cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Recursive integral proportional–integral control based on membership cloud for active power filter

A recursive integral proportional-integral (RIPI) control based on membership cloud theory applied in active power filter (APF) is proposed. The parallel and integral parameters of RIPI are modulated by the cloud model theory firstly. The rule generator with X-term two-dimensional (2D) cloud generator as forward cloud generator and Y-term 1D cloud generator as backward cloud generator is built for cloud reasoning. The outputs from the rule generator are dealt with to obtain their numerical values. The system controlling performance is analysed, which is compared with the recursive integral PI based on fuzzy theory. Simulation and experimentation are done and the results verify the feasibility and good performance of the proposed controlling method. The APF can suppress harmonic currents well.
Density and composition of trabecular and cortical bone in perinatally irradiated beagles with chronic renal failure.

Bone density and composition were studied in trabecular and cortical bone from control 2 and 4 year old beagles and those which had various degrees of renal failure as a result of perinatal irradiation. Changes in the two types of bone were qualitatively similar but consistently greater in trabecular bone. In a group identified as markedly uremic, the decrease (P<0.025) from control levels in specific gravity was about 4 times greater in trabecular than in cortical samples. The decrease (P<0.025) in grams of ash/ml was 9% in trabecular bone and 2% in cortical bone. These changes were associated with an increase (P<0.001) in water content and, on a percent by volume basis, approximately equal decreases in ash (P<0.025) and combustible matter (P<0.025). In a mildly uremic group there were similar trends in mean values but the only significant difference was an increase (P<0.001) in trabecular bone water.
Continuous Time Varying Optimal Feedback Applied to the Augmentation and Rapid Alignment of Inertial Systems

The feedback realization of the continuous time multivariate optimal filter is reviewed and amplified as it pertains to the continuous augmentation of inertial systems. Comparatively simple examples are given of its application to the velocity and position damping of the Schuler loop. The solution of the more extensive problem of velocity or position damping a complete inertial system is outlined. The difficulties encountered when the noise contaminating the augmentation is not simple are illustrated through the application to the rapid on ground alignment problem.
Expression, purification and crystallization of the ancestral androgen receptor-DHT complex.

Steroid receptors (SRs) are a closely related family of ligand-dependent nuclear receptors that mediate the transcription of genes critical for development, reproduction and immunity. SR dysregulation has been implicated in cancer, inflammatory diseases and metabolic disorders. SRs bind their cognate hormone ligand with exquisite specificity, offering a unique system to study the evolution of molecular recognition. The SR family evolved from an estrogen-sensitive ancestor and diverged to become sensitive to progestagens, corticoids and, most recently, androgens. To understand the structural mechanisms driving the evolution of androgen responsiveness, the ancestral androgen receptor (ancAR1) was crystallized in complex with 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and a fragment of the transcriptional mediator/intermediary factor 2 (Tif2). Crystals diffracted to 2.1 A resolution and the resulting structure will permit a direct comparison with its progestagen-sensitive ancestor, ancestral steroid receptor 2 (AncSR2).
Artificial intelligence in process engineering—current state and future trends

Abstract Recent advances in artificial intelligence have changed the fundamental assumptions upon which the progress of computer-aided process engineering (modeling and methodologies) during the last 30 yr has been founded. Thus, in certain instances, numerical computations today constitute inferior alternatives to qualitative and/or semi-quantitative models and procedures which can capture and utilize more broadly- based sources of knowledge. In this paper it will be shown how process development and design, as well as planning, scheduling, monitoring, analysis and control of process operations can benefit from improved knowledge-representation schemes and advanced reasoning control strategies. It will also be argued that the central challenge coming from research advances in artificial intelligence is “modeling the knowledge”, i.e. modeling: (a) physical phenomena and the systems in which they occur; (b) information handling and processing systems; and (c) problem-solving strategies in design, operations and control. Thus, different strategies require different forms of declarative knowledge, and the success or failure of various design, planning, diagnostic and control systems depends on the extent of actively utilizable knowledge. Furthermore, this paper will outline the theoretical scope of important contributions from AI and what their impact has been and will be on the formulation and solution of process engineering problems.
Some efficient algorithms for unconstrained discrete-time optimal control problems

The differential dynamic programming algorithm (DDP) and the stagewise Newton procedure are two typical examples of efficient local procedures for discrete-time optimal control (DTOC) problems. It is desirable to generalize these local procedures to globally convergent methods. One successful globalization was recently proposed by Coleman and Liao which combines the trust region idea with Pantoja's stagewise Newton procedure. In this paper we propose several algorithms for DTOC problems which combine a modified ''dogleg'' algorithm with DDP or Pantoja's Newton procedure. These algorithms possess advantages of both the dogleg algorithm and the DDP or the stagewise procedure, i.e., they have strong global and local convergence properties yet remain economical. Numerical results are presented to compare these algorithms and the Coleman-Liao algorithm.
Contrasts between wave- and tide-dominated oolitic systems: Holocene of Crooked–Acklins Platform, southern Bahamas

