cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Response-Specific and Ligand Dose-Dependent Modulation of Estrogen Receptor (ER) α Activity by ERβ in the Uterus

Estrogen is of great importance in the regulation of uterine function. The aim of this study was to examine the individual physiological roles of each of the two receptors for estradiol, estrogen receptor (ER) alpha and ERbeta, and their potential comodulatory effects on gene expression and uterine growth using recently developed ER subtype-selective agonist ligands. The use of ER subtype-selective ligands provides an alternative, complementary approach to the use of receptor knockout mice. Administration of the ERalpha-selective ligand propyl pyrazole triol (PPT) to immature mice resulted in a significant increase in uterine weight, as well as bromodeoxyuridine incorporation and proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression in luminal epithelial cells. PPT also increased complement component 3, lactoferrin, and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH), and decreased androgen receptor (AR) and progesterone receptor (PR) mRNA levels in uterine tissue, as did estradiol (E(2)). However, when compared with E(2), PPT was less effective in stimulating uterine weight, complement component 3, and G6PDH expression but was as effective as E(2) in regulating lactoferrin, AR, and PR expression. In contrast to the action of the ERalpha agonist PPT, the ERbeta agonist diarylpropionitrile (DPN) did not increase uterine weight or luminal epithelial cell proliferation at a dose that reduced G6PDH and elicited a decrease in PR and AR mRNA and protein expression. Interestingly, DPN reduced the uterine weight stimulation by PPT, and enhanced the effect of PPT in decreasing uterine PR and AR mRNA. These findings with ER subtype-selective ligands indicate that ERalpha is the major regulator of estrogen function in the uterus, but that ERbeta does exert effects on some uterine markers of estrogen action. In addition, ERbeta can modulate ERalpha activity in a response-specific and dose-dependent manner.
A physically altered leucyl-tRNA synthetase complex in a CHO cell mutant.

CONDITIONALLY lethal mutants in animal cells have been of great value in advancing our knowledge of genetics, biochemistry and molecular biology. Mammalian cells with temperature sensitive (ts) mutant phenotypes have been isolated by several laboratories, however no thorough characterisations of the altered gene products are available1. Selection procedures have been devised by Thompson et al. to isolate ts aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase variants in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells which behave as missense mutants2,3. The CHO temperature-sensitive mutant tsH1 has very low in vivo levels of leucyl-tRNA, compared to wild-type levels at non-permissive temperatures; levels of the other 19 aminoacyl-tRNAs are unchanged4. This mutant also has an altered leucyl-tRNA synthetase which is thermosensitive in vitro4, enzymatically different from wild-type leucyl-tRNA synthetase5, and has an altered Km for leucine5. We have now shown the leucyl-tRNA synthetase in tsH1 also has altered physical characteristics. The mutant enzyme exists primarily in a low molecular weight form whereas wild-type leucyl-tRNA synthetase is primarily associated with higher molecular weight particulate forms.
Classroom management and instruction competencies for preparing elementary and special education teachers

Abstract Teacher competencies for elementary and special educators in classroom management and instruction from 33 studies are reviewed. While there are similarities between elementary and special education, the competencies reflect clear differences in how the disciplines generally view management and instruction. This review suggests that elementary and special education are two different “educational cultures” and emphasize different aspects of education. Rather than focusing on competencies expected of experienced teachers, teacher preparation programs should identify a detailed core of classroom management and instructional knowledge and practices that will provide a foundation for all teachers' professional development.
Interacting with direct volume rendering

Visualization researchers at the San Diego Supercomputer Center have written a program called Volume Explorer, or vx, which performs interactive direct volume rendering on the Volume Pro board. Using OpenGL, the GL Utility Toolkit and the Micro User Interface, vx generates the graphics and facilitates user interaction around the Volume Pro card. Regardless of the method, my colleagues and I have become very big fans of interactive direct volume rendering. This article shows some of our preliminary work with vx. On the screen, you can change and manipulate images at update rates of more than 30 frames per second.
Two-Car Impact Test of Crash-Energy Management Passenger Rail Cars: Analysis of Occupant Protection Measurements

As a part of ongoing passenger rail equipment safety research, a full-scale impact test of two cars with energy absorbing end structures was carried out on February 26, 2004. In this test, two coupled cars impacted a rigid barrier at 29 mph. Similar to previous full-scale tests in the series [1,2,3], anthropomorphic test devices (or ATDs) were included on the rail cars to measure the occupant response during the collision. These ATDs were instrumented with accelerometers and load cells to measure the injury risk to the occupants. This paper presents preliminary tests results. Five occupant experiments were included in the two-car test. Three of the experiments were similar to those conducted on the two-car test of conventional equipment that was held on April 4, 2000: forward-facing occupants in inter-city seats, forward-facing occupants in commuter seats, and rear-facing occupants in commuter seats. Two of the experiments examine the interaction of an occupant with a workstation table in a facing-seat configuration. These two tests used experimental ATDs with an increased capacity for recording abdominal impact response. To aid the analysis of this problem, MADYMO computer models were developed for four of the five of the occupant experiments. The models were either modified from earlier simulations, in the case of the commuter seats, or newly developed, in the case of the inter-city seats and table experiment with THOR ATD. The models were validated based on previous tests and/or accident data. Predictions of the ATD response agree closely for the overall kinematics of the ATDs, and for many of the measurements made with the ATDs in the full-scale test.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
Tracer study of mass transport and grinding in a rod mill

