cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Artificial Magnetic Conductor With Electric Walls and Its Application to Small Antenna Functional on Metal Surfaces

To acquire a wide variety of data for the realization of the Internet of things (IoT), sensor modules need to be installed in various environments. However, the installable location of the modules is limited by the presence of surrounding metal objects, since the antenna performance is degraded on metal surfaces. This research focuses on the use of artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) as a small antenna that maintains its performance on metal. The characteristics of AMC consisting of few cells were determined, and the size was able to be reduced by introducing a pair of electric walls. It was also shown that with this design, the AMC itself may function as an antenna by feeding power to its patch directly. As a result, a small antenna whose performance is not degraded on metal was obtained.
Adapting the InPACT Intervention to Enhance Implementation Fidelity and Flexibility.

Adapting classroom-based physical activity interventions are critical for program feasibility and fidelity in low-resource elementary schools. The purpose of this pilot study was to use Replicating Effective Programs (REP) framework to tailor the Interrupting Prolonged sitting with ACTivity (InPACT) intervention and evaluate its effectiveness on program fidelity in classrooms within a low-resource school. REP was applied to adapt program packaging, teacher training, and technical assistance to disseminate Tailored InPACT, a 20-week intervention where teachers implemented 5 × 4-min activity breaks per day. Tailored InPACT was implemented in nine, 3rd–6th grade classrooms in one low-resource school in Detroit Michigan (80% qualified for free/reduced lunch). Intervention fidelity was measured via daily, weekly, and end-of-study self-report questionnaires and direct observation. Throughout the 20-week intervention period, 3rd–5th grade teachers achieved intervention dose (5 activity breaks per day at an average duration of 4 min 8 s). Sixth grade teachers did not achieve intervention dose as they were only able to implement 2 activity breaks per day at an average duration of 4 min 12 s. These findings suggest 5 × 4-min classroom activity breaks per day is a feasible dose of classroom activity that 3rd–5th grade teachers can implement in low-resource classroom settings. Additional adaptations are needed to maximize fidelity in 6th grade classrooms.
Gift of art/gift of place: boundary work for Indigenous coexistence

Collaborative art is an important kind of “boundary work” in decolonizing relationships to self, others, and land in today’s settler societies, or the multinational states that formed as a result o...
Embracing the Practical, the Pragmatic, and the Personal: A Review of Clive Seale, Giampietro Gobo, Jaber F. Gubrium, and David Silverman’s Qualitative Research Practice

In their 2007 book, Qualitative Research Practice: Concise Paperback Version, Clive Seale, Giampietro Gobo, Jaber F. Gubrium, and David Silverman have offered students, teachers, and researchers a practical guide for understanding and conducting qualitative research. In doing so, they and their chapter contributing colleagues have also taken us as readers into their insiders’ worlds of being qualitative researchers, so we can benefit from their self-narratives of the “nitty-gritty of research practice.” The result is an excellent text that is both pragmatic and personal.
Negative and Positive Polarity: A Binding Approach

Preface Introduction 1. Negative contexts: Serbian/Croatian 2. Negative contexts: English 3. Non-negative polarity contexts 4. Language variation 5. Rhetorical questions 6. Subjunctive: domain extensions 7. Free-choice items 8. Ladusaw and Linebarger Notes References Index.
The Case of the Curved Universe: Open, Closed, or Flat?

Depending on its mass density, the geometry of the universe could be flat, open, or closed. In his research commentary, Kamionkowski discusses recent and future observations that consider these basic cosmological questions. In a related research article, [Gawiser and Silk][1] describe a comparison of different models for what makes up the mass of the universe; an accompanying research commentary by [Primack][2] discusses in particular the role of neutrinos in cosmology. [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/280/5368/1405 [2]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/280/5368/1398
The Role of the Putative Mirror Neuron System in Language Comprehension

Single-cell recording in macaque monkeys has uncovered mirror neurons, which respond both when a monkey observes a transitive action (an action involving an actor and an object), carries out that transitive action, or hears a sound associated with that action. Mirror neurons have been proposed to provide the neural basis for a variety of language functions, including the understanding of expressions referring to actions and the coordination of mental representations in dialogue. While mirror neurons may become active during language production and comprehension, the available evidence suggests that mirror neurons do not, by themselves, provide a sufficient basis for action understanding or alignment of mental states. Instead, mirror neurons may be a component of a larger associative network that connects production and comprehension systems.
Squeezed states in a Bose-Einstein condensate

We report manipulation of the atom number statistics associated with Bose-Einstein condensed atoms confined in an array of weakly linked mesoscopic traps. We used the interference of atoms released from the traps as a sensitive probe of these statistics. By controlling relative strengths of the tunneling rate between traps and atom-atom interactions within each trap, we observed trap states characterized by sub-Poissonian number fluctuations and adiabatic transitions between these number-squeezed states and coherent states of the atom field. The quantum states produced in this work may enable substantial gains in sensitivity for atom interference-based instruments as well as fundamental studies of quantum phase transitions.
Instability of Tn5 inserts in cyanobacterial cloning vectors.

