cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Maximally Prüfer Rings

In this paper we consider six Prufer-like conditions on a commutative ring R, and introduce seventh condition by defining the ring R to be maximally Prufer if R M is Prufer for every maximal ideal M of R, and we show that the class of such rings lie properly between Prufer rings and locally Prufer rings. We give a characterization of such rings in terms of the total quotient ring and the core of the regular maximal ideals. We also find a relationship of such rings with strong Prufer rings.
Antibacterial Structure—Activity Relationships Obtained with Resistant Microorganisms I: Inhibition of R‐Factor Resistant Escherichia coli by Tetracyclines

Abstract Apparent partition coefficients and inhibitory activities against sensitive and resistant Escherichia coli were determined for 14 tetracyclines. The difference in the kinetics of inhibition of the two organisms is discussed in terms of their permeabilities. The partition coefficients were determined in an octanol—buffer system. Values for eight compounds were in general agreement with the literature; values for the remaining six compounds had not been reported previously. Growth of the organisms was determined by a single‐point turbidimetric method in the presence and absence of tetracyclines. Inhibitory activities were obtained by a kinetic treatment. Derived rate constants for the sensitive organism were linearly related to antibiotic concentration. For the resistant organism and 12 compounds, the derived rate constants and antibiotic concentration were related in a manner typical of saturation kinetics. These inhibitory activities were related to the partition coefficients, while activities against the sensitive strain were not. These findings suggest that activity against the resistant strain is permeability controlled but that activity against the sensitive strain has a different rate‐determining step.
The impact of prior substance abuse on treatment outcome for bulimia nervosa

The present investigation examined the significance of a past history of substance abuse on treatment outcome for bulimia nervosa. Seventy-five women with bulimia nervosa participated in a 6-week double-blind outpatient trial of desipramine; 19 patients had a history of substance abuse and 56 did not. Although patients with a history of substance abuse reported higher levels of anxiety and depression at presentation for treatment than patients without such histories, the two groups reported a similar age of onset of their bulimia nervosa and similar severity of eating pathology with regards to binge and vomit frequencies and measures of concern about body shape and weight. On all outcome measures, the improvement of the substance abuse group was equal to or greater than that in the group without a history of substance abuse. Results suggest that a past history of substance abuse has no implication regarding response to pharmacological treatment for bulimia nervosa.
Combinatorial Electrochemistry: A Highly Parallel, Optical Screening Method for Discovery of Better Electrocatalysts

Combinatorial screening of electrochemical catalysts by current-voltage methods can be unwieldy for large sample sizes. By converting the ions generated in an electrochemical half-cell reaction to a fluorescence signal, the most active compositions in a large electrode array have been identified. A fluorescent acid-base indicator was used to image high concentrations of hydrogen ions, which were generated in the electrooxidation of methanol. A 645-member electrode array containing five elements (platinum, ruthenium, osmium, iridium, and rhodium), 80 binary, 280 ternary, and 280 quaternary combinations was screened to identify the most active regions of phase space. Subsequent “zoom” screens pinpointed several very active compositions, some in ternary and quaternary regions that were bounded by rather inactive binaries. The best catalyst, platinum(44)/ruthenium(41)/osmium(10)/iridium(5) (numbers in parentheses are atomic percent), was significantly more active than platinum(50)/ruthenium(50) in a direct methanol fuel cell operating at 60°C, even though the latter catalyst had about twice the surface area of the former.
Non-invasive imaging of intracranial pediatric vascular lesions

The goal of this review is to discuss the different non-invasive imaging techniques as well as the age-specific pediatric vascular pathologies and their imaging features. Ultrasound, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging features of pediatric ischemic stroke, intracranial hemorrhage, aneurysms, cavernomas, developmental venous anomalies, and arteriovenous malformations are presented. In addition, multiple non-invasive angiographic techniques (CT and MR angiography) and functional MRI sequences (diffusion, perfusion, and susceptibility-weighted imaging) are discussed. Neurovascular imaging plays a central role in the early, sensitive, and specific diagnosis of pediatric intracranial vascular disorders. A detailed knowledge of the quality and exact angioarchitecture of pediatric vascular pathologies as well as their impact on the cerebral hemo-dynamics is essential to guide and monitor treatment options and to predict functional outcome.
An operational test for possible zincacyclobutane formation in the gustavson reaction

Abstract The possibility of obtaining a zincacyclobutane intermediate in the Gustavson reaction was hypothesized to explain the formation of olefins obtained in this reaction. A select group of substrates was investigated in which the formation of olefin products could be explained if one invoked the intermediacy of a zincacyclobutane, but would be difficult to explain in the absence of such an intermediate. A deuterium-labeled substrate was also investigated and the olefins obtained from its reaction with zinc were found to closely follow the deuteriumlabeling pattern obtained from the decomposition of the analogous deuteriumlabeled platinacyclobutane.
Sensory evoked neuronal activity in the hippocampus before and after lesions of the medial septal nuclei.

