cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Endocrine changes after pediatric traumatic brain injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a very common occurrence in childhood, and can lead to devastating long term consequences. Recent research has focused on the potential endocrine consequences of TBI in adults. The research in children is less robust. This paper reviews current literature regarding TBI and possible hypothalamic and pituitary deficiencies in childhood. Acute endocrine changes are commonly found after TBI in pediatric patients, which can include changes in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and antidiuretic hormone production and release. In the long term, both temporary and permanent alterations in pituitary function have been found. About 30% of children have hypopituitarism up to 5 years after injury. Growth hormone deficiency and disturbances in puberty are the most common, but children can also experience ACTH deficiency, diabetes insipidus, central hypothyroidism, and elevated prolactin. Every hormonal axis can be affected after TBI in children, although growth hormone deficiency and alterations in puberty are the most common. Because transient and permanent hypopituitarism is common after TBI, survivors should be screened serially for possible endocrine disturbances. These children should undergo routine surveillance at least 1 year after injury to ensure early detection of deficiencies in hormonal production in order to permit normal growth and development.
Induction of terpene biosynthesis in dinoflagellate symbionts of Caribbean gorgonians.

This report describes a series of experiments designed to determine if terpene biosynthesis is inducible in two families of marine terpenes, pseudopterosins from the gorgonian coral Pseudopterogorgia elisabethae and fuscol fromEunicea fusca. Since we have recently shown that terpene biosynthesis is not under the control of the invertebrate host, but rather occurs within a dinoflagellate preparation, we examined the terpene content of the dinoflagellate symbiont following a decrease in UV/vis radiation as well as in response to the addition of methyl jasmonate, salicylic acid and gibberellic acid. We demonstrated that pseudopterosin and fuscol biosynthesis can be markedly increased through the addition of the plant bioactive substances. We also demonstrated that, while the terpene content of P. elisabethae increases in response to decreased UV/vis light, this is due primarily to an increase in the concentration of the dinoflagellate rather than simply an induction of terpene biosynthesis.
When is inter-firm coordination beneficial? The case of innovation

Abstract We are used to the idea that collusion among firms is legitimately presumed to be damaging to the public interest, and that the antitrust authorities are fully justified in taking coordination of prices to merit prohibition per se as inexcusable in any circumstances. One reaches that conclusion when one thinks about price as the matter being decided upon and when the coordinating parties are horizontal competitors. But, as those who have studied the issue know, joint decisions can in some general cases materially promote the public interest if those decisions deal with matters other than price. Even coordination of prices can be desirable if the firms involved are vertically, rather than horizontally, related. Indeed, this is widely recognized by antitrust authorities, who, for example, take a more favorable view of vertical coordination than of horizontal coordination and have frequently avoided interference in research joint ventures. The central point of this paper is that, with important exceptions, coordination on innovation and on the supply of proprietary technical information to competitors can be highly beneficial to the economy, enhancing both its static efficiency and its growth. The policy implication is that regulatory agencies and the courts should exercise extreme restraint in interfering with such joint decision making, though they should maintain some degree of vigilance to ensure that it does not transform itself into anti-competitive behavior that profits at the consumer’s expense.
Neutron-Matter Radii from an Analysis of Pionic Atoms

Neutron and proton distributions rms radii in nuclei by optical model analysis of low energy pion-nucleus interactions
Reactivity of (C5Me5)2Sm(THF)2 with Nitriles: C−C Bond Cleavage To Form Cyanide Complexes

The divalent organosamarium complex (C5Me5)2Sm(THF)2 (1) reacts in toluene with Me3CCN to form the insoluble trivalent cyanide complex [(C5Me5)2SmCN]n (2). The Me3CCN reaction was found to proceed ...
An integrated computer instructional approach to improve dairy cattle estrus detection

Creative teaching methods aimed to train learners to improve farm management decisions need to be explored. In that context a microcomputer software package (ESTRUS-DETECTION) was developed to address a major economic problem in dairy herd management - estrus detection - by integrating tutorial and simulation instruction. ESTRUS-DETECTION was developed in the cT programming language. A pretest/posttest experimental design measured changes in learning for 45 students in an undergraduate dairy management course. Total learning was significantly increased among students. Comparable learning increases were shown for students working in pairs and individually. Student feedback and a subjective evaluation of knowledge retention affirmed the importance of integrated simulation and tutorial computer instruction as an agricultural teaching tool.
Hormonal control of protein expression and mRNA levels of the MaxiK channel α subunit in myometrium

Large conductance voltage-dependent and Ca2+-modulated K+ channels play a crucial role in myometrium contractility. Western blots and immunocytochemistry of rat uterine sections or isolated cells show that MaxiK channel protein signals drastically decrease towards the end of pregnancy. Consistent with a transcriptional regulation of channel expression, mRNA levels quantified with the ribonuclease protection assay correlated well with MaxiK protein levels. As a control, Na+/K+-ATPase protein and RNA levels do not significantly change at different stages of pregnancy. The low numbers of MaxiK channels at the end of pregnancy may facilitate uterine contraction needed for parturition.
Differential expression of genes related to mitochondrial biogenesis and bioenergetics in fatigued prostate cancer men receiving external beam radiation therapy.

