cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Step-tracking movements of the wrist. III. Influence of changes in load on patterns of muscle activity.

Human subjects performed step-tracking movements of the wrist in the radial direction. Movement amplitude, external load, and accuracy instructions were varied. We used surface electrodes to record muscle activity from an agonist, extensor carpi radialis longus, and an antagonist, extensor carpi ulnaris. When subjects performed movements “as fast as possible” that were opposed by different external loads, we observed two distinct patterns of modulation of the agonist burst. In one pattern, termed pulse-height modulation, the force of the agonist muscle was graded by varying the peak amplitude of a short-duration agonist burst. This pattern occurred when subjects performed movements of different amplitudes with a lightweight manipulandum. In the other pattern, termed pulse-width modulation, the force of the agonist muscle was graded by varying the duration of an agonist burst of nearly maximal amplitude. When the agonist burst was prolonged, the onset of antagonist activity was delayed. This pattern occurred when subjects performed movements of different amplitudes that were opposed by elastic or viscoelastic loads applied to a heavy manipulandum. The strongest subject exhibited more pulse-height modulation and less pulse- width modulation of the agonist burst than other subjects. Conversely, the weakest subject displayed more pulse-width modulation of the agonist burst than other subjects. These observations indicate that the force requirements of a task, relative to the force generating capacity of a subject's agonist muscle(s), have a significant influence on the pattern of agonist modulation. In a second experiment using three nonhuman primates, we observed that agonist bursts in wrist flexor and extensor muscles exhibited strikingly different patterns of modulation. For wrist flexion, agonist bursts in wrist flexors were brief and displayed pulse-height modulation when movement amplitude was varied. For wrist extension, agonist bursts in wrist extensors were prolonged and displayed largely pulse-width modulation when movement amplitude was varied. We suggest that the distinct patterns of modulation observed in the wrist muscles of monkeys were due to differences in the strength of wrist flexors and extensors, rather than to alterations in movement strategy. In a third experiment, we instructed human subjects to be “accurate” when they made step-tracking movements. When subjects performed movements with a lightweight manipulandum, most displayed short-duration agonist bursts that were pulse-height modulated. When subjects performed “accurate” movements that were opposed by elastic loads, they displayed pulse-width modulation of a small-amplitude agonist burst.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Effect of Sex Differences on Invasive Measures of Coronary Microvascular Dysfunction in Patients With Angina in the Absence of Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease.

Abstract Objectives This study investigated sex differences in coronary flow reserve (CFR) and the index of microcirculatory resistance (IMR) in patients with angina in the absence of obstructive coronary artery disease. Background Coronary microvascular dysfunction is associated with worse long-term outcomes, especially in women. Coronary flow reserve (CFR) and the index of microcirculatory resistance (IMR) are 2 methods of assessing the coronary microcirculation. Methods We prospectively enrolled 117 women and 40 men with angina in the absence of obstructive coronary artery disease. We performed CFR, IMR, fractional flow reserve, and quantitative coronary angiography in the left anterior descending artery. Coronary flow was assessed with a thermodilution method by obtaining mean transit time (Tmn) (an inverse correlate to absolute flow) at rest and hyperemia. Results All patients had minimal atherosclerosis by quantitative coronary angiography (% diameter stenosis: 23.2 ± 12.3%), and epicardial disease was milder in women (fractional flow reserve: 0.88 ± 0.04 vs. 0.87 ± 0.04; p = 0.04). IMR was similar between the sexes (20.7 ± 9.8 vs. 19.1 ± 8.0; p = 0.45), but CFR was lower in women (3.8 ± 1.6 vs. 4.8 ± 1.9; p = 0.004). This was primarily due to a shorter resting Tmn in women (p = 0.005), suggesting increased resting coronary flow, whereas hyperemic Tmn was identical (p = 0.79). In multivariable analysis, female sex was an independent predictor of lower CFR and shorter resting Tmn. Conclusions Despite similar microvascular function in women and men by IMR, CFR is lower in women. This discrepancy appears to be due to differences in resting coronary flow between the sexes. The effect of sex differences should be considered in interpretation of physiological indexes using resting coronary flow.
Plasma exchange and rituximab treatment for lenalidomide‐associated cold agglutinin disease

BACKGROUND: Lenalidomide is an amino-substituted analog of thalidomide with potent immunomodulatory properties. The drug has been widely used for treatment of multiple myeloma and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) associated with 5q-abnormality. The most common side effects are cytopenias, infections, and deep venous thrombosis. CASE STUDY: We report a clinical observation of severe autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) due to cold agglutinin disease (CAD) that developed 11 days after initiation of lenalidomide treatment in a patient with MDS who relapsed after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. RESULTS: CAD was diagnosed by the presence of hemolytic variables and cold agglutinin detected in patient's plasma. The antibody screen, which was performed at 37°C, was negative throughout. The direct antiglobulin test was positive only for complement (C3d). These findings supported the diagnosis of CAD associated with lenalidomide administration. Other causes of hemolysis including ABO incompatibility and infectious etiologies were ruled out. Rituximab therapy in conjunction with daily plasma exchange decreased the rate of hemolysis and transfusion requirement in our case. CONCLUSION: In addition to warm AIHA, lenalidomide use can also be associated with development of CAD. Rituximab given in conjunction with plasma exchange can be effective in treating CAD in this setting.
Ground‐Water Response to Forest Harvest: Implications for Hillslope Stability

