cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Redox-based epigenetic status in drug addiction: a potential contributor to gene priming and a mechanistic rationale for metabolic intervention.

Alcohol and other drugs of abuse, including psychostimulants and opioids, can induce epigenetic changes: a contributing factor for drug addiction, tolerance and associated withdrawal symptoms. DNA methylation is the major epigenetic mechanism and it is one of more than 200 methylation reactions supported by methyl donor S-adenosylmethionine (SAM). The levels of SAM are controlled by cellular redox status via the folate and vitamin B12-dependent enzyme methionine synthase (MS), for example; under oxidative conditions MS is inhibited, diverting its substrate homocysteine (HCY) to the transsulfuration pathway. Alcohol, dopamine and morphine, can alter intracellular levels of glutathione (GSH)-based cellular redox status, subsequently affecting S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) levels and DNA methylation status. In this discussion, we compile this and other existing evidence in a coherent manner to present a novel hypothesis implicating the involvement of redox-based epigenetic changes in drug addiction. Next, we also discuss how “gene priming” phenomenon can contribute to maintenance of redox and methylation status homeostasis under various stimuli including drugs of abuse. Lastly, based on our hypothesis and some preliminary evidence, we discuss a mechanistic explanation for use of metabolic interventions / redox-replenishers as symptomatic treatment of alcohol addiction and associated withdrawal symptoms. Hence, the current review article strengthens the hypothesis that neuronal metabolism has a critical bidirectional coupling with epigenetic changes in drug addiction and we support this claim via exemplifying the link between redox-based metabolic changes and resultant epigenetic consequences under the effect of drugs of abuse.
Coordinated sensing and active repair for self-healing

Self-repairing structural systems have the potential for improved performance ranges and lifetimes over conventional systems. Self-healing materials are not a new phenomenon and have been used in automotive and aeronautical applications for over a century. The bulk of these systems operate by using damage to directly initiate a repair response without any supervisory coordination. Integrating sensing and supervisory control technologies with self-healing may improve the safety and reliability of critical components and structures. This project illustrates the benefit of an integrated sensing, control, and self-healing system using laboratory scale test beds. A thermoplastic polymer embedded with resistive heating wires acts as the self-healing material. Damage is detected using an electro-optical sensing scheme based on photoresistors and a PC handling control duties. As damage occurs it is detected, located, and characterized. The key to this project is the integration of sensor feedback to control healing so that repairs are executed, monitored, and completed on the basis of continuous sensor data. This proof-of-concept prototype can likely be expanded and improved with alternative sensor options, self-healing materials, and system architecture.
Design, analysis, and optimization of composite leaf springs for light vehicle applications

Abstract Design and manufacture of a functional composite spring for a solar powered light vehicle is described. The objective is to provide an understanding of the manufacture, use, and capabilities of composite leaf springs produced by using unidirectional Eglass' roving impregnated by an epoxy resin for light vehicle applications where the vehicle weight is of primary concern. The current design application involves a solar powered car.
Physical and biological optimization of core-shell nanoparticle tracers for in vivo MPI

In this study, in vivo particokinetics of biocompatible MNTs that show optimal MPI performance in the biological environment has been presented. In our previous work, the particokinetics - biodistribution and blood circulation time - of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-coated 17 nm core and ~80nm hydrodynamic diameter MNTs in female CD-1 mice was studied. Specifically, the blood-circulation time was characterized by measuring the particle response function (PRF) of MNTs circulating in blood using our 25 kHz magnetic particle spectrometer (MPS). In comparison to Resovist, monodisperse 17 nm MNTs showed 2x greater signal that was sustained for ~15 minutes of circulation in this rodent model. Current modeling and experimental results indicate that ~22-25 nm is the optimal core size at 25 kHz AC-field, thus we present in vivo circulation characteristics of MNT cores in this optimal size range.
Mechanisms Of Contamination In Photochemical Deposition Or Thin Metal Films

Systematic investigations of thin Cr, Mo and W films deposited from the hexacarbonyls with low power, cw UV light have been carried out in order to learn about sources of contamination by C and 0 (luring film growth. Dissociative chemisorption of CO from the precursor, reactions with oxygen-containing background gases during deposition and air alter deposition all affect film compositions. Laser heating can also he important. General aspects of film contamination are discussed for other precursors such as the alkyls and acetylacetonates, and compared to the present data.
E-Collaboration Media Use and Diversity Perceptions: An Evolutionary Perspective of Virtual Organizations

Virtual organizations enable collaboration and interaction among a diverse set of people regardless of their temporal and spatial dispersion. Throughout the life of a virtual organization, diversity plays an influential role in determining outcomes that ultimately affect the longevity and success of the organization. The goal of this paper is to describe the role diversity plays during different organizational evolutionary approaches, and how e-collaboration media characteristics interact with diversity and organizational evolution to influence outcomes. The authors leverage media synchronicity theory to discuss how the characteristics of different e-collaboration media can reduce or enhance perceived diversity. The role that perceived diversity has in determining outcomes is a function of whether a virtual organization is evolving according to the life-cycle, telelogical, or dialectic evolutionary approaches. Guided by organizational evolution, diversity, attribution, and media theories, the authors propose a theoretical framework with a set of propositions. The authors also provide an illustration of how the framework may be implemented by managers of virtual organizations.
Impact of dendritic cells and adjuvant on the in vivo immunogenicity of HTLV-1 Tax 11-19 epitope in hybrid HLA-A2.1/DTR transgenic mice

