cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Transistor circuits applied to telemetering

The PDM portion of a PDM-FM telemeter system for missile operation is described with respect to design philosophy. The system approach has been used in order to produce a compatible marriage of circuitry to the required input and output devices. This has been particularly profitable in the case of the commutator and 70 kc transistor subcarrier oscillator. Transistor circuits have been applied in all cases except the subcarrier oscillator and this is now in the final development stage. This paper discusses several applications which have been successfully transistorized and are now in production. The solutions of problems associated with design for simplicity of circuits, minimum size and weight, ruggedness and reliability are covered.
Self-diagnosis and validation of active sensors used for structural health monitoring

This paper presents a self-diagnostic and sensor validation procedure that performs in-situ monitoring of the operational status of piezoelectric (PZT) sensors and actuators used in structural health monitoring (SHM) applications. The sensor/actuator self-diagnostic procedure, where the sensors/actuators are confirmed to be functioning properly during operation, is a critical component to successfully complete the SHM process with large numbers of active sensors typically deployed in a structure. Both degradation of the mechanical/electrical properties of a PZT transducer and the bonding defects between a PZT patch and a host structure could be identified using the proposed procedure. First, the effects of bonding defects between a PZT patch and a host structure on high frequency SHM techniques, including Lamb wave propagations and impedance methods, have been experimentally investigated. It has been found that the effects are remarkable, modifying wave phase and amplitude, creating new wave modes, and changing measured impedance spectrum. These changes can lead to the false indications on structural conditions without an efficient sensor-diagnostic procedure. The feasibility of the proposed sensor diagnostics procedure was then demonstrated by analytical studies and experimental examples, where the functionality of surface-mounted piezoelectric sensors was continuously deteriorated. The proposed procedure can provide a metric that can be used to determine the sensor functionality over a long period of service time or after an extreme loading event. Further, the proposed procedure can be useful if one needs to check the operational status of a sensing network right after its installation.
Hematologic Abnormalities in the Small Animal Cancer Patient

Veterinarians will encounter hematologic abnormalities routinely while treating small animal cancer patients. Some of these abnormalities, such as monoclonal gammopathy, are relatively rare and highly associated with specific neoplasms. Thus, their detection should compel a search for underlying cancer. Other hematologic abnormalities, such as anemia or thrombocytopenia, are very common in cancer patients, and their identification should prompt clinicians to consider the different mechanisms by which they may have arisen and whether further diagnostic tests are needed to fully characterize their etiology. Although cancer-related hematologic abnormalities are frequently described in the veterinary literature, the incidence, prevalence, and clinical significance of these abnormalities are less well-defined. Anemia and coagulopathies are major causes of morbidity and mortality in human cancer patients, and may have a tremendous impact on disease progression and tumor response to antineoplastic therapy. It is plausible that the same is true for veterinary cancer patients, given the pathological and biological similarity between human and small animal tumors. Future studies should address the epidemiology and clinical significance of these, and perhaps other, hematologic abnormalities in order to determine whether therapeutic intervention to correct them may improve patient outcomes.
Application of Mathematical Methods for Decision‐making to Teenage Pregnancies, Sexual Activity, and Sex Education

The object of this paper is to determine, using mathematical methods for decision-making, whether sex education is an appropriate policy instrument to reduce teenage pregnancies. The exercise helps to clarify the issues involved and the data needed to reach conclusions based on fact, and suggests some preliminary recommendations.
Early successional patterns of arthropod recolonization on reclaimed strip mines in southwestern Wyoming: the ground-dwelling beetle fauna (Coleoptera)

The ground-dwelling beetle assemblages of seven reclaimed surface coal mines (revegetated at 1-yr intervals beginning in 1979) and an undisturbed area of sagebrush steppe vegetation near Kemmerer, Wyo., were sampled in 1983 using 25 pitfall traps per site. The three oldest sites (1977–79) received no topsoil during reclamation; the other four sites (1980–83) had stored topsoil respread on them before revegetation. The beetle assemblages were characterized by means of data on species richness and diversity, species dominance curves, and trophic-group structure. We found that initial recolonization and dominance was achieved by species that were either rare in the adjacent native vegetation, or had immigrated from other disturbed sites. Species richness and diversity showed an increase during the first 3 yr following revegetation, but then declined over the next 3 yr. The magnitude of the observed species richness and diversity trends may have been influenced by the presence or absence of topsoil on the sites. The number of herbivorous beetle species was positively correlated with the number of plant species present on the sites. The trophic structure on reclaimed mine sites was dominated by omnivores, insect-carrion feeders, predators, and fungivores, whereas the undisturbed site's beetle fauna was dominated by omnivores, predators, and herbivores. It seemed that the most successful colonists were omnivorous and scavenging species (that used seeds, weedy vegetation, and living and dead insects), and fungivores (that took advantage of fungi growing on dead organic matter in the respread topsoils). In view of the great dissimilarities that exist between undisturbed and reclaimed mine sites, even after 6 yr, we conclude that recovery of the mine lands will require a considerable length of time, and, due to the severity of the mining disturbance, may not ever yield a fauna and flora similar to those of the premining era.
Effect of 6-thioguanine on the stability of duplex DNA

