cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Busulfan-conditioned bone marrow transplantation results in high-level allogeneic chimerism in mice made tolerant by in utero hematopoietic cell transplantation.

Objective In utero hematopoietic cell transplantation (IUHCT) is a nonablative approach that achieves mixed allogeneic chimerism and donor-specific tolerance. However, clinical application of IUHCT has been limited by minimal engraftment. We have previously demonstrated in the murine model that low-level allogeneic chimerism achieved by IUHCT can be enhanced to near-complete donor chimerism by postnatal minimally myeloablative total body irradiation (TBI) followed by same-donor bone marrow transplantation. Because of concerns of toxicity related to even low-dose TBI in early life, we wondered if a potentially less toxic strategy utilizing a single myelosuppressive agent, Busulfan (BU), would provide similar enhancement of engraftment. Methods In this study, mixed chimerism was created by IUHCT in a fully allogeneic strain combination. After birth, chimeric mice were conditioned with BU followed by transplantation of bone marrow cells congenic to the prenatal donor. Results We demonstrate that: 1) low-level chimerism after IUHCT can be converted to high-level chimerism by this protocol; 2) enhancement of chimerism is BU dose-dependent; and 3) BU reduces the proliferative potential of hematopoietic progenitor cells thus conferring a competitive advantage to the non-BU-treated postnatal donor cells. Conclusion This study confirms the potential of IUHCT for facilitation of minimally toxic postnatal regimens to achieve therapeutic levels of allogeneic engraftment.
Crack Growth Induced by Sonic IR Inspection

We have developed an experiment to study the propagation of laboratory-synthesized fatigue cracks under various controlled conditions during Sonic IR inspection. The experiment provides for good repeatability in testing. The parameters of interest include the initial crack length, load history (stress intensity and load ratio) during crack generation, geometry of the crack, material and also the various conditions involving the ultrasonic excitation source. In general, we find that under typical sonic IR inspection conditions, the initial crack will propagate under sonic IR testing. The crack growth after each inspection event varies and exhibits a distribution in length of propagation. The results show that the average crack propagation decreases with increasing stress intensity factor, and we test two hypotheses about the cause of this. Furthermore, we find that crack propagation is affected by the initial crack length.
The fate of transannularlyl-disposed diazo and keto functions in cyclododecanes☆

Abstract The reaction of cyclododecane-1,6- and 1,7-diones with base has resulted in the rapid formation of transannular aldol condensation products. In contrast, sodium ethoxide-catalyzed decomposition of N-nitroso-N-(6-oxocyclododecyl)acetamide and its 7-oxo counterpart in ethanol solution was found to give rise exclusively to unsaturated cyclododecenones. An analysis of these results in terms of the conformational properties of 12-membered ring systems is given and discussion of the probable causative factors for the observed disparity is presented.
Through-space 13C–19F couplings in highly-crowded systems: Radial dependence and electronic effects†

The helical molecule 1-fluorobenzo[ c] phenanthrene shows a large (17.4 Hz) 13C–19F coupling resulting primarily from direct through-space overlap between a fluorine lone pair and the sterically opposed CH bond. After application of corrections for estimated through-bond contributions, comparison of the magnitude of this coupling with the analogous couplings in 4-fluorophenanthrene, 10-fluorobenzo[ a] pyrene, 11-fluoro-5-methylchrysene and 7-fluorobenzo[b] fluoranthene reveals an exponential decrease with increasing H … F internuclear distance, consistent with theoretical predictions. No evidence was found for an angular dependence of the coupling. HETCOR experiments showed the signs of n+1J(HF) in 1-fluorobenzo[ c] phenanthrene, 4-fluorophenanthrene, 10-fluorobenzo[ a] pyrene and 11-fluoro-5-methylchrysene to be opposite to those of the corresponding nJ(CF), hence negative. Substituents at both positions 4 (para to fluorine) and 9 (para to the sterically opposed CH bond) exert only a minor influence on 5J(CF), the couplings in the latter series responding largely to sterically induced distortions of the molecular framework, and in the former series to both steric distortions and an electronic effect. The difference in 5J(CF) between isomers is a measure of the electronic effect of the substituent. Electron-withdrawing substituents para to fluorine reduce the magnitude of the through-space coupling whereas electron-releasing substituents increase the coupling.
Unfinished business: Aboriginal reconciliation and restorative justice in Australia

In this paper we report on general findings and observations in Australia and from two days of the Deliberative Poll on Reconciliation in Canberra. With hundreds of representative Australians participating, and plenary sessions broadcast nationally, it appeared that Australia was progressing on its long journey toward aboriginal reconciliation. In this paper, we apply a theoretical analysis from criminology--restorative justice--to examine the means by and the extent to which the national community conference was a restorative event. Of particular interest to this analysis are the unintended restorative outcomes, the voices heard, the dialogues on apologies, regrets and the past, future possibilities, and responsibility. Some preliminary thoughts on the future of reconciliation will be offered and a few skeptical comments made.
Phosgene: a possible role in the potentiation of carbon tetrachloride hepatotoxicity by 2-propanol.

