cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Adaptive Nanowires for On-Demand Control of Electrochemical Microsystems

Nanowires are critically important building blocks of nanotechnology. Much of the excitement on nanowires arisen from with the ability to introduce different chemical functions through the use of multiple segments along these nanoscale objects. The multifunctionality of such multisegment nanowires allows these nanostructures to perform several tasks simultaneously. This short review covers recently developed protocols based on adaptive multifunctional magnetic nanowires for controlling on-demand the operation of electrochemical sensors and microchip devices and for triggering and modulating electrocatalytic and bioelectrocatalytic processes. Magnetic stimulus can be used for activating reversibly various bioelectrocatalytic and electrocatalytic processes through controlled surface orientation of multifunctional magnetic nanowires. The ability to use adaptive nanowires to switch electrochemical devices between active and passive states will be illustrated for protecting electrochemical sensors against surface fouling and for controlling amperometric detection for separation microchips. Such nanowire-based adaptive operation should lead to the next-generation of ‘smart’ self-activated analytical and bioelectronic devices.
The role of developmental levels in examining the effect of subject types on the production of auxiliary is in young english-speaking children.

Purpose Prior work (Guo, Owen, & Tomblin, 2010) has shown that at the group level, auxiliary is production by young English-speaking children was symmetrical across lexical noun and pronominal subjects. Individual data did not uniformly reflect these patterns. On the basis of the framework of the gradual morphosyntactic learning (GML) hypothesis, the authors tested whether the addition of a theoretically motivated developmental measure, tense productivity (TP), could assist in explaining these individual differences. Method Using archival data from 20 children between age 2;8 and 3;4 (years;months), the authors tested the ability of 3 developmental measures (TP; finite verb morphology composite, FVMC; mean length of utterance, MLU) to predict use of auxiliary is with different subject types. Results TP, but not MLU or FVMC, significantly improved model fit. Children with low TP scores produced auxiliary is more accurately with pronominal subjects than with lexical subjects. The facilitative effect of pron...
Institutions Matter in Transition, But So Do Policies

This paper analyses the importance of developing market-enhancing institutions for restoring economic growth in transition economies during 1991–98. The paper's main finding is that the development of an institutional framework has indeed a significant positive impact on growth, but that progress in achieving macroeconomic stabilisation and implementing broad-based economic reforms remain the key determinants of growth in transition economies.
Coherent features in the sensitivity field of a planar mixing layer

Coherency in the topology of the instantaneous sensitivity fields of the planar mixing layer was captured using the sensitivity equation method (SEM). In the SEM approach, the partial differential equations governing the evolution of the sensitivity coefficients are derived, discretized, and solved directly, in the present work, using an unsteady finite-volume-based fractional-step algorithm. This allows the investigation of parameter-dependence without performing parametric studies. The present results, from numerical simulations run at Reδ0=200 and Pr=0.71, provide a means to examine how and to what extent perturbations in the Reynolds/Prandtl number locally alter the structure of the flow. Specifically, a two-blade pattern appears as a dominant feature in the sensitivity solution and highlights the physical mechanism leading to vortex thickness growth and enhanced molecular mixing with increasing Reδ0 and Pr. An expression describing the sensitivity of vortex thickness to changes in Reδ0 is also derived and validated using the concept of “nearby” flows.
Fiber optic low-coherence reflectometer for process control

A fiber optic based optical low coherence reflectometer has been investigated for process monitoring applications that include its use with both transparent and highly scattering materials. This paper addresses instrumental issues and several applications including measurement of multiple layer polymer films, paint clear coat thickness and refractive index, highly scattering paint layer thickness, and particle size analysis in liquid suspensions.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Polanyi on structure and reduction

particularly about structures, are worthy of serious consideration. The first section of the present paper contains some general remarks about structures and reduction. The second section contains a synopsis of Polanyi's irreducibility arguments, as well as an evaluation of these arguments in the light of the general remarks of section one. I will try to show exactly what Polanyi's arguments accomplish, as well as show that
Tip-based patterning of HOPG and CVD graphene

Nanometer-scale patterning of graphite and graphene has been accomplished through local anodic oxidation using an AFM tip. The underlying mechanism is explained. To date, protrusions, holes, trenches, and even words have been patterned in HOPG over scales ranging from 1nm 2 to 1mm 2 and depths ranging from sub nm to as deep as 200nm with less than 5 nm variation on the feature size and placement. This same method has also been applied to CVD-grown graphene providing a resist-free process for patterning graphene at the single nanometer scale. This capability could provide a method to rival e-beam lithography resolution but without any pre- or post-processing.
Vertical Velocity and Physical Structure of Generating Cells and Convection in the Comma Head Region of Continental Winter Cyclones

