cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Multiple metaplastic (hyperplastic) polyposis of the colon

Multiple metaplastic (hyperplastic) polyposis of the entire colon is an unusual entity which presents with a radiologic pattern resembling familial polyposis. It is important that the radiologist be aware of this entity and distinguish between these 2 conditions. The radiologic, pathologic, and clinical features of this condition are reviewed and an illustrative case is presented.
The mass spectra of 2,4,7‐trihydroxypteridines and their trimethylsilyl derivatives

The mass spectra of a series of 2,4,7-trihydroxypteridines and their trimethylsilyl derivatives have been determined. Fragmentation mechanisms are supported by high resolution, deuterium labeling and metastables.
Disk Design Methodology for Reducing Blade Vibration in Turbine Engine Rotors

The optimal design of the disk of a turbine engine rotor stage is examined as a means of reducing worst-case blade vibration and stress levels. The cross-sectional profile of the disk is modified in search of an optimum that achieves minimum weight while ensuring that the stresses due to centrifugal loading and vibration remain below a safe level, as defined by a Goodman diagram, even when blade mistuning is introduced. In order to predict the vibration response of a tuned or mistuned bladed disk, a reduced-order modeling technique is employed. Rotational effects are included in the reduced-order model, and a response metric based on vibration energy is used to estimate the dynamic stress level. This process enables the evaluation of a design configuration in a manner that is sufficiently rapid to enable a comprehensive design optimization process. Using two example systems, the developed design methodology is found to yield bladed disk designs that are less sensitive to blade mistuning, thus reducing maximum stress and alleviating high cycle fatigue failure concerns.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Phase I study of enzastaurin and bevacizumab in patients with advanced cancer: safety, efficacy and pharmacokinetics

Purpose Given distinct mechanism of actions of enzastaurin and bevacizumab, preclinical studies suggest enhanced antitumor activity in combination. This phase I study assessed the combination’s safety and efficacy. Patients and methods Six advanced cancer patients could be enrolled in each of 11 cohorts. Patients received an enzastaurin loading dose. Oral enzastaurin (500 mg once daily [QD], 250 mg twice daily [BID], 375 mg BID, 500 mg BID, and 750 mg BID) was escalated in each cohort in combination with bevacizumab dosed at 5 mg/kg every 2 weeks, 10 mg/kg every 2 weeks, or 15 mg/kg every 3 weeks until a dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) occurred in 2 of 6 patients in any cohort. Results Sixty-seven patients (31, ovarian cancer [ovcar]) were evaluable for safety and efficacy. Six treatment-related DLTs occurred: grade 3 fatigue (n = 4), grade 4 cerebral hemorrhage, and grade 3 elevated aspartate transaminase. Common drug-related toxicities included change in color of urine and stool, fatigue, pain, diarrhea, and nausea. The maximum tolerated dose of enzastaurin was 750 mg BID in combination with any tested bevacizumab dose/schedule. Overall response rate was 19.4 % (32.3 % ovcar). Median time to progression was 3.7 months (95 % confidence interval [CI], 2.7–5.5), with 8.3 months (95 % CI, 3.7–11.1) in ovcar. Overall, 35.9 % (50.4 % ovcar) of patients remained without disease progression after 6 months. Conclusion The recommended phase II doses of enzastaurin were 500 mg QD up to 500 mg BID with any tested dose/schedule of bevacizumab. This combination demonstrated encouraging clinical activity, particularly in ovcar.
212 POTASSIUM STIMULATION OF ALDOSTERONE IN THE NEWBORN LAMB

Plasma renin activity (PRA) and aldosterone levels are dependent on daily sodium balance and have been significantly correlated with urinary sodium concentrations and blood pressure in the adult and in newborn infants. Potassium is an important stimulus for aldosterone secretion in the adult but it is not known whether potassium stimulates aldosterone in the newborn. The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of potassium on aldosterone and PRA levels in the newborn lamb. Five newborn lambs 5-10 days of age were infused with KCl 2 mEq/Kg in 20 ml of isotonic saline over 15 min. Blood samples were drawn at 5, 15, 30 and 60 min. after the start of the infusion for measurements of plasma aldosterone and PRA by RIA and serum sodium and potassium by flame photometry. The serum potassium levels increased from a M and SEM baseline of 4.6 ± .005 mEq/L to 6.4 ± 0.4 (p<.05) at 15 min. and 6.4 ± 0.2 (p<.05) at 30 min. decreasing to 5.6 ± 0.3 at 60 min after starting the potassium infusion. Plasma aldosterone levels increased from a (M and SEM; ng/dl) base-line of 5.3 ± 0.4 to 11 ± 1.1 at 15 min. (p<.01), 12.8 ± 2.3 at 30 min. (p<.05) and 19.5 ± 7.2 at 60 min. There were no changes in PRA, Hct, serum Na, or blood pressure during the 60 min. study. These results show that potassium is capable of stimulating aldosterone in the newborn lamb, while not depressing PRA.
Modern management of hypervascular placental polypoid mass following spontaneous abortion: a case report and literature review

Hypervascular placental polypoid mass is a possible source of acute hemorrhage after pregnancy. We present a case report and literature review of a rare case after spontaneous miscarriage. We describe the diagnosis, imaging, and management of placental polyps, which includes the use of iliac artery occlusion catheters with concomitant hysteroscopic resection.
Functions of ann-dimensional Brownian motion that are Markovian

Letf be a continuous function fromR n toR and letX(t)=(X 1 (t), …, X n (t)) be a Brownian motion onR n . The explicit form off necessary in order to makef(X(t)) a Markov process is determined.
Transitioning to single-incision laparoscopic inguinal herniorrhaphy.

