cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An Efficient Computation Model for Calculating Surface Contact Pressures Using Measured Surface Roughness

The efficient Newton-Raphson iterative solver is implemented for calculating the surface contact pressure under rough contact conditions. The improvement in computation efficiency is achieved by coupling the surface elastic deformation equation and the force equilibrium equation using the Newton-Raphson formulation and solving the two equations simultaneously. The developed model is first demonstrated in solving the classic Hertzian contact problem to verify the model accuracy. Results show the developed model converges extremely fast (in less than three iterations) and computation error in the contact width is within the discretization limit. For rough contact cases, the presented procedures also achieve the converged solutions rapidly; however, a relaxation factor is needed. Presented at the 51st Annual Meeting in Cincinnati, Ohio May 19–23, 1996
Subacute neurotoxicity following long-term exposure to carbaryl

Carbaryl, a widely used insecticide, is reputed to have a wide safety margin. It can induce acute cholinesterase poisoning, which is rapidly reversible on discontinuation of exposure. Long-term sequelae from long-term exposure have not previously been described in humans. This report describes the experience of a 75-year-old man who had long-term excessive exposure to carbaryl and in whom a debilitating syndrome, including headaches, memory loss, proximal muscle weakness, muscle fasciculation, muscle cramps, and anorexia with marked weight loss, developed. At the time of diagnosis, serum pseudocholinesterase levels were low, and his major symptoms resolved on termination of exposure. Late clinical features were sleep apnea and progressive development of a peripheral neuropathy. The difficulty in diagnosing the cause of a group of relatively nonspecific symptoms raises the question of whether chronic carbaryl neurotoxicity might be occurring more frequently than previously suspected.
Incidence of Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism after Achilles Tendon Rupture

Background The use of venous thromboembolism prophylaxis after an Achilles rupture is controversial. The rates of reported deep vein thrombosis (DVT) range from 6.3% to 34%. There is no agreement regarding prophylactic therapy after an Achilles tendon rupture.
Sensitive and specific method for detecting G protein–coupled receptor mRNAs

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) mediate effects of extracellular signaling molecules in all the body's cells. These receptors are encoded by scarce mRNAs; therefore, detecting their transcripts with conventional microarrays is difficult. We present a method based on multiplex PCR and array detection of amplicons to assay GPCR gene expression with as little as 1 mug of total RNA, and using it, we profiled three human bone marrow stromal cell (BMSC) lines.
The cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum - glycogenolytic complex, an internal beta adrenergic receptor.

Abstract Agents which stimulate the formation of cyclic AMP are well known to cause positive inotropic effects on the heart. This review suggests that the myocardial cell is multicompartmented and has several effector sites for cyclic AMP-mediated events and therefore several possible receptor sites for cyclic AMP-mediated agents. It is possible that some of the complex relationships between cyclic AMP-mediated agents and cardiac physiologic functions result from differences among agonist receptors and enzymes in the intracellular compartments. Examination of the characteristics of intracellular drug receptors may yield a new frontier for cardiac pharmacology.
Pluralization: A Mathematical Model

This is the first of a series of simple mathematical models to explore the concept of decentralization. The primary focus is on pluralization as one of three aspects of decentralization. We derive expressions for cost and for net benefit as a function of the number of identical, uniformly dispersed facilities capable of servicing requests from sources that are uniformly distributed along a long, thin, geographical strip. The optimal, or cost-minimizing, number of such pluralized facilities is computed. We also derive conditions in terms of the basic parameters, such as the number of requests per month, transport costs per unit time, etc., which favor pluralization over centralization. The models are also analyzed for the secondary benefits of redundancy for more dependable service and to smooth fluctuations in demand. We found that, on balance of all the factors, historical trends-particularly the trend toward more requests per unit time-favor pluralization.
Data Visualization in Educational Datasets Using a Rule-Based Inference System

Dynamic data visualization can be a very useful analytical tool for discovering insights in complex real-world data sets with high dimensionality and large variety of data types. We leverage publicly available data sets from Washington State's Public Education System to demonstrate usefulness of data visualization as a tool for analysis and effective decision making. We created "querybuilder", a web-based interface which allows the user to generate ad-hoc queries. Our online inference system efficiently generates dynamic visualizations for user-specified queries. We then address the question of how to select an appropriate visualization type that would be best suited for the result of a specific query on the given data set. The main motivation for this work is developing a rule based inference system to automatically select the appropriate visualization type.
Adaptive Appointment Systems with Patient Preferences

