cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Do carotenoids serve as transmembrane radical channels

Carotenoids are a diverse group of terpenoid pigments that originated in prokaryotes over 3 billion years ago. Their primary function in plants is to serve as photomodulators of the oxidizing side of Photosystem II. In animals, which must acquire carotenoids from their diets, carotenoids serve a host of functions and are viewed primarily as efficient scavengers of singlet oxygen and radicals within the domain of membranes where they reside. Recently it has been demonstrated that carotenoids react cooperatively and synergistically with vitamin C and E, serving to regenerate a pro-oxidant radical carotenoid after the antioxidant reduction of a radical species. The exact location and behavior of carotenoids within biological membrane systems remain largely unknown. A hypothesis is proposed suggesting that carotenoids may serve as transmembrane radical channels. In this capacity carotenoids may reduce radicals in one biological compartment, while simultaneously being reduced in another. The benefit of rapid radical quenching across membrane compartments by transmembrane-spanning carotenoids such as zeaxanthin and lutein may be especially advantageous to intra- and extracellular redox control.
The N2–benzene tethered top

Abstract Ab initio calculations have been carried out for the weakly bound cluster of nitrogen and benzene and for the isoelectronic cluster of acetylene and benzene. With nitrogen and acetylene having quadrupole moments of opposite sign, their energetically preferred orientation with respect to benzene differs, with N2 parallel and acetylene perpendicular to the benzene plane. The interaction surface for the N2–benzene dimer reveals that there is little potential energy change for rotation of N2 about an axis perpendicular to the benzene plane and little change for considerable displacement away from its equilibrium position above the center of the benzene ring. Hence, this unique potential surface is suggestive of free rotation by N2 (a spinning top) along with significant ground vibrational state displacement across the surface of benzene leading to a symmetrically tethered N2.
Amino acids stimulate leg muscle protein synthesis in peripheral arterial disease

Objective Older patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and intermittent claudication have impaired walking ability resulting from reduced lower extremity blood flow. Evidence suggests that leg muscle abnormalities may also contribute to walking intolerance in claudicants. In healthy elderly people, leg muscle protein synthesis can be augmented by nutritional supplementation with amino acids; preliminary data suggest that this increases muscle mass, walking ability, and functional status. In this study, we investigated whether amino acid supplementation would improve leg muscle protein synthesis in elderly PAD subjects, given that reduced leg blood flow might restrict the availability of amino acids to muscle. Methods Two groups participated in the study: a group of 11 claudicants (mean age, 62 years; mean ankle-brachial index, 0.62; 46% male) and a group of 9 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (mean ankle-brachial index, 1.1). Both groups underwent measurement of leg blood flow by using strain gauge plethysmography, as well as measurement of baseline and amino acid–stimulated protein synthesis in leg muscle. Protein synthesis was quantified from calf muscle biopsy samples by measurement of the fractional synthetic rate (FSR) of protein, by using the incorporation of the stable isotope l-[ring- 2 H 5 ]-phenylalanine into muscle protein. Total protein was extracted from muscle samples, and gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy methodology was used to measure incorporation rates. After measurement of basal FSR, all subjects were given an oral drink of 15 g of essential amino acids, and the measurements of FSR were repeated. Data are expressed as mean ± SD; statistical analysis of differences between the two groups (with and without amino acid supplementation) was performed by using analysis of variance with repeated measures. Results Calf blood flow was reduced in the PAD subjects compared with controls (1.44 ± 0.53 mL/min per 100 mg of tissue vs 2.40 ± 0.57 mL/min per 100 mg of tissue; P = .005; t test). FSR in the basal state was equivalent between the two groups (healthy, 0.060% ± 0.025% per hour; PAD, 0.061% ± 0.029% per hour; P = .97). Equivalent increases ( P P > .05; analysis of variance). Conclusions Despite reduced leg blood flow, elderly PAD patients synthesize calf muscle protein in the basal state in a fashion similar to that in healthy elderly people. More importantly, administration of exogenous amino acids produces a significant increase in protein synthesis in these patients that is also equivalent to that in healthy elderly people. Our goal is to use these results as the basis for an intervention study to determine whether long-term oral amino acids, by augmenting calf muscle protein synthesis, increase calf muscle mass, walking ability, and functional status in elderly claudicants.
Two-Step Method for Producing Replica Mirrors with Epoxy Resins

The paper describes a method for preparing plastic replicas of any existing mirror without using a negative glass master. In this two-step process a SiO-coated epoxy negative master is first prepared from the original mirror. This negative master is then used to produce plastic replicas which duplicate the original mirror. Epon 828 resin and Curing Agent Cl(meta phenylene diamine) were used to prepare the backing of the negative master and the final mirrors. A great number of f/1to f/2 paraboloidal replicas was prepared by this method and compared optically with the original mirrors. The accuracy of the mirrors was tested by focusing incident collimated light on small pinhole apertures of various sizes and measuring the ratio of the light transmitted through the apertures to the total amount of light in the focal plane. With the mirrors used for reproduction, it was found that the replicas were, within the range tested (down to 0.18-mm aperture size), as accurate as the original glass mirrors. Plastic replica mirrors can be cleaned repeatedly without damage and have been transferred directly from dry ice to boiling water without breaking or changing their appearance.
Long-term management of severe ocular surface injury due to methamphetamine production accidents

