cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nuclear protein factors binding to a class I patatin promoter region are tuber-specific and sucrose-inducible.

Genes encoding patatin, the major storage protein of the potato tuber, are generally divided into two classes, class I and class II. The expression of the class I patatin genes is normally tuber-specific, but can be induced in leaves by high concentrations of sucrose. By employing electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA), we have identified nuclear protein factors that interact specifically with the proximal portion of the class I patatin promoter that is required for tuber-specific and sucrose-inducible expression. The factors were detected in nuclear extracts prepared from potato tubers and sucrose-induced leaves, but not in extracts from leaves of normal potato plants. Four putative transcription factor-binding sites were localized using DNase I footprinting. Competitive EMSA was employed to show that the same protein factor binds to at least two of the sites (boxes D and M). Interestingly, these two binding sites are highly homologous to light-responsive elements present in genes for theribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase small subunit.
Room temperature YBaCuO infrared detectors on a flexible substrate

ABSTRACT Infrared microbolometer thermal detectors have been fabricated on a flexible substrate, a polyimide that showsvery similar characteristics to Kapton ® , when cured. The polyimide is spin-coated on a regular Si wafer with a releaselayer. Low temperature fabrication techniques are employed to minimize the thermal cycling of the polyimide substrateas well as to maintain compatibility with CMOS circuitry. Infrared microsensors on flexible substrates showed aTemperature Coefficient of Resistance (TCR=(1/R)(dR/dT) ) of 3.03%, at room temperature. The microbolometersreached the responsivity and detectivity of 3.5x10 3 V/W and 1x10 7 cm.Hz 1/2 /W, respectively, at 2.88 A of current biaseven though at this time no micromachining has been performed. Some devices were encapsulated between polyimidelayers in order to provide protection and passivation. These bolometers demonstrated a responsivity and detectivity of1.6x10 3 V/W and 4.9x10 6 cm.Hz 1/2 /W, respectively at 1 A of current bias. This is the first attempt towards a smartskin that incorporates flexible microsensors on a cured polyimide-substrate. Keywords: Infrared Detectors, Uncooled Microbolometers, Flexible Substrates, Remote Sensing Systems, PolyimideFilms, Yttrium Barium Copper Oxide, Semiconducting YBaCuO.
Assessment of CODAR SeaSonde and WERA HF Radars in Mapping Surface Currents on the West Florida Shelf

AbstractConcurrently operated on the West Florida shelf for the purpose of observing surface currents are three long-range (4.9 MHz) Coastal Ocean Dynamics Applications Radar (CODAR) SeaSonde and two median-range (12.7 MHz) Wellen Radar (WERA) high-frequency (HF) radar systems. These HF radars overlook an array of moored acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs), three of which are presently within the radar footprint. Analyzed herein are 3 months of simultaneous observations. Both the SeaSonde and WERA systems generally agree with the ADCPs to within root-mean-square differences (rmsd) for hourly radial velocity components of 5.1–9.2 and 3.8–6.5 cm s−1 for SeaSonde and WERA, respectively, and within rmsd for 36-h low-pass filtered radial velocity components of 2.8–6.0 and 2.2–4.3 cm s−1 for SeaSonde and WERA, respectively. The bearing offset and tidal and subtidal currents of total velocities are also assessed using the ADCP data. Despite differences in a variety of aspects between the direction-finding...
Insula damage and quitting smoking.

In their Report “Damage to the insula disrupts addiction to cigarette smoking” (26 Jan., p. [531][1]), which is based on a retrospective study of patients who had brain lesions, N. H. Naqvi et al. conclude that damage to the insula was responsible for the disruption of nicotine dependence in
Lubricant-Supplying Properties and Durability of Oil-Impregnated Polymers

Presented as a Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers paper at the ASME/STLE Tribology Conference in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, October 26–28, 1998
Structural Insights to How Mammalian Capping Enzyme Reads the CTD Code

Summary Physical interaction between the phosphorylated RNA polymerase II carboxyl-terminal domain (CTD) and cellular capping enzymes is required for efficient formation of the 5′ mRNA cap, the first modification of nascent mRNA. Here, we report the crystal structure of the RNA guanylyltransferase component of mammalian capping enzyme (Mce) bound to a CTD phosphopeptide. The CTD adopts an extended β-like conformation that docks Tyr1 and Ser5-PO 4 onto the Mce nucleotidyltransferase domain. Structure-guided mutational analysis verified that the Mce-CTD interface is a tunable determinant of CTD binding and stimulation of guanylyltransferase activity, and of Mce function in vivo. The location and composition of the CTD binding site on mammalian capping enzyme is distinct from that of a yeast capping enzyme that recognizes the same CTD primary structure. Thus, capping enzymes from different taxa have evolved different strategies to read the CTD code.
Prevalence of Hypertension in Rural West Africa

