cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Peripheral T cell lymphoma: new model + new insight

The nonreceptor tyrosine kinase SYK has recently received a good deal of attention as a critical oncogene in various hematologic malignancies. A newly developed model of peripheral T cell lymphoma (PTCL) using the ITK-SYK fusion gene should serve as a powerful tool to dissect the signaling cascades important for SYK-associated malignancy in the context of t(5;9) PTCL.
A View of the Market Through Studies of Policy and Governance

The purpose of this article is to develop a research-based conceptualization of a state’s higher education market in the United States. The aim is to synthesize existing notions of the higher education market into a coherent starting point and to organize discussion of the market around subjects related to supply, consumption, and management. The conceptualization provides a state-level view of the higher education market appealing to state policy makers. The article draws on another study linking state policy to postsecondary performance. Results incorporate existing literature germane to the higher education market, within and outside of the higher education discipline.
TIDAL BREATHING FLOW-VOLUME (TBFV) LOOPS IN INFANTS WITH BRONCHIOLITIS: EFFECT OF ALBUTEROL. 2331

The role of albuterol in bronchiolitis is not well established although it is commonly used. We hypothesized that albuterol improves small airways function in bronchiolitis. We have studied nineteen infants under 1 year (mean age=5±2.8 mo) with first episode of wheezing who are RSV+ve, in a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design with nebulized albuterol (0.15mg/kg) and saline. Chloral hydrate 50 mg/kg p.o. was used for sedation. We obtained TBFV loops pre and post aerosol with 2600 Neonatal/Pediatric Pul Testing System (Sensor Medics Cal.) by the standard method. PTEF (peak tidal expiratory flow in ml/sec), V-PT [% of tidal volume(TV) to PTEF], T-PT (% of expiratory time to PTEF), and TEF50, TEF25, TEF10(tidal expiratory flow rates at 50, 25, 10% of TV) are measured as shown in the table. All values: mean ± SD.
Hardness and fracture toughness of brittle materials: A density functional theory study

The focus of the paper is to study the correlation between hardness and fracture toughness of brittle materials. To this end, density functional theory (DFT) is used to calculate materials parameters such as the surface energies, the unstable stacking fault energies, the Young's modulus, the bulk modulus, the shear moduli, and the Poisson's ratio of crystalline ${\mathrm{B}}_{6}\mathrm{O}$ as well as the surface energies of $c\mathrm{B}\mathrm{N}$ and $3\mathrm{C}\mathrm{Si}\mathrm{C}$. With these calculated materials parameters as well as reported ones, the theoretical fracture toughness of diamond, $c\mathrm{B}\mathrm{N}$, ${\mathrm{B}}_{6}\mathrm{O}$, $3\mathrm{C}\mathrm{Si}\mathrm{C}$, and Si are obtained and compared with experimental hardness. We find that the theoretical fracture toughness, proportional to the product of shear modulus and surface energy, can better characterize hardness of diamond, $c\mathrm{B}\mathrm{N}$, ${\mathrm{B}}_{6}\mathrm{O}$, $3\mathrm{C}\mathrm{Si}\mathrm{C}$, Si, and possibly other brittle materials than shear modulus alone [D. M. Teter, MRS Bull. 23, 22 (1998)]. This finding could be helpful in searching for new hard materials.
Effect of slow wave and REM sleep on thyropharyngeus and stylopharyngeus activity during induced central apneas.

The pharyngeal constrictors have been hypothesized to play an important role in the regulation of upper airway (UAW) patency in patients with sleep apnea. However, little research has focused on the activation and control of muscles that determine the lateral and posterior wall of the retropalatal airway dimensions. Our aim was to investigate the effects of slow wave sleep (SWS) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep on the activation of pharyngeal constrictor (thyropharyngeus; TP) and dilator (stylopharyngeus; SP) muscles during eupneic breathing and induced central apneas. In nine goats, we found that eupneic TP and SP activity progressively decreased from awake to SWS (57 and 56%, respectively; P 0.02). During the recovery from an induced apnea when diaphragm activity was at 95% of its’ control, awake TP activity remained significantly elevated and SP reduced (P>0.02) while TP activity during SWS was elevated and SP had returned to control level. During REM, TP and SP activity were not different from their reduced controls (P>0.02). The data supports our hypotheses that SWS and REM sleep causes a reduction in the eupneic TP and SP activity, as well as a reduction in TP response to induced apneas. However, the relative imbalance in TP vs SP activity during the recovery from an apnea (awake and SWS) suggest that an imbalance of active neuromuscular forces may contribute to upper airway narrowing in mixed apneas, but not in central apnea during sleep.
Synchrotron and Synchrotron Self-Compton Spectral Signatures and Blazar Emission Models

We find that energy losses due to synchrotron self-Compton (BBC) emission in Blazar jets can produce distinctive signatures in the time-averaged synchrotron and SSC spectra of these objects. For a fairly broad range of particle injection distributions, SSC-loss-dominated synchrotron emission exhibits a spectral dependence Fv approximately v (exp -3/2). The presence or absence of this dependence in the optical and ultraviolet spectra of flat-spectrum radio quasars such as PC 279 and in the soft X-ray spectra of high-frequency BL Lac objects such as Mark 501 gives a robust measure of the importance of SSC losses. Furthermore, for partially cooled particle distributions, spectral breaks of varying sizes can appear in the synchrotron and SSC spectra and will be related to the spectral indices of the emission below the break. These spectral signatures place constraints on the size scale and the nonthermal particle content of the emitting plasma, as well as the observer orientation relative to the jet axis.
The comparison of the behavioral observation system and the brief psychiatric rating scale-expanded.

