cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Three-Year Outcomes in Deep Brain Stimulation for Highly Resistant Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the anterior limb of the internal capsule has been shown to be beneficial in the short term for obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) patients who exhaust conventional therapies. Nuttin et al, who published the first DBS for OCD series, found promising results using a capsule target immediately rostral to the anterior commissure extending into adjacent ventral capsule/ventral striatum (VC/VS). Published long-term outcome data are limited to four patients. In this collaborative study, 10 adult OCD patients meeting stringent criteria for severity and treatment resistance had quadripolar stimulating leads implanted bilaterally in the VC/VS. DBS was activated openly 3 weeks later. Eight patients have been followed for at least 36 months. Group Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (YBOCS) scores decreased from 34.6±0.6 (mean±SEM) at baseline (severe) to 22.3±2.1 (moderate) at 36 months (p<0.001). Four of eight patients had a ⩾35% decrease in YBOCS severity at 36 months; in two patients, scores declined between 25 and 35%. Global Assessment of Functioning scores improved from 36.6±1.5 at baseline to 53.8±2.5 at 36 months (p<0.001). Depression and anxiety also improved, as did self-care, independent living, and work, school, and social functioning. Surgical adverse effects included an asymptomatic hemorrhage, a single seizure, and a superficial infection. Psychiatric adverse effects included transient hypomanic symptoms, and worsened depression and OCD when DBS was interrupted by stimulator battery depletion. This open study found promising long-term effects of DBS in highly treatment-resistant OCD.
Performance evaluation of evolutionary computational and conventionally trained support vector machines

The main objective of this paper is to validate this newly developed Evolutionary Programming (EP) derived Support Vector Machines (SVMs) paradigm by a performance comparison with the accepted conventional iterative gradient method usually used to train these SVMs. The paper first reviews the background research associated with this research problem and follows with the description of the EP developed family of SVMs. Both the mutation and selection methods used to formulate the family of SVMs are described, which is followed by the more familiar Langrangian formulation of SVMs. Kernel based learning methods are then discussed. The concepts described here are not limited to SVMs, and the general principles also apply to other kernel based classifiers as well. Results are depicted for two EP methods: the first a "crude" earlier method described in reference 7 and the more recently method described here. Iteratively derived SVM results are also developed for comparison with the EP derived SVM approach. These results show that both methods produced essentially perfect classification AZ results, generally ranging from 0.926 to 0.931. Only the hyperbolic tangent kernel yielded the less accurate result of 0.87. These were expected results because all ambiguous findings were "scrubbed" from the features describing the screen film data set.
The nonindependence of stimulus properties in human category learning.

Typically, models of category learning are verified through behavioral experiments with stimuli consisting of putatively independent dimensions such as shape, size, and color. The assumption of independence is critical in both the design of behavioral experiments and the development of models and theories of learning. Using the standard classification learning paradigm and a common stimulus set, the present work demonstrates that the assumption of independence is unwarranted. Systematic relations span stimulus dimensions and govern learning performance. For example, shape is not independent of size and color, because humans quantify size and color over shape when shape is relevant to the categorization. This quantification is reflected in natural language use (e.g., “blue triangle” as opposed to “triangle and blue”). In this example, color and size are predicates and shape is the argument. Across four experiments, the difficulty of mastering a classification rule can be predicted by the number of predicates that must be unbound in order to free rule-relevant stimulus dimensions.
Theory of tetragonal twin structures in ferroelectric perovskites with a first-order phase transition

A three-dimensional Landau-Ginzburg model has been constructed to describe the tetragonal twin structures resulting from a first-order ${\mathit{O}}_{\mathit{h}\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$${\mathit{C}}_{4\mathit{v}}$ proper ferroelectric phase transition in perovskites. The model takes into account the nonlinear and nonlocal characteristics of the polarization (order parameter) as well as the electromechanical coupling. Quasi-one-dimensional (Q1D) analytic solutions for the space profiles of the order parameter are obtained for a 180\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} twin and for a charge-neutral 90\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} twin with a special choice of parameters. Without the presence of interfacial defects, such as dislocations, the Q1D solutions require the support of inhomogeneous mechanical constraints. Elastic deformation and dimensional changes associated with the twin structures, and their implications on the piezoelectric effect in ferroelectric ceramics, are also addressed.
Expression of SPARC during development of the chicken chorioallantoic membrane: evidence for regulated proteolysis in vivo.

