cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Differential secretion of opioid peptides and catecholamines from cultured cells of a human pheochromocytoma tumor

Abstract Dissociated cells from a human pheochromocytoma tumor were maintained in culture, and the secretion of opioid peptides (OP), endogenous catecholamines (CA) and preloaded [3H] norepinephrine from these cells was examined. Nicotine, veratridine, barium or Ionomycin stimulated the secretion of OP, endogenous CA and 3H from the pheochromocytoma cells. In general, the different secretagogues were more potent in releasing OP than endogenous CA; 3H secretion was intermediate. Secretion of OP was more sensitive to stimulation by the calcium ionophore Ionomycin and by veratridine than was CA secretion. Nicotine-evoked OP secretion was more sensitive to extracellular calcium concentration than was secretion of CA or 3H. In contrast, bovine adrenal chromaffin cells show no such differential secretion of OP and CA in response to Ionomycin stimulation or to nicotine stimulation under conditions of varying extracellular calcium concentration. The results show that human pheochromocytomas secrete OP as well as CA and that there may be heterogeneous storage pools of CA and OP in cultured pheochromocytoma cells.
Monomeric and Polymeric N-Halamine Disinfectants

A new series of N-halamine compounds have been synthesized and tested in aqueous solution and on various substrates for efficacy at inactivating bacteria. The compounds, which are 3-halo-4-[[(alkylacryl)oxy]methyl]-4-ethyl-2-oxazolidinones, are inexpensive to synthesize and can be polymerized to form polymeric N-halamine compounds. They are efficient biocides in their monomeric form in aqueous solution, and when polymerized, they can be coated on glass, plastic, and fibrous materials for use as surface-active disinfection agents.
Fluorescence changes associated with denaturation of alcohol dehydrogenase.

Abstract Changes in the fluorescence of the reversibly bound dyes auramine O and 2,6-( p -toluidinyl)-naphthalenesulfonate and in the fluorescence of the intrinsic tryptophan were used to study the kinetics of acid denaturation of horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase. The fluorescence due to tryptophan and auramine O decrease during acid denaturation while the fluorescence due to the N -arylaminonaphthalene dye increases. Denaturation rates increase at higher ionic strength or lower pH. The results indicate that fluorescence probes have potential use in studies of protein denaturation.
Solid-state capacitive pressure transducers

Abstract Solid-state capacitive pressure transducer research is reviewed. A comparison of capacitive and other types of pressure transducers is briefly presented. The design and fabrication techniques for capacitive transducers are summarized. The capacitive measurement circuits that determine the overall performance of the transducer are reviewed, with examples to illustrate the achievable characteristics. The present limitations and future trends of capacitive sensors are discussed.
Investigation on the Effect of SiC Nanoparticles on Cutting Forces for Micro-Milling Magnesium Matrix Composites

Magnesium Metal Matrix Composites (Mg-MMCs) with nano-sized reinforcements exhibit better mechanical properties comparing to pure Magnesium (Mg) and its alloys. However, it is challenging to improve the machinability of this kind of composites. An analytical cutting force model for the micro-milling process was developed and validated to analyze the micro-machinability of the SiC nanoparticles reinforced Mg-MMCs. This model is different from the previous ones because it encompasses the behaviors of the reinforcement nanoparticles in the three cutting regimes, i.e., shearing, ploughing and elastic recovery. The volume fraction of particles and particle size are considered as two significant factors affecting the cutting forces in this model. The effects of the reinforcement nanoparticles on cutting forces were studied through modeling and experimental validation. The simulated cutting forces show a good agreement with the experimental data. Moreover, it is indicated that the amplitude and profile of cutting forces vary with the reinforcement particle’s volume fraction. This mainly arises from the strengthening effect of SiC nanoparticles.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
The use of a rapid radiolabeling method for measuring ingestion rates of detritivores

Abstract Utilization of the organic components of senescent Spartina alterniflora Loisel detritus by the grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio Holthuis, was investigated in laboratory feeding studies. A 14 C-dimethyl sulfate labeling procedure was utilized to label the sterilized detritus. The formed covalent bond is stable to autoclaving, freezing and extremes of pH. An ingestion rate of 2.0 × 10 −4 CS · h −1 was determined for P. pugio . Estimates for rate of incorporation, gross growth efficiency, and total biomass incorporated are presented. An inverse relationship was demonstrated between shrimp size and rates of ingestion and incorporation.
[Et4N]2[TCNE]2(TCNE = tetracyanoethylene)– an example of an exceptionally long 2.827 Å CC bond

The reaction of [Et4N]I and tetracyanoethylene (TCNE) forms [Et4N]2[TCNE]2, which possesses [TCNE]22− with a 2.827(3) A intradimer CC bond distance and exhibits νCN at 2191, 2170 and 2163 cm−1, νCC at 1365 cm−1, and UV-Vis bands at 26 150 and 16 850 cm−1.
System of systems capability to requirements engineering

