cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
SU‐E‐T‐175: Clinical Evaluations of Monte Carlo‐Based Inverse Treatment Plan Optimization for Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy

Purpose: Pencil-beam or superposition-convolution type dose calculation algorithms are routinely used in inverse plan optimization for intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). However, due to their limited accuracy in some challenging cases, e.g. lung, the resulting dose may lose its optimality after being recomputed using an accurate algorithm, e.g. Monte Carlo (MC). It is the objective of this study to evaluate the feasibility and advantages of a new method to include MC in the treatment planning process. Methods: We developed a scheme to iteratively perform MC-based beamlet dose calculations and plan optimization. In the MC stage, a GPU-based dose engine was used and the particle number sampled from a beamlet was proportional to its optimized fluence from the previous step. We tested this scheme in four lung cancer IMRT cases. For each case, the original plan dose, plan dose re-computed by MC, and dose optimized by our scheme were obtained. Clinically relevant dosimetric quantities in these three plans were compared. Results: Although the original plan achieved a satisfactory PDV dose coverage, after re-computing doses using MC method, it was found that the PTV D95% were reduced by 4.60%–6.67%. After re-optimizing these cases with our scheme, the PTV coverage was improved to the same level as in the original plan, while the critical OAR coverages were maintained to clinically acceptable levels. Regarding the computation time, it took on average 144 sec per case using only one GPU card, including both MC-based beamlet dose calculation and treatment plan optimization. Conclusion: The achieved dosimetric gains and high computational efficiency indicate the feasibility and advantages of the proposed MC-based IMRT optimization method. Comprehensive validations in more patient cases are in progress.
A tactile sensory-enhanced assistive robot

Users of tele-operated assistive robots, much like their counter-parts in other applications, have indicated concern about the lack of tactile feedback. While remarkable developments have been made in eliciting viable neuronal control of a robotic arm, the sensation of touch is needed in order to close the sensorimotor loop and enhance control of movement. We have developed a novel assistive robotic system that provides tactile feedback from a robotic gripper via a haptic interface to the user's tongue. In this paper we focus on the sensors suitable for inclusion in such a system. We explore the requirements for tactile sensors used in assistive robotics. A prototype sensor system with force (both normal and shear) and shape sensing capabilities is presented. This system is being used to evaluate the utility of various tactile sensing capabilities (e.g. normal vs. shear force, force distributions) in assistive robot applications.
Integrated, First-Year Curriculum in Science, Engineering, and Mathematics-a ten-year process

The Integrated, First-Year Curriculum in Science, Engineering, and Mathematics (IFYCSEM) restructures first-year courses in calculus, mechanics (physics), engineering statics, electricity and magnetism (physics), computer science, chemistry, engineering graphics, and engineering design to create a three-course, twelve-credit-per-quarter sequence. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology has offered IFYCSEM to a portion of the entering class since 1990. The paper traces the process through which the IFYCSEM program has been developed and identifies ways in which the development process may have been improve.
Substitution of selenocysteine for cysteine in a reticulocyte lysate protein synthesis system

Selenocysteine occurs in the peptide backbone of several selenoenzymes. The mechanism, of selenocysteine incorporation has not been well characterized. The incorporation of selenocysteine into protein in a rabbit reticulocyte lysate (RRL) was studied at high levels of selenocysteine. [(75)Se]Selenocysteine incorporation was inhibited by cycloheximide and by nuclease treatment. Random RNA copolymers were tested for protein synthesis activity in the messenger RNA-dependent RRL system. Of the active polymers, poly CIU and GU most strongly stimulated the incorporation of selenocysteine. In a series of four polymers with different ratios of U to G, incorporation of selenocysteine and cysteine increased with increasing percentages of U, suggesting that selenocysteine and cysteine responded to the same codon, presumably UGU. Of the 20 protein amino acids, only cysteine and cystine competed with selenocysteine incorporation. Selenocysteine was charged to cysteine-accepting tRNA in RRL. These results show that at supraphysiological concentrations selenocysteine can substitute for cysteine in RRL protein synthesis. Misincorporation of selenocysteine could be important when animal tissues contain high levels of selenium.
An experimental study of polymer diffusion in concentrated solution: implications for diffusion in polymerization

Abstract The Trommsdorf or gel effect in free radical polymerization is due to the fact that the termination reaction becomes strongly diffusion controlled above a critical concentration associated with the onset of molecular entanglements. Therefore, an understanding of polymer self-diffusion in entangled systems becomes essential to understanding the Trommsdorf effect. Our group has previously proposed a molecular model for the gel effect which uses a specific theory for polymer diffusion (reptution). The present work represents an experimental attack on the same problem Experimental studies of polymer self-diffusion in entangled systems are scarce. Quasielastic light scattering from ternary systems composed of solvent(l)-polymer(2)-polymer(3), in which species (3) is isorefractive to the solvent (i.e. 0n/0c 3 = 0), offers an attractive way to study the tracer diffusion coefficient of species (2) in a binary mixture of composition c 3. In regimes of low momentum transfer (qR G < 1,) where q is the scatt...
Effect of velocity-slip on the squeeze film between porous reactangular plates