SPARC is a secreted glycoprotein that has been shown to disrupt focal adhesions and to regulate the proliferation of endothelial cells in vitro. Moreover, peptides resulting from the proteolysis of SPARC exhibit angiogenic activity. Here we describe the temporal synthesis, turnover, and angiogenic potential of SPARC in the chicken chorioallantoic membrane. Confocal immunofluorescence microscopy revealed specific expression of SPARC protein in endothelial cells, and significantly higher levels of SPARC were observed in smaller newly formed blood vessels in comparison to larger, developmentally older vessels. SPARC mRNA was detected at the earliest stages of chorioallantoic membrane morphogenesis and reached maximal levels at day 13 of embryonic development. Interestingly, steady-state levels of SPARC mRNA did not correlate directly with protein accumulation; moreover, the protein appeared to undergo limited degradation during days 10-15. Incubation of [125I]-SPARC with chorioallantoic membranes of different developmental ages confirmed that extracellular proteolysis occurred during days 9-15, but not at later stages (e.g., days 17-21). Comparison of peptides produced by incubation with chorioallantoic membranes with those generated by plasmin showed an identical pattern of proteolysis. Plasmin activity was present throughout development, and in situ zymography identified sites of plasminogen activator activity that corresponded to areas exhibiting high levels of SPARC expression. Synthetic peptides from a plasmin-sensitive region of SPARC, between amino acids 113-130, stimulated angiogenesis in the chorioallantoic membrane in a dose-dependent manner; in contrast, intact SPARC was inactive in similar assays. We have shown that SPARC is expressed in endothelial cells of newly formed blood vessels in a manner that is both temporally and spatially restricted. Between days 9 and 15 of chorioallantoic membrane development, the protein undergoes proteolytic cleavage that is mediated, in part, by plasmin. SPARC peptides released specifically by plasmin induce angiogenesis in vivo. We therefore propose that SPARC acts as an intrinsic regulator of angiogenesis in vivo.
EXAFS Studies and GAUSSIAN VIEW Energy Calculations of the Complexation of Europium with 1,3,5-trideoxy-1,3,5-tris((2-hydroxybenzyl)amino)-cis-inositol

Abstract Complexation of 1,3,5-trideoxy-1,3,5-tris((2-hydroxybenzyl)amino)-cis-inositol (thci) in I = 1.00 M (NaClO4) with Eu(III) and La(III) was studied by EXAFS measurements and gaussian view energy calculations. EXAFS studies indicated that two complexes Eu(thci)2+ and Eu(thci) 2 2 + are formed with thci and Eu(III). At lower pH, Eu(III) is bonded to thci via two hydroxyl groups (cyclohexanetriol or 2-hydroxybenzylamino moieties) and 7 H2O molecules, for a total of 9 Eu–O bonds. However, at higher pH there are two hydroxyl groups (cyclohexanetriol or 2-hydroxybenzylamino moieties), two amino groups, and five water molecules for a total Eu(III) coordination number of 9. gaussian view energy calculations indicate that in the Eu(thci)2+, thci bonds to Eu(III) in a similar manner and is in good correlation with the EXAFS data.
Illusory colour changes in Hermann grids varying only in hue.

Abstract Illusory changes at the intersections of Hermann grids differing only in hue were studied in normal and colour-deficient observers. The response patterns indicate that colours ranging either from red-purple to yellow ( Red group ), or from green to purple-blue ( Blue-Green group) can be substituted for each other without greatly changing the strength of the illusion. The same holds for green-yellow, purple and grey ( Neutral group). For a strong illusion, the overlying stripe and the background must belong to one colour group and the underlying stripe to the other. The illusory patches are characterized by an increase of chroma and/or a hue shift, usually away from the colour of the underlying stripe. The observed illusions may be mediated by R- and G-cones only.
Molecular methods used to estimate thermal inactivation of a prototype human norovirus: more heat resistant than previously believed?

Two molecular-based methods for estimating capsid integrity as a proxy for virus infectivity were used to produce thermal inactivation profiles of Snow Mountain virus (SMV), a prototype human norovirus (HuNoV). Monodispersed virus suspensions were exposed to 77, 80, 82 and 85 °C for various times, pre-treated with either propidium monoazide (PMA) or RNase, and subjected to RNA isolation followed by RT-qPCR amplification. D-values were 25.6 ± 2.8, 3.1 ± 0.1, 0.7 ± 0.04 and 0.2 ± 0.07 min at 77, 80, 82 and 85 °C, respectively for PMA-treated SMV; and 16.4 ± 0.4, 3.9 ± 0.2 0.9 ± 0.3 and 0.12 ± 0.00 min at 77, 80, 82 and 85 °C, respectively for RNase-treated SMV. Corresponding zD values were 3.80 °C and 3.71 °C for PMA and RNase-treated virus, respectively. Electron microscopy data applied to heat-treated virus-like particles supported this relatively high degree of thermal resistance. The data suggest that SMV is more heat resistant than common cultivable HuNoV surrogates. Standardized thermal inactivation methods (such as milk pasteurization) may not be stringent enough to eliminate this virus and perhaps other HuNoV.
RESPONSE CHARACTERISTICS OF FULL‐HISTORY TIME‐TEMPERATURE INDICATORS SUITABLE FOR PERISHABLE FOOD HANDLING