Abstract Transposon Tn5 was used to produce random insertions in two hybrid cloning vectors for the unicellular cyanobacterium Anacystis nidulans. The transposon-containing plasmids were used to localize essential replication functions and to characterize the stability of large inserts in these vectors. The effect of the insertions on plasmid function was tested by transformation into a derivative of A. nidulans that had been cured of the endogenous plasmid used to construct the vectors. A region of approximately 4 kilobases was essential for successful plasmid transformation and replication. This region has also been shown to be involved in plasmid replication by deletion analysis. High rates of excision of Tn5 inserts within this region and restoration of normal replication function were observed when transformants were selected by using a resistance marker outside the replication region in the absence of selection for the transposon-coded kanamycin resistance. Transposon inserts outside this region were not deleted.
Using System-Generated Mnemonics to Improve the Usability and Security of Password Authentication:

Due to fundamental human nature, it is exceedingly difficult for people to generate secure passwords on their own. System-generated random passwords can be secure but are often unusable, which is why most passwords are still created by humans. Research has been done to try to leverage the security of system-generated passwords but improve their usability through the use of mnemonics, or memory aids. We developed a simple system for automatically generating mnemonics and conducted a study to compare it with user-generated mnemonic and no mnemonic conditions. We found that participants remembered their passwords significantly better using the system-generated mnemonic condition compared to the other conditions. We also found that participants gave our system the highest overall usability ratings.
Significant hypercortisolism during fractionated radiotherapy in a patient with a large corticotroph adenoma: a case report and literature review.

Abstract Objective We describe a patient with a large, invasive corticotroph adenoma who developed severe hypercortisolism shortly after starting fractionated radiotherapy. Methods We reviewed the patient’s clinical course, along with relevant literature for similar reported cases. Results A 29-year-old man was referred for radiotherapy for a residual and recurrent, invasive corticotroph adenoma. Prior to radiotherapy, he had a normal urine free cortisol (UFC) level of 44.7 μg/24 hours, with minimal symptoms. Within 2 weeks of radiotherapy, he developed hypertension, ankle edema, and hypokalemia (potassium level, 2.8 mEq/L), with a markedly elevated UFC level of 9,203 μg/24 hours. His UFC gradually decreased and normalized by the end of radiotherapy. One month later, the patient became adrenal insufficient, with a nondetectable 24-hour UFC. His adrenal function slowly recovered in 3 months. We are aware of only one previous case report of clinically significant hypercortisolism following radiotherapy in Cushing disease. Conclusion Radiotherapy may result in acute severe hypercortisolism in patients with a large corticotroph adenoma. This uncommon, but clinically significant, acute adverse effect of radiotherapy suggests that clinical observation and biochemical monitoring during or soon after radiotherapy may be indicated. (Endocr Pract. 2014;20:e166-e170)
Articulatory–acoustic kinematics: The production of American English /s/

Due to its aerodynamic, articulatory, and acoustic complexities, the fricative /s/ is known to require high precision in its control, and to be highly resistant to coarticulation. This study documents in detail how jaw, tongue front, tongue back, lips, and the first spectral moment covary during the production of /s/, to establish how coarticulation affects this segment. Data were obtained from 24 speakers in the Wisconsin x-ray microbeam database producing /s/ in prevocalic and pre-obstruent sequences. Analysis of the data showed that certain aspects of jaw and tongue motion had specific kinematic trajectories, regardless of context, and the first spectral moment trajectory corresponded to these in some aspects. In particular contexts, variability due to jaw motion is compensated for by tongue-tip motion and bracing against the palate, to maintain an invariant articulatory–aerodynamic goal, constriction degree. The change in the first spectral moment, which rises to a peak at the midpoint of the fricative, primarily reflects the motion of the jaw. Implications of the results for theories of speech motor control and acoustic–articulatory relations are discussed.
Crucial Role of the Specificity-determining Loop of the Integrin β4 Subunit in the Binding of Cells to Laminin-5 and Outside-in Signal Transduction