Abstract The evoked activity of 142 single neurons in the hippocampus of 44 rats was recorded following presentation of one of several modalities of peripheral stimulation. In the intact rat, 41% of the neurons encountered showed some period of inhibition of neuronal firing following peripheral stimulation. In subjects that had received lesions of the medial septal nuclei, only 21% of the cells encountered showed such inhibition. Medial septal lesions were made in 23 animals while recording the activity of cells which exhibited inhibition following stimulation. Of these 23 cells, only 5 continued to exhibit response inhibition after the lesion, while 13 displayed only response excitation, and 5 showed a complete loss of responsiveness. These findings suggest that the integrity of the medial septal nucleus is necessary for the inhibition of neuronal firing observed in many hippocampal neurons following peripheral stimulation.
Acoustic source characterization of impulsive Strombolian eruptions from the Mount Erebus lava lake

Abstract We invert for acoustic source volume outflux and momentum imparted to the atmosphere using an infrasonic network distributed about the erupting lava lake at Mount Erebus, Ross Island, Antarctica. By modeling these relatively simple eruptions as monopole point sources we estimate explosively ejected gas volumes that range from 1,000 m 3 to 24,000 m 3 for 312 lava lake eruptions recorded between January 6 and April 13, 2006. Though these volumes are compatible with bubble volumes at rupture (as estimated from explosion video records), departures from isotropic radiation are evident in the recorded acoustic wavefield for many eruptions. A point-source acoustic dipole component with arbitrary axis orientation and strength provides precise fit to the recorded infrasound. This dipole source axis, corresponding to the axis of inferred short-duration material jetting, varies significantly between events. Physical interpretation of dipole orientation as being indicative of eruptive directivity is corroborated by directional emissions of ejecta observed in Erebus eruption video footage. Although three azimuthally distributed stations are insufficient to fully characterize the eruptive acoustic source we speculate that a monopole with a minor amount of oriented dipole radiation may reasonably model the primary features of the recorded infrasound for these eruptions.
Speculation on the generality of the backward stepwise view of PCA

A novel backwards viewpoint of Principal Component Analysis is proposed. In a wide variety of cases, that fall into the area of Object Oriented Data Analysis, this viewpoint is seen to provide much more natural and accessable analogs of PCA than the standard forward viewpoint. Examples considered here include principal curves, landmark based shape analysis, medial shape representation and trees as data.
Material properties and bone marrow stromal cells response to in situ crosslinkable RGD-functionlized lactide-co-glycolide scaffolds

In situ crosslinkable biomaterials with degradation profiles that can be tailored to a particular application are indispensable for treating irregularly shaped defects and for fabrication of shape-selective scaffolds. The objective of this work was to synthesize ultra low molecular weight functionalized PLA and PLGA macromers that can be grafted with bioactive peptides and crosslinked in situ to fabricate biodegradable functional scaffolds. In situ crosslinkable lactide-co-glycolide macromer (cMLGA; “c” for crosslinkable, “M” for macromer, and “LGA” for lactide-co-glycolide) was synthesized by anionic polymerization of lactide and glycolide monomers followed by condensation polymerization with fumaryl chloride. The cMLA (100% L-lactide) and cMLGA macromers formed porous crosslinked scaffolds with NVP as the crosslinker. The mass loss of the crosslinked cMLA and cMLGA was linear with incubation time in vitro (zero-order degradation) and the degradation rate depended on the ratio of lactide to glycolide. cMLGA scaffold with 1:1 lactide to glycolide ratio completely degraded after 4 weeks while the cMLA lost less than 40% of its initial mass after 35 weeks. When cMLA scaffold was functionalized with acrylated integrin-binding Ac-GRGD amino acid sequence, bone marrow stromal (BMS) cells attached and spread on the cMLA scaffold and exhibited focal-point cell adhesion. The mRNA expression levels of collagen-1α, osteonectin, and osteopontin for BMS cells seeded in the scaffolds with 1 and 5% Ac-GRGD were upregulated compared with those without Ac-GRGD. cMLGA is attractive as in situ crosslinkable macromer for fabrication of functional scaffolds with degradation characteristics that can be tailored to a particular application. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res, 2009
Tetrahydropapaveroline and the blood-brain barrier in rats.

The blood-brain barrier penetration of tetrahydropapapveroline (THP) was studied in male rats of the Sprague-Dawley strain. THP was not found in brains of untreated animals. However, THP was observed in the brains of animals that received THP-HBr by intraperitoneal (IP) injection 30 minutes before decapitation. Animals that received IP injections of 0.10, 1.0, 5.0, or 10 mg THP-HBr/kg exhibited brain levels of 3.1, 25, 95 or 126 pmoles THP per gram brain, respectively. Another group of rats received THP-HBr (5.0 mg/kg) IP 30 minutes before decapitation. The brain of each animal was dissected into nine regions and each region assayed for THP. All brain regions assayed had measurable levels of THP. The highest concentration of THP (132 pmoles/g) was observed in the olfactory lobes-frontal cortex while the lowest concentration of THP (27.3 pmol/g) was in the striatum. These results demonstrate that THP penetrates the blood-brain barrier in rats. They also suggest if THP is formed in the periphery, it may penetrate the blood-brain barrier, and be localized in discrete brain regions.
Querying peer-to-peer networks using P-trees

We propose a new distributed, fault-tolerant peer-to-peer index structure called the P-tree. P-trees efficiently evaluate range queries in addition to equality queries.
Portable monitoring for the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea.

