cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Echocardiographic Imaging for Transcatheter Tricuspid Valve Interventions

Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) represents an important, overlooked, and often undertreated valve disorder. The advent of novel transcatheter approaches directed towards the mitral and aortic valves has generated interest in the possible management of right-sided valve disease using similar strategies. The identification of anatomically suitable candidates by echocardiography is essential in ensuring good outcomes. The assessment of tricuspid valve (TV) morphology and regurgitation severity poses challenges to cardiac imagers and requires careful analysis of two- and three-dimensional echocardiographic imaging of the TV using transthoracic and transesophageal approaches. This review will focus on the latest advancements and approaches to TV imaging for the purposes of percutaneous intervention.
Beyond HAT Adaptor: TRRAP Liaisons with Sp1-Mediated Transcription

The members of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-related kinase (PIKK) family play vital roles in multiple biological processes, including DNA damage response, metabolism, cell growth, mRNA decay, and transcription. TRRAP, as the only member lacking the enzymatic activity in this family, is an adaptor protein for several histone acetyltransferase (HAT) complexes and a scaffold protein for multiple transcription factors. TRRAP has been demonstrated to regulate various cellular functions in cell cycle progression, cell stemness maintenance and differentiation, as well as neural homeostasis. TRRAP is known to be an important orchestrator of many molecular machineries in gene transcription by modulating the activity of some key transcription factors, including E2F1, c-Myc, p53, and recently, Sp1. This review summarizes the biological and biochemical studies on the action mode of TRRAP together with the transcription factors, focusing on how TRRAP-HAT mediates the transactivation of Sp1-governing biological processes, including neurodegeneration.
Phosphorylation of the Peptidoglycan Synthase PonA1 Governs the Rate of Polar Elongation in Mycobacteria.

Cell growth and division are required for the progression of bacterial infections. Most rod-shaped bacteria grow by inserting new cell wall along their mid-section. However, mycobacteria, including the human pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis, produce new cell wall material at their poles. How mycobacteria control this different mode of growth is incompletely understood. Here we find that PonA1, a penicillin binding protein (PBP) capable of transglycosylation and transpeptidation of cell wall peptidoglycan (PG), is a major governor of polar growth in mycobacteria. PonA1 is required for growth of Mycobacterium smegmatis and is critical for M. tuberculosis during infection. In both cases, PonA1’s catalytic activities are both required for normal cell length, though loss of transglycosylase activity has a more pronounced effect than transpeptidation. Mutations that alter the amount or the activity of PonA1 result in abnormal formation of cell poles and changes in cell length. Moreover, altered PonA1 activity results in dramatic differences in antibiotic susceptibility, suggesting that a balance between the two enzymatic activities of PonA1 is critical for survival. We also find that phosphorylation of a cytoplasmic region of PonA1 is required for normal activity. Mutations in a critical phosphorylated residue affect transglycosylase activity and result in abnormal rates of cell elongation. Together, our data indicate that PonA1 is a central determinant of polar growth in mycobacteria, and its governance of cell elongation is required for robust cell fitness during both host-induced and antibiotic stress.
If Extremists Vote How do They Express Themselves? An Empirical Test of an Expressive Theory of Voting

The expressive theory of voting needs more specification of the motives for expression if it is not merely to be a theory of non-instrumental voting. Brennan and Hamlin provide such a specification. Unfortunately, using individual U.S. data from the General Social Surveys we find their predictions are contradicted. Nor if other evidence in the literature purported to be evidence of expressive voting actually implied by it. We believe that this is because the reason people express themselves in voting is to signal others.
Correlating Optical and Kinetic Deviations from Ideality in Fiber Reactive Dye Mixtures

Kinetic and optical behaviors of Cibacron™ Yellow R, Scarlet 2GE, and Blue TRE are studied individually and in mixtures. In mixtures, these dyes deviate from their individual behaviors. A method for determining these deviations and for correlating the optical and kinetic deviations is demonstrated. This method is valuable because it allows the kinetic behavior of dyes in mixtures to be characterized from simple optical measurements.
Choosing the Lesser of Two Evils: A Framework for Considering the Ethics of Competency-for-Execution Evaluations

Prisoners sentenced to death must be competent for execution before they can actually be executed (Ford v. Wainwright, 1986). The decision for many mental health professionals whether to conduct competence-for-execution evaluations may be fraught with complex ethical issues. Mental health professionals who do not personally support capital punishment may have a particularly difficult decision to make in this regard but should seriously consider the consequences of their decisions. This article applies Bush, Connell, and Denney's (2006) eight-step ethical decision-making model to the ethicality of deciding on or abstaining from conducting competence for execution evaluations. This article does not propose what decisions an individual evaluator should make regarding this work but rather presents a systematic guide for mental health professionals (particularly those who do not support capital punishment) to consider.
Interactions of bacteriophage T4-coded gene 32 protein with nucleic acids: II. Specificity of binding to DNA and RNA

