cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Arbitrary leaky-wave antenna patterns with stacked metasurfaces

Complete control of the magnitude, phase, and polarization of an antenna aperture using leaky waves supported by cascaded metasurfaces is discussed. The proposed structure consists of cascaded, tensor electric sheet admittances separated by dielectric substrates atop a ground plane. The design methodology is briefly discussed.
Preference procedures for testing the abuse liability of drugs in humans

Drug preference procedures may be used to assess the abuse liability of drugs in human volunteers. These procedures usually measure subjects' choice of a drug versus a placebo, under controlled, double-blind conditions. Depending upon the conditions of the studies (e.g. subject population, environmental conditions of testing), drugs that are known to be abused are also preferred in these laboratory procedures. To assess the abuse liability of an unknown test drug, the frequency of choice of the test drug is compared to choice of a standard drug with known abuse potential: preference for the test drug, relative to the standard, is then taken as an indicator of its relative potential for abuse. A number of methodological variables must be considered when designing and interpreting choice studies, including the characteristics of the subjects, the range of doses tested, whether choices were spaced widely apart (e.g. one a day) or closely together (e.g. one immediately after another), and whether the study was conducted under controlled laboratory conditions or in the subjects' normal daily environments. The conditions for testing the abuse liability of an unknown compound must be selected based on the existing literature with similar, known drugs of abuse.
Long-range energy transfer on DNA substrate

The technique of long-range electronic energy transfer has been used to obtain structural data on nucleic acids in solution. Fluorescent chromophores have been covalently attached via an aminoethyl linker to the 5'-terminus of a synthetic oligonucleotide. Duplexes were formed with an energy donor, fluorescein, at one end and an acceptor, tetramethyl rhodamine, at the other. The rate of energy transfer has been determined from the fluorescence decay of the donor which was measured with a picosecond photon counting system. The effects of dye:DNA interactions cause additional quenching of the donor fluorescence and must be considered in the interpretation of the energy transfer experiments. An apparent donor:acceptor distance of 40.9 angtroms was calculated for a 12 b.p. labelled duplex.
A Study of the Mesoscale Wind Circulation in a Land-Sea Breeze Regime

Abstract The mesoscale wind circulation along the central Oregon coast is investigated by use of surface data gathered during the Coastal Upwelling Experiment 2 (CUE-2). A case with prevailing NNW winds, typical of the general pattern, was studied intensely and was compared with results from a similar study for a SE flow. Buoy and coastal land station data provide time series and diurnal plots of: 1) the air and sea surface temperature; 2) the horizontal wind components; and 3) the wind speed. The case with prevailing NNW winds (26–28 July 1973) had the following important characteristics: 1) a well-defined sea breeze event with supporting coastal temperature differential and less significant land breeze; 2) the formation of an eddy south of Cape Lookout; and 3) strong upwelling and sea surface temperatures affected by surface winds. In contrast, the case with SE winds (23–24 August 1973) showed only a noticeable sea breeze event with half the coastal temperature differential of the previous case. It is s...
CHARACTERIZATION OF □κ IN CORE MODELS

We present a general construction of a □κ-sequence in Jensen's fine structural extender models. This construction yields a local definition of a canonical □κ-sequence as well as a characterization of those cardinals κ, for which the principle □κ fails. Such cardinals are called subcompact and can be described in terms of elementary embeddings. Our construction is carried out abstractly, making use only of a few fine structural properties of levels of the model, such as solidity and condensation.
Correlates of Sex-Typing in FIJI

The effects of sex-typing on self-esteem, achievement orientation, and attitudes toward women were examined in Fiji using 600 secondary school and 240 university students. As Spence and Helmreich (1978) found in the U.S., sex-typing effects were strong on all variables, with Androgynous and Masculine students scoring highest on Self-esteem, Mastery, Work Orientation and Competitiveness, and Undifferentiated students scoring lowest. Sex-typing interacted with sex on the Attitudes Toward Women Scale. The effects were stronger among secondary school students than among university students. As in the U.S., sex differences were less marked than sex-typing differences, although there were fewer sex differences on these measures in Fiji than in the U.S. The importance of instrumental traits in achievement orientation and self-esteem was confirmed in a vastly different cultural setting, suggesting the possibility of pancultural generality of sex-typing effects.
Racial Disparities In Trauma Exposure, Psychiatric Symptoms, and Service Use Among Female Patients In Veterans Affairs Primary Care Clinics