The incorporation of 6-thioguanine (S6G) into DNA is a prerequisite for its cytotoxic action, but duplex structure is not significantly perturbed by the presence of the lesion [J. Bohon and C. R. de los Santos (2003) Nucleic Acids Res., 31, 1331-1338]. It is therefore possible that the mechanism of cytotoxicity relies on a loss of stability rather than a pathway involving direct structural recognition. The research described here focuses on the changes in thermodynamic properties of duplex DNA owing to the introduction of S6G as well as the kinetic properties of base pairs involving S6G. Replacement of a guanine in a G*C pair by S6G results in approximately 1 kcal/mol less favorable Gibbs free energy of duplex formation at 37 degrees C. S6G*T and G*T mismatch-containing duplexes have almost identical Gibbs free energy at 37 degrees C, with values approximately 3 kcal/mol less favorable than that of the control. Base pair stability is affected by S6G. The lifetime of the normal G*C base pair is approximately 125 ms, whereas that of the G*T mismatch is below the detection limit. The lifetimes of S6G*C and S6G*T pairs are approximately 7 and 2 ms, respectively, demonstrating that, although S6G significantly decreases the stability of the pairing with cytosine, it slightly increases that of a mismatch.
Spontaneous coherent pulsations in ring-laser oscillators: simplified models

A series of simplifications is introduced in the general model for spontaneous pulsations in ring-laser oscillators. These simplifications can lead to more-efficient numerical computations and a better understanding of specific ingredients in the model. Among the approximations investigated are neglect of spectral cross relaxation, neglect of multiple-energy-level equations, neglect of electric-field derivatives, and neglect of polarization derivatives. Although some of these approximations have little effect, others eliminate the spontaneous pulsations.
Segmenting images using normalized color

An algorithm for segmenting images of 3-D scenes is presented. From an input color image, the algorithm determines the number of materials in the scene and labels each pixel according to the corresponding material. This segmentation is useful for many visual tasks including 3-D inspection and 3-D object recognition. The segmentation algorithm is based on a detailed analysis of the physics underlying color image formation and may be applied to images of a wide range of materials and surface textures. An initial edge detection on the intensity image is used to guide the segmentation process and to ensure accurate localization of region boundaries. The algorithm is based on the computation of local image features and can be mapped effectively onto high-performance parallel hardware. Issues related to illumination and sensors are addressed. Experimental results obtained for several images are presented. >
Sensitivity analysis for registration of vertebrae in ultrasound and computed tomography images

More than 250,000 lumbar spin operations are performed annually in the United States. Because of this large number of projected surgeries, improvements in surgical procedures can have a tremendous practical impact. We are developing a method to quickly and accurately register surface points extracted from ultrasound images of a vertebra to surfaces extracted from computed tomography images. Identification of surface points in ultrasound images is a challenging task, since points must be extracted in real time and sine large portions of the vertebral surface are invisible in the ultrasound image.
Thruster array thermal control

This paper presents the results of a preliminary investigation of the thermal interactions between elements in the thruster array for a proposed Encke flyby mission. A clustered eight-thruster array was considered as the trial configuration in the current study. Electrically heated dummy thrusters were calibrated to represent the thruster thermal performance. The thermal behavior of the thruster array thermal mockup and the effects of thermal coating applications were investigated. Temperature measurements of the thruster array mockup were performed under various operational modes to substantiate the analytical results. A resultant analytical thermal network model was established to provide pertinent information for thruster array design tradeoff studies.
Paradoxes in Learning and the Marginal Value of Information

We consider the Bayesian ranking and selection problem, in which one wishes to allocate an information collection budget as efficiently as possible to choose the best among several alternatives. In this problem, the marginal value of information is not concave, leading to algorithmic difficulties and apparent paradoxes. Among these paradoxes is that when there are many identical alternatives, it is often better to ignore some completely and focus on a smaller number than it is to spread the measurement budget equally across all the alternatives. We analyze the consequences of this nonconcavity in several classes of ranking and selection problems, showing that the value of information is “eventually concave,” i.e., concave when the number of measurements of each alternative is large enough. We also present a new fully sequential measurement strategy that addresses the challenge that nonconcavity it presents.
Predictors of hip fractures in elderly men

To assess the influence on the risk of hip fractures in men of medical conditions associated with secondary osteoporosis or with an increased likelihood of falling, we conducted a population-based nested case-control study among the 232 Rochester, Minnesota, men with an initial hip fracture due to moderate trauma in 1965-1989 and an equal number of age-matched control men from the general population. Information on selected medical and surgical conditions and certain behavioral risk factors prior to fracture (or comparable index date for controls) was obtained from inpatient and outpatient medical records in the community that averaged over 36 years in duration. After adjusting for age, obesity, and inactivity, disorders linked with secondary osteoporosis were associated with a 2-fold increase in the risk of hip fracture in men (odds ratio OR 2.3; 95% confidence interval CI 1.3-4.3), while conditions linked with an increased risk of falling were associated with almost a 7-fold increase in risk (OR 6.9; 95% CI 3.3-14.8). These factors together appeared to account for about 72% of the hip fractures in men. Increased attention must be paid to these conditions which, in aggregate, are very common in elderly men and lead to a substantial increase in the risk of hip fracture with its devastating sequelae of death, disability and cost. Language: en
TUNEL Assay Quantification of Apoptosis in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Leukocytes Exposed to Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)

