cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Infrared-optical multisensor for autonomous landing guidance

Infrared sensors at the nominal 8 - 12 and 3 - 5 micron wavebands respectively can be shown to have complementary performance characteristics when used over a range of meteorological conditions. The infrared/optical multisensor for the autonomous landing guidance system integrates staring longwave, midwave, and visible sensors into an environmentally sealed and purged assembly. The infrared modules include specific enhancements for the detection of runways under adverse weather conditions. The sensors incorporate pixel-for-pixel overlap registration, and the fields of view match a conformal head-up display with sensor/display boresighting to within a fraction of a pixel. Tower tests will be used to characterize the sensors and gather data to support simulation and image processing efforts. After integration with other elements of the autonomous landing guidance system, flight tests will be conducted on Air Force and commercial transport aircraft. In addition to display and analog video recording, the multisensor data will be digitally captured during critical flight test phases.
400-MEV NEUTRON-PROTON SCATTERING

The angular distribution of neutron-proton scattering has been measured at a neutron energy of 400 Mev, with energy resolution of 7 percent. The counter telescope used to detect recoil protons was calibrated in an auxiliary experiment which also gave information about proton-proton scattering at several energies in the 400-Mev region.The $n\ensuremath{-}p$ cross section has the same general characteristics observed at lower energies, with a minimum at about 100\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} (c.m. neutron scattering angle) and a large exchange peak at 180\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}. The $p\ensuremath{-}p$ results indicate an isotropic cross section below 400 Mev, and a rise at small angles at 428 Mev.
Inhibition of the ATM/p53 Signal Transduction Pathway by Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Interferon Regulatory Factor 1

Infected cells recognize viral replication as a DNA damage stress and elicit the ataxia telangiectasia-mutated (ATM)/p53-mediated DNA damage response signal transduction pathway as part of the host surveillance mechanisms, which ultimately induces the irreversible cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Viruses have evolved a variety of mechanisms to counteract this host intracellular innate immunity. Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) viral interferon regulatory factor 1 (vIRF1) interacts with the cellular p53 tumor suppressor through its central DNA binding domain, and this interaction inhibits transcriptional activation of p53. Here, we further demonstrate that KSHV vIRF1 downregulates the total p53 protein level by facilitating its proteasome-mediated degradation. Detailed biochemical study showed that vIRF1 interacted with cellular ATM kinase through its carboxyl-terminal transactivation domain and that this interaction blocked the activation of ATM kinase activity induced by DNA damage stress. As a consequence, vIRF1 expression greatly reduced the level of serine 15 phosphorylation of p53, resulting in an increase of p53 ubiquitination and thereby a decrease of its protein stability. These results indicate that KSHV vIRF1 comprehensively compromises an ATM/p53-mediated DNA damage response checkpoint by targeting both upstream ATM kinase and downstream p53 tumor suppressor, which might circumvent host growth surveillance and facilitate viral replication in infected cells.
An estimator of examinee-level measurement error variance that considers test form difficulty adjustments

A model and estimator for examinee-level measure ment error variance are developed. Although the bi nomial distribution is basic to the modeling, the pro posed error model provides some insights into problems associated with simple binomial error, and yields estimates of error that are quite distinct from bi nomial error. By taking into consideration test form difficulty adjustments often used in standardized tests, the model is linked also to indices designed for identi fying unusual item response patterns. In addition, av erage error variance under the model is approximately that which would be obtained through a KR-20 estimate of reliability, thus providing a unique justification for this popular index. Empirical results using odd-even and alternate-forms measures of error variance tend to favor the proposed model over the binomial.
Units and general linear group cohomology for a ring of algebraic integers

This paper is a sequel to [5]. The starting point of both papers is a conjecture of the author and W. Dwyer [2]. Suppose that F is a number field, with ring of integers OF . Let ` denote an odd prime and let R = OF [1/`]. Let J∗ a denote the mod ` cohomology of the homotopy-fibre of the ` -th power mapSU→SU (all homology and cohomology groups in this paper have Z/` coefficients). Thus as an algebra, J∗ a is the tensor product of the polynomial algebra P ∗ a dual toH∗BU /(` -th powers) and a companion exterior algebra E∗ a . Let P denote the algebra of Steenrod `-th power operations. Conjecture A. Suppose F contains the `-th roots of unityμ`. Then as P-Hopf algebras H∗(GLR;Z/`) ∼= (H∗BU)s ⊗ (H∗U)r2+s ⊗ J∗ a1 ⊗ ...⊗ J∗ am
Investigation of Sample Atomization Using a Power-Modulated Radio-Frequency Glow Discharge Source

