cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Local O2 Balance in Cerebral Ischemia-Reperfusion Improved during Pentobarbital Compared with Isoflurane Anesthesia.

Background Most anesthetics affect cerebral blood flow and metabolism. We compared microregional O 2 balance in cerebral ischemia–reperfusion during pentobarbital and isoflurane anesthesia. Methods After 1 hour of middle cerebral artery occlusion and a 2-hour reperfusion under isoflurane (1.4%, n = 14) or pentobarbital (50 mg/kg, n = 14) anesthesia in rats, regional cerebral blood flow using 14 C-iodoantipyrine autoradiography, microregional arterial and venous O 2 saturation (20-60 μm in diameter) using cryomicrospectrophotometry, and the size of cortical infarct were determined. Results Ischemia–reperfusion decreased the average cortical venous O 2 saturation in both pentobarbital and isoflurane groups ( P P 2 consumption. The heterogeneity of venous O 2 saturation reported as a coefficient of variation (100 × standard deviation/mean) was smaller ( P 2 saturation ( P P Conclusions In the cerebral ischemic–reperfused cortex, the average venous O 2 saturation was higher, and its heterogeneity and the number of veins with low O 2 saturation were smaller under pentobarbital than isoflurane anesthesia. This improvement in microregional O 2 balance with pentobarbital was accompanied by the reduced cortical infarct. Our data suggest that the neurologic outcome could vary during cerebral ischemia–reperfusion depending on the anesthetics used.
A Body of Revolution Finite Difference Time Domain Method with Perfectly Matched Layer Absorbing Boundary

Various types of antennas and transmission media for electromagnetic waves exhibit symmetry around an axis of rotation and hence called bodies of revolution. The periodic behavior of the fields in the azimuth may be extracted analitycally and the fields everywhere may be found by solving Maxwell's equations in a single two dimension plane. The body of revolution (BOR) approach has been used in the past with different numerical techniques for solving electromagnetic problems. Although the use of BOR approach with the finite difference time domain (FDTD) technique has already been reported, this paper presents an advanced integration of the FDTD-BOR with the perfectly matched layer (PML) absorbing: boundary condition (ABC). This implementation significantly reduces the undesired reflection of outgoing waves due to the mesh truncation for a wide range of frequencies. Good agreement with published computed and measured data are obtained with the developed FDTD-BOR-PML technique for dielectric resonators and m...
Geometry Guided Segmentation Of Outdoor Scenes

Many techniques for segmenting images in the absence of domain specific knowledge have been described, all with marginal success. Such an approach has been shown to be intractable. In this paper, we examine a concept bridging the gap between segmentation limitations and interpretation capabilities. In incremental segmentation, no attempt is made to obtain a complete, albeit error prone, segmentation. Instead, various heuristics are used to obtain a segmentation for the most prominent features in the image. This incomplete segmentation is forwarded to the interpretation system for initial hypothesis generation. Based on the hypotheses thus generated, the interpretation system requests the generation of additional segmentation activity to verify each hypothesis. This paper deals with determining the most prominent features in only one sense; namely those features that probably represent man-made objects in outdoor non-urban scenes. Here we provide more detail on geometric guidance. KEYWORDS: segmentation, incremental segmentation, geometric structure, line structure, 2-D description.
Prevalence of Aspirin Use among Patients Calling 9‐1‐1 for Chest Pain

. Objective: Early aspirin administration during an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) decreases morbidity and mortality. This investigation examined the extent to which patients with a complaint of chest pain, the symptom most identified with AMI by the general population, self-administer aspirin before the arrival of emergency medical services (EMS) personnel. Methods: In this prospective, cross-sectional prevalence study, data were derived through the analysis of EMS incident reports for patients with a complaint of chest pain from June 1, 1997, to August 31,1997. Results: The study included 694 subjects. One hundred two (15%) took aspirin for their chest pain before the arrival of EMS personnel. Of the 322 subjects who reported taking aspirin on a regular basis, 82 (26%) took additional aspirin for their acute chest pain. Only 20 (5%) of the 370 patients who were not using regular aspirin therapy self-administered aspirin acutely (p < 0.001). In addition, patients with lower intensity of chest pain (p = 0.03) were more likely to take aspirin for their chest pain. Conclusion: Only a relatively small fraction of individuals calling 9-1-1 with acute chest pain take aspirin prior to the arrival of EMS personnel. These individuals are more likely to self-administer aspirin if they are already taking it on a regular basis. It is also possible that they are less likely to take aspirin if their chest pain is more severe.
Transmitted resistance to HIV integrase strand-transfer inhibitors: right on schedule.

