cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
National Institute of Child Health and Development Conference summary: Amniotic fluid biology - basic and clinical aspects

This report summarizes the National Institute of Child Health and Development sponsored conference on amniotic fluid (AF) biology, held 28-29 September 1999, in Detroit, Michigan. National and international investigators with expertise in AF biology addressed the regulation of AF volume and composition as well as the clinical aspects of interpreting fetal health and well-being from AF indices. A major purpose of the meeting was to consider future directions and opportunities for basic and clinical research which focus on understanding the physiology and pathophysiology and providing therapeutic interventions for abnormalities of AF volume. To achieve this, the workshop participants addressed the current state of knowledge, recent scientific advances and priorities for major questions for which answers must be sought. The fact that it is not known whether AF volume is regulated or what volume-regulatory mechanisms might be involved is a major problem that needs addressing. In the later half of gestation, potential AF volume-regulatory pathways include the two major inflows into the amniotic compartment, i.e. fetal urine and lung liquid, and the two major outflows, i.e. fetal swallowing and intramembranous absorption. If AF volume is regulated, then this must occur through regulation of intramembranous flow, because the other three flows are regulated by the fetus to meet fetal needs. Regulation of AF composition is similarly unknown. In clinical practice, a variety of ultrasonographic indices of AF volume are used, but the relationships of these indices to AF volume have not been determined, nor have their dependency on fetal size, shape or position within the uterus. Further, although aberrations in AF volume both above and below normal are associated with increased fetal and neonatal morbidity and mortality, the predictive utility of the various AF indices remains low and there is little consensus on which is best utilized under conditions of oligohydramnios, normal AF volumes, or polyhydramnios. Further, various clinical AF therapies remain largely experimental and their optimization and utilization need exploration. This report is a condensation of the views presented by the conference participants.
The effect of dissolved hydrocarbon gases in surfactant solutions on froth flotation of minerals

Abstract Hydrocarbon gases are known to dissolve in surfactant solutions and affect the solution/gas interfacial properties. In this study, their effect on the froth flotation of various minerals was investigated. Also, solubility of these gases in collector solutions and the resultant surface tension changes were simultaneously determined for elucidating the mechanisms responsible for the effects on flotation. Methane dissolved in sodium dodecylsulfonate collector solutions was found to increase the flotation of alumina by 10–30%. Corresponding increase obtained due to the dissolution of butane was 10–50%. Flotation of hematite or quartz was not affected by the presence of dissolved methane or butane. Dissolution studies using a new automated constant-pressure apparatus showed the solubility of gases to be lower in surfactant solutions than in water when the surfactant concentration was low and higher than in water when the concentration was high. This is explained on the basis of the predominance of the “salting-out” effect at lower surfactant concentrations and that of hydrophobic bond formation between the hydrocarbon molecule and the surfactant chains at higher concentrations. Measurements of surface tension properties of these hydrocarbon saturated solutions have indicated adsorption of the gas molecules at the solution/air interface. The selective effects of the dissolved hydrocarbons on froth flotation of minerals are discussed on the basis of possible changes in the properties of the solution surface and the mineral/solution interface.
Generation of human peripheral blood stable E-rosette-forming T cells by interleukin 1.

Abstract The ability to form 37°C stable rosettes with sheep red blood cells is a property of activated human peripheral blood T lymphocytes. The frequency of stable E-rosette-forming T cells is markedly increased in a number of disease states. In the present study, we have investigated the role of interleukin 1, a key mediator of macrophage-dependent T-cell activation, in the generation of stable E-rosette-forming human T cells. When human T cells were incubated with either normal human monocyte or murine macrophage tumor cell line-derived interleukin 1 (IL 1), the frequency of stable E-rosette-forming T cells increased dramatically. This effect of IL 1 was both concentration and time dependent. Enhanced stable E-rosette-forming activity was detected within 6 hr after addition of IL 1 and reached a plateau after 60–70 hr. The stimulatory effect of IL 1 was markedly inhibited by sodium azide. Mild trypsin treatment of T lymphocytes revealed that the effect of IL 1 on rosette formation was dependent on the appearance of new cell surface receptors for the sheep red blood cells. Our results support the hypothesis that the macrophage, via the release of IL 1, may play a pivotal role in the generation of stable E-rosette-forming T cells in a number of disease states. The effect of IL 1 on the appearance of stable E-rosette receptors on T lymphocytes is consistent with its general role in increasing the functional activity of different cell types involved in immune and inflammatory responses.
Scalanytics: a declarative multi-core platform for scalable composable traffic analytics

