cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Responses of Hollow, Septate Stems to Vibrations: Biomechanical Evidence that Nodes Can Act Mechanically as Spring-like Joints

Abstract The hypothesis is proposed that nodes of hollow plant stems act as spring-like joints by storing strain energy when stems are bent and releasing this energy to elastically restore the original postures of stems when bending forces are removed. This hypothesis was tested by subjecting stem segments consisting of four nodes and three intervening hollow internodes to axial compressive loads and by determining the natural frequencies of vibration of their nodes. Compression tests were used to determine the critical load required to produce elastically recoverable deformations for each of a total of 115 stem segments of the grassArundinaria tecta(Walt.) Muhl. Each segment was observed to flex at or very near its nodes while internodes appeared to act as rigid bars. The natural (fundamental) frequencies of vibrations of the nodes of these stem segments were subsequently determined and equalled those predicted by engineering theory assuming that nodes behave as spring-like joints. The data from resonance frequency tests were then used to calculate the spring constants of stem segments (i.e. the force required to produce a unit deflection in stems). These constants were found to agree with those predicted by theory provided that nodes acted mechanically as spring-like joints. The transverse septa of the nodes of 20 randomly selected stem segments were perforated with a needle and the spring constants of the impaired nodes were remeasured and compared with those of the same stems before surgical manipulation. On average, nodal spring constants were reduced by 35%. This reduction agreed with the prediction that the perforation of septa would significantly reduce the ability of nodes to store strain energy. Collectively, these results are interpreted to support the hypothesis that septate nodes can store and release strain energy. The hypothesis is discussed further in light of the behaviour of a physical model which shows that nodal ‘diaphragms’ can substantially stiffen a hollow cylindrical structure, although they are neither essential for the storage of strain energy nor the subsequent elastic restoration of the model's shape once bending loads are removed.
Revenue-Neutral Tax Policies under Price Uncertainty: Reply

In their comment on my 1990 article, Yeh, Suwanakul, and Mai extend my analysis-which focused attention exclusively on firm output-to allow for simultaneous endogeneity of price, aggregate output, and numbers of firms. They show that, with downward- sloping demand, industry output adjusts positively to revenue-neutral changes in the marginal rate of taxation. This result is significant for two reasons. First, we are more often interested in predictions about aggregate phenomena than we are in predictions about individual firms. Indeed, firm-level predictions are frequently irrefutable since firm data are often unavailable. Second, the authors derive their result under a set of conditions that appear to be more general than those invoked in my 1990 article. In particular, they circumvent the need to invoke specific assumptions about the nature of firms' aversions toward risk. I consider this a useful extension and I appreciate the careful scrutiny of my paper.
Wind Turbine Gearbox Control for Maximum Energy Capture and Prolonged Gear Life

An optimum control approach for a wind turbine drivetrain with a variable ratio gearbox is presented. The objective is to find the optimum shifting sequence of the variable ratio gearbox in order to maximize power generation and extend gear life. The employment of a variable ratio gearbox enhances the capabilities of the wind turbine to cope with wind speed variations. Based on our preliminary study, the gear ratios of the variable ratio gearbox were carefully selected to increase the wind energy capture. We then propose a new control approach to extend the gear service life. It finds the gear shifting sequence that will minimize the tangential force on the gear tooth. The wind turbine drivetrain with a variable ratio gearbox is modeled and simulation results for two sets of recorded wind data are presented and compared.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Latinas and television in the United States: Relationships among genre identification, acculturation, and acculturation stress

This research investigates how television use by Hispanic women in the United States relates to the process of acculturation. Viewing of and identification with various types of English‐language television genres are compared with acculturation level and acculturation stress. The study also explores the use of television to learn English and Spanish‐language television consumption. Results indicate that women who identified most with talk shows had the lowest levels of acculturation stress, and women who identified most with comedies, the highest. Women with the lowest levels were most likely to use television to learn English. The data suggest that Latin American women's television use varies, as does Anglo‐American women's, and that demographic variables provide only part of the explanation for differences in acculturation. Results indicate that English‐language television in the United States can play a positive role in its audience members’ selective acculturation to mainstream society and that televi...
SU‐E‐T‐45: Maximizing the Spatial Resolution of the MatriXX Device for Radiosurgery Plan QA

