cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Genetic control of retroviral disease in aging wild mice

Different populations of wild mice (Mus musculus domesticus) in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties were observed over their lifespan in captivity for expression of infectious murine leukemia virus (MuLV) and murine mammary tumor virus (MMTV) and for the occurrence of cancer and other diseases. In most populations of feral mice these indigenous retroviruses were infrequently expressed and cancer seldom occurred until later in life (> 2 years old). MMTV was found in the milk of about 50% of wild mice, but was associated with only a low incidence (> 1%) of breast cancer after one year of age. By contrast, in several populations, most notably at a squab farm near Lake Casitas (LC), infectious MuLV acquired at birth via milk was highly prevalent, and the infected mice were prone to leukemia and a lower motor neuron paralytic disease after one year of age. These two diseases were both caused by the same infectious (ecotropic)strain of MuLV and were the principal cause of premature death in these aging LC mice. A dominant gene called FV-4R restricting the infection with ecotropic MuLV was found segregating in LC mice. Mice inheriting this FV-4R allele were resistant to the ecotropic MuLV associated lymphoma and paralysis. The FV-4R allele represents a defective endogenous MuLV provirus DNA segment that expresses an ecotropic MuLV envelope-related glycoprotein (gp70) on the cell surface. This FV-4R encoded gp70 presumably occupies the receptor for ecotropic MuLV and blocks entry of the virus. The FV-4R gene was probably acquired by the naturally occurring crossbreeding of LC feral mice with another species of feral mice (Mus castaneus) from Southeast Asia. The FV-4R gp70 does not block entry of the amphotropic MuLV that uses a separate cell surface receptor. Therefore LC mice continued to be susceptible to the highly prevalent but weakly lymphogenic and nonparalytogenic amphotropic strain of MuLV. The study points out the potential of feral populations to reveal genes associated with specific disease resistance.
Thermal activation of fatigue damage

The effect of temperature on the fatigue of aluminum alloys results from a combination of thermally induced changes in the microstructure and the intrinsic temperature dependence of the fatigue process. These two effects are separated for the first time, and it is shown that the intrinsic fatigue process is thermally activated. Two distinct regimes are identified. For fatigue lives 3 × 106 cycles, the activation energy is 240 kJ/mole. The magnitude of all three activation barriers decreases in direct proportion to the applied cyclic stress. These results are consistent with a dislocation model of jog formation at low cyclic stresses and the diffusion-assisted motion of jogs at high cyclic stresses. The activation volumes correspond to dislocation loop lengths of 10 to 30 nm.
Secondary metabolite chemistry of the Australian brown alga Encyothalia cliftonii: Evidence for herbivore chemical defence

Abstract Two bis-prenylated phenols have been isolated from the Western Australian brown alga Encyothalia cliftonii Harvey. The structures of these compounds were determined by spectral and chemical methods. The major metabolise, 2,4-bis(3-methylbut-2-enyl)phenol, previously isolated as a minor metabolise from the related alga Perithalia caudata , showed significant feeding deterrence toward the herbivorous sea urchin Tripneustes esculentus (Leske). The minor metabolise is a new compound in which hydration of one of the isopentenyl olefinic bonds has taken place.
Pathology of Taenia taeniaformis infection in the rat: Hepatic, lymph node and thymic changes

Abstract During a sequential study of Taenia taeniaeformis infection in the rat, several changes were observed which have not been described previously. A minimal amount of hepatic migration was induced by microscopic tracks of necrosis adjacent to the parasite 4 to 10 days post-infection (DPI). Serum activities of alanine aminotransferase and sorbitol dehydrogenase rose sharply 6 to 7 DPI when necrotic tracks were most obvious and before a distinctive fibroblastic response developed around the parasite at about 10 DPI. Enzyme activities rose again to a peak at 13 to 14 DPI. Mast cells were especially noticeable in the capsule from the end of the second week of infection onwards. There was enlargement of hepatic lymph nodes with marked medullary plasmacytosis which was also observed within mediastinal and mesenteric nodes. Splenomegaly was associated with expansion of the red pulp, myelopoiesis and plasmacytosis. Thymic atrophy was observed microscopically from 44 DPI and grossly from 52 DPI.
Constrained Initial Guidance Algorithm

An algorithm is presented for determining two-body trajectories that originate on a given two-body orbit, intercept a moving target at a free final time, and are generated by an impulsive velocity change of fixed magnitude. By using a coordinate system defined by the initial and final position vectors of the interceptor, the problem is first reduced to one of solving for the real root of a quartic equation that corresponds to minimum flight time between two specified points subject to the velocity change constraint. An iterative procedure then is used to correct the targeted positon until convergence is obtained with respect to the position of the target. Numerical simulation results presented indicate excellent algorithm performance. Typically, less than 20 iterations are needed io reduce miss distance to less than 1 m if perfect target position information is available. The algorithm provides a rapid method of determining the performance boundaries for systems with specified maximum impulse capability.
Multiplex Real-Time PCR Method To Identify Shiga Toxin Genes stx1 and stx2 and Escherichia coli O157:H7/H− Serotype

