional structure of macromolecular SDOM. Noncovalent binding of pyrene to humic materials in SDOM was greater in sediments incubated with biological activity than biocide-treated sediments. The combi...
Behavioral and Emotional Problems Associated With Convergence Insufficiency in Children: An Open Trial

Objective: This study investigated behavioral and emotional characteristics of children with convergence insufficiency (CI), before and after treatment with office-based vergence accommodative ther...
Edward Abbey : a life

The best biography ever about Ed. Cahalan's meticulous research and thoughtful interviews have made this book the authoritative source for Abbey scholars and fans alike.? ?Doug Peacock, author, environmentalist activist and explorer, and the inspiration for Hayduke in The Monkey Wrench Gang He was a hero to environmentalists and the patron saint of monkeywrenchers, a man in love with desert solitude. A supposed misogynist, ornery and contentious, he nevertheless counted women among his closest friends and admirers. He attracted a cult following, but he was often uncomfortable with it. He was a writer who wandered far from Home without really starting out there. James Cahalan has written a definitive biography of a contemporary literary icon whose life was a web of contradictions. Edward Abbey: A Life sets the record straight on "Cactus Ed," giving readers a fuller, more human Abbey than most have ever known. It separates fact from fiction, showing that much of the myth surrounding Abbey such as his birth in Home, Pennsylvania, and later residence in Oracle, Arizona was self-created and self-perpetuated. It also shows that Abbey cultivated a persona both in his books and as a public speaker that contradicted his true nature: publicly racy and sardonic, he was privately reserved and somber. Cahalan studied all of Abbey's works and private papers and interviewed many people who knew him including the models for characters in The Brave Cowboy and The Monkey Wrench Gang to create the most complete picture to date of the writer's life. He examines Abbey's childhood roots in the East and his love affair with the West, his personal relationships and tempestuous marriages, and his myriad jobs in continually shifting locations including sixteen national parks and forests. He also explores Abbey's writing process, his broad intellectual interests, and the philosophical roots of his politics. For Abbey fans who assume that his "honest novel," The Fool's Progress, was factual or that his public statements were entirely off the cuff, Cahalan's evenhanded treatment will be an eye-opener. More than a biography, Edward Abbey: A Life is a corrective that shows that he was neither simply a countercultural cowboy hero nor an unprincipled troublemaker, but instead a complex and multifaceted person whose legacy has only begun to be appreciated. The book contains 30 photographs, capturing scenes ranging from Abbey's childhood to his burial site.
A NEW TECHNIQUE FOR THE DETERMINATION OF CORONAL MAGNETIC FIELDS: A FIXED MESH SOLUTION TO LAPLACE'S EQUATION USING LINE-OF-SIGHT BOUNDARY CONDITIONS

A new method for computing potential magnetic field configurations in the solar atmosphere is described. A discrete approximation to Laplace's equation is solved in the domain R ⊙ ≤ r ≤R 1, 0 ≤ θ ≤ π, 0 ≤ φ ≤ 2π (R 1being an arbitrary radial distance from the solar center). The method utilizes the measured line-of-sight magnetic fields directly as the boundary condition at the solar surface and constrains the field to become radial at the outer boundary, R 1. First the differential equation and boundary conditions are reduced to a set of two-dimensional equations in r, θ by Fourier transforming out the periodic φ dependence. Next each transformed boundary condition is converted to a Dirichlet surface condition. Then each two-dimensional equation with standard Dirichlet-Dirichlet boundary conditions is solved for the Fourier coefficient it determines. Finally, the solution of the original three dimensional equation is obtained through inverse Fourier transformation. The primary numerical tools in this technique are the use of a finite fast Fourier transform technique and also a generalized cyclic reduction algorithm developed at NCAR. Any extraneous monopole component present in the data can be removed if so desired. The code was developed for the HAO solar-interplanetary modeling effort in response to the following specific requirements: The spatial resolution of the present code is such that measured surface line-of-sight magnetic fields to a resolution of 2.8° in both latitude and longitude can be adequately treated. Comparisons with the Altschuler-Newkirk code shows that the two methods are more-or-less equivalent for computing large-scale fields at ≈2R ⊙but that the fixed mesh method is capable of much greater accuracy close to the Sun.
Disposable integrated microfluidics with self-aligned planar microlenses

