cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Schizophrenia as a possible dysfunction of the suprachiasmatic nucleus

Psychosis and dreaming have many similarities, including delusions, hallucinations, bizarre thinking and perceptual distortions. This clinical observation has lead us to hypothesize that the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), a hypothalamic center regulating sleep and wakefulness, is involved in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Schizophrenic patients have certain sleep architecture characteristics, and distinctive biological markers suggesting abnormity of the SCN, including irregular pattern of melatonin secretion, abnormal actigraphyic studies, D1-dopamine receptors involvement in the process of entraining the SCN and vulnerability to psychotic exacerbation due to jet lag. In addition, SCN lesions in rodents are associated with pathologic day-time sleep pattern, very similar to the sleeping pattern in patients with schizophrenia. We introduce the concept of REM sleep abnormity as a possible etiological factor in development of psychosis. We hypothesize that the proposed dysfunction of the SCN may contribute to schizophrenia through several different, not necessarily mutually exclusive, mechanisms, including "REM sleep (dream) rebound" phenomenon, damaged neuronal pathways connecting SCN to the brain regions affected by schizophrenia, and the SCN dysfunction induced dysregulation of gene expression in different parts of the body, including the brain. Moreover, the influenza virus, which has been implicated in the etiology of schizophrenia, is capable of resetting the SCN, the ultimate processor of light signals, suggesting the explanation for chronological variability of incidence of schizophrenia. Future investigation of the proposed mechanisms will provide the ultimate test of our hypothesis that lesions of the suprachiasmatic nucleus play an important role in the etiology of schizophrenia.
Adaptive input shaping for precision stage systems

Many manufacturing situations such as lithography for microelectronics require rapid high precision positioning of machinery. This paper will describe an existing stage system and its evolution with an emphasis upon reducing residual vibrations associated with stage stepping. Results of an experimental study are presented where the adaptive input shaping strategy and several input shaping strategy technique for the literature are used to generate motion commands. Stage performance is evaluated with an emphasis upon the affects of the stages natural frequency and mode shapes.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Optical multichannel analysis with rapid mass storage of spectra: application to CARS measurements of temperature fluctuations.

A simple optical multichannel analyzer consisting of SIT vidicon camera, videotape recorder, and video digitizer was used to record coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering N2 spectra for temperature measurements inside a firing internal combustion engine. A high-resolution spectrum was recorded from each engine cycle at a 10-Hz repetition rate. Thousands of spectra were rapidly stored in inexpensive nonvolatile memory (videotape) to be digitized and analyzed later for the generation of temperature histograms. In addition to this spectroscopic application, the same equipment can be used for fluid dynamic and combustion imaging experiments.
Consistency of sentence intelligibility across difficult listening situations.

Purpose The extent to which a sentence retains its level of spoken intelligibility relative to other sentences in a list under a variety of difficult listening situations was examined. Method The strength of this sentence effect was studied using the Central Institute for the Deaf Everyday Speech sentences and both generalizability analysis (Experiments 1 and 2) and correlation (Analyses 1 and 2). Results Experiments 1 and 2 indicated the presence of a prominent sentence effect (substantial variance accounted for) across a large range of group mean intelligibilities (Experiment 1) and different spectral contents (Experiment 2). In Correlation Analysis 1, individual sentence scores were found to be correlated across listeners in each group producing widely ranging levels of performance. The sentence effect accounted for over half of the variance between listener-ability groups. In Correlation Analysis 2, correlations accounted for an average of 42% of the variance across a variety of listening conditions. ...
Improving carbon retention in biomass conversion by alkylation of phenolics with small oxygenates

Abstract Alkylation of phenolics with alcohols is an efficient way to retain carbon from small oxygenates in the liquid products of pyrolysis bio-oil. In this contribution, we have investigated the alkylation of m-cresol with several alkylating agents over H-Beta zeolite. The alkylation activity follows the sequence 2-propanol > propylene > 1-propanol. In all cases, propylene is the actual alkylation agent since the alcohols dehydrate at a faster rate than the rate of alkylation. A two-stage process is proposed to convert fractions of bio-oil rich in small aldehydes and ketones together with phenolics. In the first stage, aldehydes and ketones are selectively hydrogenated to alcohols. In the second stage, the resulting alcohols alkylate the phenolic compounds and get incorporated into the upgraded liquid. To illustrate this concept, two consecutive catalyst beds have been used. The first bed contains a metal catalyst for the selective hydrogenation. Among several catalysts investigated, Cu/SiO2 and Pt–Fe/SiO2 were found to exhibit good selectivity to hydrogenate the aldehyde and ketone, respectively, while preserving the aromatic ring of the phenolic compound. The second bed contains an H-Beta zeolite for the alkylation stage.
A Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Model of Docetaxel Disposition: from Mouse to Man