The construct validity of the Behavioral Observation System (BOS), an observational instrument used by line staff to rate psychopathological behaviors, was studied using comparisons with the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale-Expanded version (BPRS-E). A sample of 100 inpatient participants was rated using the BPRS-E on the same day they were rated by line staff using the BOS. Pearson product-moment correlations were performed, supporting good convergence and divergence. Principle component analysis on the six BPRS-E scales and the four BOS scales resulted in a three-factor finding. This analysis was supportive of construct validity. Uses of the BOS in light of these findings were discussed.
A Prospective Study for Risk Factors Predicting Postoperative Pulmonary Complications

연구 목적 및 방법: 수술 후 폐 합병증은 심장 합병증보다 흔하고 술 후 입원기간 연장 및 사망률을 높이는 중요한 합병증이다. 최근 NSQIP에서 수술 후 중요한 폐 합병증인 폐렴과 호흡 부전의 위험 인자를 제시하였으나, 복잡하고 폐기능이나 동맥혈 가스 분석 같은 기본적인 검사 소견은 고려되지 않은 면이 있다. 또한 국내 연구에서는 수술 후 폐 합병증의 위험 인자가 명확치 않다. 이에 전향적 연구로 수술 후 폐 합병증의 위험 인자를 알아보고자 하였다. 가천의대 길병원에서 호흡기내과로 의뢰된 환자 199명을 대상으로 수술 후 폐 합병증(폐렴, 호흡 부전, 무기폐, 흉수)이 생긴 환자군과 그렇지 않은 군의 위험 인자를 비교하였다. 결과: 22명(11.1%)에서 수술 후 폐 합병증이 발생하였고, 흉수(13명), 호흡 부전(6명), 폐렴(4명), 무기폐(2명) 순이었다. 단변량 분석에서 폐 합병증의 유의한 위험 인자는 높은 cardiac risk index, 수술 전 후 nasogastric tube 사용, 흉부/상복부 수술, 3시간 이상의 마취 시간, 술 전 11.0 g/dL 이하의 헤모글로빈으로 나타났으며, 다변량 로지스틱 회귀 분석 상 독립적인 위험 인자는 응급 수술(OR 10.306, 95% CI= 1.508-70.438, p=0.017), 높은 심장 위험도(OR 16.454, 95% CI=2.720-99.521, p=0.002), 수술 종류(OR 3.814, 95% CI=1.016-14.313, p=0.047)로 나타났다. 결론: 수술 후 폐 합병증 발생의 위험 인자는 응급 수술, 높은 심장 위험도, 흉부/상복부 고위험 수술로 수술적 요인과 기저 심장 상태가 중요하며, 폐기능 검사나 흉부 방사선 이상 소견은 술 후 폐 합병증 발생에 영향을 미치지 않는 것으로 생각된다. 향후 대상군의 범위를 넓히고, 좀 더 많은 환자에서 수술 후 폐 합병증 발생의 위험 인자를 분석하는 것이 필요하리라 생각된다.
Replacement of the membrane proximal region of I-Ad MHC class II molecule with I-E-derived sequences promotes production of an active and stable soluble heterodimer without altering peptide-binding specificity

Abstract The MHC class II molecule I-A is the murine homologue of HLA-DQ in humans. The I-A and DQ heterodimers display considerable heterodimer instability compared with their I-E and HLA-DR counterparts. This isotype-specific behavior makes the production of soluble I-A and DQ molecules very difficult. We have developed a strategy for production of soluble I-Ad molecules involving expression of I-Ad as a glycosil phosphatidyl inositol (PI) anchored chimera in Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells. The regions comprising the membrane proximal segments of I-Ad alpha and beta chains were substituted for the corresponding regions of I-E, and the derived constructs were expressed in CHO cells. Procedures for purification of the soluble class II molecules were optimized and the WT and chimeric molecule were compared for structure, biochemical stability and functionality. Our analysis revealed that the substitutions in the membrane proximal domains improved cell surface expression and thermal stability of I-Ad without altering the peptide binding specificity of the class II molecule. The results suggest that similar strategies could be used to increase the stability of other unstable class II molecules for in vitro studies.
An LP rounding algorithm for approximating uncapacitated facility location problem with penalties

