cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mint 3: a ubiquitous mint isoform that does not bind to munc18-1 or -2.

Mint 1 and 2 are proteins that bind to munc18-1, an essential component of the synaptic vesicle fusion machinery, and are detectably expressed only in neurons [Okamoto and Sudbof, J. Biol. Chem. 272, 31459-31464 (1997)]. Mint 1 and 2 are composed of a variable N-terminal region that includes a conserved munc18-1-binding site, and a constant C-terminal region that contains one PTB and two PDZ domains. We have now identified a third mint isoform, mint 3. Similar to mint 1 and 2, the C-terminal half of mint 3 is composed of one PTB domain and two PDZ domains. However, in contrast to mint 1 and 2, mint 3 lacks an N-terminal munc18-binding domain and does not interact with munc18-1 in yeast two-hybrid assays. Mint 3 is ubiquitously expressed in all tissues, with lowest levels in brain and testis whereas mint 1 and 2 appear to be brain-specific. Our data suggest that mints form a diverse family of proteins with specialized neuronal and ubiquitous isoforms.
Experimental measurement and numerical analysis of binary hydrocarbon mixture flammability limits

The flammability limits of binary hydrocarbon mixtures in air were measured in a combustion apparatus using an innovative method developed for this apparatus. The experimental results were obtained at standard conditions (room temperature and ambient atmospheric pressure) with upward flame propagation. The experimentally determined flammability limits for pure hydrocarbons (methane and ethylene) were compared with existing data reported in the literature. Le Chatelier's Law was fit to all experimental data to obtain LFLs and UFLs for various two-component combinations of saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons (methane, ethylene, acetylene, propane, propylene, and n-butane). A modification of this law was used if experimental observations showed large deviations from Le Chatelier's predictions. Also, experimentally measured flammability limit data of the binary hydrocarbon mixtures were analytically related to the stoichiometric concentrations.
Toward a new world order: A survey of outsourcing capabilities of vendors for acquisitions, cataloging and collection development services

Abstract A survey of selected library materials jobbers, cataloging agents, and library consortia shows that communication standards, vendor and library automation, and new partnerships among vendors and libraries are leading to greater opportunities for outsourcing acquisitions, cataloging, and collection development. Currently libraries can depend on vendors for preorder searching, verification, and claiming functions as well as copy and original cataloging. Libraries can receive shelf-ready materials from jobbers or cataloging agents; those that collect mainstream materials have the most options; others must shop among vendors. Collection development is the function least changed by automation, but materials jobbers are orienting more electronic services towards this area. Librarians should become full partners in the development of contract services. To do this, librarians must understand the evolving roles of the traditional partners and the costs and risks involved.
Bunched annular beam equilibrium and confinement

The azimuthally invariant fluid equilibrium is obtained for a periodic strongly bunched charged annular beam with arbitrary radial density profile inside of a perfectly conducting cylinder and an external constant magnetic field. The electric and magnetic fields, which are utilized in the equilibrium solution, are computed self-consistently using an electrostatic Green's function technique in the longitudinal rest frame of the beam. An upper bound on the maximum self-field parameter, which allows beam equilibrium is obtained. As an application of the model, we find annular beam equilibrium for the Relativistic Klystron Oscillator experiment at Phillips Laboratory and the Backward Wave Oscillator experiment at the University of New Mexico. In addition, we compare the self-field parameters of these with the maximum theoretical values.© (2001) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Esophagectomy without thoracotomy: 25 years of experience over 750 patients

Objective This study aimed to review and evaluate our experience in 750 patients, who underwent transhiatal esophagectomy (THE) and analyze our data. Special attention was paid to some strategies, which we developed in the course of time, regarding the postoperative management of these patients and formulation of improved guidelines.
Treating traumatized patients and victims of violence

This chapter presents a thorough exposition of treating traumatized patients and victims of violence, addressing many aspects of trauma and victimization critical to a vast proportion of the work that mental health professionals find themselves doing.
Rook or Queen, But How About Some Other Royal Court Suite Members?

The contribution to spatial econometrics of the Cliff–Ord publication is fully recognized, but it is also shown that it should be complemented by some important spatial econometrics features.
Fixed-Weight learning Neural Networks on Optical Hardware

Fixed-weight learning embeds a learning algorithm into the neural network topology, so its learning can take advantage of all speed increases in its operation on optical neural hardware, up to 10,000 × conventional networks. We developed a hardware-in-the-loop Optical Hardware-based Neural Network Test Apparatus. We used the apparatus to research and develop various embedded learning methods; to work out alignment, calibration, and noise reduction methods; study synaptic weight and neural signal encoding; and to test several small fixed-weight learning neural networks.
Doing More With Less: Using Noncash Incentives to Improve Employee Performance