Objectives This prospective study explored relationships between expression changes of genes related to mitochondrial biogenesis/bioenergetics and fatigue in men with prostate cancer receiving external beam radiation therapy (EBRT).
A New Approach for Studying Mechanical Properties of Thin Surface Layers Affected by Manufacturing Processes

Nano-indentation has become an important tool in the study of mechanical properties of solids at small length scales, ever since its formulation as a technique in the early 1980s.* The small size of an indentation, typically one micrometer or less in surface extent, makes it a potentially attractive tool also for the quantitative study of the characteristics of surface layers in monolithic solids. Here, we report results from a study in which nano-indentation has been combined with taper-sectioning to analyze the mechanical properties of thin surface layers affected by manufacturing processes. The so-called white etching layer (WL) produced in steel surfaces by machining and abrasion is characterized. The WL is found to have a hardness in the range of 11.5-16.2 GPa, which is significantly greater than that of untempered martensite produced by heat treatment processes. These hardness values are close to those measured on steel piano wires. The so-called burn-layer produced on ground surfaces of steels is found to have a hardness distribution very similar to that of a white layer suggesting that the two layers are of the same type. Localized hardening and softening of surface layers, over spatial extents of a few micrometers, caused by material removal processes are accurately resolved by the combined use of nano-indentation and taper-sectioning. The taper-sectioning/nano-indentation approach is also shown to be a good procedure for characterizing the hardness of PVD-TiN films deposited onto hard metal substrates.
Energy harvesting by a purely passive flapping foil from shear flows

Abstract By using a two-dimensional numerical approach, we investigate the response of a purely passive flapping foil flow energy harvester in a linear shear flow. Our focus is to prove that in such conditions the device is still capable of undergoing periodically oscillatory responses induced by flow-induced instability as it does in uniform incoming flows. Our simulations show that this regular and predictable response, essential for reliable energy harvesting, is achieved over a range of geometric and mechanical parameters when the shear rate is relatively small. It disappears when the shear rate is large. Other responses, such as tumbling motions and irregular motions, are also identified and mapped in the parametric space. The performance of the system, characterized by its energy harvesting efficiency (i.e., the percentage of the incoming flow energy flux captured by the system), is found to be comparable to that in the uniform-flow case.
P53 levels determine outcome during β-catenin tumor initiation and metastasis in the mammary gland and male germ cells

β-catenin, an oncogene, and P53, a tumor suppressor, are common targets of mutation in human cancers. It has been observed that P53 is often inactivated in tumors involving β-catenin activation. In an attempt to model this situation in vivo, we crossed the previously characterized MMTV-ΔN-β-catenin mouse with the P53 knockout mouse. Female multiparous mice that carry the MMTV-ΔN-β-catenin transgene and that are heterozygous for P53 (TgΔN-βCat/+, P53+/−) display an increased tumor burden (2.05 vs 1.31 tumors/animal), with a generally more advanced pathology, and increased metastatic rate (39 vs 0%) relative to transgenic female mice that are wild type for P53 (TgΔN-βCat/+, P53+/+). These differences were not due to complete loss of P53 as only one of 21 tumors demonstrated loss of heterozygosity at the P53 locus. Furthermore, no mutations were present in tumors retaining a single wild-type allele. TgΔN-βCat/+, P53−/− male mice developed testicular teratomas and survived an average of 65 days, whereas non-TgΔN-βCat, P53−/− males survived an average of 84 days. Sixty-two percent of TgΔN-βCat, P53−/− mice developed testicular teratomas, whereas only 10% of the non-TgΔN-βCat, P53−/− mice developed these tumors. These results indicate that the level of P53 and the tissue of origin are important factors in determining outcome of cancer caused by oncogene activation.
Micro reactors for chemical synthesis

The advances of the past few years in microreactors have demonstrated that the miniaturization of chemistry has significant advantages with respect to cost, safety, throughput, kinetics and scale-up. The use of chemical microreactors for catalytic oxidations, heterocyclic syntheses and photochemical reactions has illustrated the utility and benefits for both chemical discovery and chemical development applications.
Pyramid Coding Of Images Using Visual Criterion

An image pyramid incorporating properties of the human visual system is developed and is used for compressing images. Generation of the pyramid is done in two stages: in the first stage quadrature mirror filters (QMFs) are used to decompose the image; in the second stage directional "dome" filters are applied to the subbands generated by the QMFs. The dome filter is designed such that its impulse response function resembles the receptive field of the human cortical cell. Perfect reconstruction is possible by simply interpolating, filtering and adding the various subbands. Optimal quantization of the oriented pyramid components is done based on sensitivity of the visual system. Simulation results are presented for the "lena" image.
Establishing the boundary retardation with respect to the observed fringes in scattered-light photoelasticity