AbstractThe vertical motion and physical structure of elevated convection and generating cells within the comma heads of three continental winter cyclones are investigated using the Wyoming W-band cloud radar mounted on the National Science Foundation/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NSF/NCAR) C-130, supplemented by analyses from the Rapid Update Cycle model and Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) data. The cyclones followed three distinct archetypical tracks and were typical of those producing winter weather in the midwestern United States. In two of the cyclones, dry air in the middle and upper troposphere behind the Pacific cold front intruded over moist Gulf of Mexico air at lower altitudes within the comma head, separating the comma head into two zones. Elevated convection in the southern zone extended from the cold-frontal surface to the tropopause. The stronger convective updrafts ranged from 2 to 7 m s−1 and downdrafts ranged from −2 to −6 m s−1. The horizontal scale of the ...
Systematic analyses for latching probability of single-event transients

Soft errors caused by particle strikes are expected to increase as technology scales down. This is partially because more single-event transients (SET) are latched by memory elements at the primary output of combinational circuits. To speed up the assessment of SET-induced soft errors, we propose a systematic analysis method to examine the probability of a SET eventually being latched. In previous work, the latching probability of SET is only modeled as a function of SET pulse width and clock period. As soft error rate also strongly depends on other timing parameters, our novel analytical model additionally includes logic gate delays and setup/hold time of memory elements. In this work, a set of closed-form expressions for the latching probability are provided for various logic gate delays and SET pulse widths. Simulation results show that the soft error rate predicted by our model matches to that obtained from random simulations. The proposed systematic analysis method achieves up to 97% average accuracy, without using extensive Monte-Carlo simulation.
Case Report Mycotic aneurysm due to Yersinia enterocolitica

Infections of the cardiovascular system, besides involving both natural and prosthetic heart valves, vascular grafts, and indwelling venous and arterial cannulas, may cause mycotic aneurysms. The latter frequently complicate endocarditis; however, they may occur as isolated phenomena. Enterobacteriaceae are uncommon etiologic agents in vascular infections; however, a patient is reported who presented initially with a bacteremia due to Yersinia enterocolitica biogroup 4 and despite antimicrobial therapy developed a mycotic aneurysm of the left internal carotid artery. Clinical manifestations, pathogenesis, and treatment of yersiniosis are reviewed.
Colorado Plateau magmatism and uplift by warming of heterogeneous lithosphere

The forces that drove rock uplift of the low-relief, high-elevation, tectonically stable Colorado Plateau are the subject of long-standing debate. While the adjacent Basin and Range province and Rio Grande rift province underwent Cenozoic shortening followed by extension, the plateau experienced approximately 2 km of rock uplift without significant internal deformation. Here we propose that warming of the thicker, more iron-depleted Colorado Plateau lithosphere over 35-40 Myr following mid-Cenozoic removal of the Farallon plate from beneath North America is the primary mechanism driving rock uplift. In our model, conductive re-equilibration not only explains the rock uplift of the plateau, but also provides a robust geodynamic interpretation of observed contrasts between the Colorado Plateau margins and the plateau interior. In particular, the model matches the encroachment of Cenozoic magmatism from the margins towards the plateau interior at rates of 3-6 km Myr(-1) and is consistent with lower seismic velocities and more negative Bouguer gravity at the margins than in the plateau interior. We suggest that warming of heterogeneous lithosphere is a powerful mechanism for driving epeirogenic rock uplift of the Colorado Plateau and may be of general importance in plate-interior settings.
Target dependence of angular distributions for near-threshold (e,2e) processes

Distorted-wave calculations of the triply differential cross sections for electron-impact ionization of H and He targets are presented for final-state electrons sharing 4-eV excess energy and leaving in opposite directions. The experimentally observed target dependence of the angular distributions is shown to stem essentially from short-range effects on the {ital s}-wave phase shifts of both incident and final-state continuum electrons.
Interphase nuclei and cell sizes in a polyploid series of Saccharomyces.

Durch Gefriertrocknung nachAltmann-Gersh wurden zytologische Praparate von einer genetisch gepruften polyploiden Serie von Hefe hergestellt. Die gemessenen Werte fur Kern- und Zellgrossen stimmen in der theoretisch erwarteten Weise mit dem Grade der Polyploidie uberein. Damit ist eine von hoheren Organismen bekannte zytologische Erscheinung zum erstenmal fur Mikroorganismen demonstriert.
Synthesis and evaluation of N6-substituted azide- and alkyne-bearing N-mustard analogs of S-adenosyl-l-methionine

Abstract The synthesis of a family of N -mustard analogs of S -adenosyl- l -methionine (SAM) containing azides and alkynes at the N 6-position of the adenosine base has been accomplished from commercially available inosine. Further biochemical analysis of these analogs indicates successful modification of pUC19 plasmid DNA in an enzyme-dependent fashion with DNA methyltransferases M.TaqI and M.HhaI.
Fear of Death and Fertility Reconsidered

Kastenbaum raised and examined the hypothesis that fear of death and fertility are directly related phenomena, concluding that procreation was one among several desirable forms of self-continuation. Re-examination of this hypothesis, using Templer's Manifest Death Anxiety Scale and a community sample (N=234) of reproductive and post-reproductive aged males and females, revealed that the hypothesis was confirmed among high school or less educated respondents. Within this subsample, confirmation was found among all females concerning their experienced, desired, and expected fertility. However, their male counterparts exhibited confirmation only with respect to desired and expected fertility, and only if they were within the reproductive age range.
STANDARD TWO DIMENSIONAL ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY UNDERESTIMATES THE LEFT VENTRICULAR OUTFLOW TRACT WHEN COMPARED TO FULL VOLUME 3D IMAGING

