cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Methodology to measure the transient effect of occlusion on skin penetration and stratum corneum hydration in vivo.

SUMMARY The effect of short duration occlusion on skin penetration and stratum corneum water content was studied in vivo in eight human subjects. Percutaneous absorption of hexyl nicotinate was monitored non-invasively by laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV) following each of three randomly assigned pre-treatments: untreated control, 30 min occlusion with a polypropylene chamber and 30 min ocdusion followed by exposure to ambient conditions for i h. Stratum corneum water content after the same pre-treatments was measured with the dielectric probe technique. The local vasodilatory effect of the nicotinic acid ester was quantified using LDV by the onset of increased blood flow, the time of maximal increase in response, the magnitude of the peak response and the area under the response-time curve. Each of these parameters was significantly different, immediately following occlusion, from the untreated control values. However, if the occluded site was exposed for i h prior to hexyl nicotinate application these parameters did not differ significantly from the controls. Stratum corneum water content (expressed as a percentage of a maximal value) showed the same behaviour: the pre-treatment control value was 31.8 ± 4.8%; after 30 min occlusion, this had risen to 46.9 ± 6.2% 1h later, the reading had returned to 32.1 ± 6.2%. There was a significant correlation between stratum corneum water content and area under the LDV response-time curve. It appears, therefore, that this method may be useful for quantifying the relationship between increased stratum corncum hydration and enhanced percutaneous absorption in vivo in man.
Fluid-structure interaction in arteries with a poroelastic wall model

The objective of this work is modeling the interaction between pulsatile blood flow and arterial walls. We model blood flow in arteries as an incompressible viscous fluid with Newtonian rheology, confined by a poroelastic arterial wall modeled with the Biot equations. We propose loosely coupled solution strategy of the fluid-structure interaction problem, which allows solving the Navier-Stokes and Biot equations separately. In this way, we uncouple the original problem into two parts defined on separate subregions. At the end, the partitioned scheme is exploited as a preconditioner for the monolithic method, leading to a more accurate calculation of the numerical solution. The theoretical results are complemented by numerical simulations.
Who's dancing with FLT3?

FLT3 mutations may influence prognosis in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), but the context in which they occur may be just as important.
Diabetes mellitus and cancer risk: a multisite case-control study.

The association between a prior diagnosis of diabetes mellitus and cancer was examined in a large multisite case-control study based on interviews of 8220 white males and 6690 white females aged 30-89 who were admitted to Roswell Park Memorial Institute between 1957 and 1965 for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. A prior history of diabetes mellitus as diagnosed by a physician was examined as a risk factor for cancer by conducting sex- and site-specific comparisons with a common control group of 2363 white males and 2475 white females who were admitted to the same hospital during the same years, but were found not to have cancer. The findings are consistent with previous studies which have shown diabetes to be a risk factor for cancer of the uterine corpus. A positive association was also noted between diabetes and cancer of the vulva and vagina. The evidence for excess estrogen levels as the underlying mechanism for increased risk of uterine and vulvo-vaginal cancer is reviewed. No consistent association between diabetes and pancreatic cancer was observed in this study, except when those cases in which diabetes was diagnosed within a year before the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer were included. This suggests that diabetes may be an early presenting sign of pancreatic cancer rather than a risk factor. A positive association between prior diagnosis of diabetes was noted for kidney cancer and nonmelanoma skin cancer in females only. No association between type of treatment (i.e. insulin, oral agents) and cancer risk was noted.
Fine-scale segmentation of volcanic/hydrothermal systems along fast-spreading ridge crests

Abstract Fine-scale (3rd and 4th order) segments of the mid-ocean ridge (MOR) are morphologically defined units of crustal accretion with enigmatic origins. At fast-spreading centers, 3rd order segments are bounded by discontinuities in the structure of the axial high. Most 3rd order segments are 20±10 km long, and terminate at ridge axis discontinuities (RADs) exhibiting 0.2–3 km lateral offsets and/or ≥20 m axial depth increases. Nested within 3rd order segments are shorter 4th order segments bounded by smaller RADs. Along the fast-spreading East Pacific Rise (EPR) at 10°02′–9°08′N and 17°11′–42′S, spatial distributions of active high-temperature hydrothermal vents, biological communities, and lava flow morphology are known accurately from extensive near-bottom surveys and submersible dives along a total of seven 3rd order segments and twenty-four 4th order segments. The cumulative northern and southern EPR data show that 3rd order segments (but not 4th order segments) consistently exhibit apparently higher rates of lava effusion near segment middles in comparison to segment ends, supporting the hypothesis that each 3rd order segment is a discrete, centrally fed volcanic system, or “volcanic segment”. Spatial analyses of the cumulative hydrothermal data reveal a striking increase in abundance of hydrothermal features within the middle portions of 3rd order segments. Approximately 60% of ongoing high-temperature focused flow is concentrated within the middle 40% of 3rd order segments, and twice as many biological communities are found at mid-segment in comparison to segment ends. The two independent data sets—volcanic and hydrothermal—both indicate that magmatic heat sources are focused beneath the central portions of 3rd order segments, and that magmatic/hydrothermal systems are spatially and temporally segmented at 3rd order length and time scales. We propose that 3rd order segmentation arises from processes controlling melt supply to the middle-to-lower crust; and, that 4th order segmentation largely arises from more rapid/frequent upper crust processes of crack formation and dike intrusion. Future work is needed to test the applicability of our results along portions of the fast-spreading EPR notched by fault-bounded axial troughs, and in areas farther south where spreading rate reaches a maximum.
Nanoimaging: Hot electrons go through the barrier

