cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Murine T cells that lyse antibody-sensitized target cells: IV. Analysis of Thy 1 and Lyt surface antigen expression among thymic K cells☆

Abstract BALB/c murine thymocytes were progressively depleted of Thy 1.2-bearing cells using a monoclonal anti-Thy 1.2 IgM plus guinea pig complement. Surviving thymocytes were assayed for antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) at a constant effector-to-target cell ratio. Dramatic increases in ADCC activity within the surviving thymocyte population occur when increasing concentrations of anti-Thy 1.2 antibody are used during the depletion step, with maximal activity attained when 95% of all thymocytes are removed by the antibody and complement treatment. At anti-Thy 1.2 concentrations above this level, a concurrent loss in ADCC activity and Thy 1-positive cells among the surviving thymocyte pool is observed. This immunocompetent thymocyte subpopulation which can mediate ADCC expresses Thy 1 surface antigen at a level characteristic of mature T cells (a 10-fold lower density relative to cortical thymocytes) and also possesses a Lyt antigen phenotype of Lyt 1 + 2,3 + .
Development Aid in an Environmental Context: Using Microfinance to Promote Equitable and Sustainable Water Use in the Nile Basin

Water resource management plays a critical role in everything from the viability of individual communities to regional political stability. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the Nile Basin. The Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) is a recent effort to overcome historical clashes over use of the Nile’s waters in order to achieve a basin-wide framework for transboundary cooperation. One element of NBI focuses on community-level action in furtherance of transboundary cooperation, and includes a microgrant program to help achieve its goals. Signiacantly, however, NBI does not include a microcredit program. This Note argues that, in light of the deep connections between inadequate water resources and the marginalization of women and the poor, NBI should supplement its microgrant program with microcredit programs to further its goals. More broadly, this Note advocates for the use of microcredit programs—which are generally implemented only in the development aid arena—in an environmental context.
New Approaches to International Financial Regulation

What has happened to scholarship on international financial regulation since the global financial crisis? This paper maps out core debates suggestive of the new intellectual terrain that emerged out of the global financial meltdown. I argue that the old-consensus in neoclassical economic theory has given way to a new mainstream institutionalist legal literature, which I term the Reformist approach. I show that this post-crisis shift of focus parallels developments in the fields of international political economy, and law and development. I argue that this Reformist literature could benefit from further engagement with what I term the “New Approaches” literature in international legal theory and in the anthropology and social studies of finance.
Comparison of comminution data with analytical solutions of the fragmentation equation

Abstract Analytical solutions to the fragmentation equation are presented for specific rates of breakage and primary breakage distribution functions often used to correlate comminution data. These solutions, obtained by similarity arguments, compare favorably with the experimental data of Austin et al., and suggest that correlation of data via similarity techniques may facilitate determination of function parameters.
200–1200 kV endpoint x-ray production using reflex triodes*

Summary form only given. High-current (1–3 MA) reflex triodes are being developed as intense pulsed sources of moderate energy (200–1200 kV endpoint) bremsstrahlung. A triode consists of three coaxial electrodes: two cathodes and a flat anode foil between them. The grounded cathodes emit electrons that produce bremsstrahlung in the positive high voltage anode. The anode is made from thin tantalum to minimize attenuation of the low energy portion of the x-ray spectrum. The electrons must make many passes, or “reflex” through the foil for efficient x-ray production.
Balancing Clinical and Pathologic Relevance in the Machine Learning Diagnosis of Epilepsy

The application of machine learning to epilepsy can be used both to develop clinically useful computer-aided diagnostic tools, and to reveal pathologically relevant insights into the disease. Such studies most frequently use neurologically normal patients as the control group to maximize the pathologic insight yielded from the model. This practice yields potentially inflated accuracy because the groups are quite dissimilar. A few manuscripts, however, opt to mimic the clinical comparison of epilepsy to non-epileptic seizures, an approach we believe to be more clinically realistic. In this manuscript, we describe the relative merits of each control group. We demonstrate that in our clinical quality FDG-PET database the performance achieved was similar using each control group. Based on these results, we find that the choice of control group likely does not hinder the reported performance. We argue that clinically applicable computer-aided diagnostic tools for epilepsy must directly address the clinical challenge of distinguishing patients with epilepsy from those with non-epileptic seizures.
A continuous monitoring technique for the determination of alpha-amylase from disaggregated hamster parotid gland cells using an amyloclastic method.

