cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
H alpha fine structure and the chromospheric field.

Study of the physical characteristics of the H alpha structures previously defined as fibrils and threads. The interpretation of the fibrils as ends of flux tubes is useful in tracing the behavior of the transverse field component over the solar surface. The observed properties of fibrils and threads are consistent with the hypothesis that they are produced by a shock wave mechanism similar to that advanced by Parker (1963) to explain spicules. It is suggested that the undisturbed magnetic field in the chromosphere of an active region is confined to a thin sheath, while the field of the quiet regions extends into the corona.
The origin of vowel-length neutralisation in vocoid sequences: evidence from Finnish speakers

A number of languages have independently developed a pattern of vowel-length neutralisation according to which a vowel after a vocoid must be long. It is proposed that this pattern arises from the inherent acoustic ambiguity of such sequences, which are realised with a diphthongal transition from one formant pattern to the next, with no clear boundary between the two. Neutralisation in vocoid sequences originates from listeners' difficulties in determining the duration of vowels in this context. Lengthening of the second vocoid arises when listeners attribute some of the transition duration to that segment. The phonetic bases of this account are supported by three experiments with Finnish speakers. A production study shows that speakers treat the transition as belonging in part to the realisation of the postvocoid vowel. Two perception studies show that increasing the duration of the transition increases the probability of such a vowel being identified as long.
Examining Relationships Between Financial Capital And Personal Well-Being

Researchers have traditionally examined economic well-being with income data, yet recent findings indicate positive effects of assets on well-being, independent from income. For this study, baseline data from 904 low-income individuals were used to examine relationships between income, assets, and personal, social, and economic outcomes. Baseline findings indicate that financial assets did not influence perceptions of self-efficacy, economic strain, or social support. However, an individual's age was associated with perceived outcomes, with increased age leading to decreased support and self-efficacy and increased economic strain. A discussion of findings and implications of this research for community-based strategies is provided.
Aerostasis during central venous access: updates in protective sheaths.

PURPOSE Air emboli (AE) complicating central venous catheter (CVC) placement are rare but potentially fatal events. Building on earlier experience, the authors conducted in vitro testing of the aerostatic properties of newly designed protective sheaths. MATERIALS AND METHODS The standard peel-away sheath, the previously studied sliding-valve sheath, and newer fixed-valve and double-valved sheaths were evaluated. Aerostatic stability of the sheaths was evaluated by measuring air flow into the model under standard and stressed conditions. In addition, volumes of AE created during simulated CVC insertion through the sheaths were determined. RESULTS Under physiologic conditions, significantly smaller volumes of AE occurred with a pinch 2 inches from the sheath hub relative to a pinch at 1 inch. Sliding-, fixed-, and double-valve sheaths yielded leak rates of 0.05 ± 0.05 mL/sec, 0.06 ± 0.05 mL/sec, and 0.08 ± 0.07 mL/sec, respectively. Under stress, protective sheath leak rates increased to 1.8 ± 0.4 mL/sec, 1.6 ± 0.5 mL/sec, and 1.8 ± 0.4 mL/sec, respectively. Use of a double-valved sheath demonstrated no significant difference in leak rates under standard and stressed conditions. In most cases, protective sheaths yielded significantly smaller AE than control sheaths. In comparison of protective sheaths, AE volumes during CVC insertion for sliding-, fixed-, and double-valved sheaths were 22.8 ± 4.5 mL, 16.6 ± 7.3 mL, and 10.8 ± 4.5 mL, respectively. Double-valved sheaths yielded significantly smaller AE volumes than did sliding-valve sheaths ( P CONCLUSIONS In most standard situations, AE volumes and aerostatic stability of protective sheaths tested favorably in comparison with control sheaths. When some sheaths were stressed, their aerostatic properties failed. In a comparison of the three protective sheaths in standard and stressed conditions, the double-valved sheath fared better than the sliding and fixed-valve sheaths.
Failure to detect subtle neurotropism of live, attenuated measles virus vaccine

A multidisciplinary study of a small group of institutionalized children has failed to provide any evidence of virus neurotropism or of even subtle neurophysiologic dysfunction following inoculation with live, attenuated measles virus. This conclusion was based on the absence of evidence for (a) persistent alteration of circadian temperature rhythm, (b) a change in quantified encephalographic electrical output, (c) spinal fluid pleocytosis or elevation of protein content, (d) an altered hematoencephalic barrier, or (e) dissemination of virus to the central nervous system.
Infectious haematopoietic necrosis in rainbow trout Salmo gairdneri Richardson in a semi‐closed system

. An outbreak of infectious haematopoietic necrosis causing high mortality in rainbow trout fry occurred in New York State. Despite the fact that the hatchery effluent was recycled, spread of viral infection or of clinical disease was not demonstrated. Endocardial and glomerular endothelial necrosis and fibrinous peritonitis were among the histopathologic changes seen. Many of the signs and lesions were similar to those seen in infectious pancreatic necrosis.
A low residue nutritive supplement as an alternative to feed withdrawal in broilers: efficacy for gastrointestinal tract emptying and maintenance of live weight prior to slaughter