OBJECTIVE: We sought to compare female African-American (n = 84) and Caucasian (n = 99) veterans from primary care clinics at 4 Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMCs) on rates of trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder, other psychiatric diagnoses, functional status, and use of VA services and disability benefits. METHODS: Analyses were based on a cross-sectional, epidemiologic design incorporating self-report measures, structured interviews, and chart reviews. RESULTS: With the exception of higher rates of child sexual abuse among Caucasian women and higher rates of physical assault among African-American women, there were no other statistically significant racial differences across analyses. However, some clinically meaningful trends emerged, and the implications of these findings are discussed within the context of our other results. CONCLUSIONS: Among female veterans seen in VA primary care clinics, African-Americans and Caucasians do not differ dramatically with regard to the manifestation or severity of psychopathology, or in their use of relevant VA health care services and disability benefits. These data are important because women represent the fastest growing segment of the VA population after aging veterans. Further research is needed to replicate and extend these findings to ensure that female veterans' needs are adequately identified and met by VAMC providers. Language: en
Super-resolution image reconstruction for ultrasonic nondestructive evaluation

Ultrasonic testing is one of the most successful nondestructive evaluation (NDE) techniques for the inspection of carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) materials. This paper discusses the application of the iterative backprojection (IBP) super-resolution image reconstruction technique to carbon epoxy laminates with simulated defects to obtain high-resolution images for NDE. Super-resolution image reconstruction is an approach used to overcome the inherent resolution limitations of an existing ultrasonic system. It can greatly improve the image quality and allow more detailed inspection of the region of interest (ROI) with high resolution, improving defect evaluation and accuracy. First, three artificially simulated delamination defects in a CFRP panel were considered to evaluate and validate the application of the IBP method. The results of the validation indicate that both the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and the peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) value of the super-resolution result are better than the bicubic interpolation method. Then, the IBP method was applied to the low-resolution ultrasonic C-scan image sequence with subpixel displacement of two types of defects (delamination and porosity) which were obtained by the micro-scanning imaging technique. The result demonstrated that super-resolution images achieved better visual quality with an improved image resolution compared with raw C-scan images.
The Evolution of Quality in Consumer Goods

This article examines changes in the quality of consumer products over time. It begins with a historical overview of the evolution of product quality since the beginning of the twentieth century. Next, evidence that substantive quality has increased and variability has decreased is summarized. An examination of Consumer Reports data supports the hypotheses that substantive quality has increased and variability has decreased significantly in recent years. Implications for consumer behavior and marketers are discussed.
Human mobility prediction based on individual and collective geographical preferences

Understanding and predicting human mobility is a crucial component of transportation planning and management. In this paper we propose a new model to predict the location of a person over time based on individual and collective behaviors. The model is based on the person's past trajectory and the geographical features of the area where the collectivity moves, both in terms of land use, points of interests and distance of trips. The effectiveness of the proposed prediction model is tested using a massive mobile phone location dataset available for the Boston metropolitan area. Experimental results show good levels of accuracy in terms of prediction error and prove the advantage of using the collective behavior in the prediction model.
Studying genetic code by a matrix approach.

Following Petoukhov and his collaborators, we use two length n zero-one sequences, α and β, to represent a length n genetic sequence ${\alpha\choose\beta}$ so that the columns of ${\alpha\choose\beta}$ have the following correspondence with the nucleotides: $C\sim{0\choose0}$ , $U\sim{1\choose0}$ , $G\sim{1\choose1}$ , $A\sim{0\choose1}$ . Using the Gray code ordering to arrange α and β, we build a 2 n ×2 n matrix C n including all the 4 n length n genetic sequences. Furthermore, we use the Hamming distance of α and β to construct a 2 n ×2 n matrix D n . We explore structures of these matrices, refine the results in earlier papers, and propose new directions for further research.
Distribution system event detection and classification using local voltage measurements

Wide-Area Measurement Systems (WAMS) are being implemented in order to help increase situational awareness within the electric grid. These systems use Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs), devices which can measure the voltage and current within the power system. One kind of PMU is the Frequency Disturbance Recorder (FDR), which measures voltage magnitude, frequency, and phase angle at 10 data samples per second. These measurements are taken at the 120V level, resulting in a relatively low-cost, rapidly deployable alternative to other PMUs. This paper presents an approach to distribution system event detection and classification using voltage data obtained from FDRs installed around the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). This model-free classification of events will use pattern recognition techniques to help identify features that may be unique to these disturbances. Analysis will be applied to a sliding window of voltage data, and the results from each window are compared against one another in order to help determine what kind of event occurred.
Clinico-pathologic conference: 17-day-old girl with hypothermia, decreased feedings, and liver and kidney failure.