Using the continuity equation, 2D echocardiography can underestimate the aortic valve area (AVA), largely due to errors in measuring the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) area. Here we compare LVOT area measurements obtained by 3D echocardiography against the standard 2D measurement. 73
Two-Dimensional Radiative Transfer in a Finite Scattering Planar Medium

Abstract The source function, radiative flux, and intensity at the boundaries are calculated for a two-dimensional, scattering, finite medium subjected to collimated radiation. The scattering phase function is composed of a spike in the forward direction super-imposed on an isotropic background. Exact radiative transfer theory is used to formulate the problem and Ambarzumian's method is used to obtain results. Using the principle of superposition, the results for any step variation in incident radiation are expressed in terms of universal functions for the semi-infinite step case. Two-dimensional effects are most pronounced at large optical thicknesses and albedos.
Immune cell proliferation in the harderian gland: an avian model.

Experimentation has been carried out to study proliferation of plasma cells in the chicken Harderian gland (HG) and to determine if a HG factor influences immune cell (i.e., B cell) proliferation. In young chickens, flow cytometric analysis of propidium iodide (PI)-stained plasma cells revealed that the percentages of cells in both the synthetic (S) and mitotic (G2M) phases of the cell cycle were highest between 6 and 9 weeks of age. A pattern of plasma cell depletion and repopulation in the HG was observed following administration of emetine dihydrochloride. At 3 and 5 days posttreatment the plasma cell population decreased, and by 7 days posttreatment repopulation of the gland with plasma cells occurred. This repopulation appeared as a result of plasma cell proliferation within the HG. Anti-5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdUrd) staining of frozen sections showed that the numbers of plasma cells incorporating BrdUrd were low at 3 days posttreatment but were as high, or higher than, controls at 5 and 7 days posttreatment. These results were verified with flow cytometric data of PI-stained plasma cells. Data from bursal cell bioassays revealed proliferative activity influenced by a HG factor. Coculture of bursal cells with phorbol dibutyrate and diluted HG supernatants resulted in prolonged and increased proliferation of these cells. It is possible that the HG of chickens supports plasma cell proliferation through the elaboration of a factor which acts like a lymphokine.
Experimental Study of the Grain‐Flow, Fluid‐Mud Transition in Debris Flows

Abstract We have performed a series of laboratory experiments that clarify the nature of the transition between fluid‐mud and grain‐flow behavior. The surface velocity structure and the speed of the nose of debris flows in channels with semicircular cross sections were measured with several cameras and visual tracers, while the mass flow rate was recorded using a load cell at the exit chamber. Other rheological tests were used to calculate independently the yield strength and matrix viscosity of the debris‐flow mixture. Shear rates were varied by nearly an order of magnitude for each mixture by changing the channel radius and slope. Shear rates were significantly higher than expected (6–55 s−1), given the modest slopes examined (10.7°–15.2°). The large values were primarily a result of the concentration of shear into narrow bands between a central nondeforming plug and the sidewall. As a result, the shear rate of interest was calculated by using the width of the shear band and the plug velocity, as oppose...
The barrier to carbon-phosphorus bond rotation in tribenzoylphosphine. An experimental reinvestigation

Abstract An examination of the 13 C NMR spectrum of tribenzoylphosphine over the temperature range −75 to +70°C fails to disclose any evidence for hindered rotation about the PC bonds, contrary to a previous claim.
Reconnecting Tile Drainage to Riparian Buffer Hydrology for Enhanced Nitrate Removal

Riparian buffers are a proven practice for removing NO from overland flow and shallow groundwater. However, in landscapes with artificial subsurface (tile) drainage, most of the subsurface flow leaving fields is passed through the buffers in drainage pipes, leaving little opportunity for NO removal. We investigated the feasibility of re-routing a fraction of field tile drainage as subsurface flow through a riparian buffer for increasing NO removal. We intercepted an existing field tile outlet draining a 10.1-ha area of a row-cropped field in central Iowa and re-routed a fraction of the discharge as subsurface flow along 335 m of an existing riparian buffer. Tile drainage from the field was infiltrated through a perforated pipe installed 75 cm below the surface by maintaining a constant head in the pipe at a control box installed in-line with the existing field outlet. During 2 yr, >18,000 m (55%) of the total flow from the tile outlet was redirected as infiltration within the riparian buffer. The redirected water seeped through the 60-m-wide buffer, raising the water table approximately 35 cm. The redirected tile flow contained 228 kg of NO. On the basis of the strong decrease in NO concentrations within the shallow groundwater across the buffer, we hypothesize that the NO did not enter the stream but was removed within the buffer by plant uptake, microbial immobilization, or denitrification. Redirecting tile drainage as subsurface flow through a riparian buffer increased its NO removal benefit and is a promising management practice to improve surface water quality within tile-drained landscapes.
Absolute and relative contributions of BOLD effects to the muscle functional MRI signal intensity time course: effect of exercise intensity.

