cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
In vitro fertilization in the rat: observations on living eggs *

The purpose of this study was to observe and record some of the key events during in vitro fertilization in the rat. Freshly ovulated eggs were incubated with epididymal spermatozoa at 37°C and removed 4.5 to 7.5 hours later for microscopic examination. The head of the fertilizing spermatozoon penetrated the zona pellucida with its long axis perpendicular to the zona: this orientation was maintained during subsequent incorporation into the vitellus. Sperm motility was drastically reduced soon after sperm-egg fusion. Simultaneously, the flagellum, most of which was still outside the zona, assumed a characteristic curved posture. Time-lapse cinematography demonstrated that the vitellus frequently underwent surface movements during the tail incorporation process, suggesting that its cortex was undergoing significant changes. This study presents the first long-term observations on the fertilization of living rat eggs in vitro.
A general method to discover epitopes from sera

Antigen-antibody complexes are central players in an effective immune response. However, finding those interactions relevant to a particular disease state can be arduous. Nonetheless many paths to discovery have been explored since deciphering these interactions can greatly facilitate the development of new diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines. In silico B cell epitope mapping approaches have been widely pursued, though success has not been consistent. Antibody mixtures in immune sera have been used as handles for biologically relevant antigens, but these and other experimental approaches have proven resource intensive and time consuming. In addition, these methods are often tailored to individual diseases or a specific proteome, rather than providing a universal platform. Most of these methods are not able to identify the specific antibody’s epitopes from unknown antigens, such as un-annotated neo antigens in cancer. Alternatively, a peptide library comprised of sequences unrestricted by naturally-found protein space provides for a universal search for mimotopes of an antibody’s epitope. Here we present the utility of such a non-natural random sequence library of 10,000 peptides physically addressed on a microarray for mimotope discovery without sequence information of the specific antigen. The peptide arrays were probed with serum from an antigen-immunized rabbit, or alternatively probed with serum pre-absorbed with the same immunizing antigen. With this positive and negative screening scheme, we identified the library-peptides as the mimotopes of the antigen. The unique library peptides were successfully used to isolate antigen-specific antibodies from complete immune serum. Sequence analysis of these peptides revealed the epitopes in the immunized antigen. We present this method as an inexpensive, efficient method for identifying mimotopes of any antibody’s targets. These mimotopes should be useful in defining both components of the antigen-antibody complex.
The trithorax group gene osa encodes an ARID-domain protein that genetically interacts with the brahma chromatin-remodeling factor to regulate transcription

The trithorax group gene brahma (brm) encodes the ATPase subunit of a chromatin-remodeling complex involved in homeotic gene regulation. We report here that brm interacts with another trithorax group gene, osa, to regulate the expression of the Antennapedia P2 promoter. Regulation of Antennapedia by BRM and OSA proteins requires sequences 5′ to the P2 promoter. Loss of maternal osa function causes severe segmentation defects, indicating that the function of osa is not limited to homeotic gene regulation. The OSA protein contains an ARID domain, a DNA-binding domain also present in the yeast SWI1 and Drosophila DRI proteins. We propose that the OSA protein may target the BRM complex to Antennapedia and other regulated genes.
Viral Gene Transfer of Enzymes

This chapter will address strategies for treating cocaine abuse with the aid of gene transfer vectors that drive long-sustained in vivo expression of a highly efficient cocaine hydrolase that reduces or prevents cocaine access to reward centers in the brain. A theoretical rationale for this approach will be presented first, followed by a brief survey of viral gene transfer in terms of risks and benefits from specific classes of agents that might be employed. Next will be evidence from rodent studies indicating that gene therapy with cocaine hydrolase is capable of suppressing drug reward to a point where mice and rats abandon opportunities to press levers for i.v. cocaine infusions. After that will come observations indicating that these desired effects can be achieved without discernible toxicity. Finally some practical issues are addressed in regard to ongoing interactions with the US FDA and the process of demonstrating levels of safety and efficacy that meet that agency’s standards to approve an initial clinical trial based on the concept of drug interception.
SU-F-T-77: A Novel Test for Coincidence Between Light Fields and Electron Radiation Fields