Abstract The analysis of the squeeze film between porous rectangular plates 4 is extended to include the effect of velocity slip at the fluid and porous material interface. Modified equations for calculating the pressure, the load-carrying capacity, and the film thickness and time relation are presented. The results indicate that the existence of slip velocity will further reduce the load-carrying capacity and the response time of the squeeze film.
Differences among breast and prostate cancer online support groups

Online support resources have become viable alternatives to face-to-face support groups for cancer patients. It is important to understand how individuals make use of such online support resources and what, if any, differences exist between groups. A content analysis was conducted on 3203 posted messages to prostate and breast cancer support sites on Google Groups and WebMD. Overall, post-treatment survivors were the most common posters followed by spouses; however, the proportion of posters varied by site. For both groups, messages of support were most frequent. However the type of support varied by cancer type. Support messages on the breast cancer sites were mostly offers of emotional support. Conversely, messages of support on the prostate cancer sites focused on informational support. Messages of emotional well-being and medical-related comments were next most common on the breast cancer sites, whereas medical issues and sexual intimacy were on the prostate cancer sites. Overall, these findings identify several key differences in the use and benefits of online support sites for breast and prostate cancer.
Neighbors by Nature: Relationships, Border Crossings, and Transnational Communities in the Chinese Exclusion Era

At the turn of the twentieth century, everyday relationships between Chinese and Mexican fronterizos mobility at the Arizona-Sonora borderlands. In the near absence of generational ties on which to draw, Chinese newcomers created vibrant communities from social, economic, and familial-based networks; similar situations occurred in northern Sonora. As Chinese merchants sought to cross legally into the United States, they relied heavily on Mexican neighbors and Mexican and U.S. officials to attest to long-term residential histories, their Mexican citizenship, and their merchant status. On both sides of the border, discreet arrangements and daily interactions, among families and friends and within networks of commerce and community, militated against Sinophobia and harsh exclusion laws. Out of this contested social landscape grew interethnic, transnational communities even as attendant apprehensions weighed heavily on Chinese borderlanders.
Sex to the rescue.

Applying a classical solution to a cutting-edge problem, two groups used bacterial conjugation to construct Escherichia coli double mutants on a genome-wide scale. This will allow comprehensive genetic interaction screens in bacteria for the first time.
Two-Dimensional Microprocessor Pipelines for Image Processing

Two-dimensional arrays of microprocessors are considered for the implementation of image processors that are formulated according to a certain state-space model. The microprocessors are totally synchronized—operating with the same clock and executing the same instructions, communicating with each other through local memory units. This allows the use of such an array as a pipeline for the processing of successive images or sections of one image, to achieve a relatively fast effective speed.
ESP in the big world of reprint requests

The background to this research note is quickly told. In 1985 I published an article in Scientometrics, a journal devoted to quantitative studies in the sociology and history of science (Swales, 1985). The article reviewed current evidence regarding the proportion of research papers published by non-native speakers, proposed a text-scrutiny procedure for ascertaining the NS/NNS status of authors, and applied the procedure to a trial selection of papers. The paper, in my considered view, was rather ordinary; its limited virtues were that it offered an alternative methodology to Baldauf and Jemudd (1983) and produced a little more evidence about the dished visibility of NNS researchers in the research world. Although the paper was ordinary, one form of response was, in my experience, quite exceptional. As a fairly regular contributor to journals in ESP and allied fields, I have received occasional reprint requests (perhaps an average of one per paper). In the case of the Scientometrics paper I have to date received 35 - a phenomenon sufliciently outside my previous experience to seem worth investigating further. Aspects that I have examined include the provenance of the reprint requests (RRs), their form and the language(s) used, the language status of the requesters, and their motivations for requesting reprints both in general and in terms of the particular Scientometrics paper. The RRs were in fact extremely widely distributed, emanating from 20 diierent countries. The major groupings were Eastern Europe (including Yugoslavia) 14, Western Europe 12, Latin America 5 and four others-Canada, Japan, Turkey and the U.S.A. (one request each). As far as I can tell all the requesters were non-native speakers of English except for three. Rather more surprising were the research areas of those who had asked for reprints. A massive majority (24 out of the 32 that could be identified) apparently worked in institutes or departments that were concerned with the medical or biological sciences, six with other sciences or branches of engineering, one in agriculture and one in psychology. Only the last could be considered as a person with a direct scholarly interest in the topic of the paper. This was Dr. Joachim Becker of Trier University, West Germany, who had already published several articles on the role of German and English in disseminating Western German psychological research. There were no linguists or sociolinguists, nor anybody working in information or library science or in any branch of ESP. Thirty-two of the RRs came in the form of printed cards, one was a picture postcard from Turkey and two were the peelable Request-A-Print cards available from the Institute for Scientific Information in Philadelphia. The language(s)
Self-propelled droplets on heated surfaces with angled self-assembled micro/nanostructures

