cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Significance of a lateral Q wave following first anterior wall acute myocardial infarction

Abstract Left ventricular (LV) thrombus formation is a common complication of anterior wall acute myocardial infarction (AMI).1 However, not all patients with anterior AMI are at a similar risk for this complication. Indeed, we2 reported that severe distortion of LV shape was an independent predictor of LV thrombus formation. Therefore, we decided to test a clinical observation that in patients with a first anterior wall AMI, the development of lateral Q waves in addition to precordial Q waves is observed in those with distortion of LV contour. Because LV contour is an independent predictor of LV thrombus formation, we wished to extend this observation and determine whether the resting post-AMI electrocardiograms could be used to predict the presence or absence of LV thrombus.
Crystal Structure and Functional Analysis of the Herg Potassium Channel N-Terminus: A Eukaryotic Pas Domain

The HERG voltage-dependent K+ channel plays a role in cardiac electrical excitability, and when defective, it underlies one form of the long QT syndrome. We have determined the crystal structure of the HERG K+ channel N-terminal domain and studied its role as a modifier of gating using electrophysiological methods. The domain is similar in structure to a bacterial light sensor photoactive yellow protein and provides the first three-dimensional model of a eukaryotic PAS domain. Scanning mutagenesis of the domain surface has allowed the identification of a hydrophobic "hot spot" forming a putative interface with the body of the K+ channel to which it tightly binds. The presence of the domain attached to the channel slows the rate of deactivation. Given the roles of PAS domains in biology, we propose that the HERG N-terminal domain has a regulatory function.
Gonadal status-dependent effects of in vivo β-estradiol administration to female rats on in vitro epileptiform activity induced by low [Mg2+]o in combined hippocampus-entorhinal cortex slices

There are controversial data regarding estrogen effects on neuronal excitability. We investigated whether β-estradiol (EB) administration to ovariectomized (OVX) or gonadally intact female rats alters epileptiform activity within the dentate gyrus network induced in vitro by removing [Mg2+]o in combined hippocampus-entorhinal cortex slices. In vivo EB administration significantly influenced the epileptiform activity in gonadal status-dependent manner. The onset of epileptiform discharges was modestly delayed in slices from OVX rats replaced with physiologically relevant doses of EB but the number of discharges was not affected. In contrast, EB administration to gonadally intact rats had robust effects such that: EB delayed the onset of discharges but significantly increased their number within the dentate gyrus network. Our data suggest that EB in physiologically relevant concentrations does not seem to negatively affect hippocampal neuronal excitability, nevertheless supraphysiological EB levels may enhance seizure severity.
Influence of pumped-storage hydroelectric plant operation on a shallow polymictic lake: Predictions from 3-D hydrodynamic modeling

Abstract Pumped-storage hydroelectric plants play important roles in electrical supply grids by providing electricity during periods of peak demand, storing renewable energy and controlling supply frequency. The pumping of water from a lower lake or reservoir to an upper impoundment and the return of that water during power generation can strongly affect the properties of pumped-storage reservoirs, however. For example, plant operation has been found to delay, weaken or eliminate thermal stratification, resuspend bottom sediments and entrain organisms. The aim of this study was to better understand the impacts of a proposed pumped-storage facility on stratification, mixing and sediment resuspension in Lake Elsinore, a shallow, polymictic lake in southern California. Three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations were conducted using the Environmental Fluid Dynamics Code (EFDC). Model simulations demonstrated regular variations in the lake surface elevation of 0.24–0.5 m associated with pumping and generation,...
InP HBT integrated circuit technology with selectively implanted subcollector and regrown device layers

We describe a quasi-planar HBT process using a patterned implanted subcollector with a regrown MBE device layer. Using this process, we have demonstrated discrete SHBT with f/sub t/>250 GHz and DHBT with f/sub t/>230 GHz. The process eliminates the need to trade base resistance for extrinsic base/collector capacitance. Base/collector capacitance was reduced by a factor of 2 over the standard mesa device with a full overlap between the heavily doped base and subcollector regions. The low proportion of extrinsic base/collector capacitance enables further vertical scaling of the collector even in deep submicrometer emitters, thus allowing for higher current density operation. Demonstration ring oscillators fabricated with this process had excellent uniformity and yield with gate delay as low as 7 ps and power dissipation of 6 mW/CML gate. At lower bias current, the power delay product was as low as 20 fJ. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of high-performance HBTs and integrated circuits using a patterned implant on InP.
Properties of cytochrome P450 isoenzymes and their substrates Part 2: properties of cytochrome P450 substrates

Cytochrome P450 isoenzymes are pivotal in drug clearance. Part 1 of this two-part review, published in the October issue of Drug Discovery Today , described the active site characteristics of members of the P450 superfamily. This article describes the great increase in our understanding of the substrate requirements of the human cytochrome P450 family and highlights the relevance of this knowledge for the design of new therapeutic agents.
The UCLA Population Studies of Chronic Obstructive Respiratory Disease: 9. Lung Function Changes Associated with Chronic Exposure to Photochemical Oxidants; A Cohort Study among Never-Smokers