Patients' satisfaction with an appointment system when they attempt to book a nonurgent appointment is affected by their ability to book with a doctor of choice and to book an appointment at a convenient time of day. For medical conditions requiring urgent attention, patients want quick access to a familiar physician. For such instances, it is important for clinics to have open slots that allow same-day (urgent) access. A major challenge when designing outpatient appointment systems is the difficulty of matching randomly arriving patients' booking requests with physicians' available slots in a manner that maximizes patients' satisfaction as well as clinics' revenues. What makes this problem difficult is that booking preferences are not tracked, may differ from one patient to another, and may change over time. This paper describes a framework for the design of the next generation of appointment systems that dynamically learn and update patients' preferences and use this information to improve booking decisions. Analytical results leading to a partial characterization of an optimal booking policy are presented. Examples show that heuristic decision rules, based on this characterization, perform well and reveal insights about trade-offs among a variety of performance metrics important to clinic managers.
Finite and infinite arithmetic progressions in sumsets

We prove that if A is a subset of at least cn1/2 elements of {1, . . . , n}, where c is a sufficiently large constant, then the collection of subset sums of A contains an arithmetic progression of length n. As an application, we confirm a long standing conjecture of Erd?os and Folkman on complete sequences.
OPTIMIZATION OF A CHILLED WATER PLANT USING SEQUENTIAL QUADRATIC PROGRAMMING

Air in most non-residential buildings needs to be cooled to maintain occupant comfort. Typically, the air is cooled by using cold water provided by a chiller plant consisting of liquid chillers, cooling towers and pumps, This paper presents a mathematical programming approach for determining which available chiller plant equipment to use to meet a cooling load as well as the best operating temperatures for the water flows throughout the system. First, a mixed-integer, nonlinear formulation of the problem is developed. A heuristic approach for handling the integer variables is then presented which allows very good solutions to be obtained by solving a series of continuous problems using sequential quadratic programming (SQP). Finally, regression analysis of a large number of optimizations arc presented which show a linear trend that can be used to help guide the chilled water control system to make long term control decisions.
Contesting the New York Community: From Liminality to the “New Normal” in the Wake of September 11

This article explores the processes involved in the construction and contestation of community in New York City following the disaster of September 11, 2001. By employing insights from the literatu...
Life Cycle and Housing Adjustment as Explanations of Residential Mobility

The paper develops a typology of reasons for residential mobility and systematises the many survey analyses of reasons for moving. The relative importance of life cycle and housing adjustment mecha...
SUBJECTIVITY, JUDGMENT, AND THE BASING RELATIONSHIP

Moral and legal judgments sometimes depend on personal traits in this sense: the subject offers good reasons for her judgment, but if she had a different social or ideological background, her judgment would be different. If you would judge the constitutionality of restrictions on abortion differently if you were not a secular liberal, is your judgment really based on the arguments you find convincing, or do you find them so only because you are a secular liberal? I argue that a judgment can be based on the considerations the subject claims as justification even when it depends on personal traits.
Solution Structure of a Bent α-Helix†,‡

We present the solution structure determination of a peptide with sequence Ac-WEAQAREALAKEAQARA-NH2, using NMR data. The peptide has a high population of a stable α-helical structure in the middle with fraying ends. In addition, our data are consistent with the presence of several other transient and interconverting conformers. The peptide sequence was designed using amino acids that have propensity for α-helix specificity. The presence of E−R/K (i, i + 4) ion pairs was expected to enhance the stability of the α-helix by introducing favorable electrostatic interactions at the side chain level, in addition to the characteristic backbone (i, i + 4) hydrogen bonds. The NMR structural ensemble demonstrates competition between E−R/K (i, i + 4) and (i, i − 1) ion pair formation, with the (i, i − 1) interactions being dominant. The relative topologies of the charged side chains demonstrate flexibility and overall compromised favorable medium/long-range electrostatic interactions. The peptide α-helix is bent desp...
Interim procedures for estimating risks associated with exposures to mixtures of chlorinated dibenzodioxins and dibenzofurans (CDDs and CDFs)

Abstract A set of weighting factors is proposed for expressing the toxicity of mixtures of CDDs/CDFs in terms of an equivalent amount of 2,3,7,8-TCDD. The factors are applied to a variety of environmental samples and the results compared to those obtained using a number of alternative factors which have been proposed.
A tile/scenario algorithm for real-time 3D environments

A basic technique used for viewing models of urban environments is tiling [Steed and Frecon 1999]. A large urban model can be partitioned into square tiles. Only an appropriate subset of tiles (based on where the viewer is looking) is loaded at a time. Large virtual driving environments have also employed tiles. The National Advanced Driving Simulator [Papelis et al. 2003] has a library of tiles than can be combined to form a drivable environment. Their tiles may consist of a city block, highway sections, etc. Our extension is to embed driving scenarios into tiles and to permit the generation of a random sequence of drivable tiles. A scenario is a situation designed to invoke a response by the driver of a user-controlled vehicle [Wu et al. 2005].
T12-O-03 Operationalising of voluntary counselling testing centers in community health centers - experiences from an HIV/AIDS programme, Rajasthan, India