Hot electrons can be efficiently injected into a semiconductor using a metallic tip that focuses surface plasmons, and can be used to carry out nanoscale chemical mapping.
Hirschsprung's Disease, colonic atresia, and absent hand: A new triad

Colonic atresia (CA) has been reported in association with Hirschsprung's Disease (HSCR) on 11 previous occasions. In most reported cases the atresia has involved the right side of the colon; but in this, the twelfth case report, the atresia involved the left side of the colon, with aganglionosis of the entire distal gut. In addition, the child had an absent hand. The authors believe that this triad has not been reported previously. The literature is reviewed, and possible mechanisms are discussed.
Experiments on induced modulational instability of an incoherent optical beam

We report the observation of modulational instability (MI) of a partially spatially incoherent beam induced by seeding noise through cross-phase modulation. We show experimentally that a threshold exists for such induced incoherent MI to occur that depends on the degree of spatial coherence as well as on the strength of the nonlinearity. Above threshold, the induced MI leads to the formation of ordered and disordered patterns of incoherent light.
The organization of the mouse satellite DNA at centromeres

The mouse genome contains a major and a minor satellite DNA family of repetitive DNA sequences. The use of 5-azacytidine has allowed us to demonstrate that these satellite DNAs are organized in two separate domains at the centromeres of mouse chromosomes. The minor satellite is closer to the short arms of the acrocentric chromosomes than the major satellite. The major satellite is farther away, flanking the minor satellite and adjacent to the euchromatic long arm of each mouse chromosome. At the level of resolution afforded by the in situ hybridization technique it would appear that the organization of the centromeric domain of the mouse is similar to that in man. That is, both contain two repetitive DNA sequence families arranged in major blocks.
Effect of a Urease Inhibitor and Ceiling Fans on Ascites in Broilers.2. Blood Variables, Ascites Scores, and Body and Organ Weights

Restricted ventilation was used to experimentally induce ascites in commercial male broilers. The role of a dietary urease inhibitor (0, 125, and 250 ppm) and ceiling fans to reduce ascites was investigated. At 6 wk of age, birds were bled, euthanatized, weighed, scored for ascites, and heart, liver, and small intestine weights were obtained. Random samples were analyzed for intestinal ammonia. Blood samples were analyzed for blood gases, hemoglobin, red blood cell count, blood urea nitrogen, ammonia, and uric acid. Birds fed 125 and 250 ppm urease inhibitor were significantly (P < .001) lighter at 6 wk, when compared with controls. Urease inhibitor (125 and 250 ppm) significantly decreased large intestine ammonia. Urease inhibitor significantly increased small intestine (250 ppm) and liver weights (125 and 250 ppm), whereas urease inhibitor at 125 ppm decreased right ventricular heart weight. Urease inhibitor had no effect on ascites scores, blood gases, or blood ammonia, but hemoglobin, blood urea nitrogen, red blood cell count, and uric acid were significantly (P < .05) decreased by 125 ppm urease inhibitor.
Use of unrestricted hartree‐fock wave functions in RPA calculations

Simple RPA theory breaks down when there exists a UHF wave function of lower energy than the RHF ground-state wave function. A UHF wave function as well as its projected form are used to investigate the excitation energies and transition moments within an RPA calculation on a frequently investigated two-electron model for ethylene.
Ethnic Identity Assessment among Inner-City African American Children: Evaluating the Applicability of the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure

Phinney's (1992) Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM) was administered to 118 African American children between the ages of 8 and 12 years who lived in an impoverished inner-city neighborhood. This study examined the scale's reliability in measuring feelings of ethnic affirmation and belonging, ethnic behaviors, and ethnic knowledge in a sample of urban children. Results of the reliability analyses were mixed, and indicated that the constructs of ethnic behavior and identity achievement were less stable in this population. Potential implications of differences in cognitive development and social experiences between younger children and adolescents as well as contextualfactors such as socioeconomic status are considered in the discussion of the results.
Replacement decision based on productivity analysis— an alternative to the MAPI method*

Abstract The paper presents an alternative replacement approach to Terborgh's MAPI procedure. Presented in the format of a case study, this illustrative example incorporates considerations on different machine types, factors of production, expansion of output, finite planning horizon, and the 1983 Accelerated Cost Recovery System (ACRS) depreciation schedule along with other factors traditionally considered. A solution procedure is also provided to determine the optimal replacement policy; the criterion is the maximization of the production process' future worth at the end of the planning horizon. A general literature review is included.
Hilden's simple proof of Lomonosov's invariant subspace theorem

