cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Frequency Modulation of Resistance-Capacitance 0scillators

A method is described for direct-frequency modulation of a resistance-capacitance oscillator which is simpler and more stable than the beat oscillators formerly used. Spurious amplitude modulation is reduced to a negligible value without the use of limiters and without introducing appreciable harmonics in the output wave. Balanced control tubes prevent transients or signal frequencies from appearing in the output. Curves are given which provide an easy method of choosing the network and constants for any desired condition. The device is especially suited to facsimile transmission by sub-carrier frequency modulation.
Effect of water deprivation on uptake of dl-cystine-S35 in the hypothalamo-hypophysial system

Abstract Autoradiograms using no-screen x-ray film were made of the rat hypothalamus and hypophysis following injections of dl-cystine-S35. The density of the film over the supraoptic nucleus, paraventricular nucleus, median eminence, infundibular process and pars distalis were recorded on a photometer. Normal rats and rats that had been without water for either 2 days or 7–10 days were compared. The supraoptic nucleus of the water-deprived rats showed increased concentrations of S35 in rats deprived of water for 2 days and for 7–10 days. The increase in the latter was about twice that of the 2-day series. The uptake of S35 by the paraventricular nucleus was not as great as in the supraoptic nucleus. Three out of eleven rats of the 2-day series and all seven of the 7–10-day series showed increased isotopic concentration in the paraventricular nucleus. The possibility that these increases were due to stimuli other than dehydration is discussed. Half of the water-deprived rats of the 2-day series showed slight but significant change, but rats deprived of water for 7–10 days were not different from their controls with regard to their S35 uptake by the median eminence. Radioactivity in the infundibular process of control and water-deprived rats was recorded but it was felt that the peak activity of the area was missed. The pars distalis in most of the rats in the 2-day series showed no significant change in the uptake of S35. The neurosecretory material decreased in all water-deprived rats regardless of the change in the uptake of S35.
Parameter estimation validity and relationship robustness: A comparison of telephone and internet survey techniques

With the expansion of telecommunication and online technologies for the purpose of survey administration, the issue of measurement validity has come to the fore. The proliferation of automated audio services and computer-based survey techniques has been matched by a corresponding denigration of the quality of traditional phone survey data, most notably as an outcome of falling response rates. This trend, combined with the introduction of screening technologies and answering machines, represents a barrier to the proper execution of survey research. Whereas the question was once, ''can technology-assisted surveys achieve the same level of validity as traditional phone surveys?'', the question now becomes, ''what are the relative advantages and disadvantages of technology-assisted and phone surveys?'' Each has its own challenges and opportunities, and this paper begins to explore these. The present study provides further insight into the validity of telephone and Internet survey data, and explores whether or not the robustness of relationships between variables varies by survey mode. Study data were provided by two surveys, the first of which was conducted in a metropolitan area of the Midwestern US, with interviews of 505 adults using a computer-aided telephone-interviewing (CATI) system. The second was a national survey of 2172 respondents conducted over the Internet by a commercial research firm that sends requests to a diverse set of potential respondents, who logged onto the survey site to participate. Results suggest that weighting in an attempt to achieve parametric matching does seem to increase robustness of relationships and, in this age of poor response rates, this seems to demand an increased use of parametric weightings. Implications of study findings for telematic survey practitioners are discussed.
Electrostatic fine structures of helium Rydberg states

Abstract The physical origin of the electrostatic fine structures of helium Rydberg states is studied. Our perturbation theory result is in excellent agreement with the recent high-resolution microwave-optical resonance experiment of Wing and Lamb.
A foreign body (denture relining paste) in the maxillary sinus

The removal of a foreign body from the antrum of Highmore, such as stumps of teeth, was first reported by Catalinl in 1858, and later by Jackson* in 1867, who reported the root of a tooth present in the antrum. Since that time there have been many reports of teeth and roots of teeth found in the maxillary sinus3+ MulhalllO in 1886 reported the presence of three hard rubber plugs in the antrum, which were made by the patient’s husband in an effort to assist his wife in irrigating an infected sinus. Among the other unusual foreign bodies have been bullets,ll a wooden Peg,12 and an orange seed.13 Moore14 in 1917 reported a piece of pure aluminum in the maxillary antrum which was tolerated for twenty-five years without causing catarrh or suppuration usually associated with foreign bodies in these cavities. A large cholesteatomal” containing a hard oval rhinolith surrounding a whole tamarind seed covered with a thin crust of calcareous material was reported by Suaba in 1928. GamaleialG in 1924 reported a maxillary sinusitis of two years’ duration due to a shell splinter which had entered the antrum through the cheek. A knifeblade,l’ a sewing needle,ls a splinter or stone,19 a portion of a round shrapnel,lg a part of a blade of straw,20 a rusty piq20 and a splinter of wood,20 were also found. Millhon and Williamszl in 1942 reported a “tooth antrum” which consisted of a large cyst that almost filled the entire sinus.
Methodology for estimating solar potential on multiple building rooftops for photovoltaic systems

