cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Wavefront sensing and analysis for underwater laser propagation

The use of Adaptive Optics (AO) to correct for aberrations in a wavefront of propagating light has become customary for Astronomical applications and is now expanding to many other areas going from medical imaging to industrial applications. However, the propagation of light underwater has remained out of the main stream AO community for a variety of reasons, not least the shear difficulty of the situation. Our group has become a program that attempts to define under which circumstances such a correction could be envisioned. We take advantage of the NRL laboratory facility in Stennis, MS, where a large Plexiglas tank of water is equipped with heating and cooling plates that allow for a well measured thermal gradient that in turn generates different degrees of turbulence that can distort a propagating laser beam. In this paper we report on the preliminary findings of this ongoing program. The paper will describe the facility and the AO test-bed, the measurements made and some of the preliminary result.
Sexual processes in the life cycle of Gyrodinium uncatenum (Dinophyceae): a morphogenetic overview

Sexual processes in the life cycle of the dinoflagellate Gyrodinium uncatenum Hulburt were investigated in isolated field populations. Morphological and morphogenetic aspects of gamete production, planozygote formation, encystment, excystment, and planomeiocyte division are described from observations of living specimens, Protargol silver impregnated material and scanning electron microscope preparations. The sexual cycle was initiated by gamete formation which involved two asexual divisions of the vegetative organism. Gametes were fully differentiated following the second division and immediately capable of forming pairs. Either isogamous or anisogamous pairs were formed by the mid-ventral union of gametes. Gametes invariably joined with flagellar bases in close juxtaposition. Complete fusion of gametes required ca. 1 h, involved plasmogamy followed by karyogamy and resulted in a quadriflagellated planozygote. Planozygotes encysted in 24–48 h to yield a hypnozygote capable of overwintering in estuarine sediments. Hypnozygotes collected from sediment in late winter readily excysted upon exposure to temperatures above 15°C. A single quadriflagellated planomeiocyte emerged from the cyst and under culture conditions divided one to two days later. The four flagella were not evenly distributed at the first division and both bi- and tri-flagellated daughter cells were formed.
Some common dynamic features of coupled reacting systems

Abstract A computational study of the dynamic behavior of several models describing coupled oscillatory chemical reactors is presented. Special emphasis is placed on the identification of bifurcations and dynamic features that are qualitatively common in large classes of such systems. We investigate the effects of systematically varying two parameters: (a) the strength of the coupling between the two reactors, and (b) the difference between the “natural’ states of the systems when they are uncoupled. For reactors which naturally oscillate, an interesting scenario involving quasiperiodicity and resonance is observed. This resembles the behavior observed in periodically forced oscillators. Indeed, the entire structure of resonance regions, and the breaking of quasiperiodic solutions as the coupling strength increases, appears to be a common feature of coupled reacting systems and coupled oscillators in general. A two-parameter computational study of the phenomenon of mutual extinction of the oscillations, which has been theoretically predicted, is also presented. The examples studied include chemical reactions in both isothermal and nonisothermal coupled CSTRs as well as a microbial predator-prey interaction in coupled isothermal chemostats.
Weak Interactions of the Fifth Quark and Fifth Lepton

Abstract New weak interactions of the b-quark and the τ − -lepton are discussed in a gauge model with exact Cabibbo universality for the light quarks. The model is consistent with all observed neutral current data and leads to new signals in the decay of bb states to electrons.
Operation of a High-Current Xenon Source

A multi-aperture Ehlers-type source has been constructed and operated to produce a 60 mA Xe/sup +1/ beam. The multi-aperture source utilizes a 13 hole aperture in a circular pattern producing a beam 25 mm in diameter. An accel--decel extraction system was used, producing a 22.5 keV beam whose normalized emittance at 29 mA was 0.027 ..pi.. cm--mrad. The neutralized beam was transported one meter through two magnetic quadrupole triplets to the entrance of a 20 cm accelerating gap consisting of five intermediate electrodes with a total voltage drop of 500 kV. The vacuum in the extraction region was held to 10/sup -5/ Torr by usng a puff valve and two 1500 1/sec turbo pumps. Multi-wire profile monitors just ahead of the column entrance measured the beam size, which was in good agreement with single-particle transport calculations.
Longevity of Salmonella Gallinarum

Abstract FOWL typhoid is a disease of great economic importance to poultrymen in many sections of the United States, particularly in the heavily populated Delmarva area where the disease is most prevalent, according to a nationwide survey made by Moore (1946a). For this reason, additional knowledge of Salmonella gallinarum, the causative organism of fowl typhoid, would be of great value in formulating plans for the effective control of the disease. It was the purpose of this study to determine the longevity of S. gallinarum on materials found in the environment of the poultry plant. Since it was impractical to make a thorough study of this type under actual farm conditions, certain materials were chosen which are commonly found on poultry farms and which might be subjected to laboratory examination. Cloth (cotton feed sack), plastic cover slips (resembling glass or plastic window material), chick down, chicken feed (broiler mash), and water were…
Circulatory Effects of Whole Blood, Packed Red Cells, Albumin, Starch, and Crystalloids in Resuscitation of Shock and Acute Critical Illness