This technical note presents a technique for estabalshing the boundary retardation with respect to the observed finges. Thus, the available data are increased and, thereby, improve the accuracy of determining fringe spacing near boundaries and, in particular, in thin models. The technique is applicable to scattered-light polariscopes utilizing a quarter-wave plate to circularize the entering polarized light.
Evaluating the Failure Pressure of Bilayer Lipid Membranes by a Controllable Electromagnetic Test Fixture

The motion of plants is the inspiration for a new biomimetic actuator that uses fluid transport across a bilayer lipid membrane (BLM) to create internal pressure and cause displacement in the actuator. In order for the actuator to be viable the BLM must be able to withstand this internal pressure without failing. In a previous study, BLMs were formed over a porous polycarbonate substrate and a hydrostatic pressure was applied to the BLM and gradually increased until failure. This test was performed over different pore sizes to measure the failure pressure of the BLM as a function of pore radius. To improve this series of experiments, a new test fixture has been developed that will allow for a more precise measurement of the failure pressure as well as an expanded range of failure pressures. It is computer controlled, using an electromagnetic actuator to pressurize the BLMs and a pressure transducer to monitor pressure. The design scheme for this test fixture and some preliminary results will be presented.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Adjunctive renal artery revascularization during juxtarenal and suprarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm repairs.

Abstract Background We report a 15-year experience with renal artery revascularization during abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair. Methods AAA repairs from 1994 to 2009 were reviewed. Postoperative complications, renal function, patency, and survival in patients undergoing renal artery revascularization were evaluated and compared with a control group of patients undergoing juxtarenal AAA repairs not requiring renal artery revascularization. Results Sixty patients underwent renal artery revascularization during AAA repair. Transient postoperative renal insufficiency occurred in 20 patients. Temporary hemodialysis was required in 3 patients, with none requiring permanent hemodialysis. There was 1 postoperative death. There was 1 renal artery revascularization failure at 1 month but no other graft failures at 12 months median follow-up evaluation (1-year patency, 97%). In comparison with the control group, transient renal insufficiency and pulmonary complications (33.3% vs 19.8%; P = .042) were more common with renal artery revascularization, with no differences in long-term renal complications or mortality. Conclusions Renal artery revascularization can be performed during AAA repair with excellent patency and minimal morbidity.
An automatically compensating heat-exchange calorimeter for metabolic studies

This paper describes an easily constructed calorimeter functioning on a heat-exchange principle in which a continuously flowing coolant removes heat at a preset rate. Variations in heat loss from an experimental animal are compensated by a resistance hot wire in a simple feed-back circuit so that calorimeter temperature is held constant. Accommodation for simultaneous measurement of oxygen consumption (heat production) is included. Agreement between steady-state heat loss and heat production determined by these two means agrees usually within 5 per cent. The simplicity of the equipment permits a wide variety of physiological tests in various combinations to be performed simultaneously with direct calorimetry.
Multiscale SAR Image Segmentation using Wavelet-domain Hidden Markov Tree Models

We study the segmentation of SAR imagery using wavelet-domain Hidden Markov Tree (HMT) models. The HMT model is a tree- structured probabilistic graph that captures the statistical properties of the wavelet transforms of images. This technique has been successfully applied to the segmentation of natural texture images, documents, etc. However, SAR image segmentation poses a difficult challenge owing to the high levels of speckle noise present at fine scales. We solve this problem using a 'truncated' wavelet HMT model specially adapted to SAR images. This variation is built using only the coarse scale wavelet coefficients. When applied to SAR images, this technique provides a reliable initial segmentation. We then refine the classification using a multiscale fusion technique, which combines the classification information across scales from the initial segmentation to correct for misclassifications. We provide a fast algorithm, and demonstrate its performance on MSTAR clutter data.© (2000) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Energy harvesting through a backpack employing a mechanically amplified piezoelectric stack

Over the past few decades, the use of portable and wearable electronics has grown steadily. These devices are becoming increasingly more powerful, however, the gains that have been made in the device performance has resulted in the need for significantly higher power to operate the electronics. This issue has been further complicated due to the stagnate growth of battery technology over the past decade. In order to increase the life of these electronics, researchers have begun investigating methods of generating energy from ambient sources such that the life of the electronics can be prolonged. Recent developments in the field have led to the design of a number of mechanisms that can be used to generate electrical energy, from a variety of sources including thermal, solar, strain, inertia, etc. Many of these energy sources are available for use with humans, but their use must be carefully considered such that parasitic effects that could disrupt the user's gait or endurance are avoided. This study develops a novel energy harvesting backpack that can generate electrical energy from the differential forces between the wearer and the pack. The goal of this system is to make the energy harvesting device transparent to the wearer such that his or her endurance and dexterity is not compromised. This will be accomplished by replacing the strap buckle with a mechanically amplified piezoelectric stack actuator. Piezoelectric stack actuators have found little use in energy harvesting applications due to their high stiffness which makes straining the material difficult. This issue will be alleviated using a mechanically amplified stack which allows the relatively low forces generated by the pack to be transformed to high forces on the piezoelectric stack. This paper will develop a theoretical model of the piezoelectric buckle and perform experimental testing to validate the model accuracy and energy harvesting performance.
The Effect of Soy Protein Beverages on Serum Cell Adhesion Molecule Concentrations in Prehypertensive/Stage 1 Hypertensive Individuals