Transmitted drug resistance (TDR), the primary acquisition of an HIV variant already resistant to antiretrovirals, affects approximately 15% of all new infections in the United States.Historically,...
On representing spaces as images of metrizable and related spaces

Abstract The following question is studied. Suppose Y is a space with a covering . When and how can Y be expressed as the image of a metrizable space, or of a space admitting a perfect (or quasi-perfect) map onto a metrizable space, under a mapping with properties related to those of the covering ?
A marketing poll: an innovative approach to prediction, explanation and strategy

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an evaluation of a newspaper insert survey and web‐based voter surveys associated with the same newspaper, conducted before and after the 2004 US presidential election.Design/methodology/approach – The study compares response rates, demographics, and political profiles of voters responding to these two different channels of communication and evaluates the success of each in predicting the election outcome.Findings – The study results show some significant differences between the two methods of voter data collection; nevertheless, each is useful in a comprehensive system that attempts to follow voter attitudes and intentions before the election and predict election outcome.Origiality/value – The study relies on the use of an innovative marketing poll that goes beyond simple prediction of a voter's behavior and offers an explanatory component useful in the development of marketing strategies during a campaign.
Turnaround and recovery: What strategy do you need?

Abstract In spite of the interest in reversing decline, the topic of turnaround has not been subjected to the rigours of systematic research as often and as carefully as the subject's importance demands. The purpose of this article is to show what we do know, and what we don't know, about turnaround. The practitioner of a turnaround then may be able to design his strategy more effectively. He will know what has succeeded, what has not succeeded, and what has not been tried.
Using ligand bite angles to control the hydricity of palladium diphosphine complexes.

A series of [Pd(diphosphine)2](BF4)2 and Pd(diphosphine)2 complexes have been prepared for which the natural bite angle of the diphosphine ligand varies from 78° to 111°. Structural studies have been completed for 7 of the 10 new complexes described. These structural studies indicate that the dihedral angle between the two planes formed by the two phosphorus atoms of the diphosphine ligands and palladium increases by over 50° as the natural bite angle increases for the [Pd(diphosphine)2](BF4)2 complexes. The dihedral angle for the Pd(diphosphine)2 complexes varies less than 10° for the same range of natural bite angles. Equilibrium reactions of the Pd(diphosphine)2 complexes with protonated bases to form the corresponding [HPd(diphosphine)2]+ complexes were used to determine the pKa values of the corresponding hydrides. Cyclic voltammetry studies of the [Pd(diphosphine)2](BF4)2 complexes were used to determine the half-wave potentials of the Pd(II/I) and Pd(I/0) couples. Thermochemical cycles, half-wave p...
BVR Photometry of Northern Hemisphere Luminous Stars. III. LS and HD Stars

CCD‐based BVR photometry of 48 previously unobserved stars drawn from volumes V and VI of the Luminous Stars in the Northern Milky Way, Luminous Stars in the Southern Milky Way, and HD catalogs is reported.
The two-point correlation function of the one-dimensional matrix model

Following Kostov and Ben-Menahem, we calculate the two-puncture correlation function for the one-dimensional matrix model. We find that it depends on the details of discretization for all momenta p. Its only universal features are its vanishing as p → 0 and the appearance of double poles at |p| = n/√α′, n = 1,2,…. We show how to derive these double poles in the conformal gauge treatment of Liouville gravity.
Nondestructive Monitoring of Sucrose Diffusion in Oil-in-Water Emulsions by Ultrasonic Velocity Profiling.

Abstract The diffusion of sucrose through an optically opaque oil-in-water emulsion was monitored nondestructively by measuring the ultrasonic velocity as a function of height. Initially, a corn oil-in-water emulsion (0, 5, 10, 15, or 20 wt% oil) stabilized by Tween 20 (1 wt%) and xanthan (1 wt%) was placed in a measurement cell at 30°C. A 20 wt% sucrose solution containing the same concentration of Tween 20 and xanthan as the aqueous phase in the emulsion was placed on top of the emulsion. The ultrasonic velocity of this two-layer system was measured as a function of sample height and time and then converted into sucrose and oil concentration–distance profiles using empirical calibration curves. The translational diffusion coefficient of the sucrose in the upper and lower layers was determined by fitting the experimental data to a Fickian diffusion model. The measured diffusion coefficients of the sucrose molecules decreased as the droplet concentration in the emulsion increased, indicating retardation of the sugar molecule movement. Ultrasonic profiling was also used to monitor the compression of the emulsion due to movement of water molecules into the upper layer.
The Spiritual Developmental Process for People in Recovery from Severe Mental Illness

This article gives insights about the various ways that people with severe mental illnesses experience spiritual benefits and struggles in the context of their life journeys, and how these are navigated through time as part of a spiritual development process. Multiple in-depth interviews were conducted with 18 individuals with a range of diagnoses and spiritual affiliations receiving services at community mental health centers and consumer-run organizations in a Midwestern state. The study identified four patterns in the way people with severe mental illnesses utilized spirituality as part of their lives and recovery through time, which were named “basic impact” on recovery; “symptoms as a barrier” to using spirituality in recovery; learning to use spirituality for recovery “in progress”; and “high synergy” between spirituality and recovery. Implications for social workers and related mental health practitioners are discussed.
Factors influencing outcome of definitive radiotherapy for localized carcinoma of the prostate