Abstract In order to determine the amount of amylase/cell in hamster parotid epithelial cells following their purification in a previously described isokinetic gradient (1), we required a very sensitive assay which could be used to examine samples obtained from very small numbers of cells. The kinetic method reported herein requires only 50 μl of enzyme solution. The initial velocity of the reaction can be determined in 3 min by monitoring the decrease in the starch-iodine color at 610 nm in a solution containing starch, iodine, and potassium iodide. Using this method, the amylase activity of a sonicated suspension of unpurified hamster parotid cells was 0.23 mg starch degraded/min/million epithelial cells. This method eliminates the problem of decolorization of the starch-iodine complex by proteins such as albumin since relatively small amounts of enzyme solution are required, the method measures the relative decrease in absorbance with time, and excess iodine is present to combine with the protein. The method offers the additional advantage that it is not necessary to remove samples of the reacting mixture, and the problems of stopping the reaction and contamination of the reaction mixture are eliminated. The method is compared with the methods of Somogyi (3) and Jacobsen and Hensten-Pettersen (13).
Racial and Gender Inequalities in Health and Health Care

P aradoxically, anthropology's disciplinary genealogy can be traced to an earlier "study of man and the races of man" (Tylor 1946[1881]); yet, as Barbee rightfully emphasizes by quoting Barrett, "[t]he social anthropology of racism ... has been a dismal failure" (Barbee p. 323). Culture's victory over biology in battles against scientific racism eventually deconstructed the notion of race as a biological reality. Unfortunately, the "no-race" posture that became the new convention (Littlefield et al. 1982) resulted in, as Jackson would phrase it, the virtual "whiting-out" in mainstream anthropological discourse of the social differences and inequalities that have come to be constituted in historically specific racial orders. Regardless of its untenable status as a biological entity, race, especially in the ways it has been constructed and reconstructed since the era of European colonial expansion and conquest, is a social phenomenon, a marker of hierarchical social location (Glick Schiller and Fouron 1990) rationalized in terms of the "natural" history of human (or "subhuman") biology or, in view of the implications of some contemporary discourses, in terms of some persistent cultural pathology and untranscendable social and cultural distance. The whiting-out of socially constructed race and of the structures, practices, and ideologies of power disparity that produce and reproduce it signals a grave intellectual inadequacy that, as I will argue below, has not been redressed by the discipline's concern with and commitment to the study of "ethnicity." This special issue, along with a recent current of other publications (e.g., Critique of Anthropology 1992; Frankenberg 1993; Menchaca 1993; Smedley 1993; Wade 1993), is a welcome response to the need for critical anthropological interrogations, analyses, and theorizing on the problematics of race and racism. The interrelated focus on gender is especially apropos in light of the fact that one of the most visible recent directives for anthropological inquiry
Environment effect on functional task performance in adults with acquired brain injuries: Use of the assessment of motor and process skills

Abstract Objective: To examine household task performance in both familiar (home) and unfamiliar (clinic) environments in adults with acquired brain injuries. Design: The research performed was a comparison study examining the effect of the environment on functional task performance. Individuals were evaluated using the Assessment of Motor and Process Skills both in their homes and in an unfamiliar clinic setting. Participants: Twenty individuals with acquired brain injuries living in the community. Main Outcome Measures: The Assessment of Motor and Process Skills, an observational, standardized, occupational therapy assessment tool, was used to evaluate household task performance. Results: Paired one-tailed t tests indicated a significant difference between home and clinic performance measures in process ability ( t = −4.28, ( p = .00) but no significant difference in motor ability performance measures ( t = −1.84, p = .410). Scatter plot analyses showed that performance scores of 6 of the 20 subjects differed in a clinically meaningful way, and that instrumental activities of daily living motor performance scores for 3 of the 20 differed in a clinically meaningful way. Conclusions: Individuals with acquired brain injuries may be influenced by their environment when performing household tasks, although further study is necessary to determine the extent of the environmental effect.
Hepatitis B Virus Disrupts Mitochondrial Dynamics: Induces Fission and Mitophagy to Attenuate Apoptosis

Human hepatitis B virus (HBV) causes chronic hepatitis and is associated with the development of hepatocellular carcinoma. HBV infection alters mitochondrial metabolism. The selective removal of damaged mitochondria is essential for the maintenance of mitochondrial and cellular homeostasis. Here, we report that HBV shifts the balance of mitochondrial dynamics toward fission and mitophagy to attenuate the virus-induced apoptosis. HBV induced perinuclear clustering of mitochondria and triggered mitochondrial translocation of the dynamin-related protein (Drp1) by stimulating its phosphorylation at Ser616, leading to mitochondrial fission. HBV also stimulated the gene expression of Parkin, PINK1, and LC3B and induced Parkin recruitment to the mitochondria. Upon translocation to mitochondria, Parkin, an E3 ubiquitin ligase, underwent self-ubiquitination and facilitated the ubiquitination and degradation of its substrate Mitofusin 2 (Mfn2), a mediator of mitochondrial fusion. In addition to conventional immunofluorescence, a sensitive dual fluorescence reporter expressing mito-mRFP-EGFP fused in-frame to a mitochondrial targeting sequence was employed to observe the completion of the mitophagic process by delivery of the engulfed mitochondria to lysosomes for degradation. Furthermore, we demonstrate that viral HBx protein plays a central role in promoting aberrant mitochondrial dynamics either when expressed alone or in the context of viral genome. Perturbing mitophagy by silencing Parkin led to enhanced apoptotic signaling, suggesting that HBV-induced mitochondrial fission and mitophagy promote cell survival and possibly viral persistence. Altered mitochondrial dynamics associated with HBV infection may contribute to mitochondrial injury and liver disease pathogenesis.
Probing structure/function relationships of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase with styrene oxide N2-guanine adducts.