Purpose: The MatriXX array detector array has been shown to provide inadequate sampling and absolute dose measurements for small, highly modulated fields. These devices generally fail due to spatial frequency contributions exceeding the sampling rate as defined by the Nyquist criteria and maximum point doses falling between chamber locations. This study attempts to demonstrate the feasibility of using an extended source detector distance (ESDD) measurement combined with array shifting to maximize MatriXX resolution for the quality assurance of radiosurgery fields. Methods: Measurements were taken using a Novalis TX with HD‐MLCs at an extended 202 cm SDD with 3.8 mm shifts in the radial and transverse directions. A VBA code was developed to sum the four shifted images into a single dose plane. A line pair pattern with decreasing MLC openings from 1.25 to 0.25 cm was used to quantify the MatriXX resolution using conventional and shifted ESDD techniques. Next, the quality assurance of an intensity modulated radiosurgery (IMRS) plan was measured conventionally with the MatriXX and portal imaging device, and then compared to the shifted ESDD technique using a 3%, 3 mm gamma analysis and point dose comparison. Results: The ESDD technique increased the effective sampling frequency from 1.3 to 5.6 cm−1 allowing for the accurate representation of frequency contributions up to 2 cm−1 corresponding to dose fluctuations from single HD‐MLC openings. The gamma passing rate of the ESDD measured IMRS fields averaged 95.4% compared to 86.4% for conventional SDD and 99.5% for portal dosimetry. Absolute point doses differences improved on average from 4.3% and 3.3%, for conventional SDD and portal respectively, to 2.7% for the ESSD technique. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that the resolution of the MatriXX can be improved by a factor of four with extended SDD and array shifting techniques allowing for improved QA of radiosurgery plans.
Design of Phononic Materials/Structures Using Toplogy Optimization

We develop a topology optimization approach to design two- and three-dimensional phononic materials/structures. Whereas most phononic crystals are based on ideas of periodicity, our approach relieves us of this constraint and allows for the creation of much more complex and efficient designs. It also enables us to go beyond simple filters and waveguides to the point of creating phononic devices. We focus on surface wave devices which carry the energy of the wave near and along the surface of the device. The design of surface wave devices is particularly attractive given recent advances in nano- and micro-manufacturing processes, such as thin-film deposition, etching, and lithography, which make it possible to precisely place thin film materials on a substrate with sub-micron feature resolution. The thin films can be made thick enough to affect most of the energy propagating in the surface wave and therefore a patterned thin film is all that is needed to create a surface wave device. It is the role of topology optimization to determine this pattern.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Smooth muscle cell apoptosis in aneurysmal, occlusive, and normal human aorta1

Abstract Purpose: Apoptosis is a universal physiologic mechanism of cell death that regulates mass and architecture in many tissues. Recently, apoptosis has been described as a feature in human vascular atherosclerosis and large-vessel structural integrity. To dissect mechanisms of aortic disease, we determined the extent of smooth muscle cell (SMC) apoptosis in aneurysmal, occlusive, and normal human aortic tissue. Methods: Tissue samples of aneurysmal, occlusive, and normal human infrarenal aorta were evaluated. DNA fragmentation detection methods and standard immunohistochemical techniques were used to determine apoptosis and SMC density in the medial layer of aortas. Apoptotic cells and SMC nuclei were counted by means of computer-generated image analysis. The results of all aortic subtypes were compared statistically by analysis of variance. Results: The samples evaluated were 16 aneurysmal, 6 occlusive, and 5 normal human aortas. α1-Actin immunostaining confirmed the predominance of SMC to the medial layer of all aortic samples. The SMC density was greatest within normal aortas with 291.0 ± 86.9 cells per high-powerfield (hpf) compared with occlusive aorta with 278.21 ± 117.7 cells per hpf (p = .43) and aneurysmal aorta with 271.76 ± 90.6 cells per hpf (p = .36). Correspondingly, apoptosis of SMCs was greatest within aneurysmal aortas, with 12.13 ± 11.0 cells per hpf compared with occlusive aortas with 1.29 ± 2.0 cells per hpf (p = .0007) and normal aortas with 3.75 ± 4.6 cells per hpf (p = .01). Conclusion: Apoptosis of SMCs is increased and SMC density is decreased within the medial layer of aneurysmal aortic tissue as compared with normal and occlusive aortas. Structural degeneration of aortic tissue at the cellular level contributes to aneurysm formation.
Analysis of a Rotating Pendulum With a Mass Free to Move Radially

Analysis of a pendulum pivoted on a rotating shaft. The mass of the pendulum is free to move radially. The shaft is nearly horizontal.
Air-stable, electron-deficient Fe(II) catalytic porphyrins. Characterization and molecular structures of rare high spin Fe(II) hexacoordinated porphyrins.

