cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
BEAM-TRACING-BASED INVERSE SCATTERING FOR GENERAL APERTURE ANTENNAS

Iterative techniques are presented for two-dimensional inverse scattering from electrically large regions. The region is illuminated by transmitters with arbitrary profiles; this is an escalation in complexity from the line-source and the plane-wave excitations considered in many previous inverse-scattering studies. Imaging algorithms require an accurate and efficient forward model. Here a Gaussian-beam algorithm is utilized as a forward solver and is incorporated into an iterative-Born inversion scheme. General antenna profiles are incorporated into the algorithm by use of the matched-pursuits technique, by which the aperture fields are matched to the beam-tracing algorithm. Results are presented for several cases in which the simple Born approximation fails. Issues addressed include the types of profiles that can be successfully imaged, suitable antenna distributions, and the range of parameters over which the scheme is effective. Performance of the algorithm in the presence of noisy data is also tested.
Association between acute inflammatory cells in lavage fluid and bronchial metaplasia.

In epidemiologic studies, airway disease and parenchymal injury are known morbid outcomes of occupational exposure to asbestos. However, the relationship of inflammatory events considered to be responsible for parenchymal injury to the subsequent development of airway injury is unknown. To assess this we performed bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and airway biopsies on a population of subjects with exposure to asbestos in the workplace. As an index of airway injury, we employed histologic metaplasia seen in mucosal biopsy specimens. Lung BAL fluid was analyzed for two potentially relevant protein markers and for inflammatory cells recovered from the lower respiratory tract. We related metaplasia to demographic features of this study population (eg, smoking history and asbestos exposure data) and also to the protein and cellular markers recovered by BAL. We studied 50 workers and detected keratinizing metaplasia in 15 and varying lesser abnormalities in the other 28. Cigarette smoking was not associated with the presence of metaplasia (p
A quantum statistical investigation of the electron impact decompositions of Al2O, Ga2O and In2O

Abstract The critical energies for the decomposition of the aluminum family sub- oxide molecular ions, Al2O+, are determined, and it is shown that the unimolecular decompositions of these molecular ions can be adequately described by a quantum statistical approach in which the transition state is a three-centered activated complex. The decomposition of the M2O+ (M  Al, Ga and In) ions is shown to proceed principally by the ν3≠ asymmetric stretching mode of the complex becoming a translation in the reaction coordinate. The effect of changes in the MO bond orders and MM distances on the specific decomposition rates is also discussed. The calculated and measured ionization efficiency curves for the M2O+ species are found to be very good agreement.
Fetal and neonatal rat intestinal capillaries: Permeability to carbon, ferritin, hemoglobin, and myoglobin

The function of the mural components involved in vascular exchange (pinocytotic vesicles, fenestrations, intercellular junctions, and the basal lamina) was assessed by intravascular injection of tracers (carbon, carbon plus histamine, ferritin, hemoglobin, and myoglobin) on separate gestational days in fetal and neonatal rat intestinal capillaries. The continuous capillaries present through day 17 of gestation were impermeable, even at junctions, to all the tracers within the maximum circulation time studied (3 minutes). Most of the luminal pinocytotic vesicles were labeled within 3 minutes with myoglobin (3.3-nm diameter) or hemoglobin (5.5-nm diameter), while only occasional vesicles contained ferritin (11-nm diameter) and none contained carbon (25-50nm diameter). Even though luminal pinocytotic vesicles contained the smaller tracers, no vesicular transport and discharge were ever seen. The fenestrated vessels present from day 18 of gestation allowed a rapid extravasation of ferritin and hemoglobin via diaphragmed fenestrations. At no time period did extravasation of carbon take place, nor did the carbon plus histamine solution induce vascular leakage. Once a tracer gained access to the extravascular space, the developing basal lamina did not seem to retard its movement.
Sequence specificity of the P1 modification methylase (M.Eco P1) and the DNA methylase (M.Eco dam) controlled by the Escherichia coli dam gene.

Abstract Labeled oligonucleotides have been fractionated from pancreatic DNase digests of DNA that had been methylated in vitro with the P1 modification enzyme (M· Eco P1) or with the DNA-adenine methylase (M· Eco dam) controlled by the Escherichia coli dam gene. The sequences of methylated oligonucleotides were established for M· Eco dam modification of calf thymus DNA. The results show that M· Eco dam inethylates adenine residues contained in the twofold symmetrical sequence, 5′ … G-A-T-C … 3′. The sequence for the site methylated by M· Eco P1 has also been deduced; we propose that M· Eco P1 modification produces the following methylated pentameric sequence: 5′ … A-G-A ∗ -C-Py … 3′ (where A ∗ = N 6 methyladenine and Py is C or T).
An osmometric method for measurement of total CO2

We describe a rapid and accurate osmometric method for the measurement of total CO 2 1 which is considerably simpler than techniques previously and currently used [1–7].
The rise of modern business in Great Britain, the United States, and Japan

