cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Solid acid (superacid) catalyzed regioselective adamantylation of substituted benzenes

Adamantylation of substituted benzenes with 1-bromo-adamantane was catalyzed by solid acids including acidic ion exchange and ionomer resins, HY zeolite, sulfated zirconia and supported superacids on HY zeolite and SiO2. Adamantylation generally takes place in excellent yield giving predominantly para products without formation of byproducts. The reactions did not require the usual workup of Friedel-Crafts reactions as catalysts were simply filtered of. Cross-linked polystyrene resin sulfonic acid (Amberlyst) was found particularly suitable as besides its high catalytic activity, high regioselectivity was observed with almost exclusive formation ofp-adamantylated benzenes. AMI, PM3 and MNDO semiempirical calculations of heats of formation showed that of all regioisomers, the para isomer is the most stable. The temperature dependence of adamantylation was also investigated allowing the optimization ofp-substituted product in high yield and excellent selectivity. Lack of isomerization of 1-p-tolyla-damantane using solid (Amberlyst, Nafion-H) and liquid acids (neat and modified trifluoromethanesulfonic acid) indicates absence of product isomerization, while the intramolecular rearrangement of the intermediate arenium complex is still possible.
Integral pinching theorems

Using Hamilton's Ricci flow we shall prove several pinching results for integral curvature. In particular, we show that if p>n/2$ and the Lp norm of the curvature tensor is small and the diameter is bounded, then the manifold is an infra-nilmanifold. We also obtain a result on deforming metrics to positive sectional curvature.
Intervertebral disk infection in children

The clinical data of six children with intervertebral disk infection are compared with those of twenty cases reported by others. The intense pain caused by the disease creates problems in the examination of the child but the history and resultant pattern of limited movement should suggest the possibility of the clinical diagnosis. The diagnosis is confirmed by radiographic examination. Although the infection appears to be due to the staphylococcus in many instances, the clinical course is self-limited.
“English for the Children”: The New Literacy of the Old World Order, Language Policy and Educational Reform

Abstract Proposition 227 is perhaps the single most important language policy decision of this last century—one that may have profound consequences on schooling in the 21st century. Documenting the ways school districts, the local schools, teachers, and parents make sense of this new policy is central to understanding its short- and long-term effects on the education of English language learners (ELLs). Using qualitative approaches to inquiry, we have studied how three different school districts in Southern California interpreted and implemented the new law. A second concurrent strand of research examined how teachers interpreted and implemented the new law in classroom practice. Three case study classrooms were observed across the first academic year implementing Proposition 227: (a) one English immersion classroom, (b) one alternative bilingual classroom, and (c) one structured immersion classroom. Participant observation and interview methods were used to capture the evolution of classroom practices, l...
Salmonella colitis presenting as a segmental colitis resembling Crohn's disease.

Salmonella species have recently been shown to involve the colon in a diffuse fashion resembling ulcerative colitis by radiographic and endoscopic appearance. We describe a case ofSalmonella colitis in which the radiographic and colonoscopic features were focal ulcerations, mucosal edema, friability, and a loss of normal vascularity, an appearance resembling Crohn's disease. This is the first well-documented example of this clinical presentation.
Foot kinematics and loading of professional athletes in American football-specific tasks

The purpose of this study was to describe stance foot and ankle kinematics and the associated ground reaction forces at the upper end of human performance in professional football players during commonly performed football-specific tasks. Nine participants were recruited from the spring training squad of a professional football team. In a motion analysis laboratory setting, participants performed three activities used at the NFL Scouting Combine to assess player speed and agility: the 3-cone drill, the shuttle run, and the standing high jump. The talocrural and first metatarsophalangial joint dorsiflexion, subtalar joint inversion, and the ground reaction forces were determined for the load bearing portions of each activity. We documented load-bearing foot and ankle kinematics of elite football players performing competition-simulating activities, and confirmed our hypothesis that the talocrural, subtalar, and metatarsophalangeal joint ranges of motion for the activities studied approached or exceeded reported physiological limits.
Numerical investigations of nonideal explosions

Abstract This study focusses on nonideal free-field blast waves arising from the finite rate of energy addition in a distributed nonspherical source region. The behavior of the blast wave is determined in a compressible medium surrounding a centrally ignited flammable mixture during and after the propagation of a heat addition wave which models the detonative or deflagrative combustion process. Numerical integration of the nonsteady, two-dimensional Euler equations is performed by incorporating a heat addition “two-gamma” working fluid model to represent the flame or detonation wave. This study also investigated the behavior of a blast wave generated by the burst of a high-pressure ellipsoid. The effect of the heat addition waves on the near and far field blast waves was studied by determining the relevant blast parameters, peak overpressure, and positive phase impulse, as well as the detailed evolution of the gas dynamic variables with time and distance. The blast parameters which correspond to low velocity flames compare favorably with those obtained using linear acoustic monopole theory. The results indicate that pressure relief associated with the presence of a compressible inert medium surrounding the combustion products after the flame propagates to the interface of nonspherical clouds sevrely restricts the intensity of the explosion and thereby reduces the damages that can be produced by the blast wave.
Sex differences in central and peripheral mechanisms of fatigue in cyclists.

