cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Transport of biomass burning emissions from southern Africa

The transport of biomass burning emissions from southern Africa to the neighboring Atlantic and Indian Oceans during the dry season (May-October) of 2000 is characterized using ground, ozonesonde, and aircraft measurements of carbon monoxide (CO) and ozone (O3) in and around southern Africa, together with the GEOS-CHEM global model of tropospheric chemistry. The model shows a positive bias of approximately 20% for CO and a negative bias of approximately 10-25% for O3 at oceanic sites downwind of fire emissions. Near areas of active fire emissions the model shows a negative bias of approximately 60% and approximately 30% for CO and O3, respectively, likely due to the coarse spatial (2 deg. x 2.5 deg.) and temporal (monthly) resolution of the model compared to that of active fires. On average, from 1994 to 2000, approximately 60 Tg of carbon monoxide (CO) from biomass burning in southern Africa was transported eastward to the Indian Ocean across the latitude band 0 deg. -60 S during the 6 months of the dry season. Over the same time period, approximately 40 Tg of CO from southern African biomass burning was transported westward to the Atlantic Ocean over the latitudes 0 deg. -20 S during the 6-month dry season, but most of that amount was transported back eastward over higher latitudes to the south (21 deg. -60 S). Eastward transport of biomass burning emissions from southern Africa enhances CO concentrations by approximately 4- 13 ppbv per month over the southern subtropical Indian Ocean during the dry season, with peak enhancements in September. Carbon monoxide from southern African and South American biomass burning is seen in the model simulations as far away as Australia, contributing approximately 8 ppbv and approximately 12-15 ppbv CO, respectively, and thus explaining the approximately 20- 25 ppbv observed enhancement of CO over Melbourne in mid-September 2000.
Philosophical and Practical Standardization of Computer Input/Output Connections

Philosophically, small computer input/output connections can be made to a standard (such as CAMAC), rather than directly to a particular computer. Where manufacturer-produced software is either non-existent or can be sacrificed without heavy losses, a bigger computer may be practical with money saved from in-house interfacing. Such in-house peripheral interfacing can be made even more economical by practicing interface standardization. An example is discussed with solutions to the major problems involved.
Alternative mission architectures for a gravity recovery satellite mission

Since its launch in 2002, the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission has been providing measurements of the time-varying Earth gravity field. The GRACE mission architecture includes two satellites in near-circular, near-polar orbits separated in the along-track direction by approximately 220 km (e.g. collinear). A microwave ranging instrument measures changes in the distance between the spacecraft, while accelerometers on each spacecraft are used to measure changes in distance due to non-gravitational forces. The fact that the satellites are in near-polar orbits coupled with the fact that the inter-satellite range measurements are directed in the along-track direction, contributes to longitudinal striping in the estimated gravity fields. This paper examines four candidate mission architectures for a future gravity recovery satellite mission to assess their potential in measuring the gravity field more accurately than GRACE. All satellites were assumed to have an improved measurement system, with an inter-satellite laser ranging instrument and a drag-free system for removal of non-gravitational accelerations. Four formations were studied: a two-satellite collinear pair similar to GRACE; a four-satellite architecture with two collinear pairs; a two-satellite cartwheel formation; and a four-satellite cartwheel formation. A cartwheel formation consists of satellites performing in-plane, relative elliptical motion about their geometric center, so that inter-satellite measurements are, at times, directed radially (e.g. parallel to the direction towards the center of the Earth) rather than along-track. Radial measurements, unlike along-track measurements, have equal sensitivity to mass distribution in all directions along the Earth’s surface and can lead to higher spatial resolution in the derived gravity field. The ability of each architecture to recover the gravity field was evaluated using numerical simulations performed with JPL’s GIPSY-OASIS software package. Thirty days of data were used to estimate gravity fields complete to degree and order 60. Evaluations were done for 250 and 400 km nominal orbit altitudes. The sensitivity of the recovered gravity field to under-sampled effects was assessed using simulated errors in atmospheric/ocean dealiasing (AOD) models. Results showed the gravity field errors associated with the four-satellite cartwheel formation were approximately one order of magnitude lower than the collinear satellite pair when only measurement system errors were included. When short-period AOD model errors were introduced, the gravity field errors for each formation were approximately the same. The cartwheel formations eliminated most of the longitudinal striping seen in the gravity field errors. A covariance analysis showed the error spectrum of the cartwheel formations to be lower and more isotropic than that of the collinear formations.
A tobacco mosaic virus mutant with non-functional coat protein and its revertant: relationship to the virus assembly process.

A nitrous acid-induced coat protein-defective mutant (PM6) derived from the wild-type strain (U1) of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and its coat protein-functional revertant (PM6R) have been isolated. PM6 is a virus assembly mutant in which the coat protein cannot encapsidate viral RNA. The coat protein of PM6 forms unusual wheel-like structures consisting of aggregated disks with a helical conformation. PM6 protein has two amino acid substitutions when compared to U1-TMV, an Ala to Thr exchange at position 105 and an Asp to Gly exchange, probably at position 88. PM6R has the Ala to Thr exchange found in PM6 at position 105, but the Asp to Gly exchange observed in PM6 has apparently reverted to the native sequence found in U1-TMV. A high frequency of irregular protein rods is observed in electron micrographs of PM6R, suggesting that the conformation of PM6R coat protein, although functional, is altered from that of the wild-type strain.
The dynamics of aortic valvular disease.