Directional and ratchet-like functionalized surfaces can induce liquid transport without the use of an external force. In this paper, we investigate the motion of liquid droplets near the Leidenfrost temperature on functionalized self-assembled asymmetric microstructured surfaces. The surfaces, which have angled microstructures, display unidirectional properties. The surfaces are fabricated on stainless steel through the use of a femtosecond laser-assisted process. Through this process, mound-like microstructures are formed through a combination of material ablation, fluid flow, and material redeposition. In order to achieve the asymmetry of the microstructures, the femtosecond laser is directed at an angle with respect to the sample surface. Two surfaces with microstructures angled at 45° and 10° with respect to the surface normal were fabricated. Droplet experiments were carried out with deionized water and a leveled hot plate to characterize the directional and self-propelling properties of the surfaces. It was found that the droplet motion direction is opposite of that for a surface with conventional ratchet microstructures reported in the literature. The new finding could not be explained by the widely accepted mechanism of asymmetric vapor flow. A new mechanism for a self-propelled droplet on asymmetric three-dimensional self-assembled microstructured surfaces is proposed.
Peptide maps of rabbit γG-immunoglobulin heavy chains controlled by Allelic Genes

Peptide maps of the heavy polypeptide chains derived from rabbits of different genotype have shown practically identical fingerprints. Nevertheless, the heavy polypeptide chains with the a2 allotypic specificity could be distinguished from those with the al or a3 allotypic specificity by the presence of a yellow spot and the absence of a brown spot. The distinguishing yellow and brown spots were absent from the corresponding Fc-fragments. Moreover, the peptide maps of the Fc-fragments did not distinguish among the three allelic forms of heavy chains. Compared with the peptide maps of the Fc-fragments, only a few additional spots were present in the intact heavy chain. These few spots were insufficient to account for the Fd-fragment, implying that a significant portion of the Fd-fragment is too heterogeneous to be examined by the fingerprint method. The heavy polypeptide chains were found to be electropboretically heterogeneous and this heterogeneity was unrelated to genotype.
Pontine carbachol elicits multiple rapid eye movement sleep-like neural events in urethane-anaesthetized rats.

Microinjection of a cholinergic agonist, carbachol, into the pontine reticular formation of chronically instrumented intact or acutely decerebrate rats and cats has been used extensively to study rapid eye movement sleep mechanisms. In this study, we sought to develop a reduced carbachol model of rapid eye movement sleep-like neural events exhibiting multiple physiological markers of this state, and allowing for the use of invasive electrophysiological techniques. Accordingly, we investigated whether pontine carbachol could produce rapid eye movement sleep-like motor atonia and electrocortical changes in urethane-anaesthetized rats. We recorded cortical and hippocampal electroencephalograms and genioglossus and inspiratory intercostal muscle activities in 13 urethane-anaesthetized, spontaneously breathing, tracheotomized and vagotomized rats. In steady-state periods with high-voltage/low-frequency electroencephalogram activity, carbachol microinjections (15-40 nl, 10 mM) were placed in the medial pontine reticular formation. In 12 rats, carbachol elicited episodes of stereotyped hypotonia of genioglossus but not intercostal muscle activity, typical of rapid eye movement sleep, with a latency and duration of 2.2+/-0.3min (mean+/-S.E.M.) and 11.0+/-2.9 min, respectively. In four of these rats, also similar to rapid eye movement sleep, the major suppression of genioglossus activity (-74+/-9%) was accompanied by electroencephalogram desynchronization, appearance of hippocampal theta rhythm, and a respiratory rate increase (+ 14+/-3%). In the remaining eight rats, the stereotyped suppression of genioglossus activity (-48+/-3%) occurred without electroencephalogram desynchronization and hippocampal theta, and was accompanied by a respiratory rate decrease (-6+/-2%); a pattern of response typical of decerebrate animals. Within a rat, similar patterns of response to repeated carbachol injections at the same anatomical site were obtained. Pontine atropine prevented responses to subsequent carbachol injections. Thus, in urethane-anaesthetized rats, pontine carbachol consistently produced a differential suppression of pharyngeal versus respiratory pump muscle activity, and in a subset of animals, this was also accompanied by cortical and hippocampal electrographic changes typical of rapid eye movement sleep. This shows that complex and stereotyped neuronal events underlying both ascending and descending signs of rapid eye movement sleep can be pharmacologically activated under general anaesthesia. Such a reduced preparation may be useful for studies into the central neuronal mechanisms underlying generation of rapid eye movement sleep; particularly for studies requiring techniques that are difficult to implement in intact, naturally sleeping animals. The acceleration of the respiratory rate observed only when carbachol induced electroencephalogram desynchronization suggests that neural events associated with electrocortical changes contribute to the respiratory rate increases observed in natural rapid eye movement sleep.
Effects of microchemistry and precipitate size on nodular corrosion resistance of Zircaloy-2

