cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Test response compaction for built-in self testing

Built-in self testing (BIST) offers an attractive solution to the problem of testing complex VLSI circuits. An important aspect of BIST is response compaction in which the test response is compressed in both the space and time dimensions to a compact signature. A fundamental problem with compaction is aliasing, which occurs when a faulty response maps to the fault-free signature. This thesis develops a formal theory of response compaction and presents several techniques for aliasing-free compaction of test responses. Unlike most previous techniques that assume pseudorandom tests, our methods are also applicable to deterministic (nonrandom) testing. A fundamental problem of space compaction--how much aliasing-free compaction can be achieved for a given circuit, fault model, and test set--is solved using a new graph model. We establish an equivalence between graph coloring and the design of space compactor circuits. The formal theory leads to a systematic procedure for the synthesis of space compactors. It also leads to several parity-based space compaction methods that guarantee zero aliasing. A new BIST circuit called a multiplexed parity tree is presented that combines the error propagation properties of multiplexers and parity trees. We investigate time compaction using a functional property of the circuit under test called balance. We develop the theory of balance testing and present necessary and sufficient conditions for the detection of various fault types. Complete fault coverage can be achieved with balance testing using design for balance testability (DFBT). The key idea in DFBT is to place the circuit under test in a testable framework that guarantees complete balance testability. Time compaction of test responses from processor circuits can also be efficiently carried out using accumulators that are used for normal operation. We analyze the error coverage of accumulator-based compaction schemes using a novel probabilistic technique based on the central limit theorem of statistics. Finally, we investigate composite space-time compaction in which the space and time compaction steps are merged. This is in contrast to traditional compaction schemes that separately address compaction in the space and time dimensions. We exploit the fact that response verification is equivalent to the problem of recognizing a fault-free response sequence and develop a design technique for synthesizing low-cost sequence detectors for response compaction. Extensive simulations results on fault coverage and hardware overhead for the ISCAS 85 benchmark circuits are presented, which demonstrate that low-cost, aliasing-free response compaction can be easily achieved in BIST.
A Chemical Time Machine for Mucosal Healing

Mucosal healing regenerates the mucosal complex upon injury. Mucosal repair requires sequential biologic steps paradoxically enabled or blocked by prostaglandin E2. In this issue of Cell Host & Microbe, Jain et al. (2018) find that the microbial metabolite, deoxycholate, regulates prostaglandin E2 and thus coordinates the steps of mucosal healing.
360-Degree Video Quality Evaluation

360-degree video is emerging as a new way of offering immersive visual experience. The quality evaluation of 360- degree video is more difficult compared to the quality evaluation of conventional video. However, to ensure successful development of 360-degree video coding technologies, it is essential to precisely measure both objective and subjective quality. In this paper, an overview of the 360-degree video quality evaluation framework established by the joint video exploration team (JVET) of ITU-T VCEG and ISO/IEC MPEG is provided. This framework aims at reproducing the different processes in the 360-degree video processing workflow that are related to coding. The results of different experiments conducted using the JVET framework are reported to illustrate the impact on objective and subjective quality with different projection formats and codecs.
SIGACT News Complexity Theory Column 99

To call these papers in uential would be a comic understatement. In fact, what these papers did is to help set the framework in which theoretical computer science would grow. Reductions are perhaps the most central way in which theoretical computer science relates one problem's complexity to another, and these two papers largely sculpted and powerfully explored the landscape of both polynomial-time and logspace reductions.
The Gall Midges (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) of Mountainmints, Pycnanthemum Spp. (Lamiaceae)

Six species of Cecidomyiidae are described from five galls on mountainmint, Pycnanthemum spp.: Ametrodiplosis geminata n. sp. and Dasineura laquerrarum n. sp. from two leaf bud galls, Lasioptera lorrainae n. sp. and Neolasioptera truncata n. sp. from two stem galls, Ametrodiplosis recondita n. sp. from rhizome galls and Hypogeadiplosis (n. g.) intrusa n. sp., an inquiline in the rhizome galls. The genus Ametrodiplosis is redescribed and the five previously described other Nearctic species, including Ametrodiplosis piperitae (Felt), new combination, are reviewed. The several Neolasioptera species that occur on Lamiaceae are reviewed. Neolasioptera menthae Felt is unidentifiable and is considered a nomen dubium. Changes are made to the generic key of Gagne 2018 to accommodate the new genus Hypogeadiplosis.
Pneumatosis Intestinalis After Molecular-Targeted Therapy