Abstract Residence-Time-Distribution (RTD) experiments using radioactive tracers have shown a very strong particle-size-dependence of material transport in a continuous, wet, overflow rod mill. A new method for the determination of the size-dependent velocities and dispersion coefficients of the material from RTD experiments has been developed. Earlier studies have shown non-linear grinding kinetics prevails in rod milling operations and a mathematical method to handle it has been previously suggested. By using these two methods, a non-linear distributed parameter model has been solved analytically and in turn, has been successfully fitted to experimental size-distribution data. In addition, the predictive capability of this model has been demonstrated.
Orientation dependence of blistering in H-implanted Si

The orientation effect on blistering phenomenon in H implanted Si was studied for (100), (111), and (110) Si wafers. It was found that substrate orientation has no observable effects on the underlying blistering mechanisms. Furthermore, the implantation damage, Si–H complex formation in as-implanted samples and surface roughness of the transferred layer appeared to be unaffected by the orientation. However, the blistering kinetics are orientation dependent, with (100) Si having the fastest blistering rate, and (110) Si the slowest. This dependence was attributed to the different density of ruptured Si–Si bonds of different orientations. The magnitude of the observed in-plane compressive stress in the H-implanted Si wafers is rationalized in terms of the formation of platelets in the samples.
Effect of CB1 receptor blockade on food-reinforced responding and associated nucleus accumbens neuronal activity in rats

Studies have shown that disruption of cannabinoid receptor signaling reduces operant responses for rewards; yet it is unknown whether changes in neural activity at dopamine terminal regions such as the nucleus accumbens (NAc) underlie these behavioral effects. To study the neural correlates that accompany the disruption of endogenous cannabinoid (eCB) signaling in a food-motivated task, we recorded the neural activity and local field potentials (LFPs) from the NAc. A within-subject design was used for recordings as rats engaged in lever-pressing behavior for sucrose chocolate-flavored pellets delivered during responding in a progressive ratio (PR) schedule of reinforcement. Rats were food restricted to 85 ± 5% of their free body weight and trained under a PR until a stable breakpoint was observed (12 sessions ± 3). Once performance was stable, recordings were made under baseline, vehicle, and following administration of the cannabinoid inverse agonist rimonabant (150 μg/kg, i.v). NAc neurons encoded reward-predictive cues as well as food reward delivery. Rimonabant administration robustly reduced breakpoints in all rats tested, as previously reported. We found that this reduction is accompanied by a profound attenuation in the strength and coordination of specific event-related spiking activity. Moreover, rimonabant decreased LFP gamma power at 80 Hz (high gamma) at reward delivery and gamma power at 50 Hz (low gamma) at cue onset. Together the present results indicate that the eCB system sculpts neural activity patterns that accompany PR performance and reward consumption.
Reducing Overweight through a Multidisciplinary School-based Intervention

SPIEGEL, SAMUEL A. AND DAVID FOULK. Reducing overweight through a multidisciplinary school-based intervention. Obesity. 2006;14:88–96. Objective: This study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary elementary school–based intervention entitled Wellness, Academics & You. The primary areas of impact examined were BMI, consumption of fruits and vegetables, and physical activity. Research Methods and Procedures: The sample consisted of 1013 students in fourth and fifth grades from 69 classes in four states. Intervention and comparison classes were randomly selected at each school. Intervention teachers participated in workshops on the intervention and received program materials. BMI was calculated for baseline and post-data points based on measured height and weight collected by trained research teams. Baseline surveys were administered by the students’ teacher in the presence of one of the research team members and collected. Results: SPSS (SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL) analysis of postdata shows significant positive shifts (p 0.01) in BMI in the intervention group compared with the comparison group. Notable increases in the consumption of fruits and vegetables and increased physical activity levels were reported in the intervention group. Discussion: Data from this study indicate that this schoolbased program may contribute to the reduction of overweight and obesity. The intervention was well received by the classroom teachers and shows promise for a schoolbased obesity prevention initiative. This program has shown the capacity to effect positive changes in BMI through consumption of fruits and vegetables and physical activity.
Shock oscillation in underexpanded screeching jets

