cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Acyclic join dependency and data base projections

Abstract Suppose that the contents of a data base can be viewed as a (universal) instance I which satisfies a given join dependency, and that the corresponding components (i.e., projections), rather than I itself, are stored in the data base. A condition on projections of a subset of these components of I , sufficient to imply that they can be used to compute the projection of I onto some fixed set of attributes, is obtained. This condition is shown to be necessary in case the original join dependency is acyclic. To obtain these results, a new characterization of acyclic join dependency, based on “structured edge-trees,” is given. The characterization is used to obtain a variety of results on acyclic join dependency and a modification of the Graham reduction process.
High-resolution methods for two-component fluid flow problem with moving interface

This work is devoted to the numerical simulation of two--component fluid flow. Projection methods are used for solving the Navier-Stokes equations and high-resolution methods are used for solving the advection equation formulated for a volume fraction describing the location of the interface between the fluid components.
The Neumann boundary problem for a nonlocal Cahn–Hilliard equation

We study the existence, uniqueness and continuous dependence on initial data of the solution to a nonlocal Cahn–Hilliard equation on a bounded domain. The equation generates a gradient flow for a free energy functional with nonlocal interaction. Also we apply a nonlinear Poincare inequality to show the existence of an absorbing set in each constant mass affine space.
Tracking an unknown two-frequency reference using a frequency estimator-based servocompensator

In this work, we address the tracking problem for an unknown reference comprised of two sinusoids. We propose an adaptive servocompensator based on a pair of frequency estimators. Slow adaptation is used to create three time scales within the closed-loop system, corresponding to the controller and plant dynamics, fast frequency estimate, and slow frequency estimate. Stability of the boundary-layer system, comprised of the servocompensator and plant dynamics, is achieved with a stabilizing controller. Novel nonlinear analysis is then performed on the average system to show global asymptotic stability. The algorithm's performance is verified by experiments conducted on a commercial nanopositioner, and its performance is shown to be comparable to that of iterative learning control.
Sampling an RF-Powered Glow Discharge Source with a Double Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer

A double quadrupole mass spectrometer has been assembled to perform collision-induced dissociation (CID) of molecular ions sampled from a radio-frequency (rf) powered glow discharge atomization/ionization source. Low-energy (Elab = 20 and 40 eV) collisions with argon target atoms efficiently dissociate species of the form M2+, MAr+, MO+, and Ar2+, and residual gas species. Exemplary CID mass spectra illustrate the enhanced reduction of potential molecular isobars relative to scattering losses of analyte (atomic) ions.
Generalized Inverse of a Reduced Gravity Primitive Equation Ocean Model and Tropical Atmosphere–Ocean Data

A nonlinear 2‰-layer reduced gravity primitive equations (PE) ocean model is used to assimilate sea surface temperature (SST) data from the Tropical Atmosphere‐Ocean (TAO) moored buoys in the tropical Pacific. The aim of this project is to hindcast cool and warm events of this part of the ocean, on seasonal to interannual timescales. The work extends that of Bennett et al., who used a modified Zebiak‐Cane coupled model. They were able to fit a year of 30-day averaged TAO data to within measurement errors, albeit with significant initial and dynamical residuals. They assumed a 100-day decorrelation timescale for the dynamical residuals. This long timescale for the residuals reflects the neglect of resolvable processes in the intermediate coupled model, such as horizontal advection of momentum. However, the residuals in the nonlinear PE model should be relatively short timescale errors in parameterizations. The scales for these residuals are crudely estimated from the upper ocean turbulence studies of Peters et al. and Moum. The assimilation is performed by minimizing a weighted least squares functional expressing the misfits to the data and to the model throughout the tropical Pacific and for 18 months. It is known that the minimum lies in the ‘‘data subspace’’ of the state or solution space. The minimum is therefore sought in the data subspace, by using the representer method to solve the Euler‐Lagrange (EL) system. Although the vector space decomposition and solution method assume a linear EL system, the concept and technique are applied to the nonlinear EL system (resulting from the nonlinear PE model), by iterating with linear approximations to the nonlinear EL system. As a first step, the authors verify that sequences of solutions of linear iterates of the forward PE model do converge. The assimilation is also used as a significance test of the hypothesized means and covariances of the errors in the initial conditions, dynamics, and data. A ‘‘strong constraint’’ inverse solution is computed. However, it is outperformed by the ‘‘weak constraint’’ inverse. A cross validation by withheld data is presented, as well as an inversion with the model forced by the Florida State University winds, in place of a climatological wind forcing used in the former inversions.
Modulation of two functionally distinct Ca2+ stores in astrocytes: role of the plasmalemmal Na/Ca exchanger.