Abstract In this paper, a methodology for estimating solar potential on multiple building rooftops is presented. The objective of this methodology is to estimate the daily or monthly solar energy on individual buildings in a city/region using light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data and a geographic information system (GIS) approach. Conceptually, the methodology is based on the upward-looking hemispherical viewshed algorithm, but applied using an area-based modeling approach. The methodology considers input parameters, such as surface orientation, shadowing effect, elevation, and atmospheric conditions that influence solar intensity on the earth surface. The methodology has been implemented for some 212,000 buildings in Knox County, Tennessee, USA. Based on the results obtained, the methodology seems to be adequate for estimating solar radiation on multiple building rooftops. The use of LiDAR data improves the radiation potential estimates in terms of the model predictive error and the spatial pattern of the model outputs. This methodology could help cities/regions interested in sustainable projects to quickly identify buildings with higher potentials for roof-mounted photovoltaic systems.
Effect of Task Demands on Relationship between Eye Movements and Sentence Complexity.

Eye movements were recorded while 8 Ss scanned self-embedded or right-branching sentences. On half the trials, Ss were forewarned that questions would follow sentence presentation. There were significantly more eye movements for the self-embedded than for the right-branching sentences, and this difference was much greater in the question condition than the non-question condition. The importance of task demands for scanning behavior was discussed.
A comment on The domination number of exchanged hypercubes

This note presents a technical improvement to an upper bound in "The domination number of exchanged hypercubes" Inf. Process. Lett. 114 (4) (2014) 159-162 by Klav?ar and Ma.
A comparison of mixed-conducting oxygen-permeable membranes for CO2 reforming

Abstract SrFeCo 0.5 O x (SFC) and Ba 0.5 Sr 0.5 Co 0.8 Fe 0.2 O x (BSCF) ceramic membranes have been evaluated for the CO 2 reforming of CH 4 at 800 °C over a Pt/ZrO 2 and a Pt/CeZrO 2 (17.5 wt% Ce) catalyst. The SCF membrane was a dense membrane approximately 2 mm thick while the BSCF membrane had a 400 μm dense layer supported on a 2.2 mm porous BSCF layer. Both membranes exhibited good mechanical integrity and stability under reaction conditions, and the membrane effect on methane conversion was roughly proportional to the apparent oxygen production of the membranes. Methane conversion and water production increase simultaneously in the presence of the membrane and the membranes improve catalyst longevity as well as activity. Results suggest that membrane oxygen reacts with hydrogen at the membrane surface to form water that can then participate in the reaction set via steam reforming. Among the combinations of membrane and catalyst tested, the Pt/CeZrO 2 catalyst on the BSCF membrane produced the highest methane conversion and H 2 :CO ratios as well as the most water. This test also yielded the greatest net membrane oxygen production, with more than three times the oxygen production of the BSCF test with the Pt/ZrO 2 catalyst. The SFC membranes exhibited steady state net oxygen production of zero or less. Negative membrane oxygen production values are attributed to the reduction of CO 2 to CO on the membrane surface with incorporation of the oxygen into the membrane material.
Getting the mOST from OST: Role of organic solute transporter, OSTα-OSTβ, in bile acid and steroid metabolism

Abstract The organic solute transporter (OST)(alpha)-OST(beta) is an unusual heteromeric carrier expressed in a variety of tissues including the small intestine, colon, liver, biliary tract, kidney, and adrenal gland. In polarized epithelial cells, OSTα-OSTβ protein is localized on the basolateral membrane and functions in the export or uptake of bile acids and steroids. This article reviews recent results including studies of knockout mouse models that provide new insights to the role of OSTα-OSTβ in the compartmentalization and metabolism of these important lipids.
Decreased excretion of cortisone metabolites immediately following ascorbic acid treatment.

IN THE course of studying the role of ascorbic acid in adrenal cortex function it was observed that the vitamin is capable of prolonging the hematologic actions of exogenous and of endogenous cortical hormones (Bacchus, Altszuler, Heiffer, 1952a, b). The data were interpreted as indicating that the ascorbic acid in some manner may be responsible for either a diminished excretion or a diminished inactivation of these hormones. At any rate, detectable amounts of the hormones persisted in the animals which received simultaneous ascorbic acid treatment. The present paper reports data which indicate that the excretion of 17-ketosteroids in the first 24-hour urine sample following cortisone is diminished by ascorbic acid treatment. This diminished excretion of the metabolites corresponds very well with the observed period of prolongation of hematologic effects noted above. MATERIALS AND METHODS Female adrenalectomized Wistar rats were the animals of choice in this experiment. It is generally accepted that the c...
NOAA draft research and development plan released

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has released a new draft version of its 5-year research and development (R&D) plan for 2013–2017, Research and Development at NOAA: Environmental Understanding to Ensure America's Vital and Sustainable Future. The plan, which was announced in the Federal Register on 7 May, will chart a course for R&D in support of the agency's four long-term goals of climate, weather, oceans, and coasts, and it will guide the agency's R&D activities over the next 5 years.
Influence of Self-Induced Vibrations on Geared Systems with Clearances

