cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Astrocyte-Apolipoprotein E Associations in Senile Plaques in Alzheimer Disease and Vascular Lesions: A Regional Immunohistochemical Study

While apolipoprotein E (ApoE) and beta-amyloid (A beta) co-localize in senile plaques in cortex and cerebellum in Alzheimer disease (AD), the A beta-positive, predominantly diffuse plaques in the striatum do not exhibit ApoE immunoreactivity regardless of disease duration. As astrocytes are a major source of ApoE in the brain, we investigated potential regional differences in the ability of astrocytes to produce ApoE that might affect A beta processing and the progression of AD pathology. Using antibodies to ApoE, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and A beta, we compared the pattern of immunoreactivity in senile plaques in AD autopsy tissue with that of reactive astrocytes surrounding subacute and old infarcts in both AD and non-AD cases. We found GFAP and ApoE immunoreactivity, but not A beta label in cell bodies and processes of reactive astrocytes in zones of infarction within cerebral cortex, striatum, and cerebellum, indicating that astrocytes are capable of upregulating ApoE within these 3 regions. In contrast, while astrocytes surrounded many neocortical neuritic plaques in AD, these GFAP-positive cells failed to label with ApoE; instead. ApoE label within plaques paralleled that of A beta. As expected, neither the ApoE-negative diffuse plaques of the striatum nor the ApoE-immunopositive diffuse plaques of the cerebellum were clearly associated with GFAP-immunoreactive astrocytes. The apparent absence of ApoE label in cortical plaque-associated astrocytes may signify a regulatory mechanism affecting ApoE synthesis and secretion, influenced by binding of ApoE to fibrillar amyloid within the plaques, neuritic changes, or other factors.
Measurement of bacterial growth rates on polymers

A video microscope system and a mathematical model were developed to observe and model the early stage of bacterial growth on polymer surfaces. Glass slides were coated with polyorthoester, poly(L-lactic acid), and polysulfone, and inserted into a laminar flow cell to expose them to bacterial cultures of Staphylococcus epidermidis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, or Escherichia coli. The free energy of adhesion (ΔFadh) was determined from contact-angle measurements. The microscopic observations along with the mathematical model allowed measurement of the rates of adhesion, release, and growth. The growth rate of P. aeruginosa on the various surfaces correlated to the ΔFadh. The growth rates of all species on all of the surfaces were slower than the growth rates of the bacteria in suspension. The mathematical model is valid for early growth before the bacteria form a complete monolayer, and is useful in predicting and modeling early growth of bacteria on implanted biomaterials. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Methods for Self-shaping Echoic Behavior

suspension in space and time has been solved by the sequel play in one instance. It has been said that Montherlant writes monologue plays; it may also be said with justification that he writes, at least where youth is concerned, "case history" plays, and case histories rarely offer satisfying conclusions. Static as his study of youth may be, it makes for good theater. HARLAN LANE AND BRUCE SCHNEIDER
Managing Patients With Indolent Lymphoma Treated With Bendamustine: A Nursing Perspective

Indolent lymphoma is one of the most frequently occurring subtypes of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Indolent NHL has a long natural history, and patients will likely receive multiple therapies during the course of their disease. Treatment options are rapidly evolving and, because oncology nurses play a major role in managing patients undergoing treatment for indolent NHL, they need to be aware of the potential adverse effects associated with new therapies that may affect patients in their care. One such agent is bendamustine, which was approved by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration in 2008 for the treatment of relapsed indolent NHL. Oncology nurses are increasingly likely to encounter bendamustine either as monotherapy or in combination with rituximab. Bendamustine is a hybrid agent with both alkylating and purine analog properties, produces a high response rate in patients with indolent NHL, and has manageable side effects that include immunosuppression, gastrointestinal toxicity, and fatigue. Oncology nurses should be familiar with the common side effects so as to provide enhanced care for the patient receiving this agent. This article reviews the safety profile of bendamustine and discusses the implications from a nursing perspective.
Constructing moving pictures eyes-free: an animation tool for the blind

Visually impaired people constantly interpret moving phenomena in the real world; they do not lack the skills to understand the meaning of what is portrayed in an animation. However, today there is no method that allows them to create computer-based animation. We have extended IC2D, a drawing tool for the blind, to allow users to construct animation based on their drawings by defining rotation, swing, and path motions.
Microbial hydroxylations. V. 11-alpha-hydroxylation of progesterone by cell-free preparations of Aspergillus ochraceus.