Purpose: To validate a novel real time quality assurance device, as a means to test coincidence of light fields to electron radiation fields. Method and Materials: Use a Raven™ (LAP of America Laser Applications) detector, both light fields and electron radiation fields of various electron cones and cutouts from two Clinacs (Varian Medical) were sensed by the phosphor screen and registered by a CCD camera of the device. During measurements, the screen surface of Raven was placed at ISO center level facing the radiation field at any setup angle. Subsequently the light field and the electron radiation field (with 100 MU) were captured separately by the device. The measurements were then analyzed using the Raven software with a maximal 25 by 25 cm^2 field size and 0.25 mm resolution. The results were further compared against those using chromic graphic film (EBT3). To ensure consistence only the dimensions through the central axis were recorded. All the films were analyzed with Dose Lab Pro™ v6.70. Coincidence comparisons were done within the tests on one Clinac and between the two Clinacs. Results: The similar difference means of the field coincidence are indicated from the 18 samples by EBT films and 34 by the Raven as 1.33 ± 0.87 mm verses 1.06 ± 0.58 mm (p = 0.74). The mean differences of the field coincidence between the two Clinacs, 1.16 ± 0.68 mm (n=16) and 1.16 ± 0.48 mm (n=18) respectively, also suggest no statistical difference (p= 0.40). Conclusion: The Raven™ is a comparable quality verification device to the chromic graphic film (EBT3) in checking the coincidence between light and electron radiation fields. In this investigation, the Raven device provided highly reproducible results with real time analysis. Further improvements in its resolution and automatic analyzing capability are warranted.
A Representative Theory of Sensation

I have argued that once we bring the scientific story into the picture, it is implausible to continue to insist on the principle of direct acquaintance implicit in our common sense understanding of seeing. A representational account of perception seems more plausible once we adopt the view that the coming into being of visual perception is a highly mediated causal process, the end result of which is a visual sensation. but there are difficulties in the way of a representative account. One of them emerges as a result of the argument that there is no reason to suppose that sensations embody propositional content. If they do not possess this sort of intrinsic intentionality, how do they come to represent the external world? The second difficulty is founded upon the phenomenon of transparency that Moore emphasized. Visual perception, it appears, goes straight way to its object without any intervening sensation at all. If visual sensations are just a part of a myth of the given, if we have direct access to the external world, then the representative account has no point.
A risk-based reliability method for N-1-1 contingency analysis

There is a need for improved methods in conducting reliability studies of electric power systems. This is motivated by NERC TPL-001-4 for analyzing N-1-1 contingency events. In this paper a new reliability analysis technique is developed. Referred to as a Risk-Based Reliability Method (RBRM), it is applied to a 68-bus, 16-machine IEEE benchmark to evaluate system reliability under N-1-1 analysis. Factors include the transmission line age, load flow under normal conditions and load flow under post-first-disturbance conditions. Results are also included where reliability factors are modified in order to improve the ability to identify and rank the most severe and highly probable contingencies.
Single-Slice Nanoworlds Online

Although general multi-slice calculations remain too slow, web-browsers on many platforms now make possible real-time single-slice (strong phase/amplitude object) simulation, with live image, diffraction, image power-spectrum, and darkfield-image modes, including specimen rotation e.g. for atomic-resolution images with specimens having several tens of thousands of atoms. Moreover, a wide range of qualitative phenomena emerge that include diffraction-contrast effects associated with thickness, orientation changes, and defect strain. Hence students with no math background can get a visceral feel for the way 2-D lattice-projections, diffraction-patterns, image power-spectra, aperture size/position, and darkfield images relate to a specimen's structure & orientation, as well as microscope contrast-transfer, well before access to a real electron microscope is available.
YouTubing Difference: Performing Identity in Video Communities

This study examines women’s performance of gender, ethnicity, and race in a “How-to & DIY” YouTube networks. Through textual and visual analysis, I examine a specific community of ordinary women who participate in the “How-to & DIY” category on YouTube. I look at four women’s YouTube channels, profiles, videos, and comments from their subscribers in order to reveal a deeper sense of what meaning users derive through creating videos on YouTube. I ask the following question: How do women in the YouTube Beauty community perform their identity and difference in their videos? After analyzing the videos and the dialogues, two themes have emerged: a sense of belonging and connectedness, and identity performance at the interface. Underrepresented women go to YouTube to relate to others who are like them, which gives them a sense of belonging and connects them to millions of others who are craving the same connection. Through video blogs, these women perform their gender, race, and identity.
Brief critical examination of the article: "Impulse noise injury prediction based on the cochlear energy" by Zagadou, Chan, Ho and Shelly

Abstract : In an article claiming to produce an improved damage risk criterion for human exposure to intense impulsive sounds, Zagadou, Chan, Ho, and Shelly critiqued the Auditory Hazard Assessment Algorithm for Humans (AHAAH) model used by the US Department of Defense (DOD) in assessing noise hazard and also proposed an alternative. Their approach required that they 1) improve the fit of AHAAH to the transfer functions, 2) reproduce the stimulating conditions in the Albuquerque Studies (AS), record pressure histories at the eardrum position of a manikin, and 3) produce a better predictive algorithm. Unfortunately, they succeeded in none of their aims. They did not in fact use the DOD program but rather some unknown variant. The model they did create had a demonstrably worse fit to the transfer functions. For a variety of reasons, they did not reproduce the stimulating conditions in the AS. The acoustic data they published are rife with serious artifacts and cannot be considered a replication of the AS data. Finally, we have shown that the interpretation of the data and the analytical procedures simply ignored relevant data on the ears response to intense sounds. They consistently made assumptions, creating data that contained biases in the direction of energy explaining everythinga problem of logical circularity.
An ethnography of humor, ritual and defiance in a cancer care setting