Abstract Details of the interactions between the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) reverse transcriptase and substrate DNA were probed both by introducing site-specific and stereospecific modifications into DNA and by altering the structure of potential critical residues in the polymerase. Unadducted 11-mer DNAs and 11-mer DNAs containing R and S enantiomers of styrene oxide at N2-guanine were ligated with two additional oligonucleotides to create 63-mers that served as templates for HIV-1 reverse transcriptase replication. Oligonucleotides that primed synthesis 5 bases 3′ to the adducts could be extended up to 1 base 3′ and opposite the lesion. However, when the positions of the 3′-OH of the priming oligonucleotides were placed 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 bases downstream of the styrene oxide guanine adducts, replication was initiated, only to be blocked after incorporating 4, 5, 6, and 7 bases beyond the lesion. The sites of this adduct-induced termination corresponded to the position of the DNA where α-helix H makes contact with the DNA minor groove, 3-5 bases upstream of the growing 3′ end. In addition, mutants of the polymerase in α-helix H (W266A and G262A) alter the termination probabilities caused by these DNA adducts, suggesting that α-helix H is a sensitive monitor of modifications in the minor groove of newly synthesized template-primer DNA several bases distal to the 3′-OH.
The recognition of antonymy by a language-enriched right hemisphere

A commissurotomy patient with limited language in the right hemisphere was tested for ability to recognize direct and indirect antonyms. Normal subjects performing this task recognize direct antonyms faster than indirect. The patient's left hemisphere responded normally, but his right showed no difference in response to direct and indirect antonyms. It is concluded that the patient's right hemisphere had not learned that particular pairs of adjectives (the direct antonyms) can be used to represent the attribute whose contrasting values they express. Such learning normally occurs in the course of reasoning about attributes of things and events, but presumably failed to occur in this patient's right hemisphere because its powers of reasoning are severely limited.
An open platform for reconfigurable control

Advances in software technology have the potential to revolutionize control system design. Component-based architectures encourage flexible "plug-and-play" extensibility and evolution of systems. Distributed object computing allows interoperation. Advances are being made to enable dynamic reconfiguration and evolution of systems while they are still running. Technologies are being developed to allow networked, embedded devices to connect to each other and self-organize. This article describes a software infrastructure that gives an open control platform (OCP) for complex systems that coordinates distributed interaction among diverse components and supports dynamic reconfiguration and customization of the components in real time. Its primary goals are to accommodate rapidly changing application requirements, incorporate new technology (such as hardware platforms or sensors), interoperate in heterogeneous environments, and maintain viability in unpredictable and changing environments. The next section describes the current practice in control system implementation and discusses features of a complex control system architecture. It is followed by a description of the desired features a software infrastructure must have to promote new advances in control system design. We then describe an open-control software infrastructure to support these desired features, followed by a brief overview of a first-generation prototype of this infrastructure that has been developed for an autonomous aerial vehicle control.
Developmental Regulation of Neuronal K+ Channels by Target-Derived TGFβ In Vivo and In Vitro

Abstract The functional expression of Ca 2+ -activated K + channels (K Ca ) in developing chick ciliary ganglion (CG) neurons requires interactions with target tissues and preganglionic innervation. Here, we show that the stimulatory effects of target tissues are mediated by an isoform of TGFβ. Exposure of cultured CG neurons to TGFβ1, but not TGFβ2 or TGFβ3, caused robust stimulation of K Ca . The K Ca stimulatory effects of target tissue extracts were blocked by a neutralizing pan-TGFβ antiserum but not by specific TGFβ2 or TGFβ3 antisera. Intraocular injection of TGFβ1 caused robust stimulation of K Ca , whereas intraocular injection of pan-TGFβ antiserum inhibited expression of K Ca in CG neurons developing in vivo. The effects of TGFβ1 were potentiated by β-neuregulin-1, a differentiation factor expressed in preganglionic neurons.
Nanohole arrays of mixed designs and microwriting for simultaneous and multiple protein binding studies

We demonstrate using nanohole arrays of mixed designs and a microwriting process based on dip-pen nanolithography to monitor multiple, different protein binding events simultaneously in real-time based on the intensity of Extraordinary Optical Transmission of nanohole arrays. The microwriting process and small footprint of the individual nanohole arrays enabled us to observe different binding events located only 16 μm apart, achieving high spatial resolution. We also present a novel concept that incorporates nanohole arrays of different designs to improve confidence and accuracy of binding studies. For proof of concept, two types of nanohole arrays, designed to exhibit opposite responses to protein bindings, were fabricated on one transducer. Initial studies indicate that the mixed designs could help to screen out artifacts such as protein intrinsic signals, providing improved accuracy of binding interpretation.
Immobilization of gold nanorods onto acid-terminated self-assembled monolayers via electrostatic interactions.