This paper presents SCALANYTICS, a declarative platform that supports high-performance application layer analysis of network traffic. SCALANYTICS uses (1) stateful network packet processing techniques for extracting application-layer data from network packets, (2) a declarative rule-based language called ANALOG for compactly specifying analysis pipelines from reusable modules, and (3) a task-stealing architecture for processing network packets at high throughput within these pipelines, by leveraging multi-core processing capabilities in a load-balanced manner without the need for explicit performance profiling. We have developed a prototype of SCALANYTICS that enhances a declarative networking engine with support for ANALOG and various stateful components, integrated with a parallel task-stealing execution model. We evaluate our SCALANYTICS prototype on a wide range of pipelines for analyzing SMTP and SIP traffic, and for detecting malicious traffic flows. Our evaluation on a 16-core machine demonstrate that SCALANYTICS achieves up to 11.4× improvement in throughput compared with the best uniprocessor implementation. Moreover, SCALANYTICS outperforms the Bro intrusion detection system by an order of magnitude when used for analyzing SMTP traffic.
Children's Perception of Fairness in Classroom and Interpersonal Situations Involving Peers with Severe Disabilities:

Elementary-aged children (kindergarten, first grade, and second grade), attending classrooms that fully included peers with severe disabilities, judged a series of scenarios comprising common teach...
Toward Lighter, Stiffer Materials

For hundreds or even thousands of years, humans have developed ever lighter and stronger materials, including alloys, polymers, and composites. Recently, these efforts have been joined by a different approach to lightweight materials: the introduction of carefully engineered open structure into solid materials to create cellular materials (see the figure). On page 1219 of this issue, Cheung and Gershenfeld ( 1 ) present a fabrication method for cellular materials that enables them to reversibly assemble cellular composite materials with tailored properties.
Using the outputs of the Poisson filter chain to reconstruct attractors

The first step towards the measurement of dynamical invariants is to reconstruct an attractor from the output of a system. In this paper, we propose a new method for the reconstruction. The elements of the construction vector are the Poisson moment functionals of the signal. Our experimental results show that the reconstructed attractor can preserve the dimension measure even in the situation when the signal is noisy.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
QUANTUM MECHANICS AND MOLECULAR MECHANICS STUDIES OF THE LOW-ENERGY CONFORMATIONS OF 9-CROWN-3

Quantum mechanics calculations and molecular mechanics calculations using the MMX force field have been performed on the low-energy conformations of 9-crown-3. A [144] conformation corresponds to the global minimum at the MP2/6-31G**//6-31G** level, with a [225] conformation only 0.72 kcal/mol higher in energy. The [333] conformation in which all three oxygen atoms are on the same side of the least squares plane passing through the ring, a structure particularly favorable as a tridentate ligand, is calculated to be 6.81 kcal/mol higher in energy. Electron correlation at the MP2 level and polarization functions on the hydrogen atoms have only minor effects on the relative conformational energies. However, polarization functions on the carbon and oxygen atoms are needed to obtain good results. MMX conformational energies are in good agreement with ab initio values if the electrostatic scale factor is set at 0.70. The role of transannular C−H···O hydrogen bonding in the low-energy conformations of 9-crown-3 ...
The C-terminal domain of the adenine-DNA glycosylase MutY confers specificity for 8-oxoguanine.adenine mispairs and may have evolved from MutT, an 8-oxo-dGTPase.

MutY is an adenine-DNA glycosylase with specificity for mismatches involving 8-oxoguanine (oG.A) or guanine (G.A). In addition to a 25 kDa catalytic domain common to all members of its DNA glycosylase superfamily, MutY has a 14 kDa C-terminal domain. Sequence analyses suggest that this C-terminal domain is distantly related to MutT, a pyrophosphohydrolase specific for 2'-deoxy-8-oxoguanosine triphosphate (doGTP). Here we present biochemical evidence that the MutT-like domain of MutY is the principal determinant of oG specificity. First, MutY dissociates approximately 1500-fold more slowly from oG-containing product DNA than from G-containing product, but a truncated protein lacking the C-terminal domain dissociates as rapidly from oG-DNA as the full-length protein dissociates from G-DNA. Second, MutY removes adenine from oG.A mismatches almost 30-fold faster than from G.A mismatches in a pre-steady-state assay, but deletion of the C-terminal domain reduces this specificity for oG.A to less than 4-fold. The kinetic data are consistent with a model in which binding of oG to the C-terminal domain of MutY accelerates the pre-steady-state glycosylase reaction by facilitating adenine base flipping. The observation that oG specificity derives almost exclusively from the C-terminal domain of MutY adds credence to the sequence analyses and suggests that specificity for oG.A mismatches was acquired by fusion of a MutT-like protein onto the core catalytic domain of an adenine-DNA glycosylase.
Is Serous Cystadenoma of the Pancreas a Model of Clear-Cell-Associated Angiogenesis and Tumorigenesis?

