cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Review and Assessment of In Vitro Detection Methods for Algal Toxins

Algal toxins produced by marine and freshwater microalgae present a significant analytical challenge because of their complex structures and frequent occurrence as mixtures of structural congeners, which differ in toxic potencies and are present at varying proportions in contaminated samples. Rapid, sensitive in vitro detection methods specific for each class of algal toxins have been developed over the past decade, including immunoassays, enzyme inhibition assays, receptor assays, and cell assays. This review discusses the conceptual approaches to assay development and provides a detailed assessment of the use of in vitro detection methods for marine and freshwater algal toxins.
Heat Shock Response: Cellular and Molecular Responses to Stress, Misfolded Proteins, and Diseases Associated with Protein Aggregation

This article has no abstract. Keywords: heat shock response: cellular and molecular responses to stress, misfolded proteins, and diseases associated with protein aggregation
Generating linear temporal logic formulas for complex pattern-based specifications

Formal verification techniques such as theorem proving, runtime verification, and model checking have been shown to improve program dependability. These techniques check the correctness of the system against specifications written in a formal language. Many of the verification tools, such as the highly acclaimed model checker SPIN, use Linear Temporal Logic (LTL) to specify system properties. While LTL is highly expressive and supports specification of software properties such as safety and liveness, it requires a high level of mathematical sophistication to write, read, and validate properties. There have been a number of research efforts to facilitate the generation of formal specifications in LTL using the notion of property patterns and scopes. These efforts, however, lack the general and consistent formalization of these patterns and scopes when using multiple propositions. The dissertation research formalized the definitions of patterns and scopes including those that involve more than one proposition, and it defined an approach to automate the generation of LTL formulas for a wide range of complex software properties. The research verified the correctness of generated LTL formulas through formal proofs, and it defined techniques for testing the correctness of the formulas and for supporting their validation by visually representing the formulas using traces of computations. The work is significant because it supports the generation of provably correct LTL specifications that can be used by a variety of formal verification techniques, and it provides an approach for clarifying and understanding properties in particular those related to sequential and concurrent properties that are characteristic of reactive systems.
Intertemporal Decision-Making for a Group

Temporal discounting assessments measure the reduction in the subjective value of a reward as a function of the delay to that reward, and are correlated with behavior in social dilemma. Among the solutions proposed for defection in social dilemmas is a single individual making the decisions for the group. The present study examined the influence of group context on temporal discounting. Participants completed temporal discounting procedures when the outcomes affected only the individual and when outcomes affected a group of 10, including the individual. Though no overall difference was observed between the individual and group conditions, sex was found to be a moderating variable: Males discounted significantly more when discounting for the individual, but females discounted significantly more when discounting for the group. These results indicate that sex is an important variable when making intertemporal decisions for a group.
Energy-efficient soft error-tolerant digital signal processing

In this paper, we present energy-efficient soft error (SE)-tolerant techniques for digital signal processing (DSP) systems. The proposed technique, referred to as algorithmic soft error-tolerance (ASET), employs an low-complexity estimator of a main DSP block to guarantee reliability in presence of soft errors either in the MDSP or the estimator. For FIR filtering, it is shown that the proposed technique provides robustness to soft error rates of up to P/sub er/=10/sup -2/ in single-event upset (SEU). It is also shown that the proposed techniques provide 40%/spl sim/61% savings in power dissipation over that achieved via triple modula redundancy (TMR) when the desired signal-to-noise ratio SNR/sub des/=25/spl sim/35 dB.
Effect of electrode configuration on electrohydrodynamic induction pumping of a stratified liquid/vapor medium

The effect of electrode configuration on the performance of the electrohydrodynamic (EHD) induction pumping of a liquid/vapor stratified medium is investigated. The analytical domain considered is represented by a two-dimensional developing plane channel flow of a liquid separated from a vapor by a horizontal interface in a channel bound from below and above by two infinite rigid boundaries. Four different electrode configurations are considered. The dimensionless numerical results are obtained for two different cases. The controlling parameters include: vapor height, liquid height, voltage, wavelength, and frequency. The dimensionless numerical results obtained provide an essential tool for designing and optimizing two-phase liquid and vapor EHD induction pumps.
Life‐Cycle Design

This chapter outlines the principles that characterize the goals of design for the life cycle (DfLC) as well as the methods that provide the means to achieve these goals and the tools that support life-cycle-compatible design decisions. A few illustrative implementations of DfLC are shown to highlight the achievement of these goals. The chief motivation for DfLC is to foresee environmental effects and mitigate them through product design. Many standards, certifications, and ecolabels have been put in place to encourage product design improvements and affect consumer buying habits. The purpose of DfLC is to create products that positively affect the environment, thus decreasing ecological damage. Life-cycle design—that is, product life-cycle design—is at the very heart of the development of the product life cycle. However, it is clear that the future holds new and important challenges to the current state of DfLC. Keywords: design for the life cycle (DfLC); environmental effects; product life cycle design
Recent Progress in the Study of the Kinetics of Sol-Gel SiO2 Synthesis Reactions.