Abstract Experiments were conducted to evaluate the production response to a solid phase, nutritive supplement used as an alternative to feed withdrawal in broiler chickens and its effect on gastrointestinal tract (GIT) residue. Three treatments were applied: a conventional 12-h feed withdrawal (control); provision of a highly digestible, carbohydrate-based feed withdrawal supplement (FWS) with no added protein source (FWS0); and provision of FWS containing 16% CP as a highly digestible protein source (FWS16). Both FWS treatments were designed to be highly and rapidly soluble, were formulated to result in nominally lower GIT residues, and were withdrawn for only 3 h prior to slaughter. Visual assessment of segments of the GIT at slaughter indicated no significant differences among treatments in the degree of emptiness of the crop, gizzard, and colon, whereas intestinal contents of both FWS groups were less (P
A Review of Probiotic Therapy in Preventive Dental Practice

Probiotics have been widely publicized in the general press and the consumer media. Knowledge of the existence of “probiotics” is commonplace, and the effectiveness of probiotic therapy has been well reported in the medical literature. However, even though most published dental studies have reported positive results, the dental profession has not yet accepted the use of probiotic therapy as an adjunct for preventive dental care. This review article discusses published and current research into the applications of probiotics along with diagnostic testing of the oral biofilm. Probiotic therapy appears to be generally safe and effective in modifying with beneficial bacteria the oral biofilm and thereby reducing the effects of pathogenic oral bacteria. In this review, some examples of current oral probiotic research are discussed along with reference to the potential application of diagnostic testing of the oral biofilm for the presence of oral pathogens as a precursor to initiation of specific probiotic therapy. Dental professionals should be actively investigating this potentially very useful therapeutic measure for the benefit of their patients.
Mn-site hyperfine fields in LaMnO 3 and NdMnO 3 measured using perturbed-angular-correlation spectroscopy

Using perturbed-angular-correlation spectroscopy, we have measured the temperature dependence of hyperfine interactions at ${}^{181}\mathrm{Ta}$ nuclei at Mn sites in ceramic samples of nominally stoichiometric ${\mathrm{LaMnO}}_{3}$ and ${\mathrm{NdMnO}}_{3}.$ Magnetic hyperfine fields (MHF's) and electric-field gradients (EFG's) were measured from 10 to 296 K. The perturbation functions measured for both compounds show sharp line shapes, indicating low defect populations in the vicinity of the probe ions. The Mn-site EFG's show a weak dependence on temperature in both compounds, and the associated quadrupole frequencies and EFG asymmetries are very large. At laboratory temperature, ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{Q}=158.3(2){\mathrm{Mrad}\mathrm{}\mathrm{s}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$ and $\ensuremath{\eta}=0.82(1)$ for ${\mathrm{LaMnO}}_{3},$ and ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{Q}=190.9(3){\mathrm{Mrad}\mathrm{}\mathrm{s}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$ and $\ensuremath{\eta}=0.80(2)$ for ${\mathrm{NdMnO}}_{3}.$ Below the respective magnetic ordering temperatures of 138 and 85 K for the La and Nd compounds, the dependence on reduced temperature of the observed supertransferred MHF's follows a power law, with an exponent of 0.41(1) in each case. The analysis of the combined magnetic-dipole and electric-quadrupole interaction yields the angle \ensuremath{\beta} between the principal z axis of the EFG tensor and the direction of the MHF, which is 56.5(5)\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} at 10 K for ${\mathrm{LaMnO}}_{3}$ and 62.5(5)\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} at 10 K for ${\mathrm{NdMnO}}_{3}.$ For ${\mathrm{LaMnO}}_{3},$ the angle \ensuremath{\beta} shows negligible temperature dependence, whereas for ${\mathrm{NdMnO}}_{3}$ this angle decreases linearly with increasing temperature.
CAPITULATION IN UNRAMIFIED QUADRATIC EXTENSIONS OF REAL QUADRATIC NUMBER FIELDS

Let k be an algebraic number field and Ck its ideal class group (in the wider sense). Suppose K is a finite extension of k. Then we say that an ideal class of k capitulates in K if this class is in the kernel of the homomorphisminduced by extension of ideals from k to K (See Section 2 below). In [4], Iwasawa gives examples of real quadratic number fields, with distinct primes Pi ≡ 1 (mod 4), for which all the ideal classes of the 2-class group, Ck,2 (the 2-Sylow subgroup of Ck), capitulate in an unramified quadratic extension of k. In these examples, Ck,2 is abelian of type (2,2), i.e. isomorphic to ℤ/2ℤ×ℤ/2ℤ and so all four ideal classes capitulate.
IDENTIFICATION OF SENSITIVE AREAS FOR AREA CONTINGENCY PLANS IN ALASKA

ABSTRACT The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 requires identification of sensitive areas through the area contingency planning process. In 1992, a process was begun in Alaska to identify and document information about sensitive areas that could be affected by oil spills. Sensitive areas are based on natural resources and human uses, such as wildlife habitats, land management designations, fish hatcheries, cultural resources, hunting and fishing locations, and community water intakes. At the request of the U.S. Coast Guard, a Sensitive Areas Work Group (SAWG) was established in 1992 to prepare the “Sensitive Areas Section” of Alaska's first Subarea Contingency Plan (SCP). The SAWG continues to identify sensitive areas for all 10 subareas of the state, covering 365 million acres of land and 47,000 miles of shoreline. The SAWG coordinates with and reviews sensitive areas identification and mapping carried out by federal and state agencies and oil spill response cooperatives. SAWG participants vary by subarea, but i...
Left ventricular dysfunction after prolonged strenuous exercise in healthy subjects.