Purpose: Docetaxel (Taxotere), an important chemotherapeutic agent with shown activity in a broad range of cancers, is being investigated for use in combination therapies and as an antiangiogenic agent. Docetaxel exhibits a complex pharmacologic profile with high interpatient variability. Pharmacokinetic models capable of predicting exposure under various dosing regimens would aid the rational development of clinical protocols. Experimental Design: A pharmacokinetic study of docetaxel at 5 and 20 mg/kg was carried out in female BALB/c mice. Tissues were collected at various time points and analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Time course tissue distribution and pharmacokinetic data were used to build and validate a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model in mice. Specific and nonspecific tissue partitioning, metabolism, and elimination data were coupled with mouse physiologic variables to develop a PBPK model that describes docetaxel plasma and tissue pharmacokinetic. The PBPK model was then modified with human model variables to predict the plasma distribution of docetaxel. Results: Resulting simulation data were compared with actual measured data obtained from our pharmacokinetic study (mouse), or from published data (human), using pharmacokinetic variables calculated using compartmental or noncompartmental analysis to assess model predictability. Conclusions: The murine PBPK model developed can accurately predict plasma and tissue levels at the 5 and 20 mg/kg doses. The human PBPK model is capable of estimating plasma levels at 30, 36, and 100 mg/m 2 . This will enable us to develop and test various dosing regimens (e.g., metronomic schedules and combination therapies) to achieve specific tissue and plasma concentrations to maximize therapeutic benefit while minimizing toxicity.
LEARNING FROM EDUCATION: WHAT THE TEAMWORK LITERATURE IN SPECIAL EDUCATION CAN TEACH GERONTOLOGISTS ABOUT TEAM TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

The 1975 passage of Public Law 94‐142 (the Education for All Handicapped Children Act) mandated that public school districts develop interprofessional teams as the core of the decision‐making process in special education for children with learning or behavioral problems. The subsequent development of these teams provides a unique natural experiment in how such a service approach affects institutions, professionals, and consumers—with many potential lessons for the development, implementation, and training of geriatric health care teams. This paper explores four major themes: First, the historical trends leading up to the 1975 special education legislation, its perceived impact, and the continuing debate over the relative effectiveness of teams within the field are reviewed. Second, the ongoing discussion about the types of conflicts and problems arising from the use of interdisciplinary teams—such as role ambiguity and overlap—is summarized, and similarities in the gerontological literature are highlighte...
Measurement of high overtone intensities of HBr by two-tone frequency-modulation spectroscopy

Abstract The technique of two-tone frequency-modulation spectroscopy (TTFMS) using a multimode cw dye laser was employed to study high overtone bands of HBr. Individual vibration-rotational linestrengths and positions were measured. On the basis of these measurements, rotationless dipole moment matrix elements and Herman-Wallis coefficients were determined for the 6-0, 7-0, and 8-0 overtone bands. Using the rotationless dipole moment matrix elements obtained previously by other workers for the pure rotational, fundamental, and first four overtone bands, together with the present results and numerical vibration-rotational wavefunctions, we have derived a series expansion for the dipole moment function. This function provides an excellent fit to all existing Herman-Wallis coefficients, and thus represents one of the best known dipole moment functions for any diatomic molecule. The accuracy of the present data also confirms the importance and utility of TTFMS when used for performing ultrasensitive molecular spectrosocpic measurements of weak overtone bands.
Visceral adipose inflammation in obesity is associated with critical alterations in tregulatory cell numbers.

Background The development of insulin resistance (IR) in mouse models of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) is characterized by progressive accumulation of inflammatory macrophages and subpopulations of T cells in the visceral adipose. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) may play a critical role in modulating tissue inflammation via their interactions with both adaptive and innate immune mechanisms. We hypothesized that an imbalance in Tregs is a critical determinant of adipose inflammation and investigated the role of Tregs in IR/obesity through coordinated studies in mice and humans. Methods and Findings Foxp3-green fluorescent protein (GFP) “knock-in” mice were randomized to a high-fat diet intervention for a duration of 12 weeks to induce DIO/IR. Morbidly obese humans without overt type 2 DM (n = 13) and lean controls (n = 7) were recruited prospectively for assessment of visceral adipose inflammation. DIO resulted in increased CD3+CD4+, and CD3+CD8+ cells in visceral adipose with a striking decrease in visceral adipose Tregs. Treg numbers in visceral adipose inversely correlated with CD11b+CD11c+ adipose tissue macrophages (ATMs). Splenic Treg numbers were increased with up-regulation of homing receptors CXCR3 and CCR7 and marker of activation CD44. In-vitro differentiation assays showed an inhibition of Treg differentiation in response to conditioned media from inflammatory macrophages. Human visceral adipose in morbid obesity was characterized by an increase in CD11c+ ATMs and a decrease in foxp3 expression. Conclusions Our experiments indicate that obesity in mice and humans results in adipose Treg depletion. These changes appear to occur via reduced local differentiation rather than impaired homing. Our findings implicate a role for Tregs as determinants of adipose inflammation.
Fine-needle aspiration biopsy and imprint cytology of small non-cleaved cell (Burkitt's) lymphoma