Sol-gel ceramic synthesis has drawn much interest in recent years. [1–5] Organometallic molecules, usually metal alkoxides, are polymerized in an alcohol/water solution with dissolved acids or bases to form a ceramic or glass material with exquisite chemical and microstructural control. Since the chemistry and microstructure of the solid determine its properties, this technology can be used to design materials with specified mechanical, optical, electronic, and physicochemical properties. These materials may be monoliths, films, fibers, or powders. Sol-gel synthesis offers a degree of control of composition and structure at the molecular level unachievable with traditional sintering or precipitation methods. It also offers an economical alternative to layered vapor deposition manufacture of coatings and fibers. Owing to their controlled chemistry and microstructure, sol-gel ceramics can be densified at much lower temperatures than conventional sintering temperatures, thereby saving energy and protecting delicate structures in the material itself or in its substrates. The microstructure can also be controlled to produce optical films, catalyst supports, monolithic ceramic bodies, etc. Since the precursor molecules are pure and dissolved, atomic placement and bonding can be controlled to tune mechanical, optical, electronic, and chemical properties and the product is free from traditional impurities. Halide and organic radical dopants can be added to the synthesis solution to tailor optical and mechanical properties of many devices (e.g., lasers, contact lenses).
Neuronal Responses in Visual Areas MT and MST During Smooth Pursuit Target Selection

Ferrera, Vincent P. and Stephen G. Lisberger. Neuronal responses in visual areas MT and MST during smooth pursuit target selection. J. Neurophysiol. 78: 1433–1446, 1997. We recorded the activity of...
Complex pediatric cervical spine surgery using smaller nonspinal screws and plates and intraoperative computed tomography.

Object The treatment of craniocervical instability in children is often challenging due to their small spine bones, complex anatomy, and unique syndromes. The authors discuss their surgical experience with 33 cases in the treatment of 31 children (≤17 years of age) with craniocervical spine instability using smaller nontraditional titanium screws and plates, as well as intraoperative CT. Methods All craniocervical fusion procedures were performed using intraoperative fluoroscopic imaging and electrophysiological monitoring. Nontraditional spine hardware included smaller screw sizes (2.4 and 2.7 mm) from the orthopedic hand/foot set and mandibular plates. Twenty-three of the 33 surgical procedures were performed with intraoperative CT, which was used to confirm adequate position of the spine hardware and alignment of the spine. Results The mean patient age was 9.5 years (range 2–17 years). Eleven children underwent a posterior C1–2 transarticular screw fusion, 17 had an occipitocervical fusion, and 3 had a...
The complexometric titration of micro and ultramicro quantities of calcium in blood serum, urine, and inorganic salt solutions.

A method for the microdetermination and ultramicrodetermination of calcium in blood serum, urine, and inorganic salt solutions has been developed. Calcium was titrated with disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate, and Cal-red as the indicator, using a Gilmont ultramicro-buret of 0.1-ml. capacity. Amounts of 5 to 30 µg. of calcium per sample, of 0.05- to 1-ml. volumes, can be determined with a reproducibility of 1 to 2 per cent. The difference between the values found for serum calcium with the Cal-red and the oxalate method had a standard deviation of ±3.32 per cent. Serum magnesium can be determined as the difference of two simple titrations. Phosphate levels up to 30 mg. per 100 ml. P did not interfere with the determination in serum, even when the calcium level was raised to about 20 mg. per 100 ml. Up to products of 80(Ca X P, expressed in mg. per 100 ml.) there was no interference, in inorganic salt solutions. At higher products drift occurred, but the addition of some citrate to the solutions enabled the attainment of sharp end points at Ca X P products up to approximately 1000. Urinary calcium was determined satisfactorily, without the occurrence of drift, if citrate was added to the solution. Magnesium did not interfere appreciably, giving only 1 per cent higher readings at levels of 20 mg. per 100 ml. The interference of copper and iron was removed by the addition of sodium cyanide.
Geometrical calibration of X-ray imaging chains for three-dimensional reconstruction.

Abstract Reconstructing a three-dimensional (3D) object from a set of its two-dimensional (2D) X-ray projections requires that the source position and image plane orientation in 3D space be obtained with high accuracy. We present a method for estimating the geometrical parameters of an X-ray imaging chain, based on the minimization of the reprojection mean quadratic error measured on reference points of a calibration phantom. This error is explicitly calculated with respect to the geometrical parameters of the conic projection, and a conjugate gradient technique is used for its minimization. By comparison to the classical unconstrained method, better results were obtained in simulation with our method, specially when only a few reference points are available. This method may be adapted to different X-ray systems and may also be extended to the estimation of the geometrical parameters of the imaging chain 1 rajectory in the case of dynamic acquisitions.
Parent training research: An analysis of the empirical literature 1975–1985