Abstract To determine whether depressed left ventricular (LV) contractile function can occur after prolonged and strenuous exercise, 12 healthy men, 26 ± 1 years old (mean ± standard error of the mean) were studied. The subjects exercised on a treadmill at 69 ± 1 % of maximal O2 uptake until exhaustion (170 ± 10 minutes). Hemodynamic variables were measured before and 10 minutes aftere exhausting exercise. Baseline systolic blood pressure decreased from 124 ± 2 to 113 ± 3 mm Hg (p
Legal factors associated with change in alcohol use and partner violence among offenders

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a pervasive social concern that may be exacerbated by high rates of alcohol dependence among perpetrators. Society has attempted to combat IPV through various legal interventions, but the effects of specific legal factors on behavioral change and treatment compliance remain largely unexamined. The primary focus of the current study was to comprehensively evaluate the impact of various legal factors (i.e., judicial mandate, judicial monitoring, stage of change, and stake in conformity) on mandatory treatment compliance and behavioral change over a 12 week post-adjudication period among a high-risk sample of alcohol dependent IPV offenders (N = 60). Growth curve analyses revealed effects of judicial monitoring and stage of change such that participants reporting low perceived judicial monitoring and early stages of change reported higher initial levels and a more rapid reduction in IPV than those reporting high perceived judicial monitoring and late stages of change, who reported consistently low IPV. Although we found that legal factors were poor predictors of treatment compliance and alcohol use during treatment, the association between alcohol and IPV was moderated by the legal factors. Stake in conformity was negatively associated with IPV among low alcohol users and positively associated among high alcohol users whereas stage of change was negatively associated with IPV among high alcohol users. The current results suggest that pretreatment legal factors may represent an important consideration in reducing IPV among alcohol dependent offenders. Further research is required to determine the efficacy of legal factors in isolation of treatment as well as methods of manipulating these factors to optimally compliment a prescribed course of treatment.
Comparison of the Solvation Structure of Polarizable and Nonpolarizable Ions in Bulk Water and Near the Aqueous Liquid-Vapor Interface

All-atom molecular dynamics simulations are performed on bulk and aqueous liquid−vapor interfacial systems for neat water and 1 M solutions of NaCl, CsCl, and NaI to more quantitatively characterize ion solvation in these environments and to more fully elucidate trends accompanying the introduction of ion polarizability in the context of a polarizable water potential. In the bulk systems, computed densities, hydration free energies, compressibilities, coordination numbers, and a variety of two- and three-atom distribution functions show that the polarizable ions exhibit smaller effective radii, a slightly increased propensity for bulk hydration (particularly for the anions), and no biased preference for contact ion or solvent-separated ion pairing relative to the corresponding nonpolarizable cases. For the interfacial systems employing long (>40 ns) sampling times, we obtain good convergence for a variety of interfacial characteristics such as slab thicknesses and interfacial widths, depth-dependent water...
Detectability and annoyance value of MPEG-2 artifacts inserted in uncompressed video sequences

Many approaches have been proposed recently for estimating the perceived fidelity of digitally compressed and reconstructed video clips. Several metrics rely on the accurate estimation of detection thresholds, basically assuming that perceived quality depends significantly on the error threshold. To test that assumption, we designed an experiment to measure the actual detection threshold of some MPEG-2 artifacts in typical video sequences. In each of the test clips, we briefly replaced a region with a test stimulus created using an MPEG-2 encoder. The location, time, and strength of the artifact were varied between test videos. At the end of each clip, each subject provided a detection response and, for the detected artifacts, location and annoyance information. From the data, we determined the detection threshold for each artifact. Using the thresholds, we computed a perceptually weighted error metric. In this paper, we describe the experiment in more detail, summarize the experimental results including the threshold calculations, and compare the weighted error measure to the output of a commercial fidelity metric. Finally, we discuss our conclusions on the validity of predicting quality from threshold measurements.
Interaction of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor with two monoclonal antibodies recognizing different epitopes