Background: Similar to the other von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) -related tumors such as renal cell carcinomas and capillary hemangioblastomas, serous cystadenomas (SCAs)
Drug-nutrient interaction in clinical nutrition

Drug-nutrient interactions have been recognized for decades. It is known that improper management of some of these interactions may lead to therapeutic failure or cause serious adverse effects to the patients. While most of the known drug-nutrient interactions involve changes in oral bioavailabilities and absorption of the offending compounds, recent investigations suggest that different mechanisms also exist. A mechanism-derived classification system for drug-nutrient interactions has only recently been developed. This system should facilitate the future research and development of practice guidelines in the identification and management of important interactions.
Managing the Common Problem of Missing Data in Trauma Studies

Purpose To provide guidance for managing the problem of missing data in clinical studies of trauma in order to decrease bias and increase the validity of findings for subsequent use.
A lab-to-market roadmap for early-stage entrepreneurship

Innovations in the physical sciences face unique challenges and barriers as they transition from concept to product, and finally to profitable business. Specifically, time horizons are much longer and early-stage capital needs are much higher than for alternative investments in, for example, information technology or consumer electronics. Universities with significant research programs in the physical sciences are most significantly affected as early-stage investors who are willing to accept high risk and the associated liquidity penalty become scarce. A potential solution to this dilemma is the implementation of a lab-to-market roadmap within the university infrastructure to align process, metrics and funding, with the goal of guiding technology translation in a disciplined fashion, while generating meaningful returns at low risk to the institution. Such a roadmap for early-stage technology entrepreneurship is described here, with start-up activity integrated into the universities? research activity and with a focus on three critical success factors: (1) a robust process for start-up activity; (2) an educational program that teaches the process and helps participants to implement it; and (3) an infrastructure that creates the appropriate environment for academic organizations to effectively develop innovations into products that are positioned to become great companies. For examples of the methodology, a case study for the start-up process (Cronos Integrated Microsystems) is reviewed and a successful lab-to-market case study at Duke University is also provided.
Effects of Pulmonary Embolism on the Pulmonary Circulation With Special Reference to Arteriovenous Shunts in the Lung

Pulmonary embolism using glass beads was investigated in anesthetized dogs. The instantaneous bradycardia and apnea immediately following the injection is a reflex mediated by the vagus. The subsequent respiratory stimulation is also reflex in nature mediated not only by the sensory vagus but also by the thoracic sympathetics and the aortic and carotid body chemoreceptors. The latter are activated by anoxemia which appears to be due to opening of arteriovenous communications in the embolized lungs. In the perfused lungs, the hypertension of embolization is the outcome of mechanical obstruction by the emboli plus reflex vasoconstriction which is partly mediated by the extrinsic pulmonary nerves.
Near-Infrared Raman Spectroscopy with a 783-nm Diode Laser and CCD Array Detector

A GaAlAs diode laser operating at 783 nm was combined with an un-intensified charge coupled device (CCD) array detector and single grating spectrograph to obtain near-infrared (NIR) Raman spectra. The spectrometer has no moving parts and retains the high sensitivity expected for multichannel, shot-noise-limited detectors. Diode laser excitation permits high-sensitivity Raman spectroscopy with reduced fluorescence interference, in comparison to that produced with conventional visible lasers. The diode laser/CCD approach should exhibit much higher sensitivity than FT-Raman systems operating at 1064 nm, at much lower laser power. The sensitivity of the system was demonstrated by an S/N ratio of 17 for the 981-cm−1 band of 0.01 M (NH4)2SO4, obtained with 30 mW of 783 nm laser power.
Identification of Quantitative Trait Loci Affecting Murine Long Bone Length in a Two‐Generation Intercross of LG/J and SM/J Mice

Introduction: Study of mutations with large phenotypic effects has allowed the identification of key players in skeletal development. However, the molecular nature of variation in large, phenotypically normal populations tends to be characterized by smaller phenotypic effects that remain undefined. Materials and Methods: We use interval mapping and quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping techniques in the combined F2-F3 populations (n = 2111) of an LG/J × SM/J mouse intercross to detect QTLs associated with the lengths of the humerus, ulna, femur, and tibia. Results: Seventy individual trait QTLs affecting long bone lengths were detected, with several chromosomes harboring multiple QTLs. The genetic architecture suggests mainly small, additive effects on long bone length, with roughly one third of the QTLs displaying dominance. Sex interactions were common, and four sex-specific QTLs were observed. Pleiotropy could not be rejected for most of the QTLs identified. Thirty-one epistatic interactions were detected, almost all affecting regions including or immediately adjacent to QTLs. Conclusions: A complex regulatory network with many gene interactions modulates bone growth, possibly with integrated skeletal modules that allow fine-tuning of developmental processes present. Candidate genes in the QTL CIs include many genes known to affect endochondral bone growth and genes that have not yet been associated with bone growth or body size but have a strong potential to influence these traits.
Corticosteroid Action and Neuroendocrine‐Immune Interactions