Perhaps the best-known unsolved problemin functional analysis is theinvariant subspace problem: Does every bounded operator on (separable, infinite-dimensional, complex) Hilbert space have a nontrivial invariant subspace ? (P. Enflo has shown, in work that has not yet been published, that there is an operator on a nonreflexive Banach space with only the trivial invariant subspaces.) Many special cases of this problem have been solved; see [Z]. One of the earliest and most elegant invariant subspace theorems is the result of von Neumann, Aronszajn, and Smith that compact operators have invariant subspaces. In the years 19% 1973, a number of authors worked on extending this result and significant progress was made; (see [2, pp. 93-941). In 1973 operator theorists were stunned by the generalization achieved by Lomonosov [l]. The theorem Lomonosov obtained was a more general result than anyone had ever hoped to be able to prove; moreover, the proof was considerably simpler than even the original von Neumann-Aronszajn-Smith proof! Lomonosov treated the problem as a nonlinear one. He ingeniously constructed a certain function to which Schauder’s fixed point theorem applied; the fixed points of this function produced invariant subspaces. L. J. Wallen of the University of Hawaii told his colleague H. M. Hilden about Lomonosov’s proof. Wallen suggested to Hilden that it would be desirable if Schauder’s theorem could be replaced by Banach’s contraction mapping theorem to yield a proof that could be presented in introductory functional analysis courses. Within a few days Hilden found a proof that does not require any fixed point theorem, nor any other result beyond the most elementary notions of functional analysis. This proof appears in [2, p. 1581, but there it is surrounded by more technical results. Hopefully this exposition will make the theorem more accessible to nonspecialists, Many operator theorists are aware of a preprint (never published) which appeared to imply that some of Lomonosov’s ideas were due to the authors of the preprint. No such implication should be drawn from the present note. The ideas are all Lomonosov’s and Hilden’s. Even the exposition of the proof is derivative; it is largely based on Wallen’s 1973 Wabash conference lecture.
Two Market Models for Demand Response in Power Networks

In this paper, we consider two abstract market models for designing demand response to match power supply and shape power demand, respectively. We characterize the resulting equilibria in competitive as well as oligopolistic markets, and propose distributed demand response algorithms to achieve the equilibria. The models serve as a starting point to include the appliance-level details and constraints for designing practical demand response schemes for smart power grids.
Assessing the magnetic reconnection paradigm

The hypothesis of magnetic reconnection was originally proposed as an attempt to explain solar flares. Solar flares dissipate as much as 1029 erg/s in about 30 min, the total consumed energy being ∼1032 erg. Since there was no obvious phenomenon that could be identified as the power supply process, it was assumed that the necessary energy was stored prior to flare onset and was then released and dissipated very rapidly. Since solar flares tend to occur near complex sunspot groups, it was hypothesized that the necessary energy was stored as magnetic energy. The hypothesis of magnetic reconnection was introduced as the process that spontaneously converts the stored magnetic energy for flare processes. Thus it was hypothesized that to provide as much as 1029 erg/s, the process must also be explosive.
Weight Loss, Glycemic Control, and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Response to Differential Diet Composition in a Weight Loss Program in Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVE To test whether a weight loss program promotes greater weight loss, glycemic control, and improved cardiovascular disease risk factors compared with control conditions and whether there is a differential response to higher versus lower carbohydrate intake. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This randomized controlled trial at two university medical centers enrolled 227 overweight or obese adults with type 2 diabetes and assigned them to parallel in-person diet and exercise counseling, with prepackaged foods in a planned menu during the initial phase, or to usual care (UC; two weight loss counseling sessions and monthly contacts). RESULTS Relative weight loss was 7.4% (95% CI, 5.7–9.2%), 9.0% (7.1–10.9%), and 2.5% (1.3–3.8%) for the lower fat, lower carbohydrate, and UC groups ( P < 0.001 intervention effect). Glycemic control markers and triglyceride levels were lower in the intervention groups compared with UC group at 1 year (fasting glucose 141 [95% CI, 133–149] vs. 159 [144–174] mg/dL, P = 0.010; hemoglobin A1c 6.9% [6.6–7.1%] vs. 7.5% [7.1–7.9%] or 52 [49–54] vs. 58 [54–63] mmol/mol, P = 0.001; triglycerides 148 [134–163] vs. 204 [173–234] mg/dL, P < 0.001). The lower versus higher carbohydrate groups maintained lower hemoglobin A1c (6.6% [95% CI, 6.3–6.8%] vs. 7.2% [6.8–7.5%] or 49 [45–51] vs. 55 [51–58] mmol/mol) at 1 year ( P = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS The weight loss program resulted in greater weight loss and improved glycemic control in type 2 diabetes.
Combinatorial Measurements of Crystallization Growth Rate and Morphology in Thin Films of Isotactic Polystyrene

