cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Elevated plasma homocysteine levels in patients on isotretinoin therapy for cystic acne.

Background The use of Isotretinoin (Iso) for cystic acne (CA) therapy includes marked side-effects such as dyslipidemia, increased liver enzymes, and reduction of biotinidase activity. Moreover, Homocysteine (Hcy), an amino acid, is metabolized in the liver requiring folate, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, and the activity of enzymes, i.e. cystathionine-β-synthase. Increased blood levels of Hcy are associated with premature occlusive vascular disease. Objective The aim of this study was the evaluation of Hcy levels and the responsible vitamins for its metabolism in patients with CA on Iso treatment. Methods and Results Twenty-eight patients with CA were submitted to laboratory examinations before (Value 1) and after (Value 2) 45 days on Iso (0.5 mg/kg/24 h) therapy. Blood levels of Hcy and vitamin B6 were evaluated by HPLC methods, and folate and vitamin B12 using a commercial Kit. Hcy levels (Value 1 = 7.86 ± 1.6 μmol/L; Value 2 = 13.65 ± 3.3 μmol/L; P < 0.001) were statistically significantly increased in patients on treatment. Vitamins were unaltered, and lipids and liver enzymes increased. Significant correlation between Hcy levels, vitamins, and liver enzymes was found. Methionine loading tests performed in nine patient-volunteers showed an abnormal response post-treatment. Conclusions It is suggested that the elevated Hcy levels in patients after 45 days on Iso therapy could be due either to the ‘inhibition’ of cystathionine-β-synthase by the drug and/or their liver dysfunction. Daily vitamin supplementation along with frequent evaluations of Hcy blood levels are recommended for the prevention of a premature occlusive vascular disease.
A method for measuring ingestion rate of deposit feeders and its use with the polychaeteNereis succinea

In situ ingestion rates of some infaunal deposit feeders can be determined without collecting feces by labeling the sediment with fluorescent particles and using these to trace ingested material through the gut of the animals. This technique was applied to the polychaeteNereis succinea and showed that ingestion rate, expressed as material ingested per body weight, increased with temperature and decreased with body size. Total annual ingestion of sediment and detritus for aN. succinea population in a salt marsh near Beaufort, N.C., was estimated to be 5 kg of dry material m−2, more than 4 times that reported for salt marsh epifaunal deposit feeders. *** DIRECT SUPPORT *** A01BY009 00005
Outcome of percutaneous coronary intervention versus coronary bypass grafting for patients with low left ventricular ejection fractions, unstable angina pectoris, and risk factors for adverse outcomes with bypass (the AWESOME Randomized Trial and Registry).

Abstract The recently concluded Angina With Extremely Serious Operative Mortality Evaluation (AWESOME) was a randomized clinical trial of percutaneous coronary intervention versus coronary bypass graft surgery among patients with medically refractory ischemia who were at high risk for coronary bypass graft surgery because of ≥1 risk factors that included severely reduced left ventricular (LV) function, defined as LV ejection fraction
Identifying undiagnosed primary immunodeficiency diseases in minority subjects by using computer sorting of diagnosis codes.

Abstract Background Primary immunodeficiency diseases occur in all populations, but these diagnoses are rarely made in minority subjects in the United States. Objective We sought to develop and validate a method to identify patients without diagnoses but with immunodeficiency in an urban hospital with a substantial minority patient population. Methods We developed a scoring algorithm on the basis of International Classification of Disease, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes to identify all hospitalized patients age 60 years or less who had been given a diagnosis of 2 or more of 174 ICD-9–coded complications associated with immunodeficiency. Codes were weighted for severity and expressed as a sum for all admissions between October 1, 1995, and December 31, 2002. Patients with, for example, cancer or HIV or those after transplantation or major surgery were excluded. Demographic features of subjects with aggregated ICD-9 codes suggestive of immunodeficiency were compared with those of other inpatients; 59 computer-selected subjects were then tested for immune defects. Results The computer-identified group contained 533 patients (0.4% of all inpatients), who had been hospitalized 2683 times. The median age was 6.6 years. Sixty-five percent were African American or Hispanic, and 61% were insured by Medicaid, which is significantly more than other inpatients younger than 60 years of age (median age, 32.6 years; 37% minority, 27% insured by Medicaid; P Conclusions An ICD-9–based scoring algorithm identifies patients demographically different from other hospitalized subjects who have multiple illnesses suggestive of immunodeficiency. This group contains undiagnosed minority patients with immunodeficiency.
Congestion Control, Routing and Scheduling in Communication Networks: A Tutorial

