cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A threat-driven approach to modeling and verifying secure software

This paper presents a formal approach to threat-driven modeling and verification of secure software using aspect-oriented Petri nets. Based on the behavior model of intended functions, we identify and build formal models of security threats, which are potential misuses and anomalies of the intended functions that violate security goals. Threat mitigations are further modeled in an aspect-oriented paradigm. Taking Petri nets as a formal basis for modeling behaviors, threats, and mitigations as a whole, we verify properties of and consistency between behaviors and threats, and absence of identified threats from the integrated model of functions and threat mitigations. This makes it possible to achieve a design that is provably resistant to the anticipated threats and thus reduce significant design-level vulnerabilities.
Comparison of X-Ray and Gamma-Ray Dose-Response Curves for Pink Somatic Mutations in Tradescantia Clone 02*

Microdosimetric data indicate that the mean specific energy,ζ, produced by individual charged particles from X rays and gamma rays is different for the two radiation qualities by nearly a factor of two. In order to test whether this influences the initial, linear component in the dose-effect relations, a comparison was made between dose-response curves for pink somatic mutations inTradescantia clone 02 stamen hairs following X and gamma irradiations. Absorbed doses ranged from 2.66 to 300 rad. The results are in agreement with predictions made on the basis of microdosimetric data. At low doses gamma rays are substantially less effective than X rays. The RBE of gamma rays vs. X rays at low doses was approximately 0.6, a value lower than those usually reported in other experimental systems.
Rate of inducible ventricular arrhythmia in adults with congenital heart disease

Patients with adult congenital heart disease are at increased risk of ventricular arrhythmia (VA) and sudden cardiac death, although no clear predictors have been found. Ventricular programmed stimulation has been shown to predict clinical ventricular tachycardia and sudden death events, but the role of screening electrophysiology studies (S-EPSs) in this population remains poorly defined. Therefore, we sought to determine the prevalence of inducible VA and to evaluate the clinical predictors in a heterogeneous group of patients with adult congenital heart disease (≥18 years old) undergoing S-EPSs at preoperative or interventional cardiac catheterization. Studies for the primary evaluation of clinical VA were excluded. The demographic, clinical, and diagnostic findings were compared between the patients with positive and negative findings. From 2005 to 2009, 80 patients (mean age 30 ± 9 years) underwent S-EPSs, and 23 had inducible VA. The diagnoses for those with studies positive for VA included tetralogy of Fallot (n = 12), d-transposition of the great arteries (n = 6), pulmonary stenosis (n = 2), double outlet right ventricle (n = 1), double inlet left ventricle (n = 1), and Ebstein's anomaly (n = 1). Men were significantly more likely to have a S-EPS positive for VA (p = 0.015). Increasing QRS duration, decreasing peak oxygen uptake (percentage of predicted), and ventricular fibrosis with cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging were significantly associated with studies positive for VA (p
Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunts: Impact on liver transplantation†

This study was designed to evaluate the impact of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunts (TIPS) on liver transplantation. Historically, the complications of portal hypertension have been temporized with sclerotherapy or surgical portosystemic shunts. In patients whose liver disease progressed, liver transplantation has been used as definitive treatment. More recently, TIPS is being used increasingly for the management of the complications of portal hypertension. The impact of this new modality on liver transplantation is evaluated. The records of 135 adult patients undergoing liver transplantation at University of California at Los Angeles between October 1992 and June 1993 were reviewed. Twenty-three patients had received at least one shunt before transplantation. The TIPS procedure complicated the operative course of 5 patients (22%). In 2 patients the TIPS had been placed cephalad, making placement of the suprahepatic vena caval clamp difficult. In 2 other patients, the shunt had been placed caudad, extending in the extrahepatic portal vein. In all 4 of these patients, the intima had been damaged at the area of the subsequent anastomosis. In the fifth patient, the bile duct had been perforated during the placement of the shunt, causing diffuse bile peritonitis, which was sterile, and the transplantation was performed. The average intraoperative blood loss for these 5 patients was 13 U. There was no significant decrease in intraoperative blood loss for all patients with a TIPS when compared with 112 adults who underwent liver transplantation during the same period (11 U v 10.5 U). The TIPS stent did not improve objective intraoperative parameters as compared with liver transplant recipients without TIPS. The indications for TIPS must be carefully weighed against the potential risks of increasing the technical difficulty of the transplantation and jeopardizing the candidacy of some liver transplantation candidates. Liver transplantation is not facilitated by TIPS insertion and therefore should not be used to justify TIPS placement.
Natural language processor as a tool to assess heparin induced thrombocytopenia awareness.

