cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
PPPS-2013: Abstract submission: Optical emission spectral analysis of microplasma discharges in atomic and molecular gases at pressures up to 10 atm

Summary form only given. High pressure microplasmas are potentially useful as high frequency microswitches due to their high electron densities and rapid switching characteristics. In the process of designing these high frequency microswitches, plasma temperatures are important in determining the lifetime of the microswitch materials. Pure gases and mixtures of He, Ar, H2, N2, and Ne are tested for pressure ranges from 1 atm to 10 atm at electrode gap lengths ranging between 20 μm and 50 μm. Higher pressures allow for smaller discharge diameters with high current densities while still maintaining normal glow discharge characteristics. Optical emission spectra (OES) are collected as a non-intrustive diagnostics. Rotational and vibrational temperatures are measured for the different combinations using the 2nd positive system of N2. Electron densities are estimated from Stark broadening. Rotational temperatures increase with pressure and range from 500K to 3000K for the various mixtures at 10 atm. In molecular gases a transition to vibrational-rotational equilibrium is observed at higher pressures. Normal glow discharge operating regimes are maintained at high pressures in all the gases. However instabilities are more likely to occur at high pressure when the system capacitance is high. Further testing with the gas combinations will continue in order to determine timing of discharge transients and penning mixture effects.
Paradigm shifts in Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders: the emerging role of oligomeric assemblies.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive, neurodegenerative disorder characterized by amyloid deposition in the cerebral neuropil and vasculature. These amyloid deposits comprise predominantly fragments and full-length (40 or 42 residue) forms of the amyloid beta-protein (Abeta) organized into fibrillar assemblies. Compelling evidence indicates that factors that increase overall Abeta production or the ratio of longer to shorter forms, or which facilitate deposition or inhibit elimination of amyloid deposits, cause AD or are risk factors for the disease. In vitro studies have demonstrated that fibrillar Abeta has potent neurotoxic effects on cultured neurons. In vivo experiments in non-human primates have demonstrated that Abeta fibrils directly cause pathologic changes, including tau hyperphosphorylation. In concert with histologic studies revealing a lack of tissue injury in areas of the neuropil in which non-fibrillar deposits were found, these data suggested that fibril assembly was a prerequisite for Abeta-mediated neurotoxicity in vivo. Recently, however, both in vitro and in vivo studies have revealed that soluble, oligomeric forms of Abeta also have potent neurotoxic activities, and in fact, may be the proximate effectors of the neuronal injury and death occurring in AD. A paradigm shift is thus emerging that necessitates the reevaluation of the relative importance of polymeric (fibrillar) vs. oligomeric assemblies in the pathobiology of AD. In addition to AD, an increasing number of neurodegenerative disorders, including Parkinson's disease, familial British dementia, familial amyloid polyneuropathy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and prion diseases, are associated with abnormal protein assembly processes. The archetypal features of the assembly-dependent neuropathogenetic effects of Abeta may thus be of relevance not only to AD but to these other disorders as well.
SOCIAL-SKILLS TRAINING FOR UNASSERTIVE CHILDREN: A MULTIPLE-BASELINE ANALYSIS†

The effects of social-skills training consisting of instructions, feedback, behavior rehearsal, and modelling were examined in a multiple-baseline analysis in four unassertive children. The treatment was effective in that the behaviors selected for modification changed markedly. The effects of treatment generalized from trained to untrained items (interpersonal situations requiring assertive responding) and gains were maintained at the two-and four-week followup probe sessions. In addition, overall assertiveness in all subjects increased from baseline assessment to the conclusion of treatment and into followup.
Distribution of Ground Water Suitable for Use in Saline-Water Aquaculture in Central and West-Central Alabama

Production of shrimp in inland ponds supplied by water from saline aquifers is a potential new aquaculture industry in Alabama. Examination of 2,527 well records of the Geological Survey of Alabama and the United States Geological Survey and samples from 35 wells revealed 238 wells with chloride concentration of 125 mg/L chloride or more in 11 counties of central and west-central Alabama. Chloride concentrations varied from 136 mg/L to 94,000 mg/L. The highest chloride concentrations were from wells in Washington, Choctaw, and Clarke Counties. However, 83% of the saline-water wells in Dallas, Hale, Greene, Marengo, Wilcox, and Sumter Counties were supplied by aquifers of the Eutaw, Gordo, McShan, and undifferentiated Eutaw-McShan formations. Water from these wells had an average and standard deviation of 1,238 ± 615 mg/L chloride. Based on the frequency of saline-water wells, the number of wells with chloride concentrations above 700 mg/L (about 2 ppt salinity), and well depths, it was concluded that Hale...
The reporting of monetary compensation in research articles.

Study participant compensation is of increasing concern, yet few investigations have explored it; none have examined whether published journal articles report it. Medline searches for articles in s...
Role of conserved cysteines in mediating sulfur transfer from IscS to IscU.