Purpose of review The demand for expedient diagnosis of suspected obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has increased due to improved awareness of sleep disorders. Polysomnography (PSG) is the current preferred diagnostic modality but is relatively inconvenient, expensive and inefficient. Portable monitoring has been developed and is widely used in countries outside the United States as an alternative approach. A portable monitor records fewer physiologic variables but is typically unattended and can be performed in the home. Recent findings Numerous portable monitor studies have been performed over the past two to three decades. The US government and medical societies have extensively reviewed this literature several times in an attempt to determine if portable monitoring should be more broadly used for diagnosing OSA. In March 2008, the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released a statement allowing the use of portable monitoring to diagnose OSA and prescribe continuous positive airway pressure. This has potentially opened the door for more widespread use of these devices. This review will focus on the literature that has examined portable monitoring as a diagnostic tool for OSA. Summary It is anticipated that portable monitoring as a diagnostic modality for OSA will be used more frequently in the United States following the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ruling. Physicians and others considering the use of portable monitors should thoroughly understand the advantages and limitations of this technology.
An Unexpected Result For Sodium— Causal Or Casual?

The study by Alderman et al1 in the current issue of Hypertension provides data that raise a question of whether a decrease in sodium intake lowers risk of cardiovascular disease. The National High Blood Pressure Education Program Working Group2 cited a reduction in sodium intake as one of the most effective approaches to preventing hypertension. They recommend a multifaceted approach to public education that includes limiting excess sodium intake as a key element. The Fifth Report of the Joint National Committee on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure3 recommends lifestyle modifications, including sodium reduction, as a first-line treatment for mildly and moderately hypertensive individuals. Much of the evidence concerning the benefit of a decrease in sodium intake is derived from studies of blood pressure. Observational data, from both between-population and within-population studies4 5 and particularly data from the INTERSALT study,6 7 show a consistent direct relationship of sodium excretion (UNaV) to blood pressure. Current estimates from INTERSALT7 suggest a 100-mmol decrease in sodium is associated with a decrease in systolic pressure of 3.1 mm Hg. Randomized trial data have generally supported these observational results.8 9 The recent Trials of Hypertension Prevention, Phase I10 found that decreases in systolic/diastolic pressures of 1.7/0.9 mm Hg were associated with average sodium decreases of about 44 mmol/24 h, a finding comparable to other trials among normotensive subjects.9 The results in trials among hypertensive subjects tend to be even stronger. An overview9 suggests decreases in systolic/diastolic pressures of 4.9/2.6 mm Hg in trials among …
Algorithms for sorting and reconstructing heterogeneous nanoscale biological objects from cryo electron microscopy images

Statistical algorithms are described for 2- and 3-D signal reconstruction and classification problems based on electron microscopy images where the objects displayed in the images are heterogeneous. Both discrete heterogeneity (there exist classes of objects but all objects within one class are identical) and continuous heterogeneity (there exist classes of objects but, in addition, the objects within a class differ). With continuous heterogeneity, the idea of reconstruction is generalized from reconstruction of a unique 2- or 3-D object to reconstruction of the statistics of the 2- or 3-D object. The basic process is reconstruction by maximum likelihood estimation computed by an expectation-maximization algorithm with classification following as postprocessing given the reconstruction. Two examples are considered, one focusing on classification and one on reconstruction.
Learning Neural Network Policies with Guided Policy Search under Unknown Dynamics

We present a policy search method that uses iteratively refitted local linear models to optimize trajectory distributions for large, continuous problems. These trajectory distributions can be used within the framework of guided policy search to learn policies with an arbitrary parameterization. Our method fits time-varying linear dynamics models to speed up learning, but does not rely on learning a global model, which can be difficult when the dynamics are complex and discontinuous. We show that this hybrid approach requires many fewer samples than model-free methods, and can handle complex, nonsmooth dynamics that can pose a challenge for model-based techniques. We present experiments showing that our method can be used to learn complex neural network policies that successfully execute simulated robotic manipulation tasks in partially observed environments with numerous contact discontinuities and underactuation.
Education Without Compulsion: Toward New Visions of Gifted Education

