cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Whole-Body Liquid Scintillometry, Radiography, and Clinical Chemical Tests in the Evaluation of the Effect of Chronic Corticoid Dosing on Calcium in Beagles

Chronic doses of 6α-methylprednisolone were administered to beagles for 106 days to bring about changes in calcium balance. During the initial 64 days of corticoid treatment, no outstanding changes were observed in the blood levels of calcium, phosphorus, or alkaline phosphatase. Radiographic changes in the skeleton were not seen after 64 days of treatment. Significant changes in 47Ca retention were detected by whole-body liquid scintillometry after only 13 and 28 days of corticoid administration. On day 64 of the study, the dosage of 6α-methylprednisolone was increased. Decreased levels of calcium in blood plasma and increased levels of plasma alkaline phosphatase were observed after the dose of corticoid was increased. A great reduction in whole-body 47Ca retention was also observed, and thinning of the cortices of the long bones of the legs was apparent. The results of the investigation indicate that whole-body liquid scintillation counting of 47Ca is a sensitive indicator of alterations of calcium metabolism in relation to other diagnostic methodology.
Work in progress - Internet accessible, interactive teaching software and tracking system for Medical Imaging education

As a key training component in Biomedical Engineering programs, Medical Imaging education involves different physics principles and mathematical derivations for image generation, reconstruction, and instrumentation. We developed an Internet accessible and interactive teaching system, that provides background review, text/figure illustration, interactive animation, dynamic simulation, and application demonstration for teaching five commonly used medical imaging modalities (X-ray, CT, MRI, PET and Ultrasound). Each imaging modality is taught or learned through five to six modules (topics). The system is also associated with a database that updates the teaching/learning materials and also tracks student's learning gain through different assessments. The instructor gets instant feedback on the topic delivered through his/her lecture when students work on the system. We have applied the teaching/tracking system in small size classes. The results are satisfactory, convincing and promising. We plan to complete all teaching/learning modules and to avail both systems for any instructor's teaching application.
EXCITED STATE INTERACCIÓNS IN MACROMOLECULES

— (1) The single tryptophanyl residue of ribonuclease T1 is shown to be in an environment that has no neighboring polar groups. (2) Exciplex formation involving the tryptophanyl residues of urea-denatured ribonuclease T1 and Staphylococcus nuclease occurs at 298°K, but formation of the complex is suppressed at 77°K. (3) There is no tyrosyl fluorescence or phosphorescence in the luminescence of tryptophanyltyrosine or ribonuclease T1. The only species that emits is the tryptophanyl residue. (4) The transfer of electronic energy absorbed by tyrosyl residues to form a tryptophanyl excited singlet state has been demonstrated, by an analysis of the excitation spectra, for both L-tryptophanyl-L-tyrosine and ribonuclease T1. (5) An interaction between the excited states of tyrosyl residues and vicinal disulfide linkage has been observed with oxytocin and ribonuclease A. RESUMEN El estado excitado es quimicamente diferente del correspondiente estado fundamental, una de las diferencias reside en la distinta interaccion con grupos vecinos. Las siguientes reacciones del estado excitado son de particular interes; (a) formacion de un complejo con un estado fundamental aromatico, “excimer”; (b) formacion de un complejo donor-aceptor con otro compuesto “exciplex”; (c) transferencia de energia electronica de un compuesto a otro, transferencia de energia; (d) ionizacion; (f) formacion de radicales iibres. Se discutiran ejempios de estas reacciones que involucran el estado excitado singulete de residuos aromaticos en polipeptidos y proteinas, ambos a 298 y 77°K, ademas del rol que esas interacciones tienen en el comportamiento fluorescente de proteinas, poniendo especial enfasis en dos proteinas, Ribonucleasa T1, y Stuphilococus nuclease. Los estados triplete de residuos de aminoacidos aromaticos en proteinas y polipeptidos no interaccionan fuertemente con grupos vecinos; sin embargo el estado triplete de la tirosina interacciona con una union de disulfuro adyacente en un oligopeptide y en Ribonucleasa A, y este fenomeno parece estar relacionado con la fotolisis de uniones de sulfuro en proteinas.
Rapid reduction of MDCK cell cholesterol by methyl-β-cyclodextrin alters steady state transepithelial electrical resistance

