cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of dietary conjugated linoleic acid and linoleic:linolenic acid ratio on polyunsaturated fatty acid status in laying hens.

Abstract A study was conducted to determine the effects of dietary conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and the ratio of linoleic:linolenic acid on long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid status. Thirty-two 31-wk-old White Leghorn hens were randomly assigned to four diets containing 8.2% soy oil, 4.1% soy oil + 2.5% CLA (4.1% CLA source), 4.1% flax oil + 2.5% CLA, or 4.1% soy oil + 4.1% flax oil. Hens were fed the diets for 3 wk before eggs and tissues were collected for the study. Lipids were extracted from egg yolk and tissues, classes of egg yolk lipids were separated, and fatty acid concentrations of total lipids, triglyceride, phosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidylcholine were analyzed by gas chromatography. The concentrations of monounsaturated fatty acids and non-CLA polyunsaturated fatty acids were reduced after CLA feeding. The amount of arachidonic acid was decreased after CLA feeding in linoleic acid- and linolenic acid-rich diets, but amounts of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid were increased in the linolenic-rich diet, indicating that the synthesis or deposition of long-chain n-3 fatty acids was accelerated after CLA feeding. The increased docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid contents in lipid may be compensation for the decreased arachidonic acid content. Dietary supplementation of linoleic acid increased n-6 fatty acid levels in lipids, whereas linolenic acid increased n-3 fatty acid levels. Results also suggest that CLA might not be elongated to synthesize long-chain fatty acids in significant amounts. The effect of CLA in reducing the level of n-6 fatty acids and promoting the level of n-3 fatty acids could be related to the biological effects of CLA.
The compound verb in Munda: An areal and typological overview

A study of six Munda languages shows that the syntactic category cornpound verb (which alternates with simple verb) may be identified in each one of them. However, while com~und verbs in South Munda form systems which closely resemble those found in adjacent Indo-Aryan and Dravidian languages, North and Central Munda feature compound verbs of a very different sort. The South Munda type seems to have arisen as the result of cross-linguistic diffusion from its neighbors while that in North and Central Munda owes its origin to independent developments.
Evaluation of shoulder and elbow questions on the orthopaedic in-training examination as an instrument for enhancing examination preparation.

The Orthopaedic In-Training Examination (OITE), produced by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), is administered yearly to orthopaedic residents across the United States. First administered in 1963, the OITE is the oldest existing examination of its kind created for specialty training. This examination serves multiple purposes. As initially set forth by the AAOS, the examination serves to (1) allow residents to assess their level of orthopaedic knowledge on the basis of a national average, (2) set minimal standards for orthopaedic residents, and (3) quantify the quality of education at various orthopaedic programs1. The OITE has served not only as an annual evaluation of orthopaedic resident training in the U.S., but also as a learning tool for residents, as they are subsequently given the preferred answers to questions and pertinent citations after examination scores are tallied. We analyzed the shoulder and elbow content of the OITE to assist trainees and residency training program directors in preparing for the OITE and, ultimately, the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS) examination. Research has shown OITE scores to be a predictor of success on the ABOS examination, and effective preparation for the OITE may serve trainees well in preparing for the examination at the culmination of their residency training2. Many residency training programs have formal OITE preparatory curricula, and the analysis and classification undertaken in this study can guide the creation and organization of a syllabus for this purpose. Preparing for the OITE can be an opportunity to focus on the highly tested topics in orthopaedics. Identification of commonly tested concepts may also help improve the efficiency of resident preparation by directing a methodical approach to a large volume of information. It is important to remember that the OITE has never been validated to measure the overall quality of …
Cratonal contributions to a “classic” molasse: The Carboniferous Pottsville Formation of eastern Pennsylvania revisited

The Carboniferous Pottsville Formation of eastern Pennsylvania in the central Appalachian foreland basin is considered a classic orogenic molasse, typical of other Acadian-Alleghanian clastic wedges along the eastern margin of Laurentia. Although the Pottsville conglomerates are thought to be derived entirely from early Alleghanian highlands, we have documented an unrecognized dramatic change in the sediment-dispersal pattern within the formation; northwest-directed paleocurrent indicators in older units (implying an orogenic provenance) are superseded abruptly by southwestward-directed paleocurrent indicators (implying a cratonal provenance). This alteration in the sediment-dispersal pattern is attributed to basin reorganization during Early Pennsylvanian time as tectonic loads migrated southward during orogenesis. The paleocurrent data warrant a revision of Early Pennsylvanian paleogeography and demonstrate that molasse facies can record a complex interplay between sediment dispersal systems along both active and cratonal margins of a foreland basin.
CT angiography and MR angiography in the evaluation of extracranial carotid vascular disease

CT angiography and MR angiography techniques likely will continue to increase in use in the evaluation of the extracranial cerebrovascular system. The increasing reliance on noninvasive tests mirrors an overall concern with the risks and costs of more invasive examinations. Given the rapid development of the computer technology, data acquisition, and reconstruction algorithms in the past few years, it is apparent that CT angiography and MR angiography will also continue to improve.
Dust Formation and He II λ4686 Emission in the Dense Shell of the Peculiar Type Ib Supernova 2006jc