We examined peripheral versus central contributions to fatigue in men and women during prolonged cycling using a peripheral nerve magnetic stimulation-based technique. 11 men (41 ± 3 years) and 9 women (38 ± 2 years) cycled for 2 h at ventilatory threshold with 5, 1-min sprints interspersed, followed by a 3-km time trial. Quadriceps strength testing was performed isometrically in a semi-reclined position pre- and post-cycling: (1) MVC; (2) MVC with superimposed 3-s magnetic stimulation to measure central activation ratio (CAR), a measure of central fatigue; (3) peripheral magnetic stimulation (PMS) alone of the femoral nerve in a 4-s pulse train, a measure of peripheral fatigue. Data were analyzed with mixed model ANOVA. When adjusted for body mass, men and women had similar strength (p = 0.876), and changes in MVC with time were similar between sexes, declining 22 % in men and 16 % in women (p = 0.360). CAR was similar between sexes and decreased 15 % (effect of time, p 2 h of cycling was of both central and peripheral origin in men but solely due to central mechanisms in women.
Adaptive optics control of wind blown turbulence via translation and prediction

In the case where wind blown turbulence is mostly adhering to frozen flow conditions the use of the Kalman Filter in an adaptive optics controller is of interest because it incorporates prior the time history of wavefront measurements as additional information to be combined with the immediate measurement of the wavefront. In prior work we have shown that indeed there is a signal to noise advantage, however the extra real-time overhead of the Kalman Filter computations can become prohibitive for larger aperture systems. In this paper we investigate a Fourier domain implementation that might approximate, and gain the advantages of, the Kalman Filter while being feasible to implement in real time control computers. Most of the advantage of using the Kalman Filter comes from its ability to predict the wind blown turbulence for the next measurement step. For the photonic and instrumentation noise levels commonly found in astronomical AO systems, we find that most of the Strehl gain is achieved by simply translating the wavefront estimate the incremental distance.
the importance of nighttime observations in time allocation studies

Most time allocation studies have been conducted during daylight hours alone. However, an exploratory study of time allocation among the Samukundi Abelam, a horticultural group of Papua New Guinea, revealed that significant activities take place after dark. Furthermore, the nature and duration of these activities differ from those observed during daylight hours. Results suggest that time allocation studies confined to daylight hours alone may contain selective biases. By extension, comparative economic analyses utilizing such studies may also be biased. A sampling strategy employing limited, differentially weighted nighttime observations is suggested.
Influences of retrochiasmatic surgical transection on mating and serum ovarian hormone levels in the androgenized rat.

Abstract In previous studies female rats were shown to increase mating after retrochiasmatic surgical transections prior to ovariectomy and after ovariectomy with and without hormone replacement. This study was designed to determine if retrochiasmatic surgical transections (FC) or sham-FC would produce similar increased mating in androgenized rats. Four of thirty-one (13%) testosterone propionate (TP)-treated rats showed minimal mating without surgery, and 27 (87%) failed to mate. Mating occurred up to 30 days following FC, whereas temporary mating resulting from sham-FC had declined to presurgical levels by 30 days after surgery. Mating after ovariectomy was not facilitated by daily injections of 0.2μg of estradiol cypionate, but was facilitated after daily injections of 1.6 μg. TP-treated rats with FC showed more mating after 1.6 μg estradiol cypionate injections than the sham-FC and non-TP-treated controls. Serum estradiol-17β and progesterone levels at autopsy did not differ between TP-treated rats mating without surgery and those failing to mate. TP-treated rats with sham-FC surgery showed levels of estradiol-17β and progesterone similar to those of nonsurgical TP-treated rats and were combined into a single control group for comparison to the FC group. Serum levels of estradiol-17β did not differ between the control and FC group, whereas serum progesterone levels were decreased in the FC group. Serum levels of estradiol-17β and progesterone in TP-treated rats without FC were similar to baseline levels observed in this colony during the 4-day estrous cycle, but were less than peak levels observed at similar times on proestrus and diestrus Day 2, respectively. One possible effect of early androgen treatment would be to initiate a sustained inhibitory input to the mediobasal hypothalamus from the septal-preoptic area regions, thus causing deficits in mating. The lordosis responding in the androgenized rat after surgical interruption of the preoptic area-anterior hypothalamic continuum suggests that an inhibitory input was disrupted. It was further suggested that the higher mating observed in the FC group compared to the sham-FC group was not the result of higher ovarian hormone levels.
Distributed spectral estimation using fuzzy set theory