We reviewed 13 cases of small non-cleaved cell (Burkitt's) lymphoma diagnosed by fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) and four cases where that diagnosis was made from touch imprints from surgical biopsy specimens. the most common site was intraabdominal. Histologic confirmation was present in 14/17 cases. General microscopic features on smears included high cellularity and an individual cell pattern. Extracellular lymphoglandular bodies were abundant and tingible body macrophages were prominent. Nuclei were intermediate in size and round with a finely dispersed chromatin pattern on May-Grunwald-Giemsa stained smears. Cytoplasm was basophilic and scant with prominent vacuoles. Extracellular vacuoles and vacuoles within lymphoglandular bodies occurred in all patients. Immunocytochemistry performed on 16/17 cases demonstrated a B cell phenotype in 15. Nine cases were kappa light chain positive and six were lambda light chain positive. Flow cytometry performed in five cases demonstrated diploid cells with a high S phase. We conclude that Burkitt's lymphoma can be diagnosed using combined FNAB and immunophenotyping. © Wiley-Liss, Inc.
From Remote Structures to Surface Structures Without the Cycle: A Computational Study.

An alternative grammar to Burt's elementary transformational grammar of English is described and presented in a computer format, and derivations obtained employing the grammar are given. The grammar does not utilize the widely accepted transformational cycle and the rules are ordered according to their functional roles (ranking, grafting, agreement, and surface ordering), The results of the tests suggest that the emphasis on establishing arguments for rule ordering may have been unwarranted and that a grammar can be constructed in a more pragmatic format, which reflects the functional roles of the rules, with no loss in descriptive power.
A patient with facial and neck swelling, dyspnea, and dysphagia.

HISTORY OF PRESENT ILLNESS A 44-year-old white woman presented to the emergency department for a 5-day history of progressive swelling of the neck and face associated with dyspnea and difficulty swallowing. The patient had a prior history of poorly differentiated carcinoma of the left breast for which she had undergone a mastectomy. This was followed by the placement of a Port-A-Cath on the left side and the administration of 6 cycles of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and 5-fluorouracil. She had just received her fifth cycle of chemotherapy when the swelling began to develop. The swelling initially began on the neck and then extended to involve the face and was symmetric and bilateral. The patient specifically denied lip or tongue edema, urticarial eruption, joint pain, abdominal pain, or pruritus. The patient had a history of “mild” mental retardation, congenital hearing loss, dyslipidemia, and hypothyroidism. The patient denied a personal history of asthma, rhinitis, or prior allergic reactions. There was no prior personal or family history of angioedema. The patient was being treated with hydroxyzine, paroxetine, olanzapine, rofecoxib, synthetic thyroxine, and simvastatin. Rofecoxib, olanzapine, and simvastatin had been introduced more than 1 year ago. Examination of the patient revealed a mildly obese white woman in mild respiratory distress. She appeared dyspneic at rest. The patient had a blood pressure of 121/63 mm Hg and a heart rate of 79/min. She was afebrile. Obvious nonpitting swelling of the anterior aspect of the neck and lower third of the face was seen. The patient had a recent mastectomy scar on the left chest wall, and a Port-A-Cath had recently been placed. No obvious infection, induration, or inflammation was seen around the Port-A-Cath site. No urticaria, vasculitis, or skin eruption was observed. The patient had no tongue, lip, or uvular swelling or edema. No obvious jugular venous distension was seen. The patient was hospitalized, and treatment with intravenous steroids, diphenhydramine, and oral cimetidine. An allergy-immunology consultation was obtained. The results of the initial screening immunology tests are given in Table 1.
Steam Bending of Wood; Embellishments to an Ancient Technique

Bending wood dates back to antiquity in the form of baskets from willow branches. Fresh growth willow twigs are readily bent into practically any shape. When wood has been separated from the tree and dried it is more rigid, difficult to bend, and breakable. Bending drier wood with the help of heat and water is centuries old. Fishing hooks, barrel staves, and planks turned into boat hulls are examples. Steamed wood is less rigid, since adding moisture and heat to wood results in plasticization. Steaming at atmospheric pressure is common, wherein diffusion prevails as the predominant mechanism governing moisture movement. Applications using conventional atmospheric steaming can be time consuming, non-uniform, and can result in failures. Vacuum steam technology offers a promising method that utilizes pressure differentials to accelerate the addition of steam to wood due to water vapor bulk flow and subsequently an accelerated temperature rise. More uniform plasticization results in less breakage of the wood.
On the Prediction of Pictorial Comprehension

Pictorial development and testing can be a costly and inefficient process. The process of designing and testing pictorial symbols could benefit from a precursor test to determine the likelihood that a concept will permit the design of a successful symbol (according to subsequent comprehension testing). This study examines whether ratings of the concepts of to-be-designed symbols could be useful in the prediction of comprehension of the ensuing symbols for those concepts. Participants rated 50 text descriptions (referent plus further verbal context) on: (1) how concrete is this concept? (2) how easy is it to visualize this concept?; and (3) how effective would a simple picture be in conveying this concept? These ratings served as predictors of the population estimates and open-ended comprehension scores obtained from previous research by Young and Wogalter (2001). Results showed that there was a high correlation between the measures used in this study with both population estimates and open-ended comprehen...
High order neural networks

Summary form only given. The author presents a specific high order neural network design which can store using n neurons any number M, 1 >
Hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis is a predictable consequence of intraoperative infusion of 0.9% saline.