The synthesis, characterization, and molecular structures of the first air-stable, hexacoordinated high spin Fe(II) porphyrins (1) with axial alcohols are reported (1 = Fe(II) meso-tetrakis(o-dichlorophenyl)-β-octanitroporphyrin). The structure of 1 with two axial waters is also presented. The very different conformations and metrics observed with the two types of ligands illustrate the acute interplay between ligands, conformations, and spin states in Fe porphyrins.
The anodic behavior of iodide at platinum in the presence of an iodine film under potentiostatic steady-state and hydrodynamic modulation conditions

Abstract The oxidation behavior of iodide on platinum covered by an iodine film was investigated using rotating ring-disk electrode under potentiostatic steady-state conditions at constant rotation speed and using hydrodynamic modulation techniques. The ring electrode response shows that there is no net accumulation of iodine species at the disk, and that the disk current is controlled by mass transport coupled to the equilibrium I− +I2(s) 6jI3−. The steady-state film thickness depends on the flux of iodide at the film/solution interface. Iodide transport through the film probably occurs through a Grotthuss chain-transfer type mechanism, with a diffusion coefficient estimated to be 3×10−8 cm2/s. The modulation response for iodide oxidation is only about 15–20% of that predicted for convective-diffusion control, indicating that film relaxation processes are slower than the relaxation of the diffusion layer. The transient response to a step, change in rotation speed is the result of iodine film dissolution being limited by mass transfer of iodide ion to form triiodide at the iodine film/solution interface.
Afferent Stochastic Modulation of Crayfish Caudal Photoreceptor Units

When all roots to the sixth ganglion of the crayfish are cut, the caudal photoreceptor unit (PRU) fires at regular intervals. With an intact preparation, stimulation of caudal tactile hairs has predominantly inhibitory effects on the PRU: short bursts of afferent impulses, produced by momentary mechanical stimulation of tactile hairs, have (a) occasional immediate excitatory effect on the PRU, (b) prolonged inhibitory effect. The mean firing rate of the afferented and deafferented PRUs reacts similarly to a step increase in light, but the same unit fires faster after deafferentation. In the dark, deafferented units often fire paired or multiple pulses; the interval between pulses in a pair is similar to the short mode in afferented histograms. A fiber-optic probe of the caudal ganglion demonstrates the approximate location of the photosensitive element.
The scrunchworm hypothesis: Transitions between A-DNA and B-DNA provide the driving force for genome packaging in double-stranded DNA bacteriophages

Abstract Double-stranded DNA bacteriophages have motors that drive the genome into preformed capsids, using the energy released by hydrolysis of ATP to overcome the forces opposing DNA packaging. Viral packaging motors are the strongest of all biological motors, but it is not known how they generate these forces. Several models for the process of mechanochemical force generation have been put forward, but there is no consensus on which, if any, of these is correct. All the existing models assume that protein-generated forces drive the DNA forward. The scrunchworm hypothesis proposes that the DNA molecule is the active force-generating core of the motor, not simply a substrate on which the motor operates. The protein components of the motor dehydrate a section of the DNA, converting it from the B form to the A form and shortening it by about 23%. The proteins then rehydrate the DNA, which converts back to the B form. Other regions of the motor grip and release the DNA to capture the shortening–lengthening motions of the B → A → B cycle (“scrunching”), so that DNA is pulled into the motor and pushed forward into the capsid. This DNA-centric mechanism provides a quantitative physical explanation for the magnitude of the forces generated by viral packaging motors. It also provides a simple explanation for the fact that each of the steps in the burst cycle advances the DNA by 2.5 base pairs. The scrunchworm hypothesis is consistent with a large body of published data, and it makes four experimentally testable predictions.
FIRE FREQUENCY IN THE INTERIOR COLUMBIA RIVER BASIN: BUILDING REGIONAL MODELS FROM FIRE HISTORY DATA

Fire frequency affects vegetation composition and successional pathways; thus it is essential to understand fire regimes in order to manage natural resources at broad spatial scales. Fire history data are lacking for many regions for which fire management decisions are being made, so models are needed to estimate past fire frequency where local data are not yet available. We developed multiple regression models and tree-based (classification and regression tree, or CART) models to predict fire return intervals across the interior Columbia River basin at 1-km resolution, using georeferenced fire history, potential vegetation, cover type, and precipitation databases. The models combined semiqualitative methods and rigorous statistics. The fire history data are of uneven quality; some estimates are based on only one tree, and many are not cross-dated. Therefore, we weighted the models based on data quality and performed a sensitivity analysis of the effects on the models of estimation errors that are due to ...
Design of system-on-a-chip test access architectures under place-and-route and power constraints

Test access is a difficult problem encountered in the testing of core-based system-on-a-chip (SOC) designs. Since embedded cores in an SOC are not directly accessible via chip inputs and outputs, special access mechanisms are required to test them at the system level. We propose test access architectures based on integer linear programming (ILP) that incorporate place-and-route constraints arising from the functional interconnections between cores, as well as system-level constraints on power consumption. As a case study, we apply the ILP models to two representative SOCs, and solve them using a public-domain ILP software package.
Error recognition in published chemical analyses of igneous rocks. Consistency evaluation

