cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
On the analysis of robust discrete time feedback control for nonlinear systems with parametric uncertainties

In this paper, a technique proposed by Paden et al. (1994) for analyzing the stability of nonlinear systems with parametric uncertainties under discrete time state feedback control is revisited and several new results are described. This technique was devised to study the stability of system with a control law designed to direct the system state near to a target manifold on which the system dynamics are stable. A method for greatly reducing the numerical difficulty associated with this technique is given. A theorem is presented that asserts that there exists a threshold sampling period such that effective digital robust feedback control can be achieved for a broad class of nonlinear systems, provided the sampling time chosen is less than or equal to this system dependent threshold value. In particular, this theorem assures that a control law can be chosen so that exponential stability of the closed loop system is assured and that there is a particular neighborhood of the target manifold which assures some degree of insensitivity of the closed loop system performance to the uncertain system parameters. An extension of this analysis technique to systems with certain disturbances is also given.
Late-Quaternary Vegetational and Climatic History of the Yellowstone/Grand Teton Region

The research underway has focused on two different aspects of the environmental history of the Yellowstone/Grand Teton region. One objective has been to examine the long-term vegetational and climatic history of Jackson Hole, the Pinyon Peak Highlands, and Yellowstone Park since the end of late Pinedale glaciation, about 14,000 years ago. Fossil pollen in sediment cores from lakes in the region is being analyzed to clarify the nature and composition of ice-age refugia, the rate and direction of plant migrations in the initial stages of reforestation, and the long-term stability of postglacial communities. Sedimentary charcoal also is being examined to reconstruct fire frequency during different climatic regions and different vegetation types in the past. This information is necessary to assess the sensitivity of plant communities to environmental change and to understand postglacial landscapes of the northern rocky Mountains. The second objective has been a multidisciplinary investigation of the relationship of climate to sedimentation rates in lakes and ponds in Yellowstone, undertaken with Drs. Wright, D.R. Engstrom and S.C. Fritz of the University of Minnesota. This facet of the research examines the relative importance of climate, fire, hillslope erosion induced by overgrazing, and nutrient enrichment in the last 150 years, as recorded in selected lakes in the northern range of Yellowstone. Populations of elk and bison are known to have fluctuated greatly during this interval, and slight climatic changes are suggested from other lines of research. In this study pollen, diatoms, charcoal, sediment chemistry, and sediment accumulation rates are analyzed in short cores from small lakes.
Harvesting Medical Information from the Human Family Tree

Working with 71 individuals from three diverse human populations, [ Hinds et al .][1] have characterized more than 1.5 million individual differences in human DNA sequences. In a Perspective, [Altshuler and Clark][2] discuss the significance of these findings, their correlation with data from the International Haplotype Map Project, and what both data sets mean for understanding complex human diseases caused by multiple factors. [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/307/5712/1072 [2]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/307/5712/1052
Effects of two popular weight loss programs on changes in android and gynoid body composition in women (LB302)

The purpose of this study was to determine if different diet and exercise programs differentially affect android and/or gynoid body composition changes in sedentary women. 54 sedentary women (34±8 ...
Manual and Automated Determination of Immunoglobulins in Unconcentrated Cerebrospinal Fluid

Manual procedures have been developed for determination in human cerebrospinal fluid of the immunoglobulins IgG, IgA, and IgM. An automated continuous-flow procedure for determination of IgG in human CSF is also described. The immunoglobulins are quantitated in both cases by immunoprecipitin reactions, with use of commercial antiserum. Values determined for the immunoglobulins by the manual method correlate with values for gamma globulin obtained by electrophoresis. The values for IgG from the manual method also correlate with IgG values determined by the automated procedure. The precision of duplicate determinations with the manual procedures for IgG, IgA, and IgM is 3.4, 1.8, and 1.0% (relative standard deviation), respectively, and that for lgG with the automated system is 3.48%.
Z-80 CPU Bus Monitor/Analyzer

The Z-80 CPU Bus Monitor/Analyzer is a custom-designed circuit that was developed to further enhance the capabilities of an 8-bit-microprocessor training system presented at the University of Louisville. Although originally designed to be used with the Z-80 based FOX Microprocessor Training System, the unit can just as easily be used with any 8-bit microprocessor system that supports the popular STD Bus structure. The CPU Bus Monitor/Analyzer is used during single-machine-cycle operation and provides the user with valuable information about the current status of the entire CPU Bus. >
Location Related Issues in Mobile Network Systems

The fact that large fixed network infrastructures exist seems to limit the usefulness of other forms of communication systems such as ad hoc networks. In many situations, however, ad hoc networks are preferred. Currently mobile network system has attracted more and more attention because of great benefit from the mobile network such as the mobility and flexibility. Mobile network users can move anywhere with almost no restriction to communicate with other people or access the network. Also, if they like, they can construct their own ad hoc network to share their information among them with their small computers and/or even their PDAs.
Relation between plasma high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and sex hormone concentrations in men