Abstract The role of plasma membrane lipids in regulating the passage of ions and other solutes through the paracellular pathway remains controversial. In this study we explore the contribution of cholesterol (CH) in maintaining the barrier function of an epithelial cell line using the CH-solubilizing agent methyl s-cyclodextrin (MBCD) to stimulate CH efflux. Inclusion of 20 mM MBCD in both apical and basolateral media reduced CH levels by 70–80 % with no significant effect on cell viability. Most of that decrease occurred during the first 30 min of incubation. Recovery of CH content to initial values was nearly complete 22 h after removal of MBCD. Within 30 min of adding MBCD to the culture medium, transepithelial electrical resistance (TER) increased, reaching maximum values 30–40 % above controls. This early rise in TER occurred when MBCD was added to either side of the monolayer. The later rapid decline in TER was observed only when MBCD bathed the basolateral surface from which, coincidentally, CH efflux was most rapid. Freeze fracture replicas and transmission electron microscopy of monolayers exposed to MBCD for only 30 min revealed no increase in either the average tight junction (TJ) strand number or the dimensions of the lateral intercellular space. There was a statistically significant increase in the number of TJ particles associated with the E fracture face at this time. This raises the interesting possibility that during CH efflux there is a change in the interaction between TJ particles and underlying cytoskeletal elements. There was no change in staining for occludin and ZO-1. After exposing the basolateral surface to MBCD for 2 h, TER fell below control levels. The accompanying increase in mannitol flux suggests strongly that the decrease in TER resulted from an increase in the permeability of the paracellular and not the transcellular pathway. A decrease in immuno-staining for occludin and ZO-1 at TJs, a striking accumulation of actin at tri-cellular areas as weD as a decline in the number of parallel strands, as seen in freeze fracture replicas, suggest that changes in cytoskeletal organization during long incubations with MBCD had physically disrupted the TJ network. Data are presented which suggest that the observed changes in paracellular permeability during CH efflux may be related to increased levels of lipid-derived second messengers, some of which may trigger changes in the phosphorylation status of TJ proteins.
Transabdominal cervicoisthmic cerclage: a reappraisal 25 years after its introduction.

Most cerclage operations for cervical insufficiency are performed transvaginally. The transabdominal route is beneficial in treating patients with cervices that are either extremely short, congenially deformed, deeply lacerated, or markedly scarred because of previously failed transvaginal cerclage procedures. The average gestational age at surgery was 11.5 weeks and the operation was performed after early ultrasonographic verification of fetal viability. Patients with advanced cervical effacement or dilatation in the second trimester were excluded. A 5 mm wide Mersilene band was applied in an avascular space above the junction of the cervix and the uterine isthmus without dissection or tunneling among broad ligament vessels. This simplified surgical approach resulted in little operative blood loss (mean, 75 ml; range, 50 to 200 ml). After transabdominal cervicoisthmic cerclage, 21 pregnancies in 20 patients resulted in 18 term births, one premature birth with favorable outcome, and two early fetal deaths (90% salvage rate). A review of the world literature indicated 130 pregnancies with transabdominal cervicoisthmic cerclage during pregnancy and a cumulative success rate of 89%. Preconceptional transabdominal cervicoisthmic cerclage was reported in 30 pregnancies with an overall fetal survival rate of 81%. A survey of specialists in maternal-fetal medicine indicated an increasing interest and familiarity with transabdominal cervicoisthmic cerclage since its introduction more than two decades ago although this procedure is still not widely applied in obstetric practice.
Transmitter-specific input to OFF-alpha ganglion cells in the cat retina.

The synaptic input to OFF-center alpha ganglion cells in the cat retina was analyzed by electron microscopic reconstruction to quantify the bipolar and amacrine cell input and to determine the neurotransmitter content of the presynaptic cells. Cone bipolar cells were found to comprise 11% of the total input with their dyad synapses distributed across the dendritic tree. The remaining contacts were conventional synapses indicative of amacrine cells; postembedding immunogold labeling was used to characterize these cells as either GABA- or glycine-immunoreactive. Results showed the amacrine input to be equally divided between GABA and glycinergic contacts at each order of dendritic branching of the alpha cells. Among the GABA-positive neurons were A19 amacrine cells, the processes of which are characterized by a dense array of neurotubules. A major source of glycinergic input was from lobular appendages of AII amacrine cells with lesser contributions from other glycine-positive amacrine cells. The physiological role(s) of these amino acids must be interpreted in view of the multiple subpopulations of amacrine cells, which provide input to OFF-alpha cells, and the diversity in receptors at their synapses. Anat Rec 255:363–373, 1999. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Interactions between topographic airflow and cloud/precipitation development during the passage of a winter storm in Arizona

Abstract A case study showing comparisons between observations and numerical simulations of the passage of a winter storm over complex terrain is presented. The interactions between the mesoscale and cloud environments and the microphysical and dynamical processes are addressed using both observations and numerical simulations. A three-dimensional, time-dependent nested grid model was used to conduct numerical simulations of the three-dimensional airflow and cloud evolution over the Mogollon Rim and adjacent terrain in Arizona. The modeling results indicated that the flow patterns and cloud liquid water (CLW) were closely linked to the topography. To a large extent, gravity waves excited by the flow over the mountains determine the distribution of clouds and precipitation. The waves extend through deep layers of the atmosphere with substantial updrafts and downdrafts, at times exceeding 5 m s−1. The simulated vertical velocities and horizontal wavelengths of about 20 km were in good agreement with the air...
The extended sodium nebula of Jupiter