Purpose Health care organizational research should pay greater attention to the specific settings where health is practiced. An ethnographic account of humor, ritual and defiance is presented from 29 months spent in a private, concierge-type radiation oncology center. A thick description of the setting and interaction among center staff and patients is offered in an attempt to establish why qualitative research of health care settings is so important. Findings are compared to Ellingson’s work on health care setting. Humor, ritual and defiance have therapeutic value and deserve greater attention in cancer treatment centers and health care organizations more broadly. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach An ethnographic account of humor, ritual and defiance is presented from 29 months spent in a private, concierge-type radiation oncology center through thick description. Findings This study reinforces the literature on the value of institutionalizing humor and ritual to improve patients’ experience in cancer care given the dominance of large public institutions, most easily accessed by academic researchers. Suncoast Coast Radiation Center’s “institutionalized humor” is an important finding that should be examine further. Scholarship can also illuminate the use of ritual in settings where health care is practiced. Research limitations/implications This study is limited to a particular research setting which is a private, concierge care radiation oncology treatment center in the Southeastern USA. Practical implications Cancer care centers should consider carefully institutionalizing humor and ritual into their daily practices. Further, patient defiance should be reinterpreted not as a patient deficiency but as a therapeutic coping mechanism by patients. Social implications While nearly half of cancer care in the USA is offered in private, for-profit institutions, the vast majority of the understanding of cancer care comes only from non-profit and government-run institutions. Shining a light of these neglected cancer care settings will add to the understanding and the ability to improve the care offered to patients. Originality/value This is the first health ethnography in a concierge care, cancer care treatment setting. It tests the proposition that humor, ritual and defiance play an important role in a private concierge cancer care organization.
Habitable exoplanet imaging mission (HabEx): initial flight system design

The Habitable Exoplanet Imaging Mission (HabEx) is a concept for a mission to directly image planetary systems around Sun-like stars and to perform general astrophysics investigations being studied as part of a number of mission concepts for the upcoming 2020 Astrophysics Decadal Survey. HabEx would help assess the prevalence of habitable planets in our galaxy, searching in particular for potential biosignatures in the atmospheres of planets in habitable zones. More generally, HabEx would image our neighboring solar systems and characterize the variety of planets that inhabits them. Its direct imaging capability would also enable the mission to study the structure and evolution of debris disks around nearby stars, and their dynamical interaction with planets. Additionally, it will explore a number of more general astrophysics phenomena in our solar system, galaxy, and beyond, in the UV through NIR range. The exoplanet science goals lead to a mission concept with requirements for high contrast imaging and the continuous spectral coverage. The baseline for HabEx is a 4-meter diameter off-axis telescope designed to both search for habitable planets and perform general astrophysics observations, possibly combined with a starshade. In this paper, the initial flight system design for both the telescope and the starshade are presented, focusing on the key and driving requirements and subsystems, as well as the trajectory and station keeping and formation flying technique. Furthermore, some of the initial design trades undergone are described, as well as the key challenges and enablers. Finally, some of the future design and architecture trades to be performed within the flight systems as part of the continuing effort in the HabEx study are discussed.
The Treatment of Mental Illness Is a Human Right.

The only people with a constitutional right to health care in the United States are those remanded to jail or incarcerated in prison. This constitutional right was affirmed only in the 1970s and is derivative of the rights of due process and against cruel and unusual punishment. Subsequent findings
Access Control and Trustiness for Resource Management in Cloud Databases

Cloud computing is emerging as a virtual model in support of “everything-as-a-service” (XaaS). Service providers post XaaS of resources in a cloud database. There are numerous service providers such as feeders, owners, and creators, who are less likely the same agent. Consequently, resources in a cloud database cannot be securely managed by traditional access control models, and therefore cloud database services may be trustless. This chapter proposes a new security technique to measure the trustiness of the cloud resources. Using the metadata of resources and access policies, the technique builds the privilege chains and binds authorization policies to compute the trustiness of cloud database management. The contribution of this chapter includes a mechanism of the privilege chains that can be used to verify the legitimacy of cloud resources and to measure the trustiness of cloud database management.
New Antiviral Therapy: Adefovir Dipivoxil for HBV