Mechanisms that regulate the amount of releasable Ca 2+ in intracellular stores of cultured mouse astrocytes were investigated using digital imaging of fura-2 loaded cells. At rest, the cytoplasmic Ca 2+ concentration, [Ca 2+ ] cyt , was about 110 nM. In the absence of extracellular Ca 2+ , cyclopiazonic acid (CPA), an inhibitor of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca 2+ -ATPase, induced a transient, four-fold increase in [Ca 2+ ] cyt due to the release of Ca 2+ from inositol triphosphate (IP 3 ) sensitive stores. Caffeine (CAF), which releases Ca 2+ from Ca 2+ -sensitive stores, induced a two-fold increase in [Ca 2+ ] cyt . The CPA- and CAF-sensitive stores could be released independently. Changes in the amplitudes of the Ca 2+ transients were taken as a measure of changes in store content. Removal of extracellular Na + or addition of ouabain, which inhibit Ca 2+ extrusion and promote Ca 2+ entry across the plasmalemma via the Na/Ca exchanger, caused minimal increases in resting [Ca 2+ ] cyt but greatly potentiated both CPA- and CAF-induced Ca 2+ transients. The amount of Ca 2+ releasable from the IP 3 (CPA) sensitive store was directly proportional to cytosolic Na + concentration (i.e., inversely proportional to the transmembrane Na + electrochemical gradient). Under these reduced Na + gradient conditions, little, if any, Ca 2+ destined for the ER stores enters the cells through voltage-dependent Ca 2+ channels. These results demonstrate that mouse astrocytes contain two distinct ER Ca 2+ stores, the larger, IP 3 - (CPA-) sensitive, and the smaller, Ca 2+ - (CAF-) sensitive. The Ca 2+ content of both ER stores can be regulated by the Na/Ca exchanger. Thus, the magnitude of cellular responses to signals that are mediated by Ca 2+ release induced by the two second messengers, IP 3 and Ca 2+ , can be modulated by factors that affect the net transport of Ca 2+ across the plasmalemma.
Theory of fast capillary gas chromatography. Part 1: Column efficiency

Typically, fast GC requires high column pressure drop. Under that condition, known relations do not provide a complete description of dependence of [apparent] plate height, ĥ, on average velocity, u, of carrier gas. A complete descriptions for ĥ vs. u is derived and analyzed. It is shown that, under the high pressure drop, ĥ = B/u2 + C1u2 + C2u. This is substantially different from the Van Deemter equation ĥ = B/u + Cu for the low pressure drop. Analytical expressions for the minimum plate height and for the respective optimum u under the high pressure drop are derived and analyzed.
Myself and Other Less Important Subjects

Myself and Other Less Important Subjects is Caspar Hare’s reworked doctoral thesis, in which he defends a type of solipsism he calls “egocentric presentism” (8). Hare argues that egocentric present...
Nuclear receptor coregulators: modulators of pathology and therapeutic targets

The nuclear receptor superfamily includes transcription factors that transduce steroid, thyroid and retinoid hormones and other ligands in conjunction with coregulators. To date, over 350 coregulators have been reported in the literature, and advances in proteomic analyses of coregulator protein complexes have revealed that a far greater number of coregulator-interacting proteins also exist. Coregulator dysfunction has been implicated in diverse pathological states, genetic syndromes and cancer. A hallmark of disease related to the disruption of normal coregulator function is the pleiotropic effect on animal physiology, which is frequently manifested as the dysregulation of metabolic and neurological systems. Coregulators have broad physiological and pathological functions that make them promising new drug targets for diseases such as hormone-dependent cancers. Advances in proteomics, genomics and transcriptomics have provided novel insights into the biology of coregulators at a system-wide level and will lead the way to a new understanding of how coregulators can be evaluated in the context of complex and multifaceted genetic factors, hormones, diet, the environment and stress. Ultimately, better knowledge of the associations that exist between coregulator function and human diseases is expected to expand the indications for the use of future coregulator-targeted drugs.
Temperature dependence of outer hair cell nonlinear capacitance

The temperature dependence of outer hair cell motility-related gating current and capacitance was evaluated under whole-cell voltage clamp. Temperature change caused a shift of these voltage-dependent functions along the voltage axis, with a decrease in temperature causing a negative shift in the voltage at peak capacitance (Vpkcm) of 19.2 mV per 10 degrees C. Gating current kinetics showed only mild temperature dependence, the Q10 being about 1.5. Temperature is speculated to affect outer hair cell (OHC) mechanical gain and frequency response by alterations in lateral membrane viscoelastic properties. Such temperature-dependent effects on the OHC may mediate known temperature effects on in vivo cochlear physiology.
Differentiation in vitro of mouse embryos to the stage of early somite.