Background Pneumoperitoneum after surgical manipulation of the abdomen implies a perforation. Rare cases of nonoperated cancer patients, largely with gastrointestinal or genitourinary cancers, have been noted to have radiologic findings of pneumatosis intestinalis and/or pneumoperitoneum as a complication of molecular-targeted therapy (MTT) without confounding factors for perforation. We present a patient with a cranial malignancy treated with bevacizumab who subsequently manifested with pneumatosis intestinalis. Case Description A 67-year-old man with metastatic melanoma, non−small cell lung cancer, and recurrent cerebellar subependymoma was initiated on bevacizumab treatment for subependymoma recurrence. He subsequently underwent an uncomplicated ventriculoperitoneal shunt for progressive obstructive hydrocephalus, confirmed by a normal postoperative abdominal radiograph. One week later, he returned with worsening lethargy and a computed tomography consistent with pneumomediastinum and pneumoperitoneum. Due to concern for bowel perforation, the patient underwent diagnostic laparoscopy and removal of ventriculoperitoneal shunt. Focal sigmoid pneumatosis was identified without any signs of bowel perforation or ischemia. Bevacizumab was discontinued, and the patient's radiologic and clinical findings improved. Conclusions With increasing utilization of MTTs in brain tumor management, we raise MTT as a potential cause for pneumoperitoneum in neurosurgical patients. Pneumoperitoneum after extracranial procedures still requires workup and management for potential bowel perforation, but alternative causes such as bevacizumab should also be considered. Pneumatosis intestinalis patients on MTT can have benign physical examinations and will resolve, in the majority of cases, on discontinuation of the drug.
Measuring chromatic aberration in LEEM/PEEM.

Abstract Measurement of chromatic aberration in a Low Energy Electron Microscope (LEEM) or Photo Electron Emission Microscope (PEEM) is necessary for quantitative image interpretation, and for accurate correction of chromatic aberration in an aberration-corrected instrument. While methods have been developed for measuring the spherical aberration coefficient, C3, measuring the chromatic aberration coefficient, Cc, remains a more difficult task. Here a novel method is introduced to simplify such measurements. The viability and accuracy is demonstrated using detailed electron-optical ray-tracing calculations. Experimental results show that the method is easily reduced to practice.
Franco Perrelli: On Ibsen and Strindberg: The Reversed Telescope

In his 2015 monograph, Strindberg l’italiano – 130 anni di storia scenica (Edizioni di Pagina, Bari), Franco Perrelli covers the reception of the author in Italy from 1884 (which marks the visit of...
Mechanism of chemosensitization of drug-resistant MM cell lines by anit- IgG3-avidin fusion protein targeting the transferrin receptor: inhibition of the Akt pathway and downregulation of XIAP and Bcl-xL

4866 Patients with multiple myeloma (MM) are treated with chemotherapy and recently with the proteasome inhibitor Bortezomib. However, there are patients who either do no respond to such treatments or develop resistance suggesting the need of novel therapeutic approaches. We have developed an anti-human transferrin receptor IgG3-avidin fusion protein (anti-hTfR .IgG3-Av) to target the TfRwith the objective of targeting the transferrin receptor on tumor cells and induceinducing tumor cell killing with a biotinyalated toxin. We have found, however, that anti-hTfR .IgG3-Av treatment alone could inhibit tumor cell proliferation and was also cytotoxic to some but not all MM cell lines studied.. We hypothesized that the cytotoxic potential of anti-hTfR .IgG3-Av may alter the anti-apoptotic pathway of tumor cells reducingand reduce the anti-apoptotic threshold and sensitizingthus can sensitize tumor cells to apoptosis by chemotherapeutic drugs. This hypothesis was examined with IM-9 and 8226S 2 MM cell lines both of which are resistant to CDDP-induced apoptosis. Treatment of MM cells with various suboptimal concentrations of anti-hTfR .IgG3-Av followed by treatment with CDDP (non-biotinylated) resulted in significant potentiation of apoptosis and synergy was achieved. We examined the underlying mechanism of synergy. Cell treatment with anti-hTfR .IgG3-Av resulted in significant mitochondrial depolarization, activation of caspase 9 and inhibition of the anti-apoptotic gene products XIAP and Bcl-xL. The combination treatment with CDDP enhanced these effects and resulted in caspase 3 activation and apoptosis. The inhibitioninhibiton of Bcl-xL and XIAP by anti-hTfR .IgG3-Av suggested that it may inhibit survival pathways that regulate the transcription of these gene products. It has been reported that Bcl-xL and XIAP are transcriptionally regulated by the NF-κB pathway and Bcl-xL function is regulated by the Akt pathway through phosphorylation of Bad and the inhibition of Bad-Bcl-xL complexes. In addition, the Akt pathway cross-talks and also regulates the NF-κB pathway. We demonstrate that treatment of MM cells with anti-hTfR.IgG3-Av inhibited the constitutively activated Akt pathway suggesting its role in the downstream regulation of XIAP and Bcl-xL and anti-hTfR .IgG3-Av-mediated chemosensitization. These findings demonstrate that the combination of anti-hTfR .IgG3-Av and CDDP results in activation of the mitochondrial pathway for apoptosis, inhibition of XIAP and Bcl-xL which leads to synergistic apoptosis. InhibitorsInhibitors of the Akt pathway have been used clinically (example: rapamycin) and many rapamycin analogues are currently in clinical trials. The inhibition of the Akt pathway by anti-hTfR .IgG3-Av provides a novel Akt inhibitor and its potential use in cancer therapy.
Electron microscope studies on spermatogenesis. XI. On spermiogenesis of atypical spermatids of Melania libertina Gould