The behaviour of multishaft machinery involving gears with clearances and operating on sliding bearings was investigated experimentally and analytically. The model used represents the gear tooth pair and constitutes the basis for the determination of the response of such mechanical systems. In many applications including turbomachinery, machine tools and diesel engines non-linearities are present due to gear backlash, tooth stiffness and impact damping and they are susceptible to micro-vibrations. The bearing coefficient of friction versus speed and lubricant viscosity was determined experimentally and used in the analysis. A design methodology is presented that can be used to predict the dynamic behaviour of mechanical systems and can be extended to other types of multi-degree of freedom systems with clearances.
Evaluation of Copan Swabs with Liquid Transport Media for Use in the Gen-Probe Group A Strep Direct Test

The Gen-Probe Group A Streptococcus Direct Test (GASDT), which detects the presence or absence of group A streptococci directly from pharyngeal specimens, utilizes a specific relative light unit (RLU) cutoff of 4,500 to differentiate between positive and negative test results. In response to a report by a manufacturer that the background RLU values for the Copan rayon swabs with liquid media were higher than the RLU values typically observed with Culturette swabs, we tested multiple lots of Copan rayon swabs with liquid media and determined that the swabs are unacceptable for routine use in the GASDT. The high background RLU values for the Copan rayon swabs appear to be a direct result of the gamma irradiation used to sterilize the swabs. We also performed a comparative clinical evaluation of Copan Dacron swabs with liquid media and Culturette swabs for use in the GASDT. Overall, there was 97.5% agreement between the results obtained with the Copan Dacron swabs and those obtained with the Culturette swabs. Compared to Culturette swabs, the Copan Dacron swabs had a sensitivity and a specificity of 97 and 98%, respectively. Copan Dacron swabs with liquid media are an acceptable alternative to the swabs currently qualified for use with the GASDT, but Copan rayon swabs with liquid transport media should not be used in the GASDT.
Hematologic differences between African-Americans and whites: the roles of iron deficiency and α-thalassemia on hemoglobin levels and mean corpuscular volume

The average results of some laboratory measurements, including the hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), serum transferrin saturation (TS), serum ferritin, and white blood cell count of African-Americans differ from those of whites. Anonymized samples and laboratory data from 1491 African-American and 31 005 white subjects, approximately equally divided between men and women, were analyzed. The hematocrit, hemoglobin, MCV, TS, and white blood cell counts of African-Americans were lower than those of whites; serum ferritin levels were higher. When iron-deficient patients were eliminated from consideration the differences in hematocrit, hemoglobin, and MCV among women were slightly less. The -3.7-kilobase α-thalassemia deletion accounted for about one third of the difference in the hemoglobin levels of African-Americans and whites and neither sickle trait nor elevated creatinine levels had an effect. Among all subjects, 19.8% of African-American women would have been classified as “anemic” compared with 5.3% of whites. Among men, the figures were 17.7% and 7.6%. Without iron-deficient or thalassemic subjects, the difference had narrowed to 6.1% and 2.77% and to 4.29% and 3.6%, respectively. Physicians need to take into account that the same reference standards for hemoglobin, hematocrit, MCV, and TS and the white blood cell count do not apply to all ethnic groups. (Blood. 2005;106:740-745)
Computer-aided software engineering and Ada - the technological marriage of the decade

Abstract Computer-Aided Software Engineering (CASE) tools and Ada language compilers are now available for both mainframes and Personal Computers (PCs). Although CASE methodologies have existed since the early 1970s and the use of Ada has been required by the Department of Defense since 1985, only recently have CASE and Ada become of serious interest to engineers. This paper identifies the capabilities of PC-based CASE software, the reasons for combining CASE with Ada, and the impact of CASE and Ada on research and teaching in the areas of Industrial and Computer Engineering. Based on the authors' first-hand experience, the advantages and/or disadvantages of several CASE tools and Ada environments will be discussed. Other topics addressed include the meanings of related terminology (e.g., object-oriented programming, design methodologies) and the future ramifications of CASE and Ada on the software engineering community.
Synovial sarcoma in older patients: clinicopathological analysis of 32 cases with emphasis on unusual histological features.