ABSTRACT A multiplex real-time PCR method to simultaneously detect the stx1 and stx2 genes of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli and a unique conserved single-nucleotide polymorphism in the E. coli O157:H7/H−uidA gene has been developed. There is more than 98.6% sensitivity and 100% specificity for all three gene targets based on a panel of 138 isolates. The PCR efficiencies were ≥1.89, and as few as 6 CFU/reaction could be detected.
Wavelet‐Based Structural Health Monitoring of Earthquake Excited Structures

: The article presents a wavelet-based structural health monitoring technique for structures subjected to an earthquake excitation utilizing the instantaneous modal information. The instantaneous mode shape information is first extracted from the vibration response data collected during an earthquake event by using a wavelet packet sifting process. A confidence index (CI) is proposed to validate the results obtained. The identified normalized instantaneous mode shapes in conjunction with the corresponding CIs can be effectively used to monitor damage development in the structure. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is illustrated for two damage scenarios, sudden stiffness loss and progressive stiffness degradation, and different base excitations including three real earthquake signals and a random signal. Consistently good results were obtained in all cases. Issues related to robustness of the method in the presence of a measurement noise and sensitivity to damage severity are discussed.
The search for historical impact sites on Jupiter

Abstract A search was made through historical reports of major dark spots on Jupiter, recorded during the prephotographic era. While many of these reports meet the sufficient condition for impact candidacy (exogenic origin cannot be ruled out), the descriptions and drawings lack the detail required to meet the necessary condition (a morphology similar to that created by the Shoemaker-Levy 9 impacts). The lack of available information about specific historical spots on Jupiter is a consequence of the perceived physical nature of these spots at the time, and the traditional purpose of jovian spot observations.
Cardiovascular Differentiation of Happiness, Sadness, Anger, and Fear Following Imagery and Exercise

This study examined cardiovascular patterns following happiness, sadness, anger, fear, relaxation, and control imagery in 32 subjects while they were seated and while they exercised. Affective imagery was an effective strategy for inducing reliable patterns of systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate associated with particular emotional states. Anger, rather than fear, produced the greatest overall increases in cardiovascular measures and was distinctly opposite from relaxation. Anger differed from fear and all other conditions in terms of greater increases in diastolic pressure following imagery and greater increases in heart rate and slower recovery of systolic pressure following exercise. Sadness was unique in that systolic pressure and heart rate were virtually as high when subjects were still as when they were actually moving. Furthermore, sadness was the one emotional state that seemed to interfere with the cardiovascular adjustments normally associated with exercise. Implications of these findings for current biobehavioral models of emotion, including the role that specific emotions may play in the pathogenesis and treatment of cardiovascular disease, are considered.
Nutritional requirements and antibiotic resistance patterns of Helicobacter species in chemically defined media

The growth of the gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori in the absence of serum remains challenging, and nutritional requirements have only partially been defined, while almost nothing is known about nutritional requirements of other Helicobacter spp. Although previous data showed that H. pylori grows in the chemically defined medium F-12, but not in other tissue culture media examined, the specific components responsible for growth were not entirely understood. Here we describe the optimization of amino acids, metals, and sodium chloride for H. pylori. Iron, zinc, and magnesium were critical for growth; copper was not required. Optimization of sodium chloride was further beneficial. Nutritional requirements and antibiotic resistance patterns of several other Helicobacter spp. revealed that all except H. felis grew in serum-free, unsupplemented F-12. All Helicobacter spp. were resistant to at least six antimicrobial agents when cultured in the presence of serum. However, in the absence of serum, H. pylori, H. mustelae, and H. muridarum became sensitive to polymyxin B and/or trimethoprim. Much of the data were obtained using a convenient ATP assay to quantify growth. H. pylori has surprisingly few absolute requirements for growth: 9 amino acids, sodium and potassium chloride, thiamine, iron, zinc, magnesium, hypoxanthine, and pyruvate. These data suggest that H. pylori and other Helicobacter spp. are not as fastidious as previously thought. The data also suggest that chemically defined media described herein could yield the growth of a wide range of Helicobacter spp., allowing a more detailed characterization of Helicobacter physiology and interactions with host cells.
Phenology of Empoasca fabae (Harris) (Homoptera: Cicadellidae) in its Overwintering Area and Proposed Seasonal Phenology