Abstract Atom probe studies have been performed on various specimens of Zircaloy-2 in order to measure the concentrations of the alloying elements Cr, Fe, and Ni in the α-Zr matrix. The concentrations were compared with the densities of nodules and corrosion weight gains obtained in two-step (683 K, 793 K) steam tests. The data partially confirm the earlier hypothesis that corrosion is lowered by higher concentrations of solutes in the matrix. However, TEM measurements clearly show that small precipitate size is also an important factor in minimizing corrosion. Optimum corrosion resistance is achieved when the solute contents of the α-Zr matrix are high and the precipitates are small.
Nonparametric Accelerated Life Testing

This paper considers the problem of nonparametric accelerated life testing by extending the results of Shaked & Singpurwalla in two directions. First we solve the case of censored data. Next we extend the methods to the case of competing risks. A s-consistent estimate of the failure distribution at use-stress is given for both cases.
Review of capillary x-ray optics from the 2nd International Capillary Optics Meeting

The 2nd International Capillary Optics Meeting (ICOM2001) took place at the University of Antwerp, 17-21 June 2001. One of the meeting aims was to provide a forum to review the progress in X-ray optics made from monocapillaries, polycapillaries and waveguides. These optics are often employed to better match the properties of a tube or synchrotron X-ray source to X-ray applications such as diffraction, fluorescence, spectroscopy, etc. Many of the applications involve small beams on the size scale from 30 nm to 50 μm. The focus on the initial capillary optics meeting 5 years ago at Cornell University was on how to make and characterize optics. At this meeting, however, the highlights were more centered on how to use optics in interesting applications. Steady progress has been made in the manufacture of higher performance optics and this improvement in technical performance is continuing to drive the interest in commercialization and utilization of these novel forms of X-ray optics in many areas of science and technology. This paper gives a brief overview of the meeting presentations and also describes some of the recent progress in capillary optics manufacture and application at CHESS at Cornell University.
Short communication: initiation of an abacavir-containing regimen in HIV-infected adults is associated with a smaller decrease in inflammation and endothelial activation markers compared to non-abacavir-containing regimens.

Abstract Abacavir has been associated with myocardial infarction in several studies. This may be related to inflammation and endothelial cell activation. We compared changes in inflammation and endothelial activation markers between antiretroviral-naive adults initiating zidovudine, lamivudine, abacavir, and nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) or this regimen without abacavir. Changes in soluble tumor necrosis factor receptors-I, -II (sTNFR-I, -II), high sensitivity C-reactive protein, and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1) from baseline (pre-ART) to a second time point about 24 weeks after initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) were compared between groups using multivariable linear regression. A total of 37 met eligibility criteria; 12 received abacavir. The median (interquartile range) age was 37 years (27–45). Most were men (32/37), African-American (15/37), or white (15/37). The median nadir CD4+ and baseline HIV-1 RNA were 230 cells/mm3 (180–301) and 82,642 copies...
Visual and circadian responses to light in aged retinally degenerate mice

The progression of photoreceptor degeneration in retinally degenerate (rd) mice commences early in postnatal development resulting in the complete loss of rods by 60-70 days of age followed by the more protracted loss of cones. We have previously shown that rd mice 80 days of age are capable of phase shifting their circadian locomotor rhythms in response to brief pulses of light and these animals show the same sensitivity as wild-type (+/+) controls. If surviving cones mediate these circadian responses, then one would expect the sensitivity of the circadian system in rd mice to decline with age and parallel the loss of cones. We demonstrate that aging rd mice (80-767 days of age) remain capable of photically regulating circadian locomotor rhythms in a manner indistinguishable from +/+ mice. Circadian responses to light do not parallel cone cell degeneration in rd mice. In contrast to the circadian responses to light, old (> 210 days of age) rd mice show no visually-evoked behavioral or electroretinogram (ERG) responses.
Tablet Mania: Exploring the Use of Tablet Computers in an Academic Health Sciences Library

Tablet computers are quickly becoming the device of choice when it comes to librarians working in academic health sciences settings. Unlike other technologies, tablets offer convenience, portabilit...
Measles virus nucleocapsid protein can function in Sendai virus defective interferingparticle genome synthesis in vitro

The Sendai virus P and L proteins, the viral RNA polymerase, and the nucleocapsid protein, NP, synthesized in a transient mammalian expression system support the replication of Sendai virus defective interfering particle (DI) genome RNA in vitro. We have shown that the measles virus nucleocapsid protein, N, can substitute for the Sendai NP protein in genome synthesis. The chimeric product nucleocapsids, which contained Sendai RNA encapsidated with measles N protein, were atypical since they were sensitive to micrococcal nuclease digestion, unlike wild-type Sendai or measles nucleocapsids. The utilization of measles N protein required the endogenous Sendai virus RNA polymerase, since DI nucleocapsids free of polymerase were not replicated. Although both Sendai virus NP and P proteins and measles N and P proteins formed complexes when they were coexpressed, sedimentation analysis showed that measles N protein self-assembled and did not form a complex when expressed with the Sendai P protein. Furthermore, when the Sendai P-L polymerase complex was provided separately, measles N protein alone synthesized DI genome RNA in the absence of Sendai P protein. These data suggest that the self-assembled form of measles N protein functions in Sendai DI genome synthesis.
Lymphocytic cholecystitis/cholangitis.

