cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Prolonged High Fat Diet Reduces Dopamine Reuptake without Altering DAT Gene Expression

The development of diet-induced obesity (DIO) can potently alter multiple aspects of dopamine signaling, including dopamine transporter (DAT) expression and dopamine reuptake. However, the time-course of diet-induced changes in DAT expression and function and whether such changes are dependent upon the development of DIO remains unresolved. Here, we fed rats a high (HFD) or low (LFD) fat diet for 2 or 6 weeks. Following diet exposure, rats were anesthetized with urethane and striatal DAT function was assessed by electrically stimulating the dopamine cell bodies in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and recording resultant changes in dopamine concentration in the ventral striatum using fast-scan cyclic voltammetry. We also quantified the effect of HFD on membrane associated DAT in striatal cell fractions from a separate group of rats following exposure to the same diet protocol. Notably, none of our treatment groups differed in body weight. We found a deficit in the rate of dopamine reuptake in HFD rats relative to LFD rats after 6 but not 2 weeks of diet exposure. Additionally, the increase in evoked dopamine following a pharmacological challenge of cocaine was significantly attenuated in HFD relative to LFD rats. Western blot analysis revealed that there was no effect of diet on total DAT protein. However, 6 weeks of HFD exposure significantly reduced the 50 kDa DAT isoform in a synaptosomal membrane-associated fraction, but not in a fraction associated with recycling endosomes. Our data provide further evidence for diet-induced alterations in dopamine reuptake independent of changes in DAT production and demonstrates that such changes can manifest without the development of DIO.
How to use up processors

Most parallelization aims for a decomposition in which the resulting units are data independent, each of the units contributes to the final output in the data flow, and synchronization is minimized. The paradigm of 'possible-worlds computing' aims to explore a model in which parallelization is achieved by disregarding the first two goals in order to preserve the third. The Tahiti programming language and its supporting run-time kernel Symphora, which are intended to explore the possible-worlds paradigm, are described. >
Molecular analysis of pediatric brain tumors.

The identification of molecular genetic abnormalities in specific types of pediatric brain tumors is beginning to play a role in the stratification of patients into treatment groups. The finding of an INI1 alteration in an atypical teratoid/ rhabdoid tumor or malignant neoplasm with overlapping histologic features will be required for entry onto diseasespecific protocols within the Children’s Oncology Group. Refinement in the classification of medulloblastoma and malignant glioma patients will likely depend on the genetic and signaling pathways that characterize these tumors. Advances in this area will depend on the ability to identify new disease genes, validate prognostic markers, and develop biologically based therapeutic strategies to tailor treatment.
Collision Avoidance for Unmanned Aircraft using Markov Decision Processes

we investigate the automatic generation of collision avoidance algorithms given models of aircraft dynamics, sensor performance, and intruder behavior. By formulating the problem of collision avoidance as a Markov Decision Process (MDP) for sensors that provide precise localization of the intruder aircraft, or a Partially Observable Markov Decision Process (POMDP) for sensors that have positional uncertainty or limited eld-of-view constraints, generic MDP/POMDP solvers can be used to generate avoidance strategies that optimize a cost function that balances ight-plan deviation with collision. Experimental results demonstrate the suitability of such an approach using four dierent sensor modalities and a parametric aircraft performance model.
Suppression of aldosterone in salt susceptible and salt resistant rats.

Aldosterone production and zona glomerulosa size were studied in relation to salt intake in rats which were selectively bred for susceptibility (S) or resistance (R) to the hypertensive effect of high salt diet. With both in vitro or in vivo systems S rats suppressed aldosterone production In response to salt as much or more than Z animals. Zona glomerulosa mass was not different between S and R rats on various salt intakes. It is concluded that S rats are able to normally suppress aldosterone in response to salt in spite of their genetically controlled increment in adrenal 18–hydroxylase activity reported previously. (Endocrinology 92: 1286, 1973)
Modeling of transport phenomena in direct laser deposition of metal matrix composite

Abstract Direct laser deposition of metal matrix composite provides a very promising method to fabricate non-homogeneous material in one step directly from CAD drawings. During this process, reinforcing hard particle phase is mixed with the liquid matrix material to change the material property. Despite its usefulness, an understanding of interaction between the reinforcing particle and matrix material in the molten pool still remains as a challenge to determining the final properties of the fabricated composite. In this paper, distinct comprehensive modeling is presented to describe the complex transport phenomena during direct laser deposition of metal matrix composite. The molten pool thermal and fluidic behavior with the inter-phase coupling between particles and matrix material is modeled. To track the particle distribution, a species transport equation for particle mass fraction, as well as algebraic expressions considering possible different phase velocities, is combined with the other deposition governing equations. The mixture properties of composite are obtained by incorporating the volume fraction of each phase. The simulated average particle volume fractions agree with the experimental results and the model can be used to design the properties of the composite synthesised by the laser direct deposition process.
Assay of hepatic glucuronyl transferase activity using [14C]bilirubin as substrate