THE detection of a cloud of neutral sodium near Jupiter's moon Io1 has led to the use of sodium as a tracer of processes in the jovian environment. Although relatively rare in the Io–Jupiter system, sodium atoms are easily detected because of their high efficiency for scattering sunlight at wavelengths of ∼5,890 A. Direct imaging of the sodium cloud2 has suggested that sodium atoms are a common feature close to Io (at distances of about six Io radii, RIo) and detection of high-speed sodium jets3 suggested that sodium is present only sporadically at ∼30/RIo (ref. 4). Sodium emission has been reported at greater distances5, even as far as 60RIo (ref. 6) but these observations have been controversial in view of suggestions7 that the detection of sodium beyond ∼10RIo was implausible on theoretical grounds and probably indistinguishable from terrestrial sodium airglow. Here we report on the detection of sodium to distances beyond ∼400 RI, an observation that requires the ejection rate of sodium atoms to be increased. By relating the shape of this great nebula to conditions in the plasma torus surrounding Jupiter, we show that ground-based imaging techniques can provide information about distant planetary magnetospheres.
Identification and mapping of a common proviral integration site Fli-1 in erythroleukemia cells induced by Friend murine leukemia virus

Abstract Friend murine leukemia virus (F-MuLV) induces erythroleukemia when inoculated into newborn BALB/c or NIH/Swiss mice. We have molecularly cloned F-MuLV host cell DNA junction fragments from an erythroleukemia cell line induced by F-MuLV to identify cellular genes involved in the leukemogenic process. One particular proviral integration site, Fli-1, is rearranged in 75% (9/12) of independently isolated erythroleukemia cell lines derived from either BALB/c or NIH/Swiss mice inoculated at birth with F-MuLV. Other hematopoietic neoplasms induced by F-MuLV, including myeloid (granulocytic) and lymphoid tumors, did not show rearrangements of the Fli-1 locus. Similarly, none of 35 erythroleukemia cell lines induced by the Friend virus complexes (FV-A and FV-P) was rearranged at the Fli-1 locus. In contrast, no rearrangements were detected at the Sfpi-1 locus, a preferred site of integration in either FV-P- or FV-A-induced leukemias. Using recombinant inbred mice, the Fli-1 locus was situated on mouse chromosome 9 close to the cellular protooncogene c-ets-1. DNA and RNA analysis suggests, however, that Fli-1 is different from ets-1. Thus, Fli-1 appears to define a distinct locus specifically involved in the induction of erythroid leukemias by F-MuLV.
The Inhomogeneous Mechanical Properties of the Pericellular Matrix of Articular Cartilage Measured In Situ by Atomic Force Microscopy

Articular cartilage is the connective tissue that lines the articulating surfaces of diarthrodial joints, providing a low-friction, load-bearing surface during joint motion. Articular cartilage comprises of a single cell type, the chondrocyte, embedded within an extensive extracellular matrix (ECM). Each chondrocyte is surrounded by a narrow region called the pericellular matrix (PCM) that is distinct from the ECM in both its biochemical composition [1] and biomechanical properties [2]. While multiple techniques have been used to measure the mechanical properties of the PCM, including micropipette aspiration of isolated chondrons [2], these studies required mechanical or enzymatic extraction of the chondrocyte and surrounding PCM (i.e., the “chondron” [1]) from the cartilage, and the influence of this isolation process on PCM properties is unknown. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) provides a high resolution form of nano- and microindentation approaches that can be used to measure local mechanical properties in situ [3,4]. The objective of this study was to use AFM to quantify the biomechanical properties of the ECM and PCM of human articular cartilage in situ.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Chronology: Noteworthy Achievements of the Cooperative 1967–2008

ABSTRACT This chronology lists programs, activities and accomplishments of OCLC and its members from its founding in 1967 as the Ohio College Library Center through 1998.
Optimal orientations of cells in slicing floorplan designs

A methodology of VLSI layout described by several authors first determines the relative positions of indivisible pieces, called cells, on the chip. Various optimizations are then performed on this initial layout to minimize some cost measure such as chip area or perimeter. If each cell is a rectangle with given dimensions, one optimization problem is to choose orientations of all the cells to minimize the cost measure. A polynomial time algorithm is given for this optimization problem for layouts of a special type called slicings. However, orientation optimization for more general layouts is shown to be NP-complete (in the strong sense).
An in situ modal-based method for structural dynamic joint parameter identification

AbstractThe present paper proposes an in situ modal parameter-based method for determining the dynamic joint characteristics of mechanical systems. The proposed method uses the mass, damping and st...
Robust and Efficient Intercarrier Interference Mitigation for OFDM Systems in Time-Varying Fading Channels

