cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Resonance production in heavy-ion collisions at STAR

Hadronic resonances are sensitive to the properties of a hot and a dense medium created in a heavy ion collision. During the hadronic phase, after hadronization of quark and gluons into hadrons, resonances are useful to determine the lifetime between chemical and thermal freeze-out, under the assumption that the re-scattering of the decay particles and the probability of regeneration of resonances from hadrons depends on the system properties and the resonance lifetime. The system size and energy dependence of resonance spectra and yields will be shown and discussed in the context of the lifetime and size of the hadronic phase. Elliptic flow measurement will extend the sensitivity of resonance yields to the partonic state through additional information on constituent quark scaling. We also explore a possible new technique to extract signals from the early, potentially chirally symmetric, stage through the selection of resonances from jets.
Influence of erythromycin A on the microbial populations in aquaculture sediment microcosms

Degradation of erythromycin A was studied using two sediment samples obtained from the salmon and trout hatchery sites at Hupp Springs (HS) and Goldendale (GD), Washington, United States. The former site had been treated for 3 years with erythromycin-medicated feed prior to the experiments, and the latter site had not been treated with any antibiotic for at least 6 years. The two sediment microcosms treated with either N-[methyl-14C]erythromycin A or [1,3,5,7,9,11,13-14C]erythromycin A showed S-curves for erythromycin A mineralization with a prolonged lag time of 120 days, except for GD microcosms treated with [1,3,5,7,9,11,13-14C]erythromycin A. We proposed a simplified logistic model to interpret the mineralization curves under the assumption of the low densities of initial populations metabolizing erythromycin A. The model was helpful for knowing the biological potential for erythromycin A degradation in sediments. Although erythromycin A added to the two sediment microcosms did not significantly alter the numbers of total viable aerobic bacteria or erythromycin-resistant bacteria, it affected the bacterial composition. The influence on the bacterial composition appeared to be greater in GD microcosms without pre-exposure to antibiotics. PCR-RFLP and DNA sequence analyses of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene and the erythromycin esterase (ere) gene revealed that ereA type 2 (ereA2) was present in potentially erythromycin-degrading Pseudomonas spp. strains GD100, GD200, HS100, HS200 and HS300, isolated from erythromycin-treated and non-treated GD and HS microcosms. Erythromycin A appeared to influence the development and proliferation of strain GD200, possibly via the lateral gene transfer of ereA2.
A mathematical model of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticle magnetic behavior to guide the design of novel nanomaterials

Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparti- cles (SPIONs) exhibit unique magnetic properties that make them highly efficacious as MR imaging contrast agents and laboratory diagnostic tools. The complex- ity of SPION magnetic behavior and the multiple parameters affecting this behavior complicate attempts at fabricating particles suited for a particular purpose. A mathematical model of SPION magnetic properties derived from experimental relationships and first principles can be an effective design tool for predicting particle behavior before materials are fabricated. Here, a novel model of SPION magnetic properties is described, using particle size and applied magnetic field as the primary variable inputs. The model is capable of predicting particle susceptibility and non-linear particle magnetization as well as describing the vector magnetic field produced by a single particle in an applied field. Magnetization values produced by the model agree with recent experimental measurements of particle magnetiza- tions. The model is used to predict the complex magnetic behavior of clustered magnetic particles in simulated in vivo environment; specifically, interac- tions between the clusters and water molecules. The model shows that larger particles exhibit more linear magnetic behavior and stronger magnetization and that clusters of smaller particles allow for more numerous SPION-water molecule interactions and more uniform cluster magnetizations.
Hydrolysis of macromolecular components of primary and secondary wastewater sludge by thermal hydrolytic pretreatment.

Abstract A laboratory simulation of the thermal hydrolytic pretreatment (THP) process was performed on wastewater sludge, as well as key macromolecular components: proteins, lipids, and polysaccharides. Hydrolysis temperatures from 130 to 220 °C were investigated. The objectives of this study were to determine how and over which temperature range THP specifically affects sludge components, and whether hydrolysis temperature can be used to minimize the previously reported drawbacks of THP such as high total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) loads and the production of highly-colored recalcitrant organics. In addition, the applicability of THP to primary sludge (PS) was investigated. The breakdown of proteins, lipids, and polysaccharides was determined to be temperature dependent, and both waste activated sludge (WAS) and PS responded similarly to THP apart from intrinsic differences in lipid and protein content. Pure carbohydrate solutions were not largely converted to mono- or dimeric reducing sugar units at temperatures below 220 °C, however significant caramelization of starch and production of dextrose and maltose was observed to occur at 220 °C. Volatile fatty acid production during thermal hydrolysis was largely attributed to the breakdown of unsaturated lipids, and long-chain fatty acid production was not significant in terms of previous reports of methanogenic inhibition. Ammonia was produced from protein during thermal hydrolysis, however solids loading rather than thermal hydrolysis temperature appeared to be a more meaningful control for ammonia levels in downstream anaerobic digestion.
Real-Time Parameter Estimation of PMDC Motors Using Quantized Sensors