This project was designed to provide a retrospective analysis of the parent training literature during the last decade. Eighteen journals with behavioral psychology, clinical/counseling psychology, school psychology, and special education emphases were selected for review. Data related to the number of articles published in each journal, year of article publication, referral problem, and contributing institution were collected. Results indicate that behavioral journals published the most empirically based parent training articles (66%), followed by clinical/counseling psychology (26%), special education (6%), and school psychology (3%) journals. Parents with noncompliant, handicapped, or abused/neglected children comprised the majority (58%) of research participants. Suggestions for involving school psychologists in parent training research and broadening the focus of parent training to include preventive, as well as remedial, efforts are presented.
Damage from comet-asteroid impacts with earth

Abstract Only a small fraction of the Earth-crossing asteroids, ECAs, have been found and cataloged. Uncataloged ECAs can hit the atmosphere of Earth without warning. Long-period comets may give as little as two months warning before impact. The damage ranges from fires and blastwaves from energy dissipation in the atmosphere to craters, earthquakes, and tsunami from ground impact. Tsunami damage is particularly severe. An asteroid 5–6km in diameter impacting in the mid Atlantic would cause substantial tsunami damage to both Europe and North America: the tsunami would run all the way to the Appalachians in the upper two-thirds of the United States and to the mountains of the Iberian Peninsula in Europe. Tsunami heights along the Iberian Peninsula can reach several hundred meters. The tsunami heights would be less in Northern Europe due to the shallow continental shelf in this region.
Instrumentation in Biomedical Research

This paper is, in effect, an essay looking toward the improvement of instruments used in biomedical research, their availability, and the knowledge and skills necessary to use them to the best advantage. The discussion suggests that it might be desirable to establish a center or centers where teaching, research, and engineering can be done on instruments; where scientists or technicians can learn to use them; and where instruments can be rented as needed, with or without technical assistance. One will not find in this article the names of biomedical instruments or quantitative information about their current use. Recommendations are made on the following subjects: information cleanng house, instrument and technician pool, instruction, professional status, student recruitment, and hierarchy of facilities.
Interlaminar tension strength of graphite/epoxy composite laminates

An L-shaped curved beam specimen and a tension loading fixture were proposed to measure the interlaminar tension strength of laminated and textile composites. The specimen size was 2 X 2 in. (51 X 51 mm). The use of a standard tension test machine and the introduction of load nearly at the specimen midthickness were the advantages of the proposed specimen. Modified Lekhnitskii and beam theory equations for calculating interlaminar stresses of an L-beam were verified by finite element analysis. The beam theory equation is simple and accurate for mean radius to thickness ratios greater than 1.5. The modified Lekhnitskii equations can be used for detailed stress field calculation. AS4/3501-6 graphite/epoxy unidirectional specimens with thicknesses of 16, 24, and 32 piles were fabricated and tested. The delamination initiation site agreed with the calculated maximum interlaminar tension stress location for all three thicknesses. Average interlaminar tension strengths of 16-, 24-, and 32-ply laminates were 47.6, 40.9, and 23.4 MPa, respectively.
Psychological aspects of sex hormone therapy

Preliminary experience is described in the utilization of psychiatric assistance in the selection and guidance of adolescent children and their parents prior to and during sex hormone therapy of children with delayed puberty.
Combined surgical resection and radiofrequency ablation as treatment for metastatic ocular melanoma

Ocular melanoma is a rare disease with a strong predilection for the liver. Systemic and locoregional treatments for metastatic ocular melanoma have had disappointing results, with an average survival of 5–7 months. Resection and/or radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of liver lesions were attempted to improve the patient outcomes. Eight patients with liver metastasis from ocular melanoma underwent surgery and/or RFA at the University of Southern California, University Hospital from 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2009. Their charts were retrospectively reviewed. All patients had undergone eye enucleation as the primary treatment. Four patients had all metastatic liver lesions addressed: one patient underwent left lateral segmentectomy and three patients had combinations of left lateral segmentectomies, wedge resections and RFA of two to four lesions. Two patients underwent surgical biopsies for diagnosis, one patient was unresectable and one patient underwent RFA of a dominant lesion. The median survival was 36 months. The median survival of patients who underwent surgery alone or in conjunction with RFA to address all liver lesions was 46 months. There are few reports of RFA for metastatic ocular melanoma. RFA of liver lesions in addition to resection can perhaps lead to improved survival and may play a critical role in the future management of this disease.
Nonverbal immediacy communication behaviors and liking in marital relationships

This study examined the relationship between nonverbal immediacy behaviors and liking in marriages. Findings revealed that a spouse's perception of their partner's use of nonverbal immediacy behaviors strongly correlated with how much they liked their partner (r = .67), and was reciprocal within marital dyads. Individuals married one year or less and those married more than 24 years scored highest in perceived spouse nonverbal immediacy and liking for their partners. The relationship between nonverbal immediacy and liking was consistent regardless of marriage duration. Findings support and expand on previous research in relational maintenance, nonverbal immediacy, and affinity seeking communication behaviors.
An Integrative Approach to Teaching Family Resource Management

Abstract Family resource management is one of ten substance areas that are required for certification in family life education (National Council on Family Relations, 2005). Unfortunately, few discipline-specific resources are available for faculty assigned to teach the family resource management course. A rich tradition of theory and practice in the field has stalled, with little conceptual development since the 1980s to guide faculty teaching the course. In response, we offer a new conceptual framework for teaching family resource management that extends previous models by integrating management with other functions of the family. Specific course objectives, methods of evaluation, classroom activities, recommended materials, and teaching strategies are provided.
Optimized operational payloads for manned Mars missions.