Abstract Within each hemidesmosome, α6β4 integrin plays a crucial role in hemidesmosome assembly by binding to laminin-5 in the basement membrane zone of epithelial tissue. Recent analyses have implicated “specificity-determining loops” (SDLs) in the I-like domain of β integrin in regulating ligand binding. Here, we investigated the function of an SDL-like motif within the extracellular I-like domain of β4 integrin. We generated point mutations within the SDL of β4 integrin tagged with green fluorescent protein (GFP-β4K150A and GFP-β4Q155L). We also generated a mutation within the I-like domain of the β4 integrin, lying outside the SDL region (GFP-β4V284E). We transfected constructs encoding the mutated β4 integrins and a GFP-conjugated wild type β4 integrin (GFP-β4WT) into 804G cells, which assemble hemidesmosomes, and human endothelial cells, which express little endogenous β4 integrin. In transfected 804G cells, GFP-β4WT and GFP-β4V284E colocalize with hemidesmosome proteins, whereas hemidesmosomal components in cells expressing GFP-β4K150A and GFP-β4Q155L are aberrantly localized. In endothelial cells, GFP-β4WT and mutant proteins are co-expressed at the cell surface with α6 integrin. When transfected endothelial cells are plated onto laminin-5 matrix, GFP-β4WT and GFP-β4V284E localize with laminin-5, whereas GFP-β4K150A and GFP-β4Q155L do not. GFP-β4WT and GFP-β4V284E expressed in endothelial cells associate with the adaptor protein Shc when the cells are stimulated with laminin-5. However, GFP-β4K150A and GFP-β4Q155L fail to associate with Shc even when laminin-5 is present, thus impacting downstream signaling. These results provide evidence that the SDL segment of the β4 integrin subunit is required for ligand binding and is involved in outside-in signaling.
Determination of the debye characteristic temperature of vanadium from the Bloch-Grüneisen relation

Abstract The Bloch-Gruneisen relation is in excellent agreement with the experimentally determined ideal resistivity of vanadium at temperatures between 22 and 200°K. The characteristic temperature θD was found to be 320°K. At the higher temperatures of the investigation, the theoretical curve exhibited a positive deviation from the experimental curve.
Some relationships between pulmonary prostaglandins and hepatocyte lecithin formation

Abstract A hepatocyte lipogehic system which uses 14C-acetate as a lipogenic precursor was used. Phosphatidylethanolamine is biosynthesized the most in this newly established in vitro lipogenic system. Cholesterol, triacylglycerols, free fatty acids, lecithin and other phospholipids are also biosynthesized in the system. When a lung mince is added to hepatocytes biosynthesizing lipids from 14C-acetate, an increase in lecithin (PC) formation greater than that of lung mince alone and hepatocyte alone is detected. This study not only supports the concept that the lung has the capacity to stimulate the liver for lecithin synthesis but also indicates that lung minces have the ability to produce a prostaglandin (s) which is/are inhibitory to lipogenesis in hepatocytes. Lung minces from rats given indomethacin in vivo also stimulated lecithin formation in hepatocytes.
A contextual approach to serving older residents of economically-threatened small towns

Abstract Chronic economic and population declines, exacerbated by recent droughts, have dramatically changed rural small towns in the Midwest. Little research or social policy attention has been given to the impacts of these changes upon their elderly residents. The present research employs a conceptual framework developed on the basis of Aldwin and Stokols' (1988) view of environmental stress and recent extensions of behavior setting theory. Drawing from this framework, the research uses an experiential field approach to explore positive and negative outcomes of residing in two economically-threatened small towns. Outcomes with particular relevance for serving rural elderly include shifts in autonomy and psychological control at the level of the individual and community, and increased opportunities or expectations to fulfill institutional and informal status-roles in the community. The implications of these outcomes for serving the rural elderly are discussed, including possible interventions at the level of the individual, the setting and the community.
Development of the Adult Scale of Hostility and Aggression: Reactive-Proactive (A-SHARP)

Abstract In this study, the authors developed the Adult Scale of Hostility and Aggression Reactive–Proactive (A-SHARP). Sixty-one caregivers rated 512 individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities on the A-SHARP. Exploratory factor analysis revealed 5 factors on the Problem Scale: (a) Verbal Aggression, (b) Physical Aggression, (c) Hostile Affect, (d) Covert Aggression, and (e) Bullying. Internal consistency was high, and intercorrelation of subscales suggested logical convergent and divergent validity. Separate scores were also derived for the Provocation Scale, which was developed to reflect motivation for the aggression (reactive vs. proactive). Analyses of demographic variables revealed 1 gender effect, several effects due to age and functional level, and no effect of ethnicity. Normative data are provided for the Problem Scale.
Cognitive performance during acute alcohol intoxication: The effects of prior task experience on performance

Twenty male medical students were tested on the Shipley-Hartford during an alcohol and placebo condition (counterbalanced) to determine the effects of prior experience on a cognitive task during subsequent performance under alcohol. Significant drug and Drug by Order interaction effects were obtained for the abstraction section where practice effects are typically reported. However, only a significant within-Ss drug effect was obtained for the vocabulary section where practice effects are minimal. A significant correlation was obtained between performance and blood alcohol level only for the group tested first under alcohol. These results indicate that cognitive performance under alcohol may be related to the prior experience that the S has obtained before testing.
Boolean difference equations. I - Formulation and dynamic behavior