Individually, HLA-A2.1 and CD11c-DTR transgenic mouse strains have been used to investigate the immunopathogenesis of different viruses and have provided important insights into current understanding of hostpathogen interactions during human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) infection. Here, these mice enabled the study of the CD8 T-cell immune response against a known MHC class I HLA-A2.1-restricted epitope 11-19 of the viral oncoprotein Tax delivered along with tetanus helper peptide without or with incomplete Freund’s adjuvant (IFA) in the absence and presence of dendritic cells (DCs). First, a cross breeding strategy was utilized to generate a HLA-A2.1/DTR hybrid strain that carries an HLA-A2.1 gene and diphtheria toxin receptor gene for in vivo depletion of CD11c DCs. Upon in vitro stimulation of splenocytes from immunized mice with autologous bone marrow-derived DCs primed with Tax11-19 antigen, DC-depleted mice showed marked attenuation in the proliferation of CD8 T-cells when compared with the non DC-depleted mice. Additionally, mice immunized with adjuvant demonstrated a much higher frequency of Tax11-19-specific cells response but overall reduced proliferation compared to the non-adjuvant group. A significantly high serum level of IL-6 coincided with depletion of DCs while a decrease in TGF-b cytokine associated with adjuvant use irrespective of DCs’ presence. In conclusion, these studies not only demonstrate that the clinically characterized Tax epitope 11-19 can be a potential candidate for the DC-based anti-HTLV-1 vaccine but also illustrate a broader application of the new HLA-A2.1/DTR-transgenic hybrid mouse strain as an important tool to investigate DC involvement in human class-I-restricted immune responses.
An analysis of the lane equations for isobaric analog resonances

Abstract Lane's coupled equations are solved explicitly to give an exact S -matrix in the form of a one-level formula with a renormalized interaction. The renormalization is usually negligible or easily treated in perturbation theory. The unrenormalized one-level formula is shown to provide a very accurate representation of the exact S -matrix. The extraction of the resonance parameters from the one-level formula is studied in detail. The energy dependence of the open-channel propagator is important in the calculation of these parameters, and also leads to a difference between the background phase and the potential scattering phase. The role of the imaginary potential in the Lane equations is investigated and it is found that the absorptive potential may be treated in first-order perturbation theory. A relation between the S -matrix of the Lane equations and that of the microscopic theory is developed.
Differential Scheme Effective Medium Theory for Hot-Mix Asphalt |E*| Prediction

An empirical |E*| predictive equation, known as Witczak's |E*| predictive model, has been adopted in the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide. However, empirical approaches have significant drawbacks, particularly with application of the model for materials that vary from those used in the calibration of the model and their reliance on large calibration data sets. In order to overcome the limitations of an empirical approach, a fundamental micromechanics modeling framework based on the differential scheme effective medium theory has been developed and introduced in this paper. The proposed modeling framework herein takes a sequential approach, using a series of two-phase differential particulate composite models to predict the effective tensile complex modulus (|E*|) of a three-phase HMA mixture, which consists of the asphalt binder, aggregate particles, and air voids. The model prediction results were compared with experimentally measured |E*| of five dense graded HMA mixtures across a range of low temperatures. In general, the model was found to predict |E*| with a very reasonable level of accuracy. Additional work to extend the applicability of the modeling framework to higher temperature regimes and the need to develop a more general and systematic approach for practical implementation are discussed.
Sources of capital and expenditures for internal improvements in a developing region: The case of Wisconsin Lake Ports, 1836–1910

One of the important factors underlying economic growth in the United States in the 19th century was the development of transportation facilities. Before a region would be able to engage in extensive trade in specialized agricultural commodities and manufactures, investment in such facilities would be required. A major objective of this paper is to show that governmental policies and programs, especially at the national level, affected the amount and pattern of investment in one type of transportation facility in one region of the nation. In particular, data on investments in harbors provide an example of the significance of government promotion of economic activity of this type.’ This paper considers the problems of acquiring capital, the division of efforts among governments and other sponsoring institutions, and the allocation and expenditure of funds for harbor projects at the six principal Wisconsin ports on Lake Michigan (namely, Kenosha, Racine, Milwaukee, Sheboygan, Manitowoc, and Green Bay) during the 1836-1910 period.2 It should be regarded as a first building block for use in a growing structure of information and conclusions about investments in Great Lakes harbors and harbor facilities and the role of government in this process, as facilities of this type figured in the economic development of the nation.3
1428 SEX DISTRIBUTION IN INTRACRANIAL HEMORRHAGE AND CEREBRAL VENTRICULAR DILATATION (VD) IN LOW BIRTH WEIGHT INFANTS (LBW)