Abstract A method for the assay of hepatic glucuronyl transferase activity using [ 14 C]bilirubin as substrate has been developed. Under the conditions of the assay, the conjugation products from normal rats and guinea pigs have been found to react with diazo reagent to form azo-pigment B. Evidence is presented that liver from congenitally jaundiced (Gunn) rats can metabolize small quantities of bilirubin to diazo-negative metabolites that were not characterized. This method is applicable to the quantities of enzyme derived from the small amounts of liver such as might be obtained in human liver biopsy samples.
Beamlet coder: A tree-based, hierarchical contour representation and coding method

A quad-tree-based hierarchical contour representation and coding method is studied. This method is based on multi scale line segments—beamlets. Simulations are reported to evaluate the effectiveness of such an approach. This is a proof-of-concept study. The reported compression ratios are not the “best”. However, the idea of tree-based coding is novel; and this idea has good potential to realize a progressive contour coding, which is important in applications such as content-based video transmission.
Pressure swing adsorption: Effects of incomplete purge

Theoretical and experimental studies of pressure swing adsorption (PSA) cycles for various extents of purging have been conducted. In both the theoretical and experimental portions, pressurization was accomplished with product rather than with feed. A simple, local equilibrium model was employed, and the results were analyzed by the method of characteristics. It was found that for difficult separations (i.e., closely spaced isotherms and/or heavily contaminated feeds), incomplete purging, e.g., as little as 50% complete, yielded recoveries attainable only at much higher pressure ratios with complete purge. Conversely, for easy separations (i.e., widely spaced isotherms and dilutely contaminated feeds), incomplete purging was less attractive, yielding only slight improvement over complete purge. Splitting oxygen from air with zeolite 5A is moderately difficult due to the proximity of the isotherms and due to the predominance of the more strongly adsorbed nitrogen in the feed. This case was also modeled and was studied experimentally. The experiments yielded nearly double the recovery of oxygen for minimal purge compared with that available with complete purge. The productivity of oxygen was relatively high, e.g., 0.0378 m3(O2 at STP)/kg (adsorbent) · h. Those experiments validated the trends predicted theoretically.
Automatic activation of spatial-numerical association in a primed parity judgement task : Evidence from the number-line congruency effect

Using a forward masked priming paradigm, the present parity judgement experiment examines how the automatic activation of spatial-numerical associations of single-digit primes and targets has an effect on the primed Spatial-Numerical Association Response Code (SNARC) effect. Both the parity priming effect (i.e., faster and more accurate responses when the prime and target are matched in parity) and the repetition-primed SNARC effect (i.e., responses to large numbers are faster when made by right hand than when made by left hand and the reverse is true for small numbers) are replicated. The nonrepetition-primed SNARC effect is stronger when the response (e.g., made by the left hand) to the target (e.g., 4) is congruent with the position of the prime on a mental number line (e.g., 6) than when it is incongruent (e.g., 1). This number-line congruency effect reflects the notion that the coactivation of spatial-numerical association of prime and target occurs even when the prime is masked and presented so rapi...
Retroactive inhibition in free-recall learning of categorized lists

Two successive lists of 35 nouns representing 7 conceptual categories were presented for 4 trials each. For half of the S s different examples of the same categories appeared in the two lists; for the other half different categories were represented by the words in the lists. The experimental S s recalled the words either immediately after learning List 2 or after a 20-min delay. One-third of the S s recalled both lists at the same time, 1/3 recalled List 1 and then List 2, and 1/3 recalled List 2 before recalling List 1. Significant retroactive inhibition (RI) was obtained for both the Same and Different conditions, and the amount of RI was significantly greater in the Same condition. The RI in the Different condition resulted from the loss of whole categories while the RI in the Same condition resulted from the loss of both whole categories and specific words within categories. There was significantly less RI when both lists were recalled together than when they were recalled separately. Although there was a general increase in performance over the 20-min interval, there was no evidence of spontaneous recovery. It was concluded that the amount of RI obtained in free recall is directly related to the similarity of the organizational cues used for organizing the words into higher-order units.
Activation of serum response factor in the depolarization induction of Egr-1 transcription in pancreatic islet β-cells

The results of the current studies define the major elements whereby glucose metabolism in islet beta-cells leads to transcriptional activation of an early response gene in insulinoma cell lines and in rat islets. Glucose stimulation (2-20 mm) resulted in a 4-fold increase in Egr-1 mRNA at 30 min, as did the depolarizing agents KCl and tolbutamide. This response was inhibited by diazoxide and EGTA, indicating that beta-cell depolarization and Ca(2+) influx, respectively, are essential. Pharmacological inhibition of the Egr-1 induction by H89 (48%) and calmidazolium (35%), but not by mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase kinase 1 and 2 or phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitors, implied that protein kinase A and Ca(2+)/calmodulin pathways are involved. Deletion mapping of the Egr-1 promoter revealed that the proximal -198 base pairs containing two serum response elements (SREs) and one cAMP-response element retained the depolarization response. Depolarization resulted in phosphorylation of cAMP-response element-binding protein, yet partial inhibition by a dominant negative cAMP-response element-binding protein, along with a robust response of a cAMP-response element-mutated Egr-1 promoter suggested the presence of a second Ca(2+)-responsive element. Depolarization activation of 5XSRE-LUC and serum response factor (SRF)-GAL4 constructs, along with activation of SRF-GAL4 by co-transfection with constitutively active calmodulin kinase IV and protein kinase A, and binding of Ser(103)-phosphorylated SRF in nuclear extracts, indicated that the SRE.SRF complexes contribute to the Ca(2+)-mediated transcriptional regulation of Egr-1. The results of the current experiments demonstrate for the first time SRE-dependent transcription and the role of SRF, a transcription factor known to be a major component of growth responses, in glucose-mediated transcriptional regulation in insulinoma cells.
Physics-Based Deformable Tongue Visualization