Two cohorts of never-smoking residents of Los Angeles were studied on two occasions five years apart. One cohort (N = 1,099) lived in a community with moderate levels of photochemical pollution and low levels of other pollutants, and the second (N = 1,117) lived in a community with very high levels of photochemical oxidant and relatively high levels of sulfates and particulates. Studies included measurement of forced expiratory volumes and flow rates and single-breath nitrogen washout, as well as use of a standardized questionnaire. The data represent 47 percent of 2,340 and 58 percent of 1,935 residents, respectively, of the original community samples. Mean baseline spirometry and nitrogen washout for those who were and those who were not retested were similar, reflecting the fact that loss to follow-up was primarily due to changes of residence. In the more polluted area there were significantly worse lung function test results for both men and women at baseline and significantly more rapid deterioration at follow-up. Mean changes in nitrogen washout were significantly greater in the more polluted community for both sexes and for all age groups including children. Most of the spirometric test results showed significantly more rapid decline among adults in the more polluted community. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that chronic exposures to a mix of photochemical oxidants, sulfates and particulates are associated with increased loss of lung function, which is especially marked among tests that reflect function of the small airways.
Altered HPA Axis Responsivity to Metyrapone Testing in Methadone Maintained Former Heroin Addicts with Ongoing Cocaine Addiction

Metyrapone testing, a provocation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis function, was performed in 39 in-patient subjects: 10 stable methadone-maintained former heroin addicts without ongoing drug or alcohol abuse or dependence (MM), eight methadone- maintained former heroin addicts without ongoing drug or alcohol abuse or dependence other than ongoing cocaine dependence (C-MM), and 21 normal volunteers (NV). Plasma adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) levels were determined in samples drawn at 9A.M., just before administration of 2.25 g metyrapone orally and 4 and 8 hours afterward. Following metyrapone, C-MM had levels of ACTH that were significantly higher than both MM (p < .05) and NV (p < .01); whereas, MM and NV had levels that were comparable. Area under the plasma ACTH curves yielded similar results. This study documents hyper-responsivity to removal of glucocorticoid negative feedback associated with cocaine addiction, even in the setting of methadone maintenance for heroin addiction, which here and previously has been shown to be associated with normalization of HPA axis function.
Fat grafting accelerates revascularisation and decreases fibrosis following thermal injury.

Summary Background Fat grafting has been shown clinically to improve the quality of burn scars. To date, no study has explored the mechanism of this effect. We aimed to do so by combining our murine model of fat grafting with a previously described murine model of thermal injury. Methods Wild-type FVB mice ( n =20) were anaesthetised, shaved and depilitated. Brass rods were heated to 100°C in a hot water bath before being applied to the dorsum of the mice for 10s, yielding a full-thickness injury. Following a 2-week recovery period, the mice underwent Doppler scanning before being fat/sham grafted with 1.5cc of human fat/saline. Half were sacrificed 4 weeks following grafting, and half were sacrificed 8 weeks following grafting. Both groups underwent repeat Doppler scanning immediately prior to sacrifice. Burn scar samples were taken following sacrifice at both time points for protein quantification, CD31 staining and Picrosirius red staining. Results Doppler scanning demonstrated significantly greater flux in fat-grafted animals than saline-grafted animals at 4 weeks (fat=305±15.77mV, saline=242±15.83mV; p =0.026). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) analysis in fat-grafted animals demonstrated significant increase in vasculogenic proteins at 4 weeks (vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF): fat=74.3±4.39ngml –1 , saline=34.3±5.23ngml –1 ; p =0.004) (stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1): fat=51.8±1.23ngml –1 , saline grafted=10.2±3.22ngml –1 ; p –1 ; p =0.002) (matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP9): saline=13.05±1.21ngml –1 , fat=6.83±1.39ngml –1 ; p =0.010). CD31 staining demonstrated significantly up-regulated vascularity at 4 weeks in fat-grafted animals (fat=30.8±3.39 vessels per high power field (hpf), saline=20.0±0.91 vessels per high power field (hpf); p =0.029). Sirius red staining demonstrated significantly reduced scar index in fat-grafted animals at 8 weeks (fat=0.69±0.10, saline=2.03±0.53; p =0.046). Conclusions Fat grafting resulted in more rapid revascularisation at the burn site as measured by laser Doppler flow, CD31 staining and chemical markers of angiogenesis. In turn, this resulted in decreased fibrosis as measured by Sirius red staining and chemical markers.
Stratospheric wave-mean flow interaction: Simple modeling