Objective: Prehypertensive and hypertensive individuals are at increased risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD), in part because hypertension contributes to endothelial dysfunction and increased cell adhesion molecule expression. Soy protein and isoflavones may favorably alter CVD risk factors, and hence the aim of this study was to determine whether intake of cow's milk compared with soy beverage prepared from whole soy bean (WSB) or soy protein isolate (SPI) would lower soluble cell adhesion molecule concentrations as a means of decreasing CVD risk.Methods: We enrolled healthy prehypertensive/stage 1 hypertensive men (n = 60; 18–63 years) and premenopausal women (n = 8; 20–48 years). Participants were randomized to 1 of 3 groups for 8 weeks: cow's milk (600 mL/d), SPI beverage (840 mL/d; 30.1 mg total isoflavones/d), or WSB beverage (840 mL/d; 91.4 mg total isoflavones/d). We measured soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), and e...
Inadequate Access to Care Among Children With Asthma From Spanish-Speaking Families

Despite substantial asthma prevalence and morbidity, children from Spanish- speaking families are at high risk of inadequate maintenance therapy. The reasons for this remain unclear. The objective of this study was to compare patterns of asthma morbidity and access to care of children with asthma from Spanish-speaking and English-speaking families. Cross-sectional data from a nationally representative sample of children with asthma 2-17 years of age were analyzed from the 1999 National Health Interview Survey, conducted in both English and Spanish, with the preferred language identified at the time of the interview. Among the 1,228 children with asthma (physician-diagnosed asthma by parent report), 66 (3%) were from Spanish-speaking families and 1,162 (97%) were from English-speaking families. In a logistic regression model adjusting for gender, insurance, poverty (above or below the federal poverty level, based on reported family income and the U.S. Poverty Threshold produced annually by the Census Bureau), and race/ethnicity, children with asthma from Spanish-speaking families were one-third less likely to have a usual health care provider (odds ratio (OR) 0.31, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.1-0.8) than children with asthma from English-speaking families. Latino ethnicity was not independently associated with diminished continuity of care. These data indicate that children with asthma from Spanish-speaking families are less likely to experience continuity of health care than their counterparts from English-speaking families. Differences in continuity of care may contribute to inadequate asthma maintenance therapy among these children.
The design of perfect reconstruction nonuniform band filter banks

The authors describe a general procedure for the design of analysis-synthesis systems based on nonuniform filter banks. The procedure is based on a time-domain analysis which results in a set of time-domain conditions for the exact reconstruction of the input signal at the output. These conditions are used as part of a powerful tool for designing FIR (finite impulse response) filter banks with an arbitrary nonuniform frequency resolution. This framework allows for the design of systems with arbitrary rational decimation rates in different bands. Systems based on maximally or non-maximally decimated filter banks, low and minimum delay systems, and systems based on block decimators are also among the systems that can be designed using this method. >
623 INFLUENZA IMMUNIZATION IN CHILDREN WITH LEUKEMIA

To determine if children with acute lymohoblastic leukemia (ALL) can mount a primary response to immunization with a new antigen and a secondary response to a known antigen, 39 children with ALL and 51 sibling controls received 2 doses of bivalent split-product influenza vaccine, A Victoria/75, A New Jersey/76 (A/Vic, A/NJ). Before immunization 90% of patients and controls had hemagglutination inhibiting antibody (HAI) to A/Vic of ≥ 1:8; none showed HAI antibodies to A/NJ. Four weeks after the first dose 74% of patients and controls showed at least a 4-fold rise in HAI titer to A/Vic. Only 48% of patients on chemotherapy responded to the first A/NJ immunization compared to 68% of controls and 89% of patients off therapy. Following the second dose, 86% of patients on therapy demonstrated at least a 4-fold rise in titers to both viruses with geometric mean titers of 1:68 to A/Vic and 1:43 to A/NJ. Patients who were off therapy developed higher HAI titers than controls. The results demonstrate that patients receiving chemotherapy can produce anti-influenza antibody in response to immunization with either an old antigen or a new antigen. Responses to the new antigen in patients on chemotherapy are more sluggish than those of controls but adequate antibody levels are achieved with booster immunization.
Apparent higher-order Z/sub 1/ effects due to asymmetric energy straggling

Recently published data for the stopping power of fully stripped channeled ions are interpreted in terms of the Vavilov theory of energy straggling. The qualitative dependence of (dE/dx)/sub p//Z/sub 1//sup ts2/ on charge and velocity can be explained by the dependence of the asymmetry of the energy-loss probability density on these variables through the parameter xi/epsilon/sub max/.
Noise-Induced Permanent Threshold Shifts in the Occupational Noise and Hearing Survey: An Explanation for Elevated Risk Estimates.