This is a non-final version of an article published in final form in Cornea. 2015 Apr;34(4):433-7. doi: 10.1097/ICO.0000000000000364.
Inboard shield optimization and divertor shield design for tiber-II

Abstract TIBER-II is the United States contribution to the design of an international thermonuclear experimental reactor (ITER). The compactness of the reactor has placed a premium on the design of a high performance shield to protect the toroidal field (TF) magnets, particularly in the inboard (i/b) side where the shielding space is constrained to 48 cm. The use of tungsten in the i/b shield is mandatory to protect the inner legs of the TF coils against the 1.5 MW/m2 neutron wall loading impinging on the midplane of i/b side. A shield optimization study is performed to minimize the fast neutron fluence, which is the most crucial radiation effect in the magnet. In the optimization study, the performances of various candidate materials were examined. Beside W, the evaluated materials are TiH2, B4C, Pb, water, borated water, and LiNO3 salt in water. The optimal shield is composed of two layers: a thick W layer followed by an 8 cm thick H2O/LiNO3 layer. The peak fast neutron fluence amounts to 7.7 × 1018 n/cm2 and the radiation limits are all met with several magnet anneals needed during reactor life. The other critical area in the TIBER-II design occurs behind the divertor plates where the shield is thinned at some places to 48 cm. W in pebble form was proposed to shield the divertor zone and the less expensive PCA pebble bed is used in regions where the shielding space is less constrained. The proposed shield arrangement provides adequate protection for the TF coils and this is verified with a two-dimensional calculation where the poloidal variation of the radiation effects in the TF coils was generated.
Morphologic defects in aneuploid eggs from matings of translocation heterozygotes of the German cockroach (Dictyoptera: Blattellidae).

Aneuploid eggs from reciprocal crosses of wild type to translocation heterozygotes involving 6 of the 11 autosomes of the German cockroach, Blattella germanica (L.), are described. Eggs were arrested early in development, either before or during formation of a segmented germ band. They were categorized roughly according to embryonic development. Several types of gross morphological defect in eggs from individual oothecae recurred in other matings of the same translocation heterozygote. The greatest similarities were between eggs from crosses of translocations involving the same two chromosomes. In three translocations, the frequency of advanced egg types differed in reciprocal crosses but, in three others, no difference was apparent. It is suggested that the zygotic genome acts earlier in the control of early embryogenesis in B. germanica , and possibly in other primitive hemimetabolans, than in holometabolous insects.
Fuzzy-Logic Based Selection of Surface Feature Observations for Small Body Proximity Operations

In this paper, we discuss the development of an autonomous system capable of maintaining surface feature references within sensor view by recommending spacecraft trajectory adjustments based on predefined criteria. The ability to localize with respect to terrain features is a necessary component for increasing the reliability of spacecraft position estimation during small body operations. The proposed algorithm uses the concept of fuzzy logic to maintain satisfaction of a number of feature selection criteria, which, when satisfied, allow consistent updating of feature observations. We provide details of the algorithm in this paper, and present results from integrating the algorithm into a small body descent simulator.
Automatic movie index generation based on multimodal information

A fundamental task in video analysis is to organize and index multimedia data in a meaningful manner so as to facilitate user access for tasks such as browsing and retrieval. This paper addresses the problem of automatic index generation of movie databases based on audiovisual information. In particular, given a movie we first extract key movie events including two-speaker dialog scenes, multiple-speaker dialog scenes and hybrid scenes by using the proposed window-based sweep algorithm and the K-means clustering algorithms. Following event detection, the identity of each individual speaker in a dialog scene is recognized based on a statistical maximum likelihood approach. The identification relies on the likelihood ratio calculation between the incoming speech data and Gaussian mixture models of the speakers and the background. It is evident that the event and the speaker identity information will serve as a crucial part of the movie index table. Preliminary experimental results show that, by integrating multiple media information, we can obtain robust and meaningful event detection and speaker identification results.© (2001) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Apparent distortion of relativistically moving objects

Objects moving at velocities near the speed of light may appear to have undergone marked distortions of form and aspect when viewed by a stationary observer. A procedure for finding these distortions based on the relativistic transformation law for light rays is outlined, and applied to specific examples. It is also found that lines appearing straight at rest may appear curved when in motion at high speed. The role of the finite velocity of light is illustrated by means of a nonrelativistic model.
Sulphur-containing metal carbonyls VI. A mixed cobalt-iron carbonyl sulphide