Abstract A subroutine consisting of three algorithms is presented that reliably can detect a variety of errors frequently made when transcribing chemical analyses of igneous rocks from the literature into a data base. The first algorithm checks for the chemical consistency of the numerical values recorded for the major and minor oxides. Analyses containing numerical errors are flagged with a query that identifies the questionable oxide values. This first algorithm consists of 10 tests which can be adapted for use as an independent program for verifying tabulated analyses in manuscripts or laboratory reports. The second algorithm compares the rock name assigned to a chemical analysis with 4 frequent chemical indices (mafic, felsic, alkali, and differentiation indices) as calculated from the analysis. A flag is raised if any index calculated for the chemical analysis does not fall within previously determined ranges for the assigned rock name. The third algorithm tests the compatibility of the textural, modal, and occurrence terms assigned to an igneous rock for which a chemical analysis is given. The first algorithm has been applied to a trial set of over 1000 analyses, 800 of which contain known errors. The limiting numerical values within each test of the algorithm were selected so that at least 95% of the correctly recorded analyses would successfully pass the algorithm, thereby minimizing the number of false errors generated. The 7 most efficient tests of the algorithm each have efficiencies of at least 90% errors caught. The other two tests have efficiencies of less than 50%, creating a collective efficiency for the algorithm of 75%.
An Asymptotic Calculation of the Acoustic Signature of a Cracked Surface for the Line Focus Scanning Acoustic Microscope

An asymptotic description of the acoustic signature of a crack breaking the surface of an otherwise homogeneous, isotropic elastic material for a line focus, scanning acoustic microscope is constructed. The Debye approximation is used to calculate an incident focused beam whose profile falls off continuously at its edges. The wavefields scattered from the surface are constructed as Fourier integrals that are approximated asymptotically. Included in the asymptotic approximations are the leaky Rayleigh waves, which play a crucial part in the acoustic signature. Explicit expressions for the incident and scattered wavefields are given. The acoustic signature is calculated by using an electromechanical reciprocity identity to relate the wavefields in the coupling fluid to the voltage at the terminals of the microscope's transducer. Several ways of evaluating this identity for an unbroken surface are explored and are shown to be asymptotically equivalent. The acoustic signature of a surface-breaking crack is then calculated by assigning to the crack reflection and transmission coefficients for the leaky Rayleigh wave and then using geometrical elastodynamics to construct the scattered wavefields. Explicit expressions for the acoustic signature of the cracked surface are given. Moreover, an explicit expression for the reflection coefficient of a Rayleigh wave reflected from a surface-breaking crack is given.
When Activators Repress and Repressors Activate: A Qualitative Analysis of the Shea–Ackers Model

The concept of activation in transcriptional regulation is based on the assumption that product mRNA increases monotonically as a function of regulator concentration. We analyze the Shea–Ackers model of transcription and find this assumption to be correct only for the simplest of promoters. We define a new regulatory constant that is a nonlinear combination of association and transcription initiation constants characterizing activation and repression for more complicated promoters. Our results can guide the synthesis of new promoters and lead to a deeper understanding of the constraints guiding the natural promoters evolution.
Uhm's laws of current modulation in klystron amplifiers

We first provide a brief review of the assumptions and approximations involved in H. S. Uhm's recent theory of current modulation in klystron amplifiers. We next employ this theory to obtain a solution to a cubic equation that approximates the klystron drift distance to the point of maximum current modulation, and also to obtain the corresponding current modulation amplitude in terms of relevant klystron parameters.
Antimicrobial resistant Salmonella spp. isolated from double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) and common loons (Gavia immer) in Florida.

Antimicrobial resistant Salmonella spp. were found in double-crested cormorants and common loons in Florida. Single or multiple drug resistance occurred in all Salmonella agona isolates from cormorants, primarily to ampicillin, sulfonamide, streptomycin, neomycin, and kanamycin. Similar patterns of resistance were found in S. agona isolates from common loons. In addition, isolates of S. saint paul from loons were found resistant to tetracycline and streptomycin, while 2 of 7 isolates of S. infantis were resistant to tetracycline only.
Age differences in affective forecasting and experienced emotion surrounding the 2008 US presidential election

In everyday life, people frequently make decisions based on tacit or explicit forecasts about the emotional consequences associated with the possible choices. We investigated age differences in such forecasts and their accuracy by surveying voters about their expected and, subsequently, their actual emotional responses to the 2008 US presidential election. A sample of 762 Democratic and Republican voters aged 20 to 80 years participated in a web-based study; 346 could be re-contacted two days after the election. Older adults forecasted lower increases in high-arousal emotions (e.g., excitement after winning; anger after losing) and larger increases in low-arousal emotions (e.g., sluggishness after losing) than younger adults. Age differences in actual responses to the election were consistent with forecasts, albeit less pervasive. Additionally, among supporters of the winning candidate, but not among supporters of the losing candidate, forecasting accuracy was enhanced with age, suggesting a positivity effect in affective forecasting. These results add to emerging findings about the role of valence and arousal in emotional ageing and demonstrate age differences in affective forecasting about a real-world event with an emotionally charged outcome.
Large scale reconstruction of haplotypes from genotype data

