cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Legacy of Parental Divorce

The impact of parental divorce on children has recently become an area of primary concern for a variety of professionals in psychology and education. This interdisciplinary consensus has been generated in part by alarming census descriptions of changing adult lifestyles (e.g., Bron-fenbrenner, 1979; Guidubaldi, 1980). For example, recent reports indicate that the divorce ratio has more than doubled from 1970 to 1981 and more than tripled since 1960. Since these figures do not account for those who were divorced and remarried at the time of the survey, they actually underestimate the total incidence of divorce in our society (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1982b). Similarly, the incidence of single-parent child rearing has also increased markedly from 11.9% in 1970 to 20.1% in 1981. Again, these figures do not include those who have previously experienced a single-parent situation but are now living in reconstituted two-parent families. In fact, the Census Bureau estimates that in 1977, 10% of children living with two parents were living in a household with a stepparent. Single-parent families resulting specifically from divorce or separation have increased by 111% since 1970, and 90% of one-parent families are now headed by mothers. However, the percentage of father-custody households has not increased in the past decade (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1979, 1982a, 1982b).
Abstract SY11-03: Turning enzymes on with small molecules

Most drug discovery efforts focus on generating inhibitors leading to loss-of-function phenotypes. My lab has been focusing on discovering ways to activate enzymes leading to gain-of-function phenotypes. Many enzymes such as proteases and kinases are stored in dormant “off” forms that are subsequently activated through post-translational modification. Work will be presented for discovery of small molecule activators for the apoptotic proteases known as caspases, as well a Ser-Thr kinase PDK-1. Our group is also developing split-proteins that can be activated by orthogonal small molecule dimerizers to phenocopy the effects seen from the small molecule activators. Such protein activators allow one to ignite signaling from specific nodes and thus probe the sufficiency of enzyme activity to drive a cellular response. Protein activation, as opposed to inhibition, expands the landscape for drug discovery. Citation Format: James A. Wells, Dennis Wolan, Julie Zorn, Debajyoti Datta, Daniel Gray, Jack Sadowsky. Turning enzymes on with small molecules [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr SY11-03
Heat Transfer on a Disk: A Closed-Form Solution for Suspension Bridge’s Main Cables Exposed to Fire

AbstractThe heat transfer problem is often considered to be the kernel of a fire resistance analysis. In fact, one- or two-dimensional closed-form solutions have long laid the foundation for an eng...
Quantitation of galactosemic cataracts in dogs using magnetization transfer contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging.

Purpose. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is becoming increasingly important for the diagnosis and characterization of ocular pathologies. A drawback to this technique is that image contrast between different regions of tissue can be obscured because of the similarity of their nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation parameters. This problem is addressed by magnetization transfer contrast (MTC) enhancement, a MRI technique that generates high-contrast images based on characteristic tissue differences resulting from the interaction of water and macromolecules. The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using MTC-enhanced imaging to monitor quantitatively the lens changes associated with sugar cataract formation in galactose-fed dogs. Methods. Male beagles fed a diet containing 30% galactose were periodically examined by MRI for changes in tissue character. Each examination included a gradient recalled echo image (M 0 ), an MTC-enhanced gradient recalled echo image (M s ), a T 1 image determined from a one-shot T 1 imaging sequence, and a T 1 -weighted image taken from the raw T 1 data. Average values were obtained for several regions of interest and tabulated. These were correlated with cataractous stages visually observed by slit lamp biomicroscopy and retroillumination photography. Results. Enhanced image details of the lens and anterior segment that documented osmotic changes from initial cortical vacuole formation to cortical and nuclear changes associated with advanced sugar cataracts were characterized from measurements of parameters obtained from M 0 , M s , T 1 -weighted, and T 1 images. Changes in the cross-sectional areas of lenses during sugar cataract formation also were documented. The magnetic resonance images showed visible changes from the onset of cortical vacuole formation. Region of interest (ROI) analysis of the images showed tissue changes occurring throughout the cataract progression. Conclusions. The MTC-enhanced MRI technique is well suited to detecting lens changes associated with cataractogenesis. All but the earliest changes were readily apparent from the images with no further analysis. Graphic ROI analysis was able to detect regional changes associated the cataract progression for all degrees of severity. Furthermore, the images demonstrated changes in size and shape that would not be detectable by visual inspection.
AFM and TEM Studies of Pt Nanoparticle Arrays Supported on Alumina Model Catalyst Prepared by Electron Beam Lithography

Pt nanoparticle arrays were fabricated by electron beam lithography as a model for supported catalysts. The adhesion strength of 28 nm Pt nanoparticles deposited on alumina has been studied using contact mode atomic force microscopy. On as-prepared samples, the metal nanoparticles were removed by the AFM tip with a force of approximately 30 nN. After heat treatment at 500°C in a vacuum, Pt nanoparticles could not be removed by the AFM tip, even at 4000 nN. The increase of adhesion upon heat treatment indicates stronger bonding between Pt and the support. TEM examination showed that the Pt nanoparticles were polycrystalline before any treatment, with the crystalline domain increasing significantly after heat treatment.
Transverse single spin and azimuthal asymmetries in hadronic collisions at PHENIX