The aim of this paper is to induce doubt about the ethical rightness of compulsory education laws and inspire educators to imagine and begin to make a world in which there are many different forms of gifted education. The paper does this in three ways. It paints a polemical picture of gifted education as a minor variation on public schooling and describes the contradictions and limitations this entails. It presents a short history of education in the United States to support the claim that compulsory schooling aims to shape the character of children in the interests of religion, government, corporations, and other groups. It argues that compulsory schooling is inconsistent with the liberal democratic value of the right to self-determination. The paper also offers a conception of education for self-development as one vision of what gifted education could be were it freed from the strictures of compulsory schooling. The worst, the most difficult thing that affects us as people is the failure of imagination. We do not realize that various things are possible, which is to say that we don‘t realize that most everything is contingent, that things could be different. —Alexander Nehemas (Carrier, 1998, para 28 from end)
Solar composition from the Genesis Discovery Mission

Science results from the Genesis Mission illustrate the major advantages of sample return missions. (i) Important results not otherwise obtainable except by analysis in terrestrial laboratories: the isotopic compositions of O, N, and noble gases differ in the Sun from other inner solar system objects. The N isotopic composition is the same as that of Jupiter. Genesis has resolved discrepancies in the noble gas data from solar wind implanted in lunar soils. (ii) The most advanced analytical instruments have been applied to Genesis samples, including some developed specifically for the mission. (iii) The N isotope result has been replicated with four different instruments.
Estimation of production technology when the objective is to maximize return to the outlay

Abstract This paper deals with estimation of production technology where endogeneous choice of input and output variables is explicitly recognized. To address this endogeneity issue, we assume that producers maximize return to the outlay. We start from a flexible (translog) transformation function with a single output and multiple inputs and show how the first-order conditions of maximizing return to the outlay can be used to come up with an ‘estimating equation’ that does not suffer from the econometric endogeneity problem although the output and input variables are chosen endogenously. This is because the regressors in this estimating equation are in ratio forms which are uncorrelated with the error term under the assumption that producers maximize return to the outlay. The analysis is then extended to the multiple outputs and multiple inputs case with technical inefficiency. Although the estimating equations in both single and multiple output cases are neither production nor distance functions, they can be estimated in a straightforward manner using the standard stochastic frontier technique without worrying about endogeneity of the regressors. Thus, we provide a rationale for estimating the technology parameters consistently using an econometric model which requires data on only input and output quantities.
The effect of three types of saponin on iron and zinc absorption from a single meal in the rat

1. Iron and zinc retentions in young male rats, given 3 g starch-sucrose paste containing 120 micrograms Fe as FeSO4 or 139 micrograms Zn as ZnCl2 (extrinsically labelled with 59Fe or 65Zn) and increasing amounts of Gypsophila saponins, were measured by whole-body counting. The results were compared with whole-body Fe and Zn retention from a meal containing crude or purified saponin fractions. In a separate experiment Fe retention from a meal containing Gypsophila saponins, soyasaponin I, or saponins extracted from lucerne (Medicago sativa) plant tops, was measured in older rats. 2. Results indicated that Fe absorption decreased with increasing concentration of Gypsophila saponins. This was significant at a saponin:Fe molar value of approximately 1, with maximum effect occurring at molar ratios of 4 and above, when Fe absorption was reduced by approximately 17%. Gypsophila saponins had no effect on Zn absorption from a test meal. 3. Fe absorption was similar in groups given purified or crude Gypsophila saponins at the same saponin:mineral molar value of 8, demonstrating that the 'non-saponin' fraction of the commercial preparation does not affect the absorption of this mineral. 4. Saponins extracted from lucerne plant tops, fed at a saponin:Fe value of approximately 8, also reduced Fe absorption from a single meal. Fe absorption from a meal containing a similar amount of soyasaponin I was not significantly different from controls. 5. These results indicate that some dietary saponins may reduce Fe absorption and hence have an adverse effect on Fe status in man and simple-stomached animals.
Christian Radio in a New Millennium

There is no segment of the broadcasting industry growing as rapidly as Christian Radio has since 1990. The number of radio stations with Christian formats has nearly tripled in this time frame, surpassing all other formats. This remarkable growth is due to a combination of factors, including changes in FCC channel allocation and licensing policies, innovations in software to identify available frequencies and plot coverage areas, the popularity of Contemporary Christian Music, the growth of Evangelical Christianity and conservative political organizations, and the dedicated efforts of many broadcasters who want Christian Radio to happen now.
Intrasphenoidal Rathke's cleft cyst.