It has been hypothesized that Empoasca fabae (Harris) lacks specific adaptations for surviving temperate zone winters, but recent findings suggest otherwise. Observations indicating that E. fabae passes winter in reproductive diapause motivated a reevaluation of E. fabae phenology. Ovarian dissections revealed that no overwintering females collected from Louisiana in mid-January 1991 had mature oocytes, whereas 65% of females collected in late February did. Field-collected females were held in the laboratory under 4 different combinations of photoperiod and temperature. Among females collected in mid-January, short day lengths and low temperatures helped maintain a nonreproductive state. Most females collected in late February began laying eggs within 3 wk, regardless of photoperiod or temperature, indicating that diapause was broken in field populations between mid-January and late February in 1991. Overwintering E. fabae were found on a variety of native evergreen plants, especially pines, over an area roughly approximated by the southern pine region, and also on a variety of primarily exotic herbaceous legumes in areas near the Gulf Coast. Repeated surveys of various sites in 1992 indicated that reproductive maturation of overwintering females occurred in mid- to late February, as the population shifted from evergreens to legumes and celtain deciduous trees, on which spring generations were initiated. The results of this study, viewed in conjunction with previous works, suggest that E. fabae is well adapted to native conditions in temperate North America, and that its phenology includes a return migration to overwintering areas.
Reduction of high-order discrete-time systems

A combination of bilinear transformation, the Routh stability criterion and the integral squared error (ISE) criterion is proposed for the linear model reduction of high-order discrete-time systems. The approach consists of a four-step computational scheme. In the first three steps, by the use of the bilinear transformation and Routh approximation methods, the denominator of the reduced model is obtained. In the fourth step, a recursive algorithm is used to minimize the variance of the spectral density between the original and the reduced model to obtain optimal coefficients for the numerator of the reduced model.
The effect of reagent vibrational energy on measured reaction rate constants

Abstract The effect of reagent vibrational energy E vib on experimentally measured rate constants for reactions between neutral species at thermal kinetic energies is reviewed. The vibrational acceleration of chemical reactions has recently been characterized by a parameter α describing the efficiency of the usage of the internal energy in overcoming the Arrhenius activation energy, E a . For reactions of vibrationally excited H 2 , HCl, OH, and O 3 studied to date, α is generally less than 0.6, and is uncorrelated with E a , E vib , the excess vibrational energy, or the reaction exothermicity. It is concluded that the utility of this conversion efficiency parameter is limited to the phenomenological description of the vibrational acceleration of rate processes or to the role of an adjustable parameter in calculations involving reactions of excited species.
Physical Mechanics, a New Field in Engineering Science

The purpose of physical mechanics is to predict the engineering behavior of matter in bulk form from the microscopic properties of its molecular and atomic constituents. The constants and basic concepts of this new engineering science, of particular importance to rocket and jet propulsion, are discussed in this paper.
Substructuring and equation system solutions in finite element analysis

Abstract Dealing with large structural systems it is convenient and often almost necessary to employ a substructure technique in order not to exceed the available computer capacity. Efficient solution of systems of equations is very essential in finite element analysis. In this paper, first, a procedure is described as to how to systematically reduce the number of assembled equations on different substructure levels. The size of a system of equations to be solved at a time is reduced by condensation of different types of unknowns at the element level. Second, a generalized Gaussian elimination scheme is presented for the solution of systems of equations in substructuring. The same scheme may be very useful in solutions of mixed finite element models, equation systems with Lagrangian multipliers and moderately ill-conditioned problems. The system properties and the initially neatly banded forms of system equations are preserved during the solution process. Lastly, three examples illustrate solutions of some complex structural problems. The method presented is applicable to a wide range of physical problems and can achieve a substantial computer economy.
Creative Styles and Gender Roles in Undergraduates Students

ABSTRACT The study investigated the relationship between self-perceived creative styles and gender role orientation. Specifically, it was predicted that the creative styles of psychologically androgynous individuals would be different than the creative styles of nonandrogynous individuals. No specific predictions regarding differences among the creative styles of nonandrogynous orientations were made. Three hundred fifty-eight college undergraduate students completed the Creativity Styles Questionnaire-Revised (CSQ-R; Kumar & Holman, 1997) and the Bem Sex-Role Inventory (BSRI; Bem, 1974 1981x). Partial support was offered for our hypothesis, as the creative styles of psychologically androgynous compared to nonandrogynous orientations were associated with significant ratings on the following 4 subscales of the CSQ-R: Self-Perceived Creative Capacity, Use of Techniques, Use of Other People, and Use of the Senses. Results of the association between nonandrogynous gender role orientations and creative styles ...
Three-component velocity measurements in a turbulent recirculating bubble-driven liquid flow

Abstract Three-dimensional mean and RMS bubble and liquid velocity measurements have been obtained in a turbulent, recirculating, bubble-driven liquid flow. Measurements have been made using a three-component laser Doppler anemometer. Bubble column turbulent liquid circulation for the present experiments is due to injection of a single vertical jet of air along the column centerline. Measured distributions of mean and RMS bubble and liquid velocities are consistent with the existence of a toroidal recirculating liquid flow, as is observed in flow visualization. Measured mean circumferential (swirl) velocity is essentially zero. RMS velocities in all three directions are of the same order of magnitude as the mean velocity, with radial RMS velocity being slightly larger than the other two components. Relative velocities between the bubbles and liquid are significant only near the air jet and near the free surface.
Development of a Relay Protective System On the Lines of the Southern California Edison Company, Ltd.