We present evidence for the formation of dust grains in an unusual Type Ib supernova (SN) based on late-time spectra of SN 2006jc. The progenitor suffered an outburst qualitatively similar to those of luminous blue variables (LBVs) just 2 yr prior to the SN, and we propose that the dust formation is a consequence of the SN blast wave overtaking that LBV-like shell. The key evidence for dust formation is (1) the appearance of a red/near-infrared continuum emission source that can be fit by -->T ≈ 1600 K graphite grains, and (2) fading of the redshifted sides of intermediate-width He I emission lines, yielding progressively more asymmetric blueshifted lines as dust obscures receding material. This provides the strongest case yet for dust formation in any SN Ib/c. Both developments occurred between 51 and 75 days after peak brightness, while the few other SNe observed to form dust did so after a few hundred days. Geometric considerations indicate that dust formed in the dense swept-up shell between the forward and reverse shocks, and not in the freely expanding SN ejecta. The rapid cooling leading to dust formation may have been aided by extremely high shell densities of 1010 cm−3, indicated by He I line ratios. The brief epoch of dust formation is accompanied by He II λ4686 emission and enhanced X-ray emission, suggesting a common link. These clues imply that the unusual dust formation in this object was not attributable to properties of the SN itself, but instead—like most peculiarities of SN 2006jc—was a consequence of interaction with the dense environment created by an LBV-like eruption 2 yr before the SN.
Photoelastic analysis of a thin-walled compressor housing

The fabrication, testing, and analysis of a full-sized photoelastic model of a thin-walled compressor housing are presented. The conical model and connecting bolts were stress frozen under axial and bending loads to simulate severe in-flight manoeuver loads of a jet aircraft sufficient to cause flange separation. Results and discussion are presented for stresses in and near the flange, for stresses experienced by the bolts, and for the fabrication techniques used.
Adverse effects of nosocomial infection

The effects of noscomial infection on duration of hospital stay and outcome of hospitalization were measured by matching two control patients to each of 85 patients found to have qctive nosocomial infection during a prevalence survey at Boston City Hospital in 1973. The control patients were selected from all patients discharged from this hospital during the same time period; they were matched by exact primary discharge diagnosis, similar operative procedure, and age. Patients with a single infection remained in hospital on average 13.0 days longer than their matched controls, and those with two such infections stayed on average 35.4 days longer. This effect of extra stay associated with nosocomial infection was consistent when data were stratified by primary discharge diagnosis, hospital service, site of infection, or outcome of hospitalization. The outcome of hospitalization for these infected patients was slightly, but not significantly, worse than for their matched controls.
Structure and hardness of laser-processed Fe-0.2%C-5%Cr and Fe-0.2%C-10%Cr alloys

The effects of high quench rates achieved through a laser surface-alloying process on the martensitic transformations of Fe-0.2%C-Cr steels (up to 10wt% chromium) were investigated. The microstructural variables: martensitic morphology and its substructure; amount of retained austenite; and carbide precipitation were characterized by optical metallography and thin foil transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The microstructures exhibited were fully lath martensitic type, the substructure of which consisted of dislocations. The morphology and substructure of martensite were influenced neither by the chromium content of the alloy nor by the laser parameters (or melt depth) employed. Thin films of retained austenite were observed at packet and lath boundaries of martensite and at prior austenite grain boundaries. The amount of retained austenite was found to decrease with decrease in melt depth. TEM studies also revealed the presence of more or less continuous cementite films both at the lath boundaries and within the laths. Microhardness measurements had shown that the hardness increased with increase in chromium content of the alloy but appeared to be independent of melt depth.
New perspectives on Kac ring models

It is proposed that the type of model first suggested by Kac in connection with problems of nonequilibrium statistical mechanics can be generalized and modified so that it can be directly applied to cellular automata. It is further noted that these same models can be used to illuminate some basic questions in the interpretation of quantum mechanics.
Theory of the Elasticity of Polycrystals with Viscous Grain Boundaries

Previous experiments have shown that in annealed polycrystalline specimens, the grain boundaries are much more susceptible to plastic shear than are the interiors of the grains. This paper investigates the elastic properties of a specimen in which the grain boundaries are incapable of supporting shearing stresses. In such a specimen Young's modulus is found to be from 50 percent to 76 percent of its value when no slip at grain boundaries occurs, depending upon Poisson's ratio. This reduction of Young's modulus by slipping at grain boundaries should be observable by comparing values measured statically at elevated temperatures with those measured dynamically.
Mechanistic insights from comparing intrinsic clearance values between human liver microsomes and hepatocytes to guide drug design