Chronic HBV infection is a major worldwide problem and a leading cause of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Lamivudine (LAM) therapy has expanded treatment options to include patients unable or unwilling to be treated with alfa interferon. However, YMDD mutations in hepatitis B virus (HBV) polymerase emerge in 16-32% of chronic hepatitis B patients after one year of LAM therapy, increasing to 69% at five years. The YMDD mutant results in clinical resistance in some patients (abnormal serum aminotransferases and elevated serum HBV DNA). Adefovir Dipivoxil (ADV) is a nucleotide analogue with potent in vivo and in vitro activity against both wild-type and LAM resistant HBV. Placebo controlled studies have evaluated the safety and efficacy of 10mg ADV with respect to changes in HBV DNA (Roche PCR), serum aminotransferases, HBeAg seroconversion and liver histology after 48 weeks of treatment. These studies have included naive HBV patients, those with LAM resistance, HIV co-infected and peri-organ transplant patients. In all, over 1600 patients have been treated with ADV 10mg per day, with 256 for over 96 weeks. HBV DNA decreased by a median of 3.5 to 4 log 10.
Decoding the mood network

Machine learning and intracranial electroencephalography recordings reveal a circuit mechanism encoding mood state fluctuations over time.
Thenar Muscle Oxygen Saturation Using Vascular Occlusion Test: A Novel Technique to Study Microcirculatory Abnormalities in Pediatric Heart Failure Patients

Heart failure (HF) is associated with microcirculatory changes secondary to neuro-humoral imbalance, vascular stiffness and increased sympathetic tone. Near Infra-Red Spectroscopy (NIRS) derived Thenar muscle tissue oxygenation levels (StO2) can provide an estimate of the functional status of microcirculation. There is a paucity of literature regarding evaluation of microcirculation in pediatric subjects with HF. We hypothesized that microcirculation and oxygen saturation dynamics as assessed by Thenar StO2 levels using vascular occlusion test (VOT) would be altered in HF subjects and that these changes may correlate with the severity of heart failure. We prospectively enrolled 60 pediatric subjects (29 healthy control, 31 HF). Baseline StO2 levels were measured using InSpectra™ StO2 probe placed over the Thenar eminence of right hand, followed by a VOT for 3 min, during which the changes in StO2 levels during the occlusion phase and post occlusion phase were recorded. Baseline Thenar StO2 levels (72 ± 8 vs 76 ± 5, p = 0.02) and time to baseline StO2 in seconds (150 ± 70 vs 200 ± 70, p = 0.007) were significantly lower in HF group compared to healthy control (HC). In addition, HF patients had a significantly lower trough StO2 (37 ± 9 vs 42 ± 11%, p = 0.04) and peak StO2 compared to HC (87 ± 8 vs 91 ± 5%, p = 0.01). However, there was no difference in the rate of desaturation, rate of resaturation or time to peak StO2 levels in between the 2 groups. Significant correlation was present between baseline Thenar StO2 levels and NYU Pediatric Heart Failure Index Score (NYU-PHFI) (p = 0.003). This study is the first to report an objective assessment of microcirculation and Thenar tissue oxygen dynamics in pediatric subjects with HF in comparison with HC. Our study suggests altered microcirculation and oxygenation patterns in these subjects as well as correlation with a validated pediatric heart failure clinical score. Large-scale prospective studies are needed to further study the utility of this novel technology in HF subjects.
Neural reward processing in self-reported short sleepers: examination of gambling task brain activation in the Human Connectome Project database.

Study objectives Much of what we assume about the effects of short sleep duration on neural reward processing derives from total sleep deprivation studies. Although total sleep deprivation appears rare, habitual short sleep is common: 30% of working US adults report habitually sleeping ≤ 6 hours/night. It remains largely unknown whether habitual short sleepers exhibit similar reward processing brain activation patterns to those observed following total sleep deprivation in prior studies. Therefore, our aim was to test objectively reward processing brain activation patterns associated with self-reported habitual short sleep duration in a large sample. Methods Nine hundred and fifty-two adult participants from the Human Connectome Project database were grouped on reported habitual short (≤6 hours) vs. medium-length (7-9 hours) sleep duration using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Reward processing brain activation was examined using a gambling task during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Subject-level covariates for age, sex, continuous sleep duration, daytime dysfunction, and PSQI total score are provided as supplemental analyses. Results Brain activation patterns revealed expected reward processing-related activation for age and sex. However, activation for sleep duration, dysfunction, and PSQI score did not correspond to those evident in previous total sleep deprivation studies. Conclusions Self-reported short sleep duration, perceived sleep-related dysfunction, and sleep quality via PSQI do not appear to be meaningfully associated with activation in well-described regions of the human neurobiological reward circuit. As these findings are counter to prior results using experimental sleep deprivation, future work focused on more direct comparisons between self-reported sleep variables and experimental sleep deprivation appears warranted.
Designing a Competition Robot as a Capstone Project for Electrical and Computer Engineering Students

