cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Simplified fabrication process of 3D photonic crystal optical transmission filter

Using a simplified fabrication process, we present the experimental verification of the performance of a 3-D photonic crystal optical transmission filter. Inherent to this unique fabrication approach to the realization of narrow line width, highly efficient optical transmission filters, is the ability to spatially vary the transmission characteristics across the filter aperture. This differentiates this type of filter from conventional dielectric based space variant optical transmission filters which require additional processing at intermediate steps within the dielectric film deposition process. The multilayer stack consists of alternating high and low refractive index dielectric material grown on either side of a high index dielectric spacer layer, which produces a narrow transmission notch in the center of a large stop band. The nano-structuring of a square lattice array of holes and subsequent etching of the pattern through a dielectric stack provides the ability to spatially vary the location of the narrow transmission peak within the wide stop band based off of variation of the hole diameter or lattice constant of the array.
Herbal alkaloid tetrandrine: from an ion channel blocker to inhibitor of tumor proliferation

Abstract The herbal alkaloid tetrandrine blocks voltage-gated Ca 2+ channels, intracellular Ca 2+ pumps and large-conductance Ca 2+ -activated K + (BK) channels. Recent work has focused on the signaling pathways that underlie tetrandrine-mediated inhibition of tumor cell proliferation and cytotoxicity. Because K + channels play an important role in the regulation of cell cycle progression, apoptosis and immunoreactions, this article focuses on tetrandrine-mediated responses of cell proliferation and cytotoxicity, and speculates on possible correlations with the tetrandrine-induced BK channel block
SAR image enhancement via post-correlation signal processing

Seventeen interpreters ranked sets of computer-generated radar imagery to assess the value of post-correlation processing on the interpretability of SAR (synthetic aperture radar) imagery. The post-correlation processing evaluated amounts to a nonlinear mapping of the signal exiting a digital correlator and allows full use of signal bandwidth for improving the spatial resolution or for noise reduction. The results indicate that it is reasonable to hypothesize an optimal SAR presentation format for specific appliations even though this study was too limited to be specific.
Control of Tryptophan Biosynthesis in Plant Tissue Cultures: Lack of Repression of Anthranilate and Tryptophan Synthetases by Tryptophan

Tobacco (cv. Xanthi and cv. Wisconsin 38), rice, carrot, tomato, and soybean tissue cultures were grown in liquid media containing L-tryptophan. The addition of tryptophan increased the cellular tryptophan levels greatly (12–2500 fold), but did not lower appreciably the levels of two tryptophan biosynthetic enzymes, anthranilate synthetase and tryptophan synthetase. However, the addition of 50 μM tryptophan to the crude enzyme extract completely inhibited the anthranilate synthetase activity while 1 mM tryptophan inhibited the tryptophan synthetase activity by only 10–20°/o. This information indicates that tryptophan biosynthesis is controlled by the feedback inhibition of anthranilate synthetase by tryptophan and not by repression of enzyme synthesis. All of the species had significant enzyme levels. Anthranilate synthetase activity could not be detected in extracts from cells grown on tryptophan unless the extracts were first passed through two G-25 Sephadex columns with a short 30 °C warming step in between, a procedure shown to remove an inhibitor of the enzyme.
Toward Extending the Compromise Effect to Complex Buying Contexts

Abstract Kivetz, Netzer, and Srinivasan (2004) make an important contribution to the theory of choice models by demonstrating through a rigorous analysis of four alternative models that the compromise effect systematically affects choice in a wide range of conditions. The value and impact of their work can be enhanced by extensions that examine key underlying institutional variables that may shape the nature and scope of compromise effects. The authors provide a set of issues that further research can effectively pursue in the context of institutional buying processes and the purchase of complex solutions rather than individual products.
Uncontrolled pneumonia in a 49-year-old white man.

### Patient A 49-year-old white man. ### Chief Complaint Shortness of breath, fever, and ongoing unintended weight loss. ### History of Present Illness The patient had arrived at the emergency department of a hospital in St. Augustine, Florida with coughing and progressive shortness of breath. He reported that he had been experiencing these symptoms for the past 6 weeks. He was examined by his primary physician, who had prescribed him a course of antibiotics and treated him on an outpatient basis. The patient reported no improvement in his symptoms at present, despite the antibiotics. He mentioned that he had traveled to St. Augustine, Florida approximately 10 days previously. Medical personnel in the emergency department subsequently performed a chest x-ray on the patient, as well as computed tomography (CT) scanning of his lymphadenopathy. ### Medical and Family History Positive for hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and osteoporosis. He reported that he has chewed 2 packs of chewing tobacco per day for the past 30 years, occasionally drinks alcohol, and is a nonsmoker with no known allergies. ### Family history Noncontributory. ### Social history Noncontributory. ### Physical Examination Results The patient exhibited mild respiratory distress; however, he was awake, alert, and oriented, with a temperature of 37.3°C. He also exhibited poor respiratory effort with diffuse expiratory rhonchi. His heart rate and heart rhythm were regular, with no murmurs, gallops, or rubs. His bowel sounds were positive; he exhibited no organomegaly and no cyanosis, clubbing, or edema of his extremities. ### Laboratory Findings Table 1; Table 2; Image 1. Image 1 Staining of specimen material from our patient, a 49-year-old white man. A, Periodic acid–Schiff stain (PAS) results (magnification ×10). B, Grocott-Gomori methenamine silver stain (GMS) results (magnification ×10) demonstrating broad-budding yeast, the morphologic characteristics of which are consistent with Blastomycosis dermatitidis. View this table: Table 1 Initial Microbiological Findingsa View this table: Table 2 Initial Biochemical Findingsa 1. What are the most striking clinical and laboratory findings for the patient? 2. What type of organisms other than bacteria might cause the …
Presence of human immunodeficiency virus-1-specific CD4 and CD8 cellular immune responses in children with full or partial virus suppression.