Abstract We show that the interaction between planetary waves and the stratospheric zonal mean flow results in bi-modal (direct-reverse flow) or unimodal state depending on wave number of the waves. First we demonstrate this using a simple non-linear dynamic system of the wave-flow interaction, which has two stable equilibrium states and one unstable state (attractors) in its phase space. Then we compare this model dynamics with the stratosphere dynamics using the same dynamical variables and a similar parameter range in the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Reanalysis data. This comparison supports the tendency for the states of planetary wave–zonal mean flow in the upper stratosphere to be bi-modal for wave number 2 and unimodal for wave number 1.
Formation by branches of envelope to parametric families of surfaces and curves

The existence of envelope to family of surfaces (curves in planar gearing) is usually discussed as existence of envelope formed by one branch of a regular surface (curve in planar gearing). The authors consider cases of formation of envelopes formed by several branches. Existence of such envelopes is represented for the cases of cycloidal pumps and conventional worm gear drives. The formation of envelope by several branches is represented analytically, rules for discovery of different envelope branches are proposed, and the existence of branches is illustrated graphically. The obtained results are important for computerized design of generation of surfaces and curves and enable to separate real and false branches of envelope.
Linking radiometals to proteins with bifunctional chelating agents

Bifunctional chelating agents contain a metal chelating group and a second functional group that is usually chemically reactive in nature. They allow stable attachment of radioactive metal ions to proteins and other biological molecules, for use as radiopharmaceuticals and in other applications. Their chemical synthesis, attachment to proteins, and reaction with metals are briefly reviewed. Propertiesin vivo of chelate-tagged transferrin, chelate-tagged antibody to the transferrin cell-surface receptor, and111indium-transferrin are compared.
Education for the functional divisions of engineering

The functional divisions of engineering are considered to be those functional divisions found within the highly organized industrial organizations, — namely, research, design, supervision (of physical plant and of physical and chemical processes), management (of labor and business features) and engineering sales. To provide a background for the discussion of the proposed reorganization of the engineering courses along these functional lines, the features of the existing engineering courses are first presented and briefly discussed. It is pointed out that the existing courses, while intended to provide a broad foundation for engineering work in general, are each intended to provide a more thorough and specific foundation for work in some one of the industrial divisions of the engineering field. The grounds for selection between the existing engineering courses are then discussed. The question is discussed as to whether the student and his counselors would not be required to consider and to choose between the more basic types of engineering if each major engineering course were laid out to provide the best foundation for one of the functional divisions of the engineering field. The general features of the proposed functional courses are discussed and contrasted with those of the existing courses. The need for more than one type of treatment of many of the subjects is presented and the conclusion is drawn that the distinctive general feature of the functional engineering courses should be the separate provision for the needs of men of superior aptitude and for those of moderate aptitude by profoundly technical and moderately technical treatments of the different branches of science, particularly of the mathematics and physics of the first two years. The distinctive features of each of the functional engineering courses and the conditions of transfer from one to the other are discussed. The merits and possibilities of a method of determining the student's aptitude for the work in an engineering college before enrolling him in the college, by requiring him to report before the opening of the school year for a month of work and counsel with mature educators, are pointed out. The closing discussion relates to the relative parts played by survey courses and by profoundly technical courses in the development of clear, trustworthy breadth of vision.
Periodic structure in the flagella of Brucella bronchiseptica.

Abstract The flagella of the bacterium Brucella bronchiseptica have the external contour of a counter-clockwise of left-handed triple helix. The average periodicity along the length of the flagella was measured as 190 angstroms with the average diameter of the flagella measuring 139 angstroms.
Calcium Ion Coordination: A Comparison with That of Beryllium, Magnesium, and Zinc

The coordination geometry of divalent calcium ions has been investigated by analyses of the crystal structures of small molecules containing this cation that are found in the Cambridge Structural Database, protein crystal structures in the Protein Databank, and by ab initio molecular orbital calculations on hydrated structures of the form Ca[H2O]n2+·mH2O, in which there are n water molecules in the first coordination shell and m water molecules in the second coordination shell (hydrogen bonded to water molecules in the first shell). Calcium ions in crystal structures generally bind to oxygen atoms in ligands (rather than any other element), and their preferred coordination numbers range from 6 to 8. In protein crystal structures the tendency of calcium to bind water molecules is less than for magnesium (1.5 versus 2.2 water molecules on the average per metal ion site, respectively). The ratio of bidentate to monodentate binding of calcium ions to carboxylate groups is similar for small molecules and prote...
Modeling of optical gain in InGaN-AlGaN and In/sub x/Ga/sub 1-x/N-In/sub y/Ga/sub 1-y/N quantum-well lasers