Metabolic stability of drug candidates are often determined in both liver microsome and hepatocyte assays. Comparison of intrinsic clearance values between the two assays provides additional information to guide drug design. Intrinsic clearance values from human liver microsomes and hepatocytes were compared for a set of commercial drugs with known metabolic pathways and transporter characteristics. The results showed that for compounds that were predominately metabolized by CYP mediated mechanisms, the intrinsic clearance values from the two assays were comparable. For compounds with non-CYP pathways, such as UGT and AO, intrinsic clearance was faster in hepatocytes than in microsomes. Substrates of uptake or efflux transporters in this study did not have significant differences of intrinsic clearance between microsomes and hepatocytes, when uptake into the hepatocytes was not the rate-limiting step. When hepatic uptake was rate limiting, intrinsic clearance in microsomes was faster than that in hepatocytes, which was more prevalent for compounds with rapid metabolism. Low passive permeability can limit the exposure to drug molecules to the metabolizing enzymes in the hepatocytes in relationship to the rate of metabolism. The faster the rate of metabolism, the higher permeability is needed for molecule to enter the cells and not becoming rate-limiting. The findings are very useful for drug discovery programs to gain additional insights on mechanistic information to help drug design without added experiments. Follow-up studies can then be designed to address specific questions.
Effects of Cigarette Smoking and Nicotine Nasal Spray on Psychiatric Symptoms and Cognition in Schizophrenia

Schizophrenic patients have among the highest rates of smoking of any group of patients. Previous studies have identified psychophysiological and potential nicotinic receptor abnormalities which may be associated with this phenomenon. The effects of acute smoking or acute administration of nicotine nasal spray, after smoking abstinence, on negative symptoms and neurocognitive function have been less extensively studied in experimental designs. This study investigated the effects of smoking of high nicotine or denicotinized cigarettes, and receiving active or placebo nicotine nasal sprays, on positive and negative symptoms and cognitive functions in schizophrenic patients. The study utilized a placebo controlled crossover experimental design with pre- and post-drug evaluations on each experimental day. Smoking high nicotine cigarettes decreased negative symptoms more than denicotinized cigarettes, but smoking neither cigarette changed scores of positive symptoms, anxiety, or depression. Active nicotine nasal spray did not differentially decrease negative symptoms compared with placebo, but did improve performance on a spatial organization task, and tended to improve some measures of verbal memory and two-choice reaction time in schizophrenic patients. Both high and denicotinized cigarettes improved performance on the spatial processing task, but there was no statistically significant differential drug (Cigarette type) effect. These results suggest that acute smoking of cigarettes may transiently decrease negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia, but it is unclear whether this effect is attributable to nicotine, other components of cigarettes, or the act of smoking. Nicotine nasal spray may modestly improve some selected aspects of cognitive function in schizophrenia.
Identification of the anomalous 26.131-MHz nitrogen line observed towards Cas A

Konovalenko and Sodin1 recently reported the detection of an absorption line at a frequency of 26.131 MHz towards Cassiopeia A and attributed the line to the 26.127 MHz F = 5/2 → 3/2 hyperfine transition of 14N. The difference in frequency corresponds to a radial velocity of –40 km s–1, which is compatible with the mean velocity of the Perseus arm H I absorption lines seen towards Cas A. However, to explain the strength of the line, Konovalenko and Sodin require (N/H) = 8 × 10–3 compared with the cosmic ratio of 1.2 × 10–4. An anomalous abundance of this magnitude would have substantial impact on ideas about galactic nucleosynthesis. We suggest here that the line is a 631α recombination line due to neutral atoms of heavy elements—either carbon atoms in the H I clouds or possibly heavier atoms (Mg, Ca, Fe) in hot (∼104 K) ionized gas along the line of sight to Cas A.
A Context-Aware Cross-Layer Broadcast Model for Ad Hoc Networks: Analysis of Multi-Hop Routing

Abstract The standard 802.11 medium access control (MAC) performs poorly for heavy broadcast traffic. We propose an alternative context-aware cross-layer (CACL) broadcast model that relies only on contextual information available to the 802.11 MAC. We compare CACL and the 802.11 MAC in conjunction with a controlled flooding routing protocol, Self-Balancing Supply/Demand (SBSD). We test three different road-based mobility levels, varying the rate of request posting in each. We observe that CACL strongly outperforms the 802.11 MAC at high posting rates.
AMPA and metabotropic glutamate receptors cooperatively generate inspiratory-like depolarization in mouse respiratory neurons in vitro.

Excitatory transmission mediated by AMPA receptors is critical for respiratory rhythm generation. However, the role of AMPA receptors has not been fully explored. Here we tested the functional role of AMPA receptors in inspiratory neurons of the neonatal mouse preBotzinger complex (preBotC) using an in vitro slice model that retains active respiratory function. Immediately before and during inspiration, preBotC neurons displayed envelopes of depolarization, dubbed inspiratory drive potentials, that required AMPA receptors but largely depended on the Ca(2+)-activated non-specific cation current (I(CAN)). We showed that AMPA receptor-mediated depolarization opened voltage-gated Ca(2+) channels to directly evoke I(CAN). Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor-mediated intracellular Ca(2+) release also evoked I(CAN). Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors acted downstream of group I metabotropic glutamate receptor activity but, here too, AMPA receptor-mediated Ca(2+) influx was essential to trigger the metabotropic glutamate receptor contribution to inspiratory drive potential generation. This study helps to elucidate the role of excitatory transmission in respiratory rhythm generation in vitro. AMPA receptors in preBotC neurons initiate convergent signaling pathways that evoke post-synaptic I(CAN), which underlies inspiratory drive potentials. The coupling of AMPA receptors with I(CAN) suggests that latent burst-generating intrinsic conductances are recruited by excitatory synaptic interactions among preBotC neurons in the context of respiratory network activity in vitro, exemplifying a rhythmogenic mechanism based on emergent properties of the network.
Recruitment of CD40 and Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor-associated Factors 2 and 3 to Membrane Microdomains during CD40 Signaling