Optimization of operational payloads for manned Mars missions, discussing life support and environmental control systems, auxiliary power, radiation shielding, data acquisition, navigation, guidance and cost analysis
Synthesis of Triflate and Chloride Salts of Alkyl N,N-Bis(2,2,2-Trifluoroethyl)amines

Abstract Triflate and chloride salts have been prepared in high yield by using the triflate displacement reaction.
33258 Hoechst enhances the selectivity of the bromodeoxyuridine--light method of isolating conditional lethal mutants.

Summary 33258 Hoechst enhances the photosensitivity of bromodeoxyuridine-(BUdR)-substituted cells. Reconstruction experiments demonstrate that this enhanced photosensitivity can be used to improve the selectivity of the BUdR-light method of isolating conditional lethal mammalian cell mutants.
Early postoperative body temperature and developmental outcome after open heart surgery in infants

Background. Experimental data have suggested that early postoperative temperature management after cerebral ischemia may alter neurologic outcome. We explored whether minor deviations in early postoperative body temperature after infant heart surgery affects developmental outcome. Methods. In a study of infants undergoing repair of congenital heart disease, 95% of whom had a period of deep hypothermic circulatory arrest, postoperative temperature data were collected following cardiac surgery. Subjects were infants who had been enrolled in one of two prospective randomized single-center trials. Development was tested at age one year (the Bayley Scales of Infant Development) and at four years (Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, including Full Scale IQ, a Verbal IQ, and a Performance IQ). Results. Perioperative temperature data were reviewed in 329 patients, of whom 244 (74%) were evaluated at age one year and 156 (48%) were evaluated at four years. The temperature profile was recorded during the rewarming phase and for 36 hours postoperatively on the Intensive Care Unit. There were no significant associations between postoperative temperature and any of the neurodevelopmental tests at age one or four years. A further analysis assessing the percentage of time over specific temperature cutoff points of 37.5°C, 38°C, 38.5°C, and 39°C, revealed no significant effect. Conclusions. Neurodevelopmental outcome at one and four years after repair of complex congenital heart disease was not significantly affected by the early postoperative body temperature profile of the infant when a management strategy aiming for normothermia is employed.
Aging and Alcohol Abuse

Demographic information suggests that the problems of alcohol abuse among the elderly will increase at least in proportion to the population growth of that sector. While fewer older people drink and average consumption declines, four factors that promote alcohol abuse are noted. These are: 1) retirement, with its attendant boredom, change of role status, and loss of income; 2) deaths occurring among relatives and friends and the awareness that more deaths are coming; 3) poor health and discomfort; and 4) loneliness, a particular problem among elderly women. Surveys in older age groups, in addition to being costly, are of questionable value. Anecdotal evidence and several early studies, however, suggest that a high proportion of elderly (10 to 15 per cent) who seek medical attention for any reason have an alcohol-related problem, and that elderly alcoholics, whether alcoholism is of early or recent onset, are relatively easy to treat. If these findings can be confirmed, then detection during health-seeking encounters could have great potential value. Research in detection and treatment is critical. A prevention strategy involving the cohort 55 to 64 years of age could have the dual effect of preventing subsequent alcohol problems among these people and offering a message that would be heard by those at older and less accessible ages.
Synergistic Effects of Probucol and Cholestyramine to Lower Serum Cholesterol

: Ten men with hypercholesterolemia were treated sequentially with a fat-modified diet, a diet plus probucol (1 Gm/day), and a diet plus probucol plus cholestyramine (16 Gm/day). Each treatment period was 12 weeks. Diet alone reduced mean serum cholesterol by 1.0 per cent. Diet plus probucol caused a mean 7.7 per cent reduction in serum cholesterol below the baseline values (P = 0.001 compared to diet). Adding cholestyramine to probucol and diet resulted in a mean 18.2 per cent reduction in serum cholesterol below baseline values (P = 0.001 compared to probucol and diet). The treatment was well tolerated.
Human sociogeophysics — Phase II the difussion of human ethnicity by remixing