The effect of sex on perinatal mortality is well known and morbidity has been under investigation. Higher incidence of periventricular hemorrhage (PVH) in males has been reported by others. On the basis of a first cranial ultrasound (US) examination, the following sex distribution was found in this study of 59 LBW infants which was designed to examine the incidence of PVH, intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), parenchymal (PH) hemorrhage, isolated VD and the control infants who had no lesions: A similar trend persisted throughout the 2nd and 3rd US. In a separate larger study, designed to examine the incidence of VD present (+) against the VD absent (-) control group on the basis of the first US examination, VD (+)/(-) ratio was 24/32 (43%) for females, 35/27 (57%) for males (<p<0.10,ns). There appears to be a higher incidence of male involvement in IVH and no difference in PVH. The male preponderance in VD is not clearly demonstrated here and must be negligible if present. Higher incidence of PH in females detected here must be interpreted with caution since the number of involved cases is small.
Two data sets of near infrared spectra

Abstract Described in this paper are two data sets of near infrared (NIR) spectra that are now available for general use. One data set consists of NIR spectra of 100 wheat samples with known protein and moisture content. The second set contains NIR spectra of 60 gasoline samples with known octane numbers. Results from a recent wavelength selection study using the two data sets are summarized. Other results based on the new regression approach of cyclic subspace regression (CSR) are briefly described. Included in CSR are principal component regression, partial least squares and least squares. An explicit description of calibration and validation samples used in both investigations is provided.
A Primer on Brain–Machine Interfaces, Concepts, and Technology: A Key Element in the Future of Functional Neurorestoration

Conventionally, the practice of neurosurgery has been characterized by the removal of pathology, congenital or acquired. The emerging complement to the removal of pathology is surgery for the specific purpose of restoration of function. Advents in neuroscience, technology, and the understanding of neural circuitry are creating opportunities to intervene in disease processes in a reparative manner, thereby advancing toward the long-sought-after concept of neurorestoration. Approaching the issue of neurorestoration from a biomedical engineering perspective is the rapidly growing arena of implantable devices. Implantable devices are becoming more common in medicine and are making significant advancements to improve a patient's functional outcome. Devices such as deep brain stimulators, vagus nerve stimulators, and spinal cord stimulators are now becoming more commonplace in neurosurgery as we utilize our understanding of the nervous system to interpret neural activity and restore function. One of the most exciting prospects in neurosurgery is the technologically driven field of brain–machine interface, also known as brain–computer interface, or neuroprosthetics. The successful development of this technology will have far-reaching implications for patients suffering from a great number of diseases, including but not limited to spinal cord injury, paralysis, stroke, or loss of limb. This article provides an overview of the issues related to neurorestoration using implantable devices with a specific focus on brain–machine interface technology.
Impacts of an accumulation hiatus on the physical properties of firn at a low-accumulation polar site

[1] Recent field investigations of a megadune region of East Antarctica provide evidence that differences in grain size, thermal conductivity, and permeability across a megadune profile are due to spatial accumulation variability in the absence of significant microclimate variations. The megadunes are low-amplitude (2–8 m), long-wavelength (2–5 km) bands with perceptible but low accumulation (less than 40 mm water equivalent (weq) yr−1) and accumulation hiatus within several kilometers proximity, as determined by remote sensing, surface feature classification, and ground-penetrating radar profiling. Our hypothesis that accumulation rate impacts the extent of temperature gradient–driven metamorphic growth in low accumulation rate sites is supported by measurements of various firn physical properties. Relatively small differences in accumulation rate (less than 40 mm weq yr−1) result in large differences in physical properties, including grain size, thermal conductivity, and permeability, which are apparent in satellite-based microwave data from both passive and active sensors. The differences in physical snow structure between low-accumulation areas and accumulation hiatus areas in the near surface are sufficiently distinct that evidence of past accumulation hiatus should be observable in the physical and chemical properties of an ice core record.
Greece’s ‘Unpleasant Arithmetic’ Containing the Threat to the Global Economy

Greece's debt-to-GDP ratio is reaching unsustainable levels. But why should the debt load of such a small country cause such outsized tremors in global financial markets?Greek debt may be relatively small, but a sufficient amount is held by a few major banks in Europe to cause disruptions to the credit system. This effect is magnified because other banks from around the world are exposed to these European banks, making the problem global.This timely report from the Milken Institute examines the exposure of banks around the world to Greek debt, and calls for swift and decisive action by policymakers to head off a global banking crisis.
SU-E-J-102: Quantitative Analysis of CT Artifacts of Various Fiducial Markers in Image Guided Radiotherapy (IGRT) Application