The role of the three conserved cysteine residues on Azotobacter vinelandii IscU in accepting sulfane sulfur and forming a covalent complex with IscS has been evaluated using electrospray-ionization mass spectrometry studies of variants involving individual cysteine-to-alanine substitutions. The results reveal that IscS can transfer sulfur to each of the three alanine-substituted forms of IscU to yield persulfide or polysulfide species, and formation of a heterodisulfide covalent complex between IscS and Cys37 on IscU. It is concluded that S transfer from IscS to IscU does not involve a specific cysteine on IscU or the formation of an IscS–IscU heterodisulfide complex.
Sleep‐related gastro‐oesophageal reflux: provocation with a late evening meal and treatment with acid suppression

Background: Two studies were carried out in order to investigate the issue of meal-provoked nocturnal gastro-oesophageal reflux. Methods: In Experiment 1, 20 symptomatic reflux patients underwent both pH and polysomnographic monitoring on two nights. On one night, patients ate a non-provocative meal prior to 19.00 hours, while on the other night patients consumed a late evening meal (21.00 hours). In Experiment 2, 17 symptomatic reflux patients were studied using pH and polysomnographic monitoring on two nights subsequent to a late evening provocative meal. On one night, patients received 75 mg of the H2-antagonist ranitidine, while on another night they received a placebo. The data from 12 of the 17 patients studied were used in the analysis. Results: For Experiment 1, no significant differences in the number or duration of reflux events, acid exposure (total %), or polysomnographic measures of per cent of sleep stages between the two nights were observed. The results of the second experiment demonstrated that when given ranitidine, patients experienced significant decrease in acid contact time (total %), and mean duration of reflux events. Subjective reports of discomfort and sleep disturbance were also significantly improved on the drug night. However, significant differences in polysomnographic measures were not observed. Conclusions: Based on these results, we conclude that in some symptomatic reflux patients a late-night non-provocative meal may not increase the incidence of gastro-oesophageal reflux, and that a low dose of an H2-antagonist is effective in decreasing oesophageal acid contact time following a late evening provocative meal.
Infinite class of new sign ambiguities

Abstract In 1934, two kinds of multiplicative relations, the norm and the Davenport–Hasse relations, between Gauss sums, were known. In 1964, H. Hasse conjectured that the norm and the Davenport–Hasse relations were the only multiplicative relations connecting Gauss sums over F p . However, in 1966, K. Yamamoto provided a simple counterexample disproving the conjecture. This counterexample was a new type of multiplicative relation, called a sign ambiguity , involving a ± sign not connected to elementary properties of Gauss sums. In this paper, we give an explicit product formula involving Gauss sums which generates an infinite class of new sign ambiguities, and we resolve the ambiguous sign by using Stickelbergerʼs theorem.
Petrology of Dolomitic Limestones, Kingston, Ontario, Canada

Dolomitic limestone from Kingston, Ontario, has importance as a type example of rock which, when used in concrete, produces an alkali-aggregate reaction different from reported alkali-silica reaction. The expansive reaction causes deterioration and cracking of the concrete. A petrographic, mineralogical, and chemical comparison was made between rock which showed high expansion in concrete and that which displayed no reactivity, and also between the same material before and after use in concrete (referred to throughout as “rock” and “aggregate,” respectively). The reactive rocks are fine-grained dolomitic limestones o r calcitic dolomites that contain about 10 per cent of acid-insoluble material. The ground-mass is composed of fine calcite, which shows little evidence of grain-growth or recrystallization, together with larger crystals of clear sparry calcite which appear to be original. The rock has been extensively dolomitized. Several techniques were employed to make concentrates of the minerals present. These were identified microscopically and examined by X-ray diffraction and differential thermal analysis. The composition of the carbonates was determined in terms of mole percentage Ca-Mg by relating lattice constants to composition. The clay minerals are described and minerals present in various residues identified. The total solid and acid-insoluble fractions were chemically analyzed. To facilitate comparison the oxides were recombined by computation into minerals to which were arbitrarily assigned the same composition. An attempt to relate oxide or computed mineral content to reactivity was unsuccessful. Rocks that are similar petrographically expand to markedly different degrees. The reason for this is unknown but petrographic character, distribution of clay minerals, dolomite composition, and dolomite-calcite ratio may well be connected interdependently with the cause of reactivity. Although it is not possible on petrographic criteria alone to predict the degree of reactivity which a particular rock may show if used as aggregate, it is possible to recognize rocks of this petrographic type. Such rocks should be subjected to more detailed examination, such as the concrete prism test, before being used as aggregate with high-alkali cement.
Modelling fluid flow over solid surfaces

Models of fluid flow over solid surfaces are proposed. The models utilise a varying viscosity that is constant away from a solid surface and that becomes infinite as the solid surface is approached. The varying viscosity introduces an inner boundary layer. Consequently, we are able to explain, qualitatively, the discrepancy between theoretical predictions of the conventional theory of fluid flow with experimental data of flow over a flat plate with distributed roughness. Our model also explains the discrepancy between an increased amount of drag observed in some experiments and a theoretical predicted drag from Newtonian fluids with a constant viscosity. Couette flow over a rough surface is utilised to demonstrate the underlining nature of the modelling. Arguments for the consistency of our models are provided.
Determination of the type of pairing and the order parameter in high Tc superconductors and heavy fermion systems by sound and microwave absorption experiments