The spread of the species, man, on the surface of the earth has been described physically in two initial phases. In a first phase, 40,000–15,000 ybp, man spread to occupy all of the temperate and periglacial regions of the earth as a constant density occupational expansion of about 0.04 persons per sqkm. As of 15,000 ybp, the population might be estimated to be about 4 million, the birth (and death) rate to be about 0.03 per year, and the Malthusian constant (the net increase of population — birth minus death rate) to be about 0.0002 per year. This phase represented a diffusion of ethnicity (breeding populations) with little remixing. In a subsequent second phase, e.g., 15,000–2,000 ybp, through the Mesolithic, Neolithic, and post-Neolithic phases, while condensations to agriculture and to civilizations took place, even though the populations grew to about 180 million with considerable remixing, the Malthusian constant effectively did not change. Thermodynamically (that is as the irreversible thermodynamics of a hydrodynamic field), this result suggests that the persisting demography of a viable species has to be driven by a positive definite Malthusian growth constant beyond a zero thermodynamic equilibrium. It is also suggested that if that constant is globally zero or negative, the species will die. The possible existence of various stability regions (transformations in dynamic states) is also implied.
Autonomous Underwater Multivehicle Control with Limited Communication: Theory and Experiment

The work here addresses the task of coordinated control design and implementation for systems of free-moving autonomous underwater vehicles linked via underwater communi- cation. By treating heading angle as oscillator phase, a Kuramoto model approach is used to construct controls that align or anti-align headings. To accommodate communication events occurring at finite times, the system dynamics are expressed in discrete time with communication events occurring at the update instances. In this framework, appropriate broadcast communi- cation topologies can be evaluated. The methods are demonstrated here both in simulation and in experiment with the University of Washington autonomous underwater multivehicle system.
Design and operation of water-cooled pyrolytic graphite targets at LAMPF

Abstract Design considerations and actual operating experience are reported for water-cooled pyrolytic graphite targets at LAMPF. Emphasis is placed on the use of finite element computer calculations to determine target temperatures and stresses, which can then be evaluated to judge the usefulness of a particular design. Consideration is also given to the swelling of the target following irradiation, and to the measures taken to prolong target lifetime.
Emerging role of epoxyeicosatrienoic acids in coronary vascular function

The importance of endothelium-derived nitric oxide in coronary vascular regulation is well-established and the loss of this vasodilator compound is associated with endothelial dysfunction, tissue hypoperfusion and atherosclerosis. Numerous studies indicate that the endothelium produces another class of compounds, the epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs), which may partially compensate for the loss of nitric oxide in cardiovascular disease. The EETs are endogenous lipids which are derived through the metabolism of arachidonic acid by cytochrome P450 epoxygenase enzymes. Also, EETs hyperpolarize vascular smooth muscle and induce dilation of coronary arteries and arterioles, and therefore may be endogenous mediators of coronary vasomotor tone and myocardial perfusion. In addition, EETs have been shown to inhibit vascular smooth muscle migration, decrease inflammation, inhibit platelet aggregation and decrease adhesion molecule expression, therefore representing an endogenous protective mechanism against atherosclerosis. Endogenous EETs are degraded to less active dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acids by soluble epoxide hydrolase. Pharmacological inhibition of soluble epoxide hydrolase has received considerable attention as a potential approach to enhance EET-mediated vascular protection, and several compounds have appeared promising in recent animal studies. The present review discusses the emerging role of EETs in coronary vascular function, as well as recent advancements in the development of pharmacological agents to enhance EET bioavailability.
Free Radicals, Cardiovascular Dysfunction and Protection Strategies

This text discusses the role of reactive oxygen radicals in the pathogenesis of myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury. These reactive oxygen species include superoxide radical, hydrogen peroxide, hydroxyl radical and singlet oxygen. The book describes the biochemistry of oxygen radicals, the mechanisms of free radical generation from various potential sources, and their interaction with membrane proteins, which leads to cardiovascular dysfunction and protection based on antioxidants and histidine. The endogenous protection strategies based on ischemic preconditioning and heat stress are also discussed.
Calibration of a video image analysis system for measurement of stem length, leaf area, and percent ground coverage

Abstract A relatively low‐cost digital measurement system configured with off‐the shelf components (a standard consumer High 8‐mm camcorder, video cassette recorder, video monitor, desktop computer with image capture board, and image analysis software) has been used in applications from benchtop stem length and leaf area measurements to aerial imaging for precision agriculture applications. However, preliminary research identified a systematic error in estimating leaf area using this system, which further investigation revealed to be caused by the internal calibration method used. Further research was needed to determine appropriate calibration methods for length and area measurements using this system. Length measurements were very accurate and repeatable using a vertical (i.e., parallel to the axis of objects) two‐point calibration. Two‐point (vertical, horizontal or diagonal) calibration led to over‐ or under‐estimation of area, but three‐point calibration yielded very accurate measurements of area and...
Isolation and characterization of a protein with homology to angiotensin converting enzyme from the periacrosomal plasma membrane of equine spermatozoa