Die Struktur und Genese der oligopyrenen Spermien von Melania libertina Gould wurden licht- und elektronenmikroskopisch untersucht. Die atypischen Spermatiden enthalten auser den bekannten Organellen des Cytoplasmas sehr viele elektronendichte Granula, die innerhalb der erweiterten Zisternen des endoplasmatischen Retikulums zum Vorschein kommen. Ihre Grose und Form schwanken betrachtlich; die rundlichen Granula haben Durchmesser von 20 bis 80 mμ. Die Granula verschmelzen zu grosen, lichtmikroskopisch sichtbaren Korperchen, die RNA-Reaktion geben. Es wurde nachgewiesen, das die Ribonucleoproteine in partikularer Form durch die Kernporen in das Cytoplasma und weiter in die Zisternen des endoplasmatischen Retikulums ubertreten. Damit ist die Annahme berechtigt, das die in Zisternen auftretenden Korperchen keine Viren sind, sondern die aus dem Kern in die Zisternen ubergetretenen RNP-Komplexe. Eine chemische Umwandlung der RNP in PAS-reaktionpositive Substanz wurde lichtmikroskopisch nachgewiesen. Im Karyoplasma des fertigen, oligopyrenen Spermatozoons ist eine fadige Struktur zu erkennen.
The Recombinational Landscape in Daphnia pulex

Abstract Through the analysis of linkage disequilibrium from genome-wide sequencing data for multiple individuals from eight populations, the general features of the recombinational landscape are revealed in the microcrustacean Daphnia pulex. The data suggest an exceptionally uniform pattern of recombination across the genome, while also confirming general patterns that are inconsistent with existing population-genetic models for the relationship between linkage dis-equilibrium and physical distances between genomic sites. Patterns of linkage disequilibrium are highly consistent among populations, and average rates of recombination are quite similar for all chromosomes. There is no evidence of recombination hotspots, and although there does appear to be suppressed recombination in the vicinity of gene bodies, this effect is quite small. Although this species reproduces asexually in ∼ 80% of generations, the mean per-generation recombination rate per nucleotide site is ∼ 37× the per-nucleotide mutation rate. Contrary to expectations for models in which crossing-over is the primary mechanism of recombination, and consistent with data for other species, the gradient of linkage disequilibrium with increasing physical distance between sites is far too high at short distances and far too low at long distances, suggesting an important role for factors such as the nonindependent appearance of pairs of mutations on haplotypes and long-range gene-conversion-like processes. Combined with other observations on patterns of nucleotide variation, these results provide a strong case for the utility of D. pulex as a model system for the study of mechanisms of evolution in natural populations.
Tissue plasminogen activator attenuates outflow facility reduction in mouse model of juvenile open angle glaucoma

Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) has been shown to prevent steroid-induced reduction in aqueous humor outflow facility via an upregulation in matrix metalloproteinase (Mmp) expression. The purpose of this study was to determine whether tPA can rescue outflow facility reduction in the Tg-MYOCY437H mouse model, which replicates human juvenile open angle glaucoma. Outflow facility was measured in Tg-MYOCY437H mice following: periocular steroid exposure and intraocular protein treatment with enzymatically active or enzymatically inactive tPA. Effects of tPA on outflow facility were compared to those of animals treated with topical sodium phenylbutarate (PBA), a modulator of endoplasmic reticulum stress. Gene expression of fibrinolytic pathway components (Plat, Plau, and Pai-1) and matrix metalloproteinases (Mmp-2, -9, and -13) was determined in angle ring tissues containing the trabecular meshwork. Tg-MYOCY437H mice did not display further outflow facility reduction following steroid exposure. Enzymatically active and enzymatically inactive tPA were equally effective in attenuating outflow facility reduction in Tg-MYOCY437H mice and caused enhanced expression of matrix metalloproteinases (Mmp-9 and Mmp-13). tPA was equally effective to topical PBA treatment in ameliorating outflow facility reduction in Tg-MYOCY437H mice. Both treatments were associated with an upregulation in Mmp-9 expression while tPA also upregulated Mmp-13 expression. tPA increases the expression of matrix metalloproteinases and may cause extracellular matrix remodeling at the trabecular meshwork, which results in reversal of outflow facility reduction in Tg-MYOCY437H mice.
Using an Integrated Conceptual Framework to Clarify Health Problems and Assess A Community Health Planning Process: A Mid-Western USA Case Study

Within a case study design, this paper clarifies community problems, and assesses a Community Health Improvement Plan development process using a framework of explanatory models and change theories...
QuantumHammer: A Practical Hybrid Attack on the LUOV Signature Scheme