In this paper, we consider an interesting variant of the facility location problem called uncapacitated facility location problem with penalties (UFLWP, for short) in which each client can be either assigned to some opened facility or rejected by paying a penalty. Existing approaches [M. Charikar, S. Khuller, D. Mount, G. Narasimhan, Algorithms for facility location problems with outliers, in: Proc. Symposium on Discrete Algorithms, 2001, p. 642] and [K. Jain, M. Mahdian, E. Markakis, A. Saberi, V. Vazirani, Greedy facility location algorithms analyzed using dual fitting with factor-revealing LP, J. ACM 50 (2003) 795] for this variant of facility location problem are all based on primal-dual method. In this paper, we present an efficient linear programming (LP) rounding based approach to show that LP rounding techniques are equally capable of solving this variant of facility location problem. Our algorithm uses a two-phase filtering technique (generalized from Lin and Vitter's [@?-approximation with minimum packing constraint violation, in: Proc. 24th Annual ACM Symp. on Theory of Computing, 1992, p. 771]) to identify those to-be-rejected clients and open facilities for the remaining ones. Our approach achieves an approximation ratio of 2+2/e (~2.736) which is worse than the best approximation ratio of 2 achieved by the much more sophisticated dual fitting technique [K. Jain, M. Mahdian, E. Markakis, A. Saberi, V. Vazirani, Greedy facility location algorithms analyzed using dual fitting with factor-revealing LP, J. ACM 50 (2003) 795], but better than the approximation ratio of 3 achieved by the primal-dual method [M. Charikar, S. Khuller, D. Mount, G. Narasimhan, Algorithms for facility location problems with outliers, in: Proc. Symposium on Discrete Algorithms, 2001, p. 642]. Our algorithm is simple, natural, and can be easily integrated into existing LP rounding based algorithms for facility location problem to deal with outliers. problem to deal with outliers.
Regulator of calcineurin (RCAN1-1L) is deficient in Huntington disease and protective against mutant huntingtin toxicity in vitro

Our work suggests an important new link between the RCAN1 gene and Huntington disease. Huntington disease is caused by expansion of glutamine repeats in the huntingtin protein. How the huntingtin protein with expanded polyglutamines (mutant huntingtin) causes the disease is still unclear, but phosphorylation of huntingtin appears to be protective. Increased huntingtin phosphorylation can be produced either by inhibition of the phosphatase calcineurin or by activation of the Akt kinase. The RCAN1 gene encodes regulators of calcineurin, and we now demonstrate, for the first time, that RCAN1-1L is depressed in Huntington disease. We also show that RCAN1-1L overexpression can protect against mutant huntingtin toxicity in an ST14A cell culture model of Huntington disease and that increased phosphorylation of huntingtin via calcineurin inhibition, rather than via Akt induction or activation, is the likely mechanism by which RCAN1-1L may be protective against mutant huntingtin. These findings suggest that RCAN1-1L "deficiency" may actually play a role in the etiology of Huntington disease. In addition, our results allow for the possibility that controlled overexpression of RCAN1-1L in the striatal region of the brain might be a viable avenue for therapeutic intervention in Huntington disease patients (and perhaps other polyglutamine expansion disorders).
An NMR-based metabolomic assessment of cultured cobia health in response to dietary manipulation

Abstract Commercial aquaculture feeds rely heavily on fishmeal and fish oil, which can be expensive and ecologically unsustainable. To evaluate the efficacy of reduced fishmeal diets for outgrowth, a dietary study was conducted on the finfish cobia, Rachycentron canadum . NMR-based metabolomic techniques were used to assess the effect of decreasing dietary fishmeal on the health of the cobia. Filtered serum 1 H NMR spectra analysed by principal components analysis (PCA) showed cobia fed reduced fishmeal diets were metabolically different than cobia on control diets. In particular, tyrosine and betaine increased in cobia fed reduced fishmeal diets while glucose decreased, suggesting that these cobia were not receiving the necessary nutritional components required for energy and growth. The formulated control diet contributed to enriched growth and significantly elevated lactate levels suggesting enhanced gut microflora metabolism in response to dietary components. The results show that NMR-based metabolomic analysis is a useful tool in aquaculture studies.
The impact of physical activity and cold exposure on food intake and energy expenditure in man

The interrelationships of physical activity, food intake and extremes of environmental temperature are important considerations influencing nutritional intake and physical performance in wilderness activities. This brief review familiarizes the reader with the components responsible for regulating food intake and energy expenditure, addresses work that has examined the regulatory role of exercise on the caloric content of food intake, considers the influence of regular participation in physical activity on two components of energy expenditure (resting metabolic rate and energy expenditure during submaximal exercise), and discusses the effects of acute and chronic exposure to cold temperature on food intake and energy expenditure. The adaptive changes in food intake and energy expenditure in response to environmental challenges are relevant considerations for wilderness activities.
Cloning and Characterization of Three New Murine Genes Encoding Short Homologues of RNase P RNA

Three novel genes encoding small RNAs homologous to human and mouse RNase P RNA have been isolated from a mouse genomic library. As assessed by Northern blot analysis and nuclease protection assays, transcripts derived from one or more of these genes are expressed in murine cells and tissues. The RNA products of these RNase P RNA-homologous genes are smaller in size (238-248 nucleotides) than the 305-nucleotide transcript previously identified. These smaller transcripts are uniformly less abundant than the larger RNase P RNA, but their expression varies severalfold among different mouse tissues. Similar short homologues of RNase P RNA also are expressed in rat, rabbit, and human cells. We conclude that higher vertebrates express multiple isoforms of RNase P RNA.
Outcome differences after endoscopic drainage of pancreatic necrosis, acute pancreatic pseudocysts, and chronic pancreatic pseudocysts.