The periacrosomal plasma membrane of spermatozoa is involved in sperm binding to oviductal epithelial cells and to the zona pellucida. A protein of 68–70 kD molecular mass was purified biochemically from the isolated periacrosomal plasma membrane of equine spermatozoa as a possible receptor for adhesion of spermatozoa to oviductal epithelial cells. A polyclonal antibody raised in rabbits against the purified equine sperm membrane protein recognized the 70 kD and an antigenically related 32 kD protein in preparations of isolated periacrosomal sperm plasma membrane and in detergent extracted ejaculated and epididymal spermatozoa. A larger protein (∼110 kD) was detected in equine testis. Two antigenically related proteins (64 and 45 kD) were recognized on the plasma membrane of cynomolgus macaque spermatozoa. In vitro sperm-binding assays were performed in the presence of antigen-binding fragments or IgG purified from the polyclonal antiserum to investigate a possible function of the isolated protein in binding of equine spermatozoa to homologous oviductal epithelial cells or zona pellucida. Incubation with antigen-binding fragments or IgG purified from the antiserum did not inhibit binding of equine spermatozoa either to oviductal epithelial cells or to the zona pellucida. On ultrastructural examination, the antibody bound exclusively to the cytoplasmic side of the periacrosomal plasma membrane of equine and macaque spermatozoa. Microsequence analysis of 13 residues of sequence showed strong homology with a number of angiotensin converting enzymes: An 84% identity was identified with testis specific and somatic forms of human and mouse angiotensin-converting enzyme. Immunocytochemistry and immunoblot analysis established that the protein is specific for the periacrosomal membrane of ejaculated, epididymal, and testicular stallion spermatozoa. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 48:251–260, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Solid‐state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance characterization of MDI‐based polyurethanes

13 C solid-state NMR experiments on linear polyurethanes and poly(ether-urethane) block copolymers demonstrate that 13 C spin-lattice relaxation experiments in the laboratory [T 1 (C)] and rotating [T 1ρ (C)] frames provide the most information about domain morphology in these microphase-separated polymer systems. T 1 (H), T CH , and T 1ρ (H) data are less useful. In a 4,4'-methylene bis(p-phenyl isocyanate)-1,4-butanediol(MDI/BD) hard-segment material, the MDI bridging methylene and the MDI urethane carbonyl T 1 (C) and T 1ρ (C) times fall in characteristic ranges for crystalline, amorphous, interfacial, and dissolved species
Left ventricular function at high altitude examined by systolic time intervals and M-mode echocardiography.

Abstract To better understand the effects of high-altitude hypoxia on cardiac performance, healthy lowlandresiding volunteers were studied in 2 groups: 10 subjects after acute ascent to 12,500 ft (3,810 m) (acute group) and 9 subjects after chronic exposure for 6 weeks to 17,600 ft (5,365 m) and 11,000 ft (3,353 m) (chronic group). Systolic time intervals and M-mode echocardiograms were recorded at low and high altitudes. Heart rate was 21% greater at high altitude for all subjects. Preejection period/left ventricular ejection time (PEP/LVET) increased by 16% in the acute group and by 22% in the chronic group. Heart size was smaller at high altitude in both groups, with left atrial and left ventricular (LV) diameters decreasing by 10 to 12%. These changes were statistically significant (p ≤ 0.01). Despite the increase in PEP/LVET, echocardiographic measurements of LV function (percent fractional shortening and mean normalized velocity of circumferential fiber shortening) remained normal. LV isovolumic contraction time was shorter at high altitude, suggesting heightened, rather than depressed, contractility. LV function does not appear to deteriorate at high altitude. Alterations in systolic time intervals probably result from decreased preload, as reflected by smaller heart size, rather than from heart failure or depressed LV contractility.
ForEVeR: A complementary formal and runtime verification approach to correct NoC functionality

As silicon technology scales, modern processor and embedded systems are rapidly shifting towards complex chip multi-processor (CMP) and system-on-chip (SoC) designs. As a side effect of complexity of these designs, ensuring their correctness has become increasingly problematic. Within these domains, Network-on-Chips (NoCs) are a de-facto choice to implement on-chip interconnect; their design is quickly becoming extremely complex in order to keep up with communication performance demands. As a result, design errors in the NoC may go undetected and escape into the final silicon.In this work, we propose ForEVeR, a solution that complements the use of formal methods and runtime verification to ensure functional correctness in NoCs. Formal verification, due to its scalability limitations, is used to verify smaller modules, such as individual router components. To deliver correctness guarantees for the complete network, we propose a network-level detection and recovery solution that monitors the traffic in the NoC and protects it against escaped functional bugs. To this end, ForEVeR augments the baseline NoC with a lightweight checker network that alerts destination nodes of incoming packets ahead of time. If a bug is detected, flagged by missed packet arrivals, our recovery mechanism delivers the in-flight data safely to the intended destination via the checker network. ForEVeR's experimental evaluation shows that it can recover from NoC design errors at only 4.9p area cost for an 8x8 mesh interconnect, over a time interval ranging from 0.5K to 30K cycles per recovery event, and it incurs no performance overhead in the absence of errors. ForEVeR can also protect NoC operations against soft-errors: a growing concern with the scaling of silicon. ForEVeR leverages the same monitoring hardware to detect soft-error manifestations, in addition to design-errors. Recovery of the soft-error affected packets is guaranteed by building resiliency features into our checker network. ForEVeR incurs minimal performance penalty up to a flit error rate of 0.01p in lightly loaded networks.
Urinary trypsinogen activation peptide is more accurate than hematocrit in determining severity in patients with acute pancreatitis: a prospective study.