Background Laparoendoscopic single-site surgery (LESS) offers cosmetic benefits and may represent further progress towards reducing the invasiveness of surgical interventions. We report our initial experience with LESS totally extraperitoneal (TEP) inguinal herniorrhaphy. Materials and methods Beginning March 2009, we transitioned from a multiport laparoscopic TEP (MLH) technique to a single-incision TEP (SITE) technique. The first 52 consecutive patients who underwent SITE at our institution were compared with the preceding 52 MLH repairs. Results Of the first 52 patients undergoing SITE, there were no conversions to either open or multiport surgery. The mean operative time for the SITE cases did not differ significantly from that of MLH. Complications were equivalent between the 2 groups and included postoperative seroma and urinary retention. Conclusions Transitioning from MLH to SITE was readily accomplished without significantly altering operative time or morbidity.
Thermodynamics and Osmoregulation

DURING a recent meeting concerning renal function one of the speakers suggested that the reason for the high metabolic rate of the mammalian kidney might be further investigated since very little energy seems to be used in forming the urine. The allusion was to a computation by Borsook and Winegarten1 showing that the thermodynamic efficiency of the kidney is about 1 per cent. However, the inference, encountered not infrequently, and not only in connexion with renal function, is based on a misunderstanding of the nature of the computation.
Evolution of Multicompartment Micelles to Mixed Corona Micelles Using Solvent Mixtures

Miktoarm star triblock copolymers μ-[poly(ethylethylene)][poly(ethylene oxide)][poly(perfluoropropylene oxide)] self-assemble in dilute aqueous solution to give multicompartment micelles with the cores consisting of discrete poly(ethylethylene) and poly(perfluoropropylene oxide) domains. Tetrahydrofuran is a selective solvent for both the poly(ethylethylene) and poly(ethylene oxide) blocks, and thus in tetrahydrofuran mixed corona micelles are favored with poly(perfluoropropylene oxide) cores. The introduction of tetrahydrofuran into water induces an evolution from multicompartment micelles to mixed corona [poly(ethylethylene) + poly(ethylene oxide)] micelles, as verified by dynamic light scattering and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. A mixed solvent containing 60 wt % tetrahydrofuran corresponds to the transition point, as verified by analysis of a poly(ethylethylene)-poly(ethylene oxide) diblock copolymer in the same solvent mixtures. Furthermore, cryogenic transmission electron microscopy sugg...
The mouse liver aldehyde oxidase locus (Aox).

Wide variability has been demonstrated in the properties and presumably the genetic constitution of aldehyde oxidases of 30 different strains of inbred mice. Genetic control of aldehyde oxidase (Aox) has been shown to reside in linkage group XIII and to be 9.6±0.4 recombination units from isocitric dehydrogenase (Id-1) and 28.3±3.5 recombination units from dipeptidase-1 (Dip-1). On the basis of these data and a recombination percent of 23.5±3.9 for Id-1 and Dip-1, the following gene order was deduced: Aox-Id-1-Dip-1. Furthermore, aldehyde oxidase activity was shown to be independent of adrenal influence and to have no clear-cut survival value for animals treated with large doses of N1-methylnicotinamide.
Interferon enhances antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity when suboptimal concentrations of antibody are used.

Abstract Polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) and killer (K) cells isolated from buffy coats from normal volunteers were tested for antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) against chicken erythrocytes (CRBC) with and without the addition of interferon (IFN). Maximum enhancing activity was found when the anti-CRBC antibodies in the ADCC reaction were at suboptimal concentrations. All three species of pure recombinant Escherichia coli -derived interferon were compared for their ability to enhance ADCC in both effector systems. Recombinant IFN-γ was found to be effective at lower doses than recombinant IFN- α A or recombinant IFN-β, although maximum activity for all three species was similar in the PMN system. IFN-γ also enhanced K-cell ADCC but to a lesser extent than in the PMN system. There appeared to be individual variation in response of the K-cell ADCC system to IFN- α A and IFN-β at the doses tested.
Cosmetic Surgery: Feminist Perspectives

Cosmetic surgery is gaining popularity not only in the U.S., but worldwide. The sheer number of procedures being performed makes it seem “normal,” and in the statistical sense it is. Feminist therapists are likely to have clients who are contemplating undergoing one or more of these procedures. Therapists ought to help their clients to understand the motivations underlying a decision to undergo surgery for the sake of improving on nature. In the final analysis, the decision belongs to the woman who may be placing her life at risk to achieve some desired end. The therapist can play a role in helping her to weigh the risks and what will be accomplished in the end.
A solution to the fundamental linear fractional order differential equation.

