cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fetal origins of developmental plasticity: are fetal cues reliable predictors of future nutritional environments?

Evidence that fetal nutrition triggers permanent adjustments in a wide range of systems and health outcomes is stimulating interest in the evolutionary significance of these responses. This review evaluates the postnatal adaptive significance of fetal developmental plasticity from the perspective of life history theory and evolutionary models of energy partitioning. Birthweight is positively related to multiple metabolically costly postnatal functions, suggesting that the fetus has the capacity to distribute the burden of energy insufficiency when faced with a nutritionally challenging environment. Lowering total requirements may reduce the risk of negative energy balance, which disproportionately impacts functions that are not essential for survival but that are crucial for reproductive success. The long-term benefit of these metabolic adjustments is contingent upon the fetus having access to a cue that is predictive of its future nutritional environment, a problem complicated in a long-lived species by short-term ecologic fluctuations like seasonality. Evidence is reviewed suggesting that the flow of nutrients reaching the fetus provides an integrated signal of nutrition as experienced by recent matrilineal ancestors, which effectively limits the responsiveness to short-term ecologic fluctuations during any given pregnancy. This capacity for fetal nutrition to minimize the growth response to transient ecologic fluctuations is defined here as intergenerational “phenotypic inertia,” and is hypothesized to allow the fetus to cut through the “noise” of seasonal or other stochastic influences to read the “signal” of longer-term ecologic trends. As a mode of adaptation, phenotypic inertia may help the organism cope with ecologic trends too gradual to be tracked by conventional developmental plasticity, but too rapid to be tracked by natural selection. From an applied perspective, if a trait like fetal growth is designed to minimize the effects of short-term fluctuations by integrating information across generations, public health interventions may be most effective if focused not on the individual but on the matriline. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 17:5–21, 2005. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Reaction intermediates in organometallic chemistry studied by time-resolved infrared spectral techniques

Applications of flash photolysis with time resolved infrared (TRIR) detection techniques to kinetics investigations of reactive organometallic intermediates are described. The apparatus used a XeCl excimer laser as the pump source and lead salt diode lasers as probe sources with an overall tuning range from 1550 to 2200 cm1. For illustration, flash photolysis studies of some ruthenium and iron carbonyl complexes relevant to the catalytic activation of carbon monoxide and of other small molecules will be reviewed.
A quantitative dot-blot immunoassay for integral membrane proteins: preparation of pancreatic plasma membranes containing apical and basolateral domains.

Abstract Modifications of standard dot-blot immunoassay techniques have been made for the quantitation of integral membrane protein antigens. The modification involves the signal development step, which is performed by using punched-out wells of the solid support (nitrocellulose) to yield a soluble colored reaction product. This approach avoids the inhomogeneity of an insoluble reaction product and the subsequent quantitation problems encountered when such product is scanned by densitometry. The method was validated by comparing the purification and overall recoveries of a known plasma membrane enzymatic marker with integral membrane antigens of defined localization during subcellular fractionation of mouse pancreas. The final plasma membrane fraction contained both basolateral (∼20-fold enriched) and apical membrane (∼4-fold enriched) domains.
A comparative evaluation of TV video telephony with webcam and face to face communication

This study compared user expectations and post-experience value judgments of TV based video calling with Personal Computer (PC)/webcam and face to face communications experiences. Eighteen same gender participant pairs carried out three tasks requiring visual and verbal communications within each condition. Results of the System Usability Scale (SUS) indicated significant differences between all conditions with F2F (face to face) and TV conditions both significantly better than the PC/webcam condition. The youngest age group (17-20) showed the smallest difference between TV and PC conditions. Pre and post experience ratings showed no change in the PC and F2F conditions however overall ratings for the TV condition increased. Subjective scoring indicated this to be due to better than expected performance for TV condition on almost all criteria, and the final rating was not significantly different from that of face to face condition. The study concludes that TV based video calling has the potential to approach the richness of communication afforded by face to face communication if certain design features and privacy/security functions are implemented in the system.
Hand of Paranthropus robustus from Member 1, Swartkrans: fossil evidence for tool behavior

New hand fossils from Swartkrans (dated at about 1.8 million years ago) indicate that the hand of Paranthropus robustus was adapted for precision grasping. Functional morphology suggests that Paranthropus could have used tools, possibly for plant procurement and processing. The new fossils further suggest that absence of tool behavior was not responsible for the demise of the "robust" lineage. Conversely, these new fossils indicate that the acquisition of tool behavior does not account for the emergence and success of early Homo.
A Parametric Bootstrap Approach for One-Way ANOVA Under Unequal Variances with Unbalanced Data