We report a rare patient with an intrasphenoidal Rathke’s cleft cyst (RCC) and review the literature. RCC are benign epithelium lined cysts containing mucoid material, which typically occur in a location that is either entirely intrasellar, or intrasellar with suprasellar extension (intra-suprasellar). RCC in a completely extrasellar location are uncommon. An intrasphenoidal RCC is extremely rare with only two patients reported in the literature to date. Preoperative diagnosis is difficult due to the uncommon location and absence of any characteristic radiological features. However, it remains of utmost clinical relevance because it may limit the operative management to biopsy sampling of the cyst wall and drainage of the contents via the transsphenoidal route.
Autotuning multigrid with PetaBricks

Algorithmic choice is essential in any problem domain to realizing optimal computational performance. Multigrid is a prime example: not only is it possible to make choices at the highest grid resolution, but a program can switch techniques as the problem is recursively attacked on coarser grid levels to take advantage of algorithms with different scaling behaviors. Additionally, users with different convergence criteria must experiment with parameters to yield a tuned algorithm that meets their accuracy requirements. Even after a tuned algorithm has been found, users often have to start all over when migrating from one machine to another.We present an algorithm and autotuning methodology that address these issues in a near-optimal and efficient manner. The freedom of independently tuning both the algorithm and the number of iterations at each recursion level results in an exponential search space of tuned algorithms that have different accuracies and performances. To search this space efficiently, our autotuner utilizes a novel dynamic programming method to build efficient tuned algorithms from the bottom up. The results are customized multigrid algorithms that invest targeted computational power to yield the accuracy required by the user.The techniques we describe allow the user to automatically generate tuned multigrid cycles of different shapes targeted to the user's specific combination of problem, hardware, and accuracy requirements. These cycle shapes dictate the order in which grid coarsening and grid refinement are interleaved with both iterative methods, such as Jacobi or Successive Over-Relaxation, as well as direct methods, which tend to have superior performance for small problem sizes. The need to make choices between all of these methods brings the issue of variable accuracy to the forefront. Not only must the autotuning framework compare different possible multigrid cycle shapes against each other, but it also needs the ability to compare tuned cycles against both direct and (non-multigrid) iterative methods. We address this problem by using an accuracy metric for measuring the effectiveness of tuned cycle shapes and making comparisons over all algorithmic types based on this common yardstick. In our results, we find that the flexibility to trade performance versus accuracy at all levels of recursive computation enables us to achieve excellent performance on a variety of platforms compared to algorithmically static implementations of multigrid.Our implementation uses PetaBricks, an implicitly parallel programming language where algorithmic choices are exposed in the language. The PetaBricks compiler uses these choices to analyze, autotune, and verify the PetaBricks program. These language features, most notably the autotuner, were key in enabling our implementation to be clear, correct, and fast.
A Survey of Time Delay Estimation Performance Bounds

In this paper we review performance bounds, as well as some current trends, in time delay estimation (TDE). Research over several decades reveals that a few key parameters determine TDE performance. The most basic are the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and the signal time-bandwidth (TB) product; larger values for each are desirable. The Cramer-Rao bound (CRB) reveals asymptotic maximum-likelihood estimation (MLE) behavior with respect to TB and SNR. At moderate to lower SNR, TDEs generally break down as ambiguities arise due to increased noise and the cross-correlation of the signal, causing the TDE to deviate (often quite sharply) away from the CRB. Because it is a local bound, the CRB does not indicate the threshold behavior, and Ziv-Zakai and other bounds have been developed to handle this. When TD is measured between multiple sensors, the coherence between them can fundamentally limit the result, an effect that occurs in acoustics due to the turbulent atmosphere. We discuss modifications to the classical bounds that accommodate the coherence loss, and reveal a threshold coherence phenomenon. When communications and other signals are utilized for TDE, they may have significant nuisance parameters, including carrier uncertainty, unknown symbols, as well as effects due to an unknown channel. Recent TDE performance limits reveal the effect of these parameters for various signal models, including the impact of diversity channels on TDE
Access Structures for Angular Similarity Queries

Angular similarity measures have been utilized by several database applications to define semantic similarity between various data types such as text documents, time-series, images, and scientific data. Although similarity searches based on Euclidean distance have been extensively studied in the database community, processing of angular similarity searches has been relatively untouched. Problems due to a mismatch in the underlying geometry as well as the high dimensionality of the data make current techniques either inapplicable or their use results in poor performance. This brings up the need for effective indexing methods for angular similarity queries. We first discuss how to efficiently process such queries and propose effective access structures suited to angular similarity measures. In particular, we propose two classes of access structures, namely, angular-sweep and cone-shell, which perform different types of quantization based on the angular orientation of the data objects. We also develop query processing algorithms that utilize these structures as dense indices. The proposed techniques are shown to be scalable with respect to both dimensionality and the size of the data. Our experimental results on real data sets from various applications show two to three orders of magnitude of speedup over the current techniques
Pollinators Complicate Conservation of an Endemic Plant: Physaria obcordata (Cruciferae) in the Piceance Basin, Colorado