Abstract High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol is inversely associated with risk of heart attack. Sex hormones have been suggested as possible factors contributing to the gender difference of coronary heart disease risk. Little is known about how endogenous sex hormone concentration might be related to HDL cholesterol. The relation was examined in 225 men participating in the Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial. Plasma testosterone concentration was positively correlated with HDL cholesterol and the change in testosterone concentration was also positively correlated with change in HDL cholesterol. The relation between testosterone and HDL cholesterol could not be fully explained by age, relative weight, alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking in the cross-sectional study. However, when this relation was examined longitudinally, the partial correlation between changes in testosterone and HDL cholesterol did not quite achieve statistical significance (0.05
Virtual ie: A three-generational household mediated by webcam interactions

Abstract This paper investigates how the use of a webcam creates an opportunity for dispersed Japanese families to construct a “virtual ie (‘stem-family system’).” The ie is a culturally specific model of stem families traditionally realized in the multigenerational household. My analyses of videotaped webcam interactions, ethnographic observations and interviews show that the use of a webcam does not simply allow a visuo-spatial convergence of two distinctive households, but it offers another context in which various social roles within an ie structure are negotiated. From this perspective, the emergence of virtual ie is an interactional achievement. Following approaches from Emancipatory Pragmatics, which encourage using local terms to describe participants’ perspectives, I argue that participants in the virtual ie strategically use “communicative affordances” ( Hutchby, 2001 ) of a webcam for representing the degree of “in-groupness” or uchi . Even though an ie is inherently an in-group, members within it constantly manage and negotiate their boundaries of in-groupness through interactions as they position themselves in relation to other members of the family. The limited visual access of a webcam is an opportunity to negotiate the degree of such “in-groupness.”
Plaque Radiotherapy for Residual or Recurrent Iris Melanoma after Surgical Resection in 32 Cases

Purpose To evaluate plaque radiotherapy for management of residual or recurrent iris melanoma after surgical resection. Design Retrospective, nonrandomized interventional case series. Participants We included 32 patients with residual or recurrent iris melanoma after surgical resection. Intervention Custom designed iodine-125 plaque radiotherapy. Main Outcome Measures Tumor control, recurrence, poor visual acuity, enucleation, metastasis, and radiation complications. Results There were 32 eyes with residual (n = 12) or recurrent (n = 20) iris melanoma after surgical resection that were treated with iodine-125 plaque radiotherapy. The residual melanoma was evident clinically in 3 cases and histopathologically in 9; plaque radiotherapy was delivered at a mean interval of 2 months after resection. For the recurrent cases, the mean interval from initial tumor resection to detection of recurrence was 58 months, at which time plaque radiotherapy was applied. For all cases, the mean tumor basal diameter was 6 mm (range, 1–13) and thickness was 2 mm (range, 0.8–4.0) at the time of radiotherapy. Anterior chamber seeding was present in 26 (81%) eyes and glaucoma in 11 (34%) eyes. Visual acuity at presentation was good (20/20–20/50) in 27 (84%), intermediate (20/60–20/150) in 3 (9%), and poor (≤20/200) in 2 eyes (6%). At 6 years after plaque radiotherapy, outcomes included complete tumor control in 87%, poor visual acuity in 9%, enucleation in 13% (for reasons of tumor recurrence [n = 3] and severe glaucoma [n = 1]), and metastasis in 3%. At 6 years, radiation complications included corneal epitheliopathy in 6%, scleral necrosis in 3%, cataract in 53%, elevated intraocular pressure (from tumor or radiotherapy) in 19%, and macular edema in 6%. Conclusions Iodine-125 plaque radiotherapy is effective in the management of residual or recurrent iris melanoma after surgical resection, providing tumor control in 87% of patients at 6 years and avoiding enucleation in most cases. Financial Disclosure(s) The authors have no proprietary or commercial interest in any of the materials discussed in this article.
Evidence for Reflex Control of Arterial Pressure from Abdominal Receptors with Special Reference to the Pancreas

Hypotension in cat abdominal viscera, especially the pancreas, produced substantial elevations of arterial pressure and heart rate even in the presence of intact sinoaortic receptors. Elevation of pressure in the distribution of the superior mesenteric artery had the reverse effect. When viewed in the light of the neurophysiologic data of Gammon and Bronk, it would appear that these sites make a significant contribution to cardiovascular regulation in that species, presumably as a result of impulses arising in abdominal pacinian corpuscles.
Two-photon stimulated emission in laser-driven alkali-metal atoms using an orthogonal pump-probe geometry

We observe and analyze a two-photon continuous-wave optical gain mechanism designed for building a two-photon laser. The two-photon stimulated emission is spectrally isolated and resonantly enhanced using the multilevel structure of ${}^{39}\mathrm{K},$ in conjunction with an alternative interaction geometry involving orthogonal beams and polarizations. The observed two-photon laser beam amplification increases linearly with low input laser beam intensity, as expected, and saturates at a gain of $2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}4}$ at high intensity. A theoretical analysis of the observations is outlined.
Intravenous immunoglobulin therapy for patients with pemphigus foliaceus unresponsive to conventional therapy.