Employees will usually say they would prefer cold cash rather than a noncash incentive. Interestingly, however, when employee productivity is evaluated using cash incentives versus noncash incentives, noncash incentives have proven to be effective at improving performance and employee satisfaction. This article discusses the issues and provides several broad suggestions for successful noncash incen-tive programs. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
PCB availability assessment of river dredging using caged clams and fish

The effects of dredging to remove sediments contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were studied in the South Branch of the Shiawassee River in south-central Michigan. Caged fingernail clams, Sphaerium striatinum (Lamarck), and fathead minnows, Pimephales promelas Rafinesque, were used to monitor the bioavailability of PCBs, and these data were compared with changes in water column concentrations before dredging, during dredging and up to six months after dredging was completed. Monitoring of water, clams and fish during dredging confirmed that significant amounts of PCBs were released from the sediments. At all locations downstream and in the area of the dredging, there were increases in the availability of PCBs for at least six months. PCB concentrations in clams and fish in the dredged zone increased from 64.5 to 87.95 μg/g dry weight and from 13.82 to 18.30 μg/g dry weight, respectively, after dredging. Downstream (11 km), post-dredge uptake was also higher; however, clams showed less uptake than fish. This implied different uptake routes for the two organisms. There was no noticeable change in total PCB concentration in the water after dredging. In situ experiments were run to determine uptake curves and time to uptake equilibrium for both clams and fish. Results of tests for equilibrium uptake by fatheads agreed with literature values. Uptake maxima occurred within 20 to 30 d. For clams, maximum uptake for Aroclor 1242 occurred after 9 d. Log bioconcentration factors for clams ranged from 2.6 to 4.5 for Aroclor 1242 and from 3.0 to 4.4 for Aroclor 1254; for fish, they ranged from 3.0 to 4.4 for Aroclor 1242 and from 4.5 to 5.5 for Aroclor 1254.
Refactoring acoustic models using variational density approximation

In model-based pattern recognition it is often useful to change the structure, or refactor, a model. For example, we may wish to find a Gaussian mixture model (GMM) with fewer components that best approximates a reference model. One application for this arises in speech recognition, where a variety of model size requirements exists for different platforms. Since the target size may not be known a priori, one strategy is to train a complex model and subsequently derive models of lower complexity. We present methods for reducing model size without training data, following two strategies: GMM-approximation and Gaussian clustering based on divergences. A variational expectation-maximization algorithm is derived that unifies these two approaches. The resulting algorithms reduce the model size by 50% with less than 4% increase in error rate relative to the same-sized model trained on data. In fact, for up to 35% reduction in size, the algorithms can improve accuracy relative to baseline.
Engineering the effective CTE of Si die with a T2 package

With the continuous scaling of low k dielectric in multicore processors, the intrinsic CTE mismatch between a Si die (CTE: 2.3 ppm/°C) and an organic substrate (16–18 ppm/°C) brings a susceptibility for more failures. There are limited successes in the engineering of the CTE of substrate with ceramic (∼6 ppm/°C) or low CTE organic substrates (∼12 ppm/°C). The CTE mismatch also contributes to solder joint reliability risks and misalignment in assembly. In this paper, we propose a very different method to address the CTE mismatch: the effective CTE of Si is engineered to match that of an organic substrate instead. The T2 package with both thinner die and thinner thermal interface material (TIM) is proposed as both a mechanical and thermal solution for electronic packages. Experimental measurement using DIC (digital image correlation) shows that the effective CTE of silicon can be as high as 15–16 ppm/°C. Thus, it reduces the mismatch between the silicon die and the organic substrate from roughly 15 ppm/°C to 1–3 ppm/°C. Moire measurement shows the corner stress reduction and the temperature cycle study proves the effectiveness of CTE engineering. Thermomechanical simulations and reliability studies with different Si die thicknesses are also reported.
Molecular Effects of Familial Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy-Related Mutations in the TNT1 Domain of cTnT

Familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (FHC) is one of the most common genetic causes of heart disease. Approximately 15% of FHC-related mutations are found in cTnT [cardiac troponin (cTn) T]. Most of the cTnT FHC-related mutations are in or flanking the N-tail TNT1 domain that directly interacts with overlapping tropomyosin (Tm). We investigate two sets of cTnT mutations at opposite ends of TNT1, mutations in residue 92 in the Tm–Tm overlap region of TNT1 and mutations in residues 160 and 163 in the C-terminal portion of TNT1 adjacent to the cTnT H1–H2 linker. Though all the mutations are located within TNT1, they have widely different phenotypes clinically and biophysically. Using a complete atomistic model of the cTn–Tm complex, we identify mechanisms by which the effects of TNT1 mutations propagate to the cTn core and site II of cTnC, where calcium binding and dissociation occurs. We find that mutations in TNT1 alter the flexibility of TNT1, which is inversely proportional to the cooperativity of calcium activation of the thin filament. Further, we identify a pathway of propagation of structural and dynamic changes from TNT1 to site II of cTnC, including TNT1, cTnT linker, I-T arm, regulatory domain of cTnI, the D-E linker of cTnC, and site II cTnC. Mutationally induced changes at site II of cTnC alter calcium coordination that corresponds to biophysical measurements of calcium sensitivity. Finally, we compare this pathway of mutational propagation with that of the calcium activation of the thin filament and find that they are identical but opposite in direction.
A Robust Level-Shifter Design for Adaptive Voltage Scaling

