cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hepatic and tumor proteins reactive with tyrosine transaminase—Specific rabbit antiserum☆

Abstract Availability of dietary pyridoxine has been shown to affect tumor growth as well as expression of enzymatic activity. Whether pyridoxine influences the expression of hepatic and tumor tyrosine transaminase (TT) was investigated in the present study by a combination of electrophoretic and immunological procedures. Buffalo strain female weanling rats were fed ad libitum a pyridoxine free diet or pair-fed the same diet with pyridoxine added. After 21 days they were inoculated with No. 7777 Morris hepatoma cells and sacrificed 14 days later 4 hr after the i.p. administration of hydrocortisone hemisuccinate. High speed liver and tumor supernatants were electrophoresed on polyacrylamide gels and TT bands were subsequently immunoprecipitated in agar-gel using rabbit antiserum specific to highly purified rat liver tyrosine transaminase. In addition, Ouchterlony tests were also performed using the same preparations. The results obtained were as follows: Four and 5 gel protein bands were immunoprecipitated from liver supernatants of hormonally induced animals fed the supplemented and pyridoxine free diets, respectively. Hepatomas grown in animals fed the vitamin free and supplemented diets developed 3 and 4 precipitation bands, respectively. The immunoprecipitation pattern of the hepatoma was also distinctly different than that of normal liver. Additional analyses by the technique of double diffusion in agar gel (Ouchterlony) showed three precipitation lines developed with samples from either deficient or control animals. Hepatoma samples from control animals (B 6 plus) showed three precipitation lines while those from deficient animals showed an altered precipitation pattern and only two bands. Our results show that (a) in hydrocortisone treated animals, lack of dietary pyridoxine induced in liver an extra protein species reactive with transaminase antiserum while the appearance of an antitransaminase reactive protein was inhibited in the hepatoma, and (b) an immunoprecipitation pattern peculiar to this tumor tissue.
Astrocyte‐derived lipoxygenase product evokes endothelium‐dependent relaxation of the basilar artery

The goal of this study was to examine the possible production of vasoactive factors by astrocytes. We consistently observe that rat astroglial cells in suspension produce marked relaxation when added to precontracted rings of intact (but not endothelium-denuded) rabbit basilar artery. The ultimate mediator of this relaxation was endothelium-derived nitric oxide whose synthesis is activated by an as yet unidentified factor(s) produced tonically by astrocytes. The factor is relatively stable, and is not arachidonate, or a product of cyclooxygenase or P450 metabolism. Based upon studies with selective inhibitors, the factor appears to result from 12- or 15-lipoxygenase metabolism, the products of which are known to be vasoactive. In a separate series of experiments, astrocyte-conditioned medium stimulated the production of citrulline from L-arginine by nitric oxide synthase in bovine aortic endothelial cells. The possible significance for central nervous system (CNS) pathophysiology of an astrocyte-derived vasodilator is discussed. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Innate immunity in the vagina (part I): estradiol inhibits HBD2 and elafin secretion by human vaginal epithelial cells.

Problem Vaginal epithelial cells (VEC) are the first line of defense against incoming pathogens in the female reproductive tract. Their ability to produce the anti-HIV molecules elafin and HBD2 under hormonal stimulation is unknown. Method of study Vaginal epithelial cells were recovered using a menstrual cup and cultured overnight prior to treatment with estradiol (E2), progesterone (P4) or a panel of selective estrogen response modulators (SERMs). Conditioned media were recovered and analyzed for protein concentration and anti-HIV activity. Results E2 significantly decreased the secretion of HBD2 and elafin by VEC over 48 hrs, while P4 and the SERMs (tamoxifen, PHTTP, ICI or Y134) had no effect. VEC conditioned media from E2-treated cells had no anti-HIV activity, while that from E2/P4-treated cells significantly inhibited HIV-BaL infection. Conclusion The menstrual cup allows for effective recovery of primary VEC. Their production of HBD2 and elafin is sensitive to E2, suggesting that innate immune protection varies in the vagina across the menstrual cycle.
RAGE regulates autophagy and apoptosis following oxidative injury.

The receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) plays a crucial role in several disease processes including diabetes, inflammation, and cancer. Compared with apoptosis (“programmed cell death”), autophagy is a genetically programmed, evolutionarily conserved cell survival process that degrades long-lived cellular proteins and organelles (“programmed cell survival”). Recently we reported that RAGE is an important regulator of oxidative stress in pancreatic cancer cells. Upregulation of RAGE expression by the nuclear factor (NF)-κB pathway decreases reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced oxidative injury. In contrast, suppression of RAGE expression increases pancreatic tumor cell sensitivity to oxidative injury. Furthermore, RAGE is a positive regulator of autophagy, and negative regulator of apoptosis during oxidative stress. These findings provide insight into how crosstalk between apoptosis and autophagy is mediated via ROS signaling with a process involving RAGE.
Regulation of Drosophila Metamorphosis by Xenobiotic Response Regulators