Given an existing set of interconnected, independent systems, often referred to as a system of systems (SoS), one of the key activities according to the United States Department of Defense Systems Engineering Guide for Systems of Systems is “translating SoS capability objectives into high-level SoS requirements”. Capability engineering starts with understanding the desired capability and identifying various options for achieving that capability, technically assessing the various alternatives, then further evaluating the most viable alternatives in terms of capability performance, cost, and schedule. This paper provides additional guidance for translating capability objectives into requirements; defines SoS engineering methods, processes, and tools that might support this activity; and illustrates how the methods, processes, and tools would be used and integrated to support SoS engineering using an example SoS.
Magnitude, laterality, and uniformity of swelling in axotomized spinal motoneurons: lack of evidence for influence by the distal stump.

Injury to frog lumbar motor axons produces a coordinated, allometric enlargement of the nucleolus, nucleus, and cell body of the injured neuron. The mechanisms by which swelling is initiated and sustained are not known. In this study, we have sought evidence for a role of the severed distal stump in the magnitude, laterality, and uniformity of the swelling response in frog spinal motoneurons. We find that swelling of motoneuron nucleoli, nuclei, and perikarya after unilateral spinal nerve transection is exclusively ipsilateral and uniform among motoneurons of different sizes. Removal of the severed distal stump does not affect the magnitude, unilaterality, or uniformity of the swelling responses. Thus, the distal stump appears to play no role in initiating swelling following spinal nerve transection.
Site-Selective Shpol'skii Spectrometry of Sulfur-, Oxygen-, and Nitrogen-Containing Aromatic Compounds in Complex Samples

Laser excited Shpol'skii spectrometry (LESS) was utilized to directly determine nitrogen (N-), oxygen (O-), and sulfur (S-) heterocyclic compounds in solvent refined coal (SRC-II), petroleum crude oil, and carbon black. Characteristic quasilinear LESS excitation and emission spectra of the heterocyclic compounds are presented for the first time under site-selective conditions. Deuterated analogs of dibenzothiophene and dibenzofuran were utilized for quantitation. Site-selective fluorescence spectra of aminopyrene derivatives of polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAC) are also presented for the first time. The potential for utilizing the LESS technique in critical environment and biological studies for the direct determination of N-, O-, and S-heterocyclic compounds and substitutional derivatives of parent PAC has been demonstrated.
Effect of slow desiccation and freezing on gene transcription and stress survival of an Antarctic nematode.

SUMMARY Nematodes are the dominant soil animals of the Antarctic Dry Valleys and are capable of surviving desiccation and freezing in an anhydrobiotic state. Genes induced by desiccation stress have been successfully enumerated in nematodes; however, little is known about gene regulation by Antarctic nematodes that can survive multiple types and incidences of environmental stress. In order to reveal the molecular response of anhydrobiotic survival, we investigated the genetic response of an Antarctic nematode, Plectus murrayi , which can survive desiccation and freezing. Using molecular approaches, we provide insight into the regulation of desiccation-induced transcripts during different stages of stress survival under conditions characteristic of the Antarctic Dry Valley environment. Our study revealed that exposure to slow desiccation and freezing plays an important role in the transcription of stress, metabolism and signal transduction-related genes and improves desiccation and freezing survival compared with nematodes exposed to fast desiccation and freezing. Temporal analyses of gene expression showed that pre-exposure to mild stress promotes survival of harsher stress. Our results further show that exposure to slow dehydration not only improves extreme desiccation survival but also promotes enhanced cold tolerance. We also provide evidence that slow dehydration can enhance freeze tolerance in an Antarctic nematode. Expression profiling of P. murrayi transcripts is an important step in understanding the genome-level response of this nematode to different environmental stressors.
Shame, Peer, and Oscillating Frames in DWI Conviction: Extending Goffman's Sociological Landscape

Goffman argues that "the interaction order" is a substantive domain autonomous from formal social organization. His scholarship generally analyzes the interaction order in its autonomous workings but neglects the areas in which it is legally regulated. Analyzing the case of legal detention and conviction for the offense of driving while intoxicated (DWI), this article illustrates and extends Goffman's paradigm. A DWI conviction is the result of the legal system's response to distortion at the level of the interaction order. Conviction creates new interactive frames. The interaction order resists the official moral definition of DWI.
Large cell carcinoma of the lung. Ultrastructural differentiation and clinicopathologic correlations.