Combinatorial methods are utilized to study the influence of film thickness (13 nm < h < 120 nm) and crystallization temperature (131 °C < Tx < 193 °C) on the crystallization of isotactic polystyre...
Reducing the profile of sparse symmetric matrices

An algorithm for improving the profile of a sparse symmetric matrix is introduced. Tests on normal equation matrices encountered in adjustments of geodetic networks by least squares demonstrate that the algorithm produces significantly lower profiles than the widely used reverse Cuthill-McKee algorithm.
NLTE Calculations of Hydrogen Line Profiles for SN1987A

The synthetic line profiles presented here are the result of a series of models: Woosley’s (1988) calculation of the stellar explosion yield the luminosity, the density and the velocity structure of the expanding SN as a function of time (Woosley’s model 10HM was used) subsequent Monte Carlo simulations of the radiation transport in the expanding photosphere are based on the atmosphere structure given by the model above for a given time. The calculations take into account tens of thousands of lines and yield the line blanketed continuum flux and the temperature structure. The previous two models specify the physical condition of the expanding shell. With a third model the NLTE populations of 10 H and 12 He levels are determined and the emergent hydrogen lines profiles are obtained. The method of solving the NLTE problem is described by Wessolowski et al. (1988) and references therein.
A forty-year memoir of research on the regulation of glucose transport into muscle

This historical review describes the research on the regulation of glucose transport in skeletal muscle conducted in my laboratory and in collaboration with a number of colleagues in other laborato...
Interaction between maltose‐binding protein and the membrane‐associated maltose transporter complex in Escherichia coli

Active transport of maltose in Escherichia coli requires the presence of both maltose-binding protein (MBP) in the periplasm and a complex of MalF, MalG, and MalK proteins (FGK2) located in the cytoplasmic membrane. Earlier, mutants in malF or malG were isolated that are able to grow on maltose in the complete absence of MBP. When the wild-type malE+ allele, coding for MBP, was introduced into these MBP-independent mutants, they frequently lost their ability to grow on maltose. Furthermore, starting from these Mal- strains, Mal+ secondary mutants that contained suppressor mutations in malE were isolated. In this study, we examined the interaction of wild-type and mutant MBPs with wild-type and mutant FGK2 complexes by using right-side-out membrane vesicles. The vesicles from a MBP-independent mutant (malG511) transported maltose in the absence of MBP, with Km and Vmax values similar to those found in intact cells. However, addition of wild-type MBP to these mutant vesicles produced unexpected responses. Although malE+ malG511 cells could not utilize maltose, wild-type MBP at low concentrations stimulated the maltose uptake by malG511 vesicles. At higher concentrations of the wild-type MBP and maltose, however, maltose transport into malG511 vesicles became severely inhibited. This behaviour of the vesicles was also reflected in the phenotype of malE+ malG511 cells, which were found to be capable of transporting maltose from a low external concentration (1 microM), but apparently not from millimolar concentrations present in maltose minimal medium. We found that the mutant FGK2 complex, containing MalG511, had a much higher apparent affinity towards the wild-type MBP than did the wild-type FGK2 complex.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Effects of baclofen on the angular vestibulo-ocular reflex.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of baclofen, a GABAB agonist on the angular vestibulo-ocular reflex (aVOR). Model studies have shown that the aVOR comprises a “direct” pathway, which determines its high frequency gain g 1, and an indirect “velocity storage” pathway, which determines its low frequency characteristics. Velocity storage can be characterized by an integrator with a dominant time constant, T VOR, and a gain g 0 that couples afferent information from the semicircular canals to the integrator. Baclofen preferentially shortens the velocity storage time constant in monkeys, but its effect on T VOR, g 0, and g 1 in humans is unknown. Six subjects were tested after administration of a placebo or of 10, 20, or 30 mg of baclofen in a double-blind design. The aVOR was elicited in darkness with steps of rotation at 138°/s, and g 1, g 0, and T VOR were determined from model fits of the slow phase velocity of the per- and post-rotatory nystagmus. Baclofen significantly reduced both T VOR and g 0 at dosages of 20 and 30 mg, but had no effect on g 1. Small reductions in g 0 were associated with large reductions in vestibular output. Thus, baclofen does not affect the direct aVOR pathway in humans, but controls the low frequency aVOR in two ways: it limits the input to velocity storage and modulates its time constant. We speculate that pre-synaptic GABAB terminals in the vestibular nuclei are responsible for the control of the afferent input to velocity storage through g 0, while the post-synaptic GABAB terminals are responsible for altering the duration of activity that reflects the time constant. The lack of effect of baclofen on the aVOR gain suggests that only GABAA receptors are utilized in the direct aVOR pathway.
Optical conductivity in alkali metals

Abstract It is shown that the Mayer-Naby peak in the optical conductivity of alkali metals possibly arises from transitions from the Fermi sea to the Brillouin zone boundaries.
Effects of a Modified Dye-Labeled Nucleotide Spacer Arm on Incorporation by Thermophilic DNA Polymerases