SUMMARY In communication networks, congestion control, routing, and multiple access schemes for scheduling transmissions are typically regulated by distributed algorithms. Engineers designed these algorithms using clever heuristics that they refined in the light of simulation results and experiments. Over the last two decades, a deeper understanding of these algorithms emerged through the work of researchers. This understanding has a real potential for improving the design of protocols for data centers, cloud computing, and even wireless networks. Since protocols tend to be standardized by engineers, it is important that they become familiar with the insights that emerged in research. We hope that this paper might appeal to practitioners and make the research results intuitive and useful. The methods that the paper describes may be useful for many other resource allocation problems such as in call centers, manufacturing lines, hospitals and the service industry.
Developmental regulation of 16S acetylcholinesterase and acetylcholine receptors in a mouse muscle cell line

Abstract We have studied the appearance, distribution and regulation of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) in a mouse skeletal muscle cell line (C2), that was originally isolated and described by Yaffe & Saxel [54]. In culture, cells from this line form spontaneously contracting myotubes, with overshooting action potentials that are TTX-sensitive. After fusion of myoblasts into myotubes, there was a dramatic increase in the amount of both AChE and AChR. Three forms of AChE, distinguished by their sedimentation on sucrose gradients, were synthesized: 4–6S, 10S, and 16S. The 4–6S and 10S forms appeared 1 day after the cells began to fuse, whereas the 16S form appeared only 2 days after fusion began. Maximal levels of the 16S AChE form (25–30% of the total) were obtained by reducing the concentration of horse serum in the fusion medium. Prevention of myoblast fusion by reducing the calcium levels in the medium decreased the total AChE by 70%, and only the 4–6S form was synthesized. Blocking spontaneous contractile activity of the myotubes by tetrodotoxin (TTX) led to a 50% reduction in all three esterase forms. Thus, the 16S, or endplate form of AChE is not specifically regulated by electrical or contractile activity in the C2 cell line. After fusion the number of AChRs increased rapidly for 3–4 days and then stabilized. Receptor clusters, ranging from 10–30 μm in length, appeared 1 day after myoblast fusion began. When cells were grown in medium containing reduced Ca2+, the total number of AChRs was decreased by 20–50%. Reduction of Ca2+ after myotubes and AChR clusters had formed resulted in dispersal of AChR clusters. Inhibition of muscle contractions with TTX did not affect the number of AChRs or their distribution.
Localization by immunoelectron microscopy of spanning protein of triad junction in terminal cisternae/triad vesicles

Polyclonal antibodies have been developed against the junctional feet or spanning protein from skeletal muscle triads. These probes in combination with immunogold labels have been used to localize the spanning protein by electron microscope of isolated vesicles from terminal cisternae/triads. The spanning protein antibodies specifically bind to the electron dense junctional feet. In vesicles permeabilized by hypotonic treatment or by saponin, some gold particles may be seen on the luminal side of the vesicle. Trypsin treatment of vesicles causes complete loss of the 300 K spanning protein from SDS gels while dot blots show that some but not all the antigenic activity is lost. This treatment is associated with the loss of the electron dense projections from the membrane surface and is coincident with the loss of immunogold staining when antibody is added to the intact vesicles. On the other hand, in experiments in which the luminal portions of the isolated vesicles have been made accessible to the polyclonal antibodies by sectioning lightly fixed vesicles before immunogold tagging, extensive gold labelling was found to occur in trypsin treated vesicles which have lost detectable projections from the cytoplasmic side of the membrane. These data support the view that the spanning protein projects from the sarcoplasmic reticulum towards the transverse tubules but further suggest that spanning protein extends into and probably through the sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane in accord with the proposition that it is a Ca2+ channel.
The one-loop, four-particles S-matrix in extended supergravity

Abstract Using supergraph methods we have obtained the one-loop S -matrix for N ⩾ 3 extended supergravity theories.
Polycomb repressive complex 2 is dispensable for maintenance of embryonic stem cell pluripotency

Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) methylates histone H3 tails at lysine 27 and is essential for embryonic development. The three core components of PRC2, Eed, Ezh2, and Suz12, are also highly expressed in embryonic stem (ES) cells, where they are postulated to repress developmental regulators and thereby prevent differentiation to maintain the pluripotent state. We performed gene expression and chimera analyses on low- and high-passage Eed(null) ES cells to determine whether PRC2 is required for the maintenance of pluripotency. We report here that although developmental regulators are overexpressed in Eed(null) ES cells, both low- and high-passage cells are functionally pluripotent. We hypothesize that they are pluripotent because they maintain expression of critical pluripotency factors. Given that EED is required for stability of EZH2, the catalytic subunit of the complex, these data suggest that PRC2 is not necessary for the maintenance of the pluripotent state in ES cells. We propose a positive-only model of embryonic stem cell maintenance, where positive regulation of pluripotency factors is sufficient to mediate stem cell pluripotency. Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.
The preparation and characterization of single crystal silver films

Abstract Single crystal films ≈0.5 μ m thick with dislocations densities ≈10 −7 lines/cm 2 have been prepared by vacuum evaporation and epitaxial growth on cleavage surfaces of NaCl. The key step in the process is the on-substrate annealing at an intermediate film thickness (≈0.15 μ m). These low dislocation density films have given X-ray rocking curves of less than 1.5' fwhm. Differences in rocking curve widths for Laue and Bragg geometry are consistent with the thickness effect expected from X-ray diffraction theory.
Futility and rationing