To the unnamed road grader operator, resident of Rangeley CO, who on May 13, 1992, idled his machine atop Calamity Ridge and jumped down to admonish us, as we collected insects from P. obcordata flowers, to use care in dealing with those plants with the small yellow flowers because “they grow nowhere else in the world but Rio Blanco Co.”: We dub thee Sir Dudley, Knight of the Twinpod, and thank you belatedly for your challenge, for your concern. Physaria obcordata is a rare endemic of western Colorado. Plants are self-incompatible; they cannot reproduce sexually unless pollinators move pollen between flowers of different genets. We found no evidence that: seed production was limited by inadequate pollination or that pollinations between near neighbor plants (inbreeding depression) or between distant plants (outbreeding depression) resulted in reduced fruit or seed set. Examples are given of the potentially devastating effect of grazing on fruit and seed production. Preliminary evidence suggests that P. obcordata can hybridize with its common congener, P. acutifolia. Only crosses with P. obcordata as pollen recipient and P. acutifolia as pollen donor seemed fertile. Primary flower-visitors of P. obcordata are ground-nesting native bees in the families Andrenidae and Halictidae. Most species visiting the flowers of P. obcordata are generalists. Only two bee species were likely mustard specialists. The only non-bee visitor of any import was a dipteran, Gonia (Tachinidae). Predictions of the distances flown by common bee visitors were made using the equations of Greenleaf et al. (2007). No bee is likely to travel more than 1 km from its nesting site to visit P. obcordata flowers and most are likely to fly distances that are significantly less. The implications of flight range estimates for gene flow between Physaria populations and for pollinator protection are discussed. Several recommendations are made for conservation of P. obcordata and its attendant bees.
Diet-induced DNA damage and altered nucleotide metabolism in lymphocytes from methyl-donor-deficient rats

Tumor induction with chronic feeding of methyl-donor-deficient diets has been well established; however, the biochemical and molecular mechanisms which predipose to tumorigenesis in this model are still not well understood. The purpose of the present investigation was to assess DNA damage and altered nucleotide metabolism in lymphocytes from Fischer 344 rats fed one of four semi-purified diets: (i) deficient in methionine and choline; (ii) deficient in folic acid; (iii) deficient in methionine, choline and folic acid; or (iv) a supplemented control diet. The accumulation of DNA-strand breaks, as assessed by DNA unwinding in alkali, was increased in lymphocytes from both the methionine/choline-deficient and folate-deficient groups, but was most severe in the group deficient in all three methyl donors. Lymphocyte DNA damage was consistently associated with alterations in folate-dependent thymidylate synthesis, and a decrease in intracellular levels of the DNA-repair-associated pyridine nucleotide, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. In the liver, a synergistic lipotropic interaction between folate deficiency and methionine/choline deficiency was observed, confirming the metabolic inter-relationship between these nutrients. Taken together, the results suggest that folate deficiency interacts with methionine/choline deficiency to potentiate symptoms of methyl-donor deficiency and that alterations in folate-dependent thymidylate synthesis are related to DNA damage in lymphocytes. These metabolic aberrations may contribute to immune dysfunction with chronic feeding of methyl-donor-deficient diets.
An extended kernel for generalized multiple-instance learning

The multiple-instance learning (MIL) model has been successful in areas such as drug discovery and content-based image-retrieval. Recently, this model was generalized and a corresponding kernel was introduced to learn generalized MIL concepts with a support vector machine. While this kernel enjoyed empirical success, it has limitations in its representation. We extend this kernel by enriching its representation and empirically evaluate our new kernel on data from content-based image retrieval, biological sequence analysis, and drug discovery. We found that our new kernel generalized noticeably better than the old one in content-based image retrieval and biological sequence analysis and was slightly better or even with the old kernel in the other applications, showing that an SVM using this kernel does not overfit despite its richer representation.
The Effect of Axial Boundary Motion on Pressure Surge Generation

The basic relationships for transient flow in a straight tube are investigated for the case of axial boundary motion. Viscous effects and other small terms are neglected allowing the problem to be described by the wave equation subjected to a moving boundary. Using this equation the case of pressure surge generation due to instantaneous load rejection in a finite straight tube is investigated. The axial boundary motion is due to the internal pressure stretching the pipe wall along the pipe axis. A closed form analytical result is obtained using a differential difference equation and shows that the pressure surge magnitude can be significantly greater than that predicted neglecting the boundary motion. This result is used to obtain a simple expression for estimating the maximum value of the pressure surge following the load rejection. An experiment is conducted which shows the significance of the axial line motion and compares well with the prediction of this effect.
Measurement and modeling of rough surface effects on terahertz spectroscopy