The ability of eight commercially available thermophilic DNA polymerases to sequentially incorporate fluorescently labeled nucleotides sequentially was analyzed by a gel based primer extension assay. Cy5-dUTP or a variant nucleotide in which the linker had been lengthened by 14 atoms between the dye and the nucleobase were compared. We found that the Cy5-dUTP with a longer linker resulted in longer primer extension lengths. Furthermore, some of the assayed polymerases are capable of extending the primer to the full or near full length of 30 nucleotides using dye-labeled nucleotides exclusively.
The Return of Merchant Capitalism

To understand the economic character, transnational politics, and labor regime characteristic of contemporary globalization, it is useful to revisit the concept of “merchant capitalism,” a form of market exchange that dominated trade in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Then as now, commodities proved crucial to world commerce, merchants held the whip hand over manufacturers, while workers found their remuneration and working conditions subject to competitive pressures that often debased their status. The transnational retailers who today dominate so many global supply chains therefore play many of the same roles as did the antebellum merchants of New York and Liverpool who favored free trade and formed an alliance with those who deployed unfree labor to grow the cotton and other commodities upon which the trading system of their day was built.
Control of a Semi-Circular Planform Wing in a "Gusting" Unsteady Freestream Flow: I - Experimental Issues

Active flow control is used to modify the lift, drag and pitching moments on a semicircular wing during “gusting” flow conditions. A longitudinal oscillating flow component has an amplitude of 10 percent of the freestream speed and a frequency giving k = 0.048 (f =0.2 Hz). The aspect ratio of the wing is AR = 2.54, and the chord Reynolds number of the wing is 70,600. Pulsed-blowing flow control actuation occurs along the leading edge of the airfoil via 16 spatially localized micro-valve actuators. Feed-forward control based on a quasi-steady lift model is used to stabilize lift fluctuations generated by an oscillating free stream, which simulates the longitudinal component of a gusting flow. The quasi-steady system model reduces the amplitude of the fundamental and first harmonics of lift oscillations, but does not account for time delays. The time delay between the lift and the freestream oscillation was measured to be τu + = 4.8. The time delay between the lift and the actuator input signal was found to be τa + = 11.3.
Pathway discovery by genome-wide, high-throughput, quantitative mass spectrometry

Genome-wide high-throughput mass spectrometry has emerged as an important new source of data on biological systems. This technology yields global information about the proteins expressed by an organism; consequently, biological processes can be studied without prior assumptions about the proteins that are involved. A profile of up- and down-regulated proteins is obtained which can be used to discover the gene-expression and cellular signaling pathways that underlie disease states and/or responses to treatments. Many data-manipulation steps are involved in obtaining pathway information from mass spectrometry of protease-digested complex mixtures of proteins. In this paper, we describe work to create a seamless data flow through these steps from peptide detection to queries of pathway databases based on patterns of up- and down-regulated proteins. Data from a mouse-model study of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are used to illustrate our results.
Virtual Iraq - Simulation of insurgent attacks

This paper presents the science of suicide bombing under the framework of agent based simulation. It also explains the physics, explosive models, mathematics and the assumptions we need to create such a simulation. The work also describes human shields available in the crowd with partial and full coverage in both two dimensional and three dimensional environments. A virtual simulation tool has been developed which is capable of assessing the impact of crowd formation patterns and their densities on the magnitude of injury and number of casualties during a suicide bombing attack. Results indicated that the worst crowd formation is street (Zig-Zag) where 30% crowd can be dead and 45% can be injured, given typical explosive carrying capacity of a single suicide bomber. Row wise crowd formations was found to be the best for reducing the effectiveness of an attack with 18% crowd in lethal zone and 38% in injury zones. For a typical suicide bombing attack, we can reduce the number of fatalities by 12%, and the number of injuries by 7% by simply following the recommendations in this paper. Simulation results were compared and validated by the real-life incidents in Iraq and found to be in good agreement. Line-of-sight with the attacker, rushing towards the exit, and stampede were found to be the most lethal choices both during and after the attack. These findings, although preliminary, may have implications for emergency response and counter terrorism.
Multiobjective optimization techniques: a study of the energy minimization method and its application to the synthesis of ota amplifiers

This paper reviews the multiobjective fitness evaluation method called energy minimization and presents an analysis of the method's behavior when used in a genetic algorithm applied to the synthesis of single-ended Miller operational amplifiers. A modified model is proposed in order to overcome some of the weaknesses pointed out and improve the model's performance. Finally, experimental results are presented and analyzed, leading to an overall evaluation of the benefits provided by the proposed modifications.
Loop fusion for clustered VLIW architectures