Light microscopic biopsy specimens from 48 patients were reviewed by two independent pathologists and classified as large cell carcinoma of the lung by 1981 World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. Sites of primary disease were hilar/mediastinal in 26 patients, large mid-lung field in 17, and peripheral lung in 5. All material was examined by electron microscopy (EM) for evidence of squamous (“squamous”: 15 patients), glandular (“adenacarcinoma”: 17 patients), or nonspecific (“large cell”: 14 patients) ultrastructural differentiation. Two patients had mixed adenosquamous features. There were 6 patients with Stage I tumors; 5, Stage II; 24, Stage IIIMO; and 13, Stage IIIMl. Of the 14 patients with large cell by EM, 11 had unresectable Stage IIIMO or metastatic disease. Only 3 of 27 patients not undergoing resection responded to combined modality therapy. There were two long-term survivors free of disease in the resected Stage IIIMO patient category. Overall median survival by stage was analyzed, with no statistically significant difference between seveTal of the stage groupings, suggesting a worse prognosis for the entire group overall compared to all patients with non-small cell lung cancer. The median survival by EM subgroup was also without significant difference, both overall and within various stage groupings, despite more patients in the large cell categbry with advanced disease. These data support the unique behavior of patients with large cell carcinoma on light microscopy, but fail to demonstrate that ultrastructural differentiation is of prognostic importance for response or survival. Cancer 56: 1618- 1623. 1985. ARGE CELL undifferentiated carcinoma is one of the L four common primary carcinomas of the lung, as defined by histologic criteria, accounting for from 9% to 20% of all cases of non-small cell bronchogenic carcinoma (NSCBC).IW3 Classically, large cell tumors are bulky, peripheral, subpleural lesions with limited-stage disease on presentation and late di~semination.~.’ Although large cell tumors are apparently monomorphous at the light microscopy (LM) level, ultrastructural examination by electron microscopy (EM) has revealed three different types of morphologic differentiation: adenocarcinoma (AD), squamous cell carcinoma (SQ), and large cell undifferentiated carcinoma ( LG).6-9 Such histologic subtyping may possibly be useful for the prediction of tumor behavior and responsiveness to therapy as well as patient From the Departments of *Medicine, ?Pathology, and #Surgery, The
Communication with Employees Following a Merger: A Longitudinal Field Experiment

This study examined the impact of a realistic merger preview, a program of realistic communications, on employees of an organization that had just announced a merger. Employees in one plant received the preview and those in another received limited information. Results based on four collections of data indicated that the preview reduced dysfunctional outcomes of the merger. Those effects continued over the duration of the study and, in some cases, measured attributes returned to levels comparable to their levels before the merger was announced. We discuss implications for organizations contemplating mergers or acquisitions and for researchers interested in such activities.
Interlayer correlation effects in frictional drag of carriers in coupled quantum wells

Abstract Interlayer correlations can significantly affect the Coulomb drag signal in coupled quantum wells. Using the T -matrix approximation, I consider the Maki–Thompson interlayer correlation effects on the drag rate. The strong interlayer coupling modifies the temperature behavior of the drag rate from the standard weak-coupling T2 result to a more complicated and non-monotonic temperature dependence.
Free radical—mediated vascular injury in lungs preserved at moderate hypothermia

Background. Early allograft dysfunction remains a frequently encountered problem in clinical lung transplantation. Lung ischemia-reperfusion injury is associated with increased vascular permeability, which may be due in part to oxygen (O 2 ) free radicals. However, it is not clear whether O 2 free radicals are produced during ischemia under storage conditions in clinical lung transplantation. Methods. Using an isolated ex vivo rabbit lung model, we studied the effects of preservation temperature on pulmonary capillary filtration coefficient (K f ) and lipid peroxidation in rabbit lungs inflated with 100% O 2 after preservation with or without the O 2 free radical scavenger dimethylthiourea. New Zealand white rabbits weighing 2.7 to 3.1 kg were intubated and ventilated with room air or 100% O 2 (tidal volume=25 mL). After heparinization and sternotomy, the pulmonary artery was flushed with low-potassium—dextran—1% glucose solution (200 mL). The heart-lung block was excised, submerged, and stored for 24 hours at 1° or 10°C. After 24-hour preservation, the heart-lung block was suspended from a strain-gauge force transducer and ventilated with room air. The pulmonary artery cannula was connected to a reservoir of hetastarch solution. The lungs were flushed briefly with the hetastarch solution, and the reservoir was raised sequentially at 8-minute intervals to achieve 1.0 to 1.5 mm Hg increments in pulmonary artery pressure. Lung weight gain, airway pressure, pulmonary artery pressure, and left atrial pressure were measured continuously. The slope of steady-state lung weight gain was used to determine K f (g · min −1 · cm H 2 O −1 · 100 g −1 wet weight). Results. Twenty-four—hour lung preservation at both 1° and 10°C increased K f . A similar increase in K f was observed in lungs stored at 1°C while inflated with 100% O 2 . However, a significant increase in K f was observed when lungs inflated with 100% O 2 were stored at 10°C. This increase in K f was ameliorated by dimethylthiourea. Thiobarbituric acid—reactive substance levels were increased in lungs stored at 10°C while inflated with 100% O 2 . This finding was eliminated by dimethylthiourea. Conclusions. These results indicate that free radical injury occurs during the ischemic phase when lungs are stored at moderate hypothermia while inflated with 100% O 2 .
Analytical models for understanding space, backoff, and flow correlation in CSMA wireless networks