It seems more than coincidental that at a time of great concern over rising health care costs and fears of rampant technology, debates are suddenly taking place about medical futility and health care rationing. This article examines the economic, historical, and demographic factors that have motivated increased attention to both these concepts, explores differences and similarities in the meaning of these terms, and discusses their ethical implications. Specifically, we identify four common sources of current debates on futility and rationing: the rise in health care costs; the development of high-technology medicine; the aging of society; and the effort to limit the scope of patient autonomy. We propose that when rationing criteria refer to medical benefit, the meanings of futility and rationing share certain common features. Futility and rationing differ, however, in important ways. Futility refers to treatment and outcome relationships not in a general population but in a specific patient. Rationing criteria usually are supported by reference to theories of justice, whereas the definition of futility, if achieved, will probably be arrived at by empirical community agreement. Rationing always occurs against a backdrop of resource scarcity, but futility need not. Toward the end of the paper, we clarify how the various connotations and contexts we associate with each term enhance or frustrate ethical debate.
Design and analysis of scalable and interactive near video-on-demand systems

The design of interactive Video-on-Demand (VOD) systems is highly complicated when scalable stream merging is used. Support of requests under the Near Video-on-Demand (NVOD), where not all requests are serviced immediately, introduces additional complications. We develop an overall solution for designing interactive NVOD systems when stream merging is employed. The proposed solution supports user interactions with short response times and low rejection probabilities. In addition, we propose an efficient dynamic stream allocation policy and use a sophisticated client-side cache management policy. We analyze system performance, through extensive simulation, using realistic workload under different levels of user interactivity.
A comparison of different methods in predicting static pressure distribution in articulating joints.

Abstract Pressure distribution along the contact surface of an articulating joint model was analyzed using different numerical and analytical methods: a discrete rigid element method [rigid-body-spring-model (RBSM)], the finite element method (FEM), a simplified elasticity solution (SES) and the modified Hertzian (MH) theory. The FEM and MH methods modeled joints interposed with elastic layers, while the RBSM and SES methods assumed a simplified joint with a rigid convex indenter on an elastic concave surface. Results for an axisymmetric joint model indicate that all of these methods predict similar presure distributions on joint surfaces. In non-axisymmetric deformation mode, the RBSM method and FEM calculation showed good agreement in contact pressure prediction. Compared to the other three methods, the RBSM is relatively simple and effective in predicting joint contact pressure under symmetric and non-symmetric loading. The computational efficiency of the RBSM method is particularly attractive for pre-operative planning of reconstructive surgical procedures in orthopaedics in which geometric changes dictate the eventual outcome of the surgery.
Exit, voice, and loyalty in international organizations: US involvement in the League of Nations

Recent challenges to traditional international relations theory have questioned the nature of international organizations (IOs) as agents of powerful state-members and have examined various conduits through which non-state actors can voice their concerns. Yet little work has focused on participation in IOs when a powerful state’s official position contradicts the goals of actors within it. This article examines the archival record of American involvement in the League of Nations’ economic section to explore such a circumstance. I correct the prevailing historical view of American isolationism in the interwar period and argue that participation by advanced, industrial democracies can better be understood as combinations of exit, voice, and loyalty on the part of individual components of state and civil societies.
The ubiquitin-associated (UBA) domain: on the path from prudence to prurience.

Without doubt, one of the more dramatic breakthroughs in recent cell cycle history has been the discovery that growth regulators are controlled by proteolysis. This concept blossomed within the last six or seven years, but the story really began when cyclins were discovered, soon followed by the suggestion that proteolysis events might control cell cycle transitions. Proteolytic targets that are now known include most of the cyclins, cyclin dependent kinase inhibitors, DNA replication factors, the securin class of proteins that inhibit loss of sister chromatid cohesion following DNA replication and, of course, the cohesion factor itself. Protein degradation is controlled in various ways including ubiquitin-dependent targeting to proteasomes, activation of ubiquitin ligases by ubiquitin-like molecule conjugation, phosphorylation of proteolytic targets, and activation of the separin class of proteases.
Biochemical events in the activation and attenuation of the heat shock transcriptional response

The expression of heat shock proteins in response to cellular stress is mediated by a family of heat shock transcription factors (HSFs). The transcriptional activity of these HSFs is regulated by multiple redundant regulatory mechanisms which ensure the fine tuned expression of heat shock genes. These mechanisms include cis-regulatory domains and trans-acting proteins which modulate HSF activity and control the heat shock response. Heat shock gene expression is also regulated by selective use of various HSFs under distinct developmental and growth conditions.
The fluctuon model of force, life, and computation: a constructive analysis