Aims: To analyse the clinicopathological features of synovial sarcoma presenting in patients over 60 years of age, an uncommon subset which have not been specifically studied. Methods and results: Thirty-two cases of primary synovial sarcoma in patients aged ≥60 years were retrieved from the authors' consultation files. These were analysed histologically and immunohistochemically and clinical follow-up was obtained in 26 cases (median duration 41 months). Mean age at diagnosis was 71.6 years (range 60–84) with 19 females and 13 males. Anatomical sites were lower limb (n = 13), upper limb (n = 5), lung/pleura (n = 5), trunk (n = 4), head/neck (n = 3), mediastinum (n = 1) and scrotum (n = 1). Histologically, 23 were monophasic and nine were biphasic; 14 were poorly differentiated, of which five showed focally marked pleomorphism. Unusual features in two cases each included organoid nodules, granular cell change, squamous metaplasia and papillary architecture. Ten patients developed local recurrence and 11 developed metastases, of whom seven died. Large tumour size, poorly differentiated morphology and high mitotic rate correlated with poor outcome. Conclusions: Less than 10% of synovial sarcomas occur in patients over 60, in which age group this diagnosis is often not considered. Despite inevitable bias in consultation material, it seems that these cases, when compared with younger age groups, more often show poorly differentiated histology and more often develop at unusual locations.
Older adults, unlike younger adults, do not modulate alpha power to suppress irrelevant information.

article i nfo Keywords: Aging Attention EEG Oscillations Sensory gating Visual working memory This study examines the neural mechanisms through which younger and older adults ignore irrelevant infor- mation, a process that is necessary to effectively encode new memories. Some age-related memory deficits have been linked to a diminished ability to dynamically gate sensory input, resulting in problems inhibiting the processing of distracting stimuli. Whereas oscillatory power in the alpha band (8-12 Hz) over visual cor- tical areas is thought to dynamically gate sensory input in younger adults, it is not known whether older adults use the same mechanism to gate out sensory input. Here we identified a task in which both older and younger adults could suppress the processing of irrelevant sensory stimuli, allowing us to use electroen- cephalography (EEG) to explore the neural activity associated with suppression of visual processing. As expected, we found that the younger adults' suppression of visual processing was correlated with robust modulation of alpha oscillatory power. However, older adults did not modulate alpha power to suppress pro- cessing of visual information. These results demonstrate that suppression of alpha power is not necessary to inhibit the processing of distracting stimuli in older adults, suggesting the existence of alternative strategies for suppressing irrelevant, potentially distracting information.
An Informational Model of Constitutional Jurisdiction

In shaping constitutional courts’ jurisdictions, societies must contend with the informational challenges associated with rule making and the distributive politics of granting courts jurisdiction over administrative lawmaking. Curiously, judges are often granted jurisdiction that seems to create a tension between their ability to acquire information about appropriate rules and to clearly articulate them. In particular, many courts handle the onerous burden of resolving thousands of routine, low-stakes cases of law application. We develop an informational model of judicial docket style that isolates a tension between information acquisition and quality rule writing and examine how that tension manifests in the incentives concerning jurisdiction style. Dockets that include a mix of law application and rule construction promote more informed judicial rule construction at the cost of lower-quality rules and a greater role of the judiciary in the day-to-day activity of the state. We develop implications for co...
Structural and functional rich club organization of the brain in children and adults.

Recent studies using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) have proposed that the brain’s white matter is organized as a rich club, whereby the most highly connected regions of the brain are also highly connected to each other. Here we use both functional and diffusion-weighted MRI in the human brain to investigate whether the rich club phenomena is present with functional connectivity, and how this organization relates to the structural phenomena. We also examine whether rich club regions serve to integrate information between distinct brain systems, and conclude with a brief investigation of the developmental trajectory of rich-club phenomena. In agreement with prior work, both adults and children showed robust structural rich club organization, comprising regions of the superior medial frontal/dACC, medial parietal/PCC, insula, and inferior temporal cortex. We also show that these regions were highly integrated across the brain’s major networks. Functional brain networks were found to have rich club phenomena in a similar spatial layout, but a high level of segregation between systems. While no significant differences between adults and children were found structurally, adults showed significantly greater functional rich club organization. This difference appeared to be driven by a specific set of connections between superior parietal, insula, and supramarginal cortex. In sum, this work highlights the existence of both a structural and functional rich club in adult and child populations with some functional changes over development. It also offers a potential target in examining atypical network organization in common developmental brain disorders, such as ADHD and Autism.
Artificial Intelligence and Administrative Discretion: Implications for Public Administration

Advances in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) are leading to a new level of computing in which systems will have the capability to act as autonomous agents and learn to learn independently,...
Portraiture and Proximity: ‘Official’ Artists and the State-ization of the Market in Post-Soviet Kazakhstan

This article traces the production and circulation of state officials' portraits in post-Soviet Kazakhstan, as visual artists engaged in the cultivation of an art market after the dismantling of socialist-era state sponsorship. I argue that these portraits of the president and other high-ranking officials should be considered as an instance of commercialisation of art. Portraiture invoked proximity of artists to their powerful sitters, government officials, and consequently made artists' work more attractive to a particular kind of domestic buyer. Furthermore, I argue that these practices of commodification enable an understanding of how socialist-era legacies of state sponsorship have converted into the logics of proximity to power. The Soviet-era personalistic connections to bureaucrats have transformed into the means for representation of artwork's market value in contemporary Kazakhstan. As such, Soviet legacies of clientelism have rendered state icons as significant authenticators of commercial value...
Wideband EMI Pre-screening for Landmine Detection