Critical to the understanding of the genetic basis for complex diseases is the modeling of human variation. Most of this variation can be characterized by single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) which are mutations at a single nucleotide position. To characterize an individual's variation, we must determine an individual's haplotype or which nucleotide base occurs at each position of these common SNPs for each chromosome. In this paper, we present results for a highly accurate method for haplotype resolution from genotype data. Our method leverages a new insight into the underlying structure of haplotypes which shows that SNPs are organized in highly correlated "blocks". The majority of individuals have one of about four common haplotypes in each block. Our method partitions the SNPs into blocks and for each block, we predict the common haplotypes and each individual's haplotype. We evaluate our method over biological data. Our method predicts the common haplotypes perfectly and has a very low error rate (0.47%) when taking into account the predictions for the uncommon haplotypes. Our method is extremely efficient compared to previous methods, (a matter of seconds where previous methods needed hours). Its efficiency allows us to find the block partition of the haplotypes, to cope with missing data and to work with large data sets such as genotypes for thousands of SNPs for hundreds of individuals. The algorithm is available via webserver at http://www.cs.columbia.edu/compbio/hap.
Implicit mindreading and embodied cognition

In this paper, I examine the plausibility of Embodied Accounts of Social Cognition by finding fault with the most detailed and convincing version of such an account, as articulated by Daniel Hutto (2008). I argue that this account fails to offer a plausible ontogeny for folk psychological abilities due to its inability to address recent evidence from implicit false belief tasks that suggest a radically different timeline for the development of these abilities.
Remedies proposed for China's groundwater problems

Groundwater experts and hydrologists from China and 10 other nations recently gathered in Beijing to exchange state-of-the-art scientific and technological knowledge on groundwater hydrology, modeling, remediation, and management. The participants also reviewed groundwater environmental conditions in China, identified key problems, and made recommendations to help guide the nation's groundwater policy. The Regional Workshop on Ground Water Contamination, held from July 31 to August 4, 1995, was the fifth of a series of regional workshops sponsored by the Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment of the United Nations Environmental Program. Earlier workshops were held in Thailand (1991), Costa Rica (1993), the Czech Republic (1994), and Australia (1994).
Analysis and Design of an Adaptive-Step-Size Digital Controller for Switching Frequency Autotuning

An adaptive-step-size autotuning algorithm and controller for power converters' switching frequency optimization with improved convergence performance is presented in this paper. The controller automatically tracks and determines the switching frequency of a power converter in order to achieve the highest power conversion efficiency under variable operating conditions including temperature variation effects, component aging effects, component's manufacturing process differences, input voltage changes and load current changes. The adaptive-step-size function results in improved adaptive controller convergence speed, convergences error and stability. In this paper, the proposed autotuning control loop for a power converter is theoretically analyzed and its design and stability criteria are developed. The developed algorithm operation is verified by experimental results obtained from a proof of concept prototype.
Unfair treatment and self-regulatory focus

Ample correlational evidence exists that perceived unfair treatment is negatively related to well-being, health, and goal striving but the underlying process is unclear. We hypothesized that eVects are due in part to contextual priming of prevention focus and the negative consequences of chronic prevention-focused vigilance. Indeed, reasonable responses to unfair treatment—to avoid situations in which it occurs or if this is not possible, confront it head on—Wt prevention self-regulatory focus response patterns. Results from three experiments support this notion. Priming stigmatized social category membership heightened students’ prevention (not promotion) focus (n D 117). Priming non-stigmatized social category membership (i.e., white) did not change prevention focus (n D 46). Priming prevention (not promotion) increased perceptions of unfair treatment (and aroused prevention-relevant Wght or Xight responses) in response to a negative ambiguous job situation among low and moderate income adults (n D 112).
Cytosolic phospholipase C activity: I. Evidence for coupling with cytosolic guanine nucleotide‐binding protein, Giα

