cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Vibration transmission through periodic structures using a mobility power flow approach

The transmission of vibrational power (time averaged) through multiple coupled (periodic) structures is examined. The analysis is performed in the frequency domain and the coupling between the sub-elements of the periodic structure is expressed in terms of structural mobility functions for the junction points and between the junction points of the sub-elements. Equal length spans between stiffeners or supports of the periodic structure are considered. Through the use of the mobility power flow approach, the influence of sub-element and junction parameters, including damping at the joints, can be investigated. The results from the analysis can be in the form of either structural intensity or alternatively structural power content for each of the sub-elements. The examples discussed are for a thin, perfectly periodic beam with a finite number of spans with different types of stiffeners and/or supports between the spans. The excitation of the structure is by a point load located midway along the first span.
Group 4 Transition-Metal Atom Reactions with CS2 and OCS: Infrared Spectra and Density Functional Calculations of SMCS, SM-(η2-CS), SMCO, and OMCS in Solid Argon

Laser-ablated titanium, zirconium, and hafnium atoms were reacted with CS2 and OCS molecules during condensation in excess argon. With CS2, the SMCS and S−M(η2-CS) products were formed on sample de...
Evidence for near-Surface NiOOH Species in Solution-Processed NiOx Selective Interlayer Materials: Impact on Energetics and the Performance of Polymer Bulk Heterojunction Photovoltaics

The characterization and implementation of solution-processed, wide bandgap nickel oxide (NiOx) hole-selective interlayer materials used in bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) organic photovoltaics (OPVs) are discussed. The surface electrical properties and charge selectivity of these thin films are strongly dependent upon the surface chemistry, band edge energies, and midgap state concentrations, as dictated by the ambient conditions and film pretreatments. Surface states were correlated with standards for nickel oxide, hydroxide, and oxyhydroxide components, as determined using monochromatic X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Ultraviolet and inverse photoemission spectroscopy measurements show changes in the surface chemistries directly impact the valence band energies. O2-plasma treatment of the as-deposited NiOx films was found to introduce the dipolar surface species nickel oxyhydroxide (NiOOH), rather than the p-dopant Ni2O3, resulting in an increase of the electrical band gap energy for the near-surface regio...
Molecular mechanisms involved in HIV-1 Tat-mediated induction of IL-6 and IL-8 in astrocytes

Background: HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) exist in approximately 50% of infected individuals even after the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy. HIV-1 Tat has been implicated in HIV-associated neurotoxicity mediated through production of pro-inflammatory cytokines like IL-6 and IL-8 by astrocytes among others as well as oxidative stress. However, the underlying mechanism(s) in the up-regulation of IL-6 and IL-8 are not clearly understood. The present study was designed to determine the mechanism(s) responsible for IL-6 and IL-8 up-regulation by HIV-1 Tat. Methods: SVG astrocytes were transiently transfected with a plasmid encoding HIV-1 Tat. The HIV-1 Tat-mediated mRNA and protein expression levels of both IL-6 and IL-8 in SVG astrocytes were quantified using real time RT-PCR and multiplex cytokine assay respectively. We also employed immunocytochemistry for staining of IL-6 and IL-8. The underlying signaling mechanism(s) were identified using pharmacological inhibitors and siRNA for different intermediate steps involved in PI3K/Akt, p38 MAPK and JNK MAPK pathways. Appropriate controls were used in the experiments and the effect of pharmacological antagonists and siRNA were observed on both mRNA expression and protein levels. Results: Both IL-6/IL-8 mRNA and protein showed peak expressions at 6 hours and 96 hours post-transfection, respectively. Elevated levels of IL-6/IL-8 were also confirmed by immunocytochemistry. Our studies indicated that both NF-kB and AP-1 transcription factors were involved in IL-6 and IL-8 expression mediated by HIV-1 Tat; however, AP-1 was differentially activated for either cytokine. In the case of IL-6, p38δ activated AP-1 whereas JNK but not p38 MAPK was involved in AP-1 activation for IL-8 production. On the other hand both PI3K/Akt and p38 MAPK (β subunit) were found to be involved in activation of NF-κB that led to IL-6 and IL-8 production. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate HIV-1 Tat-mediated induction of both IL-6 and IL-8 in a time-dependent manner in SVG astrocytes. Furthermore, we also showed the involvement of NF-κB and AP-1 transcription factors regulated by PI3/Akt, p38 MAPK and JNK MAPK upstream signaling molecules. These results present new therapeutic targets that could be used in management of HAND.
Axillary reverse mapping (ARM): a new concept to identify and enhance lymphatic preservation.

