cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Increased Risk and Decreased Morbidity of Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Between 1986 and 1994

Abstract Background . The collective impact of advances in medical, surgical, and anesthetic care on the characteristics and outcomes of patients who undergo coronary artery bypass grafting was assessed. Methods . We compared the demographic and clinical characteristics, preoperative risk factors, morbidity, and mortality of two groups of patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting in isolation or in combination with other procedures between July 1, 1986, and June 30, 1988 (group 1, n=5,051), and between January 1, 1993, and March 31, 1994 (group 2, n=2,793). The patients were stratified according to their preoperative risk level. Outcome measures consisted of changes in preoperative risk categories; hospital mortality rates; overall and risk-adjusted major cardiac, neurologic, pulmonary, renal, and septic morbidity rates; and intensive care unit length of stay. Results . Changes in the distribution of risk categories, from a median of 2 to 4 on a 9-point scale ( p p = 0.15), but the risk-adjusted morbidity rate decreased significantly (14.5% to 8.8%; p Conclusions . At our institution, patients who undergo coronary artery bypass grafting are now at greater preoperative risk at the time of hospital admission. However, their morbidity rate is significantly lower and their mortality rate is unchanged, results that we attribute to the collective impact of changes in our medical and surgical procedures.
SiGe/Si Heterojunction Internal Photoemission Long-Wavelength Infrared Detectors

There is a major need for long-wavelength-infrared (LWIR) detector arrays in the range of 8 to 16 microns which operate with close-cycle cryocoolers above 65 K. In addition, it would be very attractive to have Si-based infrared (IR) detectors that can be easily integrated with Si readout circuitry and have good pixel-to-pixel uniformity, which is critical for focal plane array (FPA) applications. Here, researchers report a novel Si(1-x)Ge(x)/Si heterojunction internal photoemission (HIP) detector approach with a tailorable long wavelength infrared cutoff wavelength, based on internal photoemission over the Si(1-x)Ge(x)/Si heterojunction. The HIP detectors were grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), which allows one to optimize the device structure with precise control of doping profiles, layer thickness and composition. The feasibility of a novel Si(1-x)Ge(x)/Si HIP detector has been demonstrated with tailorable cutoff wavelength in the LWIR region. Photoresponse at wavelengths 2 to 10 microns are obtained with quantum efficiency (QE) above approx. 1 percent in these non-optimized device structures. It should be possible to significantly improve the QE of the HIP detectors by optimizing the thickness, composition, and doping concentration of the Si(1-x)Ge(x) layers and by configuring the detector for maximum absorption such as the use of a cavity structure. With optimization of the QE and by matching the barrier energy to the desired wavelength cutoff to minimize the thermionic current, researchers predict near background limited performance in the LWIR region with operating temperatures above 65K. Finally, with mature Si processing, the relatively simple device structure offers potential for low-cost producible arrays with excellent uniformity.
Large eddy simulations of contrail development: Sensitivity to initial and ambient conditions over first twenty minutes

[1] A three-dimensional large-eddy simulation with size-resolved ice microphysics was used to model persistent contrails and compute their optical depth and area coverage. Eleven cases were run with various levels of vertical wind shear, aircraft type, relative humidity, ice nuclei effective emission index, and atmospheric stability and were analyzed with respect to their fluid dynamics and ice bulk properties. The effects of these properties on optical depth and contrail width were also compared between cases. Ice properties, optical depths, and contrail widths were consistent with limited observational field studies. For the conditions considered, contrail peak optical depth after twenty minutes simulation time ranged from 0.15 to 0.87, while contrail width ranged from 450 m to over 3 km. Optical depth and contrail width varied most strongly with vertical shear. For a 4-engine aircraft and 130% ambient relative humidity with respect to ice, a moderate shear of 0.005 s−1 reduced the peak optical depth by 79% and increased the width by 450% after twenty minutes compared to a zero shear case. In cases with no vertical shear, optical depth was also sensitive to aircraft type, humidity, and effective emission index, but variations in width with these parameters were small. In these cases, larger aircraft, higher humidity, and higher emission indices resulted in optical depths ranging from 20% to 50% larger than baseline cases. Atmospheric stability variations qualitatively changed the fluid dynamical development of the contrail, but differences in optical depth and contrail width were small.
Large vibration-rotation interaction effects in calculated franck-condon factors

Abstract Calculated Franck-Condon factors for the Lyman bands H 2 are reported which include the previously neglected vibration-rotation interaction effects. Unexpectedly large cancellation effects are found for a number of bands.
The Armenians in the Medieval Islamic World: Paradigms of Interaction, Seventh to Fourteenth Centuries. Volume One, The Arab Period in Armīnyah—Seventh to Eleventh Centuries. By Seta B. Dadoyan. (New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers, 2011. Pp. xxvii, 208. $39.95.)