A power-modulated (pulsed), radio-frequency glow discharge source by atomic absorption spectrophotometry (rf-GD-AAS) atomizer was used to evaluate the roles of applied power, pressure, orifice diameter, duty cycle, and power-on time in the production of gas-phase sample atoms. As expected, the response of the modulated rf-GD-AAS source generally followed the same trends as those exhibited by the more common continuous-powering scheme. The effects of discharge power and pressure on the observed plasma emission and absorbance transients are presented. Use of small duty cycles and higher instantaneous powers, thus keeping the same overall average power as in the continuous mode, was shown to increase the production of ground-state atoms. However, using very high instantaneous powers may more efficiently populate excited states of the atomic species, thus decreasing the observed absorption signal for resonant transitions. Individual pulse transients were shown to be distorted if the plasma "on" times approached periods down to 2 ms. Plasma stabilization times for measurements taken in the "dark" portion of the pulse cycle (i.e., after pulse termination) were comparable to those obtained in the continuous mode (on the order of a few seconds) with the use of the same source and sample. Calibration curves were used to investigate the analytical utility of different temporal regions of the absorption transients with comparisons made between the plasma "on" and "off" portions of the cycle in the quantification of continuous plasma operation.
Cholestasis induced by scillaren administration, bicarbonate deprivation, or reduced hepatic blood flow.

Abstract Hepatocytic morphologic changes associated with bile salt-induced choleresis have been well studied; however, changes associated with alterations in the bile salt-independent fraction of bile flow (BSIF) have not been examined. We diminished bile flow in the perfused rat liver by two means which are thought to decrease BSIF: bicarbonate deprivation and treatment with scillaren, a cardiac glycoside which inhibits Na + ,K + -ATPase. Perfusate flow, bile flow, biliary bile acid excretion, and, in two experiments, perfusate calcium concentration were monitored. No morphologic changes occurred in the livers in which BSIF had been reduced by 50% by bicarbonate removal. In scillaren-treated livers both functional and morphologic changes occurred. In contrast to previous reports, scillaren (1.8 × 10 −4 to 7.2 × 10 −4 M ) reduced blood flow at the same time that it reduced BSIF proportionately. The bile salt-dependent fraction (BSDF) of bile flow was not reduced. Gross mottling appeared at the periphery of the lobes and microscopy revealed changes indicative of circulatory shutdown in sinusoids and ischemic damage to hepatocytes in such areas. Elsewhere, hepatocytes with membranes and organelles morphologically normal became widely separated at their lateral intercellular surfaces, while tight junctions (and hence bile canaliculi) remained intact. These latter changes occurred predominantly in hepatic acinar zone 1 (periportal zone) and could be reproduced by removal of Ca 2+ from the perfusate, yet perfusate Ca 2+ levels did not change with addition of scillaren. The same changes also developed when perfusate flow was reduced to a level comparable to that induced by higher doses of scillaren. It is concluded that (1) 50% reduction in BSIF by bicarbonate deprivation occurs without change in hepatic ultrastructure, (2) inhibition of bile flow by scillaren is associated with a decrease in hepatic blood flow and focal ischemic injury so that its effect on bile flow is not exclusively attributable to the inhibition of Na + ,K + -ATPase, and (3) marked reduction in perfusate flow either by restriction of portal inflow or by administration of scillaren causes a partial separation of interhepatocellular adhesion in acinar zone 1.
On flat-rate and usage-based pricing for tiered commodity internet services

In this note, we discuss issues pertaining to end-to-end quality- of-service management of commodity Internet applications and associated pricing incentive mechanisms. The issue of service differentiation is first studied using a simple two- class model including delay and throughput sensitive traffic. We show that by introducing service differentiation one can make more efficient use of resources, however this depends on the differences in required QoS as well as the typical capacities of the systems involved. As such, service differentiation may be more beneficial in lower capacity access networks than in high capacity core networks. We then focus on delay-sensitive and study flat-rate versus usage- based pricing under overload conditions. Our results suggest that in overload scenarios usage-based pricing is advantageous both from the system perspective, i.e., reduces degree of overload, and individual users' perspective, increases their perceived utilization.
The 1958 Harlem School Boycott: Parental Activism and the Struggle for Educational Equity in New York City

In this article Jennifer de Forest details the 1958 Harlem school boycott and the resulting court case, In the Matter of Charlene Skipwith. de Forest demonstrates how the Harlem Parents’ Committee mobilized dissent in Harlem and led a boycott that effectively used the Supreme Court’s 1954 decision in Brown II, which remanded the desegregation of schools to local courts. de Forest analyzes the transcripts from the case hearings to detail the way the parents and their lawyer established that systemic inequities existed in the city’s schools, and shows how they convincingly linked these inequities to segregation. Lastly, de Forest places the Skipwith case in the context of the long-term movement for educational equity in New York City, and considers its implications for the incipient movement for the community control of New York City’s schools.
Trimethyltin ototoxicity: evidence for a cochlear site of injury.