Timber harvest may contribute to increased landsliding frequency through increased soil saturation or loss of soil strength as roots decay. This study assessed the effects of forest harvest on hillslope hydrology and linked hydrologic change before and after harvest with a simple model of hillslope stability. Observations of peak water table heights in 56 groundwater monitoring wells showed that soil saturation levels on hillslopes differed significantly with harvest intensity at one of the two study locations following 25, 75,and 100 percent harvest. Before the forest was cut 100 percent, the average rainfall needed for 50-percent saturation of the soil was 54 mm, but after clearcutting, soils reached an equivalent saturation with 61 percent less rainfall (21 mm). Hillslope stability model results indicate that shallow soils at both study locations, with slopes generally < 30 degrees (58 percent), were not steep enough to be affected significantly by observed increases in saturation. The stability model indicates that with 100-percent harvest, there is a 7-percent reduction in the factor of safety for slope gradients of 35 degrees (70 percent) with soil depths of 1.25 m. Forest managers may be aided by an understanding that variable hydrologic effects may result from similar forest harvests having different landscape position, land contributing area, and soil depths.
Penetration of [3H]T-2 toxin through excised human and guinea-pig skin during exposure to [3H]T-2 toxin adsorbed to corn dust.

Abstract An in vitro test system was used to measure the penetration of [ 3 H]T-2 toxin through human epidermis, human whole skin (isolated dermis and epidermis), and through guinea-pig whole skin. To simulate the conditions which occur when agricultural workers are exposed to corn dust contaminated with T-2 toxin, the epidermal surface of each skin preparation was dosed with [ 3 H]T-2 toxin adsorbed onto corn dust. The applied dose was 3.27 to 4.75 mg of corn dust containing 18.2 ppm [ 3 H]T-2 toxin. The rate of percutaneous penetration was determined by measuring the accumulation of radioactivity in the receptor fluid bathing the dermal side of the excised skin. The total penetrations (expressed as percentage dose) through isolated human epidermis, human whole skin and through isolated guinea-pig whole skin were 1.12 ± 0.26% (mean ± standard deviation), 0.33 ± 0.07%, and 0.13 ± 0.07% respectively. The radioactive compounds in the receptor fluid bathing the human whole skin corresponded to T-2 toxin (69%) and HT-2 toxin (25%), as determined by thin-layer chromatography. Thus T-2 toxin adsorbed onto corn dust can partition into and penetrate through excised human and guinea-pig skin.
Visual angle is the critical variable mediating gain-related effects in manual control

Theoretically visual gain has been identified as a control variable in models of isometric force. However, visual gain is typically confounded with visual angle and distance, and the relative contribution of visual gain, distance, and angle to the control of force remains unclear. This study manipulated visual gain, distance, and angle in three experiments to examine the visual information properties used to regulate the control of a constant level of isometric force. Young adults performed a flexion motion of the index finger of the dominant hand in 20 s trials under a range of parameter values of the three visual variables. The findings demonstrate that the amount and structure of the force fluctuations were organized around the variable of visual angle, rather than gain or distance. Furthermore, the amount and structure of the force fluctuations changed considerably up to 1°, with little change higher than a 1° visual angle. Visual angle is the critical informational variable for the visuomotor system during the control of isometric force.
A Pattern Recognition Based Fluorescence Quenching Assay for the Detection and Identification of Nitrated Explosive Analytes

Herein we report a differential array of micelle-solubilized fluorophores for the detection and identification of small nitrated analytes, such as the explosives TNT, tetryl, RDX and HMX. The quenching ability of the analytes can be used to correlate their analyte identity, wherein the quenching patterns generated from the differential array are used in linear discriminant analysis (LDA). LDA results in a well-clustered two-dimensional plot, and a jack-knife analysis of the data suggests that this system can be used to identify unknown samples of analyte with 96 % accuracy and with a detection limit of 19 μM.
Unusual Sources of Gastrointestinal Bleeding