Abstract 1. 1. The circulatory dynamics in forty patients with aortic valvular disease was studied by catheterization of the right side of the heart and peripheral arterial pressure curves. Twenty-six patients had predominant aortic stenosis; fourteen, predominant aortic regurgitation. 2. 2. Measurements were made at rest and during exercise. The response to the Valsalva maneuver was determined. 3. 3. Although basically obstruction and regurgitation at the aortic orifice differ, the circulatory patterns were in many respects similar. 4. 4. The resting cardiac output is generally within normal limits. Although a rise in the cardiac output is the rule during exercise, it is frequently less than would be expected. The limited cardiac output either at rest or during activity may be due to: (a) the presence of coexisting mitral disease; (b) left ventricular failure; and (c) the lesion (stenosis or regurgitation) per se. 5. 5. The pulmonary circulation is usually normal. Pulmonary hypertension, when present, may be due to several factors: (a) left ventricular failure; (b) coexisting mitral stenosis; or (c) pulmonary vascular changes. Pulmonary vascular changes may be important contributing factors in the production of right ventricular failure in some cases. 6. 6. The peripheral arterial pressure curves are characteristic in aortic stenosis and aortic regurgitation. 7. 7. Marked changes are noted in the brachial arterial pressure tracings during and immediately following the Valsalva maneuver. It is suggested that this maneuver may be helpful in bringing out the anacrotic phenomenon and elucidating certain findings in the resting peripheral pressure curve.
Periodicity of the parity of a partition function related to making change

Fhe solutions to a change problem form restricted partitions. For one particular change problem, we look at the sequence representing the parity of these restricted partition values. It appears that the period of this sequence has not been studied. Through recurrences involving binomial coefficients, we find that the sequence has a period of 200.
Preventing Violence in School: What Can Principals Do?:

What motivates young people—some only eight years old—to attack and kill other children? This question has been hotly debated in the media recently, as the public's attention has been seized time and time again by stories of brutal acts performed by children against their classmates and peers. Can schools do anything to help disturbed or potentially violent students?
Pentapeptide-repeat proteins that act as topoisomerase poison resistance factors have a common dimer interface.

The protein AlbG is a self-resistance factor against albicidin, a nonribosomally encoded hybrid polyketide-peptide with antibiotic and phytotoxic properties produced by Xanthomonas albilineans. Primary-sequence analysis indicates that AlbG is a member of the pentapeptide-repeat family of proteins (PRP). The structure of AlbG from X. albilineans was determined at 2.0 A resolution by SAD phasing using data collected from a single trimethyllead acetate derivative on a home source. AlbG folds into a right-handed quadrilateral β-helix composed of approximately eight semi-regular coils. The regularity of the β-­helix is blemished by a large loop/deviation in the β-helix between coils 4 and 5. The C-terminus of the β-helix is capped by a dimerization module, yielding a dimer with a 110 A semi-collinear β-helical axis. This method of dimer formation appears to be common to all PRP proteins that confer resistance to topoisomerase poisons and contrasts with most PRP proteins, which are typically monomeric.
Generalized Linear Random Vibration Analysis Using Autocovariance Orthogonal Decomposition

Application of a stationary Gaussian random process to describe a nondeterministic forcing function of a linear vibrating system is well studied and documented. Two algorithms, Karhunen-Loeve expansion method, and collocation technique for nonstationary and non-Gaussian forcing processes (narrow- or broadband, but not white noise) for linear dynamic systems are developed here. In the Karhunen-Loeve expansion method, the forcing random process autocovariance is decomposed using the well-known Karhunen-Loeve expansion. In the Karhunen-Loeve expansion, Galerkin projection (the weighted-residual method) and collocation technique (discretized covariance matrix) are used to get the eigenvalues and the eigenfunctions/eigenvectors of the autocovariance function, numerically. The steady-state and the transient response of a single-degree-of-freedom system for an exponential autocovariance (Gaussian random process) is obtained using three methods: 1) analytical, 2) semi-analytical and 3) numerical. In the semi-analytical method, the eigenvalues and the eigenfunctions of the exponential autocovariance function are obtained analytically by solving the Fredholm integral equation of the second kind and those definitions of the eigenfunctions and the eigenvalues are used to obtain the numerical response of the single-degree-of-freedom system. In the case of the steady-state response of the single-degree-of-freedom system, the convergence of the standard deviation of the response is shown to be a function of the number of Karhunen-Loeve expansion terms used in the expansion of the autocovariance of the forcing function. The transient analysis of the same single-degree-of-freedom system is carried out using an exponentially modulated nonstationary process. Comparison of the proposed methods with respect to the analytical solutions are presented for both the stationary and the nonstationary Gaussian excitations. The steady-state responses as well as the transient responses for non-Gaussian random processes (uniform, triangular, and beta) for the same single-degree-of-freedom system are also presented.
Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) for children with pulmonary metastases from osteosarcoma.