Abstract Mouse blastocysts continuously differentiate in vitro to the early somite stage with reconstituted rat tail collagen as the substrate for the attachment. In order for this to occur, it appears that two differentiation barriers must be overcome. The first, the formation of egg cylinders from the inner cell mass, can be overcome by incubating embryos in heat-inactivated fetal calf serum. The second, the formation of the early somite from the presomite stage, can be overcome by replacing fetal calf serum with human cord serum. Mouse blastocysts were initially incubated with calf serum in Eagle's minimum essential medium. After shedding the zona pellucida, the denuded blastocysts lay flat on the surface of the collagen. Soon thereafter, trophoblastic cells invaded the underlying collagen leaving the rounded inner cell mass protruding from the surface of the collagen. By replacing calf serum in the medium with fetal calf serum the inner cell mass differentiated into endoderm and ectoderm to form an egg cylinder. The egg cylinder rapidly became elongated and formed extraembryonic and embryonic regions. However, the embryonic region shrank from this point on in the fetal calf serum, and the resulting yolk sac formation did not contain the embryo proper. When fetal calf serum was replaced with human cord serum at the end of the egg cylinder stage (equivalent to embryos of about 7.5 days gestation) neural tissue, cardiac chambers, and somites were formed.
An Antibody Against the Exosite of the Cloned Thrombin Receptor Inhibits Experimental Arterial Thrombosis in the African Green Monkey

Background Thrombin inhibitors have been shown to be efficacious in animal models of thrombosis and in initial human clinical trials. It is unknown if their efficacy is due to their prevention of thrombin-mediated fibrin formation or to an inhibitory effect on thrombin-stimulated platelet activation. Appropriate tools to address this question have not been available. Therefore, to evaluate the role of the platelet thrombin receptor in intravascular thrombus formation, a polyclonal antibody was raised against a peptide derived from the thrombin-binding exosite region of the cloned human thrombin receptor. This antibody serves as a selective inhibitor of the thrombin receptor for in vivo evaluation. Methods and Results The immune IgG (IgG 9600) inhibited thrombin-stimulated aggregation and secretion of human platelets. In contrast, it had no effect on platelet activation induced by other agonists including ADP, collagen, or the thrombin receptor–derived peptide SFLLR-NH2. IgG 9600 also inhibited thrombin-in...
Dual properties of spacetime under an alternative Lorentz transformation

In flat spacetime, the fourth space coordinate in special relativity (SR) is equivalent to the coordinate time tE. We will show, however, that this definition of physical time is not unique. Another natural choice of coordinate time, tA, with absolute synchronization is allowed. Spacetime would exhibit dual properties, namely relativistic and absolute. In an arbitrary inertial frame, the relationship of the above two kinds of coordinate time corresponds to a resynchronization, and the Lorentz transformations can be written in an alternative form, which is called the generalized Galilean transformation (GGT). Although the absolute property is still hidden in nearly all types of experiments, the advantages of the above approach are as follows: (1) It will give us a deeper understanding of SR, including the basis of length contraction, time dilation and the interaction between moving objects and the physical vacuum. (2) It will provide a wider research domain than SR; for example, superluminal motion is predicted and has obtained growing experimental support.
Optimal Estimation of Blood Insulin From Blood Glucose

Plasma insulin estimation from plasma glucose has been proposed in order to avoid hyperinsulinemia in the control of diabetes. This paper presents an estimator with error feedback based on measured and predicted plasma glucose designed to tolerate measurement noise as well as discretization error by means of the H∞ criterion. The proposed estimator is tested and evaluated using synthetic patient data.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Generalized differentiation and bi-Lipschitz nonembedding in L1⁎

Abstract We consider Lipschitz mappings, f : X → V , where X is a doubling metric measure space which satisfies a Poincare inequality, and V is a Banach space. We show that earlier differentiability and bi-Lipschitz nonembedding results for maps, f : X → R N , remain valid when R N is replaced by any separable dual space. We exhibit spaces which bi-Lipschitz embed in L 1 , but not in any separable dual V. For certain domains, including the Heisenberg group with its Carnot–Caratheodory metric, we establish a new notion of differentiability for maps into L 1 . This implies that the Heisenberg group does not bi-Lipschitz embed in L 1 , thereby proving a conjecture of J. Lee and A. Naor. When combined with their work, this has implications for theoretical computer science. To cite this article: J. Cheeger, B. Kleiner, C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 343 (2006).
Walk-out patients in the hospital emergency department.

Four hundred twenty-six patients walked out of The Johns Hopkins Hospital Adult Emergency Department before being treated between April 1976 and March 1977. Of these, 179 were matched for sex, race, age, shift and presenting complaint with controls to identify the distinguishing characteristics of walk-out patients. Walkout patients have recent onset of symptoms, report a great deal of pain and discomfort at the time of initial visit, and wait a relatively short period of time before walking out. They are, however, likely to report little continuing pain or discomfort one to two weeks after followup, although they believe that they still need care. Walk-out patients do not seem to be exposed to objectively worse treatment in the emergency department but seem to have less subjective tolerance for waiting.
Solubilization and partial characterization of phospholipase A from rat heart sarcoplasmic reticulum.