Post-quantum schemes are expected to replace existing public-key schemes within a decade in billions of devices. To facilitate the transition, the US National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) is running a standardization process. Multivariate signatures is one of the main categories in NIST's post-quantum cryptography competition. Among the four candidates in this category, the LUOV and Rainbow schemes are based on the Oil and Vinegar scheme, first introduced in 1997 which has withstood over two decades of cryptanalysis. Beyond mathematical security and efficiency, security against side-channel attacks is a major concern in the competition. The current sentiment is that post-quantum schemes may be more resistant to fault-injection attacks due to their large key sizes and the lack of algebraic structure. We show that this is not true. We introduce a novel hybrid attack, QuantumHammer, and demonstrate it on the constant-time implementation of LUOV currently in Round 2 of the NIST post-quantum competition. The QuantumHammer attack is a combination of two attacks, a bit-tracing attack enabled via Rowhammer fault injection and a divide and conquer attack that uses bit-tracing as an oracle. Using bit-tracing, an attacker with access to faulty signatures collected using Rowhammer attack, can recover secret key bits albeit slowly. We employ a divide and conquer attack which exploits the structure in the key generation part of LUOV and solves the system of equations for the secret key more efficiently with few key bits recovered via bit-tracing. We have demonstrated the first successful in-the-wild attack on LUOV recovering all 11K key bits with less than 4 hours of an active Rowhammer attack. The post-processing part is highly parallel and thus can be trivially sped up using modest resources. QuantumHammer does not make any unrealistic assumptions, only requires software co-location (no physical access), and therefore can be used to target shared cloud servers or in other sandboxed environments.
Turning Ideas into Reality for mHealth Technology Users with Disabilities

Various technology transfer models have been introduced in the literature, and those models have the potential to facilitate the design, development, evaluation, and dissemination of emerging technology. Yet, those models are less likely to be suitable to mobile health (mHealth) technology consumers who have disabilities due to lack of user-centered approach to technology transfer. To address the gap, this paper introduced an innovative framework for mHealth technology transfer to those with disabilities. The framework consists of technology concept, technology engineering, technology embedding, and ongoing participatory design. The framework is expected to contribute to usability, accessibility, and safety of consumer mHealth technology for users with disabilities, ultimately leading to enhancement of health-related quality of life and equity.
Post-traumatic stress symptomatology and displacement among Hurricane Harvey survivors

Abstract Exposure to natural disasters predisposes individuals to significant physical and mental health consequences. Research identifies a number of stressors important to determining what might exacerbate this exposure risk, as well as what types of social/psychological resources might help mitigate these negative outcomes. Using a targeted quota sample of adults (n = 316) interviewed two months after Hurricane Harvey made landfall on the Gulf Coast of Texas in August 2017, the present study examines the intersection of vulnerabilities, stressors, and resources and their relationship with post-traumatic stress symptomatology. Stress is high among this sampled group with over one-quarter of respondents reporting high enough symptoms to meet the clinical caseness criteria for PTSD. Results show significant variation across categorical groupings of post-traumatic stress symptoms; younger persons, nonwhites, and those displaced from their home during the storm were more likely to be found in the highest symptom count category. Regression results confirm the bivariate results and as hypothesized, stressors were associated with higher symptom reporting among respondents, and social and psychological resources were associated with lower symptom reporting. With one of the only studies to report these relationships between vulnerability, stressors, and resources in the post-disaster Harvey setting, our work underscores the importance of identifying who is at risk, what factors can potentially mitigate that risk, and just how severe the consequences can be for survivors requiring mental health services after a disaster. Clearly, more work is needed, particularly on the identification of resources acting as protection against the overwhelming circumstances of exposure to devastation and destruction caused by natural disasters.
Evaluation of the Effect of Aircraft Tire Inflation Pressure on Thin Asphalt Pavements

Sixteen nonstandard asphalt pavement test items were subjected to accelerated traffic testing to determine whether reductions in aircraft tire inflation pressure had a meaningful effect on pavement...
Feasibility of using global lung FDG uptake in COPD patients on PET/CT to assess the degree of pulmonary inflammation in relation to emphysema severity

517 Objectives: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of death in the United States. It causes serious long-term disabilities and early death. The goal of this study was to determine the relationship between the degree of pulmonary parenchymal inflammation and the degree of emphysema in COPD patients, using partial volume corrected FDG-PET/CT based on image segmentation and partial volume correction. Methods: 49 heavy smoker subjects (47 male; mean age 66.18y, range 51-81y) with variable amounts of centrilobular emphysema who had undergone 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) were retrospectively studied. Lung parenchymal volume (L), macroscopic emphysema volume (E) based on a -910 HU threshold mask, and non-emphysematous lung parenchyma mean attenuation (A) (in HU) were measured from CT images using the image analysis software 3DVIEWNIX. The fraction of lung emphysema was then calculated by dividing emphysema volume by lung parenchymal volume (F=E/L). Uncorrected maximum standardized uptake value of lung (USUVmax) was measured from fused PET/CT images. A first level of partial volume correction was then applied to account for varying amounts of macroscopic emphysema followed by a second level of correction to account for the mixture of air and lung parenchyma at the microscopic level. Correlation of fraction of emphysema with USUVmax, 1st level corrected-SUVmax (CSUVmax), 2nd level corrected-SUVmax (CCSUVmax), percentage of change between CSUVmax and USUVmax (%UC), and percentage of change between CCSUVmax and USUVmax (%UCC) were tested using Pearson correlation and linear regression statistical tests. Results: Lung USUVmax and CSUVmax were not significantly correlated with fraction of emphysema (r=0.02, p=0.92 and r=0.16, p=0.33, respectively). However, CCSUVmax was significantly positively correlated with fraction of emphysema (r=0.38, p=0.01). Also, %UC (r=0.98, p Conclusions: These data demonstrate that the degree of pulmonary inflammation increases with the degree of emphysema severity based on FDG-PET/CT assessment, and that partial volume correction of lung SUV measurements is essential for accurate quantification of lung disease severity. Measurement of pulmonary FDG uptake on PET/CT may therefore be useful in the diagnostic and response assessment of patients with COPD.
A Retrospective Examination of the Impact of Pharmacotherapy on Parent-Child Interaction Therapy.