A record of the application of protective relays on the system of the Southern California Edison Company, Ltd., is presented. The history of this development of the protective relays in the 220-kv. transmission line, together with the results of the application of protective relays is recorded. In view of the limited application of carrier current protection, considerable discussion is presented covering its application on a section of the 220-kv. transmission system. Allied considerations pertaining to system stability on the 220-kv. system are discussed, and the rearrangement of the 66-kv. system as a means of improving system stability is also presented. In the interest of improving service, certain changes on the lower voltage 16-kv. and 11-kv. systems have been made.
Automated syndrome classification using early phase emergency department data

The primary motivation behind automated syndrome classification is to shorten the time it may take to detect an outbreak or a community-wide public health issue. State-of-the-art syndrome classification techniques have primarily used Emergency Department (ED) chief complaints (CCs) or other short free text descriptions of patient symptoms for near real-time surveillance purposes. We propose a system that can automatically classify an ED record with initial temperature, chief complaint and triage nurse's notes into one or more syndromes using the vector space model. Terms from syndrome definitions and a small tf-idf weighted syndrome-positive training set are used to create a reference dictionary for generating the syndrome and triage note vectors. Subsequently, cosine similarity between the vectors is used to establish the particular syndrome category. We tested the system on a manually classified dataset of 485 ED records for the gastro-intestinal (GI) syndrome and measured performance in terms of sensitivity (~93%) and specificity (~82%). Initial results show that this system is capable of producing a better balance between these measures compared to existing automatic syndrome categorization systems which use only chief complaints and/or diagnosis codes.
A proteomic view of Desulfovibrio vulgaris metabolism as determined by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry.

Direct liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used to examine the proteins from Desulfovibrio vulgaris grown at exponential or stationary phase on a minimal medium containing either lactate or formate as the primary carbon source, with the goal of an initial characterization of the diversity of proteins synthesized under these conditions. Across all four growth conditions, 976 gene products were identified with high confidence, which is equal to approximately 28% of all predicted proteins in the D. vulgaris genome. Among these, fifty-two out of 55 predicted ribosomal proteins (~95%) were identified with high confidence. Functional analysis showed that the proteins identified were distributed among almost all functional classes, with the energy metabolism category containing the greatest number of identified proteins. At least 154 open reading frames (ORFs) originally annotated as hypothetical proteins were found to encode expressed proteins, which provided verification for the authenticity of these hypothetical proteins. Proteomic analysis showed that members of the proton gradient pathway, catalyzed by alcohol dehydrogenases and heterodisulfide reductases, and [NiFe] hydrogenase (HynAB-1) of the hydrogen cycling pathway were highly expressed in all four growth conditions, suggesting they may be the primary pathways for ATP synthesis in D. vulgaris. Most of the enzymes involvedmore » in substrate-level phosphorylation were also detected in all tested conditions. However, no enzyme involved in CO cycling or formate cycling was detected, suggesting these are not the primary pathways for ATP biosynthesis under the tested conditions. This study provides the first proteomic overview of the cellular metabolism of D. vulgaris.« less
Effects of Growth Regulators on In Vitro Plant Regeneration in Durum Wheat

Work on improvement of durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L.) using tools of biotechnology is limited. Development of a reliable in vitro plant regeneration procedure for this important cereal is a prerequisite for its improvement by genetic transformation. Here, we report the effects of three growth regulators (GRs), 2,4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid), picloram (4-amino-3,5,6-trichloropicolinic acid), and dicamba (3,6-dichloro-o-anisic acid), on callus induction and plant regeneration from scutellum cultures of four commercial durum cultivars: Ben, Maier, Munich, and Lebsock. Callus induction was obtained from isolated scutella cultured on modified Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium. After 4 wk of callus induction, all calli were plated on MS basal medium for regeneration. The regenerated plantlets were fertile, maintained the normal chromosome number (2n = 4x = 28) and structure as revealed by fluorescent genomic in situ hybridization (fl-GISH), and showed no apparent somaclonal variation. Genotype and callus induction medium played a dominant role in plantlet regeneration. Dicamba proved the best GR for inducing compact callus and also gave the highest proportion (0.16) of regenerated plants across the four cultivars. Overall, Maier gave the highest proportion (0.27) of plantlet regeneration when dicamba at 2.0 mg L -1 concentration was used for initial callus induction. These results will facilitate genetic transformation work with durum wheat.
Time-resolved photoluminescence study of carrier recombination and transport in type-II superlattice infrared detector materials