This paper presents computations of the optical gain in In/sub x/Ga/sub 1-x/N-In/sub y/Ga/sub 1-y/N and InGaN-AlGaN quantum-well lasers involving the contributions of excitons as well as free carriers transitions. The behavior of optical gain in GaN based quantum wells due to excitonic transitions is quite similar to that of ZnCdSe-ZnSSe system, as the magnitude of the exciton binding energies (/spl sim/30 meV) is comparable. The model compares the exciton emission energy with the experimental data reported on In/sub 0.22/Ga/sub 0.78/N-In/sub 0.06/Ga/sub 0.94/N multiple quantum wells as well as in GaN layers (cubic grown on 3C SiC), including the effect of strain induced band gap changes. The optical gain is also computed as a function of the injection current density for the InGaN-AlGaN multiple quantum-well lasers. The model evaluates the feasibility of obtaining GaN based blue and ultraviolet lasers. It is shown that the excitonic transitions reduce the threshold current density which is adversely affected by the presence of dislocations and other defects.
Teacher Engagement with Bullying: Managing an Identity within a School

Bullying is a social problem that is detrimental to a student's education. Teacher response is an important factor to reducing bullying, which is especially important at the elementary school level. While teachers show a greater understanding of the definition of bullying than students, they struggle to recognize and respond to bullying. Using 12 grade-specific focus groups of K–5th grade teachers, this study analyzed the disconnect between teachers' understanding of what bullying is and their perception of the experiences of bullying around them. Using a modified Ecological Model, examining the teacher experience, it was found that a whole-school response to bullying is needed to help teachers stem the academic definition of bullying into their workplace engagements, taking responsibility for changing the culture of bullying. Without school support, teachers sustained a more stereotypical perspective of bullying as they managed their teacher identities, struggling to avoid them being “spoiled.”
Consumption situations and the effects of brand image on consumers' brand evaluations

This research examines the role consumption situations play in determining the effects of brand image on consumers' brand evaluations. Results from the first experiment suggest that when consumption situations are experimentally manipulated for the same brand, conspicuousness does not significantly moderate the relative effects of actual and ideal congruence on brand evaluations. Further, marketers can manage the effects of image congruence (between brand image and self-image) by promoting varying consumption situations. Results from the second experiment demonstrate how a dynamic concept of situational ideal self-image (the image consumers perceive as being ideal to project in a particular situation) is a better predictor of brand attitudes than are static concepts of self-image such as actual and ideal self-image. Developing effective brand images must be coupled with a consideration of the potential situations in which the product is to be consumed. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Muscarinic agonist-mediated induction of long-term potentiation in rat cerebral cortex

A long-lasting potentiation (usually following an initial short depression) of neuronal evoked responses was induced in neurons of rat sensorimotor cortex after a single application of the muscarinic agonists, oxotremorine, McN-A-343, or oxotremorine-M. The potentiation was characterized as being of slow onset (several minutes), progressive development, long-lasting (for as long as two hours), and was evident for both glutamate- and acetylcholine-evoked neuronal discharges. Potentiation was manifested as an increase in the frequency and duration of the evoked neuronal discharges, in a dose-dependent fashion. Blockade could be achieved if a muscarinic antagonist (atropine, pirenzepine or gallamine) was applied prior to, but not after, development of the long-lasting potentiation. These results suggest that certain muscarinic agonists may be useful in reducing the memory deficits of patients with Alzheimer's disease.
Air Quality Model Evaluation Data for Organics. 5. C6−C22 Nonpolar and Semipolar Aromatic Compounds

The concentrations of 86 vapor-phase, semivolatile, and particle-phase aromatic compounds are measured during a severe Los Angeles photochemical smog episode. The measurements are part of a larger experiment designed to acquire a nearly complete description of organic air pollutants for use in verifying the predictions of photochemical airshed models for organics. Compound classes formed by grouping all aromatic hydrocarbons having the same number of aromatic rings show progressively declining concentrations as the number of aromatic rings is increased. Examination of the partitioning of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) between the gas and particle phases shows the transition from purely gaseous PAH at low molecular weight to purely particle-phase PAH at high molecular weight, with compounds such as the mutagen cyclopenta[cd]pyrene present about equally in both gas and particle phases. Primary aromatics, both the vapor-phase mono-aromatics and the PAH, show evidence of depletion by atmospheric chemical reaction over downwind transport with apparent depletion rates generally increasing as the degree of substitution of the aromatic rings increases. In contrast, many nitro-PAH and some oxy-PAH accumulate during downwind transport, consistent with their likely formation as products of atmospheric chemical reactions. Historical data generally show that aromatics concentrations declined substantially from the 1950s to the 1980s, but that concentrations measured during the present 1993 experiment are very similar to those measured during the mid-1980s including the August episode of the 1987 SCAQS experiment. The present experiment provides baseline data prior to the introduction of California Phase II reformulated gasoline that can be used in future years to examine the effect of the reduced aromatic content of that Phase II gasoline.
The effect of molding conditions on resin, colorant, stabilizer interactions in bisphenol-A polycarbonate containing ultramarine pigments