A novel method to combine frequency estimates in a distributed processing scheme using fuzzy set theory is developed. The observed signal is assumed to be a sum of sinusoidal signals corrupted by an additive random noise process where the distribution of the noise process is assumed to be a contaminated Gaussian distribution, which is a more practical model than a pure Gaussian assumption. Distributed multisensor processing, or decentralized processing, in which each sensor estimates the frequencies of the observed signal independently and sends the results to the central process, is used. At each sensor, a robust frequency estimation method is used. At the central process, or the fusion center, frequency estimates are combined using fuzzy set theory. It is found that this method performs much better than conventional methods. Numerical simulations are given to confirm the performance of this method. >
Fuzzy differential systems and Malliavin calculus

Abstract We consider fuzzy differential systems, or differential equations with fuzzy inputs and fuzzy initial conditions. Using a fuzzy sample path approach, we derive partial differential equations for the resulting membership functions. We also demonstrate sufficient continuity conditions under which the solutions exist and are fuzzy convex. The membership functions are shown to be identical to those for a time varying deterministic differential equation with a fuzzy initial condition. Under sufficient stability conditions, we also consider the membership functions in steady state.
Suinn Test Anxiety Behavior Scale: normative data for graduate students in education.

The Suinn Test Anxiety Behavior Scale was administered to both graduate and undergraduate students to reassess earlier findings (Suinn, 1969). The primary purpose of this study was to provide normative data for graduate students (N = 153). Such information does not appear in Suinn's 1969 article. Means, standard deviations, and percentiles are reported for each sex, as well as for the total graduate sample. Females reported significantly higher test anxiety. Test-retest reliability over a 6-wk. interval was .73. In general, the findings for the graduate students were similar to Suinn's findings for undergraduates.
Phase I clinical trial and pharmacodynamic evaluation of combination hydroxychloroquine and doxorubicin treatment in pet dogs treated for spontaneously occurring lymphoma

Autophagy is a lysosomal degradation process that may act as a mechanism of survival in a variety of cancers. While pharmacologic inhibition of autophagy with hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is currently being explored in human clinical trials, it has never been evaluated in canine cancers. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is one of the most prevalent tumor types in dogs and has similar pathogenesis and response to treatment as human NHL. Clinical trials in canine patients are conducted in the same way as in human patients, thus, to determine a maximum dose of HCQ that can be combined with a standard chemotherapy, a Phase I, single arm, dose escalation trial was conducted in dogs with spontaneous NHL presenting as patients to an academic, tertiary-care veterinary teaching hospital. HCQ was administered daily by mouth throughout the trial, beginning 72 h prior to doxorubicin (DOX), which was given intravenously on a 21-d cycle. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells and biopsies were collected before and 3 d after HCQ treatment and assessed for autophagy inhibition and HCQ concentration. A total of 30 patients were enrolled in the trial. HCQ alone was well tolerated with only mild lethargy and gastrointestinal-related adverse events. The overall response rate (ORR) for dogs with lymphoma was 93.3%, with median progression-free interval (PFI) of 5 mo. Pharmacokinetic analysis revealed a 100-fold increase in HCQ in tumors compared with plasma. There was a trend that supported therapy-induced increase in LC3-II (the cleaved and lipidated form of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3/LC3, which serves as a maker for autophagosomes) and SQSTM1/p62 (sequestosome 1) after treatment. The superior ORR and comparable PFI to single-agent DOX provide strong support for further evaluation via randomized, placebo-controlled trials in canine and human NHL.
PRESENTATION OF THE CHARLES SCHUCHERT AWARD OF THE PALEONTOLOGICAL SOCIETY TO BRUCE SMITH LIEBERMAN

I am very happy to be here today to present the citation to Bruce Lieberman for this year's Schuchert Award—for I view Bruce as one of the very best and brightest young paleontologists currently gracing our profession. I also value him as a terrific former student, now an esteemed colleague—and as a great guy and a very good friend. The first piece of correspondence I ever received from Bruce is dated 8 January 1986; Bruce wrote that he had taken Steve Gould's course at Harvard—and that course, plus Steve's personal encouragement, helped him to decide to turn his childhood fantasy (as he put it) of being a paleontologist into a reality. That letter got him up and running, as I was able to cobble together the necessary funds for Bruce to spend a chunk of the upcoming summer months cutting his newly erupting paleontological teeth on Devonian trilobites at the American Museum. Bruce was a winner from the get-go. What all paleontologists need to have is basic love-of-fossil—and Bruce quickly showed that he had that in spades. But he also had something …
AutoScale: Dynamic, Robust Capacity Management for Multi-Tier Data Centers