Purpose: To search for a fiducial marker that generates fewer CT artifacts and displays reliably on online imaging system at treatment, and to search for a technique that minimizes artifacts. Methods: Five sets of different gold markers, 3 carbon markers, and 4 sets of different I‐125 dummy seeds in a 30x30x20 phantom were imaged on a Philips multi‐slice CT scanner for quantitative analysis. The phantom was also imaged on MVCT, kV‐CBCT, kV‐OBI, and MV‐EPID for visual evaluation. The CT artifacts of the markers were segmented using a program, based on mathematics operation and morphology operation, developed on MATLAB. Up to the 3rd order of moments of each segmented marker artifacts were then calculated. Quantities characterizing the artifacts, such as area, intensity, eigenvalues, etc., were derived and tabulated for comparison. Results: Eleven sets of CTimages were acquired with slice thickness ranging from 0.7 mm to 3 mm and collimation ranging from 1.2 mm to 24 mm. The lower density markers generated almost no CT artifacts, but appeared poorly on online imaging display. All gold markers on the other hand exhibited significant CT artifacts. The severity is related to the mass and dimension of the markers, e.g., Visicoil markers showed the least artifacts. The imaging parameters also demonstrated an impact on the artifacts. For a given collimation, the thinner the slice thickness, the more severe are the artifacts for the same maker. For 2 mm slice thickness settings, 6 and 12 mm collimations produced the least artifacts. The differences diminished when the slice thickness increased to 3 mm. Conclusions: Lower density markers are unreliable in IGRT applications. All gold markers produced significant CT artifacts. With proper imaging parameters, the artifacts can be effectively reduced. Similar improvement was confirmed on patient CTimages. Further investigations will focus on eliminating the CT artifacts.
High technology organizations: Context, organization and people

Abstract Firms in global high technology industries face key challenges. This paper presents an integrative framework that delineates aspects of their context, organization and human resources. It also identifies tensions within the firm that can only be resolved by increasing the capacity of the firm to deal with multiple and conflicting pressures. High technology firms muct be adept at resolving tensions and learning in a very fast paced and changing world.
SYNTHESIS AND LUMINESCENCE SPECTRAL CHARACTERIZATION OF LONG-LIFETIME LIPID METAL-LIGAND PROBES

We synthesized phospholipid analogues of phosphatidyl ethanolamine which contains a ruthenium metal-ligand complex (MLC) covalently bound to the amino group. Two analogues were synthesized, containing either one (Ru-PE) or two (Ru-PE2) lipid molecules covalently linked to the MLC by the amino group of the lipid. These MLC-lipid probes display intensity decay times from 682 to 357 ns, depending on temperature. Importantly, the luminescence MLC groups display polarized emission, enabling their use for studies of membrane dynamics. The long intensity decay times allowed measurement of the overall rotation correlation time of lipid vesicles to several microseconds. The spectral properties of the model membranes containing Ru-PE or Ru-PE2 were independent of the probe-to-lipid molar ratio from 1:20 to 1:100, suggesting minimal tendency for probe-probe interactions. These MLC-lipid probes can be expected to have numerous applications in studies of membrane dynamics on the microsecond timescale.
Biomimetic method for combining the nucleus pulposus and annulus fibrosus for intervertebral disc tissue engineering

Tissue engineering strategies for the intervertebral disc (IVD) have traditionally focused either on the annulus fibrosus (AF) or the nucleus pulposus (NP) in isolation, or have simply compared AF cells and NP cells in identical culture conditions. Recently, others in the field have become aware of the advantage of combining the AF and NP into a more comprehensive strategy to address IVD tissue engineering, and have introduced biomimetic approaches to either AF or NP tissue engineering. Here, we introduced a new method for developing a biomimetic, cell-seeded IVD by electrospinning circumferentially-orientated polycaprolactone fibres (AF analogue), seeding them with cells (porcine chondrocytes) and then gelling a cell-agarose solution in the centre (NP analogue). Scanning electron microscopy images demonstrated a high degree of fibre alignment and, along with fluorescent actin staining, confirmed a preferred orientation of cells in the direction of the fibres. Viability assays and histology collectively demonstrated that cells were viable and well-distributed around the interface between the NP and AF regions. In addition, mechanical testing confirmed that the composite IVD scaffolds had higher moduli than the agarose hydrogels alone. As we enter the new decade and the fields of AF and NP tissue engineering begin to merge into a new interfacial and functional IVD tissue-engineering field, approaches such as the method presented here will serve as the foundation for continuously advancing technology that we ultimately endeavour to bring to the clinic for the treatment of patients severely afflicted by degenerative disc disease.
A course in document management

The author discusses a course developed for document managers, designed to balance the specificity of a company-based how-to course and the abstractness of a management theory course. The course was based on accounts of management practices in many organizations. It presented a variety of methods and concepts, and encouraged flexibility in thinking about document management. Topics included personnel management, long-term planning, project planning, and project direction and control.
The development of visual information processing skills related to reading.