Mammalian Nrf2-Keap1 and the homologous Drosophila CncC-dKeap1 protein complexes regulate both transcriptional responses to xenobiotic compounds as well as native cellular and developmental processes. The relationships between the functions of these proteins in xenobiotic responses and in development were unknown. We investigated the genes regulated by CncC and dKeap1 during development and the signal transduction pathways that modulate their functions. CncC and dKeap1 were enriched within the nuclei in many tissues, in contrast to the reported cytoplasmic localization of Keap1 and Nrf2 in cultured mammalian cells. CncC and dKeap1 occupied ecdysone-regulated early puffs on polytene chromosomes. Depletion of either CncC or dKeap1 in salivary glands selectively reduced early puff gene transcription. CncC and dKeap1 depletion in the prothoracic gland as well as cncCK6/K6 and dKeap1EY5/EY5 loss of function mutations in embryos reduced ecdysone-biosynthetic gene transcription. In contrast, dKeap1 depletion and the dKeap1EY5/EY5 loss of function mutation enhanced xenobiotic response gene transcription in larvae and embryos, respectively. Depletion of CncC or dKeap1 in the prothoracic gland delayed pupation by decreasing larval ecdysteroid levels. CncC depletion suppressed the premature pupation and developmental arrest caused by constitutive Ras signaling in the prothoracic gland; conversely, constitutive Ras signaling altered the loci occupied by CncC on polytene chromosomes and activated transcription of genes at these loci. The effects of CncC and dKeap1 on both ecdysone-biosynthetic and ecdysone-regulated gene transcription, and the roles of CncC in Ras signaling in the prothoracic gland, establish the functions of these proteins in the neuroendocrine axis that coordinates insect metamorphosis.
Outcomes of corporate greed.

Objective: This study is the context portion of a larger study that described the experience of 30 nurses in Texas, USA who worked in for-profit psychiatric hospitals during a documented period of corporate deviance. The objective of the contextual portion was to describe the major findings in 1997-1992 of investigating agencies that probed the scandal. Design: Exploratory descriptive. Sample: Over 1,240 pages and 40 hours of corporate records obtained under subpoena, and written and oral testimony before the USA House Select Committee on Children, Youth, and Families. Methods: Content analysis, triangulating sources, and comparing as well as cross-checking themes. Findings: Four themes: insurance games, dumping patients, patient abuse, and playing with language. Conclusions: Organizational deviance may become more widespread in profit -driven systems of care. Lobbying for whistleblower protection, collective advocacy, and creative educational reforms are used.
Adaptive Metric-Aware Job Scheduling for Production Supercomputers

Job scheduling is a critical and complex task on large-scale supercomputers where a scheduling policy is expected to fulfill amorphous and sometimes conflicting goals from both users and system owners. Moreover, the effectiveness of a scheduling policy is dependent on workload characteristics which vary from time to time. Thus it is challenging to design a versatile scheduling policy that is effective in all circumstances. To address this issue, we propose an adaptive metric-aware job scheduling strategy. First, we propose metric-aware scheduling which enables the scheduler to balance competing scheduling goals represented by different metrics such as job waiting time, fairness, and system utilization. Second, we enhance the scheduler to adaptively adjust scheduling policies based on feedback information of monitored metrics at runtime. We evaluate our design using real workloads from supercomputer centers and demonstrate that our scheduling mechanism can significantly improve system performance in a balanced, sustainable fashion.
Conical tungsten tips as substrates for the preparation of ultramicroelectrodes.

Here we describe a simple method to prepare voltammetric microelectrodes using tungsten wires as a substrate. Tungsten wires have a high tensile modulus and enable the fabrication of electrodes that have small dimensions overall while retaining rigidity. In this work, 125 μm tungsten wires with a conical tip were employed. For the preparation of gold or platinum ultramicroelectrodes, commercial tungsten microelectrodes, completely insulated except at the tip, were used as substrates. Following removal of oxides from the exposed tungsten, platinum or gold was electroplated, yielding surfaces with an electroactive area of between 1 × 10-6 and 2 × 10-6 cm2. Carbon surfaces on the etched tip of tungsten microwires were prepared by coating with photoresist followed by pyrolysis. The entire electrode was then insulated with Epoxylite except the tip, yielding an exposed carbon surface with an area of around 4 × 10-6 to 6 × 10-6 cm2. All three types of ultramicroelectrodes fabricated on the tungsten wire had simi...
Determinants of plasma atrial natriuretic factor concentrations in congenital heart disease