Due to its spectral efficiency and robustness over multipath channels, orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) has served as one of the major modulation schemes for high-speed communication systems. In the future, wireless OFDM systems are expected to operate at high carrier frequencies, high speed, and high throughput for mobile reception, where fast time-varying fading channels are encountered. Channel variation destroys the orthogonality among the subcarriers and leads to intercarrier interference (ICI). ICI poses a significant limitation on wireless OFDM systems. The aim of this paper is to find an efficient method of providing reliable communications using OFDM in fast time-varying fading channels. It is observed that ICI power arises from a few adjacent subcarriers. This observation motivates us to design low-complexity -tap ICI equalizers. To employ these equalizers, channel state information is also required. In this paper, we also design a pilot-aided minimum mean square error (MMSE) channel estimation scheme for a time-varying wide-sense stationary uncorrelated scatters channel model. The MMSE channel estimator utilizes the statistical channel properties to achieve computational efficiency. Simulation results show that our proposed low-complexity ICI suppression scheme, which incorporates the -tap equalizer with the MMSE channel estimator, can significantly improve the performance of OFDM systems in fast time-varying fading channels.
Patterns of unit responses to incremental doses of morphine in central gray, reticular formation, medial thalamus, caudate nucleus, hypothalamus, septum and hippocampus in unanesthetized rats

Abstract Freely moving rats previously implanted stereotaxically with eight electrodes located in the central gray, mesencephalic reticular formation, medial thalamus (PF-CM complex), caudate nucleus, anterior and ventromedial hypothalamus, lateral septum and the dorsal hippocampus and five incremental doses of morphine (0.5, 1.0, 5.0. 10.0 and 30.0 mg/kg i.p.) followed by naloxone (1.0 mg/kg) were used to discriminate the effects of morphine and naloxone on spontaneous multiunit activity obtained from these CNS sites. These six injections provide the data to classify five patterns of responses and help to determine that each structure examined in the present study has its own pattern of response to morphine and/or its antagonist naloxone.
The accuracy of Langmuir probe ion density measurements in low-frequency RF discharges

The ion densities of low-frequency inductively coupled discharges are estimated from Langmuir probe ion saturation currents over a wide range () of plasma densities. The ion densities are compared to the corresponding electron densities obtained from microwave interferometry. For low plasma densities, the cylindrical probes tend to overestimate the ion densities by factors of up to three. These discrepancies correlate well with RF probe currents and can be reduced with RF compensation or with a symmetrical double probe. For high plasma densities, the ion densities from simple probes without RF compensation agree within 50% with the electron densities from the interferometer.
The Design and Performance of Axially Symmetrical Contoured Wall Diffusers Employing Suction Boundary Layer Control

This paper presents a procedure for the design and the performance prediction of axially symmetrical contoured wall diffusers employing suction boundary layer control. An inverse problem approach was used in the potential flow design of the diffuser wall contours. Three short (L/l ≤ 5.15), high area ratio (2.5 and 3) diffusers were tested in the study and were found to have effectiveness values in excess of 90 percent (comparable straight wall diffusers have effectiveness <40 percent) while requiring suction flows of less than 10 percent of the inlet flow. The experimentally observed flow characteristics, the stability of flows within the diffusers, are also described. Because of their high effectiveness and short length these diffusers appear to be ideally suited for use as gas turbine combustor diffusers and as turbine discharge diffusers.
The Vietnamese lending rate, policy-related rate, and monetary policy post-1997 Asian financial crisis

AbstractAsymmetries in the Vietnamese lending central bank’s policy-related rate spread were documented. Empirical results revealed that the spread adjusts to the threshold faster when the central bank’s policy-related rates decrease relative to the lending rates than when the central bank’s policy-related rates move in the opposite direction. Additionally, the empirical findings indicate that Vietnamese commercial banks exhibit competitive rate setting behavior which may be attributable to graft maximization by bank’s management. The results also show bidirectional Granger causality between the Vietnamese lending rate and the central bank’s policy-related rate, indicating that the lending rate and the central bank’s policy-related rate affect each other’s movements. These results suggest that monetary authority can use its countercyclical monetary policy instruments to achieve its macroeconomics objectives. However, the estimation results of the GARCH (2, 3)-in-Mean model suggest that they should interve...
Staphylococcal α-toxin: A structure-function study using a monoclonal antibody

Abstract A monoclonal antibody (A-Tox-653.1) selected for its reactivity in a dot immunoblot assay with denatured staphylococcal α-toxin has been isolated and its capacity to block the hemolytic and lethal activities of α-toxin measured. In addition, reactivity with monomer, hexamer, 123 I-monoiodinated and CNBr peptides of α-toxin was studied. In all cases the reactions of the monoclonal antibody were compared to those obtained with anti-α-toxin rabbit hyperimmune serum. We find that while both the monoclonal antibody and the rabbit antiserum react with all forms of α-toxin, only the rabbit antiserum blocks hemolytic or lethal activity. Further, the rabbit antiserum reacts with CNBr fragments IV, V ad VII, whereas the monoclonal antibody reacts only with the carboxy terminal CNBr peptide VII. We conclude that, in solution, the carboxy terminal segment of α-toxin is relatively free and reaction with the monoclonal antibody neither impedes its binding to the specific receptor on the membrane nor interferes with formation of the hexamer complex.
Modeling and simulation of interconnection delays and crosstalks in high-speed integrated circuits