Abstract The metabolism of carbon tetrachloride to chloroform, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and phosgene, as well as carbon tetrachloride-induced lipid peroxidation was studied in control, 2-propanol-, and phenobarbital-treated rats. Different effects were observed following 2-propanol and phenobarbital treatments. 2-Propanol treatment increased phosgene formation but had no effect on carbon tetrachloride-induced lipid peroxidation, while phenobarbital treatment had no effect on phosgene formation and potentiated carbon tetrachloride-induced lipid peroxidation. These data suggest that 2-propanol and phenobarbital treatments alter either the activity or composition of constitutive forms of cytochrome P-450 responsible for the metabolism of carbon tetrachloride and, in addition, suggest that phosgene may play a role in 2-propanol potentiation of carbon tetrachloride hepatotoxicity.
Serum carotenoids and retinoids in ferrets fed canthaxanthin

Abstract A high-performance liquid chromatographic method has been developed to analyze canthaxanthin (CX) with other carotenoids and retinoids in serum. Serum (100 μL) was extracted first with chloroform/methanol and then with hexane, using retinyl acetate and γ-carotene as the internal standards. The residue of the extract was resuspended into ethanol and injected onto an 8.3 × 0.46 cm 3-μm ODS column. The gradient system consisted of two solvents of acetonitrile/tetrahydrofuran/water with different ratios. The carotenoids and retinoids were measured at 450 nm and 340 nm, respectively. CX was detected in the serum of the ferrets fed CX (79% all- trans and 21% cis isomer, 50 mg/kg bodyweight by gavage for 1 month), but was not detected in the control group. The existence of CX in the serum was confirmed by its UV/visible absorption spectrum and by its negative chemical ionization/mass spectrum with an M − ion at m/z 564. The serum level of all- trans CX in the experimental ferrets was 33.34 ± 3.33 nmol/L ( n = 13) and that of cis CX was 72.48 ± 7.64 nmol/L ( n = 13). There was no difference between the CX-fed group and the control group in the serum levels of retinol, retinyl esters, lutein, cryptoxanthin, or β-carotene. Retinyl esters in ferret serum represent 93% of total vitamin A level, which is more than 10 times higher than the vitamin A level in human blood. High retinyl esters level in the circulation of the ferret is a general phenomenon in carnivores.
Maspin expression in epithelial ovarian cancer and associations with poor prognosis: A Gynecologic Oncology Group study

Abstract Objective This study examined MASPIN expression in human ovarian cancer, and explored the association between MASPIN and prognosis in patients with advanced stage disease treated with first-line cisplatin, carboplatin and/or paclitaxel. Methods Frozen primary tumors were obtained from 68 women with previously untreated, advanced stage epithelial ovarian cancer who participated in a specimen banking protocol and a phase III treatment trial conducted by the Gynecologic Oncology Group. Immunoblot analysis was performed in lysates prepared from these tumor specimens to quantify the relative expression of MASPIN/β-actin. Results. MASPIN was expressed at detected levels in 49 (72%) cases with relative expression ranging from 0.02 to 7.7 (median = 0.2), and was not detected in 19 (28%) of the primary tumors tested. Non-detectable levels of this class II tumor suppressor gene product and inhibitor of angiogenesis were associated with suboptimally-debulked disease ( P = 0.034) but not with patient age, FIGO stage, tumor grade, or histologic subtype. After adjusting for prognostic variables for disease progression or death, non-detectable MASPIN expression predicted an increased risk of disease progression (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.89; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.04–3.45; P = 0.038) and death (HR = 1.99; 95% CI: 1.07–3.69; P = 0.030). Conclusions In advanced stage epithelial ovarian cancer, non-detectable MASPIN appears to be associated with suboptimally-debulked disease and be an independent predictor of an increased risk of progression and death. Further studies are needed to validate these exploratory findings, determine the molecular mechanism controlling MASPIN expression as well as down-regulation and loss in ovarian cancer, and determine if MASPIN can prevent progression of this disease.
Validating a predictive model for computer icon development

A predictive model for icon design was evaluated. Eleven participants gave their interpretations of and rated thirteen icons. Average information content and articulatory distance measures were calculated from the interpretation results. Semantic differential scales resulted in ratings which provided a subjective measure of the icon. All measures were then combined to develop a model to predict icon communication. This model was then statistically compared with the model developed previously for existing icons. Overall results indicate the model is a very good one, but there should be further research using newly designed icons to determine proper weights for each of the factors of the model. Also, there appear to be gender differences which suggest the model is a better predictive tool for males than for females. Further research should be done to determine whether this is due to the small sample size of this study.
Becoming a Negotiator: A Proposed Negotiation Skill Development Complexity Model

Previous research on negotiation skills has focused mostly on the negotiation itself and tactics used when bargaining, while little research has examined the process by which people become effectiv...
The paradox of appropriate care.