We report the immobilization of gold nanorods onto self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of 16-mercaptohexadecanoic acid (16-MHA). The simple two step protocol involves formation of a SAM of 16-MHA molecules onto gold-coated glass slides and subsequent immersion of these slides into the gold nanorod solution. The nanorods, formed by a seed-mediated, surfactant-assisted synthesis protocol, are stabilized in solution due to surface modification by the surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). Attractive electrostatic interactions between the carboxylic acid group on the SAM and the positively charged CTAB molecules are likely responsible for the nanorod immobilization. UV−vis spectroscopy has been used to follow the kinetics of the nanorod immobilization. The nature of interaction between the gold nanorods and the 16-MHA SAM has been probed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The surface morphology of the immobilized rods is studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force mi...
Nitric oxide in skeletal muscle

REACTIVE oxygen intermediates modulate skeletal muscle contraction1,2, but little is known about the role of nitric oxide (NO). Here we show that rat skeletal muscle expresses neuronal-type NO synthase and that activity varies among several respiratory and limb muscles. Immunohistochemistry showed prominent staining of type II (fast) fibre cell membranes with antibodies against neuronal-type NO synthase. NO synthase activity in muscles correlated with type II fibre density. Resting diaphragm muscle produced detectable NOx, but no reactive oxygen intermediates. In contrast, actively contracting muscle generated increased levels of reactive oxygen intermediates. Contractile function was augmented by blockers of NO synthase, extracellular NO chela-tion, and guanylyl cyclase inhibition; it was depressed by NO donors and by increased levels of cyclic GMP. Force–frequency plots of different muscles showed an inverse correlation between NO synthase activity and force development. Our results support two physiological functions of NO in skeletal muscle. The first is to promote relaxation through the cGMP pathway3,4. The second is to modulate increases in contraction that are dependent on reactive oxygen intermediates and which are thought to occur through reactions with regulatory thiols on the sarcoplasmic reticulum5,6.
A highly active and stable platinum-modified sulfated zirconia catalyst: 1. Preparation and activity for n-pentane isomerization

A procedure to prepare Pt-promoted sulfated zirconia (SZ) catalysts which results in highly active and stable catalyst for n-pentane isomerization at atmospheric conditions, is described. High temperature calcination of SZ prior to Pt addition leads to elimination of loosely-bound sulfur species from the zirconia surface. Reducing the catalyst after Pt addition results in further increase in apparent activity. Upon repeated regenerations, an increase of up to 60% in conversion with iso-pentane selectivity of over 80% is observed. It is proposed that regenerative oxidation/reduction cycles lead to a restructuring of the acid and metal sites which facilitates hydrogen migration and helps to arrest deactivation.
Channelized Submarine Carbonate-Debris Flow, Cretaceous, Mexico: ABSTRACT

Carbonate platforms, fringed by rudistid reefs, rose to more than 1,000 m above contemporaneous basinal carbonates in the middle Cretaceous of central Mexico. The platforms are surrounded by halos of debris forming wedges which extend as much as 5-15 km from the platform margin. An exception to the wedge morphology is a breccia-filled channel exposed in section perpendicular to the paleoslope, 1 km from the marginal escarpment of the El Doctor platform, Queretaro, Mexico. The main part of the channel deposit is 225 m wide and 16 m thick. Breccia clasts are 75% basinal components (pelagic limestone and chert) and 25% platform derived. The bedded clasts form flat plates up to several meters in maximum dimension. A few clasts are deformed, indicating that they were at most slightly lithified and presumably of low density; nevertheless, most are neatly stacked with little distortion. Unstable clast postures, with long axes approaching normal to bedding, and imbrication are common. Content of dolomitized muddy matrix is low; the deposit is grain supported. The morphology of the breccia deposit and truncation of pelagic limestone at the channel edge demonstrate erosional competence of the depositional mechanism. Locally in the channel base an incipient slump of slightly folded pelagic limestone and chert indicates slope instability and suggests a mechanism for incorporating basinal carbonates in the breccias. In the top few meters of the deposit, breccia grades upward into fine-grained, skeletal-fragment packstone, which extends several hundred meters beyond the channel limits as thin, graded bed. At least 3 episodes of channel fill are suggested by internal structure. This evidence places the following constraints on the depositional proces--high competence (large clasts, erosion), high viscosity (unstable clast postures), low turbulence (slight deformation and platy form of unconsolidated clasts), high clast concentration (grain support, clast interaction) and channelization (form of deposit, multiple episodes). A high velocity submarine debris flow is suggested. The nonchannelized part of the last depositional episode is a typical turbidite. End_of_Article - Last_Page 777------------
Effect of Toluene on Bovine Growth Hormone and Prolactin in Pituitary Extracts