The prevalence of hypertension in rural African communities has been reported previously to be relatively low, with prevalence rates ranging between 2.5% and 10.9%. The authors obtained blood pressure recordings in 3,588 adult residents (age > 20 years) of the Liberian Agricultural Company rubber plantation, located in rural Liberia, West Africa. Blood pressures were obtained using automated digital blood pressure machines in a house-to-house survey. Individuals with a systolic blood pressure greater than 139 mm Hg or a diastolic blood pressure greater than 89 mm Hg were referred to a central site, where three subsequent blood pressure determinations were made, the mean of which was used to determine whether people were hypertensive. The overall prevalence of hypertension (blood pressure > 139/89 mm Hg) was 12.5%. Hypertension was most common in the older women (prevalence 5.7% in women age 20-24 years old, 50% in women older than 55). Using more stringent criteria for hypertension, systolic blood pressure greater than 159 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure greater than 94 mm Hg, 20% of women between 50-54 had hypertension and 26% of the women older than 55 had hypertension. In some ethnic groups, the prevalence of hypertension was as high as 25%. Based on these results, the prevalence of hypertension in some rural African communities may be higher than reported previously, particularly in older women and among certain ethnic groups, possibly suggesting a strong hereditary component.
A theoretical analysis of 2,3 sigmatropic shifts in allylic sulfilimines and sulfoximines

Abstract Ab initio calculations at the level MP4(SDTQ,full)/6-31G*//MP2(full)/6-31G* + AVZPE(MP2(full)/6-31G*) support the experimental observation that allylic sulfoximines do not undergo 2,3 sigmatropic shifts. This process is hindered by a high kinetic barrier although the reaction is strongly exothermic.
A study of high-index-contrast 90 degree waveguide bend structures.

We present an evaluation of the parameters involved in designing low-loss right-angle waveguide bends based on a high index contrast materials system. We apply the finite difference time domain method (FDTD)to several two-dimensional bend structures and study the effects of varying the bend geometry. Such a study is relevant for the understanding of bend mechanisms and for the optimization and fabrication of high-density high-contrast integrated optical components. The study indicates that high bend transmission can be achieved with the addition of a low-Q resonant cavity; however, similar or even better performance can be achieved with a structure that combines a corner mirror with a phase retarder. The use of a double corner mirror structure is shown to further increase the bend transmission, with little increase in bend area.
Passages through the critical point and the process of state selection in symmetry-breaking transitions.

We consider the problem of selection of symmetry-breaking states as the system evolves through the critical point at a rate \ensuremath{\gamma} in the presence of fluctuations and a small biasing interaction g. We show that due to the dynamics in the vicinity of the critical point the system becomes extremely sensitive to g as \ensuremath{\gamma} becomes smaller. Such sensitivity is a general phenomenon valid for a large class of symmetry-breaking transitions. Under an approximation that is valid over a wide range of conditions, we obtain analytic expressions for the branch-selection probabilities and show their validity by comparison with numerical simulations.
Machining superconducting BSCCO devices

Abstract We have machined cast BSCCO into SQUID and SQUID shield devices. Heat treatment of ascast samples results in a random three dimensional network of platelets. This microstructure is responsible for the machinability of BSCCO.
A Self-Evaluation by Agencies Providing Residential Support Regarding Capacity to Support Persons with Disabilities and Challenging Behaviours

This study presents the findings of a survey in which agencies providing residential support to persons with disabilities reported their capacity to support persons with disabilities who present challenging behaviours. A total of 46 agencies completed the self-report; 62 were initially distributed. Summary variables were calculated for two independent measures, Organisational Stability and Administrative Leadership, and four dependent measures, Staff Structures, Staff Training, Measurements Systems, and Behavioural Systems. Agencies reported between 71% (Organisational Stability) and 83% (Administrative Leadership) of the features as present. The measures were all inter-correlated; Administrative Leadership was found to be more highly correlated with the dependent measures, and to better predict the dependent measures. Specific areas of low capacity were noted in all dependent measures, including features such as inadequate resources for behaviour support, reported by 40% of the responding agencies. Impli...
EVENTS ASSOCIATED WITH DEVELOPMENT OF LIPID PLAQUES ON PLASMA AGAR.

IN a previous paper1 we have reported that many strains of Staphylococcus aureus elaborate a diffusible extracellular lipolytic substance that produces visible lipid plaques on plasma agar, often in large amounts.
A penalized local D-optimality approach to design for accelerated test models

Abstract The problem of choosing optimal levels of the acceleration variable for accelerated testing is an important issue in reliability analysis. Most recommendations have focused on minimizing the variance of an estimator of a particular characteristic, such as a percentile, for a specific parametric model. In this paper, a general approach based on “locally penalized” D-optimality (LPD-optimality) is proposed, which simultaneously minimizes the variances of the model parameter estimators. Application of the method is illustrated for inverse Gaussian-accelerated test models fitted to carbon fiber tensile strength data, where the fiber length is the “acceleration variable”.
Reversing the Substrate Specificities of Phenylalanine and Tyrosine Hydroxylase: Aspartate 425 of Tyrosine Hydroxylase Is Essential for l-DOPA Formation†