Hyperchloremic Metabolic Acidosis Is a Predictable Consequence of Intraoperative Infusion of 0.9% Saline Donald Prough;Akhil Bidani; Anesthesiology
Outcomes-Based Evaluation in a Community Health Library

ABSTRACT Increasingly, libraries are being asked for more accountability. What benefits or impacts do the services provided have on the people who use them? This paper briefly discusses outcomes evaluation and reports the results of an outcomes-based evaluation of the reference interaction at Munson Community Health Library. The methodology for this study is based on the work of Durrance and Pettigrew, who with IMLS grant support, created a toolkit: How Libraries and Librarians Help: Putting Outcome Evaluation in Context: A Toolkit(www.si. umich.edu/libhelp/toolkit). Results of the study validate that the Community Health Library fulfills its mission of providing information to patrons that supports informed decision-making and lifestyle changes.
Interracial and Intraracial Patterns of Mate Selection Among America’s Diverse Black Populations

Despite recent immigration from Africa and the Caribbean, Blacks in America are still viewed as a monolith in many previous studies. In this paper, we use newly released 2000 census data to estimate log-linear models that highlight patterns of interracial and intraracial marriage and cohabitation among African Americans, West Indians, Africans, and Puerto Rican non-Whites, and their interracial marriage and cohabitation with Whites. Based on data from several metropolitan areas, our results show that, despite lower socioeconomic status, native-born African Americans are more likely than other Blacks to marry Whites; they also are more likely to marry other Black ethnics. West Indians, Africans, and Puerto Rican non-Whites are more likely to marry African Americans than to marry Whites. Interracial relationships represent a greater share of cohabiting unions than marital unions. The majority of interracial unions, including native and immigrant Blacks, consist of a Black man and White woman. The implications for marital assimilation are discussed.
An Evaluation of Creep Behaviour in Friction Stir Welded MA754 Alloy

Effect of friction stir welding (FSW) on microstructure and creep properties of oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) alloy MA754 were investigated. Fine-grained microstructure developed in the weld zone. TEM results showed some degree of particle agglomeration as a result of intense material flow. Creep tests of the FSW material were carried out at 973 and 1073 K. Power law creep behaviour was observed with stress exponent values of 6.9 and 6.3 at 973 and 1073 K, respectively. The results were compared to those of the as-received material. Creep resistance of FSW material was lower than that of as-received material associated with significantly reduced threshold stress. Post-weld annealing was carried out at 1598 K for 1 h. The heat treatment resulted in a coarse-grained microstructure and enhanced the creep resistance of the welded material. The creep data were compared with those of ODS Ni-Cr alloys in literature. The analysis shows the threshold stress of ODS alloys to be grain size- and temperature-dependent.
Choquet integral-based morphological operators

Gray-scale morphological operators are commonly employed in image processing applications, such as texture analysis, target detection and image enhancement. One major problem with these operators is their sensitivity to noise. Another issue is finding the right structuring elements for a process. This paper describes Choquet integral-based morphological operators. These operators do not necessarily use max and min and therefore they are less sensitive to noise. In this paper, we also introduce a technique to find an optimal gray scale structuring element. These developments yield applications, including but not limited to target detection and multi-layer filtering.
Cerebrovascular accident with unusual electrocardiographic changes.

Abstract This case report describes a 10-year-old girl sustaining a cerebrovascular accident secondary to a vascular malformation involving the cingulate gyrus. The patient developed a Mobitz Type I block with periods of AV dissociation. A 12-lead electrocardiogram revealed the frequently observed prolongation of the QT interval. Her ECG also demonstrated diffuse ST segment elevation. Neurophysiological mechanisms are discussed.
Introduction and critique of non-isothermal kinetics

Abstract The complexity of kinetics is analyzed suggesting that one should choose other methods either to obtain the data or to verify the conclusions from thermogravimetric measurements.
Transduction mechanisms of porcine chondrocyte inorganic pyrophosphate elaboration

