cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Use of Chest Wall EMG to Classify Hypopneas as Obstructive or Central.

Study Objectives:To compare classification of hypopneas as obstructive or central based on an effort signal derived from surface chest wall electromyography (CW-EMG-EF) coupled with airflow amplitu...
Chain conjectures and H-domains

Some new equivalences to the chain conjecture (the integral closure of a local domain is catenary) and to the catenary chain conjecture (the integral closure of a catenary local domain is catenary) are proved, as are some new characterizations of a local H-domain. Also, a fact which lends support to the chain conjecture is noted, and it is proved that the H-conjecture (a local H-domain is catenary) implies the catenary chain conjecture.
Heavy Metal Toxicity and Energy Metabolism in the Developing Brain

It has long been recognized that lead poisoning produces devastating neurologic damage to the CNS in children (encephalopathy) that is characterized by cerebral edema, convulsion, and coma (Aub et al., 1925; Byers and Lord, 1943). Poisoning in adults results largely from occupational exposure and produces clinical or subclinical signs of peripheral neuropathy usually without CNS involvement. The reasons(s) for this maturational change in brain sensitivity to lead toxicity are uncertain, but perhaps can be related to the development of the mammalian nervous system (Reiter, 1982). In the protracted period of CNS development, there are specific time-related processes termed “growth spurts” by Davison and Dobbing (1968), who related brain growth to differing time scales depending on the species, i.e., days in rats and mice, months for human development. Since such estimates fail to take into account individual growth rates for neurons and glia, Rodier (1979) described the prenatal and postnatal time course of neuron proliferation. His studies showed that although different neuronal systems develop at different rates within a single species, and the exact timing may vary, the sequence of development is similar for all species studied. In addition to such neuroanatomic correlates of growth, periods of neurochemical transition termed “critical periods” have been described by Himwich (1951). Toxic damage following exposure to noxious chemicals has been related in specific cases (e.g., methyl mercury) to these stages of nervous system development (Suzuki, 1980).
Generalized PCA via the Backward Stepwise Approach in Image Analysis

Principal component analysis (PCA) for various types of image data is analyzed in terms of the forward and backward stepwise viewpoints. In the traditional forward view, PCA and approximating subspaces are constructed from lower dimension to higher dimension. The backward approach builds PCA in the reverse order from higher dimension to lower dimension.We see that for manifold data the backward view gives much more natural and accessible generalizations of PCA. As a backward stepwise approach, composite Principal Nested Spheres, which generalizes PCA, is proposed. In an example describing the motion of the lung based on CT images, we show that composite Principal Nested Spheres captures landmark data more succinctly than forward PCA methods.
Effects of fluid shear stress on bone cells

Neonatal rat calvarial cells (osteoblast-enriched) were cultured in monolayer on glass slides and subjected to a step increase in shear stress ranging from 3 to 60 dyne/cm2 in a laminar flow chamber. The level of intracellular free calcium ion concentration was monitored using Fura-2 fluorescence during the application of stress. Application of a step increase in stress resulted in a transient increase in calcium starting about 10-20 s after turning on the pump, reaching a peak in about 35 s and declining thereafter, despite the continued shear stress, and reaching near baseline values in about 100 s. No change in cytoplasmic calcium was observed with a step increase in shear stress of 3 dyne/cm2. Between 6 dyne/cm2 and 60 dyne/cm2, the magnitude of the calcium response increased with the applied shear stress.
Post-9/11 Coverage of Terrorism in the New York Times

Media coverage of terrorist attacks plays an important role in shaping the public understanding of terrorism. While there have been studies analyzing coverage of incidents prior to 9/11, there has ...
A descriptive model of thermoelectric transport in a resonant system of PbSe doped with Tl

Thermoelectric properties are governed by classic Boltzmann transport equations. This often sets limits for how much each material can be optimized for thermoelectric application. The resonant effect from dopants in certain systems presents one of a few successful strategies to work outside this classic limit. We studied the resonant effect from Tl in PbSe and developed a Boltzmann transport model to understand the changes in the Seebeck coefficient and mobility brought by resonant levels at different temperatures, which has not been discussed in the available literature. We found the most critical feature of resonant levels for thermoelectrics is their central energy position and its best location is near the band edge slightly into the conducting band. Our model also confirmed that it is possible to achieve moderate improvement of performance with resonant levels in systems similar to PbSe.
AI, IoT, Big Data, and Technologies in Digital Economy with Blockchain at Sustainable Work Satisfaction to Smart Mankind: Access to 6th Dimension of Human Rights

The usefulness of this work lies in the need for the world economy to circulate product, service, and wealth in a safe and profitable way. The survival of mankind depends on this. Taxation to smart economy has been the cause of many discussions since 2015. Taxation should provide resources for governments to move the economy and ensure a dignity life for the citizen. It cannot be a cause of economic stagnation like it has been happening in many countries.
Understanding the short-term aging of warm mix asphalt using rolling thin film oven