Embedded systems require maximum performance from a processor within significant constraints in power consumption and chip cost. Using software pipelining, high-performance digital signal processors can often exploit considerable instruction-level parallelism (ILP), and thus significantly improve performance. However, software pipelining, in some instances, hinders the goals of low power consumption and low chip cost. Specifically, the registers required by a software pipelined loop may exceed the size of the physical register set.The register pressure problem incurred by software pipelining makes it difficult to build a high-performance embedded processor with a single, multi-ported register bank with enough registers to support high levels of ILP while maintaining clock speed and limiting power consumption. The large number of ports required to support a single register bank severely hampers access time. The port requirement for a register bank can be reduced via hardware by partitioning the register bank into multiple banks connected to disjoint subsets of functional units, called clusters. Since a functional unit is not directly connected to all register banks, wasted energy and resources can result due to delays incurred when accessing "non-local" registers.The overhead due to partitioning of the register set can be ameliorated by using high-level compiler loop optimization techniques such as unrolling, unroll-and-jam and fusion. High-level loop optimizations spread data-independent parallelism across clusters that may not require "non-local" register accesses and can provide work to hide the latency of any such register accesses that are needed.In this paper, we examine the effects of loop fusion on DSP loops run on four simulated, clustered VLIW architectures and the Texas Instruments TMS320C64x. Our experiments show a 1.3 -- 2 harmonic mean speedup.
Aluminum coating in the undulator vacuum chamber for the Linac Coherence Light Source

A prototype vacuum chamber is under development at the advanced photon source that is intended for use in the linac coherent light source at Stanford linear accelerator center. The chamber will be fabricated from the austenite stainless steels. The chamber requires a continuous aluminum coating on the inner surface in order to reduce the wakefield losses to a level within the resistivity budget. The method being presented here is unique in that it can be applied to a fully fabricated chamber 5 mm high, 12.5 mm wide, and 3460 mm long. In existing methods the chamber aperture has been much larger than is used here. This paper describes a method applicable for these smaller cross sections. This process uses a pair of small electrodes, centered in the aperture, where they are attached to a high-frequency AC power supply. In this configuration each electrode is connected to the opposite polarity of the other. The chamber cavity is filled with argon gas to facilitate the formation of a glow discharge causing the aluminum electrodes to sputter onto the chamber walls. This paper presents the laboratory test results from small samples up to the full- sized assemblies.
The new urban world 2050: perspectives, prospects and problems

World trends about the problems and prospects of cities are discussed in the context of the present time and up to the year 2050. In 2010, urbanization grew to encompass about 52 per cent of the world's population, and the United Nations projects the percentage of the population living in cities to increase to about 67 per cent by 2050. The distribution of cities within each nation is changing as are the spatial structures of population and employment locations within cities. Government organizational structures are also evolving in many areas of the world. As the likelihood of natural disasters increases over time and resource constraints become more binding, cities of the future will see themselves striving for a triumvirate of goals ‘efficiency, sustainability and resiliency’.
Horizon Trackers for Lunar Guidance and Control Systems

That horizon-sensing instruments have a future in space vehicles has already been aptly demonstrated in the TIROS I satellite and rocket tests run as early as the summer of 1959. It is the purpose of this paper to discuss the extension of these techniques to the problem of lunar guidance and control.
Functional and architectural complexity within and between muscles: regional variation and intermuscular force transmission

Over the past 30 years, studies of single muscles have revealed complex patterns of regional variation in muscle architecture, activation, strain and force. In addition, muscles are often functionally integrated with other muscles in parallel or in series. Understanding the extent of this complexity and the interactions between muscles will profoundly influence how we think of muscles in relation to organismal function, and will allow us to address questions regarding the functional benefits (or lack thereof) and dynamics of this complexity under in vivo conditions. This paper has two main objectives. First, we present a cohesive and integrative review of regional variation in function within muscles, and discuss the functional ramifications that can stem from this variation. This involves splitting regional variation into passive and active components. Second, we assess the functional integration of muscles between different limb segments by presenting new data involving in vivo measurements of activation and strain from the medial gastrocnemius, iliotibialis cranialis and iliotibialis lateralis pars preacetabularis of the helmeted guinea fowl (Numida meleagris) during level running on a motorized treadmill. Future research directions for both of these objectives are presented.
PAMAM Dendrimers Undergo pH Responsive Conformational Changes without Swelling

Atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of a G4-NH2 PAMAM dendrimer were carried out in aqueous solution using explicit water molecules and counterions (with the Dreiding III force field optimized using quantum mechanics). Our simulations predict that the radius of gyration (R_g) of the dendrimer changes little with pH from 21.1 A at pH 10 (uncharged PAMAM) to 22.1 A at pH 5 (charged with 126 protons), which agrees quantitatively with recent small angle neutron scattering (SANS) experiments (from 21.4 A at pH 10 to 21.5 A at pH 5). Even so we predict a dramatic change in the conformation. The ion pairing in the low pH form leads to a locally compact dense shell with an internal surface area only 37% of the high pH form with a dense core. This transformation from “dense core” at high pH to “dense shell” at low pH could facilitate the encapsulation and release of guest molecules (e.g., drugs) using pH as the trigger, making dendrimers a unique drug delivery vehicle.
Success in Failure Modeling Cardiac Decompensation in Transgenic Mice