Inclusive transverse single spin asymmetries from high energetic polarized proton proton collisions provide insight into the spin-momentum correlations in QCD. Originally expected to be small in collinear perturbative QCD, results from PHENIX and other experiments show significant asymmetries in the forward momentum direction of the polarized proton over a wide range of center-of-mass energies. Several mechanisms have been proposed that attempt to explain these asymmetries, which include initial and final state effects. In order to disentangle these effects, a variety of probes is needed in different kinematic regions. In the PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), we study polarized p+p collisions at center-of-mass energies up to 500 GeV. We will show transverse asymmetries at forward ($3.1< |\eta| <3.8$) and central rapidities ($|\eta| <0.35) and discuss their possible implications for intitial and final state effects.
Gastrointestinal Cancers and Thrombosis

Thrombosis is a major cause of mortality and morbidity in cancer patients. Patients with gastrointestinal malignancies are a particularly high-risk population for the development of cancer-related thrombosis. Thrombosis risk varies by tumor subtype, and studies point to particularly high incidence in pancreatic, gastric, and hepatobiliary cancers. There remain challenges to interpreting incidence data due to a wide spectrum of study populations, time of study, and techniques employed. There is a growing understanding of the pathogenesis of thromboembolism in gastrointestinal cancers, with an important role for tissue factor expression particularly in pancreatic cancer. There is also an increasing emphasis on selection of high-risk patients who will potentially benefit from prophylactic anticoagulation. A validated risk score has been developed to identify such patients. Several clinical trials have been reported and are underway to examine the role of anticoagulation for both prophylaxis and treatment of thromboembolism in this population. We provide an overview of our current understanding of the incidence, pathogenesis, clinical predictors, biomarkers, risk stratification, prevention, and treatment of thromboembolism in gastrointestinal cancers.
Neuropsychological Test Performances and Depression in Early-Stage De Novo Parkinson's Disease.

Objective Evaluate neuropsychological test performance in depressed patients with early-stage Parkinson's disease. Method Data from 422 participants from the Parkinson's Progression Marker Initiative were examined. The Geriatric Depression Scale-15 was used to categorize depressed and non-depressed participants. Neuropsychological tests measured verbal learning/memory, processing speed, visuospatial ability, verbal fluency, and working memory. Demographic and clinical variables were compared using independent samples t tests and chi-square analyses.Linear regression models were fit to adjust for age, years of education, and symptom duration. Results The non-depressed group (n = 280) was significantly older; t(246.08) = 2.25, p = .026 and had higher education; t(420) = 2.35, p = .019; and longer duration of PD symptoms; t(170.58) = -2.13, p = .035 than the depressed group (n = 142). The non-depressed group performed better on a working memory task than the depressed group, t(420) = 2.05, p = .041, but the results did not appear to be of clinical significance. There was no significant difference between other cognitive domains. The results were not influenced by age, education, or disease duration. Conclusions Among patients with early-stage, untreated Parkinson's disease, depression does not appear to affect neuropsychological test performance. Clinicians should demonstrate caution in over-interpreting the influence of depression on cognition in this population.
Drift-diffusion processes resulting from elimination of fast variables under inhomogeneous conditions

The problem of eliminating fast-relaxing variables to obtain an effective diffusion process in position is solved in a uniform and straightforward way for models with velocity a function jointly of position and fast variables. A more unified view is thereby obtained of the effect of environmental inhomogeneity on the motion of a diffusing particle, in particular, whether a drift is induced, covering both passive and active particles. Infinitesimal generators (equivalently, drift-diffusion fields) for the contracted processes are worked out in detail for several models.
Detecting Hypothesis Space Misspecification in Robot Learning from Human Input

Learning from human input has enabled autonomous agents to perform increasingly more complex tasks that are otherwise difficult to carry out automatically. To this end, recent works have studied how robots can incorporate such input - like demonstrations or corrections - into objective functions describing the desired behaviors. While these methods have shown progress in a variety of settings, from semi-autonomous driving, to household robotics, to automated airplane control, they all suffer from the same crucial drawback: they implicitly assume that the person's intentions can always be captured by the robot's hypothesis space. We call attention to the fact that this assumption is often unrealistic, as no model can completely account for every single possible situation ahead of time. When the robot's hypothesis space is misspecified, human input can be unhelpful - or even detrimental - to the way the robot is performing its tasks. Our work tackles this issue by proposing that the robot should first explicitly reason about how well its hypothesis space can explain human inputs, then use that situational confidence to inform how it should incorporate them.
Chinese Society of Critical Care Medicine (CSCCM): the leader of critical care medicine in the Mainland of China

Critical care medicine began its history in mainland of China in early 1980s. Chinese Society of Critical Care Medicine (CSCCM), since its establishment in 1996 as the first national professional critical care society, has been a platform for academic exchange, which has been very crucial to promote the development of critical care medicine in China. As the only representative of critical care community in China, CSCCM also participates several international professional organizations, facilitating the international recognition as well as academic cooperation between China and rest of the world. In addition, CSCCM is running several training courses meeting the international standards. Key words: Critical care medicine; Chinese Society of Critical Care Medicine
Tell Me What You See: An Arts-Based Health Education Program for Youth.