The present study assessed antiviral T cell immune responses in 48 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected children with a stable or decreasing CD4 + T cell counts and different levels of viral control, in the presence or absence of antiretroviral therapy. Children with full ( 50,000 copies/mL). Levels of anti-HIV CDB + T cell activity, although higher in treated children with a lack of virus suppression, were not significantly different between the groups. Although levels of anti-HIV CD4 + and CD8 + T cell responses were not associated, these levels of responses were associated with the percentage of specific T cell subsets. Overall, a history of stable CD4 + T cell counts, as a result of therapy that imparted full or partial virus suppression, was associated with increased levels of anti-HIV CD4 + T helper responses and decreased T cell activation.
The Sign-Rank of AC^O

The sign-rank of a matrix A = [Aij] with plusmn1 entries is the least rank of a real matrix B = [Bij] with AijBij > 0 for all i, j. We obtain the first exponential lower bound on the sign-rank of a function in AC0. Namely, let f(x, y) = Lambdai=1 m Lambdaj=1 m 2(xij Lambda yij). We show that the matrix [f(x, y)]x, y has sign-rank 2Omega(m). This in particular implies that Sigma2 ccnsubeUPPcc, which solves a long-standing open problem posed by Babai, Frankl, and Simon (1986). Our result additionally implies a lower bound in learning theory. Specifically, let Phi1,..., Phir : {0, 1}n rarrRopf be functions such that every DNF formula f : {0, 1}n rarr {-1, +1} of polynomial size has the representation f equiv sign(a1Phi1 + hellip + arPhir) for some reals a1,..., ar. We prove that then r ges 2Omega(n 1/3 ), which essentially matches an upper bound of 2Otilde(n 1/3 ) due to Klivans and Servedio (2001). Finally, our work yields the first exponential lower bound on the size of threshold-of-majority circuits computing a function in AC0. This substantially generalizes and strengthens the results of Krause and Pudlak (1997).
Adenylate Cyclase Toxin (ACT) from Bordetella hinzii: Characterization and Differences from ACT of Bordetella pertussis

Bordetella hinzii is a commensal respiratory microorganism in poultry but is increasingly being recognized as an opportunistic pathogen in immunocompromised humans. Although associated with a variety of disease states, practically nothing is known about the mechanisms employed by this bacterium. In this study, we show by DNA sequencing and reverse transcription-PCR that both commensal and clinical strains of B. hinzii possess and transcriptionally express cyaA, the gene encoding adenylate cyclase toxin (ACT) in other pathogenic Bordetella species. By Western blotting, we also found that B. hinzii produces full-length ACT protein in quantities that are comparable to those made by B. pertussis. In contrast to B. pertussis ACT, however, ACT from B. hinzii is less extractable from whole bacteria, nonhemolytic, has a 50-fold reduction in adenylate cyclase activity, and is unable to elevate cyclic AMP levels in host macrophages (nontoxic). The decrease in enzymatic activity is attributable, at least in part, to a decreased binding affinity of B. hinzii ACT for calmodulin, the eukaryotic activator of B. pertussis ACT. In addition, we demonstrate that the lack of intoxication by B. hinzii ACT may be due to the absence of expression of cyaC, the gene encoding the accessory protein required for the acylation of B. pertussis ACT. These results demonstrate the expression of ACT by B. hinzii and represent the first characterization of a potential virulence factor of this organism.
Detection and quantification of left atrial structural remodeling with delayed-enhancement magnetic resonance imaging in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Background— Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with diffuse left atrial fibrosis and a reduction in endocardial voltage. These changes are indicators of AF severity and appear to be predictors of treatment outcome. In this study, we report the utility of delayed-enhancement magnetic resonance imaging (DE-MRI) in detecting abnormal atrial tissue before radiofrequency ablation and in predicting procedural outcome. Methods and Results— Eighty-one patients presenting for pulmonary vein antrum isolation for treatment of AF underwent 3-dimensional DE-MRI of the left atrium before the ablation. Six healthy volunteers also were scanned. DE-MRI images were manually segmented to isolate the left atrium, and custom software was implemented to quantify the spatial extent of delayed enhancement, which was then compared with the regions of low voltage from electroanatomic maps from the pulmonary vein antrum isolation procedure. Patients were assessed for AF recurrence at least 6 months after pulmonary vein antrum i...
Agreement Between Responses From Community-Dwelling Persons With Stroke and Their Proxies on the NIH Neurological Quality of Life (Neuro-QoL) Short Forms