Abstract Based on the superconductive (SC) state symmetry classification of heavy fermion systems and high Tc superconductors we suggest a method of pairing type determination by using sound and microwave absorption experiments. For both systems the collective excitation spectrum exhibited in these experiments is quite different for different kinds of pairing and even for different SC states for the same pairing. This makes it possible to identify the SC states by these experiments.
Alignment Echo of Spin-3/29Be Nuclei: Detection of Ultraslow Motion☆

Abstract It is demonstrated that the alignment echo of 9 Be is quite useful for detecting ultraslow atomic motions in the metallic glass Zr 46.75 Ti 8.25 Cu 7.5 Ni 10 Be 27.5 . The time scale of detectable atomic motion is between T 2 = 1.5 ms and T 1 of a few seconds. Similar to previous works of 2 H NMR, the Jeener–Broekaert sequence is used to create quadrupolar order for spin- 3 2 nuclei upon nonselective excitations. Since the chemical and Knight shift distributions are not negligible for 9 Be, the proper choice of the dephasing time between the first and the second pulses is essential for achieving pure quadrupolar order. It is demonstrated experimentally that slow atomic motions contribute significantly to the decay of the alignment echo near the glass transition temperature.
Noncoherent Pseudonoise Code Tracking Performance of Spread Spectrum Receivers

The optimum design and performance of two noncoherent PN tracking loop configurations, namely, the delay-locked loop and tau-dither loop, are described. In particular, the bandlimiting effects of the bandpass arm filters are considered by demonstrating that for a fixed data rate and data signal-to-noise ratio, there exists an optimum filter bandwidth in the sense of minimizing the loop's tracking jitter. Both the linear and nonlinear loop analyses are presented and the region of validity of the former relative to the latter is indicated. In addition, numerical results are given for several filter types. For example, assuming ideal bandpass arm filters, it is shown that the tau-dither loop requires approximately 1 dB more signal-to-noise ratio than the delay-locked loop for equal rms tracking jitters.
Modeling and Analysis Support for Complex Deformable Systems Interfacing With Crack-Prone Systems

In this paper, we describe a meshless integral method based on the regularized boundary integral equation to model and simulate complex deformable systems interfacing with crack-prone systems that traditional interconnected Finite Element Method (FEM) has difficulty addressing. This method is an improved version of Local Boundary Integral Equation with the following enhancements: (1) the subtraction method is used to remove the strong singularity in the local integral equation making the new method practical and accurate; (2) a special numerical integration scheme is employed for the calculation of integrals with weak singularity to further improve accuracy; and (3) the collocation method is employed to enforce essential boundary conditions, while the natural boundary conditions are incorporated in the system governing equation and require no special handling. This method has been used to analyze linear elasticity, elastoplasticity with small deformation, and elastoplasticity with large deformation. This meshless method offers the following advantages over other candidate meshless algorithms: ease of imposing essential boundary conditions, elimination of a background mesh, numerical stability, and high accuracy. We detail the requisite future work to use this meshless method for modeling and simulating complex deformable systems interfacing with crack-prone systems.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Congenital aniridia variant: minimally abnormal irides with severe limbal stem cell deficiency.

Purpose To clinically and molecularly characterize a group of patients with progressive limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD) due to aniridic keratopathy (AK), but with minimally affected irides. Design Retrospective case series. Participants A total of 12 eyes of 6 patients who underwent keratolimbal allograft (KLAL) for AK in the absence of the classic stigmata of aniridia at the Cincinnati Eye Institute/University of Cincinnati between 2000 and 2007. Methods Retrospective chart review. Main Outcome Measures Ocular surface stability after KLAL and change in visual acuity. Results Subjects' mean age was 32.57 years, 66% were female, and mean follow-up was 64.4 months (range, 20–115 months). All patients presented with a decline in their vision secondary to LSCD. Average preoperative best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) was 1.4 (range, 0.10–2.8). All patients had minimally affected irides with subtle abnormal findings, including ectropion uveae and stromal atrophy. All patients developed severe LSCD and required KLAL. Average postoperative logMAR BCVA was 0.35 (range, 0.00–1.00). All ocular surfaces remained stable throughout the follow-up period. Family history consistent with autosomal dominant inheritance was positive in 4 of 6 patients. PAX6 genetic testing identified 2 pathologic mutations and 1 possible disease-causing variant. Conclusions Aniridic keratopathy may present in the absence of other classic stigmata of aniridia and be associated with minimally affected irides. A subset of these patients has definitive mutations in PAX6 and once identified can be counseled appropriately. These patients respond well to KLAL and may therefore benefit from early detection. Financial Disclosure(s) The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.
Model reference robust control of systems with significant unmodelled dynamics