Abstract The 11α-hydroxylation of progesterone and 19-nortestosterone by cell-free enzyme systems made from homogenates of vegetative cell cultures of Aspergillus ochraceus NRRL 405 is described. The 11α-hydroxylase is inducible and remains in the supernatant after centrifugation at 24000 × g. The 11α-hydroxylase induced by progesterone or by 19-nortestosterone is free from the associated 6β-hydroxylase or 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activities of vegetative cell cultures of A. ochraceus NRRL 405, but induction with 11α-hydroxyprogesterone yields an enzyme preparation with both 6β- and 11β-hydroxylase activities. Although complete conversion of progesterone to 11α-hydroxyprogesterone was accomplished with the cell-free preparations, only 14% conversion of 19-nortestosterone to 11α-hydroxy-19-nortestosterone was possible.
Models and features of pretense

L'auteur discute deux modeles explicatifs du jeu simulateur chez l'enfant: le point de vue affectif et la theorie de la representation de l'evenement. Ses caracteristiques affectives, linguistiques et symboliques sont egalement analysees
Simple Digital Pulse Width Modulator Under 100 ps Resolution Using General-Purpose FPGAs

This letter describes a very simple implementation of a digital pulse width modulator (DPWM) under 100 ps resolution in low-cost field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). The implementation is based on internal carry chains and logic resources which are present in most FPGA families. The proposed approach does not require manual routing or placement, consumes few hardware resources, and does not rely heavily on specialized phase-locked loop or clock management resources. A 50-MHz switching frequency DPWM with 60-ps resolution and a 1-MHz switching frequency DPWM with 90-ps resolution are experimentally demonstrated, with monotonicity and excellent linearity.
Ontogeny of membrane cofactor protein: phenotypic divergence in the fetal heart:

Human adult cells are protected from complement-induced damage in part by membrane cofactor protein (MCP, CD46). To examine fetal characteristics which might influence autoantibody-mediated diseases acquired in utero, such as heart block in neonatal lupus, the tissue expression of MCP was studied. Using a high ratio of acrylamide:bisacrylamide, immunoblots of tissues from six fetuses (aged 19-24 weeks) probed with rabbit anti-MCP antibodies revealed a band at 60 KD in addition to the known 65 KD and 55 KD isoforms which comprise the codominant allelic system of MCP. Five fetuses expressed the most common MCP polymorphism (predominance of the 65 KD isoform, upper band alpha-phenotype) in the kidney, spleen, liver and lung. In contrast, all hearts from these five fetuses demonstrated a different pattern in which there was a marked decrease in the intensity of the 65 KD band and accentuation of the lower molecular weight bands. In a sixth fetus, which expressed the second most common polymorphism (equal expression of the 65 KD and 55 KD MCP isoforms, alpha beta-phenotype), the heart was similar to the other tissues. These studies confirm the expression of MCP in early gestational life. Preferential expression of the MCP beta-isoform in the majority of fetal hearts irrespective of the phenotype of other organs, suggests tissue-specific RNA splicing or post-translational modification which may relate to autoantibody-mediated injury in diseases such as neonatal lupus.
The late phase of ischemic preconditioning induces a prosurvival genetic program that results in marked attenuation of apoptosis.

Although the cardioprotection afforded by the late phase of ischemic preconditioning (PC) in ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury has been well studied, it is unknown whether this beneficial effect can be attributed to inhibition of apoptosis. We hypothesized that ischemic PC affords protection by suppressing apoptosis and examined the underlying mechanisms. Myocardial infarction was produced in mice (30-min coronary occlusion). In animals preconditioned 24 h earlier with six 4-min coronary occlusion/4-min reperfusion (O/R) cycles, there was a marked decrease in apoptosis as assessed by three different parameters: hairpin-1 assay, caspase-3 activity, and immunohistochemical analysis of active caspase-3 and cleaved poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1). This protective effect was accompanied by increased expression of multiple antiapoptotic proteins that regulate both the mitochondria-mediated (Bcl-xL and Mcl-1) and the death-receptor-mediated (c-FLIPL and c-FLIPS) pathway of apoptosis and by decreased expression of the proapoptotic protein Bad. This is the first demonstration that the late phase of ischemic PC attenuates cardiac apoptosis after ischemia/reperfusion injury and that this salubrious effect is associated with a complex genetic prosurvival program that results in modulation of several key proteins involved in both the mitochondrial and the death receptor pathways of apoptosis.
TMV protein synthesis is not translationally regulated by heat shock.

Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) protein synthesis in tobacco leaf tissue was not translationally regulated under conditions of heat shock as were most of the other proteins that were produced at 25°C. Upon shift from 25°C to 37–40°C, most host protein synthesis was inhibited followed by initiation of synthesis of heat shock proteins. In contrast, TMV protein synthesis continued after the temperature shift. This phenomenon allowed the enhancement of detection of TMV protein synthesis in tobacco leaves. The most prominent proteins labeled were viral when tissue was labeled during the first hr following the shift to 40°C, a period after heat shock repression of host protein synthesis, but before the onset of most heat shock protein synthesis. Another method to predominately label viral proteins was to incubate infected leaves for periods at 35°C which induced repression of preexisting host protein synthesis without inducing synthesis of heat shock proteins.
Finite element analysis of stresses developed in the blood sac of a left ventricular assist device.