A cross-sector collaboration among a community-based organization, a prison arts program, and state departments of Public Health, Education, and Correction was established to address critical healt...
Adaptive Time-Division Multiplexing Driving System for Solid State Lighting with Multiple Tunable Channels

Next generation solid state lighting enables unlimited control of light and serve much broader functions beyond the basic lighting for illuminance. The emerging lighting for productivity, well-being, healthcare, and growth have revolutionized the scope of lighting. To empower this unlimited controllability, a multi-channel tunable power-electronics driver is essential but has not been satisfactorily addressed so far. Existing solutions are lossy, large, and expensive, due to introduction of additional buck power conversion stages. This paper proposes a time-division multiplexing (TDM) LED driving system which eliminates those buck stages. The proposed design can directly pair with off-the-shelf pulse width modulated (PWM) controllers and since it inherits entire feature sets, it can achieve low loss at standby and at dimmed condition. The simple analog implementation avoids usage of expensive DSPs/MCU. GaN’s high switching frequency capability can push up the multiplexing frequency so a GaN-based flyback was built and proved the concept.
Effect of latching force on socketed BGA packages with Ni-Au coated solder spheres

Solder BGA packages, when used in sockets, face multiple reliability challenges such as damage to the solder and increase in contact resistance due to surface oxides on the solder and intermetallic formation at the interface with socket paddle. To overcome these challenges, a new socket to package interface technology was proposed, which involves the surface modification of solder spheres with diffusion barrier-noble metal coatings, to provide a stable mechanical contact with the socket paddle and mechanical damage resistance. This paper evaluates the effect of socket latching force on the mechanical responses of BGA packages fabricated with solder spheres coated with Ni-Au coating. Effect of different paddle geometries, flat and curved, was also evaluated and results were compared with those for packages with uncoated solder spheres. It was understood for both paddle geometries, that for latching forces beyond 0.2 N per sphere, the equivalent stress generated in the Ni coating layer was greater than the compressive strength of Ni, which would lead to cracking of the Ni layer. It was also confirmed that the contact diameter changed marginally within a range of 2–3 um with the increasing latching force, which was attributed to the very high modulus of Ni which resisted deformation of the sphere.
Regulation of Leukocyte-Endothelial Cell Interactions in Tumor Immunity

Successful immunotherapy ultimately depends on the ability of immune effector cells to infiltrate tumor tissues. A major site of extravasation of immune effector cells out of the blood and into tissues occurs across specialized post-capillary high endothelial venules (HEV).1 Lymphocyte emigration into tissues involves a complex multistep adhesion cascade.2,3 The L-selectin leukocyte adhesion molecule is responsible for mediating the initial attachment and slow rolling of lymphocytes along the luminal surface of HEV under hemodynamic shear conditions, a crucial first step in the extravasation of immune effector cells into lymph nodes and Peyer’s patches as well as at extralymphoid sites. Firm adhesion of lymphocytes to HEV and transendothelial migration are dependent on the interaction of the leukocyte integrin, leukocyte function associated antigen-1 (LFA-1), with intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and ICAM-2 on endothelial cells. The α4β1 and α4β7 integrins have also been implicated in recruitment of lymphocytes to tissues through binding to their cognate receptors on endothelium including vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and mucosal addressin cell adhesion molecule-1 (MAdCAM-1). Blockade of these leukocyte-endothelial cell adhesive interactions severely compromises anti-tumor immunity.4–7 The immune effector cells that are recruited to tissues via L-selectin-, LFA-1-, α4β1- and/or α4β7-dependent mechanisms include: naive and memory CD4 and CD8 T cells, monocytes, neutrophils, and CD56bright/CD56dim natural killer (NK) cell subsets.2,3,8
Amyloid-β-Induced Amyloid-β Secretion: A Possible Feed-Forward Mechanism in Alzheimer's Disease

Amyloid beta (Aβ) peptides, 36-43 amino acids in length, are produced from β- and γ-secretase cleavage of the amyloid precursor protein (AβPP), and are one of the causative agents of Alzheimer disease (AD). Here we show that an ELISA can detect total rodent Aβ without interference from physiological concentrations of human Aβ. In cultured dissociated rat cortical neurons and rat and mouse hippocampal organotypic slices, we apply the assay to measure the production of Aβ in response to treatment with hydrogen peroxide, a known stimulator of Aβ secretion, or human Aβ dimer/trimer (Aβd/t), fractionated from the culture medium of 7PA2 cells. Peroxide increases Aβ secretion by about 2 fold, similar to results from previous reports that used a different assay. Of greater significance is that physiologically relevant concentrations (~250 pM) of human Aβd/t increase rodent Aβ secretion from cultured rat cortical neurons by >3 fold over 4 days. Surprisingly, neither treatment with peroxide nor human Aβd/t leads to accumulation of intracellular Aβ. Human Aβd/t increased >2 fold the Aβ secreted by organotypic hippocampal slices from tau knock-out mice whether or not they expressed a human tau transgene, suggesting tau plays no role in enhanced Aβ secretion. Together, these results support an Aβ-mediated feed-forward mechanism in AD progression.
Alteration of Ultraviolet Sensitivity of Thymidine Kinase by Allosteric Regulators, Normal Substrates, and a Photo-Affinity Label, 5-Iodo-2'-deoxyuridine, a Metabolic Analog of Thymidine