This research is to provide a solution of one-way ANOVA without using transformation when variances are heteroscedastic and group sizes are unequal. Parametric bootstrap test (Krishnamoorthy et al., 2007) has been shown to be competitive with many other methods when testing the equality of group means. We extend the parametric bootstrap algorithm to a multiple comparison procedure. Simulation results show that the parametric bootstrap approach works well for one-way ANOVA.
Water Distribution System Modeling and Remote Monitoring

Localized internal corrosion of water distribution piping is difficult to detect, diagnose, and mitigate. This paper describes the demonstration and validation of multi-parameter water quality sensors and corrosion rate sensors that were permanently installed at a U. S. Army installation to detect corrosion problems and fine-tune the chemical treatment program. This paper will include results of the sensor demonstration and validation. Follow-on work includes the integration of the sensors with a dynamic real-time water distribution system chemical and hydraulic simulation. This work will also be described.
Colloid cyst of the third ventricle — a neurological emergency

Colliod cyst of the third ventricle, although a benign lesion, carries with it high mortality and morbidity if not diagnosed in time. The most common presenting symptom is headache. A 31-year-old man with a history of intermittent, throbbing, unilateral headache and nausea was admitted because of exacerbation of his headache, which responded poorly to medication. A few hours after admission he became comatose. A colloid cyst of the third ventricle causing acute hydrocephaly was diagnosed by computed tomographic scan and removed in toto. Despite an uneventful postoperative course the patient was left with permanent bilateral cerebral damage. In patients with headache not responding to conventional medication, colloid cyst of the third ventricle perhaps should be ruled out, even if the symptoms are suggestive of vascular headache, such as migraine headache.
Accelerating iterative algorithms with asynchronous accumulative updates on FPGAs

Iterative algorithms represent a pervasive class of data mining, web search and scientific computing applications. In iterative algorithms, a final result is derived by performing repetitive computations on an input data set. Existing techniques to parallelize such algorithms typically use software frameworks such as MapReduce and Hadoop to distribute data for an iteration across multiple CPU-based workstations in a cluster and collect per-iteration results. These platforms are marked by the need to synchronize data computations at iteration boundaries, impeding system performance. In this paper, we demonstrate that FPGAs in distributed computing systems can serve a vital role in breaking this synchronization barrier with the help of asynchronous accumulative updates. These updates allow for the accumulation of intermediate results for numerous data points without the need for iteration-based barriers allowing individual nodes in a cluster to independently make progress towards the final outcome. Computation is dynamically prioritized to accelerate algorithm convergence. A general-class of iterative algorithms have been implemented on a cluster of four FPGAs. A speedup of 7× is achieved over an implementation of asynchronous accumulative updates on a general-purpose CPU. The system offers up to 154× speedup versus a standard Hadoop-based CPU-workstation. Improved performance is achieved by clusters of FPGAs.
A descriptive study of abuse and neglect in out-of-home-placement

Selected characteristics of 290 reports of physical abuse, sexual abuse and neglect in foster homes, group homes, residential treatment centers, and institutions are described. At each type of setting physical abuse reports were most common, and neglect reports were least common. Quantitative and qualitative methods demonstrate that a significant percentage of confirmed reports are of a serious nature. Injuries occurred most frequently because of physical abuse while sexual abuse reports were most likely to be confirmed. Prior allegations of abuse or neglect regarding the perpetrator were indicated in 27% of reports. Factors contributing to abuse and neglect and the role of a state institutional review team in developing a systematic approach to this problem are discussed.
Endothelial cell induced modulation of cardiac fibroblast collagen metabolism

Objective: The aim was to examine the influence of vascular endothelial cells on rat cardiac fibroblast collagen synthesis and collagenase activity under co-culture conditions, and to determine whether angiotensin II or aldosterone influence endothelial cell induced modulation of fibroblast collagen metabolism. Methods: Bovine aortic endothelial cells were grown to confluence on microporous membrane inserts and then co-cultured with cardiac fibroblasts obtained from adult rats, previously grown to confluence in 35 mm dishes supplemented with 0.4% fetal bovine serum. Collagen synthesis was measured by 3H-proline incorporation. Experiments were also conducted under similar conditions to quantitate collagenase activity by zymography in conditioned medium from fibroblasts co-cultured with endothelial cells. Results: After 48 h co-culture, there was a 1.9-fold increase in fibroblast collagen synthesis when compared to fibroblasts alone (p<0.001). Aldosterone (10−8 M) or angiotensin II (10−7 M) added to endothelial cells did not increase fibroblast collagen synthesis over co-cultures alone. Neither the aldosterone receptor antagonist spironolactone (10−8 M) nor type I (DuP 753, 10−8 M) or type II (PD 123319, 10−8 M) angiotensin II receptor antagonists altered fibroblast collagen synthesis in co-cultures. A significant increment in collagenase activity was observed in co-cultured fibroblasts relative to collagenase activity of fibroblasts alone. Conclusions: Endothelial cells modulate both cardiac fibroblast collagen synthesis and degradation. The nature of the responsible signal(s) remains to be defined, but does not appear to be mediated or regulated by angiotensin II or aldosterone. Cardiovascular Research 1993; 27 :1004-1008
The expression of Tousled kinases in CaP cell lines and its relation to radiation response and DSB repair.