A computer model for n parallel microstrip lines is developed for circuit simulation. This model for the lossy transmission line system can be readily implemented into circuit simulators and can accurately simulate the delay and crosstalk effects of interconnects in high-speed integrated circuits. Modal analysis is applied to decouple the n-coupled-line system into n independent lines, and the characteristic solutions of telegraph equations are represented by a set of simple time-varying equivalent circuits. The model has been implemented in a general-purpose circuit simulator, iSMILE, which is compatible with SPICE. Simulation results on propagation delay times and crosstalk are presented for high-speed GaAs HEMT (high-electron-mobility transistor) integrated circuits. >
A Whole Lot of Challenges for Linguistics

The most important challenges for linguistics in the coming years involve making better contact with colleagues, with other frameworks and subdisciplines within linguistics, with theories of meaning and conceptualization, with psycholinguistics, with theories of other domains of cognition, with neuroscience, and with education.
Gelatinization and rheological properties of starch

Native and modified starches are important raw materials used in the industry. Gelatinization and rheological properties of starch are primary physicochemical properties to determine its applications. Starch gelatinization refers to a process that starch loses the native order and crystalline structure of the granules and becomes amorphous. Key rheological properties of starch include pasting property, viscosity of starch paste, and rheological features of starch gel. In this review, gelatinization and rheological properties of native starches from different botanical sources are compared and impacts of other ingredients, including sugars, salts, and lipids, on the properties are summarized. The review also covers current understandings of the gelatinization and rheological properties of modified starches with different structures. The information provided will be useful for the applications of starch in the industry as well as fundamental research in this field.
Studies on the permethylation/dephosphorylation of inositol polyphosphates: an approach to a more sensitive assay.

Methods for the permethylation of inositol phosphates (i.e. the formation of the completely substituted C-O-methyl/P-O-methyl derivatives) have been studied as a precursor to preparing C-O-methyl inositols where the remaining inositol hydroxyl groups are at the positions originally occupied by the phosphomonoesters. Classical sodium-driven methylations, diazomethane methylations and methylation with methyl trifluoromethanesulfonate were studied and only the latter was found to produce completely alkylated inositol phosphates. Treatment of the permethylated substrates with methanolic HCl removed the dimethylphosphate groups to produce C-O-methyl inositols which are candidates for negative ion chemical ionization gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric analysis as heptafluorobutyryl C-O-methyl inositols. As an example, gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric analysis of myo-inositol 1,2,6-trisphosphate was carried out by methylation, dephosphorylation and conversion to the tris(heptafluorobutyryl) derivative. Detection at the low-femtomole level was achieved by this means. A limitation of the method may be that the methylation procedure appears to produce a variable degree of phosphate positional isomerization, with resulting loss of specificity. If stable isotope internal standards were available for the inositol polyphosphates of interest, this limitation could be compensated for.
Survey and analysis of halocarbons in the atmosphere by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Abstract A search for and analysis of 19 simple halocarbons in the atmosphere of the rural Northwest U.S.A. is reported. The only previously unreported halocarbon found was methyl chloride, but its concentration is relatively large, 530 ± 30 ppt ∗ The analyses of other chlorocarbons detected were in good agreement with previously reported background levels. The background concentrations of chlorofluorocarbons were found to be significantly higher than values obtained by others using electron capture gas chromatography. Chlorocarbons are concluded to be more important carriers of chlorine atoms in the troposphere than chlorofluorocarbons at this time. The quantitation obtained from gc-ms measurements indicates that chlorofluorocarbons constitute ca . 36 per cent of the total organic chloride budget of the atmosphere.
The Calmodulin Regulator Protein, PEP-19, Sensitizes ATP-induced Ca2+ Release

PEP-19 is a small, intrinsically disordered protein that binds to the C-domain of calmodulin (CaM) via an IQ motif and tunes its Ca2+ binding properties via an acidic sequence. We show here that the acidic sequence of PEP-19 has intrinsic Ca2+ binding activity, which may modulate Ca2+ binding to CaM by stabilizing an initial Ca2+-CaM complex or by electrostatically steering Ca2+ to and from CaM. Because PEP-19 is expressed in cells that exhibit highly active Ca2+ dynamics, we tested the hypothesis that it influences ligand-dependent Ca2+ release. We show that PEP-19 increases the sensitivity of HeLa cells to ATP-induced Ca2+ release to greatly increase the percentage of cells responding to sub-saturating doses of ATP and increases the frequency of Ca2+ oscillations. Mutations in the acidic sequence of PEP-19 that inhibit or prevent it from modulating Ca2+ binding to CaM greatly inhibit its effect on ATP-induced Ca2+ release. Thus, this cellular effect of PEP-19 does not depend simply on binding to CaM via the IQ motif but requires its acidic metal binding domain. Tuning the activities of Ca2+ mobilization pathways places PEP-19 at the top of CaM signaling cascades, with great potential to exert broad effects on downstream CaM targets, thus expanding the biological significance of this small regulator of CaM signaling. Background: PEP-19 modulates the kinetics of Ca2+ binding to CaM. Results: An acidic region in PEP-19 binds Ca2+ and is essential for both modulating Ca2+ binding to CaM and sensitizing cells to ATP-induced Ca2+ release. Conclusion: Simply binding to CaM is not sufficient to account for the biological activities of PEP-19. Significance: Regulating ligand-induced Ca2+ release gives PEP-19 the potential to broadly affect cell signaling.
Impact of A Chronic Illness in Childhood: Siblings' Perceptions

