cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
in situ FTIR Spectroscopic Characterization of Electroactive Species

Abstract A spectroelectrochemical technique based on the Fourier Transform Infrared Reflection Absorption Spectroscopic (FTIR-RAS) method is described, whereby high resolution in situ vibrational spectra of electrogenerated reaction intermediates (including radicals) and species adsorbed on electrode surfaces are obtained. Theoretical and experimental aspects of the method in a single reflection mode are discussed. Details of the cell design and the optimization of the operational parameters for running the FT-IR spectrometer in the RAS mode are also described. Apart from the potential of this technique to identify adsorbed species through their vibrational spectra, it can also be used to determine the orientation of the adsorbed species on the electrode surface by making use of surface selection rules. Using this technique, it has been possible to record the spectra of molecules adsorbed from aqueous and non aqueous media on metal and carbon electrodes. It has been possible to distinguish the vibrational...
System effectiveness criteria for the analysis of MX basing modes

Abstract Due to the increased accuracy of the Soviet Strategic Rocket Forces, the present U.S. silo based missiles are becoming more vulnerable to attack. One reason for creating MX missiles in the first place is to avoid this vulnerability of silos. It is imperative now that basing of MX missiles be reconsidered before committing billions of dollars to a defensive system that may turn out to be a Maginot line for the 1980s. This paper puts forward criteria such as survivability, cost, operational readiness, technical feasibility, etc., and methodologies that can be used for the analysis and evaluation of various basing modes which might keep the deployment of MX missiles effective.
Characteristic Vectors of Bordered Matrices with Infinite Dimensions II

The statistical properties of the characteristic values of a matrix the elements of which show a normal (Gaussian) distribution are well known (cf. [6] Chapter XI) and have been derived, rather recently, in a particularly elegant fashion.1 The present problem arose from the consideration of the properties of the wave functions of quantum mechanical systems which are assumed to be so complicated that statistical considerations can be applied to them. Since the physical problem has been given rather recently in some detail in another journal [3], it will not be reviewed here. Actually, the model which underlies the present calculations shows only a limited similarity to the model which is believed to be correct. Nevertheless, the calculation which follows may have some independent interest; it certainly provided the encouragement for a detailed investigation of the model which may reproduce some features of the actual behavior of atomic nuclei.
The areas and ice production of the western and central Ross Sea polynyas, 1992–2002, and their relation to the B-15 and C-19 iceberg events of 2000 and 2002

Abstract For 1992–2002, the paper investigates the heat loss and area of three polynyas in the western and central Ross Sea. These are the Ross Sea Polynya (RSP) and the much smaller Terra Nova Bay and McMurdo Sound polynyas. The importance of these polynyas is that their associated salt rejection contributes to the formation of the High Salinity Shelf Water (HSSW) that is crucial to the Antarctic Bottom Water formation. The study divides into two parts, 1992–1999, when there was negligible iceberg activity, and 2000–2002, when major icebergs calved and interacted with the polynyas. To retrieve the ice thicknesses and heat fluxes within the polynyas, the paper uses an algorithm based on the ratio of the vertically and horizontally polarized Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) 25-km resolution 37-GHz channels, combined with meteorological data. Because of sidelobe contamination, the ice shelf and icebergs are masked. Our results show that for the polynyas, and consistent with other observations, their mean winter area is about 30,000 km 2 and their combined ice production is about 500 km 3 y − 1 . We also find that the polynya ice production approximately equals the ice export. This is in contrast to the Weddell Sea, where the polynya ice production equals about 6% of the ice export. For the years 2000 and 2002, the calving of large icebergs directly affect the ice production by inhibiting the ice production off the shelf due to piling up of first year ice upwind of the bergs and by generating new polynyas downwind of the bergs. The period 1992–2001 exhibits an upward trend in polynya productivity. The decadal increase in the ice production suggests that the observed HSSW salinity decrease in the western Ross Sea is not due to the polynyas, but is rather due to a change in the properties of the water flowing into the Ross.
Using interactive archives in evolutionary multiobjective optimization: A case study for long-term groundwater monitoring design

Monitoring complex environmental systems is extremely challenging because it requires environmental professionals to capture impacted systems' governing processes, elucidate human and ecologic risks, limit monitoring costs, and satisfy the interests of multiple stakeholders (e.g., site owners, regulators, and public advocates). Evolutionary multiobjective optimization (EMO) has tremendous potential to help resolve these issues by providing environmental stakeholders with a direct understanding of their monitoring tradeoffs. This paper demonstrates how @?-dominance archiving and automatic parameterization techniques can be used to significantly improve the ease-of-use and efficiency of EMO algorithms. Results are presented for a four-objective groundwater monitoring design problem in which the archiving and parameterization techniques are combined to reduce computational demands by more than 90% relative to prior published results. The methods of this paper can be easily generalized to other multiobjective applications to minimize computational times as well as trial-and-error parameter analysis.
Simulations of low energy cascades in fcc Pu metal at 300 K and constant volume