This paper considers the use of data from a wideband electromagnetic induction (EMI) sensor in a prescreener for a landmine detection system employing both ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and EMI sensors. The paper looks at a unique EMI prescreening strategy based on the use of prototypes derived from a training set of landmines. We show that this prescreener is robust to a wide range of induced energy levels in sensed objects. We also compare properties of the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve of this prescreener on a varied collection of targets to the properties of a GPR prescreener, identifying performance difference with respect to target object classes.
Rode the 12,000? Counting Coaches, People and Errors En Route to the Rehearsal of Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks at Spring Gardens, Vauxhall in 1749

The Gentleman’s Magazine claimed that ‘above 12,000 persons’ attended the rehearsal of George Frideric Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks at Vauxhall Gardens in April 1749. Widely reproduced in biographies of Handel, in histories of London, and in studies of eighteenth-century British society and culture generally, in order to indicate not only Handel’s supposed popularity but also the spreading taste for art music, the commercialization of leisure, and the sophistication and egalitarianism of London’s population and venues, the figure is hugely inaccurate. This article offers a refutation of the claim and an exploration of the consequences for historians of relying too heavily and incautiously on the Gentleman’s Magazine as a source.
Incidence of type 1 diabetes mellitus in children in Slovenia during the years 1988-1995

The incidence of type 1 diabetes mellitus in Slovenian children aged 0 – 14 years was studied between 1 January 1988 and 31 December 1995. The crude annual incidence rate of the disease (per 100 000) over this 8-year period was 8.00 (95% C. I. 6.98 – 9.02) for both sexes (7.18 for boys and 8.87 for girls). Thus, the incidence standardized to the world population was 7.59 (95% C. I. 6.57 – 8.61). Male/female ratios were 1.33 in the age group 0 – 4 years, 0.66 in the age group 5 – 9 years, and 0.83 in the age group 10 – 14 years. The study has proven that the incidence of type 1 diabetes in Slovenia is similar to that in other central European countries where the population is of different ethnic origin. However, a remarkably higher incidence of the disease in girls than boys except in the age group below 5 years of age was found which needs further investigation.
Gloves and socks syndrome: Early and late histopathologic features

Abstract Background: Gloves and socks syndrome (GSS) is a recently described exanthem, most commonly caused by parvovirus B19. Objective: Our purpose was to describe both early and late histopathologic features of GSS. Methods: We performed histopathologic examination of biopsy specimens from a case of GSS and reviewed all the English-language literature reports of GSS to compare the reported histologic descriptions. Results: A total of 46 cases of GSS have been reported in the English-language literature. In 18 of those, the pathologic features were described. The histologic features of the current case evolved from a nonspecific superficial perivascular lymphocytic infiltrate to a vacuolar interface dermatitis with necrotic keratinocytes, erythrocyte extravasation, and a superficial perivascular and interstitial lymphocytic infiltrate. Conclusion: Early lesions of GSS show nonspecific features common to viral exanthems. The late features, of a fully evolved exanthem, demonstrate a vacuolar interface dermatitis with necrotic keratinocytes, a superficial perivascular and interstitial infiltrate, and dermal hemorrhage. These late pathologic features, together with the clinical appearance of GSS, may help distinguish it from other entities. (J Am Acad Dermatol 2002;47:749-54.)
Participation in Presidential Primaries

SINCE 1968 the number of presidential primaries has exploded. In 1984 Democratic voters participated in 26 primary elections; Republican electors were involved in 29. They selected 56.4 percent and 68.2 percent of the delegates to their party's respective nominating conventions. The proliferation of primary contests is one of the most significant changes in electoral politics in recent years. It has become increasingly important to understand what motivates citizens to vote in these elections.
Establishing a biologic specimens repository for reproductive clinical trials: technical aspects.

The individual research group or independent investigator often requires access to samples from a unique well characterized subject population. Cohorts of such samples from a well-defined comparative population are rare and limited access can impede progress. This bottleneck can be removed by accessing the samples provided by biorepositories such as the NIH/NICHD Cooperative Reproductive Medicine Network (RMN) Biorepository (detailed in the preceeding manuscript in this issue. In those cases where the individual research group or independent investigator already has access to a unique population, comparisons between well-defined groups are often sought to contextualize the data. In both cases seamless integration of data resources associated with the samples is required to ensure optimal comparisons. At the most basic level this requires standardization of sample collection and storage, as well as a de-identified data base containing demographic, clinical, and laboratory values. To facilitate such interop...
The pH of estuarine waters

The emf measurements for the TRIS buffer in seawater have been used to define buffer solutions that can be used to determine the pH on a free or total proton scale for estuarine waters. The pH is related to the stoichiometric dissociation constant (K*) of TRISH I-, the concentration of buffer (mTRrs) and salinity (5) by pH = pK* + (aS + bS2)mTRrs where a = -9.73 x 10e5 and b = 6.988 x 10-5. The values of pK* were fit to equations of the form pK*=AIT+B+ClogT where A, B, and C arc functions of salinity and T is the absolute temperature. An electrode system with liquid junction was used to measure these buffers to compare the various pH scales.
Adjoint and Compensated Compactness Methods for Hamilton–Jacobi PDE