Seventeen children with congenital heart disease undergoing elective cardiac catheterization were studied to define potential hemodynamic and echocardiographic determinants of plasma atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) concentrations. ANF concentrations in the right ventricle and femoral vein were measured by radioimmunoassay. Right ventricular levels were significantly higher than femoral venous levels (p < 0.01), but the correlation between the 2 was high (r = 0.87, p < 0.001). Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis demonstrated that right ventricular ANF concentrations were predicted by a combination of indexed right atrial area measured by 2-dimensional echocardiography, right atrial pressure, pulmonary resistance and heart rate (multiple r2 = 0.83). Femoral venous ANF concentrations were predicted by indexed right atrial area and systolic pulmonary artery pressure (multiple r2 = 0.79). It was concluded that there are significant independent predictors of right ventricular and femoral venous plasma ANF concentrations in children with congenital heart disease. The right atrial area indexed by body surface area was the only significant predictor of both central and peripheral plasma ANF concentrations in the multivariate analysis.
State dependence of adaptation of force output following movement observation

Humans readily learn to move through direct physical practice and by watching the movements of others. Some researchers have proposed that action observation can inform subsequent changes in contro...
Microstructure evolution and development of annealed Ni/Au contacts to GaN nanowires*

The development of Ni/Au contacts to Mg-doped GaN nanowires (NWs) is examined. Unlike Ni/Au contacts to planar GaN, current–voltage (I–V) measurements of Mg-doped nanowire devices frequently exhibit a strong degradation after annealing in N2/O2. This degradation originates from the poor wetting behavior of Ni and Au on SiO2 and the excessive void formation that occurs at the metal/NW and metal/oxide interfaces. The void formation can cause cracking and delamination of the metal film as well as reduce the contact area at the metal/NW interface, which increases the resistance. The morphology and composition of the annealed Ni/Au contacts on SiO2 and the p-GaN films were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and x-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements. Adhesion experiments were performed in order to determine the degree of adhesion of the Ni/Au films to the SiO2 as well as observe and analyze the morphology of the film’s underside by SEM. Device degradation from annealing was prevented through the use of a specific adhesion layer of Ti/Al/Ni deposited prior to the nanowire dispersal and Ni/Au deposition. I–V measurements of NW devices fabricated using this adhesion layer showed a decrease in resistance after annealing, whereas all others showed an increase in resistance. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) on a cross-section of a NW with Ni/Au contacts and a Ti/Al/Ni adhesion layer showed a lack of void formation at the contact/NW interface. Results of the XRD and TEM analysis of the NW contact structure using a Ti/Al/Ni adhesion layer suggests Al alloying of the Ni/Au contact increases the adhesion and stability of the metal film as well as prevents excessive void formation at the contact/NW interface.
Magnetic phase diagrams for high transition temperature superconductors

Abstract Recent measurements of the dissipation in cuprate superconductors in a magnetic field have been interpreted as providing evidence for the presence of new phases, such as flux liquids or flux glasses, in type-II superconductors. We suggest that a more conventional interpretation in terms of the electrodynamics of vortices can adequately account for all the observations. Based on this model, we propose a magnetic phase diagram. We show that the phase diagram is dramatically influenced by the effective length of the flux lines. When the flux lines are long (i.e., three dimensional), the conventional picture of a robust Abrikosov lattice weakly pinned to the defects still applies at moderate magnetic fields far from T c and flux lattice melting may only appear at low magnetic fields over an extended temperature range. If the flux lines are two-dimensional, the region of the phase diagram occupied by melting enlarges considerably.
Nursing students' experiences caring for cognitively impaired elderly people.

Over the next half century the population of moderately to severely demented individuals is projected to nearly triple Because high complex technology is usually not required in the care of cognitively impaired elderly people, these individuals may be the first patients nursing students are assigned to care for Despite the fact that these elderly people do not require ‘high tech’ care, then-nursing care can be extremely challenging for nursing students In order to help prepare nursing students to meet this challenge, a phenomenological study was conducted to describe the meaning of nursing students'experiences caring for cognitively impaired elderly people Thirty-seven undergraduate nursing students participated in the study Each student described in writing an experience he/she had had while caring for a cognitively impaired elderly person Using Colaizzi's phenomenological method to analyse these descriptions, five themes emerged Nursing students experienced a myriad of emotions such as frustration, sadness, fear and empathy Caring for cognitively impaired elderly people presented difficult challenges for nursing students to overcome Because of the difficulties encountered in caring for confused elderly people, nursing students utilized multiple nursing care approaches As a result of giving care to elderly people suffering from dementia, negative consequences ensued for some nursing students The positive outweighed the negative consequences in the phenomenological study Implications for nurse educators are addressed
Anogenital distance measured at weaning is correlated with measures of blood chemistry and behaviors in 450-day-old female mice.