Background Variations in arm lymphatic drainage put the arm lymphatics at risk for disruption during axillary lymph node surgery. Mapping the drainage of the arm with blue dye (axillary reverse mapping, ARM) decreases the likelihood of disruption of lymphatics and subsequent lymphedema.
Applying the family impact statement to DRGs: Implications for future policymaking

Transcripts from Congressional hearings, held between June of 1982 and May of 1987, are analyzed to determine the extent to which the needs and concerns of families are taken into consideration prior to the adoption and implementation of DRGs (diagnosis-related groups). A tool available to policymakers, but not employed, is the family impact statement (FIS), a process of assessing the past, present, or future impact of a policy on the stability, relationships, and responsibilities of families. Discussed here is the feasibility of applying the FIS to DRGs retrospectively as well as employing this policy tool in the future to protect families from, as well as prepare them for, various policies that may impact on them severely. The particular strengths and weaknesses of the family impact statement are also explored.
Cytoplasmic Actin Is an Extracellular Insect Immune Factor which Is Secreted upon Immune Challenge and Mediates Phagocytosis and Direct Killing of Bacteria, and Is a Plasmodium Antagonist

Actin is a highly versatile, abundant, and conserved protein, with functions in a variety of intracellular processes. Here, we describe a novel role for insect cytoplasmic actin as an extracellular pathogen recognition factor that mediates antibacterial defense. Insect actins are secreted from cells upon immune challenge through an exosome-independent pathway. Anopheles gambiae actin interacts with the extracellular MD2-like immune factor AgMDL1, and binds to the surfaces of bacteria, mediating their phagocytosis and direct killing. Globular and filamentous actins display distinct functions as extracellular immune factors, and mosquito actin is a Plasmodium infection antagonist.
The functional development of the calf I. Growth of the stomach of the calf

1. Fifty-four dairy type calves were grazed together on a perennial-type pasture. At regular intervals from birth to 17 weeks individuals were slaughtered and the weights of their reticulorumens, omasums and abomasums were immediately recorded.2. The recitulo-rumen had the fastest growth rate of the organs of the stomach and the abomasum had the slowest.3. During the first few weeks after birth, the four stomachs altered rapidly in proportion to the live weight of the calf. By 17 weeks of age, the reticulo-rumen apparently had not reached a constant weight relative to live weight.4. As a percentage of the total weight of the three organs, the reticulo-rumen reached a relatively constant proportion by about 8 weeks of age.
Characterization of gene expression patterns during the initiation and maintenance phases of diapause in the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata ☆

Using differential display, 55 differentially regulated transcripts were isolated from the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say). The insert sizes of the clones ranged from 114 to 795 bp. Fourteen of the transcripts were confirmed by northern blot analysis to be differentially regulated transcripts with respect to the diapause initiation and maintenance phases. Based on Blast search results, these 14 transcripts were assigned putative identities and placed into four broad categories of proteins: unknown function, defensive, structural/glycine-rich, and digestive. The transcripts were highly expressed for the first 13–15 days postemergence during the diapause initiation and early diapause maintenance phases and were then substantially down-regulated. These down-regulated transcripts were also highly expressed for the first seven days postemergence in nondiapausing adults and their expression became more variable on day 9 or 11 in most individuals examined. The glycine-rich protein transcripts were all down-regulated by day 11 in the nondiapausing adults. A comparison of the transcript expression patterns between diapause initiation phase and nondiapausing adults showed that elevated levels of expression of the glycine-rich transcripts and two transcripts with unknown functions persisted for approximately four days longer in the diapause-programmed beetles.
The pH and ionic composition of stratiform cloud water

Abstract Over 50 cloud water samples were collected during five comprehensive case studies of the water chemistry of stratiform clouds at Whiteface Mountain, New York. The water samples were analyzed for pH, conductivity and ions of sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, ammonium, sulfate, chloride and nitrate. Trajectory analyses and cloud condensation nucleus concentrations at 0.5 % confirmed that the air masses in all five of these cases represented continental air that was relatively clean (low aerosol concentration) for the northeystern United States. The major ions related to cloud water pH were found to be sulfate, nitrate, potassium, ammonium and calcium. The results revealed a mean hydrogen ion concentration [ H + ] = 0.239 meq l −1 ( σ = ± 0.21) which converts to a mean pH = 3.6 for all collected cloud samples. The low pH values are related to a normal background of nitrate ions found in the rural continental air masses plus sulfate ions largely from the industrial emissions of the midwestern United States. The [NO − 3 ], in two of the three cases presented, demonstrates the importance of the nitrate ions' contribution to the pH of cloud water. A dependent means analysis of 40 events yielded a significant difference (0.04 level of significance), with the mean pH of precipitation (4.2) being greater than the mean pH of cloud water (4.0) for event samples. The ion concentrations indicated that the cloud rainout process contributed from 67 % to almost 100% of the total ion concentration of the precipitation. The washout process, i.e. precipitation scavenging below the cloud base, contributed considerably less than the cloud/rainout process of those total precipitation anions associated with air pollution.
Penetrating Liver Injuries