Abstract Ultraviolet irradiation of thymidine kinase with light primarily of 253.7 nm wave length results in a loss of catalytic activity at a rate that follows first order inactivation kinetics. Ultraviolet irradiation does not alter the sigmoidal nature of the ATP saturating curve, the sensitivity of the enzyme to the allosteric regulators (dCDP or dTTP), or the Km for thymidine and 5-iodo-2'-deoxyuridine. Catalytic activity is not restored by postirradiation incubation with substrate. The ultraviolet sensitivity of thymidine kinase is altered by the presence of molecules that interact with this enzyme and affect its catalytic activity. Regulatory deoxynucleotides (dTTP, dCDP) and normal substrates (ATP, thymidine) reduce the rate of inactivation. The photoreactive substrate 5-iodo-2'-deoxyuridine enhances the rate of loss of catalytic activity but does not alter the sensitivity of the allosteric activities to ultraviolet irradiation. The effect of ATP and thymidine concentration on the extent of protection closely parallels their effect on the rate of formation of thymidylate. The ultraviolet enhancement effect observed with 5-iodo-2'-deoxyuridine is a hyperbolic function of the concentration of this substrate, similar to the substrate saturation curve but displaced to higher concentrations by a factor of 2 or 3. The effect of 5-iodo-2'-deoxyuridine can be prevented by the normal substrate thymidine. Furthermore, the thymidine protective effect and the 5-iodo-2'-deoxyuridine ultraviolet enhancement effect may be altered in a predictable fashion by the presence of the appropriate allosteric regulator; i.e. both effects are reduced by dTTP which decreases the enzymic affinity for substrate and are increased by dCDP which increases the enzymic affinity for substrate. It is postulated that photolysis of 5-iodo-2'-deoxyuridine results in the formation of a deoxyuridine-free radical which when formed when the halogenated substrate is in the enzyme-substrate complex causes a modification in one or more of the amino acids at the active site vital for catalytic activity.
Abstract 3075:Ex-vivoexpansion of circulating tumor cells in early lung cancer using a microfluidic model

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have gathered much momentum in recent times with emerging micro and nanotechnologies enabling better recoveries of these rare cells. Future research directions in CTCs significantly depend on obtaining meaningful number of CTCs that are available for downstream assays. This can be achieved by expanding CTCs. However, in early stage cancer patients, the numbers of cells that circulate in the peripheral blood are rare. Therefore until now, expanding CTCs remains to be a serious challenge limiting clinical utility. Microfluidic technologies have demonstrated that these rare cells can be recovered with better efficiency, purity and high viability. Herein, we developed a strategy using microfluidic technology to isolate and expand CTCs. We have successfully expanded CTCs isolated from 16 out of 21 early stage lung cancer patients. Expanded CTCs expressed tumor specific markers and formed spheroids in culture. Furthermore, these expanded CTCs carried the identical cancer related mutations (e.g. TP53 mutation) as their primary tumors. We expect that our model opens up the unprecedented avenues to understand biology of these lethal drivers of metastasis offering opportunities for personalized medicine through target drug evaluations. Citation Format: Jennifer Zhuo Zhang, Hiroe Shiratsuchi, Jules Lin, Guoan Chen, Rishindra M. Reddy, Ebrahim Azizi, Shamileh Fouladdel, Andrew C. Chang, Lin Lin, Diane M. Simeone, Max S. Wicha, David G. Beer, Nithya Ramnath, Sunitha Nagrath. Ex-vivo expansion of circulating tumor cells in early lung cancer using a microfluidic model. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 3075. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-3075
IKKβ Plays an Essential Role in the Phosphorylation of RelA/p65 on Serine 536 Induced by Lipopolysaccharide

Activation of the I kappa B kinase (IKK) complex by LPS induces phosphorylation and degradation of I kappa B alpha, leading to the nuclear translocation of NF-kappa B. Although it is essential for NF-kappa B activation, emerging evidence has indicated that the nuclear translocation of NF-kappa B is not sufficient to activate NF-kappa B-dependent transcription. Here, we reported that LPS induced the phosphorylation of the p65 trans-activation domain on serine 536 in monocytes/macrophages. Using mouse embryonic fibroblasts lacking either IKK alpha or IKK beta, we found that IKK beta played an essential role in LPS-induced p65 phosphorylation on serine 536, while IKK alpha was partially required for the p65 phosphorylation. The LPS-induced p65 phosphorylation on serine 536 was independent of the phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase/Akt signaling pathway. Furthermore, we found that the phosphorylation on serine 536 increased the p65 transcription activity. In summary, our results demonstrate that IKK beta plays an essential role in the LPS-induced p65 phosphorylation on serine 536, which may represent a mechanism to regulate the NF-kappa B transcription activity by LPS.
Systems engineers' role in biomedical research