Objective To investigate cellular signaling mechanisms that influence chondrocyte production of inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi), which promotes calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate (CPPD) crystal deposition. Methods Articular chondrocyte and cartilage cultures were stimulated with protein kinase C (PKC) activator and adenyl cyclase activator. Generation of extracellular PPi was measured. Results Adenyl cyclase activation resulted in diminished pyrophosphate generation. PKC activation stimulated pyrophosphate elaboration. Conclusion Two signaling pathways, cAMP and PKC, modulate generation of extracellular pyrophosphate by cartilage and chondrocytes. They are novel targets for potentially diminishing extracellular pyrophosphate elaboration that leads to CPPD crystal deposition.
Using an adaptive HPC runtime system to reconfigure the cache hierarchy

The cache hierarchy often consumes a large portion of a processor's energy. To save energy in HPC environments, this paper proposes software-controlled reconfiguration of the cache hierarchy with an adaptive runtime system. Our approach addresses the two major limitations associated with other methods that reconfigure the caches: predicting the application's future and finding the best cache hierarchy configuration. Our approach uses formal language theory to express the application's pattern and help predict its future. Furthermore, it uses the prevalent Single Program Multiple Data (SPMD) model of HPC codes to find the best configuration in parallel quickly. Our experiments using cycle-level simulations indicate that 67% of the cache energy can be saved with only a 2.4% performance penalty on average. Moreover, we demonstrate that, for some applications, switching to a software-controlled reconfigurable streaming buffer configuration can improve performance by up to 30% and save 75% of the cache energy.
Norepinephrine protects cortical neurons against microglial‐induced cell death

Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) is one of the main cytokines involved in the inflammatory response; it has multiple effects that can contribute to cell damage, one of which is the upregulation of the inducible form of nitric oxide (NO) synthase (NOS2) in certain cell types. We demonstrated previously that in vivo, cortical microglial inflammatory responses were increased when noradrenaline (NE) levels were depleted, suggesting that NE can reduce microglial activation. In the present report, we examined the role of IL-1β in neurotoxicity induced by microglial-conditioned media, and possible neuroprotective effects of NE. Incubation of cortical neurons with conditioned media (CM) obtained from lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated microglia induced neuronal NOS2 expression and increased neuronal cell death, and these responses were reduced if the neurons were coincubated with interleukin-1 receptor antagonist. Cotreatment of microglial cells with LPS plus NE potently blocked IL-1β production and reduced the ability of the CM to induce neuronal NOS2 and cell death. These results suggest that microglial release of IL-1β is an important activator of neuronal inflammatory responses, and that protective effects of NE upon neurons involve a reduction of microglial-derived IL-1β. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Ferroelectric polarization reversal via successive ferroelastic transitions

Switchable polarization makes ferroelectrics a critical component in memories, actuators and electro-optic devices, and potential candidates for nanoelectronics. Although many studies of ferroelectric switching have been undertaken, much remains to be understood about switching in complex domain structures and in devices. In this work, a combination of thin-film epitaxy, macro- and nanoscale property and switching characterization, and molecular dynamics simulations are used to elucidate the nature of switching in PbZr(0.2)Ti(0.8)O3 thin films. Differences are demonstrated between (001)-/(101)- and (111)-oriented films, with the latter exhibiting complex, nanotwinned ferroelectric domain structures with high densities of 90° domain walls and considerably broadened switching characteristics. Molecular dynamics simulations predict both 180° (for (001)-/(101)-oriented films) and 90° multi-step switching (for (111)-oriented films) and these processes are subsequently observed in stroboscopic piezoresponse force microscopy. These results have implications for our understanding of ferroelectric switching and offer opportunities to change domain reversal speed.
The closed heart MAZE: a nonbypass surgical technique

Abstract Background . The MAZE-III is the surgical treatment of choice for medically refractory atrial fibrillation. Although a number of nonsurgical techniques are evolving to duplicate the transmural atrial lesions of the MAZE-III, the surgical atriotomy remains the gold standard for conduction block. It was the objective of this study to surgically create the atrial incisions of the MAZE-III without the use of cardiopulmonary bypass. Methods . A technique was developed to create and intersect the linear incisions of the MAZE-III on 10 beating canine hearts without the use of cardiopulmonary bypass using a "tunnel" of atrial tissue. The effectiveness of the procedure was tested by atrial burst pacing. Results . This technique was successfully performed on 10 mongrel dogs without operative mortality. Preoperatively, sustained atrial fibrillation (>30 seconds) was induced in all animals. Postoperatively, all the animals remained in sinus rhythm even after burst pacing. Conclusions . In an experimental canine model, the MAZE-III can be performed on beating hearts without the assistance of cardiopulmonary bypass using a "tunnel" technique. This technique allows for the immediate assessment of electrophysiologic and mechanical function after the MAZE-III, or any other type of procedure using the "maze principle" and may find future application in the clinical arena.
The immunological aspects of latency in tuberculosis