A Bostonian is about twice as likely to undergo a carotid endarterectomy as a New Havenite; for coronary bypass operations the risk is the reverse. 1 New Haven residents experience substantially higher rates for hysterectomies and back surgery, while the rates for knee and hip replacements are much greater for Bostonians. Across a wide spectrum of common acute and chronic conditions such as back pain, gastroenteritis, pneumonia, and diabetes, the incidence of hospitalization is much greater for residents of Boston than for those of New Haven, even though the populations are very similar in demographic characteristics related to the need for care. These overall differences in utilization translate into large differences in expense to third-party insurers. For example, in 1982, the Medicare program's outlays were $2647 per enrollee for Boston residents while the average expenditure in New Haven county was $1561. As recently emphasized by Secretary of the Department of
Is the community radiation oncologist ready for clinical hyperthermia

The author, in assessing this "new" therapeutic modality, clearly identifies the many problems associated with it and emphasizes its still experimental nature.
Graphic analysis of resources by numerical evaluation techniques (Garnet)

Abstract An interactive computer program for graphical analysis has been developed by the U.S. Geological Survey. The program embodies five goals, (1) economical use of computer resources, (2) simplicity for user applications, (3) interactive on-line use, (4) minimal core requirements, and (5) portability. It is designed to aid (1) the rapid analysis of point-located data, (2) structural mapping, and (3) estimation of area resources.
Segmentation of external force field for automatic initialization and splitting of snakes

Active contours or snakes have been extensively utilized in handling image segmentation and classification problems. In traditional active contour models, snake initialization is performed manually by users, and topological changes, such as splitting of the snake, cannot be automatically handled. In this paper, we introduce a new method to solve the snake initialization and splitting problem, based on an area segmentation approach: the external force field is segmented first, and then the snake initialization and splitting can be automatically performed by using the segmented external force field. Such initialization and splitting produces multiple snakes, each of which is within the capture range associated to an object and will be evolved to the object boundary. The external force used in this paper is a gradient vector flow with an edge-preserving property (EPGVF), which can prevent the snakes from passing over weak boundaries. To segment the external force field, we represent it with a graph, and a graph-theory approach can be taken to determine the membership of each pixel. Experimental results establish the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Axon-Schwann cell interactions regulate the expression of fibroblast growth factor-5 (FGF-5).

We screened for genes whose expression is significantly up- or downregulated during Wallerian degeneration in adult rat sciatic nerve with cDNA arrays. Fibroblast growth factor-5 (FGF-5) mRNA seemed to be induced. This was confirmed by northern blotting and in situ hybridization, as well as Western blotting for FGF-5 in axotomized nerve. Axon-Schwann cell interactions decreased the steady-state level of FGF-5 mRNA in regenerating sciatic nerves, and forskolin diminished its expression in cultured Schwann cells. We conclude that denervated Schwann cells synthesize FGF-5, which is a secreted, neuronotrophic member of the FGF family. J. Neurosci. Res. 66:16–22, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Video laryngoscopy improves intubation success and reduces esophageal intubations compared to direct laryngoscopy in the medical intensive care unit

Introduction Tracheal intubation in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) can be challenging as patients often have anatomic and physiologic characteristics that make intubation particularly difficult. Video laryngoscopy (VL) has been shown to improve first attempt success compared to direct laryngoscopy (DL) in many clinical settings and may be an option for ICU intubations.
Variability in the implementation of Team Decisionmaking (TDM): Scope and compliance with the Family to Family practice model ☆

Abstract Team Decisionmaking (TDM) is a method of making child welfare placement decisions that draws from the perspectives of family members, community representatives and agency staff members to determine the best placement options for children. This article compares three communities which had different experiences in their implementation of TDM. During the time of this study, the first experienced uneven TDM implementation due to changes in leadership; the second had enthusiastic implementation due to strong agency support; and the third had mature implementation because of a long history of TDM use. The three communities are compared in terms of qualitative analysis of interviews with key informants and quantitative analysis of TDM statistics and foster care placement trends. The study highlights the value of examining implementation from multiple perspectives to better understand what leads to effective implementation.
Effects of afforestation of a páramo grassland on soil nutrient status

Plantations of radiata pine (Pinus radiata) cover more than 4,000,000 ha worldwide [P.B. Lavery, D.J. Mead, Pinus radiata: a narrow endemic from North America takes on the world, in: D.M. Richardson (Ed.), Ecology and Biogeography of Pinus, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1998, pp. 432–449]. In many areas, including the Ecuadorian Andes, these plantations have been established on former grasslands. Although this land use has grown over the past four decades in Ecuador, little is known about the effect of the change in vegetation cover on nutrient cycling in the high-altitude grassland systems where the plantations are frequently established. We examined changes in soil nitrogen, phosphorus, and acidity with stand age, using a chronosequence of stands ranging from 0 to 25 years of age. The effects of planting the grasslands with pine were most notable near the soil surface (0–10 cm), although in some cases changes deeper in the A horizon were also large. Total nitrogen concentrations became increasingly depleted along the chronosequence at intermediate depth (P ¼ 0:04), while N was gained in the litter (P ¼ 0:02) and upper-A horizon (P ¼ 0:001) until the plantations reached 20 years, at which point it again declined. In the top 10 cm, concentrations of NO3 � increased dramatically under pine (P < 0:001), while NH4 þ was lower than in grasslands (P ¼ 0:04). Unlike nitrogen, neither total nor available phosphorus was significantly altered by the change in vegetation. Soil pH was higher in the grassland soils (5.5) than under pine stands of any age (P < 0:01), all of which had a mean pH of 5.2. Acidification under pine occurred only in the top 10 cm, with no differences in pH at other depths, indicating that it is being driven by soil processes that predominate in the near-surface environment. These results demonstrate that the change of vegetation can affect soil properties on a decadal time scale, with implications for long-term site productivity.
Excitation spectrum and dynamic structure function of 4He clusters