Abstract In female mice, anogenital distance (AGD), measured at weaning, provides an estimate of uterine exposure to testosterone from flanking male mouse littermates. A variant of the anogenital distance index (AGDI) that uses the residual value of AGD after accounting for the effect of weight by regression (AGDWTRES) was measured at weaning in F2 female mice from a C57BL/6J×DBA2/J cross. AGDWTRES was used to examine the relationship between intrauterine environment and blood chemistry variables and activity-related behaviors when the females were 450 days old. Longer AGDWTRES values correlated with lower levels of calcium, cholesterol, phosphorus, iron, and protein, which is opposite to the expected direction, based on underlying sex differences for blood chemistry. A positive correlation was found between AGDWTRES and two activity-related measures (the number of rears in a test of exploration, and the number of sectors of a rod that are entered by the mouse). These findings suggest that in utero proximity to males, as indexed by AGDWTRES, may have effects on fundamental aspects of blood chemistry and behavior that extend well into mouse middle age, and could play an important role in health.
On the Use of Virtual Evidence in Conditional Random Fields

Virtual evidence (VE), first introduced by (Pearl, 1988), provides a convenient way of incorporating prior knowledge into Bayesian networks. This work generalizes the use of VE to undirected graphical models and, in particular, to conditional random fields (CRFs). We show that VE can be naturally encoded into a CRF model as potential functions. More importantly, we propose a novel semi-supervised machine learning objective for estimating a CRF model integrated with VE. The objective can be optimized using the Expectation-Maximization algorithm while maintaining the discriminative nature of CRFs. When evaluated on the CLASSIFIEDS data, our approach significantly outperforms the best known solutions reported on this task.
Controlled Freezing as a Indirect Selection Method for Field Winterhardiness in Turf-Type Perennial Ryegrass

Winterhardiness is a complex trait that has been difficult to select for in many Poaceae species. Controlled freezing has been investigated as a selection method to improve winterhardiness; however, most previous reports in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) have not provided estimates of genetic parameters. This research was conducted to determine the potential of controlled freezing as an indirect selection method for winterhardiness improvement in perennial ryegrass. Seedlings of perennial ryegrass half-sib families were frozen to -6°C under controlled conditions with freezing tolerance evaluated after 3 wk recovery as visual injury and wet and dry weight shoot regrowth. The same seedlings were subjected to a second freezing treatment of -9°C with freezing tolerance reevaluated. The combination freezing treatment of -6° followed by -9°C was more highly correlated with field winterhardiness than the single freezing treatment of -6°C. Measuring freezing tolerance as wet weight after the combination freezing treatment resulted in the highest genetic correlation (r A = 0.91) indicating that this trait and field winterhardiness were under similar genetic control. Selection using the combination freezing treatment (-6°C followed by -9°C) dry weight evaluation was 58% as efficient as field selection for improving winterhardiness. Ten of the top 15 winter-hardy families were selected by regrowth evaluation following the combined freezing temperature treatment using a selection intensity of 35%. These favorable results, plus the additional benefit of short cycle time, indicate that controlled freezing can be successfully used as an indirect selection method for increasing winterhardiness in perennial ryegrass.
Incorporating vertical travel into non-traditional cross aisles for unit-load warehouse designs

This article proposes modifications to the travel-time models for non-traditional warehouse aisle layouts, Flying-V and Fishbone, by incorporating a vertical travel dimension. The resulting non-linear optimization models incorporate Chebychev travel within the picking aisles. The obtained shape of the aisle and the percent improvement for a traditional warehouse are compared with the results found in previous research that ignores vertical travel. It is shown that the percent improvement diminishes as the height of the rack increases, with Fishbone maintaining a higher percent improvement over Flying-V. It is also shown that while the shape of Flying-V can be considerably altered by considering vertical travel, the Fishbone layout often maintains its recommended shape regardless of the height of the rack. The article concludes with recommendations for effective implementation of these two designs.
Update on Energy Homeostasis and Insufficient Sleep

Driven by the demands and opportunities of modern life, many people habitually sleep less than 6 h a night. In the sleep clinic, chronic sleep restriction is recognized by the diagnosis of insufficient sleep syndrome (ICSD-9, 307.49-4), which is receiving increased scrutiny as a potential risk to metabolic health. Its relevance for the practicing endocrinologist is highlighted by a stream of epidemiological data that show an association of insufficient sleep with increased incidence of obesity and related morbidities. A central theme of this update is the notion that sleep loss incurs additional metabolic cost, which triggers a set of neuroendocrine, metabolic, and behavioral adaptations aimed at increasing food intake and conserving energy. Although this coordinated response may have evolved to offset the metabolic demands of extended wakefulness in natural habitats with limited food availability, it can be maladaptive in the context of a modern environment that allows many to overeat while maintaining a...
Signal detection theory and vestibular perception: II. Fitting perceptual thresholds as a function of frequency