This paper provides a solution to the fundamental linear fractional order differential equation, namely, (sub c)d(sup q, sub t) + ax(t) = bu(t). The impulse response solution is shown to be a series, named the F-function, which generalizes the normal exponential function. The F-function provides the basis for a qth order "fractional pole". Complex plane behavior is elucidated and a simple example, the inductor terminated semi- infinite lossy line, is used to demonstrate the theory.
A new model for physician-patient communication

The E4 model for physician-patient communication is presented with specific techniques for implementing the model. Derived from an extensive review of the literature on physician-patient communication, the model has proved to be a useful tool in workshops for and coaching of physicians regardless of specialty, experience or practice setting. Information on how to obtain descriptive materials about the workshop and an annotated bibliography is included.
Common vaginal and vulvar disorders

Vaginal and vulvar disorders are among the leading causes for women to visit a health care professional. Therefore, it is important to have a basic understanding of these diseases. Although rarely life threatening, these disorders can impact significantly a woman's sexual function and sense of well-being.
Effects of acute ethanol on indices of cognitive-behavioral performance in rats.

Abstract The present experiment examined the effects of ethanol on several complex operant behaviors in rats. Tasks included: temporal response differentiation (TRD) to assess timing behavior; differential reinforcement of low response rates (DRL) to assess timing and response inhibition; incremental repeated acquisition (IRA) to assess learning; conditioned position responding (CPR) to assess auditory, visual, and position discrimination; and progressive ratio (PR) to assess motivation. Ethanol (0.0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 3.0 g/kg via orogastric gavage) reduced accuracy and/or percent task completed for the TRD, DRL, and CPR tasks. For CPR, this reduction was accompanied by a reduction in response rates. Ethanol also reduced response rates on the PR task. There were no effects of ethanol on IRA performance. These data suggest that ethanol can selectively impair performance on cognitive-behavioral tasks and that these effects can occur at doses that do not affect the subjects' ability to respond. Published by Elsevier Science Inc.
Comparison of electroporation thresholds of cardiac cell membranes by rectangular and exponential pulses

Electroporation may be a mechanism for injury to the cardiac cell membrane during electrical defibrillation, if excessive levels of shock are applied. A cell-attached patch-clamp study of single rat ventricular myocytes was conducted to determine whether the voltage thresholds for electroporation differ for two commonly used waveform shapes with widely different tilts: 5 ms rectangular (0% tilt) and 5 ms truncated exponential (67% tilt). When threshold was measured as leading edge voltage, the exponential pulses had, on average, a significantly higher threshold and shorter latency delay for electroporation compared with the rectangular pulses. Therefore, high-tilt exponential pulses may produce less injury via electroporation compared with rectangular pulses.
An Expression Map from Human Chromosome 14q24.3

We have constructed an expression map of chromosome 14q24.3 between markers D14S42 and D14S63. cDNA selection with YACs from 14q24.3 was used to generate expressed sequence tags (ESTs). The localization of ESTs was confirmed on a YAC contig. PCR products of ESTs were used as probes to screen cDNA libraries leading to the isolation of transcripts for known and unknown genes. In total, the expression map contains 7 known genes previously mapped to 14q24.3, 6 cDNA transcripts, and 15 anonymous ESTs. The addition of 21 unique transcribed loci from an approximately 5- to 7-Mb region of chromosome 14q24.3 will facilitate future efforts to identify human disease genes from this region.
Toll-like receptor 4 expression in decidual cells and interstitial trophoblasts across human pregnancy.

Problem Toll receptor-4 (TLR-4) protects against gram-negative bacteria expressed lipopolysaccharide and “danger signals” from injured or dying cells. Although decidual cells (DCs) and interstitial trophoblasts (ITs) are in close contact, TLR-4 has been studied extensively only in ITs.
Determinants and Consequences of Jury Racial Diversity: Empirical Findings, Implications, and Directions for Future Research

One of the ideals underlying any jury system is that those groups of citizens charged with the responsibility of deciding cases should be representative of the communities from which they are selected. Anecdotal and empirical data suggest that reality often falls short of this ideal, however, as many empanelled juries are less diverse than community demographics would dictate. This article reviews the obstacles that stand in the way of jury diversity and typically, by association, jury representativeness. These range from system-related problems regarding jury source lists and summonses to more psychological considerations such as the pervasive, yet difficult-to-identify impact of race on attorneys' jury selection judgments. Drawing on psychological theory and findings, the implications of the failure to empanel diverse juries are also examined, both in terms of laypeople's attitudes toward the legal system as well as the actual decision-making performance of juries. Policy changes intended to promote diverse, representative juries are considered, as are specific directions for future research.
Eye position signals in the flocculus of the monkey during smooth-pursuit eye movements