Abstract Background: Pemphigus foliaceus (PF) is a chronic autoimmune blistering skin disease that is commonly treated with oral corticosteroids and immunosuppressive therapy. In some patients, PF can be refractory to treatment and the resultant side effects of prolonged immune suppression can be potentially fatal. Alternative therapies are needed. Objective: The purpose of this study is to report treatment outcomes with IVIg therapy in 11 patients with severe PF refractory to prednisone and other immunosuppressive therapy. Methods: Selection criteria included documentation of a biopsy and immunopathology in 11 patients who were resistant to treatment or experienced side effects to conventional therapy. IVIg was administered according to a defined protocol. The parameters used to assess clinical response to IVIg included time observed for effective control of disease, duration of IVIg maintenance therapy, total duration of IVIg, number of IVIg cycles, systemic drug therapy, and the frequency of recurrences and relapses. The pre-IVIg and post-IVIg data were statistically analyzed by means of the SAS UNIVARIATE and 2-sided Wilcoxon sign rank and sign tests. Results: All patients had an effective clinical response and remained in clinical remission for a mean period of 18.6 months after discontinuation of IVIg therapy. Serious side effects from IVIg use were not observed. Conclusion: IVIg therapy appears to have potential as a biologic alternative agent in inducing and maintaining clinical remissions in patients with PF who are resistant to more standard conventional treatment. IVIg is effective as monotherapy and may be needed for a period of several months to achieve a long-term clinical remission. (J Am Acad Dermatol 2002;46:42-9.)
Flexible porous polymer photonic bandgap structures for chemical and biomedical sensing

We report novel large-area flexible photonic bandgap (PBG) structures fabricated using holographic interferometry. These flexible PBG structures, based on porous polymeric material, are able to provide tunable photonic responses that are promising for chemical and biomedical sensing applications.
Econometric analysis of concentrators for solar cells

When concentrating collectors are used with photovoltaic solar cells, the cost of the generated electricity is controlled by the concentrator cost. This enables the use of highly efficient cells and collectors of high concentration ratios, thereby reducing both the cell and the non-cell cost components per unit generated electricity. Cost analyses indicate the significance of distinguishing between the cell-cost and the non-cell cost-components. A generalized model is formulated for correlating the electricity cost to the system parameters: the annualized cost of the collector and other non-cell components , the cell annualized cost , the concentration ratio (R), the orientation parameter (G), the insolation [Ih(kWh)m−2yr−1], the optical efficiency (η0), and the cell efficiency (ηc): ηaηoGIhC = Co + Cc/R. The model enables the economic assessment of various concentrator-cell systems and the evaluation of the sensitivity of the cost of the produced electrical energy to various possible technological improvements. Optimization and the setting of a spectrum of target goals for cells and collectors are thus made possible. An example is included showing projected minima of generated electricity at concentration ratios between 4 and 400.
Trends in Aqueous Hydration Across the 4f Period Assessed by Reliable Computational Methods

The geometric and electronic structures, as well as the thermodynamic properties of trivalent lanthanide hydrates {Ln(H2O)8,93+ and Ln(H2O)8,9(H2O)12,143+, Ln = La−Lu} have been examined using unrestricted density functional theory (UDFT), unrestricted Moller-Plesset perturbation theory (UMP2), and multiconfigurational self-consistent field methods (MCSCF). While Ln-hydrates with 2−5 unpaired f-electrons have some multiconfigurational character, the correlation energy lies within 5−7 kcal/mol across the period and for varying coordination numbers. As such DFT yields structural parameters and thermodynamic data quite close to experimental values. Both UDFT and UMP2 predict free energies of water addition to the Ln(H2O)83+ species to become less favorable across the period; however, it is a non-linear function of the surface charge density of the ion. UDFT further predicts that the symmetry of the metal-water bond lengths is sensitive to the specific f-electron configuration, presumably because of repulsive...
Competition Between Azido Cleavage and Triplet Nitrene Formation in Azidomethylacetophenones

Photolysis of p- and m-azidomethylacetophenone (1a, 1b) in argon-saturated solutions yields predominantly imine 2a, 2b, whereas irradiation of 1a, 1b in oxygen-saturated solutions results in heterocycles 3a, 3b, aldehydes 4a, 4b and nitriles 5a, 5b. Density functional theory calculations place the energy of the first and second excited state of the triplet ketones (T1K and T2K) in 1a, 1b in close proximity to each other. The triplet transition state for cleaving the C–N bond in 1a, 1b to form azido and benzyl radicals 1aB, 1bB is located only 3 kcal mol–1 (1 kcal = 4.184 kJ) above T1K, indicating that azido cleavage is feasible. The calculations place the energy of the triplet azido group (TA) in 1a, 1b ∼25 kcal mol–1 below T1K; thus, this process is also easily accessible via energy transfer. Further, the transition state barrier for TA to expel N2 and form triplet nitrenes is less than 1 kcal mol–1 above TA in 1a, 1b. Laser flash photolysis of 1a, 1b reveals the formation of the triplet excited ketones of 1a, 1b, which decay to form benzyl radicals 1aB, 1bB and triplet alkylnitrenes. The triplet ketones and the benzyl radicals are quenched with molecular oxygen at rates close to diffusion, whereas the triplet nitrenes react more slowly with oxygen (∼5 × 105 M–1 s–1). We conclude that the triplet alkylnitrenes intercept the benzyl radicals to form 2 in argon-saturated solution, whereas the benzyl radicals are trapped to form 4 in oxygen-saturated solution; thus, the triplet nitrenes react with oxygen to form 3.
A convenient and efficient conversion of diethyl [[[2-(3- or 4-pyridinyl)-4-pyrimidinyl]amino]methylene]propanedioates to higher homologs by base-catalysed transesterification