Standard Rolling thin film oven (RTFO) test at 163°C for 85 minutes has been investigated and revised to represent the short-term aging of the warm mix asphalt (WMA) binder which is mixed and aged at lower temperature. Because of wide mixing temperature and variation in duration of storage and paving time, field short-term aging differs significantly. To simulate the reduced aging of WMA binders in the laboratory, series of RTFO tests were conducted on two binders at three different temperatures and for four aging periods. Short-term oven aging (STOA) of mix was performed for the same time duration at those three RTFO aging temperatures. A RTFO aging model was developed correlating the rheological properties of STOA mix. Following the aging model developed in this study aging temperature and duration can be selected for RTFO testing to simulate aging effect that a binder experiences in STOA of mix. It is observed that the change in aging index of binder follows a linear relationship with aging time, and the rate of change of the aging index changes linearly with temperature. This study also affirms that STOA of mix exhibits more sensitivity to temperature than that of RTFO aging of binder. Investigation of plant and laboratory mix depicts that very small portion of mix aging occurs during mixing phase however, main portion of short-term aging occur during the storage of plant mix or oven aging of laboratory mix. Because of wide mixing temperature RTFO aging test protocol need to be adjusted.
Examining the Utility of a General Substance Use Spectrum Using Latent Trait Modeling.

Abstract Background Polysubstance use (PSU; lifetime use of multiple substances) is common among individuals with problematic alcohol/substance use and is associated with poor prognosis and poor physical/mental health. Furthermore, simultaneous co-use of substances, such that drug effects overlap, is also common and related to unique risks (e.g. overdose). Despite the importance of PSU, current diagnostic systems continue to conceptualize problems with alcohol/substances as class-specific constructs (e.g. Stimulant Use Disorder), which essentially ignore many unique PSU processes. Methods The current study modeled problems with alcohol, cannabis, stimulants, sedatives, opiates, and simultaneous co-use of these substances as a manifestation of a general substance use continuum versus as correlated class-specific constructs in a sample of young-adults(n = 2482) using confirmatory factor analysis. Utility of the models was evaluated by examining associations between the general substance use spectrum and class-specific latent factors with measures of anxiety, ADHD, adult antisocial problems, borderline symptoms, neuroticism, and intelligence in a subset of the sample(n=847). Results Findings supported the conceptualization of problems with all substances, including co-use of substances, as being manifestations of a general substance use spectrum, as class-specific constructs were not differentially associated with other measures of psychological dysfunction. Examination of this general substance use spectrum indicated that all substances, separately and co-use, were robustly informative of this spectrum, but tended to discriminate between different severity levels. Discussion The general substance use spectrum allows for integration of information from the use and co-use of all substances to provide better assessment of overall problems with substances compared to class-specific constructs.
Malignant rhabdoid tumor arising in a mixed epithelial, stromal tumor of kidney: report of a male case, review of the literature

Mixed epithelial and stromal tumor (MEST) of the kidney is a rare biphasic tumor composed of both stromal and epithelial components, the latter showing a variable proportion of solid to cystic areas. These tumors show a marked female predominance, commonly occur in perimenopausal age groups, and often have an ovarian-type stroma with ER and PR positivity, suggesting steroids may play a role in pathogenesis. Although typically benign, rare cases showing malignant transformation have been reported. We present a case of a 42-year-old man with a 10 cm right kidney mass located in the renal pelvis. Histologically, the majority of the tumor was composed of a diffuse, sheet-like growth of malignant cells demonstrating a rhabdoid morphology with large nuclei, prominent nucleoli, and eosinophilic eccentric cytoplasm. Brisk mitotic activity and coagulative type necrosis was also noted. Intimately associated with this malignant rhabdoid component was a much smaller portion of tumor featuring variably sized bland epithelial tubules embedded within a stroma composed of bland spindle cells and areas of hyalinization, diagnostic of MEST. By immunohistochemistry, the malignant rhabdoid tumor portion of the neoplasm showed complete loss of nuclear INI-1, while the MEST component retained nuclear expression of this antigen. With these features taken together, our case represents a malignant rhabdoid tumor arising in a background of MEST. To our knowledge, this case represents the first case of a MEST showing malignant transformation in the form of malignant rhabdoid tumor in a male patient in the English language literature.
What Causes Toxic Workplace Situations? A Focus on the Ethical Drivers

This chapter examines some of the ethical drivers that work together to create a situation where organizational toxicity spills over to employees. Takeaways for Practitioners An understanding of the types of ethical issues that create workplaces that cause employees to endure stress and anxiety Clarity about how senior leaders get seduced into making poor ethical or moral decisions as they rise through the ranks Strategies for putting up “guard rails” to mitigate these ethical lapses among senior leaders
Automated Design of Neuromorphic Networks for Scientific Applications at the Edge