The life-threatening consequences of heparin induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) may be prevented with early recognition, prompt heparin withdrawal and direct thrombin inhibitor use. To determine the level of HIT awareness, electronic term recognition software can be used to query the electronic medical record (EMR) to assess the thought process and test ordering behavior of health care providers confronted with falling platelet counts. We sought to assess the awareness of HIT in a large teaching institution using these tools. Mayo Clinic databases were queried to identify a cohort of hospitalized adults receiving heparin (06/1/08–06/1/09). Serial platelet counts for each patient were scrutinized for a 50% decrement from baseline. “Clinician awareness” was defined by mention of HIT (determined by electronic term recognition software) within the hospital record by any member of the healthcare team or requisition of platelet factor 4/heparin antibody testing. During this time period, 34,694 adults were hospitalized and 24,956 received heparin. Only 3,239 (13%) patients had more than 1 platelet count during the hospital stay. Of 199 patients (6.1%) with ≥50% platelet count drop, clinician awareness was 36%. The absolute platelet count was the only independent variable associated with HIT awareness (P < 0.001). Both appropriate platelet count monitoring and HIT awareness are low at this large teaching institution. Software tools for monitoring awareness and providing realtime alerts of significant platelet count decrements may be useful.
An Intrathecal Fentanyl Dose-Response Study in Lower Extremity Revascularization Procedures

BACKGROUND Intrathecal opioids routinely are administered to surgical patients to provide prolonged postoperative analgesia. This study evaluated the dose-response effects of intrathecal fentanyl in an elderly patient population undergoing lower extremity revascularization procedures. METHODS Surgical anesthesia was induced using a continuous spinal technique. No patient received perioperative antiemetics or opioids. Postoperatively, after complete regression of spinal anesthesia, patients received via the spinal catheter either 0, 5, 10, 20, 40, or 50 micrograms fentanyl. Blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, oxyhemoglobin saturation, and visual analog pain scores were recorded approximately every minute for 15 min after study drug administration. After this initial observation period, blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, oxyhemoglobin saturation were recorded every 15 min for the next 2 h, then every 30 min thereafter. A verbal analog pain score, with 0 equivalent to no pain and 10 the worst pain imaginable, was obtained with each set of vital signs. The study was concluded when the verbal analog pain score was > or = 3, the patient was medicated, and the time was recorded. Any side effects, such as respiratory depression, nausea, vomiting, and pruritus, were recorded. RESULTS Minimal analgesia was derived from the 0-, 5-, and 10-micrograms doses. Beginning at 20 micrograms, patients experienced the onset of satisfactory analgesia (visual analog pain scores < 3) within 4 min. All patients in the 40- and 50-micrograms groups had excellent analgesia (visual analog pain scores < 1) within 10 min. No patient experienced respiratory depression (respiratory rate < 9 breaths/min), hypoxemia (oxyhemoglobin saturation < 90%), or any hemodynamic alterations (20% change greater or less than baseline heart rate or blood pressure). In the 50-micrograms group, five of ten patients complained of pruritus. CONCLUSIONS Results indicate that 40 micrograms intrathecal fentanyl provides satisfactory analgesia for approximately 5 h in an elderly patient population, with a low incidence of side effects.
YBaCuO superconducting microbridges on Si substrates made by a novel method

High-T/sub c/ superconducting microbridges of YBaCuO films were prepared on Si substrates in-situ using a novel method. By means of that method, high-T/sub c/ YBaCuO film microbridges were grown on Si substrates with Y-stabilized ZrO/sub 2/ directly, without the need of etching processes which usually degrade the superconducting properties of the films. The DC Josephson effect, and the microwave and optical response of the microbridges were investigated. The potential applications are discussed.
Sources of uncertainties in prompt gamma activation analysis

Two prompt gamma-ray activation analysis (PGAA) facilities at the NIST Center for Neutron Research have been used routinely to perform elemental analyses of a variety of materials. Results from these analyses are usually expressed as mass fraction values with expanded uncertainties. The expanded uncertainty consists of the combined uncertainty multiplied by the appropriate coverage factor (k) required to achieve a 95% confidence interval. The combined uncertainty includes the uncertainties associated with preparation, irradiation, and γ-ray spectrometry of samples and standards, and corrections for γ-rays from the background or blanks where necessary. To determine the combined uncertainty, each component of uncertainty associated with each variable and constant in the basic measurement equation is evaluated. In this paper we present the PGAA measurement equation, a description of the potential sources of uncertainty for each component of the equation, and three examples of uncertainty evaluation. The examples are for determination of H in standard reference material (SRM) 2454, hydrogen in titanium alloy using the cold neutron PGAA facility, Cd in SRM 2702 Inorganics in Marine Sediment using the original thermal neutron PGAA facility, and N in SRM 3244 Ephedra-Containing Protein Powder using the recently designed thermal neutron PGAA facility.
Symmetrical windowing for quantum states in quasi-classical trajectory simulations: application to electron transfer.