The time course of exercise-induced T2-weighted signal intensity (SI) changes contains an initial rise, early dip, and secondary rise. The purposes of this study were to test the hypothesis that the secondary rise occurs earlier during more intense contractions, and to determine the contribution of BOLD contrast to the SI changes. Eight subjects performed 90-s isometric dorsiflexion contractions at 30% and 60% of maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) while T2-weighted (TR/TE = 4000 ms/35 ms) images were acquired and total hemoglobin ([THb]) and oxy-Hb saturation (%HbO2) were measured. At 30% MVC, [THb] remained constant and %HbO2 decreased from 66.3% (standard error [SEM] = 2.6%) to 32.4% (SEM = 6.4%). At t = 88 s, SI increased by ∼8% and was greater than at t = 8 and 56s. At 60% MVC, [THb] remained constant and %HbO2 decreased from 70.2% (SEM = 2.3%) to 40.4% (SEM = 5.4%). SI increased by ∼17% and at t = 56 and 88 s was greater than at t = 8 and 20 s. The absolute contribution of calculated BOLD effects was −1% at 30% and 60% MVC. The relative contribution was greater at 30% than at 60% MVC (up to −26% and −10%, respectively). We conclude that the secondary rise occurs earlier at 60% MVC and that the relative contribution of BOLD effects is greater during less intense contractions. Magn Reson Med 58:335–345, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The Psychiatric Effects of Massive Trauma on Cambodian Children: II. The Family, the Home, and the School

Forty Cambodian high school students who survived 4 years under the Pol Pot regime (1975–1979) and 6 Cambodian students who escaped their homeland prior to Pol Pot were studied by means of home interviews and school teacher ratings. In these findings, compared to psychiatric interview data on the same subjects, students reported more distress with school grades, peers and themselves than was observed by their caretakers. Many of their family members exhibited similar posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms. In school, students receiving a psychiatric diagnosis were more likely to be rated by their classroom teachers as withdrawn or daydreaming than as disruptive. The crucial role of the school as a cultural agent of change became strongly evident.
Data-dependent spectral windows: Generalizing the classical framework to include maximum entropy estimates

Methods are presented for construction of interval estimates on the mean of a gamma distribution when there is some prior interval information as to the location of this parameter. The methods produce posterior intervals by constructing prior distributions for the mean parameter from the prior interval information. Both Bayesian and pseudo-Bayesian approaches for the construction of the priors are considered. These concepts are illustrated by an experiment assessing the operating characteristics of a laboratory chemical analyzer.
Conformational gating of electron transfer from the nitrogenase Fe protein to MoFe protein.

The nitrogenase Fe protein contains a [4Fe-4S] cluster and delivers one electron at a time to the catalytic MoFe protein. During this electron delivery, the Fe protein in its [4Fe-4S]1+ reduced state (Fered) binds two MgATP and forms a complex with the MoFe protein, with subsequent transfer of one electron to the MoFe protein in a reaction coupled to the hydrolysis of two ATP. Crystal structures with the nitrogenase complex in different nucleotide-bound states show major conformational changes which provide a structural underpinning to suggestions that intercomponent electron transfer (ET) is “gated” by conformational changes of the complex and/or of its component proteins. Although electron delivery is coupled to ATP hydrolysis, their connection is puzzling, for it appears that ET precedes both ATP hydrolysis and Pi release. We here test the gating hypothesis with studies of the intracomplex oxidation of Fered by MoFe protein in the presence of a variety of solutes. Conformational control of this process...
Effects of a Brief Early Start Denver Model (ESDM)–Based Parent Intervention on Toddlers at Risk for Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective: This study was carried out to examine the efficacy of a 12-week, low-intensity (1-hour/wk of therapist contact), parent-delivered intervention for toddlers at risk for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) aged 14 to 24 months and their families. Method: A randomized controlled trial involving 98 children and families was carried out in three different sites investigating the efficacy of a parent delivery of the Early Start Denver Model (P-ESDM), which fosters parental use of a child-centered responsive interaction style that embeds many teaching opportunities into play, compared to community treatment as usual. Assessments were completed at baseline and 12 weeks later, immediately after the end of parent coaching sessions. Results: There was no effect of group assignment on parent‐child interaction characteristics or on any child outcomes. Both groups of parents improved interaction skills, and both groups of children demonstrated progress. Parents receiving P-ESDM demonstrated significantly stronger working alliances with their therapists than did the community group. Children in the community group received significantly more intervention hours than those in the P-ESDM group. For the group as a whole, both younger child age at the start of intervention and a greater number of intervention hours were positively related to the degree of improvement in children’s behavior for most variables. Conclusions: Parentimplemented intervention studies for early ASD thus far have not demonstrated the large effects seen in intensive-treatment studies. Evidence that both younger age and more intervention hours positively affect developmental rates has implications for clinical practice, service delivery, and public policy. J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry, 2012;51(10): 1052‐1065. Key Words: Early Start Denver Model (ESDM), early intervention, toddler, parent‐child interaction, autism
Trehalose-6-Phosphate Synthase/Phosphatase Regulates Cell Shape and Plant Architecture in Arabidopsis