As the stratigraphic record is neither homogenous nor isotropic, a fundamental challenge in sedimentary geology is characterizing and predicting the nature of variability. Although many nearshore to shallow-marine siliciclastic depositional systems have been grouped into wave-dominated and tide-dominated classes, many facies models of carbonate systems have not recognized or applied this distinction. To fill this gap, the purpose of this study is to compare and contrast the hydrodynamic processes, sedimentology, geomorphology, and stratigraphy of an oolitic tide-dominated shoal complex and an oolitic wave-dominated shoreline system from the same area (Crooked–Acklins Platform, southern Bahamas). Field, petrographic, granulometric, remote-sensing, and hydrodynamic data illustrate marked contrasts between the two end members. The wave-dominated shoreface system near French Wells on the leeward margin is influenced by small (Hs <30 cm) waves and only weak, wave-driven currents (<15 cm/s, net southward flow); the passage of Hurricane Irene (in 2011) had only a local impact on the shoreface. The low-energy setting favors generation and alongshore transport of ooids and peloids of fine- to medium-sized sand, and has facilitated nearly 1 km of shoreface progradation, forming geomorphic bodies with margin-parallel geometry. The stratigraphic record of the area includes a coarsening- and shoaling-upward succession. In contrast, the ~7-km-wide, tide-dominated shoal on the southwestern margin is dominated by vigorous tidal currents (in excess of 50 cm/s, and reversing twice daily). These currents generate margin-normal bars and channels consisting of oolitically coated grains of medium to coarse sand size. Stratigraphically, above a basal clast-rich deposit, sediment size and sorting vary across the shoal. The open-ocean and the platformward flanks of the shoal, most impacted by tide and wave energy, include the cleanest oolitic sand, with fines accumulating in the stabilized shoal interior. Overall, the oolitic shoal aggraded and expanded platformward over bioturbated peloid–ooid sand. These results reveal how sediment, geomorphology, and stratigraphy differ between tide- and wave-dominated end members, patterns broadly analogous to several ancient examples. These data collectively illustrate the processes that create multi-scale linkages among stratigraphic patterns, geological facies bodies, and granulometry (e.g., depositional porosity and permeability). These linkages provide information that could be used to predict sedimentological and geomorphical trends in ancient analogues.
Field validation of the ASTER Temperature–Emissivity Separation algorithm

Abstract The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) has operated since 19 December 1999 from NASA's Terra Earth-orbiting, sun-synchronous satellite. The Temperature–Emissivity Separation (TES) algorithm is used to calculate surface temperature and emissivity standard products, predicted to be within +1.5 K and +0.015 of correct values, respectively. Analyses of time sequences of ASTER images showing validation sites at Lake Tahoe, California, the Salton Sea, California, Railroad Valley Nevada, and the island of Hawaiʻi demonstrate that TES generally performs within these limits. The validation experiments also demonstrate that, under unusual atmospheric conditions of anomalously high humidity or spatial variability, atmospheric compensation can be incomplete and errors in temperature and emissivity images can be larger than anticipated.
Characterizing underwater noise from industrial pile driving at close range

Acoustic radiation in the water surrounding a ferry terminal pile driving project has been characterized based on 1/3-octave band filtering. The pressure field at approximately 10 meters is shown to be depth dependent based on data captured using a vertical line array. Decibel measurements of underwater sound are often expressed in reference to several non-interchangeable units, a summary of the differences of these references is presented.
A simple and rapid method for constructing ring-X chromosomes in Drosophila melanogaster

Ring chromosomes are of basic interest to the geneticist and cell biologist who study their behavior in meiotic and mitotic divisions. In addition, the mitotic instability associated with some ring-X chromosomes has proven useful in Drosophila as a means to produce gynandromorphs for developmental studies. We describe a method to construct ring-X chromosomes in Drosophila via I-CreI-mediated exchange in rDNA, and then rapidly diagnose the recovery of ring chromosomes via FLP-mediated sister chromatid exchange within the ring. The method we describe provides a ready means to tailor the genetic content of ring-X chromosomes, making it suited to produce ring-X chromosomes for a variety of experimental purposes.
Immunomodulation and pharmacological strategies in the treatment of graft-versus-host disease.