It has recently been shown [S. J. Cotton and W. H. Miller, J. Chem. Phys. 139, 234112 (2013)] that a symmetrical windowing quasi-classical (SQC) approach [S. J. Cotton and W. H. Miller, J. Phys. Chem. A 117, 7190 (2013)] applied to the Meyer-Miller model [H.-D. Meyer and W. H. Miller, J. Chem. Phys. 70, 3214 (1979)] for the electronic degrees of freedom in electronically non-adiabatic dynamics is capable of quantitatively reproducing quantum mechanical results for a variety of test applications, including cases where “quantum” coherence effects are significant. Here we apply this same SQC methodology, within a flux-side correlation function framework, to calculate thermal rate constants corresponding to several proposed models of electron transfer processes [P. Huo, T. F. Miller III, and D. F. Coker, J. Chem. Phys. 139, 151103 (2013); A. R. Menzeleev, N. Ananth, and T. F. Miller III, J. Chem. Phys. 135, 074106 (2011)]. Good quantitative agreement with Marcus Theory is obtained over several orders of magnitude variation in non-adiabatic coupling. Moreover, the “inverted regime” in thermal rate constants (with increasing bias) known from Marcus Theory is also reproduced with good accuracy by this very simple classical approach. The SQC treatment is also applied to a recent model of photoinduced proton coupled electron transfer [C. Venkataraman, A. V. Soudackov, and S. Hammes-Schiffer, J. Chem. Phys. 131, 154502 (2009)] and population decay of the photoexcited donor state is found to be in reasonable agreement with results calculated via reduced density matrix theory.
Realizing fault-tolerant interconnection networks via chaining

A scheme applicable to a wide class of multistage interconnection networks to enhance their fault-tolerant capability is proposed. Multiple paths between each input-output pair of a network are created by connecting switching elements within the same stage. This scheme provides a network with alternative paths at every stage, requires a simple self-routing algorithm, and allows a network to become more robust as its size increases. An analysis is performed to obtain a quantitative measurement of the reliability improvement of the scheme. >
The myth of exceptionalism: the history of venereal disease reporting in the twentieth century.

As therapeutic advances in the treatment of AIDS began to emerge in the late 1980s and public health began to have more to offer than just the threat, or the perceived threat, of quarantine or partner notification, fissures began to appear in the alliance against named HIV reporting that had emerged a few years earlier. In 1989, New York City’s Health Commissioner stated that the prospects of early clinical intervention warranted “a shift toward a disease-control approach to HIV infection along the lines of classic tuberculosis practices,” including the “reporting of seropositives.” Although his proposal met with fierce and effective resistance, it is now clear that his call represented part of a national trend. The CDC continued to press for cases of HIV to he reported by name to health departments, an effort that assumed the dimensions of a campaign. It was supported by a growing number of public health officials.
High Performance Recording Algorithm For Hopfield Model Associative Memories

A new recording technique for Hopfield-type dynamic auto-associative memories is proposed. The new technique is based on the finite and exponentially convergent algorithm of Ho and Kashyap for the solution of a system of linear inequalities. Associative neural memories recorded with the proposed algorithm are shown to be superior to those recorded with the Hopfield outer-product and Kohonen generalized-inverse techniques. The new recording algorithm is characterized by high capacity, high convergence rates to stored memories and low convergence rates to false and oscillatory states. The issue of stable false and oscillatory states is raised, and it is shown that such states appear to have a direct Boolean logic relationship with the stored memories.
Distribution of glycogen in osteoblasts of the fetal rat.

The intracellular distribution of glycogen during the cytodifferentiation of the osteoblast was studied in fetal rat tibias prefixed in formalin, postfixed in osmium tetroxide, embedded in Epon 812, and stained with lead salts or silver methenamine. To varying degrees intracellular glycogen deposits were observed in all developmental stages of the osteoblast including the preosteoblast, definitive osteoblast and osteocyte. In the preosteoblast glycogen content was maximal, occupying approximately two-thirds of the total cell volume. As compared to the preosteoblast there was marked reduction in the glycogen content of the definitive osteoblast and at peak levels of cylodifferentiation the glycogen content of the definitive osteoblast was essentially depleted, being superceded by a transitory depot of recognizable lipid droplets. During final stages of development exemplified by the osteocyte large intracellular stores of glycogen were again a constant feature. These findings lead us to conclude that the pathways of metabolism in the fetal osteoblast might involve phasic glycogen and lipid synthesis, mobilization, and regeneration.
5-Fluorouracil infusion and mitomycin combination chemotherapy in the management of patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.