In this paper, a recently proposed control design technique, model reference robust control (MRRC), is generalized to provide input–output robust control for a much wider class of SISO systems. A system under consideration may contain not only parametric uncertainties, disturbances, uncertain high-order nonlinearities associated with system output (including stable unmodelled dynamics of the output), but also multiplicative unmodelled dynamics of the input of the system. Input unmodelled dynamics may be unstable and of infinite dimension. Common assumptions such as the order of the system, or bounds on system parameters, or coefficients in size-bounding functions on uncertainties and unmodelled dynamics are not needed in this paper. The a priori information required to apply the proposed design procedure includes the relative degree of the overall system, closed-form expressions of bounding functions, and, for arbitrarily small error in tracking the output of any given reference model, the minimum phase condition. Under the proposed control, the output tracking error can be made arbitrarily small to achieve any specified tracking accuracy. The distinct feature of MRRC is that neither uncertainties nor unmodelled dynamics are required to be small. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Conditional attribute grammars

Attribute grammars are a useful formalism for the specification of computations on structured terms. The classical definition of attribute grammars, however, has no way of treating conditionals nonstrictly. Consequently, the natural way of expressing many otherwise well-behaved computations involves a circularity. This article presents conditional attribute grammars, and extension of attribute grammars that enables more precise analysis of conditionals. In conditional attribute grammars, attribute equations may have guards. Equations are active only when their guards are satisfied. The standard attribute grammar evaluation classes are definable for conditional attribute grammars, and the corresponding evaluation techniques can be easily adapted. However, determining membership in standard evaluation classes such as 1-SWEEP, OAG, and SNC is NP-hard.
When to engage video resilience options

Video bit errors or missing packets can result in freezing or distortion causing a severe loss of interpretability. Resilience options can mitigate the error propagation that occurs due to the spatial and temporal dependencies in the compressed bit stream. Resilience options can be invoked at the encoder, based on feedback from the application layer decoder. If no feedback channel is available, the encoder controller can estimate data link performance and engage sufficient resilience options. Decode errors can be summarized in metadata to alert upstream encoders to engage resilience and downstream consumers of artifacts due to damaged or missing macro blocks.
A water balance study of four landfill cover designs varying in slope for semiarid regions

The goal of disposing of radioactive and hazardous waste in shallow landfills is to reduce risk to human health and to the environment by isolating contaminants until they no longer pose a hazard. In order to achieve this, the performance of a landfill cover design without an engineered barrier (Conventional Design) was compared with three designs containing either a hydraulic barrier (EPA Design) or a capillary barrier (Loam and Clay Loam Capillary Barrier Designs). Water balance parameters were measured since 1991 at six-hour intervals for four different landfill cover designs in 1.0- by 10.0-m plots with downhill slopes of 5, 10, 15, and 25%. Whereas runoff generally accounted for only 2-3% of the precipitation losses on these designs, similar values for evapotranspiration ranged from 86% to 91%, with increased evapotranspiration occurring with increases in slope. Consequently, interflow and seepage usually decreased with increasing slope for each landfill cover design. Seepage consisted of up to 10% of the precipitation on the Conventional Design, whereas the hydraulic barrier in the EPA Design effectively controlled seepage at all slopes, and both of the capillary designs worked effectively to eliminate seepage at the higher slopes.
Glycosylation defining cancer malignancy: New wine in an old bottle

Aberrant glycosylation occurs in essentially all types of experimental and human cancers, as has been observed for over 35 years, and many glycosyl epitopes constitute tumor-associated antigens. A long-standing debate is whether aberrant glycosylation is a result or a cause of cancer. Many recent studies indicate that some, if not all, aberrant glycosylation is a result of initial oncogenic transformation, as well as a key event in induction of invasion and metastasis. Glycosylation promoting or inhibiting tumor cell invasion and metastasis is of crucial importance in current cancer research. Nevertheless, this area of study has received little attention from most cell biologists involved in cancer research, mainly because structural and functional concepts of glycosylation in cancer are more difficult to understand than the functional role of certain proteins and their genes in defining cancer cell phenotypes. Glycosylation appears to be considered “in the shade” of more popular topics such as oncogenes and antioncogenes, apoptosis, angiogenesis, growth factor receptors, integrin and caderin function, etc., despite the fact that aberrant glycosylation profoundly affects all of these processes. The apoptotic signaling triggered by glycosylation presents an immense challenge for future study. The concept of glycosylation-dependent promotion or inhibition of tumor progression has developed in conjunction with clinicopathological studies. High expression of some glycosyl epitopes promotes invasion and metastasis, leading to shorter 5–10 year survival rates of patients, whereas expression of some other glycosyl epitopes suppresses tumor progression, leading to higher postoperative survival rates (for review see refs. 1 and 38). The former category of epitopes includes β6GlcNAc branching in N -linked structure; sialyl-Tn in O -linked structure; sialyl-Lex, sialyl-Lea, and Ley in either N -linked, O -linked, or lipid-linked structure; GM2, GD3, and sialyl-Gb5 in lipid-linked structure. The latter category includes β4GlcNAc competitive with β6GlcNAc; histo-blood group A …
A new method for estimating population doubling time of vertebrate cells