Recent improvements in sensing technology have driven new research areas within the terahertz (THz) portion of the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum. While there are several promising THz applications, several outstanding technical challenges need to be addressed before robust systems can be deployed. A particularly compelling application is the potential use of THz reflection spectroscopy for stand-off detection of drugs and explosives. A primary challenge for this application is to have sufficient signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) to allow spectroscopic identification of the target material, and surface roughness can have an impact on identification. However, scattering from a rough surface may be observed at all angles, suggesting diffuse returns can be used in robust imaging of non-cooperative targets. Furthermore, the scattering physics can also distort the reflection spectra, complicating classification algorithms. In this work, rough surface scattering effects were first isolated by measuring diffuse scattering for gold-coated sandpaper of varying roughness. Secondly, we measured scattering returns from a rough sample with a spectral signature, namely α-lactose monohydrate mixed with Teflon and pressed with sandpaper to introduce controlled roughness. For both the specular and diffuse reflection measurements, the application of traditional spectroscopy techniques provided the ability to resolve the 0.54 THz absorption peak. These results are compared with results from a smooth surface. Implications of the results on the ability to detect explosives with THz reflection spectroscopy are presented and discussed. In addition, the Small Perturbation Method (SPM) is employed to predict backscatter from lactose with a small amount of roughness.
Application of the Polymerase Chain Reaction to the Diagnosis and Management of Neonatal Herpes Simplex Virus Disease

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens from 77 neonates with herpes simplex virus (HSV) disease were evaluated retrospectively by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Samples were collected from 202 infants enrolled in a National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Collaborative Antiviral Study Group trial that compared vidarabine with acyclovir for the treatment of neonatal HSV infection. HSV DNA was detected in the CSF of 26 (76%) of 34 infants with CNS disease, in 13 (93%) of 14 infants with disseminated infection, and in 7 (24%) of 29 with skin, eye, or mouth (SEM) involvement. One of the 7 PCR-positive SEM patients subsequently developed severe neurologic impairment. Eighteen (95%) of 19 infants with positive CSF PCR results after the completion of 10 days of antiviral therapy experienced significant morbidity or mortality. Application of PCR to neonatal HSV disease may provide additional information on which clinical decisions may be based, although its diagnostic utility outside the research setting is unproven.
Neurodevelopmental Profile, Growth, and Psychosocial Environment of Preterm Infants with Difficult Feeding Behavior at Age 2 Years.

Objective To examine the association of difficult feeding behaviors in very preterm infants at age 2 years with growth and neurodevelopmental outcomes and family factors and functioning. Study design Eighty children born ≤30 weeks gestation were studied from birth until age 2 years. Feeding difficulties were assessed using the Eating Subscale of the Infant-Toddler Social Emotional Assessment at age 2 years, along with growth measurement and developmental testing. Maternal mental health and family factors were assessed using standardized questionnaires. ANOVA and χ 2 analyses were performed to determine associations between feeding difficulties and growth, neurodevelopmental outcomes, and family characteristics. Results Twenty-one children (26%) were at risk for feeding difficulties, and an additional 18 (23%) had definite feeding difficulties at age 2 years. Those with feeding difficulties were more likely to be subject to a range of neurodevelopmental problems, including impaired cognition ( P = .02), language ( P = .04), motor ( P = .01), and socioemotional ( P P = .02) and reported more difficulty managing their child's behavior ( P = .002) and more frequent parent–child interaction problems ( P = .002). No associations were found between difficult feeding behaviors and growth, maternal mental health, or family factors. Conclusion Difficult feeding behaviors in children born very preterm appear to be highly comorbid with other developmental and family challenges, including neurodevelopmental impairment and parent–child interaction difficulties. Focusing on improving feeding skills, in conjunction with supporting positive parent–child interactions, may be beneficial for improving outcomes.
Rotational and translational diffusion of copper oxide nanorods measured with holographic video microscopy

We use holographic video microscopy to track the three-dimensional translational and rotational diffusion of copper oxide nanorods suspended in water. Rayleigh-Sommerfeld back-propagation of a single holographic snapshot yields a volumetric reconstruction of the nanorod’s optical scattering pattern, from which we estimate both its dimensions and also its instantaneous position and orientation. Analyzing a video sequence yields measurements of the freely diffusing nanorod’s dynamics, from which we estimate the technique’s resolution.
E-Commerce And Small Business Enterprise Some Evidence From Northern New Jersey

The purpose of this research was to investigate the extent to which small businesses in Northern New Jersey are prepared for e-commerce. The Internet has changed the market place and the face of business more dramatically than any other technological innovation since the Industrial Revolution. In the last ten years, the Internet has changed and fundamentally restructured business to business, business to consumer and consumer to consumer relationships. Internet based commerce is estimated to be growing at the rate of 200% per annum and the volume of Internet commerce is estimated to exceed $2 trillion by 2003.
Using Implicit and Explicit Measures to Predict Nonsuicidal Self-Injury Among Adolescent Inpatients