This 17-day-old African-American girl was admitted to hospital for hypothermia and decreased oral intake. She was born prematurely at 34 weeks. The mother had prolonged rupture of the membranes for...
Societal lifecycle costs of cars with alternative fuels/engines

Abstract Effectively addressing concerns about air pollution (especially health impacts of small-particle air pollution), climate change, and oil supply insecurity will probably require radical changes in automotive engine/fuel technologies in directions that offer both the potential for achieving near-zero emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases and a diversification of the transport fuel system away from its present exclusive dependence on petroleum. The basis for comparing alternative automotive engine/fuel options in evolving toward these goals in the present analysis is the “societal lifecycle cost” of transportation, including the vehicle first cost (assuming large-scale mass production), fuel costs (assuming a fully developed fuel infrastructure), externality costs for oil supply security, and damage costs for emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases calculated over the full fuel cycle. Several engine/fuel options are considered—including current gasoline internal combustion engines and a variety of advanced lightweight vehicles: internal combustion engine vehicles fueled with gasoline or hydrogen; internal combustion engine/hybrid electric vehicles fueled with gasoline, compressed natural gas, Diesel, Fischer–Tropsch liquids or hydrogen; and fuel cell vehicles fueled with gasoline, methanol or hydrogen (from natural gas, coal or wind power). To account for large uncertainties inherent in the analysis (for example in environmental damage costs, in oil supply security costs and in projected mass-produced costs of future vehicles), lifecycle costs are estimated for a range of possible future conditions. Under base-case conditions, several advanced options have roughly comparable lifecycle costs that are lower than for today's conventional gasoline internal combustion engine cars, when environmental and oil supply insecurity externalities are counted—including advanced gasoline internal combustion engine cars, internal combustion engine/hybrid electric cars fueled with gasoline, Diesel, Fischer–Tropsch liquids or compressed natural gas, and hydrogen fuel cell cars. The hydrogen fuel cell car stands out as having the lowest externality costs of any option and, when mass produced and with high valuations of externalities, the least projected lifecycle cost. Particular attention is given to strategies that would enhance the prospects that the hydrogen fuel cell car would eventually become the Car of the Future, while pursuing innovations relating to options based on internal combustion engines that would both assist a transition to hydrogen fuel cell cars and provide significant reductions of externality costs in the near term.
Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of potent NAD+-dependent DNA ligase inhibitors as potential antibacterial agents. Part 2: 4-Amino-pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidin-5(8H)-ones

A series of 4-amino-pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidin-5(8H)-ones were designed and synthesized as a novel class of inhibitors of NAD(+)-dependent DNA ligase that possess potency against Gram-positive bacteria.
Quadratic analysis of information measures for object recognition

We have been studying information theoretic measures, entropy and mutual information, as performance metrics for object recognition given a standard suite of sensors. Our work has focused on performance analysis for the pose estimation of ground-based objects viewed remotely via a standard sensor suite. Target pose is described by a single angle of rotation using a Lie group parameterization: O (epsilon) SO(2), the group of 2 X 2 rotation matrices. Variability in the data due to the sensor by which the scene is observed is statistically characterized via the data likelihood function. Taking a Bayesian approach, the inference is based on the posterior density, constructed as the product of the data likelihood and the prior density for object pose. Given multiple observations of the scene, sensor fusion is automatic in the joint likelihood component of the posterior density. The Bayesian approach is consistent with the source-channel formulation of the object recognition problem, in which parameters describing the sources (objects) in the scene must be inferred from the output (observation) of the remote sensing channel. In this formulation, mutual information is a natural performance measure. In this paper we consider the asymptotic behavior of these information measures as the signal to noise ratio (SNR) tends to infinity. We focus on the posterior entropy of the object rotation angle conditioning on image data. We consider single and multiple sensor scenarios and present quadratic approximations to the posterior entropy. Our results indicate that for broad ranges of SNR, low dimensional posterior densities in object recognition estimation scenarios are accurately modeled asymptotically.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
ENERGY TRANSFER AND PHOTOOXIDATION KINETICS IN REACTION CENTERS ON THE PICOSECOND TIME SCALE

— Picosecond 530 nm actinic and 1242 nm probe light pulses have been used to measure the kinetics of energy transfer and photooxidation in Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides R-26 reaction centers. The energy transfer rate between bacteriopheophytin and the bacteriochlorophyll dimer is 1.0 ± 0.3 ± 1011s-land photooxidation of the dimer occurs within 5 ps after the dimer reaches the first excited singlet state. Using these parameters in a simple model we are able to explain the odd result that the number of reaction centers oxidized by a saturating 530 nm actinic picopulse is only 60% of the number oxidized by a saturating CW light source.
Assembly line team sizing with absenteeism

Many manufacturers have adopted the strategy of organising assembly line workers into teams supported by a team leader. The paper's objective is to quantify how team sizing impacts productivity and profitability in the presence of absenteeism. The model focuses on the team leader's role of assisting team members, and accounts for the impact of cross-training, quality, absenteeism, and whether or not Andon is used. The results enable what-if analyses of alternative strategies for team sizing, Andon, absenteeism, and cross-training.
Perceived Institutional Ambiguity and the Choice of Organizational Form in Social Entrepreneurial Ventures