The vulnerability of the young women to HIV/AIDS in the tribal dominated Udaipur district in Rajasthan of India is mainly due to low literacy, less control over decision making, alcoholism, cultural practices, RTI/STDs and sexual net-working. CHARCA (Co-ordinated HIV/AIDS and STD Response through Capacity Building and Awareness) a Joint UN project to reduce the vulnerabilities of young women to HIV/AIDS was implemented in the district to address the vulnerabilities of young women to HIV/AIDS. The strategies included awareness generation, provision of services and capacity building. The VCTCs were estabished as part of the provision of services in all the 11 blocks in a phased manner. It was for the first time in the state that VCTCs were established at the Community Health center (100000 population) much lower than the District Hospital. From 2004 end to 2007 June, about 25499 clients were counseled, 1438 were tested and 100 were positive. The lessons learned are 1) The client load in t VCTCs have increased over time period due to the Peer educator approach and awareness campaigns 2) Linkages between the SRH services in the health institution and the VCTC have increased 3) Presence of VCTC at the block level have helped the PLWHA to access the SRH services at the institution and for PLWHAs to access the ART therapy. Apart from this the paper will also look at the lessons learned and challenges on operationalising the VCTC services in a SRH setting like Community health center.
Effect of ovary storage and oocyte transport method on maturation rate of horse oocytes.

Abstract Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of storage on equine ovaries or isolated oocytes. Ovaries were collected at an abattoir and were maintained at room temperature during collection and transport (3–9 h total). After arrival at the laboratory, ovaries were divided into three groups: immediate oocyte collection (control), storage at room temperature overnight (15–18 h) before oocyte collection, or storage at 4 °C overnight before oocyte collection. Collected oocytes were cultured in maturation medium for 24 h. There was a significant increase in the proportion of oocytes classified as having compact cumuli in the two storage groups when compared with the controls. For oocytes originally having expanded cumuli, the rate of maturation to MII was significantly higher in the control group (72%) than in either storage group, and the maturation rate for oocytes from ovaries stored at room temperature (27%) was significantly higher than that for ovaries stored at 4 °C (10%). A similar trend was seen for oocytes originally having compact cumuli (24, 11, and 3% in MI–II for control, room temperature, and cold groups, respectively). In Experiment 2, we evaluated the effect of different packaging systems on the maturation of horse oocytes within a portable incubator. Use of 1 ml of equilibrated maturation medium in a 1 ml glass vial was associated with maturation equivalent to that for standard incubation.
Mathematical structure of topological solitons due to the Sine-Gordon Equation

This paper studies the mathematical structure of the kink soliton solution to the generalized dispersive SGE. All derivatives are found and the trigonometric functions of the kink are found for a generalized height.
Substance use disorders and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A review of recent developments

Despite the increased risk of substance use disorders (SUDs) on individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the mechanism of risk remains unclear. Given the high prevalence of ADHD in patients receiving treatment for addiction, all patients in treatment for SUDs should be screened for ADHD. Clinicians should develop skills in the use of appropriate instruments, including rating scales, as well as the assessment for developmentally appropriate manifestations and impairments associated with adolescent and adult forms of ADHD. Medication should never be provided in isolation from psychosocial treatment directed at the patient’s SUD.
Stigmatization of Persons With HIV/AIDS in Saudi Arabia

Data about the stigmatization of persons living with HIV/AIDS in Saudi Arabia are scarce. Recent statistics from Saudi Ministry of Health showed that 77% of HIV-positive Saudis were males. The present study analyzed data from 162 Saudi male college students. The findings suggest that students who knew less about HIV/AIDS were more likely to stigmatize persons living with HIV/AIDS than those who knew more. Neither degree of religiosity nor worry about HIV infection was related to AIDS stigma. However, AIDS-related shame was the best predictor of AIDS stigma. The findings of this study point to important suggestions for AIDS prevention programs in Saudi Arabia.
The Future of Communication History

The field of communication has always emphasized the future. It grew from a need to make sense out of the encounter with novel technologies and cultural forms in the United States—from the late 19t...
Race/ethnicity and nativity differences in alcohol and tobacco use during pregnancy

Objectives. We examined race/ethnicity and nativity correlates of prenatal substance use.Methods. Using data on a nationally representative cohort of pregnant women in US cities (N=4185), we evaluated the relative importance of socioeconomic status, paternal health behaviors, social support, and maternal stress and health history in explaining variations in prenatal substance use by race/ethnicity and nativity.Results. Maternal stress and health history appeared to fully explain differences in alcohol use by nativity, but these and other factors could not explain differences in prenatal smoking. For all races/ethnicities, paternal health behaviors were most strongly associated with maternal substance use. Except among Black women, socioeconomic background bore little relation to prenatal substance use after adjustment for more proximal risk factors (e.g., paternal and maternal health behaviors). Social support was most protective among Hispanic women.Conclusions. Foreign-born immigrant women are at equal ...
The fetal blood erythrocyte micronucleus assay: classification of RNA-positive erythrocytes into two age populations by RNA aggregation state