Energy costs for data centers continue to rise, already exceeding $15 billion yearly. Sadly much of this power is wasted. Servers are only busy 10--30p of the time on average, but they are often left on, while idle, utilizing 60p or more of peak power when in the idle state.We introduce a dynamic capacity management policy, AutoScale, that greatly reduces the number of servers needed in data centers driven by unpredictable, time-varying load, while meeting response time SLAs. AutoScale scales the data center capacity, adding or removing servers as needed. AutoScale has two key features: (i) it autonomically maintains just the right amount of spare capacity to handle bursts in the request rate; and (ii) it is robust not just to changes in the request rate of real-world traces, but also request size and server efficiency.We evaluate our dynamic capacity management approach via implementation on a 38-server multi-tier data center, serving a web site of the type seen in Facebook or Amazon, with a key-value store workload. We demonstrate that AutoScale vastly improves upon existing dynamic capacity management policies with respect to meeting SLAs and robustness.
Conformations of intrinsically disordered proteins are influenced by linear sequence distributions of oppositely charged residues.

The functions of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) are governed by relationships between information encoded in their amino acid sequences and the ensembles of conformations that they sample as autonomous units. Most IDPs are polyampholytes, with sequences that include both positively and negatively charged residues. Accordingly, we focus here on the sequence–ensemble relationships of polyampholytic IDPs. The fraction of charged residues discriminates between weak and strong polyampholytes. Using atomistic simulations, we show that weak polyampholytes form globules, whereas the conformational preferences of strong polyampholytes are determined by a combination of fraction of charged residues values and the linear sequence distributions of oppositely charged residues. We quantify the latter using a patterning parameter κ that lies between zero and one. The value of κ is low for well-mixed sequences, and in these sequences, intrachain electrostatic repulsions and attractions are counterbalanced, leading to the unmasking of preferences for conformations that resemble either self-avoiding random walks or generic Flory random coils. Segregation of oppositely charged residues within linear sequences leads to high κ-values and preferences for hairpin-like conformations caused by long-range electrostatic attractions induced by conformational fluctuations. We propose a scaling theory to explain the sequence-encoded conformational properties of strong polyampholytes. We show that naturally occurring strong polyampholytes have low κ-values, and this feature implies a selection for random coil ensembles. The design of sequences with different κ-values demonstrably alters the conformational preferences of polyampholytic IDPs, and this ability could become a useful tool for enabling direct inquiries into connections between sequence–ensemble relationships and functions of IDPs.
Facilitated transport via carrier‐mediated diffusion in membranes: Part I. Mechanistic aspects, experimental systems and characteristic regimes

Carrier-mediated transport in membranes as a globally nonreactive process is distinguished from film theory with chemical reaction and other facilitated diffusion phenomena. With the concept of stoichiometric and system invariants, an approach is developed for the analysis of carriersediated transport with multiple permeants involving multiple reactions in the membrane. Approximate solutions of the requisite differential equations according to the relative importance of diffusion and reaction rates are reviewed, as well as typical experimental studies. Criteria for evaluating whether a membrane is in the diffusion or equilibrium regime are given, and, in the latter case, the effects of some system parameters are given, for example, binding constants, competitive permeants.
In vitro manipulations of vitamin C and vitamin E concentrations alter intracellular O−2 production of hybrid striped bass (Morone chrysops×Morone saxatilis) head-kidney cells

Abstract To examine the mechanism by which vitamins C and E alter phagocyte function, a series of in vitro manipulations were conducted with cells isolated from the head-kidney of hybrid striped bass (average weight 680 g) fed a diet supplemented with minimum requirement levels of vitamins C and E for 2 weeks. Head-kidney phagocytes were cultured in media containing physiologically deficient (23 μm), adequate (45 μm) or excessive (182 μm) concentrations of vitamin C, and physiologically deficient (5 μm), adequate (9 μm) or excessive (32 μm) concentrations of vitamin E for 18 h. Following culture and stimulation, levels of reactive oxygen intermediates and hydrogen peroxide were determined. There were no effects of vitamin C or vitamin E concentrations on hydrogen peroxide or extracellular O−2 generation. Intracellular O−2 production, however, was significantly (P≤ 0·05) affected. When vitamin C was supplied at deficient levels to the medium, vitamin E elevated O−2 production to levels not different from those of cells incubated with requirement levels of both vitamins. Similarly, when vitamin E was deficient in the media, vitamin C supplementation at requirement levels normalised intracellular O−2 production. This data provides support for the presence of a vitamin C and vitamin E sparing mechanism in phagocytic head-kidney cells of hybrid striped bass and yield some insight into the mechanisms by which vitamin C and vitamin E function in immunomodulation.
Efficient retrieval of the regularized least-squares solution