Time-temperature indicators manufactured by LifeLines Technologies (models 21, 34, and 57) and l-POINT Biotechnologies (models 2140, 2180, and 2220) were stored at 0°, 5°, 10°, 15°, 20°, 25°, and 37°C. The response of the LifeLines model 57 and l-POINT model 2180 indicators were compared to the manufacturers data and found to be in good agreement. Indicator responses were documented for the constant temperature exposures, and modeled with a first-order kinetic equation. The effect of temperature on indicator response was described according to the Arrhenius relationship, and the activation energies for the LifeLines indicators were found to range from 17.8 to 21.3 kcal/g-mole, and from 14.0 to 14.3 kcal/g-mole for the I-POINT indicators.
Modeling spatial node density in waypoint mobility

This paper introduces a modeling framework to analyze spatial node density in mobile networks under “waypoint”-like mobility regimes. The proposed framework is based on a set of first order ordinary differential equations (ODEs) that take as parameters (1) the probability of going from one subregion of the mobility domain to another and (2) the rate at which a node decides to leave a given subregion. We validate our model by using it to describe the steady-state behavior of real user mobility recorded by GPS traces in different scenarios. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first node density modeling framework generic enough that can be applied to any “waypoint”-based mobility regime.
A unifying approach to performance analysis in the Java environment

In general, performance analysis tools deal with large volumes of highly complex data of varying types and at varying levels of granularity. The result is that it is common for there to be many different tools and components that implement performance data collection, recording, and reporting in an analysis environment. This variety complicates communication within a group and makes cross-group communication about specific performance findings even more difficult. The analysis of the performance of JavaTM virtual machines and Java applications introduces additional complexity. We describe an approach that unifies the recording and reporting components of performance analysis into a single data model and standard set of reports. We have employed this model with significant success in the analysis of IBM's Developer Kits for the Java virtual machine.
Measuring whole-body vibration of forest equipment operators with a digital data acquisition system

Abstract A microcomputer-based data acquisition system (MDAS) was developed to collect whole-body vibration data in a study of forest machine operators. This system was implemented with a combination of standard off-the-shelf hardware and custom-built circuits. The installation of suitable signalconditioning cards in the unit permits the system to be used for the measurement of all standard physical quantities. The design provided for recording the data in digital form on a 10-Mbyte removable cartridge data-storage subsystem. Hardware and software development and the operation of the MDAS is discussed.
George F. Root’s Normal Musical Institute, 1853–1885

George F. Root, Lowell Mason, and William B. Bradbury opened the New York Normal Musical Institute in April of 1853 in New York City. Each term lasted about three months and provided the first long-term preparation program for singing-school masters, church choir directors, private instructors, and school music teachers in the United States. Students at the institute studied pedagogy, voice culture, music theory, and choral literature and had the opportunity to take private lessons with prominent musicians and teachers. The Normal Musical Institute relocated to North Reading, Massachusetts, in 1856 and, in 1860, began meeting in various cities throughout the country. In 1872, the school became the National Normal Musical Institute and continued under this name until its final season in Elmira, New York, in 1885. This study was designed to examine the history of this institution in relation to its origin, details of operation, pedagogy and curriculum, prominent students and faculty, and influence on music ...
Work force management practices for manufacturing flexibility

Abstract Manufacturing flexibility can be a critical source of competitive advantage, yet the literature on work force management in an environment of high emphasis on flexibility is scant. This paper attempts to identify which work force management practices contribute to better managerial performance when the emphasis on flexibility is high. A contingency model depicting a moderating effect of the emphasis on flexibility on the relationship between work force management practices and managerial performance is proposed. The theoretic-deductive approach is used to develop the study hypotheses, which are tested using data from 483 individuals in 99 manufacturing plants in the United States. The results of the regression analyses suggest that the better performing manufacturing managers strongly demonstrate the relationship-oriented practices, such as team building, supporting, networking, inspiring, recognizing, etc., and participative leadership and delegation practices, when the emphasis on flexibility is high. Furthermore, as the emphasis on flexibility increases, the higher performing manufacturing managers relegate their traditional responsibilities, such as monitoring, problem solving, etc., to their employees.
Using Computer-Controlled Interactive Manikins in Medical Education

In the July/August issue of Medical Teacher, Jack Marshall provided an overview of various methods that have been developed to help students learn procedural skills. Here, Stephen Abrahamson and Peggy Wallace describe in detail and offer practical advice on the use of one of these techniques, computer-controlled interactive manikins—simulators which respond to what students are doing to them. The use of static simulators and simulated patients will be the subject of future articles in Medical Teacher.
Computer for automatizing network analyzers

THE RECENT ACTIVITY AND INTEREST in the development of computer methods for speeding up the solution of power-system transient-stability problems has prompted the reporting of some work done to accomplish this task on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Network Analyzer.
Canine bile acid enterohepatic circulation