In many biological and physical systems, feedback mechanisms depend on a set of thresholds associated with the state variables. Each feedback has a characteristic time scale. We suggest that delay-difference equations for Boolean-valued variables are an appropriate mathematical framework for such situations: the feedback thresholds result in the discrete, on–off character of the variables, and the interaction time scales of the feedbacks are expressed as delays.The initial-value problem for Boolean delay equations (BΔEs) is formulated and shown to have unique solutions for all times. Examples of periodic and aperiodic solutions are given. Aperiodic solutions have increasing complexity which depends on time t roughly as $t^{l - 1} ,l$ being the number of delays. Stability of solutions is defined and some examples of stability analysis are given; additional stability questions are raised. The present formulation of BΔEs is compared with related work and generalizations are suggested. A classification of BΔE...
Robust absorbance computations in the analysis of glucose by near-infrared spectroscopy

Abstract Procedures for data acquisition and data processing are evaluated for the optimal computation of absorbance values based on Fourier transform near-infrared transmission spectra. Samples consisting of physiological levels (1–20 mM) of glucose in an aqueous matrix of variable levels of bovine serum albumin and triacetin are studied in the combination spectral region (5000–4000 cm −1 ). The weak glucose signals in this region define a challenging analysis that is extremely sensitive to the effects of instrumental drift. The impact of different procedures for obtaining absorbance estimates is evaluated in the context of multivariate calibration models based on partial least-squares (PLS) regression. Replicate calibration and prediction data acquired over 6 months are used to study the robustness of PLS models with respect to time. The recommended protocol for the absorbance calculations is based on the collection of a large group of individual background spectra during the instrumental warm-up period. Seven procedures are tested for obtaining optimal backgrounds for use with either the calibration or prediction data sets. When the developed methodology is employed, standard errors of prediction are maintained in the range of 1.0 mM for spectra acquired up to 6 months after the collection of the calibration data. This level of performance compares favorably to daily internal cross-validation errors of 0.5–0.9 mM.
Nuclear Medicine Studies in Patients With Pericardial Effusion

The nuclear medicine studies currently available appear to provide a simple and reliable method of determining the presence of a pericardial effusion. The authors prefer the use of 99m Tc pertechnetate and the Anger scintillation camera. The patient is studied in the sitting position with the anterior chest positioned against the detector head. A U-shaped halo around the heart at 10–15 min after injection has been found to be the most significant positive finding. There is a lack of critical reports either dealing with the efficacy of these nuclear medicine studies or comparing the efficacy of different diagnostic techniques in humans. The major problem facing studies of this sort is the difficulty in establishing the diagnosis. A meaningful animal model of pericardial effusion to compare these different techniques has not been developed; these are fertile areas for investigation. Until well-controlled studies demonstrate the superiority of one technique, the clinician should use the expertise available and, in difficult cases, crosscheck the results with other available techniques such as contrast angiography, CO 2 injection studies, and echocardiography.
The effects of prescribed fire and silvicultural thinning on the aboveground carbon stocks and net primary production of overstory trees in an oak-hickory ecosystem in southern Ohio

Abstract More than 70 years of fire suppression has influenced forest dynamics and led to the accumulation of fuels in many forests of the United States. To address these changes, forest managers increasingly seek to restore historical ecosystem structure and function through the reintroduction of fire and disturbance processes that mimic fire such as silvicultural thinning. In oak forests of eastern North America, prescribed fire and thinning are important tools used to facilitate oak (Quercus spp.) regeneration and recruitment. The global scientific community is increasingly raising concerns about the accumulation of atmospheric CO2, and its potential to impact global climate; therefore, activities such as prescribed fire and thinning that can influence the carbon balance of terrestrial ecosystems should be evaluated. We used field measurements and modeling with the PnET-II carbon balance model in oak forests of southern Ohio, USA, to (1) assess the efficacy of prescribed fire and silvicultural thinning in facilitating oak recruitment and regeneration, and (2) quantify the impacts of these treatments on aboveground carbon stocks and net primary production. Silvicultural thinning increased recruitment of maples, but oak recruitment was minimal. Prescribed burning caused an increase in the mortality rate of oaks’ major competitor (Acer rubrum L.) in the overstory (stems ≥10 cm DBH), but oak mortality also increased following the burn treatments. Our measurements of stem growth suggest that the timing of the prescribed fires coincided with the initiation of growth in oaks, which may have created vulnerability in these species that are generally considered fire-resistant. The pre-treatment aboveground biomass of overstory trees was approximately 233 Mg/ha (Mg = 1 × 106 g). Prescribed burning had significant impacts on the mortality of stems; however, it had no significant effects on the aboveground net primary production (ANPP). Thinning removed approximately 30% of the aboveground biomass and resulted in significant but transient (1 year) reduction of ANPP (386 and 560 g C m−2 year−1 for thinned and non-thinned stands, respectively). In sum, thinning created recruitment opportunities in our study area, but these opportunities were captured by maples, and oak recruitment was minimal. Prescribed fire caused mortality in oaks and maples, and the oak mortality may have been related to the coincidence of the burn treatment and the initiation of oak stem growth. Finally, our data suggest that there is a transient impact of thinning on ANPP, but that there is no long-term effect of thinning and/or burning treatments on the aboveground carbon uptake in oak forests.
The effect of variation of calcium intake on production performance and shell quality