This project investigated siblings' perceptions of family disruption when a brother or sister had cystic fibrosis (CF) or asthma. Data were gathered by phone interviews and questionnaires. Phone interviews were conducted with siblings of chronically ill children and employed open-ended questions focusing on the impact of the illness on the sibling and the family unit. Along with the interview, siblings also completed a separate self-esteem measure. Assessments of family functioning and demographic variables were obtained through parental questionnaires. Only the sibling interview data are addressed in this article. Fifteen families from the two illness groups participated. There were 6 male and 9 female respondents, with a mean age of 10.1 years. The average age of the well sibling was slightly older than the average age of the chronically ill child. For siblings of both disease groups, positive outcomes included strengthening some family relationships, achieving more personal independence, and experiencing satisfaction in seeing improvement in the ill child. Negative outcomes included worrying about the brother's or sister's illness, being jealous of the attention paid to the ill child, and the restriction of family events. Appropriate family interventions are suggested, as well as feedback as to the efficacy of phone interviews with school-age children.
Climatic change in mixed-layer trajectories over large regions

Using a modified version of the NOAA ARL/ATAD model, a series of over 300,000 mixed-layer back trajectories were calculated in eighteen hour time steps through the period 1948–1985 for seventeen trajectory endpoints in and around the state of Virginia. Results of these trajectory runs were aggregated both seasonally and annually to a spatial grid system covering approximately the eastern two-thirds of the United States. From this were generated plots of trajectory frequencies, residence times and transport times. A principal components analysis was performed on the spatial distribution of the gridded trajectory frequency data. The first principal component is dominated by mixed-layer-flow from the Ohio Valley and the Upper Midwest. A time-series plot of this component indicates a dramatic increase in this northwesterly flow over the study period, especially in the 1950s and early 1960s. A possible link between this observed phenomenon and anthropogenic climate alteration is discussed.
On the measurement of Tobin's q

Abstract We examine the methods commonly employed to estimate Tobin's q ratios and find them to be flawed in design and arbitrary in implementation. We propose an alternative procedure which is both simpler and more accurate. The key to the procedure is an improved measure of fixed asset replacement costs, through the proper identification of the vintages of fixed assets that are in place for a firm. Application of this procedure to a large sample of nonfinancial corporations indicates that existing methods generally produce downward-biased measures of q and can result in errors in the ordering of firms by their q's.
Adaptive Closed-Loop Control Provides Blood-Glucose Regulation Using Dual Subcutaneous Insulin and Glucagon Infusion in Diabetic Swine:

Background:In order to stave off deleterious complications of the disease, the ultimate task for people with diabetes is to maintain their blood glucose in euglycemic range. Despite technological advancements, conventional open-loop therapy often results in prolonged hyperglycemia and episodic hypoglycemia, in addition to necessitating carbohydrate counting, frequent glucose monitoring, and drug administration. The logical conclusion in the evolution of exogenous insulin therapy is to develop an automated closed-loop control system.Methods:Eleven closed-loop control experiments were conducted in four anesthetized diabetic pigs, with carbohydrate loads simulated by intravenous glucose administration through ear-vein catheters. Type 1 diabetes-like pathology was induced using intravenous administration of cytotoxin streptozotocin. The augmented model-predictive control algorithm accounts for the accumulation of subcutaneous insulin, which is critical in avoiding excessive insulin dosing.Results:Control resu...
State machines are child's play: observing children ages 9 to 11 playing Escape Machine

We developed Escape Machine, a puzzle game in which children control the behavior of characters in a maze by manipulating a tangible state machine built with Posey, our computationally-enhanced hub-and-strut construction kit. We observed children ages nine to eleven playing the game in several sessions. The qualitative results of this observation validate the promise of Posey and Escape Machine to engage children in manipulating algorithmic specifications for behavior.
Energy-efficient noncoherent signal detection for networked sensors using ordered transmissions

Energy efficiency has been a topic of recent interest in networks employing wireless sensors used for signal detection. Energy efficient signal detection is of particular interest in systems where such sensors carry their own energy sources with a limited capacity. It has been demonstrated that ordering the sensor transmissions and halting them upon accumulating enough evidence can save transmissions (energy) without degrading the systems detection performance. We extend this concept to a system employing noncoherent signal detection where the hypothesis testing problem involves a log-likelihood ratio which can only take on nonnegative values. We propose a new algorithm for ordering the transmissions for such systems and show that the new algorithm tends to provide more significant savings than the existing methods, requiring as little as one sensor transmission in certain cases. We utilize MIMO radar as an example in our paper, and provide results demonstrating the savings achieved.
Trajectories of Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering Students by Race and Gender