Even when formulated with heat stabilizers, clear ultramarine tinted bisphenol-A polycarbonate (BPA-PC) can become discolored when processed at too high a temperature or when scrap material is reprocessed too many times. In the past, it has not been clear if this discoloration was due to yellowing of the base resin or to degradation of the pigment or to some combination of the two processes. By taking advantage of the fact that the species responsible for the blue color in ultramarine pigments are paramagnetic sulfur compounds, electron paramagnetic resonance and visible spectroscopic studies were undertaken to assess the relative importance of the two processes under a range of processing conditions and to study the roles played by several common BPA-PC stabilizers in retarding and/or promoting them.
On the representation of modality

In this paper I argue that noun complement modality cannot be treated as dependent on the meanings of lexical embedding predicates or of abstract performatives. Using two types of complement modalities, I show that their meanings and restrictions remain distinct and invariable regardless of the meanings of their embedding predicates. Then, using embedding predicates that can take both types of modalities, I show that the embedding predicates retain their meanings, regardless of the different modalities of their complements, and they can undergo deletions requiring their identity.
Mood State Changes of Women as a Function of Regular Aerobic Exercise

The present study examined mood states of aerobic exercisers before and after completing a 15-wk. program. The subjects (ages 18 to 36 yr.) were 86 women enrolled in activity classes at a large state school in the southeast. Subjects were initially classified according to previous exercise habits. Analysis indicated both groups of frequent and infrequent exercisers were similar in mood states. Participation in regular exercise did not significantly change or enhance the mood states from pretreatment measures. Pretest measures of mood states provided poor prediction of posttest measures, indicating extreme variability in subjects' scores.
Research on Smart Shopper Feelings: An Extension

Drawing from Weiner's (1985) attributional theory, this study extends the research on smart shopper feelings by testing (1) the relationships involving all causal dimensions of attributions and (2) affective consequences as mediating the relationships between causal dimensions of attributions and behavioral consequences. The results reveal that consumers feel happier when they attribute a price discount's cause to an unstable reason and feel more appreciative if they think that sellers have control over discounts, and happiness completely mediates the relationship between internal locus and consumers' behavioral responses. This research has specific theoretical and practical implications in the context of smart shopper feelings.
East Asia's dynamic development model and the Republic of Korea's experiences

No region has been more dynamic in recent years than East Asia. Despite its successful economic development, evaluations of the East Asian development model have often been capricious, shifting from "miracle" to "cronyism." How can we explain East Asia's ups and downs consistently? To respond to this challenge, it is necessary to study the progress of East Asian development and to trace the influence of Asian cultural values. This study mainly focuses on cultural aspects of economic progress and analyzes East Asia's philosophical and historical backgrounds to explain the dynamic process. East Asians believe that balance between opposite but complementary forces, Yin and Yang, will ensure social stability and progress. Through repeated rebalancing to maintain harmony, the society comes to maturity. In traditional East Asian societies, a balance was maintained between Confucianism (Yang) and Taoism, Buddhism, and other philosophies (Yin). In modern societies, the challenge is to balance traditional systems (Yang) and Western style capitalism (Yin). This East Asian development model explains the Republic of Korea's rise, fall, and recovery. Korea was a poor country until the early 1960s, during the time when spiritualism (Yang) dominated. From the 1960s through the 1980s, Korea achieved rapid growth by finding a new balance and moving toward materialism (Yin) from spiritualism (Yang). But the failure to maintain a harmonious balance between cooperatism and collectivism (Yang) and individualism (Yin) led to major weaknesses in labor and financial markets that contributed significantly to the financial crisis in 1997. As Korea arrived at a new balance by instituting reform programs, the venture-oriented information and communication technology (ICT) industry blossomed and led to a rapid economic recovery. Since 2000, domestic financial scandals and political corruption have emerged as new social issues. Korea's next challenge is to find a new harmonization between moralism (Yang) and legalism (Yin). This paper - a product of the Office of the Senior Vice President and Chief Economist, Development Economics - is part of a larger effort in the Bank to examine institutional and cultural foundations of development across regions and countries.
Comparative Judgment of Temporal Duration in Conjunction with Contextual Variability: A Test of a Memory-Storage Model of Temporal Judgment:

To determine applicability of a memory-storage model of temporal judgment to discrimination of durations, a single dark dot was presented twice in each trial for the task of judging whether the second duration was longer or shorter than the first duration. The tendency to judge the second duration to be longer than the first one increased as a function of the interval separating the durations only when the interval varied from trial to trial. The over-all proportion of “longer” responses was not appreciably greater than the proportion of “shorter” responses.
Adaptive dose insertion in early phase clinical trials

Background and PurposeWe propose to adaptively insert new doses during the course of a dose-finding trial when none of the prespecified doses in the trial are acceptable, for example, have tolerabl...
2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin Inhibits Fibroblast Growth Factor 10-Induced Prostatic Bud Formation in Mouse Urogenital Sinus