Establishing real-time models for electric motors is important when capturing authentic dynamic behavior of the motors to improve control performance, enhance robustness, and support diagnosis. Quantized sensors are less expensive, and remotely controlled motors mandate signal quantization. Such limitations on observations introduce challenging issues in motor parameter estimation. This paper develops estimators for model parameters of permanent-magnet direct current (PMDC) motors using quantized speed measurements. A typical linearized model structure of PMDC motors is used as a benchmark platform to demonstrate the technology and its key properties and benefits. Convergence properties are established. Simulations and experimental studies are performed to illustrate potential applications of the technology.
Observations on the inadequately excised basal cell carcinomas

We studied 43 cases of reexcised skin where a diagnosis of "inadequately excised basal cell carcinoma" was made at the initial excision. Only 3 cases (7%) revealed microscopic residual tumor. Prior studies have shown a recurrence rate as high as 35% for "inadequately excised basal cell cancers." Possible reasons for relatively low incidence of residual tumor in the reexcised specimens are discussed.
The evolving Information Commons

Purpose – To examine the changing nature and adaptation of the Information Commons concept at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.Design/methodology/approach – This article is primarily a case study on the growth and development of technology at Lied Library, including its expansion beyond the physical confines of the original model of the Information Commons. Additionally, a cross‐section of articles regarding the principles of providing services and systems within an Information Commons is surveyed.Findings – Stresses the importance of maintaining a flexible model for the integration of technology and library services.Practical implications – A matter‐of‐fact source for the implications of rethinking and reinventing the Information Commons concept.Originality/value – This article addresses considerations important to the integration and evolution of technology services and space within academic libraries.
Continuous-time system identification of a smoking cessation intervention

Cigarette smoking is a major global public health issue and the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Toward a goal of designing better smoking cessation treatments, system identification techniques are applied to intervention data to describe smoking cessation as a process of behaviour change. System identification problems that draw from two modelling paradigms in quantitative psychology (statistical mediation and self-regulation) are considered, consisting of a series of continuous-time estimation problems. A continuous-time dynamic modelling approach is employed to describe the response of craving and smoking rates during a quit attempt, as captured in data from a smoking cessation clinical trial. The use of continuous-time models provide benefits of parsimony, ease of interpretation, and the opportunity to work with uneven or missing data.
The use of plasticine as an analog to explore material flow in friction stir welding

This study investigates plasticine for use as an analog for modeling material flow in friction stir welding of metals. Different colors of plasticine are combined in a weld to aid in flow visualization. Several welds are performed in the plasticine under various rotational speeds and with both a threaded and smooth pin tool. The transient temperature response of the plasticine shows the same qualitative behavior as welds conducted in metals. Although temperature increases inside the weld region are small during welding of the plasticine, compression tests show that a relatively small increase in temperature of the clay results in a significant reduction in flow stress. The plasticine welds are compared to previous visualization data from welds conducted in metals. Transverse sections cut from plasticine welds show that at a low tool rotational speed, large-scale mixing is absent and the original interface between advancing and retreating side workpieces is clearly discernable. This interface line matches well with a map of the post-welding interface line from an aluminum weld using a marker insert technique. Motion of material in the welding direction is also observed by inserting contrasting color plasticine markers into the workpiece. The motion of the markers is verified by a similar marker insert technique using aluminum. At high rotational speeds, material rotates several times around the pin, traveling forward with it. Significant vertical motion during welding is also observed in the plasticine.
Monte Carlo evaluation of scatter mitigation strategies in cone-beam CT.

Purpose: To investigate the efficacy of two widely used scatter mitigation methods: antiscatter grids (ASGs) and beam modulating with bowtie filters (BTFs), in combination with subtractive scatter correction or zeroth order normalization phantom calibration, for improving imagenoise,contrast,contrast-to-noise ratio(CNR), and image uniformity for on-board cone-beam CT(CBCT)imaging systems used for image-guided radiation therapy. Methods: PTRAN Monte CarloCBCT x-ray projections of head and pelvic phantoms were calculated for combinations of beam-modulation and scatter rejection methods and images were reconstructed by in-house developed software. In addition, a simple one-dimensional analytic model was developed to predict scatter-to-primary ratio (SPR) and CNR as a function of cylindrical phantom thickness, ASG transmission, and beam modulation with bow-tie filters. Results: ASGs were found to have slightly negative or no effect on head phantom imageCNR and to modestly improve CNR (10%–20%) in pelvic phantom images. However, scatter subtraction and norm-phantom calibration perform better when applied on data acquired with ASGs. Scatter subtraction improves CT number accuracy, but increases noise, and in high SPR/low primary-photon transmission scenarios can dramatically reduce CNR and introduce streaking artifacts. The BTF is found to reduce SPR and imagenoise, resulting in a better trade-off between CNR and imaging dose, but introduces a circular band artifact. Conclusions: Our study shows that ASGs have a modest positive impact in pelvic scans and negative in head scans, scatter subtraction improves the HU accuracy but reduces CNR, while BTF has a clearly positive effect.
Scyphomedusae in surface waters near the Oregon coast, May?August 1981