Abstract Dicobalt iron nonacarbonyl sulphide Co 2 Fe(CO) 9 S (I) is formed when either thiophene, elementary sulphur or ethanethiol are allowed to react with a mixture of dicobalt octacarbonyl and iron pentacarbonyl under hydroformylation conditions. This new sulphide (I) was also prepared under atmospheric pressure from diiron hexacarbonyl disulphide and dicobalt octacarbonyl.
Inhibition of early postimplantation development of cultured mouse embryos by bromodeoxyuridine

Mouse embryos were treated with 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdUrd) for 24 hours at various preimplantation stages to determine its effect on early postimplantation development. The inhibitory effect of BrdUrd (10−7 to 10−6M) on trophoblast outgrowth and inner cell mass (ICM) development was least severe when embryos were treated at the 2-cell stage and was most severe when they were treated at the morula stage. When embryos were treated at the blastocyst stage, the inhibitory effect on trophoblast outgrowth decreased, but that on ICM development remained severe. The severity of inhibition, particularly that on ICM development, appeared to be related to decreased cell numbers in BrdUrd-treated embryos. However, increasing the cell number by aggregating two ICM's isolated from BrdUrd-treated blastocysts did not increase their chance of survival or of forming two primary germ layers. This indicates that the decrease in cell numbers alone is not the cause of the failure of BrdUrd-treated embryos to develop. The mechanism of BrdUrd inhibition was studied by adding thymidine or deoxycytidine during BrdUrd treatments. A 10-fold excess of thymidine completely protected embryos from the inhibitory effect of BrdUrd. A 10-fold excess of deoxycytidine was less effective. Autoradiography indicated that both thymidine and deoxycytidine protected embryos by interfering with the incorporation of BrdUrd into the DNA.
Three-dimensional flow structure and channel change in an asymmetrical compound meander loop, Embarras River, Illinois

The planform dynamics of meandering rivers produce a complex array of meander forms, including elongated meander loops. Thus far, few studies have examined in detail the flow structure within meander loops and the relation of flow structure to patterns of planform change. This field-based investigation examines relations between three-dimensional fluid motion and channel change within an elongated, asymmetrical meander loop containing multiple pool–riffle structures. The downstream velocity field is characterized by a high-velocity core that shifts slightly outward as flow moves through individual lobes of the loop. For some of the measured flows this core becomes submerged below the water surface downstream of the lobe apexes. Vectors of cross-stream/vertical velocities indicate that skew-induced helical motion develops within the pools near lobe apexes and decays over riffles where channel curvature is less pronounced. Maximum rates of bank retreat generally occur near lobe apexes where impingement of the flow on the outer channel bank is greatest. However, maximum rates and loci of bank retreat differ for upstream and downstream lobes of the loop, leading to increasing asymmetry of loop geometry over time—a finding consistent with experimental investigations of loop evolution. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Verapamil and Valproic Acid Treatment of Prolonged Mania

Abstract The case of an adolescent with severe mental retardation, blindness, and a complex of behavioral symptoms consistent with mania is reported. Symptoms include an increased activity level, mood lability, irritability, hyposomia, and severe self-injurious behavior. The successful use of verapamil and valproic acid in the treatment of prolonged mania in this child is described.
A new method for the conversion of CIE colorimetric data to munsell notations

An algorithm for the determination of Munsell Hue Value/Chroma notation from CIE x, y, Y data has been developed. A search-and-interpolation routine is utilized that allows for the calculation of accurate Munsell notations. This method achieves the speed of less accurate transforms without sacrificing precision or accuracy. Thus the virtues that have made the Munsell system invaluable in color-communication applications are made available through conversion of colorimetric data. This algorithm should prove to be quite useful when good accuracy is necessary for the description of colored materials.
Anomalous effects of length on the field trapping properties of type I superconducting hollow cylinders

Abstract Thin walled hollow cylinders of type I superconductors in which the walls are annealed and etched exhibit a maximum in the trapped field with length of the cylinder. The effect does not occur in the same samples when the surfaces are strained.
An ecosystem approach to population management of ungulates

Harvest objectives for wild ungulates have traditionally been based on population models that do not consider ecosystem effects of ungulate herbivory, nor interactions between native and domestic ungulate species. There is a need for ecosystem models to allow wildlife managers to evaluate potential ecosystem effects of management scenarios. The utility of the SAVANNA simulation model for estimating elk population objectives within an ecosystem context was demonstrated for North Park, Colorado, USA. Effects of different elk population levels were evaluated for range condition, elk and cattle forage, elk and cattle condition, forage and condition of mule deer and moose, plant production, and plant community composition. Analyses were based on 30-year simulation runs using variable, historical weather. Another set of analyses utilized stochastic weather patterns. For management scenarios using the historical climate pattern, increasing elk populations caused biomass reductions of palatable plant species, particularly on areas of high winter density, where mean leaf biomass of palatable shrubs declined from 2697 g/m 2 at 0 elk to 2082 g/m 2 at 4000 elk (373 elk/km 2 ), a 23% decline. At population levels of 5000 elk (468 elk/km 2 ) or greater, elk body condition declined sharply following a severe winter. The availability of palatable browse on critical winter range was likely the limiting factor. However, when random climate patterns were simulated for the same scenarios, the threshold level for density-dependent effects varied with climate, ranging from 2000 to 10 000 elk. We suggest that elk population levels from 4000 to 5000 animals represent a conservative population objective for the North Park elk herd. Also, increasing elk population levels appears to intensify intraspecific competition among elk, far more than interspecific competition with cattle. Resolution of elk-cattle conflicts is likely to be facilitated by managing elk distribution, rather than overall elk population levels. # 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Universal speech models for speaker independent single channel source separation