Urinary trypsinogen activation peptide is more accurate than hematocrit in determining severity in patients with acute pancreatitis: a prospective study
A Manually-Operated Spring Mechanism for Medium Voltage Oilless Circuit Breakers

Magnetic oilless circuit breakers rated 2,300 to 15,000 volts require high contact closing speeds in order to prvent excessive arcing during closing. As these contact speeds cannot be obtained manually, it has never been possible to operate magnetic circuit breakers of this class by manual mechanisms of the type frequently used to operate oil circuit breakers. In every case where medium voltage magnetic circuit breakers were applied, it was necessary, therefore, to install a reliable source of closing power. This requirement constituted a serious application handicap in some locations where a reliable source of closing power (normally storage batteries) is difficult and expensive to install. This paper describes a new type of mechanism for operating magnetic oilless circuit breakers rated 2,300 to 15,000 volts, which has been developed especially for such applications. Energy is manually supplied to this mechanism where it is stored in heavy compression springs until it is released to close the circuit breaker. Unlike previous mechanisms, when this mechanism is released, the springs transfer their energy to a rotating mass which in turn drives the circuit breaker contacts. As this rotating mass accelerates until the circuit breaker contacts meet, its entire energy is available for closing and latching the circuit breaker against the magnetic retarding forces of high current short circuits if the circuit breaker should be closed accidentally on a faulted circuit.
Otoreflectance of the cochlea and middle ear

Otoreflectance refers to acoustic pressure reflectance measurements in the ear canal, by the use of a leak-free insertion of a probe assembly, in the frequency or time domain over a range of two or more stimulus levels. Otoreflectance includes an iso-level response indicative of the forward transfer of acoustic energy into the middle ear, and nonlinear responses indicative of the acoustic energy reflected back from the cochlea. The nonlinear otoreflectance decouples the reflected energy in an evoked otoacoustic emission (OAE) from its subsequent re-reflected energy due to the presence of the ear-canal probe. Nonlinear otoreflectance responses are extremely sensitive to probe distortion, and a double-evoked (2E) technique, previously used in evoked (OAE) measurements, is adapted for otoreflectance to solve the distortion problem. Results are obtained using a 2E stimulus set containing a set of three click stimuli delivered through a pair of sources. The corresponding sets of three pressure responses are acquired in a calibration tube, and in the ear canal, and a set of three iso-level ear-canal reflectances is calculated. An evoked OAE can be decomposed into a otoacoustic reflected pressure (ORP), and a nonlinear otoreflectance is defined by the ratio of the ORP to the initial pressure spectrum. Otoreflectance provides simultaneous measurements of middle-ear and cochlear responses, and has potential, as yet untested, for application to clinical tests for hearing impairments.
Normal rat cell lines deficient in nuclear thymidine kinase.

Abstract A rat cell line has been isolated which is (a) highly transfectable by exogenous DNA, (b) lacking in appreciable levels of nuclear thymidine kinase, and (c) phenotypically “normal” by all criteria tested. This cell line should prove useful for nonselective transfection of genetic information, particularly potentially transforming viral or cellular sequences, through cotransfection with a thymidine kinase gene.
Tracking, command, control and data-acquisition of NASA flight programs.

NASA Space Tracking and Data-Acquisition Network, describing command telemetry, tracking handling and recording system operations
The Impact of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy and Diastolic Dysfunction on Outcome in Intracerebral Hemorrhage Patients.

Background. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of LVH and DD in patients presenting with supratentorial deep ICH and to determine if the presence of LVH or DD was an independent predictor of initial ICH volume, hematoma expansion, or poor outcome. Methods. A cross-sectional study was performed on ICH patients who presented from 7/2008 to 12/2010. Cases were excluded if ICH was traumatic, lobar, infratentorial, secondary to elevated international normalized ratio, suspicious for underlying structural malformation, or where surgical evacuation was performed. Logistic and linear regressions were used to assess the ability of LVH to predict ICH imaging characteristics and patient outcomes. Results. After adjusting for use of hemostatic agents, LVH was not a significant independent predictor of initial ICH volume or 33% volume expansion . After adjusting for age, infectious complications, and use of hemostatic agents, LVH was not a significant independent predictor of poor functional outcome . Similar results were seen for DD. Conclusion. In our sample, patients with deep ICH and LVH were more likely to develop IVH, but LVH was not a significant independent predictor of initial ICH volume, hematoma expansion, or poor short-term outcome.
Answering Questions Students and Adults Ask about the Wonderful World of Sexuality