Glucocorticoid feedback during inflammation depends on several factors, including effective corticosteroid concentrations, the temporal coordination between the immune system and the HPAA, and sensitivity of the target organ to corticosteroids. In the case of LEW/N rats, several lines of evidence indicate that CRH is aberrantly regulated, and as a consequence, the circulating corticosterone concentrations are blunted. In addition, basal ACTH and corticosterone responses differ compared to SD and F344/N rats. Therefore glucocorticoid feedback during inflammation is impaired leading to uncontrolled inflammation as observed in various models. We found that in the LEW/N rat, the regulation of the GR and MR, at least in the hippocampus, is different from F344/N rats. A similar impaired upregulation of the GR has been described in aged rats, and this has been postulated to be the cause of the altered HPAA reactivity after various stimuli in these rats. Moreover, adult LEW/N rats exhibit HPAA responses which resemble those observed during the stress hyporesponsive period of immature SD or F244/N rats. These latter data suggest that in the LEW/N rat the ontogeny and/or regulation of the HPAA is disturbed. Taken together, the impaired regulation of HPAA reactivity observed in LEW/N rats could be due to an impaired regulation of the central MR and/or GR. Although no data of GR dynamics in the context of local inflammation are available yet, this could be an additional factor determining tissue sensitivity and immune responses to corticosteroids. In humans, determination of the role of the HPAA in inflammation is more complex due to the much higher intrinsic variability between subjects.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Airborne 4-dimensional trajectory management

The paper describes a prototype of an airborne Flight Management System (FMS), supporting initial four-dimensional (I-4D) flight operations. The I-4D operations are based on airborne computed predictions that are used in ground systems. The goal is to establish far in advance a sequence for all aircraft converging to a merging point in a congested area. After coordination between the ground systems and aircraft, a time constraint at a merging point is assigned to each aircraft. As compensation, aircraft are allowed to fly their optimum profile up to that point, without any vectoring instructions from controllers. The prototype is based on Airbus A320 FMS software which has been enhanced by the I-4D features like Required Time of Arrival (RTA) in descent flight phase, reliable RTA window computation, and data link enhancements. Example of operational scenario is presented. The prototype has been tested with actual hardware, in an Airbus cockpit simulator and in flight as well.
United Fund Executive reactions to the impact of Federal programs in their community domains

This is an exploratory study of the reactions of an influential key health and welfare administrator, the United Fund Executive, to Federal health and welfare program impact affecting his job in the decade 1957 to 1967. It was found that rather than being threatened, a majority of Fund Executives participated in the three Federal programs surveyed (Urban Renewal, Anti-poverty, and Comprehensive Mental Health Planning Programs). Involvement in these programs appeared to influence positively attitudes toward them. It was also found that there was considerable lack of knowledge about Federal programs but not unwillingness to learn. A large majority of respondents favored Federal programs, but there were strong variations according to respondents' age, experience, and educational level, and to their city's size and regional location.
Recurrent Ventricular Tachycardia Due to Resectable Cardiac Tumor Report of Two Cases in Two-Years-Olds in Heart Failure

Repeated attacks of paroxysmal rapid heart action and the occurrence of severe cardiac failure during such an episode led to hospitalization of two otherwise healthy two-year-old boys. After conversion of the tachycardia and relief of the cardiac failure, the chest roentgenogram showed an unusual bulge in the region of the left ventricle, and the electrocardiogram indicated an abnormality there. This combination of symptoms and signs suggested the diagnosis of left ventricular tumor, and cardiac catheterization with contrast visualization verified the diagnosis. The tumor was discrete and resectable in both instances. It was characterized as myofibroma or rhabdomyofibroma. Both children have remained free of symptoms on follow-up, which for one child has been ten years.
1H-NMR lifetimes of cytosine interactions with the DNA melting probe, methylmercury.

Studies on monomeric cytosine were undertaken to establish a kinetic foundation for the progressive melting of DNA by the mutagen, methylmercury. The reversible displacement of protons by methylmercury at the amino group of cytosine is slow on the 1H-NMR time scale at 100 and 360 MHz. Exchange coupled resonances are produced, not only for all protons of the free- and mercurated amino species, but for the rotational isomers of the latter. These spectra provide for assignment of all exchange-coupled resonances, selection of resonances providing mercuration rates from line shape and measurement of pH-dependent reciprocal lifetimes of the free-amino species (≤6 s−1 at pH 3 and 15 s−1 at pH 4). Evidence is presented for the existence of an amino-mercurated species of cytidine thus far not reported (formation constant, 104.3).
Parasympathetic and sympathetic postganglionic synapses in ureterovesical autonomic pathways

Histochemical techniques for acetylcholinesterase and catecholamine show that ureterovesical ganglia of both cat and dog contain dense intraganglionic cholinergic and adrenergic plexuses. Ramifications of both plexuses surround most cholinergic and adrenergic ganglion cell bodies as pericellular synaptic plexuses. Similar pericellular plexuses exist around extraganglionic cholinergic and adrenergic ganglion cells. Both adrenergic and cholinergic synaptic fibers persist in denervated pregnaglionic nerve-free specimens, indicating that cholinergic synaptic fibers are postganglionic parasympathetic in nature. The presence of adrenergic (postganglionic sympathetic) and postganglionic parasympathetic synapses around cell bodies in ureterovesical ganglia provides a morphologic basis for the sympathoinhibitory and muscarinic parasympatho-excitatory phenomena described in these ganglia.
Canal Ray and Electron Excitation of the Band Spectrum of Nitrogen