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of moderate variation of calcium intake on production performance and shell quality. In Experiment 1, birds were fed diets containing 1.5 and 5.5% calcium, respectively, in the first and second 3-day period of 10 6-day cycles. In Experiment 2, calcium concentrations alternated between 2 and 5%. In both experiments, control groups were fed a diet containing 3.5% calcium for the duration of the experiment (60 days). Birds were 28 weeks old at the beginning of Experiment 1 and 50 weeks old at the beginning of Experiment 2. Overall egg production, egg weight, egg mass, feed consumption, feed conversion, and body weight gain were consistently lower for the birds of the alternating groups than the birds of the control groups in both experiments. Shell quality as measured by shell thickness, breaking strength, specific gravity, and percent shell in most cases was significantly reduced within 24 hr of feeding the low calcium diets and improved to normal within 24 hr of feeding the high calcium diets in both experiments. These experiments suggest that calcium variation of the extent used in these experiments reduces optimum performance; shell quality is reduced within 24 hr of feeding a low calcium diet.
Neuroscience: Ordered randomness in fly love songs

A systematic and painstaking analysis reveals that much of the complexity and variability of the courtship song of male fruit flies can be accounted for by simple rules that relate sensory experience to motor output. See Letter p.233 Males in many animal species produce patterned courtship songs to increase reproductive success with females, so variations in song structure have been seen as detrimental 'noise'. Drosophila melanogaster males use courtship song, generated by wing vibrations, and Mala Murthy and colleagues have studied the patterning of these signals. They find that males adjust the pattern of their songs, constructed of two alternating song modes, according to visual and self-motion sensory inputs. Females are sensitive to these efforts, and change their walking speed according their behavioural state and the song's features. The results contradict a widespread assumption that courtship songs follow a fixed pattern, and establish Drosophila as a promising experimental model to study rapid decision-making in a complex social environment.
Autoencapsulation: A new method for entrapping pesticides within starch

Abstract A simple method to entrap pesticides under mild conditions is described. Pesticide is mixed with pregelatinized starch or ungelatinized starch containing a gelatinizing agent and enough water is added to allow agglomeration into 12- to 40-mesh granules. At this stage, much of the pesticide is not entrapped but is held firmly enough by the granules for handling. When the granules become wet, they also become gelatinous and then on drying form a solid matrix encapsulating the pesticide. Several pesticides were encapsulated by this method, and the encapsulation efficiencies for encapsulated products were determined.
Comparison of gentamicin and tobramycin nephrotoxicity in patients receiving individualized-pharmacokinetic dosing regimens

The incidence of nephrotoxicity has been studied in 175 patients who received either gentamicin or tobramycin. All patients received individualized dosing regimens of the drugs based on pharmacokinetic parameters measured after the initial dose. Subsequent doses were calculated from the pharmacokinetic data to produce peak aminoglycoside levels of between 6 and 8 micrograms ml-1 and trough levels that were below 2 micrograms ml-1. Renal toxicity was defined as a 30 per cent or greater increase in the serum creatinine level above the baseline value. Five of the 125 patients (4 per cent) who received gentamicin, and 1 of the 39 patients (2.6 per cent) who received tobramycin developed signs of nephrotoxicity. This difference was not statistically significant.
Simultaneous estimation of intrarater and interrater agreement for multiple raters under order restrictions for a binary trait.

It is valuable in many studies to assess both intrarater and interrater agreement. Most measures of intrarater agreement do not adjust for unequal estimates of prevalence between the separate rating occasions for a given rater and measures of interrater agreement typically ignore data from the second set of assessments when raters make duplicate assessments. In the event when both measures are assessed there are instances where interrater agreement is larger than at least one of the corresponding intrarater agreements. This implies that a rater agrees less with him/herself and more with another rater. In the situation of multiple raters making duplicate assessments on all subjects, the authors propose properties for an agreement measure based on the odds ratio for a dichotomous trait: (i) estimate a single prevalence across two reading occasions for each rater; (ii) estimate pairwise interrater agreement from all available data; (iii) bound the pairwise interrater agreement above by the corresponding intrarater agreements. Estimation of odds ratios under these properties is done by maximizing the multinomial likelihood with constraints using generalized log-linear models in combination with a generalization of the Lemke-Dykstra iterative-incremental algorithm. An example from a mammography examination reliability study is used to demonstrate the new method.
Position 713 Is Critical for Catalysis but Not Iron Binding in Soybean Lipoxygenase 3