We investigate the vanishing viscosity limit for Hamilton–Jacobi PDE with nonconvex Hamiltonians, and present a new method to augment the standard viscosity solution approach. The main idea is to introduce a solution σ e of the adjoint of the formal linearization, and then to integrate by parts with respect to the density σ e . This procedure leads to a natural phase space kinetic formulation and also to a new compensated compactness technique.
Inflammatory disease in HLA-B27 transgenic rats

HLA-B27 is a human major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I allele that is found with strikingly increased prevalence in patients with the spondyloarthropathies, a group of disorders that includes ankylosing spondylitis, reactive arthritis (formerly commonly referred to as Reiter’s syndrome), arthritis and spondylitis associated with inflammatory bowel disease or psoriasis, as well as a more general diagnosis of spondyloarthropathy that shares features of the other entities (1–3). Some of these disorders are known to be directly triggered by infectious agents, and microbial agents have been implicated in most of the rest of these disorders as well. A thorough elucidation of the basis for the association between B27 and disease would enhance our understanding of the roles that both genes and environmental agents play in producing chronic inflammatory diseases.
Global surface wave diffraction tomography

[1] We determine the effect of replacing geometrical ray theory in surface wave tomography with scattering theory. We describe a tomographic method based on a simplified version of the scattering sensitivity kernels that emerge from the Born or Rytov approximations in which surface wave travel times are a weighted average of phase or group slowness over the first Fresnel zone of the wave. We apply this “diffraction tomography” to Rayleigh and Love wave group velocity measurements to produce group velocity maps from 20 to 150 s period on a 2° × 2° grid globally. Using identical data and damping parameters, we also produce maps using “Gaussian tomography” which is based on ray theory with intuitive Gaussian smoothing constraints. Significant differences in the amplitude and geometry of the imaged features appear primarily at long periods but exist even in the short-period maps in regions where average path lengths are large. Diffraction tomography, therefore, is significant in most oceanic regions at all periods, but it is also important on continents at long periods at least. On average, diffraction tomography produces larger velocity anomalies in a period-dependent band of spherical harmonic degrees, and diffraction and Gaussian tomography maps decorrelate past a critical spherical harmonic degree that also depends on period. The widths of resolving kernels that emerge from diffraction tomography are systematically larger than those from Gaussian tomography. Finally, mantle features inferred from diffraction tomography tend to have larger amplitudes and extend deeper than those from Gaussian tomography.
δ13C analyses of calcium carbonate: Comparison between the GasBench and elemental analyzer techniques

Measurements of stable carbon isotopic composition (delta13C) of carbonates or carbonate-rich soils are seldom performed in a continuous-flow isotope ratio mass spectrometer (IRMS) using an elemental analyzer (EA) as an online sample preparation device. Such analyses are routinely carried out with an external precision better than 0.1 per thousand using a GasBench II (GB) sample preparation device coupled online with a continuous-flow IRMS. In this paper, we report and compare delta13C analyses (86 total analyses) of calcium carbonates obtained by using both the GB and the EA. Using both techniques, the delta13C compositions of two in-house carbonate standards (MERCK carbonate and NR calcite) and ten selected carbonate-rich paleosol samples (of variable CaCO3 content) were analyzed, and data are reported in the VPDB scale calibrated against international standards, NBS 18 and 19. For the in-house standards analyzed by both techniques, a precision better than 0.08 per thousand is achieved. The analytical errors (1sigma) computed from multiple analyses of the delta13C of both the MERCK and NR obtained by the above two techniques are nearly identical. In general, the 1sigma (internal error) of paleosol analyses obtained in the GB is better than 0.06 per thousand, whereas that for the analyses in the EA (three repetitive analyses of the same sample) varies in the range 0.05-0.21 per thousand. However, for paleosols having more than 85% CaCO3, 1sigma is better than 0.15 per thousand (similar to the instrument precision), and in this case the delta13C(VPDB) of samples obtained by the GB is similar to that obtained by the EA. Our results suggest that the delta13C of pure calcium carbonate samples can also be analyzed using the EA technique.
Ocean Gyre Circulation Changes Associated with the North Atlantic Oscillation

Abstract Observational evidence is presented for interannual to interdecadal variability in the intensity of the North Atlantic gyre circulation related to the atmospheric North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) patterns. A two-point baroclinic pressure difference between the subtropical and subpolar gyre centers—an oceanic analogue to the much-used sea level pressure (SLP)-based atmospheric NAO indices—is constructed from time series of potential energy anomaly (PEA) derived from hydrographic measurements in the Labrador Basin and at Station S near Bermuda. Representing the upper 2000-db eastward baroclinic mass transport between the two centers, the transport index indicates a Gulf Stream and North Atlantic Current that gradually weakened during the low NAO period of the 1960s and then intensified in the subsequent 25 years of persistently high NAO to a record peak in the 1990s. The peak-to-peak amplitude difference was 15–20 megatons per second (MT s−1) with a 43-yr mean of about 60 MT s−1 a change of 25%–33%...
Cochlear implantation in children with postlingual hearing loss.