Base-catalysed transesterification of diethyl [[[2-(3- or 4-pyridinyl)-4-pyrimidinyl]amino]methylene]propanedioates gave higher homolog esters in high yields.
Noradrenergic modulation of olfactory bulb excitability in the postnatal rat

Noradrenergic centrifugal inputs to the rat olfactory bulb mainly terminate on granule cells, which are inhibitory interneurons. In the mature bulb, norepinephrine suppresses granule cell activity, thus increasing the excitability of the primary output neurons of the bulb. However, since the majority of granule cells develop postnatally, the effectiveness of noradrenergic inputs to the bulb during development is unclear. The present report describes the postnatal development of noradrenergic modulation of olfactory bulb function by examining the effects of noradrenergic beta-receptor agonists and antagonists on paired-pulse inhibition at the granule cell/mitral cell reciprocal synapse. The results demonstrate that noradrenergic modulation of olfactory bulb excitability emerges during the first postnatal week in the rat. These results suggest that noradrenergic centrifugal control of olfactory bulb activity appears early during postnatal development, and thus is capable of playing an important role in pup responses to olfactory cues early in life.
PIETY AND PATRONAGE: ASPECTS OF NÜRNBERG CULTURAL AND RELIGIOUS LIFE 1477–1526. ANTON (II) TUCHER AND VEIT STOSS

En 1525, la Reforme s'installe a Nuremberg. L'A. analyse les consequences aupres des familles du patriciat et en particulier des Tucher en raison de leur role de dirigeants de la cite, de mecenes artistiques et de donateurs aux etablissements religieux. A Nuremberg, il est possible d'observer comment une cite recemment reformee, jouissant d'une reputation de piete et de conservatisme politique, a ete obligee de redefinir le sens et la finalite des oeuvres d'art qui embellissaient les eglises de la ville depuis des generations. L'exemple de L'Annonciation de Veit Stoss montre l'articulation et l'acceptation d'une nouvelle politique de la piete et du mecenat
Statistical Heat Transfer from Uniform Annular Fins with High Thermal Conductivity Coating

Conclusions An unsteady radiative gas dynamic numerical simulation model of a laser plasma generator with turbulent gas stream is presented. This model is based on a system of coupled Navier–Stokes equations, laser radiation transfer and selective radiation heat-transfer equations, and also equations for the k-" model of turbulence. It is determined that auto-oscillations of gas stream in the LPG do appear at certain critical input parameters. It was shown that a practical way to stabilize the gas dynamic structure in a LPG is by arti cial turbulenceof the inputgas  ow.The intrinsicgas- ow autooscillationsin theLPG chambermay be suppressedbygenerationof as little as 10–20% amplitude oscillation for the input gas velocity.
A Life for Language: A biographical memoir of Leonard Bloomfield

Leonard Bloomfield (1887-1949) was one of the greatest linguists of the twentieth century. He devoted his entire life to a thorough-going study of language, its structure and its use, summed up in masterly fashion in his book Language (1933). After his premature death at the age of 62, his work was at first acclaimed as an exemplary application of the scientific method to linguistics, but then fell into unjustified neglect. Now that the centenary of his birth has passed, the time has come for the story of Bloomfield's life and work to be recounted in a biography. Accordingly, basing his discussion on all available materials (including some information not accessible until recently), Professor Hall has presented Bloomfield's life history in its intellectual and cultural setting. This book is not only a biography, but also a personal memoir, in which Hall draws on his contacts with Bloomfield, who was his teacher at Chicago and a senior colleague at Yale. There emerges from this study a fuller picture than we have had heretofore, presenting both Bloomfield's recognized achievement in establishing the study of language as a scientific discipline, and the less-known aspects of his character and of his personal life, which in certain respects was very tragic and sad.
353. Biological Comparison of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Derived from Bone Marrow and Adipose Tissue