In wireless networks employing carrier-sense multiple-access with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA), correlations between the service processes of different nodes arise as a result of competition for common wireless channels and the dependencies between upstream and downstream traffic flows. These dependencies make the development of tractable performance models extremely difficult. To address this purpose, we present a new continuous-time model for CSMA wireless networks where we combine a node model and a channel model in order to capture correlation. Simplification methods are presented that make our models computationally tractable for large networks with minimal loss of accuracy. The model can be used for both single and multi-hop wireless networks and takes into account non-saturated queues, backoff-stage dependence of collision probabilities, and the correlation between departure processes and arrival processes of adjacent nodes. The model can be used to compute probabilistic quality of service guarantees to optimize end-to-end throughput and end-to-end delay by adjusting arrival and backoff rates along various paths.
Equivalent Circuits For High Frequency Transistors

topology is determined by physical arguments and two-port characterization techniques. Mathematical functions are determined by physical device modeling or curve fitting to experimental data. The functions can then be analyzed to define a topology. In this manner, for example, it can be shown that the input circuit of an FET can be represented as a series RC circuit and the output network can be represented as a parallel RC circuit. The element values and their relationship to device parameters can be determined by analytic device modeling of the physical structure and the mechanisms responsible for device operation. Once the circuit topology is known the element values can also be extracted from experimental data taken from actual devices over a specified frequency band. The equivalent circuit is generally valid only over the frequency band for which the circuit has been determined. Attempts to extrapolate the response of the circuit beyond the characterized frequency band can produce misleading results, especially for circuits that have been simplified for convenience by removing certain elements. If an equivalent circuit is to be used to predict the upper frequency potential of devices (e.g., to determine ft or fmax) the equivalent circuit must be topologically accurate and based upon device physics. Elements representing the physical processes responsible for device operation must be present. The high frequency operation of four candidate transistors for mm-wave applications is compared in this paper. Physically based equivalent circuits are determined and used to predict high frequency potential. The element values are determined by extraction from measured dc and s-parameter data. The circuits are analyzed to determine the elements that limit high frequency operation. The four transistors investigated are listed in Table I and consist of a Hughes GaAs MESFET, the MIT Lincoln Labs PBT, a TRW AlGaAs/GaAs HEMT, and an Alpha AlGaAs/InGaAs/GaAs pseudomorphic HEMT.
Evolving insights into the pathophysiology of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

The syndrome of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is particularly prevalent and burdensome in older individuals. The pharmacologic treatment of HFpEF has largely relied on using interventions that have proven useful in patients with systolic heart failure. However, recent clinical trials have shown that these interventions have only limited efficacy in patients with HFpEF. Thus, there is a dire need for novel strategies in the management of HFpEF. Developing these strategies, in turn, requires a thorough understanding of the pathophysiologic mechanisms that underlie this syndrome. Patients with HFpEF have abnormalities in diastolic function. However, most of these abnormalities can also be observed in other individuals who do not have heart failure, which calls into question the notion that diastolic abnormalities are sufficient to explain the syndrome of HFpEF. This article provides an overview of some of the nondiastolic factors that have recently been considered as potential contributors to the pathophysiology of HFpEF, such as alterations in systolic function, left ventricular volumes, and arterial properties.
Mary Van Kleeck and Social-Economic Planning

“We are, most of us,” Mary Van Kleeck said in November 1957, “getting too old to talk.” Near the end of more than two hours of interrogation by officials of the State Department's Passport Office, Van Kleeck tried to impress upon her questioners the commitment to social research and to social justice that underlay her career. The Passport Office, however, was more concerned about her Communist front and party affiliations, and she was in their offices that Thursday morning appealing their refusal to renew her passport. She was seventy-three years old and retired from public life. She wanted to travel, as had been her practice, to Holland, her ancestral home and the home of her closest friends. “I date way back of you young people,” she told her two interrogators. “I think the work of my generation and our attitudes in international affairs is one of sympathy … to developments in other countries.” But, she continued, “I don't think you people who don't know the period prior to the First World War can possibly see how deep our concern is.”
Differential effects of glucocorticoid on recruitment and activity of osteoclasts induced by normal and osteocalcin-deficient bone implanted in rats.