Abstract We compute the collective excitations, transition densities, and the dynamic structure function of 4 He droplets at zero temperature using a generalized Feynman ansatz for the excitation function. The theory uses as inputs the exact ground state, one- and two-body densities sampled by a second order Diffusion Monte Carlo algorithm.
Practical photomask linewidth measurements

The measurement cycle for practical accurate photomask linewidth measurements is analyzed as a differential measurement- -the linewidth to be measured is compared to a known linewidth on a standard photomask. The linewidth measuring instrument is thus a comparator. The conditions necessary for a valid measurement are discussed with regard to both the instrument and the comparison process. The principles discussed here apply to many other types of measurement as well.
Kinetic study of the electroreduction of nitrobenzene

A reaction kinetic study has been performed for the reduction of nitrobenzene on a Cu electrode in 1m H2SO4 in a 50∶50 (Vol%) mixture of water and 1-propanol at 27°C. The study was carried out on a rotating disc electrode for which the current-potential data were supplemented with product-concentration measurements. The resulting rate expressions represent a reaction mechanism for the reduction of nitrobenzene to aniline and p-aminophenol through the common intermediate phenylhydroxylamine, and incorporate the dependence on reactant concentration and potential for the three predominant reaction pathways. The three major reaction steps were studied independently by performing experiments in which phenylhydroxylamine only was used as the reactant to complement those experiments in which nitrobenzene was used. The kinetic expressions found from measuring the rates of the individual reactions were consistent with the results of experiments in which all the reactions were carried out simultaneously. The expressions obtained are suitable for use in reactor design, modelling and control, and of equal importance, the methodology outlined to extract kinetic parameters from the current and concentration data serves as a model for application to other reaction systems.
Software-defined radar for MIMO and adaptive waveform applications

The development of a software-defined radar testbed is described. The testbed is to be used to explore advanced techniques such as multiple-input multiple-output radar and adaptive waveforms. The system features a fully programmable, dual-channel, arbitrary pulsed waveform generator with a quadrature downconverting receiver. The system can generate waveforms of up to 500 MHz instantaneous bandwidth at a center frequency tunable from 2–18 GHz. The RF front end features two independent transmit and receive channels that can be multiplexed between four dual-polarized transmit and four dual-polarized receive antennas.
Gene expression profiling of the androgen receptor antagonists flutamide and vinclozolin in zebrafish (Danio rerio) gonads

Abstract The studies presented in this manuscript focus on characterization of transcriptomic responses to anti-androgens in zebrafish (Danio rerio). Research on the effects of anti-androgens in fish has been characterized by a heavy reliance on apical endpoints, and molecular mechanisms of action (MOA) of anti-androgens remain poorly elucidated. In the present study, we examined effects of a short term exposure (24–96 h) to the androgen receptor antagonists flutamide (FLU) and vinclozolin (VZ) on gene expression in gonads of sexually mature zebrafish, using commercially available zebrafish oligonucleotide microarrays (4 × 44 K platform). We found that VZ and FLU potentially impact reproductive processes via multiple pathways related to steroidogenesis, spermatogenesis, and fertilization. Observed changes in gene expression often were shared by VZ and FLU, as demonstrated by overlap in differentially-expressed genes and enrichment of several common key pathways including: (1) integrin and actin signaling, (2) nuclear receptor 5A1 signaling, (3) fibroblast growth factor receptor signaling, (4) polyamine synthesis, and (5) androgen synthesis. This information should prove useful to elucidating specific mechanisms of reproductive effects of anti-androgens in fish, as well as developing biomarkers for this important class of endocrine-active chemicals.
Effects of dietary exposure to fumonisins from Fusarium moniliforme culture material (M-1325) on the reproductive performance of female mink

