cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The CAEME numerical modeling codes

The activities of the NSF/IEEE Center for Computer Applications in Electromagnetic Education (CAEME) are reviewed. A reflection on the extensive software package developed and distributed by the CAEME Center is presented, and examples of the developed software are presented. To help integrate available EM software in classroom teaching and corporate training, CAEME developed multimedia lessons for instruction. These interactive media lessons integrate and allow individuals to interactively manipulate information from multimedia sources such as video, software, and animated graphics, and also include instructional information such as quizzes and tutorials to help evaluate the students' performance. Features of these lessons are presented, and future developments in the Center's activities are described. The role of CAEME software in teaching modeling and computational electromagnetics is also discussed. >
Crystallographic studies of glutamate dehydrogenase. II. Preliminary crystal data for the tuna liver enzyme.

X-ray examination of large crystals of glutamate dehydrogenase prepared from yellowfin tuna liver indicate that the crystals belong to space group I23 (or I213) with a = b = c = 228·4 A. The unit cell contains 72 subunits (12 hexameric molecules) of molecular weight about 55,500, and there is one half-molecule, i.e. three subunits in the asymmetric unit. The X-ray diffraction data indicate that the crystalline tuna liver glutamate dehydrogenase appears more suitable for structural analysis than the previously obtained crystals of the rat liver enzyme (Birktoft et al., 1979).
Solar thermal electric power plants - Their performance characteristics and total social costs

The central receiver (power tower) concept as a thermal conversion approach to the conversion of solar energy into electricity is compared to other solar power plant designs which feature distributed solar collection and use other types of solar collector configurations. A variety of solar thermal storage concepts are discussed and their impacts on system performance are assessed. Although a good deal of quantification is possible in a comparative study, the subjective judgments carry enormous weight in a socio-economic decision, the ultimate choice of central power plant being more a social than an economic or technical decision. Major elements of the total social cost of each type of central plant are identified as utility economic costs, R&D funds, health costs, and other relevant social impacts.
Learning a Probabilistic Model of Event Sequences From Internet Weblog Stories

One of the central problems in building broad-coverage story understanding systems is generating expectations about event sequences, i.e. predicting what happens next given some arbitrary narrative context. In this paper, we describe how a large corpus of stories extracted from Internet weblogs was used to learn a probabilistic model of event sequences using statistical language modeling techniques. Our approach was to encode weblog stories as sequences of events, one per sentence in the story, where each event was represented as a pair of descriptive key words extracted from the sentence. We then applied statistical language modeling techniques to each of the event sequences in the corpus. We evaluated the utility of the resulting model for the tasks of narrative event ordering and event prediction.
Job Stress and Job Satisfaction Among Jail Staff: Exploring Gendered Effects

Despite increased representation in correctional work settings, women still encounter obstacles in this male-dominated occupation—obstacles that have the potential to affect their levels of job stress and job satisfaction. Although gender-based differences in job stress and job satisfaction have been analyzed in several prison settings, much less work has been conducted in the often neglected correctional arena of jails. The current study fills this empirical void by examining jail staff at a large county correctional system in Orlando, Florida. Ordinary least squares regression analysis indicated that different facets of the work environment differentially affected the job stress and job satisfaction of 419 women and 493 men working in a large urban jail system. Specifically, role ambiguity, perceived dangerousness, coworker relations, input into decision making, and administrative support had larger effects on job stress for women compared to men. For job satisfaction, the only workplace variable to hav...
Subregion-specific role of glutamate receptors in the nucleus accumbens on drug context-induced reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behavior in rats.

The functional integrity of the nucleus accumbens (NAC) core and shell is necessary for contextual cocaine-seeking behavior in the reinstatement animal model of drug relapse; however, the neuropharmacological mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are poorly understood. The present study evaluated the contribution of metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 1 (mGluR1) and α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA)/kainate receptor populations to drug context-induced reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behavior. Rats were trained to lever press for un-signaled cocaine infusions in a distinct context followed by extinction training in a different context. Cocaine-seeking behavior (non-reinforced active lever pressing) was then assessed in the previously cocaine-paired and extinction contexts after JNJ16259685 (mGluR1 antagonist: 0.0, 0.6, or 30 pg/0.3 μl/hemisphere) or CNQX (AMPA/kainate receptor antagonist: 0.0, 0.03, or 0.3 μg/0.3 μl/hemisphere) administration into the NAC core, medial or lateral NAC shell, or the ventral caudate-putamen (vCPu, anatomical control). JNJ16259685 or CNQX in the NAC core dose-dependently impaired contextual cocaine-seeking behavior relative to vehicle. Conversely, CNQX, but not JNJ16259685, in the lateral or medial NAC shell attenuated, whereas CNQX or JNJ16259685 in vCPu failed to inhibit, this behavior. The manipulations failed to alter instrumental behavior in the extinction context, general motor activity, or food-reinforced instrumental behavior in control experiments. Thus, glutamate-mediated changes in drug context-induced motivation for cocaine involve distinct neuropharmacological mechanisms within the core and shell subregions of the NAC, with the stimulation of mGlu1 and AMPA/kainate receptors in the NAC core and the stimulation of AMPA/kainate, but not mGlu1, receptors in the NAC shell being necessary for this phenomenon.
Effect of boundary layer mass transfer resistance in the pervaporation of dilute organics