Based upon the fact that the amount of DNA doubles after each cycle, a technique was developed in which the population doubling time for cell cultures was determined from the ratio of its DNA content to [3H]thymidine incorporation under conditions in which cell numbers cannot be readily determined. This technique may be useful in determining what proportion the sample is of the total cell population.
Alternative food networks: knowledge, place and politics

From the back roads of Britain to downtown Detroit, the food movement in the global North has made some significant if still marginal changes in the way food is grown and imagined by consumers. In ...
Predicting malignant intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm: a single-center review

Abstract Background The purpose of this study was to examine the characteristics of pancreatic intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) in our institution and the selection for resection. Recent publications, including those from the International Consensus Guidelines and the Mayo Clinic, set forth criteria for resection. However, these criteria differ in the definition of main duct IPMN, which is an indication to resect. Methods Sixty patients from a single institution were retrospectively reviewed between 2000 and 2009. Results Thirteen percent of patients had high-grade dysplasia, and 22% had invasive cancer. In multivariate analysis, factors associated with a lower risk of carcinoma were female sex ( P = .039) and size P = .024). Patients were retrospectively evaluated with Mayo and International Consensus Guidelines. Eight patients had a diagnosis that would have changed from main duct to branch duct if the International Consensus Guidelines were used. Of these 8, there were 2 cancers. If the International Consensus Guidelines were applied instead of the Mayo, both cancers would have been resected, but 2 patients without cancer would have been spared an operation. Conclusions Twenty-two percent of resected patients had invasive cancer, and they had significantly worse survival (37 vs 85 months, P = .032). In our patient group, application of the International Consensus Guidelines identified all malignant IPMN and would have prevented 2 nontherapeutic resections when compared with the Mayo criteria.
Science and Students with Mild Disabilities: Principles of Universal Design.

This article presents a framework for science programming at the elementary school level by incorporating the principles of universal design. Adherence to the principles of universal design shows promise for (a) increasing access to the general education curriculum, (b) enhancing student progress in science, and (c) framing the general education curriculum to make it more appropriate for students with disabilities (Orkwis, 1999). Five models of elementary school science are reviewed, with an emphasis on the principles of universal design: spiral, intensified, theme-based, integrated, and multiple-option. The multiple-option curriculum as exemplified by Science for All Children both meets the criteria and expands on the principles of universal design.
Political Movements and State Authority in Liberal Democracies

Political movements are an increasingly common form of mass political mobilization, and the legitimacy and authority of democratic states depends to a growing extent on the relationship between movements and states. Existing case studies of political movements neglect that relationship in favor of issues of mobilization, organization, and societal impact. These studies can nonetheless be used to show that political movements employ a mixture of confrontation and collaboration in their relationship to the state. More centralized states, which offer fewer institutional channels for movement influence, face more confrontational movements. However, political movements in all democratic settings use confrontation primarily as a strategic device to enhance their leverage in negotiations with state authorities. Movements are not a challenge to state authority so much as they are a force for change within democratic society.
Comparisons of theory and experiment in light scattering from a randomly rough surface

For a conducting surface with one-dimensional roughness, we compare experimental and theoretical results for the four unique elements of the Stokes-scattering matrix that provide a complete description of the diffusely scattered light. The rough surface has been fabricated with new techniques and is strictly one dimensional, and scattered intensities at infrared wavelengths show clear backscattering enhancement that arises from multiple scattering within surface corrugations. To obtain theoretical results for the Stokes matrix elements, we numerically apply an impedance boundary-condition method, appropriate for the roughness and the high conductivity of the experimental surface, to a statistical ensemble of rough surfaces. The experimental surface has been found to have nearly Gaussian first-order height statistics, and experimental measurements of the matrix elements are compared with theoretical results for a surface consistent with a Gaussian process. These comparisons suggest that there is more multiple scattering in the experimental data than is accounted for by the theoretical calculations. We attribute this observation to the properties of the second derivative of the experimental surface, which are found to be inconsistent with those of a Gaussian process. In further calculations that take account of the unusual properties of the experimental surface, excellent agreement of theoretical and experimental results is obtained.
Role of the calcium-sensing receptor in calcium regulation of epidermal differentiation and function