Abstract Literate adults can use their familiarity with specific words and their knowledge of English orthography to facilitate word recognition processes. The development of word superiority effects in visual perception was investigated in the present study using a search task with kindergarten (5.7 years old), second (8.0 years old), and fourth grade children (10.0 years old), and college students. The search task consisted of the visual presentation of a target letter followed by a three-, four-, or five-letter display. The target letter was included in the display on half the trials, and the displays were common words, orthographically regular pseudowords, and irregular nonwords. Although response times decreased with age, the three oldest groups showed similar effects for the size and structure of the displays. That is, response times increased linearly with the number of display letters, and responses were faster for word and pseudoword displays than for nonwords. The data for the kindergarten children showed evidence for the use of a different search strategy, and they did not respond differentially to the three types of displays. The results are discussed in terms of the implications for developmental models of visual search and word superiority effects in visual perception.
Parametric study of an X-ray FEL

Abstract An FEL utilizing a high energy, high current and low emittance beam to produce radiation shorter than 2Ais investigated in this paper. This device is an extension of the previously proposed 40ALinac Coherent Light Source based on the Stanford linear accelerator. Here we investigate the performance characteristics and parameter sensitivities of this single pass, high gain FEL amplifier operating by self-amplified spontaneous emission (SASE). We begin by comparing various approaches to this short wavelength source and justify our choice of a helical undulator operating on the fundamental frequency. Numerical simulations as well as extensions of previous studies are used to show performance as a function of undulator parameters, startup noise, emittance, focusing, current and energy spread. Further studies and parameter modifications are proposed where needed.
Theoretical aspects of microprogramming: a review of relevant papers at the 2nd symposium on microprocessing and microprogramming (Venice, October 1976)

Despite the fact that there is nothing as practical as a good theory such theories seem to lag behind practical applications. The reason is that theoretical investigations need a certain distance and maturity in order to produce good theories. They provide, however, valuable guidelines, even if, due to the necessary simplifications, the results are not directly applicable: they play a valuable role as signal posts.
Time‐domain electric‐field integral equation with central finite difference

In this paper, we present a new formulation using the time-domain electric-field integral equation (TD–EFIE) to obtain a transient scattering response from arbitrarily shaped conducting bodies. The time derivative of the magnetic vector potential is approximated with a central finite difference, and the scalar potential is time averaged by dividing it into two terms. This approach with an implicit method using central-difference results in accurate and stable transient scattering responses from conducting objects. Detailed mathematical steps are included, and several numerical results are presented. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 31: 429–435, 2001.
Bi-Material Attachment Through a Soft Tissue Interfacial System

Connecting dissimilar materials is a fundamental challenge because of stress concentrations that can arise at their interface. “Functionally graded” material systems that interpolate spatially between properties of two materials are often considered to reduce stress concentrations in engineering and medical applications.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
The multiple window parameter transform

The multiwindow transform, an extension of parameter transform techniques that increase performance and scope by exploiting the long-range correlated information contained in multiple portions of an image, is presented. Multiple-window transforms allow the extraction of high-dimensional features with improvement in accuracy over conventional techniques while keeping linear to low-order-polynomial computational and space requirements with respect to image size and dimensionality of the features. Using correlated information provides a direct link between extracted features and supporting regions in the image. This, coupled with evidence integration techniques, is used to suppress noisy or nonexistent feature hypotheses. Parameter spaces are implemented as constraint satisfaction networks, where feature hypotheses with overlapping support in the image compete. After an iterative relaxation phase, surviving hypotheses have disjoint support, forming a segmentation of the image. Examples show the performance and provide insight about the behavior. >
Neurons of Insects: RNA Changes during Injury and Regeneration

A dense concentration of RNA appears in the perinuclear cytoplasm of nerve cell bodies in the third thoracic ganglion of the cockroach within 12 hours after their axons are cut. The basiphilic material of the perinuclear ring reaches maximum development 2 to 3 days after axon injury and returns to normal at about 15 days. Ribonuclease removes the basiphilic material, indicating that it is RNA. The perinuclear ring of RNA provides a marker for linking an individual central nerve cell body to a particular peripheral axon and the muscle it innervates.
Electronics Packaging to Isolate MEMS Sensors From Thermal Transients

This paper describes a methodology for passive thermal management of a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) sensor. The MEMS sensor has a temperature rate dependence that must be minimized while the system containing the sensor experiences thermal transients from a cold power-up. A multi-step packaging concept has been developed to manage the thermal transient at the MEMS sensor. The strategy minimizes heat flow to the sensor through use of thin, high thermal resistance kovar leads and an insulating air gap between sensor and electronics. The thermal mass of the sensor assembly is increased with minimal increases in weight and volume by mounting the sensor on a high heat capacity beryllium block. Lastly, a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) heat sink diverts as much of the heat dissipation into the ambient air as possible. This paper describes the practical implementation of these concepts. This includes the soldering of the leads to the board, the mounting of the component onto the block, and the positioning of the block relative to the frame. This paper also presents a lumped parameter thermal analysis of the packaging. The analysis predicted a maximum dT/dt of 0.4K/minute where dT/dt is the temporal derivative of the MEMS sensor temperature. Test data validating the model is also presented.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
772 PERMANENT NEONATAL DIABETES MELLITUS (DM) IN AN INFANT OF AN INSULIN-DEPENDENT MOTHER