Abstract Phospholipase A has been solubilized from the sarcoplasmic reticulum of rat heat by treatment with Tris buffer, potassium chloride, taurodeoxycholate or octyl glucoside. On HPLC gel permeation, two phospholipases were identified at the void volume of a TSK 3000 column and at an apparent molecular mass of 60 kDa. The two activity peaks exhibited a predominance of phospholipase A 1 activity (83–91%) and a lesser phospholipase C activity (4–9%) using sonicated 1-palmitoyl-2[1- 14 C]oleoylphosphatidylcholine liposomes as substrate. The voiding phospholipase A peak, which represented the bulk of the recovered activity, exhibited a requirement for calcium ions in the 0.3–3 μM range. The heat stability and response to mercuric ions was studied and some similarities were noted between the solubilized sarcoplasmic reticulum phospholipases A and the cytosolic phospholipases A of rat heart. It is speculated that the cytosolic phospholipase A which we reported earlier may represent in part phospholipase A released from sarcoplasmic reticulum during isolation of the subcellular membrane fractions.
Enantioselective hydride abstraction in organic substrates: a novel use for chiral carbenium ions.

It is surprising that chiral cations have not been used to distinguish between prochiral hydrides when converse notions, such as asymmetric addition of a hyride to a prochiral functional group or use of a chiral anion to distinghish between a pair of prochiral protons, are methods employed everyday in enantioselective synthesis. To the best of our knowledge, this Letter describes the first example of an oxidative enantioselective hydride transfer process.
DNA deamination enables direct PCR amplification of the cystatin B (CSTB) gene-associated dodecamer repeat expansion in myoclonus epilepsy type Unverricht-Lundborg†

The Unverricht-Lundborg type of progressive myoclonus epilepsy (EPM1) is an autosomal recessive disorder that is caused by the dysfunction of the cystatin B (CSTB) gene product. In the vast majority of affected cases, mRNA transcription is impaired by a biallelic expansion of a dodecamer repeat within the 5'-untranslated region of the respective gene. Since this minisatellite contains exclusively G and C nucleotides, direct PCR analysis of allele expansion is extremely difficult and error prone. To circumvent these problems, we have developed a PCR assay that is based on the deamination of the DNA prior to amplification. We have developed a method based on PCR after DNA deamination of the GC-rich repeat region, which improves the PCR condition to such an extent that we were not only able to reliably amplify expanded alleles of affected individuals (homozygotes and compound heterozygotes), but also the two alleles of full mutation carriers, whose analysis is particularly difficult because of PCR bias and heteroduplex formation between the two alleles. We used promoter- and repeat-specific primer combinations to investigate whether dodecamer repeat expansion concurs with de novo methylation of the CSTB gene promoter in a similar fashion to other repeat expansion syndromes. We confirmed previous evidence obtained by HpaII digestion and Southern blot analysis that both the promoter and the repeat regions are unmethylated, in both healthy and affected individuals. Thus, in contrast to certain trinucleotide repeat expansion-associated diseases, such as fragile X syndrome (FRAXA) and myotonic dystrophy, methylation analyses can not be utilized for indirect diagnostic testing.
Genetic variation, nucleotide diversity, and linkage disequilibrium in seven telomere stability genes suggest that these genes may be under constraint†‡

To maintain chromosomal integrity and to protect the ends of chromosomes against recognition as damaged DNA, end-to-end fusion, or recombination, a coordinated set of genes is required to stabilize the telomere. We surveyed common genetic variation in seven genes that are vital to telomere stability (TERT, POT1, TNKS, TERF1, TINF2, TERF2, and TERF2IP) and validated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in four different ethnic groups (n=118 total). Overall, our data show limited degrees of nucleotide diversity in comparison with data from other gene families. We observed that these genes are highly conserved in sequence between species, and that for nearly all of the coding SNPs the most common allele is ancestral (i.e., it is observed in primate sequences). Our findings support the hypothesis that genetic variation in a pathway that is critical for telomere stability may be under constraint. These data establish a foundation for further investigation of these genes in population-genetics, evolution, and disease-association studies. Hum Mutat 26(4), 343–350, 2005. Published 2005, Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Economic efficiency and optimum stocking densities in fish polyculture: an application of data envelopment analysis (DEA) to Chinese fish farms.

Abstract Polyculture is commonly practiced in pond aquaculture where several fish species are reared together, creating a multi-output production structure. This study applied a nonparametric data envelopment analysis (DEA) technique for multiple outputs to: (1) measure economic or `revenue' efficiency and its technical and allocative components for a sample of Chinese polyculture fish farms; and (2) derive the optimum stocking densities for different fish species. The mean economic efficiency was estimated to be 0.74. Technical inefficiencies accounted for most of the production inefficiencies in Chinese fish farms. On average, farmers should increase grass carp and decrease black carp stocking rates. Smaller farms and those from the developed regions were found to be relatively more technically and economically efficient.
Controlled particle removal from surfaces by electrodynamic methods for terrestrial, lunar, and Martian environmental conditions

An Electrodynamic Dust Shield to remove already deposited micron-size particles from surfaces and to prevent the accumulation of such particles on surfaces has been developed. In addition to terrestrial application, our NASA laboratory is adapting this technology for the dusty and harsh environments of the Moon and Mars. The Apollo missions to the moon showed that lunar dust can hamper astronaut surface activities due to its ability to cling to most surfaces. NASA's Mars exploration landers and rovers have also shown that the problem is equally hard if not harder on Mars. In this paper, we show that an appropriate design can prevent the electrostatic breakdown at the low Martian atmospheric pressures. We are also able to show that uncharged dust can be lifted and removed from surfaces under simulated Martian environmental conditions. This technology has many potential benefits for removing dust from visors, viewports and many other surfaces as well as from solar arrays. We have also been able to develop a version of the electrodynamic dust shield working under hard vacuum conditions. This version should work well on the moon. We present data on the design and optimization of both types of dust shields as well substantial data on the clearing factors for transparent dust shields designed to protect solar panels for Martian exploration.
A simple miniature optical spectrometer with a planar waveguide grating coupler in combination with a plano-convex lens.