Objectives:To (1) estimate noise-induced permanent threshold shift (NIPTS) values from the data of the 1968–1972 Occupational Noise and Hearing Survey (ONHS); (2) compare these NIPTS estimates to NIPTS predictions from an international standard (ISO-1999); (3) determine why excess risk estimates bas
Making the Pap Smear into the `Right Tool' for the Job: Cervical Cancer Screening in the USA, circa 1940-95

Despite being a rather recalcitrant tool, the `Pap smear' is today the major cancer screening technology in the world. This paper examines how and why heterogeneous actors chose to advocate the Pap smear as a screen for cervical cancer in the late 1940s, and to tinker both in and far beyond the diagnostic laboratory for over 50 years to make the Pap smear `fit' as a screening and clinical technology. Tinkerings included gendering the division of labour, attempting to automate reading of smears, juggling costs, exploring alternative screening technologies, pushing for regulation of laboratories, and settling for locally-negotiated orders of clinical accuracy instead of global standardization, still elusive today.
Glass formation from low molecular weight organic melts

Glass formation from the melt of organic monomers was studied for a variety of different organic molecular structures with Tg near ambient temperature. Crystallization is suppressed by one or more of the molecular properties, hydrogen bonding, interlocking, dipolar, and hydrogen bonding, combined with hindered rotational isomerism. Examples of materials in each category are presented for illustration. The viscosity of undercooled liquids was characterized by the Vogel-Tammon-Fulcher (VTF) equation, η = A cxp[DT0/(T - T0)], where A, D, and T0 are experimentally determined parameters. Our experimental D values are discussed in relation to the molecular structure and glass formation mechanism. The insight provided by our interpretation is intended to assist in the design of new molecular structures with controlled viscosity-temperature characteristics, as well as glass-forming ability by cooling from melts.
Algebraic synthesis of a class of four-bar linkages and their equivalent mechanisms

Abstract Analytical method of position synthesis of the Four-bar RRPR (Revolute-Revolute-Prismatic-Revolute) linkage, PRPR (Prismatic-Revolute-Prismatic-Revolute) linkage and Rapson's slide as well as their equivalent mechanisms are presented and discussed with numerical examples.
Composable core-sets for diversity and coverage maximization

In this paper we consider efficient construction of "composable core-sets" for basic diversity and coverage maximization problems. A core-set for a point-set in a metric space is a subset of the point-set with the property that an approximate solution to the whole point-set can be obtained given the core-set alone. A composable core-set has the property that for a collection of sets, the approximate solution to the union of the sets in the collection can be obtained given the union of the composable core-sets for the point sets in the collection. Using composable core-sets one can obtain efficient solutions to a wide variety of massive data processing applications, including nearest neighbor search, streaming algorithms and map-reduce computation.Our main results are algorithms for constructing composable core-sets for several notions of "diversity objective functions", a topic that attracted a significant amount of research over the last few years. The composable core-sets we construct are small and accurate: their approximation factor almost matches that of the best "off-line" algorithms for the relevant optimization problems (up to a constant factor). Moreover, we also show applications of our results to diverse nearest neighbor search, streaming algorithms and map-reduce computation. Finally, we show that for an alternative notion of diversity maximization based on the maximum coverage problem small composable core-sets do not exist.
A Comparative Study of Various Single-Plane Cineangiocardiographic Methods to Measure Left-Ventricular Volume

Monoplane angiocardiographic methods are widely used to measure left-ventricular volumes (LVV's). Generally, the ellipsoid and Simpson's rule models are used to calculate LVV. Due to the assumed circular cross-sectional area of the left ventricle, both models have a fundamental error which theoretically prohibits the exact calculation of LVV. In this paper, a method to reduce this fundamental error is suggested whereby the LVV is calculated by Simpson's rule, but with each truncated cone or frustum multiplied by a correction factor to relate the assumed circular cross-sectional area to the true cross-sectional area of the frustum. The developed correction-factor technique is compared to the currently used ellipsoid and the Simpson's rule models for 18 canine left-ventricular casts, and the results show that the correction-factor technique has a greater accuracy than any of the conventional methods.
Discourses on Death: Obituaries and the Management of Spoiled Identity:

What do obituaries disclose about the death of persons who die of AIDS or where AIDS-related death is indicated? Obituaries meeting pre-established criteria were collected from a major metropolitan newspaper for a sixteen-month period in 1992 and 1993. A total of 184 obituaries were collected, content analyzed, and broken into three disclosure categories based on: 1) AIDS-related complications as published cause of death, 2) same-sex partner named as survivor, and 3) association with the AIDS cause or with the gay community. All three categories are stigmatized in the context of today's social norms. Discourse analysis revealed similarities and differences in topical and in subtextual themes and in varying degrees of identity management for the three categories. Descriptive findings suggest areas for further research and reveal much about the public management of death to counter the social stigma of “spoiled identity.”
High-efficiency AlGaAs/InGaAs heterostructure FET oscillators at V-band