A unique feature of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is its ability to exist in the granuloma of an asymptomatic host in a latent state that can subsequently reactivate to cause active disease. The latent state of infection poses a major obstacle to eradicating tuberculosis. In latent tuberculosis, the host immune response is capable of controlling the infection and yet falls short of eradicating the pathogen. That the host immune response contributes to the maintenance of latent tuberculous infection is supported by the observation that certain immunodeficient states, including those associated with the human immunodeficiency virus and tumor necrosis factor neutralization therapy, are associated with increased risks for developing reactivation disease. Latent tuberculosis is the product of a complex set of interactions between M. tuberculosis and the host immune response. The molecular basis for the persistence phenotype of M. tuberculosis and the pertinent host immune mechanisms that contribute to the maintenance of tuberculous latency are just beginning to be understood. This review discusses the interactions between M. tuberculosis and the macrophage, the primary host cell that the tubercle bacillus parasitizes.
Normal shuttle box avoidance learning after chronic phenobarbital intoxication in mice.

Mice consumed phenobarbital incorporated into liquid diets and maintained gross behavioral sedation and ataxia for 4 months. Three weeks after the discontinuation of phenobarbital in the diet, shuttle box avoidance learning was not impaired in comparison with controls pair-fed with a comparable phenobarbital-free diet or laboratory chow ad libitum. Non-specific sedation cannot explain the impairment of shuttle box avoidance learning by chronic ethanol consumption previously demonstrated under comparable conditions.
PHEOCHROMOCYTOMA: CLINICAL OBSERVATIONS FROM A BROOKLYN TERTIARY HOSPITAL

Objective: To report eight cases of pheochromocytoma, diagnosed and treated at our tertiary hospital during a 42-month period. Methods: We review clinical manifestations as well as historical and f...
Real-time ECG analysis using a TI TMSC54/spl times/ digital signal processing chip

Real-time template-based correlation was implemented on the Texas Instruments TMSC5402 digital signal processing (DSP) chip to allow for the detection of abnormal QRS-complexes in electrocardiographic signals. Several novel techniques were used to achieve real-time implementation of correlation algorithms, as well as development of an automatic template generation module. The main goal was the successful development of an algorithm to rapidly and efficiently detect irregular QRS complexes. This is implemented by software embedded in a DSP chip using limited memory resources. Once the algorithm produces a favorable correlation of a normal QRS, the timer is reset (and alarm deactivated, if active) indicating a normal passage. Values of the timer and correlation threshold are also displayed on an oscilloscope to allow for visual inspection of the system while executing. This paper describes an academic undergraduate semester-long project in the implementation of an arrhythmia (abnormal beat) detector accomplished via a standard DSP chip. The bulk of the project consisted of software design, which was kept modular to facilitate the visualization of project flow and modification of individual software components. The system can easily be implemented on a small DSP, field programmable gate array (FPGA), or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The device can be bundled with a micro hard-drive to record ECG signals over a lengthy period of time in minimal space.
Hemifacial microsomia with an edentulous mandible: Forme fruste or a new syndrome?

A patient suffering from hemifacial microsomia with mandibular anodontia on the affected side is described. The various surgical and growth-guidance prosthetic measures employed to influence facial development and to correct deformities present evidence that the problems of such patients, even when severe, may be helped. Proper diagnosis and staging of the contributing elements of care are essential components of the treatment plan.
Wear transitions and tribochemical reactions in ceramics

AbstractStructural ceramics are used in diverse tribological applications due to their unique properties that include resistance to abrasion and erosion, resistance to corrosive wear, wear resistan...
Effect of Liriomyza trifolii (Diptera: Agromyzidae) Larval Damage on Growth, Yield, and Cosmetic Quality of Celery in Florida

An experiment done near Belle Glade, Fla. compared the growth and yield of celery protected from Liriomyza trifolii (Burgess) damage by weekly applications of cyromazine with celery that was unprotected from leafminer damage. In 15 plantings, leafminers had no significant effect on the growth or yield of celery. Our data show that a substantial amount of leafminer damage can be tolerated by celery plants in southern Florida without a significant reduction in growth rate or yield. In another experiment, populations of L. trifolii were manipulated with cyromazine so that field plots of celery were made vulnerable to larval leafminer damage during the first, second, or third month of the 3-mo growing season. Celery exposed to leafminers during the first or second month had cosmetic quality similar to celery receiving cyromazine applications weekly throughout the growing season. Celery exposed to leafminer feeding during the last month had quality losses similar to or greater than the untreated check. Therefore, celery apparently must be protected from leafminer damage only during the final month of the growing season in Florida to prevent losses in quality. Even low leafminer densities during the last month caused considerable quality loss, indicating that control must be extremely effective during that time to produce a marketable crop of celery.
Wireless Hydrogen Sensor Self-Powered Using Ambient Vibration and Light