Circulatory deficiencies and the effectiveness of transfusion and fluid therapy may be evaluated by invasive and noninvasive monitoring after high risk surgery, hemorrhage, trauma, and sepsis in the ED, OR, and ICU. Earlier recognition and therapy of circulatory problems in emergency and critically ill patients to achieve optimal goals empirically defined by the survivors' patterns is recommended to improve outcome. WB, Prbc, and colloids markedly and statistically significantly improved pressure, flow, and tissue perfusion and best achieved these goals. Noninvasive monitoring may be used in the ED and OR shortly after admission to identify circulatory deficiencies and to titrate therapy, or they may be used initially as the front-end of subsequent invasive monitoring.
Is recombination advantageous in fluctuating and spatially heterogeneous environments

Abstract We present an analytical model to determine optimum levels of recombination under individual selection. We assume an additive, polygenic mode of inheritance and pose the question: given a certain distribution of habitats over space and expectations that this distribution will change in various ways the succeeding generation; what level of phenotypic variance in offspring will maximize parental fitness? The two main results from this model are: (1) the conditions favoring recombination are very restrictive but some recombination may be favored when the temporal variability of the environment greatly exceeds the existing spatial variability; and (2) all else being equal, recombination is more favorable in marginal habitats.
Efficient incremental rerouting for fault reconfiguration in field programmable gate arrays

The ability to reconfigure around manufacturing defects and operational faults increases FPGA chip yield, reduces system downtime and maintenance in field operation, and increases reliabilities of mission- and life-critical systems. The fault reconfiguration technique discussed in this work use the principle of node covering in which reconfiguration is achieved by constructing replacement chains of cells from faulty cells to spare/unused ones. A key issue in such reconfiguration is efficient incremental rerouting in the FPGA. Previous methods for node-covering based reconfiguration are “static” in the sense that extra interconnects are added a-priori as part of the initial circuit routing so that a specific fault pattern (e.g., one fault per row) can be tolerated [1]. This, however, results in worst-case track overheads and also in an inflexibility to tolerate other realistic fault patterns. In this paper, we develop dynamic reconfiguration and incremental rerouting techniques that are fault specific. In this approach, the FPGA is initially routed without any extra interconnects for reconfiguration. When faults occur, the routed nets have to be minimally perturbed to allow these interconnects to be inserted “on-the-fly” for reconfiguration. These requirements are addressed in our minimally incremental rerouting technique Conv_T-DAG, which uses a cost-directed depth-first search strategy. We prove several results that establishes the near-optimality of Conv_T-DAG in terms of track overhead. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that an incremental rerouting technique has been developed for FPGAs. For several benchmark circuits, the static approach to tolerating one fault per row resulted in a 43% to 34% track overhead.Using the dynamic reconfiguration approach and Conv_T-DAG results in an average overhead of only 16%—an improvement of more than 50%. Over all circuits, the reconfiguration time per fault ranges from 16.8 to 72.9 secs. Simulation of smaller fault sets of one to four faults show very small track overheads ranging from 1.75% to 4.49%. Conv_T-DAG can also be used for interconnect fault tolerance.
Layered Unitary Space Time coding signal design

We present the theoretical concept of communicating over non-coherent block fading channel using Layered Unitary Space Time Codes (LUSTC), where efficient algorithms exist for decoding as compared to the exponentially complex decoding of Unitary Space Time Codes (USTC). In this paper, we focus on the designing the LUSTC signals. A successive design technique is applied to leverage the problem of optimizing over too many parameters. In case when even the successive design is to complex to use, an alternative heuristic design approach is provided to construct the signal constellations with less effort.
Manipulating and probing enzymatic conformational fluctuations and enzyme–substrate interactions by single-molecule FRET-magnetic tweezers microscopy

Enzyme–substrate interaction plays a critical role in enzymatic reactions, forming the active enzyme–substrate complex, the transition state ready to react. Studying the enzyme–substrate interaction will help in the ultimate molecular-level characterization of the enzymatic transition state that defines the reaction pathway, energetics, and the dynamics. In our initial effort to experimentally investigate the enzyme–substrate interactions and the related conformational fluctuations, we have developed a new approach to manipulate the enzymatic conformation and enzyme–substrate interaction at a single-molecule level by using a combined magnetic tweezers and simultaneous fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) spectroscopic microscopy. By a repetitive pulling–releasing manipulation of a Cy3–Cy5 dye labeled 6-hydroxymethyl-7,8-dihydropterin pyrophosphokinase (HPPK) molecule under the conditions with and without enzymatic substrates, we have probed and analyzed the enzymatic conformational dynamics. Our results indicate that the enzyme conformational flexibility can be regulated by enzyme–substrate interactions: (1) enzyme at its conformation-perturbed state has less flexibility when binding substrates, and (2) substrate binding to enzyme significantly changes the enzyme conformational flexibility, an experimental evidence of so called entropy trapping in the enzyme–substrate reactive transition state. Furthermore, our results provide a significant experimental analysis of the folding–binding enzyme–substrate interactions, a dynamic nature of the enzymatic active transition state formation process.
Formation and repair of γ-ray induced thymine damage in Micrococcus radiodurans