In this paper we examine the specificity of the co-operative binding (in the polynucleotide mode) of bacteriophage T4-coded gene 32 protein to synthetic and natural single-stranded nucleic acids differing in base composition and sugar type. It is shown by competition experiments in a tight-binding (low salt) environment that there is a high degree of binding specificity under these (protein-limiting) conditions, with one type of nucleic acid lattice binding gene 32 protein to saturation before any binding to the competing lattice takes place; it is also shown that the same differential specificities apply at high salt concentrations. Procedures developed in the preceding paper (Kowalczykowski et al., 1980) are used to measure the net binding affinities (Kω) of gene 32 protein to a variety of polynucleotides, as well as to determine individual values of K and ω for some systems. For all polynucleotides, virtually the entire specificity and salt dependence of binding of Kω appears to be in K. In ~0.2 m-NaCl, the net binding affinities (Kω) range from ~106 to ~1011 m−1; in order of increasing affinities we find: poly(rC) < poly(rU) < poly(rA) < poly(dA) < poly(dC) < poly(dU) < poly(rI) < poly(dI) < poly-(dT). In general, Kω for a particular homopolyribonucleotide at constant salt concentration is 101 to 104 smaller than Kω for the corresponding homopoly-deoxyribopolynucleotide. Values of Kω for randomly copolymerized polynucleotides and for natural DNA fall at the compositionally weighted average of the values for the individual homopolynucleotides (except for poly(dT), which appears to bind somewhat tighter), indicating that the net affinity represents the sum of the binding free energy contributions of the individual nucleotides. It is shown that these results, on a competition basis under physiological salt conditions, can account quantitatively for the autogenous regulation of the synthesis of gene 32 protein at the translational level (Russel et al., 1976; Lemaire et al., 1978). In addition, these results suggest possible mechanisms by which gene 32 messenger RNA might be specifically recognized (by gene 32 protein) and functionally discriminated from the other mRNAs of phage T4.
Unraveling condition specific gene transcriptional regulatory networks in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Gene expression and transcription factor (TF) binding data have been used to reveal gene transcriptional regulatory networks. Existing knowledge of gene regulation can be presented using gene connectivity networks. However, these composite connectivity networks do not specify the range of biological conditions of the activity of each link in the network. We present a novel method that utilizes the expression and binding patterns of the neighboring nodes of each link in existing experimentally-based, literature-derived gene transcriptional regulatory networks and extend them in silico using TF-gene binding motifs and a compendium of large expression data from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Using this method, we predict several hundreds of new transcriptional regulatory TF-gene links, along with experimental conditions in which known and predicted links become active. This approach unravels new links in the yeast gene transcriptional regulatory network by utilizing the known transcriptional regulatory interactions, and is particularly useful for breaking down the composite transcriptional regulatory network to condition specific networks. Our methods can facilitate future binding experiments, as they can considerably help focus on the TFs that must be surveyed to understand gene regulation. (Supplemental material and the latest version of the MATLAB implementation of the United Signature Algorithm is available online at [1] or [see Additional files 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10])
Learning hidden Markov models from the state distribution oracle

A Hidden Markov Model (HMM) is a probabilistic model that has been widely applied to a number of fields since its inception over 30 years ago. Computational Biology, Speech Recognition, and Image Processing are but a few of the application areas of HMMs. We propose an efficient algorithm for learning the parameters of a first order HMM from a state distribution (SD) oracle. The SD oracle provides the learner with the state distribution vector corresponding to a query string in the model. The SD oracle is shown to be necessary for polynomial-time learning in the sense that the consistency problem involving learning HMM parameters from a training set of state distribution vectors without the ability to query the SD oracle, is NP-complete. The learning algorithm proposed is based on an algorithm described by Tzeng for learning Probabilistic Automata.
LKB1 regulates germinal center formation and termination

Mature naive B cells are quiescent until activated by antigen receptor engagement. Once activated, follicular B cells rapidly proliferate and undergo immunoglobulin (IG) locus gene modifications to...
Software development cost estimation approaches – A survey

This paper summarizes several classes of software cost estimation models and techniques: parametric models, expertisedbased techniques, learningdoriented techniques, dynamicsdbased models, regressiondbased models, and compositedBayesian techniques for integrating expertisedbased and regressiondbased models. Experience to date indicates that neuraldnet and dynamicsdbased techniques are less mature than the other classes of techniques, but that all classes of techniques are challenged by the rapid pace of change in software technology. The primary conclusion is that no single technique is best for all situations, and that a careful comparison of the results of several approaches is most likely to produce realistic estimates.
Seroprevalence of hepatitis E virus in blood donors in Greece