Prolonged glucocorticoid excess is associated with bone loss. Among the contributory factors are glucocorticoids' suppression of bone formation and stimulation of bone resorption. In this study, the effects of glucocorticoids on bone resorption were evaluated in a rodent model. Subcutaneous implants of devitalized mineralized bone particles (BPs) elicit the recruitment of progenitor cells and their differentiation to osteoclasts which resorb the BPs. The effects of glucocorticoids on both the recruitment and the activity of cells induced by normal BPs were distinguished based upon when treatment was initiated. When treatment with hydrocortisone or dexamethasone was initiated at the time of BP implantation, the recruitment of bone-resorbing cells was impaired and a subsequent decrease in BP resorption was found. On the other hand, when treatment was initiated on day 7, glucocorticoids increased osteoclastic resorption and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase activity. We also tested hydrocortisone's effect ...
Steroid Prophylaxis Prevents Acute Pain Flare or Swelling Sensation Following Cervical Spine Stereotactic Radiosurgery

field data from the treatment planning system in DICOM format. Since most collisions with the patient are between the gantry head and the patient’s arms, and the arms are generally not fully included in the CT image, an algorithm to extrapolate the arms was created. A clearance map of gantry and couch angles in 5-degree increments was created to estimate available gantry angles prior to treatment planning. This map provided clearance information of physical collisions, machine interlocks, and an additional safety margin in case of changes in the lateral and vertical position of the patient relative the expected values from the planning CT. This margin was set to 2 cm for the patient and 10 cm for the couch which was approximately 2 cm from the machine interlock zone. The measured machine interlock margin for various combinations of gantry, couch angle, and couch shifts was 7 to 8 cm. To be conservative, the machine interlock was set to 8 cm in this tool. This model was then tested for actual patient treatment fields for 9 non-coplanar lung SBRT plans treated in our clinic. Results: For the cases tested, the clear status in this tool agreed with verification at the machine by 100%. Some treatment fields with interlock status (4% of all fields) were clear at the machine due to the conservative margin of 8 cm in our model. The clearance map also provides available range of gantry angle for each couch angle for the case of arc therapy, as well as the shifts necessary for patient clearance for CBCT. Conclusions: The tool developed in this study will improve the clinical workflow by identifying potential collisions prior to patient treatment while eliminating the need for in-room verification of individual patient plan. The collision avoidance estimation capability was improved by modeling the patient’s arm position which is not available in the planning CT. Author Disclosure: A. Saito: None. R. Kashani: None. S. Ozawa: None. K. Karasawa: None. E.E. Klein: None.
Drug interactions in childhood cancer

Summary Children with cancer are increasingly benefiting from new treatment strategies and advances in supportive care, as shown by improvements in both survival and quality-of-life. However, the continuous emergence of new cancer drugs and supportive-care drugs has increased the possibility of harmful drug interactions; health-care providers need to be very cautious when combining drugs. We discuss the most common interactions between chemotherapeutic drugs and supportive-care drugs—such as anticonvulsants, antiemetics, uric-acid-lowering compounds, acid suppressants, antimicrobials, and pain-management medications in paediatric patients. We also review the interactions between chemotherapy drugs and food and herbal supplements, and provide recommendations to avoid unwanted and potentially fatal interactions in children with cancer. Because of the constant release of new drugs, health-care providers need to check the most recent references before making recommendations about drug interactions.
Atmospheric Turbulence Measurements from a Subsonic Aircraft

THE operation of constant-temp erature and constantcurrent fine wire and thin film anemometers on an aircraft is discussed. Instrumentation has allowed data with a 10-kHz bandwidth to be gathered. Atmospheric turbulence data^ gathered at flight Mach numbers of 0.28 and 0.83 and operating altitudes of 3.6-12.5 km, are presented. Samples of results from studies of stratospheric turbulence, and the turbulence structure of the tropopause boundary, are described.
The Private Role in Public Governance

This article proposes a conception of governance as a set of negotiated relationships between public and private actors. In this conception, public and private actors negotiate over policymaking, implementation and enforcement. The conception evokes an image of decisionmaking in which there is no center of control, such as the agency. This alternative conception challenges the public/private distinction in administrative law, and invites a reconsideration of the traditional administrative law pre-occupation with the accountability of "public" actors. It recognizes the pervasive and varied roles played by private actors in every aspect of governance. The article offers theoretical support for the new conception, drawing on both public choice theory and critical legal studies to argue that there is no purely private realm and no purely public one. There are only negotiated relationships between public and private actors. The argument then proceeds through a series of empirical examples that demonstrate the roles played by private actors in a variety of administrative contexts, including health care delivery and prison management as well as regulatory standard-setting, implementation and enforcement. This inquiry forces administrative law to reckon with private power, but calls into question the field's almost uniform defensiveness toward private actors. Private actors do not merely exacerbate the legitimacy crisis in administrative law; they may also be regulatory resources, capable of producing accountability. From the perspective of the new conception, public and private actors together produce accountability, through a combination of traditional and non-traditional mechanisms. This notion of "aggregate" accountability produced through horizontal negotiation is offered as a contrast to the formal, hierarchical approach to accountability that dominates the field. The article concludes with a new administrative law agenda, which places public/private interdependence at the heart of the inquiry.
Fuzzy algorithms for learning vector quantization