Background: Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation offers great promise for the treatment of a variety of diseases including malignancies and other diseases of hematopoietic origin. However, morbidity and mortality due to graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) remain a major barrier to its application. Objective: This review will provide an overview of the pathophysiology of GVHD and discuss the recent advances in GVHD management in both preclinical and clinical studies. Methods: An extensive literature search on PubMed from 1995 to 2008 was performed. Results/conclusion: There has been much progress in our understanding of GVHD and finding new means to control acute GVHD. While these approaches hold promise, as yet none has been able to replace the standard methods we may use routinely to decrease the incidence of the condition.
Characterization and quality control of silicon microstrip detectors with an infrared diode laser system

Abstract A system using a 1064 nm infrared diode laser has been developed to characterize silicon microstrip detectors. The spot size from the diode has been optically collimated to 25 μm so that strips can be irradiated individually. Results from diagnostic tests such as strip-to-strip variations, attenuation length along a strip, angle of incidence and charge sharing studies are presented. An affordable, computer-controlled system has been built to test many silicon sensors prior to final assembly of the detector.
Inhibition of lipolysis and cyclic AMP accumulation by adenosine analogues in hamster epididymal adipocytes exposed to cholera toxin

The effects of adenosine, N6-phenylisopropyl adenosine and 2',5'-dideoxyadenosine on lipolysis and cyclic AMP accumulation, in hamster adipocytes treated with cholera toxin, were studied. Cholera toxin caused an increase in lipolysis and cyclic AMP accumulation that was dependent upon the concentration of toxin and the length of time cells were exposed to the toxin. When N6-phenylisopropyl adenosine or 2',5'-dideoxyadenosine were present, the lipolytic and cyclic AMP responses to cholera toxin were inhibited. The adenosine analogues were equally effective inhibitors of lipolysis and cyclic AMP accumulation, when they were added 1 or 2 h after exposure to the toxin. Enzymatic removal of endogenously produced adenosine with adenosine deaminase potentiated both the lipolytic and cyclic AMP responses to cholera toxin. In addition, the inhibitory effects of N6-phenylisopropyl adenosine, 2'5'-dideoxyadenosine and clonidine on lipolysis and cyclic AMP were enhanced consequent to enzymatic removal of adenosine. These data show responses of intact fat cells to N6-phenylisopropyl adenosine, 2',5'-dideoxyadenosine or removal of endogenous adenosine and provide evidence for an adenosine sensitivity of fat cells exposed to cholera toxin.
Diversity of root-associated fungi of mature Habenaria radiata and Epipactis thunbergii colonizing manmade wetlands in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan

Abstract Throughout the industrialized world, wetland species face the greatest risk of extinction from altered environmental conditions and loss of habitat. Manmade wetlands are often the only feasible strategy to provide habitat for these species. Wetland orchids are particularly susceptible to environmental degradation due to potentially limited availability of specialized pollinators and mycorrhizal symbionts. Here, we assess the fungal symbiont diversity of two orchid species, Habenaria radiata and Epipactis thunbergii , occupying three manmade wetlands in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan to determine if orchids colonizing reconstructed habitats associate with a phylogenetically diverse or narrow suite of fungal symbionts. We collected three individuals each of H. radiata and E. thunbergii , respectively, growing at the first pond, six H. radiata from a second pond, and two E. thunbergii from a third pond. We identified fungal taxa using PCR and DNA sequencing techniques. Habenaria radiata associated with a phylogenetically diverse suite of fungi; in comparison, E. thunbergii associated with a phylogenetically narrow range of fungi dominated by the Tulasnellaceae. These common wetland orchid species readily colonize manmade wetlands, and we propose sampling soils for the presence of appropriate mycorrhizal fungi to determine limitations on orchid population regeneration due to mycorrhizal specificity.
The chemistry of the carbontransition metal double and triple bond: annual survey covering the year 2000☆

Abstract This is a review of papers published in the year 2000 that focus on the synthesis, reactivity, or properties of compounds containing a carbontransition metal double or triple bond.
World War II, interest rates, and fiscal policy commitments

Abstract During a war, government will be able to issue debt only if the public expects that the value of the debt will not be inflated away after the war. I argue that the United States government used the 1940s bond price support program to convey its intention to offset high rates of money production during the war with low rates later. Whether this program was credible depended on the expected duration of the war and the rule the public expected government to use in tax-financing the postwar government expenditures. Ex ante, the public may have been rational in buying low rate long-term war bonds, even though postwar money rates generated negative realized rates of return.
Underwater modulated pulse laser imaging system

The detection and identification of underwater threats in coastal areas are of interest to the Navy. When identifying a potential target, both two-dimensional (amplitude versus position) and three-dimensional (amplitude and range versus position) information are important. Laser imaging in turbid coastal waters makes this task challenging due to absorption and scattering in both the forward and backward directions. Conventional imaging approaches to suppress scatter rely on a pulsed laser and a range-gated receiver or an intensity-modulated continuous wave laser and a coherent RF receiver. The modulated pulsed laser imaging system is a hybrid of these two approaches and uses RF intensity modulation on a short optical pulse. The result is an imaging system capable of simultaneously acquiring high-contrast images along with high-precision unambiguous ranges. A working modulated pulsed laser line scanner was constructed and tested with a custom-built transmitter, a large-bandwidth optical receiver, and a high-speed digitizing oscilloscope. The effectiveness of the modulation to suppress both backscatter and forward scatter, as applied to both magnitude and range images, is discussed.
The association between obesity, depression, and educational attainment in women: The mediating role of body image dissatisfaction