We have carried out a phase II study evaluating the activity of a 5-fluorouracil drug combination in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. Patients were given 60 mg/m2 of methotrexate i.v. on day 1. On day 2, 750 mg/m2 of 5-fluorouracil was administered as a 24-h infusion daily for 3 days. Also on day 3, 10 mg/m2 of mitomycin was given i.v. along with folinic acid. Folinic acid was started on day 3 initially at a dose of 25 mg/m2 intravenously every 6 h for three doses, followed by a 2-h infusion of 200 mg/m2 daily on days 3 and 4. Therapy was repeated every 28 days. Fourteen of 35 patients (40%) experienced a partial response to chemotherapy. The median survival of the entire group was 19 weeks. Mucositis was a common side effect but severe leukopenia, anemia, renal insufficiency, and skin ulceration were rare. This study demonstrated that 5-fluorouracil infusion therapy has activity in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer but the responses are not durable. Further studies evaluating differing dose schedules and alternate 5-fluorouracil infusion-based drug combinations seems warranted.
Isotope incorporation using organoboranes

Isotopes have played an important role in chemistry, biology, and medicine. For the last three decades, we have focused on the use of organoboron compounds as precursors to isotopically labeled physiologically active reagents. During that period, we have successfully developed methods for incorporating short- and long-lived isotopes of carbon, nitrogen, oxy- gen, and the halogens using a variety of reactive organoboron precursors. In addition, label- ing strategies employing polymer-supported organoboron derivatives were developed. In this report, we present a short overview focused on the evolution of radiolabeling techniques based on boron chemistry.
Microfluidic nanoplasmonic-enabled device for multiplex DNA detection

We describe a rapid, quantitative, multiplex, self-labelled, and real-time DNA biosensor employing Ag nanoparticle-bound DNA hairpin probes immobilized in a microfluidic channel. Capture of complementary target DNAs by the microarrayed DNA hairpin probes results in a positive fluorescence signal via a conformational change of the probe molecules, signalling the presence of target DNAs. The device's capability for quantitative analyses was evaluated and a detection time as low as 6 min (with a target flow rate of 0.5 μl min−1) was sufficient to generate significant detection signals. This detection time translates to merely 3 μl of target solution consumption. An unoptimized sensitivity of 500 pM was demonstrated for this device.
Sampling and analytical determination of airborne tetramethyl and ethylene thiourea.

Tetramethyl and ethylene thiourea are collected from air using midget impingers containing 15 mL water. Ethylene thiourea may also be collected from air using PVC or cellulose ester membrane filters which are then extracted with water. Pentacyanoamineferrate reagent is added to the filter-extract or to the impinger contents to form a colored coordination complex. The absorbance of the solution is measured spectrophotometrically at 590 nm, and the unknown concentration of tetramethyl or ethylene thiourea sample is determined from calibration curves. The detection limit is 0.75 µg/sample for ethylene thiourea and 3 µg/sample for tetramethyl thiourea. Experimental results indicate that this method can be used as a general analytical method for the analysis of other thiourea-derived compounds.
Analysis of accelerated failure times of rehabilitation liners subjected to a constant or variable pressure

Abstract Pipe rehabilitation liners are often installed in host pipes that lie below the water table. As such, they are subjected to external hydrostatic pressure. The external pressure leads to early deformation in the liners, which could ultimately lead to its failing or buckling before its expected service lifetime is achieved. Experiments involving long term buckling behavior of liners are typically accelerated lifetime testing procedures. In an accelerated testing procedure involving type I censoring a liner is often subjected to a constant external hydrostatic pressure and observed until it fails or for a certain time, t whichever occurs first. Liners that do not fail at time t are deemed censored observations. While a constant pressure is convenient to use in experimental situations, in reality pressure fluctuates under soil conditions over time depending on the water table. It is, therefore, desirable to study and compare accelerated life testing models under variable and constant pressure. Statistical analysis of data on accelerated time till buckling is based on the maximum likelihood procedure for censored or uncensored observations. It is known that maximum likelihood estimates of model parameters are asymptotically (for very large samples) unbiased and normally distributed. In practice, however, it is important to determine the applicability of these asymptotic assumptions for relatively small samples with censored observations under constant and variable pressure. In this study, the accelerated Weibull model for time till buckling under constant pressure is extended to variable pressure and the applicability of the model is investigated by simulation for different sample sizes and different levels of censoring. Data were generated through computer simulation and estimates of parameters were obtained using the maximum likelihood and Newton–Raphson methods. Results on the statistical properties (concerning distribution and bias) of model parameter estimates were used to make inference about the applicability of the accelerated life testing procedure for relatively small censored samples encountered in practice. Expressions from the model are given for computing the probability of survival until a given time or the survival time for a given probability of survival.
Investigations on etiology of Crohn's disease. Humoral immune response to stress (heat shock) proteins.

Many investigators have tried to prove a relationship between Crohn's disease andMycobacteria. Recent evidence suggests that some autoimmune diseases may be initiated through “molecular mimicry” between mycobacterial stress protein antigens and their human homologs. We investigated whether antibody to stress proteins was more frequent in patients with Crohn's disease than controls. We used ATP binding to separate stress proteins (heat-shock-induced,de novo-synthesized, and constitutively expressed ATP-binding proteins) from crude extracts obtained fromMycobacteria and from an SV40-transformed human epithelial cell line that expresses a heat-shock protein, hsp73, as a complex with SV40 T antigen. We used immunoblots to compare sera from 34 patients with Crohn's disease, 14 with ulcerative colitis, and 14 with duodenal or gastric ulcers (noninflammatory bowel disease control patients). We found no statistically significant pattern or frequency of antibodies against single proteins or a combination of mycobacterial or human stress proteins. These observations do not support the hypothesis that a humoral immune response to stress proteins ofMycobacteria is important in the pathogenesis of Crohn's disease.
Peer review among district health officers in Maharashtra India.