Signals delivered to antigen-presenting cells through CD40 are critical for the activation of immune responses. Intracellular tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor-associated factors (TRAFs) are key elements of the signal transduction pathways of many TNF receptor family members, including CD40. We show for the first time that engagement of CD40 in intact B cells induces the rapid translocation of TRAF2 from the cytoplasm to the plasma membrane. We found that CD40 engagement also results in its recruitment, together with TRAF2 and TRAF3, to membrane microdomains, regions of the plasma membrane enriched in signaling molecules such as the Src family kinases. Using a membrane-permeable chelator of zinc or a mutant TRAF2 molecule, we show that the putative zinc-binding domains of TRAFs contribute to their recruitment to microdomains and to the downstream activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase. We suggest that the zinc RING and zinc finger domains of TRAFs are required for communication between CD40 and microdomain-associated signaling molecules and may serve a similar role in the signal transduction pathways of other TNF receptor family members.
Relativistic nonabelian self-dual Chern-Simons systems

Abstract Self-dual systems are considered in relativistic Chern-Simons Higgs theories with arbitrary local gauge group and matter representation. There is a U(1) symmetry, either global or local, in these systems. With a local gauge group SU (2) and a complex scalar field in the adjoint representation, the self-duality equations in unitary gauge are shown to be identical to those in the abelian theory, which implies the existence of solitons in both the symmetric and asymmetric phases. Solitons are nontopological except for Z 2 topology in the asymmetric phase.
Hard Probe Capabilities of CMS in Heavy Ion Collisions at the LHC

Abstract Heavy ion collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) will produce strongly interacting matter at unprecedented energy densities. At LHC collision energies, new hard probes of the dense initial collision system will become readily available. We present an overview of the capabilities of the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) detector to use these probes for a detailed study of QCD phenomenology at the highest energy densities.
Asymptotic normality of some kernel-type estimators of probability density

Abstract Central limit theorems are proved for some kernel-type estimators of probability density in the case where the observations form a strictly random sequence satisfying the ϱ-mixing condition with a certain logarithmic mixing rate.
Strongly Correlated Fermi Liquid and the Normal State of High Tc Superconductors

New insights into the strongly correlated Fermi liquid state of the SU(N) infinite-U Hubbard and t-J models are presented in connection to the metallic state of unbroken symmetry of the copper oxide planes. The nature of single particle and collective excitations is analyzed and the Landau Fermi Liquid parameters are derived. The one-particle spectral function in the Hubbard valence band is obtained with both Hubbard and Gutzwiller-like features. A simple interpretation of the large incoherent background is given in terms of a superposition of quasiparticles and a collective mode describing the propagation of a bare hole in a large U system. The spin exchange interactions produce very low lying collective modes describing the propagation of staggered spin chirality which soften at incommensurate wavevectors. The quasiparticles are strongly scattered by the low lying chirality fluctuations resulting in deviations from canonical Fermi liquid behavior at low energy scales. Of the same origin, the quasiparticle self energy is found to be strongly k-dependent. It leads to corrections to the dispersion and enhancement of the quasiparticle lifetime in the hole-like region of the interacting Fermi surface. The combined effects are sufficient to produce a sign change in the Hall coefficient evaluated for parameters relevant to the copper oxide planes. We show that these models also exhibit a zero temperature fluctuation driven transition from Fermi liquid to non Fermi liquid phase without the onset of magnetic ordering below a critical doping δc=1/4N, whereby providing a microscopic mechanism for the destruction of the Fermi liquid coherence by strong longitudinal gauge fluctuations which represent the effects of the infinite-U constraint.
Radiation Induced Peaking Effect in Open Geometry P-Channel Mosfets

A shift in the gate threshold voltage of 7 to 9 times its initial value after irradiation with 2 to 6 x 1012 electrons/cm2 of 1.5 Mev electrons is observed for a p-channel enhancement type MOSFET. The effect has only been observed at gate biases greater than -20 V.
Personal characteristics of the college volunteer