Abstract Design, fabrication, and characterization of the disposable integrated microfluidic devices with self-aligned planar microlenses for the applications of bioanalytical system are described. The development of the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based disposable integrated microfluidics is realized by the monolithic integration of self-aligned two-dimensional (2D) planar micro-optics with microfluidic chips. The disposable integrated microfluidics with self-aligned planar microlenses allows increasing sensitivity of the device and reducing time-consuming optical alignments. The optical detection of the chips is based on the orthogonal arrangement of excitation light source via integrated 2D planar microlens onto the microfluidic channel and the collection of fluorescent emission. It provides an effective detection mechanism with increased signal-to-noise ratio and a simple ‘lab-on-a-chip’ platform with light emitting diodes (LEDs) as excitation sources and photodiodes as detectors. The 2D compound microlenses of the disposable integrated microfluidic devices promise minimized optical aberration, amplified fluorescence, and self-alignment of the micro-optical components of the bioanalysis systems. The disposable integrated microfluidic devices with self-aligned planar microlenses can be used effectively as low-cost, rapid, and sensitive diagnostic chips.
Abnormal quinidine binding in survivors of prehospital cardiac arrest

Abstract Quinidine binding was studied in 15 survivors of prehospital cardiac arrest and was compared to 18 normal individuals and 20 patients with coronary artery disease. The unbound quinidine fraction was 6.3 ± 2.8% in the survivors of prehospital cardiac arrest, a value significantly lower than normal individuals (unbound quinidine fraction=9.9 ± 3.0%, p r = 0.79, p p
Heterosis of Forage Quality in Alfalfa

A semihybrid variety development system could capture natural hybrid vigor found between alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) populations. Medicago sativa subsp. sativa and subsp. falcata represent a heterotic pattern that could be used in a semihybrid breeding system to increase yields, but the forage quality of inter-subspecific crosses in relation to intra-subspecific crosses is unclear. The objective of this study was to compare forage quality of sativa × falcata crosses (SFC), sativa × sativa crosses (SSC), and falcata × falcata crosses (FFC). We used the standard forage quality measures of in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), acid detergent lignin (ADL), crude protein (CP), leaf/stem ratio (LSR), hemicellulose, and cellulose to measure stem forage quality of inter- and intra-subspecific sativa and falcata crosses. Forage was sampled in October 1998 and May 1999 at Ames, IA, and May 1999 Nashua, IA. Sativa–falcata hybrids had slightly decreased stem forage quality compared with the expected quality based on the average of the intra-subspecies cross means. For most forage quality traits the decreased quality is equivalent to the level of the poorer performing intra-subspecies parental mean.
Glial NF-kappa B inhibition alters neuropeptide expression after sciatic nerve injury in mice

We utilized a transgenic mouse model where nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) is selectively inhibited in glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) expressing cells. The transgene, GFAP-IκBα-dn, overexpresses a dominant negative form of the inhibitor of NF-κB (IκBα) under the control of the GFAP promoter. In the present work, we sought to understand the impact of glial NF-κB inhibition on the expression of pain mediating sensory neuropeptides galanin and calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP) in a model of neuropathic pain in mice. Chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the left sciatic nerve was performed on wild type (WT) and GFAP-IκBα-dn transgenic mice. RT-PCR and immunohistological staining were performed in sciatic nerve and/or L4-L5 DRG tissue for galanin, CGRP and macrophage marker CD11b. GFAP-IκBα-dn mice had less mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia compared to WT mice post-CCI. After CCI, we observed galanin upregulation in DRG and sciatic nerve, which was less in GFAP-IκBα-dn mice. CGRP gene expression in the DRG increased transiently on day 1 post-CCI in WT but not in GFAP-IκBα-dn mice, and no evidence of CGRP upregulation in sciatic nerve post-CCI was found. After CCI, upregulation of CD11b in sciatic nerve was less in GFAP-IκBα-dn mice compared to WT mice, indicative of less macrophage infiltration. Our results showed that glial NF-κB inhibition reduces galanin and CGRP expression, which are neuropeptides that correlate with pain behavior and inflammation after peripheral nerve injury.
ASUSat1: the development of a low-cost satellite