The enterohepatic circulation (EHC) of bile acids has been studied in fasting dogs with portacaval shunt maintained in the steady state. In such animals the rate of EHC is proportional to systemic blood bile acid concentration. Bile acid EHC was irregular (20 to 100% variation) when measured at 15 minute or hourly intervals. Studies showed that the variations persisted in cholecystectomized and sphincterectomized animals. The irregularities were enhanced by bethanechol chloride which increases intestinal peristalsis and suppressed by diphenoxylate HCl which slows peristalsis. The variations appear to arise from irregular patterns of intestinal peristalsis. This phenomenon may explain some variations in blood bile acid concentration observed in patients with liver disease.
Treatment of severe coronary artery disease with 5, 6, and 7 saphenous vein bypasses: review of 131 consecutive patients.

Abstract One hundred thirty-one consecutive patients who received 5, 6, and 7 bypass grafts are analyzed. Ages ranged from 31 to 74 years. The male-to-female ratio was 7:1. As an indication of severity of disease, 25% were classified as having impending myocardial infarction and 46.6% were classified in New York Heart Association Functional Class IV. Left ventricular function was impaired in 37.4%, and 30% of the patients had left main coronary obstruction. Nonfatal perioperative myocardial infarction occurred in 4.6%. The hospital mortality was 3%. One hundred percent follow-up (5 to 55 months) revealed 4 late deaths, 3 presumably of cardiac origin. Only 7 patients in the postoperative follow-up group have complained of angina; 1 has since undergone successful reoperation.
FIELD TESTING OF AN ICE‐PRESERVING WINTER LAKE AERATION SYSTEM

: Artificial aeration is used to prevent winter fish kills due to oxygen depletion in ice-covered lakes. Conventional aeration by air bubble plumes and other techniques usually mixes the water column and produces hazardous open water in the ice cover. A non-mixing winter lake aeration system which creates a fish refuge was designed and field tested to oxygenate the water and maintain water temperature stratification in a lake such that no open water is created. The system uses a cascade aerator and has a design discharge and dissolved oxygen input rate of 85 1/s and 70 kg/d, respectively. Aerated water is discharged near mid-depth with minimum disturbance of the ambient water through a specially designed diffuser. The system was tested in a shallow 3 m deep lake of 17 ha surface area during two winters and was found to perform as expected. Significant photosynthetic production of dissolved oxygen under the ice-cover was also observed during snow-free periods.
Prospective study of the standard meal provocative test in zollinger-ellison syndrome

Purpose The purpose of this work was to evaluate the proposed usefulness of a standard mealstimulated gastrin provocative test in: (1) distinguishing Zollinger-Ellison syndrome (ZES) from antrat syndromes; (2) localizing duodenal gastrinomas; or (3) suggesting that patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia type I (MEN-I) may have an increased incidence of antral syndromes. Patients and methods Seventy-four consecutive patients with ZES referred to the National Institutes of Health were studied prospectively. The extent and location of gastrinomas, acid secretory studies, and the presence or absence of MEN-I were determined and correlated with the results of the gastrin response to standard meal provocative testing. Results For patients with fasting serum gastrin levels less than 1,000 pg/mL (n = 43), only 44% had a less than 50% increase over the premeal value, which is reported to be the typical response in ZES, and 40% had a 50% to 99% increase. Furthermore, 16% had a 100% or greater increase, 9% a 150% or greater increase, and 5% a 200% or greater increase, which overlaps with values reported to be characteristic of 98%, 92%, and 46% of patients with antral syndromes. Results did not differ for patients with or without MEN-I, depend on the extent of the gastrinoma (duodenal versus pancreatic gastrinomas), the presence of previous gastric surgery or type of gastric surgery, or for patients with fasting serum gastrin concentrations greater than or equal to 1,000 pg/mL or less than 1,000 pg/mL. Studies of four patients before and after resection of the gastrinoma, who prior to surgery had a greater than 100% increase in gastrin secretion after the meal, demonstrated that all patients had a less than 100% increase postoperatively even though no gastric resection was done. Conclusions Approximately half of the patients with ZES have a greater than 50% increase in serum gastrin concentration following a standard test meal and one fifth have a 100% or greater increase. Therefore, they cannot be distinguished on this basis from patients with antral syndromes. The increased serum gastrin level after the meal in these patients with ZES appears to be due to the gastrinoma. Furthermore, the current study provides no evidence for the proposals that antral syndromes are more common in patients with MEN-I, that gastric surgery affects the meal response in patients with gastrinomas, or that the meal test is useful in localizing duodenal gastrinomas.
Compatibility of CoO, Co0.5Mg0.5O, and CoAl2O4 with containment metals