This book compares and analyzes the development of business and business institutions in Great Britain, the United States, Japan and, to a lesser extent, Germany from the preindustrial era to the present, with emphasis on the 20th century. Because the evolution of business has been profoundly influenced by its environment, this study pays close attention to connections between business development and political, social and cultural changes. It also offers an insightful argument on similarities and differences in global business development: the similarities result from the technological and economic imperatives of industrialization, and the differences result from the decisive influence of the national environments - laws, politics, social norms, and culture - within which businesses operate. This edition of "The Rise of Modern Business" further highlights the diversity and complexity of business developments by examining both manufacturing and nonmanufacturing firms, exploring the development of small firms in addition to big businesses, and weighing the importance of labour and government for business development in all four nations discussed.
Quality of life and quality of care for patients with gout

Significant pain, activity limitation, and disability in patients with acute and chronic gouty arthritis lower health-related quality of life. Although many effective therapies are available for gouty arthritis, medication errors are common. One goal of therapy is to reduce the frequency of gout flares by lowering serum uric acid. Further, evidence suggests that the quality of care provided to patients with gout may also impact health-related quality of life. This article reviews evidence concerning quality of care and quality of life for patients with gout.
Structural optimization including centrifugal effects

Abstract This paper investigates the effects of centrifugal forces on the frequencies of a rotating system and then provides an optimal redesign process. The rotational effects have a profound influence on the eigenfrequencies and are important in optimal structural redesign where the frequencies must be adjusted. The optimal redesign is done by deriving nonlinear inverse perturbation equations for the problem. Structural changes typically meet the frequency goals to within three percent.
Net-zero energy: a case study on renewable energy and policy issues at Richardsville Elementary School, Kentucky

Blazing the trail as the first net-zero energy school, Richardsville Elementary School, Kentucky produces as much renewable energy as it consumes. The high performance, LEED® Gold certified facility was opened in October 2010 for 550 students. Key elements included insulated concrete form-walls, geothermal HVAC systems with decentralised and distributive pumps, active day-lighting with light shelves and Solatubes®, roof-adhered thin film photovoltaic systems, and Bio-swales®. The facility has an outdoor classroom with wireless, solar-operated weather station that measures rainfall, temperature, humidity, wind speed, carbon dioxide, solar and ultraviolet radiation and real-time software for uploading data to media centre and internet. The school operates energy-based curriculum strategy for active student learning and engagement to enhance critical thinking regarding energy conservation and environmental health sustainable technologies. From both economic and environmental perspectives, the idea of generating energy from sustainable sources without pollutant emissions has very powerful appeal and should be strongly encouraged.
Spontaneous Arrest of Advanced Periodontal Disease Without Treatment: An Interesting Case Report

A 48-year-old female patient presented with advanced periodontitis but was unable to proceed with periodontal therapy. After ten years of absence, her periodontal status appeared unchanged, if not slightly improved, despite the total lack of any dental or periodontal care. Studies on the biologic behavior of periodontitis are severely lacking and would appear to be a logical area for future epidemiologic surveys.
Biological effects of dietary T-2 toxin on rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri

Abstract A 16-wk feeding study was conducted to evaluate the chronic toxicity of graded levels (0, 1.0, 2.5.5, 10 and 15 mg/kg of chemically pure dietary T-2 toxin (4,15-diacetoxy-8-(3-methylbutyryloxy)-12,13-epoxy-Δ 9 -tricothecen-3-ol) in 1-g rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri , held in 9°C single-passage well water. Levels of T-2 toxin > 2.5 mg/kg depressed growth, efficiency of feed use, hematocrit, blood hemoglobin concentration and feed acceptance, and caused a transitory edema in a dose-dependent manner. Growth of trout fed a semipurified diet containing the toxin was described by the function: Y = 0.265 + 142.075 e (0.029 X 1 − 1.554x 2 3.7 ), where Y = gain as percentage starting weight per wk; X 1 is time in wk and 0 ⩽ X 1 ⩽16; and X 2 is T-2 content of diet in mg/kgand 0⩽ X 2 ⩽15. Exposure of fish to T-2 toxin did not affect activity of intestinal lumen chymoirypsin or trypsin, nitrogen digestibility or metabolizabte energy. Feeding of 15 mg/kg T-2 toxin to adult trout caused hemorrhaging in the intestines and regurgitation of subsequently intubated feed regardless of T-2 loxin content.
Energy harvesting two-way half-duplex relay channel with decode-and-forward relaying: Optimum power policies

In this paper, a half-duplex two-way relay channel with energy harvesting nodes is considered. In particular, short-term throughput maximization problems are solved using a decode-and-forward relay. Necessary properties of the optimal transmission policy are derived to gain insights into the optimal solution. Then, a subgradient descent algorithm is used to find the optimal policy. It is observed through simulations that energy-deficient nodes act as bottlenecks on the achieved throughput. The achieved average throughput is observed to be close to the upper bound when nodes have no energy intermittency, and significantly higher than the throughput achieved by naive policies.
BATMAV: Development and Testing of a SMA-Based Bio-Inspired Flapping Platform