A reductive assay for the identification and determination of the major radiolysis products of thymine and its derivatives has been developed. Radiolysis products of the 6-(hydroxy or hydroperoxy)-5,6-dihydrothymine type ( t † ) are reductively cleaved with NaBH 4 and a four-carbon alcohol is released containing the thyminemethyl substituent. If thymine derivatives carrying a radioactive label in the methyl group are used as starting materials for the radiolysis, the amount of the four-carbon fragments produced by the treatment with NaBH 4 (mostly 2-methylglycerol after irradiation in air) can be determined by radioactivity measurements and is a measure of the extent of thymine radiolysis. The formation and repair of thymine base damage was investigated in Micrococcus radiodurans after exposure to γ -rays with the help of the reductive assay. The radiolysis products of thymine were determined in the cytoplasm and the culture medium after their release from the DNA during post-irradiation incubation. It is estimated that t † is formed in the DNA of M. radiodurans with an efficiency of about 1.2 × 10 −6 /rad, 10 6 daltons for irradiation in air and 10 −6 /rad, 10 6 daltons for irradiation in nitrogen. Damaged residues are released from the DNA of irradiated M. radiodurans into cytoplasm and medium during post-irradiation incubation in a biphasic, selective process. On the average, about 300 undamaged thymine residues are removed from the DNA per damaged residue during 240 minutes post-irradiation repair after irradiation in air. The first phase of removal (0 to 30 min at 37°C) and post-irradiation degradation may be part of the same process. Selectivity of product removal may be due to product clustering. Degradation is assumed to start at nearby radiation induced breaks. After a temporary halt, a second phase of product removal is observed (60 to 200 min).
Current views on the functions of interleukin-17A-producing cells in atherosclerosis

Multiple components of the immune response are involved in the initiation, progression and persistence of atherosclerosis. Interleukin (IL)-17A is produced by a broad variety of leukocytes and plays an important role in host defense. IL-17A is also involved in the pathology of several autoimmune diseases mainly via the regulation of chemokine expression and leukocyte migration to the site of inflammation. There is an increasing body of evidence indicating an association between elevated levels of IL-17A and cardiovascular diseases. Interestingly, this IL-17A-dependent response occurs in parallel with the Th1-dominant immune response during atherogenesis. To date, the precise role of IL-17A+ cells in atherosclerosis is controversial. Several studies have suggested a pro-atherogenic role of IL-17A via the regulation of aortic macrophage numbers, Th1-related cytokines and aortic chemokine expression. However, two studies recently described anti-inflammatory effects of IL-17A on mouse plaque burden via possible regulation of aortic VCAM-1 expression and T cell content. Furthermore, an initial study using IL-17A-deficient mice demonstrated that IL-17A affects the immune composition and inflammatory phenotype of the aortic wall; however, no effects were observed on atherosclerosis. Further studies are necessary to fully address the role of IL-17A and other IL-17 family members in atherosclerosis.
Absorption from the Vagina

PIP: Methods and results are reviewed of research on the permeability of the vagina to a wide variety of compounds including steroids, prostaglandins (PGs), antimicrobials, proteins, antigens, and hormones, nonoxynol-9, methadone, and inorganic compounds. Although the literature indicates that the vagina is capable of absorbing a wide variety of organic and inorganic compounds, quantitative data on the extent of absorption are often lacking. Most steroids were readily absorbed and their bioavailability after intravaginal instillation was greater than after oral administration because of a reduced first-pass effect. Natural and synthetic PGs were absorbed; the extent of absorption ranged from 10-43% of the dose. Penicillin and sulfanilamide exhibited extremely variable absorption from the vagina. In most women neither econazole, miconazole, nor clotrimazole were effectively absorbed. In 1943 it was demonstrated that proteins could be absorbed from the vagina. Data on human absorption of nonoxynol-9 are indirect but are consistent with absorption. Methadone, povidone-iodine, and potassium permanganate have also been shown to be absorbed through the vagina. The stage of the reproductive cycle may alter the extent of vaginal absorption, but this has been clearly demonstrated for only 1 substance in the rat.
Algorithms For Limited-Angle Computed Tomography