Abstract Recently progress has been achieved with a modified embedded atom method (MEAM) potential for pure Pu. The MEAM potential is able to capture the most salient features of atomic volume and enthalpy of solid and liquid Pu metal as a function of temperature at zero pressure. The atomic volume difference between monoclinic (α-phase) and fcc (δ-phase) was captured nearly quantitatively. From molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, we find that Pu, under these conditions, has an approximately 10 eV minimum displacement threshold energy, very low compared to most other fcc metals, and shows less crystallographic anisotropy in this minimum. At 0 K, the constant volume cell relaxes to a rhombohedrally distorted structure, which is connected to the low minimum displacement threshold energy. Split interstitials orient themselves in a 〈1 0 0〉 direction and migrate over a 0.056 eV barrier. Mono-vacancies migrate over a 0.84–1.00 eV barrier.
Catalytic hydroxylation of steroids by cytochrome P-450 mimics. Hydroxylation at C-9 with novel catalysts and steroid substrates

Double binding of a steroid substrate to our previously described mimic of the cytochrome P-450 enzymes hydroxylates carbon 9 of the steroid, but with a second significant product. The geometry has been adjusted with new catalysts that show high selectivity and excellent turnover for the C-9 hydroxylation.
SU‐C‐217A‐05: The Design of An Institution Wide Comprehensive Technique Chart for Size‐ Specific Radiography from Pediatrics to Adults

Purpose: A properly designed projection radiography technique chart enables adherence to maximum Entrance Skin Exposure (ESE) standards, avoidance of improper exposures, and optimization of image quality across devices and patient sizes. The goal of this project was to develop and “field test” a technique chart designed to accomplish these tasks. Methods: All radiographic anatomical examinations at our institution were characterized in terms of average body‐part thickness, kVp, grid use, and field size, across a group of eight patient sizes ranging from neonates to bariatric adults. Wide‐angle transmission fractions (TFs) were measured across a range of thickness, field sizes, and kVp, from which multi‐dimensional fits enabled TF to be estimated for any examination type. For each examination type, target ESE values necessary to deliver manufacturer‐specified detector exposure were determined. The maximum and target ESE values for patients other than average adults were propagated from the average adult values to those for each of the patient size groups using the estimated TFs. For a given x‐ray system, the maximum and the target mAs values were then estimated from the measured mR/mAs for that system for each of the anatomical examinations and patient sizes. Results: Generated mAs values compared reasonably well with empiric values used by technologists for average adult. However, there were notable discrepancies across devices and patient sizes. For large patients, the generated values were in general substantially larger than empiric values. The new technique chart is currently implemented across our institution. Conclusions: Using a universal technique chart enables a reduction in variability of acquisition across the imaging operation at a large medical center. This can substantially aid in improving the consistency of medical imaging and provide important guidance as how image quality and dose can be optimized across patient sizes and age groups.
Non-invasive nuclear imaging for localization of viral reservoirs

Antibody-targeted positron emission tomography (immunoPET) can visualize sites of HIV replication that are difficult to access by traditional means such as tissue biopsies.
Quasi-particle excitations and phonon broadening effects in the O ls spectra of Ln(OH)3 (Ln = La, Nd, Sm and Gd)

Abstract The O ls photoelectron spectra of Ln(OH)3 (Ln = La, Nd, Sm and Gd) can be approximated by the convolution of a core hole spectral density function and a response function which is related to the phonon broadening and instrumental broadening effects. A non-linear least-squares analysis on the convolution integral indicates that the lifetime of the O ls (in the energy domain) is strongly broadened by the phonon excitations. The FWHM (full width at half maximum) of the phonon excitations range from 1.3 to 2.6 eV.
Mitochondrial aspartate aminotransferase: a third kynurenate-producing enzyme in the mammalian brain

The tryptophan metabolite kynurenic acid (KYNA), which is produced enzymatically by the irreversible transamination of l-kynurenine, is an antagonist of alpha7 nicotinic and NMDA receptors and may thus modulate cholinergic and glutamatergic neurotransmission. Two kynurenine aminotransferases (KAT I and II) are currently considered the major biosynthetic enzymes of KYNA in the brain. In this study, we report the existence of a third enzyme displaying KAT activity in the mammalian brain. The novel KAT had a pH optimum of 8.0 and a low capacity to transaminate glutamine or alpha-aminoadipate (the classic substrates of KAT I and KAT II, respectively). The enzyme was inhibited by aspartate, glutamate, and quisqualate but was insensitive to blockade by glutamine or anti-KAT II antibodies. After purification to homogeneity, the protein was sequenced and the enzyme was identified as mitochondrial aspartate aminotransferase (mitAAT). Finally, the relative contributions of KAT I, KAT II, and mitAAT to total KAT activity were determined in mouse, rat, and human brain at physiological pH using anti-mitAAT antibodies. KAT II was most abundant in rat and human brain, while mitAAT played the major role in mouse brain. It remains to be seen if mitAAT participates in cerebral KYNA synthesis under physiological and/or pathological conditions in vivo.
Diet Effects on Intrinsic Rate of Increase and Rearing of Proprioseiopsis asetus (Acari: Phytoseiidae)