Objective: Parent–child interaction therapy (PCIT) is an evidence-based approach for children aged 2–7 years with disruptive behavior problems. This study examined the effectiveness of PCIT with an...
Simulation of Z-Shaped Graphene Geometric Diodes Using Particle-in-Cell Monte Carlo Method in the Quasi-Ballistic Regime.

Geometric diodes are planar conductors patterned asymmetrically to provide electrical asymmetry, and they have exhibited high-frequency rectification in infrared rectennas. These devices function by ballistic or quasi-ballistic transport in which the transport characteristics are sensitive to the device geometry. Common methods for predicting device performance rely on the assumption of totally ballistic transport and neglect the effects of electron momentum relaxation. We present a particle-in-cell Monte Carlo simulation method that allows the prediction of the current–voltage characteristics of geometric diodes operating quasi-ballistically, with the mean-free-path length shorter than the critical device dimensions. With this simulation method, we analyze a new diode geometry made from graphene that shows an improvement in rectification capability over previous geometries. We find that the current rectification capability of a given geometry is optimized for a specific mean-free-path length, such that arbitrarily large mean-free-path lengths are not desirable. These results present a new avenue for understanding geometric effects in the quasi-ballistic regime and show that the relationship between device dimensions and the carrier mean-free-path length can be adjusted to optimize device performance.
Estimating Musical Appreciation Using Neural Network

The goal of this research is to estimate the degree to which a person appreciates a given piece of music, predict and recommend the next music piece/song. Listening to music is subjective and dynamic. Such profiles may be helpful in applications like digital forensics. For example, prisoners, people with depression or other health issues. This research work involves designing a deep learning algorithm to extract attributes of music, such as tempo, and pitch, etc. A set of such attributes is identified using attribute classification stage, to define the liking index (Li) based on the user responses, subsequently appearing as inputs to the neural network. The learning capability of the neural networks is employed to build the music profiles in response to the inputs. The attribute classification stage involves clustering using the K-means algorithm for the created music profiles. Synthetic data (user-selected set of music pieces) was created initially for testing the proof of concept. Preliminary results show that for K = 5, the classifier results show minimum outliers with well-defined clusters. Real data and steps to validate the proposed algorithm are the next steps to be carried out. After validation, the model will be tested with user data to confirm the design and its effectiveness.
Ground Water and Wells

Ground water is the largest and most widely available supply of high-quality freshwater for use in aquaculture. Many fish farmers rely on well water to fill and maintain ponds, and aquaculture often is most profitable in regions where shallow wells yield large volumes of water, such as along floodplains of major rivers. This chapter discusses features of groundwater, aquifers, and function and design of wells.
Barawa and the Anthropologist

Michael Jackson. Barawa and the Ways Birds Fly in the Sky. Washington, D.C. and London: Smithsonian Institution Press. 1986. 212pp. $18.95 (cloth).
Growth of Streptococcus mutans in an iron-limiting medium

Microbial pathogens require iron to survive and promote disease. Reports in the literature indicate that iron can potentiate infection in the human host by triggering the expression of bacterial virulence determinants [8]. Streptococcus mutans is a prevalent microorganism in dental plaque and the principal causative agent of human dental caries. This oral pathogen may respond to the changing availability of iron in the plaque environment brought about by conditions of feast or famine. Our understanding of a role for iron in S. mutans-induced caries formation is limited, however, by the lack of an appropriate test medium. In this study we applied batch chromatography to remove iron from a chemically-defined medium [7] which we subsequently reconstituted with manganese and/or magnesium. The final metal ion concentrations in this medium were confirmed by inductively coupled argon plasma (ICAP) analysis Importantly, the iron-depleted medium supported the growth of S. mutans only when supplemented with 0.01 to 10 μM iron, concentrations which are consistent with those found in human saliva. The practical applications of this medium are far-reaching and include the identification of iron sources, and iron-responsive genes and their products which may promote streptococcal pathogenesis. Other trace metals may be altered in this medium to promote investigations of their putative effect(s) on streptococcal growth and expression.
ACTH immunoactivity in normal rat tissues: modulation by hypophysectomy and adrenalectomy.