The periodic oscillation of the shock waves in screeching, underexpanded, supersonic jets, issuing from a choked, axisymmetric, nozzle at fully expanded Mach numbers (Mj) of 1.19 and 1.42, is studied experimentally and analytically. The experimental part uses schlieren photography and a new shock detection technique which depends on a recently observed phenomenon of laser light scattering by shock waves. A narrow laser beam is traversed from point to point in the flow field and the appearance of the scattered light is sensed by a photomultiplier tube (PMT). The time-averaged and phase-averaged statistics of the PMT data provide significant insight into the shock motion. It is found that the shocks move the most in the jet core and the least in the shear layer. This is opposite to the intuitive expectation of a larger-amplitude shock motion in the shear layer where organized vortices interact with the shock. The mode of shock motion is the same as that of the emitted screech tone. The instantaneous profiles of the first four shocks over an oscillation cycle were constructed through a detailed phase averaged measurement. Such data show a splitting of each shock (except for the first one) into two weaker ones through a ‘moving staircase-like’ motion. During a cycle of motion the downstream shock progressively fades away while a new shock appears upstream. Spark schlieren photographs demonstrate that a periodic convection of large organized vortices over the shock train results in the above described behaviour. An analytical formulation is constructed to determine the self-excitation of the jet column by the screech sound. The screech waves, while propagating over the jet column, add a periodic pressure fluctuation to the ambient level, which in turn perturbs the pressure distribution inside the jet. The oscillation amplitude of the first shock predicted from this linear analysis shows reasonable agreement with the measured data. Additional reasons for shock oscillation, such as a periodic perturbation of the shock formation mechanism owing to the passage of the organized structures, are also discussed.
Inferring genes from open reading frames.

Abstract One expects that in DNA without protein coding function, stop codons (which constitute three of the 64 possible codons) should occur frequently in all reading frames, and that a long open reading frame (ORF) can be interpreted as a sign for the existence of a gene. We make a beginning on introducing quantitative measures of confidence into this inference—taking Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a sample case—and show that some common assumptions can reasonably be questioned. In particular we show that statistical support for the biological function of shorter ORFs listed as putative genes in recent papers is in fact very weak. This is an issue of practical as well as theoretical interest, since researching the function of a putative gene is difficult and expensive.
A study of barrier walls for mitigation of unintended releases of hydrogen

Hydrogen jet flames resulting from ignition of unintended releases can be extensive in length and pose significant radiation and impingement hazards. Depending on the leak diameter and source pressure, the resulting consequence distances can be unacceptably large. One possible mitigation strategy to reduce exposure to jet flames is to incorporate barriers around hydrogen storage and delivery equipment. An experimental and modeling program has been performed at Sandia National Laboratories to better characterize the effectiveness of barrier walls to reduce hazards. This paper describes the experimental and modeling program and presents results obtained for various barrier configurations. The experimental measurements include flame deflection using standard and infrared video and high-speed movies (500 fps) to study initial flame propagation from the ignition source. Measurements of the ignition overpressure, wall deflection, radiative heat flux, and wall and gas temperature were also made at strategic locations. The modeling effort includes three-dimensional calculations of jet flame deflection by the barriers, computations of the thermal radiation field around barriers, predicted overpressure from ignition, and the computation of the concentration field from deflected unignited hydrogen releases. The various barrier designs are evaluated in terms of their mitigation effectiveness for the associated hazards present. The results show that barrier walls are effective at deflecting jet flames in a desired direction and can help attenuate the effects of ignition overpressure and flame radiative heat flux.
The role of storage proteins in colony-founding in termites

Hexameric storage proteins are widespread in insects and provide a source of amino acids when demand is high and intake is limited, such as during metamorphosis. We investigated the occurrence of storage protein levels in alates and in colony founding pairs in a dry-wood nesting species and two soil-nesting species of termites. Females and males contained similar quantities of storage protein at the time of the mating flight. Alates of soil-nesting species contained much higher levels of storage protein than the wood nesting species. After eggs hatched, protein stores plummeted in both sexes of both ecological types. Greater storage by alates of soil-nesting species is correlated with lack of access food during founding and the larger number of workers produced in their first broods.
The Hippo Signaling Pathway in Development and Cancer

First discovered in Drosophila, the Hippo signaling pathway is a conserved regulator of organ size. Central to this pathway is a kinase cascade leading from the tumor suppressor Hippo (Mst1 and Mst2 in mammals) to the oncoprotein Yki (YAP and TAZ in mammals), a transcriptional coactivator of target genes involved in cell proliferation and survival. Here, I review recent progress in elucidating the molecular mechanism and physiological function of Hippo signaling in Drosophila and mammals. These studies suggest that the core Hippo kinase cascade integrates multiple upstream inputs, enabling dynamic regulation of tissue homeostasis in animal development and physiology.
Reactions of alkylaluminum compounds with cyclic ethers

Abstract Oxetane and its 3,3-dimethyl and 3,3-bis(chloromethyl) derivatives undergo ring-opening reactions with Et2AIX. When X  H or Cl subsequent hydrolysis gives the corresponding propanol or 3-chloropropanol, but when X  CN the product isolated was a butyrolactone. At elevated temperature oxetane reacts with triethylaluminum to give 1-propanol and 1-pentanol, but the 3,3-disubstituted oxetanes give only propanols. Friedel-Crafts alkylation accompanies the alkylation and reduction of oxetane when it reacts with triethylaluminum in cumene. At elevated temperatures tetrahedrofuran and tetrahydropyran react with diethylaluminum hydride, giving 1-butanol and 1-pentanol, respectively.
Improvement of the microtiter hemagglutination method.