Background: Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) may complement open thoracotomy in children with osteosarcoma requiring pulmonary metastasectomy. Methods: The records of children with metastatic pulmonary osteosarcoma considered for initial VATS intervention (n=9) were reviewed. Results: Two children did not have VATS exploration: one child with multiple bilateral nodules and another child with a deep parenchymal nodule. VATS provided diagnostic biopsy material in all cases when used (n=7). Two children had benign inflammatory lesions; four children had VATS-directed wedge resections of solitary malignant lesions; and one child had VATS biopsy of diffuse parenchymal and pleural pulmonary disease not amenable to resection. The mean operative time and hospital length of stay were 1.78 ± 0.54 h and 3.5 ± 1.8 days, respectively. There were two complications of VATS: bleeding in a child, requiring a transfusion, and a latent pneumothorax in a patient after removal of the chest tube. Conclusion: VATS is safe, serves as an excellent diagnostic modality, complements the open thoracotomy, and may enable the surgeon to avoid more extensive procedures in selected cases.
Auroral energy deposition rate

Processes that lead to energy deposition by externally imposed electric fields and by energetic particle precipitation are described and the consequences on the atmosphere and ionosphere are examined. The importance of global observations is emphasized and current shortcomings of available measurements are noted.
Prize-based contingency management is efficacious in cocaine-abusing patients with and without recent gambling participation

Prize-based contingency management (CM) is efficacious in treating cocaine abuse, and the chance-based procedures of prize CM may be appealing to those who gamble. Using data from three randomized trials, we evaluated whether cocaine-abusing patients who had wagered in the month before treatment (n = 62) responded more favorably to prize CM than those who had not (n = 278). Participants were randomized to standard care (SC) or SC plus prize CM. Although prize CM was related to better outcomes overall, recent gambling was not associated with outcomes across or within treatment conditions. Gambling participation before treatment entry was associated with reductions in gambling over time, and this effect was more pronounced among those assigned to CM. These data suggest that prize CM is equally efficacious for substance-abusing patients who do and do not gamble, and they extend prior studies indicating that prize CM does not increase gambling.
Quantitative and qualitative observations on Laminaria dentigera and other subtidal kelps of southern Kodiak Island, Alaska

Observations were made and quantitative samples of non-canopy kelps were collected, using SCUBA, at 9 subtidal sites off southern Kodiak Island in May, 1976. At a 10th site, only observations were made. The most abundant species in the quadrats were Laminaria dentigera, L. yezoensis, Pleurophycus gardneri, Agarum cribrosum, and Alaria marginata. We found fertile plants of all these species. L. dentigera dominated at all sampled sites except one within a bed of Nereocystis luetkeana, where P. gardneri was dominant. L. yezoensis was dominant at the site which was visited but not sampled. The average wet weight of non-canopy kelps in the 55 samples was 12 kg m-2, and the quadrat range was 2 to 35 kg m-2. The reported ranges of P. gardneri and Alaria marginata are extended westward from Montague Island (147°22′W) to Bumble Bay, Kodiak Island (154°43′W), where A. marginata was found at a depth of 8.5 m.
Design and operation of a novel compact 20-MeV linac at UCLA

A novel, compact S-band LINAC has been designed and is currently under construction at UCLA. It is expected to deliver high brightness, 200 A, 20 MeV electron pulses, less than 4 ps in duration from a device that is about 1 meter long. It comprises; (1) a laser photocathode driven gun that produces 4.5 MeV electron bunches from a 1 1/2 cell cavity operating in the (pi) -mode and (2) an accelerating structure known as a plane wave transformer (PWT) designed by Swenson. The design considerations of the machine and initial operating experience of the gun are discussed. The linac will be used for free electron laser, advanced accelerator research and beam-plasma experiments.
Inhibition and Facilitation of PMS-Induced Ovulation in the Immature Rat Following Treatment with Progesterone

Three separate groups of 21-dayold rats treated with PMS alone gave an average ova count of 4.5, 9.1 and 9.8 with approximately 30% of the rats ovulating. Treatment with progesterone at the time of the PMS injection or 24 hr later suppressed ovulation, whereas treatment with the steroid at 48 or 56 hr after the PMS facilitated ovulation. The degree of inhibition of ovulation decreased with doses of less than 1 mg progesterone. Facilitation was obtained with 0.1–1.0 mg progesterone given 48 hr after the PMS; doses of progesterone higher than 1.0 mg or lower than 0.1 mg were without effect. The inhibitory effect of progesterone overcame the stimulatory effect when the steroid was injected at both 24 and 48 hr after the PMS. Experiments with HCG failed to show any direct effect of progesterone on the ovary. Comparable data were obtained with the 24-day-old rat. (Endocrinology 80: 735, 1967)
Nosocomial enterococcal blood stream infections in the SCOPE program: Antimicrobial resistance, species occurrence, molecular testing results, and laboratory testing accuracy