Abstract Over the last ten years, quantitative medical imaging techniques have opened windows to the detailed biochemistry and physical transport phenomena inside living organisms. Yet, systematic methods for the interpretation of measurements lag far behind the plethora of data that are becoming available. This overview article will advocate that systems engineering offers the toolset needed to rapidly advance the biomedical science frontiers by combining rigorous chemical engineering analysis with in-vivo quantitative medical imaging. The key to new knowledge lies in incorporating anatomical detail, physiological function such as in-vivo flow measurements with rigorous computations to identify cause-effect relations of all interacting parts of the living systems under study. In brain physics, these cause-effect relationships encompass the complex dynamic interactions of cerebral blood flow, deformable brain tissue and cerebrospinal fluid. The fusion of medical imaging with rigorous engineering methods will be shown to offer novel insights about the brain's physical function. To better emphasize the future role of systems research in biomedicine, this presentation will demonstrate systematic problem solving methods towards finding engineering design solutions that actually impact the clinical practice. We will discuss investigative studies on elucidating the fluid flow patterns in the living brain as well as the rigorous engineering design of drug administration therapies spanning a decade of interdisciplinary cooperation with physicians. Translational medical research offers a great opportunity for a new generation of chemical systems engineers willing to put their methodical thinking and fundamental training into the service of biomedical research.
Utility of fine-needle aspiration and core biopsy with touch preparation in the diagnosis of renal lesions.

BACKGROUND Cytologic evaluation by fine-needle aspiration (FNA) and core biopsy (CB) with touch preparation (TP) is used in the diagnosis of renal lesions. METHODS Consecutive image-guided FNA and CB, with or without TP, of renal lesions were reviewed. The cytology diagnoses were correlated with the radiology, surgical specimens, and clinical course. RESULTS A total of 154 procedures (76 FNA, 17 FNA+CB, 46 CB+TP, 15 FNA+CB+TP) were performed for lesions with benign (21), malignant (123), or indeterminate (10) radiology. Specimen adequacy was satisfactory in 86% of FNAs (93 of 108), 95% of TPs (58 of 61), and 94% of CBs (73 of 78), and is statistically significant for CB with or without TP versus FNA (P = .045). In the subset with concerning radiology (n = 133), specimen adequacy was satisfactory in 83% of FNAs (72 of 87), 95% of TPs (58 of 61), and 94% of CBs (73 of 78) (P = .006 for CB ± TP versus FNA), and procedures were diagnostic in 79% of FNAs (69 of 87), 90% of 61 TPs (55 of 61) and 90% of CBs (70 of 78) (P = .02 for CB ± TP versus FNA). Renal cell carcinoma subtype was reported in 63% of FNA (19 of 30) versus 88% of CB ± TP (43 of 49) (P = .01), and Fuhrman nuclear grade was reported only on CB. The cytology diagnoses correlated with surgical specimens in 94% (33 of 35). The most common treatment was ablation of small (3.0 ± 1.3 cm) masses (n = 47). CONCLUSIONS Compared with FNA, CB and TP have higher adequacy and diagnostic yield and provide more diagnostic information. Cytology diagnoses are highly accurate when correlated to surgical specimens. Cancer (Cancer Cytopathol) 2014;122:182–190. © 2013 American Cancer Society.
Exact Dynamical Structure Factor of a Bose Liquid

Based on ideas introduced in a previous preprint cond-mat/9701206 we propose an exactly solvable model of bosons interacting amongst themselves via a Van-der Waal-like repulsive interaction, and compute both the filling fraction and the dynamical structure factor exactly. The novelty of this approach involves introducing, analogous to Fermi sea (or surface) displacements, Bose fields that in this case, correspond to fluctuations of the Bose condensate. The exact dynamical structure factor has a coherent part that corresponds to the Bogoliubov spectrum and an incoherent part that is a result of correlations.
Does Pluto Have a Haze Layer

The goal of this research was to determine whether Pluto has a haze layer through observations (with the Kuiper Airborne Observatory) of a stellar occultation by Pluto that was originally predicted to occur on 1993 October 3. As described in the attached material, our extensive astrometric measurements determined that this occultation would not be visible from Earth, and we canceled plans to observe it with the KAO. Efforts were then directed toward improving our astrometric techniques so that we could find future occultations with which we could satisfy the original goals of the research proposed for this grant.
Synchrotron Radiation from Outer Space and the Chandra X-Ray Observatory

The universe provides numerous extremely interesting astrophysical sources of synchrotron X radiation. The Chandra X-ray Observatory and other X-ray missions provide powerful probes of these and other cosmic X-ray sources. Chandra is the X-ray component of NASA's Great Observatory Program which also includes the Hubble Space telescope, the Spitzer Infrared Telescope Facility, and the now defunct Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory. The Chandra X-Ray Observatory provides the best angular resolution (sub-arcsecond) of any previous, current, or planned (for the foreseeable near future) space-based X-ray instrumentation. We present here a brief overview of the technical capability of this X-Ray observatory and some of the remarkable discoveries involving cosmic synchrotron sources.
Ryanodine-induced calcium release from hepatic microsomes and permeabilized hepatocytes

Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate [Ins(1,4,5)P3] is a second messenger that releases Ca2+ from hepatocyte microsomes. The toxic alkaloid ryanodine modulates Ca2+ release via a receptor (RyR) identified in a variety of cell systems, but its regulation and functional significance in liver are undefined. Similarly, the role in hepatocyte Ca2+ regulation of adenosine 5'-cyclic diphosphate-ribose (cADPR), which is the putative endogenous ligand for RyR in other cell systems, has not been defined. Utilizing microsomes and permeabilized cells, we have investigated Ca2+ regulation in hepatocytes and, in particular, effects of ryanodine, cADPR, and other putative modulators on Ca2+ release and compared these with Ins(1,4,5)P3-induced Ca2+ release. Ryanodine at > or = 50 microM released 20% of microsomal Ca2+, and, in contrast to Ins(1,4,5)P3, no potentiation was observed with guanosine 5'-triphosphate and polyethylene glycol. Ins(1,4,5)P3-induced Ca2+ release was demonstrable after maximal ryanodine-induced Ca2+ release, suggesting that distinct Ca2+ stores are involved. cADPR (5 microM) did not induce Ca2+ release, alone or in combination with calmodulin or hepatic cytosol, nor did it influence ryanodine-induced release, in microsomes or permeabilized hepatocytes (in which ryanodine released 25% of the sequestered Ca2+). Ryanodine-induced Ca2+ release in microsomes was not influenced by 20 mM caffeine, which itself did not mobilize Ca2+, but was prevented by 500 microM tetracaine, which was shown to induce Ca2+ release. We conclude that ryanodine is capable of mobilizing Ca2+ in the hepatocyte from microsomal stores that are distinct from those that can be regulated by Ins(1,4,5)P3 but that cADPR has no such effect. These data suggest that cADPR does not serve as the endogenous ligand for RyR in liver cells or that the site of action of ryanodine in hepatocyte microsomes is distinct from that in other cell types.
Trehalose Phosphate Synthesis in Streptomyces hygroscopicus: Purification of Guanosine Diphosphate d-Glucose: d-Glucose-6-Phosphate 1-Glucosyl-Transferase

Guanosine diphosphate d-glucose:d-glucose-6-phosphate 1-glucosyl-transferase was purified approximately 100-fold from extracts of Streptomyces hygroscopicus . The purified enzyme catalyzed the transfer of glucose from guanosine diphosphate-d-glucose to glucose-6-phosphate to form trehalose phosphate and guanosine diphosphate. The enzyme was specific for these two substrates and was stimulated by the addition of magnesium ions. The product was characterized as α-α-trehalose-6-phosphate by its physical and chemical properties. The enzyme was present in a large number of Streptomyces species, suggesting that this group of organisms synthesized trehalose phosphate in a unique manner. This enzyme was not detected in fungi, since these organisms utilized uridine diphosphate-d-glucose as the glucosyl donor.
Efficient Repair of All Types of Single-Base Mismatches in Recombination Intermediates in Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells: Competition Between Long-Patch and G-T Glycosylase-Mediated Repair of G-T Mismatches

Repair of all 12 single-base mismatches in recombination intermediates was investigated in Chinese hamster ovary cells. Extrachromosomal recombination was stimulated by double-strand breaks in regions of shared homology. Recombination was predicted to occur via single-strand annealing, yielding heteroduplex DNA (hDNA) with a single mismatch. Nicks were expected on opposite strands flanking hDNA, equidistant from the mismatch. Unlike studies of covalently closed artificial hDNA substrates, all mismatches were efficiently repaired, consistent with a nick-driven repair process. The average repair efficiency for all mispairs was 92%, with no significant differences among mispairs. There was significant strand-independent repair of G-T --> G-C, with a slightly greater bias in a CpG context. Repair of C-A was also biased (toward C-G), but no A-C --> G-C bias was found, a possible sequence context effect. No other mismatches showed evidence of biased repair, but among hetero-mismatches, the trend was toward retention of C or G vs. A or T. Repair of both T-T and G-T mismatches was much less efficient in mismatch repair-deficient cells (approximately 25%), and the residual G-T repair was completely biased toward G-C. Our data indicate that single-base mismatches in recombination intermediates are substrates for at least two competing repair systems.
A study and toolkit of CHECK-THEN-ACT idioms of Java concurrent collections

Concurrent collections are widely used in concurrent programs. However, programmers can misuse these concurrent collections when composing two operations where a check on the collection e.g., collection contains an element precedes an action e.g., inserting an element. Unless the whole composition is atomic, the program contains an atomicity violation bug. This paper presents an extensive empirical study of CHECK-THEN-ACT idioms of Java Oracle Corporation, Redwood, CA, USA concurrent collections. We analyze 28 widely used open-source Java projects comprising 6.4 million lines of code that use Java concurrent collections. We study the correct and incorrect use of idioms and the evolution of the programs with respect to idioms. Our tool, CTADETECTOR, detects and corrects misused idioms. CTADETECTOR discovered 60 bugs that were confirmed and fixed by developers. This shows that CHECK-THEN-ACT idioms are commonly misused in practice, and correcting them is important. Copyright © 2015John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Tomographic Separation of Composite Spectra. V. The Triple Star System 55 Ursae Majoris