After treatment of alkaline extracts of bovine pituitary glands with small amounts of toluene, the growth hormone band, as seen by gel-electrophoresis, was greatly diminished. The decrease was verified by immunodiffusion, but the tibial line assay for growth hormone indicated only a small lowering of biological activity. Using 131I-labeled growth hormone, it was found that the hormone was altered to a form that was too large to penetrate the electrophoretic gel. The altered hormone also passed unretarded through Sephadex G-150. An atypical electrophoretic behavior for prolactin was seen with extracts made from glands that had been stored frozen for several months or that had been allowed to autolyze at 25 C for 16 hr. Treatment of the extract with toluene permitted the prolactin to migrate normally. No abnormal migration for prolactin was detected in extracts of fresh glands. However, the abnormal behavior could be produced by addition of a fatty acid to the extract. Toluene prevented the alteration produ...
Electron Affinity Of MgCl

Abstract The electron affinitiy of MgCl has been measured to be 1.589±0.011 eV using photoelectron spectroscopy of an MgCl − ion beam. Spectroscopic constants for (X 1 Σ + )MgCl − were found to be ω e =315±25 cm −1 , r e =2.37±0.01 A, B e =0.211±0.002 cm −1 , and D o (Mg-Cl − )=1.27±0.10 eV. Preliminary results for MgI − are also reported.
Workshops of CASCON 2007

CASCON workshops provide a forum to present, discuss, and debate issues, problems, ideas, emerging technologies, work-in-progress, or directions on topics such as software best practices, software engineering, distributed and Web-based systems, data management, software development tools, electronic commerce, and user experience. Interdisciplinary workshops are particularly encouraged. The workshop format may include position papers, expert panels, hands-on exercises, and discussions. In 2007 there were 43 workshops over the course of four days.
Ego-syntonicity in responses to items in the California Psychological Inventory

Abstract Responding to items on a personality questionnaire can evoke a variety of feelings, from discomfort to indifference to pleasure. Harrison Gough reported that when he wrote items for the California Psychological Inventory (CPI; Gough & Bradley, 1996 ), he tried to make the items as ego-syntonic as possible. Ego-syntonic items are those “which a respondent finds congenial, and on which giving an opinion is a rewarding act” ( Gough & Bradley, 1996, p. 10 ). The present study asked 79 respondents to report how they felt after answering each CPI item. Average affect ratings were above neutral for a majority of items, indicating that Gough had some success in writing ego-syntonic items. Differences in item ego-syntonicity were attributable to other item characteristics. Respondents disliked responding to relatively odd and ambiguous items, items with linguistic negations, and items referring to negative feelings and situations. As predicted by Gough, respondents enjoyed responding to items on the communality scale, items with which most people agree. They also enjoyed items that referred to positive emotions and attitudes and to items indicating extraversion, conscientiousness, low neuroticism, and openness to experience. Highly ego-syntonic items were found to be more valid than less ego-syntonic items. Individuals who reported disliking many items were found to be socially anxious. The relation between reports of liking or disliking items, identity, and reputation are discussed, and further research on item response dynamics and validity is proposed.
Cutaneous bronchogenic cyst with papilloma and sinus presentation

The thirty-eighth case of bronchogenic cyst in the skin is reported in a 5-year-old boy. This is the first case report of cutaneous bronchogenic cyst presenting as a distinct, pedunculated growth with a sinus tract at the base. Embryogenesis, differential diagnosis, and treatment are discussed.
Maximizing QoS for interactive DTV clients

In this study we present a client-based architecture that supports interactive DTV features (i.e. pause, replay and fast-forward) using the client's local disk and an Internet back-channel, together with the broadcast channels. Our study focuses on devising effective techniques for managing the client's local resources to maximize QoS. For individual video streams, we present an error concealment scheme that reconstructs video key frames suffering from channel errors. For the client as a whole, we propose a resource-scheduling policy that maximizes the client's QoS adaptively based on the viewer's preference under local resource constraints. We show that many interactive DTV applications can be supported under this client-based architecture more effectively than by the traditional server-based approaches.
Development of chipscale chalcogenide glass based infrared chemical sensors

In this paper, we review the design, processing, and characterization of novel planar infrared chemical sensors. Chalcogenide glasses are identified as the material of choice for sensing given their wide infrared transparency as well as almost unlimited capacity for composition alloying and property tailoring. Three generations of on-chip spectroscopic chemical sensor devices we have developed: waveguide evanescent sensors, micro-disk cavity-enhanced sensors and micro-cavity photothermal sensors are discussed.
Feminist Theory and the Political Dimension of Performance Measurement: A Preliminary Analysis

This article relates some tenets of feminist theory to questions on the political nature of public-sector performance measurement. The argument juxtaposes the feminist relationally oriented, context-bound approach to measurement development with an apolitical theory that privileges what it sees as objective criteria development.
Thyroxine concentrations in blood serum and pericardial fluid of metamorphosing tadpoles and of adult frogs.