Injuries to the liver are common. In the past, virtually, all penetrating injuries to the liver were managed by laparotomy, direct surgical exploration of the injured liver and repair. However, stable patients with isolated liver injuries, particularly those with low grade injuries, are now able to be managed non-operatively. Operative management can be as simple as packing, suture repair, and/or application of topical hemostatics. More complicated repairs such as resectional debridement, finger fracture with direct ligation of bleeding vessels, and major non-anatomic liver resections are sometimes needed to obtain hemostasis in major liver injuries. Damage control surgical techniques seem ideally suited for major liver injuries. Hemostasis is obtained with packing and whatever other techniques are necessary. This is used as a bridge to angiographic embolization, which can be followed by unpacking and other operative therapy as needed when the patient is more stable. Minimally invasive techniques, such as laparoscopy, do not have a major role in the management of penetrating liver injuries, though that may be expanded as time goes on. Newer adjuncts for hemostasis, such as higher quality topical hemostatic bandages, as well as other innovative therapies, may soon become available. Hepatic failure is infrequent, even with major liver injury, but extracorporeal techniques can be used in the few cases where profound hepatic failure does occur.
Control of release kinetics of macromolecules from polymers

Abstract Internal and external means for controlling the release rates of large molecules, such as proteins, from ethylene—vinyl acetate copolymer matrices are presented. Internal approaches include alteration of the polymer—drug design, such as changing drug loading and particle size, coating the matrix, or altering matrix geometry. Kinetic and microstructural analyses are discussed. Applications of these polymeric systems, for instance, in delivery of insulin for diabetes, improved immunization procedures, and in developing bioassays for informational macromolecules are considered. In addition, a new approach for externally controlling release rates of drugs using magnetism has been developed. Until now, drug delivery systems were capable of delivering drugs at either constant or decreasing rates. We sought a system that permitted delivery of increased doses on demand, and achieved this by incorporating magnetic particles and drugs into polymeric matrices. Drug release rates can then be increased by an appropriate application of an external magnetic field. Over a five-day period, the magnetic field was applied ten times and drug release rates increased by up to 100% each time. Initial results indicate that this system does not cause tissue damage.
Percutaneous Atrial Septal Defect Closure in Infants and Toddlers: Predictors of Success

Device closure of atrial septal defect (ASD) is commonly performed in older children and adults. Infants and toddlers (age 1.2, not absolute patient weight or age, is associated with failure of the percutaneous approach. The midterm outcomes in these young patients are excellent.
Additive Effect on the Electrochemical Performance of Lithium–Sulfur Battery

Abstract Lithium difluoro(oxalato) borate (LiDFOB) was investigated as an electrolyte additive for the Li-S battery. This additive was identified to be an efficient electrolyte additive to suppress the polysulfide shuttling effect existing in the conventional Li–S chemistry. To detect the positive impact of the new additive, oligo(ethylene glycol) functionalized silane was employed as the electrolyte solvent due to its high solvation capability with the lithium polysulfides. The electrochemical results and the SEM data of Li–S battery using the new electrolyte confirmed the role of the LiDFOB as a critical component to eliminate the shuttling of the dissolved polysulfides thus enabling a high coulombic efficiency.
Point-of-Care Testing in Oral Anticoagulant Monitoring

Capillary whole blood point-of-care instruments for prothrombin time testing have been available for the last 10 years for use both in an office or hospital setting as well as at home by patients for self-monitoring of oral anticoagulant therapy. There are currently 4 types of instruments available, all of which initiate coagulation with thromboplastin, but the end-point determination of coagulation differs in the various instruments. The accuracy and precision of these instruments have been validated in a number of studies and their suitability for monitoring oral anticoagulation therapy has been established. A number of small pilot trials have assessed their value for patient self-testing at home and have produced preliminary evidence that such monitoring may produce better results than achieved with monitoring performed in the usual fashion. A number of studies have also shown that suitably educated patients can also manage their own dosage adjustments based on their own testing at home. Furthermore, preliminary studies also suggest that such monitoring is a cost-effective means of managing oral anticoagulation.
Positive Adolescent Career Development: The Role of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Work Values

This longitudinal study of 268 Swiss adolescents, spanning across 8th grade, investigated the relation of intrinsic and extrinsic work values to positive career development in deciding, planning, and exploring. Results showed that girls reported more intrinsic and fewer extrinsic work values compared with boys. Students with an immigration background reported more extrinsic values than did students of Swiss nationality. When gender, nationality, and scholastic achievement were controlled, more general work value endorsement was a significant predictor of an above-average increase in career development over the course of the school year. Endorsement of more intrinsic but not extrinsic work values was related to positive career development.
Seismic and tsunami hazards in northeast Caribbean addressed at meeting