In this paper, a physics-based framework is presented to visualize the human tongue deformation. The tongue is modeled with the Finite Element Method (FEM) and driven by the motion capture data gathered during speech production. Several novel deformation visualization techniques are presented for in-depth data analysis and exploration. To reveal the hidden semantic information of the tongue deformation, we present a novel physics-based volume segmentation algorithm. This is accomplished by decomposing the tongue model into segments based on its deformation pattern with the computation of deformation subspaces and fitting the target deformation locally at each segment. In addition, the strain energy is utilized to provide an intuitive low-dimensional visualization for the high-dimensional sequential motion. Energy-interpolation-based morphing is also equipped to effectively highlight the subtle differences of the 3D deformed shapes without any visual occlusion. Our experimental results and analysis demonstrate the effectiveness of this framework. The proposed methods, though originally designed for the exploration of the tongue deformation, are also valid for general deformation analysis of other shapes.
Hepatic Protein Synthesis in Suckling Rats: Effects of Stage of Development and Fasting

ABSTRACT: We studied the developmental changes in hepatic protein synthesis in suckling rats between postpartum d 1 and 28 and investigated the effect of fasting for 10 or 18 h on hepatic protein turnover at postpartum d 5, 10, 16, and 28. Fractional protein synthesis rates (Ks, $$/d) were measured in vivo using a flooding dose of l-[4–3H] phenylalanine. Although hepatic Ks and translation efficiency (protein synthesis/unit RNA) were significantly higher at postpartum d 28 than d 1, the pattern of change was biphasic: Ks and translational efficiency were higher at d 10 and 28 than at d 5 and 16. The largest increase in Ks and translational efficiency occurred during the period normally associated with weaning (between postpartum d 16 and 28). At all stages of development, the Ks and translational efficiency in fasted rats were significantly lower than those in control (fed) rats, although the relative decline in both measurements was largest at postpartum d 10. The absolute rates of hepatic protein synthesis declined to similar levels on d 5, 10, and 16 after 10 h of fasting and changed little after 18 h of fasting; this level was significantly higher at postpartum d 28. Our results suggest that postnatal development in suckling rats was marked by a biphasic pattern in the rates of hepatic protein synthesis, which increased during the neonatal and wea ning periods. The relative changes in the synthesis and loss of hepatic protein in response to fasting were greater during the neonatal than during the late suckling and weaning periods.
Facilitated Transport of Glucose from Blood into Peripheral Nerve

: D-Glucose is the major substrate for energy metabolism in peripheral nerve. The mechanism of transfer of glucose across the blood–nerve barrier is unclarified. In this study an in situ perfusion technique was utilized, in anesthetized rats, to examine monosaccharide transport from blood into peripheral nerve. Unidirectional influxes of D-[14C]glucose, L-[14C]glucose, and [14C]3-O-methyl-D-glucose across capillaries of the tibial nerve were measured at different perfusate concentrations of unlabelled D-glucose. The permeability-surface area product (PA) for D-[14C]glucose and [14C]3-O-methyl-D-glucose decreased, whereas the PA for L-[14C]glucose remained constant, as the perfusate concentration of D-glucose was increased. In the presence of no added unlabelled D-glucose in the perfusate, the PA for L-[14C]glucose equaled one-fifth the PA for D-[14C]glucose. These results demonstrate self-saturation, competitive inhibition, and stereospecificity of glucose transfer, and for the first time show a unidirectional facilitated transport mechanism for D-monosaccharides at capillaries of mammalian peripheral nerve. The data were fit to a model for facilitated transport and passive diffusion. The half-saturation constant and maximal rate of transport for the saturable component of D-glucose influx equaled 23 ± 11 μmol ml–1 and 6.6 ± 3.2 × 10–3μmol ± s–1· g–1, respectively. The constant of nonsaturable glucose influx equaled 0.5 ± 0.1 × 10–4 s–1. At normal plasma glucose concentrations, the saturable component comprises about 80% of total D-glucose influx into nerve. In anesthetized rats unidirectional influx of D-glucose exceeds, by a factor of about two, published rates of glucose utilization by peripheral nerve.
A 0.25V 460nW asynchronous neural signal processor with inherent leakage suppression