Time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) is used to study the minority carrier lifetime in type-II superlattice (T2SL) infrared detector materials to investigate the recombination mechanisms, trap states and transport properties that currently limit their performance. Measurements of carrier lifetime have shown that InAs/Ga1-xInxSb T2SLs are dominated by non-radiative Shockley-Read-Hall (SRH) recombination, resulting in short minority carrier lifetimes (10’s of nanoseconds at 77 K). A trap energy of ~60 meV above the valence band is identified in mid-wavelength infrared n-type InAs/Ga1-xInxSb T2SLs, where trap saturation (non-exponential decay) is observed under high injection levels due to a significantly faster hole capture rate than electron capture rate. Lifetime measurements in “Ga-free” InAs/InAs1-xSbx T2SLs exhibit an order-of-magnitude increase in lifetime (100’s of nanoseconds at 77 K) with contributions from both radiative and non-radiative recombination. This improvement is attributed to the reduction of non-radiative recombination centers from the superlattice with the elimination of Ga and suggests that the SRH trap(s) limiting the carrier lifetime of InAs/Ga1-xInxSb T2SLs is native to the Ga1-xInxSb layer. Additionally, radiative recombination is observed in an InAs/GaSb T2SL using a sub-bandgap CW laser to saturate the SRH recombination centers, yielding a radiative lifetime of ~140 ns at 77 K. Since carrier transport is a concern in Ga-free T2SLs, it is investigated by studying samples grown with and without barriers (to contain injected carriers to the absorber region). It is determined that carrier transport is poor in InAs/InAs1-xSbx T2SLs because negligible differences are observed in the carrier lifetime.
Empirically tuned model for a precooled MGJT cryoprobe

Abstract Cryosurgery is a medical technique that uses a freezing process to destroy undesirable tissues such as cancerous tumors. The handheld portion of the cryoprobe must be compact and powerful in order to serve as an effective surgical instrument; the next generation of cryoprobes utilizes precooled Mixed Gas Joule–Thomson (pMGJT) cycles to meet these design criteria. The increased refrigeration power available with this more complex cycle improves probe effectiveness by reducing the number of probes and the time required to treat large tissue masses. Selecting mixtures and precooling cycle parameters to meet a cryogenic cooling load in a size-limited application is a challenging design problem. Modeling the precooler and recuperator performance is critical for cycle design, yet existing techniques in the literature typically use highly idealized models of the heat exchangers that neglect pressure drop and assume infinite conductance. These assumptions are questionable for cycles that are required to use compact components. The focus of this research project is to understand how the cycle performance is impacted by transport processes in the heat exchangers and to integrate these findings into an empirically tuned model that can be used for mixture optimization. This effort is carried out through a series of modeling, experimental, and optimization studies. While these results have been applied to the design of a cryosurgical probe, they are also more generally useful in understanding the operation of other compact MGJT systems. A commercially available pMGJT cryoprobe system has been modified in order to integrate a suite of measurement instrumentation that can completely characterize the performance of the individual components as well as the overall system. Measurements include sufficient temperature and pressure sensors to resolve thermodynamic states, as well as flow meters in order to compute the heat and work transfer rates. Temperature sensors are also integrated within the recuperator in order to capture the spatially resolved heat transfer performance; these data are used to overcome the lack of correlations for heat transfer of the multi-phase mixture in the helically wound finned-tube heat exchanger. Test conditions were varied to achieve a range of temperatures, pressures, and thermodynamic qualities with mixtures of argon, R14 and R23. Recuperator and precooler conductance and pressure drop data for these test conditions are presented and fit to simple physics-based correlations; these correlations are integrated with an optimization model of the precooled MGJT cryoprobe that has been described in a previous paper. The predictive capabilities and optimal mixture selections of the model are compared with those of other models available in the literature, including the isothermal enthalpy difference model.
Control-Oriented High-Frequency Turbomachinery Modeling: Single-Stage Compression System One-Dimensional Model

A one-dimensional unsteady compressible viscous flow model of a generic compression system previously developed by the authors is applied to a multistage axial compressor experimental rig configured for single-stage operation. The required model parameters and maps are identified from experimental data. The resulting model is an explicit system of nine first-order ODEs. The model inputs are compressor speed, nozzle area, compressor discharge bleed area, plenum bleed area, inlet total pressure and entropy, and nozzle and bleed exit static pressures. The model and experimental data are compared with respect to both open-loop uncontrolled and closed-loop controlled behaviors. These comparisons focus on (i) forced transients and (ii) global nonlinear dynamics and bifurcations. In all cases the agreement between the model and experimental data is excellent. Of particular interest is the ability of the model, which does not include any hysteretic maps, to predict experimentally observed hysteresis with respect to the onset and cessation of surge. This predictive capability of the model manifests itself as the coexistence of a stable equilibrium (rotating stall) and a stable periodic solution (surge) in the model at a single fixed set of system input values. Also of interest is the fact that the controllers used for closed-loop comparisons were designed directly from the model with no a posteriori tuning of controller parameters. Thus, the excellent closed-loop comparisons between the model and experimental data provide strong evidence in support of the validity of the model for use in direct model based controller design. The excellent agreement between the model and experimental data summarized above is attributed in large part to the use of effective lengths within the model, as functions of axial Mach number and nondimensional compressor rotational speed, as prescribed by the modeling technique. The use of these effective lengths proved to be far superior to the use of physical lengths. The use of these effective lengths also provided substantial improvement over the use of physical lengths coupled with fixed first-order empirical lags, as proposed by other authors for the modeling of observed compressor dynamic lag. The overall success of this model is believed to represent a positive first step toward a complete experimental validation of the approach to control-oriented high-frequency turbomachinery modeling being developed by the authors
A Cryogenic GaAs PHEMT/ Ferroelectric Ku-Band Tunable Oscillator