The potential of adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to differentiate to diverse cell types in vitro and in vivo offers outstanding opportunities to use these cells as therapeutic agents. The biological characteristics of MSCs isolated from two distinct tissues, bone marrow and adipose tissue were evaluated in vitro and in vivo. MSCs derived from human and non-human primate (rhesus monkey) tissue sources were compared. The data indicate that MSCs isolated from rhesus bone marrow (rBMSCs) and human adipose tissue (hASCs) had more similar biologic properties than MSCs ofrhesus adipose tissue (rASCs) and human bone marrow MSCs (hBMSCs). Analyses of in vitro growth kinetics revealed shorter doubling time for rBMSCs and hASCs. rBMSCs and hASCs underwent significantly more population doublings than the other MSCs. MSCs from all sources showed a marked decrease in telomerase activity over extended culture; however they maintained their mean telomere length. All of the MSCs expressed embryonic stem cell markers, Oct-4, Rex-1 and Sox-2 for at least 10 passages. Early populations of MSCs types showed similar multilineage differentiation capability. However, only the rBMSCs and hASCs retain greater differentiation efficiency at higher passages. Overall in vitro characterization of MSCs from these two species and tissue sources revealed a high level of common biologic properties. The bone marrow and adipose tissue derived MSCs were then compared for the plasticity in vivo. In a time course study, the two types of MSCs were transplanted into the lateral ventricles of NIHIII immune deficient mice. The migration and engraftment of MSCs have been evaluated on 2, 4, and 6 weeks post engraftment. Our results indicated that while both cell types engrafted in multiple regions throughout the brain, the adipose tissue derived MSCs persisted in the brain for longer periods of time. The adipose tissue derived MSCs were detected up to six weeks post-transplantation. Since there is no ethical limitation on using adult stem cells, the results of this study suggest that adipose tissue and bone marrow will prove to be important sources of pluripotent stem cells.
Biographical Note on Frantz Fanon

Given the scarce and fragmentary nature of published sources, this present biographical note was prepared using principally oral testimony of people who were – as family members, friends, colleague...
Electric Micro-Propulsion in Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramics

This work focuses on the fabrication and assembly of miniature inductively-coupled plasma (ICP) electrostatic thrusters using DuPont's 951 Low Temperature Co-Fired Ceramics (LTCC). The use of LTCC allows for integration of electrical and fluidic features inside a hermetically sealed device that is resistant to plasma erosion. LTCC also allowed for the creation of cylindrical and planar structures which could be mated to form a single device. The thruster consists of a planar base, an antenna disc, and a plasma containment cylinder. The planar base contains internal fluid distribution channels as well as electrical interconnections. The antenna disc houses straight-through gas ports, electrical interconnects, as well as a planar spiral ICP antenna. The containment cylinder is used to contain argon plasma created by a radio frequency (RF) signal sent through the ICP antenna. The development of the fabrication process will be presented for the incorporation and alignment of all three LTCC components together...
Holocord astrocytoma: a two-staged operative approach

Biopsy or subtotal resection followed by radiation for intramedullary astrocytomas of the spinal cord offer palliation but not cure. A treatment modality using an ultrasonic suction device has revolutionized the treatment of these tumors and has been extended to include the treatment of intramedullary tumors involving the entire length of the spinal cord (holocord tumors) with evident success. An alternative to this technique, a two-staged microsurgical approach, allows complete excision of the tumor and thus offers a chance for cure. Two patients have been treated in this manner, and more than 3 years after the operations, both patients were still improving neurologically without any evidence of tumor recurrence.
The role of cultural capital in the development of community leadership: Toward an integrated program model

Community leadership development programs (CLDPs) have become increasingly common in rural areas as strategies for self-help development. Programs vary by sponsor, curriculum, and mission, and in recent years have been the subject of study for their designs and impacts. While the majority of studies use past participants as research subjects, this qualitative case study uses University Extension program administrators from one Midwestern state as informants to uncover perspectives on the purposes and challenges of community leadership development programming. The community capitals framework is employed as a mechanism for classifying the data and for advancing a broad program model that hinges on cultural capital – shared beliefs about who community leaders are, and the possibilities they together envision. This study seeks to deepen our understanding of both the explicit and implicit goals of CLDPs and attempts to fit those goals into a coherent framework that might ultimately predict the expansion of co...
The reaction of boronated graphite with water vapor

Abstract The reaction of boronated graphite with water vapor occurs by two consecutive reactions in the temperature range 830°–930°, namely B4C + 6H2D → 2B2O3 + C + 6H2 (1) and B2O3 + H2O → 2HBO2 (2) The rate of reaction (1) decreases very rapidly initially with the formation of molten B2O3 on the surface of the sample. The influence of reaction (2) is soon felt, however, and the rate of formation of B2O3 is balanced by its rate of removal as volatile HBO2. During this steady-state condition, the rate of weight loss of the sample and the product H2 concentration remain constant.
Development of Ilyanassa obsoleta embryos after equal distribution of polar lobe material at first cleavage

Ilyanassa obsoleta embryos cleave unequally via the formation of polar lobes, which contain materials essential for the development of larval shell, foot, operculum, statocysts, and eyes. Polar lobe material is shunted to the CD cell during first cleavage and to the D cell during second cleavage. Treatment with cytochalasin B (CB) before first cleavage prevents the formation of the polar lobe and leads to equal cleavage and the equal distribution of lobe material. At second cleavage each cell forms a polar lobe, resulting in a four-cell stage with two large (D) cells and two smaller (C) cells. Embryos equalized with CB frequently display duplications, 68% duplicating two or more larval structures. Embryos with adjacent D cells (CCDD) duplicate statocysts more frequently than embryos with opposite D cells (CDCD), perhaps due to enhanced inductive interactions. When equal cells are separated after first cleavage, resulting larvae develop like CD halves from control embryos. When equal halves are analyzed as pairs and compared with whole, equalized embryos, they duplicate shell, foot, and operculum more frequently. This difference is probably due to masking of duplications of these structures in whole, equalized embryos rather than to general inhibitory interactions between the two D quadrants. These results are discussed with respect to proposals that interactions between D quadrants in equalized embryos may alter developmental capabilities.
Utility of plasma free metanephrines in diagnosis of factitious pheochromocytoma.