Supervised and semi-supervised source separation algorithms based on non-negative matrix factorization have been shown to be quite effective. However, they require isolated training examples of one or more sources, which is often difficult to obtain. This limits the practical applicability of these algorithms. We examine the problem of efficiently utilizing general training data in the absence of specific training examples. Specifically, we propose a method to learn a universal speech model from a general corpus of speech and show how to use this model to separate speech from other sound sources. This model is used in lieu of a speech model trained on speaker-dependent training examples, and thus circumvents the aforementioned problem. Our experimental results show that our method achieves nearly the same performance as when speaker-dependent training examples are used. Furthermore, we show that our method improves performance when training data of the non-speech source is available.
Rapid Communication: Experimental Evidence that Juvenile Pelagic Jacks (Carangidae) Respond Behaviorally to DMSP

Dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) is produced by marine algae and released during foraging activity by zooplankton and fish. Pelagic fishes depend on patchily distributed foraging opportunities, and DMSP may be an important signaling molecule for these events. We have previously shown that the abundance of carangid jacks is positively associated with elevated DMSP levels over coral reefs in the Gulf of Mexico, suggesting that these fishes may use spatial and temporal variation in DMSP to locate foraging opportunities. Here, we extend this work by demonstrating that juveniles of two species of pelagic jack, crevalle jack, Caranx hippos, and bluefin trevally, C. melampygus, detect and respond to DMSP in a flow-through tank in the laboratory. Juveniles of these species showed elevated swimming activity in response to ecologically relevant concentrations of DMSP (10−9 M). These results provide further evidence that this chemical may serve as a chemosensory cue for carangid species.
Understanding expert ratings of essay quality: Coh-Metrix analyses of first and second language writing

This article reviews recent studies in which human judgements of essay quality are assessed using Coh-Metrix, an automated text analysis tool. The goal of these studies is to better understand the relationship between linguistic features of essays and human judgements of writing quality. Coh-Metrix reports on a wide range of linguistic features, affording analyses of writing at various levels of text structure, including surface, text-base, and situation model levels. Recent studies have examined linguistic features of essay quality related to co-reference, connectives, syntactic complexity, lexical diversity, spatiality, temporality, and lexical characteristics. These studies have analysed essays written by both first language and second language writers. The results support the notion that human judgements of essay quality are best predicted by linguistic indices that correlate with measures of language sophistication such as lexical diversity, word frequency, and syntactic complexity. In contrast, human judgements of essay quality are not strongly predicted by linguistic indices related to cohesion. Overall, the studies portray high quality writing as containing more complex language that may not facilitate text comprehension.
Electronic Interactions in Aryne Biradicals. Ab Initio Calculations of the Structures, Thermochemical Properties, and Singlet-Triplet Splittings of the Didehydronaphthalenes

Structural and energetic properties for the lowest energy singlet and triplet states of the 10 didehydronaphthalene isomers are predicted using density functional and multireference second-order perturbation theories. These levels of theory offer excellent agreement with known heats of formation for three singlet isomers when appropriate isodesmic equations are used for prediction. Singlet−triplet splittings and biradical stabilization energies are examined to gain insight into the degree of interaction between the biradical centers. This interaction operates via three distinct mechanisms, namely, through space (overlap), through σ-bonds, and through π-bonds, in order of increasing distance over which quantitative impact is predicted. The first two effects are especially sensitive to the relative orientations of the biradical centers and the shape of the molecular framework that joins them. Simpler models are examined for their utility in predicting singlet−triplet splittings; proton hyperfine splittings ...
Parallel scheduling of recursively defined arrays

This paper describes a new method of automatic generation of concurrent programs which construct arrays defined by sets of recursive equations. We assume that the time of computation of an array element is a linear combination of its indices, and we use integer programming to seek a succession of hyperplanes along which array elements can be computed concurrently. The method can be used to schedule equations involving variable length dependency vectors and mutually recursive arrays. Portions of the work reported here have been implemented in the PS automatic program generation system.
/sup 12/C + /sup 12/C transfer reactions at 93. 8 MeV

Angular distributions of the most intense one- and two-nucleon transfer reactions induced by 93.8 MeV /sup 12/C ions on a /sup 12/C target were measured over the angular range 10--65/sup 0/. The reactions are selective in that only a few of the available states are strongly excited. For both single proton and single neutron transfer, p/sub 1/2/ and d/sub 5/2/ shells are populated with about equal probability; for pn transfer the strongest peak corresponds to the 5/sup +/ level of /sup 14/N. The sum of the cross sections for all of these transfer reactions, integrated over the measured angular range, is 7.5 mb. This may be compared with 45 mb for the inelastic scattering to the 2/sup +/ level of /sup 12/C and 14 mb for mutual excitation of the 2/sup +/ level in the target and projectile. Distorted-wave Born-approximation calculations are compared with the measured angular distributions for a number of the transfer reactions.
Glutaric acidemia type 1 in patients of Lumbee heritage from North Carolina.