Long-term interactions of refractory metals and noble metals with CoO, Co0.5Mg0.5O, and CoAl2O4 were investigated between 1000°C and 1850°C to select encapsulation materials for high-temperature radioisotopic power applications of 60Co. Rhenium was the only refractory metal that exhibited no solid-state reaction with the oxides of cobalt. However, vapor transport of rhenium probably by ReO3(g) was found to be extensive at temperatures above 1500°C because of intrinsic high oxygen pressures over the cobalt oxides and small (<1°C) temperature gradients. Transport kinetics analyses suggest rhenium, then, may not be a suitable container for cobalt oxides for thousands of hours at temperatures over 1200°C. Short-term exposures (1000 h at 1500°C) and thermodynamics analyses indicate that iridium will be compatible with cobalt oxides and that vapor transport will be negligible. Superalloys were shown to react with cobalt oxides at 1000°C, primarily by reduction of cobalt oxides by chromium.
The ultrastructure and distribution of an intracellular bacterium-like microorganism in tissues of larvae of the soybean cyst nematode, Heterodera glycines

Ultrastructural studies of the anterior region of second-stage larvae of the soybean cyst nematode, Heterodera glycines Ichinohe, revealed the presence of a bacterium-like microorganism within various tissues. The microorganism is found throughout most of the tissues of the larva but especially in the sarcoplasm of the stylet protractor and median bulb muscles, and in the highly reticulate and ribosome-rich tissues of the esophageal glands. The intimate contact between the microorganism and the host nuclei and the presence of parallel arrays of rough endoplasmic reticulum of the host cytoplasm indicate that there may be a mutualistic relationship. However, the microorganisms seem damaged by microbodies in the esophageal gland. The microorganism is rod shaped with average dimensions of 0.4 × 1.8 μm. Both the outer wall, about 9 nm thick, and the plasma membrane, about 7 nm thick, are trilaminar. These membranes are separated by a space of variable width. Rod or tubular structures, about 14–17 nm in diameter, extend from the plasma membrane into the cytoplasm or even right across the width of the cell.
Major aphthous ulcers in patients with HIV disease

Abstract Major aphthous ulcers are associated with a high degree of morbidity in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus. A large representative cohort intected with human immunodeficiency virus was examined to evaluate the prevalence of major aphthous ulcers, demographic data of patients with major aphthous ulcers, and the usage of major aphthous ulcers as a marker for immune deterioration. The effects of tobacco smoking and the use of specific antibiotics, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxalazole or dapsone, on the development of major aphthous ulcers was also investigated. In a population of 767 persons infected with human immunodeficiency virus, major aphthous ulcers were found at a prevalence rate of 3.1% (24 patients). This type of lesion did not show any predilection for human immunodeficiency virus transmission category, ethnic group, or gender. Persons who received trimethoprim/sulfamethoxalazole or dapsone or had a history of tobacco smoking showed a decreased prevalence of major aphthous ulcers. All patients (100%) with major aphthous ulcers had CD4+ cell counts below 100 cells/mm 3 , but only 50% had a previous acquired immunodeficiency syndrome defining illness. Major aphthous ulcers in persons infected with human immunodeficiency virus are suggestive of severe immune suppression and may serve as a marker for human immunodeficiency virus disease progression.
A 21st century revisionist's view at a turning point in enzymology.

Despite the fact that the number of publications associated with the keyword 'enzyme' increases every year, the precise origin of enzyme catalysis has remained unresolved. Because of sustained intensive research efforts from an increasing number of laboratories, detailed information regarding the physics, chemistry and kinetics of enzymes is accumulating rapidly. The growing body of data contains many examples of kinetic behavior that are incompatible with a static view of enzyme catalysis. As a result, numerous laboratories are approaching the consensus that protein motion plays an essential role in enzyme catalysis. A model that incorporates nuclear quantum tunneling together with two classes of protein motion—termed conformational sampling (pre-organization) and reorganization—is recommended as a means of understanding the large body of data for enzyme-catalyzed hydrogen transfers. It should also serve as a vehicle for future efforts in the development of potent enzyme inhibitors and the de novo design of all classifications of enzymes.
CONTRIBUTION OF PROLINE RESIDUES IN THE MEMBRANE-SPANNING DOMAINS OF CYSTIC FIBROSIS TRANSMEMBRANE CONDUCTANCE REGULATOR TO CHLORIDE CHANNEL FUNCTION