Significant earthquake and tsunami hazards exist in the northeastern Caribbean, where plate movements are rapid and complex, and population density is high.The tectonic situation at this “corner,” where a small plate is shoved over a larger one, is of considerable scientific significance. Evaluation of the tsunami hazard and earthquake risk in this region of 3.7 million people, which includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, requires understanding the rapid plate motions that occur there. At a workshop this past March sponsored by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), a group of scientists, engineers, and government and industry representatives set about to determine critical elements that would be required in a comprehensive program of scientific research, management, and publiceducation concerning the tectonic risk in the region. Participants called for work in marine geology and geophysics, paleoseismology and active faults, earthquake seismology, engineering, and tsunami research. In particular, the participants concluded that offshore faults, their level of seismic activity and, if possible, slip rates, must be better identified, and a better historic and prehistoric record of earthquake and tsunami activity on the islands must be established.
Tritium labelling and characterization of the cognition enhancing drug tacrine using several precursors

Tacrine and its analogues have shown promise as cognition enhancers and potential chemotherapeutic agents for Alzheimer's disease. [3H]tacrine was required to explore its mechanism of action via receptor binding assay and the radioligand was prepared by means of catalytic dehalogenation of several brominated precursors.
Media and Book Reviews: Medications: How can we know them all?

When are you planning to study all the important details of the more than 20 new drugs that get approved each year by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)? Similarly, what about the hundreds of labels, interactions, and side effect profiles that are constantly being updated? Likely, the answer is never. Yet a major component of clinical practice relates to drugs and the ever-changing details about them. Many have turned to mobile applications for smartphones, tablets, and PDAs for updates on the go. I selected 4 common apps, all of which are free and available on multiple mobile platforms (all are available for Apple, Blackberry, and Android platforms; Medscape is not available for Palm or Windows Mobile). I tested these apps on the Apple iPad and iPhone. All 4 allow automatic updating without special steps by the user. All 4 provide detailed monographs on thousands of drugs, including indications, dosing, adverse effects, pharmacology, and more. If you want the bottom line without getting into the details, I recommend getting all 4 apps. Each …
Analysis of gain difference between forward- and backward-pumped erbium-doped fiber amplifiers in the saturation regime

In saturated erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs), signal gain and power conversion efficiency are known to be greater in the backward pumping configuration. This study shows that the difference between pumping schemes is primarily an effect of amplified spontaneous emission. It is concluded that the highest conversion efficiency achievable in highly saturated EDFAs is predicted with fair accuracy by ASE noise-free models, but is approached most nearly with backward-pumped EDFAs. >
Diagnostic Criteria for a Curable Form of Chronic Rhinosinusitis: The Mucous Recirculation Syndrome

In clinical practice, nonallergic rhinosinusitis (rhinopathy) is a common diagnosis of exclusion. The mucous recirculation syndrome is one incompletely defined condition that masquerades as nonallergic rhinopathy. Mucous recirculation syndrome, a curable condition, should be differentiated from nonallergic rhinopathy. The underdiagnosis of this condition is due in part to a lack of diagnostic criteria. In this article, we review the medical literature to better characterize mucous recirculation syndrome and to establish diagnostic criteria for it.
Oscillating, stratified boundary layers driven by surface temperature variations

A classification of types of stratified, rotating boundary layers, driven by periodic forcing is presented. The dynamics of such flow is shown to depend on the product of the Ekman number and a stratification parameter and on the ratio of the forcing frequency to the Coriolis frequency. Certain asymptotic solutions are presented for atmospheric values of the stratification parameter and mid-latitude-synoptic and diurnal values of the nondimensional forcing frequency. For the case of flow driven by diurnally varying, differential surface heating, the thermal forcing is absorbed primarily by the Stokes part of the flow which in turn generates an Ekman layer and associated vertical motion. This Ekman pumping induces adjustments in an overlying oscillating Lineykin layer. DOI: 10.1111/j.2153-3490.1979.tb00904.x
Guided Reading: A Research-Based Response to the Challenges of Early Reading Instruction

The purpose of this article was to illuminate for early childhood teacher practitioners how guided reading, as a research-based approach to reading instruction, could address the challenges of early reading instruction. The early years are the focus for the prevention of reading difficulties and research conducted over the past two decades has produced extensive results demonstrating that children who get off to a poor start in reading rarely catch up (Lentz, 1988; Neuman & Dickinson, 2001; Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1998; Torgesen, 1998; Whitehurst & Lonigan, 2001). One particular research-based strategy, guided reading, is an important “best practice” associated with today’s balanced literacy instruction. The National Reading Panel (2000) argued that balanced approaches are preferable when teaching children to read, based on their review of scientific research-based reading instructional practices used by teachers in classrooms across the country. Additionally, guided reading practices as part of a balanced literacy program conforms to the recommendations on literacy as suggested in position statements by the International Reading Association/The National Association for the Education of Young Children (1998), and the National Council of Teachers of English (2002).
Robust control design for a wheel loader using mixed sensitivity h-infinity and feedback linearization based methods