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection, apart from its occurrence in endemic countries, has also drawn attention the past years in industrialized countries. Sporadic cases of HEV in developed countries are linked to a history of travel in endemic regions or to consumption of undercooked pork and wild boar/deer products. Recent studies among healthy blood donors from European countries have reported rates of HEV seroprevalence ranging from 2 6% to 20 6%. In the literature, there are documented cases of transfusion-transmitted hepatitis E infection and the recipient’s predisposition, and immune status determines the clinical outcome [1]. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of HEV among blood donors in Greece, which is unknown. We analysed blood donor samples collected in the ‘Aretaieion’ Hospital’s Blood Bank, in Athens for the presence of anti-HEV IgG antibodies, using the HEV IgG Kit (EIAgen; Adaltis Inc, Milan, Italy). The study was approved by the hospital’s ethic committee. We tested 265 blood donors, with a mean age of 39 6 years (range 19–61), 216 men and 49 women. Anti-HEV IgG was found in 25 of 265 individuals (9 43%). The seroprevalence was 10 65% (23/216) in men and 4 08% (2/49) in women. The presence of anti-HEV IgG did not differ by age or gender (P > 0 05). All positive donors resided in urban areas, and none reported an occupation related to swineherds handling. Also, none of them had a recent history (past year) of travel in endemic areas, but the possibility that they had travelled outside Greece a long time ago and been exposed to HEV could not be excluded. All positive donors underwent a testing for ALT, AST and bilirubin, and 6/23 donors had abnormal AST values, thus a recent asymptomatic infection could not be excluded. This preliminary study shows that HEV seroprevalence among blood donors in Greece is similar to the one reported from UK (10%) [2], lower to that reported in Northwest France [3], but higher to the one reported from Scottish blood donors recently (5%) [4]. This could be explained either by differences in the sensitivity/specificity of commercial tests used for HEV detection and/or the selection of samples from an urban blood bank [5]. Moreover, practices in meat handling and preparation (well cooked vs. undercooked) vary among countries and this may have contributed to the different seroprevalence rates. Nevertheless, our results demonstrate that HEV circulates in the urban population of Greece. Data regarding HEV prevalence in Greek livestock are lacking and merit exploration. Further studies are necessary to define the clinical and epidemiologic importance of HEV infection in Greece, to identify sources and routes of transmission and assess the possible risk of transfusion-transmitted HEV by assessing HEV-RNA in sero-positive blood donors.
Compound radar waveforms with multiple frames

A pulse may be divided into contiguous sequential frames, sometimes called sub-pulses. In a typical pulse-Doppler radar, receiving echo energy must be deferred until after the entire pulse waveform is transmitted. This sets a nearest possible range at which the beginning of the echo pulse can be processed. However, even when early frames or portions of frames are occluded or eclipsed by the transmit pulse, the echo from later frames may still be received and processed. This allows latter frames to be received in their entirety from nearer ranges than earlier frames or the entire pulse. As long as the latter frames still exhibit the desired resolution bandwidth, no loss of resolution is suffered by processing against only the latter frames. In this manner, a compound multi-frame pulse can be processed against a larger range swath than a more conventional pulse modulation scheme. Essentially, the traditional constraints between near-range detection and pulsewidth have been considerably loosened. Relative frame durations can be optimized to allow SNR to exceed some minimum level.
Corpus Christi, 1965-2005: A Secondary City's Search for a New Direction

This article recounts four decades of efforts to reenergize the economy of Corpus Christi, a regional city and ocean resort along the Texas coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Between 1920 and 1970, the a...
On Picture-Writing

To write “sun”, “moon” and “tree” in picture-writing, one draws simply a circle, a crescent and some simplified, conventionalized picture of a tree, respectively. Picture-writing was used by some tribes of red Indians and it may well be that more advanced systems of writing evolved everywhere from this primitive system. And so picture-writing may be the ultimate source of the Greek, Latin and Gothic alphabets, the letters of which we currently use as mathematical symbols. I wish to observe that also the primitive picture-writing may be of some use in mathematics.
Finite-size effects and anisotropic melting of the vortex solid in high-temperature superconductors

A mean-field model of anisotropic melting of the vortex solid in high-temperature superconductors is proposed. For a slab sample with dimensions {ital l}{sub {ital a}{ital b}}{much gt}{ital l}{sub {ital c}}, where 2{ital l}{sub {ital a}{ital b}} and 2{ital l}{sub {ital c}} are the average diameter of the {ital ab} plane and the {ital c} axis thickness, respectively, large thermal fluctuations and finite-size effects may result in anisotropic two-dimensional melting at crossover temperatures {ital T}{sub {ital X}}({ital H}) below the three-dimensional-melting transition {ital T}{sub {ital M}}({ital H}). Thus a quasi-two-dimensionally ordered vortex-liquid phase may exist in {ital T}{sub {ital X}}({ital H}) {lt}{ital T}{lt}{ital T}{sub {ital M}}({ital H}). Generally, {ital T}{sub {ital X}}({ital H}) decreases with the decreasing sample thickness, increasing magnetic field, and larger Ginzburg-Landau parameter {kappa}({identical to}{lambda}/{xi}). In the limit of 1/2{ital H}{sub {ital c}2}{much lt}{ital H}{lt}{ital H}{sub {ital c}2}, the geometric anisotropy plays a more important role in determining {ital T}{sub {ital X}}({ital H}) than the electronic-mass anisotropy.
Induction of c-fos gene expression by spinal cord transection in the rat