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) dorsalizes the patternofprostaticbudsdevelopingfromtheurogenitalsinus(UGS) of male fetal mice, causing some buds to form in inappropriate positions while blocking formation of others. This teratogenic TCDD action significantly reduces prostate main duct number and causes ventral prostate agenesis in exposed males. The purpose of this study was to determine whether inhibition of fibroblast growth factor 10 (FGF10) signaling is mechanistically linked to mouse prostatic budding impairment by TCDD. In utero TCDD exposure induced aryl hydrocarbon receptor‐responsive cytochrome P450 1b1 messenger RNA (mRNA) in ventral UGS regions where Fgf10 and fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (Fgfr2) mRNA were expressed and where budding was most severely inhibited by TCDD. However, TCDD exposure did not reduce Fgf10 or Fgfr2 mRNA abundance in the UGS or alter their distribution. Addition of FGF10 protein to UGS organ culture media increased the abundance of UGS basal epithelial cells immunopositive for phosphorylated extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK). FGF10 also increased the number of 5-bromo-2#-deoxyuridine (BrdU)-labeled UGS epithelial cells and increased the number of prostatic buds formed per UGS. Addition of TCDD to UGS organ culture media didnot alter FGF10-induced ERK activation in UGS basal epithelium but prevented FGF10-induced BrdU incorporation and blocked FGF10-induced prostatic bud formation. These resultsidentify basal urogenital sinus epithelium cells as the keysite of FGF10 actionduringfetalprostate developmentandsuggestthat TCDD likely acts downstream of FGFR2 and ERK to restrict UGS
Surface reconstruction from unorganized points

This thesis describes a general method for automatic reconstruction of accurate, concise, piecewise smooth surfaces from unorganized 3D points. Instances of surface reconstruction arise in numerous scientific and engineering applications, including reverse-engineering--the automatic generation of CAD models from physical objects. Previous surface reconstruction methods have typically required additional knowledge, such as structure in the data, known surface genus, or orientation information. In contrast, the method outlined in this thesis requires only the 3D coordinates of the data points. From the data, the method is able to automatically infer the topological type of the surface, its geometry, and the presence and location of features such as boundaries, creases, and corners. The reconstruction method has three major phases: (1) initial surface estimation, (2) mesh optimization, and (3) piecewise smooth surface optimization. A key ingredient in phase 3, and another principal contribution of this thesis, is the introduction of a new class of piecewise smooth representations based on subdivision. The effectiveness of the three-phase reconstruction method is demonstrated on a number of examples using both simulated and real data. Phases 2 and 3 of the surface reconstruction method can also be used to approximate existing surface models. By casting surface approximation as a global optimization problem with an energy function that directly measures deviation of the approximation from the original surface, models are obtained that exhibit excellent accuracy to conciseness trade-offs. Examples of piecewise linear and piecewise smooth approximations are generated for various surfaces, including meshes, NURBS surfaces, CSG models, and implicit surfaces.
Mechanistic links between nonsense-mediated mRNA decay and pre-mRNA splicing in mammalian cells

Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) generally involves nonsense codon recognition by translating ribosomes at a position ∼25 nts upstream of a splicing-generated exon junction complex of proteins. As such, NMD provides a means to degrade abnormal mRNAs that encode potentially deleterious truncated proteins. Additionally, an estimated one-third of naturally occurring, alternatively spliced mRNAs is also targeted for NMD. Given the extraordinary frequency of alternative splicing together with data indicating that naturally occurring transcripts other than alternatively spliced mRNAs are likewise targeted for NMD, it is believed that mammalian cells routinely utilize NMD to achieve proper levels of gene expression.
How Democracies Lose Small Wars

How Democracies Lose Small Wars. By Gil Merom. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2003. 310p. $65.00 cloth, $22.99 paper. The essence of Gil Merom's argument in this book is that democratic strong actors cannot win small wars because these states are constrained by society to avoid the sacrifice—in both sustained and inflicted casualties—necessary to win: “My argument is that democracies fail in small wars because they find it extremely difficult to escalate the level of violence and brutality to that which can secure victory. They are restricted by their domestic structure, and in particular by the creed of some of their most articulate citizens and the opportunities their institutional makeup presents such citizens. Other states are not prone to lose small wars, and when they do fail in such wars it is mostly for realist reasons” (p. 15). Merom adds that “[e]ssentially, what prevents modern democracies from winning small wars is disagreement between state and society over expedient and moral issues that concern human life and dignity…. Achieving a certain balance between … the readiness to bear the cost of a war and the readiness to exact a painful toll from others—is a precondition for succeeding in war” (p. 19).
Preparing children and families for cardiac surgery: nursing interventions.