The catalytic domains of the pterin-dependent enzymes phenylalanine hydroxylase and tyrosine hydroxylase are homologous, yet differ in their substrate specificities. To probe the structural basis for the differences in specificity, seven residues in the active site of phenylalanine hydroxylase whose side chains are dissimilar in the two enzymes were mutated to the corresponding residues in tyrosine hydroxylase. Analysis of the effects of the mutations on the isolated catalytic domain of phenylalanine hydroxylase identified three residues that contribute to the ability to hydroxylate tyrosine, His264, Tyr277, and Val379. These mutations were incorporated into full-length phenylalanine hydroxylase and the complementary mutations into tyrosine hydroxylase. The steady-state kinetic parameters of the mutated enzymes showed that the identity of the residue in tyrosine hydroxylase at the position corresponding to position 379 of phenylalanine hydroxylase is critical for dihydroxyphenylalanine formation. The rela...
Preoperative left atrial dysfunction and risk of postoperative atrial fibrillation complicating thoracic surgery

Objective Postoperative atrial fibrillation complicating general thoracic surgery increases morbidity and stroke risk. We aimed to determine whether preoperative atrial dysfunction or other echocardiographic markers are associated with postoperative atrial fibrillation. Methods In 191 patients who had undergone anatomic lung or esophageal resection, preoperative clinical and echocardiographic data were compared between patients with and without postoperative atrial fibrillation. Presence of postoperative atrial fibrillation lasting more than 5 minutes during hospitalization was detected using continuous telemetry or 12-lead electrocardiography. Maximal left atrial volume and indices of left atrial function were assessed. Results Patients with postoperative atrial fibrillation (33/191, 17%) were older (71 ± 5 years vs 64 ± 12 years, P 2 or greater was 37% (11/30) and greater than in those with left atrial volume less than 32 mL/m 2 (14%, 22/160, P = .002). Length of hospital stay was significantly increased in patients with postoperative atrial fibrillation compared with patients without ( P = .04). Older age was significantly associated with greater β-blocker use and left atrial volume and lower left atrial emptying fraction. On multivariate analysis, lower left atrial emptying fraction (odds ratio, 1.03 per unit decrement; 95% confidence interval, 1.002–1.065; P = .04) and preoperative use of β-blockers (odds ratio, 2.82; 95% confidence interval, 1.18–6.77; P = .02) were the only independent risk factors associated with postoperative atrial fibrillation. Conclusions These data show that an echocardiogram before major thoracic surgery, increased use of preoperative β-blockers, and decreased left atrial emptying fraction were associated with postoperative atrial fibrillation. Echocardiographic predictors of left atrial mechanical dysfunction may prove clinically useful in risk stratifying patients in whom postoperative atrial fibrillation is more likely to develop and to benefit from prevention strategies aimed at mitigating atrial function before surgery.
Effect of Droncit (Praziquantel) on Yellow Grubs Clinostomum marginatum and Eye Flukes Diplostomum spathaceum in Channel Catfish

Abstract Channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus with infections of yellow grubs Clinostomum marginatum and eye flukes Diplostomum spathaceum were treated with 2 mg Droncit (praziquantel)/L in a water bath for 2 and 4 h. At the time of treatment, 80% of the fish had visible yellow grubs and 70% had opaque eyes. Fourteen days after treatment, 40.1% of the yellow grubs in the 2-h treatment were dead. No grubs were dead in the 4-h treatment; however, the number of yellow grubs was reduced in the treated fish. No dead eye flukes were seen in untreated fish after 14 d, but 59.2 and 44.4% of eye flukes in the 2- and 4-h treatments, respectively, were dead. At 21 d, the percentages of dead eye flukes were 86% (2 h) and 90.1% (4 h). Droncit had limited effect on yellow grubs in channel catfish, but the chemical had a beneficial effect of reducing numbers of eye flukes.
An equilibrium and kinetic study of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 binding to chicken intestinal cytosol employing high specific activity 1,25-dihydroxy[3H-26, 27]vitamin D3☆

Abstract A reexamination of the equilibrium and the kinetics of 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D3 binding with its receptor in chick intestinal cytosol was performed because of the recent availability in our laboratory of high specific activity 1,25-dihydroxy[ 3 H-26,27 ]vitamin D3 (160 Ci/mmol). Under saturating conditions at 25 °C, Scatchard analysis revealed an equilibrium dissociation constant (Kd) of 7.1 × 10−11 m which is several fold lower than previously reported for this binding reaction. Furthermore, an estimate of 1.8 × 103 receptor sites per cell was obtained from the intercept of the line with the abscissa of the Scatchard plot. From a kinetic analysis of 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D3 binding with chick intestinal cytosol, association and dissociation rate constants were determined. Values that were obtained at 25 °C for these processes were 9.5 × 108 m − min− and 7.1 × 10−3 min−, respectively. Although these studies, such as for other steroid hormones, were carried out using a crude native cytosol preparation, we have been able to demonstrate unequivocally through the use of high specific activity 1,25-dihydroxy[ 3 H-26,27 ] vitamin D3 a truly high affinity binding site.
Recurrent rupture of the triceps tendon repaired with hamstring tendon autograft augmentation: a case report and repair technique.