(2003). Answering Questions Students and Adults Ask about the Wonderful World of Sexuality. American Journal of Health Education: Vol. 34, No. 2, pp. 109-112.
Solvation Extraction and Electrodeposition of Gold from Cyanide Solutions

Recent research efforts have shown that selective solvation extraction of a gold cyanide ion-pair complex from alkaline cyanide solution is possible with organic phosphorus esters. These alkyl phosphorus esters such as tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP) and di-n-butyl n-butyl phosphonate (DBBP) can selectively load gold to rather high levels, even in excess of 30 gpl. However, traditional stripping techniques are not particularly effective. In this regard, gold recovery by direct electrolysis of the organic phase is an interesting possibility. The rate of direct electrodeposition from the organic phase can be significantly improved by using an aqueous I organic mixture. In this research, direct electro-deposition of sheet gold from loaded DBBP was successfully accomplished at a current density of 8 × 10−4 amp/cm2 and 55°C from such a two-phase mixture with the aqueous phase as the continuous phase. No appreciable degradation of the DBBP was found after five cycles of extraction and electrodeposition. The applicability of this process strategy for an industrial situation was demonstrated by the successful treatment of waste gold cyanide electroplating solutions.
Evaluation of a Discharge Planning Tool for Use with Families of High-risk Infants

Abstract The effectiveness of using a discharge planning tool for families with high-risk infants in a special care nursery is evaluated. Consistent use of the discharge planning tool resulted in parents' increased feeling of preparedness for discharge of their high-risk infants. Implications that resulted from the evaluation are presented.
Early Memories and Character Structure

(1968). Early Memories and Character Structure. Journal of Projective Techniques and Personality Assessment: Vol. 32, No. 4, pp. 303-316.
Effects of Ribavirin on Neutrophil Function

ABSTRACT Ribavirin, a broad spectrum antiviral agent, has been shown to exhibit immunosuppressive activity. This property has raised concerns during clinical trials because candidates for antiviral therapy are those who may develop secondary bacterial infection. We therefore investigated a number of parameters of neutrophil function after the in vitro addition of various concentrations of ribavirin. At pharmacologic concentrations (1.25−7.5 μg/mL), percent killing of phagocytized bacteria was increased as measured by an acridine orange fluorochrome microassay, significantly higher at a concentration of 5 μg/mL (p
Reconstruction of Gene Regulatory Modules in Cancer Cell Cycle by Multi-Source Data Integration

Background Precise regulation of the cell cycle is crucial to the growth and development of all organisms. Understanding the regulatory mechanism of the cell cycle is crucial to unraveling many complicated diseases, most notably cancer. Multiple sources of biological data are available to study the dynamic interactions among many genes that are related to the cancer cell cycle. Integrating these informative and complementary data sources can help to infer a mutually consistent gene transcriptional regulatory network with strong similarity to the underlying gene regulatory relationships in cancer cells.
Thiol-disulfide Redox Dependence of Heme Binding and Heme Ligand Switching in Nuclear Hormone Receptor Rev-erbβ

Rev-erbβ is a heme-binding nuclear hormone receptor that represses a broad spectrum of target genes involved in regulating metabolism, the circadian cycle, and proinflammatory responses. Here, we demonstrate that a thiol-disulfide redox switch controls the interaction between heme and the ligand-binding domain of Rev-erbβ. The reduced dithiol state of Rev-erbβ binds heme 5-fold more tightly than the oxidized disulfide state. By means of site-directed mutagenesis and by UV-visible and EPR spectroscopy, we also show that the ferric heme of reduced (dithiol) Rev-erbβ can undergo a redox-triggered switch from imidazole/thiol ligation (via His-568 and Cys-384, based on a prior crystal structure) to His/neutral residue ligation upon oxidation to the disulfide form. On the other hand, we find that change in the redox state of iron has no effect on heme binding to the ligand-binding domain of the protein. The low dissociation constant for the complex between Fe3+- or Fe2+-heme and the reduced dithiol state of the protein (Kd = ∼20 nm) is in the range of the intracellular free heme concentration. We also determined that the Fe2+-heme bound to the ligand-binding domain of Rev-erbβ has high affinity for CO (Kd = 60 nm), which replaces one of the internal ligands when bound. We suggest that this thiol-disulfide redox switch is one mechanism by which oxidative stress is linked to circadian and/or metabolic imbalance. Heme dissociation from Rev-erbβ has been shown to derepress the expression of target genes in response to changes in intracellular redox conditions. We propose that oxidative stress leads to oxidation of cysteine(s), thus releasing heme from Rev-erbβ and altering its transcriptional activity.
Splanchnic tissue oxygenation, but not brain tissue oxygenation, increases after feeds in stable preterm neonates tolerating full bolus orogastric feeding

Splanchnic tissue oxygenation, but not brain tissue oxygenation, increases after feeds in stable preterm neonates tolerating full bolus orogastric feeding