Voltage scaling is one of the knobs that is used today to control both static and the active power for SoCs. The SoC core supply voltage is scaled adaptively based on the performance needs. But it is also required to maintain the external electrical chip interface protocol, which may run at a different voltage level. The chip interfaces need to operate reliably under adaptively scaling core voltage and fixed 10 supply voltage. Within the 10 circuits, voltage level shifters are used to communicate between two voltage domains. This paper examines the performance of a conventional voltage level shifter and describes a novel high performance level shifter that is more robust under adapting voltage scaling.
Maneuvering Hydrodynamics of Fish and Small Underwater Vehicles

The understanding of fish maneuvering and its application to underwater rigid bodies are considered. The goal is to gain insight into stealth. The recent progress made in NUWC is reviewed. Fish morphology suggests that control fins for maneuverability have unique scalar relationships irrespective of their speed type. Maneuvering experiments are carried out with fish that are fast yet maneuverable. The gap in maneuverability between fish and small underwater vehicles is quantified. The hydrodynamics of a dorsal fin based brisk maneuvering device and a dual flapping foil device, as applied to rigid cylindrical bodies, are described. The role of pectoral wings in maneuvering and station keeping near surface waves is discussed. A pendulum model of dolphin swimming is presented to show that body length and tail flapping frequency are related. For nearly neutrally buoyant bodies, Froude number and maneuverability are related. Analysis of measurements indicates that the Strouhal number of dolphins is a constant. The mechanism of discrete and deterministic vortex shedding from oscillating control surfaces has the property of large amplitude unsteady forcing and an exquisite phase dependence, which makes it inherently amenable to active control for precision maneuvering. Theoretical control studies are carried out to demonstrate the feasibility of maneuverability of biologically inspired bodies under surface waves. The application of fish hydrodynamics to the silencing of propulsors is considered. Two strategies for the reduction of radiated noise are developed. The effects of a reduction of rotational rate are modeled. The active cambering of blades made of digitally programmable artificial muscles, and their thrust enhancement, are demonstrated. Next, wake momentum filling is carried out by artificial muscles at the trailing edge of a stator blade of an upstream stator propulsor, and articulating them like a fish tail. A reduction of radiated noise, called blade tonals, is demonstrated theoretically.
Viscoelastic Responses of the Lumbar Spine during Prolonged Stooping

There is considerable evidence that awkward postures of the low back are related to the incidence of low back disorders (LBDs), but the specific biomechanics/physiology of this link is not fully developed. This study combined empirical work with finite element analyses to explore this relationship. The empirical work focused on quantifying the time-dependent responses of the lumbar spine during a prolonged stooped posture by assessing the changes in the sagittal plane range of motion and the electromyographic activity of the back extensor musculature during and after prolonged stooping. Ten healthy participants performed a regimen of a 10 minute stooping period followed by a 10 minute upright standing recovery period, with an isokinetic lift at every 2.5 minutes. Results showed significant creep effects of the flexion angle and the increased activity of extensor muscles in stooping to compensate for the reduced extensor moment producing capability of the passive tissues. The 10 minute upright standing did...
THE KALMAN FILTER AS A PREDICTION ERROR FILTER

In mathematical statistical filtering the deconvolution problem can be solved by two different methods: 1 by inverse filtering 2 by calculating the prediction error. Both methods are well known in the theory of Wiener filters. If, however, the generating process of the signal is known and can be described by a set of linear first order differential equations, then the Kalman filter can also be used to solve the deconvolution problem. In the case of the inverse filtering method this was shown by Bayless and Brigham (1970). But, while their method can only be used if the original signal is a colored random process, this paper shows that in the case of a white process the prediction error filtering method is a more appropriate approach. The method is extremely efficient and simple. This can be demonstrated by an example which maybe of special interest for seismic exploration.
Comparative Effects of Nesiritide and Nitroglycerin on Renal Function, and Incidence of Renal Injury by Traditional and RIFLE Criteria in Acute Heart Failure

Background: Acute renal insufficiency is associated with poorer outcomes in heart failure. Data regarding the renal effects of vasodilatory therapy in acute heart failure are inconclusive. Hypothes...
Violent Women Findings From the Texas Women Inmates Study