A Ku-band tunable oscillator operated at and below 77 K is described. The oscillator is based on two separate technologies: a 0.25 mm GaAs pseudomorphic high electron mobility transistor (PHEMT) circuit optimized for cryogenic operation, and a gold microstrip ring resonator patterned on a thin ferroelectric (SrTiO3) film which was laser ablated onto a LaAlO3 substrate. A tuning range of up to 3% of the center frequency was achieved by applying dc bias between the ring resonator and ground plane. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first tunable oscillator based on a thin film ferroelectric structure demonstrated in the microwave frequency range. The design methodology of the oscillator and the performance characteristics of the tunable resonator are described.
Quantitative histological distribution of certain phosphorus compounds in the rat adrenal in various functional states.

The quantitative histological distribution of inorganic and labile-ester phosphorus compounds in the adrenal gland of the male albino rat was studied. Subcutaneous injection of 25 mg. ACTH per kg. 3 hours prior to sacrifice lowered labile-ester phosphorus (predominantly ATP) in the fasciculata and elevated this fraction in the reticular-medullary border zone and medulla. Inorganic phosphorus was more uniformly distributed throughout the zones and the ACTH treatment produced some increase in all regions except outer fasciculata. Analysis of whole-gland homogenates prepared from adrenals of untreated animals killed at noon and at midnight revealed a considerable decrease in labile-ester and a significant increase in inorganic phosphorus at midnight. Injection of ACTH largely abolished these day-night differences by decreasing the values of the former and increasing those of latter in the noon group. A series of subcutaneous cortisone injections (7 mg. cortisone acetate/kg, daily for 2 weeks) produced signif...
Locating new production wells using a probabilistic-based groundwater model

Groundwater models provide an efficient means to evaluate the sustainability of new groundwater production wells. An important component of any groundwater modeling analysis is the quantification of the prediction uncertainty. This analysis incorporates uncertainty analysis techniques within the groundwater modeling environment to predict regions within a groundwater basin that have a low probability of excessive drawdown and groundwater contamination. The analysis focuses on the quantification of a basin-wide water-balance, generation of a spatial distribution of lithology, locating a nearby total dissolved solids (TDS) plume, and construction of an accurate groundwater flow model. Thousands of Monte Carlo realizations are simulated to determine the most probable parameter sets based on an objective function that minimizes the error between simulated and observed hydraulic head. Only those simulations with small error are used in a subsequent analysis to investigate 77 potential well locations near the city of Fernley, in northern Nevada. The final result is a map depicting the probability that a production well has either excessive drawdown and/or encroachment of the TDSs plume.
Gene expression pattern in hepatic stem/progenitor cells during rat fetal development using complementary DNA microarrays

To identify new and differentially expressed genes in rat fetal liver epithelial stem/progenitor cells during their proliferation, lineage commitment, and differentiation, we used a high throughput method—mouse complementary DNA (cDNA) microarrays—for analysis of gene expression. The gene expression pattern of rat hepatic cells was studied during their differentiation in vivo: from embryonic day (ED) 13 until adulthood. The differentially regulated genes were grouped into two clusters: a cluster of up-regulated genes comprised of 281 clones and a cluster of down-regulated genes comprised of 230 members. The expression of the latter increased abruptly between ED 16 and ED 17. Many of the overexpressed genes from the first cluster fall into distinct, differentially expressed functional groups: genes related to development, morphogenesis, and differentiation; calcium- and phospholipid-binding proteins and signal transducers; and cell adhesion, migration, and matrix proteins. Several other functional groups of genes that are initially down-regulated, then increase during development, also emerged: genes related to inflammation, blood coagulation, detoxification, serum proteins, amino acids, lipids, and carbohydrate metabolism. Twenty-eight genes overexpressed in fetal liver that were not detected in adult liver are suggested as potential markers for identification of liver progenitor cells. In conclusion, our data show that the gene expression program of fetal hepatoblasts differs profoundly from that of adult hepatocytes and that it is regulated in a specific manner with a major switch at ED 16 to 17, marking a dramatic change in the gene expression program during the transition of fetal liver progenitor cells from an undifferentiated to a differentiated state. Supplementary material for this article can be found on the HEPATOLOGY website (http://interscience.wiley.com/jpages/0270-9139/suppmat/index.html). (HEPATOLOGY 2004;39:617–627.)
Nucleotide Excision Repair and Cancer Predisposition : A Journey from Man to Yeast to Mice