Abstract Pervaporation separation of dilute aromatic organic solutes is investigated. For the given hydrodynamic conditions, the mass transfer boundary layer resistance is found to contribute significantly to overall solute transport. The boundary layer effect is experimentally investigated by studying the variation of solute permeability with membrane thickness. In theory, the resistance-in-series concept is used to derive an equation for the variation of observed permeability with membrane thickness. The permeability coefficient is defined based on the general flux equation expressed in terms of the chemical potential driving force. Selectivity relationships for various conditions are also established. Further, an attempt has also been made to reconcile the seemingly different pervaporation expressions employed by various investigators. The current study, thus, seeks to emphasize the importance of the boundary layer resistance in studying the transport of organic solutes by pervaporation through a membrane with a high selectivity and/or permeability.
The GPMDB REST interface.

UNLABELLED The Global Proteome Machine and Database (GPMDB) representational state transfer (REST) service was designed to provide simplified access to the proteomics information in GPMDB using a stable set of methods and parameters. Version 1 of this interface gives access to 25 methods for retrieving experimental information about protein post-translational modifications, amino acid variants, alternate splicing variants and protein cleavage patterns. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION GPMDB data and database tables are freely available for commercial and non-commercial use. All software is also freely available, under the Artistic License. http://rest.thegpm.org/1 (GPMDB REST Service), http://wiki.thegpm.org/wiki/GPMDB_REST (Service description and help), and http://www.thegpm.org (GPM main project description and documentation). The code for the interface and an example REST client is available at ftp://ftp.thegpm.org/repos/gpmdb_rest
miR-17 family miRNAs are expressed during early mammalian development and regulate stem cell differentiation.

Abstract MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNAs that regulate protein expression by binding 3′UTRs of target mRNAs, thereby inhibiting translation. Similar to siRNAs, miRNAs are cleaved by Dicer. Mouse and ES cell Dicer mutants demonstrate that microRNAs are necessary for embryonic development and cellular differentiation. However, technical obstacles and the relative infancy of this field have resulted in few data on the functional significance of individual microRNAs. We present evidence that miR-17 family members, miR-17-5p, miR-20a, miR-93, and miR-106a, are differentially expressed in developing mouse embryos and function to control differentiation of stem cells. Specifically, miR-93 localizes to differentiating primitive endoderm and trophectoderm of the blastocyst. We also observe high miR-93 and miR-17-5p expression within the mesoderm of gastrulating embryos. Using an ES cell model system, we demonstrate that modulation of these miRNAs delays or enhances differentiation into the germ layers. Additionally, we demonstrate that these miRNAs regulate STAT3 mRNA in vitro. We suggest that STAT3, a known ES cell regulator, is one target mRNA responsible for the effects of these miRNAs on cellular differentiation.
Syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone associated with aripiprazole.

Purpose A probable case of aripiprazole-induced syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH) is reported. Summary A 65-year-old Caucasian man arrived in the emergency department (ED) with dizziness, headache, abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. There had been no recent additions or changes to the patient’s medication regimen except for an increase in the daily dose of aripiprazole (from 10 to 20 mg) about two months prior. On admission, the patient’s serum sodium concentration was 108 meq/L, prompting discontinuation of aripiprazole use and fluid restrictions. Over the next 72 hours, the serum sodium level increased to a near-normal concentration (127 meq/L), and the man was discharged back to a nursing facility. Three days later, the patient was readmitted to the ED with recurrent symptoms and a serum sodium concentration of 118 meq/L, a serum osmolality of 254 mOsm/kg, a urine osmolality of 575 mOsm/kg, and a urine sodium concentration of 101 meq/L. It was learned that aripiprazole use had been inappropriately resumed at the nursing facility. Aripiprazole was again discontinued, and fluid restrictions were imposed, with subsequent abatement of hyponatremia over four days. Application of the adverse drug reaction probability scale of Naranjo et al. in this case yielded a score of 7, indicating probable aripiprazole-associated SIADH. Conclusion A 65-year-old man developed severe hyponatremia after an aripiprazole dosage increase. Hyponatremia resolved promptly with the discontinuation of aripiprazole. After discharge from the hospital, the patient inadvertently received aripiprazole again and was subsequently readmitted with another episode of severe hyponatremia.
Modeling Sources of Nonlinearity in a Simple p-i-n Photodetector