A sensitive method of hemagglutination in disposable Microtiter plates was described, using small amounts of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), Tween 80, and protein to promote red cell settling in the plastic wells. Although the PVP and Tween did not alter the specificity of the agglutination systems tested (ABO and Rh), they could conceivably interfere with others. We now report that it is possible to dispense with the PVP and Tween (but not protein) if the plates are coated prior to use with a thin, smooth layer of paraffin. This is accomplished by dipping the plates in a clear solution of 2 parts of toluene: 1 part melted Bioloid Paraffin Embedding Compound* at 55–60 C. Thereafter the plates are immediately shaken in a vigorous manner at least 10 times to get rid of the excess solution, and then are placed upside down and allowed to dry overnight. The paraffin coating is at first soft, but a hard even coat is left behind on the plates after the toluene has evaporated.
Hodgkin's disease diagnosed by endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration of a periduodenal lymph node

Hodgkin's disease rarely presents as obstructive jaundice. We report a case of Hodgkin's disease arising in periduodenallymph nodes, presenting with biliary obstruction, definitively diagnosed on cytologic material obtained by endosonographically-guided real-time fine needle aspiration biopsy and confirmed at laparotomy. The medical literature pertaining to the use of endosonography and fine needle aspiration biopsy for pancreatic lesions and abdominal lymphoma is reviewed. Currently available data support the use of fine needle aspiration biopsy in establishing the diagnosis of lymphoma. This case highlights the utility of endoscopic ultrasonography with endosonographically guided real-time fine needle aspiration biopsy in diagnosing and managing patients with extrahepatic biliary obstruction or suspected abdominal lymphoma. Pairing endosonographically guided real-time fine needle aspiration biopsy with on-site cytologic assessment and immediate specimen triage can lead to definitive diagnosis of abdominal lymphoma, avoiding surgical intervention in many cases.
The dissociation of Lumbricus terrestris hemoglobin: a model of its subunit structure.

Abstract The extracellular hemoglobin of the earthworm Lumbricus terrestris has a molecular weight of 3.68 ± 0.17 · 106 and contains 146 ± 7 heme groups. Its dissociation in the presence of denaturants and at alkaline pH was investigated by gel filtration and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The number and size of the constituent polypeptide chains of the resulting subunits obtained by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate were correlated with the previously determined number and size of the constituent polypeptide chains of the hemoglobin (Shlom, J. M. and Vinogradov, S. N., (1973) J. Biol. Chem. 248, 7904–7912). The smallest heme-containing subunit isolated by gel filtration at alkaline pH elutes at a volume corresponding to a molecular weight of 24 000–30 000, and corresponds to the smallest subunit observed previously by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (subunit I, mol. wt. approx. 13 000). Analytical gel filtration of the subunit in 6 M guanidine hydrochloride gave a molecular weight of 15 900; its iron content was found to be 0.35 ± 0.011% by weight, corresponding to a minimum molecular weight of 16 000 ± 500. The number of copies of subunit I determined by quantitative electrophoresis of the isolated subunit and the hemoglobin, using the dyes Fast Green and Coomassie Blue, was found to be 74 ± 7 per mol of native hemoglobin. This subunit accounts for approx. 25% of the total molecular weight of Lumbricus hemoglobin and contains 50% of the total number of heme groups. A model of the subunit structure of the hemoglobin is proposed which accounts for the known properties of this molecule and the subunits observed upon its dissociation.
High-temperature thermoset polyimides containing disubstituted acetylene end groups

Abstract High-temperature thermoset polyimide resins were prepared using p -phenylenediamine and a 1:3 mixture of 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2,2-bis(3,4-dicarboxyphenyl)propane dianhydride (6FDA) and 3,3′,4,4′-tetracarboxybiphenyl dianhydride (BPDA) for the imide backbone, and diarylacetylene derivatives as reactive capping agents. The thermo-oxidative stability at 370°C of the cured resins was evaluated in comparison with control samples based on several known reactive capping agents. The polyimide resin end-capped with 4-(phenylethynyl)phthalic anhydride exhibited the best thermo-oxidative stability.
Twinning in the common snapping turtle, Chelydra serpentina.