BACKGROUND The Tousled-like kinases (TLKs) function in processes of chromatin assembly, including replication, transcription, repair, and chromosome segregation. TLK1/1B interacts specifically with the chromatin assembly factor Asf1, a histone H3-H4 chaperone, and with Rad9, a protein involved in DNA repair, and these interactions are believed to be responsible for the action of TLKs in double-strand break repair and radioprotection. METHODS Western blotting and RT-PCR were used to analyze the expression of TLK1, TLK1B, and TLK2 in a panel of prostate cancer (CaP) cell lines. The pattern of radiotolerance in the cell lines was analyzed in parallel. DU145 and PC-3 cells were also probed with assays utilizing transfected plasmids that could be cleaved in vivo with adeno-expressed HO nuclease to assess the potential contribution of TLK1/1B in DSB repair. RESULTS This is the first report of TLKs' expression in a panel of CaP cell lines and their relationship to radioresistance. Furthermore, expression of TLK1B in non-expressing PC-3 cells rendered them highly resistant to radiation, and conversely, knockdown to TLK1/1B in expressing DU145 reduced their radiotolerance. CONCLUSIONS TLKs appear to be intimately linked to the pattern of resistance to DNA damage, and specifically DSBs, a finding that was not reported before for any cell lines, and certainly not systematically for human prostate cell lines. Prostate 71:1367–1373, 2011. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Characteristics of emergent innovation

Purpose – This paper aims to examine a possible new construct of corporate innovation behavior. It proposes consideration of corporate innovation activities that occur outside of traditional innovation program constraints, and seeks to expand the historical definition of what constitutes useful innovation in an organization.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is an early exploratory study and uses primary observation of numerous cases in the automotive, electronics, and energy industries, in addition to a wide review of the body of literature on innovation.Findings – The paper provides significant evidence that unauthorized organic innovation may routinely occur within corporations, that this type of behavior may positively add to company revenues, and that similar innovation techniques may be effectively diffused on a broader scale within the organization.Research limitations/implications – Because of the chosen qualitative approach of this initial study, the research results lack generalisability. P...
Thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm associated with umbilical artery catheterization: Case report and review of the literature

Abstract Aneurysrns in infants and children are rare and are usually associated with cardiovascular malformations or connective tissue disorders. A new subgroup of patients has become recognized over the past two decades—those with aneurysms associated with umbilical artery catheterization. Critically ill newborns who have required umbilical artery catheterization and have developed sepsis, usually staphylococcal, are at risk for the development of mycotic aneurysm disease of the aorta or its major branches or both. Since first described in 1970, 34 cases have been reported in the literature, 14 involving the descending thoracic aorta, 10 the abdominal aorta, 6 the iliac arteries, and 4 either the thoracoabdominal aorta or multiple aneurysms involving both the thoracic and abdominal aorta. This report presents a case we recently treated of a 15-month-old-boy with a large thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm and aneurysrns of the infrarenal abdominal aorta and proximal right common iliac artery. It includes a review of the recent literature to analyze pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, and to formulate methods of treatment. (J Vasc Surg 1992;16:75–86.)
Organ donation: A twin-based perspective / research reviews / media coverage

Monozygotic cotwins are ideal organ donors for one another due to their genetic identity. The present report treats this topic differently, from the perspective of a monozygotic twin who donated her deceased twin sister's organs following her sister's untimely death. This discussion is followed by reviews of recent research concerning increased twinning rates in the United States, availability of informative kinship pedigrees, and twin discordance for physical activities. Noteworthy news items include ethical issues surrounding conjoined twin separation, a genomic discovery for diseased twins, China's One-Child Policy, a striking New Yorker Magazine cartoon, and twin delivery complications.
Robust global asymptotic attitude synchronization by hybrid control

We apply recent results on robust global asymptotic stabilization of the attitude of a single rigid body to the problem of synchronizing the attitude of a network of rigid bodies using graph-local information. The proposed synchronization scheme relies on a hysteretic hybrid feedback based on the unit quaternion representation of rigid body attitude to achieve a global synchronization result that is robust to measurement noise. While the hysteretic feedback manages a trade-off between robustness to measurement noise and unwinding, the scheme necessitates the communication of a single binary logic variable between neighboring rigid bodies.
AN APPROACH TO THE DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING OF JAW LESIONS, DENTAL IMPLANTS, AND THE TEMPOROMANDIBULAR JOINT