Robotics-based capstone design projects provide unique educational opportunities for engineering students and help prepare them as future professional engineers. Robotics projects allow students to experience all steps of the engineering design cycle and to extend their knowledge in a wide range of subjects across multiple disciplines that include electrical, mechanical, and computer engineering. Designing and building robots for capstone design projects support a number of student learning outcomes. These include (i) the ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs; (ii) the ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives; (iii) the ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences; and (iv) the ability to create and use software both as an analysis and design tool and as part of systems containing hardware and software. Over the last 15 years, several engineering student teams from our robotics lab built mobile robots and competed in the annual robotics event organized by Region 5 (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers [IEEE] is the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity (https://www.ieee.org). IEEE is organized into ten regions worldwide. Region 5 is comprised of states within the southwestern region of the United States that include Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Illinois (southern), Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska (western), New Mexico (southern), Oklahoma, South Dakota (western), Texas, and Wyoming (eastern) (http://ieeer5.org)) of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, one of the world’s largest technical professional organizations. Every year, the competition theme is different and the event hosts more than 30 student teams from different universities from Region 5. Robots designed for the competition are expected to autonomously complete a specified number of tasks on a playing field. This chapter presents an overview of our robotics lab educational program and chronicles the experience of a team of engineering students who built a mobile robot as part of their capstone design project for the 2018 robotics competition. The educational values gained from working on a robotics-themed capstone project and the lessons learned from the participation in the robotics competition are discussed.
Physical chemistry students’ navigation and use of models to predict and explain molecular vibration and rotation

Models that are used to predict and explain phenomena related to molecular vibration and rotation are ubiquitous in physical chemistry, and are of importance in many related fields. Yet, little work has been done to characterize student use and application of these models. We describe the results of a multi-year, multi-institutional qualitative study to investigate how students work with and apply models of molecular vibration and rotation. Our findings indicate that a sizable fraction of students (1) struggle to interpret the meaning of wavefunctions, (2) do not appropriately build potential and kinetic energy terms into models, and (3) conflate portions of various model systems. The data suggests that the ordering of content in the quantum chemistry course impacts students’ ideas about the rotational and vibrational behavior of molecules. The results are analyzed through the lenses of a two theoretical frameworks: one for scientific modeling, and one for heuristics in the context of chemistry. Implications for research and teaching practice are provided.
Modeling Type 1 Diabetes In Vitro Using Human Pluripotent Stem Cells.

Understanding the root causes of autoimmune diseases is hampered by the inability to access relevant human tissues and identify the time of disease onset. To examine the interaction of immune cells and their cellular targets in type 1 diabetes, we differentiated human induced pluripotent stem cells into pancreatic endocrine cells, including β cells. Here, we describe an in vitro platform that models features of human type 1 diabetes using stress-induced patient-derived endocrine cells and autologous immune cells. We demonstrate a cell-type-specific response by autologous immune cells against induced pluripotent stem cell-derived β cells, along with a reduced effect on α cells. This approach represents a path to developing disease models that use patient-derived cells to predict the outcome of an autoimmune response.
Safety, Tolerability, Pharmacokinetics, and Pharmacodynamics Of Amg 986, a Novel Small Molecule Apelin Receptor Agonist, in Healthy Subjects and Heart Failure Patients

Background Heart failure (HF) refers to a clinical condition in which the cardiac output is insufficient to meet the metabolic needs of the body and is marked by cardiac systolic and/or diastolic dysfunction. The apelin receptor (APJ) counteracts the pressor effect of angiotensin II, attenuates ischemic injury, and contributes to neovascularization in HF. AMG 986 is a first-in-class, novel APJ small molecule agonist that binds and activates the APJ receptor to improve cardiac contractility without adversely impacting hemodynamics. Methods This phase 1b study evaluated the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics (PK), and pharmacodynamics (PD) of AMG 986 in healthy subjects and HF patients. Healthy adults, 18 to 55 years of age (Parts A & B), and HF patients, 18 to 85 years of age (Part C), were randomized 3:1 to receive a single dose (Part A: 5 IV infusion dose cohorts and 6 oral dose cohorts, n = 8 each) or multiple doses of AMG 986 (Part B: 2 IV infusion dose cohorts and 6 oral dose cohorts, n = 8-9 each; Part C: 21 days escalating oral daily doses of AMG 986 in patients with HF, n = 19 or placebo, n = 8). The primary endpoints were the incidence of adverse events (AEs), safety laboratory analytes, vital signs and ECGs. Other endpoints included AMG 986 PK and change from baseline in biomarkers of HF and echocardiographic parameters ofleft ventricular (LV) function. Results Overall, 181 subjects were randomized and administered (AMG 986 healthy subjects, n = 116; placebo, n = 38; AMG 986 HF patients, n = 19; placebo, n = 8). Across all dosing cohorts, AMG 986 exposures increased non-linearly with increasing doses and an oral bioavailability of 40 - 80%. Mean AMG 986 exposures demonstrated minimal accumulation and a trend of decreasing dose normalized exposures were observed across multiple ascending dose (MAD) groups. AMG 986 had an acceptable safety profile. The most common AEs were headache (n = 8; 5%), vomiting (n = 3; 2%) and dizziness (n = 4; 2%). Conclusion In healthy subjects and in HF patients, short-term treatment with AMG 986 was well tolerated.
Correlations between Kilohertz Quasi-periodic Oscillations and Low-Frequency Features Attributed to Radial Oscillations and Diffusive Propagation in the Viscous Boundary Layer around a Neutron Star