This study investigates the effect of pertubation of the normal pituitary-adrenal axis on concentrations of adrenocorticotropin (ACTH)-like immunoactivity in peripheral tissues. We used a polyclonal antibody (West antibody) to measure ACTH-like immunoactivity in glacial acetic acid extracts of five tissues in adult male rats at increasing times (1, 7, 14, and 28 days) after hypophysectomy or adrenalectomy, and in normal control rats.Concentrations of ACTH-like immunoactivity were similar to those previously reported in liver, colon, heart, and small intestine and were not significantly affected by either hypophysectomy or adrenalectomy. While hypophysectomy also had no effect in the kidney, adrenalectomy resulted in a four-fold increase in extractable immunoactivity, first noticeable at seven days (p<0.005), but increasing progressively to 28 days (p<0.0005). Gel filtration showed that most of the increase in activity in kidneys of adrenalectomized rats corresponded to the 4.5 kD form comprising most of t...
Using the water signal to detect invisible exchanging protons in the catalytic triad of a serine protease

Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer (CEST) is an MRI approach that can indirectly detect exchange broadened protons that are invisible in traditional NMR spectra. We modified the CEST pulse sequence for use on high-resolution spectrometers and developed a quantitative approach for measuring exchange rates based upon CEST spectra. This new methodology was applied to the rapidly exchanging Hδ1 and He2 protons of His57 in the catalytic triad of bovine chymotrypsinogen-A (bCT-A). CEST enabled observation of He2 at neutral pH values, and also allowed measurement of solvent exchange rates for His57-Hδ1 and His57-He2 across a wide pH range (3–10). Hδ1 exchange was only dependent upon the charge state of the His57 (k ex,Im+ = 470 s−1, k ex,Im = 50 s−1), while He2 exchange was found to be catalyzed by hydroxide ion and phosphate base ( $$ k_{{{\text{OH}}^{ - } }} $$ = 1.7 × 1010 M−1 s−1, $$ k_{{{\text{HPO}}_{4}^{2 - } }} $$ = 1.7 × 106 M−1 s−1), reflecting its greater exposure to solute catalysts. Concomitant with the disappearance of the He2 signal as the pH was increased above its pK a, was the appearance of a novel signal (δ = 12 ppm), which we assigned to Hγ of the nearby Ser195 nucleophile, that is hydrogen bonded to Ne2 of neutral His57. The chemical shift of Hγ is about 7 ppm downfield from a typical hydroxyl proton, suggesting a highly polarized O–Hγ bond. The significant alkoxide character of Oγ indicates that Ser195 is preactivated for nucleophilic attack before substrate binding. CEST should be generally useful for mechanistic investigations of many enzymes with labile protons involved in active site chemistry.
Electronically shuttered camera system for the acquisition of precise images

An accuracy requirement of ±0.011 degrees in the declination measurement of a remotely imaged munition cannot be satisfied using a conventional camera. A camera, error characterization, and error correction techniques are designed and developed that satisfy the accuracy requirement. The images are acquired and processed using an ARDEC developed data acquisition and image processing system. Based on internal testing, the developed system is expected to meet design goals during a formal certification process.
Polymeric multifunctional carboxylic acids as crosslinking agents for cotton cellulose: Poly(itaconic acid) and in situ polymerization of itaconic acid

Multifunctional carboxylic acids have been used as nonformaldehyde durable press finishing agents for cotton. In previous research we found that maleic acid (MA) and itaconic acid (IA) polymerize in situ on cotton fabric at elevated temperatures when both potassium persulfate (K2S2O8) and sodium hypophosphite (NaH2PO2) are present, thus imparting wrinkle resistance to the treated cotton fabric. We also found that MA and IA polymerize in aqueous solutions in the presence of K2S2O8 and NaH2PO2. In this research, we compared the effectiveness of poly(itaconic acid) (PIA) applied to cotton fabric as a polymer and IA applied as a monomer and allowed to polymerize in situ for crosslinking cotton cellulose. We found that IA is more effective in esterifying cotton cellulose and imparting a high level of wrinkle resistance to the fabric as it polymerizes in situ than PIA applied as a polymer. We also found that tensile strength loss of the cotton fabric crosslinked by IA polymerizing in situ as a function of fabric wrinkle recovery angle is practically the same as that crosslinked by PIA applied as a polymer. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 79: 319–326, 2001
Prostitution Taxes and Local State Building in Republican China

When we think of prostitution in Republican China, we usually think of it as having been one of the major social problems in China's most cosmopolitan cities, such as Shanghai or Tianjin. When we think of the relationship between brothels and the outside world, we usually think more about their ties to gangs and protection rackets than we do about their formal, institutional connections with the state. And when we think of prostitution's political significance, we usually limit our consideration to the realm of political discourse. Yet prostitution was an important political and fiscal issue in many places outside the major metropolises, while institutional connections between prostitution and the local state helped determine the direction and amount of local state building that took place in early twentieth-century China. These institutional connections show that rather than being simply a social problem, an extension of organized crime, or the subject of a discourse about modem morality, prostitution was important in the political and fiscal life of the local state in early twentieth-century China. To make the case that prostitution mattered fiscally and politically, this article explores how localities in late Qing and early Republican China (roughly 1900-1937) taxed female prostitution.' In virtually all provinces, at least one locality (usually the provincial capital) taxed prostitution, and the revenue from those taxes was almost always
A compaction algorithm for non-convex polygons and its application