The goal of this research is to develop a 3D finite element (FE) model of a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) to predict stresses in the blood sac. The hyperelastic stress–strain curves for the segmented poly(ether polyurethane urea) (SPEUU) blood sac were determined in both tension and compression using a servo-hydraulic testing system at various strain rates. Over the range of strain rates studied, the sac was not strain rate sensitive, however the material response was different for tension versus compression. The experimental tension and compression properties were used in a FE model that consisted of the pusher plate, blood sac and pump case. A quasi-static analysis was used to allow for nonlinearities due to contact and material deformation. The 3D FE model showed that blood sac stresses are not adversely affected by the location of the inlet and outlet ports of the device and that over the systolic ejection phase of the simulation the prediction of blood sac stresses from the full 3D model and an axisymmetric model are the same. Minimizing stresses in the blood sac will increase the longevity of the blood sac in vivo.
Concurrent process planning for finish milling and dimensional inspection of sculptured surfaces in die and mould manufacturing

Abstract With the introduction of computer-aided tools, traditional manufacturing tasks such as design, machining and inspection are now highly automated. However, due to the complexity and enormous knowledge involved in each process, most of these activities are still dealt with separately. Recent development of concurrent engineering emphasizes the importance of bringing manufacturing knowledge into the early design stage for optimum product and process design. In this paper, a knowledge-based CAD/CAM system which integrates process planning for finish milling and dimensional inspection of sculptured surfaces in die and mould manufacturing is presented. Optimum production plans are determined by minimizing the integral cost of machining and inspection. NC path generation and inspection planning are then verified by dynamic geometric simulations which provide the designer with the evaluations of machinability and inspectability. The implied significance is that strong inter-dependency may exist among var...
Uptake, Selectivity, and Inhibition of Hydroponic Treatment of Contaminants

It is estimated that the Departments of Defense, Energy, and Agriculture will spend up to 300 billion federal dollars on environmental remediation during the next century. Phytoremediation, the use of vegetation for the remediation of contaminated sediments, soils, and ground water, is an emerging technology for treating several categories of persistent, toxic contaminants. Although effective, phytoremediation is still in a developmental stage and therefore is not a widely accepted technology by regulatory agencies and public groups. Research is currently being conducted to validate the process effectiveness as well as increase regulatory and community acceptance. This research will focus on the ability of plants to hydroponically treat water contaminated with cadmium, chromium, nickel, radionuclides (cesium and strontium), and/or phthalates. Specifically, the effectiveness of dwarf sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) and two strains of mustard seed (Brassica juncea) were investigated. The selectivity, on a ma...
Do they or don’t they? A synthesis of microbial response to environmental change

Microbial communities have long been thought to possess infinite plasticity, yet evidence in recent years increasingly indicates compositional resistance to change.While this discovery may largely be due to the changing nature of soil biological research – with its move beyond single-season and single-factor experiments, it nevertheless highlights a critical area in current ecosystem studies and soil microbial ecology. Do they or don't they change? When? Under what circumstances? And does it matter? In this talk I review microbial community compositional shifts. First I address general microbial response to change – as individuals through their physiological stress responses and as communities through sorting and succession. I will highlight what we don’t know (e.g. microbial community ecology), as well as show data demonstrating what we do know about the surprising resistance of microbial communities to change some times, but not others. Second, I will explore the potential importance of temporal scale and acute versus chronic change in impacting microbial communities. Finally I will question whether ultimately it matters at all anyway.*The audio track for talks in this symposium may be obtained at the following web address:**https://sites.google.com/site/esa2010symposium13audiocontent/esa2010-symposium13-audio-content*
Radar system impacts due to spectrum attributes of frequency-steerable phased array antennas

Possible differences between boresight and off-boresight emissions of phased array radar systems can impact a radar system's performance. This could result in a distorted transmitted radar waveform. In order to understand the significance of this distortion on a radar system, a simulation study was completed for a notional 3.5 GHz radar having both a continuous wave pulsed waveform and a linear FM waveform. This simulation study was verified using available measurement data. The radar system's performance was then assessed by using radar ambiguity plots for each of these radar waveforms. It was concluded that some distortion is present even on-boresight in addition to the off-boresight emissions difference. Further understanding of the specific off-boresight distortion could lead to better clutter suppression.
Age patterns of marital fertility: revising the Coale-Trussell method.

Abstract This article revises the Coale–Trussell method for analyzing data from the World Fertility Survey by proposing and testing alternative log-linear and log-multiplicative models. The models, in one form or another, represent the structural constraint underlying the Coale–Trussell method on the variation in the age pattern of human fertility. With a Poisson distribution assumption for the number of births, several parameters of the models are simultaneously estimated via maximum likelihood. It is shown that the new approach can be adopted whenever fertility limitation is compared across multiple populations or subpopulations. Future users of the Coale–Trussell method for single populations or subpopulations are advised to use the new v a estimates from this study in place of those of Coale and Trussell.
Clear cell chondrosarcoma: radiographic, computed tomographic, and magnetic resonance findings in 34 patients with pathologic correlation