The interactions of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) with two monoclonal antibodies (mAb370A and mAb371A) which block the agonist-induced ion flux into nicotinic acetylcholine receptor vesicles [Donnelly, D., Mihovilovic, M., Gonzalez-Ros, J. M., Ferragut, J. A., Richman, D., & Martinez-Carrion, M. (1984) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 81, 7999] have been studied by a combination of immunochemical and spectroscopic techniques. Both mAbs are specific for the alpha-subunit of the receptor, but they recognize different epitopes. We have detected specific binding of the mAb370A to a synthetic peptide corresponding to residues alpha 187-205, a sequence known to contain the alpha-bungarotoxin binding site. By contrast, mAb371A seems to recognize an epitope which is largely silent after proteolytic digestion of the subunit. Binding of mAb370A to the receptor is inhibited by cholinergic agonist and alpha-neurotoxins but not by competitive antagonists or local anesthetics. By contrast, none of these ligands interferes with binding of mAb371A. The spectroscopic properties of the fluorescent probe ethidium have been used to investigate the effect of the mAbs on the interaction of the agonist carbamylcholine with nAChR in membranes. mAb370A, but not mAb371A, blocks both the agonist-induced increase in the fluorescence intensity of receptor-bound ethidium and the agonist-induced increase in the polarization value of the probe. In addition, measurements of ethidium binding followed by stopped-flow techniques showed that mAb370A, but not mAb371A, blocked the agonist-induced association of the probe to nAChR membranes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Deterministic Quasi-Periodic Behavior of An Arms Race Model

Three successive models of increasing complexity are proposed in response to some standard objections to linear two-nation arms race models. The behavior of the nations in the final model is chaotic. Even though the posited system is deterministic, its behavior is apparently unpredictable. The behavior of moderately simple arms race models may be more complex than we have previously believed. For large parameter values the ability of decision makers to diagnose, manage, and control the race may be difficult. Furthermore, given that unpredictability is sometimes associated with the outbreak of war, this model suggests a situation in which war can occur without exponentially increasing armament.
A model for slug frequency during gas-liquid flow in horizontal and near horizontal pipes

Abstract Slug formation is an entry region phenomena. Waves form on a growing stratified film eventually blocking the gas to form a slug. The liquid level drops when the slug is swept away and the waves disappear. Then the film rebuilds its level in a time equal to the inverse frequency. The process is modelled and the results shown to be in agreement with experiment.
WE-E-BRB-08: Establishing Comprehensive Quality Assurance Program for Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy — Clinical Study Using Control Point Analysis Software

Purpose: to validate the clinical effectiveness of Control Point Analysis (CPA) software and establish a comprehensive quality assurance (QA) program for Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) treatment. Methods: The comparison and gamma analysis of ArcCHECK™ measurement and treatment planning system (TPS) is considered one of the common methods for VMAT QA procedure. However, questions like 'how QA discrepancies affect patient treatment† and †what are the sources of discrepancies† cannot be answered. In this study, 3DVH™ and recently developed CPA software were tested for eight cases, including prostate, brain, head&neck, and TGI 19 phantom cases. All VMAT plans used two arcs, with various settings of couch rotation, collimator rotation, and splitting fields. Each single arc was equally divided into 24 sub‐arcs and doses of sub‐arcs were exported for CPA analysis. Gamma analyses (3mm/3%) were compared using the ArcCHECK dose, single arc doses, sub‐arc doses, and 3DVH patient's dose estimated by Planned Dose Perturbation™ (PDP) algorithm. Results: ArcCHECK composite dose analyses were consistent with CPA sub‐arc analysis for most cases. 3DVH generally showed higher passing rate in dose voxel‐by‐voxel comparison. Cases with failed QA were further analyzed by CPA for each sub‐arc to reveal the sources of dose discrepancies, whether they are mechanical errors (i.e. leaf motion failure) or dosimetric modeling errors (i.e. elongated beam spot size or incorrect dynamic leaf gap). CPA analysis showed values for cases with passed QA to detect small discrepancies caused by failed MLC which was otherwise smeared out in the composite dose comparison. Conclusions: CPA analysis expands QA process to a greater level of details without additional work by users. With the additions of CPA analysis and 3DVH™, one can establish a comprehensive VMAT QA program with detailed mapping of composite dose passing rate, the estimated effect of discrepancies on patients, and possible sources of discrepancies.
Captopril treatment of depression.

Captopril, an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, is currently utilized in the treatment of hypertension. In recent years, there have been several reports of behavioral changes associated with the use of captopril, ranging from slight mood diminution (Callender et al. 1983) to mood elevation and mania (Zubenko and Nixon 1984; McMahon 1985). These reports are particularly interesting because captopril is a potent inhibitor of peptidases, which are important in the metabolism of angiotensins and enkephalins, which are known to have effects on behavior (Stine et al. 1980; Krieger and Martin 198 1; Ondetti and Cushman 1982; Schwartz et al. 1982). This report describes the case of a patient with hypertension and a DSM-III diagnosis of major depression, who was successfully treated with captopril, resulting in adequate stabilization of his hypertension and resolution of his depression.
Theory of optical waveguides

This report summarizes the activities at the 3rd International Workshop on Optical Waveguide Theory, held at the Scuola Superiore Guglielmo Reiss Romoli, L'Aquila, Italy, on 9–11 September, 1978.
Dynamic ray tracing for modeling optical cell manipulation