Abstract The scyphomedusae of the surface waters off Oregon and southern Washington were collected with commercial purse seines from May–August 1981. Twelve east-west transects, located from north of the Columbia River to south of Coos Bay were sampled from the 37 m isobath to distances up to 48 km from shore. Chrysaora fuscescens was the dominant species collected in each month. Maximum sampled abundances reached 18001 of medusae per 10 5 m 3 . Using an estimated carbon content of 0·280% of wet weight, this medusa density was calculated to contain approximately 50 mg Cm −3 . Seven of the 263 samples contained so many medusae that they exceeded the capacity of the sampling gear. In all months but May, when medusa densities were relatively low, the density of C. fuscescens was greatest closest to shore and decreased rapidly offshore. Mean umbrella diameter increased from 8·6 cm in May to 18·5 cm in August, while the largest specimens increased from 19 cm in May to 37 cm in August. Aurelia aurtia, Cyanea capillata and Phacellophora camtschatica were also collected, but were much less abundant than C. fuscescens . The relative abundance of C. fuscescens was compared with the maximum abundance of copepods off the Oregon coast, and the hydrographic features influencing medusa distribution patterns are discussed.
Digitalis drugs and vulnerability to ventricular fibrillation

Abstract The effect of acetylstrophanthidin (AS), a rapid-acting digitalis-like agent, on the ventricular fibrillation (VF) threshold was examined in normal and denervated chloralose-anesthetized dogs. In neurally intact dogs an intravenous bolus of AS (0.075 mg/kg) increased the VF threshold up to a maximum 50% (P
On the equivalence of hermite and power moments in the construction of dispersion approximations

The m + 1 dispersion coefficients, which define the mth dispersion approximation to the transverse average of the solution of the convective diffusion equation, can be gotten on exacting equality of the first m + 1 moments of the solution and its approximation. We establish the equivalence of the Hermite and power moments in the construction of dispersion approximations.
Treating triple-negative breast cancer by a combination of rapamycin and cyclophosphamide: An in vivo bioluminescence imaging study

Rapamycin, a mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor, has been shown to inhibit the growth of oestrogen positive breast cancer. However, triple-negative (TN) breast cancer is resistant to rapamycin treatment in vitro. We set to test a combination treatment of rapamycin with DNA-damage agent, cyclophosphamide, in a TN breast cancer model. By binding to and disrupting cellular DNA, cyclophosphamide kills cells via interfering with their normal functions. We assessed the responses of nude mice bearing tumour xenografts of TN MDA-MB-231 cells to the combination of rapamycin and cyclophosphamide in both orthotopic mammary and lung-metastasis models. We tracked tumour growth and metastasis by bioluminescent imaging and examined the expression of Ki67, CD34 and HIF-1α in tumour tissues by immunohistochemistry and apoptosis index with TUNEL assay, and found that MDA-MB-231 cells are sensitive to rapamycin therapy in orthotopic mammary, but not in lung with metastasis. Rapamycin when combined with cyclophosphamide is found to have a more significant effect in reducing tumour volume and metastasis with a much improved survival rate. Our data also show that the sensitivity of TN tumours to rapamycin is associated with the microenvironment of the tumour cells. The data indicate that in a relatively hypoxic environment HIF-1α may play a role in mediating the anti-cancer effect of rapamycin and cyclophosphamide may prevent the feedback activation of Akt by rapamycin. Overall our results show that rapamycin plus cyclophosphamide can achieve an improved efficacy in suppressing tumour growth and metastasis, suggesting that the combination therapy can be a promising treatment option for TN cancer.
Biology of Young Winter Flounder Pseudopleuronectes americanus (Walbaum); Metabolism under Simulated Estuarine Conditions

Abstract Metabolism based on laboratory studies of young winter flounder acclimated to estuarinclike conditions show that rates of oxygen uptake (ml O2hr/g), as a function in increasing temperature, do not differ significantly between salinities of 10 and 20 ‰. There is, however, a 40–50% decrease in the quantities of oxygen consumed by fish subjected to salinities of 10 and 20 ‰. Metabolic rates do not differ between fish sizes used (within the I+ group: 100–135 mm total length and 140–175 mm total length). Slopes in the equation, log metabolism = log a + b log weight, for temperatures of 24 C, 20 C, and 16 C (30 ‰ salinity) exceed unity.
Numerical implementation of a second-order variational endpoint condition

Second order variational endpoint condition numerical application used for low thrust minimum fuel orbital transfer problems
Mature neurons: equipped for survival