Definitive radiation therapy was administered to 577 patients with histologically confirmed carcinoma of the prostate localized to the pelvis. Results of therapy and prognostic factors are evaluated and compared with other reports. All patients were followed for a minimum of 3 years, the median period of observation is 6.5 years. The disease-free survival in stages A2 and B was 78% at 5 years and 60% at 10 years; in stage C, 60% at 5 years and 36% at 10 years. The overall actuarial survival in stage B patients was 76% at 5 years and 58% at 10 years, which is similar to the life expectancy of a comparable cohort of normal males. In stage C, the actuarial survival was 65% at 5 years and 38% at 10 years, approximately 15% below the normal life expectancy for a similar cohort. Histological differentiation of the tumor had a significant impact on survival, poorly differentiated tumors showing 20% lower survival rates, most likely related to a higher incidence of distant metastases. Age was not found to be a significant prognostic factor in patients with stage B tumors; however, in stage C, the 5-year disease-free survival was 43% in patients younger than 60 and 53% in those older than 60 years (p = 0.04). In stage B, patients who had control of the pelvic tumor exhibited a 80% actuarial 5-year survival and 60% at 10 years. This compares with an actuarial survival of 30% at 5 and 10 years when there was evidence of pelvic recurrence alone or combined with distant metastases. In stage C patients with pelvic tumor control, actuarial survival was 81% at 5 years and 50% at 10 years, in comparison with 20% 5-year and 10% 10-year survival when pelvic recurrence or distant metastases or a combination of both occurred. The method of diagnosis [transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) versus needle biopsy] did not appear to be a major prognostic factor of survival or patterns of failure, except in patients with stage C moderately differentiated tumors. The interpretation of the lymphangiogram (normal, suspicious or abnormal) did not correlate with survival or tumor control. The pathologic status of the lymph nodes established at lymphadenectomy did not appear to relate to survival for patients with stage B disease.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
An assessment of the quality of developmental day center playgrounds for exceptional children

This study assessed the playgrounds of developmental day care centers and compared them with playgrounds of regular certified day care centers. Twenty playgrounds, randomly selected from the listing of developmental day centers, were compared with a matched sample of 20 playgrounds from certified day care centers in one state. A revision of Frost's Playground Rating System (1978b) was employed to rate the two groups of playgrounds on content, safety, and function. Data were analyzed using an analysis of variance technique. The quality of developmental day center playgrounds for exceptional children was inferior to that of regular day care center playgrounds in terms of playground content. No significant differences were noted on safety or function.
Combining Non-Pharmacological Treatments with Pharmacotherapies for Neurological Disorders: A Unique Interface of the Brain, Drug–Device, and Intellectual Property

Mobile medical applications (mHealth), music and video games are being developed and tested for their ability to improve pharmacotherapy outcomes and medication adherence. Pleiotropic mechanism of music and gamification engage an intrinsic motivation and the brain reward system, supporting therapies in patients with neurological disorders, including neuropathic pain, depression, anxiety, or neurodegenerative disorders. Based on accumulating results from clinical trials, an innovative combination treatment of epilepsy seizures, comorbidities and the medication non-adherence can be designed, consisting of antiepileptic drugs and disease self-management software delivering clinically beneficial music. Since creative elements and art expressed in games, music and software are copyrighted, therefore clinical and regulatory challenges in developing copyrighted, drug-device therapies may be offset by a value proposition of the exclusivity due to the patent-independent protection which can last for over 70 years. Taken together, development of copyrighted non-pharmacological treatments (e-therapies), and their combinations with pharmacotherapies, offers incentives to chronically-ill patients and outcome-driven health care industries.
On the dissipation due to normal excitation motion along vortex cores in type-II superconductors

Abstract The normal excitation motion along vortex cores in type-II superconductors is suggested as a source of a peculiar resistive behavior of a current carrying wire situated in a longitudinal magnetic field.
An electrogenic sodium-translocating ATPase in Methanococcus voltae

A membrane potential negative inside generated by the electrogenic efflux K+ via valinomycin was demonstrated to be a driving force for the synthesis of ATP in Methanococcus voltae, but only in the presence of sodium. ATP synthesis was prevented by the addition of external potassium or of the sodium ionophore monensin, but was not inhibited by the protonophore SF6847. ATP synthesis in the absence of potassium in the medium could also be driven by a chemical concentration gradient of sodium directed inwards, but only in the presence of a permeant counterion (tetraphenylborate). These results show that M. voltae contains an electrogenic ATP-driven ion pump which translocates sodium.
Road detection and tracking for autonomous mobile robots