Editorial Office: Elliott Hall IV, Ohio Wesleyan University; Delaware, OH 43015. Telephone: 740‐368‐3642. Facsimile: 740‐368‐3643.E‐mail Address: brhistor@owu.eduWeb Address: http://go.owu.edu/~brh...
Ascorbic acid and α-tocopherol down-regulate apolipoprotein A-I gene expression in HepG2 and Caco-2 cell lines

Abstract HepG2 cells and Caco-2 cells were treated with various concentrations of select antioxidants to study some of the molecular pathways underlying antioxidant-related changes in apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) expression. Both α-tocopherol and ascorbate treatment over a time course of 72 hours caused a significant reduction in apoA-I messenger RNA and protein levels in a dose-dependent fashion. Albumin levels did not change with any treatment, suggesting that the effect is protein-specific. Similar changes were seen in Caco-2 cells. In contrast, apoA-I messenger RNA and protein levels significantly increased after 28 and 280 μmol/L dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) treatment. Cells were transfected with chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) reporter gene plasmid containing the full-length apoA-I promoter to determine if these changes occur at a transcriptional level, and after 24 hours, the HepG2 or Caco-2 cells were treated with varying concentrations of ascorbate or α-tocopherol. At the highest concentration of ascorbate and α-tocopherol used (5 mmol/L), there was a significant reduction in apoA-I promoter activity. DMSO treatment up-regulated apoA-I promoter activity, whereas increasing oxidative load with 50, 100, and 200 μmol/L hydrogen peroxide treatment did not significantly alter apoA-I promoter activity. Studies with deletional constructs of the promoter containing or lacking the antioxidant response element (ARE) indicated that the effect of ascorbate and α-tocopherol, unlike that of DMSO, was independent of this ARE. Using a series of apoA-I deletion constructs, it was shown that site A–containing segment of the promoter has a critical regulatory element. However, electromobility shift assays indicated that there was no significant change in nuclear factor binding activity to site A as a result of treatment with ascorbate or α-tocopherol. As expected, treatment with DMSO increased factor binding to the previously described ARE. It is concluded that the apoA-I promoter-stimulating effect of DMSO may be independent of its antioxidant activity and that some antioxidants at very high concentrations may have suppressive effect on the apoA-I gene expression. It appears that the inhibitory effect of ascorbate or α-tocopherol on the apoA-I promoter is either indirect or is the result of posttranslational modifications of the nuclear binding factors. The previously described ARE is not a response element for the ascorbate or α-tocopherol.
Leader–member exchange, shared values, and performance: Agreement and levels of analysis do matter

In this study, we first investigate the levels of analysis at which leader–member exchange (LMX) operates; second, we examine the nature of the LMX–performance relationship when a superior and a subordinate agree as compared to disagree concerning the quality of their exchange; third, we test the effect of superior–subordinate agreement about work values on the LMX–performance relationship; and fourth, we simultaneously consider the effects of LMX agreement–disagreement and values agreement–disagreement on the LMX–performance relationship. Our findings indicate that LMX operates primarily at the independent dyad level of analysis. We also found that LMX and performance are most strongly related and display the strongest dyadic-level effects when superior and subordinate assessments of LMX and values are in agreement.
Comments on “Generalised finite Radon transform for N × N images”

In Kingston and Svalbe [1], a generalized finite Radon transform (FRT) that applied to square arrays of arbitrary size NxN was defined and the Fourier slice theorem was established for the FRT. Kingston and Svalbe asserted that ''the original definition by Matus and Flusser was restricted to apply only to square arrays of prime size,'' and ''Hsung, Lun and Siu developed an FRT that also applied to dyadic square arrays,'' and ''Kingston further extended this to define an FRT that applies to prime-adic arrays''. It should be said that the presented generalized FRT together with the above FRT definitions repeated the known concept of tensor representation, or tensor transform of images of size NxN which was published earlier by Artyom Grigoryan in 1984-1991 in the USSR. The above mentioned ''Fourier slice theorem'' repeated the known tensor transform-based algorithm of 2-D DFT [5-11], which was developed for any order N"1xN"2 of the transformation, including the cases of NxN, when N=2^r, (r>1), and N=L^r, (r>=1), where L is an odd prime. The problem of ''over-representation'' of the two-dimensional discrete Fourier transform in tensor representation was also solved by means of the paired representation in Grigoryan [6-9].
Malignant Melanoma in the 21st Century, Part 1: Epidemiology, Risk Factors, Screening, Prevention, and Diagnosis

Malignant melanoma is an aggressive, therapy-resistant malignancy of melanocytes. The incidence of melanoma has been steadily increasing worldwide, resulting in an increasing public health problem. Exposure to solar UV radiation, fair skin, dysplastic nevi syndrome, and a family history of melanoma are major risk factors for melanoma development. The interactions between genetic and environmental risk factors that promote melanomagenesis are currently the subject of ongoing research. Avoidance of UV radiation and surveillance of high-risk patients have the potential to reduce the population burden of melanoma. Biopsies of the primary tumor and sampling of draining lymph nodes are required for optimal diagnosis and staging. Several clinically relevant pathologic subtypes have been identified and need to be recognized. Therapy for early disease is predominantly surgical, with a minor benefit noted with the use of adjuvant therapy. Management of systemic melanoma is a challenge because of a paucity of active treatment modalities. In the first part of this 2-part review, we discuss epidemiology, risk factors, screening, prevention, and diagnosis of malignant melanoma. Part 2 (which will appear in the April 2007 issue) will review melanoma staging, prognosis, and treatment.
Radiation resistance: The fragments that remain