The overall objective of the BATMAV project is the development of a biologically-inspired Micro Aerial Vehicle (MAV) with flexible and foldable wings for flapping flight. This paper presents a platform that features bat-inspired wings which are able to mimic the folding motion of the elbow and wrist joints of the natural flyer. This flapping platform makes use of the dual roll of the Shape Memory Alloys (SMA) to mimic the flexible joints and flapping muscles of the natural wings. The approach of this project was to learn from the natural flyer through a systematic analysis of their flight and to mimic their flapping mechanisms. A systematic study of the bat flight kinematics helped to identify the required joint angles as relevant degrees of freedom for wing actuation. Kinematic models of wings with 2 and 3-DOFs have been developed with the intention of mimicking the wing trajectories of the natural flier Plecotus auritus. A further kinematic model for the joint rotation angle has been developed in order to determine the attachment locations of SMA ‘muscle-wires’ as well as their routes along the wing ‘bones’. As part of this study individual elbow-joint systems were designed, fabricated and used to experimentally validate the above model’s prediction. The elastic skin membrane of the bat wing has been reproduced using a thin-film silicon membrane which has been suitably prestrained and shaped to mimic the leading and trailing edges of the bat wing. To measure the aerodynamic forces developed by the flapping platform, a test stand consisting of two load cells was assembled, and the dynamic tests were performed for a 2-DOF flapping wings. The lift and thrust forces as well as the flapping amplitude were measured.© 2010 ASME
Mass equidistribution of Hecke eigenforms on the Hilbert modular varieties

Abstract Let F be a totally real number field with ring of integers O , and let Γ = SL ( 2 , O ) be the Hilbert modular group. Given the orthonormal basis of Hecke eigenforms in S 2 k ( Γ ) , one can associate a probability measure d μ k on the Hilbert modular variety Γ \ H n . We prove that d μ k tends to the invariant measure on Γ \ H n weakly as k → ∞ . This generalizes Luo's result [W. Luo, Equidistribution of Hecke eigenforms on the modular surface, Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 131 (2003) 21–27] for the case F = Q .
Oxidative decar☐ylation of 3,4-dihydroxymandelic acid to 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde: electrochemical and HPLC analysis of the reaction mechanism

Abstract Cyclic voltammetric and chronoamperometric data are consistent with a process in which 3,4-dihydroxymandelic acid (DOMA) is oxidized initially in a two-electron step to its corresponding o-benzoquinone. This species is unstable and undergoes the rate-determining loss of CO2 (k = 1.6s−1 at pH 6 and 25°C) to gibe an unobserved p-benzoquinone methide intermediate that rapidly isomerizes to 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde (DOBAL), DOBAL is also electroactive at the applied potential and is oxidized in a two-electron step to 4-formyl-1,2-benzoquinone. Subsequent reactions of 4-formyl-1,2-benzoquinone include the oxidation of unreacted DOMA and the hydration of its aldehyde functional group. Oxidation of DOMA directly to its p-benzoquinone methide apparently does not occur. Derivatives of mandelic acid (e.g., 4-hydroxymandelic acid) that are expected to give only their corresponding p-benzoquinone methides upon oxidation afford redox behavior that differs distinctly from that for DOMA.
Production of human matrix metalloproteinase 3 (stromelysin) in Escherichia coli.

Abstract Full-length human matrix metalloproteinase 3 (prostromelysin or proMMP-3) was produced in Escherichia coli as an intracellular insoluble aggregate that could be solublized and refolded to yield an activatable proenzyme. The refolded protein was purified to > 95% homogeneity. The recombinant proMMP-3 (re-proMMP-3) could be activated by agents known to stimulate self-catalyzed cleavage of native fibroblast proMMP-3. The N-terminal amino-acid sequence of the re-proMMP-3 and its activation products indicated that they were the same as those obtained with the natural material.
Susceptibility of Inflamed Alveolar and Airway Epithelial Cells to Injury Induced by Diesel Exhaust Particles of Varying Organic Carbon Content

Exposure to traffic-related ambient air pollution, such as diesel exhaust particles (DEP), is associated with adverse health outcomes, especially in individuals with preexisting inflammatory respiratory diseases. Using an analogous novel in vitro system to model both the healthy and inflamed lung, the susceptibility of epithelial cells exposed to DEP of varying organic carbon content was studied. Murine LA-4 alveolar type II-like epithelial cells, as well as primary murine tracheal epithelial cells (MTE), were treated with exogenous cytokines (tumor necrosis factor [TNF] alpha + interleukin [IL]-1 beta + interferon [IFN] gamma) to model a mild inflammatory state. Epithelial cells were subsequently exposed to DEP of varying organic carbon content, and the resultant cytotoxic, cytoprotective, or antioxidant cell responses were inferred by changes in lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression, or glutathione levels, respectively. Data showed that exposure of healthy LA-4 cells to organic carbon-rich DEP (25 microg/cm(2); 24 h) induced adaptive cytoprotective/antioxidant responses with no apparent cell injury. In contrast, exposure of inflamed LA-4 cells resulted in oxidative stress culminating in significant cytotoxicity. Exposure of healthy MTE cells to organic carbon-rich DEP (20 microg/cm(2); 24 h) was seemingly without effect, whereas exposure of inflamed MTE cells resulted in increased epithelial solute permeability. Thus, surface lung epithelial cells stressed by a state of inflammation and then exposed to organic carbon-rich DEP appear unable to respond to the additional oxidative stress, resulting in epithelial barrier dysfunction and injury. Adverse health outcomes associated with exposure to traffic-related air pollutants, like DEP, in patients with preexisting inflammatory respiratory diseases may be due, in part, to similar mechanisms.
Formation of amorphous layers in Al2O3 by ion implantation