The vacuole occupies most of the volume of plant cells; thus, the tonoplast marker δ-tonoplast intrinsic protein-green fluorescent protein delineates cell shape, for example, in epidermis. This permits rapid identification of mutants. Using this strategy, we identified the cell shape phenotype-1 (csp-1) mutant in Arabidopsis thaliana. Beyond an absence of lobes in pavement cells, phenotypes included reduced trichome branching, altered leaf serration and stem branching, and increased stomatal density. This result from a point mutation in AtTPS6 encoding a conserved amino-terminal domain, thought to catalyze trehalose-6-phosphate synthesis and a carboxy-terminal phosphatase domain, is catalyzing a two-step conversion to trehalose. Expression of AtTPS6 in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants tps1 (encoding a synthase domain) and tps2 (encoding synthase and phosphatase domains) indicates that AtTPS6 is an active trehalose synthase. AtTPS6 fully complemented defects in csp-1. Mutations in class I genes (AtTPS1–AtTPS4) indicate a role in regulating starch storage, resistance to drought, and inflorescence architecture. Class II genes (AtTPS5–AtTPS11) encode multifunctional enzymes having synthase and phosphatase activity. We show that class II AtTPS6 regulates plant architecture, shape of epidermal pavement cells, and branching of trichomes. Thus, beyond a role in development, we demonstrate that the class II gene AtTPS6 is important for controlling cellular morphogenesis.
TFIIA changes the conformation of the DNA in TBP/TATA complexes and increases their kinetic stability.

Eukaryotic mRNA transcription by RNA polymerase II is a highly regulated complex reaction involving numerous proteins. In order to control tissue and promoter specific gene expression, transcription factors must work in concert with each other and with the promoter DNA to form the proper architecture to activate the gene of interest. The TATA binding protein (TBP) binds to TATA boxes in core promoters and bends the TATA DNA. We have used quantitative solution fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) and gel-based FRET (gelFRET) to determine the effect of TFIIA on the conformation of the DNA in TBP/TATA complexes and on the kinetic stability of these complexes. Our results indicate that human TFIIA decreases the angle to which human TBP bends consensus TATA DNA from 104° to 80° when calculated using a two-kink model. The kinetic stability of TBP/TATA complexes was greatly reduced by increasing the KCl concentration from 50 mM to 140 mM, which is more physiologically relevant. TFIIA significantly enhanced the kinetic stability of TBP/TATA complexes, thereby attenuating the effect of higher salt concentrations. We also found that TBP bent non-consensus TATA DNA to a lesser degree than consensus TATA DNA and complexes between TBP and a non-consensus TATA box were kinetically unstable even at 50 mM KCl. Interestingly, TFIIA increased the calculated bend angle and kinetic stability of complexes on a nonconsensus TATA box, making them similar to those on a consensus TATA box. Our data show that TFIIA induces a conformational change within the TBP/TATA complex that enhances its stability under both in vitro and physiological salt conditions. Furthermore, we present a refined model for the effect that TFIIA has on DNA conformation that takes into account potential changes in bend angle as well as twist angle.
Planning and the development of communication skills

A review of the literature on children's referential communication ability suggests how these studies help us understand children's planning in their social interactions with others.
Increased insulin sensitivity in the high sodium one-kidney, one figure-8 hypertensive rat.

This study examines the relation between sympathetic activity and in vivo insulin-mediated glucose metabolism in a rat model of acquired hypertension. Two groups of conscious, unrestrained rats were studied in the postabsorptive state: sham-operated normotensive rats (n = 10) and renal-wrapped hypertensive rats (n = 10). Mean arterial pressure was increased in the hypertensive compared with the normotensive group in the fed (184 +/- 9 versus 144 +/- 6 mm Hg; p less than 0.01) and in the fasting (147 +/- 8 versus 112 +/- 7 mm Hg; p less than 0.01) state. After a 24-hour fast, hepatic glucose production, plasma glucose, insulin, and norepinephrine concentrations were similar in the two groups. Blood pressure did not change in either group during the 3-milliunits/kg.min euglycemic insulin clamp study; however, plasma norepinephrine concentration rose significantly in hypertensive (207 +/- 24 versus 329 +/- 11 pg/ml; p less than 0.05) but not in normotensive rats (229 +/- 23 versus 267 +/- 27 pg/ml; p = NS). During the insulin clamp study, the hepatic glucose production was similar in the hypertensive (3.8 +/- 0.8 mg/kg.min) compared with the normotensive (4.0 +/- 0.3 mg/kg.min) rats. Insulin-mediated glucose uptake was significantly higher in hypertensive than in normotensive rats (33.0 +/- 0.7 versus 25.8 +/- 0.8; p less than 0.01).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Subsurface radar for detection of buried targets