Characteristics of nosocomial enterococcal blood stream infection (NEBSI) isolates obtained from patients at 41 U.S. hospitals participating in the SCOPE Program were studied. Isolates from 480 episodes of NEBSI were characterized according to species and antimicrobial susceptibility profile. Selected isolates were also identified to species and vancomycin resistance genotype using polymerase chain reaction based methods. Polymerase chain reaction genotyping and ribotyping were used as genetic markers for molecular epidemiologic typing. Enterococci were the third most common cause of nosocomial blood stream infection in this study, accounting for 11.7% of all isolates reported. Enterococcus faecalis was the most common species (59.6%), followed by E. faecium (19.4%). Species identification errors involving E. faecium, E. durans, E. avium, and E. raffinosus were observed. Vancomycin resistance was observed in 36.4% of all participating medical centers and varied from 11.1% of medical centers in the Northwest to 60.9% of medical centers in the Southwest. Vancomycin-resistant enterococci accounted for 20.6% of NEBSI in the Northeast, 11.4% in the Southeast, 11.1% in the Southwest, and 9.5% in the Northwest regions. VanA genotypes predominated in the Northeast and Southwest, whereas vanA and vanB genotypes were equally prevalent in the Northwest and Southeast. Molecular typing studies identified strains that were unique to individual hospitals as well as strains that were prevalent in several different hospitals. NEBSI with vancomycin-resistant enterococci continues to escalate among hospitalized patients in all geographic areas of the USA.
An entrapped epidural catheter in a postpartum patient

Abstract Background and Objectives: Epidural catheters are seldom difficult to remove from patients. In fact, a review of the literature demonstrates only a few cases pertaining to epidurals and the unusual complication of catheter entrapment. Methods: This case report involves an uncomplicated obstetric patient who had an epidural placed for labor and in whom multiple attempts were needed to remove the catheter.
SU‐FF‐T‐159: Direct Aperture Optimization in IMRT Treatment Planning

Purpose: To develop an exact approach to direct aperture optimization that can be applied to a large class of IMRT fluence map optimization (FMO) models that employ convex treatment plan evaluation criteria in the objective function and/or constraints and test its ability to obtain high‐quality treatment plans using a reduced number of apertures and limited beam‐on‐time. Method and Materials: An exact approach was developed that iteratively adds high‐quality deliverable apertures while the treatment plan quality can be improved. The most promising new apertures are found by solving a subproblem, which can account for deliverability constraints imposed by the multi‐leaf collimator(MLC) system such as interdigitation, connectedness, or rectangular shapes. The approach can explicitly account for transmission through the leaves that are not shielded by backup jaws in the MLC system. It was compared to the traditional method of solving a beamlet‐based FMO model followed by a leaf‐sequencing step to determine apertures and intensities. Results: For a set of ten clinical head‐and‐neck cancer cases, treatment plans comparable in quality to plans obtained by the traditional method were obtained with a reduction of more than 75% in number of apertures and a reduction of more than 50% in beam‐on‐time, with only a modest increase in computational effort. The importance of incorporating transmission effects when assessing treatment plan quality was shown as well. Conclusion: This work provides a direct aperture optimization method that incorporates many physical and biological treatment plan evaluation criteria, accounts for leaf transmission effects, and significantly limits both total treatment time and beam‐on‐time. The iterative nature of the approach allows it to be implemented in an interactive system where a trade‐off can be made between treatment plan efficiency and efficacy. The ability of the approach to account for different MLC deliverability constraints allows for a comparison of different MLC architectures.
Crystal structure of rat α-parvalbumin at 1.05 Å resolution

The crystal structure of rat α-parvalbumin has been determined at 1.05 A resolution, using synchrotron data collected at Advanced Photon Source beamline 19-ID. After refinement with SHELX, employing anisotropic displacement parameters and riding hydrogen atoms, R = 0.132 and Rfree = 0.162. The average coordinate estimated standard deviations are 0.021 A and 0.038 A for backbone atoms and side-chain atoms, respectively. Besides providing a more precise view of the α-isoform than previously available, these data permit comparison with the 0.91 A structure determined for pike β-parvalbumin. Visualization of the anisotropic displacement parameters as thermal ellipsoids yields insight into the atomic motion within the Ca2+-binding sites. The asymmetric unit includes three parvalbumin (PV) molecules. Interestingly, the EF site in one displays uncharacteristic flexibility. The ellipsoids for Asp-92 are particularly large and non-spherical, and the shape of the Ca2+ ellipsoid implies significant vibrational motion perpendicular to the plane defined by the four y and z ligands. The relative dearth of crystal-packing interactions in this site suggests that the heightened flexibility may be the result of diminished intermolecular contacts. The implication is that, by impeding conformational mobility, crystal-packing forces may cause serious overestimation of EF-hand rigidity. The high quality of the data permitted 11 residues to be modeled in alternative side-chain conformations, including the two core residues, Ile-97 and Leu-105. The discrete disorder observed for Ile-97 may have functional ramifications, providing a mechanism for communicating binding status between the CD and EF binding loops and between the PV metal ion-binding domain and the N-terminal AB region.
Prevalence of infectious diseases and associated symptoms in wastewater treatment workers.