Designing spiking neural networks for neuromorphic deployment is a non-trivial task. It is further complicated when there are resource constraints for the neuromorphic implementation, such as size or power constraints, that may be present in edge applications. In this work, we utilize a previously presented approach, EONS, to design spiking neural networks for a memristive neuromorphic implementation for scientific data applications. We specifically use a multi-objective approach in EONS to maximize network accuracy on the scientific data application task, but also to minimize network size and energy. We illustrate that EONS determines both the network structure and the parameters, removing the burden from the user on determining the appropriate spiking neural network structure, and we show that the resulting networks are very different from the layered structure of typical neural networks. Finally, we show that the multi-objective approach produces smaller, more energy efficient networks than the original EONS approach and produces comparable accuracy to a back-propagation style training approach.
Wildfire and climate change adaptation of western North American forests: a case for intentional management.

Forest landscapes across western North America (wNA) have experienced extensive changes over the last two centuries, while climatic warming has become a global reality over the last four decades. Resulting interactions between historical increases in forested area and density and recent rapid warming, increasing insect mortality, and wildfire burned areas, are now leading to substantial abrupt landscape alterations. These outcomes are forcing forest planners and managers to identify strategies that can modify future outcomes that are ecologically and/or socially undesirable. Past forest management, including widespread harvest of fire- and climate-tolerant large old trees and old forests, fire exclusion (both Indigenous and lightning ignitions), and highly effective wildfire suppression have contributed to the current state of wNA forests. These practices were successful at meeting short-term demands, but they match poorly to modern realities. Hagmann et al. review a century of observations and multi-scale, multi-proxy, research evidence that details widespread changes in forested landscapes and wildfire regimes since the influx of European colonists. Over the preceding 10 millennia, large areas of wNA were already settled and proactively managed with intentional burning by Indigenous tribes. Prichard et al. then review the research on management practices historically applied by Indigenous tribes and currently applied by some managers to intentionally manage forests for resilient conditions. They address 10 questions surrounding the application and relevance of these management practices. Here, we highlight the main findings of both papers and offer recommendations for management. We discuss progress paralysis that often occurs with strict adherence to the precautionary principle; offer insights for dealing with the common problem of irreducible uncertainty and suggestions for reframing management and policy direction; and identify key knowledge gaps and research needs.
Towards a Systemic Understanding of the Implementation of Maker Education in Middle and High schools in China

This study aims to understand how maker education is being interpreted and implemented in China's middle and high schools and how it can be improved. A series of comprehensive interviews were conducted with an education policy researcher, twelve maker educators, and two principals. A number of makerspaces were observed in different parts of China. The findings show that the implementation of maker education in China is deeply influenced by the country's overall education policies, culture, and societal agenda. Chinese teachers perceive maker education as part of "innovation education," and the ultimate goal of maker education programs was seen as a way to cultivate outstanding innovative talents through competitions. The results show that there is a need to bring attention to the issues of equity and inclusion in maker education in China.
In Vitro and in Vivo Effect of Deoxycoformycin in Human T Cell Leukemia

The success of anti-cancer chemotherapy is often limited by the toxicity of chemotherapeutic agents toward normal bone marrow cells and other rapidly dividing cells. It is most desirable, but it has been difficult to find anti-cancer agents that are selectively toxic to neoplastic cells. Approaches to the achievement of such chemotherapeutic selectivity were developed out of the recent elucidation of the causal association of severe combined immunodeficiency with hereditary deficiency of adenosine deaminase (ADA) (1,2). ADA, an enzyme that catalyzes the deamination of adenosine and deoxy-adenosine to inosine and deoxy-inosine, is widely distritubed in mammalian tissue (3,4). However, inherited deficiency of ADA activity is associated with selective impairment of lymphoid functions, particularly T cell functions, although the enzyme is virtually absent from all tissues examined (4).
Managing Cost, schedule, and technical performance through a sustained change framework

Operating a world-renowned space flight mission portfolio under tight policy, fiscal scrutiny, and increased competition makes open communication, visible performance data, and streamlined processes challenging. To respond to these challenges and meet cost and schedule commitments, Goddard Space Flight Center's Flight Projects Directorate employed a Business Change Initiative (BCI) to infuse a series of activities coordinated to drive process improvement across Goddard's missions. The result is a framework that sustains continuous, lasting change, which actively educates and consistently applies program planning and control (PP&C) techniques to launch on time and on budget, and achieve mission success.
Meeting the Needs of Older Men: Challenges for Those in Helping Professions

The uniqueness of men's lives has not been revealed in the social service literature. Therefore policy makers and practitioners are without the necessary knowledge base and research to create programs and services that will engage men and, in particular, aging men. This article presents an overview of the state of knowledge in general and the specific areas significant to policy and practice development.
Cutting Edge: An Endogenous Pathway to Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS)-Like Reactions through Toll-Like Receptor 4

Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) is typically associated with trauma, surgery, or acute pancreatitis. SIRS resembles sepsis, triggered by exogenous macromolecules such as LPS acting on Toll-like receptors. What triggers SIRS in the absence of infection, however, is unknown. In this study, we report that a SIRS-like response can be induced in mice by administration of soluble heparan sulfate, a glycosaminoglycan associated with nucleated cells and extracellular matrices, and by elastase, which cleaves and releases heparan sulfate proteoglycans. The ability of heparan sulfate and elastase to induce SIRS depends on functional Toll-like receptor 4, because mutant mice lacking that receptor or its function do not respond. These results provide a molecular explanation for the initiation of SIRS.
Field quenching in photoconductive CdS as possible reason to enhance Voc and FF in thin‐film solar cells

Field-quenching via Frenkel-Poole excitation of Coulomb attractive hole traps limits the field in the CdS part of the junctions to 50 kV/cm. This is far below the field in typical other pn-junctions of thin-film semiconductors, which exceeds 100 kV/cm and approaches tunneling fields that make junctions leaky, hence reduces both V oc and FF. Field-quenched CdS may become electronically inverted, thereby providing a possibility that the junction of the CdS/CdTe cell may extend into the CdS, with the cell becoming a hetero structure. With field quenching a region of negative differential conductivity is created causing a high-field domain that prevents the maximum electric field in the junction to exceed 50kV/cm, avoiding tunneling, hence electron leakage through it. A preliminary band model of this cell is proposed.
Physical Education in the 1980s

Physical education, like most areas of education, is changing and taking on a new look for the 1980s. Physical educators, school administrators, and others making decisions about programs for children and young people are examining both current practices and forecasts for the future in this field. What they decide will profoundly affect the resources that should be a part of library collections for children and youth. Too often librarians and school media specialists have found it difficult to think about the kinds of materials appropriate for such collections because they do not have the knowledge necessary for sound selection. A major reason for this difficulty is that the area of physical education is usually separated from other subject areas in schools. Along with the industrial arts, domestic science, and the fine arts, physical education is categorized as a performative subject area. Classified as such, it is usually not thought of as something you ask young people to think about, talk about, or even read about; but rather, something you ask them to “do.” Yet, upon closer examination, there exists a small wealth of library materials for children.
Significance of S-T segment elevations in acute myocardial ischemia. Evaluation with intracoronary electrode technique.

Abstract A method is described for measuring intracoronary S-T-segment elevations in the closed chest, a technique that appears to provide more reliable measurements of myocardial ischemia. Electrodes were inserted through intracoronary balloon catheters that were placed within a coronary artery and its adjoining vein both proximal and at several points distal to a coronary occlusion. Intracoronary arterial and adjacent venous electrocardiograms produced equivalent tracings. The intracoronary S-T-segment elevations after coronary occlusion resembled those recorded from the epicardial surface but were free of artifacts noted in open chest studies. Study of progressive alterations of the intracoronary S-T segment after proximal occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery in 18 closed chest dogs revealed a peak segment elevation of 3.2 ±0.6 mv within 5 minutes, followed within 2 to 3 hours by spontaneous reduction by more than 40 percent of the S-T elevation over the occluded zone. In 44 percent of these animals, the S-T elevation decreased spontaneously to less than 1 mv, and in 22 percent it decreased to the preocclusion control level within 2 hours of occlusion. This spontaneous decrease in S-T elevation was frequently followed by a secondary increase and then S-T segment fluctuations. Reperfusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery after 30 to 60 minutes of occlusion generally led to a prompt reduction in S-T elevation. In some cases S-T elevations persisted up to 14 hours of occlusion, were reduced after reperfusion and exhibited a renewed pronounced increase after subsequent reocclusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery. During the 1st hour after occlusion, the early S-T segment elevation followed by spontaneous reduction generally corresponded temporally with the derangements in myocardial lactate extraction and potassium loss. However, after 1 hour of occlusion no clear-cut correlation could be established between S-T fluctuations and changes in hemodynamic or myocardial metabolic measurements. We conclude that the new closed chest intracoronary electrocardiographic S-T technique might be of use for monitoring the early ischemic myocardial derangements and to assess benefits or drawbacks of treatment in both the experimental animal and man. Correspondence of S-T segment elevation with lactate and potassium alterations in the coronary-occluded region in the 1st hour after occlusion indicates that S-T segment elevation might represent an index of early myocardial ischemia. The spontaneous S-T changes that follow coronary occlusion must be taken into consideration when investigators utilize S-T segment modification as a sign of effectiveness of treatment.
Evaluation of the vaginal irrigation smear technique.