Tile research findings with regard to the personality traits of undergraduate volunteer mental health workers indicate that they were more nurturant and sensitive toward others than nonvolunteers (Chinsky, 1969). Such personality traits have been associated with therapeutic helping (Carkhuff & Truax, 1966). Volunteers were also found to be more prosocially oriented than nonvolunteers and more tolerant toward client populations (Cowen, Zax, & Laird, 1966). But other investigators have observed that volunteers were less morally tolerant than nonvolunteers (Holzberg, Gewirtz, & Ebner, 1964), and did not differ from nonvolunteers in self-acceptance (Holzberg et al., 1964) and prosocial attitudes (Chinsky, 1969; Gelineau & Kantor, 1969). Following the experience of working with client populations, undergraduate volunteers have been found to increase on variables such as empathy (Chinsky, 1969) and self-acceptance (Cowen et al., 1966; Holzberg et al., 1964). In several studies in which volunteers worked with children, they showed attitude changes in the direction of more positive regard for the client (Chinsky, 1969; Cowen et al., 1966). The two major goals of this study were (a) to compare the personality and attitudes of undergraduate volunteer mental health workers with those of nonvolunteers in order to determine if a more "purely" defined group of volunteers presented the prosocial personality and attitude profile found in some previous research and (b) to examine changes in these characteristics as a function of working as tutors with 4and 5-year-old children in an inner-city preschool program designed to facilitate reading readiness.
Measuring individualism and collectivism: The importance of considering differential components, reference groups, and measurement invariance

Abstract A new instrument of individualism and collectivism (I/C) was developed and three key issues in I/C measurement were addressed: differentiating components of I/C, understanding the impact of reference groups, and testing of measurement invariance. Three components of I/C were assessed in China and the U.S.: independence, competitiveness, and uniqueness for individualism; considering of one’s decisions on others, sharing of positive outcomes, and sharing of negative outcomes for collectivism. Collectivism was measured with respect to parents, friends, and general others. Results indicate that Chinese participants are less unique but more independent and competitive than their counterparts in the U.S. The expected cultural difference is found for parent collectivism across all three components and for sharing negative outcome with respect to all three reference groups. These results suggest that individualism is a multidimensional construct, whereas the dimensionality of collectivism appears to be a function of social distance. Measurement invariance was tested at configural, factor loading, and intercept levels for all components of I/C.
Fast thermal-aware floorplanning using white-space optimization

The power density of modern ICs continues to increase with each new process technology. Larger power density blocks result in higher temperatures which in turn decrease the reliability of chips and produce more leakage power. In this paper we present a method to help reduce the temperature of chips at the floorplan design level by adjusting block utilizations based on the available whitespace in a floorplan. We also briefly outline a method for fast and accurate thermal floorplanning. Our experimental results show that peak IC temperatures can be significantly reduced at the floorplan design stage by using the aforementioned methods without sacrificing significant increases in floorplanning run-time, or wirelength.
Direct Gene Transfer Into Human Epileptogenic Hippocampal Tissue with an Adeno-Associated Virus Vector: Implications for a Gene Therapy Approach to Epilepsy

Summary: Purpose: Virus vectors capable of transferring genetic information into human cells provide hope for improved therapy in several neurological diseases, including epilepsy. We evaluated the ability of an adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector to transfer and cause expression of a lacZ marker gene in brain slices obtained from patients undergoing temporal lobectomy for control of medically intractable seizures. Methods: Human brain slices were injected with an AAV vector (AAVlac Z) encoding Escherichia coliβ-galactosidase and incubated for as long as 24 h. The presence of lacZ mRNA. β-galactosidase protein and enzymatic activity were assayed by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (rtPCR), immunocytochemistry, and the X-Gal technique, respectively. Results: AAVlac Z directed the expression in human epileptogenic brain of E. coliβ-galactosidase that had functional activity. Expression was observed in S5 h and was sustained for as long as the slices were viable. Morphological analysis indicated that neurons were preferentially transfected, and there was no evidence of cytotoxicity. Conclusions: Our results confirm the feasibility of using AAV vectors to transfer genes into the human CNS and in particular, into neurons. Replacement of the lac Z gene with a functional gene modulating hippocampal neuronal physiology, might allow a localized genetic intervention for focal seizures based on the stereotaxic or endovascular delivery of such a vector system into the appropriate brain region.
PROPERTIES OF SANDSTONES AS A REFRACTORY MATERIAL

Sandstories from Chungking were tested for their properties as a refractory material. Chemical, petrographical, rational, and sieve analyses were made; properties, such as porosity, refractoriness, specific gravity, thermal expansion, and resistance to spalling. were determined; and studies were made on changes in firing up to 1550°C. No inversion of the quartz grains in the rock into tridymite or cristohalite could be detected. The interstitial clay substances fused first, and the quartz grains then dissolved gradually into the glassy matrix on firing at high temperatures. Being free from mineralogical and structural changes, unusually low in thermal expansion and porosity, and good in spalling resistance after firing at high temperatures, sandstones are shown to be an excellent refractory if properly employed. Of the two kinds of rocks, the dense and the porous, the former was found much better in test for refractoriness under load. Prefiring of the material before lining in a furnace structure is desirable to eliminate the permanent expansion and to improve the resistance to spalling in the raw state.
Analysis of harmonic generator circuits for step recovery diodes