Neurons completely transform how they regulate cell death over the course of their lifetimes. Developing neurons freely activate cell death pathways to fine-tune the number of neurons that are needed during the precise formation of neural networks. However, the regulatory balance between life and death shifts as neurons mature beyond early development. Mature neurons promote survival at all costs by employing multiple, often redundant, strategies to prevent cell death by apoptosis. This dramatic shift from permitting cell death to ensuring cellular survival is critical, as these post-mitotic cells must provide neuronal circuitry for an organism's entire lifetime. Importantly, as many neurodegenerative diseases afflict adult neuronal populations, the survival mechanisms in mature neurons are likely to be either reversed or circumvented during neurodegeneration. Examining the adaptations for inhibiting apoptosis during neuronal maturation is key to comprehending not just how neurons survive long term, but may also provide insight for understanding how neuronal toxicity in various neurodegenerative diseases may ultimately lead to cell death.
Uptake of probenecid by rat liver slices.

Abstract The uptake of 14C-probenecid by rat liver has been studied by standard tissue-slice methods. No metabolites of this transport inhibitor accumulated in the slices, but the.parent drug and a single metabolite appeared in the incubation media. The metabolite was identified by GLC-MS procedures as the glucuronide of side-chain hydroxylated probenecid. Maximum slice/medium (S/M) ratios of 2 to 3 were obtained at 20–60 min. Metabolic inhibitors (N-ethylmaleimide, iodoacetate, and DNP, but not NaCN) decreased the S/M ratios after 1hr incubation. Of 7 anionic compounds tested as potential inhibitors of probenecid uptake, only iopanoic acid (telepaque) and sulfo-bromophthalein (BSP) produced significant depression of S/M ratios in 20 min incubated slices. Neither of the three cationic compounds tested depressed the S/M ratios of any time period studied (20, 60, or 120 min). All of the potential inhibitors were also tested for their effects on probenecid binding to rat liver homogenates. Iopanoic acid and DNP dramatically decreased probenecid binding, while enhanced binding to homogenates was observed in the presence of tyropanoate, procainamide ethobromide, or chloro-quanide triazine. On the basis that various inhibitors could decrease binding and/or transport, the conclusion was reached that the liver slice uptake of probenecid occurs both by nonspecific binding and by organic acid transport mechanisms.
Microphysical and meteorological measurements of fog supersaturation

It has been surmised that fog supersaturation lies well below a few tenths of one percent, but it cannot be directly measured at present. In this paper, theoretical and empirical equations are developed which render it possible to calculate fog supersaturation from simultaneous microphysical and meteorological measurements at regular time intervals. Such measurements became available on four occasions. With the aid of these equations, comparisons are carried out in terms of several supersaturation parameters, as well as in terms of the change in isobaric cooling. When the nature of the data is taken into consideration, the results of these comparisons appear to lend reasonable support to the use of these equations in the calculation of fog supersaturation. DOI: 10.1111/j.2153-3490.1975.tb01704.x
Alkanethiols on Platinum: Multicomponent Self-Assembled Monolayers

We have studied the formation of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of n-alkanethiols on platinum thin films using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), reflection-absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS), spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE), and contact angle (CA) measurements. Specifically, SAMs of 1-hexanethiol, 1-dodecanethiol, and 1-octadecanethiol were grown on polycrystalline Pt films, and the effects of Pt surface preparation, deposition conditions, and solvent treatments on the initial quality and stability of the monolayer in air were investigated. The SAMs prepared under ambient conditions on piranha-cleaned and UV/ozone-cleaned substrates were compared to monolayers formed on template-stripped Pt in an inert atmosphere. We found that alkanethiols deposited from 1 mM ethanolic solutions on piranha-cleaned Pt formed densely packed monolayers in which alkyl chains were oriented close to the surface normal. Stored in the laboratory ambient, these monolayers were unchanged over about 1 week but were largely oxidized in about 1 month. No evidence was found of molecules being weakly bound within the monolayer or having undergone C-S bond scission; however, three distinct sulfur states were observed for all samples in the XPS of the S 2p region. The lowest- and highest-binding-energy components are assigned to alkylthiolate and partially oxidized alkylthiolate species, respectively. The remaining S 2p component (approximately one-third of the sulfur layer), intermediate in binding energy between the other two components, is attributed to a chemisorbed species with a S binding configuration distinct from the majority alkylthiolate: for example, S bound to Pt bound to O, S with a different Pt coordination number, or S in an adsorbed disulfide.
Applicability of e-beam mask inspection to EUV mask production