Twinning or duplication was observed in 28 eggs of the common snapping turtle, Chelydra serpentina serpentina. The methods of observation made detection of separate blastodiscs relatively certain, that of duplication within a blastodisc less so. Only two of the latter were found. Twins occurred in about 1% of the eggs; 26% of the clutches had one or more abnormal eggs. Twinned blastodiscs developed normally in early stages. When incubated through hatching, 12 out of 12 sets of twins developed unequally so that one was essentially normal, the other was small and not viable. In one case, in which the carapace of the smaller twin was three quarters the length of the larger, both died during hatching. The pigmentation patterns of the carapace of these twins differed; this indicates that they are fraternal rather than identical twins.
Resolution in Plenoptic Cameras

Derivation and analysis of sampling patterns of traditional and focused plenoptic cameras show the former rotates pixels ?/2 in phase space, while the latter does not. These results are interpreted regarding the cameras' spatial resolution.
Short-wave near infrared spectra of liquids in a waveguide capillary sample cell

A waveguide capillary cell (WCC) based on a small-diameter fused-silica tube coated externally with a low refractive index (n = 1.31) fluoropolymer is described, and short-wave near infrared (700–1100 nm) spectra of low refractive index (n = 1.33–1.38) liquids acquired at cell lengths between 4 and 190 cm are presented. It is shown that the WCC offers low baseline attenuation, sample volumes far smaller than those of conventional long pathlength cells and excellent compatibility with fibre optic spectrometers.
A novel global fitting algorithm for decay-associated images from fluorescence lifetime image microscopy data

Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy is a technique in which the fluorescence lifetime(s) of a fluorophore is measured at each spatially resolvable element of a microscope image. Imaging of fluorescence lifetimes enables biochemical reactions to be followed at each microscopically resolvable location within the cell. FLIM has thus become very useful for biomedical tissue imaging. Global analysis [1] is a method of recovering fluorescence decay parameters from either time-resolved emission spectra to yield Decay-Associated Spectra [2], or equivalently, from FLIM datasets to yield Decay-Associated Images. Global analysis offers a sensitive and non-invasive probe of metabolic state of intracellular molecules such as NADH. Using prior information, such as the spatial invariance of the lifetime of each fluorescent species in the image, to better refine the relevant parameters, global analysis can recover lifetimes and amplitudes more accurately than traditional pixel-by-pixel analysis. Here, we explain a method to analyze FLIM data so that more accurate lifetimes and DAIs can be computed in a reasonable time. This approach involves coupling an iterative global analysis with linear algebraic operations. It can be successfully applied to image, e.g. metabolic states of live cardiac myocytes, etc.
In vivo butyrylcholinesterase activity is not increased in Alzheimer's disease synapses

Objective We tested the premise that cholinesterase inhibitor therapy should target butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) in Alzheimer's disease (AD), not acetylcholinesterase (AChE) alone, because both enzymes hydrolyze acetylcholine, and BuChE is increased in AD cerebral cortex. Methods To examine this issue in vivo, we quantified human cerebral cortical BuChE activity using tracer kinetic estimates (k3) of 1-[11C]methyl-4-piperidinyl n-butyrate ([11C]BMP) hydrolysis determined by positron emission tomography. Validation of the putative positron emission tomography method included regional distribution, positive correlation with age, and attenuation by the nonselective cholinesterase inhibitor physostigmine, but no attenuation by the AChE-selective inhibitor donepezil. Positron emission tomography scans in AD patients (n = 15) and control subjects (n = 12) measured both BuChE (using [11C]BMP) and AChE activity (using N-[11C] methylpiperidin-4-yl propionate, an established method). Results As expected, AChE activity in AD cerebral cortex was decreased to 75 ± 13% of normal (p = 0.00001). Contrary to prediction, accompanying BuChE activity also was decreased to 82 ± 14% of normal (p = 0.001). Interpretation Failure to observe increased [11C]BMP hydrolysis in vivo makes it less likely that incremental BuChE contributes importantly to acetylcholine hydrolysis in AD. The findings do not support the premise that inhibitor therapy should target BuChE so as to prevent increased levels of BuChE from hydrolyzing acetylcholine in AD cerebral cortex. Ann Neurol 2006
The use of exchange transfusion in salicylate intoxication

Summary The treatment of 7 patients with salicylate intoxication with exchange transfusion is reported. There were 6 recoveries and 1 death. This therapy appears to be valuable for severe salicylate intoxication in children. From the clinical and laboratory observations it is evident that at least twice the patient's estimated blood volume is necessary for effective exchange transfusion in such cases.
Some Realistic Modifications of Simple Climate Models

Abstract Various simple climate models of the Budyko and Sellers types are discussed. It is shown how the variation of the equilibrium position of the ice line as a function of available insulation is determined primarily by the range of latitudes over which heat transport is acting to smooth temperatures and the effectiveness with which this smoothing occurs. It is shown that when transports loosely associated with Hadley transports, atmospheric eddy transports and oceanic transports are separately modeled their net effect is to decrease the sensitivity of the climate substantially over what is obtained from existing simple models. It is also shown that the models we introduce in this paper are reasonably consistent with various aspects of the observed temperature and with various paleoclimatological features, while earlier simple models are not.
Symbolic predictive analysis for concurrent programs