Objective To describe the radiographic features of clear cell chondrosarcoma (CCCS), including the computed tomographic (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) findings, and to correlate them with the histopathologic findings.
Porphinatoiron-mediated oxidation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Although porphinatoiron complexes have been used extensively as biomimetic catalysts for oxidation of aliphatic and olefinic hydrocarbons, few oxidations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) have been reported. In all cases, heterogeneous iodosobenzene/tetraphenylporphinatoiron(III) systems were employed, oxidations were inefficient and control experiments demonstrating the requirement for catalyst were not described. The current study investigates the oxidation of pyrene, benzo[a]pyrene and benzanthracene in a homogeneous m-chloroperoxybenzoic acid/bifacially hindered porphinatoiron system in which the peroxyacid was shown to be unreactive in the absence of catalyst. Pyrene and benzo[a]pyrene were oxidized efficiently, with pyrene yielding mixtures of 1.6- and 1.8-quinones and benzo[a]pyrene yielding mixtures of phenols and quinones. Benzanthracene was oxidized less efficiently, primarily at the meso positions, to give 7.12-quinone. Initial oxidation of meso carbons of benzo[a]pyrene (confirmed by the presence of the 6-hydroxy derivative as a product) and benzanthracene indicates that PAH-to-catalyst charge transfer may be an important oxidation pathway. Oxidation of pyrene was performed by addition of pyrene to observable oxo iron(V) species as well as in a catalytic reaction where excess peroxyacid was added to a solution of pyrene and catalyst and oxo iron(V) is not generated as an observable intermediate. Yields (based on oxidant consumed), were identical under both conditions, strongly supporting oxo iron(V) as a common intermediate.
Evolution of enhanced reproduction in the hybrid-derived invasive, California wild radish (Raphanus sativus)

Evolution is receiving increased attention as a potentially important factor in invasions. For example, hybridization may have stimulated the evolution of invasiveness in several well-known plant pests. However, the mechanism for success of such hybrid-derived lineages remains unknown in the majority of the cases studied. Here we ask whether increased reproductive success (in terms of maternal fitness) has evolved in an invasive lineage with confirmed hybrid ancestry. We compare the relative fitness of the non-native, hybrid-derived California wild radish (Raphanus sativus) to that of its two progenitor species in field experiments at different sites and in different years. We found that California wild radish has high survivorship and produces more fruits per plant and more seeds per plant than either of its progenitors in several environments. Furthermore, populations of California wild radish display a strong genotype-by-environment interaction, indicating that maintenance of genetic and phenotypic diversity between populations may be responsible for the weed’s ability to invade a wide breadth of California habitats. Our results suggest that hybridization may contribute the evolution of enhanced invasiveness and, also, that by limiting the introduction and subsequent hybridization of congeners, we may be able to prevent the evolution of new invasive lineages.
Space-multiplexed optical scanner.

A low-loss two-dimensional optical beam scanner that is capable of delivering large (e.g., >10°) angular scans along the elevation as well as the azimuthal direction is presented. The proposed scanner is based on a space-switched parallel-serial architecture that employs a coarse-scanner module and a fine-scanner module that produce an ultrahigh scan space-fill factor, e.g., 900 × 900 distinguishable beams in a 10° (elevation) × 10° (azimuth) scan space. The experimentally demonstrated one-dimensional version of the proposed scanner has a supercontinuous scan, 100 distinguishable beam spots in a 2.29° total scan range, and 1.5-dB optical insertion loss.
Acm1 is a negative regulator of the CDH1-dependent anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome in budding yeast.

Cdh1 is a coactivator of the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) and contributes to mitotic exit and G1 maintenance by facilitating the polyubiquitination and subsequent proteolysis of specific substrates. Here, we report that budding yeast Cdh1 is a component of a cell cycle-regulated complex that includes the 14-3-3 homologs Bmh1 and Bmh2 and a previously uncharacterized protein, which we name Acm1 (APC/C Cdh1 modulator 1). Association of Cdh1 with Bmh1 and Bmh2 requires Acm1, and the Acm1 protein is cell cycle regulated, appearing late in G1 and disappearing in late M. In acm1 strains, Cdh1 localization to the bud neck and association with two substrates, Clb2 and Hsl1, were strongly enhanced. Several lines of evidence suggest that Acm1 can suppress APC/C Cdh1 -mediated proteolysis of mitotic cyclins. First, overexpression of Acm1 fully restored viability to cells expressing toxic levels of Cdh1 or a constitutively active Cdh1 mutant lacking inhibitory phosphorylation sites. Second, overexpression of Acm1 was toxic in sic1 cells. Third, ACM1 deletion exacerbated a low-penetrance elongated-bud phenotype caused by modest overexpression of Cdh1. This bud elongation was independent of the morphogenesis checkpoint, and the combination of acm1 and hsl1 resulted in a dramatic enhancement of bud elongation and G2/M delay. Effects on bud elongation were attenuated when Cdh1 was replaced with a mutant lacking the C-terminal IR dipeptide, suggesting that APC/C-dependent proteolysis is required for this phenotype. We propose that Acm1 and Bmh1/Bmh2 constitute a specialized inhibitor of APC/C Cdh1 .
Error Reduction in Pediatric Chemotherapy: Computerized Order Entry and Failure Modes and Effects Analysis