Sympathetic nerve activity is maintained after high spinal injury through circuits that remain in question. We evaluated patterns of c-fos gene induction as a monitor of spinal neurons responding to high spinal cord transection in the rat. Rats were anesthetized with isofluorane. Lower cervical or upper thoracic spinal segments were exposed, immersed in warm mineral oil and transected. Spinal cords were exposed but not transected in anesthetized controls. After 2.5 h, spinalized and control rats were perfused for immunocytochemistry. Cervical and thoracolumbar spinal segments and dorsal root ganglia were sectioned coronally. Tissues were incubated in primary, polyclonal antisera raised in rabbit or sheep against a peptide sequence unique to the N-terminal domain of Fos, and processed immunocytochemically. Neurons were induced to express Fos-like immunoreactivity (FLI), bilaterally, in the spinal gray, but not in primary sensory ganglia. Spinal cord transection induced neurons to express FLI in thoracic laminae I, IIo (outer substantia gelatinosa), Vre (lateral reticulated division), VII (lamina intermedia) and X, and the intermediolateral cell column. Lamina VIII was also labeled in spinal-injured but not in control animals. Immunolabeled nuclei were prominent in lumbar segments and were concentrated in the medial third of laminae I and IIo, and in laminae VII and X. Few cells were labeled in upper cervical or sacral segments. FLI was sparse in the spinal gray of controls and expressed mainly within the dorsal root entry zone of upper thoracic segments. Patterns of c-fos gene expression were site-specific and correlated with laminae that respond predominantly to noxious stimulation and that contain sympathetic interneurons. Laminae that are responsive to non-noxious stimuli and activated by walking, IIi, nucleus proprius, medial V and layer VI were not induced to express FLI. We conclude that neurons in specific spinal laminae that process high threshold afferents and that harbor neurons with sympathetic nerve-related activity are activated selectively by spinal cord transections. We hypothesize that peripheral afferents processed by spinal-sympathetic circuit neurons may regulate sympathetic discharge in the absence of supraspinal drive.
Optimization of the Axial Porosity Distribution of Porous Inserts in a Liquid-Piston Gas Compressor Using a One-Dimensional Formulation

A One-Dimensional (One-D) numerical model to calculate transient temperature distributions in a liquid-piston compressor with porous inserts is presented. The liquid-piston compressor is used for Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES), and the inserted porous media serve the purpose of reducing temperature rise during compression. The One-D model considers heat transfer by convection in both the fluids (gas and liquid) and convective heat exchange with the solid. The Volume of Fluid (VOF) method is used in the model to deal with the moving liquid-gas interface. Solutions of the One-D model are validated against full CFD solutions of the same problem but within a two-dimensional computation domain, and against another study given in the literature.The model is used to optimize the porosity distribution, in the axial direction, of the porous insert. The objective is to minimize the compression work input for a given piston speed and a given overall pressure compression ratio. The model equations are discretized and solved by a finite difference method. The optimization method is based on sensitivity calculations in an iterative procedure. The sensitivity is the partial derivative of compression work with respect to the porosity value at each optimization node. In each optimization round, the One-D model is solved as many times as there are optimization nodes, and each time the porosity value at a single optimization node is changed by a small amount. From these calculations, the sensitivity of changing the porosity distribution to the total work input (objective) is obtained. Based on this, the porosity distribution is updated in the direction that favors the objective. Then, the optimization procedure marches to the next round and the same calculations are completed iteratively until an optimum solution is reached. The optimization shows that porous media with high porosity should be used in the lower part of the chamber and porous media with low porosity should be used in the upper part of the chamber. An optimal distribution of porosity over the chamber is obtained.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
An improved impedance-boundary algorithm for Fourier split-step solutions of the parabolic wave equation

A new implementation of the previously published mixed Fourier transform (MFT) method for including impedance boundaries in split-step parabolic equation solutions is described and demonstrated. The new algorithm is formulated entirely in the discrete domain which results in extended applicability and increased computation speed. A brief review of the original MFT solution is followed by a detailed description of the discrete formulation. The performance of the new algorithm is then demonstrated with a few examples which rely heavily on the accuracy of the impedance boundary. These examples include 10 MHz surface wave propagation over smooth and rough sea surfaces and 10 GHz calculations utilizing an effective rough surface impedance.
Consumer Believability of Information in Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Advertising of Prescription Drugs

Direct to consumer (DTC) advertising has attracted significant research attention, yet none has focused on empirical assessments of its overall impact on U.S. consumers nationally, and tying assessment to relevant behavioral outcomes. This paper addresses the ethical issue of DTC advertising providing a balance of product and risk information that is both understandable and believable, and contributes direction to those exploring this phenomenon.
Mechanical relaxation in radiation-polymerized vinyl stearate

Abstract Mechanical relaxation studies, over the temperature range from about 100[ddot] K to or above the melting point, were performed on unannealed and annealed samples of vinyl stearate, on as-received and purified samples of poly(vinyl stearate), and on a series of radiation-polymerized samples having different monomer-polymer ratios. These latter samples were polymerized in the solid state by exposure of the crystalline monomer to a 60Co source and were characterized by density measurements, X-ray diffraction, and differential thermal analysis (DTA). The modulus-temperature and loss-temperature curves of the monomer showed a mechanical relaxation centered at 210[ddot]K (959 Hz) which appeared to decrease toward a limiting value with increase of annealing time. This behavior is similar to that observed in dielectric studies of vinyl stearate. With increase of radiation time and greater conversion to polymer, the magnitude of the 210[ddot] K loss peak increased while the peak position shifted to lower ...
A new heuristic for minimal makespan in flow shops with multiple processors and no intermediate storage