Predictive analysis aims at detecting concurrency errors during runtime by monitoring a concrete execution trace of a concurrent program. In recent years, various models based on the happens-before causality relations have been proposed for predictive analysis. However, these models often rely on only the observed runtime events and typically do not utilize the program source code. Furthermore, the enumerative algorithms they use for verifying safety properties in the predicted traces often suffer from the interleaving explosion problem. In this paper, we introduce a precise predictive model based on both the program source code and the observed execution events, and propose a symbolic algorithm to check whether a safety property holds in all feasible permutations of events of the given trace. Rather than explicitly enumerating and checking the interleavings, our method conducts the search using a novel encoding and symbolic reasoning with a satisfiability modulo theory solver. We also propose a technique to bound the number of context switches allowed in the interleavings during the symbolic search, to further improve the scalability of the algorithm.
Silicon impact-ionization multiplier for optical detection

We demonstrate a current multiplier which can be operated with either silicon or indium-gallium-arsenide photodiodes for optical detection. Current gains above 100 along with pre-amplified leakage currents of less than 2 nA were measured.
Training of a feedforward multiple-valued neural network by error backpropagation with a multilevel threshold function

A technique for the training of multiple-valued neural networks based on a backpropagation learning algorithm employing a multilevel threshold function is proposed. The optimum threshold width of the multilevel function and the range of the learning parameter to be chosen for convergence are derived. Trials performed on a benchmark problem demonstrate the convergence of the network within the specified range of parameters.
Hyperosmolar nonketotic coma associated with diazoxide therapy for hypoglycemia.

A case of nonketotic hyperosmolar coma has been presented in a child under treatment with diazoxide. This syndrome, which produces significant morbidity and mortality, has not previously been reported as a complication of diazoxide therapy. Cataracts appeared temporaily during treatment of nonketotic hyperosmolar coma. This report is presented to alert those investigators using diazoxide to be aware of these potential complications. It emphasizes the wisdom of having parents test the patient's urine for glucose, particularly when the patient receiving diazoxide is undergoing a period of stress.
Increase in sodium concentration of the isolated frog retina after light stimulation

Abstract The activity of Na 22 in the isolated, dark-adapted frog retina, after equilibration in frog Ringer's solution containing Na 22 Cl, increased after light stimulation.
Governance, morality and food security in sub-Saharan Africa☆

Abstract This paper is concerned with the search for food security in sub-Saharan Africa. Its main thesis is, since government interventions in agriculture may result in vulnerability to a food crisis, a government must therefore bear the responsibility for protecting those who become vulnerable as a consequence of its behaviour or that of other agencies operating under its auspices. Planning for food security embodies strategic behaviour which results in some degree of a dependency or vulnerability relationship between (i) producers, consumers and the government or other agencies, and (ii) government and other agencies (domestic or foreign). Therefore, proposals are made regarding (a) the framework for strategic screening of interventions in the different food-related policy areas in order to minimize vulnerability, and (b) the safeguards for ensuring that the inevitable dependency or vulnerability relationships do not degenerate into exploitation and hence sow the seeds of famine or other types of crisis.
Synthesis and characterization of ammoniated niobium disulfide

Abstract Ammoniated niobium disulfide has been synthesized using stoichiometric NbS2 and has been investigated by X-ray powder diffraction, vapor pressure measurements, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and SQUID magnetometry. Ammoniated samples of (NH3)yNbS2 with 0.5
Hyperfine interaction in Gd in diamagnetic, metallic hosts

Abstract Mossbauer effect data for dilute, paramagnetic Gd in the diamagnetic, metallic hosts YAl 2 , YbAl 2 and Al are analyzed and yield a local conduction electron polarization contribution to the Gd hyperfine field of +140 kOe.
DEVELOPMENT AND PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF THE STUDENT WORRY QUESTIONNAIRE-30

Described are the development and initial psychometric properties (Ns = 50 and 188) of a self-report measure, the Student Worry Questionnaire-30, for use with college undergraduates. Exploratory principal components analyses (Ns = 388, 350, and 396) with oblimin rotation indicated six domains of worrisome thinking, financial-related concerns, significant others' well-being, social adequacy concerns, academic concerns, and general anxiety symptoms. The total score and scale scores showed internal consistency of .80 to .94. Also, test-retest reliability analyses (.75 to .80) support consistency of responses over 4 wk. Strong evidence for convergent validity) was indicated. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the fit of the 6-factor oblique model. Limitations of the present studies, and directions for research are discussed.
A genome-wide survey of highly expressed non-coding RNAs and biological validation of selected candidates in Agrobacterium tumefaciens.