Abstract The intrinsic rate of increase (rm) was estimated for Proprioseiopsis asetus Muma (Acari: Phytoseiidae) on pollen and two prey species at 35°C. Cattail, Typha latifolia L., pollen and Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) were equally favorable as food and superior to Tetranychus urticae Koch. More females were produced in a shorter time when P. asetus was fed F. occidentalis or pollen; however, survivorship was longer when the predator was fed T. urticae. On an F. occidentalis diet, calculated rm values ranged from 0.2789 to 0.2925. The net reproductive rate was lower on a diet of T. urticae (6.48) than on pollen (9.76) or on F. occidentalis (21.39). The finite rate of increase was lower on T. urticae (1.1868) than on pollen (1.3274) or F. occidentalis (1.3398). The mean generation time was similar on the three diets. That the data reported here were collected at 35°C makes it remarkable. P. asetus may have great potential as a biological control agent of arthropods, especially thrips under clim...
Sustained high pressure double balloon angioplasty of calcified conduits

Objective—To assess the efficacy of prolonged high pressure angioplasty for dilatation of calcified and stenotic cardiac conduits in children. Design—A prospective study of consecutive patients presenting with calcified and stenotic conduits. Setting—Two tertiary paediatric cardiology departments. Methods—Sustained (up to five minutes), high pressure (up to 18 atmospheres), double balloon angioplasty was performed in six calcified and stenotic cardiac conduits (five consecutive patients, three male, two female, age 4 to 17 years). Four patients had right ventricle to pulmonary artery (RV-PA) conduits, and one had two venous conduits in a Fontan circulation. Results—Marked reductions in right ventricle to pulmonary artery gradients, from a median (range) of 48 (40 to 62) mm Hg to 11 (5 to 16) mm Hg, and in right ventricle to femoral artery pressure ratios, from a median of 0.8 (0.72 to 0.86) to 0.4 (0.33 to 0.44), were achieved for all RV-PA conduits. All five patients had sustained clinical improvement at follow up (median follow up 12 months) and none has required reintervention or surgery. Conclusions—Prolonged high pressure double balloon angioplasty may have a role in prolonging the interval between conduit replacements in a subset of patients with complex heart defects. Keywords: angioplasty; conduit; calcification; congenital heart disease; interventional cardiology
Occurrence of a Cylindrospermopsis bloom in Louisiana

Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii occurs predominantly in tropical to subtropical freshwaters but appears to be spreading to temperate regions. After the hurricanes of 2005, a bloom of this organism took place in Lake Dauterive and Lake Fausse Pointe in Louisiana. The cyanobacterium dominated the phytoplankton community for three months. Of the three known morphotypes (straight, coiled and spiral) only coiled and spiral were found. In June 2006, 60% of the organisms were of the spiral morphotype but the relative abundance of this morphotype decreased dramatically within the month of June. However, the average density for both morphotypes remained the same until September. Densities (up to 160,000 cells/mL) significantly exceeded the threshold for toxicity. Because the sampled region offers optimal light and nutrient conditions, it is likely that C. raciborskii has been established in this region and future blooms can be expected. Therefore, a monitoring program should be implemented.
Energy-Aware Scheduling for Practical Mode Real-Time Systems with QoS Guarantee

Energy Consumption and Quality of Service (QoS) are two primary concerns in the development of today’s pervasive computing systems. While most of the research in energy-aware real-time scheduling has been focused on hard real-time systems, we study the problem of minimizing energy for soft real-time systems with the requirements of QoS-guarantee. In this paper, the QoS requirements are deterministically quantified with the (m; k)-constraints,which require that at least m out of any k consecutive jobs of a task meet their deadlines. A dynamic DVS algorithm is presented to reduce the energy while guaranteeing the given(m; k)-constraints. The simulation results demonstrate that our proposed techniques can achieve significant energy saving performance while ensuring the QoS guarantee.
Dirichlet process mixture models with multiple modalities

The Dirichlet process can be used as a nonparametric prior for an infinite-dimensional probability mass function on the parameter space of a mixture model. The set of parameters over which it is defined is generally used for a single, parametric distribution. We extend this idea to parameter spaces that characterize multiple distributions, or modalities. In this framework, observations containing multiple, incompatible pieces of information can be mixed upon, allowing for all information to inform the final clustering result. We provide a general MCMC sampling scheme and demonstrate this framework on a Gaussian-HMM mixture model applied to synthetic and Major League Baseball data.
Sequential Medication Strategies for Postherpetic Neuralgia: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis

Abstract Several medications are recommended for relief of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). A sequential treatment algorithm has been suggested, but its cost-effectiveness is unclear. We developed a decision model to estimate the cost-effectiveness of this algorithm compared with other sequential medication strategies in 70-year-olds with PHN, using literature data to model medication-related PHN relief while also accounting for severe medication side effects. Hypothetical patients with and without coronary artery disease (CAD) were considered separately, with and without localized pain. Sequential medication switches occurred as the result of inadequate relief or intolerable side effects. Probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed to estimate the favorability of each medication early in treatment sequences. In patients without CAD, tricyclic and gabapentin were equally favored as initial therapy if mortality with tricyclic use was not increased, but gabapentin was strongly favored if it was. In patients with CAD, gabapentin was overwhelmingly favored. In either patient group, opioids, pregabalin, and tramadol were not favored as initial therapy but were sensible choices later in treatment sequences. The lidocaine patch was a reasonable first choice in patients with localized PHN. Our analysis supports the suggested treatment algorithm, with cost-effectiveness ratios within acceptable ranges for medications given sequentially, based on literature-based estimates of effectiveness and tolerability. Perspective This article examines the cost-effectiveness of recommended sequential treatment strategies for postherpetic neuralgia. This decision analysis–based synthesis of effectiveness and cost data found that recommended treatment algorithms are also economically reasonable.
Linear ion trap based atomic frequency standard

The development of a trapped ion based fieldable frequency standard with high stability for averaging times tau >1*10/sup 4/ s is discussed. A hybrid RF/DV linear ion trap which permits storage of a large number of ions with reduced susceptibility to the second-order Doppler effect caused by the RF confining fields is described. /sup 199/HG/sup +/ ions have been confined in this trap and very high Q transitions with good signal-to-noise ratio have been measured. Stabilities of 1.6*10/sup -13// square root tau (50 or=10/sup 6/ seconds. >
Shadow checker (SC): A low-cost hardware scheme for online detection of faults in small memory structures of a microprocessor

At various stages of a product life, faults arise from different sources. During product bring up, logic errors are dominant. During production, manufacturing defects are main concerns while during operation, the concern shifts to aging defects. No matter what the source is, debugging such defects may permit logic, circuit or physical design changes to eliminate them in future. Within a processor chip, there are three broad categories of structures, namely the large memory structures such as caches, small memory structures such as reorder buffer, issue queue, and load-store buffers and the data-path. Most control functions and data steering operations are based on small memory structures and they are hard to debug. In this paper, we propose a lightweight hardware scheme, called shadow checker to detect faults in these critical units. The entries in these units are tested by means of a shadow entry that mimics intended operation. A mismatch traps an error. The shadow checker shadows an entry for a few thousand cycles before moving on to shadow another. This scheme can be employed to test chips during silicon debug, manufacturing test as well as during regular operation. We ran experiments on 13 SPEC2000 benchmarks and found that our scheme detects 100% of inserted faults.
Cohort Differences in Adult Obesity in the United States: 1982—2002:

Objectives: To examine the relative importance of broad social change, cohort-specific change, and population composition on trends in adult obesity over the past two decades. Methods: Using the National Health Interview Study from 1982 through 2002, 5-year birth cohorts are examined for differential trends in obesity. Logistic regression is used to separate out the effects of population composition from broad social change and cohort-specific change. Results: Results confirm that age-specific obesity rates have been increasing for successively born cohorts, indicating broad social change. There is little evidence for cohort-specific change, and only small effects of compositional change. Discussion: Although increasing diversity in the older population will probably result in higher rates of obesity in the future, increasingly sedentary lives and the uncertain impact of smoking cessation on weight outweigh population composition effects. More research is needed on the impact of lifestyle behaviors on the...
Output regulation for parameter-dependent LFT systems

In this paper, we consider an important problem, output regulation, for linear fractional transformation (LFT) systems. This problem is mainly concerned about perfect tracking and/or rejection of persistent signals produced by some external generator. We present a necessary and sufficient solvability condition in terms of two linear matrix equations. Our result is consistent with the existing output regulation conditions for LTI and nonlinear systems. Based on the analysis condition, the synthesis problems, of both full information and output feedback controllers was solved. An example was used to demonstrate the proposed output regulation approach.
Decadal mass balance of the antarctic ice sheet and its contribution to global sea level rise

We analyzed Antarctic ice sheet elevation change (dH/dt) from 1992-2002 using nearly 307 million elevation change measurements from ERS-1 and ERS-2 satellite radar altimeter data covering an area of about 8.5 million km2. Ten-year elevation change time series were constructed for 1,500 local regions, 22 drainage basins, East and West Antarctica, and the continent as a whole (north of 81.6degS). Almost all basins in East Antarctica were found to have long-term dH/dt trends that fell within plusmn3 cm/yr. In West Antarctica the long-term dH/dt trends varied from -9 cm/yr to +22 cm/yr occur over basin scales. Despite these significant spatial variations, both the East and West Antarctic ice sheets, and the continent as a whole are very close to a state of overall mass balance. The average elevation change for the Antarctic continent from 1992-2002 was found to be 1.4plusmn0.2 cm/yr. Considering decadal accumulation variability, this translates to a net sink of fresh water of 42plusmn23 Gt/yr. The Antarctic continent's decadal contribution to global sea level change is estimated to be -0.12plusmn0.07 mm/yr, which is very close to zero. The plusmn0.07 mm/yr error is a three-fold reduction in uncertainty compared to the most recent best estimate for the Antarctic ice sheet
Effects of Aging on Speech and Voice