The complete genome sequence of the bacterium, Deinococcus radiodurans R1 has been released. This achievement will greatly aid efforts to study this organism, but analysis of the sequence reveals little that helps explain the extreme ionizing radiation resistance of this species.
Progress Towards A High-Resolution Retinal Prosthesis

Simulations of artificial vision suggest that 1000 electrodes may be required to restore vision to individuals with diseases of the outer retina. In order to achieve such an implant, new technology is needed, since the state-of-the-art implantable neural stimulator has at most 22 contacts with neural tissue. Considerable progress has been made towards that goal with the development of image processing, microelectronics, and polymer based electrodes and interconnects. An image processing system has been realized that is capable of real-time implementation of image decimation and filtering (for example, edge detection). Application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) have been designed and tested to demonstrate closed loop power control and efficient microstimulation. A novel packaging process has been developed that is capable of simultaneously forming a receiver coil, interconnects, and stimulating electrodes
Transient Ischemic Attack Definition, Diagnosis, and Risk Stratification

Transient ischemic attack (TIA) can convey a high imminent risk for the development of a major stroke and is therefore considered to be a medical emergency. Recent evidence indicates that TIA with imaging proof of brain infarction represents an extremely unstable condition with early risk of stroke that is as much as 20 times higher than the risk after TIA without tissue damage. The use of neuroimaging in TIA is therefore critical not only for diagnosis but also for accurate risk stratification. In this article, recent advances in diagnostic imaging, categorizations, and risk stratification in TIA are discussed.
A preliminary study of selective visual attention in female mountain gorillas (Gorilla gorilla beringei)

Visually attending to conspecifics can give group-living primates important ecological information, help them to anticipate the behavior of others and to regulate interactions with them, and provide other valuable social information. Variation in the importance and quality of social relationships should influence the way individuals selectively attend to fellow group members. Preliminary data on visual monitoring of conspecifics by wild female mountain gorillas (Gorilla gorilla beringei) show that selective attention mirrors variation in social relationships. Social bonds between males and females are central to gorilla society; correspondingly, females are more likely to stop feeding, and focus their attention on males who walk into view than on females, especially when males give dislays. Females are more likely to focus on other females with whom they have antagonistic relationships than those (mostly close relatives) with whom they have affiliative, cooperative ones. Further research on the context and consequences of visual monitoring could help to address questions about the regulation of social relationships and about social cognition in gorillas.
Cell lines derived from ultraviolet radiation-induced benign melanocytic nevi in Monodelphis domestica exhibit cytogenetic aneuploidy

The gray short-tailed opossum, Monodelphis domestica, develops dermal melanocytic nevi (MN) after long-term chronic exposure to UVB (midwavelength ultraviolet radiation) alone. We developed cell lines from six UVB-induced dermal benign melanocytic lesion biopsies. One of the MN was determined histologically to be a benign melanoma (BM), whereas the remainder were benign melanocytic hyperplasias (MH). The cell lines were not tumorigenic when injected subcutaneously into athymic nude mice. Protein extracts prepared from these cell lines were analyzed electrophoretically on polyacrylamide gels and protease zymograms in preliminary attempts to identify protein and protease markers for pathogenesis. Cytogenetic analyses showed that half (three of six) of the MN cell lines exhibited aneuploidy involving extra copies of chromosomes 3, 5, 7, and/or 8. This result suggests that nonrandom aneuploidy can be an early event in chronic UVB induction of benign dermal melanocytic lesions. Karyotyping also showed a centromeric variant of chromosome 7 in some animals, which was confirmed to be constitutional. These Monodelphis cell lines will be valuable reagents for future studies of UVB-induced damage to mammalian skin.
An eye for an I: a 35-year-old woman with fluctuating oculomotor deficits and dissociative identity disorder.