The temporal link between cardiac hypertrophy and progressive myocardial failure has been recognized for some time, although mechanistic connections have been elusive. More than 100 years ago, Sir William Osler described three classic stages of cardiac hypertrophy, which culminate in “broken compensation.”1 Much research in recent years has focused on identifying specific hypertrophic stimuli and dissecting the corresponding signaling pathways to elucidate the events responsible for this maladaptive transition. The development and widespread adoption of molecular techniques to modify the genome, chiefly in small mammals, have fueled this search and have provided investigators a means to test the physiological consequences of single gene defects, engineered in vivo. Toward this end, both gain- and loss-of-function mutations have been used in efforts to understand the biochemical pathways and molecular mechanisms underlying the transition from cardiac hypertrophy to failure, at least in mice, culminating in a robust and still-growing array of transgenic models with a cardiomyopathic phenotype similar in many respects to the human disease state. In this issue of Circulation , Sakata et al2 report the progressive decompensation of cardiac function after experimental pressure overload in transgenic mice that overexpress the GTP-binding protein, Gαq, selectively in cardiac muscle. Gq-coupled receptors mediate signaling by α-adrenergic agonists, angiotensin II, and endothelin, among other molecules with trophic or functional effects on the myocardium. Previous studies amply demonstrate the ability of Gq-coupled receptors and Gq itself to stimulate hypertrophy in neonatal cardiac myocytes grown in cell culture3 ; however, their respective role in vivo requires more direct substantiation. Agonist binding to this family of receptors increases the proportion of Gq that is active (GTP-bound), activating phospholipase C and ultimately protein kinase C. A previous report by these investigators, directing the α-subunit of Gq to …
Human recombinant interferon-β influences T helper subset differentiation by regulating cytokine secretion pattern and expression of homing receptors

Type I interferons (IFN) are important regulators of both innate and acquired immunity. We have used an in vitro system of human CD4+ T cell differentiation to determine how IFN-beta influences development of T helper (Th) subsets and homing receptor expression. IFN-beta promoted differentiation of CD4+ T cells that produce low levels of both IFN-gamma and lymphotoxin compared to interleukin (IL)-12-derived Th1 CD4+ T cells. IFN-beta inhibited production of Th2 cytokines (IL-5 and IL-13) and augmented IL-12-mediated IL-10 secretion. In addition, IFN-beta significantly enhanced L-selection expression on CD4+ T cells and synergized with IL-12 to induce expression of cutaneous lymphocyte-associated antigen (CLA). This Th1 L-selectin+, CLA+ phenotype is characteristic of T cells found in normal human skin and suggests a role for type I IFN in the regulation of Th subset differentiation and tissue-specific homing receptors.
Limitations of Ada for real-time scheduling

The goal in real-time scheduling is to satisfy the timing requirements of application jobs which often have hard deadlines. There are two aspects to Ada's scheduling policies which are detrimental to achieving this goal. First, Ada's constraints on the language's implementation limit the definition of priority and the task scheduling algorithm to preclude the use of the best algorithms for scheduling jobs with hard deadlines. Second, information about task priority is not used when selecting a task from an entry queue or when choosing among branches of a selective wait statement. Instead, FIFO and arbitrary disciplines are used, respectively, which can unnecessarily lead to missed deadlines, even for very low levels of processor utilization. We suggest some areas for change to make the language more suitable for building real-time systems.
Transcranial magnetic motor evoked potentials in Great Danes with and without clinical signs of cervical spondylomyelopathy: Association with neurological findings and magnetic resonance imaging

Abstract Transcranial magnetic motor evoked potentials (TMMEPs) assess the functional integrity of the descending motor pathways, which are typically compromised in canine cervical spondylomyelopathy (CSM). The objective of this prospective study was to establish the reference ranges of TMMEP latency and amplitude in clinically normal (control) Great Danes (GDs), compare TMMEPs obtained in GDs with and without CSM, and determine whether there is any association between TMMEP data and severity of neurological signs or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings. Twenty-nine client-owned GDs were enrolled (15 controls, 14 CSM-affected). All dogs underwent TMMEPs under sedation, and latencies and amplitudes were recorded from the extensor carpi radialis (ECR) and cranial tibial (CT) muscles. MRI of the cervical vertebral column was performed to evaluate the presence and severity of spinal cord (SC) compression, and the presence of SC signal changes. ECR and CT latencies were significantly longer in CSM-affected than control GDs. No significant differences between groups were found for amplitudes or neuronal path lengths. For the CT TMMEPs, CSM-affected GDs with moderate and severe clinical signs had significantly longer latencies than those with mild clinical signs. Significantly longer CT latencies were found in dogs with moderate and severe SC compression compared with dogs with mild compression. CT TMMEPs could not be recorded in 7/9 CSM-affected GDs with SC signal changes. These results provide a reference range for TMMEPs of clinically normal GDs. The use of TMMEPs is a valid ancillary test to assess the integrity of motor pathways in GDs with CSM.
Single-molecule nanopositioning: structural transitions of a helicase-DNA complex during ATP hydrolysis.