TUNEL Assay Quantification of Apoptosis in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Leukocytes Exposed to Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)
Tyrosine phosphorylation and translocation of LAT in platelets

Platelet aggregation is accompanied by the tyrosine phosphorylation of several proteins including syk. However, some of these proteins are not identified. Recent studies showed that LAT is a syk substrate and is tyrosine phosphorylated during T cell stimulation. In this study, we demonstrated that LAT is present in platelets and is tyrosine phosphorylated in response to ADP- and thrombin-stimulated aggregation. Moreover, LAT, like syk and β3, translocates to the cytoskeleton during the late stage of thrombin-stimulated irreversible aggregation and not during ADP-stimulated reversible aggregation.
Teaching Java: Managing Instructional Tactics to Optimize Student Learning

Annual Convention of the Information Resources Management Association, Vancouver, BC, May 19-23, 2007
Dependence of alloy surface chemistry on sample morphology

Abstract We have examined the dependence of the chemical activity of a platinum/gold alloy on surface morphology and surface composition. Measurements of surface composition by Auger spectroscopy and surface chemical activity by CO flash desorption indicate that sample morphology strongly affects both the surface composition and surface chemical behavior. These results raise questions about the comparability of data obtained on differently prepared polycrystalline alloy samples.
Radioimmunoassay of human plasma lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase.

Abstract A sensitive and precise competitive-displacement double-antibody radioimmunoassay was developed for the human plasma enzyme lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT; Ec 2.3 1.43). The ability of plasma from various animal species to displace labeled human LCAT from goat anti-human LCAT could be ranked in the following order: man and sheep > nonhuman primates > cat or dog > pig > rabbit or guinea pig > mouse > rat. Normolipidemic subjects had levels of LCAT of 6.14 +/- 0.98 micrograms/ml (mean +/- SD, n = 66). Subjects with dysbeta-lipoproteinemia had the highest plasma LCAT levels (7.88 +/- 0.39 micrograms/ml, n = 7, P < 0.05), followed by hypercholesterolemic subjects (7.00 +/- 1.30, n = 41) and hypertriglyceridemic subjects (6.96 +/- 1.3, n = 10). LCAT-deficient subjects had the lowest enzyme levels (0.89, 0.83, and 0.05 micrograms/ml, respectively, and two subjects with no detectable enzyme). Males had lower LCAT levels (6.42 +/- 1.05 micrograms/ml, n = 90, for all subjects; 5.99 +/- 1.03, n = 44, for normolipidemics) than females (7.01 +/- 1.14, n = 34, for all subjects P < 0.01; 6.44 +/- 0.79, n = 22, for normolipidemics, P < 0.01). LCAT levels correlated significantly with total cholesterol (males, r = 0.384, P < 0.001; females, r = 0.519, P < 0.002); and total triglyceride (only in females, r = 0.512, P < 0.002). LCAT levels in females correlated inversely with HDL cholesterol (r = 0.341, P < 0.05) and apoprotein D (r = 0.443, P < 0.02), but no such relationship existed in males.
Does this “he or she” business really make a difference? The effect of masculine pronouns as generics on job attitudes

Sixty-six female and 66 male undergraduates read six job descriptions referring to the jobholder(s) either as “he,” “he or she,” or “they.” Following each description subjects indicated their interest both in the job and a related job category, and estimated how difficult the job would be to get for a (1) Black person, (2) Mexican-American person, (3) woman, (4) person over age 60, (5) handicapped person, and (6) man. There were no main effects for pronoun condition, but several sex of subject × pronoun interactions. Significant effects for females generally supported the notion that use of masculine pronouns to refer to people in general narrows the reader's attitudes toward the topic in question, while corresponding results for males did not.
PRIMARY COSMIC-RAY ELECTRON ENERGY SPECTRUM FROM 10 TO 200 MeV OBSERVED IN INTERPLANETARY SPACE.