Abstract Physiologic changes, including neurological or pseudo-neurological symptoms, occur across identity states in dissociative identity disorder (DID) and can be objectively measured. The idea that dissociative phenomena might be associated with changes in brain function is consistent with research on the brain effects of hypnosis. The authors report a case of psycho-physiologic differences among 4 alter personalities manifested by a 35-year-old woman with DID. Differences in visual acuity, frequency of pendular nystagmus, and handedness were observed in this patient both when the alter personalities appeared spontaneously and when elicited under hypnosis. The authors consider several diagnostic possibilities for these findings and discuss whether prevailing treatment recommendations for DID patients could possibly be modified to ameliorate such visual and neurologic symptoms.
PROSPECTS OF GAMMA-RAY LASER DEVELOPMENT

In this review article we briefly present the current thrust of gamma-ray laser research. We discuss the major proposals of developing such lasers based on nuclear transitions and electron and positron beams.
On the physical explanation of the Perkins instability

[1] Perkins' instability theory (1973) provides a reasonable theoretical explanation for the midlatitude ionospheric spread-F phenomenon. Although his derivation process and model are correct, the physical explanation provided can be improved. In this paper a plasma motion-balanced view of the Perkins instability is provided as an improvement to the Perkins force-balanced explanation. We derive the growth rate equation with neutral wind present and show that the new approach yields the same growth rate equation given by Perkins (1973) when the neutral wind is zero. Additionally, a new mathematical approach yields the same result and identifies the source term of the instability.
Improving server applications with system transactions

Server applications must process requests as quickly as possible. Because some requests depend on earlier requests, there is often a tension between increasing throughput and maintaining the proper semantics for dependent requests. Operating system transactions make it easier to write reliable, high-throughput server applications because they allow the application to execute non-interfering requests in parallel, even if the requests operate on OS state, such as file data.By changing less than 200 lines of application code, we improve performance of a replicated Byzantine Fault Tolerant (BFT) system by up to 88% using server-side speculation, and we improve concurrent performance up to 80% for an IMAP email server by changing only 40 lines. Achieving these results requires substantial enhancements to system transactions, including the ability to pause and resume transactions, and an API to commit transactions in a pre-defined order.
Wild bee species increase tomato production and respond differently to surrounding land use in Northern California

Pollination provided by bees enhances the production of many crops. However, the contribution of wild bees remains unmeasured for many crops, and the effects of anthropogenic change on many bee species are unstudied. We experimentally investigated how pollination by wild bees affects tomato production in northern California. We found that wild bees substantially increase the production of field-grown tomato, a crop generally considered self-pollinating. Surveys of the bee community on 14 organic fields that varied in proximity to natural habitat showed that the primary bee visitors, Anthophora urbana Cresson and Bombus vosnesenskii Radoszkowski, were affected differently by land management practices. B. vosnesenskii was found primarily on farms proximate to natural habitats, but neither proximity to natural habitat nor tomato floral abundance, temperature, or year explained variation in the visitation rates of A. urbana. Natural habitat appears to increase B. vosnesenskii populations and should be preserved near farms. Additional research is needed to determine how to maintain A. urbana. Species-specific differences in dependency on natural habitats underscore the importance of considering the natural histories of individual bee species when projecting population trends of pollinators and designing management plans for pollination services. Thus, to maintain an entire bee community, multiple approaches, including maintaining natural habitat, should be implemented.
Efficient model order reduction via multi-node moment matching

The new concept of multi-node moment matching (MMM) is introduced in this paper. The MMM technique simultaneously matches the moments at several nodes of a circuit using explicit moment matching around s=0. As compared to the well-known single-point moment matching (SMM) techniques (such as AWE), MMM has several advantages. First, the number of moments required by MMM is significantly lower than SMM for a reduced order model of the same accuracy, which directly translates into computational efficiency. This higher computational efficiency of MMM as compared to SMM increases with the number of inputs to the circuit. Second, MMM has much better numerical stability as compared to SMM. This characteristic allows MMM to calculate an arbitrarily high order approximation of a linear system, achieving the required accuracy for systems with complex responses. Finally, MMM is highly suitable for parallel processing techniques especially for higher order approximations while SMM has to calculate the moments sequentially and cannot be adapted to parallel processing techniques.
GPU-based elastic-object deformation for enhancement of existing haptic applications

Most haptic libraries allow user to feel the resistance of a flexible virtual object by the implementation of a point-based collision detection algorithm and a spring-damper model. Even though the user can feel the deformation at the contact point, the graphics library renders a rigid geometry, causing a conflict of senses in the user's mind. In most cases, the CPU utilization is maximized to achieve the required 1-kHz haptic frame rate without leaving any additional resource to also deform the geometry, while on the other hand, the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) is underutilized. This paper proposes a computationally inexpensive and efficient GPU-based methodology to significantly enhance user perception of large existing haptic applications without compromising the original haptic feedback. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first implemented algorithm that is able to maintain a graphics frame rate of approximately 60 Hz as well as a haptics frame rate of 1 Khz when deforming complex geometry of approximately 160K vertices. The implementation of the algorithm in a virtual reality neurosurgical simulator has been successful to handle, in real time, complex 3D isosurfaces created from medical MRI and CT images.
An Experimental Solid-State Pulse Modulated Wideband Switch