A neural signal processor exploits an asynchronous timing strategy to dynamically minimize leakage and to self-adapt to the process variations and different operating conditions. Based on a logic topology with built-in leakage suppression, the self-timed processor demonstrates robust sub-threshold operation down to 0.25V, while consuming only 460nW in 0.03mm2 in a 65nm CMOS technology, representing a 4.4X reduction in power compared to the state-of-the-art designs.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY: BOUNDED RATIONALITY APPLIED TO UNBOUNDED ECOLOGICAL PROBLEMS

The interaction among myriad species and chemicals in the food chain often yields potential outcomes which are difficult to foresee. In policy terms, these interactions comprise an information load beyond human cognition, resulting in unexpected side effects. The clearest examples are seen in the invasions of species and epidemics, air pollution, toxic substances, and endangered species. The policy process attempts to deal with the information problem by using (1) an incremental approach, (2) a bounding approach, or (3) an uncertainty approach. Unfortunately, the bounding approach excludes all data on interactions outside the apparent cause/effect hypothesis. Possible approaches to augment and improve environmental policy, beyond the bounding approach, are to inquire into uncertainties and side-effects, choose complex ecologies over simple ones, and sample for uncertain risks by probability assessments.
Erk1/2 MAPK and mTOR Signaling Sequentially Regulates Progression Through Distinct Stages Of Oligodendrocyte Differentiation

Myelination is the culmination of a complex process in which oligodendrocyte (OL) progenitors transition through defined stages in a well-coordinated differentiation program. The signaling mechanisms that regulate this progression are poorly understood. Here we investigate the role of extracellular signal-regulated-kinase-1,-2 (Erk1/2) and the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), downstream effectors of the Ras/Raf/Mek/Erk and PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathways, at specific stages of OL development in vitro. Using a panel of developmental stage-specific antigenic markers and pharmacological inhibitors, we provide evidence that Erk1/2 signaling regulates transition of early progenitors to the late progenitor stage and, as a consequence, to the immature OL stage, but not the transition of immature OL to the mature OL stage. In contrast, mTOR signaling is not required for early progenitor transition to late progenitor stage. Surprisingly, it is also not required for the transition of late progenitors to terminally differentiated immature OLs, as has been reported previously, but is required for the next sequential transition of immature OLs to the mature OL stage. Furthermore, mTOR signaling regulates OL cytoskeletal organization and major myelin protein expression. These in vitro findings correlate with our in vivo data showing that inhibition of mTOR by rapamycin injection attenuated the onset of myelination in the early postnatal brain. Thus, these studies demonstrate that Erk1/2 and mTOR signaling sequentially regulates distinct stages of OL progenitor differentiation and suggest that cells in the OL-lineage require distinct signaling mechanisms to transition through specific stages of their development. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Pin-Hole Luminosity Monitor with Feedback

Previously, the generalized luminosity was defined and calculated for all incident channels based on an NLC e+e- design. Alternatives were then considered to improve the differing beam-beam effects in the e-e-, eγ and γγ channels. Regardless of the channel, there was a large flux of outgoing, high energy photons that were produced from the beam-beam interaction e.g. beamstrahlung that needs to be disposed of and whose flux depended on . One approach to this problem is to consider it a resource and attempt to take advantage of it by disposing of these straight–ahead photons in more useful ways than simply dumping them. While there are many options for monitoring the luminosity, any method that allows feedback and optimization in real time and in a non-intercepting and non-interfering way during normal data taking is extremely important – especially if it provides other capabilities such as high resolution tuning of spot sizes and can be used for all incident channels without essential modifications to their setup. Our "pin-hole" camera appears to be such a device if it can be made to work with high energy photons in ways that are compatible with the many other constraints and demands on space around the interaction region. The basis for using this method is that it has, in principle, the inherent resolution and bandwidth to monitor the very small spot sizes and their stabilities that are required for very high, integrated luminosity. While there are many possible, simultaneous uses of these outgoing photon beams, we limit our discussion to a single, blind, proof-of-principle experiment that was done on the FFTB line at SLAC to certify the concept of a camera obscura for high energy photons.
Some determinants of associations to French and English words

The effect of language set and language competence on bilingual word associations was studied. Students at varying levels of competence in French were given preliminary instructions in either French or English, and they then took a wordassociation test, consisting of stimulus words in both languages. More advanced students gave more responses in French. Students instructed in French gave a higher percentage of responses in French, and French stimuli produced more French responses for advanced students. There was a strong tendency to respond with a word from the same form class as the stimulus.
Efforts toward broadening the spectrum of arylomycin antibiotic activity

New antibiotics are needed, and one source may be ‘latent’ antibiotics, natural products whose once broad-spectrum activity is currently limited by the evolution of resistance in nature. We have identified a potential class of latent antibiotics, the arylomycins, which are lipopeptides with a C-terminal macrocycle that target signal peptidase and whose spectrum is limited by a resistance-conferring mutation in many bacteria. Herein, we report the synthesis and evaluation of several arylomycin derivatives, and demonstrate that both C-terminal homologation with a glycyl aldehyde and addition of a positive charge to the macrocycle increase the activity and spectrum of the arylomycin scaffold.
Examining Oxygen Accessibility in H-NOX Proteins with a Phosphorescent Ruthenium Porphyrin