The epidermis is a stratified squamous epithelium composed of proliferating basal and differentiated suprabasal keratinocytes. It serves as the body's major physical and chemical barrier against infection and harsh environmental insults, as well as preventing excess water loss from the body into the atmosphere. Calcium is a key regulator of the proliferation and differentiation in keratinocytes. Elevated extracellular Ca 2+ concentration ([Ca 2+ ] o ) raises the levels of intracellular free calcium ([Ca 2+ ] i ), promotes cell–cell adhesion, and activates differentiation-related genes. Keratinocytes deficient in the calcium-sensing receptor fail to respond to [Ca 2+ ] o stimulation and to differentiate, indicating a role for the calcium-sensing receptor in transducing the [Ca 2+ ] o signal during differentiation. The concepts derived from in vitro gene knockdown experiments have been evaluated and confirmed in three mouse models in vivo .
Flexible microwave antenna applicator for chemothermotherapy of the breast

In this study, a flexible microwave antenna applicator is presented for mild microwave hyperthermia. The antennas used in this study are designed for high dielectric medium-like skin and tested using tissue mimicking gels that mimic the dielectrical properties of the human breast. After the initial antenna design the applicator is fabricated embvedding the antennas in PDMS. Finaly, we have tested the applicator using masimu of 5W input power. The experiments sugges that the proposed applicator provides a considerable heating up to 4cm depth with 5W at 450 MHz.
Blockade of receptor for advanced glycation end product attenuates pulmonary reperfusion injury in mice

Objective The receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) is expressed at high levels in the lung, particularly in type 1 alveolar cells, and has been shown to amplify injury triggered by acute stress. Previous studies suggest serum concentrations of soluble RAGE increase during pulmonary reperfusion injury after transplantation. RAGE blockade has been shown to suppress hepatic and cardiac ischemia and reperfusion injury in mice. Thus we tested the hypothesis that RAGE mediates tissue-injury mechanisms in ischemia and reperfusion injury in the lung. Methods C57BL/6 mice were subjected to 30 minutes of pulmonary ischemia by clamping the left hilum, followed by 60 minutes of reperfusion. Lung function was assessed by means of blood gas analysis, and capillary leak was assessed by injecting fluorescein isothiocyanate–labeled albumin and comparing fluorescence in bronchial lavage fluid with that in serum. Histologic analysis of the lung was performed by a pathologist naive to the experimental conditions. Results In animals subjected to RAGE blockade, significant increases in P o 2 (108 vs 73 mm Hg, P = .0094) and more than 3-fold decrease in capillary leak Relative Fluorescent Units (RFU, 6.12 vs 1.75; P = .001) were observed. Histologic examination revealed significant injury reduction in soluble RAGE-treated animals versus control animals. RAGE knockout mice exhibited a protected phenotype when exposed to pulmonary ischemia and reperfusion. Additionally, interleukin 8 production and nuclear factor κB activation were increased in control mice. Conclusion Abrogation of RAGE signaling attenuates pulmonary ischemia and reperfusion injury. This study suggests that RAGE might play a central role in pulmonary reperfusion injury and in transplantation and that blockade of RAGE might offer a potential target to abrogate pulmonary reperfusion injury in clinical transplantation.
Global entropy solutions to exothermically reacting, compressible Euler equations

Abstract The global existence of entropy solutions is established for the compressible Euler equations for one-dimensional or plane-wave flow of an ideal gas, which undergoes a one-step exothermic chemical reaction under Arrhenius-type kinetics. We assume that the reaction rate is bounded away from zero and the total variation of the initial data is bounded by a parameter that grows arbitrarily large as the equation of state converges to that of an isothermal gas. The heat released by the reaction causes the spatial total variation of the solution to increase. However, the increase in total variation is proved to be bounded in t >0 as a result of the uniform and exponential decay of the reactant to zero as t approaches infinity.
Evidence for a vicious cycle of exercise and hypoglycemia in type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Exercise is a cornerstone of diabetes management as it aids in glycemic control, weight management, reducing blood pressure, and improving the quality of life of patients. Unfortunately, owing to the complexity and difficulties of regulating exogenous insulin in a physiologic manner during exercise, physical activity often results in hypoglycemia in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (type 1 DM). When glucose levels fall below threshold glycemic levels, neuroendocrine, autonomic nervous system (ANS), and metabolic glucose counterregulatory mechanisms are activated. These hypoglycemic counterregulatory mechanisms in type 1 DM can be blunted irreversibly by disease duration or by acute episodes of prior stress. These reduced (or absent) counterregulatory responses result in a threefold increase in severe hypoglycemia when intensive glycemic control is implemented in type 1 DM 1. Much recent work has been focused on determining the in vivo mechanisms responsible for causing the increased incidence of severe hypoglycemia in type 1 DM. Studies from several laboratories have demonstrated the role played by episodes of antecedent hypoglycemia in producing blunted glucose counterregulatory responses during subsequent exposures of hypoglycemia. Until recently, the mechanisms responsible for exercise related hypoglycemia in type 1 DM have been attributed to relative or absolute increases of insulin levels or incomplete glycogen repletion after physical activity. Owing to the qualitative similarity of neuroendocrine, ANS, and metabolic responses to hypoglycemia and exercise, we have hypothesized that neuroendocrine and ANS counterregulatory dysfunction may also play an important role in the pathogenesis of exercise-related hypoglycemia in type 1 DM. Vicious cycles can be created in type 1 DM, where an episode of hypoglycemia or exercise can feed forward to downregulate neuroendocrine and ANS responses to a subsequent episode of either stress, thereby creating further hypoglycemia (Figure 1). This article will review the recent work that has studied the contribution of counterregulatory dysfunction to exercise-induced hypoglycemia in type 1 DM. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 1. Reciprocal vicious cycles may be created in type 1 diabetes mellitus (type 1 DM), whereby an episode of hypoglycemia or exercise can feed forward to downregulate neuroendocrine and autonomic nervous system responses to a subsequent episode of either stress, thereby creating further hypoglycemia
Ritonavir Has Minimal Impact on the Pharmacokinetic Disposition of a Single Dose of Bupropion Administered to Human Volunteers