Prior research on violent crime by female offenders is reviewed. A Texas female prisoner sample is used to explore specific questions raised by the literature review. Violent and nonviolent offenders were compared, looking specifically at race, socioeconomic status, having been raised in single-parent homes, criminal history, gang membership, marital status, and childhood abuse. Findings indicated that women who are violent were more likely to be younger, African American, unemployed, and having extensive criminal histories. They were more likely to come from dysfunctional families with childhood abuse. Limitations of the study were noted.
Master Gardener Perceptions and Preferences of a Novel Horticultural Product—Do-It-Yourself Living Structures Kits

An online survey was developed to investigate Master Gardener perceptions of and preferences for a novel horticultural product, ‘‘Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Living Structures Kits,’’ which include live willow (Salix sp.) stems, instructions on how to build various forms, ties, and cultural guidelines. The survey consisted of 37 items to assess the interest level in this product, to examine the likelihood of consumers’ interest in purchasing this product, and to evaluate preferred designs and potential price points. A total of 249 Connecticut Master Gardeners completed the survey. The respondents provided valuable insights on product popularity and potential. The majority of them were between the ages of 56 and 65 years, female, Caucasian, married, without children in the household, and own a house with a yard in suburban areas. Most of the respondents represented plant purchasers and experienced gardeners. The two most popular structures were the decorative fence and the arbor, and Master Gardeners indicated specific preferred price ranges for the products. Aesthetic appeal was perceived as the main attractive aspect of the product. Among the major factors affecting their decision to purchase DIY Living Structures Kits, most respondents indicated design/type and price as ‘‘very important.’’ Forty-four percent of people were interested in buying one of these kits as a gift for someone. Results revealed that there is potential for a niche market as this group of consumers was enthusiastic about the new product: 74.1% of Master Gardeners responded positively that DIY Living Structures Kits have potential to become new horticultural products. More in-depth product evaluation studies using trial kits and marketing research targeting additional segments of consumers should be conducted in future.
A manufacturing perspective of physical design characterization

Historically, physical design characterization (PDC) has been the focus of product or design engineers. This paper introduces PDC from a manufacturing perspective and the value of design-specific information for successful process control. Several PDC tools are described in terms of this integrated approach and the current embodiment at the IBM Microelectronics Vermont facility. Specifically, these tools include pattern density calculations, critical area extractions, and "swampfinding", a method for locating specific design-process sensitivities. The paper then develops both the technical and business strategies that leverage this information into the manufacturing processes. To clearly illustrate the concepts introduced, several examples of PDC results augmented with traditional characterization information, along with the ensuing manufacturing actions are reviewed. Finally, the larger picture of physical design characterization in manufacturing, and the impact upon development, are further developed.
Optimal control and gain scheduling of electrical power steering systems

In this paper, an optimal control method is employed to design controllers for improved performance and robustness of electrical steering systems. Electric Steering systems are nonlinear MIMO systems with multiple objectives, including fast response to the driver torque command, good driver feel, and attenuation of load disturbance and sensor noises. Since the Electric steering system has nonlinear frictions, component deviations and load disturbances, its linearized model is subject to significant modeling errors and external disturbances. Consequently, electric steering controllers must provide substantial robustness. In this paper, a control design method is introduced which employs the boost curve to form a feedforward control and an MISO H∞ optimal feedback to ensure refined performance, robustness, and disturbance attenuation. The controller is evaluated via simulation on both linearized systems and original nonlinear systems, and verified on vehicle testing data.
A new single surface integral equation for light scattering by circular dielectric cylinders

A new single surface integral equation is derived for light scattering by circular dielectric cylinders. Without adopting the concept of equivalent electric or magnetic surface currents, our formulation is directly derived from coupled-surface integral equations by the property of commutative matrices of Green functions. Further development by such matrix equations leads to only one unknown function for circular dielectric-coated cylinders. In addition, numerical simulations show that even applied to elliptic scatters our equation still gives reasonably good approximate solutions in the sub-wavelength limit.
Identification of macrophages and dendritic cells in the osteopetrotic (op/op) mouse

We used a panel of monoclonal antibodies and immunocytochemistry to identify macrophages and dendritic cells in mice that are deficient in macrophage colony stimulating factor (M-CSF or CSF-1) because of the recessive osteopetrotic (op/op) mutation. Prior work had shown that osteopetrosis is associated with a lack of osteoclasts, phagocytic cells required for remodelling in bone. Additional macrophage populations proved to be very M-CSF dependent. op/op mice had few and sometimes no peritoneal cavity phagocytes, splenic marginal zone metallophils, and lymph node subcapsular sinus macrophages. Other populations, however, reached substantial levels in the absence of M-CSF, including phagocytes in the thymic cortex, splenic red pulp, lymph node medulla, intestinal lamina propria, liver (Kupffer cells), lung (alveolar macrophages) and brain (microglia). Dendritic cells, which are specialized accessory cells for T-dependent immune responses and tolerance, were readily identified in skin and in the T-dependent regions of spleen, lymph node and Peyer's patch. The identification of dendritic cells utilized antibodies to MHC class II products and four different antigens that are primarily expressed by these accessory cells. Our findings indicate that only a few macrophage populations are critically dependent upon M-CSF in vivo. With respect to dendritic cells, the data are consistent with prior in vitro work where it was noted that GM-CSF but not M-CSF supported dendritic cell viability, function and growth.
The evolution of language comes of age.