The use of a fluorescent stain containing Hoechst 33258 and pyronin Y in the fetal mouse transplacental micronucleus assay allows classification of erythrocytes into three subpopulations on the basis of RNA staining, and permits micronuclei to be scored in all three subpopulations. The youngest erythrocytes stain uniformly positive for RNA (UEs). In older erythrocytes RNA aggregates to give the cells a stippled appearance (SEs) and ultimately disappears, leaving cells which do not stain positively for RNA. Frequencies of micronucleated UEs and SEs were determined at 30 and 48 h following a single dose of methyl methanesulfonate, benzo[a]pyrene, lasiocarpine, monocrotaline or heliotrine. With each agent and dose tested, the frequency of micronuclei increased first in the younger UEs and later in SEs. The use of the Hoechst/pyronin staining procedure, which permits DNA to be distinguished from RNA, minimizes the potential for mis-scoring RNA artefacts as micronuclei and also increases the efficiency of the assay by permitting two age populations of erythrocytes to be scored in each sample.
In Re South African Apartheid Litigation and Beyond: Corporate Liability for Aiding and Abetting under the Alien Tort Statute

In a series of decisions that have their origin in a class action suit brought against various multinational corporations over their activities in apartheid-era South Africa, U.S. federal courts have significantly and controversially widened the Alien Tort Statute’s potential reach. This development puts into sharp relief conflicting demands for the protection of human rights abroad and security and predictability for foreign trade and investment. The present paper examines whether corporate aiding and abetting liability under the ATS strikes a reasonable balance and whether the statute will continue to provide a remedy against human rights abuse by corporate actors in individual cases as well as shape international normative expectations regarding corporate accountability in general. After tracing the evolution of ATS litigation in relation to corporate defendants and affirming corporate actors’ direct international obligation to respect core human rights, the paper discusses corporate aiding and abetting liability. It concludes that international customary law rather than federal common law governs the core elements -- as against ancillary aspects – of secondary liability under the ATS. Finally, it offers an assessment of apartheid-era litigation to date and concludes that far from interfering with legitimate business expectations, the case law, as it stands now, enhances the statute’s contemporary relevance in complementing broad-based international efforts to strengthen corporate accountability.
RNA-dependent RNA polymerases in uninfected and tobacco mosaic virus-infected tobacco leaves: Viral-induced stimulation of a host polymerase activity

The soluble RNA-dependent RNA polymerase activities in the 105,000-g supernatant fraction of homogenates prepared from uninfected and tobacco mosaic virus (TMV)-infected tobacco leaves have been compared. The enzymes were purified 40- to 50-fold from both mock-inoculated and TMV-infected leaves and were found to have identical behavior upon (NH4)2SO4 fractionation, Sephadex G-100 gel filtration, and DEAE-Bio-Gel and phosphocellulose chromatography. Although no qualitative differences in polymerase activity were detected, the specific activity of the polymerase from infected leaves was greater than that from mock-inoculated leaves at each step in the purification. Moreover, the most highly purified enzymes from both types of leaf tissue were indistinguishable with respect to a number of catalytic parameters, viz., requirements for RNA synthesis, kinetics of RNA synthesis, lack of template specificity, and character of the RNA products such as strandedness, Tm, size, and complementarity to the TMV-RNA used as the template. SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the proteins in the most highly purified enzymes showed that both preparations contained 2 major and at least 13 minor corresponding polypeptides; none were unique to TMV infection. The evidence in toto suggests that the enhanced soluble RNA-dependent RNA polymerase activity following TMV infection is due to a stimulation of a host RNA-dependent RNA polymerase rather than to the genesis of a new viral-coded RNA polymerase. The possible relationships between the soluble host polymerase, the membrane-associated TMV replicase, and a 130,000-MW viral-coded polypeptide thought to be involved in TMV-RNA replication remain to be resolved.
Slope propagation in static timing analysis