Quarter micron gate length heterostructure FETs used as oscillators have achieved record DC to RF conversion efficiencies at V-band. Devices with gatewidths of 50μm achieved an efficiency as high as 27% with output powers up to 20 mW in the 54 to 66 GHz frequency range.
New approaches to miniaturizing ion trap mass analyzers

Development of miniaturized ion trap (IT) mass analyzers for portable mass spectrometry has taken advantage of the latest technology in conventional machining and microfabrication. Researchers are now turning to new materials, such as polymers and ceramics, as well as alternative electrode shapes and arrangements to create the precisely-shaped electric fields needed for good performance on small-scale devices. Polymer-based construction allows lightweight structures, complex shapes and inexpensive production of small ITs. Simplified electrode arrangements, such as ITs made from two patterned ceramic plates, allow precise electric fields and simplified electrode alignment.
Earthquakes: a movement in four parts?

From time to time, over millennia, northwestern North America has experienced huge earthquakes. These events may be preceded by tell-tale subsidence, but the evidence is devilishly difficult to decipher.
The nature of alkylurea and urea denaturation of α-chymotrypsinogen

The optical rotatory dispersion of α-chymotrypsinogen in aqueous solution became less levorotatory upon the addition of ethyl-, propyl-, or butylurea; less negative values for the Moffitt-Yang parameter, α0, were also obtained. This change in optical rotation of α-chymotrypsinogen induced by the alkylureas was similar in direction and magnitude to that observed for alcohols but was opposite to that caused by unsubstituted urea. It appears, therefore, that the alkylureas share with the alcohols an ability to rearrange α-chymotrypsinogen into a non-native yet regularly ordered conformation. The effectiveness of the alkylureas and alcohols as denaturants for this protein increased in the order ethyl<propyl<butyl derivatives. An identical rank-order was observed for the ability of the alkylureas and alcohols to diminish attractive forces between aliphatic groups, as measured by a model system based upon the extent of aggregation of glass beads coated with methyl groups. These findings indicate that the denaturing action of alkylureas for α-chymotrypsinogen is a function of the substituted aliphatic group and is predominantly hydrophobic in character. Non-hydrophobic interactions of unsubstituted urea with α-chymotrypsinogen appear to be critical for unfolding of the protein to a random-coil configuration.
EFFECT OF HOST AGE ON MICROENVIRONMENTAL HETEROGENEITY AND EFFICACY OF COMBINED MODALITY THERAPY IN SOLID TUMORS

Abstract The implications of microenvironmental heterogeneity in solid tumors for combined modality therapy were assessed by comparing the microenvironmental profiles and therapeutic responses of EMT6 tumors implanted into young and aging mice. The radiobiological hypoxic fraction of tumors in aging mice was shown to be 41% (95% CL, 28–60%), while that in young adult hosts is 19% (95% CL, 14–25%). These microenvironmental differences were also seen in perfusion studies and in studies of the intratumoral pH and pO 2 in young and aging mice. The therapeutic importance of microenvironmental factors can be examined in this system, as the tumor cells per se are identical, but the proportions of tumor cells in adverse microenvironments are different. Studies described here show that mitomycin C, an agent with selective toxicity to hypoxic cells, produced greater antineoplastic effects in tumors in aging mice when used alone or as an adjunct to radiation. Combined-modality regimens incorporating agents selectively toxic to hypoxic cells may be especially valuable in improving the results of radiotherapy in tumors in which the tumor-host interactions have resulted in unusually large hypoxic fractions.
Sepsis—From human organ failure to laminar failure

The horse with gram negative sepsis is known to be at particular risk of succumbing to laminitis. This review summarizes recent evidence indicating that similar pathologic events relating to inflammatory injury occur in laminar failure in laminitis as occur in organ injury/failure in human sepsis. The discussion also points out some important differences between the laminae and target organs in human sepsis that impact the clinical nature of the disease.
Reflecting on the two-way educational exchange between Korea and the United States

Korea’s visibility in the United States seems noticeably increasing these years. All around, we see Hyundai Sonatas more often than in previous years. An increasing number of people seem to be carrying cell phones and other gadgets from Samsung and LG. However, some people seem to fail to connect such items to Korea, much as we don’t necessarily think of “British” when we fill up our gas tanks at the BP stations. A while back, I was sending a small parcel item to my parents in Korea at a post office branch. I said “South Korea,” but apparently the U.S. Postal Service chart listed two Koreas under their cumbersome official names: Republic of Korea (ROK) and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). The staff person said South Korea must be the DPRK because it has the word Democratic! Well, this puzzling experience happened in the City of Cleveland proper, where more than half the public high-school students fail to graduate. If so, then it’s not that puzzling, I thought. Further, the memories of the Korean War appear to be indelible in the minds of the U.S. public. But the reality is: Korea is now one of the world’s rapidly advancing countries. Korea’s new President Lee Myung-bak, in his Feb. 25 (2008) inaugural address, declared South Korea is “among the 10 largest economies in the world.”
Random inequality constraint systems with few variables