H-NOX (Heme Nitric oxide and/or OXygen) binding proteins are found in organisms from bacteria to humans and include soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC), the principle mammalian receptor for nitric oxide (NO). The ferrous heme of sGC selectively binds NO - completely excluding oxygen (O2) binding - and resists oxidation in air. These features allow sGC to respond to NO even in aerobic cellular conditions. In the present study, we investigated the ability of O2 to access the sGC heme pocket by incorporating a phosphorescent ruthenium porphyrin into two sGC domain truncations to serve as an internal O2 sensor. A crystal structure obtained for a homologous H-NOX domain suggests that incorporation of the ruthenium porphyrin does not alter the H-NOX fold. In the sGC domains, differences were observed in both emission intensities and lifetimes +/- O2, providing the first direct evidence that O2 accesses the sGC heme pocket. In addition, the extent of O2 quenching was found to parallel oxidation rates in the domains. Together these findings highlight the complexities of O2 discrimination in sGC and point to the role of higher protein structure in partially protecting the heme from O2.View Large Image | View Hi-Res Image | Download PowerPoint Slide
Compact, mission configurable mm-wave spectrometer based on a channel drop filter

We have developed a novel mm-wave spectrometer based on a Photonic Band Gap (PBG) channel-drop filter (CDF). There is a need for a compact wide-band versatile and configurable mm-wave spectrometer for applications in mm-wave communications and remote sensing. CDFs present us with a unique means for filtering frequencies at mm-waves. CDF is a novel concept allowing filtering the frequency spectra and channeling selected frequencies into separate waveguides through a PBG structure. We have designed a spectrometer with a CDF working in the frequency range of 90-130 GHz. The CDF can be connected to any type of antenna and detector. A large ground based outdoor antenna can be used for remote sensing with radars. A compact antenna can be used for indoor or space applications. The signal in the waveguide channels can be measured with any type of sensor such as a cooled bolometer or a room temperature mm-wave diode. The size of the spectrometer is under 5 inches by 5 inches and just a quarter of an inch in thick. Multiple filters can be stacked together to construct a mission specific package. We propose to construct the filter with silicon rods on a 100mm silicon wafer using MEMS technology. We will then evaluate the filter at our mm-wave laboratory to demonstrate the channeling of frequencies in a proof-of-principle experiment at 100GHz. This technology will work well for frequencies from 60GHz to 1000GHz.
Long-term trends of subtidal macrobenthos in North Inlet, South Carolina

Analyses of seasonal and yearly trends in subtidal macrobenthic samples collected bi-weekly at a sandy site (1981–1984) and a muddy site (1981–1985) in North Inlet, South Carolina, show large fluctations in abundance and high variability between replicate samples. Sampling variability at the sandy site, thought to be influenced more by physical disturbance than by biotic interactions, was especially high and prevented the interpretation of seasonal trends in abundance. Increased replication at the muddy site in 1985 revealed abundance patterns of winter/spring maxima and summer minima. Despite short-term (seasonal) and high year-to-year variability, the fauna at both sites were characterized by long-term stability in abundance. That is, although abundances varied considerably between seasons or years only 9 of 22 taxa analyzed showed a directional change in abundance. These 9 taxa increased in abundance over the four (sandy site) or five (muddy site) years of examination while the other 13 taxa fluctuated about a mean value. The taxonomic composition of benthic fauna at both sites was also very stable through time, with the sandy site always numerically dominated, in order, by polychaetes, amphipods, and bivalves and the muddy site by polychaetes, oligochaetes, and bivalves.
Agile, efficient virtualization power management with low-latency server power states

One of the main driving forces of the growing adoption of virtualization is its dramatic simplification of the provisioning and dynamic management of IT resources. By decoupling running entities from the underlying physical resources, and by providing easy-to-use controls to allocate, deallocate and migrate virtual machines (VMs) across physical boundaries, virtualization opens up new opportunities for improving overall system resource use and power efficiency. While a range of techniques for dynamic, distributed resource management of virtualized systems have been proposed and have seen their widespread adoption in enterprise systems, similar techniques for dynamic power management have seen limited acceptance. The main barrier to dynamic, power-aware virtualization management stems not from the limitations of virtualization, but rather from the underlying physical systems; and in particular, the high latency and energy cost of power state change actions suited for virtualization power management.In this work, we first explore the feasibility of low-latency power states for enterprise server systems and demonstrate, with real prototypes, their quantitative energy-performance trade offs compared to traditional server power states. Then, we demonstrate an end-to-end power-aware virtualization management solution leveraging these states, and evaluate the dramatically-favorable power-performance characteristics achievable with such systems. We present, via both real system implementations and scale-out simulations, that virtualization power management with low-latency server power states can achieve comparable overheads as base distributed resource management in virtualized systems, and thus can benefit from the same level of adoption, while delivering close to energy-proportional power efficiency.
Method for offset-curve generation for sheet-metal design