As part of the Army's Demo III project, a sensor-based system has been developed to identify roads and to enable a mobile robot to drive along them. A ladar sensor, which produces range images, and a color camera are used in conjunction to locate the road surface and its boundaries. Sensing is used to constantly update an internal world model of the road surface. The world model is used to predict the future position of the road and to focus the attention of the sensors on the relevant regions in their respective images. The world model also determines the most suitable algorithm for locating and tracking road features in the images based on the current task and sensing information. The planner uses information from the world model to determine the best path for the vehicle along the road. Several different algorithms have been developed and tested on a diverse set of road sequences. The road types include some paved roads with lanes, but most of the sequences are of unpaved roads, including dirt and gravel roads. The algorithms compute various features of the road images including smoothness in the world model map and in the range domain, and color features and texture in the color domain. Performance in road detection and tracking are described and examples are shown of the system in action.
Western Schooling and Traditional Society in Swaziland.

This study analyses the actual and perceived significance of schooling on the lives of rural people in Swaziland. It compares and contrasts the Swazi public's attitudes towards and participation in Western education during the colonial period with the present day. Through interviews with Swazi parents, students and teachers, the study finds that, as during the colonial period, parents feel alienated from the school as an institution. As today's Ministry of Education strives to incorporate a stronger technical aspect to the school curriculum, parents view school as a place primarily for academics. These attitudes are directly related to their keen awareness of the strong correlation between education and modern sector employment. This is particularly notable because now, in contrast to the colonial period, all parents strongly desire a formal education for their children and have high professional aspirations for them.
Exploring the real interest rate puzzle

Abstract This paper analyzes the puzzling behavior of real interest rates over the 1970–1990 period. Using data on expectations of future prices changes to estimate the expected real rate of interest, we find that the real rate was not so low as reported in the 1970s nor so high as reported in the 1980s. However, the expected real rate is still substantially lower in the 1970s than in the 1980s and the abrupt large structural change that occurred in 1979–1981 still exists.
Virtual imposters: Responses to avatars that do not look like their controllers

We used ostracism as a platform to study anti-social behavior, and manipulated ostracizers’ avatars digitally to be either physically similar or dissimilar to the ostracizers. In Experiment 1 participants were more aggressive toward ostracizers with disguised, as compared to revealed, identities. In Experiment 2 participants were more aggressive toward ostracizers who had chosen, as compared to been assigned, disguised identities. Experiment 3 added an inclusion condition which revealed that, while volition (choosing versus being assigned) identity disguise does affect how participants respond to anti-social behavior, it does not affect how participants respond to neutral behavior. We discuss the theoretical and applied implications of identity manipulation in virtual and physical worlds.
Overview of credentialing: focus on professional certification for pediatric/maternal-child health nurses.

Credentialing in nursing has grown increasingly complicated. Nurses frequently exhibit confusion about terminology, process, and required versus voluntary programs. This article reviews credentialing in health care from both a practical and an historical perspective. Components of credentialing are defined and their application in nursing is briefly discussed. Categories of certification are clarified. Professional certification programs currently available for pediatric and maternal-child health nurses are summarized in detail. Rationale for the increasing popularity of the certification credential are explored.
The Diffraction of a Circularly Symmetrical Electromagnetic Wave by a Co-axial Circular Disc of Infinite Conuctivity

A disc of infinite conductivity, whose radius is $a$, and whose center is at the origin, lies in a plane which is perpendicular to the $z$-axis of cylindrical coordinates, $r$, $z$, $\ensuremath{\varphi}$. A circularly symmetrical electromagnetic wave of wave-length $\ensuremath{\lambda}$ impinges on the disc, and the resultant field is required. The solution depends upon solving an integral equation of the first kind. When $\frac{2\ensuremath{\pi}a}{\ensuremath{\lambda}}l1$, this equation reduces to an integral equation similar to Abel's which may be solved explicitly. As an illustration the solution is obtained for the diffraction of a wave due to an oscillating electric dipole whose axis is the axis of $z$. It is mentioned that these equations have been used in determining the powerflow into the earth below a vertical antenna which is grounded by a circular disc lying on the surface.
Hygro-thermal mechanical behavior of Nafion during constrained swelling