1. Discharges of Purkinje cells and mossy fibres were recorded from the flocculus of monkeys trained to fixate a small visual target and to track the target when it moved slowly. 2. Discharges of Purkinje cells changed tonically with shifts of gaze. Firing rates were linearly related to eye positions for either the entire or more than half the eye-position range in 12·6% of Purkinje cells tested (76/603 units). 3. The eye position-related activity (position component) was observable in these cells also during smooth-pursuit eye movements. It was typically seen during slow eye movements (velocities less than 10 deg/s) but became undetectable during high velocity movements (faster than 50 deg/s). 4. The position component became prominent when smooth pursuit was executed at the preferred loci of the individual cells. In the majority of the cells tested at their preferred loci, the position component was observable to a relatively high frequency, such as 0·5 Hz (± 10 deg; peak velocity 31 deg/s). 5. Forty-five mossy fibre units showed saccade-related bursts and position-related intersaccadic tonic activity during steady eye position. In each unit, the position component was found only during fixations within a specific range of eye positions. During fixations outside these regions, all position-related mossy fibres were completely silent. 6. During sinusoidal smooth-pursuit eye movements, the mossy fibres also displayed cyclic modulations in activity. All fibres discharged with eye movements in one direction and were silent during eye movements in the other direction. 7. Saccade-related bursts from mossy fibres led the onset of saccades, ranging from 0 to 19 ms with a mean lead-time of 6·9 ms. This observation negates the possibility that the position-related signals might represent proprioceptive impulses from the stretch receptors of the extraocular muscle.
Energetics of surface‐active terrestrial salamanders in experimentally harvested forest

Environmental temperatures affect nearly all aspects of ectotherm physiology, including terrestrial salamanders. Therefore, habitat disturbances that alter temperature regimes may interact with physiological processes to affect energy budgets of salamanders or constrain surface activity and possibly lead to changes in population-level parameters. We hypothesized that warmer surface temperatures following harvesting of canopy trees could cause surface-active salamanders to expend more energy for metabolism, potentially leaving a smaller proportion of the energy budget available for reproduction or storage. From 2006 to 2008, we quantified temperature regimes of salamander refugia in a field experiment replicated at 4 sites that included plots subjected to a timber harvest and plots not manipulated during this time period. At each site, we quantified temperature regimes in regenerating forest stands which, approximately 10 years earlier, experienced a range of harvest intensity from shelterwood to silvicultural clearcut. Further, we compared energetic parameters including 1) calories required to maintain homeostasis across an active season, 2) abundance of available potential energy (i.e., invertebrate prey), and 3) a measure of growth and storage (i.e., body condition index) among silvicultural treatments for surface-active salamanders. For surface-active eastern red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus), mean calories required for maintenance were approxi- mately 33% greater in recently harvested forest compared to unharvested controls, but body condition was inconsistent among treatments, and invertebrate abundances were similar among treatments but differed by study site. In contrast, we did not detect a treatment effect in any energetic metric 8-14 growing seasons after harvesting. Given that surface-active salamanders in recently harvested forest may be forced to restrain behaviors associated with foraging and mating or trade-off growth or reproduction for increased basic maintenance costs, energetics may be an important but overlooked short-term contributor to observed changes in abundances, reproductive demography, or surface activities after timber harvesting. Managing for both the rapid recovery of understory vegetation and retention of large stumps and logs may help mitigate warming of microclimate for salamanders and should be considered further. 2011 The Wildlife Society.
Aristophanes vs. Socrates

In Plato’s Apology, Socrates claims that phthonos and diabolē caused Aristophanes to become one of his accusers. Either Socrates is blowing things out of proportion because Aristophanes was clearly just kidding around, or we are wrong to pass Aristophanes’ humour off as ‘just kidding around.’ In this paper, I defend the second alternative. I argue that Aristophanes is a specific kind of social conservative and that Socrates was the sort of social liberal that bothered Aristophanes. I conclude that Clouds is not innocent, but is, as Socrates claimed, driven by phthonos and diabolē.
Ratio independent cyclic A/D and D/A conversion using a recirculating reference approach

In this paper, a new method is described which uses switched capacitor techniques to implement cyclic A/D and D/A converters. By periodically modifying the reference voltage to compensate for the nonideal signal transfer loop gain, it is possible in principle to build analog-digital (A/D) and digital-analog (D/A) converters whose linearity is independent of component ratios and which occupy only a small die area. These converters require two moderate-gain MOS operational amplifiers, one comparator, and a few capacitors.
Effects of spin contamination on estimating bond dissociation energies of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