A miniature optical spectrometer with a thin-film planar waveguide grating coupler in combination with a miniature plano-convex focusing lens has been investigated. With optical part of the spectrometer as small as 0.2 cubic cm, the spectral resolution varies from 0.3 nm to 4.6 nm within the wavelength range 488.0 nm – 632.8 nm.
Role of ductile shearing in the concentration of radon in the Brookneal zone, Virginia

A positive correlation exists among surface gamma radiation, uranium concentration, and the angles between C and S bands in mylonite and radon in the soils overlying the Brookneal zone of the southwest Virginia Piedmont. Part of the Brookneal zone lies within the compositionally homogeneous Melrose granite, which is undeformed to the west of the zone. The angle between C and S bands in mylonitic Melrose granite varies from 43{degree} in the westernmost protomylonte to near 0{degree} in the easternmost ultramylonite. Radon in the overlying soils increase from 450 picocuries/litre (pCi/L) in underformed granite to as much as 4100 pCi/L in ultramylonite. In undeformed granite, uranium is hosted in titanite and zircon. During mylonitization, uranium was redistributed into the foilation and is associated with hematite and fine-grained monazite. Uranium, however, is in constant proportion to thorium, indicating little introduction of new uranium into the mylonite zone. An increase in the uranium concentration from 1 to 2 ppm in undeformed granite to 7 to 8 ppm in ultramylonite may be the result of volume loss during shearing.
Steklov-Neumann eigenproblems and nonlinear elliptic equations with nonlinear boundary conditions

Abstract We study the solvability of nonlinear second order elliptic partial differential equations with nonlinear boundary conditions. We introduce the notion of “eigenvalue-lines” in the plane; these eigenvalue-lines join each Steklov eigenvalue to the first eigenvalue of the Neumann problem with homogeneous boundary condition. We prove existence results when the nonlinearities involved asymptotically stay, in some sense, below the first eigenvalue-lines or in a quadrilateral region (depicted in Fig. 1) enclosed by two consecutive eigenvalue-lines. As a special case we derive the so-called nonresonance results below the first Steklov eigenvalue as well as between two consecutive Steklov eigenvalues. The case in which the eigenvalue-lines join each Neumann eigenvalue to the first Steklov eigenvalue is also considered. Our method of proof is variational and relies mainly on minimax methods in critical point theory.
Call for Strategy and Action in IPS

As I read through the first two issues of International Political Sociology , I was struck by the following questions: Each of the articles in these issues asks one or more of these questions. Alas, the answers they seem to offer are not pretty ones. The “international political sociology” of the 21st century, it would appear, is about watching, compiling, quantifying, analyzing, tracking and controlling the behavior, and location of each and every individual, …
Target analysis studies of red cell water and urea transport

Radiation inactivation was used to determine the nature and molecular weight of water and urea transporters in the human red cell. Red cells were frozen to -50 degrees C in a cryoprotectant solution, irradiated with 1.5 MeV electrons, thawed, washed and assayed for osmotic water and urea permeability by stopped-flow light scattering. The freezing and thawing process did not affect the rates of water or urea transport or the inhibitory potency of p-chloromercuribenzenesulfonate (pCMBS) on water transport and of phloretin on urea transport. Red cell urea transport inactivated with radiation (0-4 Mrad) with a single target size of 469 +/- 36 kDa. 40 microM phloretin inhibited urea flux by approx. 50% at each radiation dose, indicating that urea transporters surviving radiation were inhibitable. Water transport did not inactivate with radiation; however, the inhibitory potency of 2.5 mM pCMBS decreased from 86 +/- 1% to 4 +/- 9% over a 0-2 Mrad dose range. These studies suggest that red cell water transport either required one or more low-molecular-weight proteins, or is lipid-mediated, and that the pCMBS-binding site which regulates water flow inactivates with radiation. These results also suggest that red cell urea transport is mediated by a specific, high-molecular-weight protein. These results do not support the hypothesis that a band 3 dimer (190 kDa) mediates red cell osmotic water and urea transport.
The Social Interactive Coding System (SICS): An On-Line, Clinically Relevant Descriptive Tool.

The Social Interactive Coding System was designed to describe the continuous verbal interactions of preschool children as a function of play areas, addressees, script codes, and play levels. The ta...
Increased c-Ki-ras expression in hamster lung exposed to N-nitrosodiethylamine and hyperoxia as detected by the polymerase chain reaction.