Abstract The environmental contaminant, trimethyltin (TMT), produces a profound elevation in tone intensity necessary to inhibit the acoustic startle reflex in laboratory animals which recovers over a prolonged period except at very high frequencies. The recovery that is observed does not begin until 3 to 5 weeks after a single acute administration depending upon dosage. As opposed to the very temporary threshold shifts by the salicylates and loop diuretics or the permanent and progressive ototoxicity resulting from aminoglycoside antibiotics the time course for recovery of acoustic startle reflex inhibition after TMT appears to be an anomaly for a chemical ototoxicant. In terms of the duration of loss only, this pattern appears similar to that sometimes observed after noise exposure. The current investigation replicates the finding that recovery of acoustic startle reflex inhibition after TMT is frequency related in that only the highest frequency impairment appears to be permanent. While this frequency dependence suggests a cochlear locus of injury, both the known neurotoxic effects of TMT and the time course of the behavioral impairment suggest a more central locus of injury. Compound action potential and cochlear microphonic recordings made from the round window in the current study confirm a preferential high frequency effect of TMT and demonstrate a significant cochlear component to the ototoxic effects of this agent. ototoxicity, peripheral auditory damage, trimethyltin, reflex modification audiometry, compound action potential, cochlear microphonic
Design of a workforce modelling system for Kennedy Space Center

The objective of workforce planning is to define the future human resource needs of an organisation in relation to the availability of suitable personnel, organisational goals, and budgetary constraints. To date, the workforce planning process at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) has been accomplished on a primarily manual basis. Personal judgement and experience have been applied to the analysis of various spreadsheet outputs. This approach has been sufficient in a relatively stable environment, or one experiencing incremental changes. However, the Center's workforce is undergoing major restructuring. This process involves a transition from operations to a focus on research and development. This changing environment requires new computer-based tools to support KSC workforce planning more effectively.
Daily change in pineal N-acetyltransferase activity in a diurnal mammal, the ground squirrel

Pineal N-acetyltransferase (NAT) activity in the ground squirrel, a diurnal mammal, was found to have a daily fluctuation with peak activity during the dark time. This same daily change is found in nocturnal mammals and diurnal birds. NAT may play an important role in keeping track of light and dark cycles.
Frontiers in the surgical treatment of Parkinson's disease.

Despite the continued refinement of medical and surgical therapies, the treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD) remains challenging. Current treatment strategies are largely focused on managing the motor symptoms of the disease, either by dopamine-based medications or, in advanced stages, by the application of deep brain stimulation to more stably alter the function of the basal ganglia. Important advances have been made in the last decade, but unfortunately a number of the motor symptoms of late-stage PD remain poorly treated, and while currently available therapies address the symptoms of the disease, they fail to alter the course of the disease itself. This has spurred basic and clinical exploration on a number of fronts. Several centers have examined novel stimulation targets to treat refractory symptoms of gait difficulty and axial imbalance. Basic and clinical researchers are examining whether the use of deep brain stimulation might slow the progress of the disease and thus be a useful neuroprotective...
Rainbow phenomena and the detection of nonsphericity in drops.

Liquid drops were levitated and deformed with acoustic techniques and illuminated with monochromatic light. Changes in the rainbow-angle scattering induced by the deformations were detected. Reflected and refracted rays form an interference pattern that changes with shape and the angle of Airy’s diffraction pattern shifts. A calculation by W. Mobius [ Ann. Phys. (Leipzig)33, 1493 ( 1910)] was modified to facilitate the use of these changes for the measurement of micron amplitude shape oscillations of millimeter radius drops.
Some inferences on the role of lower positive charge region in facilitating different types of lightning

[1] It is generally thought that the lower positive charge region serves to enhance the electric field at the bottom of the main negative charge region and thereby facilitate the launching of a negatively-charged leader toward ground. On the other hand, the presence of excessive lower positive charge region may prevent the occurrence of negative cloud-to-ground discharges by “blocking” the progression of descending negative leader from reaching ground and thus “converting” the potential cloud-to-ground flash to an intracloud (or cloud-to-air) one. Assuming that the preliminary breakdown pulse train is a manifestation of interaction of a downward-extending negative leader channel with the lower positive charge region, we qualitatively examine the inferred dependence of lightning type on the magnitude of this charge region.
Detection and Evaluation of Orientation Features for Computer-aided Design Part Models

SUMMARY Current design for assembly methodologies stresses the importance of part features related to acquisition and orientation in determining time values and error rates. This paper discusses an approach to detecting and evaluating features of CAD modeled parts which contribute to assembly difficulty. An evaluation basis is described and algorithms are developed which give an index of difficulty with respect to orientation features and degree of symmetry for two- and three-dimensional parts. Limitations of the method are discussed with examples.
Scotus' voluntarist approach to the atonement reconsidered