This paper presents the design, integration, and test of a self-contained wireless hydrogen sensor system powered using ambient vibrations and light. A large number of distributed sensors are required to safely operate hydrogen production, storage, distribution, and fuel cell facilities for aviation, space, and terrestrial applications. Due to cost and reliability issues pertaining to a widespread distributed network, a completely wireless hydrogen sensor system is desirable. For a long (10 year) operating life with minimal maintenance, a wireless system implies both wireless data transmission and local energy mining and/or wireless collection of directed RF energy. Design procedures and issues pertaining to minimizing power consumption for a self-powered hydrogen sensor system are discussed.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Rapid Thermal Processing of Mesoporous Silica Films: A Simple Method to Fabricate Films Micrometers Thick for Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) Applications

We are interested in constructing self-assembled mesoporous silica films several micrometers thick in a cost-effective way, for use as ionic conductors, membranes, and sensors for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) applications. One way to construct films of micrometer thickness is to repeat the coating processes with each step, followed by calcination of the surfactants. However, conventional furnace calcination requires hours, which makes it impractical. In this paper, we report the use of a lamp-based rapid thermal processing (RTP) as a simple and fast way to remove surfactants and stiffen the silica framework. The RTP enabled us to save processing time (by an order of magnitude, in comparison to the time required for conventional furnace processing). Mesoporous silica films ∼2.5 μm thick were fabricated within an hour. Using microfabrication techniques, self-supporting mesoporous films were subsequently fabricated on patterned silicon wafers.
Annotation functionality for digital libraries supporting collaborative performance: an example of musical scores

This paper describes the findings of an ethnographic study that examined the annotation behaviors of musicians working with musical scores for the purpose of performance. Annotation was found to be an important part of the rehearsal process, and specific annotation functionalities are recommended for future digital library development.
The Rate of Activation by Calmodulin of Isoform 4 of the Plasma Membrane Ca2+ Pump Is Slow and Is Changed by Alternative Splicing

Abstract A reconstitution system allowed us to measure the ATPase activity of specific isoforms of the plasma membrane Ca2+ pump continuously, and to measure the effects of adding or removing calmodulin. The rate of activation by calmodulin of isoform 4b was found to be very slow, with a half-time (at 235 nm calmodulin and 0.5 μm free Ca2+) of about 1 min. The rate of inactivation of isoform 4b when calmodulin was removed was even slower, with a half-time of about 20 min. Isoform 4a has a lower apparent affinity for calmodulin than 4b, but its activation rate was surprisingly faster (half time about 20 s). This was coupled with a much faster inactivation rate, consistent with its low affinity. A truncated mutant of isoform 4b also had a more rapid activation rate, indicating that the downstream inhibitory region of full-length 4b contributed to its slow activation. The results indicate that the slow activation is due to occlusion of the calmodulin-binding domain of 4b, caused by its strong interaction with the catalytic core. Since the activation of 4b occurs on a time scale comparable to that of many Ca2+ spikes, this phenomenon is important to the function of the pump in living cells. The slow response of 4b indicates that this isoform may be the appropriate one for cells which respond slowly to Ca2+signals.
Weighted Residual Numerical Differentiation Algorithm Applied to Experimental Bending Moment Data

A weighted-residual approach for differentiating one-dimensional discrete data is presented and applied to an experimental program in which distributions of bending moment were measured along a model pile foundation in a centrifuge test. The weighted-residual approach is validated by first differentiating a sinusoidal bending moment distribution, and errors in first and second derivatives associated with various ratios of wavelength to sampling interval are computed. A bending moment distribution from a finite-element simulation of a pile foundation is differentiated using the weighted-residual technique, by fitting cubic splines, and by polynomial regression, and second derivatives are compared with the recorded subgrade reaction distributions. The influence of adding noise to the sampled bending moment distribution prior to differentiation is explored and is found to be most influential when sampling intervals are small. Bending moment data recorded during the centrifuge experiment are double differenti...
Synthesis and characterization of fly ash modified mine tailings-based geopolymers

Abstract Each year, the mining industry generates a significant amount of mine tailings. Storage of these tailings occupies large areas of land and leads to high monetary, environmental and ecological costs. In this research, a feasibility study is performed on geopolymerization of mine tailings so that they can be recycled and utilized as construction material. Considering the extremely high silicon to aluminum (Si/Al) ratio for the mine tailings, class F fly ash is used to adjust the Si/Al ratio. Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution is used as the alkaline reaction agent. The research consists of unconfined compression tests to evaluate the mechanical properties, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging to investigate the microstructure, and the X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis to study the phase compositions. The effects of fly ash content (which affects the Si/Al ratio), alkalinity (NaOH concentration), and curing time on the geopolymerization of mine tailings are studied in a systematic way. The results show that the Si/Al ratio and the alkalinity have profound effects on the mechanical and micro-structural properties of the mine tailings-based geopolymers. The curing time affects the mechanical and micro-structural properties of the mine tailings-based geopolymers mainly during the first 7 days. Based on the research, it can be concluded that mine tailings are a viable and promising construction material if the geopolymerization technology is utilized.
How to Count to One Thousand