Objective To examine agreement between patient and proxy responses on the Quality of Life in Neurological Disorders (Neuro-QoL) instruments after stroke.
Scheduling tool and algorithm for integrated modular avionics systems

As computer and software technologies have advanced, the approach of Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA) has emerged in the field of avionics systems. The IMA approach can dramatically reduce production and maintenance costs and increase reliability of these safety-critical real time systems. The IMA hardware and foundation software must be able to provide guarantees to the application software so that the real-time constraints of all applications are simultaneously satisfied. In addition, each application must be protected from interference by other applications and the operating system software must itself be protected while physically sharing resources such as processors and communication hardware and busses. In other words, an IMA implementation requires that the concepts of spatial and temporal partitioning are provided and guaranteed. This paper introduces a scheduling tool and its algorithms that can be used to solve the fundamental temporal partitioning problems together with implementation related practical constraints. Based on the two-level scheduling hierarchy architecture of ARINC IMA standards, we model an IMA system composed of multiple partition servers and channel servers. A partition server models a protected application that may be composed of multiple concurrent tasks. A channel server provides temporally and spatially protected message transmission among applications. The ultimate objective of the tool is to provide schedules for both tasks and messages that provide for robust temporal partitioning.
Metal-induced grown Si nanostructures for large-area-device applications

Hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si:H) films were formed by using a metal (Ni and Co) induced growth (MIG) method, in which nc-Si films epitaxially grow via the formation of a metal disilicide due to an extremely small lattice mismatch. This method avoids high-temperature processing and can be scaled up for large areas. We report on the present state of the fabrication and properties of MIG ne-Si. The effects of processing parameters and different metal prelayers on the Si nanostructures and electrical properties are discussed. The current-voltage-temperature measurement for an Al Schottky diode on MIG nc-Si reveals thermionic field emission to be the dominant carrier transport mechanism in the high-voltage forward current-voltage (I-V) region. The potential applications of these films include large-area solar cells or flat panel displays.
Thermodynamics of binding by calmodulin correlates with target peptide α-helical propensity

In this work, we have examined contributions to the thermodynamics of calmodulin (CaM) binding from the intrinsic propensity for target peptides to adopt an α-helical conformation. CaM target sequences are thought to commonly reside in disordered regions within proteins. Using the ability of TFE to induce α-helical structure as a proxy, the six peptides studied range from having almost no propensity to adopt α-helical structure through to a very high propensity. This despite all six peptides having similar CaM-binding affinities. Our data indicate there is some correlation between the deduced propensities and the thermodynamics of CaM binding. This finding implies that molecular recognition features, such as CaM target sequences, may possess a broad range of propensities to adopt local structure. Given that these peptides bind to CaM with similar affinities, the data suggest that having a higher propensity to adopt α-helical structure does not necessarily result in tighter binding, and that the mechanism of CaM binding is very dependent on the nature of the substrate sequence. Proteins 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
High school students’ understanding of titrations and related acid-base phenomena

Acid-base titrations are common laboratory activities carried out in high school chemistry courses. Using a series of qualitative and computer-based tasks, this study examined sixteen American students’ understanding of titrations. The findings indicated that students had considerable difficulty with acid-base chemistry, were unable to describe accurately acid-base concepts, such as pH, neutralization, strength, and the theoretical descriptions of acids and bases. Further, most students could not relate the concepts to actual solutions. Student difficulties stemmed from a lack of understanding of some underlying chemistry, such as the nature of chemical change and the particulate nature of matter. A number of factors were identified as contributing to these difficulties, including the overstuffed nature of introductory chemistry itself, the emphasis during instruction on solving numerical problems, and the dominant role played by the textbook. The conceptual density of acid-base chemistry, the confusing nature of acid-base terminology and the lack of agreement about what material should be included in the chemistry curriculum were identified as being problematic. [Chem. Educ. Res. Pract., 2006, 7 (1), 32-45]
Aspects of second-language transfer in the oral production of Egyptian and Palestinian heritage speakers

The nature and extent of the impact of language transfer in majority–minority language contexts have been widely debated in both second- and heritage-language acquisition. This study examines four ...
Thermal Conductivity of Liquid Hydrazine (N2H4) at 293.2 Kelvin and 0.101 to 2.068 Megapascals