Abstract The general scheduling problem in a flow shop with multiple processors (FSMP) is characterized by the processing of n jobs through m stages with one or more processors at each stage. The assumption is generally made that there is unlimited storage available between stages. This paper changes that assumption so there is no intermediate storage (NIS) and blocking between stages. This paper is concerned with the minimization of the makespan in an FSMP with no intermediate storage (FSMP-NIS) with identical multiple processors at each stage. This research focuses on the development of a new heuristic for minimizing the makespan in an FSMP-NIS to be used in, but not limited to, this environment. Experiments are performed to test the effectiveness of the new heuristic and other comparison heuristics for small and large-sized problems. Results indicate that the new heuristic performs statistically better (over the data used) than other commonly used heuristics.
Why Earthquakes Stop: Growth and Arrest in Stochastic Fields

Classical theory predicts that earthquakes growing in a homogeneous stress field should not arrest until the fault boundaries are encountered. However, earthquakes on natural faults, where stresses are heterogeneous, are observed over a wide range of sizes. Here we suggest that heterogeneity should be characterized by the Hausdorff dimension {ital H} of the walk associated with a stochastic stress difference field. The critical value for arrest, H=0.5 , corresonds to a Brownian walk through the stress difference field. {copyright} {ital 1998} {ital The American Physical Society}
The effects of low pressure on electrophoretic patterns in the endocrine-deficient rat.

Abstract Pleuriglandular deficiences in the rat result in alterations in the serum protein levels. The stress of lowered barometric pressures on serum protein fractions appears to be mediated through the pituitary-adrenal axis.
Orthogonal extensions in microprogrammed multiprocessor systems — A chance for increased firmware usage

Abstract The performance and the price development of integrated circuits leads to multiprocessor systems despite the fact that intra-program parallelism is often not sufficient for keeping several processors busy. This paper therefore speculates on an alternative way for utilizing multiprocessor systems: systems are extended to provide additional services and functions which hitherto could not be implemented due to performance considerations. These extensions can be implemented in additional processors. We call them ‘orthogonal’ because these additional functions are considered to be disjoint from the primary function of the multiprocessor system architecture. By discussing several examples and applications an attempt is made to point at directions for further investigation and research.
A laboratory study of the effect of magnetite on NMR relaxation rates

We conducted a laboratory study to measure the effect of magnetite concentration and grain size on proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxation rates of sand mixtures and to determine the dominant mechanism by which relaxation occurs. We measured mixtures of quartz and three different forms of magnetite: a powdered synthetic magnetite; a small-grained, natural magnetite; and a large-grained, natural magnetite. The powdered synthetic magnetite was mixed with quartz in five concentrations ranging from 0.14 to 1.4% magnetite by weight; both sizes of natural magnetite were mixed with quartz in concentrations of 1 and 2% magnetite by weight. The NMR response of the water-saturated samples was measured and used to calculate four averaged relaxation rates for each magnetite concentration: the total mean log, bulk fluid, surface, and diffusion relaxation rates. The results of this study show that: 1) surface relaxation was the dominant relaxation mechanism for all samples except the powdered synthetic magnetite sample containing 1.4% magnetite; 2) the surface relaxivity is a function of the fraction of the surface area in the sample composed of magnetite; 3) there is no clear dependence of the diffusion relaxation rate on the concentration of magnetite.
Modeling of Oxygen Transport Across Tumor Multicellular Layers

Abstract Purpose Tumor oxygen level plays a major role in the response of tumors to different treatments. The purpose of this study was to develop a method of determining oxygen transport properties in a recently developed 3D model of tumor parenchyma, the multicellular layer (MCL). Methods OCM-1 human choroidal melanoma cells were grown as 3D MCLs on collagen-coated culture plate inserts. A recessed-cathode oxygen microelectrode was used to measure oxygen tension (PO 2 ) profiles across 8 different MCL from the free surface to the insert membrane. The profiles were fitted to four different one-dimensional diffusion models: 1-, 2-, and 3-region models with uniform oxygen consumption ( q ) in each region and a modified 3-region model with a central region where q = 0 and PO 2 = 0. Results Depending upon the presence of a central region of anoxia, the PO 2 profiles were fitted best by either the two-region model or the modified 3-region model. Consumption of tumor cells near the insert membrane was higher than that of cells close to the free surface (33.1 ± 13.6 × 10 − 4 vs. 11.8 ± 6.7 × 10 − 4 mm Hg/μm 2 , respectively). Conclusions The model is useful for determining oxygenation and consumption in MCL, especially for cell lines that cannot be grown as spheroids. In the future, this model will permit the study of parameters important in tumor oxygenation in vitro.
Chiral current at high temperatures.