The existing industry practices for the design of control systems in construction machines primarily rely on classical designs coupled with ad-hoc synthesis procedures. Such practices lack a systematic procedure to account for invariably present plant uncertainties in the design process as well as coupled dynamics of the multi-input multi-output (MIMO) configuration. In this paper, an H/sub /spl infin// based robust control design combined with feedback linearization is presented for an automatic bucket leveling mechanism of a wheel loader. With the feedback linearization control law applied, stability robustness is improved. A MIMO nonlinear model for an electro-hydraulically actuated wheel loader is considered. The robustness of the controller designs are validated by using analysis and by simulation using a complete nonlinear model of the wheel loader system.
Rock, paper, scissors: harnessing complementarity in ortholog detection methods improves comparative genomic inference.

Ortholog detection (OD) is a lynchpin of most statistical methods in comparative genomics. This task involves accurately identifying genes across species that descend from a common ancestral sequence. OD methods comprise a wide variety of approaches, each with their own benefits and costs under a variety of evolutionary and practical scenarios. In this article, we examine the proteomes of ten mammals by using four methodologically distinct, rigorously filtered OD methods. In head-to-head comparisons, we find that these algorithms significantly outperform one another for 38–45% of the genes analyzed. We leverage this high complementarity through the development MOSAIC, or Multiple Orthologous Sequence Analysis and Integration by Cluster optimization, the first tool for integrating methodologically diverse OD methods. Relative to the four methods examined, MOSAIC more than quintuples the number of alignments for which all species are present while simultaneously maintaining or improving functional-, phylogenetic-, and sequence identity-based measures of ortholog quality. Further, this improvement in alignment quality yields more confidently aligned sites and higher levels of overall conservation, while simultaneously detecting of up to 180% more positively selected sites. We close by highlighting a MOSAIC-specific positively selected sites near the active site of TPSAB1, an enzyme linked to asthma, heart disease, and irritable bowel disease. MOSAIC alignments, source code, and full documentation are available at http://pythonhosted.org/bio-MOSAIC.
The surface chemistry of heterogeneous catalysis: Mechanisms, selectivity, and active sites

The role of chemical kinetics in defining the requirements for the active sites of heterogeneous catalysts is discussed. A personal view is presented, with specific examples from our laboratory to illustrate the role of the chemical composition, structure, and electronic properties of specific surface sites in determining reaction activity and selectivity. Manipulation of catalytic behavior via the addition of chemical modifiers and by tuning of the reaction conditions is also introduced.
On distributed snapshots

We develop an efficient snapshot algorithm that needs no control messages and does not require channels to be first-in-first-out. We also show that several stable properties (e.g., termination, deadlock) can be detected with uncoordinated distributed snapshots. For such properties, our algorithm can be further simplified.
Influence of Vascular Oxidative Stress and Inflammation on the Development and Progression of Atherosclerosis

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, smoking, physical inactivity, and obesity increase production of vascular reactive oxygen species (ROS), which results in a reduction of bioavailable nitric oxide and ultimately endothelial dysfunction and endothelial cell activation. ROS appears to mediate the inflammatory pathways that participate in the development and progression of atherosclerosis. There are numerous markers of oxidative stress and inflammation available for assessing the therapeutic response to interventions, but few are currently recommended for clinical use. Exercise training improves endothelial function via several mechanisms, including increased endothelial nitric oxide synthase—nitric oxide (eNOS-NO)— mediated production, increased activity and amount of antioxidants, attenuated ROS production, and an apparent reduction in systemic inflammation, possibly related to an increase in myokines resulting from skeletal muscle activation. Dietary a...
Neural Encoding in the Orbitofrontal Cortex Related to Goal-Directed Behavior

Research using laboratory animals, alongside clinical studies of human patients, support a role for the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) in adaptive decision-making and goal-directed behavior. The functions of OFC neurons within this domain have been studied extensively in both rats and primates. Electrophysiological recordings during performance of relevant behavioral tasks provide a coherent portrait of OFC encoding that is reward related. OFC neurons represent associative relationships between events, encoding information that is predictive of outcome value. That encoding can be understood as a neural basis for deficits seen after OFC damage in the use of outcome expectancy to guide performance. There is less agreement, however, on whether OFC itself plays a role in translating information on outcome expectancy into the actual guidance of overt behavioral responding. New findings indicate that rat OFC neurons prominently encode additional task-related information and events related to goal-directed action. This encoding can occur in populations of OFC neurons that are independent of the OFC neurons representing reward value. The significance of this emerging evidence may require studies that address the larger scale network through which OFC integrates expected outcome information with behavioral control.
Comparative limb myology of four arvicolid rodent genera (mammalia, rodentia).