Objective We examine the mediating role of body image dissatisfaction (BID) on the association between obesity and depression and the variation of this association as a function of years of education among a population-based sample of women aged 40–65 years.
Phosphorus(III) Cations Supported by a PNP Pincer Ligand and Sub‐Stoichiometric Generation of P4 from Thermolysis of a Nickel Insertion Product

Neutral, mono-, and dicationic phosphorus(III) compounds are accessible with a supporting PNP pincer ligand (PNP=[4-Me-2-iPr2P-C6H3)2N]). Reaction of (PNP)H with PCl3 and nBu3N furnished (PNP)PCl2 (1), which displays a highly temperature-dependent structure in solution. Synthesis and characterization by NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography of Cl/Br-scrambled derivatives, a monocationic derivative [(PNP)PCl][HCB11H11] (4), and the dicationic derivatives [(PNP)P][OTf]2 (5), [(PNP)P][B(C6F5)4]2 (6), [(PNP)P][B12Cl12] (7) established that 1 not only undergoes several fluxional processes in solution but also possesses a temperature-dependent ground state structure. Reaction of 1 with a Ni0 source initially leads to a phosphine–phosphinidene complex, followed by thermal generation of P4.
Glucose turnover in the young chicken (Gallus domesticus) using variously labeled (3H, U-14C) glucose tracers☆

1. 1. Various parameters of glucose metabolism—glucose replacement rate, percent recycling, mean transit time, and glucose mass were examined using various double labeled glucose tracers—2T-, U-14C; 3T-, U-14C; 4T-, U-14C; 5T-, U14C; and 6T-, U-14C. 2. 2. Estimates of replacement rate were greatest for 2T-glucose (21.4 mg/min/kg), with 3T-, 4T-, 5T-, and 6T-glucose all having similar values (15.8, 15.6, 17.0, 16.0 mg/min/kg, respectively). 3. 3. Calculated glucose mass based on all tritiated tracers (734–1086 mg/kg body weight) agreed closely with a direct determination of body glucose (969 mg/kg). 4. 4. Reincorporation of tritium from 3H2O into glucose did not occur to any significant degree. 5. 5. The young chick was found to have a very rapid rate of glucose turnover and high percent recycling compared to mammals.
Materials science principles related to alloys of potential use in rechargeable lithium cells

Abstract The rechargeability of electrochemical cells is often limited by negative electrode problems. The fundamental reasons for some of these problems when using elemental electrodes, as well as the basic principles involved in the different behaviors of alloys that undergo either insertion or reconstitution reactions at reactant species activities less than unity, will be briefly discussed. Thermodynamic and kinetic properties of a number of alloys that might be used as electrodes in lithium systems are now known. Several of these have quite rapid kinetics and attractive capacities, with relatively small voltage losses and weight penalties, even down to ambient temperatures. The all-solid, mixed-conductor matrix concept, in which two different binary alloy systems can be combined to produce dense, all-solid electrodes with the kinetic properties of fine particle dispersions, as well as attractive microstructural reversibility upon cycling, will also be discussed.
Maternal and paternal race/ethnicity are both associated with gestational diabetes.

Objective The objective of the study was to examine the rates of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) associated with both maternal and paternal race/ethnicity. Study Design This was a retrospective cohort study of all women delivered within a managed care network. Rates of GDM were calculated for maternal, paternal, and combined race/ethnicity. Results Among the 139,848 women with identified race/ethnicity, Asians had the highest rate ( P Conclusion We found that rates of GDM are affected by both maternal and paternal race/ethnicity. In both Asians and Hispanics, maternal and paternal race are equally associated with an increase in GDM. These differences may inform further investigation of the pathophysiology of GDM.
Neuroethics: an agenda for neuroscience and society.

The last decades of the twentieth century saw the rise of modern genetics. Now, many regard the initial decades of the twenty-first century as an era that promises explosive growth in our knowledge of the brain. Just as ethical issues have been a part of discourse in genetics from the outset, we are now paying attention to ethics in neuroscience. But whereas the ethics of genetics was in many ways a new conversation, the philosophical discussion of mental function and behaviour is an ancient tradition that both informs and complicates the emerging field of neuroethics.
Diquark breakup in high-energy neutrino interactions

We examine the experimental tests and theoretical predictions for diquark breakup in high-energy neutrino interactions. Most tests of diquark breakup are found to be inconclusive and the only compelling evidence comes from lambda production in νp interactions.
“We're just spectators”: A case study of science teaching, epistemology, and classroom management