The BPFTW effective action is a good laboratory to study the nature of chiral symmetry at high [ital T]. It is invariant under a new Noether charge [ital Q][sub 5][sup [beta]]. By explicit quantization, performed to order [ital T][prime], we show that the thermal vacuum is annihilated by [ital Q][sub 5][sup [beta]], so that the new chiral symmetry is not broken spontaneously at high [ital T]. This high [ital T] Noether charge is, however, different from the usual zero temperature chirality [ital Q][sub 5]. Our quantization also shows that the thermal vacuum is not annihilated by [ital Q][sub 5], so that the old chiral symmetry remains broken at high [ital T]. The thermal vacuum is thus every bit as structured'' and complex'' as the Nambu--Jona-Lasinio vacuum at zero temperature. We exhibit the relation between the normal mode expansion for [ital Q][sub 5][sup [beta]] versus the usual expansion for [ital Q][sub 5]. In an appendix, we point out the analyticity properties of the fermion propagator in the real time formalism, and verify the canonical nature of the thermal Green function.
Single-pulse temperature measurement in turbulent flame using laser-induced O2 fluorescence

Time-resolved pointwise temperature measurements in the high-temperature gases of a turbulent, premixed propane-O 2 atmospheric pressure flame were demonstrated using a new single-pulse KrF laser-induced O 2 fluorescence temperature measurement technique
Modelling of icecap glaciation of the northern Rocky Mountains of Montana

Abstract The extent of the lastglacial icecap over the northern Rocky Mountains of Montana has been inferred only from cursory correlation of its marginal deposits, which leaves several significant unresolved controversies. Those controversies all involve the maximum altitude and shape of that interconnected ice mass, and include (1) the source of the Two Medicine piedmont lobe (local or Cordilleran ice), (2) correlation of terminal deposits of the Flathead lobe (late lastglacial, early lastglacial, or prelastglacial), and (3) regional paleoclimate at last glacial maximum (dominant westerlies or local easterlies). Theoretical reconstructions of the glacial surface along major flowlines, constrained by ice-marginal features, nunataks and breached divides throughout the region, tentatively resolve those issues. The Two Medicine lobe was dominantly composed of northeast-flowing local ice, not ice of northwestern (Canadian cordillera) origin. Flathead lobe deposits include lastglacial deposits both supported by and without a component from the Swan Valley. There is evidence of only a regional westerly flow of moisture across the region. In addition, a proglacial lake 60 km long occupied the Swan Valley during the early stages of deglaciation. Although subject to revision from fieldwork, glacial process modelling remains one of the few geological arenas in which rigorous process modelling can be used to predict the evolution of form.
Interstitial PO2Determination by Phosphorescence Quenching Microscopy

Objective:This study introduces the technique of microinjection of phosphor probe into skeletal muscle tissue to determine oxygen tension (PO2) in the interstitium by phosphorescence quenching microscopy. Method:The spinotrapezius muscle of Wistar-Kyoto rats weighing 240–280 g was surgically isolated and underwent the microinjection procedure. We measured the spatial distribution of phosphor probe 10, 30, and 80 minutes after injection; the tissue PO2at sites adjacent to arteriolar and venular microvessels; and the decline in tissue PO2during a 3-minute period of 8-Hz contraction. Results:The phosphorescence signal from the probe was undetectable outside a 2.5-mm radius from the site of injection at the 10-minute time point, increased to measurable values after 30 minutes, and was double the 30-minute intensity value after 80 minutes. When used to measure periarteriolar PO2, the tissue microinjection technique demonstrated a nonlinear fall in tissue PO2with distance away from secondary arterioles (30–40 µ...
Response plasticity of single neurons in rabbit auditory association cortex during tone-signalled learning

Abstract Single unit activity was monitored in rabbit auditory association cortex (AC) throughout the acquisition of a classically conditioned, nictitating-membrane response. The CS was a tone burst at the characteristic frequency of each neuron. Rabbits which were pseudoconditioned or recieved conditioning trials but did not learn the response served as control groups. Significant alterations in CS-evoked firing rate were termed ‘response plasticity’. Neurons in conditioned animals were more than twice as likely to show response plasticity during the 250 ms CS-US interval than neurons in control animals. Such differences were evident both in the early (0–60 ms) and late (60–250 ms) portions of the CS-US interval. Most early changes appeared at 21–40 ms after CS onset. Response plasticity was most commonly manifested as an increase or decreases in CS-evoked firing rate with little change in the response pattern (PST histogram shape). In some neurons, subcomponents of response patterns (early or late portions of the CS-US interval) were observed to change independently of each other. Spontaneous rate and UCS-evoked activity were not modified with learning. Early in training (transition trials), neural activity evoked by the tone CS in conditioned animals was not different from that in controls. Response plasticity was most pronounced after the CR was first learned (trained trials) and stabilized once the CR was well established (overtrained trials). Recording sites of neurons showing conditioning-related response plasticity were co-extensive with those of cells that did not.
Investigation of a corticosteroid-binding globulin-like molecule in human placenta.