Abstract Glutaric acidemia type I (GA-I) is an autosomal recessive disorder of the catabolism of lysine, hydroxylysine, and tryptophan caused by deficiency of glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase (GCD). Among our patients with GA-I, we noted a prevalence of Lumbee individuals. The Lumbee are a close-knit Native American tribe of eastern North Carolina. Five Lumbee individuals with GA-I had homozygous 1240 G > A mutations in GCD . This is a rare, known mutation that was likely introduced by a Lumbee founder.
mRNAs Encoding a von Ebner’s-like Protein and the Huntington Disease Protein Are Induced in Rat Male Germ Cells by Sertoli Cells

The success of spermatogenesis is dependent upon closely coordinated interactions between Sertoli cells and germ cells. To identify specific molecules that mediate interactions between somatic cells and germ cells in the rat testis, Sertoli cell-germ cell co-cultures and mRNA differential display were used. Two cDNAs, clone 1 (660 nucleotides) and clone 2 (390 nucleotides) were up-regulated when Sertoli cells were co-cultured with pachytene spermatocytes or round spermatids. Northern blot analyses confirmed the differential display expression patterns. Sequence analyses indicated that clone 1 was similar to a von Ebner's gland protein (87% at the nucleotide level and 80% at the amino acid level) and clone 2 was identical to a region of the Huntington disease protein. The von Ebner's-like protein mRNA was induced after 4 h of co-culture, while the Huntington disease protein required 18 h of co-culture for expression. The von Ebner's-like protein was induced in germ cells by a secreted Sertoli cell factor(s) smaller than 10 kDa that is sensitive to freezing and thawing or boiling. The Huntington disease protein was induced in germ cells by a Sertoli cell secreted factor(s) larger than 10 kDa which survives freezing and thawing, but is inactivated by boiling.
Introduction: Place and Voice in Anthropological Theory

The problems of place and voice are vital to anthropological practice and so is the relationship between them. The following set of articles is the result of a symposium on this subject held at the 85th annual meeting of the American Anthropological Association in Philadelphia, in December 1986. The articles by Appadurai, Dresch, Fernandez, Marcus, and Rosaldo are revisions and elaborations of presentations at that symposium. Strather's article is based on her responses (as a discussant) to the oral presentations at the symposium, which included one by Paul Friedrich, in addition to the ones published here. More than with any of the other human sciences, anthropology is based on circumstantial evidence. The circumstances in which the evidence is gathered (those of fieldwork) and the circumstances of the writing up of fieldwork have been much discussed recently and do not need to be revisited here. But it is worth noting that the spatial dimension of this circumstantiality has not been thought about very much. This spatial dimension has many aspects, including the issue of maps and terrains, regions and areas, landscapes and environments, distance and scale, centers and boundaries. The articles in this collection do not by any means deal with all of these issues, though some of them are touched on. What they do focus on is one aspect of the problem of space in anthropology, and that is the problem of place, that is, the problem of the culturally defined locations to which ethnographies refer. Such named locations, which often come to be identified with the groups that inhabit them, constitute the landscape of anthropology, in which the privileged locus is the often unnamed location of the ethnographer. Ethnography thus reflects the circumstantial encounter of the voluntarily displaced anthropologist and the involuntarily localized "other." One problem that the articles discuss, in their various ways, is the light shed on this circumstantiality by attending to the dimension of place. When it comes to voice, we face another problem. Much fieldwork is organized talk, and the ethnographic text is the more or less creative imposition of order on the many conversations that lie at the heart of fieldwork. But in fieldwork there is a curious double ventriloquism. While one part of our traditions dictates that we be the transparent medium for the voices of those we encounter in the
Judgment Errors in Elementary Box-Plot Displays

Using elementary box-plots as stimuli, in this empirical investigation it was established that box-length and whisker- length judgments are systematically affected by the relation between box and whisker length. These results are consistent with theory and findings of psychological investigations of the Baldwin illusion (Girgus and Coren (1982); Jordan and Schiano, (1986); Pressey and Smith (1986)).
Agile Optical Beam Scanners Using Wavelength and Space Manipulations