Project 2061, Benchmarks, and National Standards for Science Education are forwarding a vision for science teacher educators in which a constructivist teaching perspective is implicit. Included in these documents is an epistemological treatment of scientific knowledge that contrasts starkly with what researchers have found prolific in most science classrooms. It is becoming a more mainstream perspective among science educators that classrooms are places in which students and teachers jointly construct meaning from discursive events. Beliefs about the nature of science and the purpose of school are not constructed in isolation from one another. Rather, the philosophical treatment of science in classrooms, especially physics, has revealed that the dominant epistemology is a strong predictor of the types of learning strategies deployed by students. Given that the dominant epistemological treatment of high school physics is of a positivist origin and the purpose of normal classroom discourse is to make classrooms operate smoothly, we ask if the concerns of management are free from the influences of students' beliefs of what science is and what school is for? Practical teacher knowledge often quantizes the complexities of instruction, management, concept development, and philosophical frameworks as separate and discrete components of normal classroom science. Our purpose is to raise the critical issue of understanding the nature of certain classroom management problems as we examine the interaction of two contrasting epistemological treatments of science in a high school physics class and the subsequent classroom management techniques influenced by these beliefs. A physics teacher and his students were surveyed, interviewed, and observed during normal instruction and a range of epistemological commitments were identified. We argue that differences in epistemological stances can invoke antagonistic interactions that may not be well understood from a purely management or pedagogical approach to teacher knowledge and, inasmuch, classroom management choices made independent of epistemological considerations miss the mark. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sci Ed82:619–648, 1998.
Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni and Pb in the water column and sediments of the Ob-Irtysh Rivers, Russia

Concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni and Pb were determined in filtered water, suspended particulate matter, and bottom sediments from a ∼2000 km section of the Ob and Irtysh Rivers. Dissolved Cd, Cr, Cu and Ni concentrations are similar to, or higher than, results from other Russian Arctic and large world river-estuaries. Concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni and Pb in suspended particulate matter are generally comparable to results from other Russian Arctic and large world rivers and estuaries. Comparison of trace metal ratios in crustal material and suspended particulate matter and bottom sediment suggests that the source of Cr, Cu and Ni is continental weathering. Particulate Cd and Pb are elevated relative to their crustal abundance, suggesting a source of these metals to the Ob-Irtysh in addition to continental weathering.
Information Disclosure and Consent: Patient Preferences and Provider Responsibilities

It is indeed important to determine how much information must be disclosed to obtain a patient's informed consent to treatment, as Easton et al. (2007) observe in their target article “Defining the...
Superconducting-gap-node spectroscopy using nonlinear electrodynamics

We present a method to determine the nodal structure of the energy gap of unconventional superconductors such as high-T{sub c} materials. We show how nonlinear electrodynamics phenomena in the Meissner regime, arising from the presence of lines on the Fermi surface where the superconducting energy gap is very small or zero, can be used to perform {open_quotes}node spectroscopy,{close_quotes} that is, as a sensitive bulk probe to locate the angular position of those lines. In calculating the nonlinear supercurrent response, we include the effects of orthorhombic distortion and a-b plane anisotropy. Analytic results presented demonstrate a systematic way to experimentally distinguish order parameters of different symmetries, including cases with mixed symmetry (for example, d+s and s+id). We consider, as suggested by various experiments, order parameters with predominantly d-wave character, and describe how to determine the possible presence of other symmetries. The nonlinear magnetic moment displays a distinct behavior if nodes in the gap are absent but regions with small finite values of the energy gap exist. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}
LIN: a new algorithm to simulate the dynamics of biomolecules by combining implicit-integration and normal mode techniques

A central goal in molecular dynamics simulations is increasing the integration time-step to allow the capturing of biomolecular motion on biochemically interesting time frames. We previously made a step in that direction by developing the Langevin/implicit–Euler scheme. Here, we present a modified Langevin/implicit–Euler formulation for molecular dynamics. The new method still maintains the major advantage of the original scheme, namely, stability over a wide range of time-steps. However, it substantially reduces the damping effect of the high-frequency modes inherent in the original implicit scheme. The new formulation involves separation of the solution into two components, one of which is solved exactly using normal-mode techniques, the other of which is solved by implicit numerical integration. In this way, the high-frequency and fast-varying components are well resolved in the analytic solution component, while the remaining components of the motion are obtained by a large time-step integration phase. Full details of the new scheme are presented, accompanied by illustrative examples for a simple pendulum system. An application to liquid butane demonstrates stability of the simulations at time-steps up to 50 fs, still with activation of the high-frequency modes. © John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Growth and Characterization of Epitaxial Si/CoSi2 and Si/CoSi2/Si Heterostructures

Thin (<200A), epitaxial CoSi2 films have been grown on (111) Si wafers in a UHV system using a variety of growth techniques including solid phase epitaxy (SPE), reactive deposition epitaxy (RDE), and molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). SEN and TEN studies reveal significant variations in the epitaxial silicide surface morphology as a function of the silicide formation method. Pinhole densities are generally greater than 107 cm−2, although some reduction can be achieved by utilizing proper growth techniques. Si epilayers were deposited over the CoSi2 films in the temperature range from 550°C to 800°C, and the resulting structures have been characterized using SEM, cross-sectional TEM, and ion channeling measurements. These measurements show that the Si epitaxial quality increases with growth temperature, although the average Si surface roughness and the CoSi2 pinhole density also increase as the growth temperature is raised.
High-polarized (ΔΨmHIGH) mitochondria are spatially polarized in human oocytes and early embryos in stable subplasmalemmal domains: developmental significance and the concept of vanguard mitochondria