Switching of wideband information on an analog basis is generally achieved by the use of switching arrays utilizing electromechanical crosspoints. This paper describes the results of a program initiated to investigate the possibility of designing an equivalent system utilizing solid-state devices. Investigations were carried out to determine the suitability of both solid-state space divided switching arrays and also into the use of time divided switching networks. It soon became obvious that with the high input frequencies that were required to be switched, the corresponding frame periods and time slot durations would require clock frequencies, rise times, etc., which were excessively fast for reliable working. It was, therefore, decided that space division techniques would be utilized. It was also decided that dependency on the use of amplitude modulated inputs would be avoided due to the susceptibility to interchannel crosstalk. This was especially critical at the higher frequencies contemplated, due to the increased effect of stray capacity. A review of various nonamplitude modulated pulse systems resulted in a choice being made to convert all amplitude dependent inputs into a pulse position code. This choice was based on economic factors together with the fact that even though it has an analog characteristic, it is generally insensitive to amplitude variations. The resultant plan, therefore, evolved into a space division switching system utilizing the conversion of all inputs into a pulse position code.
Electrical resistivity and magnetoresistance of (NiAl)1-xMx, M = 3d transition metals†‡

Abstract Transport properties were investigated in ( NiAl ) 1− x M x , M = 3 d transition metals, in order to examine the extrinsic nature of NiAl. Experimental results are well described by the s−d exchange (Kondo) theory from which exchange energy J , Kondo temperature T k , and spin value S were estimated. A comparison between our results and the results from dilute alloys is made.
Assessment of the benthic environment following offshore placer gold mining in the northeastern Bering Sea

Abstract The effects of offshore placer gold mining on benthic invertebrates were assessed on ‘sand’ and ‘cobble’ substrates in Norton Sound, northeastern Bering Sea. Mining with a bucket-line dredge occurred nearshore in 9–20 m during June to November 1986–90. Sampling nearly a year subsequent to mining demonstrated minor alteration of substrate granulometry with no clear trends. However, benthic macrofaunal community parameters (total abundance, biomass, diversity) and abundance of dominant families were significantly reduced at mined stations. Many of the dominant taxa are known prey of the locally important red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus). Dominance of opportunistic species and small sizes at unmined and mined sites represents faunal responses to the natural dynamics of the region where establishment of populations of large, sexually-mature individuals is typically precluded. Multi-year bathymetric surveys of an area only mined in 1986 showed a continued smoothing of ocean bottom relief, decreasing size of tailing footprint, and shoaling of depressions left by mining. An ordination (multidimensional scaling) of taxon abundance data from mined (1 year after mining), recolonizing (2–7 years after mining) and unmined stations shows configurations that reflect disturbance. Recovery of the biota was underway in both substrates after 4 years, but this process was interrupted in the fall of the fourth year (1990) by several severe storms. Mining effects are contrasted with local natural disturbances.
What Do We Mean When We Say ' Collaboration ' ?

(1992). What Do We Mean When We Say ' Collaboration ' ? Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation: Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 89-92.
Analytical and numerical modeling of surface morphologies in thin films

Experimental studies have shown that strains due to thermal expansion mismatch between a film and its substrate can produce very large stresses in the film that can lead to the formation of holes and hillocks. Based on a phenomenological description of the evolution of a solid surface under both capillary and stress driving forces and for surface and grain boundary self-diffusion, this article provides, for the first time, analytical and numerical solutions for surface profiles of model geometries in polycrystalline thin films. The results can explain a variety of surface morphologies commonly observed experimentally and are discussed to give some practical insights on how to control the growth of holes and hillocks in thin films.
Links Among Home Literacy Environment, Literacy Interest, and Emergent Literacy Skills in Preschoolers At Risk for Reading Difficulties:

Researchers have suggested that children who are interested in literacy activities and voluntarily engage in them are likely to become better readers than children with less literacy interest. Literacy interest, along with engaging literacy activities and responsive teaching, are important components in children’s early literacy experiences. This study examines associations among children’s self-reported literacy interest, their parents’ reports of home literacy environment (HLE), and their code-related skills. Overall, literacy interest was related to code-related skills (i.e., letter–word identification and alphabet knowledge). HLE was not related to code-related skills. Further analyses reveal different patterns of relations among interest and code-related skills for children with low receptive language scores compared to their peers with age-level receptive language scores. These results suggest that taking advantage of individual children’s interests as well as planning activities that are likely to ...
Estimating statistical properties of MIMO fading channels

We propose maximum likelihood (ML) and restricted maximum likelihood (REML) methods for estimating the mean and covariance parameters of multi-input multi-output (MIMO) Ricean and Rayleigh block-fading channels using measurements from multiple coherent intervals containing both amplitudes and phases of the received signal. Correlated and independent fading scenarios with structured and unstructured line-of-sight (LOS) array response models are considered. Computationally efficient ML and approximate ML (AML) estimators are proposed for unitary space-time modulation schemes and orthogonal designs in correlated fading. We also derive Crame/spl acute/r-Rao bounds (CRBs) for the unknown parameters, discuss initialization of the proposed algorithms, and evaluate their performance via numerical simulations under the block- and continuous-fading scenarios.
Increasing sensor flexibility through neuromodulation.