Nonlinearity in p-i-n photodetectors leads to power generation at harmonics of the input frequency, limiting the performance of RF-photonic systems. We use one-dimensional and two-dimensional simulations of the drift-diffusion equations to determine the physical origin of the saturation in a simple heterojunction p-i-n photodetector at room temperature. Incomplete ionization, external loading, impact ionization, and the Franz–Keldysh effect are all included in the model. Impact ionization is the main source of nonlinearity at large reverse bias ( $>$ 10 V in the device that we simulated). The electron and hole current contributions to the second harmonic power were calculated. We find that impact ionization has a greater effect on the electrons than it does on the holes. We also find that the hole velocity saturates slowly with increasing reverse bias, and the hole current makes a large contribution to the harmonic power at 10 V. This result implies that decreasing the hole injection will decrease the harmonic power.
Acoustic analysis of vocal vibrato: A theoretical interpretation of data

Summary Frequency and amplitude modulations and their phase relationships in vocal vibrato were investigated in an effort to integrate the current body of sometimes contradictory and confusing observations regarding this vocal phenomenon. A resonance-harmonics interaction alone was found to explain sufficiently the various phase relationships between F 0 and amplitude modulations as well as the extent of amplitude modulations for most of the present data and many of the observations reported in the literature. Implications were discussed for physiological, aerodynamic, and perceptual investigations of vocal vibrato as well as for investigations comparing pathologic vocal tremor with vocal vibrato.
19-Hydroxylation and aromatization of androgens in the developing rat brain.

Androgen aromatization in the human placenta proceeds through two successive hydroxylations at C-19, the products of which are then virtually completely converted to estrogens. In the neonatal rat brain, however, 19-hydroxylation has been shown to exceed significantly subsequent aromatization, suggesting that formation of 19-hydroxylated androgen metabolites might be important in brain differentiation in this species. Using [19-3H3]androstenedione, we found that the surplus activity of 19-hydroxylase relative to aromatase was independent of age, sex, and androgen substrate concentration, despite 100-fold differences in tissue aromatase activity during the course of development. In addition, the surplus 19-hydroxylation was not affected by several agents which otherwise decreased or increased the activity of the aromatase enzyme, including metyrapone, KCN, and cytochrome P-450 reductase, the latter indicating that the failure of the 19-hydroxylated products to proceed to aromatization was not due to a defi...
Statistics of Resonances and Delay Times in High Dimensional Random Media

We review recent developments on preperties of resonances and delay times of complex systems. Emphasis is given to non-universal characteristics like difussion, localization or critical behavior which cannot be captured by Random Matrix Theory.
Distribution and infection frequency of ‘Candidatus Rickettsia amblyommii’ in Maryland populations of the lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum) and culture in an Anopheles gambiae mosquito cell line

Abstract Amblyomma americanum (the lone star tick) is a broadly distributed tick that transmits multiple pathogens of humans and domestic animals. ‘ Candidatus Rickettsia amblyommii’ is a spotted-fever group rickettsial species that is potentially associated with human disease. In 2008 and 2009, we assayed over 500 unfed adult ticks from 19 Maryland populations for the presence of ‘ Candidatus R. amblyommii’. Infection frequencies ranged from 33% to 100%, with an average infection rate of 60% in 2008 and 69% in 2009. Infection frequencies did not differ statistically between sexes. To develop a system in which to study ‘ Candidatus R. amblyommii’ in the laboratory, we used a cell line developed from Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes (Sua5B) to isolate and culture ‘ Candidatus R. amblyommii’ from field-collected A. americanum ticks from 2 localities in Maryland. After infection, Sua5B cells were infected for more than 40 passages. Infection was confirmed by Rickettsia -specific PCR, gene sequencing, and Rickettsia -specific fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). These data show that ‘ Candidatus R. amblyommii’ is widespread in Maryland A. americanum populations and that Sua5B cells are a useful tool for culturing Rickettsia infections from wild ticks.
Septic arthritis in childhood

We studied retrospectively the pattern of septic arthritis in childhood at a major municipal hospital during a ten-year period. Hemophilus influenzae was the most common organism in septic arthritis in patients less than two years old and was associated with upper respiratory tract infections in nine of 12 patients (75%). Staphylococcus aureus was seen in seven of eight (87.5%) children above the age of five and was associated with history of trauma. All patients were black. Despite the high incidence of sickle cell disease in our hospital population, not one patient had sickle cell disease.
Large-scale silicon photonic switches with movable directional couplers

Fast optical circuit switches (OCSs) with high port count offer reconfigurable bandwidth in optical networks and have the potential to significantly increase the performance and efficiency of modern datacenters. In this paper, we report on a new type of integrated OCS that combines silicon photonics with MEMS actuation. The switch is built on a 50×50 passive crossbar network with very low optical loss (0.04 dB/crossing). Efficient switching is achieved by a pair of directional couplers with moving waveguides and an actuation voltage of 14 V. 2500 MEMS-actuated directional coupler switches have been integrated with the crossbar network to form a strictly nonblocking 50×50 OCS on a 9 mm×9 mm chip. The measured switching time is 2.5 μs, and the extinction ratio is 26 dB. To our knowledge, this is the largest silicon photonic switch reported to date. The switch architecture is highly scalable because the light travels through only one active switching element, regardless of the size of the switch.
Zinc-blende half-metallic ferromagnets are rarely stabilized by coherent epitaxy