An adaptive approach to the recovery of the least-squares (LS) solution employing regularization and conjugate gradient descent is developed. This is then implemented on image data corrupted by deterministic blur and additive Gaussian noise. The approach is useful where large data vectors are being processed with the need to conserve space and obtain reliable estimates rapidly.
Cervical approach for large thyroid mass with substernal extension

Abstract The large thyroid mass with substernal extension often requires a combination of cervical and thoracic approach for its access and removal. We have developed a technique that uses a cervical incision and combines clear access to the mass with low morbidity. The principle features include complete sternocleidomastoid mobilization, early identification of the neurovascular pedicle through a lateral approach, and finger dissection to deliver the substernal component of the mass. This article also describes the elements of our technique in detail, from preoperative considerations through wound closure and discusses the debate concerning the ideal treatment of these challenging tumors.
A New Technique for Mapping Open Magnetic Flux from the Solar Surface into the Heliosphere

The solar wind carries magnetic flux from the photosphere into the heliosphere, making it topologically open in the corona. Open magnetic flux is unevenly distributed at the solar surface, but at some distance in the outer corona it becomes uniformly distributed and approximately radial. Standard potential field models do not provide such uniform distribution of open flux in the heliosphere. A new technique for mapping open magnetic flux is presented here that addresses this deficiency and provides a simple tool to map any initial configuration of photospheric footpoints into the heliosphere. This technique is designed to result in a uniform open flux distribution in the heliosphere and is especially useful for models that include open flux emerging from topologically closed regions. We compare with observations of proton speed to quantify the amount of open flux emerging from these regions. We find that if the slow solar wind originates from topologically closed regions, then the open flux coming from these areas must form a significant component of the heliosphere. We explain this new methodology and discuss its application throughout the solar cycle.
UNCERTAINTY IN THE RETURN PERIOD OF MAXIMUM HYDROLOGIC EVENTS: A BAYESIAN APPROACH

Abstract The effect of uncertainty in parameters of rainfall inputs on the return period of maximum rainfall amounts and runoff volumes in a thunderstorm season is ascertained. First, the return period T R ~ of the maximum seasonal rainfall amount is considered using an event-based rainfall model which possesses the following features: (1) the distribution of the number of events per season N is Poisson with mean m; (2) the distribution of point rainfall amount R ~ per event is exponential with mean 1 u ; and (3) N and R ~ are independent. Then, the case of uncertainty in the return period T Q ~ of the maximum seasonal runoff volume Q ~ for an ungaged streamsite is studied. T Q ~ is calculated on the basis of the above event-based rainfall model coupled with a linear rainfall—runoff relationship. A correct distribution function for the return period T R ~ and T Q ~ is obtained by integrating out the uncertainty in m and u, which is encoded in prior conjugate distribution. It is found that the expected values of the return periods possess a certain bias, and that the variances are substantial even for a record length of twenty years. This demonstrates the advantage of following this approach for a decision-theoretic analysis of a water-resource design problem. The approach enables us furthermore to design structures, relying only on rainfall data on watersheds with ungaged streams, by taking into account uncertainty of design site parameters. Also, the design can be tailored to a specific problem rather than rely on the strict use of a prespecified T-year design flood.
Thickness determination of ultrathin oxide films and its application in magnetic tunnel junctions

In this study we propose a method for utilizing x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), a surface sensitive technique, coupled with a wedge-shaped sample to determine the thickness of an ultrathin aluminum oxide tunnel barrier layer (∼2 nm) in a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ). The uncertainty of the measured thickness is analyzed and the factors affecting the accuracy of this measurement are discussed as well as the advantages over the use of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Using this approach, we were able to quickly optimize the thickness of an aluminum oxide layer in a fabricated MTJ, yielding a high magnetoresistance ratio. In addition to XPS, one can also use Auger electron spectroscopy to determine the thickness of the oxidized tunnel barrier layer. This method can also be applied to other tunnel barrier materials such as the nitrides.
Mental Health Problems in Adolescent Children of Alcohol Dependent Parents: Epidemiologic Research with a Nationally Representative Sample