ABSTRACT. The existence of an endogenous corticosteroid-binding globulin (CBG)-like molecule in human placenta has been reported in studies which depended largely on immunological techniques. The experiments reported herein do not support that contention. Using a well characterized antibody to purified human CBG, we were unable to demonstrate CBG in placental cytosol. Although the immunological methods were too insensi-tive to detect CBG, the presence of small amounts of it were detected in binding experiments with [(3)H]cortisol. Simultaneous measurement of serum albumin indicated that the presence of CBG in the placental cytosol could be accounted for by contamination of the preparation with plasma.
Impact of Bran Addition on Water Properties and Gluten Secondary Structure in Wheat Flour Doughs Studied by Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy

ABSTRACT The aim of this work was to elucidate the underlying physical mechanism(s) by which bran influences whole grain dough properties by monitoring the state of water and gluten secondary structure in wheat flour and bran doughs containing 35–50% moisture and 0–10% added bran. The system was studied with attenuated total reflectance (ATR) FTIR spectroscopy. Comparison of the OH stretch band of water in flour dough with that in H2O-D2O mixtures having the same water content revealed the formation of two distinct water populations in flour dough corresponding to IR absorption frequencies at 3,600 and 3,200 cm–1. The band intensity at 3,200 cm–1, which is related to water bound to the dough matrix, decreased and shifted to lower frequencies with increasing moisture content of the dough. Addition of bran to the dough caused redistribution of water in the flour and bran dough system, as evidenced by shifts in OH stretch frequency in the 3,200 cm–1 region to higher frequencies and a reduction in monomeric w...
Evaluation of silicon surface nitridation effects on ultra-thin ZrO2 gate dielectrics

The effects of silicon surface nitridation on metal–oxide–semiconductor capacitors with zirconium oxide (ZrO2) gate dielectrics were investigated. Surface nitridation was introduced via ammonia (NH3) annealing prior to ZrO2 sputter-deposition, and tantalum nitride (TaN) was used for the gate electrode. It was found that capacitors with the nitridation had thinner equivalent oxide thickness (∼8.7 A), comparable leakage current, and slightly increased capacitance–voltage hysteresis as compared to samples without nitridation. Additionally, transmission electron microscopy pictures revealed that nitrided samples had a thicker interfacial layer (IL), which had a higher dielectric constant than that of the non-nitrided IL.
Central transport and distribution of labelled glutamic and aspartic acids to the cochlear nucleus in cats: an autoradiographic study.

Abstract Tritiated l -glutamic acid or l -aspartic acid were injected unilaterally into the cochleas of adult cats, and 4 h-7 days later the localization of label was studied by light-microscopic autoradiography in sections of the brain stem. All experiments with [3H]glutamate and most with [3H]aspartate produced visibly denser grains and quantitatively higher grain counts in the cochlear nucleus of the injected side than in the cochlear nucleus of the noninjected side. In general, [3H]glutamate produced dense label ipsilaterally in all major subdivisions of the cochlear nucleus except the molecular layer of the dorsal division and the granular cell cap of the ventral division, in patterns like those after injections of [3H]leucine. The most heavily labelled areas were those that received the densest inputs of primary cochlear fibers. By contrast, [3H]aspartate produced dense grains in the ventral, but not in the dorsal, cochlear nucleus. The results with [3H]glutamate closely resembled those after [3H]leucine or [14C]leucine injections, but the results with [3H]aspartate showed consistent differences from those after [3H]leucine. After [3H]aspartate, label was densely located around cell bodies and basal dendrites, but not around primary dendrites of octopus cells, in contrast to the dense perisomatic and peridendritic label after [3H]glutamate. Also, relatively low grain counts occurred in the nerve root entry zone and in the deep dorsal cochlear nucleus after [3H]aspartate, although high counts occurred in those same zones after either [3H]glutamate or [3H]leucine injections. Consistent differences in labelling after glutamate and after aspartate suggest differences in their uptake, metabolic conversion and/or transport to the cochlear nucleus by cochlear fibers. The morphological differences shown here agree with the distribution of those two amino acids in the cat cochlear nucleus as shown by microchemical analyses.
Mitochondrial disease associated with complex I (NADH-CoQ oxidoreductase) deficiency

Mitochondrial diseases due to a reduced capacity for oxidative phosphorylation were first identified more than 20 years ago, and their incidence is now recognized to be quite significant. In a large proportion of cases the problem can be traced to a complex I (NADH-CoQ oxidoreductase) deficiency (Phenotype MIM #252010). Because the complex consists of 44 subunits, there are many potential targets for pathogenic mutations, both on the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes. Surprisingly, however, almost half of the complex I deficiencies are due to defects in as yet unidentified genes that encode proteins other than the structural proteins of the complex. This review attempts to summarize what we know about the molecular basis of complex I deficiencies: mutations in the known structural genes, and mutations in an increasing number of genes encoding "assembly factors", that is, proteins required for the biogenesis of a functional complex I that are not found in the final complex I. More such genes must be identified before definitive genetic counselling can be applied in all cases of affected families.
Soot formation in a steady, nonpremixed, recirculating flame