Limited-angle computed tomography was studied in a project to develop algorithms for a limited-angle scanner. Both the ART algorithm and an orthogonal function algorithm were investigated. The artifact produced by the different methods was very similar. A method is presented for producing model limited-angle artifact in phantom images. Filters are investigated for reducing the artifact, and it is shown that substantial improvement in subjective quality of images can be obtained. This method can be incorporated into limited-angle convolution back-projection algorithms.© (1982) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Design of Partial Height Ferrite Waveguide Circulators (Short Papers)

This short paper presents a design procedure for the widely used three-port waveguide circulator that has a partial height ferrite post in the junction region. Design formulas and curves are derived for two configurations of partial height circulators: one has a short circuit at one end of the ferrite post, while the other has dielectric spacers at both ends. The design method was used to build two circulators for operation at 38 GHz and 60 GHz, respectively. Excellent agreement between theory and experiment was obtained in predicting the center frequency and required matching structure of these devices.
Impact of Time to Start Treatment Following Infection with Application to Initiating HAART in HIV-Positive Patients

We estimate how the effect of antiretroviral treatment depends on the time from HIV-infection to initiation of treatment, using observational data. A major challenge in making inferences from such observational data arises from biases associated with the nonrandom assignment of treatment, for example bias induced by dependence of time of initiation on disease status. To address this concern, we develop a new class of Structural Nested Mean Models (SNMMs) to estimate the impact of time of initiation of treatment after infection on an outcome measured a fixed duration after initiation, compared to the effect of not initiating treatment. This leads to a SNMM that models the effect of multiple dosages of treatment on a time-dependent outcome, in contrast to most existing SNNMs, which focus on the effect of one dosage of treatment on an outcome measured at the end of the study. Our identifying assumption is that there are no unmeasured confounders. We illustrate our methods using the observational Acute Infection and Early Disease Research Program (AIEDRP) Core01 database on HIV. The current standard of care in HIV-infected patients is Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Treatment (HAART); however, the optimal time to start HAART has not yet been identified. The new class of SNNMs allows estimation of the dependence of the effect of 1 year of HAART on the time between estimated date of infection and treatment initiation, and on patient characteristics. Results of fitting this model imply that early use of HAART substantially improves immune reconstitution in the early and acute phase of HIV-infection.
(360) Comparing the differential item functioning of the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire between Hispanic and non-Hispanic pain patients

This study was conducted to examine the psychometric properties and differential item functioning of the English version of the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ) with data derived from 134 Hispanic and 134 non-Hispanic Caucasian pain patients. Reliability estimates (i.e., internal consistency and factor structure) and criterion validity of the SF-MPQ were evaluated. Differential item functioning analyses revealed statistically significant group differences in item reporting on this measure. One item, throbbing, demonstrated significant differences in terms of item endorsement relative to pain intensity. Interestingly, this same item demonstrated significant differences in item endorsement unrelated to pain intensity. Four additional items, including gnawing, aching, tiring-exhausting, and sickening, revealed significant differences in item endorsements unrelated to pain intensity. This author suggests that these observed group differences are due to culturallinguistic factors unrelated to overall pain intensity, identifying ethnicity as a moderating variable for five items on the SF-MPQ. The remaining 10 items revealed no significant differences, and appear to be used equivalently across these two ethnic groups. Group differences were not accounted for by gender, age, marital status, education, or pain location. The current study demonstrates one method in evaluating the cross-cultural validity of pain assessment instruments, and contributes to the understanding of cultural-linguistic variants in item reporting on the SF-MPQ. Additional data from a pilot study examining the cross-linguistic validity of a Spanish version of the SF-MPQ will be presented; the pilot research was funded by the Midwest Pain Society and the Illinois Institute of Technology.
Stabilities of some 2-(para-substituted-phenyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3-dioxolanes relative to their conjugate dioxolenium ions, radicals and carbanions as determined by thermodynamics for hydride and electron transfer in solution

A calorimetric method is described for the determination of the hydride affinities, ΔH(R+) of seven dioxolenium ions from the title compounds and also tropylium, trityl and 9-phenyl xanthylium cations by hydride transfer to the carbocations from BH3CN−. Cyclic voltammetric methods yield free energies for reduction of the cations to the conjugate radicals and to the carbanions. The ΔH(R+) values correlate well with the first reduction potentials of the cations.
Cortical gray-matter thinning is associated with age-related improvements on executive function tasks

Across development children show marked improvement in their executive functions (EFs), including the ability to hold information in working memory and to deploy cognitive control, allowing them to ignore prepotent responses in favor of newly learned behaviors. How does the brain support these age-related improvements? Age-related cortical gray-matter thinning, thought to result from selective pruning of inefficient synaptic connections and increases in myelination, may support age-related improvements in EFs. Here we used structural MRI to measure cortical thickness. We investigate the association between cortical thickness in three cortical regions of interest (ROIs), and age-related changes in cognitive control and working memory in 5–10 year old children. We found significant associations between reductions in cortical thickness and age-related improvements in performance on both working memory and cognitive control tasks. Moreover, we observed a dissociation between ROIs typically thought to underlie changes in cognitive control (right Inferior Frontal gyrus and Anterior Cingulate cortex) and age-related improvements in cognitive control, and ROIs for working memory (superior parietal cortex), and age-related changes in a working memory task. These data add to our growing understanding of how structural maturation of the brain supports vast behavioral changes in executive functions observed across childhood.
Longitudinal trajectories of marijuana use from adolescence to young adulthood.