Current methods for predicting stress distribution on a cell surface due to optical trapping forces are based on a traditional ray optics scheme for fixed geometries. Cells are typically modeled as solid spheres as this facilitates optical force calculation. Under such applied forces however, real and non-rigid cells can deform, so assumptions inherent in traditional ray optics methods begin to break down. In this work, we implement a dynamic ray tracing technique to calculate the stress distribution on a deformable cell induced by optical trapping. Here, cells are modeled as three-dimensional elastic capsules with a discretized surface with associated hydrodynamic forces calculated using the Immersed Boundary Method. We use this approach to simulate the transient deformation of spherical, ellipsoidal and biconcave capsules due to external optical forces induced by a single diode bar optical trap for a range of optical powers.
Tris(3, 5-Dibromosalicyl) Tricarballylate Crosslinked Hemoglobin: Functional Evaluation

Both oxy and deoxy human hemoglobin A were crosslinked with tris(3,5-dibromosalicyl) tricarballylate. The major species from both reactions contained an inter-subunit crosslink. The denaturation transition (Tm) of the oxy crosslinked hemoglobin increased 14.5 °C and that of deoxy crosslinked hemoglobin, 13.0 °C. The apparent rate constant (kapp) of autoxidation for oxy crosslinked hemoglobin remained the same as native hemoglobin but that of the deoxy crosslinked hemoglobin increased by 34%. The higher oxygen affinity and lower cooperativity of the crosslinked proteins compared with native hemoglobin indicated that the crosslink shifted the conformation to the R state.
World Health Organization group 5 pulmonary hypertension.

World Health Organization (WHO) group 5 pulmonary hypertension (PH) entails a heterogeneous group of disorders that may cause PH by unclear and/or multiple mechanisms. In particular, group 5 includes PH caused by hematologic disorders, systemic diseases, metabolic disorders, chronic renal failure, and disorders leading to pulmonary vascular occlusion or compression. This article discusses common pathogenic mechanisms leading to group 5 PH, followed by a detailed overview of epidemiology, pathogenesis, and disease-specific management of the individual group 5 conditions. Off-label use of vasomodulatory therapies, typically indicated for pulmonary arterial hypertension (WHO group 1 PH), in group 5 conditions is also discussed.
Functional neuroimaging of language using magnetoencephalography

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is a novel functional brain mapping technique capable of non-invasively measuring neurophysiological activity based on direct measures of the magnetic flux at the head surface associated with the synchronized electrical activity of neuronal populations. Among the most actively sought applications of MEG has been localization of language-specific cortex. This is in part due to its practical application for pre-surgical evaluation of patients with epilepsy or brain tumors. Until recently, comprehensive language mapping during surgical planning has relied on the application of invasive diagnostic methods, namely the Wada procedure and direct electrocortical stimulation mapping, often considered as the "gold standard" techniques for identifying language-specific cortex. In this review, we evaluate the utility of MEG as a tool for functional mapping of language in both clinical and normal populations. In particular, we provide a general description of MEG, with emphasis on facets of the technique related to language mapping. Additionally, we discuss the application of appropriate MEG language-mapping protocols developed to reliably generate spatiotemporal profiles of language activity, and address the validity of the technique against the "gold standards" of the Wada and electrocortical mapping procedures.
Effects of castration, blindness and anosmia on social reactivity in the male Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus).

Abstract The effects of a varied set of hormonal and sensory variables were analyzed in terms of their impact upon social encounters between pairs of male gerbils. Control observations were employed to assess effects of these variables on behavior in the test situation when no other animal was present. Castration was found to increase aggression between male gerbils, without changing the basic patterns of solitary behavior. Removal of visual input (through blinding) resulted in some increment in aggressive interactions and marked facilitation of locomotor activity. Alternately, anosmia produced either through bilateral removal of the olfactory bulbs, or as the result of treatment of the peripheral mucosa with zinc sulphate, resulted in a general reduction in social interaction despite a moderate increment in locomotor activity.
Magnetic resonance imaging of articular cartilage abnormalities of the far posterior femoral condyle of the knee

Background: Incidental articular cartilage lesions of the far posterior femoral condyle (FPFC) are commonly detected. Whether or not these cartilage lesions are symptomatic or clinically significant is unknown.Purpose: To characterize and assess prevalence of articular cartilage abnormalities of the FPFC and associated bone marrow edema (BME) and/or internal derangements through magnetic resonance (MR) images.Material and Methods: 654 knee MR examinations were reviewed retrospectively. Sagittal fast spin-echo proton density-weighted images with and without fat suppression were acquired with a 1.5T scanner, and were evaluated by two readers by consensus. The following factors were assessed: 1) the prevalence of cartilage abnormalities, 2) laterality, 3) the type of cartilage abnormalities, 4) cartilage abnormality grading, 5) associated BME, 6) complications such as meniscal injury and cruciate ligament injury, and 7) knee alignment (femorotibial angle [FTA]).Results: Articular cartilage abnormalities of t...
Abstract 4439: A reversibly self-crosslinking nano-carrier system for efficient anticancer drug delivery

Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL It is known that the intracellular concentration of glutathione (GSH) is substantially higher than that in the cellular exterior (∼10 mM vs ∼2 μM) and many types of tumor cells have an elevated GSH level compared to normal cells. This dramatic variation of the GSH concentration provides an opportunity for designing tumor specific drug delivery systems. Most of the chemotherapeutic drugs used in clinic suffer from severe dose-limiting side effects. In order to enhance the therapeutic efficacy and minimum the side effect of these drugs, we developed a stable and efficient nano-carrier drug delivery system based on the disulfide crosslinked micelles comprise of poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) and dendritic oligmers of cholic acids and cysteines. Various poorly water-soluble anticancer drugs can be efficiently incorporated inside these polymeric nano-carriers. The nano-carriers are stabilized by disulfide bridges in the core to avoid premature release of the loaded drugs during circulation. After reaching the tumor sites via enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect, the nano-carriers will disassemble to release the core-loaded drugs upon the cleavage of disulfide bridges under reductive conditions following the intracellular uptake or triggered by additional reducing agents. The crosslinked nano-carriers were spherical with a uniform size of 30 ± 5 nm, and can load paclitaxel (PTX) in the core with drug loading content up to 35% (w/w). Cross-linking of the nano-carriers within the core reduced their critical aggregate concentration and greatly enhanced their stability in non-reductive physiological conditions. The release of PTX from the crosslinked nano-carriers was significantly slower than that from non-crosslinked nano-carriers and can be gradually facilitated in a reducing environment. The fluorescence intensity of BODIPY 650/665 (near infrared dye) labeled disulfide crosslinked nano-carriers sustained up to 24 hours within the blood stream of nude mice while that of non-crosslinked nano-carriers decreased faster and fell into the background level within 8 hours post injection. Targeted drug delivery to tumor site with these crosslinked nano-carriers was demonstrated by near infrared fluorescence imaging in nude mice bearing ovarian cancer xenograft. The nano-formulation of PTX was found to be less toxic than its free drug form in nude mice. We further demonstrated the crosslinked nano-formulation of PTX was more efficacious than both free drug and non-crosslinked nano-formulation of PTX in ovarian cancer xenograft model. This new class of nano-therapeutics shows great promise in the future cancer therapy. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4439. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-4439
Incorporation of 14CO2 into C4 acids by leaves of C3-C4 intermediate and C3 species of Moricandia and Panicum at the CO2 compensation concentration

Comparative 14CO2 pulse-12CO2 chase studies performed at CO2 compensation (Γ)-versus air-concentrations of CO2 demonstrated a four-to eightfold increase in assimilation of 14CO2 into the C4 acids malate and aspartate by leaves of the C3-C4 intermediate species Panicum milioides Nees ex Trin., P. decipiens Nees ex Trin., Moricandia arvensis (L.) DC., and M. spinosa Pomel at Γ. Specifically, the distribution of 14C in malate and aspartate following a 10-s pulse with 14CO2 increases from 2% to 17% (P. milioides) and 4% to 16% (M. arvensis) when leaves are illuminated at the CO2 compensation concentration (20 μl CO2/l, 21% O2) versus air (340 μl CO2/l, 21% O2). Chasing recently incorporated 14C for up to 5 min with 12CO2 failed to show any substantial turnover of label in the C4 acids or in carbon-4 of malate. The C4-acid labeling patterns of leaves of the closely related C3 species, P. laxum Sw. and M. moricandioides (Boiss.) Heywood, were found to be relatively unresponsive to changes in pCO2 from air to Γ. These data demonstrate that the C3-C4 intermediate species of Panicum and Moricandia possess an inherently greater capacity for CO2 assimilation via phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) carboxylase (EC 4.1.1.31) at the CO2 compensation concentration than closely related C3 species. However, even at Γ, CO2 fixation by PEP carboxylase is minor compared to that via ribulosebisphosphate carboxylase (EC 4.1.1.39) and the C3 cycle, and it is, therefore, unlikely to contribute in a major way to the mechanism(s) facilitating reduced photorespiration in the C3-C4 intermediate species of Panicum and Moricandia.
Use of a group support system to evaluate management information system effectiveness

Abstract Group support systems (GSSs) have been used by organizations to perform a variety of tasks, including planning goals, editing group documents, resolving group conflicts, generating ideas about business problems, and voting on issues, but rarely have they been used for the development or evaluation of a management information system. Yet, a significant synergy may be achieved by integrating traditional system development and evaluation techniques with GSSs. Although a GSS may be used productively throughout the development life cycle, this article focuses solely on the last phase by showing how a GSS can be used for evaluating the efficiency and effectiveness of computer systems. A case study involving the evaluation of two information systems with a GSS shows that participants were significantly more satisfied with the GSS than a verbal meeting. Although fewer comments were generated in the GSS session, more high-quality comments were generated.
Usage models of classroom computing in developing regions