Background: Comparative outcomes after endoscopic drainage of specific types of symptomatic pancreatic fluid collections, defined by using standardized nomenclature, have not been described. This study sought to determine outcome differences after attempted endoscopic drainage of pancreatic fluid collections classified as pancreatic necrosis, acute pseudocyst, and chronic pseudocyst. Methods: Outcomes were retrospectively analyzed for consecutive patients with symptoms caused by pancreatic fluid collections referred for endoscopic transmural and/or transpapillary drainage. Results: Complete endoscopic resolution was achieved in 113 of 138 patients (82%). Resolution was significantly more frequent in patients with chronic pseudocysts (59/64, 92%) than acute pseudocysts (23/31, 74%, p = 0.02) or necrosis (31/43, 72%, p = 0.006). Complications were more common in patients with necrosis (16/43, 37%) than chronic (11/64, 17%, p = 0.02) or acute pseudocysts (6/31, 19%, p = NS). At a median follow-up of 2.1 years after successful endoscopic treatment (resolution), pancreatic fluid collections had recurred in 18 of 113 patients (16%). Recurrences developed more commonly in patients with necrosis (9/31, 29%) than acute pseudocysts (2/23, 9%, p = 0.07) or chronic pseudocysts (7/59, 12%, p = 0.047). Conclusions: Successful resolution of pancreatic fluid collections may be achieved endoscopically by an experienced therapeutic endoscopist. Outcomes differ depending on the type of pancreatic fluid collection drained. Further studies of endoscopic drainage of pancreatic fluid collections must use defined terminology to allow meaningful comparisons. (Gastrointest Endosc 2002;56:7-17.)
Studies on Aerobic Reactions of Ammonia/3,5-Di-tert-butylcatechol Schiff-Base Condensation Products with Copper, Copper(I), and Copper(II). Strong Copper(II)−Radical Ferromagnetic Exchange and Observations on a Unique N−N Coupling Reaction

Stoichiometric quantities of 3,5-di-tert-butylcatechol and aqueous ammonia react in pyridine solution to form 2-amino-4,6-di-tert-butylphenol. Under an atmosphere of dioxygen the aminophenol is oxidized to either the corresponding iminosemiquinone or iminobenzoquinone. In the presence of Cu(II) iminosemiquinone condensation with the aminophenol gives the Cat-N-SQ radical ligand obtained as the Cu(py)2(Cat-N-SQ) complex. Metal and ligand magnetic orbitals are orthogonal and couple ferromagnetically to give a S = 1 molecular spin state at temperatures up to 300 K. In nonpolar solvents the complex undergoes ligand oxidation and disproportionation to give Cu(Cat-N-BQ)2. Crystallographic characterization on crystals obtained as the i-propanol solvate [orthorhombic, C2221, a = 19.548(3) A, b = 24.536(5) A, c = 23.655(5) A, V = 11346(4) A3, Z = 8, R = 0.068] show that the expected Jahn−Teller distortion appears in the trans Cu−O lengths of the equatorial plane rather than for the axial Cu−N lengths. Reactions ca...
The local ISM in three dimensions: kinematics, morphology and physical properties

We summarize the results of our long-term program to study the kinematics, morphology, and physical properties of warm partially ionized interstellar gas located within 100 pc of the Sun. Using the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) and other spectrographs on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), we measure radial velocities of neutral and singly ionized atoms that identify comoving structures (clouds) of warm interstellar gas. We have identified 15 of these clouds located within 15 pc of the Sun. Each of them moves with a different velocity vector, and they have narrow ranges of temperature, turbulence, and metal depletions. We compute a three-dimensional model for the Local Interstellar Cloud (LIC), in which the Sun is likely embedded near its edge, and the locations and shapes of the other nearby clouds. These clouds are likely separated by ionized Stromgren sphere gas produced by ϵ CMa, Sirius B, and other hot white dwarfs. We propose that some of these partially ionized clouds are shells of the Stromgren spheres.
An enzymatic comparison of sea urchin egg ghosts prepared before and after fertilization

Ghosts were prepared from sea urchin eggs, before and after fertilization. Eggs were treated with Mg++ to stabilize the surface. Cytoplasm was then released by osmotically lysing the cells and washing repeatedly at low ionic strength. Microscopically, the resultant ghosts appear to contain the extraneous surface coats, some cell cortex, and the plasma membrane, but relatively little cytoplasm. This appearance and the higher specific activities of Na+-K+-ATPase, Mg++-ATPase, and acetylcholinesterase in ghosts than in whole egg homogenates, indicates the usefulness of ghost preparations as egg surfaces in enzyme comparison studies. The specific activities of five of the six enzymes measured are different when compared in ghosts prepared before and after fertilization. Glucose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase, acetylcholinesterase, and Na+-K+-ATPase activities are greater in fertilized than in unfertilized egg ghosts, whereas the Mg++-ATPase and glucose-6-phosphatase activities are lower. The changes in enzyme specific activities following fertilization may be related to structural and functional changes which occur in the egg surface at that time.
Urethane oils and alkyds

Urethane polymers may be separated into three main types, which are briefly outlined here, but for the purpose of this article only the third section is relevant:
Kinematic Wave Modeling in Water Resources

Kinematic Wave Modeling in Water Resources fills an important gap in the literature on physically based hydrologic modeling. The author should be complimented on his approach, which is based on solving the governing partial differential equations. He displays remarkable ingenuity at finding solutions to a system of differential equations that is particularly intractable. This volume covers the fullest possible spectrum of solutions emerging from the method of characteristics. The author's physically based, deterministic approach is refreshing in a world overwhelmed with black box and numerical methods.
Home range, movements, and density of the central stoneroller, Campostoma anomalum, in a small Ohio stream