This paper presents the development of fuzzy algorithms for learning vector quantization (FALVQ). These algorithms are derived by minimizing the weighted sum of the squared Euclidean distances between an input vector, which represents a feature vector, and the weight vectors of a competitive learning vector quantization (LVQ) network, which represent the prototypes. This formulation leads to competitive algorithms, which allow each input vector to attract all prototypes. The strength of attraction between each input and the prototypes is determined by a set of membership functions, which can be selected on the basis of specific criteria. A gradient-descent-based learning rule is derived for a general class of admissible membership functions which satisfy certain properties. The FALVQ 1, FALVQ 2, and FALVQ 3 families of algorithms are developed by selecting admissible membership functions with different properties. The proposed algorithms are tested and evaluated using the IRIS data set. The efficiency of the proposed algorithms is also illustrated by their use in codebook design required for image compression based on vector quantization.
Does Consumption Respond More to Housing Wealth than to Financial Wealth? If So, Why?

The strong consumption growth in a period of falling stock prices and a moderate recession in the U.S. has sparked a debate about the role of housing wealth as one of the determinants of consumption. Consumption constitutes two-thirds of the total U.S. GDP making it important to understand its movements. The literature is divided over the issue whether the effect of change in the financial wealth on consumption is lower than the change in housing wealth. In this paper using cointegration and a time varying parameter framework, we show that the net effect of housing wealth increase on consumption is higher than the financial wealth. We also find that the housing wealth effect has increased over time. This reflects the deregulation of the housing and mortgage market in the U.S. over the last three decades as the housing market has become more efficient.
Visible models for interactive pattern recognition

The exchange of information between human and machine has been a bottleneck in interactive visual classification. The visible model of an object to be recognized is an abstraction of the object superimposed on its picture. It is constructed by the machine but it can be modified by the operator. The model guides the extraction of features from the picture. The classes are rank ordered according to the similarities (in the hidden high-dimensional feature space) between the unknown picture and a set of labeled reference pictures. The operator can either accept one of the top three candidates by clicking on a displayed reference picture, or modify the model. Model adjustment results in the extraction of new features, and a new rank ordering. The model and feature extraction parameters are re-estimated after each classified object, with its model and label, is added to the reference database. Pilot experiments show that interactive recognition of flowers and faces is more accurate than automated classification, faster than unaided human classification, and that both machine and human performance improve with use.
Developmental Changes in the Responses of Preterm Infants to a Painful Stressor

The purpose of this investigation was to examine longitudinally gestational age and developmental differences in preterm infants' self-regulatory abilities in response to a painful stressor, as well as associations between behavioral and cardiovascular responses. Participants included 49 healthy premature infants. Behavioral and cardiovascular responses to a heel stick blood draw were compared between infants of 28-31 and 32-34 weeks' gestation age at birth. Both gestational age groups displayed behavioral and cardiovascular indications of stress in response to the blood draw. However, both shortly after birth and several weeks later, infants born at younger gestational ages (28-31 weeks) were more physiologically reactive. Evidence that the behavioral stress responses of 28-31 weeks' gestation age group preterm infants do not reflect their physiological responses suggests that evaluation of preterm infants' experiences and risk require assessments of both physiology and behavior. The greater stress vulnerability of the 28-31 weeks' gestation group relative to the 32-34 weeks' gestation group and the implications of this for subsequent development are discussed.
Hormonal regulation of angiotensin II type 1 receptor expression and AT1-R mRNA levels in human adrenocortical cells.

Human adrenocortical H295R cells express AII receptors which are predominantly of the AT1 but not AT2 subclass. These receptors are functionally coupled to phosphoinositidase C in a manner similar to that seen in fetal human, sheep and bovine adrenocortical cells. Treatment of H295R cells with forskolin or dbcAMP to activate the protein kinase A pathway caused a rapid (maximal by 3 h) and sustained decrease in AT1-R mRNA levels which in turn preceded a time-dependent (maximal by 12 h) and dose-dependent loss of [125I]AII binding and phosphoinositidase C activation on subsequent AII challenge. Thus, both decreased AT1-R mRNA levels and functional receptor expression appear to parallel each other in response to activation of protein kinase A. Activation of the Ca2+/protein kinase C pathways by treatment with AII also caused a rapid (maximal by 3 h) and dose-dependent loss in AT1-R mRNA, but mRNA levels subsequently rose again, approaching control levels by 36 h. Treatment with AII for 48 h had little effect...
Vaccination coverage among American Indian and Alaska native children, 2006-2010.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: A previous study on vaccination coverage in the American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) population found that disparities in coverage between AI/AN and white children existed from 2001 to 2004 but were absent in 2005. The objective of this study was to describe vaccination coverage levels for AI/AN children aged 19-35 months in the United States between 2006 and 2010, examining whether gains found for AI/AN children in 2005 have been sustained. METHODS: Data from the 2006 through 2010 National Immunization Surveys were analyzed. Groups were defined as AI/AN (alone or in combination with any other race and excluding Hispanics) and white-only non-Hispanic children. Comparisons in demographics and vaccination coverage were made. RESULTS: Demographic risk factors often associated with underimmunization were significantly higher for AI/AN respondents compared with white respondents in most years studied. Overall, vaccination coverage was similar between the 2 groups in most years, although coverage with 4 or more doses of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine was lower for AI/AN children in 2008 and 2009, as was coverage with vaccine series measures the series in 2006 and 2009. When stratified by geographic regions, AI/AN children had coverage that was similar to or higher than that of white children for most vaccines in most years studied. CONCLUSIONS: The gains in vaccination coverage found in 2005 have been maintained. The absence of disparities in coverage with most vaccines between AI/AN children and white children from 2006 through 2010 is a clear success. These types of periodic reviews are important to ensure we remain vigilant.
Modelling the spread of mobile malware