ABSTRACT In this study, with an epidemiologic sample of national scope, we seek confirmatory evidence about specific mental health problems of adolescent children living with actively alcohol dependent parents (AD+ children) as compared to control children whose parents are not alcohol dependent (AD− children). Treatment sample research leads us to expect the most prominent AD+/AD− differences with respect to externalizing symptoms. Data for this study were from the 1995 and 1996 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA), with the sample and field research staff ‘blinded’ to the study's hypothesis. Within the NHSDA national sample, a total of 1,729 parent-child pairs living in the same household were assessed. Youths were asked to complete an adapted version of Achenbach's Youth Self-Report. Independently, the parent was asked about his or her alcohol problems using an adapted version of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed the AD+ children (n = 79) to have higher d...
A mechanistic investigation of a three-component radical photoinitiator system comprising methylene blue, N-methyldiethanolamine, and diphenyliodonium chloride

Three-component systems, which contain a light-absorbing species (typically a dye), an electron donor (typically an amine), and a third component (usually an iodonium salt), have emerged as efficient, visible-light-sensitive photoinitiators. Although three-component systems have been consistently found to be faster and more efficient than their two-component counterparts, these systems are not well understood and a number of distinct mechanisms have been reported in the literature. In this contribution, photodifferential scanning calorimetry and in situ, time-resolved, laser-induced, steady-state fluorescence spectroscopy were used to study the initiation mechanism of the three-component system methylene blue, N-methyldiethanolamine and diphenyliodonium chloride. Kinetic studies based upon photodifferential scanning calorimetry reveal a significant increase in polymerization rate with increasing concentration of either the amine or the iodonium salt. However, the laser-induced fluorescence experiments show that while increasing the amine concentration dramatically increases the rate of dye fluorescence decay, increasing the DPI concentration actually slows consumption of the dye. We concluded that the primary photochemical reaction involves electron transfer from the amine to the dye. We suggest that the iodonium salt reacts with the resulting dye-based radical (which is active only for termination) to regenerate the original dye and simultaneously produce a phenyl radical (active in initiation) derived from the diphenyliodonium salt. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 2057–2066, 2000
Role of intestinal bacterial overgrowth in ethanol production and metabolism in rats

To investigate the role of intestinal bacterial overgrowth on the production and metabolism of ethanol, rats with a jejunal self-filling diverticulum (blind-loop) were compared to controls with a self-emptying diverticulum. Both endogenous ethanol and acetaldehyde were found in the blind-loop contents. Intragastric administration of sucrose produced a marked increase in acetaldehyde and acetate in the portal venous blood, with only a modest elevation of ethanol. Blind-loop contents readily oxidized ethanol to acetaldehyde in a concentration-dependent manner and more actively under aerobic than anaerobic conditions. This oxidation was inhibited by antibiotics and was reproduced with isolated microorganisms. Intragastric administration of ethanol to rats with blind-loops markedly increased acetaldehyde and acetate concentrations in the portal vein and, to a lesser extent, in the systemic blood, compared with the controls. By contrast, both portal and systemic blood ethanol concentrations were lower in the rats with a blind-loop compared with controls, even though the amounts of ethanol retained in the digestive tract were similar. A dose of ethanol about twice as large as in controls was required to produce similar systemic blood levels. Both in rats with a blind-loop and in the controls, the areas under the curve of blood ethanol concentrations were smaller after intragastric than after intravenous ethanol administration (1 g ethanol/kg body wt). This difference was exaggerated in the rats with a blind-loop. Thus, a considerable amount of ethanol is oxidized in the gastrointestinal lumen of rats with a blind-loop. The resulting high concentrations of acetaldehyde, both in the intestinal lumen and the portal blood, may have deleterious effects on the gastrointestinal mucosa and the liver.
An analysis of phase array radar system on a moving platform

In this paper, we derive a time-varying model for the steering vector of a phased array pulse Doppler radar system installed on a moving platform. Six oscillating motions are included in the derived model as well as the forward motion of the platform. We also present the sensitivity analysis of the derived model and analyze the effect of the perturbation between the true and measured array manifold on the accuracy of the motion compensation algorithm. From the simulation, it can be shown that the platform motions have no prominent effects on the target's power spectrum in moderate sea states (up to 3). However the barge's forward motion is a problem if the targets fall in the spreading spectral region of the sea clutter.
Koala: capture, share, automate, personalize business processes on the web

We present Koala, a system that enables users to capture, share, automate, and personalize business processes on the web. Koala is a collaborative programming-by-demonstration system that records, edits, and plays back user interactions as pseudo-natural language scripts that are both human- and machine-interpretable. Unlike previous programming by demonstration systems, Koala leverages sloppy programming that interprets pseudo-natural language instructions (as opposed to formal syntactic statements) in the context of a given web page's elements and actions. Koala scripts are automatically stored in the Koalescence wiki, where a community of users can share, run, and collaboratively develop their "how-to" knowledge. Koala also takes advantage of corporate and personal data stores to automatically generalize and instantiate user-specific data, so that scripts created by one user are automatically personalized for others. Our initial experiences suggest that Koala is surprisingly effective at interpreting instructions originally written for people.
Procedure and Dynamic Display Relocation on Performance in a Multitask Environment