Preparation of children and families facing cardiac surgery is an essential nursing function. As pediatric nurses, we must be concerned about facilitating the child's emotional adjustment to hospitalization as well as assisting his/her parents to successfully cope with the many stressors placed on the child. In order to be effective in alleviating the child's anxieties and relieving parental fears, the nurse must be equipped with a thorough knowledge of cardiac anatomy and physiology; the usual preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative routines; and normal growth and development of children.Components of the preparation process include (a) preparation by the nurse, (b) assessment of the child to family, and (c) formation of an individualized teaching plan. Methods for achieving these goals will be discussed.
Benign tumors of the male breast

Abstract 1. 1. Twenty benign lesions of the male breast have been reviewed. 2. 2. One unusual case of lipoma of the male breast has been described in detail. 3. 3. Trauma was found to be an etiological factor in only two out of fourteen cases of gynecomastia. 4. 4. Average duration of symptoms prior to operation in the fourteen cases of gynecomastia was three and one-half years. 5. 5. The lesion was found nine times in the right breast and five times in the left breast. 6. 6. The etiology of gynecomastia is obscure.
A prebunched free electron laser

The narrow width of an rf-accelerated electron micropulse can be exploited to yield gain significantly higher than in the conventional FEL. If the micropulses are much shorter than the wavelength of the generated wave and the electrons are resonant with the FEL beat wave, then a low order prebunched FEL interaction results. All electrons lose energy to the wave
On the absence of rate loss in decentralized sensor and controller structure for asymptotic stability

We consider a noiseless multi-sensor LTI system where the initial state has a continuous density over a bounded set and the channels connecting the sensors to the controller are discrete and noiseless. We study the rate requirements for the stability of such a system. We show that when the overall system is stabilizable and detectable, the rate required for asymptotic stability is at most an arbitrarily small /spl epsi/ > 0 larger than /spl Sigma//sub |/spl lambda/i/| > 1 log/sub 2/(|/spl lambda//sub i/|) where /spl lambda//sub i/'s are the open-loop eigenvalues of the system. Thus, there is no loss in performance due to decentralization. We provide a sequential encoding scheme achieving this rate.
Geographic variation in litter size in the cotton rat (Sigmodon hispidus): factors influencing ovulation rate.

Litter size in many mammalian populations varies along a gradient of latitude or altitude. This investigation tested the hypothesis that geographic variation in litter size among populations of the cotton rat is the result of differences in ovulation rate. Oviducts and uteri of virgin and recently mated lab-reared descendants of cotton rats from Kansas (KS), Texas (TX), and Tennessee (TN) were flushed on the day following the last day of estrus. Ovulation rates differ significantly among the three populations for both virgins (mean ± SEM, KS = 5.3 ± 0.3, TX = 4.6 ± 0.5, and TN = 4.0 ± 0.5) and for females that have recently copulated (KS = 6.5 ± 0.3, TX = 5.7 ± 0.7, and TN = 3.7 ± 0.4; P<0.001). These nonvirgin females have significantly higher ovulation rates than virgins for KS and TX (P 0.01 and 0.05, respectively), but there is no significant effect of copulation on TN. In all populations, ovulation rates of rats that release ova from both ovaries (KS = 6.1 ± 0.2, TX = 5.9 ± 0.4, and TN = 5.1 ± 0.5) are significantly higher than those that use only one ovary (KS = 4.4 ± 0.4, TX = 3.3 ± 0.4, and TN = 3.2 ± 0.3; P<0.001). The number of ovaries ovulating differs significantly between populations (P = 0.002). The effect of copulation on the number of ovaries ovulating is marginally significant (P = 0.08). We conclude that geographic variation in litter size in the cotton rat results from differences in ovulation rate, ovulation rate is influenced by the number of ovaries ovulating, and copulation can increase ovulation rate in some populations.
Multiple Black Identities

Book reviewed in this article: Black Mosaic: Community, Race, and Ethnicity among Black Immigrants in Washington, DC. Portia James, curator.
Design, Simulation and Control of a 100 MW-Class Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Gas Turbine Hybrid System

A 100 MW-class planar solid oxide fuel cell, synchronous gas turbine hybrid system has been designed, modeled and controlled. The system is built of 70 functional fuel cell modules each containing 10 fuel cell stacks, a blower to recirculate depleted cathode air, a depleted fuel oxidizer and a cathode inlet air recuperator with bypass. The recuperator bypass serves to control the cathode inlet air temperature while the variable speed cathode blower recirculates air to control the cathode air inlet temperature. This allows for excellent fuel cell thermal management without independent control of the gas turbine, which at this scale will most likely be a synchronous generator. In concept the demonstrated modular design makes it possible to vary the number of cells controlled by each fuel valve, power electronics module, and recirculation blower, so that actuators can adjust to variations in the hundreds of thousands of fuel cells contained within the 100 megawatt hybrid system for improved control and reliability. In addition, the modular design makes it possible to take individual fuel cell modules offline for maintenance while the overall system continues to operate. Parametric steady state design analyses conducted on the system reveal that the overall fuel-to-electricity conversion efficiency of the current system increases with increased cathode exhaust recirculation. To evaluate and demonstrate the conceptualized design, the fully integrated system was modeled dynamically in Matlab–Simulink®. Simple proportional feedback with steady state feed-forward controls for power tracking, thermal management, and stable gas turbine operation were developed for the system. Simulations of the fully controlled system indicate that the system has a high efficiency over a large range of operating conditions, decent transient load following capability, fuel and ambient temperature disturbance rejection as well as the capability to operate with a varying number of fuel cell modules. The efforts here build upon prior work and combine the efforts of system design, system operation, component performance characterization and control to demonstrate hybrid transient capability in large-scale coal synthesis gas-based applications through simulation. Furthermore, the use of a modular fuel cell system design, the use of blower recirculation, and the need for integrated system controls are verified.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Measuring ultrashort optical pulses in the presence of noise: an empirical study of the performance of spectral phase interferometry for direct electric field reconstruction