The role of asparagine-713 in iron atom incorporation and catalysis in soybean lipoxygenase 3 was investigated using site-directed mutagenesis. A full-length cDNA for the lipoxygenase isoenzyme was obtained from a library derived from soybeans cv. Provar. Protein with native specific activity at pH 7.4 was obtained from expression in Escherichia coli. Two recent structure reports provided conflicting views about the participation of the side chain of asparagine-694 in the coordination of the iron atom required for catalysis by lipoxygenase 1. Oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis was employed to modify residue 713 in lipoxygenase 3 which corresponds to asparagine-694 in the sequence of lipoxygenase 1. It was found that for enzyme expressed in bacteria, asparagine was not required for iron incorporation. Histidine, alanine, and serine substitutions for asparagine-713 all produced proteins that contained iron. The histidine mutant had specific activity and catalytic characteristics comparable to the wild-type enzyme. By contrast, the alanine- and serine-substituted lipoxygenases had no detectable catalytic activity. When oxidized by product, the histidine mutant also displayed the characteristic g6 signal of the soybean enzyme in its EPR spectrum. The possibilities that the residue at position 713 acts as a metal ligand, an acid-base catalyst, and a hydrogen bonding group are considered and discussed.
Effect of Acetylsalicylic Acid on Nitric Oxide Production in Infarcted Heartin Situ

Abstract The effect of Acetylsalicylic Acid (ASA, Aspirin) on the myocardial production of the inducible form of nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and the oxidation products of nitric oxide (nitrite, NO − 2 and nitrate, NO − 3 : NO x ) were studied in the rabbit heart two days after ligation of a branch of the left circumflex coronary artery. ASA was administered intravenously as Aspisol R , DL-Lysinmono(acetylsalicylate) which is soluble in water. Animals received a total dose of 250, 375, or 500 mg/kg of ASA in five divided doses intravenously. Significant inhibition of iNOS was noted in the infarcted portion of the myocardium at 375 and 500 mg/kg of ASA. The reduction in myocardial nitric oxide (NO) production was paralleled by a diminution in coronary arterial-venous difference of NO x , demonstrating that ASA inhibition extended also to the oxidation products of NO. ASA is an inhibitor of cyclooxygenase (COX). The inhibition of iNOS by ASA demonstrates the close relationship between COX and iNOS activity in the heart in situ. Whether activity of the infarcted heart is influenced by the diminution in the production of NO by ASA is not known.
Molecular pathways regulating mobilization of marrow-derived stem cells for tissue revascularization

Adult bone marrow is a rich reservoir of hematopoietic and vascular stem and progenitor cells. Mobilization and recruitment of these cells are essential for tissue revascularization. Physiological stress, secondary to tissue injury or tumor growth, results in the release of angiogenic factors, including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which promotes mobilization of stem cells to the circulation, contributing to the formation of functional vasculature. VEGF interacts with its receptors, VEGFR2 and VEGFR1, expressed on endothelial and hematopoietic stem cells, and thereby promotes recruitment of these cells to neo-angiogenic sites, accelerating the revascularization process. The mobilization of stem cells from marrow is a dynamic process, regulated by shear stress imparted by blood flow, and the activation of metalloproteinases that induce the release of 'Kit ligand', facilitating egress from the marrow to the circulation. Identification of the molecular pathways that support the proliferation and differentiation of vascular stem and progenitor cells will open up new avenues for the design of clinical trials to accelerate tissue vascularization and organogenesis.
Kinetics and metabolism of sulfinpyrazone

Six normal subjects (three men and three women) took 200 mg sulfinpyrazone in two oral preparations, a capsule and a suspension. Plasma and urine levels of sulfinpyrazone and the sulfide, p-hydroxy, and sulfone metabolites were measured over three days. The plasma sulfinpyrazone/time concentration profiles indicated a postabsorptive biexponential decline with a mean terminal half life (t1/2) of 299 +/- 107 min. There was intersubject variation in the formation of the metabolites, the greatest being with the sulfide metabolite. Mean t1/2 of the sulfide metabolite was 659 +/- 192 min. The apparent fraction of sulfinpyrazone absorbed was 0.93 +/- 0.24 and the free fraction in plasma was 1.26 +/- 0.04%. Since the sulfide metabolite has a more potent antiplatelet effect and its formation in normal subjects is variable, direct administration of the sulfide may provide a more predictable antithrombotic effect in patients.
On the nature of trapped polarons in π-conjugated polymers

Abstract Optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) measurements on a wide array of π-conjugated polymers invariably yield a narrow spin 1/2 photoluminescence (PL)-enhancing polaron resonance at g ~ 2.0023± 0.0010. In typical poly(p-phenylene vinylenes) (PPVs) and poly(3-alkyl thiophenes) (P3ATs) a similar PL-quenching resonance emerges at short excitation wavelengths. The microwave chopping frequency dependence of the PL-enhancing resonance is consistent with two distinct polaron pair lifetimes, of ~30 and ~600μs in PPV and ~10 μs and ~1.8 ms in P3HT. Since the emission from PPVs in the microsecond and longer time scale is negligible, the PL-enhancing resonance is attributed to nonradiative recombination of trapped polarem pairs, which eliminates their contribution to nonradiative quenching of singlet excitons. The PL-quenching resonance is assigned to fusion of free polarons to bipolarons. The two distinct lifetimes of the trapped polaron pairs are discussed in relation to the following sites which might induce or stabilize them: (i) adjacent segments of neighboring chains; (ii) either sides of a conjugation defect on the same chain. The nature of their spin correlation, whether parallel or antiparallel off-resonance, and the implications of a scenario in which the energy of the quenched singlet may dissociate the polaron pair, are also discussed.
Ornithine transcarbamylase and arginase activity in flatworms