Radiologists are often called upon to perform a variety of imaging studies on the maxilla and mandible. Indications for these studies include evaluation of a known or suspected jaw lesion, evaluation of a dental arch for dental implant placement, and the assessment of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) in a patient presenting with chronic facial pain. This article provides the reader with an overview of a number of jaw lesions that a radiologist may be called upon to evaluate or may incidentally discover, examines the role of diagnostic imaging in the preoperative evaluation of the dental implant patient, and reviews the role of MR imaging in the evaluation of the patient presenting with pain related to the TMJ.
The Absorption of Microwaves by Uncondensed Water Vapor

The absorption due to uncondensed water vapor in the short microwave region is computed by means of quantum mechanics. The attenuation is attributed to two causes: (a) a single line $\ensuremath{\lambda}=1.35$ cm, and (b) the combined residual effect of all the other lines, whose wave-lengths are too short for resonance. There is a sharp peak in the absorption due to (a) at 1.35 cm, amounting to about 0.2 db/km per gram of ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$O per cubic meter. The absorption caused by (b) is inversely proportional to the square of the wave-length. The theory is compared with existing microwave data on damp air, on pure water vapor at low pressures, and on steam. From these data one can determine the precise value of the resonance frequency in (a) and the line-breadth. Until recently these constants could only be roughly estimated from infra-red measurements. On the whole the theory and experiment agree satisfactorily, except that the attenuation due to the residual effect (b) is apparently about four times as large as predicted. Possible causes of this discrepancy are speculated upon---perhaps the Lorentz model of infinitely sharp collisions which we use is too simple. Finally a curve is \"{\i}ncluded of the predicted absorption in the millimeter region, where water vapor is much more opaque than at centimeter wave-lengths, and new resonances come into play.
Testing the PCAC prediction for the π0 lifetime

Abstract We compare the PCAC prediction based on the chiral anomaly for the π 0 lifetime with a recent experiment. We find that the QED corrections are as large as 3%. After these corrections the experiment and the PCAC prediction disagree by 8.5 ± 2%. We estimate the corrections to the PCAC prediction. We find that reliably calculable corrections are not large enough to account for the discrepancy. However, contributions from the excited π 0 's may be able to explain the difference.
Mutants of bacteriophage S13 blocked in infectious DNA synthesis.

In cells that are multiply infected with wild-type S13, infectious replicative form DNA is found at the earliest time measured (two minutes) and increases in amount until about eight minutes, when it reaches a plateau. Synthesis of infectious single-stranded DNA and of infectious phage particles begins at about eight minutes. The addition of 30 μg/ml. chloramphenicol before infection prevents the normal shut-off of replicative form synthesis. Suppressible (su) mutants of complementation group IV of phage S13 are blocked in synthesis of infectious replicative form about three minutes after infection of the restrictive host. Su mutants of the other four complementation groups synthesize as much replicative form as wild type but fail to form infectious single-stranded DNA. Mixed infection together with wild-type phage has little or no effect on the ability of group IV mutants to synthesize infectious replicative form. Synthesis of early and late replicative form in a wild-type infected culture is differentially affected by 100 μg/ml. of chloramphenicol. Early replicative form synthesis is only mildly affected by 100 μg/ml. chloramphenicol; late replicative form synthesis is severely inhibited but eventually shows some recovery. It is concluded that early replicative form synthesis is under host control, whereas late replicative form synthesis is under phage control.
Action selection and action value in frontal-striatal circuits.

Summary The role that frontal-striatal circuits play in normal behavior remains unclear. Two of the leading hypotheses suggest that these circuits are important for action selection or reinforcement learning. To examine these hypotheses, we carried out an experiment in which monkeys had to select actions in two different task conditions. In the first (random) condition, actions were selected on the basis of perceptual inference. In the second (fixed) condition, the animals used reinforcement from previous trials to select actions. Examination of neural activity showed that the representation of the selected action was stronger in lateral prefrontal cortex (lPFC), and occurred earlier in the lPFC than it did in the dorsal striatum (dSTR). In contrast to this, the representation of action values, in both the random and fixed conditions, was stronger in the dSTR. Thus, the dSTR contains an enriched representation of action value, but it followed frontal cortex in action selection.
Supporting electrolyte and solvent effects on single-electron double layer capacitance charging of hexanethiolate-coated Au140 nanoparticles.

Sequential injections of single electrons (or holes) into the cores of Au140 hexanethiolate monolayer-protected clusters (MPCs) occur at measurably different electrochemical potentials owing to the extremely small (subattofarad) values of the single MPC capacitance (CMPC) of the nanoparticle. The potential increment for each sequential injection is ΔV = e/CMPC. The dependence of ΔV on the concentration of supporting electrolyte (from 1 to 100 mM), measured using square wave voltammetry, is shown to be caused, primarily, by changes in the diffuse double layer component (CDIFFUSE) of CMPC. The dependence of CDIFFUSE on rcore, the radius of the nanoparticle, is considered. Additionally, significant changes in the magnitude of the compact double layer component (CCOMPACT, equivalent to the Stern layer) of CMPC were induced by adding hydrophobic solvent components such as hexane or dodecane or by introducing hydrophobic electrolyte ions (tetrabutyl-, tetrahexyl-, and tetraoctylammonium, perchlorate, and tetrap...
Excretion of antibiotic resistance genes by dairy calves fed milk replacers with varying doses of antibiotics.