Many studies criticise John Duns Scotus (c. 1265–1308) for reducing the atoning sacrifice of Christ to a merit of finite worth and making its atoning power completely dependent on the accepting will of God, such that if it pleased God, even a purely creaturely sacrifice of an angel or a saint would have sufficed to redeem the elect. This article discredits this sort of criticism by demonstrating that Scotus situates his argument for a finite worth of Christ's merit within the framework of his larger argument for the infinite sufficiency of Christ's merit. A cogent examination of the ways in which Scotus posits a merit of finite intrinsic worth and arrives at its infinitely sufficient atoning power reveals that only the merit of a God-man can achieve this sort of sufficiency and that the nature of Scotus' voluntarism that underlies his concept of divine acceptation is nowhere as radical as it is usually portrayed.
After-Contraction Phenomenon: Influences on Performance and Learning

Three experiments investigated the influence of an after-contraction phenomenon on the performance and learning of a dynamic force-production task. The after-contraction effect refers to an involuntary potentiation (induced by a sustained precontraction) that is thought to summate with voluntary motor commands to bias subsequent responding. The precontraction involved a brief (20 s) static contraction. The subsequent influence of the precontraction on a dynamic force-production task was assessed. Experiments 1 and 2 were aimed at demonstrating the direct impact of the precontraction intensity on the magnitude and decay of the after-contraction effect. The results indicated that as the intensity of the precontraction increased, the magnitude of the induced bias increased. In Experiment 3, the indirect influence on subsequent retention of varying the precontraction intensity during acquisition was investigated. The results indicated that the performance of subjects experiencing varying precontraction intensities during acquisition was inferior to that of subjects experiencing a constant precontraction intensity, but the performance of the varied precontraction intensities group was superior on the test of retention. It is noted that the paradoxical reversal from acquisition to retention is similar to that found in contextual interference experiments and may arise from similar mechanisms.
Infrared spectroscopic investigation of gas-solid heterogeneous photocatalytic oxidation of trichloroethylene

Abstract Transmission infrared spectra of untreated titania reveal that the surface is highly hydrated and contains both hydroxyl groups and chemisorbed water, and that in this state the surface does not chemisorb trichloroethylene (TCE). Near-ultraviolet (UV) illumination in the presence of TCE vapor leads to desorption of molecular water and subsequent formation of several adsorbed hydrocarbon intermediates and carbon dioxide. Formation of bands at 1609 and 1302 cm −1 suggests the presence of an adsorbed dichlorinated olefin. An intense band at 1743 cm − is assigned to the symmetric CO stretch of dichloroacetaldehyde. Comparison of the OH stretching regions of the spectra collected during illumination in the absence of TCE to those collected during illumination shows that hydroxyls are consumed in the TCE oxidation reaction. These observations are consistent with a mechanism in which water desorption is a prerequisite “trigger” step for oxygen adsorption and subsequent reactive hydroxyl radical and hydroperoxide radical formation, as well as for TCE adsorption. The evidence suggests that attack of adsorbed olefinic derivatives of TCE by hydroxyl radicals or by hydroperoxide radicals leads to production of the aldehydic intermediate. Ultraviolet illumination stimulates desorption of product CO 2 molecules formed by further attack of the aldehyde by reactive radicals and surface decomposition of the resulting intermediates.
Findings on Optical Colonoscopy After Positive CT Colonography Exam

BACKGROUND The aim of this study is to evaluate the findings on optical colonoscopy (OC) after a positive CT &AIMS: colonography (CTC) exam and characterize the type of polyps seen on OC but not reported by CTC. METHODS: Over an 18-month period a total of 159 asymptomatic adults had polyps seen on computed tomography colonography examination and subsequently underwent planned therapeutic optical colonoscopy. The colonoscopists were aware of the findings on CT colonography prior to further evaluation of the colon. Characteristics of polyps and adenomas seen on subsequent optical colonoscopy but not seen or reported on CT colonography were examined. RESULTS: The adenoma miss rate for CT colonography overall was 18.9% (25/132) including 6.2% (4/65) for polyps >9 mm and 18.2% (8/44) for polyps 6-9 mm. Three of the adenomas >9 mm not seen on CTC were sessile, and two were found in patients with technically difficult CT colonography studies due to poor colonic distention. No adenomas with advanced pathology <6 mm were found on optical colonoscopy but not reported on CT colonography. False-positive CTC referral where no polyp was seen on colonoscopy was 5.0%. CONCLUSIONS: CT colonography has adenoma miss rates similar to miss rates historically found with optical colonoscopy, with most missed adenomas being <10 mm and sessile in shape.
Design of the Dialysis Access Consortium (DAC) Aggrenox Prevention Of Access Stenosis Trial.

Background Surgically created arteriovenous (AV) grafts are the most common type of hemodialysis vascular access in the United States, but fail frequently due to the development of venous stenosis. The Dialysis Access Consortium (DAC) Aggrenox Prevention of Access Stenosis Trial tests the hypothesis that Aggrenox (containing dipyridamole and aspirin) can prevent stenosis and prolong survival of arteriovenous grafts.Methods This is a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that will enroll 1056 subjects over four years with one-half year follow-up. Subjects undergoing placement of a new AV graft for hemodialysis are randomized to treatment with Aggrenox or placebo immediately following access surgery. The primary outcome is primary unassisted patency defined as the time from access placement until thrombosis or an access procedure carried out to maintain or restore patency. The major secondary outcome is cumulative access patency. Monthly access flow monitoring is incorporated in th...
Using public feedback to increase contributions to a multipurpose senior center.