Objectives: To describe four cases of an uncommon type of acalculous cholecystitis/cholangitis characterized by increased intraepithelial lymphocytes within the biliary epithelium. Methods: Cases were prospectively compiled during regular surgical pathology sign-out. Clinical information was obtained from the electronic medical record and the gross appearance from the surgical pathology reports. Microscopic examination was performed with emphasis on the type, location, and distribution of the inflammatory pattern; presence of intraepithelial lymphocytes (>30 per 100 biliary cells); and presence of metaplasia and epithelial hyperplasia. Immunohistochemical stains for CD3, CD8, and IgG4 were performed in some cases. Results: All patients were adults who had either biliary pain or obstructive symptoms. All gallbladders had a relatively normal gross appearance and did not contain gallstones or biliary sludge. Microscopic examination showed numerous intraepithelial lymphocytes in the biliary epithelium. The mucosa was frequently expanded by dense inflammatory cell infiltrates. The inflammatory process was more severe in the infundibulum and bile ducts than in the body of the gallbladder. The intraepithelial lymphocytes were CD3+, CD8+. IgG4+ plasma cells were absent. Conclusions: The term lymphocytic cholecystitis/cholangitis is proposed. The potential clinical implications and pathogenesis of this inflammatory pattern and the differential diagnosis with other forms of acalculous cholecystitis are discussed.
Perspectives of the Titanic: Are We Sinking with the Ship?

Teachers are asked to examine the potential opportunities for connecting themes of childhood play to the skills, habits of the mind, and principles of the disciplines. A comparative analysis of the explanations of first graders and the perceptions of their teachers, in separate focus groups, revealed a disparity in the significance of narrative play as found on the playground. Practitioners are challenged to uncover meaningful connections between play and school curricula.
Inhibition of Na,K-ATPase by sodium selenite and reversal by glutathione.

Sodium selenite has been shown to inhibit Na, K-ATPase. Glutathione, at sufficient excess, is able to prevent or reverse the inhibition. Dithiothreitol can also reverse much of the inhibition, but KCN cannot. Selenomethionine does not inhibit Na, K-ATPase. The interactions of sodium selenite with Na, K-ATPase and glutathione may aid in understanding the early events in selenium cataractogenesis.
Theory of solubility of interstitial impurities in germanium and silicon

Abstract A theory of solubility is developed which is based on estimating the change in energy and in entropy when an impurity is placed in an interstitial site in the lattice. Two distinct cases are considered, namely, the case of the impurity remaining electrically neutral, and the case of the impurity becoming an ionized donor. The species which results in the greater gain in free energy will be predominant in the lattice.
Sporadic Alzheimer disease fibroblasts display an oxidative stress phenotype.

Abstract Alzheimer disease (AD) is a major health problem in the United States, affecting one in eight Americans over the age of 65. The number of elderly suffering from AD is expected to continue to increase over the next decade, as the average age of the U.S. population increases. The risk factors for and etiology of AD are not well understood; however, recent studies suggest that exposure to oxidative stress may be a contributing factor. Here, microarray gene expression signatures were compared in AD-patient-derived fibroblasts and normal fibroblasts exposed to hydrogen peroxide or menadione (to simulate conditions of oxidative stress). Using the 23 K Illumina cDNA microarray to screen expression of >14,000 human genes, we identified a total of 1017 genes that are chronically up- or downregulated in AD fibroblasts, 215 of which were also differentially expressed in normal human fibroblasts within 12 h after exposure to hydrogen peroxide or menadione. Pathway analysis of these 215 genes and their associated pathways revealed cellular functions that may be critically dysregulated by oxidative stress and play a critical role in the etiology and/or pathology of AD. We then examined the AD fibroblasts for the presence of oxidative DNA damage and found increased accumulation of 8-oxo-guanine. These results indicate the possible role of oxidative stress in the gene expression profile seen in AD.
Plasma of Preeclamptic Women Stimulates and Then Inhibits Endothelial Prostacyclin

Abstract We propose that the dichotomy between the in vivo reduction in intravascular prostacyclin production that occurs in preeclampsia and the in vitro stimulatory effect of plasma from preeclamptic patients on endothelial cell prostacyclin production is due to differential effects of chronic versus acute exposure to the plasma. We studied the acute versus chronic effects of 2% plasma from healthy pregnant and preeclamptic subjects by measuring endothelial prostacyclin production at different time periods after exposure to plasma. To determine whether such effects were specific to prostacyclin, we also measured prostaglandin E 2 production. To determine whether chronic changes in prostacyclin production resulted from altered cellular responsiveness, we stimulated cells that had been exposed to plasma for 72 hours with arachidonic acid and measured prostaglandin production. Preliminary characterization of the plasma factor or factors responsible for alterations in prostaglandin production was performed. After 24 hours cells exposed to plasma from preeclamptic women produced more prostacyclin and prostaglandin E 2 than cells exposed to plasma from healthy pregnant women. In contrast, after 72 hours exposure to plasma from preeclamptic women resulted in less endothelial cell prostacyclin production than exposure to plasma from healthy pregnant women, but there were no such differences in prostaglandin E 2 production. Cells that had been exposed to plasma from preeclamptic women for 72 hours produced less prostacyclin but the same quantity of prostaglandin E 2 after stimulation with arachidonic acid than cells exposed to plasma from healthy pregnant women. The plasma factor or factors responsible for altered prostacyclin production were sensitive to heat, acid, and proteases. In contrast to acute exposure, chronic exposure to plasma from preeclamptic women alters endothelial cells to result in decreased prostacyclin production, an observation consistent with in vivo findings.
Perfusion of veins at arterial pressure increases the expression of KLF5 and cell cycle genes in smooth muscle cells.

Vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation remains a major cause of veno-arterial graft failure. We hypothesised that exposure of venous SMCs to arterial pressure would increase KLF5 expression and that of cell cycle genes. Porcine jugular veins were perfused at arterial or venous pressure in the absence of growth factors. The KLF5, c-myc, cyclin-D and cyclin-E expression were elevated within 24 h of perfusion at arterial pressure but not at venous pressure. Arterial pressure also reduced the decline in SM-myosin heavy chain expression. These data suggest a role for KLF5 in initiating venous SMCs proliferation in response to arterial pressure.
Amenity values of spatial configurations of forest landscapes over space and time in the Southern Appalachian Highlands

Abstract This research analyzes amenity values of spatial configurations of forest landscapes over space and time in the Southern Appalachian Highlands using geographically weighted regression (GWR) in a hedonic housing-price framework with a census-block group (CBG) dataset. Results show that housing-price response to mean forest-patch size and forest-patch density increased substantially between 1990 and 2000 in a few specific areas with economically significant amenity values. The spatial and temporal dynamics of the resulting amenity-value estimates are evaluated for potential use as site-selection indicators for implementation of forest conservation programs.
A Scalable Framework for High-Resolution Immersive Displays

We introduce an immersive display framework that is scalable, easily re-configurable, and does not constrain the display surface geometry. The system achieves very-high resolution display through synchronized rendering and display from multiple PCs and light projectors. The projectors can be placed in a loose configuration and calibrated at run time. A full display is composed of these underlying display devices by blending overlapping regions and pre-warping imagery to correct for distortions due to display surface shape and the viewer's position. The effect is a perceptually correct display of a single high-resolution frame buffer.A major contribution of the work is the addition of cameras into the display environment that assist in calibration of projector positions and the automatic recovery of the display surface shape. In addition, a straightforward synchronization framework is introduced that facilitates communication between the multiple rendering elements for calibration, tracking the user's view...
NextGen and SWIM evolution in the mid-term

The Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) Implementation Plan (NGIP) describes the system changes and operational improvements that need to be implemented through the mid-term (2012–2018) to realize NextGen.
Visual preferences of human infants for representations of the human face.

Abstract Thirty infants, 4, 10, and 16 weeks old viewed 7 pictures of faces: a photograph; a realistic drawing; and schematic drawings of a complete, 3 incomplete, and a scrambled face. Analyses of total fixation time and of duration of first fixation gave somewhat discrepant evidence about preferences among the stimuli. The data were interpreted as showing: no preference for the schematic over the symmetrically scrambled face, no difference between a face with no eyes and one with no nose and mouth, preference for more complex over less complex stimuli with complexity defined as the number of elements, and developmental changes in preferences among complete, unaltered faces. Generally, complexity outweighed “faceness” as a determiner of preferences.
“It was a plot got up to convict me”: The case of Henrietta Cook versus the state of Kansas, 1876

In the late spring of 1876, a Kansas farm woman, Henrietta Cook, was brought to trial and found guilty of deliberately and maliciously poisoning her husband with strychnine. A close reading of the evidence today would suggest that the jury could just as easily have found Mrs. Cook innocent of the crime. But they did not. Out of the cultural and ideological materials at hand the jury actively fashioned a truth that allowed them to deal with the heinous crime of marital murder. Drawing on Foucault, the article shows how and why one form of discourse or truth came to triumph at the trial. In the lonely frontier settlement of Osborne, Kansas, people made a clear distinction between nature, which they were trying to overcome, and civilization, which they were trying to impose. The trial demonstrated what happened when nature, in the form of the woman, Henrietta Cook, challenged not only the fragile definition of community that had been constructed, but also the vocabularly of order, rationality, and progress that gave people hope. A voice with another message could not be heard.
Steroid receptor folding by heat-shock proteins and composition of the receptor heterocomplex

Over the past 2 years, reports from several laboratories have supported the proposal that the steroid receptors are bound through the hormone-binding domain to a protein complex that contains three heat-shock proteins-hsp90, hsp70, and hsp56. This receptor-heat-shock-protein heterocomplex accounts for the behavior of the classic 9 S, non-DNA-binding form of the adrenocorticoid, sex hormone, and dioxin receptors. The receptor heterocomplex has now been reconstituted by an enzymatic system in reticulocyte lysate. This represents the first in vitro system for reversing receptor transformation, and this ability to reconstitute the receptor heterocomplex promises rapid advances in our understanding of how these receptors are folded, transported, and regulated by hormone in the cell.
W-band low-noise InAlAs/InGaAs lattice-matched HEMTs