Both biological and man-made motor control networks require input from sensors to allow for modification of the motor program. Real sensory neurons are more flexible than typical robotic sensors because they are dynamic rather than static. The membrane properties of neurons and hence their excitability can be modified by the presence of neuromodulatory substances. In the case of a sensory neuron, this can change, in a functionally significant way, the code used to describe a stimulus. For instance, extension of the neuron’s dynamic range or modification of its filtering characteristics can result. This flexibility has an apparent cost. The code used may be situation-dependent and hence difficult to interpret. To address this issue and to understand how neuromodulation is used effectively in a motor control network, I am studying the GPR2 stretch receptor in the crustacean stomatogastric nervous system. Several different neuromodulatory substances can modify its encoding properties. Comparisons of physiolo...
PfeT, a P1B4 -type ATPase, effluxes ferrous iron and protects Bacillus subtilis against iron intoxication.

Iron is an essential element for nearly all cells and limited iron availability often restricts growth. However, excess iron can also be deleterious, particularly when cells expressing high affinity iron uptake systems transition to iron rich environments. Bacillus subtilis expresses numerous iron importers, but iron efflux has not been reported. Here, we describe the B. subtilis PfeT protein (formerly YkvW/ZosA) as a P1B4 -type ATPase in the PerR regulon that serves as an Fe(II) efflux pump and protects cells against iron intoxication. Iron and manganese homeostasis in B. subtilis are closely intertwined: a pfeT mutant is iron sensitive, and this sensitivity can be suppressed by low levels of Mn(II). Conversely, a pfeT mutant is more resistant to Mn(II) overload. In vitro, the PfeT ATPase is activated by both Fe(II) and Co(II), although only Fe(II) efflux is physiologically relevant in wild-type cells, and null mutants accumulate elevated levels of intracellular iron. Genetic studies indicate that PfeT together with the ferric uptake repressor (Fur) cooperate to prevent iron intoxication, with iron sequestration by the MrgA mini-ferritin playing a secondary role. Protection against iron toxicity may also be a key role for related P1B4 -type ATPases previously implicated in bacterial pathogenesis.
...be a genuine homemaker in your own home : Gender and familial relations in state housing practices, 1917-1922

Using institutional ethnography we examine the Own-Your-Own-Home (OYOH) movement as a configuration of ideological practices designed to reorder gender, family and housing arrangements in the United States during the early 20th century. We describe the social organization of these practices — with particular emphasis on the coordinating activity of the OYOH Section of the Department of Labor — and provide specific examples from texts of the National Archives and Research Administration. These texts are part of an historic, ongoing process of work organization that coordinated other sequences of action at multiple sites of production within the housing enterprise. We demonstrate that the texts of the campaign organized white, working class, married couples with children as the owners of homes.
Profiling teacher/child classroom communication: reliability of an alternating time sampling procedure:

Reliability of an on-line, alternating time sampling (A TS) procedure was examined for evaluating classroom communication acts. Fifteen limited-language children were videotaped during classroom ac...
Microstructural characteristics of oxides in 5083 Al synthesized by reactive atomization and deposition

A detailed study of the size, distribution, and morphology of oxide particles in as-sprayed deposited 5083 Al synthesized by reactive atomization and deposition was reported. The results indicated that the oxides exhibit thin-plate morphology and are distributed at prior droplet boundaries, grain boundaries, and grain interiors with a dimensional scale on the order of tenths of micrometers up to a few micrometers. The mechanisms involved in the formation of the observed oxide distribution were analyzed in detail.
Whites’ Racial Policy Attitudes in the Twenty-First Century: The Continuing Significance of Racial Resentment

A topic of long-standing interest in racial attitudes research is whites’ support for principles of racial equality on one hand coupled with their intransigence on policies designed to redress that inequality on the other. Much has been written on possible explanations of this “principle-policy gap” and what the gap reveals about the state of contemporary American race relations. In this article, the authors provide an update and partial replication of their 1996 study of whites’ views of racial policies in what has been referred to as our post-racial society. Using both General Social Survey and American National Election Survey data, the authors assess the current state of whites’ racial policy attitudes and the factors that shape those attitudes and consider whether any meaningful change has occurred in recent decades. Among the explanations of the principle-policy gap that the authors examine, one stands out as especially powerful: racial resentment, a variant of stratification ideology that focuses o...
ILC Marx modulator development program status

A Marx-topology klystron modulator is under development for the International Linear Collider (ILC) project [1]. It is envisioned as a lower cost, smaller footprint, and higher reliability alternative to the present, bouncer-topology, baseline design. The application requires 120 kV (+/−0.5%), 140 A, 1.6 ms pulses at a rate of 5 Hz. The Marx constructs the high voltage pulse by combining, in series, a number of lower voltage cells. The Marx employs solid state elements; IGBTs and diodes, to control the charge, discharge and isolation of the cells. Active compensation of the output is used to achieve the voltage regulation while minimizing the stored energy. The developmental testing of a first generation prototype, P1, has been completed. This modulator has been integrated into a test stand with a 10 MW L-band klystron, where each is undergoing life testing. Development of a second generation prototype, P2, is underway. The P2 is based the P1 topology but incorporates an alternative cell configuration to increase redundancy and improve availability. Status updates for both prototypes are presented.
Algebraic decision diagrams and their applications