Ever since the 180nm technology node the semiconductor industry has been battling the sub-wavelength regime in optical lithography. During the same time development for a 13.5nm Extreme Ultraviolet [EUV] solution has been in development, which would take us back from a λ/10 to a >λ regime again - at least for one node. Add to this the potential to increase the wafer size as well, and we are at a major crossroads. The introduction of EUV has been marred by many delays, but we are finally seeing the hardware development efforts converge and multiple customers around the world embarking on this adventure. As it becomes clear that this preproduction phase will occur at or below 20nmHP, it also becomes clear that this will happen at the limiting edge of existing 19x-based patterned mask inspection technology, reaching the practical resolution limits at around 20nm HP mask densities. Resolution is coupled with sensitivity and throughput such that the extended sensitivity may come at an unreasonable throughput. Loss of resolution also badly impacts defect dispositioning, or classification, which becomes impractical. As resolution is especially critical for die to database inspection, single die masks and masks with high flare bias are at risk of not being inspectable with 19xnm based inspectors. E-Beam based mask inspection has been proposed and demonstrated as a viable technology for patterned EUV mask inspection. In this paper, we study the key questions of sensitivity and throughput, in both die-to-die and die-to-database applications. We present new results, based on a new generation of E-Beam inspection technology, which has a higher data rate at smaller spot sizes. We will demonstrate the feasibility of acceptable inspection time with EBMI. We also will discuss die-to-data-base inspection and the advantage of using E-Beam imaging for meeting future requirements of single- die EUV masks.
338. L-DOPA effect on connectivity within motor CSPTC loop in Parkinson’s disease

In Parkinson’s Disease (PD), reduced nigrostriatal dopamine is believed to alter function of regions within the motor cortico-striatopallidal-thalamocortical (CSPTC) loop resulting in increased pallidal-thalamic inhibition. Motor symptoms result from decreased thalamocortical feedback. Dopamine replacement (L-dopa administration) should increase thalamocortical activity. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) of PET data is an ideal tool for testing such a well formulated functional anatomy theory. Five right handed PD patients (4M, 1F; 60.8 years 6 4.3 S.D.; Hoehn and Yahr stage 2.2 6 0.6) underwent H2 0 PET scans while performing a reaching task with their right hand under two drug conditions: a) Off all medications for at least 12 hours, and b) on an individually titrated continuous infusion of L-dopa (mean dose 72 mg/kg 6 29.5) that improved performance on the motor component of the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale by 38% 6 11.5 (p 5 0.001). Regions of interest (ROI) were placed over components of the left motor CSPTC loop. The effects of supplementary motor area proper (SMAp), on Motor Cortex, Motor Cortex on Putamen, Putamen on Pallidum, Pallidum on Thalamus, and Thalamus feedback onto SMAp were evaluated by SEM. Off drug, the effect of each region on the next from SMAp through Thalamus was large (coefficients 0.65 to 0.90), but the Thalamo-SMAp feedback was inhibited (coefficient 0.05). During L-dopa infusion, Thalamo-SMAp feedback was significantly increased (coefficient 0.90). The greatest change in regional connectivity within the motor CSPTC loop, associated with L-Dopa induced improved motor function, was increased thalamic feedback on SMAp.
Role of Contemporary Psychoanalysis in Counseling Psychology.

Apres avoir montre l'importance des processus adaptatifs et des relations sociales en psychanalyse contemporaine, l'auteur examine l'influence de cette approche sur la pratique du «counseling» en psychologie
Computing robust viewpoints with multi-constraints using tree annealing

In order to compute camera viewpoints during sensor planning, Tarabanis et al. (1991) present a group of feature detectability constraints which include six nonlinear inequalities in an eight-dimensional real space. It is difficult to compute robust viewpoints which satisfy all feature detectability constraints. In this paper, the viewpoint setting is formulated as an unconstrained optimization problem. Then a tree annealing algorithm, which is a general-purpose technique for finding minima of functions of continuously-valued variables, is applied to solve this nonlinear multiconstraint optimization problem. Our results show that the technique is quite effective to get robust viewpoints even in the presence of considerable amounts of noise.
Status and trend of automotive power packaging

Comprehensive requirements in aspects of cost, reliability, efficiency, form factor, weight, and volume for power electronics modules in modern electric drive vehicles have driven the development of automotive power packaging technology intensively. Innovation in materials, interconnections, and processing techniques is leading to enormous improvements in power modules. In this paper, the technical development of and trends in power module packaging are evaluated by examining technical details with examples of industrial products. The issues and development directions for future automotive power module packaging are also discussed.
IDSS: deformation invariant signatures for molecular shape comparison