The spatial specificity and stability of subplasmalemmal domains of high-polarized mitochondria (Delta Psi m(HIGH)) in human oocytes and cleavage stage embryos were investigated in instances where changes in pericortical/subplasmalemmal organization resulted in the corresponding cytoplasm becoming translucent and largely devoid of mitochondria, either by experimental manipulation or as a result of spontaneous, stage-specific morphodynamic processes. The developmental significance of high-polarized mitochondria was examined in early embryos where their loss from a cell(s) occurred by elimination into a focal cluster of small extracellular fragments, or by disproportionate segregation between blastomeres. The findings demonstrate that pronounced changes in the organization of the pericortical and subplasmalemmal cytoplasm do not affect these domains, and their displacement under experimental conditions is fully reversible. By contrast, in instances of their significant or complete elimination, the domains of high-polarized mitochondria did not reform and the affected cell(s) remained intact and undivided during culture. The findings (i) support a spatial specificity and stability for high-polarized mitochondria, which in human oocytes and early embryos, represent a very small fraction of the total mitochondrial complement, and (ii) are discussed with respect to their suggested participation in transmembrane and signal transduction processes. It is proposed that Delta Psi(HIGH) mitochondria located in subplasmalemmal domains are 'vanguard' organelles that can sense and respond to regulatory signals of extrinsic and intrinsic origin during early development.
Comparison of time trade-off utility with neurocognitive function, performance status, and quality of life measures in patients with metastatic brain disease

The objective of this study is to evaluate the concordance between neurocognitive function (NCF), Karnofsky performance status (KPS), quality of life, symptom burden, and time trade-off (TTO) over time. We retrospectively analyzed secondary data from a randomized study of 58 patients who completed tests determining TTO utility with each of the three time horizons (10, 5, and 1 years), NCF, KPS, quality of life (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Brain (FACT-BR)), and symptoms (MD Anderson Symptom Inventory-Brain Tumor (MDASI-BT)). Multiple linear regression analyses were used to estimate the relationships between TTO utility and other outcome variables, including a time of data collection variable (baseline, 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, and 24 months) to capture within-patient change over time. Significant but weak associations were found between the 10-year TTO utility and FACT-BR scores (p < 0.01), the 10-year TTO utility and MDASI-BT (sleep) scores (p = 0.039), the 5-year TTO utility and FACT-BR scores (p < 0.01), and the 5-year TTO utility and MDASI-BT (sleep) scores (p = 0.039). NCF and KPS scores were not significantly associated with TTO utility. The analysis of within-patient changes over time indicated significant mean group increases in the 10-year TTO utility (p = 0.021) and NCF (HVLT-R Total Recall) scores (p = 0.032); however, KPS score significantly decreased (p < 0.01). Patients’ quality of life and sleep disturbance symptoms have significant but small effects on the patients’ willingness to trade time. The lack of correlation between TTO utility and functional status as well as cognitive function suggests that patients’ preferences for better health and for quantity of life are primarily influenced by the expected length of time until death and not by their current health state.
Characterization of CO2 storage properties using core analysis techniques and thin section data

Abstract Carbon dioxide capture and sequestration in saline aquifers is considered one of the most important technologies for short and medium term climate change mitigation. There are many challenges for wide scale deployment of sequestration, including developing a sufficiently accurate fundamental understanding of the processes which govern the movement of supercritical CO2 in saline aquifers. A method for testing our understanding of the underlying physics is to conduct numerical simulations intended to replicate a multiphase flow experiment in which CO2 is injected into a brine saturated rock core. This paper focuses on methods to integrate pore scale rock properties into permeability models of cores subjected to such experiments. We use thin sections to measure pore scale features of rocks, and test correlations that relate permeability to porosity using the Carman–Kozeny equation. Incorporation of these pore scale features into sub-core scale maps of permeability is being used to history match core-scale multi-phase flow experiments.
Quantitation of the Motion of the Cardiac Base in Normal Subjects by Doppler Echocardiography

Because the motion of the base of the heart plays a central role in its filling and emptying, we developed an original method to characterize the base motion dynamics throughout each cycle by use of pulsed Doppler echocardiography. A 100 Hz wall filter and low gain settings were used to record the low-frequency, high-energy Doppler signals generated by the motion of the base. From the apical four-chamber view, the sample volume was placed at the lateral margin and at the common septal margin of the tricuspid and mitral annuli. These signals were differentiated from left and right atrioventricular flows by their opposite direction, higher energy, timing, and unique audio signal. The dynamics of the cardiac base were quantitated in 17 normal subjects (31 ± 13 years). The time relationship between transvalvular flows and the motion of the base was studied in nine normal subjects by matching recordings at the same RR interval. The Doppler signal of the motion of the cardiac base showed a succession of positive (apically directed) and negative (atrially directed) velocity waves. Differences in the dynamics of the cardiac base were demonstrated between its left and right components, probably related to different loading conditions and different myocardial mechanical properties. The relationship between the motion of the base and mitral flow as shown in this study suggests that Doppler-measured mitral flow velocity underestimates relative left ventricular inflow velocity with respect to the atrium by about 1790 at peak early flow and by 20% at peak late flow. The method reported in the present study allows a more informative noninvasive quantitation of the cardiac base motion derived from measurements of its velocity, excursion, and acceleration. This new method may provide unique information on the left ventricular and right ventricular performance in the meridional direction.
Reduction of Acoustically-Induced Auditory Impairment by Inhalation of Carbogen Gas:I. Permanent Noise-induced Cochlear Damage