Abstract Fluctuons are self-perpetrating chains of particle-antiparticle excitations that originate as uncertainty fluctuations of unmanifest vacuum fermions. Such chains may originate by transfer of momentum to an absorbing particle, in which case they must propagate until they give up momentum to a second particle. In this form, they share identity conditions with virtual bosons. Alternatively, in trapped form, they may act as transient absorbers. It is possible to model a variety of physical phenomena with fluctuons: electromagnetism, the fine structure constant, gravity, and various particle properties. The relationship between the distribution of manifest and unmanifest particles evolves until it satisfies self-consistency conditions. The model implicates within itself a nonlinear (adaptive) dynamics that corrects deviations from self-consistency. Wave function collapse, hence irreversibility, is an inherent feature since the wave function of the vacuum interacts recursively with the manifest force interactions to which it gives rise. Collapse and irreversibility would be pronounced only in a far from equilibrium (early) universe or in the neighborhood of large masses; these phenomena are of negligible importance on the scale of the physics laboratory. The thesis proposed in this paper is that the highly sensitive transduction-amplification cascades of biological organisms unmask this hidden irreversibility, and that the real-time functional capabilities of organisms are due to this unmasking. The physical dynamics of biological organisms are broader than those captured in the standard time evolution equations and homomorphic to the broader dynamics operative in the early universe.
Thermionic reactor ion propulsion system /TRIPS/ - Its multi-mission capability.

The unmanned planetary exploration to be conducted in the last two decades of this century includes many higher energy missions which tax all presently available propulsion systems beyond their limit. One candidate with the versatility and performance to meet these mission objectives is nuclear electric propulsion (NEP). Additionally, the NEP System is feasible in orbit raising operations with the Shuttle or Shuttle/Tug combination. A representative planetary mission is described (Uranus-Neptune flyby with probe), and geocentric performance and tradeoffs are discussed. The NEP System is described in more detail with particular emphasis on the power subsystem consisting of the thermionic reactor, heat rejection subsystem, and neutron shield.
Co-Evolution of Capabilities and Industry: The Evolution of Mutual Fund Processing

The resource view of the firm has made substantial progress in identifying what attributes of a firm may provide a source of competitive advantage; however, the literature has far less to say about the emergence of these distinctive capabilities. We develop a simple framework based on the role of positive feedback effects of market activity, organizational factors that cause a firm to focus on a particular capability trajectory, and lastly the role of managerial choice with respect to anticipated feedback effects, which we term feedforward effects. We apply this framework to the emergence of competitive positions in the mutual fund-processing business from its inception to 1984.
Neutral Particle Beam Distributed Data Acquisition System

A distributed data acquisition system has been designed to support experiments at the Argonne Neutral Particle Beam Accelerator. The system uses a host VAXstation II/GPX computer acting as an experimenter's station linked via Ethernet with multiple MicroVAX IIs and rtVAXs dedicated to acquiring data and controlling hardware at remote sites. This paper describes the hardware design of the system, the applications support software on the host and target computers, and the real-time performance.
Generalized Eigenfunctions for Waves in Inhomogeneous Media

Abstract Many wave propagation phenomena in classical physics are governed by equations that can be recast in Schrodinger form. In this approach the classical wave equation (e.g., Maxwell's equations, acoustic equation, elastic equation) is rewritten in Schrodinger form, leading to the study of the spectral theory of its classical wave operator , a self-adjoint, partial differential operator on a Hilbert space of vector-valued, square integrable functions. Physically interesting inhomogeneous media give rise to nonsmooth coefficients. We construct a generalized eigenfunction expansion for classical wave operators with nonsmooth coefficients. Our construction yields polynomially bounded generalized eigenfunctions, the set of generalized eigenvalues forming a subset of the operator's spectrum with full spectral measure.
Intraarterial cisplatin infusion in the management of transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder

Thirty patients with bulky T3 or T4 transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder, clinically determined to be without nodal or distant metastases, were treated with a 48-hour hypogastric artery infusion of cisplatin (CDDP) 75-150 mg/m2 1 month before tumor resection. Complications of the CDDP infusions were milder than those with intravenous (IV) infusion or rapid intraarterial (IA) infusion, although three lower extremity neuropathies were seen. The CDDP infusions reduced the primary bladder mass effectively, and seven of 16 cystectomy specimens were rendered PO. However, patient survival was clearly predicted by the nodal status. Of 15 T3-4N + MO patients, 11 died at 15 +/- 3 months. Methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin (M-VAC) chemotherapy was given if residual transitional cell carcinoma was found after IA CDDP. Of 12 P3NOMO patients undergoing cystectomy, eight are alive with no evidence of disease (NED) at 28 +/- 8 months and no patient has died of transitional cell carcinoma. IA CDDP can effectively reduce bulky bladder cancer masses, but has no demonstrable effect on survival in N+ disease. It appears that adjuvant IA CDDP favorably affects survival in T3NOMO transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder.
Errors arising from surface roughness in ellipsometric measurement of the refractive index of a surface