Quiet time primary cosmic ray electron flux and energy spectrum from 10 to 200 Mev in interplanetary space observed by OGO 5 satellite
Model photostable compounds

The photostabilities and syntheses of 2,2′-bis(o-hydroxyphenyl)-5,5′-bipyrimidine, 6,6′-bis(o-hydroxyphenyl)-3,3′-bipyridine and 3,8-bis(o-hydroxyphenyl)-4,7-phenanthroline are discussed. The syntheses of parent compounds lacking the o-hydroxy groups are also described.
Conjugacy decomposition of reductive monoids

We study the decomposition of a reductive monoid related to conjugacy classes and obtain a description of the associated finite poset Open image in new window This poset is constructed via the Gauss-Jordan elements of the Renner monoid R. For Mn(k), the poset can be identified with the lattice of all partitions of m, 0≤m≤n, where the order is an extension of the dominance order on partitions of n.
ISLAND ECOLOGIES AND CARIBBEAN LITERATURES1

This paper examines the ways in which European colonialism positioned tropical island landscapes outside the trajectories of modernity and history by segregating nature from culture, and it explores how contemporary Caribbean authors have complicated this opposition. By tracing the ways in which island colonisation transplanted and hybridised both peoples and plants, I demonstrate how mainstream scholarship in disciplines as diverse as biogeography, anthropology, history, and literature have neglected to engage with the deep history of island landscapes. I draw upon the literary works of Caribbean writers such as Edouard Glissant, Wilson Harris, Jamaica Kincaid and Olive Senior to explore the relationship between landscape and power.
Generation effects on work engagement among U.S. hotel employees

Abstract Drawing upon generational differences in work values and attitudes, this article examines work engagement of three generational cohorts using survey data collected from 677 customer contact employees in the hotel industry. Results of ANOVA and a series of moderated regression analyses indicate that levels of work engagement significantly differ depending on the generational membership of the employees. The effects of work engagement on turnover intention were significantly moderated by generational differences. Millennials were found to be a more distinct cohort from Gen Xers and Baby Boomers in terms of their level of work engagement as well as the relationship between work engagement and turnover intention.
Novel BaCe0.7In0.2Yb0.1O3-δ proton conductor as electrolyte for intermediate-temperature SOFCs

The novel proton conductor BaCe0.7In0.2Yb0.1O3-δ (BCIYb) has been successfully synthesized by a modified Pechini method, and characterized as an electrolyte for intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells. Acceptable tolerance to wet CO2 environment was found during chemical stability tests. No interaction between the BCIYb electrolyte and the La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-δ (LSCF) cathode was observed during the cathode fabrication process. Further, no detectable impurity phase was found when the BCIYb—LSCF mixed powders were calcined at 700°C for 50 h. BCIYb dense samples sintered at 1450°C for 5 h showed acceptable conductivities of 7.2 × 10−3, 8 × 10−3, 4.5 × 10−3 and 3.1 × 10−3 S/cm at 800°C in dry air, wet air, wet H2 and wet N2, respectively. The maximum cell power outputs of single cells with the configuration of Ni—BaZr0.1Ce0.7Y0.2O3-δ (BZCY)|BCIYb|BZCY—LSCF were 0.15, 0.218 and 0.28 W/cm2 at 600, 650 and 700°C, respectively. No cell degradation was observed for cells operated at a constant voltage of 0.7 V in the 25 h short-term durability test.
Geometric Modeling for Unitary Rotor of TMP by UG NX CAD

To manufacture the complicated turbo molecular pumps (TMP) rotor by NC machine tool, a geometric modeling for unitary rotor of TMP is created by UG NX 4.0. Based on the optimized geometric parameters of turbo blades, the coordinate system was defined, the wheel and blades were created, and the unitary rotor was built, then the outline of rotor and blade root were modified by cylinder and arc on UG CAD platform. The geometric model of the TMP rotor will be used in the next manufacturing step: NC programming. The result of TMP rotor geometric modeling is shown that UG NX CAD is an available tool to design and manufacture TMP unitary rotor.
Spatial/temporal variations in shrub thicket soil seed banks on an Atlantic Coast barrier island

Potential species replacement within low-diversity shrub thicket communities was investigated for a Virginia barrier island. Seed bank species composition was quantified in a glasshouse study using soil samples collected beneath closed Myrica cerifera thickets, as well as from thicket gaps. Samples were collected from productive and aging thickets, corresponding to differences in soil age. These data were compared to species presently occurring within the thickets and gaps. Seedbank species composition was not indicative of current community composition for either the intact thickets or the gaps. Seed banks resembled a more pioneer community. Thirteen families, 23 genera, and 25 species were identified from the seed bank beneath the M. cerifera thickets. Four species were woody. The within-gap seed bank included 19 families, 30 genera, and 34 species. Eight species were woody. The current community included 21 families, 33 genera, and 36 species beneath the intact thickets as well as within the thicket gaps. Eighteen species were woody. The species richness of gaps was more than three times that of intact thickets. For low-diversity shrub thickets, gaps enhance species richness.
Allocating data files over a wide area network: goal setting and compromise design

Abstract The problem of allocating data files over geographically dispersed sites connected by data communication networks has been extensively studied in the literature. Determining file allocations in a distributed information system typically requires trade-offs among multiple design objectives, some in conflict. This paper proposes a method to determine a compromise design for file allocation via a wide area telecommunication network. This compromise approach is likely to be better at representing the systems designers' goal setting behavior under a multiple design criteria situation.
Longitudinal myocardial deformation is selectively decreased after pediatric cardiac transplantation: a comparison of children 1 year after transplantation with normal subjects using velocity vector imaging.