A population of central stonerollers, Campostoma anomalum, in Harker's Run, Butler County, Ohio U.S.A., was examined during autumn, 1980, to determine the species' movements, density, and home range size. During the study period, 170 fish were marked by fin clips and released into the specific pool or riffle where they were captured within the 187 m study section. Eighty percent of the recaptured, marked fish (20) were recaptured in their initial capture area (specific pool or riffle). No fish moved more than 135 m from its original capture area. Density estimates of C. anomalum for each pool and riffle within the study section ranged from 0.10–3.91 fish m−2 (mean = 1.25 fish m−2). Home range size was estimated to be 35.2 ± 14.1 m (mean ± 95% CI) of stream length. Campostoma anomalum in Harker's Run occurred at densities similar to those reported for the species in other streams, and their home ranges in this system were of similar size to those of other small, stream-dwelling fishes.
Safety and Efficacy of Human Growth Hormone (rhGH) in Children with Growth Failure after Cardiac Transplantation

Safety and Efficacy of Human Growth Hormone (rhGH) in Children with Growth Failure after Cardiac Transplantation
Disordered long-range internal stresses in deformed copper and the mechanisms underlying plastic deformation

The strength of wavy glide metals increases dramatically during deformation as dislocations multiply and entangle, forming dense dislocation wall structures. Numerous competing models have been proposed for this process but experimental validation and guidance for further model development require new experimental approaches capable of resolving local stresses within the dislocation microstructure. We use three-dimensional X-ray microscopy combining submicrometer spatial resolution with diffracted-beam masking to make direct measurements of axial elastic strain (and thus stress) in individual dislocation cell walls and their adjacent cell interiors in heavily deformed copper. These spatially resolved measurements show broad, asymmetric distributions of dipolar stresses that directly discriminate between long-standing deformation models and demonstrate that the distribution of local stresses is statistically connected to the global behavior through simple rules.
Strong enhancement of graphene-light interaction in a photonic crystal nanocavity

We demonstrate enhanced light-matter interaction in graphene coupled with a photonic crystal nanocavity, exhibiting strongly enhanced optical absorption and spontaneous emission in graphene.
A Degradation Study of Some Formaldehyde-Modified, Celluloses

The chemical and physical properties of cotton fabrics treated with formaldehyde in the presence of an acid catalyst (HCl) under aqueous (Form W) and essentially nonaqueous (Form D) conditions were...
A note on demand for information: the OCE preferences case

Abstract This paper considers the optimal decisions of an investor with ‘ordinal certainty equivalent’ preferences. We prove that, if risk preferences are of the ‘constant absolute risk aversion’ type, optimal demand for the risky asset and information are independent of time preferences.
Effects of temperature and nitrate on phosphomonoesterase activities between carbon source and sink tissues in Zostera marina L

Inorganic phosphorus (P;) is important in the regulation of many carbon and nitrogen metabolic processes of plants. In this study, we examined alterations of phosphomonoesterase activity (PA; both alkaline and acid) in a submersed marine angiosperm, Zostera marina, grown in P i non-limiting conditions under elevated temperature and/or nitrate enrichment. Control plants (ambient water-column NO 3 <2.5 μM, with weekly mean water temperatures between 26.5-27.0 °C based on a 20-yr data set in a local embayment) were compared to treated plants that were exposed to increased water-column nitrate (8 μM NO 3 above ambient, pulsed daily at 0900 h), and/or increased temperature (ca. 3 °C above weekly means) over eight weeks in late summer-fall. Under both nitrate regimes, increased temperature resulted in periodic increased leaf and root-rhizome tissue carbon content, and increased acid and alkaline PA activities (AcPAs and AlPAs, respectively). There was a positive correlation between A1PA and AcPA activities and sucrose synthase activities in belowground structures, and a negative correlation between A1PA activities and sucrose concentrations. There were also periodic changes in PA partitioning between carbon source and sink tissues. In high-temperature and high-nitrate treatments, AcPAs significantly increased in leaves relative to activities in root-rhizome tissues (up to 12-fold higher in aboveground than belowground tissues in as little as 3 weeks after initiation of treatments). These responses were not observed in control plants, which maintained comparable AcPA activities in above- and belowground tissues. In addition, A1PA activity was significantly higher in leaf than in root-rhizome tissues of plants in high-temperature (weeks 3 and 6) and high temperature combined with high nitrate treatments (week 8), relative to A1PA activities in control plants. The observed changes in PAs were not related to P, growth limitation, and may allow Z. marina to alter its carbon metabolism during periods of increased carbon demand/mobilization. This response would make it possible for Z. marina to meet short-term P requirements to maximize carbon production/allocation. Such a mechanism could help to explain the variability in PA activities that has been observed for many plant species during periods when environmental P i exceeds requirements for optimal growth.
Effect of Atrial Fibrillation on Atrial Refractoriness in Humans

BackgroundThe acute effect of atrial fibrillation (AF) on the atrial effective refractory period (ERP) in humans is unknown. Methods and Results In 20 patients without structural heart disease, the atrial ERP was measured before and after pacing-induced AF at drive cycle lengths of 350 and 500 ms. Immediately after spontaneous AF conversion, the post-AF ERP was measured. The pre-AF ERPs at 350 and 500 ms were 206±23 and 216±17 ms, respectively. The time to spontaneous conversion of AF was 7.3±1.9 minutes. The first post-AF ERPs at drive cycle lengths of 350 and 500 ms were 175±30 ms (P<.0001 versus pre-AF) and 191±30 ms (P<.0001 versus pre-AF), respectively. The post-AF ERP returned to the pre-AF ERP value after a mean of 8.4±0.3 minutes. In 15 patients, during the determination of the post-AF ERP, secondary episodes of AF lasting 1±1.5 minutes were reinduced 6±3 times per patient. There was a significant inverse logarithmic relationship between the time to reinduction of AF and the duration of secondary ...
Moments of some J-shaped distributions