Abstract 1. 1. Fifteen species of flatworms, representing the three classes of the phylum and several environments, were examined for the presence of the urea cycle enzymes, ornithine transcarbamylase and arginase. 2. 2. Ornithine transcarbamylase activity was demonstrated in several species of each class and from each of the environments. In comparison with the other flatworms, an elasmobranch parasite, Lacistorhynchus tenuis , was shown to have exceptionally high levels of this activity. 3. 3. Arginase activity was found in all species of cestodes and trematodes and in the land planarian: it was not detected in fresh-water planarians and a single species of marine turbellarian.
SU-E-I-68: Fast and Accurate Estimation of Organ Doses in Medical Imaging Using a GPU-Accelerated Monte Carlo Simulation Code

Purpose: To present a Monte Carlo(MC) x‐ray transport simulation code that uses a massively parallel graphics processing units (GPU) to generate medical images of voxelized patient models and estimate organ doses. Methods: We updated MC‐GPU, a CUDA‐based open‐source code for the simulation of radiographic projections and CT, to include the capability to tally 3D dose distributions. Since electrons are not transported, deposited doses are assumed to be equivalent to photon KERMA. The validity of this assumption was investigated by comparing it with the general‐purpose MC code PENELOPE in the simulation of a posterior‐anterior chest examination with 1010, 60‐keV x rays and a realistic female phantom with 1‐mm voxels. The stability of the simulation in a 480‐core GPU was also benchmarked using a sequential execution in a single CPU core. A utility to post‐process the voxel doses and report average and peak organ doses and effective dose for the procedure (and their uncertainty) has been developed. Results: The accuracy of the dose values generated by MC‐GPU was successfully validated. Average relative differences in the doses from PENELOPE and MC‐GPU executed in CPU and GPU were below 2%, in the expected range for statistical fluctuations. The simulation speeds were 46554 x rays/s with PENELOPE (electron transport disabled), 158216 x rays/s with MC‐GPU in a CPU, and 5124867 x rays/s in a GPU (simulation time in the GPU: 32.5 minutes, 32‐fold speedup compared to the CPU). The average and peak doses in breast and skin were estimated as 1.1 and 3.4 eV/g, and 1.7 and 15.6 eV/g per history respectively. Conclusion: The presented code can estimate organ doses 110 times faster than a general‐purpose MC code with comparable accuracy. A multi‐GPU execution of MC‐GPU has the potential to provide accurate organ doses in a CT scan in near real‐time.
Effects of x-ray and gamma-ray irradiation on the optical properties of quantum dots immobilized in porous silicon

The effects of X-ray and gamma irradiation on the optical properties of CdTe/CdS quantum dots (QDs) immobilized in a functionalized porous silicon film have been investigated via continuous wave and time-resolved photoluminescence measurements. Carrier lifetimes of the QDs and photoluminescence intensities decrease with increasing exposure dose from 500 krad(SiO2) to 16 Mrad(SiO2).
Theory of correlated two-particle activated glassy dynamics: General formulation and heterogeneous structural relaxation in hard sphere fluids

We generalize the nonlinear Langevin equation theory of activated single particle dynamics to describe the correlated motion of two tagged spherical particles in a glass- or gel-forming fluid as a function of their initial separation. The theory is built on the concept of a two-dimensional dynamic free energy surface which quantifies the forces on two particles moving in a cooperative manner. For the hard sphere fluid, above a threshold volume fraction we generically find two relaxation channels corresponding largely, but not exclusively, to a center-of-mass-like displacement and a radial separation of the two tagged particles. The entropic barriers and mean first passage times are computed and found to systematically vary with volume fraction and initial particle separation; both oscillate as a function of the latter in a manner related to the equilibrium pair correlation function. A dynamic correlation length is estimated as the length scale beyond which the two-particle activated dynamics becomes uncor...
Impedance-Based Monitoring of Ongoing Cardiomyocyte Death Induced by Tumor Necrosis Factor-α