Elevated levels of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in soil and water have been linked to livestock farms and in some cases feed antibiotics may select for antibiotic resistant gut microbiota. The purpose of this study was to examine the establishment of ARGs in the feces of calves receiving milk replacer containing no antibiotics versus subtherapeutic or therapeutic doses of tetracycline and neomycin. The effect of antibiotics on calf health was also of interest. Twenty-eight male and female dairy calves were assigned to one of the three antibiotic treatment groups at birth and fecal samples were collected at weeks 6, 7 (prior to weaning), and 12 (5 weeks after weaning). ARGs corresponding to the tetracycline (tetC, tetG, tetO, tetW, and tetX), macrolide (ermB, ermF), and sulfonamide (sul1, sul2) classes of antibiotics along with the class I integron gene, intI1, were monitored by quantitative polymerase chain reaction as potential indicators of direct selection, co-selection, or horizontal gene transfer of ARGs. Surprisingly, there was no significant effect of antibiotic treatment on the absolute abundance (gene copies/ g wet manure) of any of the ARGs except ermF, which was lower in the antibiotic-treated calf manure, presumably because a significant portion of host bacterial cells carrying ermF were not resistant to tetracycline or neomycin. However, relative abundance (gene copies normalized to 16S rRNA genes) of tetO was higher in calves fed the highest dose of antibiotic than in the other treatments. All genes, except tetC and intI1, were detectable in feces from 6 weeks onwards, and tetW and tetG significantly increased (P<0.10), even in control calves. Overall, the results provide new insight into the colonization of calf gut flora with ARGs in the early weeks. Although feed antibiotics exerted little effect on the ARGs monitored in this study, the fact that they also provided no health benefit suggests that the greater than conventional nutritional in
SNPS in the Promoter Regions of the Canine RMRP and SHOX Genes are not Associated with Canine Chondrodysplasia

Canine chondrodysplasia is a heritable defect of endochondral ossification characterized by disproportionately short limbs. It is directly linked to significant health concerns, such as intervertebral disc disease. Some human skeletal dysplasias exhibit similar disproportionate dwarfisms and are associated with mutations in the RMRP and SHOX genes. These phenotypic similarities indicated RMRP and SHOX as candidate genes in dogs. They were sequenced in three chondrodysplastic and three normal-legged breeds. Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the promoter regions of both genes and in exon 2 of SHOX were found in affected and unaffected breeds, indicating that they are not associated with canine chondrodysplasia.
Computational aspects of the bilinear transformation based algorithm for S-plane to Z-plane mapping

The author analyzes the computational complexity of an algorithm by F.D. Groutage et al. (ibid., vol.AC-32, no.7, p.635-7, July 1987) for performing the transformation of a continuous transfer function to a discrete equivalent by a bilinear transformation. Groutage et al. defend their method by noting that their technique is not limited to the bilinear transformation. Rather, it can be extended to any higher-order integration rule (Simpson, Runge-Kutta, etc.), or to any higher-order expansion of the ln function. In general, using the method, s can be any appropriate mapping function s=f (z). >
Maxillary sinus cancer: a study of 33 cases.

A retrospective analysis of 33 eases of maxillary sinus cancer seen at R.P.M.I. between 1970 and 1979 was performed. The age of the patients ranged from 18–88 years, with a median age of 60.3. The male to female ratio was 2:1.3. Twenty-seven (81.8%) of the cases were squamous cell carcinomas. Of the 33 cases, there were no cases in Stage 1, 2 cases in Stage 2, 8 and 23 in Stages 3 and 4, respectively. The 5-year survival among the patients who were available for a long-term follow-up was 36.47, (8 of 22). The 5-year survival was best for Stage 3 disease (75%) and Stage 4, without local and/or distant metastasis (57.14%). No patient with metastasis lived for more than 3 years. While poorer diagnosis could he related to the degree of local involvement and presence of metastasis, it could not be related to site of involvement, previous treatment, histological findings or delay in diagnosis. Correlation of treatment with prognosis is difficult because selection of treatment is based on a variety of factors, including stage of disease and patient acceptance of treatment. Of the 4 patients treated with surgery alone, all 4 survived for 5 years. Of the 8 patients treated with combined surgery and radiation, 4 survived for 5 years and 2 died without evidence of tumor before 2 years. Other treatments were far less successful.
Shallow flow past a cavity: globally coupled oscillations as a function of depth

The structure of shallow flow past a cavity is characterized as a function of elevation above the bed (bottom surface) and the onset of coupling between the separated shear layer along the opening of the cavity and a gravity wave mode within the cavity. A technique of particle image velocimetry is employed to characterize the flow structure. Coherent patterns of vorticity along the cavity opening and at the trailing (impingement) wall of the cavity are related to the streamline topology and associated critical points as a function of elevation above the bed. Associated patterns of normal and shear Reynolds stresses are defined, and related to the exchange velocity and mass exchange coefficient along the cavity opening. Substantial increase in mass exchange between the cavity, and the main flow occurs in presence of shear layer-gravity wave coupling for all elevations above the bed.
Effects of vessel curvature on dose distributions in catheter-based intravascular brachytherapy for various radionuclides.