A drug-drug interaction study was conducted to determine whether ritonavir (200 mg; 4 doses over 2 days) alters the pharmacokinetic disposition of bupropion (75 mg; once) coadministered to 7 healthy volunteers in a placebo-controlled 2-way crossover study. Serum samples collected from 0 to 24 hours after bupropion administration were assayed for concentrations of bupropion and metabolites (hydroxybupropion, threohydrobupropion, and erythrohydrobupropion). Derived pharmacokinetic parameters were compared between placebo/bupropion and ritonavir/bupropion trials by paired t test. The effect of ritonavir on most pharmacokinetic parameters was minimal (<20% mean change). The only parameters that showed a statistically significant effect were threohydrobupropion area under the blood concentration curve (14% +/- 5% decrease, mean +/- SE; P = .04) and erythrohydrobupropion time-to-maximal serum concentration (161% +/- 92% increase, P = .03), suggesting that ritonavir may inhibit the carbonyl reductase enzyme responsible for formation of these metabolites. These findings indicate that short-term ritonavir dosing has only minimal impact on the pharmacokinetic disposition of a single dose of bupropion in healthy volunteers.
Finite temperature corrections in N=1 supergravity

Abstract We compute finite temperature corrections to the scalar potential in maximally symmetric SU(N, 1) supergravity. In the large N limit, the zero temperature potential is only scaled by the thermal corrections. As an example, we apply the general result to a class of phenomenologically interesting no-scale supergravity models.
Influence of age, diet and laboratory caging on lipid profile among fib hamsters

Abstract We have evaluated the effects of age, diet and laboratory caging conditions on plasma cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) concentrations in male F1B hamsters. Young and old hamsters were either individually housed (1/C) or housed four per cage (4/C). TC and TG were measured following a 2-wk period of acclimatation on chow (LF) diet and after 4-wk on an atherogenic (HF) diet. No differences were observed in baseline TC and TG levels between 4/C (134±24 and 221±57 mg/dl) and 1/C young animals (124±27 and 191±40 mg/dl). Following 4-wk on the HF diet, 4/C young animals had a significantly higher TC (240±58 mg/dl) as compared to 1/C animals (162±30 mg/dl). Compared to baseline, TG had significant and similar increases in both 4/C and 1/C young hamsters (486±200 and 330±100 mg/dl). Baseline TC and TG levels in old animals were comparable for 4/C (142±52 and 172±44 mg/dl) and 1/C (148±26 and 139±16 mg/dl). After 4-wk on the HF diet, TC levels in 4/C (178±47 mg/dl) and 1/C (129±31 mg/dl) old hamsters were not different from baseline levels. TG were significantly affected by the HF diet, with 4/C (303±212 mg/dl) and 1/C (231±67 mg/dl) animals showing similar increases compared with their baseline levels (172±44 and 139±16 mg/dl). In conclusion, caging conditions affect atherogenic diet-induced plasma lipid concentrations in F1B hamsters of different ages, and thus need be considered in experimental designs of animal-housed lipid research.
The Neoliberal Straitjacket and Public Education in the United States: Understanding Contemporary Education Reform and its Urban Implications

Education is considered key to economic growth and to the reduction of social inequality and disadvantage. Contemporary education policy reflects the ideals of a neoliberal agenda (i.e., reform and economic competitiveness). Given that the United States both recognizes and abides by the rules of the free market, public schools find themselves in a neoliberal straitjacket. This "one-size-fits-all" garment has "pinched" public schools. This study draws on a broadly post-structural perspective of space and geographical context, and utilizes insights from Foucault to flesh out issues regarding "taken-for-granted" education reform in the U.S. Specifically, this work looks at No Child Left Behind through a geographic lens, emphasizing the importance of local context and the differential effects of policy.
Complex Segregation Analysis Provides Compelling Evidence for a Major Gene Underlying Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and for Heterogeneity by Sex