The possible beneficial effects of carbogen gas (95 % O2/5 % CO2) inhalation on noise-induced permanent cochlear impairment were investigated. Groups of guinea pigs were exposed to daily 3-hour presentations of 120 dB of broad-band noise in an atmosphere of either carbogen gas or normal air. Other groups received carbogen or normal air with a low intensity (50 dB) acoustic exposure. After a 30-day stabilization period each ear was examined electrophysiologically and histologically. Measures included a.c. cochlear potentials from 100 Hz through 20 kHz as well as counts of missing inner hair cells (IHCs) and outer hair cells (OHCs). Statistically significant improvement in the 1 muv isopotential function of the a.c. cochlear potential over all test frequencies and significant reduction in the number of missing IHCs and OHCs was found to result from inhalation of carbogen gas. Blood gas analysis demonstrated a rapid and marked elevation in arterial PCO2 and PO2 with a corresponding drop in pH to result from ...
Repression by SSN6-TUP1 is directed by MIG1, a repressor/activator protein.

Abstract The SSN6-TUP1 protein complex represses transcription of diversely regulated genes in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Here we present evidence that MIG1, a zinc-finger protein in the EGR1/Zif268 family, recruits SSN6-TUP1 to glucose-repressed promoters. DNA-bound LexA-MIG1 represses transcription of a target gene in glucose-grown cells, and repression requires SSN6 and TUP1. We also show that MIG1 and SSN6 fusion proteins interact in the two-hybrid system. Unexpectedly, we found that LexA-MIG1 activates transcription strongly in an ssn6 mutant and weakly in a tup1 mutant. Finally, LexA-MIG1 does not repress transcription in glucose-deprived cells, and MIG1 is differentially phosphorylated in response to glucose availability. We suggest a role for phosphorylation in regulating repression.
Climate and human health: synthesizing environmental complexity and uncertainty

Broad relationships between weather and human health have long been recognized, and there is currently a large body of research examining the impacts of climate change on human health. Much of the literature in this area examines climate–health relationships at global or regional levels, incorporating mostly generalized responses of pathogens and vectors to broad changes in climate. Far less research has been done to understand the direct and indirect climate-mediated processes involved at finer scales. Thus, some studies simplify the role of climate and may over- or under-estimate the potential response, while others have begun to highlight the subtle and complex role for climate that is contingent on other relevant processes occurring in natural and social environments. These fundamental processes need to be understood to determine the effects of past, current and future climate variation and change on human health. We summarize the principal climate variables and climate-dependent processes that are believed to impact human health across a representative set of diseases, along with key uncertainties in these relationships.
Difference equation solutions for hopping transport of ions through membranes

Difference equations provide a more natural representation than do differential equations for the hopping conduction of charged particles in material media. The discreteness of a material medium on an atomistic scale can lead to large physical effects such as nonohmic currents in the presence of large electric fields. A steady-state expression for the current has been obtained by summing the coupled difference equations for transport of a single species in the limit of arbitrarily large values of the space charge density due to the mobile carriers, with a concentration gradient across the membrane included. The transient response has also been worked out, but only in the homogeneous field limit. It is concluded that the combination of high electric fields with the natural microscopic discreteness of the diffusion medium can result in readily observable nonlinear electric field effects which increase approximately exponentially with the separation distances of the discrete energy barriers
Patient and practice factors affecting growth of infants with systemic-to-pulmonary shunt.

Background On recognising poor growth following neonatal palliation with a systemic-to-pulmonary shunt, we sought to determine how patient- and procedure-related factors impact growth, paying attention to the role of the primary cardiologist in this process. Methods In a retrospective review, neonates (133 patients) receiving modified systemic-to-pulmonary artery shunts from 2002 to 2009 were studied and outpatient visits were reviewed. Patients with single- and two-ventricle circulations after shunt takedown were compared using weight-for-age z-score. Results Single-ventricle patients had a higher weight-for-age z-score at neonatal surgery than two-ventricle patients (−0.4 ± 1.0 compared with −1.2 ± 0.9, with p < 0.001), but they had a greater drop in the weight-for-age z-score to the first outpatient visit (−1.1 ± 0.7 compared with −0.8 ± 0.7, with p = 0.02). After the first outpatient visit, the weight-for-age z-score was not significantly different between single-ventricle and two-ventricle patients. From multivariate analysis, a lower number of nutritional interventions by cardiologists was significantly associated with poor growth (p = 0.03). Poor growth was not associated with race, use of feeding tube, exclusive formula use, or proximity to surgical centre. Conclusion The significant drop in the weight-for-age z-score from neonatal surgery to first outpatient visit suggests that these patients may receive inadequate nutrition. The poorest performers received the least number of outpatient changes to their diet. This finding underscores the critical role of the primary cardiologist in optimising weight gain through adjustments in nutrition.
Pulse sequence strategies for vascular contrast in time-of-flight carotid MR angiography