Agrobacterium tumefaciens is a plant pathogen that has the natural ability of delivering and integrating a piece of its own DNA into plant genome. Although bacterial non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have been shown to regulate various biological processes including virulence, we have limited knowledge of how Agrobacterium ncRNAs regulate this unique inter-Kingdom gene transfer. Using whole transcriptome sequencing and an ncRNA search algorithm developed for this work, we identified 475 highly expressed candidate ncRNAs from A. tumefaciens C58, including 101 trans-encoded small RNAs (sRNAs), 354 antisense RNAs (asRNAs), 20 5′ untranslated region (UTR) leaders including a RNA thermosensor and 6 riboswitches. Moreover, transcription start site (TSS) mapping analysis revealed that about 51% of the mapped mRNAs have 5′ UTRs longer than 60 nt, suggesting that numerous cis-acting regulatory elements might be encoded in the A. tumefaciens genome. Eighteen asRNAs were found on the complementary strands of virA, virB, virC, virD, and virE operons. Fifteen ncRNAs were induced and 7 were suppressed by the Agrobacterium virulence (vir) gene inducer acetosyringone (AS), a phenolic compound secreted by the plants. Interestingly, fourteen of the AS-induced ncRNAs have putative vir box sequences in the upstream regions. We experimentally validated expression of 36 ncRNAs using Northern blot and Rapid Amplification of cDNA Ends analyses. We show functional relevance of two 5′ UTR elements: a RNA thermonsensor (C1_109596F) that may regulate translation of the major cold shock protein cspA, and a thi-box riboswitch (C1_2541934R) that may transcriptionally regulate a thiamine biosynthesis operon, thiCOGG. Further studies on ncRNAs functions in this bacterium may provide insights and strategies that can be used to better manage pathogenic bacteria for plants and to improve Agrobacterum-mediated plant transformation.
Compensation for Distributed Hysteresis Operators in Active Structural Systems

A class of integral, hysteretic control in uence operators is derived for the representation of structural systems exhibiting hysteresis due to active materials. The hysteretic control in uence operator is de ned in terms of a probability distribution, or more generally a measure, that describes the concentration of a particular hysteresis kernel. Speci cally, two types of hysteresis kernels are studied in detail: the ideal relay kernel leading to a Preisach integral hysteresis operator and a generalized play kernel leading to a Krasnosel’skii–Pokrovskii operator. When combined with the thermal and structural dynamics equations, the governing equations are history-dependent integropartial differential equations, coupled in a cascade structure. Existence, uniqueness, and convergence of Galerkin approximation methods have been derived for the forward simulation and model identi cation. The cascade structure of the coupled, nonlinear partial differential equations is advantageous in that model reference control and model reference adaptive control strategies can be derived for the systems under consideration. Numerical and experimental results that validate the theoretical developments are presented.
Shrinkage estimation in nonlinear regression : the Box-Cox transformation

Abstract The risk superiority of the Stein-rule estimator over the maximum likelihood (ML) estimator is known in the context of the normal linear regression model. We present a positive-part Stein-like estimator that dominates the ML and pretest estimators under quadratic loss, weighted by the information matrix, in nonlinear regression. The risk properties of ML, constrained ML, pretest, and shrinkage estimators for the Box-Cox model are discussed. In a Monte Carlo experiment, the shrinkage estimator dominates the ML estimator under the unweighted quadratic loss. However, the ML estimator may have lower risk than the shrinkage estimator under other weighted quadratic loss functions in small samples.
TU-G-108-03: Small Lung Size Increases the Risk of Radiation Pneumonitis in Lung Cancer Patients

Purpose: There may be certain populations of lung cancer patients who are especially sensitive to radiation pneumonitis. We have examined the relationship of lung size with the risk of pneumonitis. Methods: A total of 509 non‐small cell carcinoma patients were included in this study. Patients received normally fractionated radiation (180 ‐ 225 cGy per fraction) with a minimum total dose of 50 Gy. Patients were planned with either 3D conformal (296 pts) or intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT, 213 pts). Radiation pneumonitis was graded by the treating physician according to the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) 3.0. Univariate analysis was performed considering mean lung dose, percentage DVH, lung size, and spared lung. The Lyman‐Kutcher‐Burman (LKB) method was used to fit the normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) curve to the data with respect to effective dose. Results: Overall 20% of patients developed Grade 3 or higher pneumonitis, including 24% of the 3D patients and 15% of the IMRT patients. Univariate analysis showed lung size, mean lung dose, percentage treated and spared lung volumes to be significant. An LKB fit to the effective dose showed that it is important to take the volume parameter into account. The risk of pneumonitis predicted by NTCP analysis is underestimated for patients with small total lung sizes (< 2550 cc), where 40% of patients developed Grade 3 or higher pneumonitis. Conclusion: Patients with small lung sizes may be especially vulnerable to radiation pneumonitis. This new finding could be used during treatment planning to reduce the risk of pneumonitis in patients with small lungs.
Anticipating paint cracking: The application of fracture mechanics to the study of paint weathering