In this paper we present theory and experiments on the algebraic decision diagrams (ADDs). These diagrams extend BDD's by allowing values from an arbitrary finite domain to be associated with the terminal nodes. We present a treatment founded in Boolean algebras and discuss algorithms and results in applications like matrix multiplication and shortest path algorithms. Furthermore, we outline possible applications of ADD's to logic synthesis, formal verification, and testing of digital systems.
Composing a course book for system and enterprise architecture education

The systems designed and build today are very involved, yet engineers seek ways of building systems that are even more complex. The key to success in this effort is mature systems architectures to guide engineers in the process of integrating components and evolving them into larger systems. The academic research and study in this area is expanding, although the amount of educational material and textbooks in the field of system architecting is minimal. The contribution of this paper is in outlining an advanced student text for system and enterprise architecting. In addition to providing an overview of major architecting topics to be included in the text, the work also adds the needed context. The author plans to elaborate upon this effort to create a volume that is to serve not only as a pedagogical aid, but also as a handy reference of any systems architect.
Formation Enthalpies of Tetravalent Lanthanide Perovskites by High Temperature Oxide Melt Solution Calorimetry

High-temperature oxide melt solution calorimetry was used to measure formation enthalpies for several compositions of perovskites of nominal stoichiometry BaPrO3 and BaCeO3. Samples were synthesized from chemical solution methods followed by calcination at 1100-1300°C. PrO2 was synthesized by oxidation of Pr6O11 in an oxygen flow at 280°C. The samples were characterized by microprobe, thermogravimetric and differential thermal analyses. Cell parameters were refined by the Rietveld method. Barium excess in the samples with respect to ideal stoichiometry was detected. Drop solution enthalpies were measured in a Calvet type twin microcalorimeter, using 3Na2O·4MoO3 solvent at 702°C. Preliminary values of the formation enthalpy of BaPrO3 and BaCeO3 from oxides were -70 ±10 kJ/mol and -51 ±10 kJ/mol, respectively. They fall on the normal trend of energetics versus Goldschmidt tolerance factor and do not show any special stabilization of BaPrO3 relative to other MLnO3 perovskites.
On the optimal linkage of social security benefits to payroll taxes

Abstract This paper employs a three period overlapping generations’ model to investigate (i) the labor supply effects of the linkage between the benefits of a pay-as-you-go social security program and the payroll taxes that finance them and (ii) the nature of the optimal linkage. The main result of the paper is that, for a given statuary tax rate, the weights that must be placed on earnings of different periods (in benefit calculation) depend on population and productivity growth rates only. This result implies that the optimal net tax rates are not uniform over the life cycle unless the economy is on its steady state golden rule path. Moreover, if the economy is on the golden rule path, the optimal net tax rates are not only uniform but also zero. The paper also demonstrates that, if preferences are additively separable, as more weight is placed on earnings when young labor supply by the young increases while labor supply by the middle-aged decreases.
Rate of steroid double-bond reduction catalysed by the human steroid 5β-reductase (AKR1D1) is sensitive to steroid structure: implications for steroid metabolism and bile acid synthesis

Human AKR1D1 (steroid 5β-reductase/aldo-keto reductase 1D1) catalyses the stereospecific reduction of double bonds in Δ4-3-oxosteroids, a unique reaction that introduces a 90° bend at the A/B ring fusion to yield 5β-dihydrosteroids. AKR1D1 is the only enzyme capable of steroid 5β-reduction in humans and plays critical physiological roles. In steroid hormone metabolism, AKR1D1 serves mainly to inactivate the major classes of steroid hormones. AKR1D1 also catalyses key steps of the biosynthetic pathway of bile acids, which regulate lipid emulsification and cholesterol homoeostasis. Interestingly, AKR1D1 displayed a 20-fold variation in the kcat values, with steroid hormone substrates (e.g. aldosterone, testosterone and cortisone) having significantly higher kcat values than steroids with longer side chains (e.g. 7α-hydroxycholestenone, a bile acid precursor). Transient kinetic analysis revealed striking variations up to two orders of magnitude in the rate of the chemistry step (kchem), which resulted in different rate determining steps for the fast and slow substrates. By contrast, similar Kd values were observed for representative fast and slow substrates, suggesting similar rates of release for different steroid products. The release of NADP+ was shown to control the overall turnover for fast substrates, but not for slow substrates. Despite having high kchem values with steroid hormones, the kinetic control of AKR1D1 is consistent with the enzyme catalysing the slowest step in the catabolic sequence of steroid hormone transformation in the liver. The inherent slowness of the conversion of the bile acid precursor by AKR1D1 is also indicative of a regulatory role in bile acid synthesis.
Effects of Fe Electrolyte Impurities on Ni(OH)2/NiOOH Structure and Oxygen Evolution Activity