This paper concerns a family of univariate distributions suggested by Topp & Leone in 1955. Topp & Leone provided no motivation for this new family and by way of properties they derived only the first four integer-order moments, i.e. E(Xn) for n=1, r 2, r 3, r 4 . In this paper we provide a motivation for the family of distributions and derive explicit algebraic expressions for: (1) hazard rate function; (2) E(Xn) when n ± 1 is any integer; (3) E(Xn) for n=1, r 2, r r , r 10 , and (4) E[{X-E(X)} n] , n=2, r 3, r 4 . We also give an expression for the characteristic function and discuss issues on estimation and simulation. The main calculations of this paper use properties of the Gauss hypergeometric function.
Boron penetration effect on gate oxide reliability of 50 Å PMOS devices

Abstract Modern CMOS technology widely utilizes dual poly gate technology to create surface channel PMOS devices with a low threshold voltage. This article presents the analysis of degradation and gate oxide reliability in 50 A oxide p + -poly PMOS transistors. The post-boron implant anneal temperature is used to vary the amount of boron penetration into the oxide. Results indicate the significant role of boron in the reduction of the gate oxide lifetime of PMOS devices and enhanced electron trapping in the oxide. This degradation correlates with the threshold voltage variation due to channel doping change. The stress-induced leakage current does not seem to be affected by the boron penetration effect.
Development of a Polarizable Force Field for Macromolecules Based on the Classical Drude Oscillator

Accurate potential functions based on simple and computationally tractable functional forms are essential for meaningful molecular dynamics simulation studies of biomolecular systems. Towards this need we have developed a polarizable force field based on the classical Drude oscillator model. Built on a foundation of parameters optimized targeting a range of experimental and quantum mechanical (QM) data for small molecules representative of macromolecules, force fields for proteins, lipids, nucleic acids and carbohydrates have been developed. Extension of the polarizable model from small molecules to macromolecules required additional optimization of the electrostatic parameters in the context of the biopolymers, iterative optimization of the torsion potentials targeting both QM and experimental data and the inclusion of pair specific Lennard-Jones parameters. Examples from optimization of the polarizable model for proteins and nucleic acids will be presented, including results from explicit solvent simulations of 100 ns and longer.
Familial thryoid disease: Lingual thyroid in two siblings and hypoplasia of a thyroid lobe in a third

Summary Three siblings from one family had development abnormalities of the thyroid. Two of the three had sublingual thyroid, one presenting with hypothyroidism and the other with pressure symtoms. The third sibling had a congenital hypoplastic left lobe with normal thyroid activity.
Mining machine control in virtual working kinematics

Mining machinery in loading and digging tasks requires well-trained operators. The nature of the loading task is repetitive, yet tedious due to changing digging and loading points, material weight, grade and digging resistance. There exists an optimum digging and loading kinematics, i.e. the family of motion trajectories for each task in which the control of the bucket tool is the easiest to execute. A given mining machine may not match this most convenient kinematics for a given job and working conditions. To help, a new, software-controlled virtual kinematics is developed to assist the operator and ease the task as well as increase energy efficiency and save cost. The paper describes this new technique and its implementation on an experimental excavator, as well as laboratory and benchmarking results. The potential benefits of the new hybrid machine control are discussed regarding reduced loading cycle time, fuel savings and ease of operation.
Electrostatic interactions between the syntaxin membrane anchor and neurotransmitter passing through the fusion pore.

Recent experiments have shown that flux through the fusion pore is sensitive to manipulations of the side-chain size of certain residues in the syntaxin (syx) membrane anchor. These residues were proposed to line the wall of the fusion pore of Ca2+-triggered exocytosis. Here we continued this line of experimentation to examine possible electrostatic interactions between the pore lining residues and the neurotransmitter norepinephrine (NE). Replacing syx pore-lining residues with aspartate enhanced NE flux above that expected for the size of the aspartate side chain. In contrast, substitution with arginine reduced NE flux below that expected for the size of its side chain. Substituting aspartate and arginine into the nonpore-lining residues did not alter the fusion pore flux. Other amino acids with ionizable side chains had variable effects. These results indicate an electrostatic interaction between the pore-lining residues of syx and NE, and provide additional evidence that the syx membrane anchor is a structural component of the fusion pore.
Selective Effects of Certain Anti-Fertility Compounds on the House Fly as Shown by Reciprocal Crosses and Histological Sectioning

Using reciprocal crosses and histological techniques. effects resulting from treating house flies, Musca domestica L., with tretamine (TEM), methylmethanesulfonate (MMS), and hydroxyurea (HU) are described. Appal ently, 2 different modes of sterilant action were involved with the 3 test compounds. As demonstrated by ovarian sectioning and by larval counts, HU seemed to destroy female egg cells. The "antimetabolite" theory seemed to offer a likely explanation. Histological examination of MMS- and TEM-treated house flies showed little destruction of either female or male germ tissue In almost all cases embryos were formed following reciprocal crosses but died in the eggs. The sterilant effects are thus assumed to be due to the production of dominant lethal genes as with irradiation and certain other alkylating agents.
Dehydroepiandrosterone and Diseases of Aging