Abstract Concurrent examinations of cervical scrape and irrigation smears were carried out on 1,763 patients. O[ 1,763 irrigation kits dispensed, 1,453 were returned giving an over-all return rate of 81.8 per cent. Eighty-five and nine-tenths per cent of the irrigation smears were satisfactory for interpretation. The factors regarding the unsatisfactory rate are discussed. Twenty-one of 25 women with suspicious or positive cervical scrape and/or irrigation smears had cervical biopsies per[ormed. Of 8 cases of cervical carcinoma, none were missed by the irrigation smear. From the data accumulated thus far, the irrigation smear appears to be an accurate method of assessing the cytologic status present and should be regarded as an adjunct in large population screening programs.
Flight Control Reconfiguration Using Model Reference Adaptive Control

A simplified multivariable model reference adaptive control (MRAC) is shown to provide control reconfiguration for the AFTI/F16 during single, double, triple, and quadruple control surface failures1. The simplified MRAC is unique in that it may employ a reduced order model and is applicable to unstable nonminimum phase plants. The MRAC is capable of implicitly redistributing the control effort among the aircrafts effective surfaces without explicit knowledge of the failure. The resulting control reconfiguration forces the aircraft to approximate the reference model trajectories. The AFTI/F16 model used for simulations incorporated the nonlinear rate and saturation limited servo dynamics.
Spectroscopic ellipsometry studies on ferroelectric surfaces

Summary form only given. Spectroscopic ellipsometry offers a means through which it should be possible to nondestructively characterize both intrinsic and processing-induced surface layers throughout a proposed thickness regime. Measurements of the ellipticity and azimuth of the reflected light were made between 300 and 700 nm using a xenon source with a rotating analyzer ellipsometer. A large BaTiO/sub 3/ crystal oriented with the optic axis perpendicular to the surface was polished in steps down to 0.05- mu m grit. After poling to remove 90 degrees domains, ellipsometric data were collected at four angles of incidence. Several models for the surface region were examined by fitting all data sets simultaneously. The best fit, chosen using a nonlinear regression analysis, was for a layer approximately 140 AA thick with a refractive index considerably below those shown by bulk BaTiO/sub 3/. >
An Automated Reclassification Project at the University of Kentucky

The University of Kentucky Libraries began use of the Library of Congress Classification System in 1978, leaving the bulk of their older material in the Dewey Classification System. In 1992 during ...
Effect of Vapor−Liquid Equilibrium on Fischer−Tropsch Hydrocarbon Selectivity for a Deactivating Catalyst in a Slurry Reactor

The results for the Fischer−Tropsch reaction carried out in the slurry phase over an iron-based catalyst that deactivates linearly following a period of constant activity are reported. Hydrocarbon selectivity plots exhibit a single value of chain growth probability, α, at the shorter times on stream while two values of chain growth probability are observed at longer times on stream (during catalyst deactivation). This is shown to be consistent with a vapor−liquid equilibrium (VLE) phenomena associated with the slurry reactor. An unsteady-state VLE model is developed which successfully predicts the two values of chain growth probability (positive deviations) at longer times on stream even though single-α stoichiometry is assumed. Positive deviations of hydrocarbon selectivity plots have not been ascribed previously to VLE phenomena. Further, this behavior is shown for catalysts deactivating either linearly or nonlinearly and with or without an initial period of constant activity. Thus, double-α selectivity...
Medical management of calcium oxalate urolithiasis

Dietary modifications and medical therapy can reduce the risk of urinary stone formation. Using the described stepwise approach, the medical management of stone disease should become a less daunting task for physicians. Unfortunately, the optimal medical and dietary management of urolithiasis remains uncertain and recurrent stone disease remains a significant cause of morbidity. Approaches to diagnosis and medical management have improved considerably in the last decade and it is hoped that well-designed studies in the near future will help further optimize management.
Development of a Scale to Determine Enrollment Barriers into Allied Health Programs

The purpose of this study was to develop the Scale of Allied Health Education Barriers to identify factors limiting enrollment in college/university allied health education programs. Development of the Scale of Allied Health Education Barriers was conducted through the following four stages: (1) review of literature, (2) focus group studies, (3) pilot testing, and (4) test administration and testing of measurement properties. Research participants (N = 1,044) were students enrolled in allied health and non-allied health education programs. Through conducting both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, this study identified five unique factors that are potential barriers to student enrollment in allied health education: Social Influence, Experiential Opportunity, Academic Preparation, Physical Self-Efficacy, and Self-Management. These factors were consistent with the social cognitive theory adopted to guide this study, which posits that personal, environmental, and behavioral factors collectively in...
Inside-Out Red Cell Membrane Vesicles: Preparation and Purification

Plasma membranes purified from human red cells were Converted into small vesicleS by disruption in alkaline buffer of low ionic strength. Most of these vesicles were inside-out. The presence of divalent cations prevented this inversion. The inside-out vesicles were separatcd from right-side-out vesicles by centrifugration to equilibrium in dextran density gradients.
Breeding for improved growth and juvenile corewood stiffness in slash pine