We present moderate-resolution spectra obtained with the Georgia State University Multi-Telescope Telescope of 55 UMa, a triple system consisting of a 2.55 day spectroscopic binary and a third star in a 1873 day orbit (detected by speckle interferometry). We observed the spectral lines of all three stars, and we present radial velocity curves for both the close and wide orbits. We also present new speckle interferometric measurements and a revised solution of the astrometric (wide) orbit. The spectrum of each star was reconstructed using Doppler tomography, and we measured ratios of Fe I and Fe II lines in both the reconstructions and model synthetic spectra to estimate the stellar effective temperatures. These temperatures correspond to spectral types of A1 V and A2 V for the close pair and A1 V for the distant third star. We show that the metallic lines of the close pair are systematically strong, and we suggest that both objects are moderate Am stars. All the components have masses close to 2 M☉, and continued spectroscopic and astrometric observations will yield precise masses and absolute magnitudes.
The Transient Response of a Disk Electrode with Controlled Potential

A mathematical treatment is given for the transient behavior of a disk electrode when the potential is varied. The characteristic time constant for decay of the double-layer capacity is assessed. 2 figures, 1 table.
THE GOLDEN RULE OF URBAN TRANSPORTATION INVESTMENT

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to find an optimal taxation rule for transportation investment in an ever growing urban economy. First we dynamize a standard circular-city model with identical residents by introducing population growth and transportation improvements over time. Assuming that utility functions are of a constant-elasticity form and transportation investment is financed by an income tax, we prove the existence, uniqueness and stability of a balanced growth equilibrium for each given tax rate. Then, an optimal tax rate is determined so as to maximize the balanced growth equilibrium level of utility for every resident in the city. It is also shown that our simple rule remains valid in the case of two income classes.
Transvaginal ultrasonographic measurement of cervical length in asymptomatic high-risk women with a short cervical length in the previous pregnancy

Objective To determine if asymptomatic women at high risk of preterm delivery who had a short cervical length in their previous pregnancy and delivered at term are at increased risk of having a short cervical length in their next pregnancy, and whether they are at increased risk of preterm birth. Methods This retrospective cohort study included high-risk (those with a history of spontaneous preterm birth, uterine anomaly or excisional treatment for cervical dysplasia) asymptomatic women who were pregnant with a singleton gestation delivering between April 2003 and March 2010, who had had a previous pregnancy and who had transvaginal ultrasonographic cervical length measurement performed at 16–30 weeks' gestation in both pregnancies. Comparison was among women who had a short cervical length (< 3.0 cm) in their previous pregnancy but delivered at term in that pregnancy (Short Term Group), women with a history of a normal cervical length (≥ 3.0 cm) in their previous pregnancy delivering at term (Long Term Group), and women who had a short cervical length (< 3.0 cm) in their previous pregnancy delivering preterm (Short Preterm Group). Primary outcomes were spontaneous preterm birth at < 37 weeks' gestation and cervical length. Secondary outcomes were spontaneous preterm birth at < 35 weeks and < 32 weeks, low birth weight, maternal outcomes and neonatal morbidity. Results A total of 62 women were included. Women in the Short Term Group were more likely to have a short cervical length in their next pregnancy compared with those in the Long Term Group (10/23 (43.5%) vs. 4/26 (15.4%), respectively) but not as likely as women in the Short Preterm Group (9/13 (69.2%); P = 0.003). Women in the Short Term Group were not at an increased risk of spontaneous preterm birth at < 37 weeks in the next pregnancy compared with women in the Long Term Group (2/23 (8.7%) vs. 2/26 (7.7%), respectively), but women in the Short Preterm Group were at an increased risk (6/13 (46.2%); P < 0.0001). Compared with women in the Short Term and Long Term groups, women in the Short Preterm Group were also at an increased risk of threatened preterm labor (6/23 (26.1%) and 4/26 (15.4%) vs. 9/13 (69.2%), respectively; P = 0.002) and of receiving corticosteroids for fetal lung maturation (6/23 (26.1%) and 4/26 (15.4%) vs. 11/13 (84.6%), respectively; P < 0.0001). Conclusion Although high-risk asymptomatic women with a short cervical length in their previous pregnancy who delivered at term are at increased risk of having a short cervix in their next pregnancy, they are not at increased risk of preterm birth. Copyright © 2011 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Tissue specificity and development expression of hexokinase and africanized honey bee specific proteins in apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: apidae)

Abstract Four hexokinase loci were found in honey bees. The HK-1 locus with two alleles was found in pupae and in the head, thorax and abdomen of adults. HK-11, HK-12 and HK-13 were found only in the immature stages. HK-11 and HK-12 are monomorphic. Gene duplication is suggested for the polymorphic locus HK-13 with two-band homozygotes and four-band heterozygotes. The Africanized honey bee specific proteins were not found in the larval or pupal stage of Africanized honey bees. In the audlt, they were weakly present in the head, present in the thorax and absent in the abdomen.
Aortic valve systolic flutter as a screening test for severe aortic stenosis