In October 1993, the students at Arizona State University (ASU) were challenged by Orbital Sciences Corporation to develop a 4.5-kg (10-lb) satellite (ASUSat1) to be launched as a piggyback payload on a Pegasus rocket. The challenge included the requirements for the satellite to perform meaningful science and to fit inside the Pegasus avionics section (0.033 m diam. X 0.027 m). Moreover, the students were faced with the cost constraints associated with university projects. This unusual set of requirements resulted in a design and development process, which is fundamentally different from that of traditional space projects. The spacecraft capabilities and scientific mission evolved in an extremely rigid environment where cost, size and weight limits were set before the design process even started. In the ASUSat1 project, severe constraints were determined first, and then a meaningful scientific mission was chosen to fit those constraints. This design philosophy can be applied to future satellite systems. In addition, the ASUSat1 program demonstrates that universities can provide an open-minded source for the innovative nano-spacecraft technologies required for the next generation of low-cost missions, as well as an economical testbed to evaluate those technologies. At the same time, the program provides hands-on training for the space scientists and engineers of the future.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Health status, the health events of significant others, and health locus of control

Abstract As people age, they increasingly observe death and illness among those they know well and care about. We asked two questions concerning this phenomenon: (I) Does observing illness and death among close friends and relatives influence the older person 's sense of control over his or her own health?; and (2) Is this impact, if any, dependent on the individual's own health status? Thus, two models were tested, one for main effects and one for interaction between the health events of significant others and the individual's health status. Data were collected at two points in time from 346 older men and women residing in the Chicago metropolitan area. The results of the investigation support the hypothesis that observing death, illness, and injury among close friends and relatives influences an individual's health locus of control orientation and that this relationship is contingent upon the individual's health status.
Coherent population trapping with a train of pulses via a continuum and its application to the suppression of excited-state absorption

We discuss the coherent population trapping (CPT) effect induced in a three-level Λ-type system by a train of short pulses. Specifically, we consider a modified Λ system with the upper level replaced by a continuum of states. We show that CPT with a train of pulses can be applied to the suppression of excited-state absorption of pump radiation in crystalline laser materials. The utility of the technique for pumping a promising yellow-orange solid-state medium Ti:YAlO3 and overcoming excited-state pump absorption is analyzed.
The tao of parallelism in algorithms

For more than thirty years, the parallel programming community has used the dependence graph as the main abstraction for reasoning about and exploiting parallelism in "regular" algorithms that use dense arrays, such as finite-differences and FFTs. In this paper, we argue that the dependence graph is not a suitable abstraction for algorithms in new application areas like machine learning and network analysis in which the key data structures are "irregular" data structures like graphs, trees, and sets.To address the need for better abstractions, we introduce a data-centric formulation of algorithms called the operator formulation in which an algorithm is expressed in terms of its action on data structures. This formulation is the basis for a structural analysis of algorithms that we call tao-analysis. Tao-analysis can be viewed as an abstraction of algorithms that distills out algorithmic properties important for parallelization. It reveals that a generalized form of data-parallelism called amorphous data-parallelism is ubiquitous in algorithms, and that, depending on the tao-structure of the algorithm, this parallelism may be exploited by compile-time, inspector-executor or optimistic parallelization, thereby unifying these seemingly unrelated parallelization techniques. Regular algorithms emerge as a special case of irregular algorithms, and many application-specific optimization techniques can be generalized to a broader context.These results suggest that the operator formulation and tao-analysis of algorithms can be the foundation of a systematic approach to parallel programming.
Ester Production by Pseudomonas fragi. I. Identification and Quantification of Some Esters Produced in Milk Cultures