Abstract Conditions are described which can be used to turn the near surface region of Al2O3 amorphous by ion implantation. Epitaxial recrystallization of the amorphous region during thermal annealing is demonstrated. Changes in the physical and structural properties as a result of implantation are correlated with changes in the mechanical properties (microhardness).
On topological W-algebra field theories

We show how certain conformal field theories with W-algebraic structure and vanishing central charges can be interpreted as topological field theories, by mapping them to N = 2 superconformal coset models. Appropriate identifications among vacuum states generate non-trivial ring structures for the topological observables.
Lunasin and lunasin-like peptides inhibit inflammation through suppression of NF-κB pathway in the macrophage

Abstract Inflammation is part of the host defense mechanism against harmful matters and injury; however, aberrant inflammation is associated to the development of chronic diseases such as cancer. Lunasin is a novel peptide that demonstrates potential anticancer activity against mammalian cancer cell lines and may play a role in inflammation. The objective of this study was to determine the mechanism of action by which lunasin and lunasin-like peptides exert their anti-inflammatory properties using RAW 264.7 macrophage cell line as an in vitro model. We purified three peptides (5, 8, and 14 kDa) from defatted soybean flour with a positive immunoreactivity towards lunasin mouse monoclonal antibody. Treatment with these peptides (10–50 μM) resulted in the inhibition of pro-inflammatory markers in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages. The 5 kDa peptide inhibited most potently pro-inflammatory markers including interleukin-6 production (IC 50 = 2 μM), interleukin-1β production (IC 50 = 13 μM), nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) transactivation (IC 50 = 21 μM), cyclooxygenase-2 expression (IC 50 = 25 μM), nitric oxide production (IC 50 = 28 μM), inducible nitric oxide synthase expression (IC 50 = 37 μM), prostaglandin E 2 production (IC 50 = 41 μM), p65 nuclear translocation (IC 50 = 48 μM) and p50 nuclear translocation (IC 50 = 77 μM). In conclusion, lunasin and lunasin-like peptides purified from defatted soybean flour inhibited inflammation in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 macrophage by suppressing NF-κB pathway.
Paclitaxel shows cytotoxic activity in human hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines

Paclitaxel stabilizes microtubules with inhibition of mitotic spindle formation and has been found effective in several solid cancers. To test whether paclitaxel could be cytotoxic in human HCC cell lines, we used established HuH-7 and HepG2 cell lines. Changes in cell number, DNA synthesis rates and cell viability were determined. We tested whether paclitaxel-treated cells underwent apoptosis, microtubular reorganization, and cell cycle restriction. Studies also examined whether chemosensitization with verapamil enhanced the antitumor activity of paclitaxel. The cell viability was impaired at greater than 0.01 microM paclitaxel concentrations (LD50, 0.8 microM), with flow cytometry indicating accumulation of cells in G2/M, and immunostaining showing polymerized microtubules with characteristic banding patterns. This G2/M restriction was further characterized by flow cytometry, which revealed cyclin A and cdc2 kinase accumulation in paclitaxel-treated cells. Exposure to paclitaxel decreased [3H]thymidine incorporation into DNA in cells at 24 h but this significantly increased at 72 h, most likely due to DNA repair mechanisms related to cell cycle restriction. The cell death was via both apoptotic and non-apoptotic mechanisms. Finally, co-administration of the chemosensitizer verapamil in doses as little as 1 microM increased the antitumor efficacy of paclitaxel by up to five-fold and changed the LD50 of paclitaxel to 0.1 microM. The findings indicate that paclitaxel is cytotoxic to cultured hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Clinical studies of paclitaxel in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma may help determine additional therapies.
Family environments of victims of intrafamilial and extrafamilial child sexual abuse

The family environments of Intrafamilial and extrafamilial childhood sexual abuse victims were examined to determine whether characteristics of incestuous families that appear to place children at risk for abuse can also be viewed as risk factors for abuse by a perpetrator outside the family. Participants were 31 college women identified as victims of childhood incest, 49 victims of extrafamilial abuse, and 49 nonvictims. They completed a questionnaire soliciting demographic and abuse-relevant information and the Family Environment Scale (FES). A multivariate analysis of variance and descriptive discriminant analysis of FES scores revealed that both intrafamilial and extrafamilial victim groups differed significantly from the nonabused group on a family functioning dimension comprised of cohesion, active recreational orientation, moralreligious emphasis, independence, and organization. The results thus supported the hypothesis that family characteristics associated with the occurrence of intrafamilial abuse were also associated with the occurrence of extrafamilial sexual assault. Implications of the findings as well as suggestions for further research are discussed.
Serum globulins as marker of immune restoration after treatment with high-dose rituximab for chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