A management information system in Maharashtra State, India, was used to obtain primary health care performance data for review at monthly meetings of peers, including District Health Officers, Auxiliary Nurse Midwives and Multipurpose Workers. The meetings were conducted in a problem solving, educational atmosphere. The effect of this process was marked improvement in health worker motivation and performance.
Effects of Initial Success or Failure in a Stressful or Relaxed Environment on Subsequent Task Performance.

Abstract Forty male and 40 female undergraduate subjects worked on anagram problems in either a stressful or a relaxed environment after having experienced either success or failure on a similar task. Internal arousal, which was expected to be minimal following success in a relaxed setting and maximal following failure in the stressful environment, was assumed to bear an inverted U-shaped relation to performance. Consistent with the implications of these assumptions, achievement in a stressful setting was lower following initial failure than following initial success, while initial failure in a relaxed environment facilitated subsequent performance. The interpretation of these results was supported by the effects of the experimental variables on indirect measures of arousal as well as by the relationship between direct measures of arousal and task performance. In addition, the achievement of female subjects tended to be facilitated by failure while the performance of males was consistently debilitated by it.
Chemical and Biomedical Motifs of the Reactions of Hydroxymethylphosphines with Amines, Amino Acids, and Model Peptides

The reactions of tris(hydroxymethyl)phosphine (THP, 1), 1,2-bis(bis(hydroxymethyl)phosphino)benzene (HMPB, 2), and 1,2-bis(bis(hydroxymethyl)phosphino)ethane (HMPE, 3) with various amines including amino acids and model peptides have been explored. The reactions of these multifunctional phosphines with excess amino acids unexpectedly produced monomeric products. The reaction of THP with excess glycine produced THP(glycine)3 (4) in high yield. The reactions of HMPB with the secondary amines N-methylaniline and diethylamine produced the compounds HMPB(N-methylaniline)4 (5) and HMPB(diethylamine)4 (6), respectively. However, the reactions of HMPB and HMPE with excess glycine produced trans annular-bonded bicyclic compounds HMPB(glycine)2 (7) and HMPE(glycine)2 (10). The reactions of HMPB with excess alanine and glycylglycylglycine were also explored to determine the generality of the reactions and correspondingly yielded the novel heterocyclic compounds HMPB(alanine)2 (8) and HMPB(gly-gly-gly)2 (9), respecti...
The ACR20 and defining a threshold for response in rheumatic diseases: too much of a good thing

In the past 20 years great progress has been made in the development of multidimensional outcome measures (such as the Disease Activity Score and ACR20) to evaluate treatments in rheumatoid arthritis, a process disseminated throughout rheumatic diseases. These outcome measures have standardized the assessment of outcomes in trials, making it possible to evaluate and compare the efficacy of treatments. The methodologic advances have included the selection of pre-existing outcome measures that detected change in a sensitive fashion (in rheumatoid arthritis, this was the Core Set Measures). These measures were then combined into a single multidimensional outcome measure and such outcome measures have been widely adopted in trials and endorsed by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) and regulatory agencies. The secular improvement in treatment for patients with rheumatoid arthritis has been facilitated in part by these major methodologic advancements. The one element of this effort that has not optimized measurement of outcomes nor made it easier to detect the effect of treatments is the dichotomization of continuous measures of response, creating responders and non-responder definitions (for example, ACR20 responders; EULAR good responders). Dichotomizing response sacrifices statistical power and eliminates variability in response. Future methodologic work will need to focus on improving multidimensional outcome measurement without arbitrarily characterizing some patients as responders while labeling others as non-responders.
Homoclinic explosions in the complex Ginzburg-Landau equation

Abstract A bifurcation sequence of the complex Ginzburg-Landau (CGL) equation in an even subspace of spatially periodic solutions is analyzed with local three-dimensional bifurcation theory near homoclinic orbits. Bifurcation to chaos occurs via “homoclinic explosions”, similar to bifurcation to chaos in the Lorenz model, and a similar global bifurcation picture is developed. An analysis via one-dimensional maps is developed to predict attractors. It is shown that the two mode Galerkin truncation can mimic some bifurcations of the full CGL equationdeceptively, and also that the truncation fails to mimic many features of full PDE precisely because the truncation lacks many of the same homoclinic orbits.
Ecological Impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Implications for Immunotoxicity