This paper examines low-cost computing projects for education in developing regions, and presents some of the common entrepreneurial and technical problems faced by past and current initiatives. In particular, we look at various models of computer usage, and evaluate their appropriateness according to their effectiveness in education, their socio-cultural suitability, and economic feasibility. Based on detailed field studies and interviews conducted in rural Indian classrooms and economic analysis, we show that shared rather than single-user devices constitute a more realistic and sustainable approach for low-cost computing projects targeting children's education.
Newborn Adiposity Measured by Plethysmography Is Not Predicted by Late Gestation Two-Dimensional Ultrasound Measures of Fetal Growth

Noninvasive measures of fetal and neonatal body composition may provide early identification of children at risk for obesity. Air displacement plethysmography provides a safe, precise measure of adiposity and has recently been validated in infants. Therefore, we explored relationships between term newborn percent body fat (%BF) measured by air displacement plethysmography to 2-dimensional ultrasound (2-D US) biometric measures of fetal growth and maternal and umbilical cord endocrine activity. A total of 47 mother/infant pairs were studied. Fetal biometrics by 2-D US and maternal blood samples were collected during late gestation (35 wk postmenstrual age); infants were measured within 72 h of birth. Fetal biometrics included biparietal diameter, femur length, head circumference, abdominal circumference (AC), and estimated fetal weight (EFW). Serum insulin, insulin-like growth factor (IGF) 1, IGF binding protein-3, and leptin concentrations were measured in umbilical cord and maternal serum. The mean %BF determined by plethysmography was 10.9 +/- 4.8%. EFW and fetal AC had the largest correlations with newborn %BF (R(2) = 0.14 and 0.10, respectively; P < 0.05); however, stepwise linear regression modeling did not identify any fetal biometric parameters as a significant predictor of newborn %BF. Newborn mid-thigh circumference (MTC; cm) and ponderal index (PI; weight, kg/length, cm(3)) explained 21.8 and 14.4% of the variability in %BF, respectively, and gave the best stepwise linear regression model (%BF = 0.446 MTC + 0.347 PI -29.692; P < 0.001). We conclude that fetal growth biometrics determined by 2-D US do not provide a reliable assessment of %BF in term infants.
Expression of the inactive C145A mutant human O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase in E. coli increases cell killing and mutations by N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine

Human O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (AGT) counteracts the mutagenic and toxic effects of methylating agents such as N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) by removing the methyl group from O6-methylguanine lesions in DNA. The methyl group is transferred to a cysteine acceptor residue in the AGT protein, which is located at residue 145. The C145A mutant of AGT in which this cysteine is converted to an alanine residue is therefore inactive. When this C145A mutant was expressed in an Escherichia coli strain lacking endogenous alkyltransferase activity, the number of G:C-->A:T mutations actually increased and the toxicity of the MNNG treatment was enhanced. These effects were not seen when an E.coli strain also lacking nucleotide excision repair (NER) was used. The enhancement of mutagenesis and toxicity of MNNG produced by the C145A mutant AGT was not seen with another inactive mutant Y114E that contains a mutation preventing DNA binding, and the double mutant C145A/Y114E was also ineffective. These results suggest that the C145A mutant AGT binds to O6-methylguanine lesions in DNA and prevents their repair by NER. The inactive C145A mutant AGT also increased the number of A:T-->G:C transition mutations in MNNG-treated cells. These mutations are likely to arise from the minor methylation product, O4-methylthymine. However, expression of wild-type AGT also increased the incidence of these mutations. These results support the hypothesis that mammalian AGTs bind to O4-methylthymine but repair the lesion so slowly that they effectively shield it from more efficient repair by NER.
Software requirement risk assessment using UML

Summary form only given. Risk assessment is an integral part of software risk management. There are several methods for risk assessment during various phases of software development and at different levels of abstraction. However, there are very few techniques available for assessing risk at the requirements level and those that are available are highly subjective and are not based on any formal design models. Such techniques are human-intensive and highly error prone. This paper presents a methodology that assesses software risk at the requirements level using Unified Modeling Language (UML) specifications of the software at the early development stages. Each requirement is mapped to a specific operational scenario in UML. We determine the possible failure modes of the scenario and find out the complexity of the scenario in each failure mode. The risk factor of a scenario in a failure mode is obtained by combining the complexity of the failure mode in that scenario and the severity of the failure. The result of applying the methodology on a cardiac pacemaker case study is presented.
The effect of scattering on drive current of nanotransistors

In the nanoscale regime, the electron mean free path is comparable to the transistor channel length. Therefore, the electron transport is neither ballistic nor diffusive as quantum coherence is partially destroyed by scattering on phonons, surface roughness and impurities. In this work we model electron-phonon scattering within a quantum mechanical approach using a non-equilibrium Green's function method. Based on the calculations, we show that the resistance per unit length in the source side is much larger than in the drain side. Thus, in order to achieve large drive current in nanotransistors, it is important to keep the source extension region short. We model a nanoscale double gate MOSFET as it is an important candidate for a scaled-down transistor.
P2E-6 Characterizing Acoustic Attenuation Using Focused Impulsive Acoustic Radiation Force