Vestibular perceptual thresholds are defined by a dynamic sensory system. To capture these dynamics, thresholds were previously fit as a function of frequency. In this paper, we compare fits using two published models with two new models. Furthermore, a new fitting method that utilizes vestibular perceptual dynamics is developed to improve fit quality and overcome problems associated with the conventional approach. Combinations of the four models and two fitting methods are tested using both simulated data and previously published experimental data. Simulations reveal that the conventional approach underestimates thresholds when the number of trials at each frequency is limited (circa 50); this underestimation is reduced fivefold by the new fitting method that simultaneously utilizes data across frequencies. The new fitting method also scored best for goodness of fit for both the simulations and experimental data. In fact, the new approach of fitting simultaneously across frequencies proved more accurate, more precise, more robust, and more efficient than the conventional approach of fitting the responses at each frequency individually and then fitting these threshold data across frequency. The revised fit of published yaw rotation threshold data shows that these are best fit by a first-order high-pass filter having a plateau of 0.5°/s (roughly a factor of 4 higher than the motion platform vibration) at frequencies above the cutoff frequency of 0.26 Hz, which is well above the cutoff frequency of the semicircular canals (circa 0.03 Hz). This dynamic analysis suggests the contributions of a velocity leakage mechanism to human yaw rotation thresholds.
A comparison of flight input techniques for parameter estimation of highly-augmented aircraft

Abstract : Parameter estimation is an inverse process in which stability derivatives are determined from time history flight data by matching the aircraft mathematical model's computed response with the measured response of the aircraft. Accurate parameter estimation depends mainly on instrumentation and input technique. Input technique is the focus of this thesis in which both classical inputs and optimal inputs were applied under the same flight conditions to the High Angle of Attack Research Vehicle (HARV) at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center. Post flight parameter estimation was conducted in all cases using a maximum likelihood technique to determine estimated of stability and control derivatives and their respective Cramer-Rao bounds. The Cramer-Rao bound is the most useful measure of estimate accuracy when comparing results from different input techniques assuming the same mathematical model and minimization technique were used for the parameter estimates. Comparison of the Cramer-Rao bounds showed that of the four input techniques used for determining parameter estimates, the Dryden single-surface input technique yielded the most accurate parameters for 75 percent of the estimates in all cases. Application of these conclusions in further research can save time and costs.
Atmospheric Multiple Scattering Effects on Glas Altimetry, Part 2: Analysis of Expected Errors in Antarctic Altitude Measurements

For pt.I see ibid., vol.39, no.1, p.92-101 (2001). The altimetry bias in the Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) or other laser altimeters resulting from atmospheric multiple scattering is studied in relationship to current knowledge of cloud properties over the Antarctic Plateau. Estimates of seasonal and interannual changes in the bias are presented. Results show the bias in altitude from multiple scattering in clouds would be a significant error source without correction. The selective use of low-optical-depth clouds or cloud-free observations, as well as improved analysis of the return pulse such as by the Gaussian method used here, is necessary to minimize the surface altitude errors. The magnitude of the bias is affected by variations in cloud height, cloud effective particle size, and optical depth. Interannual variations in these properties as well as in cloud cover fraction could lead to significant year-to-year variations in the altitude bias. Although cloud-free observations reduce biases in surface elevation measurements from space, over Antarctica these may often include near-surface blowing snow, also a source of scattering-induced delay. With careful selection and analysis of data, laser altimetry specifications can be met.
Microbial risk assessment of staphylococcal food poisoning in Korean kimbab

The objective of this study was to conduct a preliminary microbial risk assessment for Staphylococcus aureus in kimbab, and then propose appropriate guidelines for its preparation and storage. Kimbab is a ready-to-eat product, popular in Korea, made of various foods surrounded by rice and seaweed. Because it is usually prepared by hand and stored at room temperature, it can be contaminated with S. aureus. Data on the prevalence, concentration and growth of S. aureus in kimbab as well as typical ambient temperatures in Seoul were collected; probability distributions were then selected to describe these data. A Monte Carlo simulation model was created using @risk. When current Korean retail data on S. aureus prevalence and concentration were used as inputs, the simulation predicted that the S. aureus concentration would be between 4.0 and 4.9 log CFU/g after 1 h of storage at ambient temperature during the warmest part of the year (March through November). Conversely, by assuming a starting concentration of 1 cell/g, the simulation predicted that the S. aureus concentration would reach 4.4 log CFU/g after 5 h of ambient storage in May and 3.4 log CFU/g in October. Our results suggest that, given the current prevalence and concentration of S. aureus found in kimbab at retail outlets, the product should be consumed within 1 h of purchase. Our results also indicate that if Korean consumers wish to safely store kimbab for 5 h at ambient temperature, S. aureus concentration should not exceed 1 CFU/g at the time of preparation.
Recurrent neural networks and load forecasting

The ability of a recurrent network to model load forecasting is investigated. Its performance in a competition is then contrasted with that of feedforward networks and linear models. Its weaknesses and strengths are then analyzed to give guidelines to the design of neural net predictors with the hope of designing better predictors in the future. >
Identification and mobility of deuterated residues in peptides and proteins by – solid-state NMR