Social entrepreneurship (SE) is emerging as a common approach to meeting social needs. However, SE founders appear to be organizing under both for-profit and nonprofit organizational forms to engage in essentially the same activities. We investigate this lack of consistency regarding the choice of organizational form by examining two possible explanations: a difference in motivational goals among social entrepreneurs or perceived ambiguity regarding trends in core dimensions of the institutional environment. Overall, we argue that founder perceptions of an ambiguous institutional environment are leading to the variance in choice of organizational form for SE ventures. Both theoretical and practical directions for future research are discussed as well.
The national cancer data base report on patterns of childhood cancers in the United States

BACKGROUND Patterns of and progress against childhood cancer have been reported on multi-institution, regional, national, and international bases by several sources in the past. These sources have included clinical cooperative group trials and population-based registries. In general, the population-based surveys have excluded brain tumors of either benign or uncertain behavior. The authors of this article investigated the patterns of data reported for the period 1985-1993, motivated by their interest in assessing the potential of National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) data to 1) facilitate individual institution review and 2) cover institutions that are not members of the Pediatric Oncology Group or the Children's Cancer Group, which are both national clinical cooperative groups. METHODS Six annual calls for data, starting with a call for 1985 and 1988 cases, were issued to approximately 2100 hospitals with cancer programs (1340 programs approved by the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons and 760 other programs). The baseline data items of the NCDB included patient demography, tumor characteristics, initial treatment, and follow-up. The data for each patient were coded in the traditional manner by trained cancer registrars before being transmitted to the NCDB in standard format. RESULTS In the most recent year for which data were reported, the NCDB included 42% of all estimated U.S. childhood cancers. The cases were reported by institutions that were members of the Pediatric Oncology Group and the Children's Cancer Group as well as nonmember institutions. The distribution of diagnostic groups reported to the NCDB was generally similar to that reported to SEER, except for lymphomas and brain cancer (the NCDB series included benign as well as malignant brain tumors). The distribution of diagnostic groups reported to the NCDB did not change over the 9-year reporting period (1985-1993). With regard to ethnicity, the most varied distribution of diagnostic groups was found among African American patients. For many types of cancer, the survival of those patients reported to the NCDB was similar to that of patients included in the SEER population-based series. These cancers included Wilms' tumor (NCDB 89% vs. SEER 88%), non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NCDB 74% vs. SEER 70%), soft tissue sarcomas (NCDB rhabdomyosarcomas 70% and sarcomas 79% vs. SEER soft tissue sarcomas 71%), and neuroblastoma (NCDB 58% vs. SEER 57%). CONCLUSIONS The authors concluded that the number of brain tumors of benign and uncertain behavior being diagnosed were significant enough in number that they should be included in regional and national cancer registries that report data for clinical purposes. They further concluded that for reasons of data inclusion and institutional coverage, the NCDB will be an important data base for pediatric cancers that will warrant increased use by pediatric investigators. Cancer 1997; 80:2321-2332. © 1997 American Cancer Society.
A comparison of adult males' and females' interactions with girls and boys

The verbal interactions of adult males and females with trained girl and boy confederates were compared in an unstructured and an immediately following structured situation. Women did not respond differently based on the child's gender in either situation, while men spoke more and used longer mean length of utterances with the boys than with the girls in the unstructured situation. In the structured situation males did not respond differently to girls and boys, speaking more to both than did females. Correlations between the number of words spoken in female-child pairs were higher, suggesting a greater reciprocity of interaction, than for male-child pairs in both situations. The results are seen as reflecting the outcome of differential sex-role socialization for men and women, especially with respect to children, with females socialized to relate with others and men to need to dominate others.
SU-FF-T-46: A Prototype Radiation Therapy Picture Archive Communication System (RT PACS) Design for Clinics Implementing IGRT

Purpose: To report on the development of a prototype Radiation Therapy Picture Archive Communication System (RT PACS) needed for clinics implementing image‐guidedradiation therapy(IGRT). Methods and Materials: We have recently placed in clinical use (1) Elekta Synergy with kV Cone Beam CT(CBCT) and electronic portal imaging and (2) TomoTherapy HI‐ART with MV CT. A third IGRT machine is scheduled for June 2006. Image series sizes of over 1 GB per study have been acquired. Responding to image storage needs, we have developed an RT PACS system using “commercial‐off‐the‐shelf” components. System consists of a Storage Area Network (SAN) and specialized DICOM RT software. TeraMedica Evercore software is used to store and retrieve information via a DICOM query. The SAN is characterized by a three tier storage structure, allowing for fast access of the information used most often while keeping price reasonable by storing parts of data in slower areas. Access is provided via Logical Unit Numbers (LUN), each of which is associated with a quality of service, which determines position on the hardware and thereby access speed. Software is enabled to automatically move less frequently used files to slower areas, thereby allowing for seamless archiving. Results: DICOM data sets were successfully exported to the RT PACS. Users can search the database and retrieve stored images and RT PLANS. A web‐based viewer allows users to logon remotely from anywhere on the Hospital LAN, or if connected remotely thru VPN to view patient's treatment plans securely. Conclusions: The size of patient images sets increases dramatically with the use of CBCT and tomotherapy MV CT. Daily use of these IGRT capabilities will result in our current servers filling to capacity in less than 6 months. The prototype RT PACS appears to meet our needs regarding data storage, workflow, HIPPA, EMR and connectivity.
Is “Blank” a suitable neutral prime for event-related potential experiments?☆