The importance of integrating measures of juvenile corewood mechanical properties, modulus of elasticity in particular, with growth and disease resistance in tree improvement programs has increased...
The Role of Calcium on the Activity of ERcalcistorin/Protein-disulfide Isomerase and the Significance of the C-terminal and Its Calcium Binding A COMPARISON WITH MAMMALIAN PROTEIN-DISULFIDE ISOMERASE

ERcalcistorin/protein-disulfide isomerase (ECaSt/PDI) shows a 55% identity with mammalian protein-disulfide isomerase (PDI) (Lucero, H. A., Lebeche, D., and Kaminer, B. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 23112-23119) is a high capacity low affinity Ca2+-binding protein and behaves as a Ca2+ storage protein in the ER of a living cell (Lucero, H. A., Lebeche, D., and Kaminer, B. (1998) J. Biol. Chem. 273, 9857-9863). Here we show that recombinant ECaSt/PDI bound 26 mol of Ca2+/mol and a C-terminal truncated mutant bound 14 mol of Ca2+/mol, both with a Kd of 2.8 mM in 50 mM KCl and 5.2 mM in 150 mM KCl. The percentage reduction in Ca2+ binding in the mutant corresponded with the percentage reduction of deleted pairs of acidic residues, postulated low affinity Ca2+-binding sites. 5 mM Ca2+ moderately increased the PDI activity of both ECaSt/PDI and the C-terminal truncated mutant on reduced RNase and insulin. Surprisingly, ECaSt/PDI in the absence of Ca2+ prevented the spontaneous reactivation of reduced bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor. In the presence of 1-5 mM Ca2+ (or 10 microM polylysine) ECaSt/PDI augmented the bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor reactivation rate. In contrast, the C-terminal truncated ECaSt/PDI augmented rBPTI reactivation in the absence of Ca2+ and 1-5 mM Ca2+ further accelerated the reactivation rate, responses similar to those obtained with mammalian PDI.
Uncommon Strategies for a Common Problem: Addressing Racism in Family Therapy

Race and racism have a profound effect on our daily lives and the practice of family therapy. Whether individual or institutional level, overt or covert, intentional or unintentional, there are a variety of ways in which racism can infiltrate the therapeutic process. Before therapists can take steps to address racism effectively within the context of family therapy, it is important to attend to the development of their racial awareness and racial sensitivity. These provide the critical foundation upon which specific skills and strategies associated with effectively identifying and responding to racism in therapy are based. This article defines racial awareness and sensitivity and provides suggestions for enhancing both. In the section that follows, three major ways in which racism can infiltrate the therapeutic process are described. Skills and strategies for addressing each of these in family therapy are presented.
Comparison of nodulating and non-nodulating strains ofRhizobium trifolii

A non-nodulating mutant ofRhizobium trifolii and its nodulating parent were examined for possible dissimilarities in their extracellular polysaccharides, antigen composition and ability to grow on the roots ofTrifolium pratense. A major distinction between the two organisms was observed to be the inability of the non-nodulating strain to grow in the root-tip region ofT. pratense. A small quantitative difference in antigen composition but no significant qualitative or quantitative differences in the extracellular polysaccharides of the two bacteria were noted. The non-nodulating rhizobium could not be induced to nodulate seedlings ofT. pratense either in the presence of nodulating rhizobia or after ultraviolet treatment of the bacteria.
Integrated Imaging Techniques Applied to Live Cell Biophysics

A novel hybrid imaging system that integrates Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) with optical imaging methods such as TIRF (Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence) and IRM (Interference Reflection Microscopy) will be presented.
Actinide destruction and power peaking analysis in a 1000 MWt advanced burner reactor using moderated heterogeneous target assemblies

The purpose of this research was to determine the effect of moderated heterogeneous subassemblies located in the core of a sodium-cooled fast reactor on minor actinide (MA) destruction rates over the lifecycle of the core. Additionally, particular emphasis was placed on the power peaking of the pins and the assemblies with the moderated targets as compared to standard unmoderated heterogeneous targets and a core without MA targets present. Power peaking analysis was performed on the target assemblies and on the fuel assemblies adjacent to the targets. The moderated subassemblies had a marked improvement in the overall destruction of heavy metals in the targets. The design with acceptable power peaking results had a 12.25% greater destruction of heavy metals than a similar ex-core unmoderated assembly. The increase in minor actinide destruction was most evident with americium where the moderated assemblies reduced the initial amount to less than 3% of the initial loading over a period of five years core residency. In order to take advantage of the high minor actinide destruction and minimize the power peaking effects, a hybrid scenario was devised where the targets resided ex-core in a moderated assembly for the first 506.9 effective full power days (EFPDs) and were moved to an in-core arrangement with the moderated targets removed for the remainder of the lifecycle. The hybrid model had an assembly and pin power peaking of less than 2.0 and a higher heavy metal and minor actinide destruction rate than the standard unmoderated heterogeneous targets either in-core or ex-core. The hybrid model has a 54.5% greater Am reduction over the standard ex-core model. It also had a 27.8% greater production of Cm and a 41.5% greater production of Pu than the standard ex-core model. The radiotoxicity of the targets in the hybrid design was 20% less than the discharged standard ex-core targets.
Androgen-dependent somatotroph function in a hypogonadal adolescent male: Evidence for control of exogenous androgens on growth hormone release