Wastewater treatment workers (WWTW) are potentially exposed to a variety of infectious agents and toxic materials. We conducted a retrospective epidemiological study to examine the prevalence of infectious diseases and associated symptoms in WWTW. From a possible 242 WWTW, 150 completed a questionnaire that provided data pertaining to the diagnosis of an infectious disease or the prevalence of associated symptoms over a 12-month period. Comparison data were obtained from questionnaires completed by 54 college maintenance and oil refinery workers. The WWTW exhibited a significantly higher prevalence of gastroenteritis, gastrointestinal symptoms (specifically abdominal pain), and headaches. No significant differences were found with regard to respiratory and other symptoms. Employees classified by exposure categories did not exhibit significant differences in the prevalence of symptoms. While significant differences were found with regard to the health status of WWTW and controls, it appears that these risks are confined to symptoms and infectious diseases associated with the gastrointestinal system and are not inclusive of all such symptoms or diseases. Am. J. Ind. Med. 33:571–577, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Visually evoked potentials: Theory, techniques and clinical applications☆

The visually evoked potential (VEP), the recording of which has recently been made possible by the development of computer averaging techniques, is a gross electrical signal generated by the occipital region of the cortex in response to visual stimulation. It is more specific than the electroencephalogram (EEG) and more sensitive to changes in the visual stimulus; thus, it can provide ophthalmologists and vision researchers with information about the human visual system that is unavailable by other methods. Clinically, the VEP is of special value in the areas of refraction, infant acuity, diseases of the optic nerve, color blindness, amblyopia and field defects. Theory, techniques and instrumentation are described, and applications of the VEP to clinical situations and to vision research are discussed.
A New Hybrid Inexact Logarithmic-Quadratic Proximal Method for Nonlinear Complementarity Problems

In this paper, the authors present and analyze a new hybrid inexact Logarithmic-Quadratic Proximal method for solving nonlinear complementarity problems. Each iteration of the new method consists of a prediction and a correction step. The predictor is produced using an inexact Logarithmic-Quadratic Proximal method, which is then corrected by the Proximal Point Algorithm. The new iterate is obtained by combining predictor and correction point at each iteration. In this paper, the authors prove the convergence of the new method under the mild assumptions that the function involved is continuous and monotone. Comparison to another existing method with numerical experiments on classical NCP instances demonstrates its superiority.
Intra-Arterial Infusion of Papaverine to Relieve Superior Mesenteric Artery Vasoconstriction in a Neonate with Midgut Volvulus: (Papaverine Infusion in Neonates)

The use of intra-arterial papaverine in an attempt to decrease superior mesenteric artery vasoconstriction in a neonate with surgically reduced midgut volvulus is presented.
Subsampling for heteroskedastic time series

Abstract In this article, a general theory for the construction of confidence intervals or regions in the context of heteroskedastic-dependent data is presented. The basic idea is to approximate the sampling distribution of a statistic based on the values of the statistic computed over smaller subsets of the data. This method was first proposed by Politis and Romano (1994b) for stationary observations. We extend their results to heteroskedastic observations, and prove a general asymptotic validity result under minimal conditions. In contrast, the usual bootstrap and moving blocks bootstrap are typically valid only for asymptotically linear statistics and their justification requires a case-by-case analysis. Our general asymptotic results are applied to a regression setting with dependent heteroskedastic errors.
Morphological decomposition of 2-D binary shapes into simpler shape parts

This paper presents a simple and efficient morphological shape segmentation algorithm that is based on morphological skeleton transform. This algorithm decomposes a binary shape into simpler shape segments that not only appear to be quite natural, but also have well defined mathematical characterizations.
Interaction between two active structural paths for source mass motion control over mid-frequency range

Abstract The interaction between two active structural paths is analytically and experimentally studied as part of a resonating source-path-receiver system, where each path consists of a piezoelectric stack actuator in series with an elastomeric (passive) mount. An analytical model of the system is first developed, and then an experiment is constructed to verify the feasibility. Good agreement is found between the model and experiment. A performance index to characterize the active path interaction for source mass motion control up to 1000 Hz is analytically defined; it considers the passive phase interaction (caused by system dynamics) between the active mounts and the resulting system motion. Two passive system parameters (rubber path structural damping and disturbance moment arm) emerge as key design variables that drastically change the performance index, and guidelines are developed for desirable path interactions. Limited experimental validation demonstrates that active source mass motion control is achieved at 400 Hz using piezoelectric stack actuators.
Skin and hair: models for exploring organ regeneration