The need for spin-injectors having the same zinc-blende-type crystal structure as conventional semiconductor substrates has created significant interests in theoretical predictions of possible metastable ``half-metallic'' zinc-blende ferromagnets, which are normally more stable in other structure-types, e.g., NiAs. Such predictions were based in the past on differences ${\ensuremath{\Delta}}_{\text{bulk}}$ in the total energies of the respective bulk crystal forms (zinc blende and NiAs). We show here that the appropriate criterion is comparing difference ${\ensuremath{\Delta}}_{\mathrm{epi}}({a}_{s})$ in epitaxial total energies. This reveals that even if ${\ensuremath{\Delta}}_{\text{bulk}}$ is small, still for MnAs, CrSb, CrAs, CrTe, ${\ensuremath{\Delta}}_{\mathrm{epi}}({a}_{s})g0$ for all substrate lattice constant ${a}_{s}$, so the zinc-blende phase is not stabilized. For CrS we find ${\ensuremath{\Delta}}_{\mathrm{epi}}({a}_{s})l0$, but the system is antiferromagnetic, thus not half-metallic. Finally, zinc-blende CrSe is predicted to be epitaxially stable for ${a}_{s}g6.2\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{\AA{}}$ and is half metallic.
Vers un vaccin universel contre la grippe

> Le virus de la grippe (influenza virus) est responsable d’infections du systeme respiratoire chez l’homme causant le deces de plus de 250 000 patients lors des epidemies saisonnieres et dont le cout annuel est estime a plusieurs milliards d’euros [1]. Tous les 10 a 50 ans, des pandemies emergent. Au cours du siecle dernier, la « grippe espagnole » (virus H1N1) de 1918 et les autres pandemies de 1957 (H2N2), 1968 (H3N2) et 2009 (H1N1) ont fait entre 50 et 100 millions de victimes dans le monde.
Psychophysical supervenience: Its epistemological foundation

My primary goal in this paper is to focus attention on a certain conception of internal access, on the Cartesian conception that a rational subject's capacity to determine sameness and difference in explicit propositional attitudes is independent of knowledge of the external world. This conception of introspection plays a crucial, if unacknowledged, role in numerous arguments and theoretical positions. In particular, it plays a large role in motivating psychological internalism. I argue in favor of rejecting this epistemology and the internalism it supports.
Modular tissue engineering: engineering biological tissues from the bottom up

Tissue engineering creates biological tissues that aim to improve the function of diseased or damaged tissues. To enhance the function of engineered tissues there is a need to generate structures that mimic the intricate architecture and complexity of native organs and tissues. With the desire to create more complex tissues with features such as developed and functional microvasculature, cell binding motifs and tissue specific morphology, tissue engineering techniques are beginning to focus on building modular microtissues with repeated functional units. The emerging field known as modular tissue engineering focuses on fabricating tissue building blocks with specific microarchitectural features and using these modular units to engineer biological tissues from the bottom up. In this review we will examine the promise and shortcomings of “bottom-up” approaches to creating engineered biological tissues. Specifically, we will survey the current techniques for controlling cell aggregation, proliferation and extracellular matrix deposition, as well as approaches to generating shape-controlled tissue modules. We will then highlight techniques utilized to create macroscale engineered biological tissues from modular microscale units.
Optical stimulation in mice lacking the TRPV1 channel

Lasers can be used to stimulate neural tissue, including the sciatic nerve or auditory neurons. Wells and coworkers suggested that neural tissue is likely stimulated by heat.[1,2] Ion channels that can be activated by heat are the TRPV channels, a subfamily of the Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) ion channels. TRPV channels are nonselective cation channels found in sensory neurons involved in nociception. In addition to various chemicals, TRPV channels can also be thermally stimulated. The activation temperature for the different TRPV channels varies and is 43°C for TRPV1 and 39°C for TRPV3. By performing an immunohistochemical staining procedure on frozen 20 μm cochlear slices using a primary TRPV1 antibody, we observed specific immunostaining of the spiral ganglion cells. Here we show that in mice that lack the gene for the TRPV1 channel optical radiation cannot evoke action potentials on the auditory nerve.
Lysosomal Hydrolases Are Present in Melanosomes and Are Elevated in Melanizing Cells

Melanosomes, the subcellular site of melanin synthesis and deposition, may be related to the endolysosomal lineage of organelles. To determine if melanosomes contain lysosomal hydrolases, we examined the subcellular distribution of five of these enzymes in melanocytes cultured from C57BL/6J mice. Analyses of Percoll gradient density centrifugations demonstrated that β-hexosaminidase, β-galactosidase, β-glucuronidase, and cathepsins B and L all co-sedimented with tyrosinase-rich densely sedimenting melanosomes. The melanosomal distribution of these enzymes was confirmed in studies of melanocytes cultured from albino mice and of melanocytes rendered amelanotic by transfection with the v-rasIIa oncogene (which lack dense, melanized melanosomes). In these cells, only a less dense peak of activity for each hydrolase was present. The level of each hydrolase was elevated in black cells when compared with albino cells. Metabolic labeling studies confirmed that the increase in β-glucuronidase in black versus albino cells resulted mainly from increased synthesis of this enzyme. The data suggest that melanosomes represent specialized lysosomes present within melanocytes, that they contain a broad array of lysosomal hydrolases, and that the levels of these hydrolases are elevated in cells actively engaged in pigment production.
Development of simple and efficient protocol for isolation of plasmids from mycobacteria using zirconia beads