Deregulated cardiomyocyte death is a critical risk factor in a variety of cardiovascular diseases. Although various assays have been developed to detect cell responses during cell death, the capability of monitoring cell detachment will enhance the understanding of death processes by providing instant information at its early phase. In this work, we developed an impedance-sensing assay for real-time monitoring of cardiomyocyte death induced by tumor necrosis factor-α based on recording the change in cardiomyocyte adhesion to extracellular matrix. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was employed in impedance data processing, followed by calibration with the electrical cell-substrate impedance-sensing technique. The adhesion profile of cardiomyocytes undergoing cell death processes was recorded as the time course of equivalent cell-substrate distance. The cell detachment was detected with our assay and proved related to cell death in the following experiments, indicating its advantage against the conventional assays, such as Trypan blue exclusion. An optimal concentration of tumor necrosis factor-α (20 ng/mL) was determined to induce cardiomyocyte apoptosis rather than the combinative cell death of necrosis and apoptosis by comparing the concentration-related adhesion profiles. The cardiomyocytes undergoing apoptosis experienced an increase of cell-substrate distance from 59.1 to 89.2 nm within 24 h. The early change of cell adhesion was proved related to cardiomyocyte apoptosis in the following TUNEL test at t = 24 h, which suggested the possibility of early and noninvasive detection of cardiomyocyte apoptosis.
Intramolecular diels‐alder reactions. IX. Syntheses of N‐benzylcyclolignan lactams

Four bis-unsaturated N-benzyl amides of the type where (C2) and (C2)' are variously trans-CHCH and CC groups, were synthesized and refluxed in acetic anhydride. Three of them cyclized to form N-benzylcyclolignan lactams by intramolecular Diels-Alder processes. In one case [(C2) CC, (C2)' trans-CHCH] the (C2) unit functioned as the dienophilic moiety.
Supersonic Virtual Valve Design for Numerical Simulation of a Large-Bore Natural Gas Engine

In many applications of supersonic injection devices, three-dimensional computation that can model a complex supersonic jet has become critical. However, in spite of its increasing necessity, it is computationally costly to capture the details of supersonic structures in intricate three-dimensional geometries with moving boundaries. In large-bore stationary natural gas fueled engine research, one of the most promising mixing enhancement technologies currently used for natural gas engines is high-pressure fuel injection. Consequently, this creates considerable interest in three-dimensional computational simulations that can examine the entire injection and mixing process in engines using high-pressure injection and can determine the impact of injector design on engine performance. However, the cost of three-dimensional engine simulations-including a moving piston and the kinetics of combustion and pollutant production-quickly becomes considerable in terms of simulation time requirements. One limiting factor is the modeling of the small length scales of the poppet valve flow. Such length scales can be three orders of magnitude smaller than cylinder length scales. The objective of this paper is to describe the development of a methodology for the design of a simple geometry supersonic virtual valve that can be substituted in three-dimensional numerical models for the complex shrouded poppet valve injection system actually installed in the engine to be simulated. Downstream flow characteristics of the jets from an actual valve and various virtual valves are compared. Relevant mixing parameters, such as local equivalent ratio and turbulence kinetic energy, are evaluated in full-scale moving piston simulations that include the effect of the jet-piston interaction. A comparison of the results has indicated that it is possible to design a simple converging-diverging fuel nozzle that will produce the same jet and, subsequently, the same large-scale and turbulent-scale mixing patterns in the engine cylinder as a real poppet valve.
An optimized, universal hardware-based adaptive correlation receiver architecture

The traditional radar RF transceivers, similar to communication transceivers, have the basic elements such as baseband waveform processing, IF/RF up-down conversion, transmitter power circuits, receiver front-ends, and antennas, which are shown in the upper half of Figure 1. For modern radars with diversified and sophisticated waveforms, we can frequently observe that the transceiver behaviors, especially nonlinear behaviors, are depending on the waveform amplitudes, frequency contents and instantaneous phases. Usually, it is a troublesome process to tune an RF transceiver to optimum when different waveforms are used. Another issue arises from the interference caused by the waveforms - for example, the range side-lobe (RSL) caused by the waveforms, once the signals pass through the entire transceiver chain, may be further increased due to distortions. This study is inspired by the two existing solutions from commercial communication industry, digital pre-distortion (DPD) and adaptive channel estimation and Interference Mitigation (AIM), while combining these technologies into a single chip or board that can be inserted into the existing transceiver system. This device is then named RF Transceiver Optimizer (RTO). The lower half of Figure 1 shows the basic element of RTO. With RTO, the digital baseband processing does not need to take into account the transceiver performance with diversified waveforms, such as the transmitter efficiency and chain distortion (and the intermodulation products caused by distortions). Neither does it need to concern the pulse compression (or correlation receiver) process and the related mitigation. The focus is simply the information about the ground truth carried by the main peak of correlation receiver outputs. RTO can be considered as an extension of the existing calibration process, while it has the benefits of automatic, adaptive and universal. Currently, the main techniques to implement the RTO are the digital pre- or –post distortions (DPD), and the main technique to implement the AIM is the Adaptive Pulse Compression (APC). The basic algorithms and experiments with DPD will be introduced which is also the focus of this paper. The discussion of AIM algorithms will be presented in other papers, while the initial implementation of AIM and correlation receiver in FPGA devices will also be introduced in this paper.