The popularity of mobile phones and the internet makes it more enticing for hackers to write viruses and create malicious code. There are currently over 150 mobile viruses today and the prevalence of mobile viruses in the US is currently at its tipping point. The first known cellular virus in the USA is called Cabir and was discovered in 2004. In this paper, we reveal how cellular phones running the Symbian and Windows Mobile operating systems get infected through various channels, specifically, Bluetooth and 802.11 wireless. We investigated the transmission rate of mobile malware in Washington, DC from 2004 to 2012, focusing our research in the Washington DC metropolitan area being that it has a high risk of cyber terrorism attacks. The goal of our study is to show the impact of mobile malware on cell phones using the SIS epidemic model. We aim to help cell phone users prepare now in the event of a future mobile malware epidemic in the District. We then proposed some preventative measures.
Conformational changes in Sindbis virions resulting from exposure to low pH and interactions with cells suggest that cell penetration may occur at the cell surface in the absence of membrane fusion

Alphaviruses have the ability to induce cell-cell fusion after exposure to acid pH. This observation has served as an article of proof that these membrane-containing viruses infect cells by fusion of the virus membrane with a host cell membrane upon exposure to acid pH after incorporation into a cell endosome. We have investigated the requirements for the induction of virus-mediated, low pH-induced cell-cell fusion and cell-virus fusion. We have correlated the pH requirements for this process to structural changes they produce in the virus by electron cryo-microscopy. We found that exposure to acid pH was required to establish conditions for membrane fusion but that membrane fusion did not occur until return to neutral pH. Electron cryo-microscopy revealed dramatic changes in the structure of the virion as it was moved to acid pH and then returned to neutral pH. None of these treatments resulted in the disassembly of the virus protein icosahedral shell that is a requisite for the process of virus membrane-cell membrane fusion. The appearance of a prominent protruding structure upon exposure to acid pH and its disappearance upon return to neutral pH suggested that the production of a "pore"-like structure at the fivefold axis may facilitate cell penetration as has been proposed for polio (J. Virol. 74 (2000) 1342) and human rhino virus (Mol. Cell 10 (2002) 317). This transient structural change also provided an explanation for how membrane fusion occurs after return to neutral pH. Examination of virus-cell complexes at neutral pH supported the contention that infection occurs at the cell surface at neutral pH by the production of a virus structure that breaches the plasma membrane bilayer. These data suggest an alternative route of infection for Sindbis virus that occurs by a process that does not involve membrane fusion and does not require disassembly of the virus protein shell.
Antiphospholipase A2 Receptor Autoantibody Guided Diagnosis and Treatment of Membranous Nephropathy: A New Personalized Medical Approach

Medical care is entering into a new phase of “personalized” medical care in which diagnosis and management are tailored to the specific aspects of individual patients. This approach is often guided by the results of sophisticated biomarkers of disease, prognosis, or treatment responsiveness. In
Keratoacanthomas arising in association with prurigo nodules in pruritic, actinically damaged skin

Background There is no known association between the development of keratoacanthomas and prurigo nodules. Objective We report a case series of 7 patients with a long-standing history of actinic damage, pruritus, and prurigo nodularis who developed widespread keratoacanthomas within the same affected area. Methods This was a retrospective case series assessing the clinical characteristics of patients with multiple keratoacanthomas arising in association with prurigo nodules. Results All 7 patients were elderly Caucasian women (mean age 79 ± 3.7 years) with actinically damaged skin and a long-standing history of widespread pruritus and prurigo nodules. All patients had histologically confirmed keratoacanthomas, or squamous cell carcinomas with the clinical appearance of a keratoacanthoma, that developed within the field of prurigo nodules. All 7 patients had a clinical response to acitretin with a decrease in the number of lesions. Four patients had an associated eczematous dermatitis and were also treated with cyclosporine with improvement in pruritus and prurigo nodules and no increase in keratoacanthomas. Limitations The retrospective design and small number of patients are limitations to this study. Conclusion Our case series represents a distinct subset of elderly individuals with extensive actinic damage who we believe are predisposed to developing both prurigo nodules and keratoacanthomas.
Estimating Subsurface Fissure Apertures in Karst Aquifers From Equilibrium Activities