An agile optical scanning scheme is proposed that uses wavelength manipulations for deflecting a free-space optical beam by selection of the wavelength of the light incident on a wavelength dispersive optical element. Using fast tunable lasers or optical filters, this scanner features microsecond domain scan setting speeds, single/multiple beam(s) in space, and large several centimeters or more diameter apertures for sub-degree angular scans. The beam scanning scheme offers simple control (via wavelength tuning). The paper also introduces space multiplexing for optical beam scanning and discusses various system architectures utilizing both space and wavelength multiplexing to achieve high speed optical scanning with coarse and fine tuning capability. Experiments described demonstrate high-speed, high resolution, wavelength tuned optical scanning in one-dimension (1-D), two-dimensions (2-D), and three-dimensions (3-D).
CRT-815 A Meta-analysis Of Clinical Outcomes Between Edwards Valve Versus Corevalve After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has been approved by US FDA for high surgical risk and inoperable patients with severe aortic stenosis. However, there is no single large study comparing the performance of valves with respect to mortality or stroke. To compare the 30-day mortality and
Alternatively spliced human tissue factor promotes tumor growth and angiogenesis in a pancreatic cancer tumor model.

Abstract Introduction Tissue Factor (TF) expression is observed in many types of cancer, associated with more aggressive disease, and thrombosis. Alternatively-spliced human tissue factor (asHTF) has recently been identified in which exon 5 is deleted. asHTF is soluble due to the substitution of the transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains of exon 6 with a unique COOH-terminal domain. Materials and Methods We examine the expression and function of asHTF and full-length Tissue Factor ( FL TF) in six human pancreatic cancer cells. Further, we transfected asHTF, FL TF, and control expression vectors into a non-expressing, human pancreatic cancer line (MiaPaCa-2). We studied the procoagulant activity of asHTF and fl TF and the effect on tumor growth in mice. Results asHTF is expressed in 5 of 6 human pancreatic cancer cell lines, but not in normal human fibroblasts, nor the MiaPaCa-2 line. fl TF conferred procoagulant activity, but asHTF did not. Transfected cells were injected subcutaneously in athymic mice. Interestingly, compared with control transfection, fl TF expression was associated with reduced tumor growth (mean 7 mg vs 85 mg), while asHTF-expression was associated with enhanced tumor growth (mean 389 mg vs. 85 mg). asHTF expression resulted in increased mitotic index and microvascular density. Conclusions These data suggests that asHTF expression promotes tumor growth, and is associated with increased tumor cell proliferation and angiogenesis in vivo . Our results raise a new perspective on the understanding of the relationship between TF expression and cancer growth, by showing a dissociation of the procoagulant activity of fl TF and the cancer-promoting activity of asHTF.
Stripped electron collection at the Spallation Neutron Source

One of the main sources of electrons in the Spallation Neutron Source's Accumulator Ring is the stripped electrons in the injection region. A magnetic field guides the stripped electrons to the bottom of the beam pipe, where an electron catcher with overhanging surface traps them. This paper describes the stripped electrons' motion, the optimization of the catcher, and the build up of an electron cloud in this region.
18. Repeated morphine enhances peripheral nerve injury-induced allodynia via central immune mechanisms

Glial activation occurs after morphine and peripheral nerve injury alone, but the behavioral and molecular impact in tandem is unknown. We predicted that sciatic chronic constriction injury (CCI)-allodynia would be enhanced by subsequent repeated morphine, in a Toll-like Receptor 4 [TLR4]-dependent fashion. Mild (1 sciatic constriction) and classic (4 sciatic constrictions) CCI was performed on male Sprague Dawley (SD) and Fischer 344 (F344) rats, respectively. Beginning 10–14 days after CCI surgery, s.c. morphine (5 mg/kg or equivolume saline b.i.d.) was administered for 5 consecutive days. This morphine protocol potentiated the magnitude of mild CCI-induced allodynia (von Frey test) in SD rats (n = 10/group; p
CellSlice: Cellular wireless resource slicing for active RAN sharing

We present the design and implementation of Cell-Slice, a novel system for slicing wireless resources in a cellular network for effective Radio Access Network (RAN) sharing. CellSlice is a gateway-level solution that achieves the slicing without modifying the basestations' MAC schedulers, thereby significantly reducing the barrier for its adoption. Achieving slicing with a gateway-level solution is challenging, however, since resource scheduling decisions occur at the basestations at fine timescales, and these decisions are not visible at the gateways. In the uplink direction, CellSlice overcomes the challenge by indirectly constraining the uplink scheduler's decisions using a simple feedback-based adaptation algorithm. For downlink, we build on the technique used by NVS, a native basestation virtualization solution, and show that effective downlink slicing can be easily achieved without modifying basestation schedulers. We instantiate a prototype of CellSlice on a Picochip WiMAX testbed. Through both prototype evaluation and simulations, we demonstrate that CellSlice's performance for both remote uplink and remote downlink slicing is close to that of NVS. CellSlice's design is access-technology independent, and hence can be equally applicable to LTE, LTE-Advanced and WiMAX networks.
Exploring Data Warehouse Appliances for Mesh Analysis Applications