“I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the sea-shore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.” Isaac Newton The genomes of all living cells are constant targets for DNA damage. 1 Alterations of the bases in DNA can arise spontaneously as a result of errors during DNA replication, or due to alterations in the chemistry of the DNA bases. Such damage can also result from exposure of cells to a host of reactive environmental physical or chemical agents, such as ultraviolet (UV) radiation or a plethora of mutagenic and carcinogenic agents. 1 All free-living life forms have evolved multiple distinct responses to DNA damage and other insults to the function of the genome that can be collectively considered as biological responses to DNA damage (Figure 1) ▶ . Signals that are initiated by various types of DNA damage are transduced through a number of complex damage checkpoint pathways, resulting in arrested cell cycle progression at various stages. This allows for increased time for repair of the DNA damage before continuing progression through the cycle. When cells are faced with arrested DNA replication due to the presence of base damage or DNA strand breaks, altered forms of DNA synthesis occur that essentially tolerate the presence of the base damage without its physical removal. The altered DNA synthesis can be either error-free or error-prone. In the latter instance mutations are generated. Finally, one of the primary ways in which living cells respond to DNA damage involves a series of biochemical reactions that are collectively referred to as DNA repair. 1 My own interest in this group of biochemical pathways began over 30 years ago as a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Biochemistry at Case Western Reserve University, and was strongly reinforced when I encountered James E. Cleaver’s description of defective DNA repair in cells from individuals suffering from the skin cancer-prone hereditary disease xeroderma pigmentosum (XP). 2 Figure 1. When cells suffer DNA damage they undergo various responses. These include cell cycle checkpoint activation and/or apoptosis, various modes of DNA repair, various modes of DNA damage tolerance, and the transcriptional activation of multiple genes, some ...
Looking at the overheads of transmitting encrypted data to the cloud

The popularity of cloud computing is hampered by privacy concerns of entrusting data to a third party. Applying encryption tries to address the privacy problem by preventing the cloud from learning any information. However, many algorithms and software written to upload or backup data to the cloud were designed by implicitly assuming unencrypted data. In this paper, we conducted experiments to determine the impact of encryption on data uploads to the cloud, and suggest future areas of research.
Proposal of procedure to determine metals and metalloids background values in contaminated soils. Case study of a national interest site in South Italy

AbstractThe present work concerns the development of a procedure to determine background values of metals and metalloids in soils of sites of national interest that are subjected to characterization and remediation. The proposed calculation procedure allows to select in metal-metalloid data-set, the representative parameters of site-specific pollution sources. It allows to identify anthropogenic concentration of substances in the soil resulting both natural pedo-geochemical content and moderate widespread immission in soil. The statistical analysis was performed in samples set of topsoil, soil and underground soil. Chemical tests were carried out on all parameters of metals and metalloids present in samples. This work has analized parameters, as As and Be, which have passed statistical test “Shapiro e Wilk” (W test) with contamination “hot spot” of anthropogenic, respect to a large area of substantially homogeneous values. Specifically, this study focuses on area adjacent to perimeter of site of national ...
Nondiscogenic lumbar radiculopathy: imaging considerations

This article reviews the differential diagnosis of lumbar radiculopathy, clinical presentations of spinal stenosis, pathological anatomy, and roentgenographic considerations of lumbar spinal stenosis. Most patients suspected of symptomatic spinal stenosis should have plain roentgenograms first to rule out other obvious lesions and to evaluate disc space and foraminal narrowing. Plain roentgenograms also show the sagittal and coronal deformities if present. The next procedure for the evaluation of spinal stenosis after plain roentgenograms should be MRI, as myelogram or CT can be avoided in most cases. In select cases, patients who cannot get MRI or those who underwent MRI with unresolved questions should have a myelogram or CT for further evaluation
A Propsed Method for Simpliofied Microcomputer Programming

A key obstacle to wider application of the new microprocessors is the need to program in assembly language with fairly cumbersome instruction sets. We propose a new technique which will make it easy for applications-oriented non-programmers to generate efficient microcomputer programs without any need to learn assembly language. The user merely specifies an analog-computer-like block diagram whose intuitively meaningful block-operators specify standard mathematical operations (addition, multiplication, integration, etc.) and input/output operations (e.g., analog/digital conversion, switching, sensing). These standard operations are implemented as subroutines in the microcomputer read-only memory (ROM). An interactive editor/translator program running on a small minicomputer translates block-diagram specifications into a simple address table and loads it into the microcomputer memory (RAM, PROM, or ROM). This address table represents the block-diagram operation sequence and specifies successive jumps to the correct standard subroutines in ROM and data fetching/storing operations in the random-access memory.
The Nutritive Value of Rye for Chick Growth: Effect of Various Levels, Geographical Area of Production and Procaine Penicillin Supplement