ABSTRACT Objective To report a case of epinephrine-induced factitious pheochromocytoma in a young woman with a past medical history of Conn’s syndrome. Methods We present a case report with clinical and laboratory details, review related reports in the literature, and demonstrate the usefulness of plasma free metanephrine levels in facilitating the diagnosis of factitious pheochromocytoma. Results A 34-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital for confirmation and localization of an occult pheochromocytoma. After thorough investigation, we discovered that the patient was surreptitiously injecting epi-nephrine in order to induce symptoms and signs consistent with a pheochromocytoma. Analysis of the patient’s biochemical profile during and between her catecholaminer-gic crises revealed plasma epinephrine and free metanephrine levels that would be highly unusual for a patient with a pheochromocytoma. Conclusion This case illustrates the utility of implementing the ratio of plasma epinephrine to free metanephrine levels in distinguishing factitious from organic pheochromocytoma. (Endocr Pract. 2006;12: 568-571)
Hydrogen bond strength and β‐sheet propensities: The role of a side chain blocking effect

Amino acid side chains can enhance peptide group hydrogen bond strength in protein structures by obstructing the competing hydrogen bond to solvent in the unfolded state. Available data indicate that the steric blocking effect contributes an average of 0.5 kJ per residue to protein hydrogen bond strength and accounts for the intrinsic beta-sheet propensities of the amino acids. In available data for helical models, the contribution to alpha-helix propensities is obscured especially by large context-dependent effects. These issues are all related by a common side chain-dependent steric clash which disfavors peptide to water H-bond formation, peptide to catalyst complexation in hydrogen exchange reactions (Bai et al., Proteins 17:75-86, 1993), and peptide to peptide H-bonding in the helical main chain conformation (Creamer and Rose, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 89:5937-5941, 1992) but not in beta-strands.
Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy: Cost Considerations and Reimbursement

SUMMARY Cost considerations with CRRT are important and vary substantially among centers. Major areas of concern are personnel, equipment, supplies, CRRT modality chosen and patients chosen. Costs are higher with CRRT than with either IHD or APD. These cost differences narrow as greater amounts of therapy are delivered. There are signif- icant areas for cost control in CRRT. Each center must evaluate its program to find the areas of cost control that are potentially available.
A large segmented neutron detector for reaction studies with radioactive beams near the Coulomb barrier

Abstract A large, segmented neutron detector array, the “neutron wall”, has been constructed for use with the TwinSol radioactive nuclear beam facility at the University of Notre Dame. At present, the array consists of 16 position-sensitive plastic scintillator bars. The position and energy resolution of the array, and its neutron-detection efficiency are described.
DISCRETE AND CONTINUOUS AMBIGUITIES IN THE ISOSPIN ANALYSIS OF THE B→πK DECAYS

A polynomial equation of the fifth degree, which solves completely the theoretical problem of the isospin analysis of the B→πK decays, is derived. It is shown that the problem has in general an even number (two or four) of non-trivially-related solutions. There are six particular cases of null measure, but which might be relevant due to the experimental errors, in which the problem has a continuous set of solutions. It is concluded that the isospin analysis, even if experimentally feasible, has a large probability of being inconclusive.
Caudatol, a guaianolide from Pericome caudata

Abstract From the more polar fraction of the dichloromethane extract of the aerial parts of Pericome caudata, a new guaianolide, named caudatol, has been isolated and identified on the basis of spectroscopy as a derivative of eupatoriopicrin in which the C-8 side chain is further esterified at C-5′ by 3,4-dihydroxybut-2(5)enoic acid.
Comparison of tissue oxygenation and compartment pressure following tibia fracture

Abstract Objective We investigated the ability of direct continuous measurement of intramuscular tissue oxygenation (PmO 2 ) to detect acute ischaemia in the leg in patients at risk for acute extremity compartment syndrome. Following tibia fracture treated by intramedullary nailing, we compared the proportions of PmO 2 and compartment pressure (CP) measurements that met the warning criteria for compartment syndrome. Methods Participants included 10 patients sustaining acute isolated closed tibia shaft fractures treated by intramedullary nailing. A tissue oxygenation probe and a CP probe were percutaneously placed into the anterior compartment of the leg. PmO 2 and CP in the anterior compartment were measured in the injured leg for 48h postoperatively. Measurements meeting the warning criteria were defined as PmO 2 30mmHg and perfusion pressure Δ P Results None of the patients developed compartment syndrome. Comparison of CP and PmO 2 showed a CP>30mmHg in 50.39% of CP measurements in all patients and a PmO 2 2 measurements in two patients ( P =0.005). Comparison of Δ P and PmO 2 showed a Δ P P measurements in nine patients and a PmO 2 2 measurements in one patient ( P =0.01). Conclusion In the absence of compartment syndrome, pressure measurements following tibia fracture treated with intramedullary nailing often met the warning criteria, whereas PmO 2 did not, suggesting that measurement of intramuscular tissue oxygenation may represent a potential method for the identification of acute compartment syndrome that deserves continued investigation.
Simple sugars inhibit rod outer segment disc shedding by the frog retina