This paper gives formulas for the transients in a simple lossless harmonic generator circuit consisting of a step recovery diode, two inductors, and two capacitors. By means of graphic plots of the instantaneous values of currents and voltages, it is concluded that high efficiency requires approximately equal values of the two inductors.
Gender differences in the diagnostic accuracy of SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging: A bivariate meta-analysis

It remains controversial whether the diagnostic accuracy of single-photon emission computed tomography myocardial perfusion imaging (SPECT MPI) is different in men as compared to women. We performed a meta-analysis to investigate gender differences of SPECT MPI for the diagnosis of CAD (≥50% stenosis). Two investigators independently performed a systematic review of the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases from inception through January 2012 for English-language studies determining the diagnostic accuracy of SPECT MPI. We included prospective studies that compared SPECT MPI with conventional coronary angiography which provided sufficient data to calculate gender-specific true and false positives and negatives. Data from studies evaluating <20 patients of one gender were excluded. Bivariate meta-analysis was used to create summary receiver operating curves. Twenty-six studies met inclusion criteria, representing 1,148 women and 1,142 men. Bivariate meta-analysis yielded a mean sensitivity and specificity of 84.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] 78.7%-88.6%) and 78.7% (CI 70.0%-85.3%) for SPECT MPI in women and 89.1% (CI 84.0%-92.7%) and 71.2% (CI 60.8%-79.8%) for SPECT MPI in men. There was no significant difference in the sensitivity (P = .15) or specificity (P = .23) between male and female subjects. In a bivariate meta-analysis of the available literature, the diagnostic accuracy of SPECT MPI is similar for both men and women.
Verification and validation of a patient simulator for test and evaluation of a laser doppler vibrometer

In the medical community, patient simulators are used to educate and train nurses, medics and doctors in rendering dierent levels of treatment and care to various patient populations. Students have the opportunity to perform real-world medical procedures without putting any patients at risk. A new thrust for the U.S. Army RDECOM CERDEC Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD), is the use of remote sensing technologies to detect human vital signs at stando distances. This capability will provide medics with the ability to diagnose while under re in addition to helping them to prioritize the care and evacuation of battleeld casualties. A potential alternative (or precursor) to human subject testing is the use of patient simulators. This substitution (or augmenting) provides a safe and cost eective means to develop, test, and evaluate sensors without putting any human subjects at risk. In this paper, we present a generalized framework that can be used to accredit patient simulator technologies as human simulants for remote physiological monitoring (RPM). Results indicate that we were successful in using a commercial Laser Doppler Vibrometer (LDV) to exploit pulse and respiration signals from a SimMan 3G patient simulator at stando (8 meters).© (2012) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Evaluation of potentially preventable deaths among pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities

The prehospital, emergency department, and in-hospital care of 84 patients who died following a pedestrian- or bicycle-motor vehicle collision in a four-county area was retrospectively reviewed using a systematic, detailed scoring system. The purpose of the study was to examine the effectiveness of an advanced paramedic-regionalized trauma care system and to examine the usefulness of a systematic evaluation tool in identifying preventable and possibly preventable deaths. Among the 84 deaths, one was judged to be preventable and 18 possibly preventable. The one preventable death occurred in the emergency department, while the possibly preventable deaths more commonly occurred after 48 hours and were due to central nervous system injury, sepsis, and multiple organ failure. Prolonged prehospital and emergency department time and failure to establish an airway were the most common problems identified as contributing to fatal outcome. The use of explicit criteria was demonstrated to be an effective addition to the analysis of trauma care systems.
Effects of protein kinase C activators on cardiac Ca2+ channels.

Phorbol esters have marked effects on voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels1. Inhibitory2 and stimulatory3 effects on cardiac Ca2+ channels have been attributed in both cases to activation of protein kinase C. We show that the phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate stimulates dihydropyridine-sensitive 45Ca2+ influx in primary cultures of neonatal rat ventricular myocytes within 5 s, but that after a 20-min pre-incubation period the phorbol ester markedly inhibits 45Ca2+ influx. The sequence of stimulation followed by inhibition is confirmed in cell-attached patch clamp recordings of single Ca2+ channel currents. The stimulatory effect is faster at 0 mV than at –40 mV, leading to the novel conclusion that the rate of protein kinase C activation is modulated by the state of the Ca2+ channel.
Trace elements and heavy metals in poultry and livestock meat in Taiwan

Trace elements and heavy metals were determined in poultry and livestock meat by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry after graphite block digestion. Samples were collected from markets in Taiwan and included beef (20), mutton (20), pork (30), chicken (30), duck (10) and goose (10). Mean concentrations of Mn, Co, As, Se, Mo, Cd, Sb and Pb in meat samples were 0.106–0.365 μg/g, 0.002–0.033 μg/g, 0.005–0.035 μg/g, 0.108–0.349 μg/g, 0.029–0.140 μg/g, <0.002–0.003 μg/g, <0.002–0.004 μg/g and 0.009–0.046 μg/g, respectively. Arsenic concentrations in both pork and chicken were higher than in other meat. Lead concentrations were higher in duck. Risk assessment from these data did not indicate harm for public health.
Intrauterine positional deformations masquerading as multiple congenital malformations.