A new method to characterize a material's attenuation using acoustic radiation force is proposed. Comparison of displacement magnitudes generated in a homogeneous material by acoustic radiation force excitations can be used to estimate the material's attenuation when the excitations are applied over a range of focal depths while maintaining a constant lateral focal configuration. Acoustic attenuations are related to the inverse of the excitation focal depth that yields the greatest focal zone displacement for this protocol. Experimental studies in calibrated tissue-mimicking phantoms are presented to demonstrate the feasibility of this method. Attenuations ranging from 0.3-1.5 dB/cm/MHz were characterized over excitation focal depths ranging from 5-30 mm, with an accuracy of 0.1 plusmn 0.15 dB/cm/MHz. As currently implemented, this method is limited to characterizing materials that have homogeneous material properties and acoustic attenuations. This method for characterizing acoustic attenuation can be performed using conventional diagnostic scanners without any additional hardware and could also be performed concurrently with acoustic radiation force-based imaging modalities to generate images of mechanical properties and attenuation that are spatially co-registered with B-mode images
Rate-limiting step for transmission at excitatory synapses in hippocampus.

To examine mechanisms that might be responsible for limiting transmission at excitatory synapses in hippocampus, we analyzed the relationship between extracellular calcium concentrations (1-6 mM) and postsynaptic responses in field CA1 of hippocampal slices using low stimulation intensities and a paired-pulse paradigm. Three effects were observed One, the relationship between calcium levels and the slope (or amplitude) of the postsynaptic response was described by a sigmoidal function with an asymptote at about 4 mM. Double reciprocal pilots relating calcium concentration to the initial slope of EPSPs provided evidence for the cooperativity expected between calcium ions and transmitter release. Two, both the rise time and half-decay time of the postsynaptic responses were reduced with increasing calcium concentrations. These effects of calcium were more pronounced on the first response elicited by paired-pulse stimulation and were considerably attenuated by 2 μM bicuculline, indicating that feed-forward inhibition was positively related to calcium concentration and differentially activated by repetitive stimulation. However, inhibition was not responsible for the asymptotic relationship observed between calcium and response size. Three, while increasing the calcium concentration beyond 4 mM did not further affect the initial slope of excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs), paired-pulse facilitation and 4-aminopyridine were still effective in increasing response size. These results suggest (1)that neither the number of postsynaptic receptors nor the number of transmitter quanta available for release were limiting transmission as a function of the calcium concentration; and (2)that calcium entry into presynaptic terminals was likely to represent the limiting step under the conditions used.
The Effects of Leader Absence on a Confrontation Team-Building Design:

Leader absence in a confrontation team-building session illustrates the critical role the Chief Executive Officer plays in a successful OD effort. In this study, six natural teams (family groups) and one cousin group participated in a 6-day confrontation team-building session. Five of the six natural teams, however, met without the Chief Executive Officer of their respective organizations. Although each team experienced the same design and environmental constraints, only the team with the leader present evidenced growth during the 6-day session, as measured by the Likert Profile of Organization and Performance Characteristics and the Group Behavior Inventory. The remaining six teams either retrogressed or remained unchanged.
Personal health record use and association with immunizations and well-child care visits recommendations.

Objective To determine the association of parental use of integrated personal health records (PHRs) with children's adherence to immunization and well-child care (WCC) visit recommendations. Study design For the immunization and WCC visit measures, we retrospectively analyzed, respectively, 766 and 639 matched pairs at Kaiser Permanente (KP) Hawaii and 2795 and 2448 pairs at KP Northwest who were ≤31 days old at enrollment and continuously enrolled for 2 years between January 2007 and July 2011. The independent variable (≥1 PHR feature used vs none) was matched using propensity scores on parental and children characteristics. The dependent variables were 2 measures from the 2010 Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set: combination 2 immunization (all immunizations vs Results Children whose parents used ≥1 PHR feature (vs none) had higher odds of adhering to the recommended immunizations only at KP Northwest (KP Hawaii: OR 1.1, 95% CI 0.8-1.4, P > .05; KP Northwest OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.0-1.3, P P P Conclusions Young children whose parents used a PHR were more likely to adhere to the recommended WCC visits in both regions but immunizations in only 1 region.
DISTILL: learning domain-specific planners by example

An interesting alternative to domain-independent planning is to provide example plans to demonstrate how to solve problems in a particular domain and to use that information to learn domain-specific planners. Others have used example plans for case-based planning, but the retrieval and adaptation mechanisms for the inevitably large case libraries raise efficiency issues of concern. In this paper, we introduce dsPlanners, or automatically generated domain-specific planners. We present the DISTILL algorithm for learning dsPlanners automatically from example plans. DISTILL converts a plan into a dsPlanner and then merges it with previously learned dsPlanners. Our results show that the dsPlanners automatically learned by DISTILL compactly represent its domain-specific planning experience. Furthermore, the dsPlanners situationally generalize the given example plans, thus allowing them to efficiently solve problems that have not previously been encountered. Finally, we present the DISTILL procedure to automatically acquire one-step loops from example plans, which permits experience acquired from small problems to be applied to solving arbitrarily large ones.