An important biological alteration in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the dysregulation of immunoglobulin production, as a consequence of complex and yet incompletely understood interactions between plasma cells and the neoplastic B-cell clone. As a result, most patients develop severe hypogammaglobulinemia during the course of the disease. Fourteen patients were analyzed retrospectively for changes in globulins produced by antineoplastic treatments. During maximum response to fludarabine, chlorambucil, and overall rituximab, the mean levels of globulins were 2.500, 2.752, and 3.018 g/dl. The mean increase in globulins during clinical response to individual treatments compared to pre-treatment values were 0.050 g/dl for fludarabine, 0.302 g/dl for chlorambucil, 0.267 g/dl for low-dose rituximab, and 0.346 g/dl for high-dose rituximab. Overall, treatment with rituximab produced an average increase in globulins at clinical response of 11.6%, which increased further to 17.3% at maximum clinical response. Serum globulins increased significantly compared with pre-treatment values at maximum clinical response to rituximab overall (P = 0.001) and high-dose rituximab (P = 0.001), but no statistical significance occurred in the cases of fludarabine (P = 0.5), chlorambucil/prednisone (P = 0.14), and low-dose rituximab (P = 0.07). Serum globulins levels correlate with disease status (complete responders versus partial responders and stable disease groups), but not with peripheral neoplastic load. Therefore, although rituximab is efficient in decreasing the tumor burden, additional mechanisms may be involved in relieving suppressive effects on immunoglobulin-producing cells, which especially manifest at high doses of the agent. Use of high doses of rituximab in CLL can avoid T-cell dysfunction and neutropenia, and is associated with humoral immunorestorative effects.
Discriminability and Criterion Differences between Extraverts and Introverts during Vigilance.

In a signal detection task introverts were better able than extraverts to distinguish between the signal and noise distribution (p < .001) and also set a higher criterion point for their responses (p < .01). The results show that superior vigilance in introverts reported by other investigators is due to two processes.
High resolution, low cost laser lithography using a Blu-ray optical head assembly

Abstract We present a novel, cost-effective laser lithography system capable of producing periodic and non-periodic patterns with sub-micrometre feature sizes and periodicities. The optical head assembly of a Blu-ray disc recorder containing a 405 nm semiconductor diode laser and 0.85 NA objective lens was mounted on a motion stage and it was used to expose silicon samples covered with a mixture of SU-8 photoresist and photoinitiating chemicals. Experiments were carried out to demonstrate the lithographic capabilities of the system, and a smallest feature size of 450 nm was obtained. Grating structures were fabricated in order to demonstrate system capabilities.
Subcontinua of the Higson corona

Abstract Let X be a locally compact separable metric space with proper metric d. Let X d denote the Higson compactification of X and let νdX denote the corona of X. The main result of this paper is that if A is a σ-compact subset of νdX, then the closure of A in νdX is equivalent to the Stone-Cech compactification of A. This should be compared with the well known fact that, if X is locally compact and σ-compact and A is a Lindelof subset of βX β X, then the closure of A in βX β X is equivalent to βA.
User interface and control software for the HIRES image rotator on Keck-1

We describe the control and user interface software for the image rotator on the high resolution echelle spectrometer (HIRES), located at the Nasmyth focus of the Keck-1 10-meter Telescope. This image rotator counteracts the field rotation induced by the alt-az telescope mount and aligns the image delivered to the spectrometer slit and the slit-viewing TV camera. The rotator can align the image so that either a specified position angle on the sky or the atmospheric dispersion vector is held fixed relative to the slit. The rotator is physically an integral part of the spectrometer; but, since it affects telescope pointing and auto-guiding, it can also be considered part of the telescope. Accordingly, it interacts with the control systems for both the telescope and spectrometer. The apportionment of rotator control functions between these two systems poses interesting operational challenges. Since the telescope operator and the observer each need to operate the rotator at various times, their respective user interfaces must provide consistent rotator control and status functions.
Alanine aminotransferase isoenzymes: molecular cloning and quantitative analysis of tissue expression in rats and serum elevation in liver toxicity

The elevation of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is regarded as an indicator of liver damage based on the presumption that ALT protein is specifically and abundantly expressed in the liver. However, ALT elevation is also observed in non-liver injury conditions (e.g., muscle injury) and in apparently healthy people. Conversely, serum ALT activity is normal in many patients with confirmed liver diseases (e.g., cirrhosis and hepatitis C infection). To improve the diagnostic value of the ALT assay and to understand the molecular basis for serum ALT changes in various pathophysiological conditions, we have cloned rat ALT isoenzyme ALT1 and ALT2 cDNAs, examined their tissue expressions at the mRNA and protein levels, and determined ALT1 and ALT 2 serum levels in response to liver damage in rodents. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis shows that ALT1 mRNA is widely distributed and mainly expressed in intestine, liver, fat tissues, colon, muscle and heart, in the order of high to low expression level, whereas ALT2 gene expression is more restricted, mainly in liver, muscle, brain, and white adipose tissue. The tissue distribution pattern of ALT1 and ALT2 proteins largely agrees with their mRNA expression. Interestingly, hepatic ALT2 protein is about four times higher in male rats than female rats. In addition, ALT isoenzymes distribute differentially at the subcellular level in that ALT1 is a cytoplasmic protein and ALT2 a mitochondrial protein, supporting bioinformatic prediction of mitochondrial localization of ALT2. Finally, using animal models of hepatoxicity induced by carbon tetrachloride and acetaminophen, we found that both serum ALT1 and ALT2 protein levels were significantly elevated and correlated with ALT activity, providing, for the first time, the molecular basis for the elevated total serum ALT activity.
A conceptual framework for composing and managing scientific data lineage