Static timing analysis has traditionally used the PERT method for identifying the critical path of a circuit. The authors show in this paper that due to the influence of the transition time of a signal on the subsequent path delay, the traditional timing analysis approach can report an optimistic circuit delay and may identify the wrong critical path. Also, the calculated circuit delay is a discontinuous function with respect to transistor and gate sizes, posing a severe problem for circuit optimization methods. The authors also examine an alternate approach where the propagated signal is constructed by combining the latest arrival time and the slowest transition time from all signals incident on a node. While this approach remedies the problem of discontinuity, it can significantly overestimate the circuit delay and can also identify the wrong critical path. In this paper, they therefore propose a new timing analysis algorithm and prove that it computes the correct and continuous timing graph delay and the proper critical path. The proposed algorithm selectively propagates multiple signals through each timing edge in cases where there exists ambiguity regarding which arriving signal represents the critical path. They show that the algorithm propagates the sufficient and necessary set of signals for computing the delay of a general timing graph. The authors also introduce a new property of digital gates, referred to as the transition shift property, and, using this property, show that the number of propagated signals can be significantly reduced for timing graphs of digital circuits. Finally, they discuss the computation of required times and node slacks for the traditional approaches and propose corresponding algorithms for the new approaches. They show that while the traditional approach can incur both a positive or negative error in the computed slack, the proposed algorithms compute a conservative slack for off-critical nodes and the correct and continuous slack for the critical path. The proposed algorithms were implemented in an industrial static timing analysis and optimization tool, and the authors present results for a number of industrial circuits. Their results show that the traditional timing analysis method underestimates the circuit delay by as much as 39%, while the discussed alternate approach can overestimate circuit delay by as much as 17%. The proposed method computes the correct delay, while incurring only a small run time overhead in all cases.
On using connection-oriented vs. connection-less transport for performance and scalability of collective and one-sided operations: trade-offs and impact

Communication subsystem plays a pivotal role in achieving scalable performance in clusters. The communication semantics employed are dictated by the programming model used by the application such as MPI, UPC, etc. Out of the gamut of communication primitives, collective and one-sided operations are especially significant and have to be designed harnessing the capabilities and features exposed by the underlying networks. In some cases, there is a direct match between the semantics of the operations and the underlying network primitives. InfiniBand provides two transport modes: (i)Connection-oriented Reliable connection (RC) supporting Memory and Channel semantics and (ii) Connection-less Unreliable Datagram (UD) supporting Channel semantics. Achieving good performance and scalability needs careful analysis and design of communication primitives based on these options.In this paper, we evaluate the scalability and performance trade-offs between RC and UD transport modes. We study the semantic advantages of mapping collective and one-sided operations on to memory and channel semantics of InfiniBand(IBA). We take AlltoAll as a case study to demonstrate the benefits of RDMA over Send/Recv and to show the performance/memory trade-offs over IB transports. Our experimental results show that UD-based AlltoAll performs 38% better than Bruck's algorithm for short messages and up to two times better than the direct AlltoAll over RC. Since InfiniBand does not provide RDMA over UD in hardware, we emulate the same in our study. Our results show a performance dip of up to a factor of three for emulated RDMA Read latency as compared to RC, highlighting the need for hardware based RDMA operations over UD.
Evaluating the rationale for the utility-accessible external disconnect switch

The utility-accessible alternating current (AC) external disconnect switch (EDS) for distributed generators, including photovoltaic (PV) systems, is a hardware feature that allows a utility's employees to manually disconnect a customer-owned generator from the electricity grid. Proponents of the EDS contend that it is necessary to keep utility line workers safe when they make repairs to the electric distribution system. Opponents assert it is a redundant feature that adds cost without providing tangible benefits. In this paper, we examine the utility-accessible EDS debate in the context of utility- interactive PV systems for residential and small commercial installations. We also evaluate the rationale for EDS requirements.
Transonic Compressor IGV/Rotor Interaction Analysis Including Fluid Structure Interaction

A commercial CFD solver, STAR-CD, is coupled with a structure FEA solver, CalculiX, to perform a fluid structure interaction (FSI) analysis for a transonic compressor IGV/Rotor configuration. Without FSI, the unsteady CFD prediction has good agreement at the IGV trailing edge, but the predicted interaction decays faster than the experimental results moving towards the inlet. With the FSI effect, the rotor blade vibration does not have a strong influence on the upstream IGV surface unsteady pressure for the current configuration. However, even with a small amount of displacement under cyclic blade row interaction, rotor blade surface unsteady pressure undergoes a significant variation of up to 40% higher when compared to the non-FSI simulation. The significance of including the higher fidelity of fluid/structure interaction in a transonic compressor analysis is that the rotor unsteady loading can be upwards of 40% higher with FSI than without it. Finally, the effect of the transonic IGV/rotor interaction on the unsteady flow physics was shown to be more significant than including the structural model alone. The different unsteady pressure levels can have significant effects on the durability and life of the transonic compressor from a high cycle fatigue consideration.
Exhibit Review Essays

The Art of Memory: Holocaust Memorials in History. James E. Young, curator. The Art of Memory: Holocaust Memorials in History. James E. Young, ed.
Egocentric Definitions of Traits and Abilities in Social Judgment