The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill was the largest environmental disaster and response effort in U.S. history, with nearly 800 million liters of crude oil spilled. Vast areas of the Gulf of Mexico were contaminated with oil, including deep-ocean communities and over 1,600 kilometers of shoreline. Multiple species of pelagic, tidal, and estuarine organisms; sea turtles; marine mammals; and birds were affected, and over 20 million hectares of the Gulf of Mexico were closed to fishing. Several large-scale field efforts were performed, including assessments of shoreline and wildlife oiling and of coastal waters and sediments. The assessment of injuries, damages, and restoration options for the DWH spill is ongoing. Although petroleum and the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon component of oils are known to affect the immune systems of aquatic organisms and wildlife, immunotoxicity is not typically assessed during oil spills and has not been a focus of the DHW assessment. The effects of oil spill contaminants on immune responses are variable and often exposure dependent, but immunotoxic effects seem likely from the DHW spill based on the reported effects of a variety of oils on both aquatic and wildlife species.
Measurement variability error for estimates of volume change

Using quality assurance data, measurement variability distributions were developed for attributes that affect tree volume prediction. Random deviations from the measurement variability distribution...
Risk Factors and Treatment Success for Ureteral Obstruction After Pediatric Renal Transplantation

Purpose: Risk factors and treatment efficacy for ureteral obstruction following pediatric renal transplantation are poorly understood. We describe a single center experience with pediatric transplant recipients in an effort to discern risk factors and treatment efficacy.Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the pediatric renal transplant database at our institution from January 1984 to March 2008. Donor and recipient demographics, treatment indications, graft characteristics, surgical techniques, treatment course, complications and graft outcomes were abstracted from clinical records.Results: A total of 449 children (mean age 8.6 years) who underwent 526 renal transplants were included in the study. Ureteral obstruction requiring intervention developed in 42 cases (8%). Recipient age and gender, recipient and donor race, donor harvest technique, ureterovesical anastomosis with or without stenting, number of donor arteries, number of human leukocyte antigen mismatches, prior renal transplant a...
On the velocity of an implicit surface

In this article we derive an equation for the velocity of an arbitrary time-evolving implicit surface. Strictly speaking, only the normal component of the velocity is unambiguously defined. This is because an implicit surface does not have a unique parametrization. However, by enforcing a constraint on the evolution of the normal field we obtain a unique tangential component. We apply our formulas to surface tracking and to the problem of computing velocity vectors of a motion blurred blobby surface. Other possible applications are mentioned at the end of the article.
Quantitative Trait Loci for Locomotor Behavior in Drosophila melanogaster

Locomotion is an integral component of most animal behaviors and many human diseases and disorders are associated with locomotor deficits, but little is known about the genetic basis of natural variation in locomotor behavior. Locomotion is a complex trait, with variation attributable to the joint segregation of multiple interacting quantitative trait loci (QTL), with effects that are sensitive to the environment. We assessed variation in a component of locomotor behavior (locomotor reactivity) in a population of 98 recombinant inbred lines of Drosophila melanogaster and mapped four QTL affecting locomotor reactivity by linkage to polymorphic roo transposable element insertion sites. We used complementation tests of deficiencies to fine map these QTL to 12 chromosomal regions and complementation tests of mutations to identify 13 positional candidate genes affecting locomotor reactivity, including Dopa decarboxylase (Ddc), which catalyzes the final step in the synthesis of serotonin and dopamine. Linkage disequilibrium mapping in a population of 164 second chromosome substitution lines derived from a single natural population showed that polymorphisms at Ddc were associated with naturally occurring genetic variation in locomotor behavior. These data implicate variation in the synthesis of bioamines as a factor contributing to natural variation in locomotor reactivity.
Effect of atrial septal mobility on transcatheter closure of interatrial communications.

Background: Transcatheter techniques have evolved as alternatives to surgical closure of interatrial communications due to its less invasive nature and low morbidity. The technique may be limited by the inability to deploy the device and, thus, may be complicated by significant residual shunting. Mobile or redundant septal tissue has been implicated as a possible cause of unsuccessful closure. Methods: To determine if atrial septal hypermobility precludes successful transcatheter device closure of interatrial communications, 69 patients (mean age 46.4 ± 17.5 years [male:female ratio 34:35]) with periprocedural transesophageal echocardiograms were reviewed. Septal excursion was defined as the maximal transit of the interatrial septum between either side of the plane connecting the superior and inferior attachment points. Unsuccessful closure was defined as subsequent cardiac surgery to close the defect, inability to deploy the device, recurrent attempts at closure, device malalignment, residual shunting greater than mild in degree on follow-up transthoracic study, and procedural complications. Results: Reasons for closure were the following: embolic events (n = 48); platypnea/orthodeoxia (n = 15); atrial septal defect with right ventricular dilatation and paroxysmal atrial tachycardia (n = 2); atrial septal defect (n = 3); and prophylactic patent foramen ovale closure in a scuba diver (n = 1). Successful closure occurred in 76% of patients (n = 53). Compared with those patients with successful transcatheter closure, the mean septal excursion in patients with failed closure was 0.66 ± 0.56 cm versus 0.76 ± 0.47 cm (P = not significant [NS]). Conclusion: Our results do not support the concern that exaggerated septal mobility compromises successful device closure of interatrial communications. (ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, Volume 20, November 2003)
IMPACT PROPERTIES OF CHINA1