We present a dimensional analysis of two characteristic timescales in the boundary layer where the disk adjusts to the rotating neutron star (NS). The boundary layer is treated as a transition region between the NS surface and the first Keplerian orbit. The radial transport of the angular momentum in this layer is controlled by a viscous force defined by the Reynolds number, which in turn is related to the mass accretion rate. We show that the observed low-Lorentzian frequency is associated with radial oscillations in the boundary layer, where the observed break frequency is determined by the characteristic diffusion time of the inward motion of the matter in the accretion flow. Predictions of our model regarding relations between those two frequencies and the frequencies of kilohertz quasi-periodic oscillations (kHz QPOs) compare favorably with recent observations of the source 4U 1728-34. This Letter contains a theoretical classification of kHz QPOs in NS binaries and the related low-frequency features. Thus, results concerning the relationship between the low-Lorentzian frequency of viscous oscillations and the break frequency are presented in the framework of our model of kHz QPOs viewed as Keplerian oscillations in a rotating frame of reference.
Fuzzy Logic Control of Heartrate by Electrical Block of Vagus Nerve

Although vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) can be used to reduce heartrate by enhancing parasympathetic activity, a fully controllable intervention would also require a method for downregulating parasympathetic activity. A direct current (DC) block can be applied to a nerve to block its action potential conduction. This nerve block can be used to downregulate parasympathetic activity by blocking afferent reflexes. The damaging effects of reactions that occur at the electrode-nerve interface using conventional platinum electrodes can be avoided by separating the electrode from the nerve. Using a biocompatible, ionically conducting medium, the electrode and the damaging reactions can be isolated in a vessel away from the nerve. This type of electrode has been called the Separated Interface Nerve Electrode (SINE). Fuzzy logic control (FLC) is a controller approach that is well suited to physiological systems. The SINE, controlled by an FLC, was utilized to block a stimulated vagus nerve and regulate heart rate. The FLC was able to maintain the heartrate at a pre-determined setpoint while still achieving instant recovery when the block was removed.
Linearized modeling and optimization of shared mooring systems

Abstract Shared mooring systems, where adjacent platforms are tethered directly to each other, can reduce anchor quantities and mooring line lengths in a floating array but also introduce new modeling and design challenges. This paper presents and demonstrates a first-order approach to modeling and designing shared mooring systems that simplifies these challenges. We formulate a general, linearized model for the force–displacement response of shared mooring systems, including inter-platform couplings. Using this linearization, we realize significant simplifications to the shared mooring system design problem and propose a corresponding design optimization approach. Finally, we demonstrate the complete approach on a variety of shared-mooring floating wind farm layouts with generic design assumptions and constraints. Some fundamental observations about shared mooring systems can be made from the results. Polygonal array layouts with perpendicular anchor positions appear to maximize shared mooring system efficiency. Also, arrays with greater levels of sharing tend to exhibit larger deviations in offsets between platforms. Overall, the results show how the linearized approach can be applied to efficiently evaluate and systematically optimize preliminary shared mooring system designs.
Inclementi secare ferro? (Jerome, Epist. 40,1,1)

Jerome’s 40th letter opens by comparing the moralist to a surgeon. Here the phrase clementi secare ferro has been found problematical: recently Palla has maintained that clementi should be altered to inclementi. The present note endeavours to defend clementi on grounds of linguistic usage and of rhetorical technique.
The social and psychological effect of an adult child's emigration on non-immigrant Asian Indian elderly parents

The impact of immigration on parents left behind has been largely ignored in the literature. This exploratory study uses cultural specificity theory to examine the effect an adult child's emigration has on the familial support system available to the parents left behind, and on the parent's psychological well-being. Twenty-nine parents (age 55+) in India, who had adult children in the United States, were selected using snowball sampling. Qualitative interviews based on a semi-structured interview schedule were conducted during the fall and winter of 1997. Results show that although most parents do not live in an extended family, they receive support from extended family members. However, the biggest source of daily support comes from hired help. Hired help allows parents to live independently and decreases reliance on informal support systems. Since hired help is relatively inexpensive most parents can substitute help for their children. This does not alleviate feelings of loneliness and depression.
Compressive mechanical property tests for energetic material hazard sensitivity