The conformational states of Escherichia coli Rep helicase undergoing ATP hydrolysis while bound to a partial-duplex DNA (pdDNA) were studied using single-molecule FRET. Crystallographic studies showed that Rep bound to single-stranded DNA can exist in open and closed conformations that differ in the orientation of the 2B subdomain. FRET measurements between eight Rep mutants donor-labeled at different residues and pdDNA acceptor-labeled at the junction were conducted at each of the four nucleotide states. The positions of donor-labeled residues, based on crystal structure, and FRET measurements between these donor molecules and the acceptor fluorophore at the DNA junction were used to predict the most likely position for the DNA junction using a triangulation algorithm. These predicted junction positions are compared with the crystal structure to determine whether the open or closed conformation is more consistent with the FRET data. Our data revealed that there are two distinct Rep-pdDNA conformations in the ATPγS and ADP states, an unexpected finding. The primary conformation is similar to that observed in nucleotide-free and ADP.Pi states, and the secondary conformation is a novel conformation where the duplex DNA and 2B subdomain moved as a unit by 13 A relative to the rest of the protein. The primary conformation found in all nucleotide states is consistent with the closed conformation of the crystal structure however; the secondary conformation is a new conformation that has not been observed before. We discuss the possible implications of this newly observed conformation.
Long-term peritoneal dialysis is a risk factor of sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis for children.

ObjectiveSclerosing encapsulating peritonitis (SEP) is a clinical syndrome with a high mortality rate and is a serious complication of peritoneal dialysis (PD). Peritoneal sclerosis (PS) is a histo...
Oxidative injury is a common consequence of BMPR2 mutations

AbstractHereditary pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is usually caused by mutations in BMPR2. Mutations are found throughout the gene, and common molecular consequences of different types of mutation are not known. Knowledge of common molecular consequences would provide insight into the molecular etiology of the disease. The objective of this study was to determine the common molecular consequences across classes of BMPR2 mutation. Increased superoxide and peroxide production and alterations in genes associated with oxidative stress were a common consequence of stable transfection of the vascular smooth muscle cells, with three distinct classes of BMPR2 mutation, in the ligand binding domain, the kinase domain and the cytoplasmic tail domain. Measurement of oxidized lipids in whole lung from transgenic mice expressing a mutation in the BMPR2 cytoplasmic tail showed a 50% increase in isoprostanes and a two-fold increase in isofurans, suggesting increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) of mitochondrial ...
Magnetism in Ultrathin Films and Beyond

The scheme of modern magnetism is spin-engineered nanostructures. The demands in understanding miniaturization of magnetic systems directly stem from the magnetic recording industry, where the bit size is already < 100 nm and is continuously shrinking at a fast rate as information storage density increases annually. The emerging spintronics, which employ the spin component in electronics, further utilize magnetic nanostructures and may lead to a revolution in microelectronics (Hathaway and Prinz, 1995; Prinz, 1999). Meanwhile, the small magnetic structures also impose fundamental scientific challenges by introducing exciting new phenomena. The physical size of a magnetic system affects its magnetic properties by altering its dimensionality, structure, surface/interface electronic structure, quantum size effects and transport, domain wall structure and motion, etc. Some examples of size-dependent physical phenomena and their characteristic lengths are listed in Fig. 2. 1. With the maturing of epitaxial film growth techniques, such magnetic phenomena in two-dimensional systems are being extensively investigated with thin films and multilayers. In addition, a new forefront is emerging in fabricating laterally confined films via self-assembly and characterizing their new physical properties. As a fast evolving field, magnetic ultrathin films and nanostructures have been the subject of numerous reviews (for example, Himpsel et al., 1998; Sanders et al., 1999). In this chapter, we will emphasize the most recent developments.
Inhibition of the infectivity of poliovirus ribonucleic acid by an interferon

SummaryAn inhibitor with the properties of interferon obtained from harvests of Sindbis virus inhibits the infectivity of po–liovirus RNA in chick embryo cell cultures. This inhibition is expressed by a reduction of cell infection as well as total poliovirus production. These results are compatible with the concept that interferon inhibits certain intracellular metabolic activities necessary for virus synthesis.
Correlation-based wave-equation migration velocity analysis

Wave equation migration velocity analysis (WEMVA) is a family of techniques that aims to improve the subsurface velocity model by minimizing the residual in image space. However, since the true image unknown, measuring the residual in image space is a challenge for WEMVA techniques. In his paper, I present a new method of measuring the image perturbation that is based on the cross-correlation of the observed image with a reference image in reflection angle gathers. I derive the gradient of this technique and show that it does not have the problem of cycle skipping and could be easily automated. I then show some synthetic examples and compare its gradient to the optimum WEMVA gradient.