People possess idiosyncratic, self-serving definitions of traits and abilities. This observation was supported by 6 studies in which people articulated the performances along behavioral criteria (e.g., math Scholastic Achievement Test score) necessary to qualify for relevant traits (e.g., math ability) or made judgments about performances attained by other people. When making judgments of others, high-performing Ss tended to rate target performances less favorably than did low-performing Ss, with these disagreements most pronouced when the target's performance was low
Electromagnetic modeling of interconnects for mixed-signal integrated circuits from DC to multi-GHz frequencies

This paper presents a numerically stable methodology for the electromagnetic analysis of three-dimensional interconnect structures from very low (almost dc) to multi-GHz frequencies. The proposed methodology is based on a generalized version of the partial element equivalent circuit interpretation of the electric field integral equation that utilizes triangular cells for the discretization of conductor surfaces and thus is capable of handling structures of arbitrary shapes. The numerical stability of the approximate problem at very low frequencies is achieved through capturing an appropriate tree of the network graph, yielding an enhanced circuit mesh analysis. Numerical experiments are used to demonstrate the numerical stability of the numerical methodology even for frequencies at which the structure under study is a minute fraction of the wavelength.
Release of Acrosomal Hyaluronidase Follows Increased Membrane Permeability to Calcium in the Presumptive Capacitation Sequence for Spermatozoa of the Bovine and Other Mammalian Species

Brief exposure to a medium of elevated ionic strength combined with subsequent incubation in dialyzed fluid collected from bovine ovarian follicles results in an enhanced uptake of Ca2+ by bovine ejaculated sperm. An uptake of Ca2 + by either epididymal or ejaculated sperm is also induced by treatment with the divalent cation ionophore A23187 and is followed by release of the aerosomal enzyme hyaluronidase. A similar release of enzyme from ejaculated sperm is produced by hypertonic treatment and follicular fluid, but not by either alone. Uptake of Ca2 + and release of hyaluronidase likewise follow ionophore treatment of epididymal sperm from the guinea pig. rabbit, and hamster. In control experiments, hyaluronidase release is not induced by treatment with the protonophore, carbonylcyanide-in-chlorophenylhydrazone, by the respiratory inhibitor, rotenone, or by treatment with A23 187 in a Ca2 +.free medium. It is concluded that two presumptive components of the capacitation sequence of bovine spermatozoa, enhanced influx of Ca2 + and subsequent release of acrosomal contents, are produced either by ionophore treatment or by hypertonic extraction and exposure to follicular fluid, procedures that produce capacitation in vitro for the sperm of several other mammalian species.
Generic hardware architectures for sampling and resampling in particle filters

Particle filtering is a statistical signal processing methodology that has recently gained popularity in solving several problems in signal processing and communications. Particle filters (PFs) have been shown to outperform traditional filters in important practical scenarios. However their computational complexity and lack of dedicated hardware for real-time processing have adversely affected their use in real-time applications. In this paper, we present generic architectures for the implementation of the most commonly used PF, namely, the sampling importance resampling filter (SIRF). These provide a generic framework for the hardware realization of the SIRF applied to any model. The proposed architectures significantly reduce the memory requirement of the filter in hardware as compared to a straightforward implementation based on the traditional algorithm. We propose two architectures each based on a different resampling mechanism. Further, modifications of these architectures for acceleration of resampling process are presented. We evaluate these schemes based on resource usage and latency. The platform used for the evaluations is the Xilinx Virtex II pro FPGA. The architectures presented here have led to the development of the first hardware (FPGA) prototype for the particle filter applied to the bearings-only tracking problem.
Soil water depletion by oak trees and the influence of root water uptake on the moisture content spatial statistics

The space-time statistical structure of soil water uptake by oak trees was investigated in a 3.1-m-diameter closed top chamber using a three-dimensional measurement grid of soil moisture and pressure, and measurements of tree transpiration. Using the time domain reflectometery (TDR) measured moisture content, resistance block measured soil water pressure, and a compact constant head permeameter measured saturated hydraulic conductivity, the soil hydraulic properties for the chamber were first estimated. Then, dimensionless statistical measures that utilize the soil water pressure were proposed and used to assess the relative importance of lateral to vertical flow. On the basis of the measured statistical properties of the soil-water pressure, it was found that the vertical flow is at least an order of magnitude larger than the lateral flow, and thus a one-dimensional flow approximation to continuity was utilized. Using continuity and a first-order Taylor series expansion of the Buckingham-Darcy vertical flux about the spatial mean moisture content state, an approximate relation for the time variation of the spatial mean moisture content was derived and tested with the TDR measurements. Despite a large spatial coefficient of variation in the TDR measured moisture content (which was also shown to be comparable to reported values from larger-scale field experiments), good agreement between mean moisture content predictions and measurements were found for two separate drying cycles. The approximate Taylor series flux expansion was utilized for deriving an analogous relation for the time variation of the spatial moisture content variance. The resultant variance budget was used to assess the role of root water uptake on the spatial variability of moisture content. It was found that the root uptake component, which resulted from a covariance between the root water uptake and moisture content spatial perturbations, is comparable to the contribution from soil hydraulic properties and soil water redistribution. One of the main findings in this study is that root water uptake is central to the moisture content spatial variance dissipation especially for dry soil moisture conditions. These results were further investigated using Monte-Carlo simulations.
Multiple roles and well-being : Sociodemographic and psychological moderators