We report an experiment that evaluates whether BLANK or an unrelated prime is a more suitable baseline for assessing priming for an ERP study. Sixteen subjects performed a lexical decision task with a 1 s prime-target stimulus onset asynchrony. Increased amplitude for the N400 was observed for targets in the unrelated prime condition whereas targets in the BLANK prime condition evoked activity that was more like that in the related prime condition. Theoretically, we conclude that the N400 reflects semantic integration. Pragmatically, we conclude that the BLANK prime is a better neutral prime but that unrelated primes yield stronger N400 effects.
Semantics subsystem in distributed OS formalization generating system

The Distributed OS Formalization Generating System (DOSFGS) described in this paper consists of a grammar subsystem DOSGS and a semantics subsystem DOSSS. DOSGS is a form of Context Free Grammar. DOSSS is a semantics system with an operating set. DOSGS uses the semantics subsystem DOSSS to automatically generate a simulation version of a distributed OS in three steps: abstraction, description, and refinement. DOSSS is the central component of DOSFGS. This paper discusses the data structures, operating set and functions, and working principles defining DOSSS.
Estimating cache misses and locality using stack distances

Cache behavior modeling is an important part of modern optimizing compilers. In this paper we present a method to estimate the number of cache misses, at compile time, using a machine independent model based on stack algorithms. Our algorithm computes the stack histograms symbolically, using data dependence distance vectors and is totally accurate when dependence distances are uniformly generated. The stack histogram models accurately fully associative caches with LRU replacement policy, and provides a very good approximation for set-associative caches and programs with non-constant dependence distances.The stack histogram is an accurate, machine-independent metric of locality. Compilers using this metric can evaluate optimizations with respect to memory behavior. We illustrate this use of the stack histogram by comparing three locality enhancing transformations: tiling, data shackling and the product-space transformation. Additionally, the stack histogram model can be used to compute optimal parameters for data locality transformations, such as the tile size for loop tiling.
Multi-dimensional Ramsey theorems — An example

In [1] V. Bergelson and N. Hindman used a 6-cell partition of [N]2 to show that one cannot combine their major result with the Milliken-Taylor theorem and asked if one can provide an example with fewer than 6-cells. In this note we show that their 6-cell example can be collapsed into a 5-cell example.
Proton-deuteron bremsstrahlung at 145 and 195 MeV.

Energy spectra and angular distributions have been measured for high energy gamma rays ({ital E}{sub {gamma}}{ge}20 MeV) from the {ital p}+{ital d} reaction at 145 and 195 MeV. Gamma rays were observed up to the maximum energy allowed by kinematics. A comparison is made with previous measurements for the {ital p}+{ital d} system at 140, 197, and 200 MeV. Below the free {ital pn}{gamma} threshold the general shape of the energy spectra and angular distributions are in reasonable agreement with a recent calculation of the free {ital pn}{gamma} elementary process. However, the magnitude of the predicted cross section is not in good agreement with the present data.
Tetraethylene glycol promoted two-step, one-pot rapid synthesis of indole-3-[1-11C]acetic acid

Abstract An operationally friendly, two-step, one-pot process has been developed for the rapid synthesis of carbon-11 labeled indole-3-acetic acid ([11C]IAA or [11C]auxin). By replacing an aprotic polar solvent with tetraethylene glycol, nucleophilic [11C]cyanation and alkaline hydrolysis reactions were performed consecutively in a single pot without a time-consuming intermediate purification step. The entire production time for this updated procedure is 55 min, which dramatically simplifies the entire synthesis and reduces the starting radioactivity required for a whole plant imaging study.
Loss of photoreversibility for UV mutation in E. coli using 405 nm or near-UV challenge.

Abstract E. coli mutagenized with germicidal ultraviolet light (UV) were incubated to allow for development of mutation-fixation processes. Fixation was estimated from the effects on mutation frequency of photoreactivation challenge during the first 60 min post-UV. Two different light sources were used for photoreactivation, one providing effective light primarily at 405 nm and another providing a broad range of near-UV around 365 nm. Kinetics for the loss of photoreversibility (LOP) were determined. The times for completion of LOP in wild-type cells indicated one fixation process for back mutation and another for de novo or converted suppressor mutation regardless of the light source. Using 405-nm light for photoreactivation, the LOP kinetics for back mutation and de novo suppressor mutation in uvrA cells were similar. Hence, classical observations were confirmed here. Immediately post-UV all mutation frequencies were more sensitive to near-UV than 405-nm light. Experiments with rel cells supported the idea that growth delay and inhibition of induced lexA-coordinated responses may be responsible for this early, pronounced sensitivity to photoreactivation by near UV. For back mutation and de novo suppressor mutation, the sensitivity to 405-nm light was initially small and actually increased for 10–15 min. Possibly genome conformation changes are induced by UV and this affects the efficiency of photoenzymatic monomerization of 405-nm light during the first 10–15 min after irradiation.
Origin and Evolution of Retinoid Isomerization Machinery in Vertebrate Visual Cycle: Hint from Jawless Vertebrates