As scientific computing users migrate to petaflop platforms that promise to generate multi-terabyte datasets, there is a growing need in the community to be able to embed sophisticated data analysis algorithms in the storage systems for the computing platforms. Data Warehouse Appliances (DWAs) are an attractive option for this work, due to their ability to process massive datasets efficiently. While DWAs have been proven effective in data mining and informatics applications, there are relatively few examples of how DWAs can be integrated into the scientific computing workflow. In this paper we present our experiences in adapting two mesh analysis algorithms to function on two different DWAs: a SQL-based Netezza database appliance and a Map/Reduce-based Hadoop cluster. The main contribution of this work is insight into the differences between the two platforms' programming environments. In addition, we present performance measurements for entry-level DWAs to help provide a first-order comparison of the hardware.
Demythologizing Sex Education in Oklahoma: An Attitudinal Study

A randomized study was conducted to determine the distribution of attitudes among Oklahomans of voting age toward sex education and to analyze the relationship of demographic sociocultural and attitudinal factors. The state was stratified into six regions. Forty-five percent of the sample lived in urban areas and 55% in rural areas. Random digit dialing and random selection within households were utilized to ensure a representative sample of the population. Eighty percent of the sample was found to be favorable toward sex education in the public schools while 20% was unfavorable. A majority of respondents in all religious groups including "fundamentalists" were favorable. Seventeen variables were found to be significant in the univariate analysis of the data; eight were not significant. In a multivariate analysis three variables age Protestant denominational type and female employment were shown to have predictive ability in determining favorability and unfavorability. Implications for building community support for sex education also are discussed. (authors)
Bounds on the Number of Processors and Time for Multiprocessor Optimal Schedules

Two problems of importance for the scheduling of multiprocessing systems composed of identical units are discussed in this paper. 1) Given a partially ordered set of computations represented by the vertices of an acyclic directed graph with their associated execution times, find the minimum number of processors in order to execute them in a time not exceeding the length of the critical path of this graph. 2) Determine the minimum time to process this set of computations when a fixed number of processors is available. A unified formulation for lower bounds on the minimum number of processors and on time is presented. These lower bounds are sharper than previously known values and provide a general framework that gives insight for deriving simplified expressions. A new upper bound on the minimum number of processors is presented, which is sharper than the known bounds. The computational aspects of these bounds are also discussed.
Formation of microporous silica gels from a modified silicon alkoxide. I. Base-catalyzed gels

Base-catalyzed silica gels have been prepared from mixtures of TEOS and a modified silicon alkoxide, methyltriethoxysilane. The ratio of modified ester to TEOS was varied in order to study the effect on gel structure. Low level additions of the modified ester resulted in an increase in the surface area of dried gels, but higher additions caused a decrease in the accessible area. This decrease in surface area corresponds to a significant change in physical morphology as probed with small angle X-ray scattering. 29 Si MAS-NMR was used to determine the Q and T distributions of the gels and to estimate surface area and skeletal density based on the terminal group size. As the methyltriethoxysilane content was increased, the fraction of T 3 and T 2 species increased and the difference between the nitrogen surface area (accessible) and ‘Q-derived’ (total) surface area increased. Adsorption of carbon dioxide, methane, and water at 298 K was also measured.
The STEREO IMPACT Boom

An essential component of the STEREO IMPACT investigation is its nearly 6 m long boom that provides several of the instruments with a sufficiently clean magnetic environment and minimally restricted fields of view, while having the required rigidity to ensure the spacecraft pointing accuracy for the STEREO imaging investigations. Details of the customized telescoping IMPACT Boom design, construction and testing are described in this review. The successful completion and verification of the IMPACT Booms represents a demonstration of the use of Stacers as motive forces for rigid boom deployment.
A new proof of A. F. Timan’s approximation theorem

This paper gives a new proof of A. F. Timan’s approximation theorem. It seems to be of considerable advantage that for a fixedn our polynomialG n(f) is of degree ≦n−1 and depends onn values off(x) only.
Staining Electrophoretic Gels for Laccase and Peroxidase Activity Using 1,8-Diaminonaphthalene

Abstract A new chromogenic substrate for laccases and peroxidases, 1,8-diaminonapthalene, was used to detect phenoloxidase activity in gels after SDS–PAGE. This substrate has several advantages over other widely used phenoloxidase stains in that it is inexpensive, and the oxidized product has both high molar absorptivity and very low solubility. Furthermore, neither the substrate nor the product is known to have toxicity problems of the type associated with many other phenoloxidase stains. The sensitivity of detection using 1,8-diaminonapthalene was comparable to that obtained using the most sensitive stains commonly used for phenoloxidases, e.g., 3,3-diaminobenzidine, and was close to that attainable for protein detection using silver staining. Zymograms developed with 1,8-diaminonapthalene can be used with video densitometry to monitor the specific enzymatic activity of phenoloxidases during enzyme purification.
A Framework for the Design and Analysis of a Chaining Protocol, with Client-Centric Buffer Reservation, for Multimedia Streaming