Very low-noise 0.15- mu m gate-length W-band In/sub 0.52/Al/sub 0.48/As/In/sub 0.53/Ga/sub 0.47/As/In/sub 0.52/Al/sub 0.48/As/InP lattice-matched HEMTs are discussed. A maximum extrinsic transconductance of 1300 mS/mm has been measured for the device. At 18 GHz, a noise figure of 0.3 dB with an associated gain of 17.2 dB was measured. The device also exhibited a minimum noise figure of 1.4 dB with 6.6-dB associated gain at 93 GHz. A maximum available gain of 12.6 dB at 95 GHz, corresponding to a maximum frequency of oscillation, f/sub max/, of 405 GHz (-6-dB/octave extrapolation) in the device was measured. These are the best device results yet reported. These results clearly demonstrate the potential of the InP-based HEMTs for low-noise applications, at least up to 100 GHz. >
Physiological ecology of toxic aquatic cyanobacteria

Abstract ‘Toxicity’, a problematic ecophysiological trait of certain cyanobacteria. is largely an anthropomorphic term determined by negative impacts of various secondary metabolites (e.g. alkaloids, peptides. organo-phosphate esters) on mammalian health. Most target organisms are neither natural enemies nor consumers of cyanobacteria. This dichotomy has hindered our understanding of the ecophysiological rationales for toxin production. The physical and chemical factors forcing cyanobacterial bloom initiation and persistence appear to act as controls for metabolite production in a complex and variable manner. Toxin production may simply be a mechanism for shunting excess metabolites during periods of environmental stress and may be metabolically linked to the production of other secondary metabolites, including those causing taste and odour problems. Toxins also may help establish mutually beneficial microbial consortia, by chemotactically attracting and supporting micro-organisms involved in nutrient cyc...
Seasonality of bedrock weathering chemistry and CO2 consumption in a small watershed, the White River, Vermont

Abstract The draw down of CO2 from the atmosphere during mineral weathering plays a major role in the global budget of this greenhouse gas. Silicate minerals remove twice the CO2 of carbonate minerals per mole of calcium in runoff during weathering. Bedrock weathering chemistry was investigated in the White River watershed of northeastern USA to investigate whether there are seasonal differences in carbonate and silicate weathering chemistry. Geographic Information Systems analyses of bedrock geology were combined with major element concentrations in river waters to gain an understanding of the consistency of mineral weathering during three seasons. The percent of carbonate mineralogy comprising the bedrock in tributaries of the White River varied from less than 5% to 45% by area. A mass balance calculation using major element concentrations in waters was applied to estimate the seasonal relationships between bedrock geology and bicarbonate flux. In all tributaries and the main stem of the White River the highest calculated percent of bicarbonate from carbonate mineral weathering was measured in the late fall. The results suggest that carbonate and silicate bedrock weathering processes are seasonally controlled. Thus single season sampling could not accurately represent an entire year's geochemical budget. In the White River, water samples obtained solely during the summer would consistently underestimate the total yearly source of bicarbonate from carbonate bedrock weathering. The same sample set would also provide data that would lead to an underestimation of the yearly atmospheric CO2 draw down by bedrock weathering in the watershed. For example at four of the seven locations studied there was an almost two-fold difference between summer and spring calculated atmospheric CO2 consumption rates.
Social network-based virtual organizations for biomedical research

In this paper we outline techniques to create virtual organizations for bio-medical research studies and discuss metrics to asses information fidelity, in other words how close the information we can extract from the data collected reflects the reality and allows us to draw well-founded conclusions.
Phosphorylation, a factor controlling the synthesis of L-erythrodihydrobiopterin (BH2).

Abstract The enzyme, D-erythrodihydroneopterin triphosphate synthetase from rat brain was observed to have a significantly lower specific activity than that from liver due to their degree of dephosphorylation during preparation. The brain enzyme could be phosphorylated in vitro in presence of [32P]-ATP and protein kinase, resulting in an increased specific activity. Isolation of brain enzyme in presence of 0.8 M NaF allowed recovery of the enzyme phosphorylated at residue 67 (serine) as determined by a new assay for phosphate. This enzyme is present in synaptosomes and its state of phosphorylation may regulate the rate at which dihydrobiopterin, the precursor of the hydroxylase cofactor (tetrahydrobiopterin, BH4), is synthesized by synaptosomes.
Structured singular value analysis of multidimensional system stability

Structured singular value computations are being developed for analysis of robustness of multivariable control systems. It is shown that the same computational tools can be used to test the stability of multidimensional systems. >
Towards a Cognitive Scientific Vindication of Moral Realism: The Semantic Argument