The transplanted heart experiences numerous hemodynamic changes during and after cardiac transplantation. This study sought to evaluate the left ventricular myocardial mechanics in the pediatric heart transplant population using Velocity Vector Imaging (VVI). This study retrospectively evaluated 28 heart transplant recipients by echocardiography 12 months after transplantation. Echocardiograms from 28 age- and gender-matched subjects were used as a control group. Peak global longitudinal and circumferential left ventricular strain, systolic strain rate, and diastolic strain rate were obtained. Student’s t tests were used to assess differences between the two groups (defined as p ≤ 0.05). The peak global left ventricular longitudinal strain was lower in the transplant group (17.21%) than in the control group (22.14%). The transplant and control groups did not differ significantly in terms of their peak global circumferential strain (20.28% vs. 20.79%, respectively). Similar results were observed for longitudinal and circumferential systolic and diastolic strain rates. The transplant patients showed statistically significant reductions in all peak global longitudinal measures compared with those of the control subjects. Circumferential myocardial deformation appears to be preserved in transplant recipients. This could suggest evidence of ischemia given the known myocardial fiber arrangement of longitudinal fibers toward the endocardial surface, which is also more distal in the coronary arterioles.
5α-reductase activity in human gingiva and gingival fibroblasts in response to bacterial culture supernatants, using [14C]4-androstenedione as substrate

5α-Reduction of androgen substrates is increased in inflamed gingiva. It was therefore relevant to study the effect of bacterial culture supernatants derived from Prevotella intermedius (P.i), Porphyromonas gingivalis (P.g) and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans(A.a) on the metabolism of [14C]4androstenedione to 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in gingival tissue and cultured fibroblasts. Chronically inflamed human gingival tissue and cultured gingival fibroblasts from the same source were incubated in duplicate with [14C]4-androstenedione and optimal concentrations of P.i, P.g and A.a culture supernatants in Eagle's minimal essential medium in a Co2 incubator for 24 h at 37°C. The metabolites were then extracted, separated and quantified using a radioisotope scanner. There were 87, 50 and 6% increases in DHT synthesis by human gingival tissue in response to the culture supernatants of P.i, P.g and A.a, respectively, over control incubations (n = 3; p < 0.01: Wilcoxon signed-rank statistic for paired observations). With the cells in culture, all four fibroblast cell lines produced DHT and testosterone from [14C]4-androstenedione in varying amounts. The production of DHT was enhanced in the presence of each of the bacterial culture supernatants to varying degrees (P.i 40%, P.g 35% and A.a 40%; p < 0.01). Combinations of the bacterial extracts: (P.i + Rg), (P.i + A.a), (P.g + A.a) and (P.i + P.g + A.a), showed intermediate or suppressor effects on DHT formed compared with individual incubations. Culture supernatants of these pathogens can influence DHT synthesis in fibroblasts, an effect that is modulated by baseline androgen metabolism and the proportion of virulent pathogens present. This may have some bearing on host susceptibility and the progression of the periodontal lesion.
Erratum to: Nutritional Considerations After Gastrectomy and Esophagectomy for Malignancy

This article did not contain a conflict of interest statement upon online publication. All authors had completed a disclosure form stating that they did not have any potential conflicts of interest relevant to this article. An error occurred on authors_ affiliation Georgetown University Hospital zip code should be 20007-2113. Michele Malloy is employed by Georgetown University Medical Center, not Georgetown University.
Natural Capitalists: Increasing Business Students’ Environmental Sensitivity:

Recently, management educators have proposed that colleges of business should enrich their curricula with environmental topics. However, there has been little research assessing how environmental materials affect business students. In this study, the authors examine the effect of a required course using six different measures of environmental concern. They found that business students expressed greater levels of environmental concern on each of the six measures at the end of this course. The authors discuss these results given the proposals to include environmental topics in business courses and suggest how to incorporate environmental materials into these courses.
Efficient and exact data dependence analysis

Data dependence testing is the basic step in detecting loop level parallelism in numerieal programs. The problem is equivalent to integer linear programming and thus in general cannot be solved efficiently. Current methods in use employ inexact methods that sacrifice potential parallelism in order to improve compiler efficiency. This paper shows that in practice, data dependence can be computed exactly and efficiently. There are three major ideas that lead to this result. First, we have developed and assembled a small set of efficient algorithms, each one exact for special case inputs. Combined with a moderately expensive backup test, they are exact for all the cases we have seen in practice. Second, we introduce a memorization technique to save results of previous tests, thus avoiding calling the data dependence routines multiple times on the same input. Third, we show that this approach can both be extended to compute distance and direction vectors and to use unknowns ymbolic terms without any loss of accuracy or efficiency, We have implemented our algorithm in the SUIF system, a general purpose compiler system developwl at Stanford. We ran the algorithm on the PERFECT Club Benchmarks and our data dependence analyzer gave an exact solution in all cases efficiently,
Niemann–Pick C2 (NPC2) and intracellular cholesterol trafficking

Cholesterol is an important precursor for numerous biologically active molecules, and it plays a major role in membrane structure and function. Cholesterol can be endogenously synthesized or exogenously taken up via the endocytic vesicle system and subsequently delivered to post-endo/lysosomal sites including the plasma membrane and the endoplasmic reticulum. Niemann-Pick C (NPC) disease results in the accumulation of exogenously-derived cholesterol, as well as other lipids, in late endosomes and lysosomes (LE/LY). Identification of the two genes that underlie NPC disease, NPC1 and NPC2, has focused attention on the mechanisms by which lipids, in particular cholesterol, are transported out of the LE/LY compartment. This review discusses the role of the NPC2 protein in cholesterol transport, and the potential for concerted action of NPC1 and NPC2 in regulating normal intracellular cholesterol homeostasis.
A magnetic resonance imaging study of the cerebellar vermis in chronically treated and treatment-naïve children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder combined type.