Neuroendocrine lung cancers can be induced in hamsters within 8–12 weeks by combined exposure to N-nitrosodiethylamine (DEN) and hyperoxia. The expression of the c-Ki-ras gene in this lung cancer model was studied using polymerase chain reaction analysis of mRNA (RNAPCR). We used four different groups of hamsters, exposed for 6 weeks to DEN with hyperoxia (60% oxygen), DEN, hyperoxia, or ambient air, respectively. Total RNA was isolated from lung tissues and cDNA made prior to PCR amplification. A 234-bp product was amplified from c-Ki-ras cDNA and quantitated using scanning laser densitometry. The data obtained were normalized to the expression of the house keeping gene B-actin. The c-Ki-ras products were present after amplification of all hamster lung RNA samples. The hamster lungs exposed to DEN with hyperoxia displayed higher c-Ki-ras protooncogene expression than hamsters exposed to DEN, hyperoxia, or ambient air alone. Since the animals studied were sacrificed at 6 weeks, prior to the appearance of tumors, we conclude that this increased expression may indicate a role for c-Ki-ras in the initial steps in malignant transformation of neuroendocrine cells.
Determinants of spirometry use and accuracy of COPD diagnosis in primary care.

Background It is unclear if primary care physicians are following guidelines or using other patient characteristics and factors to determine when to perform spirometry in patients at risk for COPD. It is also unclear to what degree a diagnosis of COPD is accurately reflected by spirometry results.
Structuring Experiential Learning Through Experimentation

The article focuses on an experimental approach to experiential learning. An undergraduate course about group problem solving was restructured around the scientific method of inquiry. A model developed by the class contained three categories of variables that impact an individual's behavior in problem-solving groups--individual or personality, interpersonal or role, and environmental or task characteristics. An example is given of students' interpretations of the effect of group-decision strategies. Six steps for implementing an experiential course include: structuring phenomena in a conceptual model; selecting exercises that will illustrate variables; and developing standard observation methods, as well as a system for data analysis.
A Study of Increased Resistivity of FTO Back Contact for CZTS Based Absorber Material Grown by Electrodeposition-Annealing Route

CZTS (Copper zinc tin sulfide) thin films have been synthesized on transparent conducting oxide (TCO) back contacts on a glass substrate, allowing sun light to pass through the entire solar cell. Aqueous solution based co-electrodeposition followed by elevated temperature sulfurization, was used to grow CZTS on transparent fluorinated tin oxide. Loss in conductivity of FTO is observed after sulfurization, causing reduced device efficiency. Increased resistivity of the FTO is likely due to outdiffusion process. A systematic study of resistivity of back contact at various sulfurization temperatures and times is discussed. Various remedial measures for improved conductivity of back contact were proposed and conducted.
Effects of glucagon on renal function in man.

The effect of glucagon on renal hemodynamics and clearance of electrolytes in 20 normal men is reported. An enhancing effect on sodium, chloride, potassium and inorganic phosphorus clearance ratios was observed. It is suggested that the electrolyte effect of glucagon is probably due to a tubular action, though a glomerular effect has not been completely ruled out. Evidence is presented that these effects are not secondary to the hyporglycomic action of glucagon or to an inhibition of carbonic anhydrase.
Urban structures imaging with sparse arrays

The Army Research Laboratory (ARL) has been engaged in an effort to support the "See through the Wall" initiative. As part of the effort, we have explored the possibilities and challenges of using data collected by small groups of men - each man equipped with a small, hand-held, Radio Frequency (RF) sensor - to image the interior of buildings. We examine various multi-static combinations of sensors, especially in configurations that allow for imaging a room from different viewing angles, and we demonstrate the capability of these approaches for providing comprehensive information about a building's interior. We examine the consequences of errors in the assumed position of the RF sensors, and we analyze the effects of the degradation of signal coherence due to mistiming. Simulation results are provided to show the potential of this type of sensor arrangement in such a difficult, urban environment.
Helium Abundance in High-Temperature Solar Flare Plasmas

In the present work we use emission from dense plasmas late in the decay phase of flares, while the plasmas are still hot [(2-4) × 106 K], to determine the absolute helium abundance in flaring solar corona. To achieve this, we make use of intensity ratios of H I and He II lines and of intensity ratios between the He II lines and the bremsstrahlung continuum radiation emitted by the local postflare plasmas. These ratios are very sensitive to the electron temperature, which is measured by using two different techniques: intensity ratios from lines emitted by heavier elements and from the line width of H I and He II lines. The latter method is made possible by the low atomic weight of H and He and by the high temperature of the plasma, which causes the widths of these lines to exceed 0.6 A (He) and 1.1 A (H). Such values significantly exceed the broadening due to nonthermal mass motions, so line widths can provide accurate temperature measurements. The average helium absolute abundance was found to be 12.2% ± 2.4%.
VLSI silicon based prosthesis for in vitro measurement of neural activity