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA; prasterone) is a major adrenal hormone with no well accepted function. In both animals and humans, low DHEA levels occur with the development of a number of the problems of aging: immunosenesence, increased mortality, increased incidence of several cancers, loss of sleep, decreased feelings of well-being, osteoporosis and atherosclerosis. DHEA replacement in aged mice significantly normalised immunosenescence, suggesting that this hormone plays a key role in aging and immune regulation in mice. Similarly, osteoclasts and lymphoid cells were stimulated by DHEA replacement, an effect that may delay osteoporosis. Recent studies do not support the original suggestion that low serum DHEA levels are associated with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of cognitive dysfunction in the elderly. As DHEA modulates energy metabolism, low levels should affect lipogenesis and gluconeogenesis, increasing the risk of diabetes mellitus and heart disease. Most of the effects of DHEA replacement have been extrapolated from epidemiological or animal model studies, and need to be tested in human trials. Studies that have been conducted in humans show essentially no toxicity of DHEA treatment at dosages that restore serum levels, with evidence of normalisation in some aging physiological systems. Thus, DHEA deficiency may expedite the development of some diseases that are common in the elderly.
In vivo biosynthesis of arginine vasopressin and oxytocin in hypothalami from intact and hypophysectomized rats.

The rates of incorporation of [35S]cysteine into arginine vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OXT) were studied concurrently in hypothalami from intact and hypophysectomized male rats. After label injection into the third ventricle, rats were killed 0.5, 1, 2, 4, or 8 h later. The hypothalamic peptides were quantitated by specific RIA and separated by HPLC to allow quantitation of label incorporation into each peptide. In intact rats, labeling of both OXT and AVP rose rapidly to peak at 2 h; thereafter, radioactivity in both peptides declined slowly to 8 h. In hypophysectomized rats, labeling of AVP fell below that in intact animals at all time points. Labeling of OXT was somewhat below normal 2 h after label injection, but considerably above normal at 4 and 8 h. For comparison, label incorporation into somatostatin-14 (SRIF-14) and somatostatin- 28 (SRIF-28) was also studied in the same animals. In intact rats, labeling of both SRIF peptides rose slowly to maximal values at 8 h. In hypophysectomized animals,...
The Professional School Counselor and Accountability.

Too often, school counselors are evaluated through a teacher assess ment process, which has little meaning or relevance to the professional school counselor's tasks or role. The unclear definition and confusion surrounding the role may be a result of the historical changes sur rounding this position, the discrepancies in school counselor tasks among counselors themselves, and the lack of a clear definition on the role of the school counselor.
Effect of frequency on the acoustoelastic response of steel bars

This paper presents experimental evidences of the dependence of the acoustoelastic sensitivity on the wave excitation frequency in steel 1018 bars. The subject is relevant to the monitoring of stress levels in bar-like structural components by non-destructive ultrasonic techniques. The dispersive behavior of the ultrasonic waves propagating in the bars causes the frequency-dependence of the acoustoelastic sensitivity to stress. It is shown that low values of the frequency × diameter product result in the largest sensitivity owing to the predominance of axial displacements over radial displacements. Alternatively, large values of the frequency × diameter product, where radial displacements become substantial, result in a lower sensitivity. These considerations are useful when selecting the ultrasonic excitation frequency for acoustoelastic stress measurements in bars.
Enhanced mesenchymal stem cell survival induced by GATA-4 overexpression is partially mediated by regulation of the miR-15 family

Abstract We reported previously that pre-programming mesenchymal stem cells with the GATA-4 gene increases significantly cell survival in an ischemic environment. In this study, we tested whether regulation of microRNAs and their target proteins was associated with the cytoprotective effects of GATA-4. Methods and results Mesenchymal stem cells were harvested from adult rat bone marrow and transduced with GATA-4 (MSCGATA-4) using the murine stem cell virus retroviral expression system. Cells transfected with empty vector (MSCNull) were used as controls. Quantitative real-time PCR data showed that the expression levels of miR-15 family members (miR-15b, miR-16, and miR-195) were significantly down-regulated in MSCGATA-4. The protein expression of Bcl-w (Bcl-2-like-2), an anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family protein, was increased in MSCGATA-4. Hypoxic culture (low glucose and low oxygen) induced the release of lactate dehydrogenase from mesenchymal stem cells and reduced cell survival. Compared to MSCNull, MSCGATA-4 showed less lactate dehydrogenase release and greater cell survival following 72 h hypoxia exposure. The mitochondrial membrane potential, detected with the dye JC-1, was well maintained, and mitochondrial membrane permeability, expressed as caspase 3 and 7 activities in response to the ischemic environment was lower in MSCGATA-4. Moreover, transfection with miR-195 significantly down-regulated Bcl-w expression in mesenchymal stem cells through a binding site in the 3′-UTR of the Bcl-w mRNA and reduced mesenchymal stem cell resistance to ischemic injury. Conclusions The overexpression of GATA-4 in mesenchymal stem cells down-regulates miR-15 family members, causing increased resistance to ischemia through the up-regulation of anti-apoptotic proteins in the Bcl-2 family.
A forensic hypervisor for process tracking and exploit discovery