Many molecules of interest are flexible and undergo significant shape deformation as part of their function, but most existing methods of molecular shape comparison (MSC) treat them as rigid bodies, which may lead to incorrect measure of the shape similarity of flexible molecules. To address the issue we introduce a new shape descriptor, called Inner Distance Shape Signature (IDSS), for describing the 3D shapes of flexible molecules. The inner distance is defined as the length of the shortest path between landmark points within the molecular shape, and it reflects well the molecular structure and deformation without explicit decomposition. Our IDSS is stored as a histogram which is a probability distribution of inner distances between all sample point pairs on the molecular surface. We show that IDSS is insensitive to shape deformation of flexible molecules and more effective at capturing molecular structures than traditional shape descriptors. Our approach reduces the 3D shape comparison problem of flexible molecules to the comparison of IDSS histograms. The proposed algorithm is robust and does not require any prior knowledge of the flexible regions. We demonstrate the effectiveness of IDSS within a molecular search engine application for a benchmark containing abundant conformational changes of molecules. Such comparisons in several thousands per second can be carried out. The presented IDSS method can be considered as an alternative and complementary tool for the existing methods for rigid MSC. The binary executable program for Windows platform and database are available from https://engineering.purdue.edu/PRECISE/IDSS .
Thermal response and structure of PET fibers

The structure and the thermal response of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers, melt-spun at speeds of 3 to 6 km/min, are investigated in the temperature region 0–200'C. Differential scanning calorimetry thermograms, and radial distribution functions from wide-angle x-ray scattering are used. Interpretation of multiple glass transition and crystallization peaks and of the range of structural coherence is interpreted in terms of a nonhomogeneous molecular arrangement for fibers melt-spun at intermediate spinning speeds. A three-phase model of the molecular structure of these fibers is used to explain the results. An important feature of the model is the existence of a threadlike, interconnected, highly oriented noncrystalline phase, coexisting with a more unoriented amorphous phase. The model can qualitatively explain a number of experimental observations.
A murine dopamine neuron-specific cDNA library and microarray: increased COX1 expression during methamphetamine neurotoxicity.

Abstract Due to brain tissue heterogeneity, the molecular genetic profile of any neurotransmitter-specific neuronal subtype is unknown. The purpose of this study was to purify a population of dopamine neurons, construct a cDNA library, and generate an initial gene expression profile and a microarray representative of dopamine neuron transcripts. Ventral mesencephalic dopamine neurons were purified by fluorescent-activated cell sorting from embryonic day 13.5 transgenic mice harboring a 4.5-kb rat tyrosine hydroxylase promoter– lacZ fusion. Nine-hundred sixty dopamine neuron cDNA clones were sequenced and arrayed for use in studies of gene expression changes during methamphetamine neurotoxicity. A neurotoxic dose of methamphetamine produced a greater than twofold up-regulation of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase polypeptide I transcript from adult mouse substantia nigra at 12 h posttreatment. This is the first work to describe a gene expression profile for a neuronal subtype and to identify gene expression changes during methamphetamine neurotoxicity.
The Internet as a Source for Current Patient Information

Objective. The purpose of this study was to assess the quality of information a lay person could obtain from Internet (Net) sources regarding the treatment of childhood diarrhea. It also afforded an opportunity to evaluate the awareness and compliance of the general medical community with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidelines on the management of acute diarrhea. Methods. This was a prospective, open, observational, literature review performed with a computer workstation and medical library. The AAP practice parameter on the management of acute gastroenteritis in young children was selected as the current standard by which to judge all other documents. The Net was searched, and all documents retrievable from the first 300 references were evaluated for compliance with current recommendations on the management of diarrhea in children. Results. Of 60 articles published by traditional medical sources, only 12 (20%) conformed to current AAP recommendations for treatment of children. The source of the information, even if from a major academic medical center, did not improve the likelihood of compliance. Conclusions. As demonstrated by information supplied on World Wide Web sites by traditional medical sources, recommendations for the treatment of acute diarrhea show a low percentage of concurrence with the AAP guidelines. Major medical institutions, schools, and hospitals need to devise ways to carefully monitor and establish quality control of what is being distributed from their home pages. Patients must be warned about the voluminous misinformation available on medical subjects on the Net.
The Vytorin on Carotid-Media Thickness and Overall Arterial Rigidity (VYCTOR) study.

Evaluation of: Meaney A, Ceballos G, Asbun J et al. The Vytorin on Carotid Intima-Media Thickness and Overall Arterial Rigidity (VYCTOR) Study. J. Clin. Pharmacol. 49(7), 838–847 (2009).The Vytorin on Carotid–Media Thickness and Overall Arterial Rigidity (VYCTOR) study was designed to assess the clinical effect of three lipid-lowering treatment regimens on carotid intima–media thickness. The study was designed to analyze 90 high-risk patients who were initially randomly allocated to three treatment groups; pravastatin 40 mg/day (group A), simvastatin 40 mg/day (group B), and simvastatin 20 mg/day plus ezetimibe 10 mg/day (group C) as initial therapy. The therapeutic goals were less than 100 mg/dl LDL-cholesterol in subjects with coronary disease or less than 70 mg/dl in high-risk subjects. Titration of the pharmacologic doses was allowed if therapeutic goals were not achieved. Subjects randomized to receive pravastatin (group A) were allowed to add 10 mg of ezetimibe to the baseline therapy. Patients in g...
Inference of Poisson count processes using low-rank tensor data