The triceps tendon is one of the least frequently ruptured tendons.1 An extensive review of the English literature revealed 83 reported cases. Most reports describe either direct trauma to the elbow or a fall on an outstretched hand as the mechanism of injury. Several authors have demonstrated associations of triceps tendon rupture with weight lifting,3,23 previous local injection of corticosteroids,23 or chronic olecranon bursitis.5,23 The majority of these injuries were repaired primarily by sutures through olecranon drill holes or an olecranon periosteal flap, with satisfactory results. Despite multiple reports of good to excellent results with acute repair, re-rupture of the triceps tendon after primary repair has not been reported. Although the use of tendon autografts has been described to augment primary repairs,24 the use of gracilis and semitendinosus autograft in the repair of the triceps tendon has not been described. The case of a 49-year-old man who sustained re-rupture of a previously repaired triceps tendon and the reconstruction of the tendon with the use of hamstring autograft is described.
Flow through beds of perfusive particles: effective medium model for velocity prediction within the perfusive media

Abstract The effective medium model is a modified model for flow through beds of perfusive particles. This model accounts for the advantages in the existing models and eliminate most of their disadvantages. This model consists of a perfusive particle surrounded by a hypothetical envelope that has fluid only. This envelope is surrounded by a swarm of perfusive particles with permeability equal to the bed permeability. The analytical solution has been obtained by solving Brinkman’s equation in the swarm and the perfusive particle and Navier–Stokes equation for creeping flow in the envelope. This model has proven to converge to the existing models. Where, the proposed model is more general. The validity of this model has been tested through the relation between its parameters, where a relation has been derived through the macroscopic and microscopic force balances on a perfusive bed and a single perfusive particle, respectively. The analysis shows that the result from the effective medium model is in a good agreement with the available experimental data for overall bed permeability.
Cervicomediastinal thymic cysts

Abstract Cervical thymic cysts are among the rarest congenital neck masses. They are probably more frequent than the number of cases reported as many of these lesions are asymptomatic and only discovered incidentally. The initial embryologic development of the thymus begins in the neck, followed by migration into the superior mediastinum. For this reason, extension of cervical thymic anomalies into the mediastinum is possible. Although it is the least common lateral cystic neck mass, it must be differentiated from other pediatric cystic neck masses, the majority of which are anomalies of the branchial system. Due to the possiblity of mediastinal extension, the management of these lesions is different than other congenital neck masses. We report two cases of thymic anomalies with mediastinal extension and review the embryology, diagnosis, and management of Cervicomediastinal thymic cysts.
Local reorientation, global order, and planar topology

Almost every problem on digraphs requires computing strongly connected components and directed spanning trees in one form or another. It has long been an open problem whether polylog time and linear processors are enough to find the strongly connected components of a digraph and compute directed spanning trees for these components. This paper provides the first non-trivial partial solution to this open problem: For a planar digraph with n vertices, the strongly connected components can be computed in O(log3n) time and O(n) processors. If the graph is strongly connected, a directed spanning tree can be built in O(log2n) time and O(n) processors. Both algorithms are deterministic and run on a parallel random access machine that allows concurrent reads and concurrent writes in its shared memory.
Effects of temperature on the near-infrared spectroscopic measurement of glucose

The noninvasive monitoring of sugars, and in particular, glucose using near-IR (NIR) spectroscopy would be useful for a number of applications including regulating the nutrients in cell culture medium, monitoring on-line processes in the food industry, and in vivo monitoring for control of glucose in DIabetic patients. The focus of this research was the investigation of the temperature effects across a 10.6 to 40.4 degrees C range on Fourier filtered and unfiltered single-beam as well as absorbance glucose and water NIR spectra. It is known that the positions of water absorption bands centered at 1.923 and 2.623 micrometers depend heavily on temperature effects while the glucose bands are temperature insensitive across this range. The water absorption bands were shown to shift to lower wavelengths while the distance between these bands increased with increasing temperatures. Partial least squares (PLS) calibration models were constructed at five separate temperatures, 15.7, 20.5, 25.5, 35.6, and 40.4 degrees C. When absorbance spectra were used with reference scans taken at the same temperature and PLS models were used, no significant difference in the standard error of prediction (SEP) was noted with temperature. Using PLS calibration with single-beam spectra at one temperature showed large SEPs at the other temperatures. The use of Fourier filtered single-beam spectra reduced the SEP but still showed an increase as large temperature differences were produced and the filtered single beam approach did not reduce the SEP to the level achieved with the absorbance spectra.
Uncertainty in a Path-averaged Measurement of the Friction Velocity u*

Abstract Several electro-optical methods exist for measuring a path-averaged value of the inner scale of turbulence l0. By virtue of Monin–Obukhov similarity, in the atmospheric surface layer such l0 measurements are related to the friction velocity u* or to the surface stress τ = &rhou*2, where ρ is the air density. Because l0 is a path-averaged quantity, u* is too. Here the question of how precisely u* can be measured is investigated by combining these inner-scale measurements with two-wavelength scintillation measurements that yield the sensible and latent heat fluxes and, thereby, facilitate stability collections. The analysis suggests that current path-averaging instruments can generally measure u* to ± 20%–30%.
The end of the computing era: Hephaestus meets the olympians