The objective of this work is to investigate the impact of spin contamination on the prediction of the enthalpies of formation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) radicals and of the bond dissociation energies of their precursor molecule. These PAH radicals play a major role in the mass growth of soot precursors leading ultimately to the first soot particles. In this work, we highlights the errors due to spin contamination by comparing spin-unrestricted open-shell calculations (UHF, UMP2, and Quadratic CI singles and doubles [QCISD(T)]) with spin-restricted open-shell calculations (ROHF, ROMP2, and ROCCSD(T)). The results suggest that one should be very careful using any of the spin-unrestricted methods (even QCISD (T)) unless the 〈S^2〉 values are extremely close to the theoretical value. Following these observations, we propose a new set of best-estimates for the enthalpies of formation of these critical PAH radicals using spin-restricted open-shell ROMP2 and RCCSD(T) calculations.
Mobile agent based progressive multiple target detection in sensor networks

In this paper, we study the multiple target detection problem in sensor networks. Due to the unique features possessed by sensor networks, the multiple target detection approach has to be energy-efficient and bandwidth-efficient. The existing centralized solutions cannot satisfy these requirements. We present a progressive decentralized detection approach based on the classic Bayesian source number estimation algorithm. The progressive approach is realized by a mobile agent framework, where instead of each sensor sending raw data to a central unit, each sensor processes data locally and a mobile agent is dispatched from the central unit and migrates in the network updating the estimation progressively. Experimental results show that this approach can achieve progressive accuracy with the migration of mobile agent and reduce data transmission dramatically.
Aquaporin 5 expression is altered in ovarian tumors and ascites-derived ovarian tumor cells in the chicken model of ovarian tumor.

Background Aquaporin 5 (AQP5), a member of the aquaporin family of transmembrane channel proteins, is involved in water transport and cellular proliferation in various tumors. The objective of this study was to determine cellular localization of aquaporin 5 (AQP5) in the ovarian tumors of chicken, a preclinical model for human ovarian tumor and to determine if AQP5 mRNA and protein expression levels in cancerous chicken ovaries and in ascites-derived chicken ovarian cancer (COVCAR) cell lines are different from normal ovaries and normal ovarian surface epithelial (NOSE) cells, respectively.
Growth, Leaf Characteristics, and Spore Production in Native and Invasive Tree Ferns in Hawaii

Abstract The Australian tree fern Sphaeropteris cooperi is an invasive species in Hawaiian wet forests where it displaces Cibotium, the dominant native Hawaiian tree fern, where they co-occur. This study was undertaken in order to assess the relative growth rates and reproductive potential of S. cooperi and the native Cibotium species. Field measurements of growth rates, fertile frond production and leaf traits were made monthly over the course of one year. Sphaeropteris cooperi had a significantly higher growth rate, both in terms of height increase and frond production, and maintained four times more fronds than the native Cibotium species. The mean annual height increase of the invasive tree fern was 15 cm compared to 2 to 3 cm for the native tree ferns. The leaf mass per area of S. cooperi was significantly lower than that of the native Cibotium species, and the leaf life span was significantly shorter, suggesting that the cost of construction of the invasive species' fronds was relatively low. Sphaer...
P2X Receptor-Mediated Modulation of Sensory Transmission to the Spinal Cord Dorsal Horn:

In the somatosensory system, P2X receptors are expressed on both peripheral and central terminals of primary afferent neurons. Those expressed on peripheral terminals are activated in response to both nociceptive and innocuous stimuli, whereas those at central terminals (“central terminal P2X receptors”) play an important role in modulating sensory transmission to the spinal cord dorsal horn. The author reviews recent studies on the central terminal P2X receptors. It is proposed that central terminal P2X receptors, once activated, may be involved in both central sensitization and initiation of pain. Thus, these receptors may repesent a promising target for therapeutic management of pathological pain.
Production Smoothing of Economic Lot Sizes with Non-Decreasing Requirements

This paper considers the problem of finding a production schedule, in terms of how much to produce in each period, that minimizes the total cost of supplying known market requirements for a single product. The costs include a concave production cost, a concave inventory cost, and a piecewise concave cost of changing the production level from one period to the next. Assuming that there is no backlogging of requirements and that the market requirements are monotone increasing, i.e., not decreasing from period to period, the form of the minimum cost production schedule is obtained. This form is then exploited in a dynamic programming algorithm to provide an efficient means of exactly determining the minimum cost schedule. An interesting calculation reducing theorem is also developed to further enhance the efficiency of the dynamic programming algorithm.
INCREASING INTRASPECIFIC DIVERSITY ENHANCES SETTLING SUCCESS IN A MARINE INVERTEBRATE

Theoretical and empirical research during the last decade suggests that increasing species richness often enhances ecosystem processes such as productivity, nutrient cycling, or resistance to disturbance. By analogous reasoning, it can be hypothesized that genetic diversity within species will have equivalent effects; however, this hypothesis has rarely been tested. We present experimental support for the positive effects of intraspecific diversity on a key trait: larval settlement in a marine invertebrate, the barnacle Balanus improvisus. Varying within-species diversity levels of an animal over nine experiments, we found increasing larval settlement with increasing diversity (one, two, or three parental broods). Possible mechanisms explaining this pattern include: (1) facilitation of gregarious response through the presence of founder genotypes, and (2) ensuring genetic complementarity to increase future reproductive potential. Our results indicate that changing intraspecific genetic diversity could have hitherto unrecognized community-scale implications for larval recruitment and space occupancy.
Functions of transmembrane domain 3 of human melanocortin-4 receptor

The melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) is a G protein-coupled receptor critical for maintaining energy homeostasis. Transmembrane domain 3 (TM3) of MC4R contains residues that were suggested to be essential in ligand binding and signaling. Several MC4R mutations in TM3 are associated with human obesity. To gain a better understanding of the functions of TM3, we analyzed the functions of 26 residues in TM3 using alanine-scanning mutagenesis. We showed that all mutants had normal cell-surface expression. Four mutants were defective in ligand binding and signaling and six mutants had normal ligand binding but impaired cAMP production. L140A had increased basal cAMP level. To further characterize the function of L140, we generated 17 additional L140 mutants. Fifteen L140 mutants had significantly decreased cell-surface expression, with L140R and L140V expressed normally. Ten L140 mutants had increased basal cAMP activities. Four L140 mutants were defective in ligand-stimulated cAMP generation. Interestingly, with the ERK1/2 pathway, we showed that nine constitutively active mutants had similar levels of basal pERK1/2 as that of WT, and two signaling defective mutants had similar levels of pERK1/2 as that of WT upon agonist stimulation, different from their cAMP signaling properties, suggesting biased signaling in these mutant receptors. In summary, we identified 13 residues in TM3 that were essential for ligand binding and/or signaling. Moreover, L140 was critical for locking MC4R in inactive conformation and several mutants showed biased signaling in cAMP and ERK1/2 signaling pathways.
Active and Passive Control of Supersonic Impinging Jets

The behavior of supersonic impinging jets is dominated by a feedback loop due to the coupling between the fluid and acoustic fields. This leads to many adverse effects when such flows occur in short takeoff and vertical landing aircraft, such as a significant increase in the noise level, very high unsteady loads on the nearby structures, and an appreciable loss in lifting during hover. In earlier studies, it was demonstrated that by using supersonic microjets one could disrupt the feedback loop that leads to substantial reductions in the aforementioned adverse effects. However, the effectiveness of control was found to be strongly dependent on the ground plane distances and the jet-operating conditions. The effect of various microjet control parameters are investigated in some detail to identify their influence on control efficiency and additional insight is provided on the physical mechanism behind this control method. Parameters studied include microjet angle, microjet pressure, and the use of microtabs instead of microjets. These results indicate that by choosing appropriate control parameters it should be possible to devise a control strategy that produces optimal control for the entire operating range of conditions of the supersonic impinging jet. Moreover, the experimental results provide convincing evidence of the generation of significant streamwise vorticity by the activation microjets. It is postulated that the generation of streamwise vorticity and its evolution in the jet flow might be one of the main physical phenomena responsible for the reduction of flow unsteadiness in impinging jets.
Creation and loss of sociotechnical capital among information professionals educated online

One goal of library and information science (LIS) education is for graduates to engage with the profession and interact with one another throughout their careers. The increase over the last decade in online distance learning options for LIS students presents a challenge to educators with respect to this goal: are students who earn the degree online sufficiently connected with one another to encourage the growth of lasting and productive professional networks? This article examines this question by looking at creation and loss of sociotechnical capital among LIS distance education graduates. The findings indicate that LIS educators should consider sociotechnical capital issues at the individual, interpersonal, and cohort level to support shared, lasting professional contributions.
Analysis of pesticide gas cartridges.

range consisting of 50-150% of the target concentration for both ingredients. The coefficient of variation for the replicate analyses of gas cartridges over multiple days was 99% of the time.
Synthetic receptors for peptides

A part of a project directed toward predicting the binding properties of receptors for molecules of biological interest, we have synthesized and studied several synthetic receptors for simple peptides. We describe here the enantioselective binding properties of one of these molecules and structural studies of its complexes.
Dynamic Programming and Graph Algorithms in Computer Vision

Optimization is a powerful paradigm for expressing and solving problems in a wide range of areas, and has been successfully applied to many vision problems. Discrete optimization techniques are especially interesting since, by carefully exploiting problem structure, they often provide nontrivial guarantees concerning solution quality. In this paper, we review dynamic programming and graph algorithms, and discuss representative examples of how these discrete optimization techniques have been applied to some classical vision problems. We focus on the low-level vision problem of stereo, the mid-level problem of interactive object segmentation, and the high-level problem of model-based recognition.
A sensitivity based placer for standard cells