Abstract Proline residues located in membrane-spanning domains of transport proteins are thought to play an important structural role. In the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), the predicted transmembrane segments contain four prolines: Pro99, Pro205, Pro324, and Pro1021. These residues are conserved across species, and mutations of two (P99L and P205S) are associated with cystic fibrosis. To evaluate the contribution of these prolines to CFTR Cl− channel function, we mutated each residue individually to either alanine or glycine or mutated all four simultaneously to alanine (P-Quad-A). We also constructed the two cystic fibrosis-associated mutations. cAMP agonists stimulated whole cell Cl− currents in HeLa cells expressing the individual constructs that resembled those produced by wild-type CFTR. However, the amount of current was decreased in the rank order: wild-type CFTR = Pro324 > Pro1021 > Pro99 ≥ Pro205 mutants. The anion selectivity sequence of the mutants (Br− ≥ Cl− > I−) resembled wild-type except for P99L (Br− ≥ Cl− = I−). Although the Pro99, Pro324, and Pro1021 mutants produced mature protein, the amount of mature protein was much reduced with the Pro205 mutants, and the P-Quad-A made none. Because the Pro99 constructs produced mature protein but had altered whole cell currents, we investigated their single-channel properties. Mutant channels were regulated like wild-type CFTR; however, single-channel conductance was decreased in the rank order: wild-type CFTR ≥ P99G > P99L ≥ P99A. These results suggest that proline residues in the transmembrane segments are important for CFTR function, Pro205 is critical for correct protein processing, and Pro99 may contribute either directly or indirectly to the Cl− channel pore.
Particulate Matter Sampling and Volatile Organic Compound Removal for Characterization of Spark Ignited Direct Injection Engine Emissions

More stringent emissions regulations are continually being proposed to mitigate adverse human health and environmental impacts of internal combustion engines. With that in mind, it has been proposed that vehicular particulate matter (PM) emissions should be regulated based on particle number in addition to particle mass. One aspect of this project is to study different sample handling methods for number based aerosol measurements, specifically, two different methods for removing volatile organic compounds (VOCs). One method is a thermodenuder (TD) and the other is an evaporative chamber/diluter (EvCh). These sample handling methods have been implemented in an engine test cell with a spark ignited direct injection (SIDI) engine. The engine was designed for stoichiometric, homogeneous combustion. SIDI is of particular interest for improved fuel efficiency compared to other SI engines, however, the efficiency benefit comes with greater PM emissions and may therefore be subject to the proposed number based PM regulation. Another aspect of this project is to characterize PM from this engine in terms of particle number and composition.
Thermally-induced cracking in the fabrication of semiconductor devices

The literature bearing on the cracking of semiconductor devices due to thermally induced strains is reviewed. A model is developed to describe in qualitative terms, the stress distribution and mechanics of cracking; and the significant variables of the cracking process are summarized. The remedial measures which have been proposed as solutions to the cracking problem are discussed. An analytical model is given which describes the stress distribution in the chip of a semiconductor device, and predicts a location of maximum stress which is in agreement with experimental results. A formula is derived for the calculation of the maximum semiconductor tensile stress in an elastic model. The modifications required of the model in cases of inelastic behavior are discussed. Three appendices are given to present: l) experimental methods of crack detection, 2) analytical design methods for tabbed device structures, and 3) references for some structural properties of germanium and silicon.
The difluent upper trough

The difluent upper trough (with wind maximum behind the trough line) is shown to be an important part of the deepening mechanism of cyclones. The difluent structure of the upper trough may arise, 1, from initial difluence in the basic current, 2, by the formation of a new trough ahead of the speed maximum formed downwind from unstable anticyclonic curvature or, 3, by deformation of the trough in a basic current with cyclonic shear.
On Unobservability and Detectability

Surely the greatest possible accomplishment for a religious epistemologist would be to show how God's existence might be empirically verified. The most obvious, although certainly not unproblematic, approach to this task is to claim that perceptual evidence is available from which God's existence can be inferred. The only apparent alternative, direct sense perception of God, is ruled out by God's essential unobservability, which is implied by his essential incorporeality. But Robert Oakes, in his essay, ‘Religious Experience, Sense-perception and God's Essential Unobservability’ ( Religious Studies , vol. 17, pp. 357–67), boldly suggests a third alternative. God's unobservability may preclude his being perceived directly through the senses, but there are still logically possible, Oakes says, ‘ sensory detections of God's presence ’ (358). To illustrate, he gives the following quote from William Barclay's The Mind of St Paul : A great artist tells us that it was his father who taught him to see and to love beauty. His father used to take him out in the evening time…One evening there was a sunset of surpassing majesty and splendour, and at the sight of it his father stood up, removed his cap and looked at the splendour of the dying sun, and said: ‘My son, it is God.’
Linking diel patterns in community respiration to bacterioplankton in an oligotrophic high-elevation lake