Thyroxine (T4) was measured by double antibody radioimmunoassay in blood serum and pericardial fluid of individual tadpoles and frogs of Rana catesbeiana. The pattern of change of mean T4 values during tadpole growth and metamorphosis was similar in serum and pericardial fluid. In growing tadpoles, stages V–XVIII, all T4 concentrations were below the limit of detection (<0.20 μg/dl). Mean T4 values first became detectable in early metamorphic stages, XIX, XX; they reached a peak (0.94 μg/dl serum) at stages XXI, XXII, XXIII. Differences in mean values between these three stages were not significant. At the end of metamorphosis, stages XXIV, XXV, mean T4 concentrations dropped to levels similar to those of stages XIX, XX. However, in adult summer frogs mean T4 values for serum and pericardial fluid were somewhat higher than mean values at the end of metamorphosis. Despite this general developmental pattern, T4 concentrations in some individual animals at each stage, including metamorphic stages, were below the limit of detection (<0.20 μg/dl).
Polarimetric Backscatter Optimization for Biophysical Parameter Estimation

In this letter, we introduce a polarization optimization concept to maximize the sensitivity of the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) backscatter measurements to a biophysical parameter. An iterative method based on Lagrangian multipliers is introduced for optimization. Using a priori information, the optimization identifies the polarization most sensitive (or least sensitive) to the quantity of interest, with best predictive characteristics. The methodology is tested for estimating forest aboveground biomass using polarimetric SAR data acquired by DLR's E-SAR airborne sensor at L- and P-band frequencies over a boreal forest test site in Krycklan Catchment, Sweden. The results show an improvement of sensitivity to forest biomass using the optimized polarization compared to canonical polarizations. Via polarization basis transformation, the correlation of biomass to backscatter is shown to improve by up to 0.23 and 0.59 at L- and P-bands, respectively.
Checking conformance of a producer and a consumer

This paper addresses the problem of identifying incompatibilities between two programs that operate in a producer/consumer relationship. It describes the techniques that are incorporated in a tool called PCCA (Producer-Consumer Conformance Analyzer), which attempts to (i) determine whether the consumer is prepared to accept all messages that the producer can emit, or (ii) find a counter-example: a message that the producer can emit and the consumer considers ill-formed.
Effect of the Number of Samples Used in a Leave-One-Out Covariance Estimator

Some algorithms, such as Gaussian Maximum Likelihood require the use of the second order statistics, e.g. the covariance matrix, to help characterize the target in addition to the mean. Also, models such as FASSP require the second order statistics of targets to predict the performance of algorithms even though the algorithm may not use the covariance matrix directly. However, many times the number of samples available to make a good estimate of the covariance matrix is small. The Leave-One-Out Covariance (LOOC) estimator can be used to estimate the covariance matrix when the number of samples available is less than the normal minimum required. The normal minimum number of samples needed for a sample class covariance matrix is p+1 samples for p-dimensional data. For the LOOC estimator, in theory, as few as 3 samples are all that are needed. However, what are the affects of using such a low number in practice? This paper presents the results of an experiment that was conducted to measure what the affect may be in one specific instance. Sometimes as few as 0.1p samples produce reasonably satisfactory results; other times 0.4p or more samples are needed.
Synthesis and investigation of the 5-formylcytidine modified, anticodon stem and loop of the human mitochondrial tRNAMet

Human mitochondrial methionine transfer RNA (hmtRNA(Met)(CAU)) has a unique post-transcriptional modification, 5-formylcytidine, at the wobble position-34 (f(5)C(34)). The role of this modification in (hmtRNA(Met)(CAU)) for the decoding of AUA, as well as AUG, in both the peptidyl- and aminoacyl-sites of the ribosome in either chain initiation or chain elongation is still unknown. We report the first synthesis and analyses of the tRNA's anticodon stem and loop domain containing the 5-formylcytidine modification. The modification contributes to the tRNA's anticodon domain structure, thermodynamic properties and its ability to bind codons AUA and AUG in translational initiation and elongation.
Polymer adsorption on platinum: Surface coverage determination using iodide‐125

Adsorption of iodide-125, a ..gamma.. emitter, was used as a quantitative methodology for polymer adsorption surface coverage analysis. Adsorption of I-125 on clean platinum produced surface elemental ratios of I:Pt of 1:4. The technique was applied to the adsorption of polyethylene glycol terephthalate from trifluoroacetic acid on platinum flags with a 2-cm/sup 2/ surface area. This polymer adsorption is approximated by a logarithmic relationship similar to the Temkin isotherm. Polymer coverage attained up to 99.6% of the surface.
EFFICIENT DETECTION OF Y CHROMOSOMAL DELETIONS, TRANSLOCATIONS AND MOSAICISM USING CHROMOSOME-SPECIFIC DNA PROBES