Abstract A 14 10 12 - year-old white male with primary gonadal failure following testicular irradiation for acute lymphocytic leukemia was evaluated for poor growth. He had received 2400 rad of prophylactic cranial irradiation. The growth velocity had decelerated from 7 to 3.2 cm/yr over 3 years. His bone age was 12 0 12 years (by TW2-RUS), and his peak growth hormone (GH) response to provocative stimuli was 1.4 ng/mL. The 24-hour GH secretion was studied by drawing blood every 20 minutes for 24 hours. The resulting GH profile was analyzed by a computerized pulse detection algorithm, CLUSTER. Timed serum GH samples were also obtained after a 1 μg/kg IV bolus injection of the GH releasing factor (GRH). The studies showed a flat 24-hour profile and a peak GH response to GRH of 3.9 ng/ml. Testosterone enanthate treatment was started, 100 mg IM every 4 weeks. Ten months after the initiation of therapy the calculated growth rate was 8.6 cm/yr. The 24-hour GH study and GRH responses were repeated at the time, showing a remarkably normal 24-hour GH secretory pattern and a peak GH response to GRH of 14.4 ng/mL. Testosterone therapy was discontinued, and 4 months later similar studies were repeated. A marked decrease in the mean 24-hour GH secretion and mean peak height occurred, but with maintenance of the GH pulse frequency. The GH response to GRH was intermediate, with a peak of 8 ng/mL. There was no further growth during those 4 months despite open epiphyses. In conclusion, these data indicate that androgens may affect the function of previously quiescent somatotrophs, and that such androgen action may be necessary for the maintenance of normal GH secretory function. This may be either a direct androgen effect on the pituitary, or an indirect effect mediated through a modulation on the patterns of somatostatin and GRH secretion by androgen action.
721-2 Aortic Valve Repair and Replacement After Balloon Aortic Valvuloplasty in Children

Little is known about the incidence, indications and results of surgical repair or replacement of the aortic valve following balloon valvuloplasty for congenital aortic stenosis in children. This study was designed to evaluate patterns of failure requiring surgery after balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAli.) of congenital AS and to review our experience with successful repair, rather than replacement, of some aortic valves after BAV. From 1986 to 1994, 54 patients with congenital AS aged 1 day-27 years (mean ± sd; 8 ± 6 yrs) underwent BAV. Eighteen patients (33%) required surgery a mean of 33 ± 25 mos (range 1 to 80 mos) following BAV. because of severe AI in 10 patients and recurrent or residual AS in 8 patients. Severe AI was invariably due to avulsion of a cusp from the annulus with resulting cusp prolapse and insufficiency. Actuarial freedom from surgical intervention was 90 ± 4% at 1 year, 79 ± 6% at 3 years, and 64 ± 7% at 6 years. The need for aortic valve surgery was unrelated to age at the time of BAV. Surgical intervention consisted of valve replacement in 11 patients and aortic valve repair in 7 patients. Repair techniques included reattachment of an avulsed cusp to the aortic annulus, relief of commissural fusion, and debridement of thickened cusps. All survived operation and are alive 23 ± mos (range 2–44 mos) following aortic valve operation. LV outflow gradient has been well relieved in all patients undergoing valve replacement. The 7 valve repair patients have been followed 17 ± 10 mos (range 4–33 mos). Echocardiographic follow-up of the valve repair patients revealed mild levels of residual AS and mild (1–2+) AI in all patients. Aortic valve surgery is required in 5–10% of patients yearly following BAli. and appears to be unrelated to age at the time of BAV. AI predominates over AS as an indication for operative intervention. Valve repair can be applied in some patients following BAV. with good intermediate-term results and may delay the need for aortic valve replacement.
Precoder and Decoder Design for SNR Maximization in Amplify-and-Forward (AF) MIMO Relay Systems

We address the problem of designing linear precoder and decoder for single symbol transmission in three node amplify-and-forward (AF) multi-input-multi- output (MIMO) relay systems where all the nodes are equipped with multiple antennas and the source and the relay nodes are subject to individual transmit power constraints. We first find the optimal decoder to maximize the average received signal-to-noise- ratio (SNR). Next, the source and the relay precoders are designed for maximizing a lower bound on the total SNR. Further, a decision criterion as to whether the relay node should participate in transmission is derived. Simulation results show significant improvement in the received SNR and bit error rate (BER) by applying the proposed precoding and decoding schemes. It is also shown that the computational complexity of the proposed scheme is much lower than other methods in the literature.
Multiple synchronization strategies in rhythmic sensorimotor tasks: phase vs period correction