• A 1,340-g male neonate was delivered by emergency cesarean section at 28 weeks' gestation following failed therapy with isoxsuprine hydrochloride and fetal distress. Transverse-lie presentation with the posterior side of the thorax wedged into the maternal pelvis and the head flexed firmly against the anterior side of the thorax led to a severe deformation sequence initially interpreted as multiple congenital malformations. This case illustrates the difficulty in distinguishing between pure deformations and malformations with and without subsequent deformations. It also emphasizes the clinician's need for a definitive diagnosis to guide the management of suspected malformations that are potentially lethal or portend a poor neurodevelopmental outcome. ( AJDC 1984;138:642-644)
Intensity discrimination with cochlear implants.

Intensity difference limens were measured for various frequencies and intensities of sinusoidal and pulsatile electrical stimulation in monkeys with electrodes implanted in the scala tympani, scala vestibuli, modiolus, or middle ear. Difference limens decreased, as a function of initial stimulus intensity, from values of 1.5–3 dB near threshold to as low as 0.5 dB near the upper limit of the dynamic range. If sensation level was held constant, difference limens decreased as a function of frequency up to about 500 Hz, and then remained constant. They were similar across a variety of electrode placements and separations if differences in threshold and dynamic range were taken into account. However, difference limens measured in severely damaged ears were slightly smaller than those in moderatly damaged ears. The near miss to Weber’s law, characteristic of acoustic difference limens, was not seen with electrical stimuli. Difference limens for electrical stimuli were roughly one‐half those for acoustic stimul...
ENCLAVES OF VIOLENCE IN NINETEENTH- CENTURY CALIFORNIA

This essay examines homicide data (1,317 cases) collected from newspapers, coroners9 inquests, and criminal court records in San Diego, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Calaveras, and Tuolumne counties, which were selected because of regional and ethnic variation. The gold rush enticed thousands of young males who spent their leisure hours drinking and gambling in mining camps. Factors such as the boomtown effect and the critical convergence of young men, guns, alcohol, and minor grievances came together to create "enclaves of violence" in these gold camps, in Chinatowns, and in San Diego Indian lands. With the exception of Chinatowns, these enclaves lacked a sense of community. Consequently, they created the image of a violent society and re�ect the reality that parts of California, at certain times and places, were indeed violent.
Benthic nutrient regeneration and its coupling to primary productivity in coastal waters

SHALLOW near-shore ocean waters support high primary production because of the availability of inorganic nutrients. The availability is usually attributed to the proximity of fresh-water runoff or to coastal upwelling and deep water advection1,2.
Some fundamental measurements of the atmospheric-pressure, microwave-induced discharge

Abstract Measurements of several fundamental parameters in a microwave-induced atmospheric-pressure flowing plasma are presented. Optical and electrical measurements were performed on argon and argon/nitrogen plasmas in the region 1–7 cm outside the cavity, as the applied microwave power, and plasma composition were varied. The stability of the plasma, atomic emission from the argon support gas, and emission from the analyte species, are proportional to the electron density. The observed electron density was varied when the power was changed,-when an electrophilic species was added, and as the observation zone was moved relative to the microwave field. In all cases, the change in the emission signal followed the change in electron density. The electron temperature, as measured by the double-probe method, is related to the kinetic energy of the fastest-moving electrons in the plasma. It is unchanged by variations in power, plasma gas composition, flow rate, and is independent of the location of the probes relative to the cavity. The spectroscopic and electrical data are consistent with excitation by ion—electron radiative recombination.
Molecular differences in the genomes of HTLV III/LAV viruses isolated on two different occasions from a patient with lymphadenopathy

Resume Diversite moleculaire du genome des virus HTLV-III/LAV isoles a des moments differents chez un patient atteint de lymphadenopathie Deux lignees lymphocytaires isolees a 3 mois d'intervalle chez un homosexuel blanc ont produit des virus HTLV-III/LAV dont le genome a ete analyse. Les genotypes des virus isoles en premier presentent des differences entre eux mais egalement avec les genotypes des virus isoles 3 mois plus tard. L'analyse de clones recombinants prepares a partir de ces variants devrait permettre de localiser les sites des divergences genomiques et, peut-etre, de relier celles-ci au pouvoir pathogene du virus.
Gender and Patterns of Roll Call Voting in the U.S. Senate

Previous studies of gender and representation at the state legislative level and in the U.S. House of Representatives have shown that women tend to be more liberal than their male colleagues and are more likely to support women's issues. Because of the limited presence of women in the body over the years, there is scant empirical evidence to confirm whether this pattern is present in the U.S. Senate. Sound theoretical basis indicates that the institutional rules of the Senate, the Senate's individualistic culture, the Senate's six-year election timetable, and the national profile of U.S. senators may create conditions that allow gender differences in roll call voting to be more easily detected than is possible in more rigidly structured institutions such as the U.S. House. This study employs a longitudinal design that pools roll call voting data from the 103rd Congress through the 110th Congress to determine whether female senators compile substantively different policy records than their male colleagues....
Collision broadening of the φ meson in baryon rich hadronic matter