Abstract We present a solid-state NMR approach for 13 C chemical-shift identification and 2 H lineshape characterization of amino-acid residues in peptides and proteins deuterated by amide hydrogen/deuteron exchange. The technique exploits heteronuclear 13 C – 2 H dipolar couplings to correlate 13 C nuclei and nearby deuterons. Magic-angle spinning provides high sensitivity and 13 C chemical-site resolution. The simplest version of the experiment, which is closely related to REDOR, yields a 13 C spectrum permitting identification of the deuterated residues. In the full two-dimensional experiment, segmental dynamics are characterized in terms of 2 H -NMR lineshapes. The technique is demonstrated on dipeptides and a 14-kDa protein, with 13 C in natural abundance.
CSI feedback scaling rate vs multiplexing gain tradeoff for DPC-based transmission in the Gaussian MIMO broadcast channel

The operation of the multiple input multiple output (MIMO) Gaussian broadcast channel (BC) with K transmit antennas and K over r users with r receive antennas each is analyzed when channel state information (CSI) is obtained at the transmitter from the ith user via finite-rate feedback link of capacity B i bits. It is proved that if B i is scaled at the rate of α i r(K - r) log 2 P, where P is the transmit power and α ∈ [0, 1], then using dirty paper coding (DPC), the multiplexing gain of α i r can be achieved for user i. This result on the feedback scaling rate rests on an elegant achievability scheme, the construction of which brings to light several new insights on the manner in which DPC achieves the complete multiplexing gain in the perfect-CSIT case.
Plans of the U. S. Geological Survey, Water Resources Division for Research, Investigations, and Data Collection in Ground Watera

The Geological Survey has been the foremost agency in the investigation of ground-water resources in the United States beginning about 1910. Most of the basic principles of modern ground-water hydrology were developed in the Survey's program of cooperative investigations. Use of ground water in the United States in 1960 was about 17½ percent of all water uses, excluding water power. The use will probably increase, though at a decreasing rate. Although amount of use may level off, the need to know about it will not. While coordinating its activities with those of the Office of Water Data Coordination and the Office of Water Resources Research, the Survey expects to step up its work in all three areas of data collection, investigations, and research. However, there will be changes of emphasis. Collection of raw data will tend to stress key observation points, and more and more observation of temperature and quality, including contaminants. Investigations will be aimed at upgrading reconnaissance coverage to general coverage for most of the Nation. The areal basis will be stream drainage basins and special hydrologic terranes, rather than political units. There will be an increase in the preparation of analog models for representative ground-water systems. In research, the problem-oriented basis will continue. Stress will be on basic principles that pertain to artificial recharge, and the natural recharge and discharge of ground-water reservoirs; and also on the application of geologic principles on a regional scale. These are critical elements in the management of surface-water and ground-water resources conjunctively in river basins.
Microfluidic fabrication of smart microgels from macromolecular precursors

Abstract Stimuli-responsive polymer microgels can be produced with exquisite control using droplet microfluidics; however, in existing methods, the droplet templating is strongly coupled to the material synthesis, because droplet solidification usually occurs through rapid polymerization immediately after the microfluidic droplet formation. This circumstance limits independent control of the material properties and the morphology of the resultant microgel particles. To overcome this limitation, we produce sensitive polymer microgels from pre-fabricated precursor polymers. We use microfluidic devices to emulsify semidilute solutions of crosslinkable poly( N -isopropylacrylamide) and solidify the drops via polymer-analogous gelation. This approach separates the polymer synthesis from the particle gelation and allows each to be controlled independently, thus enabling us to form monodisperse, thermo-responsive microgel particles with well-controlled composition and functionality. In addition, the microfluidic templating allows us to form complex particle morphologies such as hollow gel shells, anisotropic microgels, or multi-layered microgel capsules.
Adolescent body mass index and infertility caused by ovulatory disorder

Abstract Objective: Our aim was to examine the association between body mass index at age 18 and subsequent primary ovulatory infertility. Study Design: A nested case-control study was conducted within a cohort of 116,678 female registered nurses residing in 14 U.S. states. Cases comprised 2527 married nulliparous nurses unable to become pregnant for at least 1 year because of ovulatory disorder; controls comprised 46,718 married parous nurses with no history of infertility. The risk of ovulatory infertility for women at different levels of body mass index at age 18 was compared with that for women whose body mass index at age 18 was 20 to 21.9 (median for the cohort). Logistic regression was used to adjust for age at infertility or first birth, year of birth, age at menarche, physical activity during ages 18 to 22, smoking at ages 15 to 19, ethnicity, alcohol use at ages 18 to 22, use of oral contraceptives before age 22, and diagnosis of diabetes mellitus. Results: Multivariate relative risks for infertility were: 1.2 (body mass index > 16), 1.1 (body mass index 16 to 17.9), 1.0 (body mass index 18 to 19.9), 1.0 (referent body mass index 20 to 21.9), 1.1 (body mass index 22 to 23.9), 1.3 (body mass index 24 to 25.9), 1.7 (body mass index 26 to 27.9),2.4 (body mass index 28 to 29.9),2.7 (body mass index 30 to 31.9), and 2.7 (body mass index ≤32). The relative risks for all categories of body mass index above 23~9 were statistically significantly elevated. Greater body mass index at age 18 was a predictor of ovulatory infertility in women with and without a diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome. Conclusion: These findings suggest that elevated body mass index at age 18, even at levels lower than those considered to be obese, is a risk factor for subsequent ovulatory infertility.
Taming the Unruly Side of Ethics: Overcoming Challenges of a Bottom-Up Approach to Ethics in the Areas of Food Policy and Climate Change