Abstract To investigate the hypothesis that sugar molecules might act as markers for ROS disc phagocytosis, frog eyecups were incubated in a normally permissive medium for ROS disc shedding with and without added simple sugars. l -fucose, α-methyl- d -mannopyranoside and d -mannose all significantly reduced the numbers of packets of ROS discs found in the retinal pigment epithelium. d -fucose, l mannose, d -fructose. d -galactose, d -glucose and sucrose were without significant effect at the same concentration. Ultrastructural examination of the retinas indicates that the sugars were effective on the disc shedding process rather than on phagocytosis of already shed disc packets.
Practicing Good Technical Communication Techniques by Revising Patient-Education Materials.

Revising instructions for clients of health care facilities provides students with valuable practice in good technical communication techniques: organizing information for maximum accessibility, analyzing the audience's needs, using formatting and graphics to enhance communication, and clarifying sentence structure and diction. Suitable for both individual and team work, the project offers experience in both revising instructions for a lay audience and writing persuasively. It also emphasizes the accountability of technical writers to the users of their documents.
Parkinson’s Disease and Electroconvulsive Therapy: A Nursing Perspective:

Abstract This article provides a nursing perspective of the use of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) as a treatment modality for Parkinson's disease (PD). Although improved in technique and safety, ECT continues to have the stigma of the past associated with it. A critical evaluation of the contribution that ECT can make to quality of life of patients with PD is warranted. Pathophysiology, symptomology, and the range of current treatment options for PD are reviewed and summarized. A case report and a comprehensive nursing plan of care provide direction for nurses using ECT as a treatment for patients with PD. (J Am Psychiatr Nurses Assoc [2003]. 9, 9-16.)
MoVi: mobile phone based video highlights via collaborative sensing

Sensor networks have been conventionally defined as a network of sensor motes that collaboratively detect events and report them to a remote monitoring station. This paper makes an attempt to extend this notion to the social context by using mobile phones as replacement of motes. We envision a social application where mobile phones collaboratively sense their ambience and recognize socially "interesting" events. The phone with a good view of the event triggers a video recording, and later, the video-clips from different phones are "stitched" into a video highlights of the occasion. We observe that such a video highlights is akin to the notion of event coverage in conventional sensor networks, only the notion of "event" has changed from physical to social. We have built a Mobile Phone based Video Highlights system (MoVi) using Nokia phones and iPod Nanos, and have experimented in real-life social gatherings. Results show that MoVi-generated video highlights (created offline) are quite similar to those created manually, (i.e., by painstakingly editing the entire video of the occasion). In that sense, MoVi can be viewed as a collaborative information distillation tool capable of filtering events of social relevance.
State-Local Fiscal Behavior: Analysis of Interjurisdictional Differences, 1962-1987

Interstate differences in expenditures and effective tax rates are examined to see whether the pattern of differences has changed substantially over the past 25 years. The results show that there has been only very modest convergence of per capita expenditures and increased variation of effective tax rates. The pattern of state fiscal behavior is remarkably stable. However, by 1987, the variation in both fiscal measures was greater than expected, given the changes in interstate differences in economic conditions over this period.
The cross-correlation of damped Lyman-α systems and Lyman break galaxies

Abstract We present the results from a survey for Lyman break galaxies (LBGs) associated with damped Lyman α systems (DLAs) at z ∼ 3 with the primary purpose of inferring the mass of DLAs from the DLA–LBG cross-correlation. We acquired imaging and spectroscopic data of nine quasar fields having 11 known z ∼ 3 DLAs over a total survey area of 465 arcmin2. Using deep u′BVRI images, 796 LBG candidates with apparent magnitude 20 2 LBGs and 6z > 2 QSOs with 〈z〉 = 3.02 ± 0.32 and present evidence of a spike of five LBGs associated with the z = 2.936 DLA in the PSS0808+5215 field. In addition, two of the discovered QSOs lie within Δz ⩽ 0.015 of two of the DLAs. We compute the best fit correlation parameters of r0 = 2.65 ± 0.5, γ = 1.55 ± 0.4 for the LBG auto-correlation and r0 = 3.32 ± 1.3, γ = 1.74 ± 1.0 the DLA–LBG cross-correlation. Both values are consistent with the LBG auto-correlation values of [Adelberger, K.L., Steidel, C.C., Shapley, A.E., Pettini, M., 2003. ApJ 584, 45] within error. Finally, we introduce a one-degree deep survey underway to improve the DLA–LBG cross-correlation statistics and study the behavior of 3.5
Aging and Comparative Search for Feature Differences