Abstract Cultures of Pseudomonas fragi isolated from fruity flavored Cottage cheese and pasteurized milk were grown in sterile homogenized milk at 21 and 7C. After a typical fruity aroma developed, the volatile constituents in the cultures were examined by gas-liquid chromatography. Ethyl acetate, ethyl propionate, ethyl butyrate, ethyl isovalerate, and ethyl hexanoate were tentatively identified on the basis of retention time. Inclusion of 0.2% ethanol in the milk medium markedly stimulated ester production by the organism at 21C. Coupled gas-liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry yielded positive identifications for ethyl acetate, ethyl butyrate, and ethyl hexanoate in an ether extract of a culture distillate. A tentative mass spectrum also was obtained for ethyl formate. The most abundant esters with fruity odors were ethyl butyrate and ethyl hexanoate. In a culture with a strong fruity aroma, the concentration of these two esters was 0.35 and 0.50ppm, respectively.
Still-face and separation effects on depressed mother-infant interactions.

Maternal emotional and physical unavailability have differential effects on infant interaction behavior as noted in a study by Field, Vega-Lahr, Scafidi, and Goldstein (1986). In that study, four-month-old infants experienced their mother's still face and a brief separation from the mother. Spontaneous interactions preceded and followed these to serve as baseline and reunion episodes. Although the infants became more negative and agitated during both conditions, the still face elicited more stressful behaviors. The present study replicated the Field et al. (1986) study but also compared infants of depressed and infants of nondepressed mothers. The infants of depressed versus those of nondepressed mothers were less interactive during the spontaneous interactions, as were their mothers, and they showed less distress behaviors during the still-face condition. During the “return to spontaneous interaction” following the still-face condition, they were also less interactive, as evidenced by fewer positive as well as fewer negative behaviors. Their mothers were also less active. The nondepressed mothers and infants were extremely active, as if trying to reinstate the initial spontaneous interaction. Minimal change occurred during the separation condition except that both groups of infants vocalized less than they had during the spontaneous interaction. During the reunion following the separation period, the infants of depressed versus nondepressed mothers were paradoxically more active, although their mothers continued to be less interactive.
Pacifist's guide to optical computers

Optical algebraic processors can perform complex calculations in parallel and at high speeds. However, they commonly suffer from a low analog accuracy which hinders their widespread application. Error detection and correction codes provide one technique for improving the accuracy of optical algebraic processors. The use of these codes would allow some of the errors that may occur during a computation to be detected and possibly corrected. This paper describes the results of various computer simulations of optical matrix-vector multipliers employing error-correction codes. It discusses the application of convolutional codes to optical matrix-vector multipliers along with several block codes. Both binary and nonbinary codes are not employing error-correction codes. Also, the type of noise, whether signal-independent or signal-dependent, has a significant effect on the performance of a matrix-vector multiplier employing an error code. The encoding and decoding operations required for the error codes can be performed optically.
A highly compliant serpentine shaped polyimide interconnect for front-end strain relief in chronic neural implants.