The primary purpose of this paper is to examine age-related changes in the mechanisms associated with two major components of communication: speech and voice. A secondary purpose is to discuss the ...
Design and evaluation of effective load sharing in distributed real-time systems

In a distributed real-time system, uneven task arrivals temporarily overload some nodes and leave others idle or underloaded. Consequently, some tasks may miss their deadlines even if the overall system has the capacity to meet the deadlines of all tasks. An effective load-sharing (LS) scheme is proposed as a solution to this problem. Upon arrival of a task at a node, the node determines whether the node can complete the task in time under the minimum-laxity first-served policy. If the task cannot be guaranteed, or if guarantees of some other tasks are to be violated as a result of the addition of this task to the existing schedule, the node looks up the list of loss-minimizing decisions and determines the best node among a set of nodes in its physical proximity, called its buddy set, to which the task(s) may be transferred. This list of decisions is periodically updated using Bayesian decision analysis and prior/posterior state distributions. These probability distributions are derived from the information collected via time-stamped state-region change broadcasts within each buddy set. By characterizing the inconsistency between a node's "observed" state and the corresponding true state with prior and posterior distributions, the node can first estimate the states of other nodes, and then use them to reduce the probability of transferring a task to an "incapable") node. Moreover, the use of prior and posterior distributions and Bayesian analysis has made the proposed scheme robust to the variation of design parameters that usually require fine-tuning for adaptive LS. The performance of the proposed scheme is evaluated via simulation, along with five other schemes: no LS, LS with state probing, LS with random selection, LS with focused addressing, and perfect LS. >
Compression After Impact of Sandwich Composite Structures: Experiments and Modeling

A combined experimental and numerical study of compression-after-impact strength of honeycomb core sandwich composite panels is described. Barely-visible impact damage was induced using quasi-static indentation. Specimens consisted of 16-ply carbon-epoxy facesheets with an aluminum honeycomb core. The facesheet stacking sequence, core geometry and thickness were varied as was the indentor diameter to study the effect of these parameters on damage resistance and post-impact damage tolerance. Computational models of the quasi-static indentation and compression after impact are underway. Results to date compare the experimental and simulate indentations for 25.4 mm diameter indentors. Future work will include modeling the larger, 76.2 mm indentor as well as compression-after-impact.
Fecal androgens of bison bulls during the rut.

The influence of sex hormones is a key proximate factor underlying male reproductive behavior in mammals. Effective conservation policies for the remaining purebred plains bison (Bison bison bison) herds require knowledge of the physiology underlying bison reproductive biology. We used fecal steroid analysis to characterize androgen levels in adult bison bulls before, during, and after the rut, and to examine androgen levels of bulls differing in reproductive status, age, and mating success. Fieldwork was carried out at the Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge in north-central Nebraska. All adult bison in the herd were individually known by unique brands. Fecal samples were collected during 2003 from bulls during pre-rut (June), rut (July–August), and post-rut (September), and behavioral observations focused on reproductive status and mating success during the rut. Matched sample data indicated that androgen levels (ng/g feces) of bulls peaked during the rut, doubling from pre-rut to rut and then declining by 75% during post-rut. Dominant bulls that tended (guarded) cows maintained higher androgen levels than bulls that were not tending. There was a positive correlation between bull age (associated with mating success) and androgens, with higher androgen levels in prime-aged bulls compared with younger bulls. Nonetheless, there was no correlation between mating success (measured by number of copulations observed) and androgen level. This suggests that while androgens may provide the proximate motivation to compete for matings, other factors determine the mating success of bison bulls.
Reconsidering complex branch predictors

To sustain instruction throughput rates in more aggressively clocked microarchitectures, microarchitects have incorporated larger and more complex branch predictors into their designs, taking advantage of the increasing numbers of transistors available on a chip. Unfortunately, because of penalties associated with their implementations, the extra accuracy provided by many branch predictors does not produce a proportionate increase in performance. Specifically, we show that the techniques used to hide the latency of a large and complex branch predictor do not scale well and will be unable to sustain IPC for deeper pipelines. We investigate a different way to build large branch predictors. We propose an alternative predictor design that completely hides predictor latency so that accuracy and hardware budget are the only factors that affect the efficiency of the predictor. Our simple design allows the predictor to be pipelined efficiently by avoiding difficulties introduced by complex predictors. Because this predictor eliminates the penalties associated with complex predictors, overall performance exceeds that of even the most accurate known branch predictors in the literature at large hardware budgets. We conclude that as chip densities increase in the next several years, the accuracy of complex branch predictors must be weighed against the performance benefits of simple branch predictors.
A mixture of anatase and rutile TiO2 nanoparticles induces histamine secretion in mast cells