We show that a system of many linear inequality constraints will have a high proportion of redundant constraints with high probability. Implications for expected time of algorithms are indicated.
A CRT blanking circuit for video terminals

A simple and inexpensive modification for the ADDS 980 video terminal is described which permits the characters displayed on the CRT to be blanked and restored (under software control). This circuit is useful in applications, such as RT measurement, where precise definition of stimulus onset is important. The technique described is general enough to be applied to a variety of other video terminals.
The latency of gaining α-reliability for message dissemination in vehicle-to-vehicle networks

In many Vehicular Ad-hoc Network applications, such as hazard warning and traffic coordination, the message dissemination in unreliable and highly mobile network environment is a key challenge. In order to understand the relationship between dissemination latency and reliability, we analyze the latency of gaining α-reliability that a node correctly receives a message with probability larger than α (0 min (α). Besides dissemination reliability requirement α, t min (α) also depends on node's original distance from the source, node mobility, channel reliability, and traffic flow. Numerical analysis discloses several interesting insights that 1) t min (α) is dominated by the first attempt to send the message to a destination, 2) node mobility has little impact on t min (α) in emergency information dissemination, and 3) transmission range and node density greatly affect dissemination latency and reliability.
Danaparoid for heparin-induced thrombocytopenia: an analysis of treatment failures

: Background: Patients with heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) (with or without thrombosis) require alternative anticoagulation because of their extreme risk of new thromboembolic complications. The first effective agent for this purpose may be danaparoid, a less-sulfated low molecular weight heparinoid. Recently, direct thrombin inhibitors have been used. Objective: Five HIT patients, who developed new thromboembolic complications while receiving danaparoid, were analyzed to consider possible reasons for treatment failure and to promulgate strategies that improve efficacy. Results: Three patients had acute HIT, one had recent HIT, and one with remote HIT was re-exposed to heparin during heart surgery. Danaparoid was started as intravenous bolus and infusion in one patient, and as 1250 units subcutaneously twice daily in four patients. The new complications that emerged on danaparoid were new venous thrombi in three patients (one with pulmonary emboli), lower extremity arterial thrombosis in one, myocardial ischemia in one, thromboembolic cardiovascular accidents in one, and fatal bowel necrosis in one (two patients suffered more than one complication). Platelet counts did not improve or worsened in four, improved partially in the other, and parameters of disseminated intravascular coagulation failed to improve in one patient. Four patients responded relatively dramaticaly when direct thrombin inhibitors were substituted. Possible reasons for danaparoid failure include that: 1) no treatment is expected to completely prevent complications, 2) antithrombin III consumption can blunt efficacy in some patients, 3) low or intermediate doses may be insufficient, and 4) there was clinically significant cross-reactivity of the pathogenic HIT antibodies. Conclusions: It is emphasized that the possibility of clinically significant antibody cross-reactivity and that low or intermediate dosage may be inadequate when using danaparoid in therapy of HIT. The latter problem probably extrapolates to other anticoagulants used for HIT.
Periodic fluctuations in FSH concentrations during the ovine estrous cycle

Abstract Heterologous radioimmunoassays for ovine LH and ovine FSH were validated and used to examine the concentrations of gonadotropins during the estrous cycle. Concentrations of LH were maximal on the day of estrus as previously reported. Concentrations of FSH were minimal 1 or 2 days before estrus, increased markedly during estrus, and fluctuated widely during diestrus. Most ewes ( 11 13 ) had periodic waves of FSH occurring at short intervals (3.5–6 days, 3 13 ewes ), long intervals (10–18 days, 3 13 ewes ), or at both long and short intervals ( 5 13 ewes ).
Acheulian Occupation Sites at Torralba and Ambrona, Spain: Their Geology

The Acheulian occupation sites of Torralba and Ambrona, central Spain, lie within the Torralba Formation, a complex of alluvial and slope deposits dating from a long period of glacial climate before the Holstein (Mindel-Riss) interglacial.
Human blood-brain barrier transferrin receptor

The kinetics of binding and endocytosis of 125I-human holotransferrin by isolated human brain capillaries was examined using this system as a model of the human blood-brain barrier (BBB). Both binding and endocytosis of the peptide by human brain capillaries was temperature-dependent and the binding was saturated by holotransferrin, but not by insulin, somatostatin, or vasopressin. Scatchard analysis of the binding reaction revealed a dissociation constant of 448 +/- 110 ng/mL (5.6 +/- 1.4 nmol/L) and a maximal binding constant (Ro) of 8.0 +/- 1.5 ng/mg protein. Thus, the affinity and capacity of the BBB transferrin receptor is within the same order of magnitude as the affinity and capacity of the BBB receptors for insulin, insulinlike growth factor-I, or insulinlike growth factor-II. The human brain capillary transferrin receptor was also detected with a mouse monoclonal antibody to the receptor using the avidin/biotin/peroxidase technique. In conclusion, these studies characterize the human BBB transferrin receptor and support the hypothesis that this receptor acts as a transport system which mediates the transcytosis of transferrin-bound iron through the brain capillary endothelial cell in man.
Vestibular Schwannoma Excision in Sporadic versus Neurofibromatosis Type 2 Populations.