. The present measurement is in agreement with one recent measurement. The present measurement disagrees with the most recent measurement as well as several previous measurements and estimation methods. The thermal conductivity was determined to change very little over the pressure range of 0.101 to 2.068 MPa. The present observed pressure dependence is in agreement with one previous pressure dependence measurement. The speed of sound in liquid hydrazine was measured to be 2092 12 m s 1 , in agreement with previous measurements. There are large inaccuracies obtained when estimating the thermal conductivity of hydrazine by using standard estimation methods that use speed-of-sound data.
Elastic finite-difference modeling of the 1971 San Fernando, California earthquake

Finite-difference seismograms calculated for the 1971 San Fernando earthquake show strong effects due to lateral variation in sediment thickness in the San Fernando valley and the Los Angeles basin. Using basin structure derived mostly from well logs and teleseismically determined source parameters, two-dimensional SH and P-SV finite-difference calculations reproduce the amplitude and duration of the strong-motion velocities recorded across the Los Angeles and San Fernando basins for the period range of 2 to 10 sec. The edges of basins nearest the seismic source show ground motion amplification up to a factor of 3 over the case without the basin and tend to convert direct shear waves into Love and Rayleigh waves that travel within the basins.
Parental Uncertainty and Posttraumatic Stress in Serious Childhood Illness

Purpose: To explicate the link between parental uncertainty and posttraumatic stress as a way to stimulate advancement in the design and evaluation of nursing interventions for parents of children with serious illness. Methods: The literature on Mishel's uncertainty in illness theory and its reconceptualization-parental uncertainty in serious childhood illness-and posttraumatic stress are reviewed and synthesized. Pertinent methodological and sociocultural issues are discussed. Conclusions: The literature indicates support for the theoretical link between parental uncertainty and posttraumatic stress. This linkage provides direction for the design and evaluation of nursing interventions to support parents of children with serious childhood illness.
Cloning of human and bovine homologs of SNF2/SWI2: a global activator of transcription in yeast S. cerevisiae.

Abstract We performed positional cloning of genes carried on yeast artificial chromosomes that span a human translocation breakpoint associated with a human disease and isolated by chance human and bovine genes with strong homology to the S. cerevisiae genes, SNF2/SWI2 and STH1, and the D. melanogaster gene brahma. We report here sequence analysis, expression data, and functional studies for this human SNF2-like gene (hSNF2L) and its bovine homolog (bovSNF2L). Despite strong homology at the amino acid level, hSNF2L is not capable of complementing the yeast mutations snf2 or sth1 in S. cerevisiae. Furthermore, in contrast to SNF2 itself, a fusion protein consisting of the DNA binding domain of LexA and hSNF2L did not transactivate a reporter gene downstream of LexA binding sites in a yeast expression system. The strong similarity between hSNF2L and these yeast and drosophila genes suggest that the mammalian genes are part of an evolutionarily conserved family that has been implicated as global activators of transcription in yeast and fruitflies but whose function in mammals remains unknown.
Inferring the History of Interchromosomal Gene Transposition in Drosophila Using n-Dimensional Parsimony

Gene transposition puts a new gene copy in a novel genomic environment. Moreover, genes moving between the autosomes and the X chromosome experience change in several evolutionary parameters. Previous studies of gene transposition have not utilized the phylogenetic framework that becomes possible with the availability of whole genomes from multiple species. Here we used parsimonious reconstruction on the genomic distribution of gene families to analyze interchromosomal gene transposition in Drosophila. We identified 782 genes that have moved chromosomes within the phylogeny of 10 Drosophila species, including 87 gene families with multiple independent movements on different branches of the phylogeny. Using this large catalog of transposed genes, we detected accelerated sequence evolution in duplicated genes that transposed when compared to the parental copy at the original locus. We also observed a more refined picture of the biased movement of genes from the X chromosome to the autosomes. The bias of X-to-autosome movement was significantly stronger for RNA-based movements than for DNA-based movements, and among DNA-based movements there was an excess of genes moving onto the X chromosome as well. Genes involved in female-specific functions moved onto the X chromosome while genes with male-specific functions moved off the X. There was a significant overrepresentation of proteins involving chromosomal function among transposed genes, suggesting that genetic conflict between sexes and among chromosomes may be a driving force behind gene transposition in Drosophila.
Treatment considerations for persons with metastatic prostate cancer: Survival versus out-of-pocket costs