Skin is an excellent model to study the basic biology of organ regeneration and translational approaches to regenerative medicine. Because of the accessibility of the skin, a long history of regenerative approaches already exists. Identifying the commonalities between skin regeneration and the regeneration of other organs could provide major breakthroughs in regenerative medicine. The hair follicle represents a miniature organ with readily accessible stem cells, multiple cell lineages, and signaling centers. During the normal lifespan of a human, this miniature organ regenerates itself more than 10 times. The cells responsible for this remarkable process are called bulge stem cells. A plethora of molecular and genetic tools have been developed to follow their fate and to explore their ontogeny. Major advances have been made toward understanding the normal cell fate of bulge stem cells and their developmental plasticity. Recent studies suggest the epidermis and hair may have an untapped potential to form other organs. Understanding the mechanisms that regulate adult stem-cell proliferation is a major goal for regenerative medicine. In the hair follicle, pharmacologic agents, recombinant proteins, and artificial cell-permeable proteins have been developed to manipulate the proliferation of the quiescent bulge stem cells. These advances illustrate a potential roadmap for regenerative medicine using molecular tools developed for skin biology to promote organ regeneration by manipulating adult stem cells in situ.
An integrated Ring CMUT array for endoscopic ultrasound and photoacoustic imaging

This work presents our preliminary results on developing an integrated quad-ring CMUT array for endoscopic ultrasound and photoacoustic imaging. We have designed and fabricated a ring capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) array composed of 512 elements distributed among four concentric rings each having 128 elements. The operational frequency of each ring was chosen to achieve a similar pressure beam profile for all the rings. The device's inner and outer diameters measure 5.0 and 10.1 mm, respectively. The CMUT array was integrated with custom front-end ICs using a quartz fan-out board. This bench-top assembly allowed connection to a single ring (i.e., 128 elements) at a time. Thus far, we have built assemblies with connections to the two outer rings. We have successfully demonstrated real-time volumetric imaging with these assemblies using nylon wire phantom and metal spring phantom.
Neurotransmitter Metabolism in Rat Brain Synaptosomes: Effect of Anoxia and pH

: Synaptosomes isolated from the rat cerebral cortex by means of a discontinuous Ficoll gradient carry out net, sodium-dependent, veratridine-sensitive accumulation of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. The intrasynaptosomal contents of the four neurotransmitters are: 30.4 nmol/mg protein, 17.4 pmol/mg protein, 13.5 pmol/mg protein, and 21.2 pmol/mg protein, respectively. Anaerobic preincubation of synaptosomes causes an irreversible decrease in the rates of neurotransmitter accumulation but does not affect the rates of their release. The inhibitory effect of anaerobiosis is enhanced by increased concentration of [H+] (decreased pH) in the medium. The most sensitive is the uptake of dopamine, the least that of serotonin. The rates of neurotransmitter efflux are unaffected by anaerobiosis. Synaptosomes leak catecholamines, GABA, and serotonin into the medium when subjected to anaerobiosis, and reintroduction of oxygen is accompanied by a rapid reaccumulation of all four neurotransmitters. It is concluded that: (1) Responses of synaptosomes to anaerobiosis are remarkably similar to the behavior of intact brain in hypoxia and ischemia. (2) Neurotransmitter uptake systems are more sensitive to short periods of anaerobiosis than are either the energy metabolism or ion transport. (3) Some neurotransmitter uptake systems are more easily damaged by anaerobiosis than others.
HEMODYNAMIC (HD) FEATURES OF HYPERTENSION AMONG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

HD of 111 hypertensive (H) high school students and their response to exercise were determined by non-invasive techniques and compared with 67 normotensive (N). Left ventricular ejection time (LVET) and pre-ejection period (PEP) were determined from simultaneously recorded electrocardiogram (ECG), phonocardiogram and external carotid pulse tracings, cardiac index (CI), ejection fraction (EF), mean velocity of circumferential fiber shortening (Vcf) and percent shortening of internal diameter (SID) of the left ventricle were measured by echocardiography. Exercise was performed on a bicycle ergometer against 3 work loads ending with a 10 minute rest period. Heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) were monitored during and after the exercise. ECG-VCG showed mild left ventricular hypertrophy in 40% of male H and 19% of female H. PEP was significantly shortened, PEP/LVET decreased in H when compared with N. CI was lower and EF, Vcf and SID higher in the H. The peak HR and BP during exercise in H were significantly higher and their return to baseline levels slower than N. The HD response to exercise was not significantly different between H and N. This study suggested that young H have an identifiable hemodynamic profile.
Dispersion of Zinc Sulfide and Magnesium Fluoride Films in the Visible Spectrum

The dispersion and aging effects of thin films of MgF2 and ZnS were investigated in the spectral range of 4000 A to 7500 A. The method of evaporating ZnS is reported. The index of refraction was calculated from spectrophotometric reflectance measurements at extremes of reflectance.
Review: Epoetin and darbepoetin reduce need for blood transfusions but increase risk for thrombosis in patients with cancer

Source Citation Rizzo JD, Somerfield MR, Hagerty KL, et al. Use of epoetin and darbepoetin in patients with cancer: 2007 American Society of Clinical Oncology/American Society of Hematology clinica...
The influence of anticipatory fear on foreign student adjustment: An exploratory study