An agent must verify that n objects are present. While counting, the agent might lose track and need to start over. The scheme that minimizes the expected counting time involves several layers in which objects are grouped into stacks, which are grouped into stacks of stacks, and so on. The size of each division depends only on the probability of making a mistake; the number of levels in the process increases with the logarithm of the size of the task. Variations on the model are introduced to investigate the optimal size of an organization employing presence of error-prone workers. Copyright 1992 by Royal Economic Society.
Estrogen target sites in the cloacal region of female and male chick embryos

After intravenous injection of 3H-estradiol in the 12-day old chick embryo, radioactivity is concentrated in nuclei of certain cells in the cloacal area. The nuclear labeling is observed in mesenchymal cells along the different portions of the cloaca, and in an unidentified tissue located laterally to the cloaca. The labeled mesenchymal cells display a definite pattern of distribution along the epithelial wall of the cloaca, identical both in male and in female embryos. In the adjacent bursa of Fabricius, cells do not concentrate labeled hormone in their nuclei. The presence of estrogen receptors in the cloacal area of embryos of either sex adds evidence, at the cellular level, to support the concept of a “neutral”, or undifferentiated, sex with estradiol inhibiting this “neutral” male differentiation.
High performance locks for multi-level NUMA systems

Efficient locking mechanisms are critically important for high performance computers. On highly-threaded systems with a deep memory hierarchy, the throughput of traditional queueing locks, e.g., MCS locks, falls off due to NUMA effects. Two-level cohort locks perform better on NUMA systems, but fail to deliver top performance for deep NUMA hierarchies. In this paper, we describe a hierarchical variant of the MCS lock that adapts the principles of cohort locking for architectures with deep NUMA hierarchies. We describe analytical models for throughput and fairness of Cohort-MCS (C-MCS) and Hierarchical MCS (HMCS) locks that enable us to tailor these locks for high performance on any target platform without empirical tuning. Using these models, one can select parameters such that an HMCS lock will deliver better fairness than a C-MCS lock for a given throughput, or deliver better throughput for a given fairness. Our experiments show that, under high contention, a three-level HMCS lock delivers up to 7.6x higher lock throughput than a C-MCS lock on a 128-thread IBM Power 755 and a five-level HMCS lock delivers up to 72x higher lock throughput on a 4096-thread SGI UV 1000. On the K-means clustering code from the MineBench suit, a three-level HMCS lock reduces the running time by up to 55% compared to the C-MCS lock on a IBM Power 755.
Development of a Human-Murine Chimeric Immunoglobulin M for Use in the Serological Detection of Human Alphavirus Antibodies

Diagnosis of human alphaviral infections relies on serological techniques, such as the immunoglobulin M antibody capture-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (MAC-ELISA). We have humanized the alphavirus broadly cross-reactive murine monoclonal antibody 1A4B-6 to create a reagent capable of replacing human positive sera in the MAC-ELISA for diagnosis of human alphaviral infections.
New media vs. old media: A portrait of the Drudge Report 2002-2008

The Drudge Report is one of the founding flag bearers of the “new media”: a U.S.-based news aggregator founded in the late 1990’s that has developed a reputation for breaking tomorrow’s news today. The site has become a powerful force in the U.S. media sphere and its founder was named one of Time Magazine’s most influential people in 2006. In existence for more than a decade, the Drudge Report makes an ideal case study for examining the “new media versus old media” argument. How dependent is such a “new media” aggregator on the “old media” it draws from, and how does it find the breaking stories it has built its reputation on? A cross-section of analytical techniques is used to demonstrate how to profile a news Web site, and finds that the Drudge Report relies heavily on wire services and obscure news outlets to find the small stories that will break large tomorrow and is highly dependant on the mainstream “old media” sites it draws from.
IL-15/IL-15Rα-mediated avidity maturation of memory CD8 + T cells

T cell avidity is critical to viral clearance, but mechanisms of CD8+ T cell avidity maturation are poorly understood. Here, we find that IL-15 mediates two mechanisms of avidity maturation. (i) By selection at the population level, IL-15 promotes greater survival of high- compared with low-avidity cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs). High-avidity CTLs express higher levels of IL-15Rα and persist longer by homeostatic proliferation. (ii) At the individual cell level, IL-15 induces higher levels of surface coreceptor CD8αβ, increasing functional avidity. IL-15 during priming selects or induces higher-avidity CTLs. Conversely, high-avidity CTLs are diminished in IL-15Rα knockout mice. These results provide an explanation of CD8+ T cell avidity maturation and may contribute to the design of novel vaccines.
TES on the aura mission: scientific objectives, measurements, and analysis overview

The Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) is a high-resolution infrared imaging Fourier transform spectrometer specifically aimed at determining the chemical state of the Earth's lower atmosphere (the troposphere). In particular, TES produces vertical profiles 0-32 km of important pollutant and greenhouse gases such as carbon monoxide, ozone, methane, and water vapor on a global scale every other day.