Multipurpose senior centers are expanding their services to meet the demands of a growing population. Unfortunately, federal agencies have not matched this expansion with monetary support. Many senior centers hold fund-raisers to supplement their budgets, but the impact of these projects is rarely evaluated. This study assessed the effectiveness of a public posting strategy designed to increase donations to an ongoing fund-raiser for a multipurpose senior center. The fund-raiser, “Coupons for Caring,” consisted of senior volunteers clipping grocery coupons from newspapers, sorting them, and attaching them to their respective products in local grocery stores. Grocery store customers were given the option of donating the coupons to the senior center or redeeming them when they purchased the products to which the coupons were attached. In the experimental condition, signs were posted that included visual and written instructions, feedback on the value of coupons donated by customers the previous week, and feedback on the overall amount of money donated to the senior center. The signs were posted near each cashier stand and at the front entrances of the grocery stores in a multiple baseline across grocery stores. The percentage of coupons donated to the senior center increased at each store after the signs were posted.
Use and performance of in-stream structures for river restoration: a case study from North Carolina

In-stream structures including cross-vanes, J-hooks, rock vanes, and W-weirs are widely used in river restoration to limit bank erosion, prevent changes in channel gradient, and improve aquatic habitat. During this investigation, a rapid assessment protocol was combined with post-project monitoring data to assess factors influencing the performance of more than 558 in-stream structures and rootwads in North Carolina. Cross-sectional survey data examined for 221 cross sections from 26 sites showed that channel adjustments were highly variable from site to site, but approximately 60 % of the sites underwent at least a 20 % net change in channel capacity. Evaluation of in-stream structures ranging from 1 to 8 years in age showed that about half of the structures were impaired at 10 of the 26 sites. Major structural damage was often associated with floods of low to moderate frequency and magnitude. Failure mechanisms varied between sites and structure types, but included: (1) erosion of the channel bed and banks (outflanking); (2) movement of rock materials during floods; and (3) burial of the structures in the channel bed. Sites with reconstructed channels that exhibited large changes in channel capacity possessed the highest rates of structural impairment, suggesting that channel adjustments between structures led to their degradation of function. The data question whether currently used in-stream structures are capable of stabilizing reconfigured channels for even short periods when applied to dynamic rivers.
Mitigating the Effect of Coincidental Correctness in Spectrum Based Fault Localization

Coincidentally correct test cases are those that execute faulty statements but do not cause failures. Such test cases reduce the effectiveness of spectrum-based fault localization techniques, such as Ochiai. These techniques calculate a suspiciousness score for each statement. The suspiciousness score estimates the likelihood that the program will fail if the statement is executed. The presence of coincidentally correct test cases reduces the suspiciousness score of the faulty statement, thereby reducing the effectiveness of fault localization. We present two approaches that predict coincidentally correct test cases and use the predictions to improve the effectiveness of spectrum based fault localization. In the first approach, we assign weights to passing test cases such that the test cases that are likely to be coincidentally correct obtain low weights. Then we use the weights to calculate suspiciousness scores. In the second approach, we iteratively predict and remove coincidentally correct test cases, and calculate the suspiciousness scores with the reduced test suite. In this dissertation, we investigate the cost and effectiveness of our approach to predicting coincidentally correct test cases and utilizing the predictions. We report the results of our preliminary evaluation of effectiveness and outline our research plan.
The SKN-1 Amino-Terminal Arm Is a DNA Specificity Segment

The Caenorhabditis elegans SKN-1 protein binds DNA through a basic region like those of bZIP proteins and through a flexible amino-terminal arm segment similar to those with which numerous helix-turn-helix proteins bind to bases in the minor groove. A recent X-ray crystallographic structure suggests that the SKN-1 amino-terminal arm provides only nonspecific DNA binding. In this study, however, we demonstrate that this segment mediates recognition of an AT-rich element that is part of the preferred SKN-1 binding site and thereby significantly increases the sequence specificity with which SKN-1 binds DNA. Mutagenesis experiments show that multiple amino acid residues within the arm are involved in binding. These residues provide binding affinity through distinct but partially redundant interactions and enhance specificity by discriminating against alternate sites. The AT-rich element minor groove is important for binding of the arm, which appears to affect DNA conformation in this region. This conformational effect does not seem to involve DNA bending, however, because the arm does not appear to affect a modest DNA bend that is induced by SKN-1. The data illustrate an example of how a small, flexible protein segment can make an important contribution to DNA binding specificity through multiple interactions and mechanisms.
Circulating Mesothelin Protein and Cellular Antimesothelin Immunity in Patients with Pancreatic Cancer