We examined the role of heterotrophic bacterioplankton in structuring diel patterns in community respiration (CR) in an oligotrophic alpine lake. We used continuous measurements of dissolved oxygen from both free-water and in situ incubation chambers to characterize a consistent diel pattern in oxygen drawdown with two distinct phases. CR rates averaged 15.4 times higher during the late afternoon to early night phase, which lasted for up to 5 h past dusk before rapidly transitioning to the lower rate phase, which lasted through dawn. Bacterioplankton always accounted for the majority of CR (73% seasonally averaged). We examined patterns in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and bacterial growth to determine the degree to which bacterioplankton were affecting diel variability in respiration rates. There was a diel pattern in DOC accumulation, with the magnitude of overnight drawdown of DOC (2.0 6 0.8 mmol L21) matching our oxygen-based estimates of the amount of DOC required to sustain higher CR rates (2.4 6 1.3 mmol L21). Bacterioplankton communities cultured on dusk water had growthrate constants two times higher than those cultured on dawn water and removed the excess DOC in dusk water. Our results indicate that higher daytime CR of bacterioplankton is directly coupled to daily production of DOC at a timescale of hours, likely through phytoplankton exudation. Ignoring diel variability in CR may result in substantial underestimation of daily CR and gross primary production.
Comparison of short-term outcomes following coronary artery stenting in men versus women

This study sought to determine whether women have more adverse in-hospital outcomes after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) and stenting compared with men. There is still controversy regarding whether female gender is an independent predictor of mortality after PTCA. No study has examined gender differences in outcomes following the dissemination of stenting. Data were obtained from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample. In 1997, there were 118,548 angioplasties (36% occurred in women and 59% involved placement of stents). Outcomes included same-admission mortality and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Analyses were performed separately for patients with and without acute myocardial infarction (AMI). In 1997, women had a roughly twofold higher mortality than men in every comparison group, including conventional PTCA alone and stents. Mortality rates after stenting were 4.0% for women and 2.0% for men with AMI (p <0.0001), and 1.1% and 0.5%, respectively, for patients without AMI (p <0.0001). The adjusted odds ratios were 1.47 (95% confidence interval 1.23 to 1.75), and 1.65 (95% confidence interval 1.33 to 2.04), respectively. Similarly, following stenting, women had significantly higher CABG rates than men in both the AMI (1.6% vs 1.2%, p = 0.025) and no AMI groups (1.5% vs 1.0%, p <0.0001). After multivariate adjustment, the results retained significance in the no AMI setting, whereas there was a trend toward significance in the AMI group. This study demonstrates that, despite improved overall outcomes in patients who received stents, women who underwent stenting had higher rates of same-admission mortality and CABG compared with men. Furthermore, it confirms that female gender is an independent predictor of mortality after conventional PTCA.
Genetic Linkage and Association Analysis of COPD-Related Traits on Chromosome 8p

Genome-wide linkage analysis in the Boston Early-Onset Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Study has demonstrated significant evidence of linkage to chromosome 8p for forced expiratory volume in 1 second, an important COPD-related phenotype. In this study, we sought to fine map the linkage peak and to test variants in two candidate genes for association with COPD and related traits. In a variance component linkage analysis on chromosome 8, including seven additional short tandem repeat markers, the logarithm of the odds of linkage score was reduced from 3.30 to 1.80 (at 1 cM). Five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in Defensin Beta-1 (DEFB1) were genotyped in the Boston Early-Onset COPD Study families; none was significantly associated. Four SNPs and an insertion-deletion polymorphism in Macrophage Scavenger Receptor-1 (MSR1) were also genotyped in the family-based study. A coding variant (Pro275Ala) was marginally associated with two qualitative airflow obstruction traits (p < or = 0.02). This SNP showed a trend toward association in a case-control study comparing participants in the National Emphysema Treatment Trial to smoker controls (p = 0.07). Despite the reduced support for linkage upon further analysis, it remains possible that chromosome 8p contains a gene that influences COPD susceptibility. There is marginal, though not convincing, evidence for association with MSR1.
Convergence properties of continuous-time Markov chains with application to target search

This paper considers the search for targets modeled as a discrete state, continuous-time Markov process. Convergence properties are analyzed using the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of a state transition rate matrix without explicitly solving differential equations or calculating matrix exponentials. It also studies the effect of cueing on convergence rate using eigenvalue analysis and optimal control theoretic approach.
Segmentation on statistical manifold with watershed transform

A watershed transform and a graph partitioning are studied on statistical manifold. Statistical manifold is a 2D Riemannian manifold which is statistically defined by maps that transform a parameter domain onto a set of probability density functions (PDFs). Due to high dimensionality of PDFs, it is hard and computationally expensive to produce segmentation on statistical manifold. In this paper, we propose a method that generates super-pixels using watershed transform. Finding capturing basins on statistical manifold is not straightforward. Here, we create a local distance map using metric tensor defined on statistical manifold. Watershed transform is performed on this local distance map and provides super-pixels that significantly reduce the number of data points and thus make efficient clustering algorithms such as normalized cut (Ncut) feasible to work on. Experimental results show superiority of the proposed method over principal component analysis (PCA) based dimensionality reduction method.
A cyclic adenosine monophosphate link in the catecholamine enhancement of transmitter release at the neuromuscular junction.