In order to maintain visual sensitivity at all light levels, the vertebrate eye possesses a mechanism to regenerate the visual pigment chromophore 11-cis retinal in the dark enzymatically, unlike in all other taxa, which rely on photoisomerization. This mechanism is termed the visual cycle and is localized to the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), a support layer of the neural retina. Speculation has long revolved around whether more primitive chordates, such as tunicates and cephalochordates, anticipated this feature. The two key enzymes of the visual cycle are RPE65, the visual cycle all-trans retinyl ester isomerohydrolase, and lecithin:retinol acyltransferase (LRAT), which generates RPE65’s substrate. We hypothesized that the origin of the vertebrate visual cycle is directly connected to an ancestral carotenoid oxygenase acquiring a new retinyl ester isomerohydrolase function. Our phylogenetic analyses of the RPE65/BCMO and N1pC/P60 (LRAT) superfamilies show that neither RPE65 nor LRAT orthologs occur in tunicates (Ciona) or cephalochordates (Branchiostoma), but occur in Petromyzon marinus (Sea Lamprey), a jawless vertebrate. The closest homologs to RPE65 in Ciona and Branchiostoma lacked predicted functionally diverged residues found in all authentic RPE65s, but lamprey RPE65 contained all of them. We cloned RPE65 and LRATb cDNAs from lamprey RPE and demonstrated appropriate enzymatic activities. We show that Ciona s-carotene monooxygenase a (BCMOa) (previously annotated as an RPE65) has carotenoid oxygenase cleavage activity but not RPE65 activity. We verified the presence of RPE65 in lamprey RPE by immunofluorescence microscopy, immunoblot and mass spectrometry. On the basis of these data we conclude that the crucial transition from the typical carotenoid double bond cleavage functionality (BCMO) to the isomerohydrolase functionality (RPE65), coupled with the origin of LRAT, occurred subsequent to divergence of the more primitive chordates (tunicates, etc.) in the last common ancestor of the jawless and jawed vertebrates.
Training Future Providers in Home Care and Telehealth Technologies: A Collaborative Effort Between Nursing and Biomedical Engineering

Trends in telehealth technologies have promoted a unique collaboration between nursing and biomedical engineering faculty in a training program at the Catholic University of America. The goalof the...
On the complexity and approximation of non-unique probe selection using d-disjunct matrix

In this paper, we studied the MINimum-d-Disjunct Submatrix (MIN-d-DS), which can be used to select the minimum number of non-unique probes for viruses identification. We prove that MIN-d-DS is NP-hard for any fixed d. Using d-disjunct matrix, we present an O(log k)-approximation algorithm where k is an upper bound on the maximum number of targets hybridized to a probe. We also present a (1+(d+1)log n)-approximation algorithm to identify at most d targets in the presence of experimental errors. Our approximation algorithms also yield a linear time complexity for the decoding algorithms.
Lead and mercury mutagenesis: Role of H2O2, superoxide dismutase, and xanthine oxidase

It has been suggested that reactive oxygen intermediates (ROIs) may have a role in the genotoxic effects of lead (Pb2+) and mercury (Hg2+), but there have not been any definitive studies demonstrating a causal relationship between the induction of ROIs by these metals and mutagenesis. We previously demonstrated, using the transgenic Chinese hamster ovary cell line AS52, that low concentrations (0.1–1 μM) of Pb2+ and Hg2+ are mutagenic. In the present study, using a novel histochemical computer-enhanced image analysis technique, we demonstrate that Pb2+ and Hg2+ induce the formation of H2O2 in AS52 cells by at least two distinct mechanisms. One is characterized by the rapid induction of H2O2 following treatment of cells with concentrations of Pb2+ or Hg2+ below 0.8 and 1 μM, respectively, while the second occurs in AS52 cells treated with concentrations of Pb2+ or Hg2+ greater than 0.8 and 1 μM, respectively. Pb2+ and Hg2+ (0.1–1 μM) had no effect on the activities of partially purified catalase, glutathione peroxidase, or glutathione reductase, important enzymes involved with antioxidant defense, but these metals stimulated the activities of copper-zinc superoxide dismutase (CuZn-SOD) and xanthine oxidase (XO). Allopurinol (50 μM), a specific inhibitor of xanthine oxidase, inhibited the induction of H2O2 by Pb2+ (0.8–1 μM) and Hg2+ (1 μM) and also inhibited Pb2+- and Hg2+-induced mutagenesis. These results demonstrate that Pb2+ and Hg2+ disrupt the redox status of AS52 cells by enhancing the activities of CuZn-SOD and XO. Furthermore, the results of these studies also demonstrate that there is a causal relationship between the induction of H2O2 by these metals and mutagenesis. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 31:352–361, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Ultrasound technology for hyperthermia.