ABSTRACT In a comparative visual search experiment, two halves of a display contained visual primitives of various shapes and colors. These halves were identical (50% of trials) or contained a non-matching pair (50% of trials). Response time (RT), accuracy, and eye movements were measured in both young and older adults. There were Age Group × Display Size interactions found for RT, with older adult RT affected more than younger adult RT by increases in display size. This interaction was consistent with predictions generated by sequential-sampling models for RT. There were age group main effects on fixation number and fixation duration, but no age group main effects on accuracy, saccade amplitude, or measures of scan-path efficiency; this indicated that search strategies were similar across age groups. Overall, the results showed no special age group deficits for comparative visual search.
On the Markov Equivalence of Chain Graphs, Undirected Graphs, and Acyclic Digraphs

Graphical Markov models use undirected graphs (UDGs), acyclic directed graphs (ADGs), or (mixed) chain graphs to represent possible dependencies among random variables in a multivariate distribution. Whereas a UDG is uniquely determined by its associated Markov model, this is not true for ADGs or for general chain graphs (which include both UDGs and ADGs as special cases). This paper addresses three questions regarding the equivalence of graphical Markov models: when is a given chain graph Markov equivalent (1) to some UDG? (2) to some (at least one) ADG? (3) to some decomposable UDG? The answers are obtained by means of an extension of Frydenberg’s (1990) elegant graph-theoretic characterization of the Markov equivalence of chain graphs.
Congressional frequent flyers: demand-and supply-side explanations for privately sponsored travel

Privately sponsored congressional travel raises questions about the influence of interest groups on lawmakers and about legislative behavior. I used multiple regression to explain variation in congressional travel, looking at 15,825 trips, both domestic and overseas, taken by House and Senate members and their staff between 2001 and 2004. I found that both supply-side and demand-side factors influence congressional travel. Electoral vulnerability corresponds with reduced trip-taking, and institutional power is associated with greater trip-taking, although not to the extent that rent-seeking theory might predict. Members' racial or ethnic minority status also corresponds with greater trip-taking in the House. Pending retirement also influences trip-taking, but in the opposite direction from what some “shirking” theories would predict.
Prostate cancer: temporal predictors of functional outcome after prostatectomy.

A new nomogram for estimating the change in probability of recovering erectile function and continence after radical prostatectomy has been proposed based on retrospective analysis of a heterogeneously treated cohort. Although the study offers some novel findings into the natural history of postoperative functional recovery, it is limited by the retrospective heterogeneous design.
Novel bis-, tris-, and tetrakis-tertiary amino analogs as antagonists at neuronal nicotinic receptors that mediate nicotine-evoked dopamine release.

A series of tertiary amine analogs derived from lead azaaromatic quaternary ammonium salts has been designed and synthesized. The preliminary structure–activity relationships of these new analogs suggest that such tertiary amine analogs, which potently inhibit nicotine-evoked dopamine release from rat striatum, represent drug-like inhibitors of α6-containing nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. The bis-tertiary amine analog 7 exhibited an IC50 of 0.95 nM, while the tris-tertiary amine analog 19 had an IC50 of 0.35 nM at nAChRs mediating nicotine-evoked dopamine release.
Preserving our humanity as therapists

Psychotherapists have traditionally em-braced core values and beliefs that dif-fer signiﬁcantly from many values andbeliefs that pervade contemporary,commercially oriented Western cul-tures. With their clients, therapists oftenquestion or challenge the culture’s ma-terialism, consumerism, appeals to van-ity and greed, disdain of dependencyand vulnerability, and abetment of nar-cissistic entitlement. Currently, how-ever, psychotherapy is being reshapedby descriptive psychiatric diagnosis,pressures from powerful corporate in-terests, and antagonism from inﬂuentialacademic psychologists and is threat-ened with becoming the servant of thesurrounding culture rather than itsparticipant/observer and critic. Theauthor notes symptoms of this trendand offers ideas about reversing it.
Availability of chilling temperatures in California

Abstract Deciduous plants require chilling temperatures in winter in order to have normal renewed growth in spring. Since only limited California records of hourly temperatures exist, the more extensive records of maximum and minimum temperature, average relative humidity, and wet bulb temperature were used to derive empirical equations for estimating the extent of chilling occurring under various conditions. The average occurrence of chilling temperatures throughout California was then mapped for several periods. It was found to vary with height in a manner that differed slightly between the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys. The effects of various environmental conditions are also discussed. High temperatures and solar radiation are shown to decrease, and clouds, shade and wind to increase the effectiveness of chilling temperatures.
Role of soil freezing events in interannual patterns of stream chemistry at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, New Hampshire.

Soil freezing is a disturbance of the below ground environment, potentially resulting in increased losses of NO3- and surface water acidification. Here, we report the effects of soil freezing on interannual variation in stream chemistry at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, New Hampshire. Data from 1970 to 1997 of soil frost depth, snow cover, precipitation, air temperature, and stream discharge and chemistry were used in a stepwise linear regression model to select the variables that best predicted deviations of annual stream concentrations from 4-year running averages. Variables quantifying soil freezing severity were selected as significant predictors of short-term fluctuations in stream K+, NO3-, Ca2+, and Mg2+ concentrations from 1970 to 1989, explaining 59 and 47% of the short-term variability in K+ and NO3-, respectively. Fine-root mortality and disturbance of root−soil−microbe interactions, with subsequent effects on decomposition and nutrient uptake, likely contributed to the mobilization of ...