Familial, insulin-dependent diabetes (IDDM) is unusual in a newborn. A 27 year old Caucasian Class F diabetic whose onset was at 10 wks of age was delivered of a 2100 g male at 36 wks gestation. By 5 days plasma glucose was elevated (242 mg/dl) and thereafter ranged from 350-550 without ketonuria. Islet cell surface antibodies were negative (Chicago). At six weeks an I.V. tolbutamide tolerance test (20 mg/kg) produced a fall in plasma glucose and rise in C-peptide (max. 1.75 pmol/ml at 40 min.). P1. cortisol and GH were normal, while glucagon was low (<50 pg/ml). Glucose production was elevated to 10 mg/kg/min (nl: 3.8±0.1, M±SE) by the D-[U-13C] glucose primed infusion technique. Although growth was adequate, insulin therapy was initiated at 3 mos. when ketonuria was associated with a URI. A repeat tolbutamide test at 4 mos. had a minimal C-peptide response (0.35 pmol/ml). Insulin binding (NIH) on Rbc's, cultured B-lymphocytes and fibroblasts from mother and baby was normal. Rat adipocytes metabolized labelled glucose normally in the presence of infant serum. HLA lymphocyte typing (Boston) of the family revealed no antigens commonly associated with IDDM (Dr3 and Dr4 were absent). With insulin therapy, growth and development have continued normal to 18 mos. The etiology of this early onset familial diabetes does not appear to be HLA linked, nor due to an abnormality in insulin receptors or in insulin sensitivity.
Annual summary of vital statistics--1988.

Data for this article, as in previous reports, are drawn principally from Monthly Vital Statistics Report, published by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). US data for 1988 come from the NCHS annual summary and are estimates by place of occurrence, based upon a count of all certificates received in state offices between two dates, 1 month apart, regardless of when the event occurred. Mortality data by cause and age, however, come from the Current Mortality Sample, a systematic 10% sample of those certificates. For the United States as a whole, the estimates, with few exceptions, have proved to be close to the subsequent final figures. There are considerable variations in some states, however, because provisional figures are by place of occurrence. Advance final reports for births, deaths (including infant deaths), marriages, and divorces provide more detail on items like age, sex, race, education, and certain indices of health care. These reports are by place of residence for births and deaths but marriages and divorces are by place of occurrence. Careful attention should be paid to differing denominators in text and tables. For overall rates, like the birth rate or death rate, the standard denominator is 1000 total population. In instances in which more refined analysis is possible, other denominators are used, such as 100 000 for cause of death data. The particular denominator is indicated in each table. The international data come from the annual Demographic Yearbook and the quarterly Population and Vital Statistics Report, both published by the Statistical Office of the United Nations, which has also been kind enough to provide directly more recent data reported by various countries.
Asynchronously Rendering Interoperable Remote Portlets

Under current synchronous portal rendering mechanism, a user has to wait until all the portlets are ready for the next interaction. In the case of consuming remote portlets with Web services for remote portlets (WSRP) specification, the situation can be worse. To improve user experiences, an asynchronous mechanism is proposed in this paper leveraging popular Ajax technology. We also discussed several issues such as URL rewriting, cross-portlet interaction, security, etc. that have to be considered while applying asynchronous mechanism, and built up a prototype to prove that using Ajax in rendering remote portlets while providing cross-portlet interaction capability is feasible.
Transmyocardial laser revascularization: An anesthetic perspective

RANSMYOCARDIAL laser revascularization (TMLR) is a relatively new procedure that has been developed to treat severe coronary artery disease (CAD) considered inoperable by standard coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), not amenable to percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), and refractory to medical therapy, vl2 The procedure involves creating small transmural myocardial channels using an epicardially placed carbon dioxide laser. The transmural channels act as conduits for the flow of oxygenated blood from the chamber of the left ventricle into ischemic myocardium. Based on encouraging published preliminary results, TMLR represents a promising new technique for the treatment of CAD. As a result, it is likely that the cardiac anesthesiologist will be exposed to this procedure. In this article, the technique, both its rationale and early results, as well as its unique perioperative anesthetic considerations, are discussed.
Specific maltose labeling in the reducing glucose moiety

Abstract Radioactive maltose with label in the reducing glucose moiety was prepared using a glucosyltransferase enzyme to catalyze exchange of [6- 3 H]glucose into unlabeled maltose. The enzyme was isolated from spinach by ammonium sulfate precipitation followed by DEAE column chromatography. A 77% yield of [6- 3 H]maltose was obtained after a reaction of 100 nmol of maltose with 0.0147 nmol of [6- 3 H]glucose was catalyzed by the most active column peak. The product was exclusively labeled in the reducing glucose moiety as indicated by the label occurring only in sorbitol following sodium borohydride reduction and sulfuric acid hydrolysis. Between 88.3 and 96.0% of the tritium in the synthesized preparation was present as [6- 3 H]maltose by Dowex 1-X4 chromatography. This column separates [6- 3 H]maltose-[U- 14 C]maltose mixtures and [6- 3 H]glucose-[U- 14 C]glucose mixtures apparently as a result of an isotope effect.
A Novel Bioabsorbable Conduit Augments Healing of Avascular Meniscal Tears in a Dog Model