A 51-year-old lady was initially evaluated with severe hematochezia of one-day duration. Her medical history included hepatitis C infection, alcoholism complicated with compensated hepatic cirrhosis, and a previously resected colon cancer. The patient reported that 12 h prior to her initial hospital visit she developed abdominal bloating and passed an extensive amount of bright red blood mixed with her stool filling the toilet bowl. Prior to this, she had been drinking up to 12 beers per day. After the initial episode, continued bloody bowel movements were accompanied by severe weakness, dizziness, and feeling faint, prompting her to visit the emergency department, where on initial evaluation she was notably anxious. A nasogastric lavage revealed no blood or material resembling coffee grounds in the aspirate. Heart rate was 94 beats/min, and blood pressure was 86/51 mmHg. Her abdomen was soft, non-tender, and non-distended; bowel sounds were present and slightly increased in volume and frequency; and a scar following a previous surgical incision was noted in the left lower quadrant. Rectal examination revealed frank red blood in the vault but without palpable masses or hemorrhoids. Hgb was 7.8 g/ dL, lower than a baseline value of 11.8 g/dL recorded a month previously. The platelet count was 107 9 10/mm. Prothrombin time was elevated international normalized ratio (INR) of 1.49. Her blood urea nitrogen level was 15 mg/dL, with serum concentrations of creatinine 0.59 mg/dL, albumin 2.4 g/dL, total bilirubin 0.6 mg/dL, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) 131 unit/L, and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) 82 unit/L. Admission Mayo EndStage Liver Disease (MELD) score was 11. The patient was resuscitated and admitted to the medical intensive care unit where ongoing gastrointestinal hemorrhage was evaluated with urgent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy which revealed no site of recent bleeding, although moderate portal hypertensive gastropathy was present. Colonoscopy then demonstrated a normally healed site of surgical anastomosis, but throughout the colon there was fresh blood that appeared to be oozing from a site caudad to the ileocecal valve (Fig. 1). An isotopic In-tagged red blood cell scan identified a focus of active bleeding in left lower quadrant, possibly in the small bowel. After the scan, the patient had repeated episodes of rectal bleeding complicated by hemorrhagic shock with a blood pressure 65/35 mmHg, prompting emergent exploratory laparotomy. At operation, the source of bleeding was identified as an ectopic varix in the small bowel approximately 65 cm proximal to the ileocecal valve which was resected surgically and confirmed pathologically. By postoperative day 10, the patient had recovered well without recurrence of bleeding but left against medical advice, although she was reported to have recovered well 1 week following discharge. D. Castresana A. Kaza Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
Algorithm for evaluation of temperature distribution of a vapor cell in a diode-pumped alkali laser system: part I

A diode-pumped alkali laser (DPAL) is one of the most hopeful candidates to achieve high power performances. As the laser medium is in a gas-state, populations of energy-levels of a DPAL are strongly dependent on the vapor temperature. Thus, the temperature distribution directly determines the output characteristics of a DPAL. In this report, we developed a systematic model by combining the procedures of heat transfer and laser kinetics together to explore the radial temperature distribution in the transverse section of a cesium vapor cell. A cyclic iterative approach is adopted to calculate the population densities. The corresponding temperature distributions have been obtained for different beam waists and pump powers. The conclusion is thought to be useful for realizing a DPAL with high output power.
An exploration into the factors associated with specialization among college student computer criminals

While the prior research on whether or not offenders specialize and if certain offender sub‐groups (e.g., violent, property, drug, and sex offenders) may tend to specialize more than others has typically produced results that suggest that most offenders do not specialize, one offender sub‐group, for example, computer criminals, have largely been ignored in this literature. Relying on official longitudinal data sources for a large sample of college students, this study sought to examine if computer criminals tend to specialize and to explore what, if any, factors may distinguish computer crime specialists from generalists. Results suggested that age, being white, having a high grade point average (GPA), and not being affiliated with a Greek fraternity or sorority significantly predicted specialization. Study limitations and suggestions for future research are also discussed.
Actin stress fiber pre-extension in human aortic endothelial cells.

Actin stress fibers (SFs) enable cells to sense and respond to mechanical stimuli and affect adhesion, motility and apoptosis. We and others have demonstrated that cultured human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs) are internally stressed so that SFs are pre-extended beyond their unloaded lengths. The present study explores factors affecting SF pre-extension. In HAECs cultured overnight the baseline pre-extension was 1.10 and independent of the amount of cell shortening. Decreasing contractility with 30 mM BDM or 10 μM blebbistatin decreased pre-extension to 1.05 whereas increasing contractility with 2 nM calyculin A increased pre-extension to 1.26. Knockdown of α-actinin-1 with an interfering RNA increased pre-extension to 1.28. None of these affected the wavelength of the buckled SFs. Pre-extension was the same in unperturbed cells as in those in which the actin cytoskeleton was disrupted by both chemical and mechanical means and then allowed to reassemble. Finally, disrupting MTs or IFs did not affect pre-extension but increased the wavelength. Taken together, these results suggest that pre-extension of SFs is determined primarily by intrinsic factors, i.e. the level of actin-myosin interaction. This intrinsic control of pre-extension is sufficiently robust that pre-extension is the same even after the actin cytoskeleton has been disrupted and reorganized. Unlike pre-extension, the morphology of the compressed SFs is partially determined by MTs and IFs which appear to support the SFs along their lengths. Cell Motil. Cytoskeleton 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Deuterium exchangeable proton hyperfine resonances of low-spin cytochrome c peroxidase and the mechanism of peroxidase catalysis