Abstract Objectives Treatment decisions for metastatic prostate cancer require the consideration of factors such as survival, quality of life, costs of care, and toxicities. In this study, we queried physicians who had extensive experience with prostate cancer about features of metastatic prostate cancer, patients' quality of life, and factors influencing their decision to prescribe flutamide. Methods Data were gathered through physician surveys and focus group discussions. Demographic information on the physicians and their patients was collected. Physicians made assessments of five health states related to metastatic prostate cancer, based on the time trade-off technique, and on the desirability of flutamide, based on average expected improvement in survival free of progressive disease, side effects, and drug cost. Results Physicians were internally consistent in their judgments of the factors most important to quality of life for individuals with metastatic prostate cancer. Physicians considered bone pain and weight loss/anorexia the most important factors. Physicians who cared for a higher proportion of older persons or Medicare recipients rated each scenario as less undesirable than did physicians with a lower proportion of these patients. Out-of-pocket cost was the major factor predicting whether a physician would prescribe flutamide. Physicians working for health maintenance organizations were more likely to prescribe flutamide but were more sensitive to out-of-pocket costs than were other physicians. Conclusions Physicians varied in their perceptions of quality of life for persons with metastatic prostate cancer and in their willingness to prescribe flutamide. These perceptions and prescribing preferences are strongly influenced by factors other than health status or specific health benefits. In deciding to prescribe flutamide, concerns over out-of-pocket expenditures loom large for most clinicians. It would be important to know the degree to which these concerns are shared by patients and whether prescribing preferences differ for Medicare managed-care patients who have pharmaceutical benefits.
Analysis of Test System Misalignment in the Creep Test

Sheet type rectangular 1100-0 aluminum specimens were tested. The creep strain at the geometric centerline of the specimen is different than that at the neutral axis, and decreases with time. The effect of misalignment, which decreases with creep time, is minimized when creep tests are conducted with long pullrods and large initial strain level (high creep stress).
Exponentially tapered helical antennas

This paper takes the idea of structure tapering and investigates the general effect of such tapering on the performance characteristics of the antenna. In particular, the effect of height, apex radius, and degree of exponential tapering on ellipticity, cross polarization rejection, and reflection coefficient is investigated.
The Role of Coparents in African American Single-Mother Families: The Indirect Effect of Coparent Identity on Youth Psychosocial Adjustment

The majority (67%) of African American youth live in single-parent households, a shift in the family structure that has been linked to increased risk for both internalizing and externalizing problems behaviors. Although the majority of single mothers endorse the assistance of another adult or family member in child rearing, relatively little is known about who is engaged in this nonmarital coparenting role (i.e., grandmother, father/social father, aunt, and female family friend) and how it relates to coparenting quality, maternal parenting, and youth psychosocial outcomes (i.e., internalizing and externalizing problems). This question, which is critical to the advancement of family focused programming for youth in these families, is addressed in this study. The participants examined in the current study were 159 African American single-mother child dyads. Adolescents’ maternal grandmothers constituted the largest proportion of coparents in the sample (37.2%), followed by the mothers’ female family friends (22.5%), adolescents’ maternal aunts (12.7%), and adolescents’ fathers/social fathers (11%). Differences emerged among groups of coparents in support and conflict with the mother. Specifically, grandmothers, aunts, and female family friends provided significantly more instrumental support than fathers. Furthermore, grandmothers and fathers had more conflict with the mother, both generally and specifically in front of the child, than aunts or female family friends. In turn, these differences were associated directly and indirectly through maternal parenting with internalizing and externalizing problems. Clinical implications and future directions are discussed.
Dialectic as Information Theory: A Communication Model of Dialectical Inquiring Systems

The basic purpose of this chapter is to introduce the first of our series of formal model regarding the dialectic. Since the model bears directly on our discussion on the first chapter, it is important to appreciate that the problem discussed there is a perfectly general one. The general problem is: “Given that there always exist a number of computing strategic policies or plans for the future development of an organization, what systematic principles, if any, can a decision-maker use in deciding which policy is ‘best’?” So stated, the problem is one that does not beset industrial organizations alone. The chief administrator of a country’s department of scientific affairs who has to decide between two or more competing plans for the short-term and long-term development of his country’s science policy faces this problem just as severely as the administrator of a large-scale industrial organization. Indeed, this problem is so crucial that those of us who are trying to systematize the principles by which large-scale organizations of any kind can be governed (e.g., including the institution of science itself) regard the problem as one of the major concerns of the discipline of Management Science.
Concurrent programming in Erlang: pre-conference workshop

Erlang is not just another general purpose functional programming language and it is not the best or most appropriate functional language for all uses. There are many worthy programming languages and the best or most appropriate depends on the intended uses. Erlang is currently the best and most appropriate functional language for writing robust, scalable, programs that can effectively use a one core processor, multicore processors, multiple processors, or trusted networks Concurrent programs in Erlang can keep running when more processors or core are added, when some fail or are removed and can be written to allow hot code swapping so updating does not even require stopping the process being updated. This can be done using significantly less code and done faster than in other languages. Erlang was designed for concurrency. The programmer can concentrate on what the processes are supposed to do and let them fail if a problem occurs. Failure of a process is a normal response, not a problem to be avoided. Much less defensive coding is required and fault tolerance is much easier to achieve. This is not magic, it is using a tool designed for the job. The Erlang programming model is to use many very lightweight processes which do not use shared memory, locks, or synchronized methods and which communicate by message passing. The processes are controlled the Erlang runtime and not by the operating system. The programmer's focus is on what the program is supposed to do and not on what can go wrong.
Spontaneous and induced synthesis of cytokines by peripheral blood monocytes in patients with endometriosis