Objective To implement and evaluate the impact of computerized provider order entry (CPOE) on reducing ordering errors in pediatric chemotherapy. Design Before-and-after study from 2001 to 2004. Setting Pediatric Oncology in an academic medical center. Intervention Implementation of a CPOE system guided by multidisciplinary failure modes and effects analysis into pediatric chemotherapy. Main Outcome Measures Completion data on chemotherapy steps of high morbidity/mortality potential if missed (as determined by attending oncologists) from 1259 pre-CPOE paper and 1116 post-CPOE pediatric chemotherapy orders. Results After CPOE deployment, daily chemotherapy orders were less likely to have improper dosing (relative risk [RR], 0.26; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.11-0.61), incorrect dosing calculations (RR, 0.09; 95% CI, 0.03-0.34), missing cumulative dose calculations (RR, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.14-0.77), and incomplete nursing checklists (RR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.33-0.80). There was no difference in the likelihood of improper dosing on treatment plans and a higher likelihood of not matching medication orders to treatment plans (RR, 5.4; 95% CI, 3.1-9.5). Conclusion Failure modes and effects analysis–guided CPOE reduced ordering errors in pediatric chemotherapy and provided data for further improvements.
Positive reciprocity and intentions in trust games

Abstract Several recent theories in behavioral game theory seek to explain the behavior of subjects in experimental bargaining games. These models can be partitioned into two classes: outcome-based and intention-based. Outcome-based models treat the intentions that players attribute to one another as unnecessary for predicting behavior. Intention-based approaches, and in particular the trust and reciprocity (TR) hypothesis, rely on this attribution of intentions in an essential way. We report laboratory data from simple two-person trust games which is inconsistent with outcome-based models, but predicted by the trust and reciprocity hypothesis.
Genetic variation in cyclooxygenase 1: effects on response to aspirin.

Background A critical clinical application of the Human Genome Project is to identify functional variation in genes related to disease or responses to xenobiotics. This study moved toward that goal by combining polymorphism detection with functional assays for the therapeutic target gene cyclooxygenase 1 (COX-1). Cyclooxygenase 1 (prostaglandin endoperoxide G/H synthase [PTGS1]) catalyzes the metabolism of arachidonic acid to prostaglandin H2, which is subsequently metabolized to thromboxane A2. Methods Thirty-eight healthy participants were enrolled in this study to correlate functional and genetic variation of cyclooxygenase 1. Arachidonic acid, with and without aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) and ethanol pretreatment, was used to stimulate the formation of prostaglandin H2, measured as prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α), in human platelets. The cyclooxygenase 1 complementary deoxyribonucleic acid coding sequence and genomic deoxyribonucleic acid upstream from the cyclooxygenase 1 transcription start site (2.9 kilobases) were sequenced in 38 individuals, with 9 single-nucleotide polymorphisms identified. Results Two single-nucleotide polymorphisms, A-842G and C50T, were in complete linkage disequilibrium. Participants who were heterozygous for the A-842G/C50T haplotype showed significantly (P = .01) greater inhibition of prostaglandin H2 formation by acetylsalicylic acid (30 μmol/L) compared with common allele homozygotes. Conclusions The discovery of a functional single-nucleotide polymorphism in the cyclooxygenase 1 locus may ultimately improve the safe and effective use of acetylsalicylic acid by better tailoring of dosage with an individual's genetic variation. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2003) 73, 122–130; doi: 10.1067/mcp.2003.1
An electrical impedance method to continuously monitor morphology and motion of cells in culture

Summary form only given as follows: Great advances have been made in quantifying biochemical and physiological activities in cultured cells. It has, however been difficult to quantify changes of cell morphology. A method has now been developed that can continuously and non-invasively track morphological changes of adherent cells and provide data from both sparse and confluent cultures. In electric cell-substrate impedance sensing (ECIS), cells are cultured on small (0.001 cm/sup 2/) gold film electrodes whose impedance is measured with a 1 micro amp current, generally at 4,000 Hz; normal tissue culture medium serves as the electrolyte. When cells attach and spread on these electrodes, their essentially insulating membranes constrain the current and force it to flow beneath and between the cells. This results in large impedance changes. Furthermore, alterations in cell morphology gives rise to variations in impedance that can be numerically analyzed to report levels of cell motility and, indirectly, cell metabolism. The approach is exceedingly sensitive and is capable of detecting changes in cell morphology on the order of nanometers, well below the resolution of an optical microscope. >
FPSoC-Based Architecture for a Fast Motion Estimation Algorithm in H.264/AVC

There is an increasing need for high quality video on low power, portable devices. Possible target applications range from entertainment and personal communications to security and health care. While H.264/AVC answers the need for high quality video at lower bit rates, it is significantly more complex than previous coding standards and thus results in greater power consumption in practical implementations. In particular, motion estimation (ME), in H.264/AVC consumes the largest power in an H.264/AVC encoder. It is therefore critical to speed-up integer ME in H.264/AVC via fast motion estimation (FME) algorithms and hardware acceleration. In this paper, we present our hardware oriented modifications to a hybrid FME algorithm, our architecture based on the modified algorithm, and our implementation and prototype on a PowerPC-based Field Programmable System on Chip (FPSoC). Our results show that the modified hybrid FME algorithm on average, outperforms previous state-of-the-art FME algorithms, while its losses when compared with FSME, in terms of PSNR performance and computation time, are insignificant. We show that although our implementation platform is FPGA-based, our implementation results compare favourably with previous architectures implemented on ASICs. Finally we also show an improvement over some existing architectures implemented on FPGAs.
THE ROLE OF ENZYME LYSYL AMINO GROUPS IN THE REACTION WITH α2-MACROGLOBULINa