Histamine released from mast cells, through complex interactions involving the binding of IgE to FceRI receptors and the subsequent intracellular Ca2+ signaling, can mediate many allergic/inflammatory responses. The possibility of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs), a nanomaterial pervasively used in nanotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, to directly induce histamine secretion without prior allergen sensitization has remained uncertain. TiO2 NP exposure increased both histamine secretion and cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]C) in a dose dependent manner in rat RBL-2H3 mast cells. The increase in intracellular Ca2+ levels resulted primarily from an extracellular Ca2+ influx via membrane L-type Ca2+ channels. Unspecific Ca2+ entry via TiO2 NP-instigated membrane disruption was demonstrated with the intracellular leakage of a fluorescent calcein dye. Oxidative stress induced by TiO2 NPs also contributed to cytosolic Ca2+ signaling. The PLC-IP3-IP3 receptor pathways and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) were responsible for the sustained elevation of [Ca2+]C and histamine secretion. Our data suggests that systemic circulation of NPs may prompt histamine release at different locales causing abnormal inflammatory diseases. This study provides a novel mechanistic link between environmental TiO2 NP exposure and allergen-independent histamine release that can exacerbate manifestations of multiple allergic responses.
Relating total and partial correctness interpretations of non-deterministic programs

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the relationship between the interpretations of non-deterministic programs using the upper (total correctness) powerdomain on the one hand and the lower (partial correctness) powerdomain on the other. It is shown that there is a close semantic relationship between these two interpretations which suggests the formulation of a new operator called the mixed powerdomain. It is shown that the mixed powerdomain has many pleasing domain-theoretic and algebraic properties. The mixed powerdomain is closely related to new powerdomains which have been recently investigated as mathematical models of partial information in databases. Some of the basic intuitions captured by such structures may have uses for the specification of non-deterministic computations. The paper includes a sample non-deterministic programming language and a semantics using the mixed powerdomain.
Optimum inclusion of alkaline-treated corn residue and distillers grains fed to calf-fed steers1

ABSTRACT A 180-d finishing study was conducted to evaluate inclusion rates of modified distillers grains plus solubles (MDGS) and alkaline-treated corn residue (ATCR) on performance and carcass characteristics. Crossbred steer calves (n = 378; initial BW = 320 ± 7 kg) were used in a 2 × 3 + 1 factorial treatment arrangement. Factors included inclusion rate of MDGS (20 or 40%; DM basis) and ATCR (10, 20, or 30%; DM basis). In addition, a dry-rolled corn, 20% MDGS, and 5% untreated-corn-residue control was fed. There was a distillers inclusion–by–treated corn residue interaction for both carcass-adjusted G:F (P 0.21). Intakes were not affected by treatment (P > 0.18). Daily gain decreased linearly (P
Development of a High-Energy Pulse Burst Laser System for High-Speed Fluid Dynamics and Combustion Measurements

This paper describes recent advances made in our laboratory in the development of a new high-energy pulse burst laser system (HEPBLS) for turbulent fluid dynamics/combustion and high-speed flow measurements. We discuss new results from HEPBLS demonstrating ultra-high pulse energies greater than 2.0 Joules/pulse at 1064 nm with inter-pulse separations of 100 s (10 kHz) for burst durations exceeding 100 pulses with small levels of pulse-to-pulse fluctuations and negligible “droop” over the long pulse burst. Second harmonic generation of 532 nm with conversion efficiency greater than 50% is demonstrated for 100-pulse burst durations at repetition rates of 10 kHz and 20 kHz. The utility of the new system is shown through example 10-kHz image sequences of planar Rayleigh scattering-based mixture fraction and temperature imaging in turbulent non-reacting jets and flames, respectively.
Endoscopic treatment of orbital tumors

Different orbital and transcranial approaches are performed in order to manage orbital tumors, depending on the location and size of the lesion within the orbit. These approaches provide a satisfactory view of the superior and lateral aspects of the orbit and the optic canal but involve risks associated with their invasiveness because they require significant displacement of orbital structures. In addition, external approaches to intraconal lesions may also require deinsertion of extraocular muscles, with subsequent impact on extraocular mobility. Recently, minimally invasive techniques have been proposed as valid alternative to external approaches for selected orbital lesions. Among them, transnasal endoscopic approaches, “pure” or combined with external approaches, have been reported, especially for intraconal lesions located inferiorly and medially to the optic nerve. The avoidance of muscle detachment and the shortness of the surgical intraorbital trajectory makes endoscopic approach less invasive, thus minimizing tissue damage. Endoscopic surgery decreases the recovery time and improves the cosmetic outcome not requiring skin incisions. The purpose of this study is to review and discuss the current surgical techniques for orbital tumors removal, focusing on endoscopic approaches to the orbit and outlining the key anatomic principles to follow for safe tumor resection.
Worldwide Experience with Bacampicillin Administered Twice a Day