We have studied 25 patients with suspected structural abnormalities of the Y chromosome by Southern blot analysis using Y-derived DNA probes. These probes spanned much of the Y chromosome and included: Yp - DXYS5, DXYS1, DXYS25; Y cen - DYZ3; Yq - DXYS15, DYZ1; Yp and Yq - DXYS11, DYS8. Hybridization to the repeated sequence probe, DYZ1, was used to quantify Y chromosomal mosaicism. Three of eight females with gonadal dysgenesis and chromosomal mosaicism were found to have deleted Y chromosomes as the basis for this mosaicism. One of the five females with 46,XY gonadal dysgenesis was found to have a deletion of Yp, encompassing DXYS5 The others appear to have intact Y chromosomes, suggesting autosomal recessive inheritence. The four 46,XX males and the 45,X male were found to have translocations of Yp, including DXYS5. In some instances, these included larger chromosomal segments. The Y chromosomal breakpoints were different in the two females with Y-autosomal translocations. These studies suggest that most Y chromosomal deletions or translocations occur as the result of relatively simple genetic events. Y chromosomal material, when present, was detected with one of three probes DXYS5 (Yp), DYZ3 (Y cen) and DYZ1 (Yq). Thus, the process of detecting Y chromosomal genetic material can be made very efficient for analyzing unknown patient samples.
The health-related quality of life was not improved by targeting higher hemoglobin in the Normal Hematocrit Trial

The Normal Hematocrit Trial (NHT) was the largest trial of epoetin randomizing 1265 hemodialysis patients with cardiac disease to lower (9–11g/dl) or higher (13–15g/dl) hemoglobin (Hgb), hypothesizing that higher Hgb would reduce mortality, and improve survival and quality of life. The trial was terminated early, and a 1998 publication reported that targeting higher hematocrit levels led to an insignificant increase in the primary end points (death or myocardial infarct), or risk ratio 1.3, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.9–1.90, but the P -value was not given, and all-cause death risk was not reported. A higher target reportedly did not increase hospitalization rates, but did significantly improve the ‘physical function' domain of quality of life. Comparing the 1996 Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-filed clinical trial report to the 1998 publication, however, found several discrepancies. Among these, the 1998 article reported interim trial results with only the adjusted CI but did not state that the unadjusted CIs were 99.912th percentile, and despite being a secondary end point, reported only the association of achieved Hgb with higher quality of life score. Randomization to the higher target had actually increased the risk for the primary end point (risk ratio 1.28, 95% CI=1.06–1.56; P =0.0112; 99.92% CI=0.92–1.78), the risk of death (risk ratio 1.27, 95% CI=1.04–1.54), non-access thrombotic events ( P =0.041), and hospitalization rate ( P =0.04), while ‘physical function' did not improve ( P =0.88). Hence, disclosure of these results in the 1998 publication or access to the FDA-filed report on the NHT in the late 1990s would likely have led to earlier concerns about epoetin safety and greater doubts about its benefits.
Net energy production history of the Geysers Geothermal Project

Abstract Geothermal projects at the Geysers, California, have relatively high net energy ratios for electricity-production facilities. Comparison of the net cumulative electrical energy generated at the Geysers with the cumulative thermal energy invested for constrction and operation of the facility indicates a favorable energy return, even during periods of rapid systems expansion.
Teacher and observer ratings of young African American children's social and emotional competence†

Children's social and emotional competence abilities have been linked to successful social interactions and academic performance. This study examined the teacher and observer ratings of social and emotional competence for 89 young (3- to 5-year-old), African American children from economically stressed urban environments. There was a specific interest in understanding the convergence and divergence of the raters on these competence behaviors within the classroom. This study also examined the association among children's competence abilities and their overall functioning at school. There were significant associations between teacher and observer reports of children's competence. Children who were observed to be socially and emotionally competent were rated by their teachers as functioning well in school. However, there were differences among teacher and observer reports in terms of the specific behaviors that represented social and emotional competence. These findings provide support for the use of multi-method, multi-informant measures to assess competence among African American children. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Effects of soot agglomeration on radiative transfer

Abstract A detailed analysis is presented of soot-particle agglomeration for a premixed flame with a fuel equivalence ratio of φ0 = 1.8. Measured scattering and extinction coefficients and dissymmetry ratios at 0.488 μm are combined with a scattering and extinction model for agglomerates to estimate each of the following: primary particle diameter, number density of primary particles and the total number of agglomerates as a function of position in the flame. The inferred primary particle diameters vary in the range from 0.009 to 0.029 μm, whereas the number of primary particles per agglomerate varies from 11 to 24. The inferred agglomerate parameters, along with the measured spectral emissivities in the wavelength range 0.4–6.7 μm and the known refractive indices of soot, are combined to yield the spectral and total emissivities of soot. Comparisons are carried out with the results of previous investigations. It is shown that for the type of flame studied, for which the degree of agglomeration is low, the governing parameter in soot radiation is the refractive index.
Morphological texture-based maximum-likelihood pixel classification based on local granulometric moments