The idea is suggested that the excitation of band spectra by canal ray* impact on the one hand, and by electron impact on the other, may give quite different intensity distributions. The results of three groups of experiments on the band spectra of nitrogen are presented.In the first, the relative intensities of the lines in the 3914 negative band were studied. There seemed to be a small weakening of the lower rotational lines in the canal-ray excitation compared to electron excitation.In the second, the relative intensities of the second positive group and of the negative group were observed in a canal-ray beam. The intensities of the transitions from high initial vibrational states were abnormally great. The variations in comparison plates taken by us and by others with various sources were so great that no satisfactory standard of comparison could be chosen as representing excitation purely by electron impact.This suggested the third phase of the work, a study of the excitation by a beam of 700 volt electrons. This gave a most unusual distribution of intensity with nearly all the energy in the 0\ensuremath{\rightarrow}0 and 0\ensuremath{\rightarrow}1 bands of the negative group and a similar concentration in the second positive group.
Recent progress in online, comprehensive two-dimensional high-performance liquid chromatography for non-proteomic applications

Comprehensive two-dimensional HPLC (2DLC) has been used very successfully in proteomics applications for over a decade. Increasingly we are seeing online, comprehensive 2DLC used for non-proteomic applications. This article gives an overview of the state of the art of this technique, with emphasis on current trends in theory and practice that are exciting and hold the most promise for advancing the performance of 2DLC. Specifically, the recently commercialized small, superficially porous packing materials are very well suited to use in the second dimension of online 2DLC where analysis speed is critical and largely dictates the performance of the 2DLC system. Further, the recent development of optimization schemes and associated software that support the use of different second-dimension elution modes in a single 2DLC analysis will improve the flexibility and effectiveness of 2DLC separations. Excluding separations of peptides, proteins, and polymers, 2DLC systems utilizing reversed-phase separation in one dimension, and either normal phase or reversed-phase in the other dimension continue to be the most popular. Although these systems have been applied mostly to complex biological materials, we are beginning to see applications in the analysis of pharmaceutical materials for ingredient purity and degradation profiling. The general lack of robust, easy-to-use commercially available software is arguably the greatest impediment to wider application of 2DLC methods. This situation is improving slowly, however, and at least two commercially available software packages have been described in the peer-reviewed literature. This is an exciting time in the development of online 2DLC.
Clustered generalized finite element methods for mesh unrefinement, non-matching and invalid meshes

In spite of significant advancements in automatic mesh generation during the past decade, the construction of quality finite element discretizations on complex three-dimensional domains is still a difficult and time demanding task. In this paper, the partition of unity framework used in the generalized finite element method (GFEM) is exploited to create a very robust and flexible method capable of using meshes that are unacceptable for the finite element method, while retaining its accuracy and computational efficiency. This is accomplished not by changing the mesh but instead by clustering groups of nodes and elements. The clusters define a modified finite element partition of unity that is constant over part of the clusters. This so-called clustered partition of unity is then enriched to the desired order using the framework of the GFEM. The proposed generalized finite element method can correctly and efficiently deal with: (i) elements with negative Jacobian; (ii) excessively fine meshes created by automatic mesh generators; (iii) meshes consisting of several sub-domains with non-matching interfaces. Under such relaxed requirements for an acceptable mesh, and for correctly defined geometries, today's automated tetrahedral mesh generators can practically guarantee successful volume meshing that can be entirely hidden from the user. A detailed technical discussion of the proposed generalized finite element method with clustering along with numerical experiments and some implementation details are presented. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Two-photon phosphorescence lifetime microscopy (2PLM) for high resolution imaging of oxygen

We present a new method for imaging of oxygen in biological samples with micron-scale resolution and threedimensional capability. Our technique combines phosphorescence quenching with multiphoton laser scanning microscopy. It is termed two-photon phosphorescence lifetime microscopy (2PLM). 2PLM is made possible due to specially designed dendritic probes, in which phosphorescence of metalloporphyrins upon two-photon excitation is enhanced by intramolecular Forster-type energy transfer from two-photon antennae chromophores, located in the same probe molecule. Oxygen sensitivity of the probes is regulated by dendritic encapsulation of the core metalloporphyrin, while peripheral PEG groups on the dendrimer isolate the probes from contacts with biological macromolecules (e.g. proteins, nucleic acids etc) in the environment. Instrumentation and resolution of the method are discussed along with approaches to intracellular delivery of the probes. 2PLM was validated in pilot imaging experiments and used to obtain depth-resolved high-resolution oxygen maps in vivo in the brain.
Primary epithelial cell cultures derived from canine prostate: Isolation, culture, and characterization