The safety and clinical efficacy of dosing twice a day with bacampicillin was evaluated in clinical trials conducted at various locations in Latin America, Switzerland, and Scandinavia, Bacampicillin (200, 400, 600, or 800 mg) given twice a day was compared with bacampicillin (400 mg) or ampicillin (500 or 556 mg) administered three times a day in eight double-blind and six open randomized trials involving 750 patients with respiratory and urinary tract infections. In a noncomparative study, 47 additional patients were treated with 600 mg of bacampicillin twice a day. High rates of clinical cure or improvement were achieved for all types of infections investigated. Microbiologic cure was observed in greater than 90% of respiratory infections due to beta-hemolytic streptococci, Streptococcus pneumoniae, or Hemophilus influenzae. There were no significant differences between the responses of groups treated twice and those treated three times a day. Adverse effects of both regimens of bacampicillin were similar and occurred less frequently than in patients treated with ampicillin. Dosing twice daily with bacampicillin appears to be effective against numerous gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria in a variety of mild clinical infections. Studies comparing identical dosage regimens of bacampicillin and other aminopenicillins are needed to determine whether bacampicillin given twice a day has a therapeutic advantage.
Quantum-Classical Path Integral Simulation of Ferrocene-Ferrocenium Charge Transfer in Liquid Hexane.

We employ the quantum–classical path integral methodology to simulate the outer sphere charge-transfer process of the ferrocene–ferrocenium pair in liquid hexane with unprecedented accuracy. Compar...
Radiographs and Diagnostic Tests

This chapter describes the indications and value of periapical, bitewing, panoramic, and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) in the diagnostic process. The selection of appropriate radiographs is described in the context of ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable) in terms of radiation exposure. The importance of using more than one radiograph for diagnosis is stressed.
Water soluble organic aerosols in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, USA: composition, sources and optical properties

Atmospheric aerosols have been shown to be an important input of organic carbon and nutrients to alpine watersheds and influence biogeochemical processes in these remote settings. For many remote, high elevation watersheds, direct evidence of the sources of water soluble organic aerosols and their chemical and optical characteristics is lacking. Here, we show that the concentration of water soluble organic carbon (WSOC) in the total suspended particulate (TSP) load at a high elevation site in the Colorado Rocky Mountains was strongly correlated with UV absorbance at 254 nm (Abs254, r = 0.88 p 90% of OC on average. According to source apportionment analysis, biomass burning had the highest contribution (50.3%) to average WSOC concentration; SOA formation and motor vehicle emissions dominated the contribution to WSOC in the summer. The source apportionment and backward trajectory analysis results supported the notion that both wildfire and Colorado Front Range pollution sources contribute to the summertime OC peaks observed in wet deposition at high elevation sites in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. These findings have important implications for water quality in remote, high-elevation, mountain catchments considered to be our pristine reference sites.
Modelling of human–machine interaction in equipment design of manufacturing cells

This paper proposes a systematic approach to model human–machine interactions HMIs in supervisory control of machining operations; it characterises the coexistence of machines and humans for an enterprise to balance the goals of automation/productivity and flexibility/agility. In the proposed HMI model, an operator is associated with a set of behavioural roles as a supervisor for multiple, semi-automated manufacturing processes. The model is innovative in the sense that 1 it represents an HMI based on its functions for process control but provides the flexibility for ongoing improvements in the execution of manufacturing processes; 2 it provides a computational tool to define functional requirements for an operator in HMIs. The proposed model can be used to design production systems at different levels of an enterprise architecture, particularly at the machine level in a production system where operators interact with semi-automation to accomplish the goal of ‘autonomation’ – automation that augments the capabilities of human beings.
Small Molecule Modulation of Brain GIRK Channels

G protein-gated inwardly rectifying potassium (GIRK) channels regulate cellular excitability in the heart and brain. Stimulation of G protein-coupled receptors that couple to Gi/o (pertussis toxin-sensitive) G proteins is the primary mechanism of activating GIRK channels. However, there are several small molecule components of GIRK channel activity that operate independently of the G protein-mediated pathway. The lipid environment surrounding GIRK channels in the plasma membrane is one important regulator of GIRK channel activity. Previous studies have established that the membrane phospholipid PIP2 is essential for GIRK channel gating. GIRK channel activators, such as Gβγ and alcohol (ethanol), appear to work by enhancing the interaction with PIP2. We studied the channel gating properties of the brain GIRK2 channel in a defined reconstituted system that allowed for precise control of small molecules and ions. We found that cholesterol, a major component of brain membranes, potentiates the neuronal GIRK2 channel activity in a PIP2 dependent manner. Cholesterol shifts the PIP2 dose-response curve to lower concentrations, demonstrating enhanced PIP2 binding to the channel. Ethanol activates GIRK channels independently of the agonist-mediated pathway via binding to an alcohol pocket in the cytoplasmic terminal domain. There is no apparent shift in alcohol sensitivity in the presence of cholesterol, suggesting alcohol and cholesterol interact structurally and mechanistically with different regions of the channel. Elucidating the molecular mechanism underlying the activation of GIRK channels by small compounds, such as ethanol and cholesterol, should aid in the design of new drugs for treating alcoholism and other neurological disorders.
Maize seedling morphology and defence hormone profiles, but not herbivory tolerance, were mediated by domestication and modern breeding