Purpose: Mesothelin is a glycoprotein expressed on normal mesothelial cells and is overexpressed in several histologic types of tumors including pancreatic adenocarcinomas. A soluble form of mesothelin has been detected in patients with ovarian cancer and malignant mesothelioma, and has prognostic value. Mesothelin has also been considered as a target for immune-based therapies. We conducted a study on the potential clinical utility of mesothelin as a biomarker for pancreatic disease and therapeutic target pancreatic cancer. Experimental Design: Tumor cell–bound and soluble mesothelin in patients was evaluated by immunohistochemistry and ELISA, respectively. The in vitro cellular immune response to mesothelin was evaluated by INFγ ELISA and intracellular cytokine staining for IFNγ in CD4 + and CD8 + T cells. The level of circulating antibodies to mesothelin was measured by ELISA. Results: All tumor tissue from patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma expressed mesothelin ( n = 10). Circulating mesothelin protein was detected in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma (73 of 74 patients) and benign pancreatic disease (5 of 5) but not in healthy individuals. Mesothelin-specific CD4 + and CD8 + T cells were generated from peripheral blood lymphocytes of patients with pancreatic cancer in 50% of patients compared with only 20% of healthy individuals. Antibodies reactive to mesothelin were detected in Conclusions: Circulating mesothelin is a useful biomarker for pancreatic disease. Furthermore, mesothelin-specific T cells can be induced in patients with pancreatic cancer. This suggests that mesothelin is a potential target for immune-based intervention strategies in pancreatic cancer. (Clin Cancer Res 2009;15(21):6511–8)
Phage display for detection of biological threat agents.

The essential element of any immuno-based detector device is the probe that binds analyte and, as a part of the analytical platform, generates a measurable signal. The present review summarizes the state of the art in development of the probes for detection of the biological threat agents: toxins, bacteria, spores and viruses. Traditionally, the probes are antibodies, which are isolated from sera of immunized animals or culture media of hybridomas. However, the ‘‘natural’’ antibodies may have limited application in the new generation of real-time field detectors and monitoring systems, where stress-resistant and inexpensive long-livers are required. Phage display is a newcomer in the detection area, whose expertise is development of molecular probes for targeting of various biological structures. The probes can be selection from about billion clone libraries of recombinant phages expressing on their surface a vast variety of peptides and proteins, including antigen-binding fragments of antibodies. The selection procedure, like kind of affinity chromatography, allows separating of phage binders, which are propagated in Escherichia coli bacterial cells and purified using inexpensive technology. Although phage display traditionally is focused more on development of medical preparations and studying molecular recognition in biological systems, there are some examples of its successful use for detection, which are presented in the review. To be used as probes for detection, peptides and antibodies identified by phage display are usually chemically synthesized or produced in bacteria. Another interesting aspect is using of the selected phage itself as a probe in detector devices, like sort of substitute antibodies. This idea is illustrated in the review by ‘‘detection’’ of h-galactosidase from E. coli with ‘‘landscape’’ phage displaying a dense array of peptide binders on the surface. D 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Activation of the epithelial Na + channel (ENaC) requires CFTR Cl - channel function

It is increasingly being recognized that cells coordinate the activity of separate ion channels that allow electrolytes into the cell. However, a perplexing problem in channel regulation has arisen in the fatal genetic disease cystic fibrosis, which results from the loss of a specific Cl- channel (the CFTR channel) in epithelial cell membranes. Although this defect clearly inhibits the absorption of Na+ in sweat glands, it is widely accepted that Na+ absorption is abnormally elevated in defective airways in cystic fibrosis. The only frequently cited explanation for this hypertransport is that the activity of an epithelial Na+ channel (ENaC) is inversely related to the activity of the CFTR Cl- channel. However, we report here that, in freshly isolated normal sweat ducts, ENaC activity is dependent on, and increases with, CFTR activity. Surprisingly, we also find that the primary defect in Cl- permeability in cystic fibrosis is accompanied secondarily by a Na+ conductance in this tissue that cannot be activated. Thus, reduced salt absorption in cystic fibrosis is due not only to poor Cl- conductance but also to poor Na+ conductance.
Optical bistability in Cr:LiSGaF/sub 6/ and Cr:LiSAF/sub 6/ laser crystals

Summary form only given. An intrinsic optical bistability can find potential applications in optical logic elements and switches for optical computing, telecommunication, etc. The effect can be predicted in many different systems with various physical mechanisms of nonlinearity. The bistability derived as a consequence of modification of the optical Bloch equations after introducing the local field correction terms, was first experimentally observed in Yb/sup 3+/:Cs/sub 3/ Y/sub 2/Br/sub 9/. We theoretically predict and experimentally demonstrate an intrinsic bistability in luminescence and transmission of Cr doped LiSrGaF/sub 6/ (LiSGaF) and LiSrAlF/sub 6/ (LiSAF) crystals, in which the luminescence quantum yield has a strongly nonlinear dependence on temperature T.
The measurement of the charge distribution on monodisperse aerosols