Abstract An inverted step burner has been designed in which a steady ethylene, recirculating flame is established. The burner was housed within a vertical wind tunnel. Laser extinction was used to determine the soot volume fraction in the recirculation zone. Temperatures were determined by a thermocouple. One-dimensional laser-Doppler velocity (LDV) measurements were obtained with a frequency shift system to measure the flow field in the recirculating flame. All the measurements were obtained for a fixed ethylene flow rate; a low and a high velocity in the approach flow were investigated. Variation in air velocity changed the structure of the flame. At low flow conditions, the soot loading has two distinct peaks at the lower and upper edge of the flame. At the higher air velocity, the upper part of the flame has a much lower relative soot loading as a result of the shorter residence time. The location of the peak values of the soot also changed with the residence time. The peak temperature was of the order of 1600°C. The soot loading was low in the regions of high temperature and relatively high in regions of low temperatures, reflecting the important role of thermal radiation in these luminous flames. The LDV measurements were used to reveal the nature of the flow field. The local soot loading in the flame increased as the approach flow velocity increased; this result suggests the possibility that soot may continue to grow when it is recirculated to regions of growth in a flame.
Sorption properties of polystyrene adsorbents from isotherms of propane and n-butane

Abstract Adsorption isotherms for propane and n-butane on two polystyrene samples of high and low specific surface areas were obtained from measurements of transmission or breakthrough curves. These isotherms were analyzed to extract the parameters that characterize the energetic heterogeneity of polystyrene. The energetic heterogeneity of the sample with low specific surface area reflects only the surface heterogeneity of polystyrene; therefore, this sample was used as a reference system to study the polystyrene sample with a high specific surface area. Analysis of the adsorption isotherm suggests that the sample with a high specific surface area possesses micropores that increase its energetic heterogeneity in comparison to that observed for the sample with low specific surface area.
Optimized refinable enclosures of multivariate polynomial pieces

An enclosure is a two-sided approximation of a uni- or multivariate function b@?B by a pair of typically simpler functions b^+,b^-@?H B such that b^-=
Voice expression and rated extraversion.

Summary Eighteen Ss listened to neutral and emotional passages recorded by 22 speakers who had taken the Eysenck Personality Inventory. The estimates of extraversion arrived at by the 18 listener-judges did not correlate significantly with the EPI measure of extraversion. Despite this lack of criterion validity, some voices were clearly and reliably rated as more introverted or extraverted than others. The judges' own degree of extraversion was not a significant factor in the judgments.
Dynamic mass exchange in doubly degenerate binaries. I - 0.9 and 1.2 solar mass stars

The dynamic mass exchange process in doubly degenerate binaries was investigated using a three-dimensional numerical simulation of the evolution of a doubly degenerate binary system in which the primary is a 1.2-solar-mass white dwarf and the Roche lobe filling secondary is a 0.9-solar-mass dwarf. The results show that, in a little more than two orbital periods, the secondary is completely destroyed and transformed into a thick disk orbiting about the primary. Since only a very small fraction of the mass (0.0063 solar mass) escapes the system, the evolution of the binary results in the formation of a massive object. This object is composed of three parts, the initial white dwarf primary, a very hot pressure-supported spherical envelope, and a rotationally supported outer disk. The evolution of the system can be understood in terms of a simple analytical model where it is shown that the angular momentum carried by the mass during the transfer and stored in the disk determines the evolution of the system.
Valosin-containing protein disease: inclusion body myopathy with Paget's disease of the bone and fronto-temporal dementia

Mutations in valosin-containing protein (VCP) cause inclusion body myopathy (IBM) associated with Paget's disease of the bone (PDB) and fronto-temporal dementia (FTD) or IBMPFD. Although IBMPFD is a multisystem disorder, muscle weakness is the presenting symptom in greater than half of patients and an isolated symptom in 30%. Patients with the full spectrum of the disease make up only 12% of those affected; therefore it is important to consider and recognize IBMPFD in a neuromuscular clinic. The current review describes the skeletal muscle phenotype and common muscle histochemical features in IBMPFD. In addition to myopathic features; vacuolar changes and tubulofilamentous inclusions are found in a subset of patients. The most consistent findings are VCP, ubiquitin and TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) positive inclusions. VCP is a ubiquitously expressed multifunctional protein that is a member of the AAA+ (ATPase associated with various activities) protein family. It has been implicated in multiple cellular functions ranging from organelle biogenesis to protein degradation. Although the role of VCP in skeletal muscle is currently unknown, it is clear that VCP mutations lead to the accumulation of ubiquitinated inclusions and protein aggregates in patient tissue, transgenic animals and in vitro systems. We suggest that IBMPFD is novel type of protein surplus myopathy. Instead of accumulating a poorly degraded and aggregated mutant protein as seen in some myofibrillar and nemaline myopathies, VCP mutations disrupt its normal role in protein homeostasis resulting in the accumulation of ubiquitinated and aggregated proteins that are deleterious to skeletal muscle.