Threat stimuli to propulsion systems lead to a broad range of responses depending on several factors, one being loading rate and its influence on energetic materials compressive behavior. This article reviews techniques for characterizing the mechanical properties of energetic materials and the significance of those properties to the material's hazards sensitivity. Small-scale hazards test devices and conventional mechanical properties testers would preferably simulate the loading conditions of the high-rate insensitve munitions (IM) tests but often fall short of this goal. The strain rate ranges of these tests are compared, and in cases where their strain rate capabilities do not adequately extend to IM ranges, low-temperature testing techniques are reviewed which expand their useful rates. Next, several newer compressive mechanical properties test devices are reviewed which have significantly higher strain rate range capabilities than the conventional test devices. By incorporating the low-temperature testing techniques, their capability to simulate higher rate IM regimes is shown. Finally, a comparison is presented of how material properties vary as a function of strain rate and temperature, using data obtained with these newer test devices.
Architecture and algorithms for new cesium beam frequency standard electronics

A description is given of a new electronics design that addresses microwave amplitude shift, C-field, Rabi pulling, microwave spectral purity, and modulation distortion. The design is microprocessor-based, with automatic lock-up and long term operation without operator intervention. The basic architecture and algorithms are covered, as well as the design considerations necessary to limit error contributions due to electronics effects to the level of a few parts in 10/sup 14/. Frequency standards using the new electronics demonstrate the expected stability and accuracy improvements. >
Cloning, sequencing, and expression of the structural genes for the cytochrome and flavoprotein subunits of p-cresol methylhydroxylase from two strains of Pseudomonas putida.

Abstract The structural genes for the flavoprotein subunit and cytochrome c subunit of p-cresol (4-methylphenol) methylhydroxylase (PCMH) from Pseudomonas putida NCIMB 9869 (National Collection of Industrial and Marine Bacteria, Aberdeen, Scotland) and P. putida NCIMB 9866 were cloned and sequenced. The genes from P.putida NCIMB 9869 were for the plasmid-encoded A form of PCMH, and the genes from P.putida NCIMB 9866 were also plasmid encoded. The nucleotide sequences of the two flavoprotein genes from P.putida NCIMB 9869 and P.putida NCIMB 9866 (pchF69A and pchF66, respectively) were the same except for 5 bases out of 1,584, and the translated amino acid sequences were identical. The nucleotide sequences of the genes for the cytochrome subunits of PCMH from the two bacteria (pchC69A and pchC66) varied by a single nucleotide in their 303-base sequences, and the translated amino acid sequences differed by a single residue at position 41 (Asp in PchC69A and Ala in PchC66). Both cytochromes had 21-residue signal sequences, as expected for periplasmic proteins, and these sequences were identical. On the other hand, no signal sequences were found for the flavoproteins.pchF69A and pchC69A were expressed, separately or together, in Escherichia coli JM109 and P.putida RA4007, with active PCMH produced in both bacteria. The E. coli-expressed flavocytochrome was purified. Our studies indicated that the E.coli-expressed subunits were identical to the subunits expressed in P.putida NCIMB 9869: molecular weights, isoelectric points, UV-visible spectra, and steady-state kinetic parameters were the same for the two sets of proteins. The subunits readily associated upon mixing two crude extracts of E.coli, one extract containing PchC69A and the other containing PchF69A. The courses of association of PchC69A and PchF69A were essentially identical for pure E. coli-expressed subunits and pure P. putida 9869-expressed subunits. E. coli-expressed PchC69A and PchF69A contained covalently bound heme and covalently bound flavin adenine dinucleotide, respectively, as the proteins expressed in nature.
Integrated radioactive thin films for sensing systems

Hybrid electromechanical systems with integrated power supplies are made possible with radioisotope thin films. A self-powered pressure transducer with pulsed radiofrequency (RF) output and a nanopower betavoltaic microbattery suitable for low-power CMOS are demonstrated in this paper. The pressure transducer collects charges emitted from the radioisotope with a dielectric cantilever to realize a self-reciprocating process, whose period is modulated by the ambient pressure. A RF pulse is generated at the end of each cycle by impulse excitation of the dielectric waveguide. The pressure can be determined by externally detecting the period between RF pulses.
Biometric-Based non-transferable anonymous credentials

This work explores the problem of using biometric data to achieve non-transferability of anonymous credentials; that is, sharing of anonymous credentials, which allow one to anonymously authenticate, can be severely limited if their use requires possession of the credential owner's biometric. We target to provide strong security guarantees using minimal trust assumptions, namely that a fresh reading of a biometric is enforced on each use of the credentials. Furthermore, no biometric or other information is compromised if an adversary obtains full access to all credential-related data. Our solution relies on constructions for fuzzy extractors that allow one to extract and reproduce a random string from noisy biometric images. We first examine security requirements of biometric key generators, and then show how they can be integrated with anonymous credentials to achieve a high degree of non-transferability and security.
Erythropoietin—Not Yet a Standard Treatment for Anemia of Prematurity