Previous efforts using M-mode echocardiography or 2-dimensional (2-D) echocardiography have not consistently separated patients with and without significant aortic stenosis (AS). We postulated that an aortic valve sufficiently pliant to produce systolic flutter on M-mode echocardiography could exclude significant AS and reviewed the M-mode echocardiograms of 50 consecutive patients (mean age 59 years) catheterized for presumed AS; 2-D echocardiography was also performed in 18 of 50 patients (36%). In 40 of 50 patients (80%) the aortic valve cusps were easily identified on M-mode echocardiography: 19 of 40 (48%) had systolic flutter with a mean aortic valve gradient of 4 ± 8 mm Hg (mean ± standard deviation [SD]) and an aortic valve area of 2.8 ± 0.4 cm 2 ; 21 of 40 (52%) had no systolic flutter with a mean aortic valve gradient of 55 ± 19 mm Hg and an aortic valve area of 0.7 ± 0.3 cm 2 . In the 10 of 50 patients (20%) in whom aortic valve cusps were not clearly identified, the mean aortic valve gradient was 50 ± 24 mm Hg and the aortic valve area 0.8 ± 0.4 cm 2 . Systolic flutter was not seen with an aortic valve gradient >30 mm Hg or an aortic valve area 2 . Aortic valve systolic opening by M-mode echocardiography or 2-D echocardiography did not accurately predict the severity of AS. Thus, aortic valve systolic flutter seen on M-mode echocardiography is strong evidence against significant AS, but the absence of systolic flutter does not allow reliable prediction of the severity of AS. The finding of systolic flutter by M-mode echocardiography may be a useful screening test in patients presumed to have AS.
Computer Processing Of Atmospherically Degraded Images

This paper deals with a program of research in which the techniques and fundamental limitations of the restoration of degraded images is receiving study. The research program includes all forms of image degradation but this paper is concerned only with the case of degradation of the type encountered in looking up through the atmosphere with a large ground based telescope.© (1967) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Irreversible inhibition of the leukotriene pathway by 4,5-dehydroarachidonic acid

Abstract The 5-lipoxygenase from rat basophilic leukemic cells (RBL-1) is irreversibly deactivated by 4,5-dehydroarachidonic acid in the presence of oxygen.
Applicability of critical-wedge theories to foreland belts

Applying critical-wedge theories to foreland belts, in contrast to accretionary wedges of poorly indurated sediments, results in basic problems of physics. One key distinction between these tectonic regimes is the enormous difference in elastic strain energy that can be stored during deformation. Another key distinction is that most styles of fault slip occurring in the upper continental crust involve changes of momentum, in contrast with the stable sliding invoked in critical-wedge theories. Consequently, the mechanics of deformation are fundamentally different for foreland belts as compared with accretionary wedges of sediment.
Cartilage Damage Determines Intermediate Outcome in the Late Multiple Ligament and Posterolateral Corner-Reconstructed Knee: A 5- to 10-Year Follow-up Study

BackgroundPatients with chronic ruptures of 1 or both cruciate ligaments in combination with posterolateral rotatory instability of the knee often have some degree of cartilage damage at the time of surgery.HypothesisChondrosis at the time of reconstruction does not influence early and intermediate functional outcome of the multiple ligament reconstructed knee.Study DesignCase series; Level of evidence, 4.MethodsTwenty-one patients were available from an original 27 treated between 1995 and 2000. All patients were assessed preoperatively and postoperatively by physical examination and by applying 4 different knee rating scores. All patients were assessed at a mean follow-up of 39 months (range, 14–75 months) and 87 months (range, 62–123 months).ResultsAt the first follow-up, all knee rating scores had improved significantly (P < .0003) compared with preoperatively; 84% of the reconstructed knees had normal to nearly normal laxities according to the International Knee Documentation Committee 2000 score. At...
Making specific features less discriminative to improve point-based 3D object recognition

We present a framework that retains ambiguity in feature matching to increase the performance of 3D object recognition systems. Whereas previous systems removed ambiguous correspondences during matching, we show that ambiguity should be resolved during hypothesis testing and not at the matching phase. To preserve ambiguity during matching, we vector quantize and match model features in a hierarchical manner. This matching technique allows our system to be more robust to the distribution of model descriptors in feature space. We also show that we can address recognition under arbitrary viewpoint by using our framework to facilitate matching of additional features extracted from affine transformed model images. The evaluation of our algorithms in 3D object recognition is demonstrated on a difficult dataset of 620 images.
Recent elevation changes on the ice streams and ridges of the Ross Embayment from ICESat crossovers

[1] We analyze differences in ICESat elevation estimates at orbital crossover locations to determine short-term rates of elevation change for small regions within the Ross Embayment of the West Antarctic Ice sheet. A linear regression of crossover elevation difference against time difference gives an estimate of the mean elevation-change rate during the ICESat mission to date. We observe prevalent elevation change in the south, with uplift in the upstream end of Kamb Ice Stream at 0.24–0.30 m a−1, and thinning in the parts of Whillans Ice Stream, Mercer Ice Stream, and the adjacent Conway and Engelhardt ice ridges at 0.05–0.18 m a−1. These rates of elevation change are too large to be explained by the 0.02 –0.03 m a−1 formal regression error, by seasonal height variations, or by accumulation- or densification-rate variability, suggesting that they reflect real variations stemming from ice dynamics of the region.