Our digital world is becoming increasingly real (and vice versa), is being extended to include the physical world, and is growing in size, scope, and significance apparently on its own trajectory. The elimination of the ancient boundaries of time, space, location, and organizational structure appear to be unleashing social and other forces that threaten to disrupt real and automated systems replacing them with organically evolving digital ecosystems. Yet at the threshold of these amazing changes do we have the tools to understand, design, or harness these changes for safety, improvement, innovation, and economic growth? In ancient times, Hephaestus, the Greek god of technology, devised cunning machines with which to right transgressions only to find that his machines aggravated problems that were beyond his understanding. This talk will briefly review the amazing growth of the Web and of our increasingly digital world as indicators of two fundamental shifts. We will first look at the end of the computing era and the emergence of the problem solving era in which the problem owners attempt to solve problems with increasing realism and complexity aided by technology - not vice versa. Second, we will examine the emergence of a fundamentally more flexible, adaptive, and dynamic computing, Computer Science 2.0, and how it might serve the next generation of problem solving with its pillars of semantic technologies, service-oriented computing, and the semantic Web.
Becoming a Stepfamily: Developmental Issues for New Stepfamilies:

This column presents issues that affectfamilies undergoing separation, divorce, and remarriage, including single parenting and stepfamilies. If you have specific areas or questions that you would l...
Pinch and Elbow Extension Restoration in People With Tetraplegia : A Systematic Review of the Literature

Purpose We conducted a systematic review of the literature to summarize the available data on reconstructive surgeries involving pinch reconstruction and elbow extension restoration in people with tetraplegia. Methods English-language and French-language articles and abstracts published between 1966 and February 2007, identified through MEDLINE and EMBASE searches, bibliography review, and expert consultation, were reviewed for original reports of outcomes with pinch reconstruction and elbow extension restoration in tetraplegic patients after a spinal cord injury. Two reviewers independently extracted data on patient characteristics, surgical methods, and patient outcomes. Results Our search identified 765 articles, of which 37 met eligibility criteria (one article contained information on both elbow and pinch procedures). Results from 377 pinch reconstructions in 23 studies and 201 elbow extension restorations in 14 studies were summarized. The mean Medical Research Council score for elbow extension went from 0 to 3.3 after reconstruction. The overall mean postoperative strength measured after surgery for pinch reconstruction was 2 kg. Conclusions More than 500 patients having these procedures experienced a clinically important improvement for both procedures—one restoring elbow extension, and the other, pinch strength. Upper-limb surgeries markedly improved the hand function of people with tetraplegia. Type of study/level of evidence Therapeutic IV.
Outcomes for hepatorenal syndrome and acute kidney injury in patients undergoing liver transplantation: a single-center experience.

Abstract Acute kidney injury occurs commonly among patients with advanced liver disease. These patients may undergo liver transplantation with subsequent improvement in hepatic function. However, the renal outcomes of these patients after liver transplantation has only occasionally been reported. Knowledge of these outcomes would be useful to identify patients who may benefit from combined liver-renal transplantation. We retrospectively analyzed 29 patients who subsequently went on to have a liver transplantation. Seventeen of cases could be ascribed to hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) and 12 cases to ATN. Four patients with non-HRS and 12 patients with HRS required hemodialysis prior to transplantation. The duration of kidney injury prior to transplantation was 7.75 ± 7.53 weeks in the HRS group and 5.09 ± 4.47 weeks in the ATN group (P = NS). Demographic variables between patients with HRS and ATN were similar with the exception of a higher prevalence of diabetes among the ATN group (P
Instability of a periodic flow in geostrophic and hydrostatic balance

Abstract Instability of a flow in geostrophic and hydrostatic balance is investigated using numerical simulations of the fully nonlinear, rotating, stratified Boussinesq equations. Burger numbers less than one and small aspect ratio are considered. Although the model we consider has continuous stratification in the vertical, in terms of phenomenology, the large scale baroclinic instability we find is most closely related to that found in the classical setting of Eady 1949 [8]. Indeed, the growth rate and scale of the most unstable mode scale similarly. The advantage of the model we consider lies in being able to use it in studies of unbalanced processes. Preliminary experimentation suggests that there is a small scale instability at small values of Burger number. This instability is initiated in anticyclonic regions, is likely imbalanced, and likely leads to small scale dissipation. By considering two measures of balance—one based on a wave-vortex decomposition and another based on the quasi-geostrophic omega equation—we study the dependence of imbalance on Rossby number. We, however, find that kinetic energy spectra display slopes consistent with quasi-geostrophic turbulence, with no break in slope at high wavenumbers.
Toward trustworthy mobile sensing

Commodity mobile devices have been utilized as sensor nodes in a variety of domains, including citizen journalism, mobile social services, and domestic eldercare. In each of these domains, data integrity and device-owners' privacy are first-class concerns, but current approaches to secure sensing fail to balance these properties. External signing infrastructure cannot attest to the values generated by a device's sensing hardware, while trusted sensing hardware does not allow users to securely reduce the fidelity of readings in order to preserve their privacy. In this paper we examine the challenges posed by the potentially conflicting goals of data integrity and user privacy and propose a trustworthy mobile sensing platform which leverages inexpensive commodity Trusted Platform Module (TPM) hardware.
Electronic imaging using a logarithmic asphere.