A two-step protocol has been developed for isolation of plasmids from recombinant mycobacteria via Escherichia coli. First either mycobacterial primary transformants or propagated cultures were lysed in a mini-bead beater using zirconia beads and the lysate thus obtained was used to transform E. coli recA mutant cells. Secondly, plasmid DNA was isolated from recombinant E. coli cells and analysed. Bead beating times of 2 min for Mycobacterium smegmatis, a rapid grower, and 4 min for M. bovis BCG, a slow grower, were found to be optimal for recovery of plasmid DNA. This protocol was also amenable to other mycobacterial species such as M. avium, M. fortuitum and M. tuberculosis H37Ra. Plasmid recovery from the recombinant M. bovis BCG using this protocol is approximately 300-fold higher than that reported for the electroduction method.
135 PRENATAL HORMONAL THERAPY IMPROVES PULMONARY MORPHOLOGY IN RA WITH NTTROFEN-INDUCED CONGENITAL DIAPHRAGMATIC HERNIA

135 PRENATAL HORMONAL THERAPY IMPROVES PULMONARY MORPHOLOGY IN RA WITH NTTROFEN-INDUCED CONGENITAL DIAPHRAGMATIC HERNIA
Measurement of soil parameters useful in predicting tractive ability of off-road vehicles using an instrumented portable device

Abstract An instrumented portable device that measures soil sinkage, shear, and frictional parameters in situ was developed to investigate the complexity of soil-traction device interaction process. The device was tested to determine its ability to measure soil frictional and shear characteristics. Extensive laboratory tests were conducted using dry and moist Capay clay and Yolo loam soils. In addition, field tests were also conducted in a Yolo loam field located at the UC Davis Agricultural Experiment Station. The Cohron sheargraph was also tested under the same laboratory experimental conditions to determine adhesion, soil–metal friction, cohesion, and angle of internal friction of soil. The analysis of experimental data indicated that soil adhesion and soil–metal friction were found to be functions of the intercept and slope values of cone torque versus cone index plot (r2 = 0.94 and 0.95, respectively). Moreover, soil cohesion was found to be related to adhesion by the constrained adhesion relationship, and soil angle of internal friction was proportional to soil–metal friction as reported by Hettiaratchi [7] , [8] . These results imply that a simpler device consisting of a rotating cone can be developed to measure soil frictional and shear characteristics. Preliminary results showed that the soil parameters determined using this device predicted the maximum net traction developed by four different radial ply tires tested by Upadhyaya et al. [18] under similar soil conditions quite well. These results indicate that the parameters obtained from the device could be useful in obtaining traction related parameters of a soil-tractive device interaction process.
Investigations of a jet-assisted glow discharge lamp for optical emission spectrometry

Abstract Jet-assisted sputtering was performed in a conventional Grimm-type glow discharge source (GDS) equipped with a floating restrictor (internal diameter: 8 mm). The source was modified by reversing the gas flow and adding six symmetrically located channels in the restrictor; the channels were directed at an angle of 45° onto the sample surface. The conditions for stable operation were found to not differ from those of a conventional GDS. At power levels below 60 W, the current-voltage characteristics were studied for steel and copper samples; the burning voltages were found to increase by 50 to 300 V when the jet diameters were reduced from 0.5 to 0.2 mm. The resulting burning spots on the sample display the gas-jet pattern. When jets of 0.5-mm diameter were used, electron-microprobe line scans across the burning spots on brass samples revealed no changes in the intensity ratio of Cu/Zn; in contrast, when 0.2-mm jets were employed, composition changes were found, which might be due to analyte redeposition. Under conditions for stable operation, the ablation rates for copper are maximum at 4.77 mg min with a gas-jet diameter of 0.5 mm, a power of 60 W, a gas flow of 210 ml min and a pressure of 532 Pa. In the case of brass, the intensities of copper and zinc lines were found to increase with the sample ablation rate except for the Cu I 324.7 nm resonance line, which presumably suffers self-reversal. Noise power spectra obtained from analyte emission show that in the jet-assisted GDS white noise is predominant. Frequency-dependent components at 10–20 Hz and 60 Hz stemming from the pump and the line, respectively, also occur and are similar to those for a conventional GDS. For the intensities of major element lines the relative standard deviations (RDS) measured at 0.1 s are lower than 0.4%.
Automatically Detecting Rotation in Chest Radiographs Using Principal Rib-Orientation Measure for Quality Control