We present a new timing driven method for global placement. Our method is based on the observation that similar net length reductions in the different nets that make up a path may not impact the path delay in the same way. For each net in the design, we compute the net sensitivity, or the path delay reduction as a result of net length improvements. We use very accurate delay models that include the impact of waveform slope and driver loading effects. Our new timing driven algorithm uses the sensitivity information to focus on nets that have the greatest impact on improving the worst circuit paths. Our method significantly improves the worst path delay over existing published work on industry circuits.
Toward Learning and Evaluation of Dialogue Policies with Text Examples

We present a dialogue collection and enrichment framework that is designed to explore the learning and evaluation of dialogue policies for simple conversational characters using textual training data. To facilitate learning and evaluation, our framework enriches a collection of role-play dialogues with additional training data, including paraphrases of user utterances, and multiple independent judgments by external referees about the best policy response for the character at each point. As a case study, we use this framework to train a policy for a limited domain tactical questioning character, reaching promising performance. We also introduce an automatic policy evaluation metric that recognizes the validity of multiple conversational responses at each point in a dialogue. We use this metric to explore the variability in human opinion about optimal policy decisions, and to automatically evaluate several learned policies in our example domain.
Can varying velocity conditions be one possible explanation for differences between laboratory and field observations of bacterial transport in porous media

Abstract Laboratory column experimental results are frequently used to estimate field-scale, fecal bacterial transport distances. However, it is not uncommon for fecal bacteria to be observed at greater distances than predicted by up-scaling laboratory results. Fluctuating or varying velocity conditions is one complex in-situ condition that might account for such inaccurate prediction, yet it is often neglected in laboratory column experiments. In this study, one-dimensional, laboratory column experiments were performed under both constant and varying velocity conditions using 2 µm microspheres and 100 µm glass beads to simulate bacterial transport in saturated porous media. Particle breakthrough curves and particle concentrations retained in the column at the end of an experiment were obtained for five constant and three varying velocity conditions. The range of constant velocities investigated was between 3.17 m/day and 27.65 m/day. For varying velocity conditions, the velocity was steadily increased and/or decreased over the period of the experiment within the same range. Results from the constant velocity experiments were successfully modeled using first order, irreversible particle attachment kinetics. The irreversible attachment coefficients obtained from the constant velocity experiments were used to derive a power function relationship between a dimensionless irreversible attachment coefficient, K i * and velocity, v. This relationship was then used to model the varying velocity experiments, with limited success (NRMSE > 10% for all model fits). A comparison of K i * values obtained from direct fitting of the varying velocity tests, with the K i * values derived from the results of the constant velocity experiments, revealed a potential dependence of K i * on the rate of change of velocity. Observed particle breakthrough curves (BTCs) for the varying velocity experiments were also modeled using a constant value of K i * based on the average velocity of each experiment. The results of this modeling under-estimated observed maximum breakthrough concentrations for the column experiments where velocity increased, and especially under conditions where velocity increased then decreased. Overall, the results of this study point to the need for better understanding of how varying velocity conditions impact bacterial transport in the field.
The Scientific Basis of Closed Functional Management of Fractures

Early function, load bearing, and motion of joints present in a limb during the treatment of fractures challenged many of the traditional concepts of conservative and surgical management of fractures. Thus it became important for us to address those differences which arose concerning the importance of the principles adhered to in the past in the management of fractures and their relationship to fracture bracing. In an effort to gain a better understanding of why fracture bracing techniques were clinically successful, a series of studies were conducted in our research laboratories (Sarmiento, Latta). A synopsis of the important aspects of this research is provided below.
The Philosophy of Hegel: German Idealism and the young Hegel

The story of the “young Hegel” – Hegel in the earliest years of his development before the writing of the Phenomenology of Spirit – is one that has been told from a number of different and not necessarily incompatible perspectives: some have read it as the story of a young man focused on political issues and the task of being a philosophical educator of some sort, while others have read it as the story of a former seminarian whose concern for essentially theological issues gave way to a critical stance on existing forms of religion and moved him to systematic philosophy. However partial these readings may be, they share a correct view: an exploration of the philosophical development of the young Hegel is a crucial point of departure for anyone trying to make sense of who Hegel became and what we can take Hegelianism to be as a result. In this chapter, I shall take up the question of Hegel's philosophical development with two particular concerns in mind: (a) the general intellectual background of the post-Kantian world that is the common framework for German Idealism and early German Romanticism, and (b) Hegel's interest in the issues posed within that intellectual world. (The small German town of Jena turns out to be unusually important for both.) What will emerge at the end of this period is a Hegel whose philosophical views have been shaped importantly by a concern with the range of questions of interest to idealists and Romantics both, but whose individual contributions have begun to look distinctive against that general intellectual environment.
Singular perturbation of semi-linear reaction-convection equations in a channel and numerical applications

In this article, we investigate a way to analyze and approximate singularly perturbed convection-diffusion equations in a channel domain when a nonlinear reaction term with polynomial growth is present. We verify that the boundary layer structures are governed by certain simple recursive linear equations and this simplicity implies explicit pointwise and norm estimates. Furthermore, we can utilize the boundary layer structures (elements) in the finite elements discretizations which lead to the stability in the approximating systems and accurate approximation solutions with an economical mesh design, i.e., uniform mesh.
Precision measurement of the magnetic moment of the Σ - hyperon