Scientific research relies as much on the dissemination and exchange of data sets as on the publication of conclusions. Accurately tracking the lineage (origin and subsequent processing history) of scientific data sets is thus imperative for the complete documentation of scientific work. However, the lack of a definitive data model for lineage, and the poor fit between current data management tools and scientific software, effectively prevent researchers front determining, preserving, or providing the lineage of the data products they use and create. Based on a comprehensive review of lineage-related research and previous prototype systems, a conceptual framework is presented to help identify and assess basic lineage system components. Within this framework, a direction is outlined for future work on general methods for composing and managing lineage for scientific data.
Silver-Polyimide Nanocomposite Films Yielding Highly Reflective Surfaces

Highly reflective surface-metallized flexible polyimide films have been prepared by the incorporation of the soluble silver ion complex (1,1,1-trifluoroacetylacetonato)silver(I) into dimethylacetamide solutions of the poly(amic acid) prepared from 2,2-bis(3,4-dicarboxyphenyl)-hexafluoropropane dianhydride (6FDA) and 2,2-bis[4-(4-aminophenoxy)phenyl]hexafluoro-propane (4-BDAF). Thermal curing of solution cast silver(I)-poly(amic acid) films leads to cycloimidization of the amic acid with concommitant silver(I) reduction and formation of a reflective surface-silvered film at 8 and 13 weight percent silver. The metallized films are thermally stable and flexible with mechanical properties similar to those of the parent polyimide. TEM reveals that the bulk (interior) of the polyimide composite films have 5-20 nanometer-sized silver particles with a surface layer of silver metal ca. 80 nm thick. Neither the bulk nor the surface of the films is electrically conductive. Adhesion of the surface metal to polyimide is excellent.
E-Book Acceptance among Undergraduate Students: A Look at the Moderating Role of Technology Innovativeness

This paper utilizes the technology acceptance model TAM to uncover the moderating roles of technology innovativeness. A study of 158 undergraduate students revealed that the original TAM constructs and relationships were reliable, supported, and applicable in the measurement of e-book acceptance. Interestingly, personal technology innovativeness was found to moderate in a significant way, the relationship between behavioral intention to use e-book and actual usage of e-book. These findings suggest that while individuals who are more open to technology adopters as well as less technologically innovative individuals late adopters and non-adopters are likely to have the intention to use web-based instructional technologies like e-book, only highly innovative individuals, may actually translate intention into actual usage. These results have serious implications on adopters, implementers and users of instructional technologies who would need to factor into their decision-making the role of the individual technology innovativeness of its users.
The Challenges of Implementing Community Policing in the United States

Community policing is the most popular policing reform in the United States, and is very popular abroad, but little attention has been paid to just how challenging it has been to implement. Using a national mail survey of large municipal and county police agencies conducted in 2006, this paper attends to that lacuna. It investigates the views of the leaders of America's local police agencies on what has been more or less challenging in implementing community policing and to what extent these challenges have been overcome. Our findings suggest that overall most leaders see themselves as enjoying a fair measure of success in meeting the challenges of community policing implementation, but that the traditional impediments to organizational change, scarce resources and a resistant police culture, continue to persist. The agencies reporting the greatest success in overcoming challenges are those that are nationally accredited and those that have been at community policing implementation the longest. Language: en
Eddy–Zonal Flow Feedback in the Southern Hemisphere

Abstract The variability of the zonal-mean zonal wind in the Southern Hemisphere is studied using EOF analysis and momentum budget diagnostics of NCEP reanalysis data (1978–97). The leading EOF of the zonal-mean zonal wind is well separated from the remaining EOFs and represents the north–south movement of the midlatitude jet. Analysis of the momentum budget shows that a positive feedback between the zonal-mean wind anomalies and the eddy momentum fluxes accounts for the unusual persistence of EOF1 and plays an important role in the selection of the leading EOF of midlatitude variability. Further analysis also shows a propagating feedback, common to both EOF1 and EOF2, which is responsible for the poleward drift of wind anomalies with time. The observations support the following feedback mechanism. Anomalous baroclinic wave activity is generated at the latitude of anomalous temperature gradient that, by thermal wind, coincides with the latitude of the anomalous zonal jet. The net propagation of baroclinic...
The excretion of 7-methyladenine in the urine of rats exposed to carcinogenic methylating agents