The relation of impact tests on tableware to impact properties as determined on small test pieces, breaking with transverse, shearing, and compression blows are discussed. Data are given for compression impact covering the field of china bodies. The relation of impact resistance to the elastic properties of bodies is also discussed.
Dystroglycan loss disrupts polarity and β-casein induction in mammary epithelial cells by perturbing laminin anchoring

Precise contact between epithelial cells and their underlying basement membrane is crucial to the maintenance of tissue architecture and function. To understand the role that the laminin receptor dystroglycan (DG) plays in these processes, we assayed cell responses to laminin-111 following conditional ablation of DG gene (Dag1) expression in cultured mammary epithelial cells. Strikingly, DG loss disrupted laminin-111-induced polarity and beta-casein production, and abolished laminin assembly at the step of laminin binding to the cell surface. Dystroglycan re-expression restored these deficiencies. Investigations of the mechanism revealed that DG cytoplasmic sequences were not necessary for laminin assembly and signaling, and only when the entire mucin domain of extracellular DG was deleted did laminin assembly not occur. These results demonstrate that DG is essential as a laminin-111 co-receptor in mammary epithelial cells that functions by mediating laminin anchoring to the cell surface, a process that allows laminin polymerization, tissue polarity and beta-casein induction. The observed loss of laminin-111 assembly and signaling in Dag1(-/-) mammary epithelial cells provides insights into the signaling changes occurring in breast carcinomas and other cancers, where the binding function of DG to laminin is frequently defective.
Space-fed antenna array design and analysis package

A graphical user interface (GUI) using the Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) framework is designed to serve as an educational tool to design and analyze various space-fed antenna arrays while providing a learning platform for antenna engineering. The interface can be used by anyone regardless of background in electromagnetics and antenna theory and provides a step-by-step walkthrough with documented parameters for the user to design and analyze a space-fed array. This GUI features three main phases: element design phase, system design phase, and analysis phase.
Conditional Overexpression of Connective Tissue Growth Factor Disrupts Postnatal Lung Development

Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) is a member of an emerging family of immediate-early gene products that coordinates complex biological processes during development, differentiation, and tissue repair. Overexpression of CTGF is associated with mechanical ventilation with high tidal volume and oxygen exposure in newborn lungs. However, the role of CTGF in postnatal lung development and remodeling is not well understood. In the present study, a double-transgenic mouse model was generated with doxycycline-inducible overexpression of CTGF in respiratory epithelial cells. Overexpression of CTGF from Postnatal Days 1–14 resulted in thicker alveolar septa and decreased secondary septal formation. This is correlated with increased myofibroblast differentiation and disorganized elastic fiber deposition in alveolar septa. Overexpression of CTGF also decreased alveolar capillary network formation. There were increased α–smooth muscle actin expression and collagen deposition, and dramatic thickening in the peri...
Evaluation of the Use of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement in Stone Matrix Asphalt Mixtures

This research evaluated the effect of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) on the combined overall performance of stone matrix asphalt mixtures in Georgia. Four types of RAP were combined at four levels (0%, 10%, 20%, and 30%) with four aggregate sources, with the use of a one-fourth fraction factorial design. Granite materials common to Georgia were used exclusively in this study for both RAP and virgin aggregate. Testing was performed to evaluate the binder effect on resistance to moisture susceptibility, rutting potential, thermal cracking potential, and fatigue life of the recycled mixtures. The following main findings are applicable only to the RAP and virgin aggregates used in this study. Virgin aggregate had a greater effect on Los Angeles abrasion loss and percent flat and elongated particles than did the addition of RAP. Increasing RAP content resulted in higher tensile strengths (conditioned and unconditioned) for moisture susceptibility testing. Up to 20% RAP can be used without significantly affec...
AGE‐RELATED CHANGES IN THE ULTRASOUND APPEARANCE OF THE NORMAL FELINE PANCREAS

In humans, pancreatic hyperechogenicity and duct dilation are reported as normal aging changes. Similar changes have been reported with pancreatitis in the cat. We attempted to determine if aging changes occur in the ultrasound appearance of the normal feline pancreas. The pancreas of 84 normal (based on history, physical exam, biochemical profile, and feline trypsin-like immunoreactivity and pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity concentrations) cats of varying ages was scanned. Pancreatic width at the left limb and body, pancreatic duct diameter at left limb and body, and pancreatic echogenicity compared with liver and surrounding fat were noted and compared with age and body weight. Lower and upper limits of the 95% reference intervals for pancreatic left limb width were 2.6 and 9.5 mm, and 3.5 and 8.5 mm for the pancreatic body width. There was no significant difference in pancreatic width between the left limb and body. Lower and upper limits of the 95% reference interval for the diameter of the pancreatic duct at the left limb and body were similar, and were 0.65 and 2.5 mm. There was a weak but significant linear correlation between pancreatic duct diameter and age, with increasing pancreatic duct diameter with increasing age. There was no correlation of pancreatic width with age, and no correlation of pancreatic echogenicity with age or body weight. Based on this study, feline pancreatic size and echogenicity do not change with age. Pancreatic duct diameter increases slightly with age and should not be used as a sole indicator of pancreatitis in the geriatric cat.
A Rotated‐Coordinate Gaussian Position Reconstruction Algorithm for the Microwave Landing System