The application of a short-pulse, high-angular-resolution array focused in the near field for detection and imaging of shallow subsurface objects is discussed. An experimental system based on a forward-looking bistatic radar configuration with a digital synthetic aperture array receiver is described. Beam steering and scanning are accomplished using phase compensation based on simplified models of wave propagation across dielectric interfaces. Reconstructed images based on these models and utilizing real pulse-echo experimental data are included to demonstrate the performance of an L-band system. >
GATB: Genome Assembly & Analysis Tool Box

Motivation: Efficient and fast next-generation sequencing (NGS) algorithms are essential to analyze the terabytes of data generated by the NGS machines. A serious bottleneck can be the design of such algorithms, as they require sophisticated data structures and advanced hardware implementation. Results: We propose an open-source library dedicated to genome assembly and analysis to fasten the process of developing efficient software. The library is based on a recent optimized de-Bruijn graph implementation allowing complex genomes to be processed on desktop computers using fast algorithms with low memory footprints. Availability and implementation: The GATB library is written in C++ and is available at the following Web site http://gatb.inria.fr under the A-GPL license. Contact: rf.asiri@reineval Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Tissue growth and remodeling.

▪ Abstract The growth and remodeling of a tissue depends on certain features in the history of its mechanical environment as well as its genetic makeup. The mechanical environment influences the tissue's developing morphology, the process of simply increasing the size of existing morphological structures, and the formation of the proteins of which the tissue is constructed. The relationships between genetic information, various epigenetic mechanisms and tissue development are discussed. The developmental growth and remodeling of most structural tissues are enhanced by the use of those tissues and retarded by their disuse. The mechanical or mathematical modeling of tissue growth and development using cellular automata models and continuum mechanical models is reviewed.
Multilayered genetic safeguards limit growth of microorganisms to defined environments

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are commonly used to produce valuable compounds in closed industrial systems. However, their emerging applications in open clinical or environmental settings require enhanced safety and security measures. Intrinsic biocontainment, the creation of bacterial hosts unable to survive in natural environments, remains a major unsolved biosafety problem. We developed a new biocontainment strategy containing overlapping ‘safeguards’‐‐engineered riboregulators that tightly control expression of essential genes, and an engineered addiction module based on nucleases that cleaves the host genome‐‐to restrict viability of Escherichia coli cells to media containing exogenously supplied synthetic small molecules. These multilayered safeguards maintain robust growth in permissive conditions, eliminate persistence and limit escape frequencies to <1.3 × 10 −12 . The staged approach to safeguard implementation revealed mechanisms of escape and enabled strategies to overcome them. Our safeguarding strategy is modular and employs conserved mechanisms that could be extended to clinically or industrially relevant organisms and undomesticated species.
Multi-Functional, Magnetically-Coupled, Electrically Small, Near-Field Resonant Parasitic Wire Antennas

Several electrically small antenna systems that utilize the magnetic couplings between a coaxially-fed semi-loop antenna and capacitively-loaded loop (CLL)-based near-field resonant parasitic (NFRP) elements are presented. Both one and two gap CLL elements are considered; their impact on the system performance, particularly their effects of the resonance frequencies and the corresponding Q values, is evaluated. By integrating multiple NFRP CLL elements with the coaxially-fed semi-circular loop antenna, electrically small multi-band systems are achieved. They can be designed for a broad range of frequencies by tuning the NFRP elements separately. Dual band designs are reported that achieve operation at the GPS LI (1.5754 GHz) and L2 (1.2276 GHz) frequencies. Their operational modes and performance characteristics are studied. These lead to additional electrically small antenna designs, which feature only one driven loop antenna and two NFRP CLL elements and which achieve circularly polarized (CP) operation. A CP antenna whose electrical size is ka = 0.495 at the GPS LI frequency is presented in detail. Its simulated bandwidth and beamwidth, for which the axial ratio (AR) is less than 3 dB, are, respectively, 7.8 MHz and 76°.
A comparison of the performance of time-delay estimators in medical ultrasound

Time-delay estimation (TDE) is a common operation in ultrasound signal processing. In applications such as blood flow estimation, elastography, phase aberration correction, and many more, the quality of final results is heavily dependent upon the performance of the time-delay estimator implemented. In the past years, several algorithms have been developed and applied in medical ultrasound, sonar, radar, and other fields. In this paper we analyze the performances of the widely used normalized and non-normalized correlations, along with normalized covariance, sum absolute differences (SAD), sum squared differences (SSD), hybrid-sign correlation, polarity-coincidence correlation, and the Meyr-Spies method. These techniques have been applied to simulated ultrasound radio frequency (RF) data under a variety of conditions. We show how parameters, which include center frequency, fractional bandwidth, kernel window size, signal decorrelation, and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) affect the quality of the delay estimate. Simulation results also are compared with a theoretical performance limit set by the Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRLB). Results show that, for high SNR, high signal correlation, and large kernel size, all of the algorithms closely match the theoretical bound, with relative performances that vary by as much as 20%. As conditions degrade, the performances of various algorithms differ more significantly. For signals with a correlation level of 0.98, SNR of 30 dB, center frequency of 5 MHz with a fractional bandwidth of 0.5, and kernel size of 2 /spl mu/s, the standard deviation of the jitter error is on the order of few nanoseconds. Normalized correlation, normalized covariance, and SSD have an approximately equal jitter error of 2.23 ns (the value predicted by the CRLB is 2.073 ns), whereas the polarity-coincidence correlation performs less well with a jitter error of 2.74 ns.
A novel role for cyclooxygenase-2 in regulating vascular channel formation by human breast cancer cells