Abstract Hyperthermia (HT) is used in the clinical management of cancer and benign disease. Numerous biological and clinical investigations have demonstrated that HT in the 41–45°C range can significantly enhance clinical responses to radiation therapy, and has potential for enhancing other therapies, such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy and gene therapy. Furthermore, high-temperature hyperthermia (greater than 50°C) alone is being used for selective tissue destruction as an alternative to conventional invasive surgery. The degree of thermal enhancement of these therapies is strongly dependent on the ability to localize and maintain therapeutic temperature elevations. Due to the often heterogeneous and dynamic properties of tissues, most notably blood perfusion and the presence of thermally significant blood vessels, therapeutic temperature elevations are difficult to spatially and temporally control during these forms of HT therapy. However, ultrasound technology has significant advantages that allow for a higher degree of spatial and dynamic control of the heating compared to other commonly utilized heating modalities. These advantages include a favorable range of energy penetration characteristics in soft tissue and the ability to shape the energy deposition patterns. Thus, heating systems have been developed for interstitial, intracavitary, or external approaches that utilize properties such as multiple transducer arrays, phased arrays, focused beams, mechanical and/or electrical scanning, dynamic frequency control and transducers of various shapes and sizes. This article provides a general review of a selection of ultrasound hyperthermia systems that are either in clinical use or currently under development, that utilize these advantages as a means to better localize and control HT for the aforementioned therapies.
Moderate exercise protects mice from death due to influenza virus.

Abstract We wanted to determine if different doses of exercise, performed in the initial days after infection when the host is mounting an immune response, altered mortality, and morbidity to influenza virus infection in mice. Forty hemagglutinating units of influenza virus (A/Puerto Rico/8/34) were administered intranasally to lightly anesthetized mice. Male Balb/cByJ mice were randomized to one of three groups: sedentary control (CON); moderate (MOD) exercise (20–30 min at 8–12 m/min); or prolonged (PRO) exercise (2.5 h at 8–12 m/min). Mice exercised on a treadmill 4 h post-infection and for three more consecutive days before symptom onset. Mortality, morbidity, bodyweight, and food intake were assessed. MOD had a significantly (p = .007) higher survival (18 of 22; 82%) rate when compared to CON (10 of 23; 43%). There was no difference in morbidity between MOD and CON, despite improved survival. PRO exhibited a survival rate of 30% (p = .29 vs. CON) and demonstrated significantly higher morbidity on several days. While all groups exhibited anorexia and significant body weight loss (∼30–35%) post-infection, exercise had little effect on these variables. We demonstrate that moderate exercise, performed in the initial days after influenza infection, significantly decreased mortality in mice. Prolonged exercise led to increased morbidity and tended to decrease survival.
Identification of multiple neuropeptide Y receptor subtypes in the human frontal cortex.

Abstract Recently, we found abundant mRNA and binding sites for neuropeptide Y Y1-like receptors in the human cerebral cortex. However, an earlier study using indirect labeling methods failed to detect substantial neuropeptide Y1-like receptor binding in numerous areas of the human brain, including the cerebral cortex. To resolve the disparity in these findings, we characterized the neuropeptide Y receptor subtypes labeled with [ 125 I ]peptide YY in homogenates of human frontal cortex. Competition experiments using 100 pM [ 125 I ]peptide YY binding to human frontal cortex homogenates indicated predominantly neuropeptide Y Y2 receptors are labeled with this concentration of ligand. However, saturation analysis of [ 125 I ]peptide YY binding to frontal cortex membranes resulted in isotherms best characterized by a two-site fit. Binding of [ 125 I ]peptide YY to the high affinity (Kd=40 pM) binding site was prevented using a 100 nM concentration of the neuropeptide Y Y2 receptor agonist peptide YY-(3–36). By masking the higher affinity site, we found a low affinity [ 125 I ]peptide YY binding site (Kd=1.4 nM) exhibiting a pharmacology consistent with a neuropeptide Y Y1-like receptor. It appears that neuropeptide Y Y2 receptors are the predominant subtype labeled with low concentrations of [ 125 I ]peptide YY and that the neuropeptide Y Y1 receptor is a low affinity [ 125 I ]peptide YY binding site in the human frontal cortex.
The evolution and state-of-the-art of real-time languages

Abstract Real-time computing applications are among the very earliest of all computing applications, and their use continues to grow at a rapid pace after 40 years. Many programming languages have been used to develop today's real-time software. We attempt to define appropriate requirements for a real-time language and undertake a chronological survey and assessment of languages representative of the many real-time languages designed and used. Following the survey, we draw conclusions and speculate on what future real-time language work may or should bring.
DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS FOR A 2000 MVA SUPERCONDUCTING GENERATOR WITH ROTOR INERTIAL SHIELDING PROTECTION