Background Marijuana use is increasingly widespread among adolescents and young adults; however, few studies have examined longitudinal trajectories of marijuana use during this important developmental period. As such, we examined adolescent trajectories of marijuana use and the psychosocial factors that may differentiate individuals who escalate their marijuana use over adolescence and young adulthood from those who do not.
Determination of celecoxib in human plasma by normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with column switching and ultraviolet absorbance detection

Abstract A method is described for the determination of celecoxib in human plasma. Samples were extracted using 3M Empore membrane extraction cartridges and separated under normal-phase HPLC conditions using a Nucleosil-NO 2 (150×4.6 mm, 5 μm) column. Detection was accomplished using UV absorbance at 260 nm. The HPLC method included a column switching procedure, in which late eluting compounds were diverted to waste, to reduce run-time to 12 min. The assay was linear in the concentration range of 25–2000 ng/ml when 1-ml aliquots of plasma were extracted. Recoveries of celecoxib were greater than 91% over the calibration curve range. Intraday precision and accuracy for this assay were 5.7% C.V. or better and within 2.3% of nominal, respectively. The assay was used to analyze samples collected during human clinical studies.
Villous adenoma and adenocarcinoma of female urethra

Abstract A case of villous adenoma of the female urethra which progressed to villous adenocarcinoma is presented. Emphasis is made on progressive nature of this lesion and the necessity of close follow-up and aggressive approach.
The Use of Trained Patient Educators with Rheumatoid Arthritis to Teach Medical Students

Objective. To assess whether patients with rheumatoid arthritis IRA) trained as educators can enhance the integration of clinical and basic science education among second-year medical students during their rheumatology sequence. Methods. Twenty patients with RA and strong communication skills were extensively trained to teach students how to pe$orm the whole-body joint examination. Each arthritis educator taught three 2-hour small group sessions and participated in a concluding2-hour panel discussion with the entire class. Changes in student knowledge and attitudes were assessed in a prepost evaluation design. Results. There were statistically and educationally significant gains in knowledge, confidence, and attitudes related to psychosocial aspects of arthritis in each of the 2 years the program was implemented. Oneyear followup data indicated substantial retention of these gains. Conclusions. Patients trained in arthritis education can effectively teach fundamental musculoskeletal examination skills and encourage the development of sensitivity to the impact of chronic arthritis on the daily life of other patients.
Experimental study of the spontaneous thermal homopolymerization of methyl and n‐butyl acrylate

This article presents an experimental study of the spontaneous thermal homopolymerization of methyl acrylate (MA) and n-butyl acrylate (nBA) in the absence of any known added initiators at 120 and 140°C in a batch reactor. The effects of the solvent type, oxygen level, and reaction temperature on the monomer conversion and polymer average molecular weights were investigated. Three solvents, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO; polar, aprotic), cyclohexanone (polar, aprotic), and xylene (nonpolar) were used. The spontaneous thermal polymerization of MA and nBA in DMSO resulted in a lower conversion and higher average molecular weights in comparison to polymerization in cyclohexanone and xylene under the same conditions. The highest final conversion of both monomers was obtained in cyclohexanone. The high polymerization rate in cyclohexanone was most likely due to an additional initiation mechanism where cyclohexanone complexed with the monomer to generate free radicals. Bubbling air through the mixture led to a higher monomer conversion during the early stage of the polymerization and a lower polymer average molecular weight in xylene and cyclohexanone; this indicated the existence of a distinct behavior between the air- and nitrogen-purged systems. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight analysis of the polymer samples taken from nitrogen-bubbled batches did not reveal fragments from initiating impurities. On the basis of the identified families of peaks, monomer self-initiation is suggested as the principal mode of initiation in the spontaneous thermal polymerization of MA and nBA at temperatures above 100°C. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010
Molecular Basis of Recovering on Mechanical Circulatory Support