Phi meson-baryon cross sections, estimated within a one-boson-exchange model, serve as input for a calculation of the collision rates in hot hadronic matter. We find that the width of the \ensuremath{\varphi} meson is modified through collisions with baryons by 1--10 MeV at 160 MeV temperature depending on the baryon fugacity. Thermalization of the \ensuremath{\varphi} in high energy heavy ion collisions is discussed.
SU-GG-T-10: Deformable Model Based Dose Reconstruction for Total Body Irradiation with Helical TomoTherapy

Purpose: We have developed a megavoltage CT (MVCT) based dose reconstruction strategy for total body irradiation (TBI) with Helical TomoTherapy (HT, TomoTherapy, Inc, Madison, WI) using a deformable registration model to retrospectively account for interfraction changes in the region of interest (ROI). Methods and Materials: Two patients with acute myelogenous leukemia treated with TBI using HT were selected for this study. The prescription was 12 Gy, 2 Gy/fraction, twice a day given 6 hours apart. The original plan achieved coverage of 80% of the CTV by the 12 Gy isodose cloud. MVCTs were acquired prior to each treatment. ROIs were contoured on each MVCT. The dose for each fraction was calculated based on the MVCT on the HT Planning Adaptive Station (TomoTherapy, Inc, Madison, WI). B‐Spline deformable registration was conducted to establish voxel‐to‐voxel correspondence between the MVCT and the planning CT. The resultant deformation vector was employed to map the reconstructed dose from each fraction to the same point as the plan dose and then obtain a voxel‐to‐voxel summed dose from all six fractions. The reconstructed dose distribution and its dosimetric parameters are compared with those of the original treatment plan. Results: Significant changes in CTV contours occurred in both patients. The reconstruction showed that the DVH for CTV coverage is close (< 1.5%) to that of the original plan. For sensitive structures the differences between the reconstructed and the planned doses were less than 4.0%. Conclusion: A voxel based dose reconstruction strategy taking into account interfraction anatomical changes using MVCTs is a powerful tool for treatment verification of the delivered doses. This proposed technique can also be applied towards adaptive TBI therapy using HT.
Speculative execution on multi-GPU systems

The lag of parallel programming models and languages behind the advance of heterogeneous many-core processors has left a gap between the computational capability of modern systems and the ability of applications to exploit them. Emerging programming models, such as CUDA and OpenCL, force developers to explicitly partition applications into components (kernels) and assign them to accelerators in order to utilize them effectively. An accelerator is a processor with a different ISA and micro-architecture than the main CPU. These static partitioning schemes are effective when targeting a system with only a single accelerator. However, they are not robust to changes in the number of accelerators or the performance characteristics of future generations of accelerators. In previous work, we presented the Harmony execution model for computing on heterogeneous systems with several CPUs and accelerators. In this paper, we extend Harmony to target systems with multiple accelerators using control speculation to expose parallelism. We refer to this technique as Kernel Level Speculation (KLS). We argue that dynamic parallelization techniques such as KLS are sufficient to scale applications across several accelerators based on the intuition that there will be fewer distinct accelerators than cores within each accelerator. In this paper, we use a complete prototype of the Harmony runtime that we developed to explore the design decisions and trade-offs in the implementation of KLS. We show that KLS improves parallelism to a sufficient degree while retaining a sequential programming model. We accomplish this by demonstrating good scaling of KLS on a highly heterogeneous system with three distinct accelerator types and ten processors.
Does fellowship pay? Challenges and opportunities.

The article “Does Fellowship Pay: What Is the Long-term Financial Impact of Subspecialty Training in Pediatrics?” by Rochlin and Simon,1 published in the February 2011 issue of Pediatrics , correctly highlights an issue of critical importance with implications for our future pediatrician workforce and the pediatric patient population it will be called to serve. The authors found that of 11 pediatric subspecialties evaluated, only 3 (cardiology, critical care, and neonatology) generate positive financial returns with respect to general pediatrics. This finding is especially disturbing when we consider the well-documented shortages that already exist in many subspecialty areas and the impact that research such as this might have on people who are considering additional fellowship training. We know that the pediatric patient population already suffers from a paucity of subspecialty providers. A 2009 national survey of children's hospitals revealed that many pediatric patients must wait between 5 weeks and 3 months to be seen by certain subspecialists.2 Approximately one-third of all children must travel 40 miles or more to be seen by a pediatrician certified in adolescent medicine, developmental behavioral pediatrics, neurodevelopmental disabilities, pulmonology, … Address correspondence to O. Marion Burton, MD, President, Office of the Executive Director, American Academy of Pediatrics, 141 Northwest Point Blvd, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007-1098. E-mail: marion.burton{at}uscmed.sc.edu