The frequency of miniature endplate potentials (mepps) in rat diaphragms was markedly increased by epinephrine and norepinephrine in preparations exposed to 15 mM K+. The effect was rapid in onset but gradually declined during continued exposure to the catecholamines. N6, O2'-dibutyryl adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (dibutyryl-cAMP) also caused transient frequency increases resembling in time-course those observed with catecholamines. Contrary to previous reports, catecholamines and dibutyryl-cAMP had little effect on mepp frequency in preparations not treated with K+. Sustained increases with theophylline and decreases with adenosine were found in both K+-treated and untreated preparations. Analysis of the data obtained with catecholamines showed the intensity of the response to be a function of nerve terminal polarization. The inability of catecholamines and dibutyryl-cAMP to affect mepp frequency of untreated preparations argues against an obligatory role for cAMP in the neurosecretory mechanism. The findings are consistent with an action of catecholamines and cAMP in the regulation of transmitter release at fatigued preparations.
Paying for Alternative Medicine: The Role of Health Insurers

In the early 1990s, Americans spent an estimated $27 billion on alternative medical treatments. However, most of those expenditures were paid out of pocket rather than by health insurers. This article reviews empirical studies of third-party coverage of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and the factors behind the reluctance of health insurers to provide benefits for those treatments. This reluctance is based on three principal factors: a lack of scientific evidence supporting CAM providers' claims of medical efficacy, the absence of credentialing standards for many CAM providers, and difficulties in fitting CAM treatments into typological schemes that determine levels of reimbursement by health insurers. Possibilities for overcoming these obstacles to the integration of CAM into the American system of health insurance are discussed.
Too Much of a Good Thing: Crises of Glut in the Faroe Islands and Dominica

The question to which this essay is addressed struck me when, having done ethnographic field work in the Faroe Islands, I undertook another stint on Dominica, at the opposite corner of the North Atlantic.1 In the Faroes, I took part in a couple of slaughters of herds of pilot whales. The grindadrap is dramatic, but apart from the inevitable tumult of the slaughter itself, in which romantically inclined observers have been pleased (or horrified) to find Faroese acting like their Viking ancestors, it is a remarkably orderly business. In a Dominican village called Casse, I took part in another great sea hunt, in which shoals of skipjack tuna were caught inshore. Seining bonik, as these fish are called in the French Creole vernacular, is no less dramatic than the grindadrap, if considerably less difficult and dangerous. But particularly in the division of the spoils, bonik seining is disorderly, even chaotic.
The accretion model of Neandertal evolution.

The Accretion model of Neandertal evolution specifies that this group of Late Pleistocene hominids evolved in partial or complete genetic isolation from the rest of humanity through the gradual accumulation of distinctive morphological traits in European populations. As they became more common, these traits also became less variable, according to those workers who developed the model. Its supporters propose that genetic drift caused this evolution, resulting from an initial small European population size and either complete isolation or drastic reduction in gene flow between this deme and contemporary human populations elsewhere. Here, we test an evolutionary model of gene flow between regions against fossil data from the European population of the Middle and Late Pleistocene. The results of the analysis clearly show that the European population was not significantly divergent from its contemporaries, even in a subset of traits chosen to show the maximum differences between Europeans and other populations. The pattern of changes, over time within Europe of the traits in this subset, does not support the Accretion model, either because the characters did not change in the manner specified by the model or because the characters did not change at all. From these data, we can conclude that special phenomena such as near-complete isolation of the European population during the Pleistocene are not required to explain the pattern of evolution in this region. The Neandertals were the Late Pleistocene human popu- lations living in Europe and parts of Western Asia until ap- proximately 30,000 years ago, more or less. It has long been observed that this hominid group was morphologically dif- ferent from its contemporaries and from later human popu- lations. In several recent papers, a new theory, called ''Ac- cretion,'' has been proposed to describe and account for the evolution of the European Neandertals. In articulating the Accretion model, Hublin (1998, p. 307) noted: Since (450,000 B.P.), the European hominids display the development of derived morphological features relating all the known specimens to a unique lineage leading to the Neandertals. This evolution resulted from an accre- tion process characterized by the successive occurrence of new features and by an increase in their frequency within the pre-Neandertal populations.
Channel sharing of competing flows in ad hoc networks

This paper studies the fairness with which competing flows share the channel in ad hoc networks using collision avoidance protocols. It is shown that the required multihop coordination makes the backoff-based distributed fair queueing schemes less effective. Using extensive simulations of two competing flows with different underlying network configuration, it is shown that the commonly used flow contention graph is insufficient to model the contention among nodes and that various degrees of unfairness can take place. The fairness problem is more severe in TCP-based flows due to the required acknowledgment traffic, and TCP throughput is also negatively affected. A measurement based fair scheme is analyzed in which nodes estimate their fair share of the channel from overheard traffic and adjust their backoff window accordingly (voluntarily); it is shown that such a scheme achieves much better fairness but sacrifices too much throughput. These results indicate that more explicit information exchange among contending nodes is mandatory to solve the fairness problem conclusively while maintaining reasonable throughput.