Deuterium exchangeable hyperfine proton NMR resonances of cytochrome c peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.5) are identified in H2O solutions of the enzyme. One of these is assigned to the proximal histidine's imidazole NH. Its shift and pH dependence indicate that an imidazolate form, which has been postulated for peroxidases, is ruled out for cytochrome c peroxidase-cyanide. A qualitative comparison of relative heme-pocket dynamics is also possible. When the bulk water resonance is irradiated with a continuous, but off acquisition, decoupler frequency the NH resonance shows no intensity loss, indicating that saturation transfer between the proximal histidine and solvent water is either minimal, or extremely slow.
Biochemical Control of CARM1 Enzymatic Activity by Phosphorylation

Coactivator-associated arginine methyltransferase 1 (CARM1) is a dual functional coregulator that facilitates transcription initiation by methylation of Arg17 and Arg26 of histone H3 and also dictates the subsequent coactivator complex disassembly by methylation of the steroid receptor coactivator family coactivators and p300/cAMP-response element-binding protein-binding protein. However, the regulation of CARM1 enzymatic activity and substrate specificity remains largely unknown. In this study, we report that CARM1 function is regulated by phosphorylation at Ser217, a residue completely conserved in the type I protein arginine methyltransferase (PRMT) family of enzymes. Comparative analysis of the published CARM1 crystal structures reveals that the hydroxyl group of Ser217 forms a strong hydrogen bond with the carbonyl oxygen atom of Tyr154 to lock the cofactor S-adenosylmethionine inside the binding cavity. Phosphorylation of Ser217 disrupts this hydrogen bond and subsequently abolishes S-adenosylmethionine binding and its methyltransferase activity. Importantly, Tyr154 is also conserved in the type I PRMT family of enzymes, suggesting a general role of this hydrogen bond in maintaining the holo structure of the type I PRMT catalytic domain. Moreover, we found that phosphorylation at Ser217 also promoted CARM1 cytoplasmic localization and that this translocation occurred mainly during mitosis. We propose that phosphorylation at Ser217 serves as a molecular switch for controlling CARM1 enzymatic activity during the cell cycle.
Effect of menses, estrogens and hemolysis on a serum-lectin-like factor in cystic fibrosis.

Twelve CF heterozygous and two CF homozygous women who were tested serially for the CF-lectin activities during one to two months of their menstrual cycles, were found consistently to have negative tests during menses. The specific hormonal alteration during menses that affects the assay is unknown. However, estrogenic medication administered without progesterone to postmenopausal heterozygous women also caused false-negative tests, suggesting that a balance between progesterone and estrogen is critical for the CF-lectin activity; mere depletion of these hormones alone does not interfere. The addition of estrogen in vitro also inhibited the CF-lectin activity at a physiologic concentraiton of 10 –6 M, and addition of an equivalent concentration of progesterone blocked this inhibitory effect. Future studies of the CF-lectin or its assay as a potential CF-carrier test must be limited to those women not menstruating at the time of blood drawing and not receiving estrogens. Hemolysis or contamination of the serum with RBC should invalidate that sample for testing, although the effect of RBC contamination can be circumvented with the addition of mannose. A more objective, simplified means of performing the CF-lectin assay is reported. A preliminary blind study taking these issues into consideration was 100 percent correct in detecting 16 CF patients and 17 obligate heterozygotes, and revealed 4 percent of 64 control subjects to have positive tests. The presence of this lectin-like factor may reflect the underlying biochemical defect responsible for this disease. (Chest 1989; 95:111-16)
Protection of podocytes from hyperhomocysteinemia-induced injury by deletion of the gp91phox gene.

Abstract In this study, mice lacking the gp91phox gene were used to address the role of NADPH oxidase in hyperhomocysteinemia-induced podocyte injury. It was found that a folate-free diet increased plasma homocysteine levels, but failed to increase O2 − production in the glomeruli from gp91phox gene knockout (gp91−/−) mice, compared with wild-type (gp91+/+) mice. Proteinuria and glomerular damage index (GDI) were significantly lower, whereas the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was higher in gp91−/− than in gp91+/+ mice when they were on the folate-free diet (urine albumin excretion, 21.23 ± 1.88 vs 32.86 ± 4.03 μg/24 h; GDI, 1.17 ± 0.18 vs 2.59 ± 0.49; and GFR, 53.01 ± 4.69 vs 40.98 ± 1.44 μl/min). Hyperhomocysteinemia-induced decrease in nephrin expression and increase in desmin expression in gp91+/+ mice were not observed in gp91−/− mice. Morphologically, foot process effacement and podocyte loss due to hyperhomocysteinemia were significantly attenuated in gp91−/− mice. In in vitro studies of podocytes, homocysteine was found to increase gp91phox expression and O2 − generation, which was substantially inhibited by gp91phox siRNA. Functionally, homocysteine-induced decrease in vascular endothelial growth factor-A production was abolished by gp91phox siRNA or diphenyleneiodonium, a NADPH oxidase inhibitor. These results suggest that the functional integrity of NADPH oxidase is essential for hyperhomocysteinemia-induced podocyte injury and glomerulosclerosis.
Saccharin preferences in food deprived aging rats are altered as a function of perinatal drug exposure