Abstract Morphological granulometries are one-parameter filter sequences that monotonically decrease image area. A size distribution is generated by measuring the residual area after each iteration of the filter sequence. Normalization yields a probability distribution function whose moments can be employed as image signatures. By measuring residual area locally over a window about each point of an image instead of over the entire image, local texture features are generated at each pixel, and these features can be employed for pixel classification. By using several granulometric structuring-element generating sequences, numerous moment sets result, each carrying different textural information. A detailed analysis of this pixel classification methodology using a Gaussian maximum likelihood classifier is provided. Included is a statistical study of classification accuracy, feature optimization, and robustness with respect to various relevant noise models.
An Analysis of Variance Framework for Matrix Sampling

This paper, a discussion of the methodology of matrix sampling, and the empirical and theoretical research on matrix sampling, attempts to demonstrate the f llowing points: 1. Matrix sampling can be viewed as a simple two factor, random model analysis of variance design, the matrix sampling formulas for estimating the mean and variance being simply the point estimate formulas for estimating components of the underlying linear model. 2. These formulas can be based on the weakest possible set of assumptions, viz., random and independent sampling of examinees and items. No assumptions about the statistical nature of the data need be made. 3. The literature is unclear about what effect the above sampling assumptions have upon matrix sampling in the estimation of the mean and, especially, the variance. 4. Of the three alternative procedures suggested for dealing with negative variance estimates in multiple matrix sampling--equating the negative estimate to zero, Winsorizing the distribution of estimates, or treating all estimates alike regardless of sign--the third procedure appears to be most promising. A simulation study is necessary to determine the shape of the distribution of variance component estimates for matrix sampling as well as the relative efficiency of the three methods for handling negative estimates.
EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF NATALIZUMAB TREATMENT FOR RELAPSING–REMITTING MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS: INTERIM RESULTS OF THE TYSABRI® OBSERVATIONAL PROGRAMME IN THE UK

Introduction The natalizumab (TYSABRI ® ) Observational Program (TOP) is an ongoing, open–label, 10–year prospective study of relapsing–remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS) patients in European, Australian, and Canadian clinical settings. Patients must be naive to natalizumab when deciding to enrol but may have received other disease–modifying therapies (DMTs) pre–natalizumab. The objective of this analysis was to evaluate interim efficacy and safety data in the subset of patients in the United Kingdom (UK). Methods Baseline characteristics were summarised. Annualised relapse rate (ARR) was analysed for overall pre–and postbaseline differences as well as by treatment and relapse histories at baseline. Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores were evaluated at baseline and years 1 and 2. The incidence of serious adverse events (SAEs) was evaluated. Results As of June 1, 2012, 117 patients were enroled in the UK. Most (80.3%) were female; mean age was 39.1 years. The median duration of RRMS was 5.6 (range 0.4–25.3) years. The median number of relapses in the year prior to natalizumab treatment was 2.0 (range 1.0–6.0); 24.8% of patients had 1 relapse and 75.2% had >1 relapse in the prior year. At baseline, 35.0% of patients were treatment naive, 49.6% were treated with 1 DMT, and 15.4% were treated with >1 DMT prior to natalizumab. Approximately half (51.3%) had a history of interferon use, 25.6% had a history of glatiramer acetate use, and 1.7% had a history of immunosuppressant use. Most patients (60.7%, n=71) have been followed for at least 12 months; 39.3% (n=46) have been followed for at least 18 months. Patients received a median of 15 (range 1–27) natalizumab infusions. ARR overall decreased from 2.26 at baseline to 0.38 on treatment (n=117; P 1 prior DMT [n=18]: 2.00 at baseline vs 0.26 on treatment, P=0.0003) or relapse history (1 relapse in prior year [n=29]: 1.00 at baseline vs 0.27 on treatment, P 1 relapse [n=88]: 2.67 at baseline vs 0.43 on treatment, P Conclusions In this interim analysis of UK TOP results, patients treated with natalizumab had significantly improved ARRs, regardless of baseline treatment or relapse history. EDSS scores remained stable over time. Safety data were consistent with natalizumab9s known safety profile. Analyses of UK TOP data over longer periods of time will further characterise the effect of natalizumab on disability, as well as on other long–term efficacy and safety parameters in a real–world setting.
Equivalent Strip Width for FRP Superstructure Design Using Timoshenko Beam Approximation

This paper proposes the equivalent strip width for stiffness-driven design of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) superstructures in slab-type bridges. To calculate the deflections for design, this paper first presents a tractable and accurate analytical solution for FRP superstructures under certain symmetry in accordance with classical laminate plate theory. The equivalent strip width can then be obtained by equating beam flexural deflections to the analytical solution. Through the application of the equivalent strip width, two-dimensional FRP superstructures can be simplified as one-dimensional Timoshenko beams. In accordance with the parametric studies from finite-element analysis, Timoshenko beam approximation with the equivalent strip width can predict the deflections at points of interest in practical design with sufficient accuracy. At the design stage of FRP superstructures, several material and section properties required by typical plate analysis remain unknown to the designers. This paper shows that the simplified equivalent strip width with proper assumptions about a few key parameters can avoid this practical inconvenience and facilitate design. A procedure for the design of FRP superstructures is proposed and a design example is shown.