We present a novel method for detecting rotated lungs in chest radiographs for quality control and augmenting automated abnormality detection. The method computes a principal rib-orientation measure using a generalized line histogram technique for quality control, and therefore augmenting automated abnormality detection. To compute the line histogram, we use line seed filters as kernels to convolve with edge images, and extract a set of lines from the posterior rib-cage. After convolving kernels in all possible orientations in the range [0°, 180°), we measure the angle with maximum magnitude in the line histogram. This measure provides an approximation of the principal chest rib-orientation for each lung. A chest radiograph is upright if the difference between the orientation angles of both lungs with respect to the horizontal axis is negligible. We validate our method on sets of normal and abnormal images and argue that rib orientation can be used for rotation detection in chest radiographs as an aid in quality control during image acquisition. It can also be used for training and testing data sets for computer aided diagnosis research, for example. In our experiments, we achieve a maximum accuracy of approximately 90%.
Functional magnetic resonance imaging of regional brain activity in patients with intracerebral arteriovenous malformations before surgical or endovascular therapy

✓ Functional magnetic resonance (MR) imaging was performed in six patients harboring proven intracerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) using a noninvasive blood oxygen level—dependent technique based on the documented discrepancy between regional increases in blood flow and oxygen utilization in response to regional brain activation. Statistical functional MR maps were generated and overlaid directly onto conventional MR images obtained at the same session. In the six patients studied, a total of 23 separate functional MR imaging activation studies were performed. Of these, two runs were discarded because of motion artifacts. All of the remaining 21 studies demonstrated activation in or near expected regions for the paradigm employed. Qualitatively reproducible regional localizations of functional activity in unexpected sites were also seen. The authors' findings indicating aberrant mapping of cortical function may be explained on the basis of the plasticity of brain function, in that the developing...
A vacuum system for the production of clean carbon films

A compact, oil-free vacuum system has been assembled for the production of thin carbon films. Carbon rods are held in a simply constructed and easily cleaned rod holder. Using an unlubricated mechanical roughing pump and one sorption pump, the system is evacuated to the low millitorr range while completely avoiding oil vapors and contaminants that might derive from pump oil. Films produced in such systems are hydrophilic, and analytical electron microscopy measurements have shown that these films are adequately smooth and free of contaminants of both high and low atomic number.
Daytime Pulse Oximeter Measurements Do Not Predict Incidence of Pain and Acute Chest Syndrome Episodes in Sickle Cell Anemia

A prospective, infant cohort study of children with sickle cell anemia was evaluated to determine the relationship between daytime pulse oximeter measurements and the incidence of pain and acute chest episodes (ACS). A total of 130 children were evaluated. The Pearson correlation between SpO2 and pain and ACS episode rates were 0.00 (P = .97) and 0.10 (P = .27), respectively. Daytime SpO2 cannot independently predict the subsequent rate of pain and ACS episodes.
Pleistocene Geology of Outer Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Glacial deposits of Outer Cape Cod are mainly of stratified drift occurring in three units: sand and gravel at the top, a silt-clay layer in the middle, and more sand and gravel at the bottom. These deposits contain shells and other marine materials picked up by the glacial ice as it moved across the Gulf of Maine and Cape Cod Bay. A C 14 date for shells collected above the silt-clay was 20,700 ± 2000 years old, for those collected below the silt-clay, 26,900 ± 700 years old. It is proposed that the glacial material of Outer Cape Cod is entirely Wisconsin in age and that the silt-clay sediments represent a slight period of warming. All the stratified drift was presumably deposited subaerially or in temporary shallow pools formed on the local drift surface.
The role of guaifenesin in the treatment of sinonasal disease in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Inflammatory sinonasal disease is a common problem in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Although some patients present with acute or chronic sinusitis, many describe persistent nasal congestion and thick, tenacious postnasal drainage, even in the absence of infection. The efficacy of guaifenesin as a mucolytic is poorly documented and support for its use in this setting is primarily anecdotal. This double-blind, placebo-controlled study assessed changes in nasal symptoms among 23 HIV-infected patients receiving either 3 weeks of guaifenesin (2400 mg daily) or placebo. The guaifenesin group reported less nasal congestion and thinner postnasal drainage compared to the placebo group and these differences were statistically significant (P < .05). Guaifenesin appears to be effective in managing HIV-infected patients with symptomatic rhinosinusitis and may be a useful adjunct for treating acute and chronic sinusitis in this population.
The Medline/full-text research project.

This project was designed to test the relative efficacy of index terms and full-text for the retrieval of documents in those MEDLINE journals for which full-text searching was also available. The full-text files used were MEDIS from Mead Data Central and CCML from BRS Information Technologies. One hundred clinical medical topics were searched in these two files as well as the MEDLINE file to accumulate the necessary data. It was found that full-text identified significantly more relevant articles than did the indexed file, MEDLINE. The full-text searches, however, lacked the precision of searches done in the indexed file. Most relevant items missed in the full-text files, but identified in MEDLINE, were missed because the searcher failed to account for some aspect of natural language, used a logical or positional operator that was too restrictive, or included a concept which was implied, but not expressed in the natural language. Very few of the unique relevant full-text citations would have been retrieved by title or abstract alone. Finally, as of July, 1990 the more current issue of a journal was just as likely to appear in MEDLINE as in one of the full-text files. © 1991 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Evaluation of age-appropriate firearm safety interventions