A comparative study of four genera of arvicolid rodents (Clethrionomys, Eothenomys, Alticola, and Synaptomys) presents the first complete description of limb myology for any member of this recently evolved, highly successful family. The study also identifies four forelimb and four hind-limb muscles that exhibit characters of value to systematic analyses within the group. In no instance was postcranial myology sufficient to distinguish among species of Clethrionomys or to distinguish Clethrionomys from Eothenomys. Moreover, in some instances Synaptomys, a genus traditionally presumed primitive within the family, possessed the apomorphic condition for a myological character when compared to the four genera of cricetine rodents that served for outgroup comparisons.
Thyroid hormone actions on a cholinergic neuroblastoma cell line (S-20Y)

Thyroid hormone (T3) has a multiplicity of effects on the developing nervous system. We have investigated T3 action using a cholinergic neuroblastoma cell line (S-20Y) as a model. S-20Y contains a nuclear receptor for T3 with binding properties similar to those of other T3 target tissues. In addition, these cells can carry out 5′-deiodination, which is necessary to produce active thyroid hormone in vivo. The enzyme involved in this process appears to be a type I deiodinase, based on its reaction kinetics and its susceptibility to inhibition by propylthiouracil. S-20Y cells maintained in T3-depleted medium showed decreased choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity. ChAT activity was restored to the control level in a dose-dependent manner by T3 repletion. Neither cell density nor viability was influenced by the hypothyroid state. The presence of a T3 receptor and the enzyme activity for T3 production, together with an effect of T3 on ChAT activity, demonstrate that S-20Y cells are a target for T3 action and suggest that these cells represent an excellent model system for studies of T3 effects on nervous tissues.
China's banking sector: From administrative control to a regulatory framework

The development of the banking sector has been one of the primary vehicles for stimulating the economic growth of China since the late 1970s. This paper presents, first, an overview of the institutional structure of the Chinese banking system, and second, an analysis of the development process of commercial bank regulations. With reference to international experience, the paper argues that several institutional problems have posed major challenges to the effective implementation of the promulgated bank regulations. These problems include: the impossibility for state‐owned enterprises (SOEs) to go bankrupt, the strong influence of local governments on banks’ operation, and the lack of an effective enforcement mechanism.
A Most Wonderful, Tragic Experience: The Phenomenon of Mothering in Caregiving an Adult Son with AIDS

The purpose of this Heideggerian hermeneutic study was to gain an understanding of the phenomenon of mothering experienced by women who served as primary caregivers for their adult sons who died of AIDS. Fifteen mothers provided in-depth interviews. Data were categorized into the constituents of human being: lived relationship, lived time, lived body, and lived space. The mothers revealed close and (re)connected relationships with their sons, intertwined with issues of homosexuality, stigma, economics, physical care, and death. The essence of the mothering for these women was the biological relationship, the life-threatening illness, their commitment to care for their sons, the overriding engagement of the mothers and sons, and the reconnections to care given their sons as infants and children. A call of conscience, in the Heideggerian sense, compelled the mothers to care for their dying sons.
Epidemiology of drug-resistant tuberculosis in New Jersey from 1991 to 1995

Background In a nationwide survey in 1991, the proportion of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates resistant to both isoniazid and rifampin (MDR-TB) in New Jersey (6.6%) was ranked second highest in the United States. The objectives of this study were to describe drug-resistant TB trend and to investigate risk factors for TB patients with isolates resistant to isoniazid or rifampin or both. Methods TB surveillance data in New Jersey from 1991-1995 were analysed. Data on Mycobacterium tuberculosis culture and drug susceptibility testing of all TB isolates were obtained from public health and clinical laboratories. Logistic regression was performed to calculate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) and to adjust for potential confounders. Results From 1991 to 1995, the proportion of MDR-TB was 5.7%, 4.1%, 2.7%, 3.3% and 2.6%, respectively. There was 10.6% isoniazid resistance and 4.3% rifampin resistance among TB patients in 1993-1995. As expected, recurrent TB was the most important risk factor for resistance to isoniazid (OR = 4.5, 95% CI : 2.6-7.6), rifampin (OR = 5.5, 95% CI : 2.8-11) or both (OR = 6.1, 95% CI : 2.9-13). HIV infection was significantly associated with MDR-TB (OR = 3.6, 95% CI : 1.5-8.8). Drug resistance was not found to be significantly associated with home-lessness, injecting drug use and excess alcohol use. Conclusions The proportion of MDR-TB in New Jersey declined significantly from 1991 to 1993, but remained at a plateau from 1993-1995. The results suggest that continuous efforts should be directed at the prevention of MDR-TB among people infected with HIV and at improving the proportion who complete chemotherapy among those with TB.
Improving quasi-dynamic schedules through region slip