Abstract Durability is a major limitation of current proton exchange membrane fuel cells. Mechanical stress due to hygro-thermal cycling is one failure mechanism of the polymer electrolyte membrane. In previous work the cyclic rate, temperature, and hydration dependent elastic–viscoplastic mechanical behavior of Nafion has been extensively investigated in uniaxial and biaxial tension, serving as a data basis and means of validation for a three-dimensional constitutive model. Here, the important effect of loading via constrained swelling is studied. Specifically, two types of loading are investigated: partially constrained swelling via a bimaterial swelling test and hygro-thermal cycling within a fuel cell. The bimaterial swelling conditions are examined via experiments in conjunction with modeling. Nafion/GDL bimaterial strips were hydrated and observed to curl significantly with the membrane on the convex side due to the large Nafion hygro-expansion coefficient. Upon drying the bimaterial strips developed a slight reverse curvature with the membrane on the concave side due to the plastic deformation which had occurred in the membrane during hydration. Finite element simulations utilizing the Nafion constitutive model successfully predicted the behavior during hydration and drying, providing insight on the constrained swelling physics and the ability of the model to predict such events. Simulations of in situ fuel cell hygro-thermal cycling are performed via a simplified two-dimensional fuel cell model. The simulation results confirm the finding of other studies that a tensile stress develops in the membrane during drying. Further, a concentration of negative hydrostatic pressure is found to develop just inside the channel region in the dried state supporting the theory of hygro-thermal driven mechanical stresses causing pinhole formation in the channel. The amplitude of the pressure cycling is found to be large and sensitive to both hygro-thermal ramp time and hold time. This finding is important for guiding both start-up and shut-down procedures and accelerated lifetime testing.
One-Dimensional Man: A Systematic Critique of Human Domination and Nature-Society Relations

Herbert Marcuse’s critical theories outline some of the most sophisticated and powerful analyses of modern capitalism’s environmental problems. Although Marcuse’s intricately crafted critiques ofte...
Is Fechner's Logarithmic Law a Special Case of Stevens' Power Law?:

It is shown by means of a simple mathematical derivation that Fechner's logarithmic law may (a) under some conditions be interpreted as a special case of, or as an approximation to, Stevens' power law and (b) always be considered to be an arbitrarily close piece-wise approximation to the power law by multiplying the stimulus magnitude with an appropriate variable scaling factor. The arguments behind the converse proposition by Ekman (1964) are questioned.
Cross-National Differences in Disability Among Elders: Transitions in Disability in Mexico and the United States

Objectives Little is known about how exposure to a combination of infectious and chronic conditions throughout the lifecourse could impact disability in old age. This paper compares 2 cohorts of adults who have aged under very different country contexts by contrasting disability transitions among elders in Mexico with elders in the United States. Methods Data comes from the Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS) and the U.S. Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Estimated probabilities of 2-year transitions among disability states and mortality are presented for adults aged 50 and older. Results The levels of disability prevalence and 2 year transitions are consistent with a higher rate of disability for the United States compared to Mexico. In 2-year transitions, the U.S. sample was more likely to transition to a disabled state or increase the number of disabilities than the Mexican counterparts, while Mexicans are more likely to move out of disability or reduce the number of disabilities reported. Discussion The findings suggest that the current rate of disability in old age is lower for a less developed country compared with a developed society. We discuss implications, possible explanations, and likely future scenarios.
Injection of doxorubicin into rabbit eyelid does not result in loss of facial motor neurons

Abstract In both laboratory and clinical studies, injection of doxorubicin directly into the eyelid results in permanent muscle loss of the majority of fibers within treated eyelids. A first clinical trial of this technique in blepharospasm and hemifacial spasm patients has been performed. All patients who completed a full course of doxorubicin treatment showed a permanent decrease in eyelid strength, with over 50% of these patients requiring no further treatment. Doxorubicin is known to be carried by retrograde axonal transport to the brain and is a known neurotoxin. This raises the question of the effect of these treatments on the facial neurons which innervate the orbicularis oculi muscle in the eyelids. The effect on the number of facial nuerons present after injection of doxorubicin into the eyelid of rabbits was determined using both HRP and diI retrograde labeling techniques. Despite the extensive and permanent muscle loss caused by the doxorubicin treatments, there was no measurable loss of facial neurons on the doxorubicin treated sides. DiI was shown to be myotoxic at high concentrations and amplified the myotoxic effect of doxorubicin. Lack of neuronal loss may offer assurance of clinical safety to the facial motor neurons of muscles spasm patients who receive doxorubicin injections into their eyelids.
Analysis of Raman scattered LY‐α emissions from the atmosphere of Uranus

A line at 1280 A, due to Raman scattering of solar Lyman alpha (Ly-alpha) in the atmosphere of Uranus, has been detected by the Voyager Ultraviolet Spectrometer. The measured intensity of 40 + or - 20 R implies that 200 R to 500 R of the measured 1500 R Ly-alpha intensity at the subsolar point is due to Rayleigh scattering of the solar line. The presence of Rayleigh and Raman scattering at 1216 A suggests that the Uranian atmosphere is largely devoid of absorbing hydrocarbons above the 0.5 mbar level. The most natural explanation of this depletion is very weak vertical mixing equivalent to an eddy coefficient on the order of 200 sq cm/sec between 0.5 mbar and 100 mbar.
Circadian differences in neuronal activity of the suprachiasmatic nucleus in brain slices prepared from photo-responsive and photo-non-responsive Djungarian hamsters.