Author(s): Mahboubi, Hossein; Maducdoc, Marlon M; Yau, Amy Y; Ziai, Kasra; Ghavami, Yaser; Badran, Karam W; Al-Thobaiti, Majid; Brandon, Bryan; Djalilian, Hamid R | Abstract: ObjectiveTo understand the differences in characteristics of neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) and sporadic patients with surgically excised vestibular schwannomas in the state of California.Study designCross-sectional.Setting, subjects, and methodsThe records of all patients who underwent vestibular schwannoma excision between 1997 and 2011 were extracted from the California Hospital Inpatient Discharge Databases (CHIDD). NF2 cases were identified using ICD-9-CM diagnosis code 237.72, neurofibromatosis, type 2. All other cases were recoded as sporadic. Trends in total number and population-adjusted rates (per 1 million California residents) of surgery, demographics, hospital case volume, state of residency, complications, length of stay, total charges, expected source of payment, and disposition were examined.ResultsVestibular schwannoma (VS) excision was performed on 7017 patients, of which 464 patients (6.6%) had NF2. The population-adjusted surgery rate declined from 11.8 to 6.2 (P l .001) for sporadic cases and from 0.3 to 0.2 (P = .01) for NF2 cases over the study period. NF2 was associated with younger age (mean, 32.9 vs 51.3), higher rate of other complications (8.8% vs 4.4%) and facial nerve complications (32.3% vs 16.8%), higher total charges (median $70,106 vs $46,395), longer stay (median 5 vs 4), and high volume hospitals (80.4% vs 48.8%) (all P l .001).ConclusionThe surgery rates for vestibular schwannoma excision for both sporadic and NF2 patients have declined, but the decline is more prominent for sporadic cases. NF2 patients tend to be younger and have a longer hospitalization and possibly higher corresponding hospital charges compared to patients with sporadic VS.
Bone composition: relationship to bone fragility and antiosteoporotic drug effects

The composition of a bone can be described in terms of the mineral phase, hydroxyapatite, the organic phase, which consists of collagen type I, noncollagenous proteins, other components and water. The relative proportions of these various components vary with age, site, gender, disease and treatment. Any drug therapy could change the composition of a bone. This review, however, will only address those pharmaceuticals used to treat or prevent diseases of bone: fragility fractures in particular, and the way they can alter the composition. As bone is a heterogeneous tissue, its composition must be discussed in terms of the chemical makeup, properties of its chemical constituents and their distributions in the ever-changing bone matrix. Emphasis, in this review, is placed on changes in composition as a function of age and various diseases of bone, particularly osteoporosis. It is suggested that while some of the antiosteoporotic drugs can and do modify composition, their positive effects on bone strength may be balanced by negative ones.
Nonlinear Vibrations of a Hinged Beam Including Nonlinear Inertia Effects

This investigation treats the large amplitude transverse vibration of a hinged beam with no axial restraints and which has arbitrary initial conditions of motion. Nonlinear elasticity terms arising from moderately large curvatures, and nonlinear inertia terms arising from longitudinal and rotary inertia of the beam are included in the nonlinear equation of motion. Using a Galerkin variational method and a modal expansion, the problem is reduced to a system of coupled nonlinear ordinary differential equations which are solved for arbitrary initial conditions, using the perturbation procedure of multiple-time scales. The general response and frequency-amplitude relations are derived theoretically. Comparison with previously published results is made.
What's in a face? Visual contributions to speech segmentation

Recent research has demonstrated that adults successfully segment two interleaved artificial speech streams with incongruent statistics (i.e., streams whose combined statistics are noisier than the encapsulated statistics) only when provided with an indexical cue of speaker voice. In a series of five experiments, our study explores whether learners can utilise visual information to encapsulate statistics for each speech stream. We initially presented learners with incongruent artificial speech streams produced by the same female voice along with an accompanying visual display. Learners successfully segmented both streams when the audio stream was presented with an indexical cue of talking faces (Experiment 1). This learning cannot be attributed to the presence of the talking face display alone, as a single face paired with a single input stream did not improve segmentation (Experiment 2). Additionally, participants failed to successfully segment two streams when they were paired with a synchronised single...
Motherboards, Microphones and Metaphors: Re-examining New Literacies and Black Feminist Thought through Technologies of Self

This article examines how two African American females composed counter-selves using a computer motherboard and a stand-alone microphone as critical identity texts. Situated within sociocultural an...