The primary observation, from our laboratory and others, of the effect of blocking the lysyl amino groups of enzymes is the reduction in the fraction of complexes that are resistant to SDS. The blocked enzyme derivatives do cause the specific proteolysis of the alpha 2M subunit to the 85K/100K fragments, and do cause the appearance of new thiol groups. With respect to the sequence of reaction, we may summarize the results by saying that if the reversible DMM-trypsin is, in fact, a model for the native enzyme, proteolysis can precede formation of the presumed covalent bond between bound enzyme and inhibitor. If our preliminary observations are borne out by later experiments, thiol release may precede covalent bond formation or loss of reactivity with amines, suggesting that an intact thiolester need not be the immediate target for amines; another intermediate, possibly the internal pyroglutamate originally proposed by Howard et al. and seen in model studies, may be an additional, or even the primary, target for covalent bonding with native enzymes. With regard to the "trap" hypothesis, the limited release of thiols in a slow phase is suggestive of enzyme activity within the alpha 2M-protease complex, consistent with the theory. Noncovalent irreversible complexes, however, are not a necessary part of associations seen with lysyl-blocked enzymes (which do cause proteolysis and do release thiols); this result is supported by limited data with noncovalently bound native enzymes. Some fraction of irreversible noncovalently bound enzymes may occur, but our results suggest that although alpha 2M-bound enzymes are unusually sterically hindered, the transformation to the presumed covalent state that appears to depend on intact amino groups, may be sufficient to explain the low dissociation of native enzymes. We feel that more experimental evidence is needed to resolve some of the ambiguities on this question but, we feel the existence of a "trapping" reaction has not been proved. In fact, given the possible existence of equilibria between covalent and noncovalent complexes observed, for example, in soybean trypsin inhibitor, and the very low dissociation constants observed with traditional protein-protein complexes, the question of physically encapsulated structures in alpha 2M may not be resolvable without direct evidence from crystal structures.
Innate immune response to Francisella tularensis is mediated by TLR2 and caspase-1 activation.

Francisella tularensis, a gram-negative, facultative, intracellular bacterium, is the etiologic agent of tularemia and a category A bioterrorism agent. Little is known about the mechanism of pathogenesis of tularemia. In this paper, we de- scribe the interaction of the live vaccine strain of F. tularensis with the innate immune system. We have found that in human and mouse dendritic cells, F. tularensis elicited a powerful inflammatory re- sponse, characterized by production of a number of cytokines and chemokines. Using cells derived from TLR2-deficient mice and in vitro transfection assays, we demonstrated that this response was me- diated by TLR2 and did not require the LPS-bind- ing protein. F. tularensis appeared to activate TLR2/TLR1 and TLR2/TLR6 heterodimers. IL-1 secretion, a reflection of caspase-1 activation, was induced by live but not heat-killed F. tularensis, despite the fact that both forms of the bacterium equally induced the IL-1 transcript. Our results identified activation of TLR2 and caspase-1 as the two main cellular pathways responsible for the in- flammatory response to F. tularensis. J. Leukoc. Biol. 80: 766-773; 2006.
The expansion of C4 grasses and global change in the late Miocene: Stable isotope evidence from the Americas

j3C values in paleosols and fossil teeth have been used to document the expansion of C, plants in South Asia, Africa, and North America during the late Miocene. However, the exact timing and rate of expansion of C, vegetation is unclear outside the Old World because of a lack of high-resolution records. We present a high-resolution record from northwest Argentina in which the S13C values of soil carbonate rise above a threshold of - 8%0, suggesting the presence of C, plants, starting at 7.3-6.7 Ma. Sr3C values of fossil teeth from well dated sections in South and North America display a concomitant increase of C, plants in the diets of large herbivores. These results show that the late Miocene expansion of C, plants was global, but occurred at different rates in each region. While it is has been suggested that declining pC0, levels during the late Neogene caused C, plant expansion, climate change, such as an increase in summer-dominated rainfall regimes globally, is an alternative explanation. The 6 "0 soil carbonate records from South Asia, East Africa and now also northwest Argentina all show an increase of at least 3-4%~ in the late Neogene, either the result of climate change or of greater evaporation in average grassland soils.
Attitudes of Critically Ill Filipino Patients and Their Families Toward Advance Directives