We have measured the performance of a real spectral phase interferometry for direct electric field reconstruction (SPIDER) apparatus operating under suboptimal conditions. We analyzed the errors in SPIDER's measurements of the temporal phases and intensities of 50-fs ultrashort laser pulses as a function of the additive noise in the detected signal. It was found that SPIDER performs exceptionally well, particularly in the case of additive noise. Specifically, a signal with 10% noise yields a pulse that has a mere 2% error in its intensity profile and a phase that differs from the nominal value by 0.2 rad. Furthermore, we quantified SPIDER's performance with limited detector resolution and as a function of signal averaging.
Medical students’ perceptions of the importance of the medical database to patient care: Effects of clinical experience and specialty choice

Medical students in the class of 1986 were administered a questionnaire at the end of their second and fourth years regarding the importance of various components of the medical database to patient care. There was a significant decline in the importance attached to each component of the medical database during the 2‐year period of clinical exposure. However, the relative rankings remained similar. Students completing both questionnaires (n = 116) over the 2‐year period showed significant differences over time based on career choice. Students choosing pediatrics showed a decrease in the importance they placed on the technologic aspects of the database after their clinical education. Students entering internal medicine attached less importance to the physical examination and tests and procedures. Students selecting surgery attributed less importance to all subcomponents of the medical history, physical examination, and laboratory studies.
Effects of dietary FEB-200™ in late-gestation mares grazing endophyte-infected tall fescue

s / Theriogenology 68 (2007) 492–518 495 whereas Day 60 was used to monitor the potential delayed deleterious effect of PPR on fetus viability. The diagnosis of embryo/fetus death was made when there was no embryo/fetus heart beat, signs of embryo/fetus degeneration were observed, or when positive signs of pregnancy were absent in a cow/heifer previously diagnosed as pregnant. The overall embryo/fetus death between Days 30 and 60 was 12.8%. The percentage of pregnancy loss from Days 30 to 60 was 12%, 13.5% and 13% for NPAL, PAL-1 and PAL-2, respectively (P > 0.05). It was concluded, that palpation per rectum using one or two fetal membrane slips did not increase the pregnancy loss in dairy cattle.
Thin film LiNbO3 for integrated optic devices

Abstract Highly textured optical waveguides of thin film lithium niobate have been grown on sapphire and Si, including SiO2/Si, wafers using rf magnetron sputtering, metallo-organic decomposition (MOD), and photo-induced metallo-organic decomposition (PIMOD) techniques. The properties of films made by these techniques have been characterized by a variety of methods. Properties of optical waveguides and electrooptic modulators have been measured. Depending on the mode coupled in and the quality and thickness of the film, waveguide propagation loss as low as 0.9 dB/cm has been measured at 633 nm for the LiNbO3/Al2O3 structure. Moreover, the lowest propagation loss in the LiNbO3 waveguides on SiO2/Si has been determined to be 1.9 dB/cm. The electro-optic coefficient r33 of the as-grown LiNbO3 films has been measured to be 10.7 × 10−12 m/V.
Conserved syntenic clusters of protein coding genes are missing in birds.

Background: Birds are one of the most highly successful and diverse groups of vertebrates, having evolved a number of distinct characteristics, including feathers and wings, a sturdy lightweight skeleton and unique respiratory and urinary/excretion systems. However, the genetic basis of these traits is poorly understood. Results: Using comparative genomics based on extensive searches of 60 avian genomes, we have found that birds lack approximately 274 protein coding genes that are present in the genomes of most vertebrate lineages and are for the most part organized in conserved syntenic clusters in non-avian sauropsids and in humans. These genes are located in regions associated with chromosomal rearrangements, and are largely present in crocodiles, suggesting that their loss occurred subsequent to the split of dinosaurs/birds from crocodilians. Many of these genes are associated with lethality in rodents, human genetic disorders, or biological functions targeting various tissues. Functional enrichment analysis combined with orthogroup analysis and paralog searches revealed enrichments that were shared by non-avian species, present only in birds, or shared between all species. Conclusions: Together these results provide a clearer definition of the genetic background of extant birds, extend the findings of previous studies on missing avian genes, and provide clues about molecular events that shaped avian evolution. They also have implications for fields that largely benefit from avian studies, including development, immune system, oncogenesis, and brain function and cognition. With regards to the missing genes, birds can be considered ‘natural knockouts’ that may become invaluable model organisms for several human diseases.