VLSI integrated circuits have been fabricated and tested for the measurement of neural activity of in vitro brain slices. The circuits were fabricated using MOSIS fabrication services. To date two CMOS IC structures have been fabricated. The first is a passive sensor array used to assess the compatibility of the electrodes with biological tissue and sensor reliability. The second IC contains switched-capacitor amplifiers with polysilicon input electrodes. >
Protein kinase C isoform levels in normal and sodium dodecyl sulphate‐irritated mouse skin

Protein kinase C (PKC) comprises a family of related phospholipid-dependent serine/threonine protein kinases. PKC is important in signal transduction, regulating cell proliferation and differentiation. Recently, it has also been suggested that PKC may play a part in the pathogenesis of contact dermatitis. However, the expression of PKC isoforms in the skin of mice with irritant contact dermatitis (ICD) has not been examined. In this study, ICD was induced in mouse skin by applying 5%, 10% and 20% sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) in Finn chambers on the backs of mice and fixing with surgical dressings for 24 h. Depending upon the SDS concentration, mild to strong skin irritant reactions were observed 24 h after removal of the irritant patches. The intensity of the reactions increased with the increasing concentration of SDS. PKC isoforms alpha, beta, gamma and delta were all detected in normal mouse skin by Western immunoblotting. The specificity of the PKC isoforms detected was identified further by competitive Western immunoblotting. Compared with normal mouse skin treated with double-distilled water, the levels of PKC isoforms alpha, beta, gamma and delta in the SDS-irritated mouse skin was decreased by 24.8-75.8%. These results suggest that, in SDS-ICD, mouse skin PKC isoforms alpha, beta, gamma and delta are down-regulated. The significance of this decrease is under further investigation.
Degraded blocking performance of 4H-SiC rectifiers under high dV/dt conditions

We present our pulsed blocking measurements of co-fabricated 4H-SiC Schottky, junction barrier Schottky (JBS), and pin diodes. Schottky diodes fail at pulsed voltages noticeably lower than their static values, while the pulsed leakage currents of JBS and pin diodes (along with commercial SiC rectifiers) remain below our measurable limits until the reverse voltage approaches the static breakdown. From experimental results and numerical simulations, the premature breakdown of the diodes is attributed to the slow response of deep levels associated with dopant implantation, which can leave high field points such as the edge of contacts unprotected under high dV/dt blocking conditions.
A space efficient algorithm for finding the best nonoverlapping alignment score

Abstract Repeating patterns make up a significant fraction of DNA and protein molecules. These repeating regions are important to biological function because they may act as catalytic, regulatory or evolutionary sites and because they have been implicated in human disease. Additionally, these regions often serve as useful laboratory tools for such tasks as localizing genes on a chromosome and DNA fingerprinting. In this paper, we present a space efficient algorithm for finding the maximum alignment score for any two substrings of a single string T under the condition that the substrings do not overlap. In a biological context, this corresponds to the largest repeating region in the molecule. The algorithm runs in O ( n 2 log 2 n ) time and uses only O ( n 2 ) space.
Reality of superposition principle and autocorrelation function for short pulses

We "see" light only when some material detectors (dipoles) respond to the incident EM field. EM fields do not operate on each other to make themselves visible to us. Superposition of multiple fields becomes manifest only when the intrinsic properties of these dipoles allow them to respond to all the superposed fields simultaneously and thereby summing the effects of all the fields. Accordingly, depending upon the different intrinsic properties of the detectors and the physical conditions of measurements (integration times, etc.) the manifestation of the "coherence" properties for the same set of superposed fields could be different. It is then prudent to represent the autocorrelation function for superposed fields in terms of the dipole undulation of the detectors rather than the fields themselves. Then the physics of the detectors and the measurement conditions automatically becomes an inherent part of the discussion on coherence. We illustrate our premise by presenting the analysis to understand the behavior of beam splitters, two-beam interferometers and an N-beam grating "interferometer" in terms of the autocorrelation functions due to a short pulse as would be experienced by the material dipoles of the beam splitters and detectors. Our approach reveals that superposition effects to become manifest the multiple fields must be physically superposed simultaneously on the detecting dipoles and hence the process is causal.
G472 Use of Continuous Venovenous haemofiltration (CVVH) in patients with congenital metabolic disorders – A recent single-centre experience