Epithelial-cell-enriched primary cultures were established from canine prostate. Minced tissue was dissociated with 750 units/ml of collagenase in F12K tissue culture medium containing 1% fetal bovine serum. This treatment resulted in the gradual removal of stromal elements from the base of the epithelial cells. After 30 minutes of digestion, aggregates of epithelial cells free of stroma were dislodged from the minced pieces of prostate. These aggregates were washed and plated at high density in F12K plus 10% fetal bovine serum. After 12-16 hours in vitro the unattached cellular aggregates were removed from the culture dishes, washed, and reinoculated into new culture vessels containing fresh medium. After 48 hours in vitro, the aggregates had attached to the culture vessels and spread out to yield discrete patches of epithelial cells. By 120 hours in vitro the patches of cells had grown and coalesced to form a confluent monolayer of epithelial cells. Ultrastructural examination of these cultures indicated that adjacent cells were joined by desmosomes and tight junctions and had tonofilaments and microvilli, giving the cells an epithelial appearance. The cells contained rough endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, and secretory granules similar to those of the epithelial cells in the intact organ. In addition, intracellular "blebs" containing acid phosphatase were observed in the monolayers and were found to increase in size and number with time in vitro. Differentiated function of the cultures was demonstrated by the presence of ornithine decarboxylase and acid phosphatase and the ability of the cultures to metabolize testosterone to primarily 5 alpha-reduced metabolites.
The effect of drying rate on pattern collapse performance in thin film lithography

As the semiconductor industry continues to push the limits of the lithography processes used to fabricate integrated circuits, pattern collapse during development and drying can have a substantial impact on process viability. This pattern collapse in general is caused by unbalanced capillary forces present during the drying step of the lithographic process. Significant research has focused on developing methods to reduce such capillary forces and improve the pattern collapse of photoresists. However, it appears that relatively little attention has been paid to other process dependent factors which may also significantly impact such collapse behavior. For example, another potential factor which may affect pattern collapse is the length of time during which the resist features are actually stressed during drying. As such, processes which result in different drying rates may be expected to yield different levels of pattern collapse. In this work, e-beam lithography was used to generate high resolution line-space pair arrays which contain different size spaces between a pair of adjacent lines in a model chemically amplified resist. Such line pairs present an excellent tool for studying pattern collapse and quantifying the level of stress required to cause collapse and failure of resist features. After development and rinse, such pattern collapse test structures were dried using a variety of different processes possessing a variety of different drying rates, and the impact of these different drying methods on pattern collapse was quantified. It was indeed found that drying rate has a dramatic impact on pattern collapse, with spin drying techniques performing better than most other techniques. However, it was discovered that such spin drying methods also yield a significant pattern orientation dependence of the degree of pattern collapse. Such behavior is explained in terms of additional mechanical forces caused by the centrifugal forces exerted during spin drying methods.
The dilaton classical solution and the supersymmetry breaking evolution in an expanding universe

The existence of a dilaton field in no scale supergravities implies that the only classical solutions of the dilaton + Einstein equations are those which predict at low temperatures a vast hierarchy between the supersymmetry breaking scale mSUSY (i.e. the typical squark, slepton and/or gaugino mass) and the Planck scale. At relatively low temperatures the dynamical quantities of the matter + dilaton system relax to some critical time trajectories with the property that the mSUSY(t) and T(t) time trajectories stay proportional. The dimensionless ratio mSUSYT is a fixed point of the theory and it is completely independent of the high temperature condition (T ≅ MPlanck) of the matter + dilaton system.
Excesses of Gabor frames

Abstract A Gabor system for L 2 ( R d ) has the form G (g,Λ)={e 2πibx g(x−a)} (a,b)∈Λ , where g∈L 2 ( R d ) and Λ is a sequence of points in R 2d . We prove that, with only a mild restriction on the generator g and for nearly arbitrary sets of time–frequency shifts Λ, an overcomplete Gabor frame has infinite excess, and in fact there exists an infinite subset that can be removed yet leave a frame. The proof of this result yields an interesting connection between the density of Λ and the excess of the frame.
Quantum yield variation across the three pathways of photosynthesis: not yet out of the dark