Electrical engineering (EE) is one of the largest engineering disciplines. Computer engineering (CpE) has a similar curriculum, but different demographics and student outcomes. Using a dataset from universities in the U.S. that includes over 70 000 students who majored in engineering, this paper describes the out comes for students matriculating in and migrating into EE and CpE so as to inform the decision making of faculty, department heads, and deans. Although men consistently outnumber women in EE and CpE, the rates of matriculation and six-year graduation vary by race and gender. EE is the most popular choice for Asian and Black students (males and females) at matriculation, but while Asians graduate at high rates, Blacks (particularly males) are not retained. Retention is higher in EE than in CpE despite the similarity of the curricula. Graduation rates are lower than expected for women of all races in CpE and for Hispanic women in EE. By the third semester, some students of all races and genders have left their matriculation major, but others have migrated in from other majors, compensating for some of this loss. CpE students are more likely than EE students to switch to another major. Trajectories of EE and CpE students are racialized and distinct. CpE loses more students and attracts fewer students than EE. These findings il lustrate the importance of disaggregating by engineering major as well as race and gender to improve recruitment and retention overall.
Beam characteristics of mid-IR quantum cascade lasers

We report divergence, astigmatism and M2 measurements for 8.77 mum quantum cascade lasers. Measurements showed divergence of 62deg by 32deg FWHM plusmn 2deg and M2 values of 1.81 and 1.22 for the fast and slow axes respectively. Astigmatism at source was ~4 mum, less than half a wave.
Gastric mucus alterations associated with murine Helicobacter infection.

SUMMARY The C57BL/6 mouse has been shown to develop gastric adenocarcinoma after Helicobacter felis infection. This model was used to determine whether mucin and trefoil factor (TFF) expression after infection was altered in a similar fashion to the changes seen in the protective gastric mucus layer of the human stomach after H. pylori infection. Our results indicate that this mouse model mimics many of the changes seen after human H. pylori infection, including increased expression of muc4 and muc5b and loss of muc5ac. These alterations in mucin expression occurred as early as 4 weeks postinfection, before the development of significant mucous metaplasia or gastric dysplasia. The decrease in muc5ac expression occurred only in the body of the stomach and was not secondary to the adaptive immune response to infection, because a similar decrease in expression was seen after infection of B6.Rag-1 2/2 mice, which lack B and T cells. Intriguingly, the increased expression of Muc4 and Muc5b in infected C57BL/6 mice was not seen in the infected B6.Rag-1 2/2 mice. Because B6.Rag-1 2/2 mice do not develop gastric pathology after H. felis infection, these findings point to the potential role of Muc4 and Muc5b in disease progression. This manuscript contains online supplemental material at http://www.jhc.org. Please visit this article online to view these materials. (J Histochem Cytochem 57:457–467, 2009)
Design of a weighted fair queueing cell scheduler for ATM networks

Today, ATM networks are being used to carry bursty data traffic with large and highly variable rates, and burst sizes ranging from kilobytes to megabytes. Obtaining good statistical multiplexing performance for this kind of traffic requires much larger buffers than are needed for more predictable applications or for bursty data applications with more limited burst transmission rates. Large buffers lead to large queueing delays, making it necessary for switches to implement more sophisticated queueing mechanisms in order to deliver acceptable quality of service (QoS). This paper describes a 2.4 Gb/ s ATM queue management chip that has practically unlimited buffer scaling and which supports dynamic per VC queueing, an efficiently implementable form of weighted fair queueing, a novel packet-level discarding algorithm and the ability to support multiple output links. We give a detailed description of our weighted fair queueing scheduling method, which we call the binary scheduling wheels (BSW) algorithm. The BSW algorithm smooths bursty traffic and guarantees minimum transmission rates during overload. The BSW algorithm uses a binary counter based scheduling mechanism and is well-suited to hardware implementation.
Protecting the integrity of trusted applications in mobile phone systems

Mobile phones have evolved into indispensable devices that run many exciting applications that users can download from phone vendor's application stores. However, as it is not practical to fully vet all application code, users may download malware-infected applications, which may steal or modify security-critical data. In this paper, we propose a security architecture for phone systems that protects trusted applications from such downloaded code. Our architecture uses reference monitors in the operating system and user-space services to enforce mandatory access control policies that express an approximation of Clark—Wilson integrity. In addition, we show how to justify the integrity of mobile phone applications by using the Policy Reduced Integrity Measurement Architecture (PRIMA), which enables a remote party to verify the integrity of applications running on a phone. We have implemented a prototype on the Openmoko Linux Platform, using an SELinux kernel with a PRIMA module and user-space services that leverage the SELinux user-level policy server. We find that the performance of enforcement and integrity measurement is satisfactory, and the SELinux reference policy can be reduced in size by 90% (although more reduction should be possible), enabling practical system integrity with a desirable usability model. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Inhibition of CCN6 (WISP3) expression promotes neoplastic progression and enhances the effects of insulin-like growth factor-1 on breast epithelial cells