To characterize synchronisation strategies in the tracking of auditory rhythm with rhythmic finger tapping, the adaptation process after unexpected step changes of an interstimulus interval (ISI) of 500 ms was investigated. Step changes of 2% (10 ms), 4% (20 ms), and 10% (50 ms) of ISI were applied to the stimulus sequence. Synchronisation patterns of 5 subjects were analyzed based on synchronisation error (SE) and interresponse intervals (IRI). A strategy shift contigent upon the size of the introduced step change was detected. After small ISI changes, rapid IRI matching to the new ISI was accompanied by temporarily enlarged SE values, which slowly returned to preferred SE values before the step change. Large ISI changes showed quick SE adaptations accompanied by a temporary overcorrection of IRI. Response asymmetry between ISI decreases and increases emerged, showing a stronger adaptation during ISI increases. A two-dimensional difference equation was formulated to simulate the time series of intertap intervals and explain the control process during IRI and SE adjustments. The system constants were optimized to minimalize the deviations between the computed and the observed response trajectories, consisting of the time series of SE and IRI. It was shown that a successful model fit using a linear two-dimensional difference equation was based on the size and direction of the ISI changes. MANOVA procedures showed that differences in equation parameters during small and large step changes were statistically significant (P<0.05). It is therefore suggested that a uniform model accounting for synchronization responses to all step changes would require the introduction of nonlinear system properties.
New applications of in-plane, shadow, and reflection moire methods

This paper describes some recent applications of the classical moire methods. The first is the use of in-plane moire method to monitor crack tip strain during cyclic loading. A new model predicting the crack growth rate using crack tip strain as a parameter is proposed. The second is the development of a modified shadow moire method for mapping warpage of silicon wafers due to the presence of residual stress. Talbot effect is introduced to enhance the sensitivity of the shadow moire method. The third example is the use of a modified reflection moire method to monitor the quality of thin films deposited on substrates.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Characterization of Calculus Matrix Calcification Nucleator

The nucleator of dental calculus matrix calcification, in vitro, was analyzed. Attention focused on proteolipid singularity, amino acid composition and related polarity, and phospholipid components. The data were compared to those of the nucleator of Bacterionema matruchotii calcification.
Fabrication of 3-D Metamaterials Using LTCC Techniques for High-Frequency Applications

Metamaterials are artificially engineered metallo-dielectric microstructures that display strong resonance behavior although their electrical size is . Individually they behave like LC oscillators and collectively they give rise to effective permittivity and permeability that are highly dispersive in the resonance region and may even become negative. In this paper, metamaterials with 3-D interconnects are designed for low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) fabrication. The fabricated materials are characterized experimentally using a free-space measurement system in the 33-110 GHz range. Dupont 951 is chosen as the substrate with silver ink for metallization. Three-layer and five-layer samples were fabricated. The fabricated samples exhibit electric resonance, magnetic resonance, or both, depending on the orientation and geometry of the metallic microstructure. The materials are passive and may be modeled using series and/or parallel LC circuits. LTCC metamaterials are proposed for packaging applications in microwave integrated circuits that may require embedded passive inductors, capacitors, resistor elements, and circuits that are functional at required frequencies and are inactive at other frequencies.
Productive folding to the native state by a group II intron ribozyme.

Abstract Group II introns are large catalytic RNA molecules that fold into compact structures essential for the catalysis of splicing and intron mobility reactions. Despite a growing body of information on the folded state of group II introns at equilibrium, there is currently no information on the folding pathway and little information on the ionic requirements for folding. Folding isotherms were determined by hydroxyl radical footprinting for the 32 individual protections that are distributed throughout a group II intron ribozyme derived from intron ai5γ. The isotherms span a similar range of Mg2+ concentrations and share a similar index of cooperativity. Time-resolved hydroxyl radical footprinting studies show that all regions of the ribozyme fold slowly and with remarkable synchrony into a single catalytically active structure at a rate comparable to those of other ribozymes studied thus far. The rate constants for the formation of tertiary contacts and recovery of catalytic activity are identical within experimental error. Catalytic activity analyses in the presence of urea provide no evidence that the slow folding of the ai5γ intron is attributable to the presence of unproductive kinetic traps along the folding pathway. Taken together, the data suggest that the rate-limiting step for folding of group II intron ai5γ occurs early along the reaction pathway. We propose that this behavior resembles protein folding that is limited in rate by high contact order, or the need to form key tertiary interactions from partners that are located far apart in the primary or secondary structure.