The convergent quantum yield hypothesis (CQY) assumes that thermodynamics and natural selection jointly limit variation in the maximum energetic efficiency of photosynthesis in low light under otherwise specified conditions (e.g. temperature and CO2 concentration). A literature survey of photosynthetic quantum yield (f) studies in terrestrial plants from C3 ,C 4, and CAM photosynthetic types was conducted to test the CQY hypothesis. Broad variation in f values from C3 plants could partially be explained by accounting for whether the measuring conditions were permissive or restrictive for photorespiration. Assimilatory quotients (AQ), calculated from the CO2 f:O2 f ratios, indicated that 49% and 29% of absorbed light energy was allocated to carbon fixation and photorespiration in C3 plants, respectively. The unexplained remainder (22%) may represent diversion to various other energy-demanding processes (e.g. starch synthesis, nitrogen assimilation). Individual and cumulative effects of these other processes on photosynthetic efficiency are poorly quantified. In C4 plants, little variation in f values was observed, consistent with the fact that C4 plants exhibit little photorespiration. As before, AQ values indicate that 22% of absorbed light energy cannot be accounted for by carbon fixation in C4 plants. Among all three photosynthetic types, the f of photosynthesis in CAM plants is the least studied, appears to be highly variable, and may present the greatest challenge to the CQY hypothesis. The high amount of energy diverted to processes other than carbon fixation in C3 and C4 plants and the poor characterization of photosynthetic efficiency in CAM plants are significant deficiencies in our otherwise robust understanding of the energetics of terrestrial photoautotrophy.
The Politics of Reform: Political Scandals, Elite Resistance, and Presidential Leadership in Indonesia

While Indonesia’s democracy has received much acclaim for institutionalizing fair, free, and peaceful elections, many important challenges still lie ahead. The "politics of reform," which has consumed much of the government’s time and energy, are a mixed blessing. Interest collisions – between those who seek change and those who resist it – have caused government paralysis and aversion and, at the same time, sparked promising forms of public participation and resilience. Meanwhile, the Yudhoyono administration has reached a critical juncture that will define political and economic trajectories for upcoming years. Now that two controversies (Bank Century and KPK debacles) have tarnished the government’s credentials, the president will need to make continued efforts to sustain support in his cabinet, coalition, and electorate. In order to steer the country toward calmer political waters and higher socio-economic development, President Yudhoyono will be challenged to form flexible policy coalitions and reinstate the momentum for change.
Noninvasive Vascular Laboratory in Clinical Practice

Noninvasive vascular testing methods have validated application in the evaluation of patients with suspected peripheral arterial, cerebrovascular, or peripheral venous disease. Accurate and reproducible testing requires the use of appropriate instrumentation by experienced technologists, and interpretation of data with verified diagnostic criteria. Noninvasive testing can facilitate clinical decision-making by providing quantitative anatomical and hemodynamic data, thereby quantifying functional severity of disease. Duplex ultrasonography is essential instrumentation for cerebrovascular testing to localize and grade occlusive lesions. In peripheral arterial testing, the combination of segmental pressure measurements and waveform (velocity, pulse pressure) analysis should be the initial diagnostic method, with duplex scanning reserved for characterizing hemodynamically abnormal arterial segments. A number of techniques (duplex scanning, B-mode imaging supplemented by Doppler, venous outflow plethysmography) are appropriate for assessing the venous system for thrombosis, structural abnormalities, and venous valve function. Physicians should be aware of the pitfalls of noninvasive vascular testing and confirm equivocal studies using "gold standard" diagnostic methods such as arteriography and contrast venography.
Achieving Energy Efficiency via Drowsy Transmission in Cognitive Radio

Energy efficiency is increasingly important for wireless communication systems. An optimization policy for cognitive radio communication systems is derived by employing dynamic programming, thus improving the energy efficiency via drowsy transmission. An alternative Q-learning approach is introduced when the environment model is unknown. Numerical simulation results demonstrate that our proposed optimization is effective. Significant performance gain is achieved especially when the traffic load of secondary user is small, which reduces the energy consumption up to 50%.
Exploring the potential of the platelet membrane proteome as a source of peripheral biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease

Peripheral biomarkers to diagnose Alzheimer's disease (AD) have not been established. Given parallels between neuron and platelet biology, we hypothesized platelet membrane-associated protein changes may differentiate patients clinically defined with probable AD from noncognitive impaired controls. Purified platelets, confirmed by flow cytometry were obtained from individuals before fractionation by ultracentrifugation. Following a comparison of individual membrane fractions by SDS-PAGE for general proteome uniformity, equal protein weight from the membrane fractions for five representative samples from AD and five samples from controls were pooled. AD and control protein pools were further divided into molecular weight regions by one-dimensional SDS-PAGE, prior to digestion in gel. Tryptic peptides were analyzed by reverse-phase liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Ionized peptide intensities were averaged for each identified protein in the two pools, thereby measuring relative protein abundance between the two membrane protein pools. Log2-transformed ratio (AD/control) of protein abundances fit a normal distribution, thereby permitting determination of significantly changed protein abundances in the AD pool. We report a comparative analysis of the membrane-enriched platelet proteome between patients with mild to moderate AD and cognitively normal, healthy subjects. A total of 144 proteins were determined significantly altered in the platelet membrane proteome from patients with probable AD. In particular, secretory (alpha) granule proteins were dramatically reduced in AD. Of these, we confirmed significant reduction of thrombospondin-1 (THBS1) in the AD platelet membrane proteome by immunoblotting. There was a high protein-protein connectivity of proteins in other pathways implicated by proteomic changes to the proteins that define secretory granules. Depletion of secretory granule proteins is consistent with a preponderance of post-activated platelets in circulation in AD. Significantly changed pathways implicate additional AD-related defects in platelet glycoprotein synthesis, lipid homeostasis, amyloidogenic proteins, and regulators of protease activity, many of which may be useful plasma membrane-expressed markers for AD. This study highlights the utility of LC-MS/MS to quantify human platelet membrane proteins and suggests that platelets may serve as a source of blood-based biomarkers in neurodegenerative disease.
Substantial shifts in ranking of California hospitals by hospital-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection following adjustment for hospital characteristics and case mix.