In a previous report we shwed that glucocorticoed inhibition of cytosolic PLC activity correlated with a reduction in cytosolic Giα levels, suggesting that there may be a functional relationship between cytosolic PLC and cytosolic Giα. In order to establish the nature of the coupliing between cytosolic Giα and cytosolic PLC we examined the effects of Protein activators, and inhibitors on cytosolic PLC activity from rat spenocytes and the rat lymphoma cell line Nb 2, with [3H] PI and [3H]PIP2 as substrates. (1) Neither GTP nor its nonhydrolyzable analogue, GTPγS, at 100 μm had any effect on the calcium stimulated as well as the basal PLC activity. (2) Howevr, affinity purified antibodies to Giα1 and Giα2 inhibited soluble PLC activity, by 85% and 55%, respectively, with PI as substrate; with PIP2 as substrate, soluble PLC activity was inhibited 50–70% by antibodies to Gi1, whereas antibodies to Gi2 had little effect. (3)Administration of Giα1 antisense oligonucleotides to splenocytes for 48 h produced 25–40% decrease in cytosolic Giα1 levels compared to control. The soluble PLC activity with both PI and PIP2 as substrates was also reduced by 25–50% compared to control conditions. This suggest that cytosolic Giα is associated with the activation of splenocyte soluble PLC. (4) Pertussis toxin administered in vivo sugnificantly reduced cytosolic Giα immunoreactivity and soluble PLC activiry when PI was used as substrate, providing additional evidence that cytosolic Giα is associated with the activation of splencyte soluble PLC. (5) Another agent that has beeen used extensively to define G-protein coupled processes is NaF/AlCl3. NaF(4mM; with or without AlCl3 inhibited soluble PLC activity with PIP2 as substrate, in contrast ot the stimulatory effect that has been reported in the activation of membrane PLC. 6) because NaF can act as a protein phosphatase inhibitor, we also tested the effects of trifluoperzine (50 μm, TFP), an inhibitor of protein phosphatase 2B; TFP (50 μm) signigicantly inhibited soluble PLC activity PI was used as substrate. These results suggest a direct involvement of cytosolic Giα in the activation of soluble PLC form splenocytes. Other questions pertaining to the functional significance, the nature, and possible substrate preference of the splenocyte Giα coupled PLC is addressed in the second paper.
Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases

Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's principles and practice of infectious diseases / , Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's principles and practice of infectious diseases / , کتابخانه دیجیتال جندی شاپور اهواز
Cognitive Behavior Therapy Augmentation of Pharmacotherapy in Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: The Pediatric OCD Treatment Study II (POTS II) Randomized Controlled Trial

Context The extant literature on the treatment of pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) indicates that partial response to serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) is the norm and that augmentation with short-term OCD-specific cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) may provide additional benefit. Objective To examine the effects of augmenting SRIs with CBT or a brief form of CBT, instructions in CBT delivered in the context of medication management. Design, Setting, and Participants A 12-week randomized controlled trial conducted at 3 academic medical centers between 2004 and 2009, involving 124 pediatric outpatients between the ages of 7 and 17 years with OCD as a primary diagnosis and a Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale score of 16 or higher despite an adequate SRI trial. Interventions Participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatment strategies that included 7 sessions over 12 weeks: 42 in the medication management only, 42 in the medication management plus instructions in CBT, and 42 in the medication management plus CBT; the last included 14 concurrent CBT sessions. Main Outcome Measures Whether patients responded positively to treatment by improving their baseline obsessive-compulsive scale score by 30% or more and demonstrating a change in their continuous scores over 12 weeks. Results The medication management plus CBT strategy was superior to the other 2 strategies on all outcome measures. In the primary intention-to-treat analysis, 68.6% (95% CI, 53.9%-83.3%) in the plus CBT group were considered responders, which was significantly better than the 34.0% (95% CI, 18.0%-50.0%) in the plus instructions in CBT group, and 30.0% (95% CI, 14.9%-45.1%) in the medication management only group. The results were similar in pairwise comparisons with the plus CBT strategy being superior to the other 2 strategies (P Conclusions Among patients aged 7 to 17 years with OCD and partial response to SRI use, the addition of CBT to medication management compared with medication management alone resulted in a significantly greater response rate, whereas augmentation of medication management with the addition of instructions in CBT did not. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00074815
Resistance to loop diuretics. Why it happens and what to do about it.

Resistance to loop diuretics is often encountered clinically. Studies in healthy subjects have shown that overall response to loop diuretics depends upon the interplay between the total amount of drug reaching the urine, the time course of its entry into urine and the pharmacodynamics of response to diuretic in the urine. The mechanism by which diuretic resistance occurs has been elucidated in several clinical conditions. Treatment with inhibitors of prostaglandin synthesis has no effect on diuretic appearance in urine but blunts response by blocking the increase in renal blood flow produced by loop diuretics. In the elderly and in patients with moderate renal insufficiency, the mechanism of resistance appears to be purely pharmacokinetic, involving altered access of diuretic into the urine. In contrast, patients with nephrotic syndrome and hepatic cirrhosis manifest a purely pharmacodynamic form of resistance: in nephrosis, diuretic may bind to protein in the urine; in cirrhosis the mechanism of resistance is unclear. Lastly, in patients with congestive heart failure, with intravenous administration, resistance represents a pharmacodynamic phenomenon. With oral administration, however, the time course but not the extent of absorption is altered; consequently, in this setting, both pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic changes may contribute to the subnormal response.
N-Polar GaN MIS-HEMTs With a 12.1-W/mm Continuous-Wave Output Power Density at 4 GHz on Sapphire Substrate

This letter presents a high-performance N-polar AlGaN/GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor high-electron-mobility transistor grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition on sapphire substrate. The devices were passivated with SixNy deposited by plasma-enhanced CVD and consisted of a gate structure recessed through the SixNy passivation, with integrated slant field plates, to prevent dc to RF dispersion and improve the breakdown voltage. Devices with a drawn gate length of 0.7 μm and a gate drain spacing of 0.8 μm showed a breakdown voltage of 170 V, corresponding to a three-terminal leakage current of 1 mA/mm. Due to the high breakdown voltage of the devices, continuous-wave RF power measurements at 4 GHz could be measured at a drain bias of 50 V, yielding an output power density of 12.1 W/mm. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest power density reported so far for an N-polar device and also matches the highest power density reported for a Ga-polar HEMT on the sapphire substrate.
Tests for genetic association using family data.