Objective To investigate the capacity of peripheral blood monocytes (PBM) from women with endometriosis to secrete tumor necrosis factor- α (TNF- α ), interleukin (IL) IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10. Design Peripheral blood monocytes were cultured in the presence and absence of lipopolysaccharide for 24 hours before assessment of cytokines in supernatants by enzyme immunoassay. Setting Institute for the Study and Treatment of Endometriosis and university-based re-search laboratories. Patients and Participants Fertile controls, n=10; women with endometriosis, n=20. Interventions None. Results Basal synthesis of TNF- α , IL-6, and IL-8 and the lipopolysaccharide-stimulated synthesis of TNF- α by PBM from women with endometriosis was significantly greater in comparison to that of fertile controls. Endometriosis had no effect on the basal or stimulated synthesis of IL-10. Conclusions These data show that endometriosis is associated with increased basal and stimulated synthesis and secretion of several different cytokines by PBM. Each of the cytokines found to be affected has the capacity to play a role in the symptomatology or pathogenesis of the disease.
Time and Cost Analysis of a Computer-Assisted Telephone Interview System to Collect Dietary Recalls

This study, conducted in 1991, examined the time requirements and costs of obtaining 24-hour dietary recalls via telephone interviews using the University of Minnesota's microcomputer Nutrient Data System to conduct the interviews and compute the nutrient composition of the diets. The subjects were 156 hypercholesterolemic children (aged 4-10 years) and 102 hypercholesterolemic adults (aged 21-65 years), who were participating in ongoing cholesterol education programs. A total of 391 recalls were completed with the children and 278 with the adults. For each completed interview, 3.5 and 2.8 attempts were required, respectively. Evenings were the most productive time for completing interviews. All tasks associated with completing the interviews (attempts to call, interviews per se, and postinterview procedures) required an average of 39.7 and 35.5 minutes per completed interview with the children and adults, respectively. About half of these total times were actually devoted to conducting the interview. The costs per completed interview were $9.22 for the children versus $6.99 for the adults. This difference reflects the greater number of attempts required to reach the children, the longer duration of their interviews, and the higher intrastate toll rates for calls to them as compared with the interstate rates for calls to the adults.
Expanded phase stability of Gd-based garnet transparent ceramic scintillators

Gadolinium-based transparent polycrystalline ceramic garnet scintillators are being developed for gamma spectroscopy detectors. The scintillator light yield and energy resolution depend on many of the ceramic characteristics, including composition, homogeneity, and presence of secondary phases. To investigate phase stability dependence on composition, three base compositions — Gd3Ga2.2Al2.8O12, Gd1.5Y1.5Ga2.2Al2.8O12, and Gd1.5Y1.5Ga2.5Al2.5O12 were studied, and for each composition the rare earth content was varied according to the formula (Gd,Y,Ce)3(YXGa1−X)2(Ga,Al)3O12; where −0.01 < X < 0.05. We have found that yttrium and gallium help to stabilize the garnet crystal structure in the ceramics by allowing interionic substitution among the cationic garnet sites. Specifically, a composition of Gd1.49Y1.49Ce0.02Ga2.5Al2.5O12 can accommodate approximately 2 at.% excess rare earth ions from the perfect garnet stoichiometry and remain a phase pure transparent ceramic with optimal performance as a radiation detector. This expanded phase stability region helps to enable the fabrication of large transparent ceramics from powder with tolerance for flexibility in chemical stoichiometric precision.
A New Solution for the Friedmann Equations

Assuming a flat universe expanding under a constant pressure and combining the first and the second Friedmann equations, a new equation, describing the evolution of the scale factor, is derived. The equation is a general kinematic equation. It includes all the ingredients composing the universe. An exact closed form solution for this equation is presented. The solution shows remarkable agreement with available observational data for redshifts from a low of z = 0.0152 to as high as z = 8.68. As such, this solution provides an alternative way of describing the expansion of space without involving the controversial dark energy.
Prevention of Morbidity and Mortality of Wild Murine Cytomegalovirus by Vaccination with Attenuated Cytomegalovirus

SummaryVirulent (wild) murine cyto-megalovirus results in morbidity, weight loss, immunosuppression, and death in infected mice. An attenuated, tissue culture-passaged strain of CMV protected mice from the morbid, immunosuppressive, and lethal effects of subsequent challenge with virulent virus. In addition, vaccination with attenuated CMV led to an enhanced humoral antibody response to SRBC and decreased mean skin graft survival time.
Synthesis of imidazolium-containing aba triblock copolymers: Role of charge placement, charge density, and ionic liquid incorporation

Imidazole-based ABA triblock copolymers prepared using nitroxide-mediated polymerization achieved a microphase-separated morphology with ion-conducting central blocks. Difunctional random poly(1-(4-vinylbenzyl)imidazole-co-n-butyl acrylate) (poly(VBIm-co-nBA)) central blocks provided low glass transition temperature (Tg) phases for ion conduction, and subsequent chain extension for polystyrene external blocks provided mechanical reinforcement. Selective incorporation of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethylsulfate ([EMIm][EtSO4]) into the random poly(VBIm-co-nBA) central blocks reduced the Tg of both neutral and charged imidazole-containing central blocks. Mechanical properties for ABA triblock copolymers depended on quaternization, central block composition, and ionic liquid incorporation. Ionic conductivity increased over an order of magnitude due to quaternization of imidazole and additional ionic liquid. Tuning central block composition, charge content, and ionic liquid content provided an avenue to tailo...
Propagation in vitro of Polioviruses. VIII. Effect of pH on Virus Yield and Cell Metabolism.