Abstract The Fourth International Conference on the Evolution of Language was held at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA, on 27–30 March 2002.
Facing up to Ignorance and Privilege: Philosophy of Whiteness as Public Intellectualism

This article offers an overview on current trends and future research possibilities within the philosophy of whiteness. It examines the sub-field of the philosophy of whiteness within the context of the larger field of the philosophy of race in order to assess the viability and relevance of this field of study. Some of the topics on whiteness examined in the article include the problems of white ignorance and privilege, the invisibility of white supremacist racism to white people, and how all these problems can be understood either as examples of epistemologies of ignorance or as unexamined habits in the sense used by pragmatist philosophy. The article argues that the current state of this field calls for a greater emphasis on public intellectualism on whiteness that would incorporate many ideas that are widely accepted by critical race scholars into the under-informed public discourse on race and whiteness. It also argues that the increasing prevalence of negative liberty movements in the United States should be examined in light of established research on the philosophy of whiteness.
Accurate branch prediction for short threads

Multi-core processors, with low communication costs and high availability of execution cores, will increase the use of execution and compilation models that use short threads to expose parallelism. Current branch predictors seek to incorporate large amounts of control flow history to maximize accuracy. However, when that history is absent the predictor fails to work as intended. Thus, modern predictors are almost useless for threads below a certain length.Using a Speculative Multithreaded (SpMT) architecture as an example of a system which generates shorter threads, this work examines techniques to improve branch prediction accuracy when a new thread begins to execute on a different core. This paper proposes a minor change to the branch predictor that gives virtually the same performance on short threads as an idealized predictor that incorporates unknowable pre-history of a spawned speculative thread. At the same time, strong performance on long threads is preserved. The proposed technique sets the global history register of the spawned thread to the initial value of the program counter. This novel and simple design reduces branch mispredicts by 29% and provides as much as a 13% IPC improvement on selected SPEC2000 benchmarks.
Comparison of control algorithms for a MEMS-based adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscope

We compared four algorithms for controlling a MEMS deformable mirror of an adaptive optics (AO) scanning laser ophthalmoscope. Interferometer measurements of the static nonlinear response of the deformable mirror were used to form an equivalent linear model of the AO system so that the classic integrator plus wavefront reconstructor type controller can be implemented. The algorithms differ only in the design of the wavefront reconstructor. The comparisons were made for two eyes (two individuals) via a series of imaging sessions. All four controllers performed similarly according to estimated residual wavefront error not reflecting the actual image quality observed. A metric based on mean image intensity did consistently reflect the qualitative observations of retinal image quality. Based on this metric, the controller most effective for suppressing the least significant modes of the deformable mirror performed the best.
Exhaust Gas Recirculation Cooler Fouling in Diesel Applications: Fundamental Studies of Deposit Properties and Microstructure

This article reports on the results of experimental efforts aimed at improving the understanding of the mechanisms and conditions at play in the fouling of exhaust gas recirculation coolers. An experimental apparatus was constructed to utilize simplified surrogate heat exchanger tubes in lieu of full-size heat exchangers. The use of these surrogate tubes allowed removal of the tubes after exposure to engine exhaust for study of the deposit layer and its properties. The exhaust used for fouling the surrogate tubes was produced using a modern medium-duty diesel engine fueled with both ultra-low-sulfur diesel and biodiesel blends. At long exposure times, no significant difference in the fouling rate was observed between fuel types and hydrocarbons levels. Surface coatings for the tubes were also evaluated to determine their impact on deposit growth. No surface treatment or coating produced a reduction in the fouling rate or any evidence of deposit removal. In addition, microstructural analysis of the fouling...
High-Throughput Identification of IMCD Proteins Using LC-MS/MS

The inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD) is an important site of vasopressin-regulated water and urea transport. Here we have used protein mass spectrometry to investigate the proteome of the IMC...
Cotton Leaf Reflectance Changes after Removal from the Plant