Objectives/Hypothesis: Although it is clear that early auditory stimulation through cochlear implantation (CI) has been shown to improve speech and language development trajectories for children with prelingual hearing loss, data supporting implantation in postlingual children are mostly lacking. The purpose of this study was to characterize speech perception abilities following CI in a group of children with previously well-developed language abilities. Study Design: Retrospective analysis. Methods: Twenty-eight hearing-impaired children who received CIs were selected for study based on the presence of well-developed spoken language skills before implantation. Fifteen children with prelingual hearing loss served as a control group. Speech perception skills were assessed using developmentally appropriate measures. Results: Children with postlingual hearing loss showed a statistically significant improvement in open-set speech perception scores as early as 6 months following CI, whereas prelingual children demonstrated significant improvements only after 24 months of use. Despite these early disparities in performance, the two groups were similar 36 months after implantation and beyond (60 months of implant use). Conclusions: Children with well-developed language abilities before CI showed substantial (and statistically significant) early improvements in open-set speech perception abilities following implantation that continued beyond 2 years of follow-up. These results suggest that postlingual children are excellent candidates for CI. Laryngoscope, 2012
The Everyday Lives of Children with Cancer in Argentina: Going beyond the Disease and Treatment

Most of the literature on paediatric oncology treatment has provided descriptions of children’s everyday lives that are circumscribed to periods of hospitalisation. In this paper, I argue that the political and economic context where children receive oncology treatment as well as the particular trajectories of their families influence their experiences. The narratives from children receiving treatment in three public hospitals in Buenos Aires, Argentina, were collected. Their stories indicate that issues such as the interruption of school, the separation of family members, the expenses incurred during treatment, and barriers to care influence the everyday lives of children and should be included in paediatric oncology research. © 2011 The Author(s). Children & Society © 2011 National Children’s Bureau and Blackwell Publishing Limited
Racial Reconciliation in South Africa: Interracial Contact and Changes over Time

Relying upon Gibson's (2004) theory equating lack of prejudice with interracial “reconciliation,” we investigate racial attitudes based on a 2004 nationally representative survey of South Africans. We begin by documenting substantial group-based differences in intergroup prejudice, with Blacks being considerably less reconciled with Whites as compared to the three racial minorities’ levels of reconciliation with Blacks. We also discover that the Black majority has become less reconciled with Whites over the period from Gibson's survey (in 2001) to the current survey (in 2004). Improvement in racial attitudes is observed among the other three groups. We next investigate intergroup contact as an explanation of differences in attitudes, finding some effects of mere contact and powerful effects of intimate contact. However, the consequences of contact differ across the various racial groups.
The efficacy and dosage effect of corticosteroids for the prevention of atrial fibrillation after cardiac surgery: a systematic review.

Abstract Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) complicates up to 60% of patients after cardiac surgery. Current prophylactic measures are inadequate. Corticosteroids down-regulate activation of the proinflammatory response (including C-reactive protein) after cardiopulmonary bypass and have been suggested to reduce the risk of postoperative AF. Objective The goal of this meta-analysis was to determine (i) the efficacy of corticosteroids in preventing AF after cardiac surgery and (ii) the impact of different dosage regimens on this outcome. Data Sources Sources included MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and citation review of relevant primary and review articles. Study Selection The study identified prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials that evaluated the role of corticosteroids in preventing AF after cardiac surgery. Data Extraction Data were abstracted on study design, study size, type of cardiac surgery, corticosteroid dosage regimen, and the incidence of AF in the first 72 hours after surgery. The total cumulated dose of corticosteroid was classified as low dose ( Data Synthesis We identified 7 relevant studies that included 1046 patients. The corticosteroid regimen differed between all studies with the total cumulative dose varying from 160 to 21 000 mg of hydrocortisone equivalents; one study each used low-dose and very high-dose corticosteroid. Overall, the use of corticosteroids was associated with a significant reduction in the risk of postoperative AF, with an odds ratio of 0.42, 95% confidence interval of 0.27 to 0.68, and P = .0004. Significant heterogeneity was however noted between studies. When the low-dose and very high-dose studies were excluded, the treatment effect was highly significant (odds ratio, 0.32; 95% confidence interval, 0.21 to 0.50; P Conclusions Moderate-dosage corticosteroid (hydrocortisone) should be considered for the prevention of AF in high-risk patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Although the optimal dose, dosing interval, and duration of therapy is unclear, a single dose given at induction may be adequate. The interaction between corticosteroids, β-blockers, and amiodarone requires further study.
Efficient Locomotion for a Self-Reconfiguring Robot