Abstract The roughness of a surface is generally neglected when the refractive index of a material is calculated from ellipsometer measurements. Errors produced by neglecting the roughness of the surface are evaluated for three models of the topography of the surface (square ridges, triangular ridges, and pyramids). A range of roughness from 0 to 500 A and six substrate materials (glass, silicon, chrome, mercury, gold, and silver) are considered. Large errors in determination of indices, even for small values of roughness (50 A), were found.
Implantation of rat islet-filled micromachined biocapsules in mice

This study investigates whether microfabricated silicon-based biocapsules, with uniform membrane pore sizes in the tens of nanometer range, can provide immunoprotection of rat islets transplanted into a mouse model. By utilizing microfabrication technology, biocapsules are fabricated with membranes having precisely controlled and uniform pore sizes, allowing one to optimize parameters specifically for the immunoisolation of hormone-secreting cells. The study evaluates biocompatibility and short term therapeutic efficacy for implanted biocapsules.
Exonic Splicing Enhancer-Dependent Selection of the Bovine Papillomavirus Type 1 Nucleotide 3225 3′ Splice Site Can Be Rescued in a Cell Lacking Splicing Factor ASF/SF2 through Activation of the Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase/Akt Pathway

Bovine papillomavirus type 1 (BPV-1) late pre-mRNAs are spliced in keratinocytes in a differentiation-specific manner: the late leader 5′ splice site alternatively splices to a proximal 3′ splice site (at nucleotide 3225) to express L2 or to a distal 3′ splice site (at nucleotide 3605) to express L1. Two exonic splicing enhancers, each containing two ASF/SF2 (alternative splicing factor/splicing factor 2) binding sites, are located between the two 3′ splice sites and have been identified as regulating alternative 3′ splice site usage. The present report demonstrates for the first time that ASF/SF2 is required under physiological conditions for the expression of BPV-1 late RNAs and for selection of the proximal 3′ splice site for BPV-1 RNA splicing in DT40-ASF cells, a genetically engineered chicken B-cell line that expresses only human ASF/SF2 controlled by a tetracycline-repressible promoter. Depletion of ASF/SF2 from the cells by tetracycline greatly decreased viral RNA expression and RNA splicing at the proximal 3′ splice site while increasing use of the distal 3′ splice site in the remaining viral RNAs. Activation of cells lacking ASF/SF2 through anti-immunoglobulin M-B-cell receptor cross-linking rescued viral RNA expression and splicing at the proximal 3′ splice site and enhanced Akt phosphorylation and expression of the phosphorylated serine/arginine-rich (SR) proteins SRp30s (especially SC35) and SRp40. Treatment with wortmannin, a specific phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt kinase inhibitor, completely blocked the activation-induced activities. ASF/SF2 thus plays an important role in viral RNA expression and splicing at the proximal 3′ splice site, but activation-rescued viral RNA expression and splicing in ASF/SF2-depleted cells is mediated through the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt pathway and is associated with the enhanced expression of other SR proteins.
MAMMOGRAM SCREENING USING MULTIRESOLUTION-BASED IMAGE SEGMENTATION

This paper describes the design, implementation, and testing of an adaptive digital image segmentation method that detects cancerous changes in mammograms and can potentially aid medical experts in establishing the diagnosis. The essence of the method is hierarchical region growing that uses pyramidal multiresolution image representation. The relationships between pixels at different resolution levels are established using a fuzzy membership function, thus enabling detection of very small and/or low contrast objects in a highly textured background. The selection of the parameters of the fuzzy membership function allows for fine-tuning the method to specific segmentation objectives. This paper discusses two versions of the method: the first is aimed at the detection of microcalcifications and the second at the detection of benign and malignant nodules. The two versions are fully automated and differ in the procedure applied to automatically select the appropriate parameters of the fuzzy membership function. Both versions were evaluated in two ways: (i) using synthetically generated objects superimposed on normal mammograms and (ii) using mammogram images for which the corresponding truth images were generated by human experts. The objective of the first evaluation was to precisely determine the method’s capabilities and its sensitivity to object size, shape, and contrast. The objective of the second evaluation was to establish the method’s usefulness in helping medical experts to establish the diagnosis.
Hadron-quark phase transition in dense stars

An equation of state is computed for a plasma of one flavour quarks interacting through some phenomenological potential, at zero temperature. Assuming that the confining potential is scalar and colour-independent, it is shown that the quarks undergo a first-order mass phase transition. In addition, due to the way screening is introduced, all the thermodynamic quantities computed are independent of the actual shape of the interquark potential. This equation of state is then generalized to a several quark flavour plasma and applied to the study of the hadron-quark phase transition inside a neutron star.
Global carbon credits and climate exchanges