It is important in precision agriculture research, particularly in projects involving remote sensing, to collect a large number of field measurements on the optical properties of agricultural materials such as plant leaves. In making these measurements, maintaining a high level of accuracy and at the same time being expeditious are critical. A reasonable compromise would be to quickly collect a large number of field samples, store them appropriately during transit to the lab, and then make measurements with a laboratorygrade spectrophotometer. Concern arises, however, on the possibility that several hours of storage could significantly change the reflectance spectra of living plant material after removal from plants. Therefore, a study was conducted to quantify the change in reflectance spectra of cotton leaves over a period of time after picking. Cotton leaf samples were picked from cotton plants and then bagged in plastic zipper bags and stored in a cooler with ice underneath the samples. Reflectance spectra of cotton leaf samples were collected at 15, 180, 360, and 840 minutes after the leaves were picked with a UV/Vis/NIR (ultraviolet, visible, and nearinfrared) spectrophotometer in the wavelength region from 250 to 2000 nm. Spectral data were analyzed with SAS ® software to evaluate spectral changes of the leaf samples with time. It was concluded that, while certain cotton leaf reflectance spectra can be expected to change to a statistically significant degree within the first 14 h after removal from the plant, the changes are not large over that period of time. It is apparently reasonable to use a laboratory-grade spectrophotometer to measure cotton leaf spectral reflectance from 250 to 2000 nm within the first 14 h after having removed the leaves from the plant, assuming the leaves are properly stored.
The Developmental Regulation of Wake/Sleep System

Sleep associated with a high frequency of phasic activities, particularly muscle twitches, dominate the daily life of altricial mammals and human neonates. “Active sleep” is the term that has been used to describe these behavioral phenomena in the neonatal rat, cat and rabbit in comparison to the sleep state without phasic activities, which is called “quiet sleep”.1
Vascular architecture of the monocot Cyperus involucratus Rottb. (Cyperaceae).

The arrangement of vascular bundles in the stems of monocots has been described repeatedly as “scattered.” But to the trained eye it is clearly ordered as verified by the use of the R index of Clark and Evans. The arrangement of bundles in leaves and sclerenchyma bundles in stems are also ordered. An equation was developed for the probability distribution frequencies (pdf) for leaf intervein distances which curiously also fits for cell size in proliferating tissues. Another equation was developed for the pdf for intervein distances in stems which can also be applied to epidermal deriviatives such as stomata and trichomes.
cAMP-dependent Protein Kinase (PKA) Signaling Is Impaired in the Diabetic Heart

Diabetes mellitus causes cardiac dysfunction and heart failure that is associated with metabolic abnormalities and autonomic impairment. Autonomic control of ventricular function occurs through regulation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA). The diabetic heart has suppressed β-adrenergic responsiveness, partly attributable to receptor changes, yet little is known about how PKA signaling is directly affected. Control and streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice were therefore administered 8-bromo-cAMP (8Br-cAMP) acutely to activate PKA in a receptor-independent manner, and cardiac hemodynamic function and PKA signaling were evaluated. In response to 8Br-cAMP treatment, diabetic mice had impaired inotropic and lusitropic responses, thus demonstrating postreceptor defects. This impaired signaling was mediated by reduced PKA activity and PKA catalytic subunit content in the cytoplasm and myofilaments. Compartment-specific loss of PKA was reflected by reduced phosphorylation of discrete substrates. In response to 8Br-cAMP treatment, the glycolytic activator PFK-2 was robustly phosphorylated in control animals but not diabetics. Control adult cardiomyocytes cultured in lipid-supplemented media developed similar changes in PKA signaling, suggesting that lipotoxicity is a contributor to diabetes-induced β-adrenergic signaling dysfunction. This work demonstrates that PKA signaling is impaired in diabetes and suggests that treating hyperlipidemia is vital for proper cardiac signaling and function.
New Institutions for Worker Representation in the United States: Some Theoretical Issues

Alternative worker organizations (AWOs) that are growing, despite the membership declines in conventional unions, include membership organizations affiliated with labor unions, in some cases loosely; employee caucuses sponsored by employers; benefits providers; immigrants' advocacy organizations; immigrant centers; legal advocacy groups; and internet and intranet groups. In addition, governmental agencies are playing a larger role in worker advocacy. Experience to date does not suggest, contrary to some of the theoretical literature, that such groups experience distinctive difficulty in mobilizing for action, overcoming collective action problems, projecting power, or attaining results. They are probably superior to traditional unions on all these grounds. The chief observable impediment to their growth is the necessity of alliances with groups with different agendas. The legal framework concerning AWOs is sufficiently accommodating to permit future experimentation.
A demand investigation of AIDS voluntary counselling and testing among the female commercial sex worker and man-man homosexual

Objective To explore the demand and utilization of the AIDS voluntary counselling and testing(VCT) among the AIDS high risk population and to explore the strategies for the promotion of VCT.Methods The cross-sectional investigation was conducted for the demand and utilization of the VCT among 143 CSW and 37 man-man homosexual.Results 37.31% CSW and 80.00% man-man homosexual accepted the services of VCT in recent 12 months.There was a significant difference(χ2=20.97,P0.001).The two groups on the demand for VCT services were consistent,but the content of VCT counselling,the location of VCT services,the type of the VCT agencies,the service time of VCT agencies,and the service forms of VCT were significantly different between the two groups.Conclusion The demand and utilization of VCT among the target population were different.The guidance should be enhanced and different VCT service models should be provided so as to improve accessibility of VCT services based on the characteristics of the target population.
Coronary artery disease in the elderly