CCN6/WISP3 belongs to the CCN (Cyr61, CTGF, Nov) family of genes that contains a conserved insulin-like growth factor (IGF) binding protein motif. CCN6 is a secreted protein lost in 80% of the aggressive inflammatory breast cancers, and can decrease mammary tumor growth in vitro and in vivo. We hypothesized that inhibition of CCN6 might result in the loss of a growth regulatory function that protects mammary epithelial cells from the tumorigenic effects of growth factors, particularly IGF-1. We treated human mammary epithelial (HME) cells with a CCN6 hairpin short interfering RNA. CCN6-deficient cells showed increased motility and invasiveness, and developed features of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Inhibition of CCN6 expression promoted anchorage-independent growth of HME cells and rendered them more responsive to the growth effects of IGF-1, which was coupled with the increased phosphorylation of IGF-1 receptor and insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1). Specific stable inhibition of CCN6 expression in HME cells induces EMT, promotes anchorage-independent growth, motility and invasiveness, and sensitizes mammary epithelial cells to the growth effects of IGF-1.
New Therapies for Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation The Long Road to Enhanced Efficacy

Atrial fibrillation is the most frequent sustained arrhythmia seen in clinical practice, and the public health implications of this growing epidemic are sobering. Approximately 2.3 to 3.2 million people are currently affected in the United States; the risk of stroke ranges from 1% to 7% per year; and atrial fibrillation accounts for ≈45% of embolic strokes annually, which amounts to ≈100 000 strokes per year.1,2 Moreover, atrial fibrillation is an independent predictor of mortality in most studies.3 Article see p 1029 Atrial fibrillation is a frequent cause for hospitalization, and during the last 2 decades, hospitalization rates for atrial fibrillation as the principal diagnosis have increased substantially.4,5 The economic consequences of this disorder are substantial.6 In the United Kingdom, the cost of hospitalizations for atrial fibrillation increased 123% between 1995 and 20007 and in 1995 accounted for 0.62% of the entire budget of the National Health Service. Future projections are even more disturbing. The prevalence of atrial fibrillation increases with age, and the demographic tide around the world is resulting in increasingly aging societies. Moreover, the age-adjusted incidence and prevalence of atrial fibrillation in Olmsted County have increased significantly between 1980 and 2000, and on the basis of these projections, the number of persons with atrial fibrillation could exceed 12 million by 2050.1 It is estimated that 35% of the increased prevalence is due to an increased incidence, 43% to the result of greater longevity, and 22% to a growing census. In summary, atrial fibrillation is a costly disease from both a clinical and economic perspective, and the burden is increasing. There is a dire need for new therapies and preventive approaches. In atrial fibrillation, the primary therapeutic objectives are to prevent stroke and to improve symptoms, whether by controlling the ventricular response rate …
Review of 38 cases of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis: effect of amantadine on the natural course of the disease.

Thirty-eight cases of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) were reviewed. Deterioration in school performance, personality changes, and seizures were common early symptoms. Initial examination frequently showed myoclonus, spasticity, and extrapyramidal dysfunction, and in two-thirds of the patients these findings were asymmetrical or focal. Retinitis or papilledema was present on initial examination in 50% of the patients. At last follow-up 24 children had died, with a mean survival of 42 months. Most patients reached a state of severe neurological impairment within 13 months. Subsequent evidence of improvement was noted in 10 children and was sustained in 4. Fifteen patients received antiviral treatment. Ten treated patients died from 5 to 133 months (mean, 58) from onset of their illness, while 15 untreated patients survived a mean of 33 months. Duration of survival appeared to be affected most by treatment with amantadine. Three patients treated with the drug were alive 97 to 139 months after onset of SSPE, and 5 died with a mean survival of 78 months. Five of 6 individuals treated with rifampin died after a mean survival of 27 months. Prolonged remissions occurred only in patients treated with amantadine. Although the number of treated individuals was small, our data suggest that amantadine may affect the natural course of SSPE.
Solute Diffusion in Liquid Nickel Measured by Pulsed Ion Beam Melting

Measurements of liquid-phase diffusion coefficients for dilute tungsten and molybdenum in molten nickel were made using a pulsed ion-beam melting technique. A high-intensity beam of nitrogen ions is focused on the surface of a nickel substrate that was implanted with known concentration profiles of W and Mo. Melting of the surface to a depth of ∼1 µm allows broadening of the implant profiles while molten. Solute concentration-depth profiles were determined before and after melting using Rutherford backscattering spectrometry. Using a series of numerical simulations to estimate the melt history and diffusional broadening for mean liquid temperatures in the range 1755 to 2022 K, an effective diffusion coefficient is determined in each case by comparison to the measured depth profiles. This is found to be (2.4±0.2)×10−5 cm2/s for W and (1.6±0.4)×10−5 cm2/s for Mo, with an additional systematic uncertainty of ±0.5×10−5 due to instrumental and surface effects.