Abstract The purpose of this long-term experiment was to determine if perinatal exposure to CNS activating drugs resulted in early and/or altered onset of aging, as measured by changes in preference for preferred concentrations of saccharin solutions. Seventy-nine primiparous Sprague-Dawley rats received twice daily subcutaneous injections of either 3.0 mg/kg or pure nicotine, 5.0 mg/kg of methamphetamine HCL, 5.0 mg/kg of saline vehicle, or no injections during the 21 day gestational period and during days 3–21 of the nursing period. Twelve male offspring were randomly selected from each treatment condition, and at six months of age, they were presented with a choice of 0.20, 0.10, 0.05, 0.025, 0.01, and 0.005% of saccharin in a tap water solution and plain tap water at three month intervals. Each concentration was paired with water and presented for a 48 hr period. Eight sessions were analyzed, which spanned the ages of 15 36 months. Multivariate analyses revealed that: (1) The preference for individual saccharin concentrations across time differed as a result of maternal treatment. Differences were primarily due to the drug treatments and not to injection, (2) The pattern of saccharin preference changed over time as a function of maternal treatment but the overall level of saccharin consumption was not affected. These shifts were due to the drug treatments, not injection per se, (3) The total amount of saccharin solution consumed over time did not differ significantly among treatments, (4) The total amount of fluid consumed over the mature lifespan (saccharin solution plus water) decreased for all rats irrespective of maternal treatment. Other differences over time in total fluid consumption paralleled the saccharin index measures described above. Thus, perinatal treatment had a lasting effect upon preference for nonnutritive sweet solutions. The significance of this for aging organisms is discussed.
Effect of growth factors on the proliferation of fibroblasts from the medial collateral and anterior cruciate ligaments

Abstract Growth factors have been shown to stimulate fibroblast division and thus may influence ligament healing. We analyzed the effects of individual growth factors on the proliferation of fibroblasts from the medial collateral and anterior cruciate ligaments of the rabbit in vitro in order to identify growth factors that might enhance proliferation of fibroblasts and to compare the responses of the fibroblasts from the two ligaments to these growth factors. Through measurement of the uptake of [3H]-thymidine into DNA, fibroblasts from these ligaments that had been treated with epidermal growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor were found to proliferate nearly eight times more than control fibroblasts. Additionally, the fibroblasts of both ligaments proliferated at similar rates when exposed to platelet-derived growth factor-AA, platelet-derived growth factor-BB, basic fibroblast growth factor, insulin-like growth factor-1, and interleukin-1-alpha. However, epidermal growth factor and transforming growth factor-beta caused the fibroblasts from the medial collateral ligament to proliferate at a rate 1.3-1.4 times greater than that of fibroblasts from the anterior cruciate ligament. The reverse was true with acidic fibroblast growth factor, which stimulated the fibroblasts from the anterior cruciate ligament to proliferate at a rate 1.3-1.6 times greater than that of fibroblasts from the medial collateral ligament. This study demonstrated that growth factors can stimulate cell division in ligaments and may be effective in enhancing ligament healing but that these differences were not great enough to explain fully the clinical differences observed between healing of the medial collateral and anterior cruciate ligaments.
The Cyclol Hypothesis

FIVE sets of experiments have been reported in the past few years which have been claimed to bear on the cyclol hypothesis.
On the comparison of model-based and modeless robotic calibration based on a fuzzy interpolation method

Traditional robot calibrations implement either model-based or modeless methods. A model-based calibration method normally involves four steps: kinematic model definition of the robot, measurement process of the robot’s positions, identification of the kinematic model of the robot and compensation of the position errors. This type of method can be both time consuming and complicated because of the identification and compensation processes. Most traditional modeless methods are relatively simple and practical, but their calibration accuracy is relatively low and most of them are only suitable for the robot’s calibration in the 2D domain and in relative small workspaces. This paper provides a novel modeless fuzzy interpolation method to improve the compensation accuracy for robot calibration in the 3D workspace. A comparison between the model-based and modeless fuzzy interpolation calibration method is made. The simulated results show that the modeless fuzzy interpolation method is compatible with the model-based calibration method, and even outperforms a model-based counterpart in terms of accuracy and complexity in a relatively compact workspace.
Gabor feature-based registration: accurate alignment without fiducial markers

Accurate registration of diagnosis and treatment images is a critical factor for the success of radiotherapy. This study presents a feature-based image registration algorithm that uses a branch- and-bound method to search the space of possible transformations, as well as a Hausdorff distance metric to evaluate their quality. This distance is computed in the space of responses to a circular Gabor filter, in which, for each point of interest in both reference and subject images, a vector of complex responses to different Gabor kernels is computed. Each kernel is generated using different frequencies and variances of the Gabor function, which determines correspondent regions in the images to be registered, by virtue of its rotation invariance characteristics. Responses to circular Gabor filters have also been reported in literature as a successful tool for image classification; and in this particular application we utilize them for patient positioning in cranial radiotherapy. For test purposes, we use 2D portal images acquired with an electronic portal imaging device (EPID). Our method presents EPID-EPID registrations errors under 0.2 mm for translations and 0.05 deg for rotations (subpixel accuracy). We are using fiducial marker registration as the ground truth for comparisons. Registration times average 2.70 seconds based on 1400 feature points using a 1.4 GHz processor.
Existence of weighted pseudo almost periodic solutions to some classes of hyperbolic evolution equations