PreviewChanges in anatomy and physiology that accompany aging alter the diagnostic criteria of heart disease, increase the incidence of complications, and affect the actions of certain drugs. Dr Coodley describes the features of coronary artery disease in the elderly with emphasis on the need for adjustments in drug therapy.
Patient Positioning, Anesthesia Choices, and Portals

Both the lateral decubitus position and the beach chair position have their proponents. The choice is largely determined by the position used when the surgeon was learning shoulder arthroscopy, the ease and anticipated frequency of converting to a mini-open procedure, and the availability of surgical assistants and supportive devices for arm positioning. Benefits and compromises exist for each option.
Experimental and numerical study of H2-air non-premixed cellular tubular flames

Abstract Experimental and numerical simulation results are presented for the first time of H2 fueled non-premixed cellular tubular flames. Non-intrusive measurements of temperature and major species were obtained with Raman scattering. Numerical simulations were performed with a 2D fully-implicit primitive variable finite difference code that includes multicomponent transport and detailed chemical kinetics. Good agreement is found for all flame cases. The experimental cell temperatures and the shapes of the flame cells are well predicted. Less significant discrepancies are observed in the character of the extinction zones and are discussed. Overall, non-premixed cellular tubular flames are found to be valuable experimental and numerical targets for fundamental combustion research.
Resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization (2 + 2) of NO at 452 nm for flame diagnostics

We present preliminary results of resonant (2 + 2) multiphoton ionization of NO in flames near 452 nm. Temperature profiles are obtained from Boltzmann analysis and from spectral simulations of the resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI) rotational spectra of the NO A2∑÷←X2∏ (0,0) band. Interest in this work was encouraged by previous REMPI flame studies of NO1,2, as well as by possible problems that may be encountered in NO2 flames using laser λ 405 nm would be very desirable.
Blade-Row Interaction Effects on Unsteady Stator Loading in an Embedded Compressor Stage

Blade-row interactions drive unsteady blade forces in compressors. This paper presents a perspective on understanding how the pitchwise variations in the flow at the exit of the rotor affect the surface pressures on the downstream vane. The rotor wakes and tip leakage flows are the primary unsteady flow features that drive unsteady lift on the vane. However, those rotor flow features are affected by their interaction with the wakes from upstream vanes. Thus, the interaction with stator 1 and rotor 2 must be understood to adequately characterize the interaction between rotor 2 and stator 2. This paper uses vane clocking, or the circumferential shift in successive vane rows of similar counts, to illuminate these blade-row interaction effects on the downstream vane surface pressure distribution. To accomplish this, experiments are performed in a three-stage axial compressor where high-frequency response pressure transducers are flush-mounted in the stator 2 pressure and suction surfaces are flush-mounted at ...
Borrower Private Information Covenants and Loan Contract Monitoring and Renegotiation

Prior research finds that commercial borrowers provide lenders with private information, but generally does not identify the attributes of the information provided or the mechanisms by which it is provided, which has limited the insights generated as to how lenders obtain and use the information. To help fill this gap, in this paper we construct a novel database of covenants in 3,309 commercial loan contracts that require public borrowers to periodically provide lenders with three types of private information: (1) projected financial statements for future periods; (2) monthly financial statements; and (3) written communications received from auditors. We hypothesize and provide evidence that: (1) loan contracts are more likely to include these covenants when they enhance loan contract monitoring by lenders; (2) the covenants are positively associated with the frequency of loan contract amendments, a proxy for lenders' monitoring intensity; and (3) lenders trade on borrower private information, which may yield proprietary costs for borrowers.
FNAL-NICADD extruded scintillator

The possibility to produce a scintillator that satisfies the demands of physicists from different science areas has emerged with the installation of an extrusion line at FNAL (Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory). The extruder is the product of the fruitful collaboration between FNAL and NICADD NIU (Northern Illinois Center for Accelerator and Detector Development at Northern Illinois University). The results from light output, light attenuation length and mechanical tolerance indicate that FNAL-NICADD scintillator is of high quality. Improvements in the extrusion die will yield better scintillator profiles and decrease the time needed for initial tuning. This paper will present the characteristics of the FNAL-NICADD scintillator based on the measurements performed. They include the response to MIPs from cosmic rays for individual extruded strips and irradiation studies where extruded samples were irradiated up to 1 Mrad. We will also discuss the results achieved with a new die design. The attractive perspective of using the extruded scintillator with MRS (metal resistive semiconductor) photodetector readout will also be shown.
Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells Are Resistant to Tumor Necrosis Factor-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand (Apo2L/TRAIL) by a Mechanism Independent of Multidrug Resistance.