While the signal quality of recording neural electrodes is observed to degrade over time, the degradation mechanisms are complex and less easily observable. Recording microelectrodes failures are attributed to different biological factors such as tissue encapsulation, immune response, and disruption of blood-brain barrier (BBB) and non-biological factors such as strain due to micromotion, insulation delamination, corrosion, and surface roughness on the recording site (Polikov et. al., 2005; Prasad et. al., 2011; Streit et. al., 2012; Prasad et. al., 2012). Strain due to brain micromotion is considered to be one of the important abiotic factors contributing to the failure of the neural implants. To reduce the forces exerted by the electrode on the brain, a high compliance 2D serpentine shaped electrode cable was designed, simulated, and measured using polyimide as the substrate material. Serpentine electrode cables were fabricated using MEMS microfabrication techniques, and the prototypes were subjected to load tests to experimentally measure the compliance. The compliance of the serpentine cable was numerically modeled and quantitatively measured to be up to 10 times higher than the compliance of a straight cable of same dimensions and material.
Combining edges and points for interactive high-quality rendering

This paper presents a new interactive rendering and display technique for complex scenes with expensive shading, such as global illumination. Our approach combines sparsely sampled shading (points) and analytically computed discontinuities (edges) to interactively generate high-quality images. The edge-and-point image is a new compact representation that combines edges and points such that fast, table-driven interpolation of pixel shading from nearby point samples is possible, while respecting discontinuities.The edge-and-point renderer is extensible, permitting the use of arbitrary shaders to collect shading samples. Shading discontinuities, such as silhouettes and shadow edges, are found at interactive rates. Our software implementation supports interactive navigation and object manipulation in scenes that include expensive lighting effects (such as global illumination) and geometrically complex objects. For interactive rendering we show that high-quality images of these scenes can be rendered at 8--14 frames per second on a desktop PC: a speedup of 20--60 over a ray tracer computing a single sample per pixel.
Attitudes of Kentucky Dentists Toward Continuing Education: Results of a Questionnaire Survey

Responses were received from 34% of Kentucky dentists in this survey. Of the 344 respondents, 72% had attended one or more continuing education courses in the period from September 1967 to June 1968. The majority favored an opportunity to apply technics to clinic patients, and indicated interest in televised continuing education programs.
Inductance fluctuation, domain instability and popcorn noise in thin film heads

The mechanisms of popcorn noise in thin film heads were studied by correlating the inductance fluctuations under DC bias current, domain instabilities after write and popcorn noise probabilities. Inductance fluctuations of heads were obtained by calculating the standard deviations of the inductance values measured from 20 traces by a HP network analyzer. Instantaneous domain patterns during and after write as well as popcorn noise probabilities of heads were observed by a 0.5-nsec exposure time wide-field Kerr effect microscope and a Barkhausen noise tester, respectively. A strong correlation was found among inductance fluctuations, domain instabilities and popcorn noise probabilities in a noisy head. This relationship was further confirmed by the quantitative correlation between the peak popcorn noise probabilities and peak inductance fluctuations of 12 different heads. Therefore, by measuring the inductance fluctuations of thin film heads under DC bias current, one can infer their susceptibilities to Barkhausen wall jumps, and thus popcorn noise probabilities. >
Automatic recognition of brain regions from magnetic resonance images

An application of active contour models to the problem of atlas to image matching for magnetic resonance (MR) brain images is demonstrated. A B-spline approximation to the original snake model of M. Kass et al. (1988) is used, along with a multigrid method to overcome some of the problems of the snake model. In the particular example shown, the multigrid method yields an accurate warping of the atlas curves onto the segmented image. Overall, the single-level snakes performed well; however, an instance in which the single-level algorithm could not correct a region mismatch is shown. The procedure can be extended to the 3-D problem by replacing the B-spline curve with a B-spline surface. The snake energy is also modified to reflect mechanical properties of the surface. >
National Security and the Concept of Strategic Stability

Strategic stability has been defined as a characteristic of deterrence based on mutual assured destruction and has been measured largely in terms of the potential vulnerability of strategic force components, notably land-based missiles. This conception does not incorporate the effects on the strategic balance of the opposing systems of command, communications and control which given current force levels constitutes perhaps its most sensitive dimension. The implications of command structure stability are explored and found to contradict the prescriptions derived from the standard definition. This fact poses a major analytic problem and casts serious doubt on any conclusions about desirable changes in force structure until reasonable trade-offs are established between the conflicting principles.