Introduction Congenital metabolic disorders are a rare but important cause of critical illness in children. Continuous venovenous haemofiltration (CVVH) is instituted as life-saving therapy for severe hyperammonaemia, metabolic acidosis and encephalopathy when conventional therapies fail. Practical challenges like obtaining vascular cathether access in low birth weight children are common. Some need liver transplantation and intra-operative CVVH to maintain acid-base balance. Significant comorbidities exist and determine the outcome in these patients. An understanding of their demographic and treatment profile is required for outcome prediction and service provision in these patients. Methods Retrospective analysis of the Renal Replacement Therapy (RRT) database of a 31-bedded PICU over the past 3 years in a Children’s Hospital in the UK. Results 21 patients with congenital metabolic disorders had CVVH instituted. The median age was 7 years (2 days – 11 yrs) and weight 16 Kg (1.8 – 29.3). Propionic acidaemia and primary hyperoxaluria were two of the major diagnoses. Several indications for therapy were noted like severe metabolic and lactic acidosis, encephalopathy, acute liver / renal failures, rhabdomyolysis. 3 patients were significantly coagulopathic. All patients were invasively ventilated and 4 patients needed inotropic support. 4 patients underwent liver transplantation and needed intraoperative / postoperative CVVH. 2 patients also underwent Total Plasma Exchange on 4 occasions. Maximum serum ammonia was 1200. The median total duration of CVVH was 70 h (29 – 552). The median PICU length of stay was 4 days (1 – 29). 2 children died, both within the first 48 hrs of admission with multiorgan dysfunction. One of them had undergone liver transplant in the preceding 24 h. 4 patients who survived had an ongoing requirement for haemodialysis at time of PICU discharge. Conclusion Patients with congenital metabolic disorders require CVVH when critically unwell, either at diagnosis or during subsequent admissions, often requiring prolonged therapy and PICU stay. Many patients have multiple admissions and some undergo organ transplant. This data would be helpful when identifying their levels of intensity of intensive care and service provision. There is a need for a national database of children undergoing RRT, of which those with congenital metabolic disorders form an integral part.
An On-Chip Compare/Steer Bubble Sorter

Two generic record-permutation bubble devices—the bubble ladder and the bubble string comparator—have been reported in the literature but not yet implemented. The former relies on the extensive use of external control lines, while the latter relies solely on the interaction between bubbles. The ladder has evolved into an odd- even sorter and then a rebound sorter, but, uufortunately, it is operated by a large number of control lines. This paper shows that equally efficient but more versatile sorters can be constructed from the bubble string comparators without the control lines. Moreover, the new sorter—an up-down sorter—will be implemented in the recently invented high-density, high-speed, coil-less perforated-sheet bubble devices.
Thromboembolism in Pregnancy: Recurrence and Its Prevention

Fifteen to 25% of thromboembolic events in pregnancy are recurrent events. Women with a history of thrombosis have a three- to fourfold increased risk of recurrence when they are pregnant compared with when they are not. The risks are even higher postpartum. The rate of recurrent venous thromboembolic events without anticoagulation is 2.4% to 12.2%, whereas the rate with anticoagulation is 0% to 2.4%. Because the rates of recurrent thromboembolism can be reduced with anticoagulation, women with a history of thrombosis who are not on lifelong anticoagulation will likely require anticoagulation during pregnancy, or at least during the postpartum period. Women who are already on lifelong warfarin for the prevention of recurrent venous thromboembolism should be counseled about the teratogenic effects of warfarin and offered the opportunity to be converted to heparin before conception. During pregnancy, low-molecular-weight heparin, with fewer side effects and a longer half-life, is generally preferred over unfractionated heparin. Unfractionated heparin with its shorter half-life is generally preferred around the time of delivery. Women on antiplatelet medication for prevention of arterial thromboembolism may be converted to low-dose aspirin after conception and supplemented with low-dose heparin or low-molecular-weight heparin during pregnancy. Because current recommendations rely on case series and expert opinion, additional studies including randomized trials might enhance our ability to prevent recurrent thromboembolism in pregnancy.
Grapevine Crown Gall Suppression Using Biological Control and Genetic Engineering: A Review of Recent Research

Crown gall is a devastating grapevine disease often encountered in vineyards prone to winter cold injury. Agrobacterium vitis, the predominant causal agent of this disease, moves from the roots via xylem sap flow to freeze injury sites where genetic transformations then occur. Crown gall disrupts the grapevine trunk vascular system, which prevents nutrient flow and leads to plant decline and death. Viticultural practices designed to fight this disease are only partially effective, thereby requiring alternatives. Genetic engineering and biological control could be more desirable approaches for disease prevention. Biological control typically involves antagonistic organisms, which are applied to grapevine roots to reduce the concentration of pathogenic Agrobacterium strains. Genetic engineering may prevent infection and tumor formation by modifying grapevines and antagonistic organisms. In the grapevine, this may be achieved by enhancing molecular mechanisms for producing bacterium-specific antimicrobial peptides or preventing transferred deoxyribonucleic acid export, integration, and oncogene expression. Alteration of antagonistic organisms enhances the production of bacteriocins effective against agrobacteria. This article reviews the potential use of biological control options and genetic engineering tools for grapevine crown gall suppression and makes recommendations for further use and research.
Daily Variation in Concentration of Plasma Corticosteroid in Hypophysectomized Rats

A daily variation in the concentration of plasma corticosteroid hormone is present in hypophysectomized rats implanted with pellets of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and thyroxine. Although ACTH is necessary to maintain a functional adrenal, and thyroxine is required to permit the expression of the plasma corticosteroid rhythm, a normal daily variation in plasma corticosteroid concentration does not appear to depend on the periodic release of pituitary hormones. (Endocrinology 98: 1475, 1976)