Multidrug resistance (MDR) associated with overexpression of the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) proteins P-glycoprotein (Pgp), multidrug resistance protein (MRP-1) and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) is an obstacle to the successful treatment of AML. Apo2L/TRAIL binds to the extracellular death receptors DR4 and DR5 and induces tumor-specific apoptosis in diverse malignancies. Given that Apo2L/TRAIL induces apoptosis via signal transduction pathways, it has the potential to be effective in cells with MDR mediated by ABC proteins. Cell lines with MDR mediated by ABC proteins and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells from 10 patients (6 untreated, 4 relapsed/refractory) were tested for expression of the Apo2L/TRAIL receptors DR4 and DR5 and decoy receptors DcR1 and DcR2 by flow cytometry and for cytotoxic and pro-apoptotic effects of Apo2L/TRAIL (Genentech, Inc.). Parental HL60 and 8226 cells and resistant HL60/VCR (Pgp) and HL60/Adr (MRP-1) cells demonstrated expression of DR4 and DR5 and lack of expression of DcR1 and DcR2, while 8226/MR20 (BCRP) had only low-level expression of DR5. Parental HL60 and 8226 cells displayed dose-dependent cytotoxicity in response to Apo2L/TRAIL. HL60/VCR and HL60/Adr were 3- and 5-fold more resistant to Apo2L/TRAIL than parental HL60 cells, but were not sensitized by the Pgp- and MRP-1-specific modulators PSC-833 and MK571, demonstrating that resistance was not mediated by Pgp and MRP-1. 8226/MR20 (BCRP) cells were not resistant to Apo2L/TRAIL in relation to parental 8226 cells. Of note, cyclosporine A (CsA) sensitized all parental and multidrug resistant cells to Apo2L/TRAIL, lowering IC50’s 2- to 5-fold, likely by a pro-apoptotic mechanism independent of MDR modulation. AML blasts did not express Apo2L/TRAIL receptors, with the exception of DR5 in two samples, both DR5 and DcR1 in one and DcR1 alone in a fourth. Moreover, AML blasts showed minimal or no apoptosis following 24- and 48-hour in vitro exposure to Apo2L/TRAIL in concentrations up to 1 ug/ml, 30-fold higher than the highest cytotoxic concentration in cell lines, and no enhancement of apoptosis by CsA. In conclusion, MDR mediated by ABC proteins does not appear to be associated with Apo2L/TRAIL resistance in cell line models, but AML cells are resistant to Apo2L/TRAIL, and this resistance is associated at least in part with lack of receptor expression. Strategies for upregulating Apo2L/TRAIL receptor expression on AML cells warrant further study.
Structure and mechanisms underlying ion transport in ternary polymer electrolytes containing ionic liquids

We use all atom molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the influence of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (BMIMPF6) ionic liquid on the structure and transport properties of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) polymer electrolytes doped with LiPF6 salt. We observe enhanced diffusivities of the Li+, PF6-, and BMIM+ ions with increasing loading of the ionic liquid. Interplay between the different ion-ion and ion-polymer interactions is seen to lead to a destabilization of the Li-PF6 coordination and increase in the strength of association between the Li+ cations and the polymer backbone. As a consequence, the polymer segmental relaxation times are shown to be only moderately affected by the addition of ionic liquids. The ionic-liquid induced changes in the mobilities of Li+ ions are seen to be correlated to polymer segmental relaxation times. However, the mobilities of BMIM+ ions are seen to be more strongly correlated to the BMIM-PF6 ion-pair relaxation times.
Power electronics - challenges and trends

This keynote presentation covers the chronological development of power electronics, few applications of power electronics, the importance of power electronics, the trends in power electronics, the trends in power semiconductor devices and the challenges in power electronics
Insulin-like growth factor-related signaling and cancer development

In this review, selected examples of recent research developments concerning insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and insulin in the context of cancer risk assessment and prevention will be discussed. We reviewed background information related to IGF physiology at the cellular and whole-organism levels, together with prior work concerning IGF-I levels and risk of a variety of cancers, including breast, prostate, colon, and lung in 2004 (Pollak et al. 2004). A comprehensive update to that general review (Pollak et al. 2004) is scheduled for Nature Reviews Cancer in early 2007.
Sentencing by Parole Board

In most states and in the federal system, the sentencing judge is not the sole determiner of how long a convicted offender will be in prison. Typically, the judge sets bounds on the time to be served (e.g., two to six years) without exactly specifying it. An administrative entity, the parole board, reviews the case periodically and decides exactly when to release the offender. Thus, judges and parole boards are jointly responsible for determining incarceration (Genego, Goldberger, & Jackson, 1975; Stanley, 1976).