Background Because of its dense connections to the prefrontal cortex and basal ganglia, the cerebellum is thought to play an important role in cognition. Numerous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have found abnormalities in the cerebellum in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). While some studies in animal and human models suggest that certain brain structures are affected by chronic stimulant medication, it is unclear whether the cerebellum is also affected. The purpose of the current study was to determine if cerebellar morphology was different in treatment-naive versus chronically treated children with ADHD. Methods There were 32 boys and 15 girls total ( N = 47) that comprised three groups: ADHD-combined type (ADHD-C) children with no history of stimulant medication treatment ( n = 14), ADHD-C children chronically treated with stimulant medication ( n = 18), and typically developing control children ( n = 15). Results Treatment-naive children with ADHD had significantly smaller area in the posterior inferior vermis (lobules VIII–X) than both chronically treated children with ADHD ( p = .004) and typically developing control children ( p = .001). No differences were observed between chronically treated children with ADHD and control children. Conclusions The results from this study suggest that chronic stimulant treatment may normalize the development of important areas of the cerebellar vermis in children with ADHD.
Touch panel with integrated fingerprint sensors based user identity management

In this paper, to enhance identity acquisition procedures in smartphones and make the process transparent to the user, a novel User Identity Sensing approach leveraging the unified fingerprint enabled touch panel that combines multiple capacitive TFT based fingerprint sensors directly with the touch screen panel of the smartphone is proposed. The solution passively fulfills mobile users identity management during natural user-device touch interactions and requires neither password nor extra actions from the user, which makes it highly user friendly. To demonstrate the feasibility of such a unified, user identity sensing based design, an investigation of the hardware metrics is performed. Simulation experiments are conducted to evaluate the system with touch data collected from 25 smartphone users. The resulting observations and simulation results provide guidance for an efficient design of the hardware and criteria that need to be satisfied for the development of an operational prototype.
Potential impact of the new medicare prospective payment system on reimbursement for traumatic brain injury inpatient rehabilitation.

Abstract Hoffman JM, Doctor JN, Chan L, Whyte J, Jha A, Dikmen S. Potential impact of the new Medicare prospective payment system on reimbursement for traumatic brain injury inpatient rehabilitation. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2003;84:1165–72. Objective: To evaluate the potential impact of the new Medicare prospective payment system (PPS) on traumatic brain injury (TBI) rehabilitation. Design: Retrospective cohort study of patients with TBI. Patients were assigned to their appropriate case-mix group (CMG) based on Medicare criteria. Setting: Fourteen urban rehabilitation facilities throughout the United States. Participants: Patients with TBI admitted to inpatient rehabilitation and enrolled in the Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems from 1998 to 2001 (N=1807). Interventions: Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures: Cost of inpatient rehabilitation admission, length of stay (LOS), and functional outcomes. Results: The median cost of inpatient rehabilitation for patients with TBI exceeded median PPS payments for all TBI CMGs by 16%. Only 3 of the 14 hospitals received reimbursement under PPS that exceeded costs for their TBI patients. Conclusions: Compared with current costs, the new Medicare payment system may reimburse facilities significantly less than their costs for the treatment of TBI. To maintain their current financial status, facilities may have to reduce LOS and/or reduce resource use. With a decreased LOS, inpatient rehabilitation services will have to improve FIM efficiency or discharge patients with lower discharge FIM scores.
Lymphocytic hypophysitis associated with pediatric multiple sclerosis.

Abstract Background Lymphocytic hypophysitis (LH) is a rare inflammatory disorder of the pituitary gland and infundibulum most often observed in the setting of autoimmune disease with a variety of clinical and endocrine presentations. The association between lymphocytic hypophysitis and multiple sclerosis has not been reported. Patient and results We describe an adolescent boy with polyfocal neurological signs including optic neuritis as well as hypopituitarism and diabetes insipidus related to lymphocytic hypophysitis. His imaging met 2010 McDonald criteria for multiple sclerosis. This diagnosis was further supported by cerebrospinal fluid analysis and a negative evaluation for an alternate diagnosis. Imaging features of lymphocytic hypophysitis include an absent posterior pituitary bright spot with an enlarged cystic pituitary gland, stalk thickening, and improvement with corticosteroid therapy. Conclusions Lymphocytic hypophysitis and multiple sclerosis share a common autoimmune pathogenesis, perhaps explaining the co-occurrence of the diseases. The presentation of endocrinologic disturbances such as diabetes insipidus with typical features of a multiple sclerosis attack should prompt further investigation of possible comorbid inflammatory disease involving the hypothalamic-pituitary axis.
Gerrardinaceae: a new family of African flowering plants unresolved among Brassicales, Huerteales, Malvales, and Sapindales