As the Internet becomes a more popular distribution channel for multimedia, one inevitably encounters the problem of the amount of bandwidth required for quality multimedia presentations. Bandwidth may be controlled through various techniques such as compression, caching, or layered encoding of data. These techniques, however, may be unsuitable for applications with stringent quality of service requirements, as it may lead to severe degradations of the quality of the content being distributed. This article proposes a new version of a media content delivery algorithm, based on the “chaining” strategy, that supports “VCR operations.” The proposed algorithm explicitly balances the client-side requirements to support the VCR functionalities while preserving the advantages of using the client playback device as a proxy video server, as specified in the original chaining algorithm. The article also investigates the effect of supporting VCR operations on the performance of the proposed scheme and the impact thes...
Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling 1 (SOCS1) Mitigates Anterior Uveitis and Confers Protection Against Ocular HSV-1 Infection

Immunological responses to pathogens are stringently regulated in the eye to prevent excessive inflammation that damage ocular tissues and compromise vision. Suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS) regulate intensity/duration of inflammatory responses. We have used SOCS1-deficient mice and retina-specific SOCS1 transgenic rats to investigate roles of SOCS1 in ocular herpes simplex virus (HSV-1) infection and non-infectious uveitis. We also genetically engineered cell-penetrating SOCS proteins (membrane-translocating sequence (MTS)-SOCS1, MTS-SOCS3) and examined whether they can be used to inhibit inflammatory cytokines. Overexpression of SOCS1 in transgenic rat eyes attenuated ocular HSV-1 infection while SOCS1-deficient mice developed severe non-infectious anterior uveitis, suggesting that SOCS1 may contribute to mechanism of ocular immune privilege by regulating trafficking of inflammatory cells into ocular tissues. Furthermore, MTS-SOCS1 inhibited IFN-γ-induced signal transducers and activators of transcription 1 (STAT1) activation by macrophages while MTS-SOCS3 suppressed expansion of pathogenic Th17 cells that mediate uveitis, indicating that MTS-SOCS proteins maybe used to treat ocular inflammatory diseases of infectious or autoimmune etiology.
Inspiring computing education with media

The desire to tell stories with digital media has driven advances in computing technology. Manipulating media are also a compelling context to teach students about computer science. This talk will be half an interactive lecture about computer science using digital media to motivate deep ideas like human perception and information theory. The other half will be a talk about the talk: What works, and why, and what research tells us about how to teach computing.
Local-universality: designing EMR to support localized informal documentation practices

In this paper, we describe a practice that is common across multiple heterogeneous contexts but enacted differently depending on the unique constellation of resources and demands present in each local context. Using the case of informal documentation practices in two departments of a single hospital, Emergency and Labor & Delivery, we describe how clinicians in each department develop contextualized informal documentation practices after deployment of a new EMR system. We describe three underlying functions of informal documentation that are inherent to the practice of medical personnel: "memory work," abstraction work," and "future work." We then find that the newly deployed EMR technology does not support these kinds of work. We argue that hospital documentation work systems should be designed with an eye to such universal work practices, while keeping in mind that the effectiveness of informal documentation practices is rooted in its adaptive and flexible deployment in heterogeneous work settings.
Oncolytic virotherapy for ALL: MSCs to the rescue.

In this issue of Blood , Castleton et al show that mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) can deliver oncolytic measles virotherapy directly into acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cells, even in the face of high-titer humoral antiviral immunity, leading to remarkable therapeutic success in a murine model
Cardiopulmonary pathology in patients with sleep apnea/obesity hypoventilation syndrome.

We reviewed clinical data, autopsy reports, and microscopic slides on 10 patients with sleep apnea/obesity hypoventilation syndrome (SA/OHS) to define the cardiopulmonary pathological features and establish clinicopathologic correlations. Ten obese (>136 kg) patients without SA/OHS were studied as controls. Patients with SA/OHS exhibited biventricular cardiac failure and pulmonary hypertension with a higher prevalence of moderate/severe pulmonary hemosiderosis (8 v 0 patients), alveolar hemorrhage (7 v 4 patients), capillary proliferation (4 v 0 patients), iron encrustation of elastica (1 v 0 patients) and medial hypertrophy of muscular pulmonary arteries (11.9 +/- 2.4 v 9.7 +/- 1.6%) (P < .05). In two patients capillary proliferation resembled capillary hemangiomatosis. Mean right ventricular thickness was higher in the SA/OHS group (0.71 +/- 0.17 v 0.42 +/- 0.1 cm) (P < .01). Four patients with SA/OHS and three controls had moderate/severe myocardial fibrosis. Biventricular cardiac failure caused death in seven patients with SA/OHS. Hypoxia is probably the most important cause of pulmonary hypertension, arterial muscularization, and right ventricular hypertrophy in SA/ OHS. Left ventricular failure in some SA/OHS patients may be the result of hypertensive cardiac disease. In others, the etiology of left ventricular failure was not determined morphologically, suggesting functional abnormalities related to obesity and/or apneic episodes.