SummaryThe pH of tissue culture medium was altered purposefully to measure quantitatively the effects upon virus yield and host cell metabolism. By use of strain HeLa cells and poliovirus Type 1 (strain Mahoney) for growth in media of pH from 6.3 to 8.0 it was established that virus yield was affected by the pH of the culture medium. Decreased virus yield at decreased or increased pH levels was related to a decrease in metabolic rate of host cell cultures.
Uniform iterative power flow algorithm for systems equipped with VSC-HVDCs

VSC-HVDCs, based on voltage source converters(VSC), are the new generation of high voltage direct current(HVDC) transmission technology. This technology has attracted more and more attention for its favorable benefits such as no risk of commutation failures and possibility to feed to a weak ac system or even passive loads. The operation principle of VSC-HVDC and control modes of VSC were analyzed firstly. Considering different control modes of VSC,correction equations were deduced for VSC's ac buses and VSC-HVDCs respectively. On the basis of these correction equations, a uniform iterative power flow calculation algorithm for systems equipped with VSC-HVDCs was proposed. The validity of this algorithm was verified by power flow calculation for the modified WSCC-9-nodes ac and dc hybrid system. At the end, the steady-state characteristic and power loss characteristic of VSC-HVDCs were analyzed by use of this algorithm.
Practical Disadvantage, Socioeconomic Status, and Psychological Well-Being Within Families of Children with Severe Emotional Disturbance

Although socioeconomic status (SES) has been associated with a myriad of physical and psychological health indicators, it is arguably one of the most elusive constructs in the psychological literature. Most researchers agree that SES is complex and multidimensional; however, the majority of empirical studies that focus on SES do not measure (or attempt to measure) multiple components of the construct, instead focusing on one or two indicators of SES, most commonly household income and/or levels of education. This paper explores relationships among indicators of SES, disadvantage, and psychological well-being in two independent samples of families with children with severe emotional disturbances. In addition to utilizing two common SES indicators (parental education and income), we incorporated measures reflecting resource-related challenges of living, such as adequate food and housing. Based on analyses, we argue that such variables may better capture the challenges experienced by many families than traditional SES indicators. Findings also suggest that income and education relate to different aspects of family well-being, and solely using one or both of these variables may mask relevant relationships. Moreover, assessing practical, day-to-day challenges may permit a more nuanced picture of the relationships between factors associated with SES and indicators of well-being and adjustment.
Combining Skin-Color Detector and Evidence Aggregated Random Field Models towards Validating Face Detection Results

In this paper, a framework for validating any generic face detection algorithm's result is proposed. A two stage cascaded face validation filter is described that relies on a skin-color detector and on a face silhouette structure modeler towards increasing face detection capacity of any face detection algorithm. While the skin-color detector combines a static skin-color and a dynamic background-color modeler, the face silhouette structure modeler incorporates an aggregate of random field models combined through a Dempster-Shafer framework of evidence merging. Together, the two modelers validate any face subimage generated by face detection algorithms. Experiments conducted on FERET and on an in-house face database supports the claim for improved face detection results using the proposed filter. An extension of the same framework towards head pose estimation is also suggested.
Quality improvement methods toreduce adverse events in anesthesia

A serious complications during anesthesia are less common today than in the past, serious airway events, especially in pediatric anesthesia, continue to occur and lead to patient morbidity, escalation of care and unplanned hospital admission. Quality improvement methodology evaluates existing processes, identifies parts of the process which are faulty and proposes changes which are believed to result in improvement. Proposed changes are then evaluated using small tests of change and Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles to be sure that they actually result in improvement and do not have unintended negative effects. Quality improvement measures and analyzes data so that quality and safety failures are traced back to their underlying causes. Based on data, clinical processes can then be changed to prevent future failures and adverse outcomes. While outcome data is widely considered to be the ultimate measure of quality, the processes and the environment in which health care is delivered are also fundamental to high quality, safe care. We identified system factors related to the clinical practice of anesthesia in our pediatric hospital which contributed to serious airway events and cardiac arrests in the operating room. In conjunction with anesthesia providers, we designed and tested interventions to reduce these adverse events. Simple process changes were put in place whichled to a greater standardization of our clinical practice. Over the 2 1⁄2 year period of the improvement project, the incidence of serious airway events and airway related cardiac arrests were reduced by 44% and 59% respectively, compared to the previous two years. Quality improvement enables any organization to continuously assess its performance and use the information to drive change and improvement, however challenging.
Prophylactic immunization with human papillomavirus vaccines induces oral immunity in mice