Transmission functions are derived that are valid in the nonparaxial case for a class of lenses that will image a continuum of points along an optical axis to a single image point. This lens, which we call a logarithmic asphere, is then used in a digital camera. The resolution of the camera is limited by the pixel size of the CCD; i.e., it is not diffraction limited. Digital processing is used to recover the image, and image-plane processing is used for speed. We find a tenfold increase in the depth of field over that for the diffraction-limited case.
184 INSULIN DEGRADATION WITHIN THE FETO-PLACENTAL UNIT

The concentration of insulin in fetal plasma is a resultant of factors stimulating insulin secretion and/or metabolic disposition. As part of investigations of the dynamics of fetal insulin secretion, aspects of insulin disposition in placenta and fetus were studied. Inactivation of insulin could occur by cleavage of disulfide bonds with glutathione-insulin trans-hydrogenase (GIT), and/or by proteolysis with specific or non-specific peptidases. Activity of GIT is negligible in fetal liver until day 18 of gestation, when the specific activity is 21 units/mg. protein, as compared to 127 units/mg. protein at term. Activity of GIT in fetal kidney and lung, during late gestation, is comparable to adult values. Non-GIT activity was excluded by incubation with N-ethyl maleimide. Placental GIT activity was constant throughout gestation. Identification of GIT as initial step in degradation of insulin by placental homogenates, microsomes and membrane preparations was established by Sephadex chromatography following sequential incubations with 125I-insulin. Intracellular distribution of GIT differs between placenta and liver, with much less activity in placental microsomes. These studies indicate that fetal liver cannot degrade insulin until late in pregnancy. It is probable that the placenta plays a significant role in disposition of insulin and, thus, in regulation of the plasma concentration of insulin in the rat fetus.
Religion, Spirituality, and Existentialism Near the End of Life: Implications for Assessment and Application

Persons facing death due to terminal illness experience diverse physical, emotional, and relationship challenges. Dying persons have more than just physical needs, and spiritual issues may feature ...
Geochemistry of Carboniferous limestone units in northwest Arkansas

Abstract Three Mississippian limestone units, the St. Joe, Boone and Pitkin Formations, and two Pennsylvanian limestone units, the Brentwood and Kessler Members of the Bloyd Formation, were sampled over a seven-county area in northwest Arkansas. The HCl-soluble portions of the limestones were analyzed for Ca, Mg, Sr, Ba, Al, Si, Na, K, Li, Fe, Mn, Zn, Ni, Cu, Co and Cr. Using histograms, the background concentrations of these elements and the percentage HCl-soluble material were determined for each unit. All units averaged more than 92% HCl-soluble material and more than 91% calcite for the soluble portion. Mississippian limestones had less insoluble residue and less cation impurities than Pennsylvanian limestones. Ratios of Sr/Ca and Mg/Ca for the five units decreased with increasing geological age. The concentrations of cation impurities were comparable to a “world” average limestone for all units except for Ba, Al, Si, Cu, Na and K. Compared to limestone of comparable age, the Ba and Cu contents were normal. The concentrations of Na, K, Al and Si are low because they are contained mainly in the acid-insoluble residues. All five limestone units showed a regular increase in the following elements with increasing Mg content: Na, Sr, Li, Mn and Fe. It is postulated that this may be due to disorder in the calcite lattice and proxy sites caused by Mg 2+ ions which facilitate substitution of cation impurities. A graphical method is developed for determining the concentration of an element in the completely soluble (carbonate) and partially soluble (non-carbonate) portions of a limestone. The concentrations of the various impurity elements in the carbonate portions were generally less than the concentrations in the partially soluble fractions. The percentage of the total impurity in the carbonate fraction ranged as follows for several elements among four limestone units: Na (24–75%), K (0–33%), Li (76–89%), Mg (39–83%), Sr (35–91%), Al (5–47%), Fe (10–68%), Mn (44–85%). The two ions, K + and Al 3+ , least partitioned into the carbonate fraction, are misfits both in terms of charge and size for the calcite lattice.
The lethal cargo of Myxococcus xanthus outer membrane vesicles

Myxococcus xanthus is a bacterial micro-predator known for hunting other microbes in a wolf pack-like manner. Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) are produced in large quantities by M. xanthus and have a highly organized structure in the extracellular milieu, sometimes occurring in chains that link neighboring cells within a biofilm. OMVs may be a vehicle for mediating wolf pack activity by delivering hydrolytic enzymes and antibiotics aimed at killing prey microbes. Here, both the protein and small molecule cargo of the OMV and membrane fractions of M. xanthus were characterized and compared. Our analysis indicates a number of proteins that are OMV-specific or OMV-enriched, including several with putative hydrolytic function. Secondary metabolite profiling of OMVs identifies 16 molecules, many associated with antibiotic activities. Several hydrolytic enzyme homologs were identified, including the protein encoded by MXAN_3564 (mepA), an M36 protease homolog. Genetic disruption of mepA leads to a significant reduction in extracellular protease activity suggesting MepA is part of the long-predicted (yet to date undetermined) extracellular protease suite of M. xanthus.
Packed column supercritical fluid chromatography/mass spectrometry for high-throughput analysis. Part 2.