Objectives The purpose of this study was to determine if firearm safety training increased the knowledge of school-age children about gun safety. It was predicted that children's knowledge, attitudes, and feelings about firearm safety would be impacted by the method used to teach the key firearm safety constructs. The specific aim was to test the effects of 3 levels of firearm safety training on school-age children's knowledge about gun safety. The hypothesis was that children who attended a firearm injury prevention program that used a scripted discussion, psychomotor exercise, and a role-playing exercise about firearm safety would have greater knowledge about firearm safety. Methods A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest randomized complete block design was used. There were 57 participants, 58% were male and the mean age was 5.89 years. A pictorial tool was used to assess kindergarten and first-grade students' baseline and postintervention knowledge of firearm safety. Results Knowledge increased in all of the intervention groups [F(3,53) = 6.69, P = 0.001]. The greatest increase in knowledge occurred in the scripted discussion/psychomotor exercise group which exhibited an 81% increase in knowledge from the pretest to the posttest. There was no change in the control group's knowledge from pretest to posttest (P = 0.3). Conclusions This study provides evidence that children do retain firearm safety training. The long-term objective of this research is to reduce the incidence of firearm injuries during childhood by teaching children how to be safe around guns.
Isolation and Characterization of Native Bovine Milk Plasminogen Activators

Abstract Plasminogen activators were partially purified from fresh bovine skim milk by treatments with sulfuric acid, ammonium sulfate, and dimethylformamide, followed by Zn-chelating chromatography, resulting in a purification factor of 2204-fold for skim milk, which contained 340 mU/L of plasminogen activator activity as measured by a colorimetric assay. Further purification with plasminogen activator inhibitor affinity chromatography gave purification factors of about 11,000-fold, but plasminogen activators in this fraction were not stable. The plasminogen activators obtained from Zn-chelating chromatography were characterized for molecular mass, urokinase-type versus tissue-type, and susceptibility to protease inhibitors. Five bands with plasminogen activator activity were detected by casein-plasminogen SDS-PAGE with molecular mass of approximately 93, 57, 42, 35, and 27 kDa. Most or all of the plasminogen activators in bovine milk were urokinase-type; the activity of the bovine milk plasminogen activators was not enhanced by the presence of fibrin. The immunological dissimilarity between bovine milk plasminogen activators and human urokinase-type plasminogen activator and human tissue-type plasminogen activator was shown by antibody quenching tests. Bovine milk plasminogen activators were inhibited by certain serine proteinase inhibitors, endothelial cell-type plasminogen activator inhibitor, plasminogen activator inhibitor from erythrina seed, and α 2 -antiplasmin, but not by α 1 -antitrypsin.
Optimization of Spiral MRI Using a Perceptual Difference Model

We systematically evaluated a variety of MR spiral imaging acquisition and reconstruction schemes using a computational perceptual difference model (PDM) that models the ability of humans to perceive a visual difference between a degraded “fast” MRI image with subsampling of k-space and a “gold standard” image mimicking full acquisition. Human subject experiments performed using a modified double-stimulus continuous-quality scale (DSCQS) correlated well with PDM, over a variety of images. In a smaller set of conditions, PDM scores agreed very well with human detectability measurements of image quality. Having validated the technique, PDM was used to systematically evaluate 2016 spiral image conditions (six interleave patterns, seven sampling densities, three density compensation schemes, four reconstruction methods, and four noise levels). Voronoi (VOR) with conventional regridding gave the best reconstructions. At a fixed sampling density, more interleaves gave better results. With noise present more interleaves and samples were desirable. With PDM, conditions were determined where equivalent image quality was obtained with 50% sampling in noise-free conditions. We conclude that PDM scoring provides an objective, useful tool for the assessment of fast MR image quality that can greatly aid the design of MR acquisition and signal processing strategies.
IDENTIFICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF THE GONADOTROPIN-RELEASING HORMONE RESPONSE ELEMENTS IN THE MOUSE GONADOTROPIN-RELEASING HORMONE RECEPTOR GENE

Abstract The response of the pituitary gonadotrope to gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) correlates directly with the concentration of GnRH receptors (GnRHR) on the cell surface, which is mediated in part at the level of GnRHR gene expression. Several hormones have been implicated in this regulation, most notably GnRH itself. Despite these observations and the central role that GnRH is known to play in reproductive development and function, the molecular mechanism(s) by which GnRH regulates transcription of the GnRHR gene has not been well elucidated. Previous studies in this laboratory have identified and partially characterized the promoter region of the mouse GnRHR gene and demonstrated that the regulatory elements for tissue-specific expression as well as for GnRH regulation are present within the 1.2-kilobase 5′-flanking sequence. By using deletion and mutational analysis as well as functional transfection studies in the murine gonadotrope-derived αT3-1 cell line, we have localized GnRH responsiveness of the mouse GnRHR gene to two DNA sequences at −276/−269 (designated Sequence UnderlyingResponsiveness to GnRH-2 (SURG-2), which contains the consensus sequence for the activating protein-1-binding site) and −292/−285 (a novel element designated SURG-1), and demonstrated that this response is mediated via protein kinase C. By using the electrophoretic mobility shift assay, we further demonstrate that a member(s) of the Fos/Jun heterodimer superfamily is responsible in part for the DNA-protein complexes formed on SURG-2, using αT3-1 nuclear extracts. These data define a bipartite GnRH response element in the mouse GnRHR 5′-flanking sequence and suggest that the activating protein-1 complex plays a central role in conferring GnRH responsiveness to the murine GnRHR gene.
Postglacial sea level: energy method