Abstract Purpose When radioactive sources are used to treat restenosis, the blood vessels are usually curved. In catheter-based intravascular brachytherapy systems, this curvature introduces dose deviations from the idealized situation used for treatment planning, in which both blood vessels and sources are assumed to be straight. Because of the different depth characteristics of different radionuclides, it is foreseeable that the curvature effects on dosimetry might vary with the different types of radionuclides. In this study, curvature effects on dose distributions along and around a blood vessel were investigated for different gamma and beta emitters. Materials/Methods A blood vessel was modeled as a cylinder that could be curved as a circular arc of different degrees. Dose calculations were performed on the cylindrical surfaces of the model vessel for the radioactive sources of 192 Ir, 125 I, 103 Pd, 188 Re, 32 P, and 90 Y/Sr. The radius of the vessel was assumed to be 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5 mm, respectively. A catheter-based radiation delivery system was simulated to consist of a line source with a length of 2 cm. The dose rate at a point in space produced by the radioactive source was computed by integrating the point dose rate kernel of the corresponding radionuclide over the entire radioactive line, which was assumed to curve with the blood vessel along its central axis. Dosimetric calculations were performed for different curvature angles. The curvature effects on the dosimetry were characterized with two quantities, LDU and ADU, where LDU described the longitudinal dose uniformity (LDU) along blood vessels and ADU described the azimuthal dose uniformity (ADU) from the expected delivery dose around blood vessels. Results Vessel and source curvatures barely changed the LDU for the gamma emitters (within 2%). The curvature effects on the LDU were relatively larger for the beta emitters (less than 5%). The dose deviations caused by curvature around a blood vessel were more significant. Depending on the radius of the vessel and degree of curvature, the deviation could be as much as 25% for the gamma emitters and 30% for the beta emitters. The curvature effects became larger with the increase of vessel radius and, obviously, with the increase of curvature. There seemed to be no significant differences in the curvature effects among different types of gamma emitters and among different types of beta emitters. Conclusions Curvature-induced effects on dose distribution are similar for both the gamma and the beta emitters. The LDU along the vessels does not change significantly with curvature. The dose changes around the vessels are more pronounced and can be as high as 30%.
Equilibrium bicontinuous structure

For certain ranges of phase-volume ratio, there are two-phase structures in which both phases are continuous and interfacial area is less than in dispersions of globular units having the same volume ratio and average repeat distance. Included are bicontinuous structures defined by multiply connected minimal surfaces of very high genus and everywhere saddleshaped.
Cost-effectiveness of dual influenza and pneumococcal vaccination in 50-year-olds

Influenza vaccination is now recommended for all ages; CDC pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccination (PPV) recommendations are comorbidity-based in nonelderly patients. We constructed a Markov model to estimate the cost-effectiveness of dual influenza and pneumococcal vaccination in 50-year-olds. Patients were followed for 10 years, with differing time horizons examined in sensitivity analyses. With 100% vaccine uptake, dual vaccination cost $37,700/QALY gained compared to a CDC recommendation strategy; with observed vaccine uptake, dual vaccination cost $5,300/QALY. Results were sensitive to shorter time horizons, favoring CDC recommendations. We found dual vaccination of all 50-year-olds economically reasonable. Shorter duration models may not fully account for PPV effectiveness.
Analysis of data from bergy bit impacts using a novel hull-mounted external Impact Panel

Abstract A new Impact Panel has been used to measure forces and pressures during collisions of a ship (CCGS Terry Fox) with bergy bits and a small iceberg. Data were acquired from impacts on bergy bits of various sizes (100–22,000 tonnes) and over a range of ship speeds (5–12 kt). The data indicate that a typical zone of ice contact during a collision is comprised of a small irregular shaped area of relatively intact ice, where the pressure is high (8–20 MPa) and roughly uniform, that is usually surrounded by a larger area of pulverized ice, where the pressure is low (∼ 2.5 MPa). The maximum estimated force measured was around 2.4 MN. The relatively low force values were attributed to the slanted shape of the impacted hull resulting in a glancing/sliding type of impact with limited ice penetration. Duration of impacts was in the 0.2–0.6 s range. Pressure on the hard zones was observed to increase as the hard zone area increased.
Fundamentals of Adhesion Failure for a Model Adhesive (PMMA/Glass) Joint in Humid Environments