This study analyses the carbon credits contracts as a market-based mechanism to solve the global environmental problem by offering monetary rewards to countries and corporations that are low greenhouse emitters and putting economic pressure on those that are high greenhouse emitters. The mechanism is a by-product of the Kyoto Protocol which came into effect on February 16, 2005. There are two functioning climate exchanges that are exclusively trading carbon contracts, and at least another four climate exchanges plan to offer carbon contracts in the near future. Finally, this study discusses some of the present and future programs to reduce greenhouse gas emission and suggests additional solutions.
The kinematics of the Anthrobot-2 dextrous hand

An anthropomorphic dextrous robotic hand (Anthrobot-2) is described. Its forward and inverse kinematics, as well as its Jacobians are developed as the first step toward its utilization for either teleoperation or autonomous operation. The Anthrobot frames are assigned using the modified Denavit-Hartenberg formulation, referred to as the hand frame. A finger with proximal link contact point is described. >
Medication Administration Hassles Reported by Family Caregivers of Dependent Elderly Persons

Methods. Twenty-three family caregivers completed semistructured, face-to-face interviews to capture the shared and idiosyncratic experiences of individuals responsible for all aspects of medication administration regimens for elderly, dependent family members. Data analysis consisted of content analysis of the verbatim interview transcripts. This article reports an emerging typology of caregiver medication administration hassles derived from the interviews. Results. Based on 122 separate accounts, three categories of medication administration hassles were identified. The categories (with the percentage of all accounts represented by the category) include (i) scheduling logistics (29.5%), (ii) administration procedures (31.9%), and (iii) safety issues (38.6%). Conclusions. Primary care providers must continually reevaluate and simplify medication regimens for dependent elderly persons in the care of family members, and the family caregivers must be given adequate training and access to ongoing information support systems to help them perform safe and effective medication administration responsibilities.
Effect prediction of identified SNPs linked to fruit quality and chilling injury in peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch].

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are a fundamental source of genomic variation. Large SNP panels have been developed for Prunus species. Fruit quality traits are essential peach breeding program objectives since they determine consumer acceptance, fruit consumption, industry trends and cultivar adoption. For many cultivars, these traits are negatively impacted by cold storage, used to extend fruit market life. The major symptoms of chilling injury are lack of flavor, off flavor, mealiness, flesh browning, and flesh bleeding. A set of 1,109 SNPs was mapped previously and 67 were linked with these complex traits. The prediction of the effects associated with these SNPs on downstream products from the ‘peach v1.0’ genome sequence was carried out. A total of 2,163 effects were detected, 282 effects (non-synonymous, synonymous or stop codon gained) were located in exonic regions (13.04 %) and 294 placed in intronic regions (13.59 %). An extended list of genes and proteins that could be related to these traits was developed. Two SNP markers that explain a high percentage of the observed phenotypic variance, UCD_SNP_1084 and UCD_SNP_46, are associated with zinc finger (C3HC4-type RING finger) family protein and AOX1A (alternative oxidase 1a) protein groups, respectively. In addition, phenotypic variation suggests that the observed polymorphism for SNP UCD_SNP_1084 [A/G] mutation could be a candidate quantitative trait nucleotide affecting quantitative trait loci for mealiness. The interaction and expression of affected proteins could explain the variation observed in each individual and facilitate understanding of gene regulatory networks for fruit quality traits in peach.
Performance Evaluation of Wireless Cellular Networks with Mixed Channel Holding Times

In most analytical models for wireless cellular networks, the channel holding times for both new and handoff calls are usually assumed to be independent and identically distributed. However, simulation study and field data show that this assumption is invalid. In this paper, we present a new general analytical model in wireless cellular networks where channel holding times for new and handoff calls are distinctly distributed with different average values. For our proposed model, we first derive the explicit matrix product-form solution of the stationary probability for number of new and handoff calls in the system. We then show that the expression of the stationary probability for total number of calls in the system possesses a scalar product-form solution if and only if the expected channel holding times for both new and handoff calls are the same. Moreover, we derive analytical results for the blocking probabilities of new and handoff calls. Finally, we compare our new theoretical results with the corresponding simulation results and two already existing approximations. Through this comparison study, we show that our analytical results are indeed the same as the simulation results and that there are certainly significant estimation errors for the existing approximations.
Synthesis of carbon nanotubes at low temperature by filament assisted atmospheric CVD and their field emission characteristics

Abstract Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) were synthesized using a hot filament assisted chemical vapor deposition (CVD) at the atmospheric pressure at a substrate temperature of 550 °C. The size of nanotubes was controlled by changing the size of catalyst particles. The structure and composition of these nanotubes were investigated using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. The electron field emission current of MWNTs was also measured. It was found that the nanotubes with smaller the diameter had higher the emission current levels though synthesis conditions except catalyst particles were the same. These as-grown MWNTs had emission current densities of 6.5 mA/cm 2 and 2.5 mA/cm 2 at 1 V/μm for 5–8 nm and 20 nm size carbon nanotube samples, respectively. The results indicated that the MWNTs synthesized had low emission threshold voltages and high emission current levels that are favorable properties for field emission-based display device applications.
High frequency ultrasonic backscatter from erythrocyte suspension