Objective To examine the use of implicit and explicit measures to predict adolescent nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) before, during, and after inpatient hospitalization. Method Participants were 123 adolescent psychiatric inpatients who completed measures at hospital admission and discharge. The implicit measure (Self-Injury Implicit Association Test [SI-IAT]) and one of the explicit measures pertained to the NSSI method of cutting. Patients were interviewed at multiple time points at which they reported whether they had engaged in NSSI before their hospital stay, during their hospital stay, and within 3 months after discharge. Results At baseline, SI-IAT scores differentiated past-year self-injurers and noninjurers ( t 121 = 4.02, p d = 0.73). These SI-IAT effects were stronger among patients who engaged in cutting (versus noncutting NSSI methods). Controlling for NSSI history and prospective risk factors, SI-IAT scores predicted patients' subsequent cutting behavior during their hospital stay (odds ratio (OR) = 8.19, CI = 1.56–42.98, p p values Conclusion The SI-IAT is an implicit measure that is outcome-specific, a short-term predictor above and beyond NSSI history, and potentially helpful in cases in which patients at risk for NSSI explicitly report that they would not do so in the future. Ultimately, both implicit and explicit measures can help to predict future incidents of cutting among adolescent inpatients.
Integrated Information Systems for Utilities

Integrated information systems (IIS) are sought by many utility planning groups since they promise a single source of information for utility planning and operation. A search of the literature concerning these systems yielded 150 publications in the last seven years. None of these reported a successful IIS, and most attempts encountered the same pitfalls. Two major pitfalls are the scarcity of functioning automated information systems in a region to be integrated and the focus on the construction of the IIS rather than on the ultimate client demands for such systems. Unless almost infinite funds are available, IIS must evolve by first developing automated data systems to support routine operation for each utility, since these can be cost effective and will support an IIS with minimal added cost. The other feasible evolution of an IIS is to automate the information currently being used in decision making and slowly increase this base as funds are available.
The Unraveling of Support for Authoritarianism: The Dynamic Relationship of Media, Elites, and Public Opinion in Brazil, 1972–82

This work examines the dynamic relationship among elites, media, and the public during authoritarian rule. Using Brazil’s military regime (1964–85), it investigates whether changing press censorshi...
506 SURGICAL CREATION OF AUTOLOGOUS PERICARDIAL NEO-AORTIC SINUSES TO MANAGE SINUS OF VALSALVA PATHOLOGY.

Objective We sought to evaluate the efficacy of creating glutaraldehyde-tanned autologous pericardial neosinuses to repair (exclude) sinus of Valsalva aortic root pathology. Methods Over the last decade (1996-2005), 81 patients (mean age 46 ± 20 years) underwent aortic root repairs involving construction of neoaortic pericardial sinuses as a central feature. Sixty-seven (83%) patients were male. The etiology was congenital in 53% (43), including bicuspid aortic valve (30), ventricular septal defect (6), aortic coarctation (4), and connective tissue disorder in 15% (12), including Marfan9s syndrome (9). Fifty-eight patients had an ascending aorta aneurysm and five patients experienced Type I dissection. Sixty-six patients had significant aortic regurgitation (AR) and 24 patients had concomitant AR/AS. Seventy-six patients had an aneurysmal non-coronary sinus; 37 and 25 patients had affected right and left coronary sinuses, respectively. Three patients had sinus ruptures into the right ventricle. Surgical approaches included creation of pericardial neosinuses (NCS: 75, RCS: 38, LCS: 24); AV repair (10 pericardial leaflet extensions, 21 subcommissuroplasties); AV replacement (39); ascending aorta repair (14 Hemashield grafts, 54 Dacron mesh wraps), and concomitant mitral valve and tricuspid repairs in 11 and 4 patients, respectively. Results There was no early mortality (mean follow-up 23 ± 31 months). There was one death at 6.3 years due to complications following another cardiac operation. Nine patients required reoperation for recurrent AR and aneurysmal sinuses (6), and aortic aneurysms/dissections (3). The remaining patients demonstrated good AR (mean grade 1.3 ± 1.1; 3.2 ± 1.0 preoperatively) and aortic root statuses (mean diameter 34.3 ± 6.0 mm; 46.9 ± 12.3 mm preoperatively). Conclusions Creating neo-aortic sinuses with autologous pericardium offers a promising simple approach to repair sinus-related pathology solely or as adjunctive surgical intervention for multi-level disease in the aortic root and ascending aorta.
REDUCTION PROCESSING STUDY ON Fe-18Cr-9W COMPOSITE OXIDE POWDER

Fe-18 Cr-9 W Nanometer composite powder was produced by the method of co-reduction of Fe-18 Cr-9 W composite oxide powder,in which the procedure parameters were controlled.Phase composition,crystalline size and particle morphology of the powder were analyzed by X-ray diffraction and SEM.FSSS particle size,special surface area and oxide content of reduced powder were measured.The effects of the reduction temperature and reduction time on the properties of the composite powder were also studied.The results indicate that the phases of the composite powder reduced at high temperature above 650 ℃ are compsed of Fe and(Cr,W);the particle morphology is spherical or nearly spherical;the properties of the reduced powder are greatly influenced by the temperature and time of the reduction process,and the best properties of the composite powder can be obtained at 700 ℃ for 120 min;nanometer Fe-18 Cr-9 W composite powder with FSSS particle size is smaller than 0.58 μm,BET particle size is smaller than 80 nm,crystalline size is smaller than 50 nm,and oxide content of reduced powder is smaller than 0.14%.