• BACKGROUND Advance directives are important but often underused tools in critical care. Healthcare professionals’ understanding of how culture influences attitudes toward advance directives can improve knowledge and completion of these documents. • OBJECTIVE To understand the attitudes of critically ill Filipino American patients and their families toward advance directives. • METHODS A descriptive, correlational, cross-sectional study with a convenience sample of 22 Filipino American patients and 22 Filipino American family members at a West Coast medical center. All patients were admitted for cardiac surgery or cardiac interventions. Participants were interviewed with the Advance Directive Attitude Survey and A Short Acculturation Scale for Filipino Americans. • RESULTS Family members’ scores were significantly more positive than patients’ scores on the attitude survey (P = .01). Family members were more American acculturated than were patients (P = .001). Family members with more education had more positive attitudes toward advance directives (P = .02). Only 2 patients (and no family members) had completed an advance directive before the study. Only 27.3% of family members had prior knowledge of advance directives. • CONCLUSION Overall attitudes toward advance directives were positive; however, the completion rate and knowledge of advance directives were low. Participants may have been saying what they thought the researcher wanted to hear in order to avoid disagreement. Such behavior could partly explain the positive attitudes of the Filipino Americans toward advance directives. Further research is warranted to understand how to increase completion rates for advance directives among Filipino Americans. (American Journal of Critical Care. 2005;14:17-25)
A high-resolution multistrain haplotype analysis of laboratory mouse genome reveals three distinctive genetic variation patterns.

The laboratory inbred mouse is the primary mammalian model organism for human disease research owing in part to its utility in identifying genetic components underlying complex common diseases in humans. However, identifying candidate genes by conventional mapping techniques after initial low-resolution mapping is a labor-intensive and time-consuming process. An accurate high-resolution multistrain haplotype map of the mouse genome may accelerate the discovery of causative variants in the initially large candidate regions. By making possible the comparison of haplotype structure across different inbred strains used in the crosses, researchers will be able to identify haplotype blocks that segregate in concert with phenotypic differences, thereby reducing the number of potential candidates for further analysis from hundreds to a more manageable number (Grupe et al. 2001; Park et al. 2003). Two previous studies, one by the Whitehead Institute (WI) (Wade et al. 2002) and the other by the Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation (GNF) (Wiltshire et al. 2003), have examined genome-wide genetic variation patterns in laboratory inbred strains using low-resolution SNP data. Both studies have concluded that there is lack of genetic heterogeneity in common laboratory mouse strains and that the majority of the haplotype blocks are >1 Mb long. In an earlier study, we constructed a multistrain, medium-resolution haplotype map of an 8-Mb region on Chromosome 19 (Park et al. 2003), which reveals a different pattern. Nonhomogeneous SNP density was observed across the region, and most of the haplotype blocks were only 80-100 kb long. Two recent studies (Frazer et al. 2004; Yalcin et al. 2004) independently conducted multistrain high-resolution SNP analyses of genomic regions of ∼5 Mb and in both cases reported the discovery of a complex haplotype structure. These detailed but regionally limited results suggest that higher-density SNP data across multiple strains might reveal a haplotype structure different from what was derived from low-density, pairwise strain analysis in the previous studies. To gain insight into the high-resolution haplotype structure of the common laboratory inbred mouse at the genome scale, we analyzed genetic variation patterns of 70,795 SNPs discovered from high-quality variations among the five laboratory strains in the Celera whole-genomic shotgun sequence of the 99-Mb mouse Chromosome 16 (Mural et al. 2002). The SNP density of this data set is 30-fold and 185-fold higher than those in the WI and GNF studies, respectively (Table 1). We discovered that the laboratory mouse genome is composed of three distinctive genetic variation patterns—large monomorphic haplotype blocks, large polymorphic haplotype blocks, and fragmented haplotype blocks—that are likely to be shaped by historic recombination as well as intra- and inter-subspecies variation. Table 1. Summary of SNP mapping from Celera, WI, and GNF data
Regulation of corneal inflammation by neutrophil‐dependent cleavage of keratan sulfate proteoglycans as a model for breakdown of the chemokine gradient

Keratocan and lumican are small, leucine-rich repeat KSPGs in the extracellular matrix (ECM) of the mammalian cornea, whose primary role is to maintain corneal transparency. In the current study, we examined the role of these proteoglycans in the breakdown of the chemokine gradient and resolution of corneal inflammation. LPS was injected into the corneal stroma of C57BL/6 mice, and corneal extracts were examined by immunoblot analysis. We found reduced expression of the 52-kD keratocan protein after 6 h and conversely, increased expression of 34/37 kD immunoreactive products. Further, appearance of the 34/37-kD proteins was dependent on neutrophil infiltration to the cornea, as the appearance of these products was coincident with neutrophil infiltration, and the 34/37-kD products were not detected in explanted corneas or in CXCR2 / corneas with deficient neutrophil recruitment. Furthermore, the 34/37-kD products and CXCL1/KC were detected in the anterior chamber, into which the corneal stroma drains; and CXCL1/KC was elevated significantly in keratocan / and lumican / mice. Together, these findings indicate that the inflammatory response in the cornea is regulated by proteoglycan/CXCL1 complexes, and their diffusion into the anterior chamber is consistent with release of a chemokine gradient and resolution of inflammation. J. Leukoc. Biol. 88: 517–522; 2010.
Scaling and Numerical Analysis of Nonuniform Waterjet Pump Inflows