Abstract This controlled longitudinal intervention field study explored the influence of anticipatory fear, both on natural processes of foreign student adjustment and on the effectiveness of a cross-cultural orientation program based on a stress inoculation treatment (SIT) model. Guided by predictions derived from I. L. Janis's theory of anticipatory fear, we investigated changes over time in the emotions, stress evaluations, coping strategies, and adaptational outcomes of 39 newly arrived Asians during their first academic year at Stanford University. Subjects were randomly assigned to a minimal treatment condition or a SIT condition and later classified by level of anticipatory fear. Results indicated that level of anticipatory fear is an important variable that deepens our understanding of natural patterns of foreign student adjustment. A moderate anticipatory fear response was discovered to be associated with more adaptive outcomes than low and high anticipatory fear responses. Consistent with Janis's theoretical rationale for SIT, individuals with different levels of anticipatory fear were found to differ in their responses to this form of treatment, with the low-fear group showing the clearest signs of benefit. These findings suggested that how a person responds to novelty and uncertainty is a key factor in cross-cultural adjustment. The practical importance of assessing the anticipatory fear of newly arrived foreign students and of taking this variable into account in designing and evaluating cross-cultural training programs was also emphasized.
Respiratory characteristics of whole blood and selected aspects of circulatory physiology in the common short-nosed fruit bat, Cynopterus brachyotis.

Abstract Respiratory characteristics and selected hematological parameters of whole blood from the common short-nosed fruit bat, Cynopterus brachyotis , were studied. Oxygen-hemoglobin equilibrium values were determined with a mixing technique at 37 °C and carbon dioxide tensions of 10, 36 and 71 torr. The blood P 50 , when whole blood pH = 7.40, is 37.6 torr. The Bohr factor (Δ4 1og P o 2 ΔpH) is −0.49 and the calculated buffer value, (Δ [HCO 3 ]Δ pH), is 37.6 si. Hematological parameters of the bat blood are within the range of values reported for nonflying mammals, but somewhat lower than comparable values for a laboratory mouse, with roughly the same body weight as the bat. Among organ weights, the heart weight of the bat is 60 % greater than expected for a nonflying mammal and comparable to the heart weight of a bird of similar body size. Possible relationships between the respiratory characteristics of blood in the bat and flight are discussed.
High-power CO lasers and some recent applications

The electric-discharge-excited carbon monoxide laser is one of the most efficient laser sources known that is scalable to very high continuous wave powers. We review work at Ohio State where such lasers are used to excite flowing molecular gas plasmas, in mixtures of CO and other diatomic gases, including air. These plasmas are stable, diffuse, and can be operated at high gas pressures and low gas kinetic temperature. They are being employed for various plasma chemistry applications. Recent results are presented in which such an optically pumped plasma reactor is used to synthesize single-walled carbon nanotubes, which show surprising order and alignment.
Polypeptide composition of nuclear envelope following thioacetamide-induced nuclear swelling

Abstract Nuclear envelopes (NE) 1 were isolated from rat liver following thioacetamide-induced nuclear swelling. At 8 and 48 h intervals following thioacetamide treatment, periods which correspond to nuclear swelling phases, NE showed little change in polypeptide composition (although the polypeptide composition depended to some extent upon the isolation procedure used). Since the amount of NE protein increases by 30–40% and 70–80% at these times (respectively), the data suggest that concerted synthesis of a number of NE polypeptides occurred. We propose that triggered expansion of the NE may be an important first stage in the action of carcinogens.
Theory of LTR for nonminimum phase systems, recoverable target loops, recovery in a subspace. I. Analysis

A complete analysis of the loop transfer recovery (LTR) problem using full order observer-based controllers for general systems that are not necessarily left invertible and minimum phase is considered. The analysis focuses on three fundamental issues. The first is concerned with what can and cannot be achieved for a given system and for an arbitrarily specified target loop transfer function. The second is concerned with the development of necessary and/or sufficient conditions for a target loop to be either exactly or asymptotically recovered for a given system. The third issue deals with the development of method(s) to test whether recovery is possible in a given subspace of the control space. Such an analysis pinpoints the limitations of the given system for the recovery of arbitrarily specified target loops by observer-based controllers. Furthermore, the analysis discovers a multitude of ways to shape the loops as closely as possible to the target shapes. Also, possible pole-zero cancellations between the eigenvalues of the controller and the input and/or output decoupling zeros of the plant are characterized. >
Preconditioning with high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) induces lipopolysaccharide (LPS) tolerance