A novel regularizer capturing the tensor rank is introduced in this paper as the key enabler for completion of three-way data arrays with missing entries. The novel regularized imputation approach induces sparsity in the factors of the tensor's PARAFAC decomposition, thus reducing its rank. The focus is on count processes which emerge in diverse applications ranging from genomics to computer and social networking. Based on Poisson count data, a maximum aposteriori (MAP) estimator is developed using the Kullback-Leibler divergence criterion. This probabilistic approach also facilitates incorporation of correlated priors regularizing the rank, while endowing the tensor imputation method with extra smoothing and prediction capabilities. Tests on simulated and real datasets corroborate the sparsifying regularization effect, and demonstrate recovery of 15% missing RNA-sequencing data with an inference error of -12dB.
Paracrine mitogenic effect of human endothelial progenitor cells: role of interleukin-8

Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) play an important role in repair of vascular injury and neovascularization. Molecular mechanisms underlying vascular effects of EPCs are not fully understood. The present study was designed to test the hypothesis that human EPCs exert a strong paracrine mitogenic effect on mature endothelial cells. Levels of interleukin-8 (IL-8) were significantly higher in conditioned medium (CM) collected from EPCs than in CM derived from mature endothelial cells [umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and coronary artery endothelial cells (CAECs)]. CM of EPCs stimulated proliferation of HUVECs and CAECs. This mitogenic effect was partially inhibited by IL-8-neutralizing antibody. In contrast, CM of HUVECs and CAECs had a weak or no mitogenic effect on mature endothelial cells. Our results demonstrate significantly higher levels of IL-8 secretion by human EPCs than by mature endothelial cells. IL-8 appears to be an important mediator of the paracrine mitogenic effect of EPCs.
Diagnosis of scan path failures

Scan based diagnostic schemes are used to diagnose faults in faulty circuits. Such techniques assume that the scan path itself is fault-free. However, the logic circuitry associated with the scan chain may occupy nearly 30% of a chip area and hence warrants consideration during fault diagnosis. In this work we propose a simple extension to the scan chain to diagnose faults in scan chains.
Modular Robotic Workcell for Coagulation Analysis

Background: Total laboratory automation (TLA) has been shown to increase laboratory efficiency and quality. However, modular automation is smaller, requires less initial capital, and requires less planning than TLA. We engineered and performed clinical trials on a modular robotic preanalytical workcell for coagulation analysis. Methods: Timing studies were used to quantify the efficiency of the manual processes and to identify areas in the processing of coagulation specimens where bottlenecks and long waiting periods were encountered. We then designed our modular robotic system to eliminate these bottlenecks. Our robotic modular workcell was engineered to allow a choice of specimen introduction manually, by conveyor, or by mobile robot. Additional timing studies were performed during clinical trials of the robotic system. Results: Prior to automation, the time required for preanalytical processing time was 18–107 min; after automation, it was 45–50 min. Additional improvements in workcell efficiency could be realized when high quality, prelabeled specimens were introduced into the system. Conclusion: Compared with manual methods, modular automation provides more predictable variation in specimen processing.
Solute and isotope geochemistry of subsurface ice melt seeps in Taylor Valley, Antarctica

The McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica are a polar desert region with watersheds dominated by glacial melt. Recent ground exploration reveals unusual surface-fl ow-seep features not directly supplied by glacial melt. Much of this seep water is potentially derived from permafrost, snow patches, refrozen precipitation accumulated in the subsurface, buried glacier ice, or even groundwater from the deep subsurface. Flow features that lack obvious glacier melt sources were identifi ed in archived aerial photographs of Taylor Valley. This valley was surveyed for extant and extinct seeps, and the locations of geomorphic features in fi active seeps were documented. Water samples from seeps were analyzed for major ions and stable isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen. Solute chemistry and isotopic signatures of seeps are distinct from those of nearby streams and glaciers, with the seeps having elevated solute concentrations. All but one seep had water isotopically heavier than water from nearby glaciers and streams, suggesting that seep waters have been substantially modifi ed if they had been derived originally from the same meteoric sources that supply local glaciers and streams. The seeps are important because they compose a previously overlooked component of the desert hydrological cycle. Seep features in the dry valleys are potential terrestrial analogs for the geologically young gullies observed on Mars, which are thought to be evidence of groundwater seepage and surface runoff.
Uncooled pyroelectric thermal imaging

Texas Instruments has been developing uncooled thermal imaging technology for the past 18 years with the promise that it would provide a low-cost solution to high-volume night vision applications. That promise is now being realized. Using technology developed for military applications with support from the U.S. Army Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD), the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), and the Balanced Technology initiative (BTI), TI has teamed with Hughes Aircraft to provide a thermal imaging capability for police cruisers. The night vision kits include a thermal sensor, a pan and tilt head, mounting hardware, a display and a control center. The price of the introductory product is approximately $6000.
Testing differences: the implementation of Western HIV testing norms in sub-Saharan Africa.