We addressed whether Zea seedling morphology relevant to performance, defence hormone profiles and tolerance of a phloem-feeding, specialist herbivore were affected by two processes, plant domestication and modern breeding. Domestication effects were inferred through comparisons between Balsas teosintes (Zea mays parviglumis) and landrace maizes (Z. mays mays), and modern breeding effects through comparisons between landrace maizes and inbred maize lines. Specifically, we compared seedling forms (a composite measure of leaf length, average stem diameter, shoot wet weight, shoot dry weight, total root length, root wet weight, and root dry weight), shapes (forms scaled by seedling dry weight, a proxy for seedling size), and defence hormone profiles among Balsas teosinte and landrace and inbred line maizes, exposed or unexposed to feeding by Dalbulus maidis. Our results suggested that domestication as well as modern breeding strongly mediated both seedling form and shape. Form was more similar between landrace and inbred maize than between Balsas teosinte and landrace maize, suggesting that domestication affected seedling form more than modern breeding. In contrast, shape was more similar between Balsas teosinte and landrace maize than between landrace and inbred maizes, suggesting that modern breeding affected seedling shape more than domestication. Additionally, seedling shoot : root ratios appeared to have been mediated by domestication, but not by modern breeding. In broad terms, individual seedling structures relevant to seedling ecology in wild or managed environments, such as leaf and root lengths, and shoot and root masses, were enlarged with domestication and reduced with modern breeding. Herbivory did not affect seedling shape, but had a weak effect on form so that seedlings were slightly larger in the absence versus presence of D. maidis. Also, both domestication and modern breeding seem to have mediated seedling hormone profiles, with breeding more strongly mediating profiles than domestication. Jasmonic acid isoleucine (JA-Ile) and salicylic acid (SA) were induced by herbivory in both teosinte and maize. The hormone profiles assays collectively suggested that domestication and modern breeding altered constitutive levels of SA, abscisic acid and JA-related (JA-Ile and oxo-phytodienoic acid) hormone levels in seedlings, particularly by increasing the levels of SA and decreasing those of JA-related hormones. Altogether, our results suggested that maize domestication and modern breeding significantly altered seedling form, shape, ecologically relevant morphological traits (e.g. leaf and root lengths, and shoot and root masses) and hormonal defences, but not tolerance of D. maidis herbivory.
Postpartum depressive symptoms moderate the link between mothers' neural response to positive faces in reward and social regions and observed caregiving.

Postpartum depression may disrupt socio-affective neural circuitry and compromise provision of positive parenting. Although work has evaluated how parental response to negative stimuli is related to caregiving, research is needed to examine how depressive symptoms during the postpartum period may be related to neural response to positive stimuli, especially positive faces, given depression's association with biased processing of positive faces. The current study examined the association between neural response to adult happy faces and observations of maternal caregiving and the moderating role of postpartum depression, in a sample of 18- to 22-year old mothers (n = 70) assessed at 17 weeks (s.d. = 4.7 weeks) postpartum. Positive caregiving was associated with greater precuneus and occipital response to positive faces among mothers with lower depressive symptoms, but not for those with higher symptoms. For mothers with higher depressive symptoms, greater ventral and dorsal striatal response to positive faces was associated with more positive caregiving, whereas the opposite pattern emerged for mothers with lower symptoms. There was no association between negative caregiving and neural response to positive faces or negative faces. Processing of positive stimuli may be an important prognostic target in mothers with depressive symptoms, given its link with healthy caregiving behaviors.
The Bone Marrow Microenvironment: Novel Targets to Circumvent Minimal Residual Disease and Drug Resistance in Multiple Myeloma

The bone marrow micro environment has long been appreciated to support multiple myeloma cell pathogenesis. It is evident that this niche may be as important a therapeutic target as the malignant myeloma cells. This stems from research over the last one to two decades demonstrating that determinants of the bone marrow milieu are integral in myeloma pathogenesis, survival, immune surveillance, and resistance to both traditional and novel therapeutic agents. Early studies elucidating drug resistance in this disease focused on the myeloma cells and found that genetic, acquired changes, in the expression or function of specific gene products mediated cell survival. Subsequently, dynamic, de novo mechanisms coordinated by the tumor microenvironment have been shown to confer an environmental mediated- drug resistance (EM-DR). Appreciation of EM-DR has spawned an exciting path of preclinical and clinical research focused on attenuating the pro-myeloma aspects of the tumor microenvironment. Within this chapter we will provide an overview of the bone marrow microenvironment in the context of multiple myeloma and how these determinants contribute to minimal residual disease and subsequent treatment failure. With increased understanding of the bone marrow niche and EM-DR, numerous novel therapies are under development targeting the microenvironment with the anticipation of improved clinical outcomes.