Numerical simulations of the velocity fields entering the pump of a waterjet propelled ship have been performed to evaluate the level of nonuniformity in axial velocity. Nonuniform axial velocity entering the pump causes unsteady loading of the rotor blades resulting in noise and vibrations, and can increase the risk of rotor cavitation. The hull form modeled in this study is the R/V Athena, fitted with a waterjet propulsion system. Ship speeds correspond to Froude numbers between 0.34 and 0.84 and Reynolds numbers between 3.6 $\,\times {\hbox {10}}^{8}$ and 9.0 $\,\times {\hbox {10}}^{8}$ . The pump flow rate and shaft speed are determined via calm water resistance data from experiments and the pump curves for the axial flow pump. The numerical simulations are for steady, single phase flow and do not include free surface effects. In all of the numerical simulations, the hull draft is constant and the trim angle is fixed at 0 $^{\circ}$ (even keel). The variation in axial velocity is quantified by total distortion coefficient, harmonic components, and rotor section inflow angles. Using harmonic analysis, it is shown that the nondimensional wake entering the pump exhibits a mean axial velocity component that varies proportionally to nozzle velocity ratio (NVR) and harmonics of constant amplitude and phase, for all ship speeds. Thus, the wake pattern at any ship speed can be approximated using the harmonic content of the wake at one ship speed, and scaling the mean component of axial velocity. It is found that this hull and pump configuration resulted in the pump operating at a fixed pump flow coefficient for all ship speeds simulated. Thus, the average rotor section inflow angles are also constant over the speed range examined, which would be ideal for a rotor with a fixed pitch distribution as the mean angle of attack on a given rotor section will be independent of ship speed.
An exact solution to simultaneous technology mapping and linear placement problem

In this paper, we present an optimal algorithm for solving the simultaneous technology mapping and linear placement problem for tree-structured circuits with the objective of minimizing the post-layout area. The proposed algorithm relies on generation of gate-area versus cut-width curves using a dynamic programming approach. A novel design flow, which extends this algorithm to minimize the circuit delay and handle general DAG structures, is also presented. Experimental results on MCNC benchmarks are reported.
A Fast O(N log N) Finite Difference Method for the One-Dimensional Space-Fractional Diffusion Equation

This paper proposes an approach for the space-fractional diffusion equation in one dimension. Since fractional differential operators are non-local, two main difficulties arise after discretization and solving using Gaussian elimination: how to handle the memory requirement of O(N2) for storing the dense or even full matrices that arise from application of numerical methods and how to manage the significant computational work count of O(N3) per time step, where N is the number of spatial grid points. In this paper, a fast iterative finite difference method is developed, which has a memory requirement of O(N) and a computational cost of O(N logN) per iteration. Finally, some numerical results are shown to verify the accuracy and efficiency of the new method.
A parameter variation modeling approach for enterprise optimization

The past two decades have seen significant improvements in optimization modeling and software solvers for large-scale optimization problems, especially discrete problems. We feel that a critical feature of many of these systems is being overlooked. That is, the process control engineer adjusts process parameters while only considering the local efficiency or not considering process efficiency at all. Production control engineers, while optimizing the global system performance, consider process parameters as given and fixed, i.e., unchangeable. Combining the optimization of the process parameters with a global system view can significantly improve the overall system performance. In practice, "hot jobs" are treated in this ad hoc manner, making sure that all resources are available and operate at peak efficiency (minimum production time) for these critical products. This phenomenon occurs not only in manufacturing but also in many other industries. This modeling part of the optimization problem can be even more important than "optimal versus heuristic"-based solution decisions made. In this paper, we present an aggregative high-fidelity modeling approach and illustrate the formulation of parameter variability in three different domains: manufacturing, air travel, and food processing.
A universal power converter for emergency charging of electric vehicle batteries

An on-board electric vehicle battery charger capable of accepting AC or DC inputs in the range of 12 to 260 volts is described. The charger provides near-unity power factor and high efficiency for routine charging from AC sources, but can also be used to tap other sources of power in the event of an emergency. >
Comparisons of telomere lengths in peripheral blood and cerebellum in Alzheimer's disease

Abstract Background Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients have been reported to have shorter telomeres in peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs) than age-matched control subjects. However, it is unclear if PBL telomere length reflects brain telomere length, which might play a more direct role in AD pathogenesis. We examined the correlation between PBL and cerebellum telomere length in AD patients, and compared telomere lengths in cerebella from individuals with AD versus age-matched control subjects. Methods Mean telomere lengths were measured using quantitative telomere polymerase chain reaction of genomic DNA prepared from matched PBL and cerebellum samples from 29 individuals with pathologically confirmed sporadic AD. Telomere length was also measured in cerebellum samples of 30 AD patients versus 22 unaffected age-matched control subjects. Results The PBL and cerebellum telomere lengths were directly correlated in individuals with AD ( r = 0.42, P = 0.023). Nonetheless, cerebellum telomere lengths were not significantly different in AD patients and age-matched control subjects. Conclusions Reduced PBL telomere length in AD might not reflect reduced telomere length in bulk brain tissue, but may be a marker of changes in a subset of brain tissues or other tissues that affect the pathogenesis of AD.