Here, I investigate the challenges involved in addressing ethical questions related to food policy, food security, and climate change in a public engagement atmosphere where “experts” (e.g., scientists and scholars), policy-makers and laypersons interact. My focus is on the intersection between food and climate in the state of Alaska, located in the circumpolar north. The intersection of food security and climate represents a “wicked problem.” This wicked problem is plagued by “unruliness,” characterized by disruptive mechanisms that can impede how ethical issues in policy-making are broached. Unruliness is exacerbated by conditions of engagement that can be characterized as occurring in a “fog.” In this fog, interlocutors encounter both moral and epistemological conundrums. In considering how to mitigate unruliness, a bottom-up approach is recommended. I discuss “taming” strategies for addressing these ethical concerns; modest suggestions on what should be taken into count when confronting issues of science and ethics within the context of promoting greater deliberative discourse regarding food security issues at more local levels. My recommendations are made in light of developments in food policy in Alaska and may be instructive for other regions pursuing cold climate agricultural expansion, for example.
Parameter extraction of microwave transistors using tree annealing

The authors have developed an alternative formulation of simulated annealing using a tree-based Metropolis procedure called tree annealing. Tree annealing is suited to continuous optimization problems and, in particular, to transistor parameter extraction. The tree annealing optimization algorithm was used to extract the parameters of the HBT (heterojunction bipolar transistor) of U.K. Mishra et al. (IEDM Tech. Dig., p.180-3, Dec. 1988) using a physically based equivalent circuit and deembedded scattering parameter measurements from 45 MHz to 26.5 GHz. Good results were obtained from the parameter extraction technique, and the ability of MFA not to be locked in local minima enabled a physically based equivalent circuit model to be used. Tree annealing is essentially a smart random search technique and so requires many more functional evaluations than do gradient-based minimization algorithms. However, no startling guess is required, and the bounds on parameter values can be widely separated with little effect on optimization time. >
Multispectral Iris Analysis: A Preliminary Study51

This paper explores the possibility of using multispectral iris information to enhance the recognition performance of an iris biometric system. Commercial iris recognition systems typically sense the iridal reflection pertaining to the near-infrared (IR) range of the electromagnetic spectrum. This work examines the iris information represented in the visible and IR portion of the spectrum. It is hypothesized that, based on the color of the eye, different components of the iris are highlighted at multiple wavelengths. To this end, an acquisition procedure for obtaining co-registered multispectral iris images associated with the IR, Red, Green and Blue wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum, is first discussed. The components of the iris that are revealed in multiple spectral channels/wavelengths based on the color of the eye are studied. An adaptive histogram equalization scheme is invoked to enhance the iris structure. The performance of iris recognition across multiple wavelengths is next evaluated. Experiments indicate the potential of using multispectral information to enhance the performance of iris recognition systems.
Quantitative assessment of cyber security risk using bayesian network-based model

This paper proposes a quantitative model for assessing cyber security risk in information security. The model can be used to evaluate the security readiness of firms in the marketplace through qualitative and quantitative tools. We propose a Bayesian network methodology that can be used to generate a cyber security risk score that takes as input a firm's security profile and data breach statistics. The quantitative model enables cyber risk to be captured in a precise and comparable fashion. The objective of the scoring model is to create a common reference in the marketplace that could enhance incentives for firms to invest and improve their security systems. This paper concludes with a demonstration of scoring an intrusion detection network.
Large-scale analog/RF performance modeling by statistical regression

In this paper, we introduce several large-scale modeling techniques to analyze the high-dimensional, strongly-nonlinear performance variability observed in nanoscale manufacturing technologies. Our goal is to solve a large number of (e.g., 104∼106) model coefficients from a small set of (e.g., 102∼103) sampling points without over-fitting. This is facilitated by exploiting the underlying sparsity of model coefficients. Our circuit example designed in a commercial 65nm process demonstrates that the proposed techniques achieve 25× speedup compared with the traditional response surface modeling1.
Bacterial mutagenicity of leachate water from municipal sewage sludge‐amended soils