222 Rn activities were determined for the karst aquifer underlying Walkersville, Maryland, in an area of ground-water discharge from a single geological unit during the summer and fall seasons. Radon-222 equilibrium activities in karst ground waters can be employed in mass-balance models to estimate microfissure, macrofissure, and conduit aperture dimensions. This approach defines 222 Rn generation and loss in karst aquifers as a function of fissure apertures and the 238 U content of the rock. High 222 Rn activities occur in tight fissures and low 222 Rn activities occur in conduits. In the vadose zone, 222 Rn activities are low as a result of degassing, especially if flow is turbulent and activities are decoupled from the phreatic zone. In the phreatic zone, if recharge to fissures causes a reduction of residence time below that required for equilibrium (≈26 days), 222 Rn activities fall. At springs and in the vadose zone, after a rainfall event, 222 Rn activities increase as waters with long residence and with high 222 Rn activities are expelled from fissure and fracture storage. Field data and selected literature values were used to test the model. Models used to predict median microfissure apertures for this karst aquifer yield aperture estimates ranging from 2.8 μ m to 9.2 μ m. Median macrofissure apertures ranged from 5.53 cm to 5.88 cm. Median conduit apertures ranged from 1.16 m to 1.24 m. Comparison of the models results with published data on karst aquifers and observations at the field site suggest that the predicted apertures are reasonable.
Luminance specifications for automobile instrument panels.

To establish a minimum luminance level, a psychophysical procedure was used to establish the 95% correctness threshold for 95% of older drivers (ages ranged from 45 to 67). The correctness threshold and subject response times were obtained over eight letter luminance levels, four letter sizes, and three contrast ratios. The results showed that letters must be at least 0.64 cm high (at an 81.3–cm viewing distance) in order to be visible to 95% of the older drivers when letter luminance is set at 1.71 cd/m2. Response times declined as letter size, contrast ratio, and letter luminance increased beyond their threshold values. Although older drivers' visual acuity losses may be compensated by the use of corrective lenses, their losses in brightness and contrast sensitivity simply mean that they need about 10 times as much light as younger drivers.
Power electronics-a technology review

A comprehensive review of power electronics technology that includes a discussion of power semiconductor devices, topologies of different classes of converters, and some selected applications is given. The modern power semiconductor devices that appeared in the 1980s, i.e., IGBTs, SITs, SITHs, and MCTs, are emphasized. Tables comparing the numerical ratings of the devices are included. Although modern converters are emphasized, phase-controlled converters, which are now very commonly used, are included for completeness. Tables comparing the features of AC-AC converters, particularly for AC drive applications are given. A few selected applications indicate in general the complexity of power electronics systems. >
Use of a working channel catheter during flexible ureteroscopic laser lithotripsy.

Purpose: We describe a technique which protects the working channel of the flexible ureteroscope from damage caused by the laser fiber during laser lithotripsy.Materials and Methods: A 2Fr catheter is placed into the working channel of the flexible ureteroscope. A 200 μ. laser fiber is then advanced through the lumen of the catheter and laser lithotripsy is subsequently performed.Results: The catheter provides additional protection to the working channel sheath during passage and firing of the laser fiber. Deflection of the ureteroscope is not affected with the catheter in place. Movement of the laser fiber is augmented by the catheter when compared to movement of the fiber in the working channel alone. Irrigant flow is diminished with the catheter.Conclusions: The catheter does not appear to hinder performance of the flexible ureteroscope during laser lithotripsy. A catheter also offers additional protection to the working channel sheath, thereby potentially increasing the durability and working life of ...
Legal Methods as a Point of Reference for Comparative Studies of Procedural Law

This paper addresses the importance of comparative legal methods for study of comparative procedure.
Intact Regulatory T-Cell Function but Defective Generation of IL-17A-Producing CD4+ T Cells in XIAP Deficiency.

ABSTRACTObjective:X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (xIAP) deficiency is a primary immune deficiency disorder associated with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. About 17% of xIAP-deficient patients present with very early onset severe colitis with high mortality. We hypothesized that xIAP deficiency
Aggression in rats as a function of frustrative nonreward in a straight alley

After being trained in a straight alley for 100% food reward, 12 female albino rats were tested in a double straight alley in pairs on a random 50% schedule of reinforcement. At the end of a 30-sec. interval in the goal box, the Ss were allowed free access to one another for an additional 60 sec., during which time, measures of aggression were taken according to the Klein-Hall scale of aggressiveness. Significantly more overt aggression occurred following nonreinforced trials than after reinforced trials. With a few reservations, the results are interpreted as lending support to the notion of frustrative nonreward in partial reinforcement situations.