Research on multiple roles has supported the enhancement hypothesis, but it is unclear if benefits of multiple role involvement exist across all segments of the population. This study was designed to examine whether the role enhancement hypothesis suits both men and women with varied education levels. A further goal was to determine if perceived control moderates associations between multiple role involvement and well-being. This sample included 2,634 individuals from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) survey who occupied up to eight roles each. Psychological well-being was measured in six dimensions (autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations with others, purpose in life, and self-acceptance); positive and negative affect were also measured. Results of hierarchical regression analyses supported the role enhancement hypothesis, as greater role involvement was associated with greater well-being; however, the findings suggest that it was only well educated women with multiple roles who showed higher levels of autonomy. Perceived control was also found to moderate some of the obtained linkages.
TOWARDS A DECISION-BASED DISTRIBUTED PRODUCT REALIZATION ENVIRONMENT FOR ENGINEERING SYSTEMS

We imagine a future in which geographically distributed engineers collaboratively develop, build, and test solutions to design-manufacture problems encountered in the product realization process. In this context, we want to provide a foundation to support the realization of industrial products for a global marketplace through distributed design and manufacture. Specifically, we want to provide a platformindependent framework to integrate distributed and heterogeneous software resources to support the computationally intensive activities in the product realization process, anchored in the philosophy of decision-based design. In this paper, we present a prototype platform-independent framework based on an experimental version, called P2, of the Sandia Product Realization Environment (PRE). We describe the implementation of this framework to design and prototype gear transmissions using commonly available software assets.
Digital Literacy and Identity Formation in 21st Century Classrooms: Implications for Second Language Development

As technology is increasingly adapted for educational purposes, previous research has confirmed the impact of technology on English learners’ (ELs’) literacy development. Given the increased attention to self-based studies in second language acquisition, this paper explores how ELs are motivated to learn a second language by pursuing the imagined selves, investing in the target culture, and negotiating identities in digitally mediated contexts. The motivational capacity of identity is discussed from cognitive/psychological, social/psychological, and sociocultural perspectives. Pedagogical implications about the use of technology to facilitate L2 literacy development are discussed.
Non-Hormonal Medications and Chronic Diseases

This chapter explores the relation between breast cancer risk and the use of non-hormonal medications and chronic diseases. Many drugs and diseases have been linked with breast cancer in case reports and epidemiologic studies. This chapter covers those major medications and diseases where there is adequate epidemiologic evidence for evaluation.
MR Imaging for the Orthopedic Surgeon

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a powerful diagnostic tool that has become a mainstay in orthopedic imaging. Its ability to provide a detailed depiction of normal and pathologic tissue is unparalleled, and with recent improvements in both hardware and software, the diagnostic information made available to the clinician continues to improve. The goal of this chapter is to provide an overview of MRI for the orthopedic surgeon leading to a practical understanding of how it works and when it is most useful in the workup of an orthopedic patient.
Abstract 3831: Functional and epigenetic regulation of SHP-1 in early stage lung cancer