Abstract Two experiments were conducted with day-old chicks to study the effects of level and source of rye on chick growth and the response to a penicillin supplement. In the first experiment, corn, wheat and rye were fed at 25, 40, 55 and 70% of the diet, with and without procaine penicillin. In the second experiment, different rye varieties and samples collected from widely different geographical locations were fed at comparable levels regardless of protein content for comparison. Data on body weight, feed consumption and feces condition were collected during the two-week experimental period. The results indicated that chick growth was significantly affected by diet type. Diets containing corn or wheat gave significantly better growth than those with rye. Rye fed at any level caused growth depression, which was severe at 70% level. All varieties and samples of rye tested also depressed chick growth significantly compared with corn diet. A procaine penicillin supplement to rye diets gave significant growth responses and the magnitude of response was +34, +33, +31 and +24%, respectively, for the 70, 55, 40 and 25% levels of rye. The responses on the other diets were not significant. Likewise, in experiment 2, the response was +12 and +6%, respectively, for wheat and corn diets, whereas the response on the rye diets ranged from +39 to +60%. Observations made on feces condition indicate that all ryes tested caused marked adherence of feces to the screen floors of the cages.
Improved left ventriculography with the new 5F helical-tip Halo catheter.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence of ventricular ectopy and catheter movement during left ventriculography with a new 5F halo angiographic catheter that has a unique helical-tip design unlike the design of standard 5F and 6F pigtail catheters. The pigtail catheter is presently preferred for left ventriculography, although its use is associated with a high incidence of ventricular ectopy, which often limits precise interpretation of data. In this study, 155 patients (in 145 unpaired and 10 paired studies) underwent left ventriculography during diagnostic cardiac catheterization. In the unpaired group, the 5F Halo catheter was used in 63 studies and standard 5F and 6F pigtail catheters in 40 and 42 studies, respectively. An aditional 10 patients had two consecutive left ventriculograms with 5F Halo and pigtail catheters. Ventriculograms were performed with the same technique in the 30-degree right anterior oblique projection. The left ventricle was divided into a basal zone, midzone, and apical zone. Catheter movement within the ventricle was scored as significant if there was at least one zone change. Ventricular ectopy was quantified by a simultaneous electrocardiographic recording during contrast injection. There were no significant differences in the left ventricular systolic or end-diastolic pressures, left ventricular score, or diagnostic quality of the ventriculograms between the 5F Halo catheter group and the 5F and 6F pigtail catheter groups. Mean ventricular ectopy with the 5F Halo catheter was significantly less (0.9 ± 1.4 ventricular premature beats [VPBs]) than with the 5F pigtail catheter (2.3 ± 2.5 VPBs, p < 0.001) or the 6F pigtail catheter (2.9 ± 2.9 VPBs, p < 0.001). The incidence of ventricular ectopy also was significantly less for the 5F Halo catheter than for the 5F pigtail catheter (35% vs 63%, p < 0.001) or the 6F pigtail catheter (35% vs 62%, p < 0.001). Catheter movement was significantly less with the 5F Halo catheter than with the 5F pigtail catheter (6% vs 35%, p < 0.001) or the 6F pigtail catheter (6% vs 21%, p < 0.05). In the paired group, mean ectopy (0.2 ± 0.6, p < 0.01) and the incidence of ventricular ectopy (10% vs 70%, p < 0.01) were significantly less for the 5F Halo catheter than for the 5F pigtail catheter. It is concluded that the 5F Halo catheter, with its novel helical tip, is an improved catheter design for left ventriculography.
Effects of isonicotinic acid hydrazide in mentally ill patients.

Isonicotinic acid hydrazide was administered to a group of 51 mentally ill tuberculous patients in an effort to assist in determining whether toxic effects to the liver, kidney and blood forming organs would be encountered during the course of treatment. Two patients had to be discontinued because of the lack of cooperation and one with severe pulmonary and superimposed renal tuberculosis died after a short period of treatment. All treated had known active tuberculosis at the time administration of the drug was begun. The conclusions reached as a result of this study are as follows: 1) There was no demonstrable damage to the liver, kidney or blood forming organs after 90 days of treatment and it was not thought that those patients showing damage prior to treatment had any significant increase in impairment of function which could be related directly to the action of the drug. 2) Increase in appetite and weight and reduction in sedimentation rate were in keeping with findings as reported elsewhere but did not parallel in degree those published by other investigators. This probably is related in some way to the type of patient treated in this series. 3) Study of chest x-ray films and gastric washings after 90 days of treatment showed no consistent x-ray improvement but 22.9 per cent of cases treated showed change in sputum status. 4) An improvement in the mental behavior of psychotic patients under treatment with this drug was noted in a reasonably high percentage of cases.