This paper is concerned with the study of weighted pseudo almost periodic solutions to some classes of hyperbolic differential equations. Upon making some suitable assumptions, the existence and uniqueness of a weighted pseudo almost periodic solution is obtained. To illustrate our main result, we study the existence of a weighted pseudo almost periodic solution to a system of partial differential equations arising in control systems described by abstract retarded functional-differential equations with feedback control.
The biological fate of implanted rigid polyurethane foam.

Abstract Rigid polyurethane foam was tagged both on ring and side chain by C 14 . Rods of this material were inserted into the marrow cavity of the tibia of rats. Loss of specific activity was followed by serial sacrifice of rats bearing ring-labelled rods over a period of 82 weeks and those bearing side chain-labelled implants over a period of 115 weeks. Mobilization rate for both ring- and side chain-labelled implants is quite slow, and approximately three-fourths of the implant material remains in situ in some form or other at least two years after implant. The aromatic ring from mobilized polyurethane is apparently not stored in appreciable amounts in the organs examined.
A randomized controlled trial of acupuncture for irritable bowel syndrome

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional gastrointestinal disorder affecting 15|[ndash]|20% of the adult population. Although IBS is commonly seen in primary care settings and constitutes the most likely cause of referrals to Gastroenterologists, the treatment for IBS is currently limited. Increasingly, alternative treatments have been used to help people with IBS. Although Acupuncture is being used by practitioners to treat many disorders, there is little data to support its use. In order to objectively assess the efficacy of acupuncture as a treatment modality for patients with IBS, a randomized controlled trial was performed in the setting of a teaching hospital. Twenty-seven consecutive patients with IBS defined by Rome Criteria were included in the study. After initial screening and informed consent, baseline demographic information and characteristics of the IBS, including quality of life and symptoms, were collected using previously validated instruments. Patients were then randomized in a crossover design to receive either acupuncture treatment or relaxation sessions, three times a week for two weeks. Follow-up observation was performed for four weeks. Patients|[rsquo]| quality of life and gastrointestinal symptom scores were collected at a variety of stages of the study. Twenty-three patients completed the study. A statistically significant reduction of abdominal pain was seen in both acupuncture and relaxation groups during the treatment period, however the pain reduction effect persisted only in the acupuncture group at the four-week follow-up (p < 0.05). Furthermore, a statistically significant reduction of stress perception was observed in the acupuncture group but not in relaxation group (p < 0.05). We conclude that acupuncture is an effective modality to treat IBS.
Soot diagnostics based on laser heating

Through numerical calculations we have investigated the possibility of developing soot diagnostics based on laser heating of the soot particles. Two strategies, one using the laser-modulated incandescence of the particles, and the other using direct detection of the evaporated C2 molecules, were examined. Both strategies can yield size distribution and volume fraction information provided the laser wavelength is near the graphite absorption band at 260 nm; otherwise, only volume fractions can be obtained.
The clinical utility of the foveal electroretinogram: a review.

The historical development of the foveal electroretinogram is reviewed. The factors required to obtain a local cone electroretinogram with a small focal source of illumination against a lighted background are discussed. From these considerations and various studies of macular degeneration, the optimal size of the foveal source is found to be 5° diameter or less. Applications of the foveal electroretinogram in various diseases are summarized. The foveal electroretinogram is abnormal with reduced acuity in age-related macular degeneration, juvenile macular degeneration (Stargardt's disease), retinitis pigmentosa, and diabetic retinopathy. Normal foveal electroretinograms are found in optic atrophy, amblyopia, and optic neuritis. Foveal electroretinograms are normal or abnormal in Best's disease, central serous retinopathy, and several other diseases discussed.
PROBABILITY DENSITY AND SCALING EXPONENTS OF THE MOMENTS OF LONGITUDINAL VELOCITY DIFFERENCE IN STRONG TURBULENCE