We use likelihood-based score statistics to test for association between a disease and a diallelic polymorphism, based on data from arbitrary types of nuclear families. The Nonfounder statistic extends the transmission disequilibrium test (TDT) to accommodate affected and unaffected offspring, missing parental genotypes, phenotypes more general than qualitative traits, such as censored survival data and quantitative traits, and residual correlation of phenotypes within families. The Founder statistic compares observed or inferred parental genotypes to those expected in the general population. Here the genotypes of affected parents and those with many affected offspring are weighted more heavily than unaffected parents and those with few affected of fspring. We illustrate the tests by applying them to data on a polymorphism of the SRD5A2 gene in nuclear families with multiple cases of prostate cancer. We also use simulations to compare the power of these family-based statistics to that of the score statistic based on Cox’s partial likelihood for censored survival data, and find that the family-based statistics have considerably more power when there are many untyped parents. The software program FGAP for computing test statistics is available at http://www.stanford.edu/dept/HRP/epidemiology/FGAP. Genet. Epidemiol. 22:128‐145, 2002. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Randomized, Blinded, Sham-Controlled Trial of Acupuncture for the Management of Aromatase Inhibitor–Associated Joint Symptoms in Women With Early-Stage Breast Cancer

Purpose Women with breast cancer (BC) treated with aromatase inhibitors (AIs) may experience joint symptoms that can lead to discontinuation of effective therapy. We examined whether acupuncture improves AI-induced arthralgias in women with early-stage BC. Methods We conducted a randomized, controlled, blinded study comparing true acupuncture (TA) versus sham acupuncture (SA) twice weekly for 6 weeks in postmenopuasal women with BC who had self-reported musculoskeletal pain related to AIs. TA included full body/auricular acupuncture and joint-specific point prescriptions, whereas SA involved superficial needle insertion at nonacupoint locations. Outcome measures included the Brief Pain Inventory–Short Form (BPI-SF), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), and Modified Score for the Assessment of Chronic Rheumatoid Affections of the Hands (M-SACRAH) obtained at baseline and at 3 and 6 weeks.
Cots hardware and software in high-availability systems

Some of the issues this panel will address include (1) the effect of processor bugs on the design of highly dependable systems, (2) COTS versus radiation hard components, (3) use of COTS to build highly available enterprise computing systems, and (4) new research issues in designing COTS-based high availability network systems.
A gene expression fingerprint of C. elegans embryonic motor neurons

Differential gene expression specifies the highly diverse cell types that constitute the nervous system. With its sequenced genome and simple, well-defined neuroanatomy, the nematode C. elegans is a useful model system in which to correlate gene expression with neuron identity. The UNC-4 transcription factor is expressed in thirteen embryonic motor neurons where it specifies axonal morphology and synaptic function. These cells can be marked with an unc-4::GFP reporter transgene. Here we describe a powerful strategy, Micro-Array Profiling of C. elegans cells (MAPCeL), and confirm that this approach provides a comprehensive gene expression profile of unc-4::GFP motor neurons in vivo. Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting (FACS) was used to isolate unc-4::GFP neurons from primary cultures of C. elegans embryonic cells. Microarray experiments detected 6,217 unique transcripts of which ~1,000 are enriched in unc-4::GFP neurons relative to the average nematode embryonic cell. The reliability of these data was validated by the detection of known cell-specific transcripts and by expression in UNC-4 motor neurons of GFP reporters derived from the enriched data set. In addition to genes involved in neurotransmitter packaging and release, the microarray data include transcripts for receptors to a remarkably wide variety of signaling molecules. The added presence of a robust array of G-protein pathway components is indicative of complex and highly integrated mechanisms for modulating motor neuron activity. Over half of the enriched genes (537) have human homologs, a finding that could reflect substantial overlap with the gene expression repertoire of mammalian motor neurons. We have described a microarray-based method, MAPCeL, for profiling gene expression in specific C. elegans motor neurons and provide evidence that this approach can reveal candidate genes for key roles in the differentiation and function of these cells. These methods can now be applied to generate a gene expression map of the C. elegans nervous system.
Naturalization of plains cottonwood ( Populus deltoides subsp. monilifera ) along river drainages west of the Rocky Mountains