In this paper we describe a modular self-reconfiguring robot composed of Molecule robot modules. We present the architecture of this robot and discuss how self-reconfiguration can be used as a locomotion gait for this system. We present two types of locomotion algorithms for this robot: a statically stable tumbling algorithm and a dynamically stable algorithm that achieves locomotion by modifying the center of mass of the robot. For each algorithm we analyze the efficiency of the self-reconfiguration gait for locomotion. Finally we present experimental data for the tumbling algorithm implemented on a four-module Molecule robot.
High complexity food webs in low-diversity eastern Pacific reef-coral communities

Community-wide feeding interrelationships in a low-diversity coral reef off the Pacific coast of Panama (Uva Island reef) demonstrate complex pathways involving herbivore, strong corallivore, and carnivore interactions. Four trophic levels with 31 interguild links are identified in a generalized food web, and documented feeding interrelationships with 287+ species links are portrayed in a coral–corallivore subweb. The importance of trophic groups changes greatly with time, from unknown causes over annual to decadal-scale periods, and during very strong El Nino–Southern Oscillation events such that intermittent intense herbivory by echinoids (Diadema) and corallivory by gastropod mollusks, the crown-of-thorns sea star Acanthaster, hermit crabs, and fishes result in high levels of coral mortality and bioerosion of reef substratum. Intraregional differences in species composition and abundances affecting food-web interactions are briefly described for nonupwelling (Uva Island) and upwelling areas (Pearl Islands) in Panama. Seasonal upwelling in the Pearl Islands results in high plankton productivity, which likely augments production in invertebrates, fishes, marine mammals, and seabirds, but these pathways still remain largely unquantified. The corallivore Acanthaster is absent from upwelling centers in Panama and from upwelling and nonupwelling areas in the southern and central Galapagos Islands, and the highly destructive, facultative corallivore Eucidaris galapagensis occurs only in the latter offshore islands and at Cocos Island. Relatively recent declines in the abundances of manta rays, sharks, and spiny lobsters are correlated with, but not necessarily causally linked to, increasing fishing activities in the late 1970s to early 1980s. The extent to which the complex yet highly unstable Uva Island food web is representative of other eastern Pacific coral reef ecosystems remains to be investigated.
Study of High Efficiency and Low Noise Centrifugal Fan

Centrifugal fans are widely used for air-conditioning equipments. Demands for air conditioners have arisen for quiet considered the indoor condition, energy saving associated with the global warming, and which have made it important to develop high performance fans. In order to meet these demands, the technology was studied to reduce leakage flow for a high efficiency and low noise centrifugal fan in this research. Leakage flow occurs when a part of air discharged from fans flows into a gap between the bellmouth and the shroud. This flow is the pressure loss because it returns from the high-pressure side to the low-pressure side wastefully. Furthermore, the high noise is caused, because this leakage air can’t flow along the shroud. As the final successful technology to reduce leakage flow, we have developed for the new bellmouth with multiple ribs on the bellmouth plane placed opposite fan. By using the new bellmouth, the centrifugal fan’s motor input for the 4-direction ceiling-embedded cassette type air conditioner has been reduced by 5.4[%] and the noise by 1.2[dBA]. We analyzed the leakage flow structures of the centrifugal fan were analyzed by the numerical simulation and LDV measurements. It has been found that the leakage flow is decreased, since the partial leakage flows back in an opposite direction to a gap between the bellmouth and the shroud. Additionally, it has been found that the turbulence intensity of outlet airflow is decreased by the new bellmouth.Copyright © 2011 by JSME
Effect of sinusoidal interfaces on teleseismic P-wave receiver functions

SUMMARY Using the T-matrix, or extended boundary condition, method, we model seismic wave scattering from earth models with irregular interfaces. This is motivated by numerous observations that surface and subsurface topography is responsible for the amplification and de-amplification of seismic waves and the generation of coda waves. We demonstrate that irregular Moho and free-surface scattering significantly affects teleseismic P-wave receiver function waveforms. Receiver functions are routinely used to obtain detailed crustal and upper mantle structure. For a layer-over-halfspace model, we perform a sensitivity study on the effects of ray parameter, interface roughness and wavelength, receiver position, and incident wave frequency content. The free-surface responses vary significantly with receiver position, interface wavelength and with incident wave frequency content. Using frequency-wavenumber analysis, the coda is shown to contain scattered Rg waves and S waves. Receiver functions are formed from the free-surface responses by deconvolution, and these are then inverted, as synthetic ‘data’, for plane-layered velocity structure, to show how scattered energy maps onto the final velocity models. Spurious structure models result, with the amplitude of the spurious features (for example low-velocity zones) decreasing with interface roughness. The resulting velocity models also vary appreciably with receiver position.
Land grabbing in Africa: the race for Africa’s Rich Farmland

This book, edited by Fassil Demissie, presents a real phenomenon and serious problem plaguing the entire African continent and one that has been in the limelight for some time now. The nine chapter...