Adult female mink (Mustela vison) were fed diets that contained Fusarium moniliforme culture material that provided low- or high-dose dietary concentrations of 86 or 200 ppm fumonisin B1, 22 or 42 ppm fumonisin B2, and 7 or 12 ppm fumonisin B3, respectively, from approximately two weeks prior to breeding through gestation and lactation. Breeding performance of the females was not affected by consumption of the fumonisin diets. However, 58% of the mated females fed the high-dose diet (254 ppm total fumonisins) whelped compared to 100% of those fed the control and low-dose diets (115 ppm fumonisins). There was a statistically significant, dose-dependent decrease in kit (young mink) body weights at birth and a notable, but non-significant, decrease in litter size. The percentage of stillborn kits was directly proportional to the concentration of fumonisins in the dams' diets. Fumonisin concentrations in milk collected from those fed the high-dose diets were approximately 0.7% of the dietary fumonisin concentrations. Lactational exposure to fumonisins did not significantly decrease kit survival from birth through three weeks of age. Hepatic cell vacuolation was present in 25% of the control and 80% of the high-dose adults. No treatment-related gross or histologic lesions were observed in the kit mink. Numerous differences in hematologic and serum chemical parameters were noted between the control and fumonisin-exposed mink.
Arctic sea ice surviving the summer melt: interannual variability and decreasing trend

Sea ice surviving the summer melt season to become multi-year ice in the Arctic Ocean is of interest because multi-year ice significantly affects the ice-thickness distribution and the dynamics and thermodynamics of the ice pack in subsequent seasons. However, the amount of ice surviving summer melting has not been well determined because the time of the minimum ice area varies from region to region. A concept of local temporal minimum (LTM) accounts for non-simultaneity of the melt-freeze transition by determining the minima ice concentrations (C LTM ) on local spatial scales. C LTM are calculated for 25 km gridcells using 24 years (1979-2002) of satellite passive-microwave data. The total area of ice surviving the summer melt (A LTM ) is given by spatial integration of C LTM . Over 24 years, the average A LTM is 2.6 x 10 6 km 2 (excluding ∼0.7x10 5 km 2 above 84° N). In contrast, the average area (3.8 x 10 6 km 2 ) of all ice types (A SM ), measured when the total (simultaneous) ice cover is a minimum in daily maps in mid-September, is an often-used estimate of ice surviving the summer melting that is ∼45% too large. Over 24 years, the A LTM decreased by 9.5 ±2.2% (10a) -1 (0.27 ±0.06 x 10 6 km 2 (10a) -1 ), which is similar to the rate of decline of A SM and about three times the rate of the annual average. The time-of-occurrence of the LTM averaged over the perennial ice pack increased by 8 days from around 11 to 19 August, indicating a later ending of the melt season by about 3 days(10a) -1 as the summer pack declines. Estimates of multi-year ice in midwinter from passive microwave observations are ∼17% smaller than A LTM , suggesting that the microwave algorithm does not measure all the multi-year ice.
Application of surface-enhanced Raman toward the detection of cell membrane proteins

Silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) functionalized with molecule probes which contains unique Raman vibrational mode as well as a recognition binding site to target specific surface proteins expressed on the transfected human cervical cancel cells was utilized to detect the cell surface protein through surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) microscopy. In this study, we demonstrate that only the aggregated Ag-NPs displays detectable SERS signal. We also observed striking polarization anisotropy in many dimer or trimer NP aggregates. This work will impact on the future design of NP clusters for in-vivo cell imaging.
Angle factors for radiant interchange between parallel-oriented tubes

Angle factors for diffuse radiant energy interchange between parallel cylindrical tubes - application to tubular heat exchanger
Affordance Judgments in HMD-Based Virtual Environments: Stepping over a Pole and Stepping off a Ledge

People judge what they can and cannot do all the time when acting in the physical world. Can I step over that fence or do I need to duck under itq Can I step off of that ledge or do I need to climb off of itq These qualities of the environment that people perceive that allow them to act are called affordances. This article compares people’s judgments of affordances on two tasks in both the real world and in virtual environments presented with head-mounted displays. The two tasks were stepping over or ducking under a pole, and stepping straight off of a ledge. Comparisons between the real world and virtual environments are important because they allow us to evaluate the fidelity of virtual environments. Another reason is that virtual environment technologies enable precise control of the myriad perceptual cues at work in the physical world and deepen our understanding of how people use vision to decide how to act. In the experiments presented here, the presence or absence of a self-avatar—an animated graphical representation of a person embedded in the virtual environment—was a central factor. Another important factor was the presence or absence of action, that is, whether people performed the task or reported that they could or could not perform the task. The results show that animated self-avatars provide critical information for people deciding what they can and cannot do in virtual environments, and that action is significant in people’s affordance judgments.
Human Skeletal Muscle mRNA Response to a Single Hypoxic Exercise Bout

Background The ability to physically perform at high altitude may require unique strategies to acclimatize before exposure. The effect of acute hypoxic exposure on the metabolic response of the skeletal muscle may provide insight into the value of short-term preacclimatization strategies. Objective To determine the human skeletal muscle response to a single acute bout of exercise in a hypoxic environment on metabolic gene expression. Methods Eleven recreationally active male participants (24 ± 4 years, 173 ± 20 cm, 82 ± 12 kg, 15.2 ± 7.1% fat, 4.0 ± 0.6 L/min maximal oxygen consumption) completed two 1-hour cycling exercise trials at 60% of peak power followed by 4 hours of recovery in ambient environmental conditions (975 m) and at normobaric hypoxic conditions simulating 3000 m in a randomized counterbalanced order. Muscle biopsies were obtained from the vastus lateralis before exercise and 4 hours after exercise for real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis of select metabolic genes. Results Gene expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha, cytochrome c oxidase subunit 4, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1 alpha, hexokinase, phosphofructokinase, mitochondrial fission 1, and mitofusin-2 increased with exercise ( P P > .05). Optic atrophy 1 did not increase with exercise or differ between environmental conditions ( P > .05). Conclusions The improvements in mitochondrial function reported with intermittent hypoxic training may not be explained by a single acute hypoxic exposure, and thus it appears that a longer period of preacclimatization than a single exposure may be required.
Development of an impedance-based wireless sensor node for structural health monitoring