In a methodological milieu characterized by efforts to bring the methods of philosophy closer to the methods of the sciences, one can find, with increasing regularity, meta-ethical arguments relying on scientific theory or data. The received view appears to be that, not only is it implausible to think that a scientific vindication of a non-mentalist moral semantics will be forthcoming but that evidence from a variety of sciences threatens to undermine non-mentalist views. My aim is to push back against this apparent consensus. The well-established phenomenon whereby moral judgments influence our attributions of putatively purely descriptive properties has come to be known as the Knobe Effect. Joshua Knobe has attempted to explain this surprising phenomenon by arguing that our folk psychological judgments are partially constituted by moral judgments. Drawing on an argument originally offered by Moore, I argue that if some instantiation of Knobe’s explanatory strategy is accurate, we have good reason to believe that mentalist moral semantics are untenable.
Pullback attractors for the multi-layer quasi-geostrophic equations of the ocean

Abstract This article studies the pullback asymptotic behavior of solutions for a non-autonomous multi-layer quasi-geostrophic model in a two-dimensional domain. We prove the existence of pullback attractors A V in V (the velocity has the H 1 -regularity) and A H in H (the velocity has the L 2 -regularity). Then we verify the regularity of the pullback attractors by proving that A V = A H , which implies the pullback asymptotic smoothing effect of the model in the sense that the solutions eventually become more regular than the initial data. The method used in this article is similar to the one used in Zhao and Zhou (2007) in the case of the non-autonomous incompressible non-Newtonian fluid in a two-dimensional domain. Let us mention that the non-homogeneous boundary conditions (and the non-local constraint) present in the multi-layer quasi-geostrophic model makes the estimates more complicated, see Bernier (1994). These difficulties are overcome using the new formulation presented in Tachim Medjo (2009).
Competition and information acquisition in first price auctions

Abstract An interesting result of a first price auction model with incomplete information is obtained. Under a specific condition, an increase in the number of bidders increases the equilibrium expected information acquisition expenditures of all bidders and decreases the expected bid revenue to a seller. Competition among bidders in the form of entry and private information acquisition is not profitable to a seller.
Action of thiamine and its analog on neuromuscular transmission in the cat.

Abstract The action of thiamine and a number of its analogs on tibialis twitch response to peroneal nerve stimulation, respiration, and arterial pressure, as well as their effect on the neuromuscular block produced by d -tubocurarine and decamethonium, were studied in anesthetized cats. It was found that thiamine, pyrithiamine, and pyrithiamine analogs in which there is a hydroxy group on the pyridinium ring caused a decrease in the twitch without initial potentiation, depressed respiration, and lowered arterial pressure. These compounds also antagonized both d -tubocurarine and decamethonium. On the other hand, methyl thiazolium iodide, methyl pyridinium iodide, and the analogs of thiamine and pyrithiamine in which there is no hydroxy group on the ring bearing the quarternary nitrogen, produced an increase in the twitch with muscular fasciculation, and with larger doses, a decrease in the twitch. Changes in respiratory movements generally paralleled those of the twitch. Arterial pressure was usually elevated. These compounds antagonized d -tubocurarine and potentiated decamethonium. The thiazolium fragment, at the dose level studied, increased the twitch only slightly. It also antagonized d -tubocurarine and potentiated decamethonium. The pyrimidine fragment seemed to have no effect on the twitch. It appears that the activity of thiamine and pyrithiamine on the neuromuscular junction is related to the quarternary nitrogen, the “pyrimidyl” coupling, and the presence of a hydroxy group on the onium-bearing ring. The antagonistic action of these compounds against df -tubocurarine and decamethonium also depends on the same structural components.
Goat Urine and Limestone Affect Nitrogen and Cation Distributions in an Acidic Grassland

Prior surface application of limestone may influence soil changes resulting from high rates of urine deposition occurring where goats (Capra aegagrus hircus L.) congregate. A quantity of limestone equivalent to 0 and 6720 kg ha -1 was surface applied to vegetated 45-cm-deep columns of a Typic Hapludult soil collected from an abandoned Fescue spp. grassland in southern West Virginia. Eighteen weeks after lime application, one, two, or three applications of urine supplying a total of 36, 98, or 177 g m -2 of N, respectively, were made. One and two applications of urine increased vegetative growth and decreased the amount of water leaching through the column, but the third addition damaged plants. The three-addition treatment reduced the amount of N taken up by the plants, decreased transpiration, increased leachate volume, and resulted in a 12-fold increase in the amount of N leached from the columns compared with the one-application treatment. Leachate Ca, Mg, and K were increased by urine. Soil pH and extractable Ca and Mg were decreased by urine and increased by limestone, and extractable Al was increased by urine and decreased by limestone applications. Net amounts of N recovered as NH 3 gas released to the atmosphere, N taken up into aboveground plant material, NH 4 + and NO 3 - extracted from soil, and NH 4 + and NO 3 - in drainage water ranged from 49 to 77% of the amount added. Surface application of limestone alleviated some of the detrimental effects of high rates of urine addition by increasing levels of pH, Ca, and Mg and reducing Al as deep as 28 cm in the profile.