ABSTRACT The principle of the double rotor superconducting machine is applied to the design of a 2000 MVA generator. The basic form of the machine is described as well as the main considerations and objectives of the design. The effects of faults are studied and compared to those of an identical conventional superconducting generator. The dynamic stability under steady-state and fault transient conditions is examined. Finally, the specific dimensions and characteristic parameters of the 2000 MVA machine are given as applied to several different designs of the free Electromechanical Inertial Shield.
Selection of numbers for magnitude production

Two procedures for the selection of numbers for use in a magnitude production experiment are discussed. The first set of numbers was derived from the numbers used by Ss in magnitude estimation; the second set of numbers, having the same range as the first, was generated in an equal-ratio series. Both sets of numbers yielded the same magnitude production curve.
Clinical aspects of pulmonary embolism

Pulmonary embolism is a common disease in the United States, affecting as many as 500,000 persons annually. Unfortunately, this disorder is commonly undiagnosed, resulting in significant excess morbidity and mortality. The clinical symptoms and signs caused by pulmonary embolism are nonspecific and may be confused with a variety of other cardiopulmonary disorders having similar presentations. However, accurate diagnostic tests are available for diagnosing pulmonary embolism, even in the face of coexistent cardiopulmonary disorders. This article describes the clinical characteristics of pulmonary venous thromboembolism, reviewing its typical symptoms and signs, its routine laboratory tests, and chest radiographic abnormalities.
An Analytical Model to Predict Condensate Retention on Horizontal Integral-Fin Tubes

Construction d'un modele analytique general pour la prevision de la surface inondee au cours de la condensation sur tube a ailette horizontal. Comparaison des resultats du modele avec des donnees experimentales pour des tubes avec un nombre d'ailettes variable entre 748 et 1378 par metre
Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of proteins: Impurities in amido black used for staining

Abstract Most lots of Amido black (CI 20470) are of low purity by spectrophotometric analysis at 620 nm, and contain several other colored components which are revealed by paper chromatography. The impurities produce different colors with some proteins in polyacrylamide gels. Absorption spectra of maize albumin, globulin, and zein stained with different lots of dye are shown.
Chaos, Naivete, and consistent conjectures☆

Abstract Bresnahan's consistent conjectures equilibrium is discussed as a more general means of avoiding chaos than naive strategies. Also, contrasting examples establish that perfectly and imperfectly competitive markets may exhibit similar, chaotic dynamics, contrary to a long-held view of industrial organization.
Odor Detection in Rats With 3-Methylindole–Induced Reduction of Sensory Input

Rats were tested on odor-detection tasks after treatment with 400 mg/kg of 3-methylindole. As revealed by anterograde transport of horseradish peroxidase from the olfactory epithelium to the olfactory bulb glomeruli, treatment produced a severe (>97%) loss in sensory input relative to untreated controls. In almost all cases, only glomeruli in a restricted ventromedial segment of the bulb contained control levels of reaction product. In Experiment 1, five of nine experimental rats were anosmic or severely hyposmic, but the remaining four rats were able to detect amyl acetate vapor. In Experiment 2, four of seven experimental rats were anosmic, but the remaining three were able to detect each of four different odors. Among all experimental rats, those that were anosmic had significantly fewer glomeruli with dense anterograde transport than did those that could smell. Among rats that could smell, performance accuracy was related to the number of glomeruli with reaction product.
General knowledge norms: Updated and expanded from the Nelson and Narens (1980) norms

The Nelson and Narens (Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior 19:338–368, 1980) general knowledge norms have been valuable to researchers in many fields. However, much has changed over the 32 years since the 1980 norms. For example, in 1980, most people knew the answer to the question “What is the name of the Lone Ranger’s Indian sidekick?” (answer: Tonto), whereas in 2012, few people know this answer. Thus, we updated the 1980 norms and expanded them by providing new measures. In particular, we report two new metacognitive measures (confidence judgments and peer judgments) and provide a detailed report of commission errors. Each of these measures will be valuable to researchers, and together they are likely to facilitate future research in a number of fields, such as research investigating memory illusions, metamemory processes, and error correction. The presence of substantial generational shifts from 1980 to 2012 necessitates the use of updated norms.
1H, 13C, and 15N backbone and side-chain chemical shift assignments for the 29 kDa human galectin-1 protein dimer

Galectin-1 is an important regulator of leukocyte function and tumor angiogenesis. Recently, this lectin has been identified as a molecular target for the potent angiogenesis inhibitor anginex. Here, we report (1)H, (13)C, and (15)N chemical shift assignments for human galectin-1 as determined by using heteronuclear triple resonance NMR spectroscopy.