Given a two dimensional, non-overlapping layout of convex and non-convex polygons, compaction can be thought of as simulating the motion of the polygons as a result of applied “forces.” Compaction can be modeled as a motion of the polygons that reduces the value of some linear functional on their positions. Optimal compaction, planning a motion that finds the global minimum reachable value, is shown to be NP-complete. We give a compaction algorithm that finds a local minimum by direct calculation of the new polygon positions via linear programming. We also consider the related problem of separating overlapping polygons using a minimal amount of motion and show it to be NP-complete. A locally optimum version of this problem is solved using a slight modification of the compaction algorithm. The compaction algorithm and the separation algorithm have been applied to marker making: the task of packing polygonal pieces on a sheet of cloth of fixed width so that total length is minimized. The compaction algorithm has improved cloth utilization of human generated pants markers. The separation algorithm together with a database of human-generated markers can be used to automatically generate markers that are close to human performance.
Rare Earth Doped IR Fiber Lasers For Medical Applications

Trivalent rare earth doped lasers in fluorozirconate glasses and fibers that lase between 2 and 3 μm are reviewed. There have been a large number of laser-fiber optic systems below 2pm developed for clinical microsurgery at a variety of sites. The required flexibility of the fiber optic waveguide varies with the clinical use, such as: intraocular (through a small diameter rigid tube), endoscopically accessible pulmonary and gastric mucosa (through a port of a fiber-optic endoscope of intermediate flexibility), and intra-arterial (as an integral part of a flexible catheter, which in the case of the coronaries must be very flexible so as to negotiate abrupt bends and bifurcations without damage to the vessels). Laser energy absorbed by tissue is capable of coagulation of tissue (denaturation of structural proteins), melting of fatty deposits or other structures (solid or gel to liquid phase transitions), as well as direct breakage of chemical bonds by high energy photons. It is of general interest to develop a pulsed laser system transmitted through flexible fiber optics that is capable of precise ablation of targeted tissue with minimal damage to the remaining tissue. Ideally, the device should be able to ablate any tissue because of the general absorptive properties of tissue, and not a specific chromophore such as melanin or hemoglobin, the concentration of which varies widely among tissues. Two obvious ubiquitous chromophores have been widely discussed: 1) proteins and nucleic acids whose high concentration and absorption coefficients lead to strong tissue absorption in the ultraviolet and 2) water whose strong infrared absorption bands have been widely utilized in CO2 laser surgery. Non-linear absorption occurring at very high power densities (~1 GW/cm2) has been shown to be very effective for non-invasive ocular (an optically transparent field) microsurgery at the image plane of a slit lamp, but this approach appears impractical in fiber optic systems because of similar non-linear damage mechanisms within the fiber.
Local convergence of interior-point algorithms for degenerate monotone LCP

Most asymptotic convergence analysis of interior-point algorithms for monotone linear complementarity problems assumes that the problem is nondegenerate, that is, the solution set contains a strictly complementary solution. We investigate the behavior of these algorithms when this assumption is removed.
Reversal of visceral and somatic hypersensitivity in a subset of hypersensitive rats by intracolonic lidocaine.

Chronic abdominal pain is a common gastrointestinal symptom experienced by patients. We have previously shown that IBS patients with visceral hypersensitivity also have evidence of thermal hypersensitivity of the hand and foot that is reversed by rectal lidocaine jelly. We have also recently developed an animal model of chronic visceral and somatic hypersensitivity in rats treated with intracolonic trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS). The objective of the current study was to determine the effects of intracolonic lidocaine on visceral/somatic hypersensitivity in TNBS-treated rats. A total of 20 hypersensitive rats received either 20 mg intracolonic lidocaine (n = 10) or saline jelly (n = 10). In comparison to saline jelly, intracolonic lidocaine jelly reduced responses to nociceptive visceral/somatic stimuli in hypersensitive rats. The effects were present within 5–30 min after administration of lidocaine and lasted for 6 h. Lidocaine had no effects on recovered rats or control rats that had originally been treated with intracolonic saline instead of TNBS. Local anesthetic blockade of peripheral impulse input from the colon reduces both visceral and somatic hypersensitivity in TNBS-treated rats, similar to results in IBS patients. The results provide further evidence that visceral and secondary somatic hypersensitivity in a subset of TNBS-treated rats reflect central sensitization mechanisms maintained by tonic impulse input from the colon. This study evaluates the reversal of visceral/somatic hypersensitivity in a subset of TNBS-treated rats with intracolonic lidocaine. This animal model may be used in the future to study the mechanisms of local anesthetic agents applied to the gut to reduce visceral pain.
Discussant's Response to “Food Assistance Programs and Food Security”