Our insights into different system levels of mechanisms by left ventricular assist device support are increasing and suggest a complex regulatory system of overlapping biological processes. To develop novel decision-making strategies and patient selection criteria, heart failure and reverse cardiac remodeling should be conceptualized and explored by a multifaceted research strategy of transcriptomics, metabolomics, proteomics, molecular biology, and bioinformatics. Knowledge of the molecular mechanisms of reverse cardiac remodeling is in its early stages, and comprehensive reconstruction of the underlying networks is necessary.
Differentiation without cleavage: multiple cytospecific ultrastructural expressions in individual one-celled ascidian embryos

Abstract Multiple states of differentiation developed within the same undivided egg cytoplasm of ascidian zygotes cleavage-arrested with cytochalasin B. Complex ultrastructural traits of up to four quite diverse cell lineage components were observed in regions of the common cytoplasm in such multinucleate homokaryons of Ciona intestinalis: epidermal, muscle, notochordal, and neural. Almost all specimens among those selected as showing differentiation contained two such features, half of them had at least three, and a few expressed all four. The histospecific morphological characteristics noted were the extracellular test material of epidermal cell origin, muscle myofilaments and myofibrils, sheath components (leaflets and filaments) associated with notochordal cells, and the particular localized combinations of microtubules, filamentous structures, and cilia indicative of ascidian neural tissues. Cleavage-arrested one-celled embryos of Ascidia ceratodes served to demonstrate that those which were found cytochemically to contain muscle acetylcholinesterase always had myofibrils and myofilaments. Other arrested zygotes of Ascidia (unstained specimens) also had quite fully formed test material as well as myofilaments and myofibrils. The occurrence within the same cell of so many specific markers of diverse pathways of development is consistent with a theory about a primary level of regulation based on autonomous gene activation factors already present in the fertilized egg. If further investigation substantiates a real cytoplasmic continuity within these cleavage-arrested embryos, other theories that invoke cell interactions, temporal sequences of metabolically distinct microenvironments, and gradients of substances as causes of determinative change seem inadequate to account for the coexisting expressions of differentiation described here.
Effectiveness of environment-simulation testing for satellites.

The philosophy and purpose of ground simulation tests for unmanned spacecraft, as used at the Goddard Space Flight Center, is reviewed. Laboratory test results are presented from 16 prototype and 48 flight spacecraft. The summarized results show a four-to-one ratio in problems per spacecraft for prototype compared to flight models, and for both models the simulated space test has revealed the largest number of problems. A comparison of the number of space problems with test problems on the same spacecraft shows no correlation and shows that 100% trouble-free operation was not obtained on any spacecraft. Data from simulated space testing of 270 experiments for an observatory program show an exponential relationship of malfunctions with time. The curve can be used to estimate the number of problems that will be detected by varying the test time but cannot be extrapolated to longterm (days) testing. The data from the systems test of a complete observatory under simulated space conditions show failures occurring after 12 days of testing and verify the need for long-term systems tests.
Effects of chronic nerve cuff and intramuscular electrodes on rat triceps surae motor units

In order to assess the long-term effects of implanted electrodes on motor unit properties, we studied triceps surae (TS) motor units in rats implanted for 3-10 months with a tibial nerve cuff electrode for H-reflex elicitation and intramuscular electrodes for recording TS electromyographic activity. Motor units with sag from implanted rats displayed greater tetanic force than those from unimplanted rats. Motor units without sag had shorter twitch contraction times. This disrupted the relationship between sag and contraction time that was always present in unimplanted rats. These differences were consistent with a small degree of muscle denervation and subsequent reinnervation. Further analyses ascribed this effect to the nerve cuff rather than to the intramuscular electrodes. Comparable changes in motor unit properties may occur in humans with implanted nerve cuffs.
Two unusual congenital tumors with long-term follow-up after local surgical resection

We report two cases of rare congenital neoplasms (fibrosarcoma and hemangiopericytoma) in which the sole mode of treatment was surgical resection. There has been no local recurrence or metastatic disease in 18 and 15 years of follow-up, respectively. The more optimistic prognosis of these congenital tumors in comparison with their adult counterparts is emphasized, current methods of treatment are discussed, and the results of DNA ploidy analyses are provided.
Guaianolides from Calea subcordata

Chemical analysis of Calea subcordata yielded three new guaianolides, 8-epi-isobutyrylrupicolin A, 8-epi-isobutyrylrupicolin B and subcordatolide A, which represent the first guaianolide-type sesquiterpene lactones reported in the genus Calea. The structures of the new compounds were established by chemical and spectroscopic methods.
A Specific Domain of the Chikungunya Virus E2 Protein Regulates Particle Formation in Human Cells: Implications for Alphavirus Vaccine Design

Virus-like particles (VLPs) can be generated from Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), but different strains yield variable quantities of particles. Here, we define the genetic basis for these differences and show that amino acid 234 in E2 substantially affects VLP production. This site is located within the acid-sensitive region (ASR) known to initiate a major conformational change in E1/E2. Selected other mutations in the ASR, or changes in pH, also increased VLP yield. These results demonstrate that the ASR of E2 plays an important role in regulating particle generation.
The case for addressing the limiting impact of interference on wireless scheduling