Previous studies have shown that ultrasonic backscattering from red blood cells suspended in saline is proportional to the fourth power of frequency for frequencies below 15 MHz, as predicted by Rayleigh scattering theory. Recently, the authors have extended the measurements up to 30 MHz, because scattering of ultrasound by red blood cells may no longer be negligible at these frequencies and can affect, to a great degree, the operation of intravascular imaging devices. The experimental results show that the fourth power dependence on frequency of the backscattering coefficient for porcine erythrocytes suspended in saline solution appears to be valid up to 30 MHz. To confirm this, backscattering cross-section of porcine red cells was computed as a function of frequency using the T-matrix method. Since at higher frequencies the shape of the scatterers may also play a significant role, its effect was investigated by treating the red cell as a sphere, a disc, and a biconcave disc of the same volume. Good agreement was obtained between the experimental and theoretical results. >
A hardware efficient parallel Viterbi algorithm

A hardware efficient block processing scheme is proposed for concurrent implementation of the Viterbi algorithm. The throughput increase is proportional to the increase in hardware complexity at the expense of latency. Advantages of the algorithm over other parallel schemes are that the reduction of the information rate due to bit stuffing at the transmitter and extraction of block synchronization from the received data are not necessary. The scheme is well suited to the problem of sequence estimation in the presence of intersymbol interference, although it can be applied to any decoder based on the Viterbi algorithm. >
Direct and acclimatory responses of stomatal conductance to elevated carbon dioxide in four herbaceous crop species in the field

In order to separate the net effect of growth at elevated [CO2] on stomatal conductance (gs) into direct and acclimatory responses, mid-day values of gs were measured for plants grown in field plots in open-topped chambers at the current ambient [CO2], which averaged 350 mmol mol ‐1 in the daytime, and at ambient + 350 mmol mol ‐1 [CO2] for winter wheat, winter barley, potato and sorghum. The acclimatory response was determined by comparing gs measured at 700 mmol mol ‐1 [CO2] for plants grown at the two [CO2]. The direct effect of increasing [CO2] from 350 to 700 mmol mol ‐1 was determined for plants grown at the lower concentration. Photosynthetic rates were measured concurrently with gs. For all species, growth at the higher [CO2] significantly reduced gs measured at 700 mmol mol ‐1 [CO2]. The reduction in gs caused by growth at the higher [CO2] was larger for all species on days with low leaf to air water vapour pressure difference for a given temperature, which coincided with highest conductances and also the smallest direct effects of increased [CO2] on conductance. For barley, there was no other evidence for stomatal acclimation, despite consistent downregulation of photosynthetic rate in plants grown at the higher [CO2]. In wheat and potato, in addition to the vapour pressure difference interaction, the magnitude of stomatal acclimation varied directly in proportion to the magnitude of down-regulation of photosynthetic rate through the season. In sorghum, gs consistently exhibited acclimation, but there was no down-regulation of photosynthetic rate. In none of the species except barley was the direct effect the larger component of the net reduction in gs when averaged over measurement dates. The net effect of growth at elevated [CO2] on mid-day gs resulted from unique combinations of direct and acclimatory responses in the various species.
Brightness matching, brightness cancellation, and increment threshold in the Ehrenstein illusion.

Matching and cancellation techniques were used to measure the relative strength of the Ehrenstein illusion in dark figures on a light background (negative contrast) and light figures on a dark background (positive contrast). Brightness enhancement on the former was shown to be maximally 0.28 log unit (relative to the detection threshold), and darkness enhancement on the latter 0.43 log unit. Values differed little with figure–ground contrast (down to a minimum of ±0.5), but decreased with decreasing level of illumination. The luminance increment (decrement) needed to match the illusory brightness (darkness) was similar in size to the luminance decrement (increment) needed to cancel the illusion. The increment threshold for a small test flash measured in three locations relative to the subjective contour delineating the illusion did not differ systematically. The results are compatible with a neurophysiological explanation of the Ehrenstein illusion in terms of line-induced lateral interaction in hypercomp...
Markov Networks for Detecting Overalpping Elements in Sequence Data

Many sequential prediction tasks involve locating instances of patterns in sequences. Generative probabilistic language models, such as hidden Markov models (HMMs), have been successfully applied to many of these tasks. A limitation of these models however, is that they cannot naturally handle cases in which pattern instances overlap in arbitrary ways. We present an alternative approach, based on conditional Markov networks, that can naturally represent arbitrarily overlapping elements. We show how to efficiently train and perform inference with these models. Experimental results from a genomics domain show that our models are more accurate at locating instances of overlapping patterns than are baseline models based on HMMs.
The Child is 'Father' to the Manager: Images of Organizations in U.S. Children's Literature