Abstract The equation governing changes in sea level caused by the redistribution of ice and water masses on the earth's surface is rederived based on the least potential energy principle. This energy method deepens our understanding of the coupled ice–sea–Earth system, and lays the foundation of a global solution used in this study. A phenomenological parameterization of `realistic' viscosity models is proposed based on microphysical considerations. Continuously varying viscosity structures are determined using a few characteristic viscosity values (parameters) at seismically identified boundaries. By using a set of admissible `realistic' viscosity models and two models of deglaciation histories, we find that satisfactory convergence can be reached for a global solution for postglacial relative sea level (RSL) at about harmonic degree 50, and the convergence appears independent of ice model. This relatively lower tolerable truncation level is a consequence of global nature of the ice–sea–Earth system. We further examine the sensitivity of postglacial sea level to `realistic' viscosity structure and the lithospheric thickness combined. We find that variation of lithospheric thickness does not alter our previous conclusion (Fang, M., Hager, B.H., 1996. The sensitivity of post-glacial sea level to viscosity structure and ice-load history for realistically parameterized viscosity profiles. Geophys. Res. Lett. 23, 3787–3790) that there is a correlation of RSL sensitivities between ice history and viscosity structures, i.e., at sites less sensitive to the ice model, the resolving power for viscosity structure is also less. Furthermore, models having a thicker lithosphere tend to permit better resolution of lower mantle viscosity.
A technique to measure the crystallinity of syndiotactic polystyrene using thermal analyses

A simple method for using differential scanning calorimeters to determine the crystallinity of syndiotactic polystyrene has been developed. Its validity was confirmed by use of infrared and x-ray analysis, as well as comparison to data from the literature. This method will be used to determine the effect of nucleating agents, shear stress, and temperature on the crystallization kinetics of syndiotactic polystyrene.
A theoretical and experimental study of advanced control methods to suppress vibrations in a small square plate subject to temperature variations

Abstract In this paper, we seek to develop an efficient controller for vibration reduction in a small square plate clamped on all edges. The plate mimics a piece of an aircraft's skin. Small plate size results in higher natural frequencies than normally investigated in literature. Such high-frequency systems are more susceptible to time delays. In addition, the control system must be able to operate over a wide range of temperatures, a requirement for in-flight vibration suppression systems. We investigate two methodologies (sliding mode control, and an adaptive H ∞ control) for control over a wide range of temperatures. Theoretical and experimental studies are conducted and produced varying results. The best theoretical and experimental results are obtained with the adaptive H ∞ controller.
Unusual manifestations of secondary syphilis and abnormal humoral immune response to Treponema pallidum antigens in a homosexual man with asymptomatic human immunodeficiency virus infection

The case presented here involves a 32-year-old homosexual man with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) seropositivity and unusual manifestations of secondary syphilis. The patient presented with syphilitic keratoderma and chorioretinitis, and his appearance superficially resembled that of a patient with Reiter's syndrome. Although nontreponemal and treponemal tests for syphilis showed reactivity, the patient's humoral immune response to individual polypeptides of Treponema pallidum, measured by Western blot analysis, was markedly abnormal. The possible relationship between asymptomatic HIV infection and an abnormal humoral immune response to a second pathogen, in this case T. pallidum, is discussed. Our case is one of several recent cases of active syphilis reported in individuals with HIV seropositivity.
Thin-layer and gas chromatography of some fluorobiphenyls and fluoronaphthalenes

Abstract Relative retention data are reported for biphenyl, naphthalene, seven fluorine substituted biphenyls (bearing 1, 2, 8, and 10 fluorine atoms per molecule), and mono- and octafluoronaphthalenes in gas chromatography with (a) silicone fluid DC 710, (b) Carbowax 20M, and (c) Bentone 34-silicone fluid DC 710 and in thin-layer chromatography on (d) silica gel and (e) alumina. With a and d retention generally decreases with increasing number of fluoro substituents, n , and, for a given n , is higher for a biphenyl compound than for a naphthalene one. 2,2′-Difluorobiphenyl is an exception in d, since it has the smallest R F of the various solutes. Some irregularities in these trends are found in cases b, c and e.
Eight-year experience with minimally invasive cardiothoracic surgery.

Background Over the past decade, minimally invasive cardiac surgery (MICS) has emerged as an accepted approach for the management of cardiac disease that requires a surgical solution. We report the results of an 8-year, single-institution experience with MICS.