This paper presents the development and application of a miniaturized impedance sensor node for structural health monitoring (SHM). A large amount of research has been focused on utilizing the impedance method for structural health monitoring. The vast majority of this research, however, has required the use of expensive and bulky impedance analyzers that are not suitable for field deployment. In this study, we developed a wireless impedance sensor node equipped with a low-cost integrated circuit chip that can measure and record the electrical impedance of a piezoelectric transducer, a microcontroller that performs local computing and a wireless telemetry module that transmits the structural information to a base station. The performance of this miniaturized and portable device has been compared to results obtained with a conventional impedance analyzer and its effectiveness has been demonstrated in an experiment to detect loss of preload in a bolted joint. Furthermore, for the first time, we also consider the problem of wireless powering of such SHM sensor nodes, where we use radio-frequency wireless energy transmission to deliver electrical energy to power the sensor node. In this way, the sensor node does not have to rely on an on-board power source, and the required energy can be wirelessly delivered as needed by human or a remotely controlled robotic device.
Scheduling-independent threads and exceptions in SHIM

Concurrent programming languages should be a good fit for embedded systems because they match the intrinsic parallelism of their architectures and environments. Unfortunately, typical concurrent programming formalisms are prone to races and nondeterminism, despite the presence of mechanisms such as monitors.In this paper, we propose SHIM, the core of a deterministic concurrent language, meaning the behavior of a program is independent of the scheduling of concurrent operations. SHIM does not sacrifice power or flexibility to achieve this determinism. It supports both synchronous and asynchronous paradigms-loosely and tightly synchronized threads-the dynamic creation of threads and shared variables, recursive procedures, and exceptions.We illustrate our programming model with examples including breadth-first-search algorithms and pipelines. By construction, they are race-free. We provide the formal semantics of SHIM and a pre-liminary implementation.
Fast recognition using adaptive subdivisions of transformation space

An algorithm, RAST, for solving the bounded error recognition problem efficiently using adaptive subdivisions of transformation space, is presented. The RAST algorithm uses no heuristics and loses no solutions. It is a simple, efficient algorithm combining the ideas of multiresolution matching, Hough transform, search-based recognition, and bounded error recognition. Its performance is better than that of alignment and Hough transform methods, and, as opposed to these methods; RAST finds solutions satisfying simple, well-defined bounded error criteria. >
Use of the amplified mycobacterium tuberculosis direct test in a public health laboratory: test performance and impact on clinical care.

Background The Amplified Mycobacterium tuberculosis Direct Test (MTD; Gen-Probe; San Diego, CA) is a nucleic-acid amplification test for rapid pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) diagnosis. In a routine public health setting, test accuracy and impact on clinical decisions are unknown. Methods Retrospectively, we evaluated MTD accuracy and impact on clinical decisions in a public health setting. To estimate MTD accuracy, mycobacterial culture was used as the “gold standard.” To evaluate MTD impact on clinical decisions, concordance of clinician presumptive diagnosis (at time of MTD and smear availability) and definitive diagnosis, and duration of nonindicated tuberculosis therapy were determined for smear-positive PTB suspects in a period of MTD availability (MTD group) and a prior period of MTD nonavailability (non-MTD group). Results A total of 1,151 respiratory specimens from 638 PTB suspects were analyzed. MTD sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 91.7%, 98.7%, 96.7%, and 96.5% overall, respectively; and 98.7%, 97.8%, 98.7%, and 97.8% for smear-positive patients; and 62.2%, 98.9%, 85.2%, and 96.1% for smear-negative patients. In the MTD group, concordance between definitive and clinician presumptive diagnoses was 78% (95% confidence interval [CI], 64 to 88%), similar to that for the non-MTD group (79%; 95% CI, 68.4 to 89.6%). However, concordance between definitive diagnosis and the MTD test was 98% (95% CI, 94.1 to 100%). Median duration of nonindicated tuberculosis treatment was 6 days for the MTD group vs 31 days for the non-MTD group (p = 0.002). Conclusion In this public health setting, MTD was accurate and rapidly detected more than half of the smear-negative PTB cases. For smear-positive PTB suspects, MTD had excellent concordance with definitive diagnosis, but clinicians often inappropriately initiated TB therapy despite a negative MTD result.
Spectral methods for modeling supersonic chemically reacting flowfields