The objective of this study was to monitor the mutagenic potential of leachate from soils amended with municipal sewage sludge. The Salmonella/microsome assay was employed to monitor the mutagenicity of the organic extract of leachate collected from sludge-amended lysimeters containing undisturbed monoliths of Weswood silty clay (Fluventic Ustochrept) and Padina loamy sand (Grossarenic Paleustalf) soils. The sludge was applied to 18 barrel-sized lysimeters, while 6 unamended lysimeters served as controls. The leachate was concentrated on a combined XAD-2/XAD-7 resin, and the adsorbed organics were eluted with acetone. The leachate extracts were tested in the standard plate incorporation assay using strain TA98 with and without metabolic activation. Nine of 26 leachate extracts induced a positive response in the bioassay. The maximum specific activity was 207 net revertants per 10 mg induced without metabolic activation in the Weswood soil at the highest application rate (150 Mg/ha). The results suggest that land application of municipal sewage should be carefully managed to prevent leaching of mutagens into ground water.
The Use of Epoxy Resins for Stone Consolidation

An overview on the causes and methods of treatment of stone deterioration is presented. The reasons for and prejudices against epoxy resins for stone consolidaton are described in terms of achieving deep penetration, improvement in mechanical strength and good water repellancy without the inhibition of water vapor transmission. Early work which failed to understand the nature of epoxy curing in solution is outlined, and more recent research, where this problem has been solved, is discussed.
MEMS sensors to resolve spatial variations in shear stress in a 3-D blood vessel bifurcation model

Coronary artery disease (CAD) preferentially develops at the arterial branching points or bifurcations. Hemodynamics, particularly wall shear stress, plays an important role in regulating the development of CAD. The advent of the microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) sensor provides a potential entry point to overcome the difficulty in measuring temporal and spatial variations in shear stress. We, hereby, demonstrate the application of a MEMS sensor to resolve circumferential variations in shear stress using a three-dimensional symmetric bifurcation model. Reynolds numbers ranging from 1.34 to 6.7 were chosen to simulate flow at the microcirculation level. At these low Reynolds numbers, the wall shear stress was highest at the divider of bifurcation, and relaxed to a lower value downstream from the bifurcation. Skin friction coefficient values (C/sub f/), defined as local wall shear stress normalized by the upstream dynamic pressure, varied circumferentially by a factor of 2 or more from the medial wall at the divider to the lateral wall of bifurcation. These experimental skin friction coefficients at various positions were in close agreement with values derived from the Navier-Stokes solution.
Seasonal polarimetric measurements of soil moisture using tower-based GPS bistatic radar

The results of GPS L-band (L1, /spl lambda/ = 19 cm) surface reflection measurements observed using multiple polarizations and receiving antenna gains are described. The measurements were performed using the 300 m tall ETL Boulder Atmospheric Observatory (BAO) tower during summer through fall of 2002. In this experiment, the first seasonal measurements of bare soil moisture from a stationary location using bistatic reflection of signal of opportunity were performed. Several receiving antennas offering various gain and polarization sensitivities were used. Theoretical modeling of bistatic surface scattering shows that the magnitude and width of the reflected waveform depend on the dielectric permittivity of the soil, vegetation cover, and soil roughness. By observing from a fixed tower over low grass, the roughness of the reflecting area remains constant, hence variations in the signal are uniquely related to changes in the dielectric permittivity, and therefore, to soil moisture. To investigate polarization sensitivity of the reflected signal to soil moisture, four endfire (/spl sim/ 12 dB) antennas with complete circular and orthogonal polarization sensitivities were used. The high-gain antennas increased the received dynamic range and reduced surface multipath radio wave interference. Seasonal retrievals of soil-moisture content from multi-polarization GPS reflection data is presented and compared with in-situ soil moisture measurements.
Time Allocated to Instruction of Mentally Retarded, Learning Disabled, Emotionally Disturbed, and Nonhandicapped Elementary Students

Observers followed 30 learning disabled (LD), 32 emotionally/behaviorally disturbed (EBD), 30 educable mentally retarded (EMR), and 30 nonhandicapped students each for one entire school day. They recorded in 10-second intervals the amount of time allocated to instruction in specific content areas, amounts of time spent in different school settings, and time allocated to instruction as a function of setting. While there were differences among groups in amount of time spent in regular versus special education, there were few differences among categories in the amount of time allocated to instruction in specific content areas. Issues related to current special education practice are addressed.
Physical activity habits of doctors and medical students influence their counselling practices

Doctors are well positioned to provide physical activity (PA) counselling to patients. They are a respected source of health-related information and can provide continuing preventive counselling feedback and follow-up; they may have ethical obligations to prescribe PA. Several barriers to PA counselling exist, including insufficient training and motivation of doctors and improvable, personal PA habits. Rates of exercise counselling by doctors remain low; only 34% of US adults report exercise counselling at their last medical visit. In view of this gap, one of the US health objectives for 2010 is increasing the proportion of patients appropriately counselled about health behaviours, including exercise/PA. Research shows that clinical providers who themselves act on the advice they give provide better counselling and motivation of their patients to adopt such health advice. In summary, there is compelling evidence that the health of doctors matters and that doctors' own PA practices influence their clinical attitudes towards PA. Medical schools need to increase the proportion of students adopting and maintaining regular PA habits to increase the rates and quality of future PA counselling delivered by doctors.