SHP-1 tyrosine phosphatase potentiates mitogenic signalling cascades in multiple cellular pathways by dephosphorylating inhibitory phospho-tyr sites on kinases. With its central role in regulation of cell proliferation, SHP-1 is a logical candidate biomarker for malignant transformation. SHP-1 dephosphorylates a number of phospho-targets including PI3 kinase, EGFR, src family kinases (SFK), and activated cKit, hence normally has a negative impact on cell proliferation. SHP-1 protein function is highly regulated by phosphorylation with up regulation at tyr536, and down regulated by ser591 phosphorylation. The objectives of the present study are to investigate functional control of SHP- 1 and epigenetic control of expression in non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In our previous study, Western blot analyses revealed inhibitory ser591 phosphorylation in two of five NSCLC cell lines that expressed high levels of SHP1. We now observe that si-RNA silencing of the major SFK expressed in the EGFR constitutively activated Calu3 cells results in decreased tyr536 phosphorylation suggesting that SFK are required for SHP-1 activity. Transcription of the SHP-1 gene is regulated by two different promoters: a 3’ promoter (promoter 2) in lymphocytes and a 5’ promoter (promoter 1) in epithelial tissues. Gene silencing of SHP-1 by aberrant methylation of promoter 2 and loss of heterozygosity have been associated with pathogenesis of leukemias/lymphomas. Altered expression of SHP-1 has been reported in ovarian and breast cancer due to epigenetic changes in the 5’ promoter (promoter 1). Promoter 2 hypermethylation has been proposed as a plasma biomarker for lung cancer. Previous observations are consistent with the involvement of aberrant SHP-1 promoter 2 methylation in recurrent cases of NSCLC. Pyrosequencing analysis of 22 normal leukocytes, 19 normal lung specimens, 112 cases of early stage (Ib, IIa and IIb) NSCLC and 8 cell lines of SHP-1 promoter 1 vs promoter 2 methylation revealed 10.2% vs 5.1% in leukocytes, 32.6% vs 52.9% in normal lung 44.4% vs 58.6% in NSCLC, and 50.6% vs 96.2% in the cell lines. Hypermethylation of SHP-1 promoter 1 and promoter 2 were observed in 40.8% and 60.7% of lung tumors, respectively. Previous results showed an association of hypermethylation of promoter 2 with time to tumor recurrence in early stage patients (p=0.010). Hypermethylation of SHP-1 promoter 1 in the present study with a limited number of samples is marginally associated with shorter time to recurrence (25.5 months vs. median not reached; p=0.219). These results demonstrate tissue-specific epigenetic control of both SHP-1 promoters and suggest dysfunction of both epigenetic and post-translational regulation of signalling in early stage NSCLC. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3831. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-3831
Expression profile of 11 proteins and their prognostic significance in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)

It has been suggested that the expansion of the leukemic cells in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is due to dysregulation of pathways of programmed cell death (apoptosis) rather than cell proliferation, although differences may exist in early vs late and treated vs untreated patients. In the present study, we analyzed the expression of 11 proteins in CLL cells that are implicated in the control of apoptosis, proliferation, and differentiation, and correlated this expression profile with survival. Using a quantitative solid-phase radioimmunoassay (RIA), we measured the cellular protein levels of Bcl-2, cyclin D1, PCNA, ATM, Fas, Bax, retinoic acid receptor alpha (RARα), retinoic acid receptor beta (RXRβ), Flt1, VEGF, and cellular β2-microglobulin in 230 samples of CLL. Univariate analysis using the Cox proportional hazard model showed a correlation with survival of only the following proteins: Bcl-2 (P < 0.001), cyclin D1 (P = 0.027), Fas (P = 0.055), PCNA (P < 0.001), and ATM (P = 0.028). In a multivariate analysis using classification and regression tree analysis (CART), five groups of patients (nodes) could be generated with significant differences of survival expectation (P < 0.0001) based on levels of expression of the above proteins. Based on CART analysis, Bcl-2 levels emerge as the most important protein in predicting survival between all 11 proteins studied. Patients with marked elevation in Bcl-2 levels had the worst outcome while patients with intermediate levels, but with high levels of PCNA and cyclin D1 or abnormal ATM expression had intermediate survival. These data indicate that intracellular levels of proteins such as Bcl-2, ATM, cyclin D1, and PCNA can be used as markers to predict clinical behavior and survival in patients with CLL. The pathways in which these proteins are involved may also represent possible targets for future therapeutic trials in CLL.
Self-Reported Reproductive Tract Infections and Ultrasound Diagnosed Uterine Fibroids in African-American Women.

Abstract Background: For decades, it has been hypothesized that reproductive tract infections (RTIs) are risk factors for uterine fibroids. However, only two recent studies have been conducted. We aimed to investigate the relationship between RTIs and fibroids in a large study using ultrasound screening for fibroids. Methods: We used cross-sectional enrollment data from African American women ages 23–34 years with no previous fibroid diagnosis. RTI history was measured by self-report and fibroid status by standardized ultrasound. Secondary fibroid outcomes were size, number, and total volume. Age- and multivariable-adjusted logistic regression were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs). Results: In total, 1,656 women were included; 22% had fibroids. Bacterial vaginosis (BV) was associated with a 21% increased odds of fibroids [aOR 1.21, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.93–1.58]. Chlamydia infection and pelvic inflammatory disease were associated with a 38% (aOR 0.62, 95% CI 0.40–0.97) and a 46% (aOR 0.54, 95% ...
Imaging of Mueller-Weiss Syndrome: A Review of Clinical Presentations and Imaging Spectrum

OBJECTIVE. Mueller-Weiss syndrome is a complex condition of the adult tarsal navicular characterized by progressive fragmentation leading to mid- and hindfoot pain and deformity. Since its first descriptions in the early 20th century, controversy has persisted regarding its pathogenesis. CONCLUSION. This article reviews the literature and discusses the anatomy, epidemiology, causes, clinical and radiologic findings, and treatment of Mueller-Weiss syndrome, and thus permits a better understanding of this disease and its management.