Cyclo-oxygenase (COX)-2 expression correlates directly with highly aggressive and metastatic breast cancer, but the mechanism underlying this correlation remains obscure. We hypothesized that invasive human breast cancer cells that over-express COX-2 have the unique ability to differentiate into extracellular-matrix-rich vascular channels, also known as vasculogenic mimicry. Vascular channels have been associated with angiogenesis without involvement of endothelial cells, and may serve as another mechanism by which tumor cells obtain nutrients to survive, especially in less vascularized regions of the tumor. To determine whether COX-2 regulates vascular channel formation, we assessed whether treatment with celecoxib (a selective COX-2 inhibitor) or silencing COX-2 synthesis by siRNA inhibits vascular channel formation by breast cancer cell lines. Cell lines were selected based on their invasive potential and COX-2 expression. Additionally, gene expression analysis was performed to identify candidate genes involved in COX-2-induced vascular channel formation. Finally, vascular channels were analyzed in surgically resected human breast cancer specimens that expressed varying levels of COX-2. We found that invasive human breast cancer cells that over-express COX-2 develop vascular channels when plated on three-dimensional matigel cultures, whereas non-invasive cell lines that express low levels of COX-2 did not develop such channels. Similarly, we identified vascular channels in high-grade invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast over-expressing COX-2, but not in low-grade breast tumors. Vascular channel formation was significantly suppressed when cells were treated with celecoxib or COX-2 siRNA. Inhibition of channel formation was abrogated by addition of exogenous prostaglandin E2. In vitro results were corroborated in vivo in tumor-bearing mice treated with celecoxib. Using gene expression profiling, we identified several genes in the angiogenic and survival pathways that are engaged in vascular channel formation. Antivascular therapies targeting tumor cell vasculogenic mimicry may be an effective approach to the treatment of patients with highly metastatic breast cancer.
Classification of Multiple Time-Series via Boosting

Much of modern machine learning and statistics research consists of extracting information from high-dimensional patterns. Often times, the large number of features that comprise this high-dimensional pattern are themselves vector valued, corresponding to sampled values in a time-series. Here, we present a classification methodology to accommodate multiple time-series using boosting. This method constructs an additive model by adaptively selecting basis functions consisting of a discriminating feature's full time-series. We present the necessary modifications to Fisher Linear Discriminant Analysis and Least-Squares, as base learners, to accommodate the weighted data in the proposed boosting procedure. We conclude by presenting the performance of our proposed method against a synthetic stochastic differential equation data set and a real world data set involving prediction of cancer patient susceptibility for a particular chemoradiotherapy.
Ain't Gonna Study War No More? Explorations of War through Picture Books.

(2009). Ain't Gonna Study War No More?: Explorations of War through Picture Books. Childhood Education: Vol. 85, International Focus Issue 2009: Helping Children Cope With the Impact of War, Terrorism, and Disaster, pp. 370-374.
Lunar Theory and Related Subjects

Book IV of De revolutionibus is concerned with the subjects treated in Books IV–VI of the Almagest and Epitome: the first and second inequalities of the moon; the parallax, distance, and size of the sun and moon; the apparent diameters of the sun, moon, and shadow of the earth; the theory of eclipses. The brevity of Copernicus’s treatment of eclipses accounts for the most significant reduction from the exposition in the Almagest and Epitome, the latter of which is especially important for the second half of Book IV. Since the recent discovery that Copernicus’s lunar model was anticipated some two hundred years earlier by Ibn ash-Shāṭir of Damascus (1306–75), nothing of much originality is left to Copernicus’s lunar theory.1 Yet from the point of view of the historian who is concerned with Copernicus’s sources and procedures, Book IV is very interesting as a highly synthetical, and highly medieval, exposition of methods and even numerical parameters from Greek, Indian, Arabic, and medieval Latin sources that found their way into the Alfonsine Tables and the Epitome, and then into the book usually said to mark a revolution in astronomy.
The consequence of fetal ethanol exposure and adolescent odor re-exposure on the response to ethanol odor in adolescent and adult rats