A numerical algorithm was developed for solving the equations describing chemically reacting supersonic flows. The algorithm employs a two-stage Runge-Kutta method for integrating the equations in time and a Chebyshev spectral method for integrating the equations in space. The accuracy and efficiency of the technique were assessed by comparison with an existing implicit finite-difference procedure for modeling chemically reacting flows. The comparison showed that the procedure presented yields equivalent accuracy on much coarser grids as compared to the finite-difference procedure with resultant significant gains in computational efficiency.
Four-Variable Risk Model in Men and Women with Heart Failure

Background— Risk stratification is an integral component of clinical decision making in heart failure (HF). Women with HF have unique characteristics compared with men, and it is unknown whether common prognostic factors are equally useful in both populations. We aimed to investigate whether sex-specific risk models are more accurate for risk prediction in patients with advanced HF. Methods and Results— Patients with advanced HF referred to University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA; n=2255), were stratified by sex into derivation (referred in 2000–2007) and validation (referred in 2008–2011) cohorts. Cox regression analysis was used to ascertain key variables predictive of the primary end point of death/urgent transplantation/ventricular assist device in the derivation cohorts and confirmed in the validation cohorts in men, women, and the total population. Women were younger, with higher ejection fraction and better event-free survival. Despite differences in baseline characteristics, the 4 strongest predictors of outcome in both women and men, as well as in the total cohort, were B-type natriuretic peptide, peak oxygen consumption by cardiopulmonary exercise testing (pkVO2), New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification, and use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker. In addition, the UCLA model performed better than the Seattle Heart Failure Model (SHFM) and the Heart Failure Survival Score (HFSS) in our cohort (c-indices of 0.791[UCLA] versus 0.758 [SHFM], 0.607 [noninvasive HFSS], and 0.625 [invasive HFSS]). Conclusions— A simple risk model assessing 4 clinical variables—B-type natriuretic peptide, pkVO2, NYHA, and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker use—is well suited to provide prognostic information in both men and women with advanced HF.
Targeted Disruption of the Peripheral-type Benzodiazepine Receptor Gene Inhibits Steroidogenesis in the R2C Leydig Tumor Cell Line

To evaluate the role of the mitochondrial peripheral-type benzodiazepine receptor (PBR) in steroidogenesis, we developed a molecular approach based on the disruption of the PBR gene, by homologous recombination, in the constitutive steroid producing R2C rat Leydig tumor cell line. Inactivation of one allele of the PBR gene resulted in the suppression of PBR mRNA and ligand binding expression. Immunoblot and electron microscopic immunogold labeling analyses confirmed the absence of the 18-kDa PBR protein in the selected clone. Although mitochondria from the PBR-negative cells contained high levels of the constitutively expressed 30-kDa steroidogenic activity regulator protein, these cells produced minimal amounts of steroids compared with normal cells (5%). Moreover, mitochondria from PBR-negative cells failed to produce pregnenolone when supplied with exogenous cholesterol. Addition of the hydrosoluble cholesterol derivative, 22R-hydroxycholesterol, increased steroid production by the PBR-negative R2C cells, indicating that the cholesterol transport mechanism was impaired. Stable transfection of the PBR-negative R2C Leydig cells with a vector containing the PBR cDNA resulted in the recovery of the steroidogenic function of the cells. These data demonstrate that PBR is an indispensable element of the steroidogenic machinery, where it mediates the delivery of the substrate cholesterol to the inner mitochondrial side chain cleavage cytochrome P-450.
Bureaucrats Versus Voters: On the Political Economy of Resource Allocation by Direct Democracy

I. The setter's problem under certainty and the importance of the reversion point, 565.—II. Budget-maximizing with uncertain turnout, 571.—III. Exploiting a sequence of elections, 579.—IV. Implications for empirical research, 581.—Appendix, 585.
Convective heat transfer due to an impinging synthetic jet: A numerical investigation of a canonical geometry

In the present study, a canonical geometry has been created for investigating the flow and heat transfer of a purely oscillatory jet that is not affected by the manner in which it is produced, and hence has allowed us to investigate the flow and heat transfer in a generalized approach. The unsteady Navier- Stokes equations and the convection-diffusion equation were solved using a full unsteady, two-dimensional finite volume approach in order to capture the complex time dependent flow field produced by periodic ejection-suction at high frequencies. The effect of the Reynolds number Re and the jet-to-surface distance H upon the heat transfer were parametrically examined, over a range of oscillation frequencies. Results were compared with a steady, laminar impinging jet of the same configuration, and over the same range, for matched Reynolds numbers Re < 600. It was found that synthetic and continuous jets are comparable in cooling efficiency, but have dissimilar dependence on jet-to-surface distance. Furthermore, an optimum jet-to-surface distance was indentified for oscillatory jets that does not exist for steady laminar jets.
Multi-slicing: a compiler-supported parallel approach to data dependence profiling