Abstract Offset curves have many applications in computer-aided design and manufacturing. The paper deals with sheet-metal design, where section curves that lie on a design surface must be offset by one metal thickness. Standard techniques for offsetting curves and surfaces are usually too slow for interactive speeds. The paper presents a simple iterative method for computing offset points which can then be splined to generate the offset curve. The method is first developed for the determination of nondegenerate offset curves, and then modifications necessary for the handling of degenerate offset curves are discussed. Implemented examples for simple sheet-metal design using the proposed method are also presented.
A Mobile PTS2 Receptor for Peroxisomal Protein Import in Pichia pastoris

Abstract. Using a new screening procedure for the isolation of peroxisomal import mutants in Pichia pastoris, we have isolated a mutant (pex7) that is specifically disturbed in the peroxisomal import of proteins containing a peroxisomal targeting signal type II (PTS2). Like its Saccharomyces cerevisiae homologue, PpPex7p interacted with the PTS2 in the two-hybrid system, suggesting that Pex7p functions as a receptor. The pex7Δ mutant was not impaired for growth on methanol, indicating that there are no PTS2-containing enzymes involved in peroxisomal methanol metabolism. In contrast, pex7Δ cells failed to grow on oleate, but growth on oleate could be partially restored by expressing thiolase (a PTS2-containing enzyme) fused to the PTS1. Because the subcellular location and mechanism of action of this protein are controversial, we used various methods to demonstrate that Pex7p is both cytosolic and intraperoxisomal. This suggests that Pex7p functions as a mobile receptor, shuttling PTS2-containing proteins from the cytosol to the peroxisomes. In addition, we used PpPex7p as a model protein to understand the effect of the Pex7p mutations found in human patients with rhizomelic chondrodysplasia punctata. The corresponding PpPex7p mutant proteins were stably expressed in P. pastoris, but they failed to complement the pex7Δ mutant and were impaired in binding to the PTS2 sequence.
Measuring the Thermal Conductivity of Porous, Transparent SiO2 Films With Time Domain Thermoreflectance

Nanocomposites offer unique capabilities of controlling thermal transport through the manipulation of various structural aspects of the material. However, measurements of the thermal properties of these composites are often difficult, especially porous nanomaterials. Optical measurements of these properties, although ideal due to the noncontact nature, are challenging due to the large surface variability of nanoporous structures. In this work, we use a vector-based thermal algorithm to solve for the temperature change and heat transfer in which a thin film subjected to a modulated heat source is sandwiched between two thermally conductive pathways. We validate our solution with time domain thermoreflectance measurements on glass slides and extend the thermal conductivity measurements to SiO 2 -based nanostructured films.
Using Electimize to Solve the Time-Cost-Tradeoff Problem in Construction Engineering

Construction optimization problems are difficult to solve due to the enormous number of parameters resulting from the booming in technology and the application of sophisticated systems in construction projects. In the past few decades, evolutionary algorithms (EAs) have served as good optimization techniques for solving these problems. However, many EAs are limited in their capabilities in reaching optimality due to their methods of evaluating candidate solution strings. This paper presents a newly developed evolutionary algorithm, named Electimize, with an application example on solving construction time-cost-tradeoff problem (TCTP). The new algorithm simulates the behavior of electrons moving through electric circuit branches with the least resistance. Specifically, the paper discusses: 1) the basic steps of optimization using Electimize, 2) TCTP modeling using Electimize, and 3) comparison between performances of Electimize and other EAs used to solve this problem. Electimize demonstrates an advantage over other existing evolutionary algorithms in the method used for evaluating solution strings, which is reflected by the better results obtained for the TCTP.
Characterizations of the Nonemptiness and Boundedness of Weakly Efficient Solution Sets of Convex Vector Optimization Problems in Real Reflexive Banach Spaces

Under a weak compactness assumption on the functions involved, which always holds in finite-dimensional normed linear spaces, this paper extends various characterizations of the nonemptiness and boundedness of weakly efficient solution sets of convex vector optimization problems, obtained previously by the author (Deng in J. Optim. Theory Appl. 96:123–131, 1998) in the real finite-dimensional normed linear space setting, to those in the real reflexive Banach space setting.
Measurement of Modal Dispersion for a Step-Index Multimode Optical Fiber in the UV-Visible Region Using a Pulsed Laser

A simple treatment for different dispersive pulse-broadening mechanisms in optical fibers is given. The modal dispersion coefficients for a high-OH- multimode step-index optical fiber were measured at the wavelengths 532, 355, and 266 nm with the use of a pulsed Nd:YAG laser. An empirical relationship expressing the modal dispersion coefficients as a function of wavelength for the range 532 to 266 nm was calculated.
Measuring the surface topography at focal adhesions using laser feedback interferometry