BackgroundAvascular meniscal tears are a common and costly problem for which current treatment options are limited.HypothesisA bioabsorbable conduit will allow for vascular tissue ingrowth that is associated with histologic and biomechanical evidence for avascular meniscal tear healing superior to that associated with meniscal trephining in dogs.Study DesignControlled laboratory study.MethodsTwenty-five dogs underwent medial arthrotomy with creation of anterior and posterior tears in the medial menisci (N = 50 tears). The dogs were assigned treatments for their menisci: conduit (n = 29 tears) or trephine (n = 21 tears). Dogs were assessed for lameness by subjective scoring after surgery and sacrificed at 6, 12, or 24 weeks and assessed for articular cartilage damage, gross and histologic appearance of the operated menisci, and maximal load-to-failure values using tensile testing of meniscal tears. Tears were considered to demonstrate biomechanical integrity when histologic partial to complete healing was ...
A New Class of Polyintercalating Molecules

We have synthesized a series of polyintercalating compounds, including the first known tetraintercalator, based on the 1,4,5,8-naphthalenetetracarboxylic diimide chromophore. The chromophores are attached in a head-to-tail arrangement by peptide linkers and are synthesized by standard solid phase peptide synthesis methods. We report evidence, based on UV−visible spectroscopy and viscometry, that the compounds are fully intercalated upon binding to double-stranded DNA. Using DNAse I footprinting experiments, the bisintercalator 2 was found to bind to DNA in a cooperative manner. The footprinting results as well as association and dissociation kinetics data reveal that the compounds exhibit a tremendous preference for GC over AT sequences. A mode of binding is proposed in which the compounds intercalate completely from the major groove, and not in a threading manner as may be suggested by their structures. A kinetic scheme is proposed that takes into account the observed cooperativity and fits the data for ...
Polarization-free GaN emitters in the ultraviolet and visible spectra via heterointegration on CMOS-compatible Si (100)

This work presents a new type of polarization-free GaN emitter. The unique aspect of this work is that the ultraviolet and visible emission originates from the cubic phase GaN and the cubic phase InGaN/GaN multi-quantum-wells, respectively. Conventionally, GaN emitters (e.g. light emitting diodes, laser diodes) are wurtzite phase thus strong polarization fields exist across the structure contributing to the “droop” behavior – a phenomenon defined as “the reduction in emitter efficiency as injection current increases”. The elimination of piezoelectric fields in GaN-based emitters as proposed in this work provide the potential for achieving a 100% internal efficiency and might lead to droopfree light emitting diodes. In addition, this work demonstrates co-integration of GaN emitters on cheap and scalable CMOS-compatible Si (100) substrate, which yields possibility of realizing a GaN laser diode uniquely – via forming mirrors along the naturally occurring cubic phase GaN-Si(100) cleavage planes.
Parathyroid hormone and isoproterenol stimulation of adenylate cyclase in rat osteosarcoma clonal cells. Hormone competition and site heterogeneity.

A clonal cell line from rat osteosarcoma was found to possess parathyroid hormone and isoproterenol sensitive adenylate cyclase. This study examines the relationship between the two hormones and triphosphoguanine nucleotides with respect to enzyme activation. Concentration-dependence curves, analyzed by computer-aided curve fitting, revealed: (1) in the presence of 5 μM GTP there were two apparent affinities for parathyroid hormone (Km 9 and 98 nM) and isoproterenol (Km 72 and 340 nM); (2) and two affinites for guanosine-5′-(β,γ-imido)triphosphate (Km 0.25 and 1.3 μM); (3) hormones and guanine nucleotides reciprocally shifted each other's concentration dependence curves to the high affinity sites; (4) parathyroid hormone and isoproterenol interacting with high affinity sites competed for the same adenylate cyclase; (5) parathyroid hormone and isoproterenol, acting on low affinity sites had additive effects and also stimulated adenylate cyclase in the absence of added guanine nucleotides. The findings are consistent with: (i) competition of parathyroid hormone and isoproterenol for the activation of the high (hormone) affinity complex containing: receptors, nucleotide subunit, triphosphoguanine nucleotide, catalytic unit and (ii) the apparent presence of receptor-nucleotide sub-unit-GDP-catalytic unit complexes with low hormone affinity which are stimulated by parathyroid hormone and isoproterenol separately.
Evidence that Human Immunoglobulin M Rheumatoid Factors Can Be Derived from the Natural Autoantibody Pool and Undergo an Antigen Driven Immune Response in which Somatically Mutated Rheumatoid Factors Have Lower Affinities for Immunoglobulin G Fc than Their Germline Counterparts