Earlier studies showed that urine of rats which had been injected with the methylating agent N-[3H-methyl]-N-nitrosourea contained a previously undetected metabolic product, 7-[3H-methyl]adenine. This methylpurine, undoubtedly derived from alkylation of nucleic acids followed by depurination, was not labeled when 14C-methyl-labeled methionine was administered concurrently. To establish whether urinary 7-methyladenine (7-MA) might serve as a marker of exposure to exogenous and carcinogenic methylating agents, the excretion of 7-MA following injection of methylating agents was measured. A GC-MS method, using pentafluorobenzyl derivatives and an internal standard of tri-deutero-7-MA, was developed to assay levels of 7-MA. Increasing the i.p. dose of N-methylnitrosourea (MNU) from 2 to 80 mg/kg/rat resulted in a linear increase in urinary 7-MA, which at the highest dose was 1.6 micrograms during the first day and another 0.4 microgram during day 2. Doses of 5 mg/kg MNU led to elevated urinary levels of 7-MA (144 ng) compared to controls (26 ng). Other methylating agents, such as dimethylnitrosamine, N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine and dimethyl sulfate, also provided urinary 7-MA. To determine the fate of injected 7-MA, the administration of 2 micrograms 7-[3H-methyl]adenine led to an 80% recovery of radioactivity in the urine, almost all of it during the first 24 h. No other labeled metabolites were detected. At least for the rat, urinary 7-MA serves as an indicator of exposure to methylating agents.
FQPSK, power and spectral efficient family of modulations for wireless communication systems

A family of power and spectrally efficient modulations is proposed for wireless mobile, and personal communications services (PCS). This family of modulations is based on the FQPSK processor. The main focus of this paper is to present the latest developments and results of FQPSK modulation with 4 signal states. FQPSK which is a constant envelope modulation has been shown to increase the spectral efficiency and capacity by up to 92% over GMSK which is the current modulation for the DECT European standard in mobile cellular communications. It also outperforms PI/4-DEQPSK which is the current modulation standard used in the USA, under IS-54, and Japan, in power efficiency, battery lifetime, and reduced radiation while maintaining equal capacity. To improve further the spectral efficiency of FQPSK, simple baseband processing and filtering strategies are applied. Such baseband processing leads to a spectral efficiency of 1.6 b/s/Hz, and has BER performance of 1*10-2 for a C/I of 18.5 dB in a hardlimited Rayleigh fading channel. To achieve higher spectral efficiency, FQPSK-4/spl times/4 which is a 16 state modulation is proposed. This modulation can be nonlinearly amplified, and is compatible with 16 QAM. FQPSK has been also shown to be compatible with OQPSK, GMSK, and can be demodulated with their receivers with less than 0.5 dB degradation. >
High speed dual modulus dividers using AlInAs-GaInAs HBT IC technology

4/5 and 8/9 dual-modulus prescalers are fabricated using AlInAs-GaInAs heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) which operate at clock frequencies up to 9 GHz and which dissipate 700 mW and 900 mW, respectively. The transistor technology results in a cutoff frequency and maximum frequency of oscillation of 90 GHz and 70 GHz, respectively. The 4/5 and 8/9 dividers consists of 106 and 124 transistors, respectively. These are the largest circuits fabricated with HBTs on InP substrates and are among the fastest reported dual-modulus prescalers. The AlInAs-GaInAs HBT technology, circuit design, and measurement results are described. >
Improved estimation for software multiplexing of performance counters

On-chip performance counters are gaining popularity as an analysis and validation tool. Most contemporary processors have between two and six physical counters that can monitor an equal number of unique events simultaneously at fixed sampling periods. Through multiplexing and estimation, an even greater number of unique events can be monitored in a single program execution. When a program is sampled in multiplexed mode using round-robin scheduling of a specified event set, the number of events that are physically counted during each sampling period is limited by the number of counters that can be simultaneously accessed. During this period, the remaining events of the multiplexed event-set are not monitored, but their counts are estimated. Our work quantifies the estimation error of the event-counts in the multiplexed mode, which indicates that as many as 42% of sampled intervals are estimated with error greater than 10%. We propose new estimation algorithms that result in an accuracy improvement of up to 40%.
Temperate tree expansion into adjacent boreal forest patches facilitated by warmer temperatures

Temperate and boreal forests are forecast to change in composition and shift spatially in response to climate change. Local-scale expansions and contractions are most likely observable near species range limits, and as trees are long-lived, initial shifts are likely to be detected in the understory regeneration layers. We examined understory relative abundance patterns of naturally regenerated temperate and boreal tree species in two size classes, seedlings and saplings, and across two spatial scales, local stand-scale ecotones (tens of meters) and the regional temperate – boreal transition zone ( ~ 250 km) in central North America, to explore indications of climate-mediated shifts in regeneration performance. We also tested for the presence of strong environmental gradients across local ecotones that might inhibit species expansion. Results showed that tree regeneration patterns across ecotones varied by species and size class, and varied across the regional summer temperature gradient. Temperate tree species regeneration has established across local ecotones into boreal forest patches and this process was facilitated by warmer temperatures. Conversely, boreal conifer regeneration exhibited negative responses to the regional temperature gradient and only displayed high abundance at the boreal end of local ecotones at cool northern sites. Th e fi ltering eff ects of temperature also increased with individual size for both boreal and temperate understory stems. Observed regeneration patterns and the minor environmental gradients measured across local ecotones failed to support the idea that there were strong barriers to potential temperate tree expansion into boreal forest patches. Detectable responses, consistently in the directions predicted for both temperate and boreal species, indicate that summer temperature is likely an important driver of natural tree regeneration in forests across the temperate – boreal transition zone. Regeneration patterns point toward temperate expansion and reduced but continued boreal presence in the near-future, resulting in local and regional expansions of mixed temperate-boreal forests.
The Development of an Interdisciplinary Social Planning Concentration