An epidemiologic predictive relationship exists between fetal ethanol exposure and the likelihood for adolescent use. Further, an inverse relationship exists between the age of first experience and the probability of adult abuse. Whether and how the combined effects of prenatal and adolescent ethanol experiences contribute to this progressive pattern remains unknown. Fetal ethanol exposure directly changes the odor attributes of ethanol important for both ethanol odor preference behavior and ethanol flavor perception. These effects persist only to adolescence. Here we tested whether adolescent ethanol odor re-exposure: (Experiment 1) augments the fetal effect on the adolescent behavioral response to ethanol odor; and/or (Experiment 2) perpetuates previously observed adolescent behavioral and neurophysiological responses into adulthood. Pregnant rats received either an ethanol or control liquid diet. Progeny (observers) experienced ethanol odor in adolescence via social interaction with a peer (demonstrators) that received an intragastric infusion of either 1.5 g/kg ethanol or water. Social interactions were scored for the frequency that observers followed their demonstrator. Whole-body plethysmography evaluated the unconditioned behavioral response of observers to ethanol odor in adolescence (P37) or adulthood (P90). The olfactory epithelium of adults was also examined for its neural response to five odorants, including ethanol. Experiment 1: Relative to fetal or adolescent exposure alone, adolescent re-exposure enhanced the behavioral response to ethanol odor in P37 animals. Compared to animals with no ethanol experience, rats receiving a single experience (fetal or adolescent) show an enhanced, yet equivalent, ethanol odor response. Fetal ethanol experience also increased olfactory-guided following of an intoxicated peer. Experiment 2: Combined exposure yielded persistence of the behavioral effects only in adult females. We found no evidence for persistence of neurophysiological effects in either sex. Fetal ethanol exposure influences adolescent re-exposure, in part, by promoting interactions with intoxicated peers. Re-exposure subsequently enhances ethanol odor responsivity during a key developmental transition point for emergent abuse patterns. While persistence of behavioral effects occurred in females, the level of re-exposure necessary to uniformly yield persistence in both sexes remains unknown. Nonetheless, these results highlight an important relationship between fetal and adolescent experiences that appears essential to the progressive pattern of developing ethanol abuse.
Pharmacists Who Screen and Discuss Opioid Misuse With Patients: Future Directions for Research and Practice.

Background:Prescription opioid (PO) abuse has reached epidemic proportions in the United States, and pharmacies are locations from which these medications are often diverted. This study identifies factors associated with pharmacists who currently screen and discuss PO misuse with patients.Methods:A secondary data analysis of a cross-sectional Web-based survey that was sent to pharmacists was conducted. The survey contained items that assessed whether pharmacists currently screened and discussed PO misuse with patients along with pharmacists’ attitudes and beliefs toward providing brief interventions. Multivariable models were developed which identified factors associated with pharmacists’ currently screening and discussing misuse.Results:Chain setting pharmacists (odds ratio [OR] = 6.16, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.16-32.72) and pharmacists interested in being directly involved in PO screening and brief intervention research projects (OR = 2.06, 95% CI = 1.35-3.15) were most likely to report current ...
Characterization of Cytochrome P-450 in Studies of Insecticide Resistance

The importance of cytochrome P-450 (P-450*)-dependent monooxygenase systems in the metabolism of xenobiotics, including insecticides, is well established and has been frequently reviewed (e.g., Estabrook et al., 1973; Hodgson and Tate, 1976; Hodgson and Dauterman, 1980; Kulkarni and Hodgson, 1980a; Nakatsugawa and Morelli, 1976; Ullrich, 1977). Although reviews are often restricted to investigations carried out on mammals, such systems have been described in many insects, and their importance is widely recognized (for references see reviews by Agosin and Perry, 1974; Agosin, 1976; Hodgson, 1976; Kulkarni and Hodgson, 1976d; Wilkinson and Brattsten, 1972). In one or two species of insect, such as the house fly, Musca domestica, and the southern armyworm, Spodopteva evidania, P-450 and its related enzymes have been described in some detail.
Qualitative network models in support of ecosystem approaches to bivalve aquaculture

Predicting the effects of aquaculture development for coastal ecosystems remains challenging, particularly for data-limited systems, and tools that account for complex ecological interactions are needed to support ecosystem approaches to aquaculture. Here, we used qualitative network models (QNMs) to examine the potential community effects of increasing bivalve aquaculture in South Puget Sound, a large estuarine system in Washington, United States. QNMs are formalized conceptual models that require only a qualitative understanding of how variables composing a system interact (that is, the sign of interactions: +, – , and 0) and are therefore well-suited to data-limited systems. Specifically, we examined community-wide responses to scenarios in which bivalve cultivation effort increased for three different bivalve species (Manila clam Venerupis philippinarum, Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas, and geoduck Panopea generosa). Further, we evaluated community-wide responses to the removal of benthic bivalve predators, a future increase in nutrient loadings, and combinations of these scenarios acting simultaneously. The scenarios enabled identification of potential trade-offs between increased aquaculture and shifts in the abundance of community members and assessment of the possible effects of different management actions. We also analysed the QNM to identify key interactions that influence the sign outcome of community responses to press perturbations, highlighting potential points for management intervention and linkages deserving of more focused quantitative study. QNMs are mathematically robust and highly flexible, but remain underutilized. We suggest that they may serve as valuable tools for supporting ecosystem approaches to aquaculture.