The magnetic moment of the ..sigma../sup -/ hyperon has been obtained from measurements of fine-structure splittings of x-ray transitions in ..sigma../sup -/ exotic atoms. The use of targets consisting of sheets of Pb or W immersed in liquid hydrogen, and of a tagging technique utilizing the ..pi../sup +/ emitted in the reaction K/sup -/p..--> sigma../sup -/..pi../sup +/, resulted in improved x-ray signal-to-noise ratio by a factor of 15 over that in previous experiments. The present result is ..mu..(..sigma../sup -/) = (-1.111 +- 0.031 +- 0. 011)..mu../sub N/. .AE
Uncertainty and Campaigns: The Psychological Mechanism Behind Campaign-Induced Priming

Campaigns change how some people vote. How campaigns have this effect is less well understood. The prevailing view is that these effects occur by changing the content of voters’ attitudes such as p...
Geographic Variation in the Least Chipmunk, Eutamias Minimus, in New Mexico and Eastern Arizona

Geographic variation in four groups of Eutamias minimus in New Mexico and eastern Arizona was studied in 1965 and 1966. Six cranial measurements were analyzed using a two-level least-squares analysis of variance. Three groups, E. m. operarius, a newly discovered population (1965) from Sierra Blanca Peak, in the White Mountains of southern New Mexico, and E. m. arizonensis, are quite similar, differing only slightly in color, whereas E. m. atristriatus is morphologically and ecologically distinct. Eutamias minimus arizonensis and the Sierra Blanca Peak population may best be referred to Eutamias minimus operarius, with no change in the status of E. m. atristriatus.
Use of an organic chelating agent in histochemical study of alkaline phosphatase activation.

SummaryA method of controlled inactivation of alkaline phosphatase in tissue sections by removal of the activating metallic component through chelation is described. The enzyme activity of alcohol-...
P1-S1.16 Estimating HIV incidence rate among stable sexual partnerships in sub-Saharan Africa

Background Empirical evidence suggests that HIV incidence rate within stable discordant sexual partnerships in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) varies between 1.2 and 19.0 per 100 person-years. Estimating HIV incidence rate within stable discordant partnerships is critical for determining the contribution of HIV sero-conversions among these partnerships to total HIV incidence. Methods We constructed a mathematical model based on competing-hazards formalism to estimate HIV incidence rate within stable discordant partnerships across 20 countries in SSA. We also used the model to analyse the patterns of HIV discordancy in SSA. The model was parameterised using Demographic Health Survey data and analyses were conducted at endemic equilibrium. Sensitivity analyses were performed to explore the dependence on the dynamical drivers of discordancy. Results Our model fitted well the empirical epidemiological measures of HIV discordancy and yielded an estimate for HIV incidence rate among discordant partnerships of 11.2 per 100 person-years (95% CI 8.9 to 13.4 per 100 person-years). HIV incidence rate ranged between 5.5 and 17.2 per 100 person-years across the countries. We also identified HIV incidence rate within stable discordant partnerships and HIV incidence rate from sources external to the partnership (or equivalently HIV prevalence) as key determinants of the variability in discordancy measures across SSA. Conclusions Our estimate for the HIV incidence rate among discordant partnerships agrees well and falls in the mid-range of empirical estimates for this measure. There is however considerable variability across the countries. Biological and behavioural factors including differences in transmission rates such as due to male circumcision, may have contributed to the variability in HIV incidence rates among discordant partnerships across SSA. More research is needed to elucidate the determinants of this variability in incidence rates.
Analysis and Implementation of Global Preemptive Fixed-Priority Scheduling with Dynamic Cache Allocation

We introduce gFPca, a cache-aware global pre-emptive fixed-priority (FP) scheduling algorithm with dynamic cache allocation for multicore systems, and we present its analysis and implementation. We introduce a new overhead-aware analysis that integrates several novel ideas to safely and tightly account for the cache overhead. Our evaluation shows that the proposed overhead-accounting approach is highly accurate, and that gFPca improves the schedulability of cache-intensive tasksets substantially compared to the cache-agnostic global FP algorithm. Our evaluation also shows that gFPca outperforms the existing cache-aware non- preemptive global FP algorithm in most cases. Through our implementation and empirical evaluation, we demonstrate the feasibility of cache-aware global scheduling with dynamic cache allocation and highlight scenarios in which gFPca is especially useful in practice.
Computation and analysis of heat transfer in the multiplayer walls

We aim at the establishment of one-dimensional physical and math model in the multiplayer walls. Heat flux and temperature distribution expr ession has been reduced and analyzed. Given an example of multiplayer walls in t he cold region, heat flux and temperature distribution are derived when temperat ure wave is attenuation and time is delayed. The result shows that the most domi nant factor is heat diffuse velocity, wave period and displacement.