In this paper, the responses of experienced professional pilots to change in interface configuration and differing automated invocation procedures were examined using a simulated flight-task environment. Performance was evaluated on three subtasks: two-dimensional compensatory tracking; fuel management; and systems monitoring. The status of automation, which was available for tracking and fuel management only, was conveyed by a change in display configuration represented by either a reduction in the size of the relevant display or by a reduction in size accompanied by its displacement to a peripheral spatial location. Combined with these interface-configuration changes were two forms of automation invocation procedure, which were pilot-initiated automation and system-initiated automation. Each was compared to a standard manual-control condition. Results indicated several response asymmetries. While tracking showed no effect for the location of the automated fuel-management display, fuel-management performance did reveal a significant effect, which favored the peripheral location of the automated tracking display. This display-location effect is thought to result from a general requirement for pilots to change their visual-scan pattern. The converse effect does not appear for fuel management and represents the continued primacy given by the pilots to tracking performance. System-initiated automation of fuel management, as a set condition, resulted in significantly better tracking performance, in both mean and variability measures, when compared to pilot-initiated automation. In the converse situation, involving the automation of the tracking subtask, a significant difference was also evident, but only in the variance measure of the fuel-management performance. The fuel-management variance for the pilot-initiated automation of tracking was significantly lower than that for the condition where the automation was enacted by the system. These results indicate that the automation-initiation process itself influences subsequent multitask performance. The present results support a general contention that the operator should initiate automation, except in circumstances in which the operator is for some reason incapacitated
A Magnetic Resonance-Compatible Loading Device for Dynamically Imaging Shortening and Lengthening Muscle Contraction Mechanics

The purpose of this study was to design and test a magnetic resonance (MR)-compatible device to induce either shortening or lengthening muscle contractions for use during dynamic MR imaging. The proposed device guides the knee through cyclic flexion-extension, while either elastic or inertial loads are imposed on the hamstrings. Ten subjects were tested in a motion capture laboratory to evaluate the repeatability of limb motion and imposed loads. Image data were subsequently obtained for all ten subjects using cine phase contrast imaging. Subjects achieved 30 deg of knee joint motion, with individual subjects remaining within 1 deg of their average motion across 56 repeated cycles. The maximum hamstring activity and loading occurred when the knee was flexed for the elastic loading condition (shortening contraction), and extended for the inertial loading condition (lengthening contraction). Repeat MR image acquisitions of the same loading condition resulted in similar tissue velocities, while spatial variations in velocity data were clearly different between loading conditions. The proposed device can enable dynamic imaging of the muscle under different types of loads, which has the potential to improve our understanding of basic muscle mechanics, identify potential causes of muscle injury, and provide a basis for quantitatively assessing injury effects at the tissue level. Slight modifications to the device design and/or subject positioning could allow for imaging of the quadriceps or the knee. DOI: 10.1115/1.3212559
Gender Role Orientation and Anxiety Symptoms Among African American Adolescents

The present study evaluated gender role theory as an explanation for the observed gender differences in anxiety symptoms among adolescents. Specifically, the relation between gender, gender role orientation (i.e., masculinity and femininity), self-esteem, and anxiety symptoms was examined in a community sample of 114 African Americans aged 14 to 19 (mean age 15.77; 57 girls). Results revealed that masculinity was negatively associated with anxiety symptoms whereas femininity was positively associated with anxiety symptoms. Gender role orientation accounted for unique variance in anxiety scores above biological gender and self-esteem, and self-esteem moderated the relation between femininity (but not masculinity) and overall anxiety symptoms. Consistent with research on children and Caucasians, findings supported gender role theory as a partial explanation for the observed gender disparity in anxiety symptoms among African American adolescents.
Poleward Tubulin Flux in Spindles: Regulation and Function in Mitotic Cells

The poleward flux of tubulin subunits through spindle microtubules is a striking and conserved phenomenon whose function and molecular components remain poorly understood. To screen for novel components of the flux machinery, we utilized RNA interference to deplete regulators of microtubule dynamics, individually and in various combinations, from S2 cells and examined the resulting impact on flux rate. This led to the identification of two previously unknown flux inhibitors, KLP59C and KLP67A, and a flux promoter, Mini-spindles. Furthermore, we find that flux rate is regulated by functional antagonism among microtubule stabilizers and destabilizers specifically at plus ends. Finally, by examining mitosis on spindles in which flux has been up- or down-regulated or restored after the codepletion of antagonistic flux regulators, we show that flux is an integral contributor to anaphase A but is not responsible for chromosome congression, interkinetochore tension, or the establishment of normal spindle length during prometaphase/metaphase.
Fast, simple, and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography method for measuring vitamins A and E in human blood plasma