The relationships between the fracture energy (Gc), film thickness, stress level, and weathering time were investigated for a number of automotive clearcoats. As weathering progressed, most clearcoats embrittled due to the combined effects of photooxidation, hydrolysis, and other degradation mechanisms. This embrittlement was measured and related to the chemical composition changes that take place in the clearcoat during weathering. When the fracture energy dropped below the driving energy for cracking, G, brittle cracking occurred. The driving force for cracking was shown to depend on stress level and film thickness. The importance of fatigue loading was also qualitatively investigated. These techniques were successfully used to anticipate the long-term weathering behavior of automotive clearcoats.
SIGCSE BP: broadening participation gets RESPECT

In 2005, Jan Cuny started the "Broadening Participation in Computing" (BPC) program at the U.S. National Science Foundation with a thought-provoking question: do we need different approaches to engage diverse people in computing? The answer might seem to be yes --- with alliances including the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT), the Computing Alliance for Hispanic-Serving Institutions (CAHSI), AccessComputing (for people with disabilities), and the Institute for African American Mentoring in Computer Sciences (IAAMCS). On the other hand, STARS builds university leadership to serve local communities, while Expanding Computing Education Pathways (ECEP) works to build capacity in schools for teaching computing, and Into the Loop engages deeply with high schools in Los Angeles to integrate rigorous computing courses into this highly diverse district.
Nonequilibrium thermodynamics modeling of coupled biochemical cycles in living cells

Living cells represent open, nonequilibrium, self-organizing, and dissipative systems maintained with the continuous supply of outside and inside material, energy, and information flows. The energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate is utilized in biochemical cycles, transport processes, protein synthesis, reproduction, and performing other biological work. The processes in molecular and cellular biological systems are stochastic in nature with varying spatial and time scales, and bounded with conservation laws, kinetic laws, and thermodynamic constraints, which should be taken into account by any approach for modeling biological systems. In component biology, this review focuses on the modeling of enzyme kinetics and fluctuation of single biomolecules acting as molecular motors, while in systems biology it focuses on modeling biochemical cycles and networks in which all the components of a biological system interact functionally over time and space. Biochemical cycles emerge from collective and functional efforts to devise a cyclic flow of optimal energy degradation rate, which can only be described by nonequilibrium thermodynamics. Therefore, this review emphasizes the role of nonequilibrium thermodynamics through the formulations of thermodynamically coupled biochemical cycles, entropy production, fluctuation theorems, bioenergetics, and reaction-diffusion systems. Fluctuation theorems relate the forward and backward dynamical randomness of the trajectories or paths, bridge the microscopic and macroscopic domains, and link the time-reversible and irreversible descriptions of biological systems. However, many of these approaches are in their early stages of their development and no single computational or experimental technique is able to span all the relevant and necessary spatial and temporal scales. Wide range of experimental and novel computational techniques with high accuracy, precision, coverage, and efficiency are necessary for understanding biochemical cycles.
Phase-conjugate solid-state lasers

This tutorial reviews phase conjugation as applied to solid-state lasers, beginning with early demonstrations of enhanced beam quality, power scalability, and system-level benefits, and concluding with ongoing efforts striving toward multi-kilowatt powers.
8-OH-DPAT suppresses vomiting in the cat elicited by motion, cisplatin or xylazine☆☆☆

Vomiting was suppressed in cats pretreated with 8-OH-DPAT and then challenged with an emetic stimulus; motion, xylazine or cisplatin. The antiemetic effect is likely due to stimulation of postsynaptic serotonin-1A receptors. The most parsimonious explanation is that it acts at a convergent structure, presumably at or near the vomiting center. If so, 8-OH-DPAT may block emesis elicited by virtually any other stimulus. A supplementary experiment revealed that lorazepam suppressed motion sickness at a dose that produced ataxia, but did not suppress xylazine-induced emesis. These results do not support the possibility that the antiemetic effects of 8-OH-DPAT were the result of anxiolytic activity.
VA CMOPs: producing a pattern of quality and efficiency in government

Abstract Objective To describe the modern, highly efficient, and effective production of prescriptions in a contemporary pharmacy practice setting using large-scale automated dispensing systems. Setting 83,000-square-foot Department of Veterans Affairs Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy (VA CMOP) facility in Tucson, AZ. Practice description The Tucson VA CMOP is one of seven highly automated, large-volume mail service pharmacy operations that prepare, dispense, and mail approximately 100 million prescriptions annually to veterans throughout the United States. The sophisticated automated dispensing systems allow production to be accomplished quickly and at a lower cost than performing the same dispensing tasks at local VA Medical Center (VAMC) pharmacies. As a result of CMOP dispensing program support, pharmacists at local VAMC pharmacies and clinics have the opportunity to spend more time counseling patients instead of being distracted by non–clinical product dispensing tasks. Conclusion VA CMOPs contribute to improving patient care by reorganizing the patient prescription dispensing workflow dynamic from a systems perspective, thereby allowing local VA health care facility pharmacists and other health care providers to better address and resolve patients' medication use issues. Ultimately, the VA CMOP network is a dynamic example of an organizational component within the VA health care system that actively contributes to the government's goal of working better and costing less.