In this issue of Pediatrics , Shannon and coworkers report that the frequency and volume of red cell transfusions administered to premature infants can be decreased by using recombinant human erythropoietin (r-HuEPO). We believe that the most important contribution of this study may relate as much to its design—that is, the application of clearly defined transfusion guidelines—as to the efficacy of r-HuEPO in this setting. In this randomized, controlled multicenter trial, 157 infants weighing <1250 g at birth received either r-HuEPO or placebo. These infants (mean age = 24 days) had received an average of 3.5 transfusions before their enrollment. During the study, packed red blood cell transfusions were given according to criteria developed by the investigators.
Evaluating a Spatial Task: Behavioral, Subjective, and Physiological Correlates

A spatial task, taken from the Criterion Task Set (CTS) battery, was used to examine task load effects on a variety of physiological indices. This task had been shown with earlier validation data (reaction time and subjective ratings) to possess three different levels of task load (Shingledecker, 1984). Task event-related evoked potentials (EPs), heart rate and heart rate variability, and eyeblink measures were obtained while ten subjects performed the three levels of the spatial task. The amplitudes of the P2, N2, and P3 of the EPs differentiated between the low task level, and the medium and high. Medium and high did not differentiate. The latencies of the N1, N2, and P3 were shorter for the low task level than for the medium and high. Again, medium and high did not differentiate. The amplitude and latency of the EP components suggest that this task possesses only two levels of information processing complexity. Heart rate and heart rate variability did not differentiate between task levels, only betwee...
Household production: beyond the economic perspective

The effects on the family of an environment which places high value on economic productivity are considered. The paper emphasizes the importance of the social productivity of families, the management processes which contribute to improvements in economic and social productivity, and the importance of maintaining the social-psychological perspective in family economics. The discussion outlines the resource and value contexts in which household production and its resulting family productivity are evaluated, the various dimensions of family productivity, and the integrative management processes which mobilize resources for conscious achievement of desired quality of life. Social productivity differs from economic productivity in its emphasis on the development of human resources attributes, effectiveness rather than efficiency, process more than product, quality more than quantity, and group rather than individual orientation. The innovative, creative problem-solving process is contrasted to the economic decision process by application to the role and value conflict situations and divergent problems in families. The importance of going beyond the economic perspective of household production in understanding family productivity is essential for scholars of the family.
Changes associated with tyrosine phosphorylation during short-term hypoxia in retinal microvascular endothelial cells in vitro

The occlusion of capillary vessels results in low oxygen tension in adjacent tissues which triggers a signaling cascade that culminates in neovascularization. Using bovine retinal capillary endothelial cells (BRCEC), we investigated the effects of short-term hypoxia on DNA synthesis, phosphotyrosine induction, changes in the expression of basic fibroblast growth factor receptor (bFGFR), protein kinase C (PKC alpha), heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), and SH2-containing protein (SHC). The effect of protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) and phosphatase inhibitors on hypoxia-induced phosphotyrosine was also studied. Capillary endothelial cells cultured in standard normoxic (pO2 = 20%) conditions were quiesced in low serum containing medium and then exposed to low oxygen tension or hypoxia (pO2 = 3%) in humidified, 5% CO2, 37 degrees C, tissue culture chambers, on a time-course of up to 24 h. DNA synthesis was potentiated by hypoxia in a time-dependent manner. This response positively correlated with the cumulative induction of phosphotyrosine and the downregulation of bFGFR (M(r) approximately 85 kDa). Protein tyrosine kinase inhibitors, herbimycin-A, and methyl 2,5-dihydroxycinnamate, unlike genistein, markedly blocked hypoxia-induced phosphotyrosine. Prolonged exposure of cells to phosphatase inhibitor, sodium orthovanadate, also blocked hypoxia-induced phosphotyrosine. The expression of HSP70, PKC alpha, and SHC were not markedly altered by hypoxia. Taken together, these data suggest that short-term hypoxia activates endothelial cell proliferation in part via tyrosine phosphorylation of cellular proteins and changes in the expression of the FGF receptor. Thus, endothelial cell mitogenesis and neovascularization associated with low oxygen tension may be controlled by abrogating signaling pathways mediated by protein tyrosine kinase and phosphatases.
Experiments on a Three-Row Fin and Tube Heat Exchanger

A brief addendum is presented to a previously reported experimental study of air-side transfer characteristics of one- and two-row plate fin and tube heat exchanger configurations. The experiments were performed as mass transfer studies using the naphthalene sublimation technique, with corresponding heat transfer results being obtainable via the analogy between heat and mass transfer. Quantitative results were given for the local and average transfer coefficients. Various transfer mechanisms were identified, the most remarkable being the vortices which develop in front of the tubes and are swept around the sides. An extension of the original research program to include configurations with three staggered rows of tubes has recently been carried out, and the results are reported.