Historic botanical surveys documented that the natural distribution of the plains cottonwood (Populus deltoides subsp. monilifera) was limited to semiarid drainages east of the Rocky Mountains. Recently, a number of isolated populations of plains cottonwood have been found along the Kootenai, lower Snake, and Columbia Rivers and their tributaries. We used isozyme analysis to assess the genetic structure of these Pacific Northwest (PNW) populations in relation to native cottonwood populations east of the Rocky Mountains. These genetic data along with field surveys (dbh, age estimates) and cadastral field survey notes (mid-1800s) were used to understand the origin of these disjunct populations (i.e., relictual natives versus naturalized introductions). Genetic analyses revealed high levels of genetic diversity within and among PNW populations as well as hybridization with black cottonwood (P. trichocarpa). The observed range of genetic variation for PNW populations was similar to that of native cottonwood populations. Collectively, these data confirm that these scattered populations are plains cottonwood (Populus deltoides subsp. monilifera). Age estimates of the largest individuals found within study populations ranged from 27 to 51 years. Cadastral field surveys also noted the absence of woody vegetation along the lower Snake and Columbia Rivers. Considered together, the data suggest that these populations are of recent origin. The high levels of observed genetic variation are consistent with the reproductive biology of Populus spp. (i.e., obligate outcrossing and widespread dispersal of pollen and seed by wind and water) and a recurrent introduction of plains cottonwood throughout the study area.
Supplier improvement via SPC application workshops

To help bring suppliers to a Six Sigma level, the concept of SPC applications workshops was developed. These workshops combine classroom training with actual hands-on applications using the supplier's process as the training materials. This leaves the supplier with an understanding of how to implement the tools for 'his' process. Each workshop is designed to meet the needs of the supplier as well as to provide Motorola with essential data for evaluating the capability of a supplier to produce products to meet Motorola's needs. Each workshop contains several basic elements which are common to all: problem definition, measurement capability studies, multi-vari analysis, process capability analysis, correlation analysis, and the development of a data collection and reporting format. The author discusses the methodology for performing an applications workshop as well as some of the results that have been obtained from the eight workshops that were performed with leadframe suppliers. >
The chromatin scaffold protein SAFB1 localizes SUMO-1 to the promoters of ribosomal protein genes to facilitate transcription initiation and splicing

Early steps of gene expression are a composite of promoter recognition, promoter activation, RNA synthesis and RNA processing, and it is known that SUMOylation, a post-translational modification, is involved in transcription regulation. We previously found that SUMO-1 marks chromatin at the proximal promoter regions of some of the most active housekeeping genes during interphase in human cells, but the SUMOylated targets on the chromatin remained unclear. In this study, we found that SUMO-1 marks the promoters of ribosomal protein genes via modification of the Scaffold Associated Factor B (SAFB) protein, and the SUMOylated SAFB stimulated both the binding of RNA polymerase to promoters and pre-mRNA splicing. Depletion of SAFB decreased RNA polymerase II binding to promoters and nuclear processing of the mRNA, though mRNA stability was not affected. This study reveals an unexpected role of SUMO-1 and SAFB in the stimulatory coupling of promoter binding, transcription initiation and RNA processing.
In vivo and ex vivo study of metabolic and cellular effects of 5-fluorouracil chemotherapy in a mouse mammary carcinoma.

The effect of 5-fluorouracil (5FU) on the 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) profile of a mouse mammary carcinoma, implanted on the foot of CH3He mice, was studied both in vivo and in perchloric acid extracts. In vivo, significant increases in the ratios, nucleotide triphosphate:inorganic phosphate (Pi) (p < 0.02) and phosphocreatine:Pi (p < 0.005), were observed 48 h after 5FU, relative to control. Two readily resolvable peaks were observed in the phosphomonoester region of the in vivo NMR spectrum, phosphocholine (PC) and a peak (denoted PME′) comprised of mainly phosphoethanolamine (PE). PME′:PC was significantly elevated relative to control from 24 h to 168 h (p < 0.0001 at 48 h). Perchloric acid extract data indicate that the change in this ratio was due to an increase in the PE concentration rather than a decrease in PC. PE increased from 0.56 ± 0.11 μmol/g tissue in controls to 0.95 ± 0.29 μmol/g tissue 48 h after 5FU (p < 0.006). Perchloric acid extracts also revealed a significant increase in phosphodiesters. Glycerophosphocholine increased from 0.82 ± 0.24 μmol/g tissue in controls to 1.82 ± 0.61 μmol/g tissue in 5FU treated tumors after 48 h (p < 0.002), and glycerophosphoethanolamine increased from 0.25 ± 0.06 μmol/g tissue in controls to 0.36 ± 0.10 μmol/g tissue in treated tumors (p < 0.004). These changes suggest that ethanolamine and choline containing metabolites in this tumor may be metabolized via different pathways. Cell cycle analysis showed only relatively small changes in cell cycle distribution and apoptotic fraction following 5FU.