We consider a few cases of homogeneous and isotropic turbulence differing by the mechanisms of turbulence generation. The advective terms in the Navier-Stokes and Burgers equations are similar. It is proposed that the longitudinal structure functions ${S}_{n}(r)$ in homogeneous and isotropic three-dimensional turbulence are governed by a one-dimensional (1D) equation of motion, resembling the 1D Burgers equation, with the strongly nonlocal pressure contributions accounted for by Galilean invariance-breaking terms. The resulting equations, not involving parameters taken from experimental data, give both scaling exponents and amplitudes of the structure functions in an excellent agreement with experimental data. The derived probability density function $P(\ensuremath{\Delta}u,r)\ensuremath{\ne}P(\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\Delta}u,r),$ but $P(\ensuremath{\Delta}u,r)=P(\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\Delta}u,\ensuremath{-}r),$ in accord with the symmetry properties of the Navier-Stokes equations. With decrease of the displacement $r,$ the probability density, which cannot be represented in a scale-invariant form, shows smooth variation from the Gaussian at the large scales to close-to-exponential function, thus demonstrating onset of small-scale intermittency. It is shown that accounting for the subdominant contributions to the structure functions ${S}_{n}(r)\ensuremath{\propto}{r}^{{\ensuremath{\xi}}_{n}}$ is crucial for a derivation of the amplitudes of the moments of the velocity difference.
U.S. General Population Estimate for "Excellent" to "Poor" Self-Rated Health Item

Background The most commonly used self-reported health question asks people to rate their general health from excellent to poor. This is one of the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) global health items. Four other items are used for scoring on the PROMIS global physical health scale. Because the single item is used on the majority of large national health surveys in the U.S., it is useful to construct scores that can be compared to U.S. general population norms.
Rotary-wing aeroelastic scaling and its implications for adaptive-materials-based actuation

The aeroelastic scaling problem is revisited and it is shown that classical aeroelastic scaling relations, developed for flutter, need to be extended when dealing with modern aeroelastic applications, involving controls and adaptive materials based actuation. For such problems a novel two pronged approach is presented that produces refined aeroelastic scaling laws by a judicious combination of the classical approach with more sophisticated computer simulations. It is also shown that the rotary-wing equivalent to fixed-wing aeroelastic scaling, based on typical cross-section concepts, is the offset hinged spring restrained blade model. Scaling laws for the rotary-wing aeroelastic and aeroservoelastic problem are obtained. These scaling requirements imply that scale model tests, conducted on small models intended to demonstrate active control of vibration using adaptive materials based actuation, use very flexible models that often disregard aeroelastic scaling. Thus, the extension of these results to the full scale configuration is difficult.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Strategies for the control of geminivirus diseases

Abstract Geminiviruses are unique plant DNA viruses that frequently cause significant yield reductions in a wide range of cereal, vegetable and fibre crops. Encouraging progress has recently been made towards the control of geminiviruses that infect dicotyledonous plants. Under laboratory conditions, defective interfering (DI) DNA and antisense strategies, both directed against viral DNA replication, have been used to protect Nicotiana spp. against the bipartite geminivirus African cassava mosaic virus and tomato golden mosaic virus. The use of dominant negative mutants of virus systemic movement might also be adapted as a novel strategy for the control of these important pathogens.
Propanil (3,4-dichloropropionanilide)-induced methemoglobin formation in relation to its metabolism in vitro

Abstract Propanil (1.83 mmol/kg, ip) produced about 50% methemoglobin in male mice and rats while male guinea pigs were resistant to methemoglobinemia. A sex difference in the methemoglobinemic response to propanil was observed only in mice; the males were more sensitive than the females. An equimolar dose of 3,4-dichloroaniline (DCA), a hydrolytic metabolite of propanil, produced highest methemoglobin values in rats, followed by mice and relatively low values in guinea pigs. There was no sex difference in response to DCA. Of nine tissues assayed for the hydrolysis of propanil by the enzyme, acylamidase, only liver and kidney showed detectable activity. In all three species, acylamidase activity in the liver was higher than that in the kidney. Male mice had significantly higher liver and kidney acylamidase activity than females, which may explain the sex difference in propanil-induced methemoglobinemia in this species. Male rats had lower liver and kidney acylamidase activity than male mice in spite of the approximately equal susceptibility to methemoglobin production by propanil in these two species. A lower erythrocyte methemoglobin reductase activity coupled with a less active liver metabolism of DCA to a methemoglobin-forming metabolite in male rats as compared to male mice could account for the apparent discrepancies. The resistance of guinea pigs to propanil-induced methemoglobinemia could not be explained by differences in these metabolic reactions. Some evidence was obtained which suggests that reduced rates of absorption coupled with different modes of metabolism or disposition of DCA in guinea pigs may contribute to their resistance.
Clinical and pathologic features of ductal carcinoma in situ associated with the presence of flat epithelial atypia: an analysis of 543 patients.