Objective Although it has been shown that prophylactic vaccination can induce genital immunity, there is inadequate information on human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine-induced oral immunity, which is of particular interest due to HPV-associated oropharyngeal malignancies and recurrent respiratory papillomatosis. Therefore, we assessed the efficacy of various HPV vaccines against oral HPV pseudovirus (PsV) infection in mice. Study Design Preclinical scientific investigation. Methods C57BL/6 mice were vaccinated three times at 2-week intervals with either Gardasil (Merck, Kenilworth, NJ) (50 µL intramuscular injection) or a candidate pan-HPV L2 vaccine with alum adjuvant (25 µg subcutaneous injection). Additional mice were immunized with passive transfer of either Gardasil (Merck) human antisera or nonimmunized sera (100 µL intraperitoneal injection). All vaccinated and naive control mice were then challenged with HPV16 E6E7 luciferase PsV in the oral mucosa. Visualization of HPV PsV infection was monitored through in vivo luciferase imaging. Results Oral luciferase-expressing HPV16 PsV infection was not detected in Gardasil (Merck), L2 vaccine, and Gardasil (Merck) antisera-immunized mice, whereas robust luciferase expression was observed in all control mice. An in vitro neutralization assay from sera of Gardasil-vaccinated (Merck) mice confirmed that vaccine efficacy was due to neutralizing antibodies. Conclusion Oral HPV16 PsV infection in mice was completely prevented with all methods of prophylactic HPV immunization. These findings provide preliminary evidence that human vaccines induce protection against oral HPV infection, which has significant public health implications for HPV-associated oropharyngeal malignancies. Level of Evidence NA. Laryngoscope, 128:E16–E20, 2018
Studies on reactions of human allergic serum with protein antigens. I. Methods of passive immune elimination and gel diffusion autoradiography.

Abstract 1. 1. Patients with positive wheal- and erythema-type reactions against foreign serum protein antigens may be used as sources of antiserum against foreign serum protein fractions. This provides a system of study of allergic antiserum against relatively pure protein antigens. 2. 2. Human antiserum can produce immune elimination of I131 labeled serum protein antigens in guinea pigs and this method may be used for detection of small amounts of human antibody. 3. 3. Human antiserum with I131 labeled antigen can give a positive double gel diffusion autoradiograph although gel diffusion precipitin reactions with the same sera are negative. 4. 4. The factor in these patients' sera which resulted in immune elimination of I∗ labeled foreign serum protein antigens and bands on gel diffusion autoradiographs is thermostable and therefore may not be reagin. 5. 5. Serum protein antigens are found in animal danders and this is suggested as one possible method of sensitizing human patients to foreign serum proteins in the absence of sensitizing injections.
Fast, lightweight autonomy through an unknown cluttered environment: Distribution statement: A — Approved for public release; distribution unlimited

The mission of clearing buildings remains among the most dangerous operations performed by military teams and first responders. Personnel searching for hidden combatants or trapped victims must move quickly through hazardous and unfamiliar spaces, facing life-or-death situations around each corner. A smart robotic scout could help perform rapid reconnaissance while search teams safely monitor progress from the outside, but walls, doors, and cluttered spaces make it difficult for operators to pilot the vehicles remotely. Towards this vision, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Fast Lightweight Autonomy (FLA) program aims to create a new class of navigation, perception, planning, and control algorithms which enables autonomous, high-speed flight through unknown, cluttered environments. Integrating this new technology with small quad-rotor unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), the program will demonstrate aggressive, agile flight where the vehicle will autonomously sense and maneuver through unknown indoor/outdoor environments without external communications or GPS at speeds up to 20 meters/second. The Draper/MIT team is working to create advanced navigation, perception, planning, and control algorithms running on-board a custom, tightly integrated embedded computing and sensing avionics platform to accomplish the FLA program goals. Our algorithms must be exceedingly efficient, effective, and low-latency to enable this real-time agile perception and planning capability through cluttered, unknown environments. To support this capability we rely extensively on high quality IMU and monocular camera data to enable accurate GPS-denied navigation and perception of the immediate environment for path planning and collision avoidance maneuvering. The software developed under this program is planned for eventual release as open source by DARPA, to further advance the state-of-the-art in autonomy. This technology has applicability to not only UAVs, but to any autonomous robotic platform exploring unknown complex environments where moving quickly yet avoiding hazardous obstacles is critical. Additionally, using indoor capable (i.e. small) quad-rotor UAVs as the development platform guarantees that the resulting avionics system will be low Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP), and therefore ideal for a variety of autonomous robotic (air, land, sea, and space) applications. This paper describes the high-level system architecture and algorithmic approaches being utilized by the Draper/MIT team, as well as reports on recent field testing results.