Abstract This paper describes the origins, development, and structure of a social planning program offered jointly by the School of Social Work and the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Social planning occupies a somewhat marginal position in both departments, producing some problems but also a surprising number of benefits. The exchange has proved useful for both faculty and students in each department, who bring different but compatible orientations and resources to the concentration.
Stratification of bacterial concentrations, from upper to lower, in broiler litter

Primary Audience: Flock Supervisors, Researchers SUMMARY There have been numerous research studies concerning the different types of bacteria in broiler litter. However, very little is known about the spatial distribution of bacteria from the top to the bottom of the litter bed. Two experiments were conducted, one of a single flock in a pen trial, and the second on a commercial broiler farm for 8 consecutive flocks. Core litter samples were taken and 3 fractions of litter were removed from each core for bacterial analysis: the upper 5.08 cm of litter, the exact middle of the litter, and the lower section of litter directly on top of the dirt pad, being sure to include some dirt pad. Core litter samples were taken specifically at 7 d before placement then again at 1, 7, 14, 21, 35, and 49 d of age in experiment 1, and 14 and 35 d of age in experiment 2. Core samples were removed from 6 pens in the first experiment. In experiment 2, core litter samples were taken near the evaporative cooling cells, the environmental control room or middle of the house, and near the exhaust fans. Litter fractions were analyzed for Staphylococcus spp., Clostridium perfringens, Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., total aerobes, and total anaerobes. A decrease was observed from the top to middle and from middle to bottom fractions of litter for all bacteria. From upper to lower, all bacteria concentrations were reduced by at least 99%. Therefore, the concentration of bacterial populations within broiler litter could shift dramatically within only a few inches of litter and the lower fraction of litter holds relatively less bacteria than the upper or middle fractions.
Trends in snowpack chemistry and comparison to National Atmospheric Deposition Program results for the Rocky Mountains, US, 1993-2004

Seasonal snowpack chemistry data from the Rocky Mountain region of the US was examined to identify long-term trends in concentration and chemical deposition in snow and in snow-water equivalent. For the period 1993‐2004, comparisons of trends were made between 54 Rocky Mountain Snowpack sites and 16 National Atmospheric Deposition Program wetfall sites located nearby in the region. The region was divided into three subregions: Northern, Central, and Southern. A non-parametric correlation method known as the Regional Kendall Test was used. This technique collectively computed the slope, direction, and probability of trend for several sites at once in each of the Northern, Central, and Southern Rockies subregions. Seasonal Kendall tests were used to evaluate trends at individual sites. Significant trends occurred during the period in wetfall and snowpack concentrations and deposition, and in precipitation. For the comparison, trends in concentrations of ammonium, nitrate, and sulfate for the two networks were in fair agreement. In several cases, increases in ammonium and nitrate concentrations, and decreases in sulfate concentrations for both wetfall and snowpack were consistent in the three subregions. However, deposition patterns between wetfall and snowpack more often were opposite, particularly for ammonium and nitrate. Decreases in ammonium and nitrate deposition in wetfall in the central and southern rockies subregions mostly were moderately significant (po0.11) in constrast to highly significant increases in snowpack (po0.02). These opposite trends likely are explained by different rates of declining precipitation during the recent drought (1999‐2004) and increasing concentration. Furthermore, dry deposition was an important factor in total deposition of nitrogen in the region. Sulfate deposition decreased with moderate to high significance in all three subregions in both wetfall and snowpack. Precipitation trends consistently were downward and significant for wetfall, snowpack, and snow-telemetry data for the central and southern rockies subregions (po0.03), while no trends were noted for the Northern Rockies subregion. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Document-Word Co-regularization for Semi-supervised Sentiment Analysis

The goal of sentiment prediction is to automatically identify whether a given piece of text expresses positive or negative opinion towards a topic of interest. One can pose sentiment prediction as a standard text categorization problem, but gathering labeled data turns out to be a bottleneck. Fortunately, background knowledge is often available in the form of prior information about the sentiment polarity of words in a lexicon. Moreover, in many applications abundant unlabeled data is also available. In this paper, we propose a novel semi-supervised sentiment prediction algorithm that utilizes lexical prior knowledge in conjunction with unlabeled examples. Our method is based on joint sentiment analysis of documents and words based on a bipartite graph representation of the data. We present an empirical study on a diverse collection of sentiment prediction problems which confirms that our semi-supervised lexical models significantly outperform purely supervised and competing semi-supervised techniques.