A new family of flowering plants, Gerrardinaceae M. H. Alford, is created for Gerrardina Oliver, an African genus of two species formerly allied to tribe Homalieae of Flacourtiaceae. Unlike Homalieae, now placed in Salicaceae s.l. (Malpighiales), Gerrardina has cunonioid leaf teeth, a cupular receptacular disk, introrse anther dehiscence, and apical placentation. Phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequence data from plastid rbcL and atpB indicate that Gerrardina is not closely allied with any family. It is unresolved among the "eurosids II" ("malvids"), a clade that includes Brassicales, Huerteales, Malvales, and Sapindales.
Ion scattering study of the surface structure of epitaxial NiSi2 on Si(001)

Ion Scattering Spectroscopy was used to study the surface atomic structure of epitaxial NiSi2 grown on the (001) surface of Si. The ion scattering data does not agree with the model recently proposed by Jona et al. [Solid State Commun. 57, 687 (1986)], but supports a model in which the NiSi2 (001) surface consists of a bulk-like Si termination of the fluorite structure with a 0.3 A ± 0.05 A inward relaxation and a 20%–30% concentration of vacancies in the Si terminated plane.
Genetic Diversity among Lassa Virus Strains

The arenavirus Lassa virus causes Lassa fever, a viral hemorrhagic fever that is endemic in the countries of Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea and perhaps elsewhere in West Africa. To determine the degree of genetic diversity among Lassa virus strains, partial nucleoprotein (NP) gene sequences were obtained from 54 strains and analyzed. Phylogenetic analyses showed that Lassa viruses comprise four lineages, three of which are found in Nigeria and the fourth in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Overall strain variation in the partial NP gene sequence was found to be as high as 27% at the nucleotide level and 15% at the amino acid level. Genetic distance among Lassa strains was found to correlate with geographic distance rather than time, and no evidence of a “molecular clock” was found. A method for amplifying and cloning full-length arenavirus S RNAs was developed and used to obtain the complete NP and glycoprotein gene (GP1 and GP2) sequences for two representative Nigerian strains of Lassa virus. Comparison of full-length gene sequences for four Lassa virus strains representing the four lineages showed that the NP gene (up to 23.8% nucleotide difference and 12.0% amino acid difference) is more variable than the glycoprotein genes. Although the evolutionary order of descent within Lassa virus strains was not completely resolved, the phylogenetic analyses of full-length NP, GP1, and GP2 gene sequences suggested that Nigerian strains of Lassa virus were ancestral to strains from Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Compared to the New World arenaviruses, Lassa and the other Old World arenaviruses have either undergone a shorter period of diverisification or are evolving at a slower rate. This study represents the first large-scale examination of Lassa virus genetic variation.
Effects of sodium chloride on the properties of chlorophyll a submonolayer adsorbed onto hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces using broadband spectroscopy with single-mode integrated optical waveguides

In this work, we experimentally investigated the effects of sodium chloride on the molar absorptivity and surface density of a sub- monolayer of chlorophyll a adsorbed onto hydrophilic and hydrophobic solid/liquid interfaces. Those investigations were made possible by a broadband spectroscopic platform based on single-mode, integrated op- tical waveguides, which allows for extremely sensitive spectroscopic de- tection of analytes immobilized at submonolayer levels. Chlorophyll a with a constant bulk concentration (1.4 μM) was dissolved in phosphate buffer solutions (7 mM) of neutral pH, but with different sodium chloride concen- trations. For a buffer solution of 1 mM of sodium chloride, the measured surface density of chlorophyll a was 0.209 pmol/cm 2 for a hydrophilic and 0.125 pmol/cm 2 for a hydrophobic surface. For a phosphate buffer solution of 10 mM of sodium chloride, the measured surface density of chlorophyll a was 0.528 pmol/cm 2 for a hydrophilic and 0.337 pmol/cm 2 for a hy- drophobic surface. Additionally, a hypsochromic shift of the Soret band was observed for the adsorbed pigment in correlation with an increase in buffer ionic strength. The adsorption of chlorophyll a onto different sur- faces can play an important role to elucidate several processes found in nature and provide a rationale for bio-inspired new material technologies.
Short-cut in the pomeranz-fritsch synthesis of 1-benzyl-isoquinolines; short and efficient syntheses of norrecticuline derivatives and of papaverine

Abstract A new methodology for the Pomeranz-Fritsch synthesis of 1-benzyl-1,2-dihydroisoquinolines avoiding pavine or isopavine troubles, has been developed. These intermediates could be reduced to their 1,2,3,4-tetrahydro congeners or aromatized to give isoquinolines, as it was demonstrated by the synthesis of some norrecticuline derivatives 4 – 7 and of papaverin 8.
Effect of renal failure or biliary stasis on the pharmacokinetics of amiodarone in the rat