Abstract A simple method for determining the electrostatic charge on a monodisperse aerosol consists of measuring the transmission of the aerosol through the electric field of a parallel plate analyzer, using an optical counter. An improved method of data analysis is presented which allows the determination of the charge distribution. The method was applied to 0.357 μm polystyrene latex aerosol which had been neutralized with a radioactive source and good agreement obtained with the equilibrium Boltzmann distribution. The charge distribution was also determined for highly charged latex aerosol.
Model of Impulsive Noise for Data Transmission

It has often been found more necessary in the engineering of data transmission systems to consider impulsive noise than conventional Gaussian white noise. A model is proposed for the impulsive noise, which describes empirically an amplitude distribution and a time distribution. Because the latter has been described in experimental work principally in terms of error occurrences, the description is translated into these. The notable characteristics of impulsive noise are that at low occurrence frequencies the amplitudes are much larger than for Gaussian noise, and that impulses or errors tend to be more "bunched" than expected from a Poisson distribution.
The Influence of Boundary Conditions on the Amplitude of R and Other Accession Potentials in Leads from the Ventricular Wall

The effects of altering the conductivities of the boundary media at the endocardial and epicardial surfaces of the ventricle on accession potentials in the ventricular wall and at its surfaces were studied in dogs. The amplitude of R at all points in the wall was decreased by any measure which increased the conductivity of the medium surrounding the heart or which decreased the conductivity of the medium in the ventricular cavity. The progression of R in the ventricular wall observed experimentally results, at least in part, from the differing conductivities of intracavitary blood, myocardium, and the medium surrounding the heart.
Does Love Mean Never Having to Say you're Sorry? Associations between Relationship Satisfaction, Perceived Apology Sincerity, and Forgiveness

Most past research on apologies examines participants’ responses to imaginary transgressions or minor offenses against strangers. This research consequently neglects how the quality of pre-existing relationships might influence responses to apologies in everyday life. I examined whether relationship satisfaction moderated the association between apologies and forgiveness in romantic relationships by influencing perceptions of apology sincerity. Members of 60 married or cohabiting couples first assessed their relationship satisfaction. Participants then completed daily diaries, reporting transgressions by their partners, apologies by their partners, perceived apology sincerity, and willingness to forgive their partners. Apologies predicted forgiveness only for participants highly satisfied with their relationships. In addition, relationship satisfaction was positively associated with participants' ratings of the sincerity of the apologies, which in turn predicted forgiveness. The findings suggest that, rel...
Regular Analog/RF Integrated Circuits Design Using Optimization With Recourse Including Ellipsoidal Uncertainty

Long design cycles due to the inability to predict silicon realities are a well-known problem that plagues analog/RF integrated circuit product development. As this problem worsens for nanoscale IC technologies, the high cost of design and multiple manufacturing spins causes fewer products to have the volume required to support full-custom implementation. Design reuse and analog synthesis make analog/RF design more affordable; however, the increasing process variability and lack of modeling accuracy remain extremely challenging for nanoscale analog/RF design. We propose a regular analog/RF IC using metal-mask configurability design methodology Optimization with Recourse of Analog Circuits including Layout Extraction (ORACLE), which is a combination of reuse and shared-use by formulating the synthesis problem as an optimization with recourse problem. Using a two-stage geometric programming with recourse approach, ORACLE solves for both the globally optimal shared and application-specific variables. Furthermore, robust optimization is proposed to treat the design with variability problem, further enhancing the ORACLE methodology by providing yield bound for each configuration of regular designs. The statistical variations of the process parameters are captured by a confidence ellipsoid. We demonstrate ORACLE for regular Low Noise Amplifier designs using metal-mask configurability, where a range of applications share common underlying structure and application-specific customization is performed using the metal-mask layers. Two RF oscillator design examples are shown to achieve robust designs with guaranteed yield bound.
High-speed clock recovery with phase-locked loop based on LiNbO3 modulators

We present a scheme for recovering a 10-GHz clock from a 40- and 80-Gb/s time-division-multiplexed (TDM) return-to-zero (RZ) data stream. The proposed clock recovery is successfully demonstrated using an electrical phase-locked loop (PLL). The jitter of the recovered clock is estimated to be around 50 fs. The key part in the proposed clock recovery circuit is a LiNbO 3 Mach-Zehnder modulator, which is shown to be highly effective in optical to electrical down conversion.
South Africa’s Short and Long Term Interest Rates: A Threshold Cointegration Analysis

This paper presents a two-regime vector error-correction model (VECM) with a single cointegrating vector and a threshold effect in the error-correction term. We use a Hansen-Seo (2002) algorithm to extract maximum likelihood estimates in eight threshold cointegration model s that relate short-term to long-term interest rates in South Africa for the period 1990M1-2010M7. We employ a SupLM test to test for the presence of threshold. The Hansen-Seo algorithm yields both linear and non-linear estimates plus critical values used to test threshold effects. The method is applied by relating the South Africa Reserve Bank policy rate, the repo (short-term) to intermediate (TB rate, money market rate) and long-term rates (the 10-year government bond, the loan and deposit rates). In all cases, linear cointegration is rejected in favor of a threshold effect.
Parallel structured duplicate detection