Ni-(oxy)hydroxide-based materials are promising earth-abundant catalysts for electrochemical water oxidation in basic media. Recent findings demonstrate that incorporation of trace Fe impurities from commonly used KOH electrolytes significantly improves oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity over NiOOH electrocatalysts. Because nearly all previous studies detailing structural differences between α-Ni(OH)2/γ-NiOOH and β-Ni(OH)2/β-NiOOH were completed in unpurified electrolytes, it is unclear whether these structural changes are unique to the aging phase transition in the Ni-(oxy)hydroxide matrix or if they arise fully or in part from inadvertent Fe incorporation. Here, we report an investigation of the effects of Fe incorporation on structure–activity relationships in Ni-(oxy)hydroxide. Electrochemical, in situ Raman, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance measurements were employed to investigate Ni(OH)2 thin films aged in Fe-free and unpurified (reagent-grade)...
Abstract 4287: Intracellular trafficking of androgen receptor splice variant AR8.

In a classic paradigm, the intracellular trafficking of a ligand-stimulated androgen receptor involves receptor dimerization, dissociating from chaperones (such as HSPs), interact with nuclear membrane importin and Ran-GTPase to gain access to nucleus; once there, it complexes with transcriptional regulators and binding to target sites. Despite the compelling evidence for AR non-genomic signaling events, the molecular mechanism of how does AR signaling from cytoplasmic or membrane remains undetermined. Several recent studies suggested that membrane association of AR is mediated by palmitoylation of AR at cysteine-806. Two plamitoylation enzymes, DHHC7 and DHHC21, have been implicated in the process of AR palmitoylation. In the current study, we determined the intracellular trafficking of a newly identified AR isoform, AR8. AR8 is a splice variant of the original full-length AR. AR8 was demonstrated to be up-regulated in castration-resistant prostate cancer cells. Structurally, AR8 protein sequence is different from other AR variants with a substitution of all the amino acids after N-terminal domain (NTD) of a conventional AR with an unique C-terminal sequence. Coincidentally, two cysteine residues within the unique c-terminus, positions 558 and 560, were identified to be palmitoylated. The palmitoylation was determined to be responsible for the localization of AR8 to plasma membrane. Using a fluorescent protein mCherry-tagged AR8 and confocal microscopy, we confirmed the plasma membrane localization of AR8 as previously described. We determined that AR8 co-localized with a Golgi marker GM-130 at peri-nuclear regions by immunofluorescence microscopy. The result was further substantiated by co-localizing mCherry-AR8 with galactosyltransferase (GalT) golgi-targeting sequence-fused GFP (GalT-GFP; green fluorescent protein) at Golgi compartments. We also demonstrated that mCherry-AR8 co-localized with EGFR-GFP (epidermal growth factor receptor-GFP) on the plasma membrane within in the cholesterol rich raft domain. Using time-lapse confocal microscopy, we observed that AR8 co-migrated with EGFR in a retrograde fashion and become associated with endosomal compartments at the onset of EGF (5ng/ml) stimulation. Part of these endosomes was later fused with lysosomes as evident from co-localizations of mCherry-AR8 with GFP-LAMP-1. Although the significance of AR8 expression in the progression of prostate cancer remains to be determined, our observations underline a potential intracellular trafficking pathway associated with AR8 are consistent with the original report that EGF stimulation promotes the interactions between AR8 and EGFR. Citation Format: Ciny John, Michael L. Lu. Intracellular trafficking of androgen receptor splice variant AR8. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4287. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-4287
Scanning Conduction Microscopy: A Method of Probing Abrasion of Insulating Thin Films on Conducting Substrates

The use of Scanning Force Microscopy (SFM) to probe wear processes at interfaces is of considerable interest. We present here a simple modification of the SFM which allows us to make highly spatially resolved measurements of conductivity changes produced by abrasion of thin insulating films on metal substrates. The technique is demonstrated on fluorocarbon polymer thin films deposited on stainless steel substrates.
Brief clinical report: Correlation of functional magnetic source imaging with intraoperative cortical stimulation in neurosurgical patients

This study compared noninvasive preoperative functional imaging by using magneto-encephalography (MEG) with intraoperative direct cortical stimulation in ten patients undergoing neurosurgery. The goal was to assess the accuracy and reliability of MEG-based functional imaging in these patients as a possible replacement or adjunct for direct cortical stimulation with electrocorticography.Objective comparison of intraoperative mapping with preoperative MEG procedures was achieved by intraoperative recording of mapped cortical locations for motor responses using an interactive image-guided surgical device, the ISG viewing wand, with which mapping points could be marked on a previously acquired (MRI) set. In all ten patients, at least one stimulation site elicited a response during both MEG and intraoperative mapping. The central sulcus ipsilateral to the lesion was only directly visible on high-resolution MRIs in 3/10 cases and equivocally in 2/10. Coregistered with MRI to form magnetic source images (MSIs), ...