A supercritical fluid chromatograph was interfaced to a mass spectrometer, and the system was evaluated for applications requiring high sample throughput. Experiments presented demonstrate the high-speed separation capability of supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) and the effectiveness of supercritical fluid chromatography/mass spectrometry (SFC/MS) for fast, accurate determinations of multicomponent mixtures. A high-throughput liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) analysis cycle time is reduced 3-fold using our general SFC/MS high-throughput method, resulting in substantial time saving for large numbers of samples. Unknown mixture characterization is improved due to the increased selectivity of SFC/MS compared to LC/MS. This was demonstrated with sample mixtures from a 96-well combinatorial library plate. In this paper, we report a negative mode atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) method for SFC/MS suitable for most of the components in library production mixtures. Flow injecti...
Collection efficiency of respirator filters challenged with monodisperse latex aerosols.

Collection efficiency was evaluated for 10 respirator Manufacturers' electrostatically-charged dust/mist filters challenged with eight sizes of latex spheres in a range representative of the silica aerosol used in National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) certification tests. Minimum efficiency occurred at or below the smallest size of 0.102 µm. Appreciable differences were found in the performances of filters distributed by the 10 manufacturers. Filters produced by 1 manufacturer exhibited significantly lower collection efficiency than other filters tested; those produced by 2 manufacturers performed somewhat better than the others tested. Statistical evaluation of Weibull-transformed data using analyses of covariance and Tukey's significant difference test allowed classification of the 10 manufacturers into three performance categories.
Implementation of EPID transit dosimetry based on a through‐air dosimetry algorithm

Purpose: A method to perform transit dosimetry with an electronic portal imaging device (EPID) by extending the commercial implementation of a published through-air portal dose image (PDI) prediction algorithm Van Esch et al.[Radiother. Oncol. 71, 223-234 (2004)] is proposed and validated. A detailed characterization of the attenuation, scattering, and EPID response behind objects in the beam path is used to convert through-air PDIs into transit PDIs. Methods: The EPID detector response beyond a range of water equivalent thicknesses (0-35 cm) and field sizes (3x3 to 22.2x29.6 cm{sup 2}) was analyzed. A constant air gap between the phantom exit surface and the EPID was utilized. A model was constructed that accounts for the beam's attenuation along the central axis, the presence of phantom scattered radiation, the detector's energy dependent response, and the difference in EPID off-axis pixel response relative to the central pixel. The efficacy of the algorithm was verified by comparing predicted and measured PDIs for IMRT fields delivered through phantoms of increasing complexity. Results: The expression that converts a through-air PDI to a transit PDI is dependent on the object's thickness, the irradiated field size, and the EPID pixel position. Monte Carlo derived narrow-beam linear attenuation coefficients are usedmore » to model the decrease in primary fluence incident upon the EPID due to the object's presence in the beam. This term is multiplied by a factor that accounts for the broad beam scatter geometry of the linac-phantom-EPID system and the detector's response to the incident beam quality. A 2D Gaussian function that models the nonuniformity of pixel response across the EPID detector plane is developed. For algorithmic verification, 49 IMRT fields were repeatedly delivered to homogeneous slab phantoms in 5 cm increments. Over the entire set of measurements, the average area passing a 3%/3mm gamma criteria slowly decreased from 98% for no material in the beam to 96.7% for 35 cm of material in the beam. The same 49 fields were delivered to a heterogeneous slab phantom and on average, 97.1% of the pixels passed the gamma criteria. Finally, a total of 33 IMRT fields were delivered to the anthropomorphic phantom and on average, 98.1% of the pixels passed. The likelihood of good matches was independent of anatomical site. Conclusions: A prediction of the transit PDI behind a phantom or patient can be created for the purposes of treatment verification via an extension of the Van Esch through-air PDI algorithm. The results of the verification measurements through phantoms indicate that further investigation through patients during their treatments is warranted.« less
Isolated nanoinjection photo detectors for high-speed and high-sensitivity single-photon detection

Our group has designed and developed a new SWIR single photon detector called the nano-injection detector that is conceptually designed with biological inspirations taken from the rod cells in human eye. The detector couples a nanoscale sensory region with a large absorption volume to provide avalanche free internal amplification while operating at linear regime with low bias voltages. The low voltage operation makes the detector to be fully compatible with available CMOS technologies. Because there is no photon reemission, detectors can be formed into high-density single-photon detector arrays. As such, the nano injection detectors are viable candidates for SPD and imaging at the short-wave infrared band. Our measurements in 2007 proved a high SNR and a stable excess noise factor of near unity. We are reporting on a high speed version of the detector with 4 orders of magnitude enhancement in speed as well as 2 orders of magnitude reduction in dark current (30nA vs. 10 uA at 1.5V).
Insulin/PI3K signaling protects dentate neurons from oxygen-glucose deprivation in organotypic slice cultures.