Abstract The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus, as the putative generator of circadian rhythmicity, plays an important role in mammalian photoinduction. To determine if SCN function differs in photo-non-responsive Djungarian hamsters, we defined the pattern of spontaneous neuronal discharge of single cells from SCN slices in vitro of photo-responsive and photo-non-responsive phenotypes. Responsive hamsters exhibited a peak neuronal discharge rate (4.8 ± 0.5Hz) during the mid day which gradually attenuated through the late day and early night. In non-responsive hamsters, a similar discharge rate (5.1 ± 0.5) was maintained through the late day and early night. The delayed decline in spontaneous firing rate of non-responders correlates with their delayed activity onset and delayed nocturnal pineal melatonin pulse. These data support the argument that the absence of photoperiodic adjustments in Phodopus sungorus rests with differences in SCN function.
Solid breeder thermal transient under purge-line-break accidents

Abstract The breeder thermal performances under a purge line break have been analyzed for two blanket design options: a blanket design using a packed breeder bed and a blanket design using a sintered breeder product. Under a purge line break open to a vacuum environment, the packed bed breeder temperature exceeds its operating temperature limit at a faster rate than that of the sintered breeder blanket design for the same breeder temperature gradient. Depending on the breeder material and nominal operating conditions, the breeder reaches its maximum operating temperature in time ranging from 32 seconds to 125 seconds for a break area of 10 cm 2 in packed bed designs. However for the sintered product design, the consequence of this transient might not result in the breeder exceeding its maximum operating temperature if a reasonable contact pressure could be established at the interface. To reduce the safety hazards, the tritium concentration build up in the vacuum vessel in conjunction with the purge gas pressure inside the blanket module should be used as a measure for initiating the reactor shutdown for this type of accident. The consequence of the purge line break outside the vacuum vessel on the breeder transient thermal performance is less significant because of a longer transient time involved.
Observation of a new regularity in hadronic spectra

We present evidence in 100 GeV/c pp interactions for the hypothesis that the ratio of an inclusive cross‐section ab→c+X to ab→c+Xs, where Xs is a subset of X, is a function of M2, the effective mass squared of X (and Xs) only and not of s and t. A summary of the rationale leading up to the hypothesis is also given. The hypothesis is seen to be obeyed in all areas of phase space in the reaction cosidered.
Management of accidental minor head injuries in children: a prospective outcomes study

OBJECT: The authors conducted a study to determine clinical, patient/family satisfaction, and financial outcomes following application of a management scheme that involves evaluation of computerized tomography (CT) scans and emergency department observation, rather than overnight admission, for children who have sustained accidental minor closed head injuries (Glasgow Coma Scale Scores 13-15) and who have met predefined clinical and radiographic criteria. METHODS: During 18 consecutive months, all children age 24 months and older who sustained accidental minor head injuries were managed prospectively according to a standard protocol. All children meeting prospectively established clinical criteria underwent immediate CT scanning and were observed in the emergency department. Those in whom there were no intracranial radiographically demonstrated abnormalities and who met established clinical criteria were discharged to home observation. Two hundred fifteen children met the criteria for the study. Falls (53%) and motor vehicle accidents (13%) constituted the most common mechanisms of injury. Of the patients for whom information was recorded, 40% experienced a loss of consciousness and 49% had amnesia. Repeated vomiting occurred in 45%. Skull fractures were rare. No child suffered a clinical complication or neurological deterioration. Two patients (0.9%) underwent reevaluation within 48 hours for persistent symptoms; no intracranial abnormality was demonstrated in either on repeated CT scanning and both recovered uneventfully. Follow-up phone surveys in a subgroup of patients indicated universal parent satisfaction. Compared with a control group that underwent both CT scanning and were admitted to the hospital, statistically significant cost savings were realized in the cohort. CONCLUSIONS: A management scheme that involves routine initial CT studies and a brief period of observation in the emergency department is safe and readily accepted by patients and families and can achieve significant cost savings.
Collaborative compressive spectrum sensing in a UAV environment

Spectrum sensing is of fundamental importance to many wireless applications including cognitive radio channel assignment and radiolocation. However, conventional spectrum sensing can be prohibitively expensive in computation and network bandwidth when the bands under scanning are wide and highly contested. In this paper we propose distributed spectrum sensing with multiple sensing nodes in a UAV environment. The ground nodes in our scheme sense the spectrum in parallel using compressive sensing. Each sensor node transmits compressive measurements to a nearby UAV in the air. The UAV performs decoding on the received measurements; it decodes information with increasing resolution as it receives more measurements. Furthermore, by a property of compressive sensing decoding, frequencies of large magnitude responses are recovered first. In the proposed scheme, as soon as the UAV detects the presence of such high-power frequencies from a sensor, this information is used to aid decoding for other sensors. We argue that such collaboration enabled by UAV will greatly enhance the decoding accuracy of compressive sensing. We use packet-loss traces acquired in UAV flight experiments in the field, as well as field experiments involving software-defined radios, to validate the effectiveness of this distributed compressive sensing approach.
Comparative analysis of 4C-Seq data generated from enzyme-based and sonication-based methods.