Reflection interference contrast microscopy of living cells has not yet fully matured. One goal would be to temporally resolve the distance between the cell and the substratum at each point over the cell surface. We have combined phase shifting laser feedback interferometry with a high numerical aperture inverted microscope in order to determine the topography of the ventral surface of a cell. We have obtained a map of both the topography of a cell as well as its reflectivity. Our data demonstrate that interference microscopy can be adapted to yield a measure of the distance between the cell and the substratum. We have quantified the ventral surface topology at focal adhesions and we have shown that these changes are correlated with markers for a focal adhesion adaptor protein. The laser feedback interferometer was used to determine the ventral surface topography of fixed metastatic mammary adenocarcinoma cells. The ventral surface of the cell was scanned by moving the sample with a piezoelectric stage. The height of the ventral surface, as well as the reflectivity, were determined using phase shifting interferometry. An overlay of a fluorescence image with the interference data shows that the prominent dark regions of the interference image correlate with the location of the paxillin.
Simulation of the mold-filling process

The transport equations for a power law fluid are used to solve the transient and non-isothermal problem of filling a disk-shaped cavity. Using the results obtained it is possible to predict gate pressures, fill times and short shots. Furthermore, the velocity and temperature fields can be obtained throughout the filling process. This information specifies the formation of a frozen surface layer during filling. Rigid PVC was primarily used in the simulations, but some results are also given for linear polyethylene, nylon 6–6, ABS and polystyrene.
Developmental regulation of the expression of the transferrin receptor and Ki67 in oocytes of the baboon fetal ovary by estrogen.

We previously showed that estrogen regulates baboon fetal ovarian follicle development and oocyte integrity. Because iron incorporated into cells by the transferrin receptor is essential for cell/nuclear function, we determined whether fetal oocyte expression of transferrin receptor and the nuclear protein Ki67 were developmentally regulated by estrogen and associated with DNA integrity/fragmentation. Transferrin-receptor expression was minimal at midgestation and abundant in late gestation and localized to the cytoplasm and surface of oocytes of primordial follicles. Expression of transferrin receptor, however, was negligible in oocytes in fetuses in which serum estradiol-17β levels were suppressed (>95%) by daily maternal treatment between mid- and late gestation with the aromatase inhibitor letrozole and partially restored by treatment with letrozole and estradiol benzoate. Ki67 was localized to pregranulosa and germ cells at midgestation and throughout the oocyte nucleus in late gestation in estrogen-replete fetuses. In contrast, in estrogen-suppressed fetuses, Ki67 was localized to a limited number of foci around the oocyte nucleus. Apoptosis detected in pregranulosa and germ cells at midgestation was not observed in late gestation in estrogen-replete/-suppressed fetuses. We conclude that estrogen regulates fetal oocyte transferrin-receptor expression and that inhibition of receptor development is associated with alterations in Ki67 expression by the oocyte but not apoptosis. Collectively, these results and our previous studies further define the essential role of estrogen in regulating development of follicles comprised of healthy oocytes by the baboon fetal ovary.
87Sr/86Sr ratios in some volcanic rocks and some semifused inclusions of the San Francisco volcanic field

Two cinder cones and associated basaltic lava flows near Williams, Arizona, contain numerous inclusions of ultramafic and of felsic material. Many of the felsic inclusions are semifused and contain high 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios, yet the enclosing basalts do not show any enrichment in 87 Sr when compared with other local basalts. Brown glass within a quartz monzonite inclusion has a much higher 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratio than the inclusion as a whole. This is believed to reflect the domination of early-forming melts by biotite. If so, separation and assimilation of this glass by a magma offers a mechanism to increase the 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratio of that melt without significant bulk assimilation of granitic material.
Cross-validation of item selection on the Bem Sex Role Inventory

Prompted by Edwards and Ashworth (1977) Bem's (1974) BSRI item selection strategy was reex amined, using her anchored rating scale and in structions. The results replicate Bem's for 18 of the 20 ma...
Lipids, lipoproteins, lifestyle, adiposity and fat-free mass during middle age: the Fels Longitudinal Study.

Although lipid profiles tend to worsen with age, it is not fully known if such age-related changes are influenced primarily by body composition and lifestyle or by other aspects of aging. We investigated the extent to which the fat and fat-free components of body mass index (BMI) and lifestyle factors influence patterns of change in lipids independent of age. Serial data were analyzed using sex-specific longitudinal models. These models use serial data from individuals to assume a general pattern of change over time, while allowing baseline age and the rate of change to vary among individuals. Serial data were obtained from 940 examinations of 269 healthy white participants (126 men, 143 women), aged 40–60 years, in the Fels Longitudinal Study. Measurements included age, the fat (FMI) and fat-free mass (FFMI) components of BMI, high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C), triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), fasting glucose and insulin, physical activity, alcohol use and smoking, and women's menopausal status and estrogen use. In both sexes, increased FMI was significantly associated with increased LDL-C, TG and TC, and decreased HDL-C. Increased FFMI was significantly related to decreased HDL-C and increased TG. Independent age effects remained significant only for LDL-C and TC in men and TC in women. Increased insulin was significantly related to increased TG in women. Moderate alcohol consumption was associated with higher HDL-C in men. Physical activity lowered male LDL-C and TC levels, and increased female HDL-C levels. Menopause was associated with increases in LDL-C. Premenopausal women not using estrogen had significantly lower HDL-C, TG, and TC than postmenopausal women taking estrogen. (1) Age is an important independent predictor for LDL-C and TC in men, and TC in women, but it is not as influential as body composition and lifestyle on HDL-C and TG in men and women, and LDL-C in women. (2) Increasing FMI is the major contributor to elevated TC, LDL-C and TG levels, and decreased HDL-C levels in men and women. (3) FFMI significantly influences HDL and TG levels in both sexes. (4) Maintaining a lower BMI via a reduced fat component may be more beneficial in lowering CVD risks than other factors.
Conservation of tubulin α-β differences in zinc-induced sheets with variations in pH and microtubule-associated protein content