Modern processors perform dynamic scheduling to achieve better utilization of execution resources. A schedule created at run-time is often better than one created at compile-time as it can dynamically adapt to specific events encountered at execution-time. In this paper, we examine some fundamental impediments to effective static scheduling. More specifically, we examine the question of why schedules generated quasi-dynamically by a low-level run-time optimizer and executed on a statically scheduled machine perform worse than using a dynamically-scheduled approach. We observe that such schedules suffer because of region boundaries and a skewed distribution of parallelism towards the beginning of a region. To overcome these limitations, we investigate a new concept, region slip, in which the schedules of different statically-scheduled regions can be interleaved in the processor issue queue to reduce the region boundary effects that cause empty issue slots.
Characterizing walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) winter distribution from opportunistic acoustic data

In 2003, acoustic data from 25 000 km of ship track lines were collected from two fishing vessels participating in the eastern Bering Sea walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) fishery. Although these data were not calibrated or collected on a systematic grid, their broad temporal extent combined with high spatial resolution facilitated the examination of the distribution and behaviour of fished aggregations. To demonstrate their scientific applicability, these data were used to identify the spatio-temporal dynamics of pollock aggregations over scales ranging from hundreds of metres to hundreds of kilometres and from minutes to months. The spatial analysis identified three levels of pollock aggregation. The largest regions of high pollock density had an average diameter of 110 km and were comparable with distinct fishing grounds identified by fishers. The next smaller areas of high pollock density had a diameter between 2.5 and 6 km. Within these areas were clusters of pollock at even higher densities. The extent of the smallest aggregations ranged in diameter from 0.1 km in daylight to 0.6 km at night. Time-series analysis identified vertical and horizontal diel changes in pollock distribution and an overall decline in pollock density over the study period.
The Role of Cysteines and Charged Amino Acids in Extracellular Loops of the Human Ca2+ Receptor in Cell Surface Expression and Receptor Activation Processes

The Ca2+ receptor is a plasma-membrane bound G protein-coupled receptor stimulated by extracellular calcium [Ca2+]o and other di- and poly-cations. We investigated the role in receptor activation of all the charged amino acid residues and cysteines in the three extracellular loops (EL1, 2, and 3) of the human Ca2+ receptor by alanine-scanning mutagenesis. The mutant receptors were transiently expressed in HEK-293 cells, and cell surface expression patterns were analyzed by endoglycosidase-H digestion, immunoblotting, intact cell ELISA, and hydrolysis of phosphoinositides (PI) induced by [Ca2+]o. The mutation of Cys677 and Cys765 located in EL1 and EL2, respectively, ablated PI hydrolysis completely, showed less than 5% cell surface expression of the wild-type receptor, and were not properly glycosylated. Replacement of the charged residues by using a single mutation or multiple alanine mutations in EL1, 2, and 3 produced only minor changes in receptor activation, except for Glu767 and Lys831. The E767A an...
Quantitative analysis of small group interaction in rhesus monkeys

The effect of role relations on social interaction in small groups of rhesus monkeys was examined quantitatively, through use of an interval scale of social behavior. Concurrent pair interactions were tabulated for all possible combinations in 24 triad groups: Six groups containing three males; six groups containing three females; six groups of one male, two females; and six groups of two males and one female. A specific behavior which involves participation of all three animals at once, the incitement interaction, was found to quantitatively alter each monkey's reaction to other social behaviors displayed at the same time. The interaction demonstrates the monkeys' attention to and manipulation of role relations. In all triad types one could quantitatively document the fact that the most subordinate monkey established a role with the most dominant monkey which allowed it some freedom to behave less submissively when interacting with the middle ranking monkey. This general phenomenon in role relations may contribute to group cohesiveness.
Real-time operating systems for multimedia processing

Real-time DSP operating systems have recently appeared in several commercial products that integrate multimedia processing into PCs. The DSP OSs, which run on DSP subsystems integrated on PC adapter cards, include admission control capabilities to ensure that timing guarantees are met and sufficient resources are available to handle the processing demands of a given mix of applications. Admission control is possible because the timing characteristics of the kernels are fully understood and real-time scheduling is used for all kernel resources. If a real-time approach is to be successful in host OSs, a similar approach must be followed. We compare the performance of the DSP OS and host OS approaches. We describe the DSP OS architectures and their admission control algorithms. We describe a general framework we have developed which models OSs for the purpose of admission control.
II. Indocyanine Green Should Not Be Used to Facilitate Removal of the Internal Limiting Membrane in Macular Hole Surgery

Indocyanine green (ICG) is one of several vital dyes that are used in vitreoretinal surgery to aid visualization of diaphanous collagenous tissues in what has been called chromovitrectomy. As shown herein, much has been written about the use and rather narrow safety profile of ICG. The discussion surrounding its applications would have ended long ago were it not for the occasional patient who keeps returning to the office with permanent central scotomas after ICG-assisted macular hole surgery. The purpose of this Viewpoint is to reemphasize potential methods of proper use and clarify safety issues of this particular vital dye that enhances surgical technique but not necessarily visual outcome.
ITS and the Digital Divide: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities

This paper analyzes the state of current intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) research for applications in the developing world. Recent data shows a rapidly narrowing digital divide, with internet and computing device access rising sharply in less developed countries. Tutoring systems could be a transformative technology in these areas, where shortages of teachers and materials are persistent problems. However, the unique challenges and opportunities for ITS in this context are not well-explored. This paper identifies barriers to adoption distinct to the developing world, then presents the results of a systematic mapping study of recent ITS literature (2009-2012) that looks at the level of focus given to each barrier. This study finds that only a small percentage of peer-reviewed publications and architectures address even one of the barriers preventing adoption in these contexts. Implications and strategies being used to target these barriers are discussed.
Reversible reduction in renal function during treatment with captopril.

Captopril is known to be effective for the control of hypertension in adults.1,2 Several recent reports have described the efficacy of this drug in children3,4 and neonates.5 Side effects include neutropenia, proteinuria, rashes, ageusia, hypotension, and hyperkalemia. Farrow and Wilkinson6 described a case of reversible renal failure during therapy with captopril in a young woman with severe hypertension secondary to renal artery stenosis. However, renal failure is not a well-appreciated side effect of this drug and has not been described previously in a pediatric patient during treatment with captopril. We report two cases in which a reversible decline in renal function occurred in children being treated with captopril.
Physics and Science Fiction

John Stachel is a person with a wide range of interests and a broad sense of humor. In thinking about a suitable contribution for this volume, I recalled that about a decade ago I was asked to contribute an essay (Janis 1989) on astronomy and science fiction to a volume in memory of the astronomer M.K.V. Bappu. (This invitation came because, for many years, I taught a course for non-science students in which I used science fiction as the setting for teaching many aspects of physics and astronomy) It occurred to me that an essay on physics and science fiction, although undoubtedly rather different from the usual sort of festschrift contribution, might be a pleasant change of pace. My earlier essay on astronomy and science fiction assumed little, if any, scientific background. For the present volume, given its more technical but still interdisciplinary character, I have tried to write at a level that assumes some technical background but is still comprehensible to non-specialists. At any rate, it has been fun for me to write this essay, and I hope that John, as well as other readers, will have fun reading it.
Self-Administered Written Questionnaires or Telephone Interviews?:

In marketing research the decision on which data gathering technique to use usually hinges on three criteria: the feasibility of the technique given the nature of the data being sought; the cost of gathering data by alternative methods; and the time available to do the work [1, p. 157]. In connection with the feasibility criterion, there seems to be widespread acceptance of the idea that research investigations involving scaling techniques must utilize either self-administered written questionnaires, personal interviews, or very simple scales. The feasibility of obtaining data in scaler form with a large number of gradations from respondents by means of telephone interviews is not usually given much consideration. However, because telephone interviews can usually be conducted more quickly and are often less expensive than personal interviews or written surveys conducted by mail, an exploratory study was undertaken to determine if telephone interviews might be used for this purpose.
Metabolism of Aminonitriles and Related Compounds by the Rat.

Summary1. Among weanling rats receiving 0.3% dietary BAPN fumarate those showing less severe skeletal deformities tended to excrete relatively larger amounts of cyano-acetic acid (CAA) in urine, and vice versa. Increasing dietary casein level from 12 to 24% resulted in less severe skeletal lesions and higher urinary CAA excretion for a given dosage of BAPN. 2. Appreciable urinary excretion of CAA followed injection of the following organic nitriles into rats: 2,2′-iminodipropionitrile (IDPN), ethylene cyanohydrin, succinonitrile, 5-aminovaleronitrile, and n-valeronitrile. Traces of CAA resulted from injection of n-hexanenitrile and 4-aminobutyronitrile.
Gain-flattened optical-fiber amplifiers with a hybrid Er-doped-fiber configuration for WDM transmission

In wavelength-division-multiplexing (WDM) transmission systems in the 1.55-μm wavelength band, gain nonuniformity of erbium-doped-fiber amplifiers (EDFAs) is one of the most important problems. Several techniques1−4 for equalizing the nonuniform EDFA gain have been proposed, but problems remain in the reliability and the complexity of such EDFA configurations. On the other hand, it has been suggested4 that short and highly pumped erbium-doped fiber (EDF) exhibits excellent gain flatness. However, amplification efficiency or output signal power is heavily sacrificed by reducing the EDF length.
THE RESEARCH OF IMPROVE AND ENHANCE EFFECTIVENESS OF CHINA'S PUBLIC PARTICIPATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT

Through research in d eveloped countries public participation in environmental impact assessment of the current situation, procedures and mechanisms, analysis of public participation of China's.according to the problems of China's public participation in environmental impact assessment, put forward specific measures and suggestions to make our public participation system continue to better, perfect and improve, and ultimately to promote the public participation in environmental protection in China to a new phase.