T he three papers in this session share a common objective of attempting to identify the role of food assistance programs on household food security. With expenditures for these programs totaling over $35 billion in 2003, assessing their effect on key outcomes such as food security is critical to understanding the target efficiency of federal food assistance efforts. Aside from a common contextual theme, the papers share methodological concerns of how to identify the causal effect of program participation on food security in the presence of possible nonrandom self-selection into transfer programs. The issue of selectivity bias confounds most nonexperimental program evaluations, and these papers are no exception. The remainder of this discussion focuses on challenges facing the identification strategy in each paper. In "Are WIC Nonrecipients at Less Nutritional Risk than Recipients? An Application of the Food Security Measure," Marianne Bitler, Craig Gundersen, and Grace Marquis attempt to identify whether the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) succeeds in providing benefits to low-income individuals at nutritional risk of health problems. The identification challenge is that comparing the nutrient intake of WIC recipients to nonrecipients may reveal a spurious positive role of the program when in fact, the superior nutritive intake of recipients may be at least partly due to self-selection into WIC. Bitler, Gundersen, and Marquis attempt to avoid this spurious link by defining nutritional risk in terms of household food insecurity. The argument posed is that because alleviating food insecurity is not a stated goal of the WIC Program, household food insecurity status is an exogenous source of identifying variation to WIC participation. The results
Was it designed to do that? Children’s focus on intended function in their conceptualization of artifacts

Do young children who seek the conceptual kind of an artifact weigh the plausibility that a current function constitutes the function intended by the object designer? Three- and four-year-olds were encouraged to question adults about novel artifacts. After inquiring about what an object was, some children were shown a function that plausibly accounted for the structural features of the object; others were shown a possible, but implausible function. Children given implausible functions were less satisfied with these responses than those given plausible functions, as shown by their more persistent attempts to ask follow-up questions about function. Accordingly, preschoolers appear to take into account matters of intentional design when assigning artifacts to conceptual kinds.
Radiation therapy for stage I lung cancer detected on computed tomography screening: results from the international early lung cancer action program

Objective The International Early Lung Cancer Action Program (I-ELCAP) is a collaborative group designed to demonstrate reduction in lung cancer mortality by using low-dose computed tomography (CT) screening to identify early stage disease in high-risk individuals. While the majority of patients with stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were treated with surgical resection, some patients were treated with definitive radiation. This study explores the characteristics and outcomes of this population.
Development and validation of two fish-based indices of biotic integrity for assessing perennial coolwater streams in Wisconsin, USA

Abstract Perennial coolwater streams (maximum daily mean water temperature 20.7–24.6 °C; 90th percentile annual exceedence flow ≥ 0.0283 m 3 /s) are common in the Laurentian Great Lakes region of North America, including the state of Wisconsin, but they lack specific and effective bioassessment tools. I used landscape-scale ecological modeling of geographically referenced data on stream location, stream and valley slope, watershed surficial geology, air temperatures, riparian and watershed land cover, watershed road and population densities, and watershed nutrient and wastewater inputs to classify Wisconsin stream sites based on water temperature, flow, and degree of environmental degradation. Fish data from sites classified as perennial coolwater were then analyzed with objective standardized procedures to develop coolwater indices of biotic integrity (IBI). Because of substantial differences in their fish assemblages, separate IBI's were formulated for cool-cold transition (20.7–22.5 °C) and cool–warm transition (22.6–24.6 °C) streams. The cool–cold transition IBI had five metrics: numbers of darter, madtom, and sculpin species, of coolwater species, and of intolerant species, and the percentages of individuals as tolerant species and as generalist feeders. Scoring criteria differed between northern and southern Wisconsin (boundary at 44.6°N latitude) for the coolwater species metric. The cool–warm transition IBI also had five metrics: numbers of native minnow, of intolerant, and of benthic invertivore species, and percentages of individuals as tolerant species and as omnivores. Scoring criteria differed between small and large streams (boundary at 200 km 2 watershed area) for the intolerant species, benthic invertivore species, and percentage tolerants metrics. In validation tests, scores for both IBI's were significantly related to independent measures of human disturbance, indicating that the IBI's would be useful tools for assessing the environmental quality of coolwater streams. However, for any given level of human disturbance, scores for both IBI's varied substantially, suggesting that multiple IBI samples from multiple sites would be needed to provide a reliable evaluation of a particular stream segment.
An online database of phonological representations for Mandarin Chinese.

A Web-based database is developed to provide psycholinguists with a large-scale phonological representation system for all Mandarin Chinese monosyllables. The construction of the system is based on the slot-based phonological pattern generator (PatPho), with an adequate consideration of the language-specific features of the Chinese phonology. Users can retrieve the relevant phonological representations through an interactive query system on the Web. The query outcomes can be saved in a number of formats, such as Excel spreadsheets, for further analyses. This representation system can be used for a variety of purposes—in particular, connectionist language modeling and, more generally, the study of Chinese phonology.
The apsidal-motion test for models of main-sequence stars

Apsidal-motion constants, k2, have been determined for models of homogeneous main-sequence stars constructed with the new 'Thomas-Fermi' opacities of Carson. These models are similar to those constructed with the 'hydrogenic' opacities of Cox and Stewart up to about 7 solar masses, but yield smaller values of k2 at higher masses. Nevertheless, the new theoretical constants are still systematically too large compared with most of the empirical constants known for members of well-observed binary systems. Uniform rotation is found to lower the theoretical constants only slightly. The effect of normal evolution during core hydrogen burning, however, produces good detailed agreement with observations. The primary of alpha Vir is probably evolving normally if Carson's opacities are adopted.