Co-channel interference is a limiting factor to the predictability and performance of wireless networks, thus interference-oriented scheduling of channel access has become a basic building block of wireless networking. Despite much work in this area, the existing algorithms did not address the limiting impact of interference when optimizing transmission scheduling. Towards understanding the importance of considering the limiting impact of interference, we formulate the concept of interference budget, and we propose the scheduling algorithm iOrder that maximizes the schedulability of future channel access when scheduling concurrent transmissions. When selecting concurrent transmitters for a time slot, more specifically, iOrder tries to maximize the additional interference that can be tolerated by all the receivers while satisfying the application requirement on link reliability. We analyze the approximation ratio of iOrder, and, through extensive simulation and testbed-based measurement, we observe that addressing the limiting impact of interference can improve the performance of existing algorithms by a significant margin, for instance, improving the throughput of the well-known algorithm LQF by a factor up to 2. Thus our study demonstrates the importance of explicitly addressing the limiting impact of interference, which opens up new avenues for future research and for optimizing wireless network performance.
Rallies and the “First Image” Leadership Psychology, Scapegoating Proclivity, and the Diversionary Use of Force

Despite considerable scholarship regarding the degree to which the international use of force generates popular rallies, no work has addressed the possibility that leaders’ managerial philosophies and psychological predispositions systematically influence their assessments of whether or not diversion “works”. In this article, we test hypotheses—conceived through direct reference to work in political psychology—which suggest that the degree to which presidents are innately concerned with the maintenance of the American “in-group” is an important predictor of whether they scapegoat international “out-groups” and, by extension, whether they choose strategies of diversionary foreign conflict or more cordial foreign engagement when facing domestic problems. Several analyses of American foreign policy behavior for the period 1953—2000 produce findings that clearly are at odds with these hypotheses, in that in-group biased presidents are actually less likely to use force and more likely to attend superpower summ...
Analysis of vasoconstrictor responses to histamine in the hindlimb vascular bed of the rabbit.

Hemodynamic responses to histamine were investigated in the anesthetized rabbit. Intravenous injections of histamine induced dose-dependent decreases in systemic arterial pressure that were blocked...
Iterative Channel Decoding of FEC-Based Multiple-Description Codes

Multiple description coding has been receiving attention as a robust transmission framework for multimedia services. This paper studies the iterative decoding of FEC-based multiple description codes. The proposed decoding algorithms take advantage of the error detection capability of Reed-Solomon (RS) erasure codes. The information of correctly decoded RS codewords is exploited to enhance the error correction capability of the Viterbi algorithm at the next iteration of decoding. In the proposed algorithm, an intradescription interleaver is synergistically combined with the iterative decoder. The interleaver does not affect the performance of noniterative decoding but greatly enhances the performance when the system is iteratively decoded. We also address the optimal allocation of RS parity symbols for unequal error protection. For the optimal allocation in iterative decoding, we derive mathematical equations from which the probability distributions of description erasures can be generated in a simple way. The performance of the algorithm is evaluated over an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing system. The results show that the performance of the multiple description codes is significantly enhanced.
Fibricola ramachandrani (Betterton, 1976) Palmieri, Krishnasamy and Sullivan comb. nov. from Malaysian rodent hosts with a special note on intraspecific morphological variation

Neodiplostomum (Conodiplostomum) ramachandrani Betterton, 1976 has been reported from four species of rodent hosts: Echinosorex gymnurus (Raffles): Rattus whiteheadi (Thos); R. muelleri (Jentink) and Callosciurus notatus (Boddaert). A comparison of trematodes recovered from these hosts revealed patterns of host-induced morphological variation taking place. Because N. (Conodiplostomum) ramachandrani shows little generic difference from Fibricola intermedius (Pearson, 1959) Sudarikov, 1960 it is transferred to the genus Fibricola and is now designated Fibricola ramachandrani (Betterton, 1976) Palmieri, Krishnasamy and Sullivan.
This isn't your father's computer lab: computer labs redefined

The College of Engineering at Colorado State University supports 20 computer labs, but only three qualify as the "traditional computer lab" model, with the number of available seats as the selling point. Our computer lab offerings have primarily shifted to electronic classrooms, meeting rooms, virtual labs, and collaborative design spaces based on evolving feedback from students and faculty. We promote group work spaces such as our Engineering Design Studios, a diverse offering of meeting rooms, multi-purpose spaces and electronic classrooms with a computer at each desk for interactive coursework. The curriculum emphasizes group work, and our technology services team works to support the curriculum by providing students with spaces that facilitate collaboration. Web-based virtual computer labs allow students to connect from virtually anywhere. Smart cards, thin clients and virtual desktops allow portable sessions. Audiovisual technology is prevalent and accessible. Our instructional needs require these types of evolving spaces, which blend instruction, course work and social interactions.
Mentoring Graduate Students in Teaching The FCCIC Model