Clinical and pathologic features of ductal carcinoma in situ associated with the presence of flat epithelial atypia: an analysis of 543 patients
Effect of enstatite activity and oxygen partial pressure on the point-defect chemistry of olivine

Abstract The variation of the point-defect concentrations in olivine with changes in enstatite activity and oxygen partial pressure are derived from formal thermodynamic arguments. Two models for these variations are constructed; the models differ in the choice of the approximate charge-neutrality condition in the near-stoichiometric regime. Under favorable circumstances, the effect of the oxygen partial pressure on olivine's point-defect chemistry can provide a diagnostic technique. Activity differences within the upper mantle may have a significant effect on olivine's transport properties because of their effect on the point-defect concentrations. The activity of enstatite plays an important role in the point-defect chemistry of olivine.
GANGS, DRUGS, AND DELINQUENCY IN A SURVEY OF URBAN YOUTH*

Youth delinquent gangs have been given considerable academic and media attention during the past decade. Much of the attention has focused on the violence and drug dealing in which gang members are assumed to be involved. Recent knowledge about gangs has relied primarily on data obtained from police gang units and from observational or case studies. Very little information has been derived from surveys or interviews with a more general sample of youths. In this paper, data from the Denver Youth Survey, a longitudinal study of families, are used to examine: (1) the prevalence and demographic composition of gangs: (2) the degree to which gang members are involved in illegal activities: and (3) the temporal relationship between criminal offending and gang membership.
Slow wave sleep during a daytime nap is necessary for protection from subsequent interference and long-term retention.

While it is now generally accepted that sleep facilitates the processing of newly acquired declarative information, questions still remain as to the type and length of sleep necessary to best benefit declarative memories. A better understanding could lend support in one direction or another as to the much-debated role of sleep, be it passive, permissive, or active, in memory processing. The present study employed a napping paradigm and compared performance on a bimodal paired-associates task of those who obtained a 10-min nap, containing only Stages 1 and 2 sleep, to those whose nap contained slow-wave sleep (SWS) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep (60-min nap), as well as to subjects who remained awake. Measurements were obtained for baseline performance at training, after a sleep/no sleep interval for short-term retention, after a subsequent stimulus-related interference task, and again after a weeklong retention period. While all groups learned the information similarly, both nap groups performed better than the Wake group when examining short-term retention, approximately 1.5 h after training (10-min p = .052, 60-min p = .002). However, performance benefits seen in the 10-min nap group proved to be temporary. Performance after a stimulus-related interference task revealed significantly better memory retention in the 60-min nap group, with interference disrupting the memory trace far less than both the Wake and 10-min nap groups (p < .001, p = .006, respectively). After a weeklong retention period, sleep’s benefit to memory persisted in the 60-min nap group, with performance significantly greater than both the Wake and 10-min nap groups (p < .001, p = .004, respectively). It is our conclusion that SWS, obtained only by those in the 60-min nap group, served to actively facilitate the consolidation of learned bimodal paired-associates, supported by theories such as the Standard Theory of Consolidation as well as the Synaptic Homeostasis Hypothesis.
Sox17 Promotes Cell Cycle Progression and Inhibits TGF-β/Smad3 Signaling to Initiate Progenitor Cell Behavior in the Respiratory Epithelium

The Sry-related high mobility group box transcription factor Sox17 is required for diverse developmental processes including endoderm formation, vascular development, and fetal hematopoietic stem cell maintenance. Expression of Sox17 in mature respiratory epithelial cells causes proliferation and lineage respecification, suggesting that Sox17 can alter adult lung progenitor cell fate. In this paper, we identify mechanisms by which Sox17 influences lung epithelial progenitor cell behavior and reprograms cell fate in the mature respiratory epithelium. Conditional expression of Sox17 in epithelial cells of the adult mouse lung demonstrated that cell cluster formation and respecification of alveolar progenitor cells toward proximal airway lineages were rapidly reversible processes. Prolonged expression of Sox17 caused the ectopic formation of bronchiolar-like structures with diverse respiratory epithelial cell characteristics in alveolar regions of lung. During initiation of progenitor cell behavior, Sox17 induced proliferation and increased the expression of the progenitor cell marker Sca-1 and genes involved in cell cycle progression. Notably, Sox17 enhanced cyclin D1 expression in vivo and activated cyclin D1 promoter activity in vitro. Sox17 decreased the expression of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β)-responsive cell cycle inhibitors in the adult mouse lung, including p15, p21, and p57, and inhibited TGF-β1-mediated transcriptional responses in vitro. Further, Sox17 interacted with Smad3 and blocked Smad3 DNA binding and transcriptional activity. Together, these data show that a subset of mature respiratory epithelial cells retains remarkable phenotypic plasticity and that Sox17, a gene required for early endoderm formation, activates the cell cycle and reinitiates multipotent progenitor cell behavior in mature lung cells.
Designing university courses to promote lifelong learning

The traditional pedagogy of university courses encourages students to learn in ways that are unlike anything they will practice later during their career, within or especially outside academia. At that stage, most if not all of the learning is autonomous and self-directed. In this context, this article presents a non-traditional course format, meant to prepare students effectively for lifelong, self-directed learning, and consisting of individual tutorials, learning contracts and formal lectures serving as scaffolds. The background and structure of the course are presented in detail. Several challenges associated with the approach are also addressed.
Potential sources of bias in forensic neuropsychological evaluations

Abstract Neuropsychologists encounter many pressures that potentially bias their evaluation and opinions especially in forensic neuropsychological practice. This paper reviews a number of potential sources of bias in neuropsychological forensic practice in order to alert the clinician so that these may be avoided. Adherence to the highest ethical standard will ensure that neuropsychology remains appropriately respected by the courts.