A systematic evaluation in healthy volunteers of the relative efficacy of various techniques for background suppression to improve two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography of the cervical carotid arteries was performed. Conventional 2D and 3D FISP (fast imaging with steady-state precession) sequences with flow compensation were compared with modifications of these sequences, including a tracking saturation pulse (2D), prolonged absolute TEs for fat suppression based on T2* decay (2D and 3D), frequency-selective saturation of fat (2D and 3D), in-plane spatial saturation (2D), and magnetization transfer contrast (2D and 3D). The tracking saturation pulse and slight overlap of the excitation sections provided uniform background suppression without impairing depiction of the morphology of the cervical carotid arteries. Frequency-selective fat saturation was the most effective background suppression scheme among the 2D and 3D techniques but was occasionally compromised by local field inhomogeneities. Magnetization transfer contrast provided little suppression of stationary tissues in the neck because of the intrinsic limitations of the coil. In-plane spatial saturation yielded the highest background suppression but reduced apparent arterial diameters and could not be implemented in a 3D version. The T2* decay method not only reduced the apparent size of the vessels but also their signal intensity.
Could Al Qaeda's Own Strategy to Defeat Itself Actually Work?

ABSTRACT Abu Yahya al Libi's importance within al Qaeda and influence on its strategic decisions cannot be easily overstated. However, in his video entitled Dots on the Letters, released on 9 September 2007, Abu Yahya sabotaged the terrorist organisation from within by providing the United States with six potentially effective policy solutions to combat al Qaeda. These recommendations are: amplifying cases of ex‐jihadists who have renounced violence; fabricating stories about Jihadist mistakes and exaggerating mistakes when possible; prompting mainstream Muslim clerics to issue fatwas incriminating the Jihadist movement; supporting Islamic movements far removed from jihad; aggressively neutralising or discrediting the guiding thinkers of the Jihadist movement; and spinning minor disagreements among leaders of Jihadist organisations as major doctrinal disputes. Abu Yahya offered these policy recommendations to illustrate just how misguided the United States has been in its quest to defeat al Qaeda. This pa...
Sacral nerve stimulation: a promising therapy for fecal and urinary incontinence and constipation in children

Abstract Purpose This study describes our series of children with bowel and bladder dysfunction (BDD) treated with sacral nerve stimulation in order to begin to identify characteristics associated with better outcomes and guide future therapies. Methods Between May 2012 and February 2014, 29 patients were evaluated before and after sacral nerve stimulator (SNS) placement. A prospective data registry was developed that contains clinical information and patient-reported measures: Fecal Incontinence Qualify of Life Scale, Fecal Incontinence Severity Scale, PedsQL Gastrointestinal Symptom Scale, and Vancouver DES Symptom Scale. Results The median age of patients was 12.1 (interquartile range: 9.4, 14.3) years and the median follow-up period was 17.7 (12.9, 36.4) weeks. 93% had GI complaints and 65.5% had urinary symptoms while 7% had urologic symptoms only. The most common etiologies of BBD were idiopathic (66%) and imperforate anus (27%). Five patients required reoperation due to a complication with battery placement. Six of 11 patients (55%) with a pre-SNS cecostomy tube no longer require an antegrade bowel regimen as they now have voluntary bowel movements. Ten of eleven patients (91%) no longer require anticholinergic medications for bladder overactivity after receiving SNS. Significant improvements have been demonstrated in all four patient-reported instruments for the overall cohort. Conclusions Early results have demonstrated improvements in both GI and urinary function after SNS placement in pediatric patients with bowel and bladder dysfunction.
Effects of Pelleting and Particle Size on Utilization of Roasted Soybeans by Broilers

Abstract Two experiments were conducted to evaluate full fat soybeans cooked in a commercial gas-fired cooker (Roast-a-Tron) as a protein and energy source for broilers. In the first study, fineness of grind of the cooked beans had little effect on body weight gains and nitrogen retention when fed in mash diets. However, the fat digestibility was markedly improved by increasing the fineness of grind. Pelleting the diets containing roasted soybeans significantly improved 7–24 day gains and feed conversion ratios as compared to their mash counterpart. A second study to eight weeks of age demonstrated that broilers can be fed diets containing roasted full fat beans to market weights when the diets are pelleted.