Research has consistently shown the high value of mentorship for graduate students in various areas—program satisfaction, professional self-image, confidence, productivity, and so on. However, spec...
Bomb damage assessment using a dispensed sensor projectile

The problem of obtaining images of a target site after munition impact is approached by releasing a small projectile equipped with a camera from a dropped munition. A ballute is deployed from the sensor projectile shortly after release from the munition. This type of system is capable of viewing munition impact and subsequent target effects over a wide variety of conditions and offers the possibility of real-time battle damage assessment (BDA). However, fundamental limits exist on the duration that the camera is able to view the target after impact for a particular required separation distance between the sensor projectile and the target at impact and the field of regard (FOR) of the camera. Munition release altitude and velocity significantly affect these fundamental limits. Optimal performance is attained under high altitude and low speed munition drop conditions. Basic characteristics of the camera projectile also significantly influence system performance. Maximum target view time is attained with a low weight high drag configuration., To reduce the maximum acceleration experienced by the sensor projectile, a small delay time between the release of the small sensor projectile from the munition and inflation of ballute is required.
N -glycan Cryptic Antigens as Active Immunological Targets in Prostate Cancer Patients.

Although tumor-associated abnormal glycosylation has been recognized for decades, information regarding host recognition of the evolving tumor glycome remains elusive. We report here a carbohydrate microarray analysis of a number of tumor-associated carbohydrates for their serum antibody reactivities and potential immunogenicity in humans. These are the precursors, cores and internal sequences of N-glycans. They are usually masked by other sugar moieties and belong to a class of glyco-antigens that are normally “cryptic”. However, viral expression of these carbohydrates may trigger host immune responses. For examples, HIV-1 and SARS-CoV display Man9 clusters and tri- or multi-antennary type II (Galβ1→4GlcNAc) chains (Tri/m-II), respectively; viral neutralizing antibodies often target these sugar moieties. We asked, therefore, whether prostate tumor expression of corresponding carbohydrates triggers antibody responses in vivo. Using carbohydrate microarrays, we analyzed a panel of human sera, including 17 samples from prostate cancer patients and 12 from men with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH). We observed that IgG antibodies targeting the Man9- or Tri-/m-II-autoantigens are readily detectable in the sera of men with BPH, as well as those with cancer. Importantly, these antibody activities were selectively increased in prostate cancer patients. Thus, human immune systems actively recognize these N-glycan cryptic carbohydrates and produce targeting antibodies. This finding shads a light on a class of previously less studied immunological targets of human cancers. Identifying the diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic values of these targets will require further investigation.
2004 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Guidelines for the Management of Patients With ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction: Implications for Emergency Department Practice

The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association last published evidence-based guidelines for the management of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in 1999. In mid-2004, in recognition of the evolution and improvement of many of the most basic tenets of clinical management of STEMI since that time, an updated edition of the STEMI guidelines has been published. These guidelines offer many evidence-based recommendations that are pertinent to the out-of-hospital and emergency department care of STEMI patients, including initial evaluation, risk stratification, stabilizing management, and the choice between pharmacologic and mechanical revascularization. These are presented and discussed here.
Asymmetrical use of eye information from faces following unilateral amygdala damage

The human amygdalae are involved in processing visual information about the eyes within faces, and play an essential role in the use of information from the eye region of the face in order to judge emotional expressions, as well as in directing gaze to the eyes in conversations with real people. However, the roles played here by the left and right amygdala individually remain unknown. Here we investigated this question by applying the 'Bubbles’ method, which asks viewers to discriminate facial emotions from randomly sampled small regions of a face, to 23 neurological participants with focal, unilateral amygdala damage (10 to the right amygdala). We found a statistically significant asymmetry in the use of eye information when comparing those with unilateral left lesions to those with unilateral right lesions, specifically during emotion judgments. The findings have implications for the amygdala’s role in emotion recognition and gaze direction during face processing.
Inverters—critical photovoltaic balance‐of‐system components: status, issues, and new‐millennium opportunities

The balance-of-system (BOS) components in a photovoltaic (PV) installation include the array structure, trackers, ac and dc wiring, overcurrent protection, disconnects, interconnects, inverters, charge controllers, energy storage and system controllers. The inverter (sometimes called power-conditioning subsystem (PCS), power conditioner, or static power converter) is the key electrical power handling component of a photovoltaic power system that is attached to ac loads. This paper focuses on the inverter and its related functions as the critical electrical BOS element in a photovoltaic system. The paths that have been taken to arrive at today's inverter technology are summarized and developments in integrated hardware, advancements in packaging, advancements in manufacturing, and opportunities for the new millennium are presented.