The Microwave Landing System (MLS) avionics convert the received signals of range, azimuth angle, and elevation angle to yield aircraft position in Cartesian coordinates relative to a point on the centerline of the selected runway. This enables area navigation, including multileg, curved, and computed centerline approaches. The MLS ground equipment transmitters may be sited in various arrangements relative to the runway; an iterative algorithm is required in the avionics to compute the correct approach path. The size and speed of the algorithm, and its computational burden, affect the MLS avionics storage and timing requirements. The principal candidate algorithms are Gauss-Seidel (GS) and Newton-Raphson (NR) types. The usual GS types may diverge within the minimum MLS coverage, while the NR types have problems with singularities and multiple solutions, need more storage, and impose a greater computational burden. This paper presents a GS algorithm which, by an ideal rotation of the coordinate system, enables fast convergence everywhere in the maximum MLS coverage.
Painful Knee Arthroplasty

A triple-tracer nuclear medicine study that incorporates 99mTc-sulfur colloid, 111In-labeled leukocytes, and 99mTc-methylene diphosphonate can be useful for the diagnosis of aseptic loosening in a patient after total-knee arthroplasty, as demonstrated in this case study. The triple-tracer technique takes less time and is more accurate than a bone scan alone.
Speed and accuracy of olfactory discrimination in the rat

The sense of smell is typically thought of as a 'slow' sense, but the true temporal constraints on the accuracy of olfactory perception are not known. It has been proposed that animals make finer odor discriminations at the expense of additional processing time. To test this idea, we measured the relationship between the speed and accuracy of olfactory discrimination in rats. We found that speed of discrimination was independent of odor similarity, as measured by overlap of glomerular activity patterns. Even when pushed to psychophysical limits using mixtures of two odors, rats needed to take only one sniff (<200 ms at theta frequency) to make a decision of maximum accuracy. These results show that, for the purpose of odor quality discrimination, a fully refined olfactory sensory representation can emerge within a single sensorimotor or theta cycle, suggesting that each sniff can be considered a snapshot of the olfactory world.
Gender Differences in Managerial Careers: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

This longitudinal study of mid-career managers compared the career progression of men and women during the 1990's. Unlike the subjects of many earlier studies, these men and women had similar education and experience profiles. Womens income changes were less than men's and reflected the greater financial strides and greater returns from promotions for men prior to 1995. The income gaps between men and women were explained by gender differences in career determinants, such as work hours, career interruptions, and having a nonemployed spouse. There was evidence of subtle forms of workplace discrimination against women in the past but not over the most recent four-year period. Women's family situations, however, continued to present obstacles to progression. In addition, a recent decline in women's priorities for promotion, a predictor of actual promotions, signalled an impending decrease in their rate of promotion relative to men's.
Sub-quarter-micrometer CMOS on ultrathin (400 AA) SOI

MOS transistors with effective channel lengths down to 0.2 mu m have been fabricated in fully depleted, ultrathin (400 AA) silicon-on-insulator (SOI) films. These devices do not exhibit punchthrough, even for the smallest channel lengths, and have performance characteristics comparable to deep-submicrometer bulk transistors. The NMOS devices have a p/sup +/-polysilicon gate, and the PMOS devices have an n/sup +/-polysilicon gate, giving threshold voltages close to 1 V with very light channel doping. Because the series resistance associated with the source and drain regions can be very high in such thin SOI films, a titanium salicide process was used using a 0.25 mu m oxide spacer. With this process, the sheet resistance of the silicided SOI layer is approximately 5 Omega / Square Operator . However, the devices still exhibit significant series resistance, which is likely due to contact resistance between the silicide and silicon source/drain regions. >
Comparative Studies of the Acrosomal Enzymes of Rabbit, Rhesus Monkey, and Human Spermatozoa

Methods are described for the isolation of subcellular fractions from rabbit, rhesus monkey, and human sperm using sucrose-density gradients. All three species were found to possess hyaluronidase and a specific trypsin-like enzyme in the head fractions from their spermatozoa. Both enzymes were further localized in the acrosomes in the rabbit and rhesus monkey, and were found to be present in a relatively constant ratio in all three species, although the specific activities do vary between species. A chymotrypsin like enzyme, present in ejaculated but not in the epididymal sperm, was extracted in the soluble portion of the spermatozoa and apparently originates by adsorption from the seminal plasma. The cyclic changes in human cervical mucus alpha,-antitrypsin were found to be without any apparent physiologic function in relation to the acrosomal trypsin-like enzyme or the seminal plasma chymotrypsir-like enzyme, since the inhibitor was ineffective on both enzymes.