We describe a novel approach to parallelizing graph search using structured duplicate detection. Structured duplicate detection was originally developed as an approach to external-memory graph search that reduces the number of expensive disk I/O operations needed to check stored nodes for duplicates, by using an abstraction of the search graph to localize memory references. In this paper, we show that this approach can also be used to reduce the number of slow synchronization operations needed in parallel graph search. In addition, we describe several techniques for integrating parallel and external-memory graph search in an efficient way. We demonstrate the effectiveness of these techniques in a graph-search algorithm for domain-independent STRIPS planning.
Systemic and topical protection studies using Pseudomonas aeruginosa flagella in an ocular model of infection.

Purified flagella from P. aeruginosa ATCC 19660 were used for active, passive, or topical immunization prior to corneal challenge with strain 19660. At 30 days post-infection, a significant number of mice actively or passively immunized with flagella and infected with the homologous bacterial strain were protected from ocular disease when compared to control animals. In topical immunization studies, premixing of 19660 flagella with the bacterial inoculum prior to ocular challenge with strain 19660, provided results similar to those of the active or passive immunization studies. A reduced lipopolysaccharide (LPS:1 E.U./mg) flagella preparation was also produced and used similarly. Again, significant protection was achieved in mice immunized by flagella regardless of the immunization route. An in vitro adherence assay also was performed to examine quantitatively the effect of exogenously applied flagella, or an antiflagella monoclonal antibody (MAb) on bacterial adhesion. Premixing of the bacterial inoculum with flagella or the MAb prior to applying it topically to corneas in organ culture all significantly inhibited bacterial binding. These results strongly suggest that significant ocular protection is achieved with either active or passive immunization, or premixing of the bacterial inoculum with flagella from strain 19660 prior to ocular challenge with the homologous bacterial strain. They also indicate that topical application of flagella or antiflagella MAb provide protection against ocular disease by decreasing bacterial adhesion to cornea.
Amplitude reconstruction in NN scattering at 6 GeV/ c : Where do we stand and what measurements should be done?

We study the problem of amplitude reconstruction at a fixed t (-t approx. 0.3 GeV/c/sup 2/). The five amplitudes are reconstructed, up to an overall phase, by 9 observables sigma, P/sub 0/, C/sub n n/, K/sub n n/, D/sub n n/, C/sub s s/, C/sub s l/, C/sub l l/, and I (sn0s). This set includes all possible single-scattering measurements. The status of the amplitude reconstruction is discussed. To study both discrete ambiguities and the effects of the measurement errors, we employ a Monte Carlo method. We find that D/sub l s/ and I (ns0s) remove the prominent ambiguities. In addition, given the current precision, R and I (ls0n) will significantly improve the amplitude determination.
Performance analysis of a class of multistage DS-CDMA receivers for multipath channels

Performance of the output signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratios (SINRs) and bit error rates (BERs) of the maximum ratio combining (MRC) multistage minimum-mean squared error (MMSE), minimum output energy (MOE), best linear unbiased estimator (BLUE) and maximum likelihood (ML) receivers are analyzed for direct-sequence code-division multiple access (DS-CDMA) systems in multipath Rayleigh fading channels, based on the common multistage structure we proposed previously (Sau-Hsuan Wu et al., Proc. IEEE Globecom, 2002, 2003; Proc. IEEE ICC, 2003). The SINRs of these receivers are proved to be monotonically increasing with the number of applied stages. The upper bound of output SINRs and its achievability conditions are also provided, which are shown to form the condition for the occurrence of BER floors of the multistage MRC MMSE/MOE/BLUE/ML multiuser receivers. A rule for selecting the number of stages is thus provided to take full advantage of the multistage structure of these receivers.
HSR performance evaluation; a pre-specification software implementation

A software implementation of a modified version of the pre-standard HSR redundancy protocol was implemented on a NIOS II soft-core running under eCOS in conjunction with a PROFINET RT stack. The modifications allowed the achievement of true multi-topology performance. This paper describes elements of the current HSR draft, the author's modifications and the resulting implementation.
The modern mental health system in Nepal: Organizational persistence in the absence of legitimating myths

This paper advances an organizational explanation for the slow pace of modernization of mental health care systems in developing societies. In complement to cultural and political economic explanations of this condition, we suggest that the value of establishing modern systems in developing societies lies in the legitimation such structures provide for indigenous modernizing efforts vis-a-vis both indigenous and external audiences. The system need not meet actual levels of service demand. Its importance is in its symbolic value as an indicator of modernity. The result is a system in "permanent failure". Implications for institutional theory and the growth of modern mental health systems in developing societies are discussed.