This paper examines the implementation of Western HIV testing norms – counselling, consent and confidentiality (‘3Cs’) – in Malawi, a high prevalence, rural African setting. It considers the differential perspectives of three categories of stakeholders: proponents, implementers and intended beneficiaries. The proponents are members of the ‘Counseling and Testing Establishment’. For them, the 3Cs are human rights imports that are worth defending formally, but not always worth prioritising in practice. The implementers are HIV Counsellors. For them, knowledge of the 3Cs as Western biomedical jargon distinguishes them from villagers, but places them in situations where the ethics of testing conflict with their moral concerns for those whom they were trained to help, thus they adapt them in practice. And the intended beneficiaries, the rural Malawians whose rights are meant to be protected by the 3Cs, perceive the norms as protecting themselves as individuals, but as harming rather than benefitting their comm...
Sex Differences in the Serotonergic Influence on the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Stress Axis

Appropriate interactions between serotonin (5-HT) and stress pathways are critical for maintaining homeostasis. Dysregulation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) stress axis is a common feature in affective disorders in which an involvement of 5-HT neurocircuitry has been implicated in disease vulnerability and treatment responsiveness. Because there is a greater prevalence of affective disorders in women, sex differences in the 5-HTergic influence on stress pathways may contribute to disease disparity. Therefore, our studies compared stress or citalopram-induced corticosterone levels in male and female mice. To determine whether sex-dependent HPA axis responsiveness was mediated by the difference in testosterone levels, testosterone-treated females were also examined. Gene expression patterns in 5-HTergic and stress neurocircuitry were analyzed to determine sites of potential sex differences and mechanisms of testosterone action. As expected, restraint stress corticosterone levels were higher in inta...
Dynorphin A and cAMP-dependent protein kinase independently regulate neuronal calcium currents.

Abstract The kappa-selective opioid peptide dynorphin A (DYN) inhibits neuronal adenylate cyclase activity and reduces neuronal voltage-dependent calcium currents. It is not yet known, however, whether the regulation of calcium channel activity is dependent on or independent of the adenylate cyclase/cAMP system. We used the whole-cell variation of the patch clamp technique to show that DYN reversibly reduced, in a naloxone-sensitive manner, calcium currents in acutely dissociated rat nodose ganglion neurons. DYN slowed the rate of current activation and had a greater effect on currents evoked from relatively negative holding potentials. These actions were mimicked by guanosine 5'-[gamma-thio]triphosphate, which activates GTP-binding proteins (G proteins), and were blocked by pretreatment with pertussis toxin, which inactivates Gi- and Go-type G proteins. In contrast, calcium currents recorded in the presence of the catalytic subunit of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase (AK-C), included in the recording pipette, increased in magnitude throughout the recording. DYN was applied to neurons before and after the effect of AK-C became apparent; the reduction of calcium currents by DYN was greater in the presence of AK-C than in its absence. We conclude that the acute reduction of neuronal calcium currents by DYN occurred by means of activation of pertussis toxin-sensitive Gi- or Go-type G proteins. The persistence of the action of DYN in the presence of AK-C indicates, however, that this effect was independent of a reduction of the activity of the adenylate cyclase/cAMP system and suggests in addition that phosphorylated channels may be preferentially inhibited by DYN.
Increased Light Exposure Alleviates One Form of Photoreceptor Degeneration Marked by Elevated Calcium in the Dark

Background In one group of gene mutations that cause photoreceptor degeneration in human patients, guanylyl cyclase is overactive in the dark. The ensuing excess opening of cGMP-gated cation channels causes intracellular calcium to rise to toxic levels. The Y99C mutation in guanylate cyclase-activating protein 1 (GCAP1) has been shown to act this way. We determined whether prolonged light exposure, which lowers cGMP levels through activation of phototransduction, might protect photoreceptors in a line of transgenic mice carrying the GCAP1-Y99C.
On the existence of undesirable global minima of Godard equalizers

We consider the problem of global convergence of Godard (1980) equalizers in the special case of binary (2-PAM) input signals, when the channel impulse response is complex. We present a class of global minima of all Godard equalizers for this case, which do not correspond to settings free of intersymbol-interference (ISI). The equalizer output corresponding to these global minima appears as a four-point constellation in the complex plane, however it is easily shown that the decomposition in its real and imaginary part provides two ISI-free versions of the transmitted signal. In the case of multi-user constant modulus algorithms, the situation is somewhat more complicated: the real and imaginary parts of each equalizer output after convergence, may correspond to different user signals. These results can be extended to other types of real input signals.
Analog states in 39Ar observed with the 40Ar (3He, α)39Ar reaction

Abstract Two alpha-particle groups from the 40 Ar( 3 He, α) 39 Ar reaction corresponding to excitation energies of 9089 ± 20 and 9461 ± 20 keV in 39 Ar identify isobaric analog states of the 39 Cl ground and first excited states.