Zinc-induced tubulin sheets were grown at pH values of 5.7 and 6.4 from porcine brain tubulin purified by phosphocellulose chromatography as well as from microtubule protein containing tubulin plus 20% (w/w) unfractionated microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs). Electron micrographs of negatively stained sheets were analyzed by a combination of real space cross-correlation and Fourier space methods, providing two-dimensional reconstructions to approximately 16 A resolution. The reconstructed images revealed that the protofilaments comprising zinc-induced sheets are composed of two clearly distinguishable alternating subunits, presumably corresponding to the α- and β-tubulin monomers, whose morphologies are not significantly influenced by pH or the presence of MAPs during sheet assembly. Sheets assembled at pH 5.7, either with or without MAPs, were divided into two domains by a protofilament discontinuity which was not present in sheets assembled at pH 6.4, and displayed a 2.4 A reduction of the interprotofilament distance in projection relative to sheets assembled at pH 6.4. We conclude that morphological differences between tubulin subunits represent intrinsic structural features not contributed by MAPs, and that pH is more important than MAP content in influencing the lattice parameters of zinc-induced sheets.
Schroeter's ratios for Martian craters: Radar results

Schroeter's ratios (ratios of the rim volume to the apparent volume) are determined for a sample of 29 large, degraded Martian craters selected from the Goldstone Mars radar altimetry data. On the average, the values of the calculated Schroeter's ratios are about two orders of magnitude smaller than the same ratios for fresh lunar craters. This indicates a severe rim volume deficit in degraded Martian craters and it provides an additional support to the notion of a widespread resurfacing of intercrater plains on Mars. Schroeter's ratios for degraded craters could provide a semi-quantitative measure of the effects of the modification processes that had been active on Mars and on the other planetary bodies.
Poly (2,6‐dimethyl‐1,4‐phenylene oxide)/poly (butadiene) diol interpenetrating polymer networks: Phase morphological characteristics and glass transition temperature behavior

The fracture surface topography of simultaneous interpenetrating polymer networks (SIN'S) of poly (2,6-dimethyl-1,4 phenylene oxide) (PPO)/poly (butadiene)diol was examined by SEM. The phase morphology of the IPNs is highly dependent on PPO/poly(butadiene)diol mass ratio. A single-phase morphology of the IPNs was achieved when the content of poly(butadiene) diol is below 40 wt % in the initial composition. The SEM observations are also wholly consistent with the T g behavior obtained by DSC
Intramolecular kinetic isotope effect in hydride transfer from dihydroacridine to a quinolinium ion. Rejection of a proposed two-step mechanism with a kinetically significant intermediate

The intramolecular kinetic isotope effect (KIE) for hydride transfer from 10-methyl-9,10-dihydroacridine to 1-benzyl-3-cyanoquinolinium ion has been found to be 5–6 by both 1H NMR and mass spectrometry. This KIE is consistent with other hydride transfers. It is inconsistent with the high intermolecular KIEs derived by fitting to a two-step mechanism with a kinetically significant intermediate complex, and it is inconsistent with the strong temperature dependence of those KIEs. We therefore reject the two-step mechanism for this reaction, and we suggest that other cases proposed to follow this mechanism are in error.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Symptoms and Interventions

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic mental illness (psychiatric disorder) that is characterized by distressing intrusive obsessive thoughts and fears and/or repetitive compulsive actions (rituals) that are done to prevent or reduce anxiety or distress, not to provide pleasure or gratification. It is a lifelong mental illness and recovery from it is gradual and ongoing treatment is necessary to help prevent relapses.
Restraint analysis of assembly work carriers

Abstract Work carrier design is critical to the performance and economic feasibility of automatic assembly systems. Unless parts are securely held throughout transport, insertion, and fastening operations, precision assembly is impossible to achieve. This paper presents analytical techniques for determining whether carrier locators provide sufficient kinematic restraint. It presents techniques for determining whether carrier clamps and locators have the potential to resist arbitrary external forces. Finally, it presents a model for determining the minimum clamp actuator intensities necessary to restrain parts throughout transport and assembly.