Circular chromosome conformation capture, when coupled with next-generation sequencing (4C-Seq), can be used to identify genome-wide interaction of a given locus (a “bait” sequence) with all of its interacting partners. Conventional 4C approaches used restriction enzyme digestion to fragment chromatin, and recently sonication approach was also applied for this purpose. However, bioinformatics pipelines for analyzing sonication-based 4C-Seq data are not well developed. In addition, data consistency as well as similarity between the two methods has not been explored previously. Here we present a comparative analysis of 4C-Seq data generated by both methods, using an enhancer element of Pou5f1 gene in mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells. From biological replicates, we found good correlation (r>0.6) for inter-chromosomal interactions identified in either enzyme or sonication method. Compared to enzyme approach, sonication method generated less distal intra-chromosomal interactions, possibly due to the difference in chromatin fragmentation. From all mapped interactions, we further applied statistical models to identify enriched interacting regions. Interestingly, data generated from the two methods showed 30% overlap of the reproducible interacting regions. The interacting sites in the reproducible regions from both methods are similarly enriched with active histone marks. In addition, the interacting sites identified from sonication-based data are enriched with ChIP-Seq signals of transcription factors Oct4, Klf4, Esrrb, Tcfcp2i1, and Zfx that are critical for reprogramming and pluripotency. Both enzyme-based and sonication-based 4C-Seq methods are valuable tools to explore long-range chromosomal interactions. Due to the nature of sonication-based method, correlation analysis of the 4C interactions with transcription factor binding should be more straightforward.
Learning environmental clues in the KIV model of the cortico-hippocampal formation

Abstract Previous studies on the KIV model outlined a general architecture of modeling sensory–perceptual–intentional action cycle in the primordial vertebrate forebrain using nonlinear dynamical principles. KIV consists of three KIII units representing aperiodic/chaotic dynamics in sensory cortex, hippocampal formation, and midline forebrain, respectively. The sensory cortex has demonstrated excellent performance as a pattern recognition and classification device. In this work, the behavior of the hippocampal formation is studied as part of the KIV system. We elaborate a reinforcement algorithm to learn goal-oriented behavior based on global orientation beacons, biased by local sensory information provided by visual or infra-red sensors. We illustrate the operation of the KIV model using the multiple T-maze navigation problem.
Framework to Improve Mobile Robot's Navigation Using Wireless Sensor Modules

As on-going research, this paper presents a framework to improve wireless mobile robot’s navigational accuracy in diverse indoor environments where the signals are affected by various types of interference including electromagnetic, multi-path, and fading and scattering. In particular, indoor construction environments pose unique challenges to accurate wireless navigation due to their relative complexity and inherently dynamic nature. Several integrated location and orientation sensors including a digital compass, a gyroscope, wheel encoders, an accelerometer, and Ultra Wideband (UWB) position tracking sensors are introduced in this paper. A distinct cause of error for each sensor is studied based on location, traveling distance, and rotational angle. To improve the position data accuracy, statistical methods such as outlier analysis and the Kalman Filter are applied in this research. A framework for position and orientation error compensation between relative and absolute sensors is described with preliminary research results indicating that position and orientation errors can be statistically adjusted in real time.
Shape recognition from three-dimensional point measurements with range and direction uncertainty

We derive a pair of algorithms, one optimal and the other approximate, for recognizing three-dimensional objects from a collection of points chosen from their surface according to some probabilistic mechanism. The measurements are assumed to be noisy, and the mea- sured location of a given point is translated according to a noise prob- ability distribution. Distributions governing surface point selection and measurement noise can take a variety of forms depending upon the particular measurement scenario. At one extreme, each measurement is assumed to yield values restricted to a one-dimensional ray, a special case commonly adopted in the literature. At the other extreme, measured points are chosen uniformly from the object's surface, and the noise distribution is spherically symmetric, a worst-case scenario that involves no prior information about the measurements. We apply these two algo- rithms to shape recognition problems involving simple geometrical ob- jects, and examine their relative behavior using a combination of analyti- cal derivation and Monte Carlo simulation. We show that the approximate algorithm can be far simpler to compute, and its perfor- mance is competitive with the optimal algorithm when noise levels are relatively low. We show the existence of a critical noise level, beyond which the approximate algorithm exhibits catastrophic failure. © 2005 So-
Morphology of Axymyia furcata (Diptera: Axymyiidae), including scanning electron microscopy of all life stages

