cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Physics of Resonant MEMS Gyroscopes

High-performance MEMS gyroscopes can be used for inertial navigation in GPS-denied environments, as well as for scientific applications such as low-cost geophysical measurements and relativity experiments. This chapter presents the theories of resonant MEMS gyroscope and focuses on understanding the physical phenomena in resonant MEMS gyroscopes to provide insight to the performance scaling limits. Key performance parameters are described, and a general discussion on electrostatic compensation of the imperfections in MEMS gyroscopes is given in this chapter.
Barriers to Healthy Eating in a Community That Relies on an Emergency Food Pantry.

Abstract Objective To explore perceived barriers to healthy eating within a food-insecure community that relies on an emergency food pantry. Methods A qualitative descriptive study was conducted using focus groups within an emergency food pantry located in southeastern Pennsylvania. Eleven female participants were recruited from the food pantry to serve as focus group participants and key community informants. Focus group transcripts were transcribed, coded, and analyzed using a constant comparative method. Results Four themes regarding perceived barriers to healthy eating were identified: (1) knowledge, (2) resources, (3) special dietary needs, and (4) culture and family influences. Conclusions and Implications Emergent themes from the focus groups identified the perceived barriers to healthy eating within a food-insecure community. These findings may be essential for informing the development of future nutrition education programs and for promoting health in low-income communities.
Minimally Invasive Image-Guided Ablation, Osteoplasty, Reinforcement, and Internal Fixation (AORIF) for Osteolytic Lesions in the Pelvis and Periarticular Regions of Weight-Bearing Bones

Abstract Purpose To assess early outcome, safety, and complications of an alternative to open surgical treatments of osteolytic lesions in periarticular load-bearing bones. Materials and Methods A single-center, prospective clinical cohort study of 26 lesions in 23 consecutive patients with painful osteolytic skeletal lesions was performed. Patients were followed for an average of 7 mo (1–18 mo). Lesions were targeted from the most intact bone via minimally invasive percutaneous approach for stable anchorage of internal fixation screws using fluoroscopic guidance. Cannulated screws served as universal portals for ablation, balloon osteoplasty, and delivery of bone cement in addition to internal fixation for cement anchoring and prophylactic stabilization of uninvolved bone. Results There were 19 osteolytic lesions in the pelvis, 4 in the proximal femur, 2 in the proximal tibia, and 1 in the calcaneus. All defects were associated with severe pain or fractures. There were no conversions to open surgery and no infection or bleeding requiring transfusion, embolization, or additional procedures. There was significant improvement in visual analogue scale (VAS) pain score from 8.32 ± 1.70 to 2.36 ± 2.23, combined pain and functional ambulation score from 4.48 ± 2.84 to 7.28 ± 2.76, and Musculoskeletal Tumor Society score from 45% to 68% (P Conclusions Ablation, osteoplasty, reinforcement, and internal fixation is a safe and effective minimally invasive percutaneous image-guided treatment option for functional improvement or palliation of painful osteolytic lesions in the pelvis and periarticular loadbearing bones.
A case of left bundle branch block with chest pain but negative troponin: a prompt for dilated cardiomyopathy?

Chest pain with left bundle branch block (LBBB) on electrocardiography (ECG) is an alarming presentation in the acute medical unit, even without a rise in troponin. If acute coronary syndrome is unlikely, it is advised to consider common but overlooked differential diagnoses of LBBB such as dilated
Eddy current jet engine disk-crack monitor

A disk-crack monitor is described that is suitable for use on the ground or in flight. The system consists of an engine-mounted eddy current sensor, a series capacitance in each leg of the sensor circuit, and a capacitance-conductance bridge followed by an oscilloscope capable of advanced signal processing. It was applied to the detection of service-induced cracks in the first-stage turbine wheel of a helicopter engine. A 3.5 mm long radial fatigue crack plus smaller cracks, all located in the blade root region of the wheel, were detected during engine test stand operation at ground idle speed and temperature. The calculation of the value of series capacitance is also presented.
Electrical Masking Improvement with Standard Logic Cell Synthesis Using 45 nm Technology Node

Technology scaling impacts the probability of masking a propagating transient pulse. This paper presents a technique to improve the electrical masking of logic gates when considering the variation in the process, voltage, and temperature (PVT) for a 45-nm technology. The worst cases were exhibited in high temperature and low voltage, which enhanced the transient pulse to traverse to the primary outputs (POs). The vulnerable paths were used to select vulnerable gates for the mitigation approach. Due to worst cases of low voltage and high temperature, the gates at the POs were also selected for mitigation. The approach improved the electrical masking of the circuit by reducing the amplitudes of the transient pulses by 93% and 90% for low voltage and high temperature respectively with 57% area overhead.
Investigating the tipping point of crop productivity induced by changing climatic variables