It is known that ischemia/reperfusion induces neurodegeneration in the hippocampus in a subregion-dependent manner. This study investigated the mechanism of selective resistance/vulnerability to oxygen–glucose deprivation (OGD) using mouse organotypic hippocampal cultures. Analysis of propidium iodide uptake showed that OGD-induced duration- and subregion-dependent neuronal injury. When compared with the CA1–3 subregions, dentate neuronal survival was more sensitive to inhibition of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling under basal conditions. Dentate neuronal sensitivity to PI3K/Akt signaling activation was inversely related to its vulnerability to OGD-induced injury; insulin/insulin-like growth factor 1 pre-treatment conferred neuroprotection to dentate neurons via activation of PI3K/Akt signaling. In contrast, CA1 and CA3 neurons were less sensitive to disruptions of endogenous PI3K/Akt signaling and protective effects of insulin/insulin-like growth factor 1, but more vulnerable to OGD. OGD-induced injury in CA1 was reduced by inhibition of NMDA receptor or mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling, and was prevented by blocking NMDA receptor in the presence of insulin. The CA2 subregion was distinctive in its response to glutamate, OGD, and insulin, compared with other CA subregions. CA2 neurons were sensitive to the protective effects of insulin against OGD-induced injury, but more resistant to glutamate. Distinctive distribution of insulin receptor β and basal phospho-Akt was detected in our slice cultures. Our results suggest a role for insulin signaling in subregional resistance/vulnerability to cerebral ischemia.
The relation of ultrastructural changes in osteoclasts to resorption in bone cultures stimulated with parathyroïd hormone

Abstract Changes in the size of osteoclasts, osteoclast nuclei, ruffled borders and clear zones in bones cultured with and without parathyroid hormone (PTH) were quantitated as a function of time. These data were correlated with the release of calcium into the medium, the numbers of osteoclasts in the bones and the number of nuclei per osteoclasts. Cell size increased significantly after three hours of treatment with PTH as compared to controls, ruffled borders increased significantly after 1–6 hours, and clear zones after three hours. The mean size of the cells and the clear zones increased at a similar rate and reached a plateau after 24 hours. Ruffled borders, however, increased at a higher rate and continued to increase up to 48 hours, occupying increasingly larger proportions of the cell. These early changes were followed by a significant increase in the numbers of osteoclasts' and a significant increase in calcium release by 6–12 hours. Hence, PTH has an early effect on osteoclast activity followed later by an effect on the differentiation of preosteoclasts to osteoclasts. The early effects on osteoclast activity may be responsible for rapid osteoclast-mediated changes in calcium homeostasis.
Co-alloying effect of Co and Cr with Pt for oxygen electro-reduction reaction

Abstract The effect of co-alloying of Co and Cr was investigated by synthesizing and analyzing Pt3M and PtM (M = Co and/or Cr) catalysts for the oxygen electro-reduction reaction (ORR) activity. In the Pt3M catalysts, we could not observe significant differences among the alloy catalysts before and after annealing, except for the high specific activity of a Pt3Co/C-900 catalyst (Pt3Co/C catalyst annealed at 900 °C under H2/Ar (5.2 mol% H2) flow for 5 min.). The electrochemical properties of the alloy catalysts were much different in the PtM catalysts. After annealing at 900 °C, the specific activities of the PtM catalysts increased in the order of PtCo/C-900 ( 5000 μ A c m pt − 2 ) > PtCo0.5Cr0.5/C-900 ( 2400 μ A c m pt − 2 ) > PtCr/C-900 ( 1080 μ A c m pt − 2 ) > Pt/C ( 334 μ A c m pt − 2 ). On the other hand, ORR mass activity exhibited a different order of PtCo0.5Cr0.5/C-900 ( 132 mA m g pt − 1 ) > PtCr/C-900 ( 129 mA m g pt − 1 ) > PtCo/C-900 ( 37 mA m g pt − 1 ). The low mass activity of the PtCo/C-900 catalyst was explained by small electrochemically active surface area (EAS). The intermediate specific ORR activity and EAS values of the PtCo0.5Cr0.5/C catalyst shows that the two opposite characteristics of PtCo (low mass activity and high specific activity) and PtCr (high mass activity and low specific activity) were combined by co-alloying of Co and Cr with Pt. In addition, this result shows that the electrochemical properties of the ternary catalyst can be tuned by controlling the composition to achieve high mass activity.
Post-Translational Decrease in Respiratory Chain Proteins in the Polg Mutator Mouse Brain

Mitochondrial DNA damage is thought to be a causal contributor to aging as mice with inactivating mutations in polymerase gamma (Polg) develop a progeroid phenotype. To further understand the molecular mechanisms underlying this phenotype, we used iTRAQ and RNA-Seq to determine differences in protein and mRNA abundance respectively in the brains of one year old Polg mutator mice compared to control animals. We found that mitochondrial respiratory chain proteins are specifically decreased in abundance in the brains of the mutator mice, including several nuclear encoded mitochondrial components. However, we found no evidence that the changes we observed in protein levels were the result of decreases in mRNA expression. These results show that there are post-translational effects associated with mutations in Polg.