The morphology of all life stages of the semi-aquatic nematocerous fly, Axymyia furcata McAtee (Diptera: Axymyiidae), is documented, with emphasis on use of scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Our data on some life stages (e.g., egg, first-instar larvae) represent the first SEM examination of these stages in axymyiids. Among the unexpected results is absence of an egg burster in first instars. Most characters provided little evidence of a phylogenetic relationship with any other clade of nematocerous Diptera, reflecting a need for comprehensive morphological studies of the immatures of many families. Resume ´—Nous presentons des informations sur la morphologie de tous les stades du cycle biologique de la mouche nematocere semi-aquatique Axymyia furcata McAtee (Diptera: Axymyiidae) principalement a l'aide de microphotographies au microscope electronique abalayage (SEM). Nos donnees sur certains stades du cycle (par ex., l'oeuf, les larves de premier stade) representent le premier examen au SEM de ces stades chez les axymyiides. Parmi les decouvertes inattendues, il y a l'absence de ruptor ovi (dent d'eclosion) chez les larves de premier stade. La plupart des caracteres fournissent peu d'indications de relations phylogenetiques avec les autres clades de dipteres nematoceres, ce qui souligne la necessite´ d'etudes morphologiques detaillees des stades immatures de plusieurs des familles.
Limits to Maximal Performance

Body size fundamentally affects maximal locomotor performance in mammals. Comparisons of performances of different-sized animals yield different results if made using relative, rather than absolute scales. Absolute speed may be a reasonable way to evaluate the locomotor performance of an animal that must escape predators in real time. However, comparisons of metabolic power in animals of different size can only be made meaningfully on a mass-specific basis. Numerous factors associated with the mechanics, energetics, and storage of elastic energy during locomotion change with body size, which results in allometric relationships that make the energetic cost of locomotion (alpha Mb-0.3) more expensive for small mammals than for large mammals. Small mammals have lower enzymatic capacities for anaerobic glycolysis (alpha Mb0.15) and higher specific aerobic capacities (alpha Mb-0.13) than large mammals. However, the energetic cost of transport increases more than aerobic power as mammals get smaller. The higher ratio of cost to available power in small mammals may explain why they run more slowly than large mammals, as a rule. Maximum aerobic capacity is allometrically related to body size. Limits to VO2max can be imposed by mitochondrial oxidative capacity, as in goats, or by the O2 transport system, as in humans and horses. No single step in the O2 transport system can limit the flux of O2 by itself; however, in an average non-athletic species of mammal, any of the steps in the system might appear to be the weakest link. In highly aerobic athletic species, and possibly elite athletic individuals of other species (e.g. humans), the malleable elements of the O2 transport system may develop to the point that their O2 transport capacities approach that of the least malleable element in the system, the lung. VO2max is very high in such individuals, and appears to be limited by simultaneous failure of all components of the O2 transport system.
Voice gender discrimination provides a measure of more than pitch-related perception in cochlear implant users.

AbstractObjectives: (1) To investigate whether voice gender discrimination (VGD) could be a useful indicator of the spectral and temporal processing abilities of individual cochlear implant (CI) users; (2) To examine the relationship between VGD and speech recognition with CI when comparable acoustic cues are used for both perception processes. Design: VGD was measured using two talker sets with different inter-gender fundamental frequencies (F0), as well as different acoustic CI simulations. Vowel and consonant recognition in quiet and noise were also measured and compared with VGD performance. Study sample: Eleven postlingually deaf CI users. Results: The results showed that (1) mean VGD performance differed for different stimulus sets, (2) VGD and speech recognition performance varied among individual CI users, and (3) individual VGD performance was significantly correlated with speech recognition performance under certain conditions. Conclusions: VGD measured with selected stimulus sets might be usefu...
Abnormalities in the regulation of vasopressin and corticotropin releasing factor secretion in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

• In light of prior data that the central administration of vasopressin in animals is associated with abnormal persistence of behaviors acquired under aversive conditioning, we studied the secretion of arginine vasopressin into the cerebrospinal fluid and plasma in patients with obsessivecompulsive disorder and controls. Patients with obsessivecompulsive disorder had significantly elevated basal levels of arginine vasopressin in the cerebrospinal fluid and significantly increased secretion of arginine vasopressin into the plasma in response to hypertonic saline administration. Moreover, seven of 12 patients with obsessivecompulsive disorder showed a loss of the normal linear relationship between plasma arginine vasopressin level and osmolality. In addition, cerebrospinal fluid corticotropin releasing hormone, which has synergistic effects with arginine vasopressin centrally and at the pituitary gland, was also significantly elevated in patients with obsessivecompulsive disorder compared with controls.
Experiments to minimize frequency shifts and yield losses for surface mount filters

Deals with experiments that were used to determine an acceptable thermal conditioning sequence. To be acceptable, thermal conditioning must be sufficiently high to provide cross-linking of the material to itself and to the bond sites. Also it must be sufficiently low so as not to shock or degrade the adhesive material. Because the size and location of the adhesive dots are related to the amount of thermal stresses, this paper will also describe experiments that were related to robotic adhesive settings and robotic quartz element placement. These were important because they are directly related to frequency stability in the customer application. The experiments were performed for a solder seal package and a seam weld package. The package design for each seal process is unique; therefore, each process requires its own set of pre-conditions and its own amounts and locations of adhesives.