The question of whether immunoglobulin (Ig)M rheumatoid factors (RF) arise as the result of an abnormal expansion of already existing clones producing natural autoantibodies or emerge as new clones that are somatically mutated owing to an antigen driven immune response has never been conclusively answered. In this study, an inhibition ELISA was utilized to measure the affinities of recombinant antibodies using VH segments reverted back to their closest germline counterparts (germline revertants). In all cases, the somatically mutated parental RFs had a decreased affinity for immunoglobulin (Ig)G Fc compared to the germline revertant, indicating that the antibodies in the germline configuration had the higher affinities. This demonstrates that somatic mutation is not a prerequisite to generate disease associated antibodies. The presence of mutations in the parental IgM RFS suggests that these cells had been involved in a germinal centre reaction. As the germinal centre is the conventional site of the acquisition of mutations during an antigen driven response, these data suggest a role for germinal centres in the generation of the antibody diversity in addition to the selection of higher affinity antibodies. Assuming that only antigen selected cells survive deletion, these data support the hypothesis that IgM RFS can be derived from the natural autoantibody repertoire and result from an antigen driven response. Mechanisms controlling the survival of B cells based on the affinity/avidity of the immunoglobulin receptor are shown to be functional in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Mapping algorithms and software environment for data parallel PDE iterative solvers

Abstract We consider computations associated with data parallel iterative solvers used for the numerical solution of partial differential equations (PDEs). The mapping of such computations into load balanced tasks requiring minimum synchronization and communication is a difficult combinatorial optimization problem. Its optimal solution is essential for the efficient parallel processing of PDE computations. Determining data mappings that optimize a number of criteria, like workload balance, synchronization, and local communication, often involves the solution of an NP-Complete problem. Although data mapping algorithms have been known for a few years, there is lack of qualitative and quantitative comparisons based on the actual performance of the parallel computation. In this paper we present two new data mapping algorithms and evaluate them together with a large number of existing ones using the actual performance of data parallel iterative PDE solvers on the nCUBE II. Comparisons on the performance of data parallel iterative PDE solvers on medium and large scale problems demonstrate that some computationally inexpensive data block partitioning algorithms are as effective as the computationally expensive deterministic optimization algorithms. Also, these comparisons demonstrate that the existing approach in solving the data partitioning problem is inefficient for large scale problems. Finally, a software environment for the solution of the partitioning problem of data parallel iterative solvers is presented.
Dual-source coronary computed tomography angiography in patients with atrial fibrillation: initial experience

Background Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) are generally excluded from coronary CT angiography (CCTA) studies because of motion artifact resulting from irregular rhythm. The 83-millisecond temporal resolution of the dual-source CT (DSCT) may be sufficient to allow CCTA in patients with AF. Objective We examined the feasibility of DSCT in patients with AF referred for CCTA. Methods We compared results of CCTA with DSCT in 24 consecutive patients with AF with 119 control patients in sinus rhythm. Standard relative-delay phase reconstruction (40%–80% of cardiac cycle) was used, with additional absolute delay reconstruction performed when indicated. Image quality was scored both subjectively and objectively. Results Patients with AF were older (68.5 ± 14.0 years versus 62.5 ± 12.1 years; P = 0.03). Maximum heart rate during injection was 102.5 ± 30.4 beats/min and 70.8 ± 16.6 beats/min in the AF and control groups, respectively ( P P = 0.8). No difference was observed in the proportion of uninterpretable segments between the 2 groups, 7 (2%) in the AF group and 12 (1%) in the control group ( P = NS). Two (8%) of 24 studies in the AF group and 12 (10%) of 119 studies in the control group were nondiagnostic ( P = NS). Image quality was good or excellent in 13 (54%) of 21 AF cases compared with 94 (79%) of 119 control cases ( P = 0.01). Absolute delay reconstruction was needed in 9 (38%) of 24 AF cases. Conclusions These preliminary data show that interpretable CCTA data can be obtained in patients with AF using DSCT. The need for absolute delay reconstruction is common.
An inexpensive response-reading head for use with carousel slide projectors and serial anticipation tasks

An inexpensive response-reading head, using a binary code, is described. It can be attached to Carousel projectors and provides for the automatic recording of responses, response latencies, etc. in serial anticipation tasks. Now at Birmingham Southern College. Now at Alfred University
Geomorphic Change Analysis Using ASTER and SRTM Digital Elevation Models in Central Massachusetts, USA

This study examines the capacity of Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) and Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) digital elevation models (DEM) to measure human-induced alterations in drumlin landforms and assesses the impact of land cover on DEM accuracy. ASTER and SRTM DEMs were within the mission-specified accuracy range or were more accurate, with SRTM vertical accuracies highest over built and bare soil and lowest for forest and ASTER DEM accuracies highest over forest and lowest over agriculture and grassland land cover. Field observations indicate the ASTER DEM in combination with the SRTM DEM was able to successfully detect and quantify geomorphic change on known altered drumlin features.