The origins for the abrupt adhesion loss at a critical relative humidity (RH) for polymeric adhesives bonded to inorganic surfaces were explored using a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) film on silicon oxide as a model system. The interfacial and bulk water concentrations within the polymer film were quantified as a function of D2O partial pressure using neutron reflectivity. The adhesive fracture energies of these PMMA/SiO2 interfaces at the same conditions were determined using a shaft-loaded blister test. Discontinuities in the adhesive fracture energy, bulk moisture solubility, and the width of the interfacial moisture excess near the interface were observed at the critical RH. A mechanism based on the coupling of bulk swelling-induced stresses with the decreased cohesive strength due to moisture accumulation at the interface is proposed and is consistent with all experimental observations.
Exercise-mediated wall shear stress increases mitochondrial biogenesis in vascular endothelium.

Objective Enhancing structural and functional integrity of mitochondria is an emerging therapeutic option against endothelial dysfunction. In this study, we sought to investigate the effect of fluid shear stress on mitochondrial biogenesis and mitochondrial respiratory function in endothelial cells (ECs) using in vitro and in vivo complementary studies. Methods and Results Human aortic- or umbilical vein-derived ECs were exposed to laminar shear stress (20 dyne/cm2) for various durations using a cone-and-plate shear apparatus. We observed significant increases in the expression of key genes related to mitochondrial biogenesis and mitochondrial quality control as well as mtDNA content and mitochondrial mass under the shear stress conditions. Mitochondrial respiratory function was enhanced when cells were intermittently exposed to laminar shear stress for 72 hrs. Also, shear-exposed cells showed diminished glycolysis and decreased mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm). Likewise, in in vivo experiments, mice that were subjected to a voluntary wheel running exercise for 5 weeks showed significantly higher mitochondrial content determined by en face staining in the conduit (greater and lesser curvature of the aortic arch and thoracic aorta) and muscle feed (femoral artery) arteries compared to the sedentary control mice. Interestingly, however, the mitochondrial biogenesis was not observed in the mesenteric artery. This region-specific adaptation is likely due to the differential blood flow redistribution during exercise in the different vessel beds. Conclusion Taken together, our findings suggest that exercise enhances mitochondrial biogenesis in vascular endothelium through a shear stress-dependent mechanism. Our findings may suggest a novel mitochondrial pathway by which a chronic exercise may be beneficial for vascular function.
A new finite element formulation for computational fluid dynamics: IX. Fourier analysis of space-time Galerkin/least-squares algorithms

A Fourier stability and accuracy analysis of the space-time Galerkin/least-squares method as applied to a time-dependent advective-diffusive model problem is presented. Two time discretizations are studied: a constant-in-time approximation and a linear-in-time approximation. Corresponding space-time predictor multi-corrector algorithms are also derived and studied. The behavior of the space-time algorithms is compared to algorithms based on semidiscrete formulations.
Lipoprotein(a) and inflammation in human coronary atheroma: association with the severity of clinical presentation

Abstract Objectives. The purpose of this study was the investigation of the in vivo role of lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] and inflammatory infiltrates in the human coronary atherosclerotic plaque and their correlation with the clinical syndrome of presentation. Background. Lipoprotein(a) is an atherogenic and thrombogenic lipoprotein, and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of acute coronary syndromes. Lipoprotein(a) induces monocyte chemoattraction and smooth muscle cell activation in vitro. Macrophage infiltration is considered one of the mechanisms of plaque rupture. Methods. This study of atherectomy specimens investigated the in vivo role of Lp(a) at different stages of the atherogenic process, and its relationship with macrophage infiltration. We examined coronary atheroma removed from 72 patients with stable or unstable angina. Specimens were stained with antibodies specific for Lp(a), macrophages (KP-1), and smooth muscle cells (alpha-actin). Morphometric analysis was used to quantify the plaque areas occupied by each of the three antigens, and their colocalization. Results. All specimens had localized Lp(a) staining; the mean fractional area was 58.2%. Ninety percent of the macrophage areas colocalized with Lp(a) positive areas, whereas 31.3% of the smooth muscle cell areas colocalized with Lp(a) positive areas. Patients with unstable angina (n = 46) had specimens with larger mean plaque Lp(a) areas than specimens from stable angina patients (n = 26): 64.4% versus 47.7% (p = 0.004). Unstable angina patients with rest pain (n = 28) had greater mean plaque Lp(a) area than unstable angina patients with crescendo exertional pain (n = 18): 71.1% versus 52.4% (p Conclusions. Lipoprotein(a) is ubiquitous in human coronary atheroma. It is detected in larger amounts in tissue from culprit lesions in patients with unstable compared to stable syndromes, and has significant colocalization with plaque macrophages. A correlation of plaque alpha-actin and Lp(a) area suggests a role of Lp(a) in plaque growth.
Solid-State Proportional Temperature Controller