A person's approach to organizational life is grounded in an elaborate and largely unarticulated meaning map, which provides tools for analysing situations, beliefs about how things ought to be done and rationales for those beliefs. This meaning map is socially constructed. We argue in this article that children's literature is a part of this process of social construction, and that these stories in the United States are reflective of one of the dominant strands of the U.S. national culture, namely, technical rationality. We analyse thematically a set of twenty-nine chil dren's stories, and discuss the repeating themes which emerged from that analysis. The implications for the study of organizations are discussed.
Effect of spike pulses on the orientation of the agarose gel matrix

The orientation of the agarose gel matrix in two-part, “stair-step” electric fields has been studied by transient electric birefringence. Stair-step electric fields are those in which a pulse of a given amplitude is immediately followed by a short, higher voltage “spike” pulse of the same polarity. A single stair-step pulse orients the agarose gel matrix as though the two portions of the pulse were individually applied to the gel. However, a series of consecutive stair-step pulses causes an anomalous increase in the amplitude of the birefringence, suggesting that increased numbers of agarose fiber bundles are orienting in the electric field. Spike pulses ≥ 10 V/cm appear to cause junction zone breakdown, freeing large numbers of agarose fiber bundles and microgel domains from the constraints of the gel matrix. The implications of these results for pulsed field gel electrophoresis are discussed.
Infusing Bioethics into Biology and Microbiology Courses and Curricula: A Vertical Approach

With the rise of biomedicine and biotechnology, there has been a corresponding growth in the need for better understanding of consequent ethical questions. Increasingly, biologists are being asked not only to offer technical clarifications but also to venture ethical opinions, for which most feel poorly equipped. This expectation puts pressure on biology instructors at the university level to provide biology majors the skills and experience to discuss with some confidence and competence bioethical issues which may arise in either the workplace or through public discourse in everyday contexts. Many fine curricular resources about bioethics are available for varied pedagogical purposes, but few target undergraduate biology or microbiology student audiences. When it occurs in the context of a course, bioethics instruction often is taught by non-biologists outside standard biology curricula. We propose that biologists should strive to “infuse” bioethical thinking into their courses and major curricula but not in such a way as merely to point at ethical problems, treating them at a surface level. We suggest what we call “vertical infusion”: taking one bioethical issue per course and integrating this issue within the context of a relevant biological topic, challenging students to push their thinking beyond their initial intuitions toward underlying scientific and ethical principles. While the vertical approach lacks widespread coverage of ethical issues throughout a single course, it has the advantage of taking the bioethical dimension seriously and in intimate relation to contemporary discoveries in biology and to the biological principles, processes, or procedures that occasioned the ethical quandaries in the first place.
Characterization of atmospheric degradation of IR scene content (Invited Paper)

For horizontal path observation, atmospheric scene degradation of high resolution infrared (IR) imagery is more than an extinction coefficient derived from LOWTRAN calculations. The reduction in ability to distinguish scene features has three main sources. First, variation of the inherent radiation from the objects and backgrounds in the scene can cause decreased contrast. Second, the measured contrast from distant observation locations can be reduced by attenuation losses due to atmospheric propagation (contrast transmission) and path radiance that cannot be reestablished through sensor gain changes alone. Finally, blurring and distortion of scene details are also caused by thermal and humidity gradient induced optical turbulence and aerosol scattering. The Mobile Imaging Spectroscopy Laboratory (MISL) of the U.S. Army Research Laboratory was used to measure inherent scene dynamics and contrast transmission. Measurements useful for estimating the short and long exposure atmospheric modulation transfer function (MTF) in the IR were also made. An essential element of these measurements is a unique large area (1.8 m by 1.8 m) uniform temperature blackbody with spatial bar patterns. The measurements presented illustrate the dramatic interdependence of inherent contrast changes, contrast transmission, and atmospheric MTF.
Voracity and Prey Preference of Insidious Flower Bug (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) for Immature Stages of Soybean Aphid (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and Soybean Thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae)

The generalist predator, Orius insidiosus (Say), is an important natural enemy of the soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura. Soybean thrips, Neohydatothrips variabilis (Beach), serve as an important prey resource for O. insidiosus in soybeans, sustaining the predator's population before the arrival of the soybean aphid. Although generalist predators can forage on a broad range of prey, they may show distinct preferences for particular prey, attacking prey at levels disproportionate to their relative numbers. To assess the preference of O. insidiosus for soybean aphid and soybean thrips, attack rates of nymphal and adult O. insidiosus were measured in the laboratory. For both adults and nymphs, the number of prey attacked increased as more prey were provided. For nymphs, the total number of prey attacked increased as the predator matured. In general, the number of prey attacked by adult predators was relatively constant as the predator aged. Both O. insidiosus nymphs and adults displayed a preference for soybean thrips, by disproportionately attacking soybean thrips over soybean aphid regardless of the relative densities of the two prey. We discuss implications of this preference on O. insidiosus life history characteristics and the potential impact on O. insidiosus-prey dynamics in the field.