Author(s): Tehrani, David M; Phelan, Michael J; Cao, Chenghua; Billimek, John; Datta, Rupak; Nguyen, Hoanglong; Kwark, Homin; Huang, Susan S | Abstract: BackgroundStates have established public reporting of hospital-associated (HA) infections-including those of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)-but do not account for hospital case mix or postdischarge events.ObjectiveIdentify facility-level characteristics associated with HA-MRSA infection admissions and create adjusted hospital rankings.MethodsA retrospective cohort study of 2009-2010 California acute care hospitals. We defined HA-MRSA admissions as involving MRSA pneumonia or septicemia events arising during hospitalization or within 30 days after discharge. We used mandatory hospitalization and US Census data sets to generate hospital population characteristics by summarizing across admissions. Facility-level factors associated with hospitals' proportions of HA-MRSA infection admissions were identified using generalized linear models. Using state methodology, hospitals were categorized into 3 tiers of HA-MRSA infection prevention performance, using raw and adjusted values.ResultsAmong 323 hospitals, a median of 16 HA-MRSA infections (range, 0-102) per 10,000 admissions was found. Hospitals serving a greater proportion of patients who had serious comorbidities, were from low-education zip codes, and were discharged to locations other than home were associated with higher HA-MRSA infection risk. Total concordance between all raw and adjusted hospital rankings was 0.45 (95% confidence interval, 0.40-0.51). Among 53 community hospitals in the poor-performance category, more than 20% moved into the average-performance category after adjustment. Similarly, among 71 hospitals in the superior-performance category, half moved into the average-performance category after adjustment.ConclusionsWhen adjusting for nonmodifiable facility characteristics and case mix, hospital rankings based on HA-MRSA infections substantially changed. Quality indicators for hospitals require adequate adjustment for patient population characteristics for valid interhospital performance comparisons.
Coupling Simulation Tools and Real-Time Data to Improve Building Energy Performance

Researchers at the Texas Sustainable Energy Research Institute are enhancing the capabilities of building performance simulation (BPS) tools by collecting real-time high fidelity energy data to validate and verify simulation capabilities used to predict building energy consumption and to better understand the impacts of building occupants on energy performance. Two case studies, a residential new construction project and an existing commercial building study, have adopted a systems approach toward evaluating the building sector, looking at the relationship between residential buildings, commercial buildings, their occupants, utilities, and local demographics. This paper assesses the important role of efficiency, conservation, and demand response capabilities in reducing energy consumption without requiring significant occupant sacrifices. The Institute is coupling simulation science (as well as its assumptions and processes), with technology that allows researchers to capture real-time energy information and identify more space-specific behavioral pattern assumptions which create an opportunity for better refinement of continuously-responsive building systems.
Spectral-luminosity functions, scalar linearity, and chromatic adaptation.

We report data for three experiments that assess the effect on the luminosity function of chromatic adaptation arising from the measurement stimuli. First, we report spectral-sensitivity functions (wavelength range, 510–640 nm) measured by heterochromatic flicker photometry for a luminance range of 25–5000 Td. The data were fitted to a linear combination of cone fundamentals. The data narrowed and the fits deteriorated with an increase in luminance level, which indicates that at high luminances chromatic adaptation that is dependent on the spectral composition of the standard and test lights is a factor in spectral-luminosity determination. Second, we report heterochromatic modulation photometry as measured with two spectral lights at constant time-averaged chromaticity and luminance for luminances from 1.6 to 1300 Td. For a time-averaged chromaticity of 570 nm, the red-green ratio of the photometric match was invariant with luminance. For a time-averaged chromaticity of 605 nm, the red–green ratio increased by almost 0.3 log unit for a 2-log-unit increase in luminance, which is indicative of chromatic adaptation to the 605-nm chromaticity. Third, we measured flicker increment detection (wavelength range, 510–640 nm) on 570- and 605-nm backgrounds of 25–5000 Td. The data were fitted to a linear combination of cone fundamentals and showed good fits at all luminances. Fits to the 570-nm-background data set showed little variation in the proportions of the cone fundamentals with luminance. Fits to the 605-nm-background data set required an increased weighting of the middle-wavelength-sensitive cone with luminance. These three experiments indicate that luminance-dependent variation in the spectral-luminosity function as assessed by flicker techniques is caused primarily by chromatic adaptation to the measurement stimuli.