Evidence from twin and family studies supports a genetic etiology for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The purpose of this study was to test whether a major gene is implicated in a proportion of families with OCD. Complex segregation analyses of 153 families (80 case and 73 control), ascertained in the Johns Hopkins OCD Family Study, provided strong evidence for a major gene. A Mendelian-dominant model, with significant sex effects and with residual familial effects, best explained the observed data. Stratification of the sample by the sex of probands provided further evidence of heterogeneity with respect to familial aggregation. Segregation analyses of 86 families with a female proband and of the 67 families with a male proband suggested that a Mendelian-dominant model with familial residual effects was the most parsimonious model explaining the inheritance of OCD in both subgroups.
Shear strength and toughness of trabecular bone are more sensitive to density than damage

Microdamage occurs in trabecular bone under normal loading, which impairs the mechanical properties. Architectural degradation associated with osteoporosis increases damage susceptibility, resulting in a cumulative negative effect on the mechanical properties. Treatments for osteoporosis could be targeted toward increased bone mineral density, improved architecture, or repair and prevention of microdamage. Delineating the relative roles of damage and architectural degradation on trabecular bone strength will provide insight into the most beneficial targets. In this study, damage was induced in bovine trabecular bone samples by axial compression, and the effects on the mechanical properties in shear were assessed. The damaged shear modulus, shear yield stress, ultimate shear stress, and energy to failure all depended on induced damage and decreased as the architecture became more rod-like. The changes in ultimate shear strength and toughness were proportional to the decrease in shear modulus, consistent with an effective decrease in the cross-section of trabeculae based on cellular solid analysis. For typical ranges of bone volume fraction in human bone, the strength and toughness were much more sensitive to decreased volume fraction than to induced mechanical damage. While ultimately repairing or avoiding damage to the bone structure and increasing bone density both improve mechanical properties, increasing bone density is the more important contributor to bone strength.
Lipopolysaccharide Identification with Functionalized Polydiacetylene Liposome Sensors

The outer membrane of Gram negative bacteria contains lipopolysaccharides, which are glycolipids with carbohydrate sequences that are unique for each bacterial species and serotype. In this communication, we report a method for identifying LPS from different bacteria using an electronic tongue approach. Two functionalized polydiacetylene liposomes were used as colorimetric sensors for detecting various types of LPS. These liposomes were assayed under four different experimental conditions to generate a data set of eight colorimetric responses. This data set constitutes a unique fingerprint for each analyte and permits identification of each LPS type.
JPEG/wavelet ultrasound compression study

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effects of lossy compression on grayscale US images to determine how much compression can be applied, and still have the images be 'acceptable for diagnostic purposes'. The study considered how the acquisition technique influences how much compression can be applied. For DICOM digital images, the study considered the how text affects the compressibility of the image. The lossy compression technique that were considered include JPEG, Set Partitioning in Hierarchical Trees Wavelet, and a Modified version of SPIHT Wavelet.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
EGF and IGF-I Synergistically Stimulate Proliferation of Human Esophageal Epithelial Cells

Proliferation of esophageal mucosal cells is important in repair of reflux-induced injury. We studied the effects of EGF, IGF-I, and IGF-I/binding protein-3 (BP-3) complex on immortalized esophageal epithelial (HET-1A) cells and searched for synergy between the growth factors. HET-1A cells were plated at 5 x 10(4) in 12 well plates. After 2 days in optimal media, they were maintained in basal media with or without the test peptides: EGF at 0.05-5 nM, IGF-I at 0.1-10 nM, IGF-I/BP-3 at 0.1-10 nM, and a combination of EGF at 5 nM and IGF-I or IGF-I/BP-3 at 1 and 10 nM. In comparison to basal media EGF and IGF-I stimulated cell proliferation over baseline at 5 and 10 nM, respectively. The combination of EGF at 5 nM and IGF-I at 1 and 10 nM worked synergistically, increasing cell counts over baseline to 10.3 +/- 0.2 and 14.6 +/- 0.8 x 10(5), respectively. The calculated additive effect of EGF and IGF-I at 1 and 10 nM individually increased cell counts to 8.2 +/- 0.2 and 10.4 +/- 0.6 x 10(5), respectively. The difference between the observed and the calculated values was significant at P < 0.05, ANOVA, Turkey test. IGF-I/BP-3 complex enhanced this synergy at low levels of IGF-I but not at 10 nM IGF-I. EGF, IGF, and IGF-I/BP-3 independently promote HET-1A proliferation. IGF and EGF in combination demonstrate synergism with potentiated interaction presumably because of their different roles in the cell cycle, EGF being a competence factor and IGF being a progression factor. This combination may have potential as a treatment for esophageal mucosal injury, and IGF-I/BP-3 may further enhance their benefit.
Manifold-based approach to semi-regular remeshing

This paper describes a method for semi-regular remeshing of arbitrary shapes. The proposed approach is based on building a parameterization map which is smooth with respect to a differential structure built on the base domain. A global parametric energy functional is introduced and optimized in order to establish a globally smooth parameterization. The proposed approach avoids using meta-mesh construction during the parameterization and resampling stages which allows for an easier implementation. A simple extension of the method is proposed to improve the approximation properties of the resulting remesh.