Vitamins A and E are fat-soluble vitamins that play important roles in several physiological processes. Monitoring their concentrations is needed to detect deficiency and guide therapy. In this study, we developed a high-performance liquid chromatography method to measure the major forms of vitamin A (retinol) and vitamin E (α-tocopherol and γ-tocopherol) in human blood plasma. Vitamins A and E were extracted with hexane and separated on a reversed-phase column using methanol as the mobile phase. Retinol was detected by ultraviolet absorption, whereas tocopherols were detected by fluorescence emission. The chromatographic cycle time was 4.0 min per sample. The analytical measurement range was 0.03-5.14, 0.32-36.02, and 0.10-9.99 mg/L for retinol, α-tocopherol, and γ-tocopherol, respectively. Intr-aassay and total coefficient of variation were <6.0% for all compounds. This method was traceable to standard reference materials offered by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Reference intervals were established using plasma samples collected from 51 healthy adult donors and were found to be 0.30-1.20, 6.0-23.0, and 0.3-3.2 mg/L for retinol, α-tocopherol, and γ-tocopherol, respectively. In conclusion, we developed and validated a fast, simple, and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography method for measuring the major forms of vitamins A and E in human plasma.
Advanced Photon Source booster synchrotron subharmonic rf capture design

Recent efforts at the APS have focused on improving overall injector system reliability and availability for top-up mode storage ring operation. One proposal being considered is to implement direct injection of the beam from the linac into the booster synchrotron, thereby bypassing the particle accumulator ring (PAR). Efficient capture of the long linac macropulse (>/spl sim/ 10 ns) can be accomplished by adding an additional rf system in the booster at an appropriate subharmonic of the 352-MHz rf system. The subharmonic system is used during injection up to approximately 3 GeV, then the 352-MHz system is turned on to accelerate the beam to 7 GeV. The particle tracking program elegant is used to simulate rf and magnet ramping, beam loading, and HOM effects at up to 10-nC beam charge. Issues addressed in this design are efficient beam capture and acceleration to 7 GeV while maintaining adjacent bunch purity. Tolerances on various rf system parameters are presented in order to maintain bunch purity to better than 1 part in 100,000.
Psalms and Coping with Uncertainty: Religious Israeli Women's Responses to the 2006 Lebanon War

ABSTRACT Many scholars have argued that rituals serve to help individuals cope with challenges that arise under uncertain conditions. Ongoing research has been examining this claim with data collected on how Israeli women use psalm recitation to cope with the stress of war and terror. Here we compare the efficacy of psalm recitation among religious women who remained in northern Israel during the 2006 Lebanon War and women who relocated to central Israel, out of reach of Hizbollah Katyusha attacks. We show that psalm recitation is associated with lower rates of anxiety among women who remained in the north, but no such relationship was found among women who relocated outside of the warzone. We argue that psalm recitation reduces anxiety caused by the uncontrollable conditions of war but is ineffective at combating more mundane, controllable stressors. These findings will be discussed in light of Malinowski's theory of magic and related models.
Adaptive surveillance in sensor network querying

The reduction of power consumption during the deployment and operation of sensor networks has commonly been recognized as a key challenge. At the operation level, many proposals have been put forth to reduce the number of sensor nodes being active at any point in time. Through selective querying and adaptive fidelity, only a small percentage of the nodes can be used while maintaining an acceptable level of accuracy. In most of these approaches, the exact percentage of nodes being queried is specified before hand. In practice, a smaller percentage is sufficient when the environment being monitored by the sensor network is quiescent, whereas a larger percentage is required to keep up with a rapidly evolving situation. In this paper, we propose a set of metrics that we use to assess the level of activity in the environment being monitored and a set of triggers based on these metrics to increase or decrease the percentage of nodes being queried depending on the level of activity measured. This approach is validated through Matlab simulations.
Complementarity Between the Transfer Goals of Community Colleges and Historically Black Colleges and Universities: Learning from History

Community colleges and historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) often serve the same populations; however, the historical purposes, policies, and practices of HBCUs often better prepare them to serve first-generation students. Although both HBCUs and community colleges have their origins within the same historical period, the forces that created each of these branches of higher education also created a divergence in how they operate. This article looks at the most critical of those shaping forces to identify why HBCUs and community colleges often view their mission and their students differently and, thus, perform their work differently. The increased diversity of students whom community colleges are serving provides an opportunity for community colleges to look at HBCUs' successes and determine how community colleges can learn from and adapt those successes with students of color especially. The article suggests that in their mission to serve transfer students, community colleges can learn mu...