Retrofitting existing software for the increasingly dominant multicore microprocessors has a strong appeal from the economic point of view. One of the key issues in such an effort is to fully understand the data dependences in the existing software. Unfortunately, current compilers have quite limited ability to analyze data dependences. Therefore, execution-driven data dependence profiling has gained significant interest because it can resolve memory access ambiguity exactly during program execution, which allows data dependences to be analyzed exactly. Although such dependence profiling is valid for specific inputs only, the insight it provides can be highly valuable to software engineers in their parallelization effort. On the other hand, dependence profiling itself can take tremendous memory and machine time. In this paper, we propose a novel dependence profiling method which, with the support of several new compiler and runtime techniques, partitions the profiling task into many independent slices, each requiring significantly less memory. Different slices can be profiled in parallel, producing subgraphs which are eventually combined automatically into the complete data dependence graph by the compiler. The slices can be extracted with different degrees of granularity. Experiments show that, for several well-known benchmark programs, our parallel scheme shortens the profiling time by a few orders of magnitude.
Design and implementation of metallization structures for epi-down bonded high power semiconductor lasers

High power semiconductor lasers have found increasing applications in industrial, military, commercial and consumer products. The thermal management of high power lasers is critical since the junction temperature rise resulting from large heat fluxes strongly affects the device characteristics, such as wavelength, kink power, threshold current and efficiency, and reliability. The epitaxial-side metallization structure of epi-down bonded lasers has significant impact on the thermal performance and reliability of the high power semiconductor lasers. In this paper, the influence of the epitaxial-side metal (p-metal) on the thermal behavior of a GaAs-based high power single-mode laser, mounted epi-side down, is studied using finite element analysis. Metallization structures having different diffusion barriers for eutectic AuSn solder are designed and implemented, and the metallurgical stability of the four metal systems, Ti/Pt/thick Au (2-3 /spl mu/m thick), Ti/Pt/thick Au/Ti/Pt/Au, Ti/Pt/thick Au/Ti/Ni/Au, and Ti/Pt/thick Au/Ti/Cr/Au, are reported.
Evidence for acute renal cortical vasoconstriction after uninephrectomy.

The rate of progression of chronic renal failure (CRF) is similar for many diseases, suggesting a common, perhaps intrinsic, renal signal for its progression. The remnant nephron hypothesis of Bricker suggests that CRF may be the result of persistent compensatory renal growth (CRG). Normally, CRG after unilateral nephrectomy (uniNx) ceases within 1 week. Knowledge of the signals that initiate CRG may therefore shed light on the signals responsible for ongoing CRF. The signals responsible for the initiation of compensatory renal growth after uniNx are unknown. Hemodynamic changes in the remaining renal artery have been observed, but there are as yet no data for the main renal compartment which undergoes hypertrophy, the superficial renal cortex. The noninvasive technique of laser-Doppler flowmetry allows the continuous and independent monitoring of blood velocity and blood volume. The product of the two signals is proportional to tissue blood flow per unit volume of the tissue observed. Under controlled co...
Comment on Argia M. Sbordone ''Inflation persistence: Alternative interpretations and policy implications''

Let me begin with a summary of this interesting paper, before giving some comments. The paper builds on Sbordone’s earlier work with Tim Cogley (Cogley and Sbordone, 2005, 2006—referenced as CS hereafter). In that work, CS developed a macro-model with a time-varying inflation trend. As in a familiar version of Calvo pricing with indexing, CS assumed that firms that do not reoptimize partially index to the previous period’s inflation rate. It is standard to log linearize around a zero steady-state inflation rate. This would lead to a linear equation with a lag of inflation in the Phillips curve (see, e.g., Woodford, 2003):
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1 Activation Mediates Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition in Human Pancreatic Carcinoma Cells

Our laboratory has shown that vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1 (VEGFR-1) expression on human pancreatic cancer cell lines mediates cell migration and invasion. Because epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) also plays a role in cell motility by altering the cell phenotype and morphology, we hypothesized that VEGFR-1 activation induces molecular alterations that mediate EMT. Our treatment of the human pancreatic cancer cell line L3.6pl with the VEGFR-1 ligands VEGF-A and VEGF-B led to morphologic changes characteristic of EMT, including loss of polarity, increased intercellular separation, and the presence of pseudopodia. Immunofluorescent staining with antibodies to E-cadherin and beta-catenin showed that VEGFR-1 activation led to translocation of E-cadherin and beta-catenin from their usual cell membrane-bound location to the cytoplasm and nucleus, respectively. Western blotting showed that VEGFR-1 activation led to decreased expression of the epithelial markers E-cadherin and plakoglobin, increased expression of the mesenchymal markers vimentin and N-cadherin, and increased nuclear expression of beta-catenin. Pretreatment of tumor cells with a VEGFR-1 blocking antibody inhibited the VEGFR-1-induced immunohistochemical and molecular changes in E-cadherin. VEGFR-1 activation led to an increase in expression of the EMT-associated transcription factors Snail, Twist, and Slug. The changes mediated by VEGFR-1 in this pancreatic carcinoma cell line are highly consistent with the changes characteristic of EMT. Given our previous finding of VEGFR-1-mediated tumor cell invasion and migration in pancreatic carcinoma cells, we hypothesize that VEGFR-1 plays a role in tumor progression in pancreatic cancer through the induction of EMT.