The single dose intravenous pharmacokinetics of amiodarone (50 mg/kg) were examined in rats with 72 h of biliary stasis secondary to bile duct ligation compared with paired control animals; and in rats with uranyl nitrate induced acute renal failure compared with paired control animals. Plasma and tissue levels (liver, kidney, heart, and lung) of amiodarone (1) and its N-deethyl metabolite 2 were obtained at 4 and 24 h following drug administration. Pharmacokinetic parameters were derived from plasma samples obtained over a 24-h period. Compared with controls, biliary stasis caused a decrease in the total clearance of 1 (1.74 versus 0.35 L/h/kg) and in the volume of distribution at steady state (21.1 versus 5.0 L/kg); renal failure caused a decrease in total clearance (1.67 versus 0.9 L/h/kg) and an increase in apparent elimination half-life (13.7 versus 10.1 h). Both disease processes produced significantly higher plasma levels of 1 when compared with control animals at 4 and 24 h. However, only the cholestatic animals had consistently higher tissue levels of 1 in the face of elevated plasma levels. In normal rats, no 1 or 2 was detected in the urine after a 50 mg/kg intravenous dose of 1, and less than 0.5% of the total dose of amiodarone (1) was excreted into bile by 12 h.
Understanding Beam Alignment in a Coherent Lidar System

Optical beam alignment in a coherent lidar (or ladar) receiver system plays a critical role in optimizing its performance. Optical alignment in a coherent lidar system dictates the wavefront curvature (phase front) and Poynting vector) matching of the local oscillator beam with the incoming receiver beam on a detector. However, this alignment is often not easy to achieve and is rarely perfect. Furthermore, optical fibers are being increasingly used in coherent lidar system receivers for transporting radiation to achieve architectural elegance. Single mode fibers also require stringent mode matching for efficient light coupling. The detector response characteristics vary with the misalignment of the two pointing vectors. Misalignment can lead to increase in DC current. Also, a lens in front of the detector may exasperate phase front and Poynting vector mismatch. Non-Interaction of Waves, or the NIW property indicates the light beams do not interfere by themselves in the absence of detecting dipoles. In this paper, we will analyze the extent of misalignment on the detector specifications using pointing vectors of mixing beams in light of the NIW property.
Pathological and oncologic outcomes for men with positive lymph nodes at radical prostatectomy: The Johns Hopkins Hospital 30-year experience

BACKGROUND We report the 30-year institutional experience of radical prostatectomy (RP) for men with clinically localized prostate cancer (PC) found to have lymph node (LN) metastases at surgery. METHODS The Johns Hopkins RP Database (1982–2011) was queried for 505 (2.5%) men with node-positive (N1) PC. Survival analysis was completed using the Kaplan–Meier method and proportional hazard regression models. RESULTS The proportion of men with N1PC was 8.3%, 3.5%, and 1.4% in the pre- (1982–1990), early- (1991–2000), and contemporary-PSA eras (2001–2011), respectively. A trend toward decreasing PSA, less palpable disease but more advanced Gleason sum was noted in the most contemporary era. Median total and positive nodes were 13.2 (1–41) and 1.7 (1–12), respectively. Of 135 patients with a unilateral tumor, 80 (59.3%), 28 (20.7%), and 15 (11.1%) had ipsilateral, contralateral, and bilateral positive LN. 15-year biochemical-recurrence free, metastases-free and cancer-specific survival was 7.1%, 41.5%, and 57.5%, respectively. Predictors of biochemical-recurrence, metastases and death from PC in multivariate analysis included Gleason sum at RP, the number and percent of positive LN; notably total number of LN dissected did not predict outcome. CONCLUSIONS In this highly-selected RP cohort, men found to have N1PC disease at RP can experience a durable long-term metastases-free and cancer-specific survival. Predictors of survival include Gleason sum, number, and percentage of positive LN. While total number of LN dissected was not predictive, approximately 30% of men with N1PC will have positive LN contralateral to the primary prostatic lesion highlighting the importance of a thorough, bilateral pelvic LN dissection. Prostate 73: 1673–1680, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Noninvasive diagnosis of delayed gastric emptying from cutaneous electrogastrograms using neural networks

The currently established gastric emptying test requires the patient to take a radioactive test meal and to stay under a gamma camera for acquiring abdominal images for 2 hours. It is invasive and expensive. Since the electrogastrogram (EGG) is a cutaneous recording of gastric myoelectrical activity which modulates gastric motor activity, we hypothesized that delayed gastric emptying might be predicted from the EGG using a neural network approach. In this study, simultaneous recordings of the EGG and the emptying rate of the stomach by means of the established method were made in 152 patients with suspected gastric motility disorders. A multilayer feedforward neural network approach for the diagnosis of delayed gastric emptying from the noninvasive EGG was developed. Using 5 spectral parameters of the EGG as inputs, a correct classification of 85% was achieved with an optimized three-layer network. This study indicates that the neural network approach is a potentially useful tool for the noninvasive diagnosis of delayed gastric emptying.