High mobility group box protein 1 (HMGB1) modulates the innate immune response when present in the extracellular compartment. Receptors for HMGB1 include TLR4, TLR2, and the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE). We tested the hypothesis that extracellular HMGB1 can induce LPS tolerance. HMGB1 dose-response experiments were performed on IFN-γ-differentiated human monocyte-like THP-1 cells. Treatment with 1 μg/ml HMGB1 18 h before exposure to LPS (1 μg/ml) decreased TNF release, NF-κB nuclear DNA-binding activity, phosphorylation, and degradation of IκBα. Preconditioning with HMGB1 alone and HMGB1 in the presence of polymyxin B decreased LPS-mediated, NF-κB-dependent luciferase reporter gene expression. The specificity of HMGB1 in tolerance induction was supported further by showing that boiled HMGB1 failed to induce tolerance, and antibodies against HMGB1 blocked the induction of LPS tolerance. Bone marrow-derived macrophages obtained from C57Bl/6 wild-type mice became LPS-tolerant following HMGB1 exposure ex vivo, but macrophages derived from RAGE-deficient mice failed to develop tolerance and responded normally to LPS. Mice preconditioned with HMGB1 (20 μg) 1 h before LPS injection (10 mg/kg) had lower circulating TNF compared with control mice preconditioned with saline vehicle. Similarly, decreased nuclear DNA binding of hepatic NF-κB was observed in mice preconditioned with HMGB1. Taken together, these results suggest that extracellular HMGB1 induces LPS tolerance, and the RAGE receptor is required for this induction.
On edge chipping testing and some personal perspectives on the state of the art of mechanical testing.

Objective The edge chipping test is used to measure the fracture resistance of dental restoration ceramics and resin composites. This paper focuses on the progress of evaluating chipping resistance of these materials and also on the progress of standardization of this test method. This paper also makes observations about the state of the art of mechanical testing of ceramic and composite restorative materials in general. Interlaboratory comparative studies (“round robins”) are recommended.
Stress, genomic adaptation, and the evolutionary trade-off.

Cells are constantly exposed to various internal and external stresses. The importance of cellular stress and its implication to disease conditions have become popular research topics. Many ongoing investigations focus on the sources of stress, their specific molecular mechanisms and interactions, especially regarding their contributions to many common and complex diseases through defined molecular pathways. Numerous molecular mechanisms have been linked to ER stress along with many unexpected findings, drastically increasing the complexity of our molecular understanding and challenging how to apply individual mechanism-based knowledge in the clinic. A newly emergent genome theory searches for the synthesis of a general evolutionary mechanism that unifies different types of stress and functional relationships from a genome-defined system point of view. Herein, we discuss the evolutionary relationship between stress and somatic cell adaptation under physiological, pathological, and somatic cell survival conditions, the multiple meanings to achieve adaptation and its potential trade-off. In particular, we purposely defocus from specific stresses and mechanisms by redirecting attention towards studying underlying general mechanisms.
Reservoir Sedimentation as a Function of Precipitation Variability

: This research examines what is hypothesized as a critical factor in reservoir sedimentation - precipitation variability. The coefficient of variation for annual precipitation, computed for the period relating to sedimentation, is regressed against sediment yields for several reservoirs over a wide range of environmental settings. A significant linear relationship results, and when precipitation variability is combined with several additional variables available from reservoir summary sheets, almost 83% of the total variation in sediment yield is accounted for. It is suggested that the coefficient of variation for annual precipitation fulfills a direct process role when modeling reservoir sedimentation much more effectively than annual precipitation or runoff.
Optimization by varied beam search in Hopfield networks

This paper shows that the performance of a Hopfield network for solving optimization problems can be improved by a varied beam search algorithm. The algorithm varies the beam search size and beam intensity during the network relaxation process. It consists of two stages: increasing the beam search parameters in the first stage, and then decreasing them in the second stage. The purpose of using such a scheme is to provide the network with a better chance to find more and better solutions. A large number of simulation results based on 200 randomly generated city distributions of the 10-city traveling salesman problem demonstrated that it is capable of increasing the percentage of valid tours by 28.3% and reducing the error rate by 40.8%, compared to the original Hopfield network.
INFLUENCE OF FIRE ON BACHMAN'S SPARROW, AN ENDEMIC NORTH AMERICAN SONGBIRD

Bachman's sparrow (Aimophila aestivalis), a near endemic songbird of the longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) ecosystem, is known to respond positively to prescribed fires. The influence of season (growing vs. dormant) and frequency (1 to ≥4 yr since burning) of fire on density of Bachman's sparrows, however, is poorly understood. We examined effects of fire on density of Bachman's sparrows in longleaf pine forests at the Conecuh National Forest, Alabama, and Blackwater River State Forest, Florida, USA. Density of Bachman's sparrows was greater the first 3 years after burning than ≥4 years after burning, and season of burning had little effect on the density of Bachman's sparrows. Percent coverage by grass had a greater influence on density of Bachman's sparrows than either season or frequency of burning. Percent canopy cover had a strong negative effect on coverage of grass but had a weaker effect on grass at stands burned frequently during the growing season. Growing-season fires (Apr–Sep) did not adversely affect density of Bachman's sparrows. Results from our study suggest that management and restoration of longleaf pine communities probably can be accomplished best by burning on a 2–3-year rotation during the growing season, when most fires historically occurred. Suppression of fire, or burning at intervals >4–5 years, will greatly reduce or eliminate habitat required by Bachman's sparrows.