Real-time forensic reconstruction of a processes memory and interaction history is impractical in modern computing environments because the volume of data processed by a typical server is immense. Having this information would speed the search for zero-day exploits and designate precisely which system components could have been affected by an intrusion. Unfortunately, it may be several months after the infection before any latent effect is observed and there is no way to attest which, if any, of the affected processes are related to the original exploit. In addition, the system under observation cannot be trusted to record the necessary forensic information as the infection may deliberately hide its presence. These problems subsequently hamper system recovery and data verification efforts. This paper describes a novel forensic hypervisor design that provides coarse-grained process tracking and utilizes next generation Intel virtualization technology, leveraging extended page tables and enforcing MULTICS style protection techniques. Custom forensic introspection techniques are used to walk the extended page tables to inspect a virtual machines state and track the associated processes. A description of the steps necessary to perform tracking are presented; the real-time performance impact is quantified at less than 11μs for each system call.
INFLUENCE OF EARLY INDOMETHACIN ON VENOUS ADMIXTURE IN INFANTS WITH HMD

Twenty infants <1500 g with HMD known to be at high risk (75%) of developing symptomatic PDA were entered in a randomized controlled study. Mean birth weight was 1074g±158SD and gestational age 28.9w±1.5SD. Seven infants received indomethacin 0.2mg/kg IV at 24h of age prior to evidence of ductus shunting while 13 controls were observed initially without indomethacin. Both groups were comparable for birth weight, gestational age, average venous admixture (VA) and mean airway pressure prior to indomethacin administration. Although none of 7 infants given prophylactic indomethacin developed symptomatic PDA as opposed to 7 of 13 untreated controls, we observed significant higher VA in treated infants during the 24 hours following indomethacin administration (32.9%±1.2SE vs. 29.3%±1.1SE for control infants, p<.05). This increased VA was unexpected and could not be attributed to fluid retention secondary to the renal effects of indomethacin. Urine output after indomethacin was significantly reduced during the period 24-48 hours (53cc/kg±11.9SE vs. 102cc/kg±10.9SE for controls, p=.01), but fluid input was similarly decreased for indomethacin infants such that input to output ratios for treated and control infants were not significantly different (1.9±0.6SE vs. 1.4±0.3SE). These results indicate that indomethacin, possibly through its suppression of prostaglandin synthesis, might have adverse effects on ventilation-perfusion matching, pulmonary vascular resistance, or surfactant production or release.
Kinetics of Gastric Response in Chickens to Graded Electrical Vagal Stimulation

SummaryThe left cervical vagi of four domestic fowl, under pentobarbital anesthesia, were subjected to direct electrical stimulation. The stimulation parameters used were 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, and 50 V in successive 30-min steps, with the frequency and duration maintained at 10 pulses/sec and 1 msec, respectively.By kinetic analysis, a threshold of 13.6 V was found for H+ secretion and 13.9 V for pepsin secretion. Linear transformations of the data produced good linearity (r = + .999 and +.993) for acid and pepsin, respectively. The levels of secretion produced by vagal stimulation exceeded previously reported outputs for cholinergic stimulation, and it was shown that the gastric response to direct electrical stimulation of the vagus is dose-dependent and not all-or-none.
Exploitation of ISAR imagery in Euler parameter space

Efforts are being made to exploit the full-polarimetric radar scattering nature of ground targets to extract maximum information, enabling target identification and classification. These efforts have taken varied approaches to decomposing the polarimetric scattering matrix into more meaningful, phenomenological parameter spaces. The Euler parameters have potential value in target classification but have historically met with limited success due to ambiguities that arise in the decomposition as well as the parameters sensitivity to noise and target movement. Using polarimetric ISAR signatures obtained from stationary targets in compact radar ranges at the University of Massachusetts Lowell Submillimeter Technology Laboratory (STL)1,2,3,4 and the U.S. Army National Ground Intelligence Center (NGIC), correlation studies were performed in the Euler parameter space to assess to its impact on improving target classification. Methods for deriving explicit transform equations that minimize ambiguities will be presented, as well as the results of the correlation studies.© (2005) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Fire Technology Guest Editorial: Special Section on Fire Literature and Information

Although no doubt spoken tongue-in-cheek, I suspect that Oscar Wilde might have a different opinion were he alive today, because the Internet has made useless information an epidemic. In 2012, finding useless information is easy. But finding reliable, authoritative, meaningful information? Now that’s hard. These days we’re assaulted by information from everywhere, and with such volume and speed that it’s impossible to absorb even a fraction of the amount we encounter each day, never-mind determining which bits are actually relevant to our daily lives. When it comes to finding information we need, the expression ‘‘drinking from a fire hose’’ has never been more apt. If you happen to work for an innovative, forward-thinking organization, where the value of information and its importance to success is well understood, consider yourself lucky. You probably have at your disposal a corporate library and at least one librarian (a.k.a. Information Specialist, Knowledge Manager, Cybrarian, Information Broker, etc.). These aren’t your grandmother’s libraries, mind you. If you are imagining a quaint place where books go to collect dust, protected by a shushing, hair-bunwearing matron, think again. Modern corporate libraries are like hive-minds; acquiring, filtering, synthesizing and distributing information where it’s needed most, keeping organizations vital and relevant. They are staffed by experts with graduate degrees in Library and Information Science, who know the ins and outs of searching the Internet and commercial literature databases. (These are the people who actually use obscure search operators.) They find information ranging from refereed literature to codes and standards to patents and market intelligence. Some manage vast virtual libraries containing no physical documents at all. In an age where separating good information from the irrelevant is increasingly difficult, libraries and librarians are more crucial than ever. Far from being