A new proportional temperature control circuit that uses a unique thermistor oscillator as the temperature sensing element is discussed. A series connected positive temperature coefficient (PTC) thermistor and negative temperature coefficient (NTC) thermistor form an electrothermal relaxation oscillator. The environmental temperatures which the thermistors experience determine the amplitude and frequency of the oscillator. Coupling the oscillator with a thyristor and using the temperature dependence of the oscillator, proportional temperature control can be achieved.
Inhibition-based metabolic drug–drug interactions: Predictions from in vitro data

Abstract There has been a growing interest in predicting in vivo metabolic drug–drug interactions from in vitro systems. High‐throughput screening methods aimed at assessing the potential of drug candidates for drug interactions are widely used in industry. However, at present, there is no consensus on methodologies that would yield reliable quantitative predictions, because a number of issues remain unsolved, such as estimations of inhibition constants in vitro and inhibitor concentration around the enzyme site in vivo . In the present review, different approaches to estimation of inhibitor concentration around the enzyme site are summarized; also, the problems associated with estimation of in vitro K i values due to incubation conditions and environment differences between in vitro and in vivo are presented. A new approach based on comparisons of in vitro and in vivo inhibition potencies by calculation of in vivo inhibition constants is discussed. Examples of predictions of in vivo drug interactions based on mechanism‐based inactivation are described. Unresolved issues that would allow further refinement of existing prediction models are also evaluated. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss Inc. and the American Pharmaceutical Association J Pharm Sci 91:1923–1935, 2002
Plants as producers: A case study of elementary science teaching

This case study is part of a larger study of teachers' use of curriculum materials in planning and teaching fifth-grade science. This case study focuses on one of the nine teachers observed teaching an activity-based unit on plant growth and photosynthesis. Although the teacher became aware that her students held certain misconceptions about plant growth, she was unsuccessful in helping them replace their misconceptions with the scientific conceptions she wanted them to learn. The analysis revealed several factors that contributed to this disappointing result. The teacher and the curriculum developers held different views about learning and the nature of science, and several problems surfaced about the content and organization of the teacher's guide.
Testing Envelope Models of Young Stellar Objects with Submillimeter Continuum and Molecular-Line Observations

Theoretical models of star formation make predictions about the density and velocity structure of the envelopes surrounding isolated, low-mass young stars. This paper tests such models through high-quality submillimeter continuum imaging of four embedded young stellar objects in Taurus and previously obtained molecular-line data. Observations carried out with the Submillimeter Continuum Bolometer Array on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope at 850 and 450 μm of L1489 IRS, L1535 IRS, L1527 IRS, and TMC 1 reveal ~2000 AU elongated structures embedded in extended envelopes. The density distribution in these envelopes is equally well fitted by a radial power-law of index p = 1.0-2.0 or with a collapse model such as that of Shu. This inside-out collapse model predicts 13CO, C18O, HCO+, and H13CO+ line profiles that closely match observed spectra toward three of our four sources. This shows that the inside-out collapse model offers a good description of YSO envelopes, but also that reliable constraints on its parameters require independent measurements of the density and the velocity structure, e.g., through continuum and line observations. For the remaining source, L1489 IRS, we find that a model consisting of a 2000 AU radius, rotating, disklike structure better describes the data. Possibly, this source is in transition between the embedded class I and the optically revealed T Tauri phases. The spectral index of the dust emissivity decreases from β = 1.5-2.0 in the extended envelope to 1.0 ± 0.2 in the central peaks, indicating grain growth or high optical depth on small scales. The observations of L1527 IRS reveal warm (30 K) material outlining, and presumably heated by, its bipolar outflow. This material comprises 0.2 M☉, comparable to the amount of swept-up CO but only 10% of the total envelope mass. Two apparently starless cores are found at ~10,000 AU from L1489 IRS and L1535 IRS. They are cold, 10-15 K, contain 0.5-3.0 M☉, and have flat density distributions characterized by a Gaussian of ~10,000 AU FWHM. The proximity of these cores shows that star formation in truly isolated cores is rare even in Taurus.
Social change in a school: A computer content analysis of administrative notices

Abstract The content of administrative notices, a non-reactive measure, was used to examine the impact of organizational changes in schools. Stone's General Inquirer content analysis program was used in the content analysis of all administrative notices in one experimental and in two control schools over a two year period. No initial differences in content were found between experimental and control schools. Over time, however, differences were found. The experimental school showed an increase and then a decline in the “conflict” category. Compared with control schools, the experimental school showed increases in categories of “cooperation,” “participation,” and “skills.” The control school notices had greater emphasis on “good-bad” evaluations.