South Asia is comprised of several countries, including Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka, all ranked highly at risk of climatic variability. The region's susceptibility to climate change can be attributed to both its spatial and inherent characteristics. Considering the countries' high dependence on agricultural products, to support their economies and growing populations, it is vital to measure the factors impacting crop productivity. This study quantifies the change in temperature and precipitation, coupled with their respective effects on the productivity of three major crops, wheat, rice and cotton, within two of Pakistan's largest provinces: Punjab and Sindh. Based on the collated data, multivariate regression analysis is conducted. Moreover, highly vulnerable areas to climate change have been identified under RCP scenarios 4.5 and 8.5, until the end of this century. Results reveal that there is a substantial increasing trend in temperature, whereas precipitation has high inter-annual variability. Regression outcomes, based on fixed/random effects models, indicate that temperature above threshold values of 24.3 °C, 33.0 °C and 32.0 °C for wheat, rice and cotton, respectively, negatively impacts productivity (statistically significant). Precipitation is statistically insignificant in explaining its role in crop productivity. Overall, the region is heading towards temperature and threshold exceedances at an alarming rate, which will impact the overall availability of suitable crop-growing areas.
Fluid: a framework for approximate concurrency via controlled dependency relaxation

In this work, we introduce the Fluid framework, a set of language, compiler and runtime extensions that allow for the expression of regions within which dataflow dependencies can be approximated in a disciplined manner. Our framework allows the eager execution of dependent tasks before their inputs have finalized in order to capitalize on situations where an eagerly-consumed input has a high probability of sufficiently resembling the value or structure of the final value that would have been produced in a conservative/precise execution schedule. We introduce controlled access to the early consumption of intermediate values and provide hooks for user-specified quality assurance mechanisms that can automatically enforce re-execution of eagerly-executed tasks if their output values do not meet heuristic expectations. Our experimental analysis indicates that the fluidized versions of the applications bring 22.2% average execution time improvements, over their original counterparts, under the default values of our fluidization parameters. The Fluid approach is largely orthogonal to approaches that aim to reduce the task effort itself and we show that utilizing the Fluid framework can yield benefits for both originally precise and originally approximate versions of computation.
Recipient Vessels for Genital Reconstruction

Genital reconstruction is performed for reconstruction of oncologic defects, traumatic injuries, congenital deformities, and gender-affirming surgery. There is an array of flap options, and the choice of flap is dependent upon the reconstructive requirements of the recipient site, as well as donor site tissue availability. Potential recipient vessels should be carefully considered when planning a free tissue transfer to the genital area. This chapter discusses the relevant anatomy, preoperative considerations, and recipient vessel exposure and harvest techniques. The advantages and disadvantages of these options are discussed, as are recommendations for optimizing operative outcomes.
CORSID enables de novo identification of transcription regulatory sequences and genes in coronaviruses

Genes in coronaviruses are preceded by transcription regulatory sequences (TRSs), which play a critical role in gene expression mediated by the viral RNA-dependent RNA-polymerase via the process of discontinuous transcription. In addition to being crucial for our understanding of the regulation and expression of coronavirus genes, we demonstrate for the first time how TRSs can be leveraged to identify gene locations in the coronavirus genome. To that end, we formulate the TRS AND GO_SCPLOWENEC_SCPLOW IO_SCPLOWDENTIFICATIONC_SCPLOW (TRS-GO_SCPLOWENEC_SCPLOW-ID) problem of simultaneously identifying TRS sites and gene locations in unannotated coronavirus genomes. We introduce CORSID (CORe Sequence IDentifier), a computational tool to solve this problem. We also present CORSID-A, which solves a constrained version of the TRS-GO_SCPLOWENEC_SCPLOW-ID problem, the TRS IO_SCPLOWDENTIFICATIONC_SCPLOW (TRS-ID) problem, identifying TRS sites in a coronavirus genome with specified gene annotations. We show that CORSID-A outperforms existing motif-based methods in identifying TRS sites in coronaviruses and that CORSID outperforms state-of-the-art gene finding methods in finding genes in coronavirus genomes. We demonstrate that CORSID enables de novo identification of TRS sites and genes in previously unannotated coronaviruses. CORSID is the first method to perform accurate and simultaneous identification of TRS sites and genes in coronavirus genomes without the use of any prior information.
Abstract 2640: RN927C, a potent site-specific Trop-2 antibody-drug-conjugate (ADC) for treatment of solid tumors

Human trophoblast cell surface antigen-2 (Trop-2), also known as TACSTD2, EGP-1, GA733-1 and MS1, is expressed on a variety of human carcinomas and its expression is often associated with poor prognosis of the diseases. Trop-2 is frequently detected in many tumor types at high levels, however, it is also present on the epithelium of a number of normal tissues. A comprehensively designed Trop-2-targeting ADC, balancing both efficacy and toxicity, is necessary to achieve clinical utility. We developed a site-specific cleavable Trop-2-ADC (RN927C) using a novel transglutaminase-mediated enzymatic conjugation method and a proprietary MTI (microtubule inhibitor) linker-payload. Our site-specific conjugation technology enables a precise drug-loading ratio of two and thus a better control of desired potency. Robust in vitro cytotoxicity of RN927C was observed selectively on multiple Trop-2 expressing tumor cell lines, with IC50 generally in the sub-nM range. Upon binding to surface Trop-2, RN927C internalized quickly and trafficked to the lysosomal compartment, as visualized by the co-localization of RN927C with lysosomal marker LAMP-2. As expected for a MTI-containing ADC, RN927C readily induced mitotic arrest of treated cells in vitro and in vivo, followed by subsequent cell death. The in vivo efficacy of RN927C was tested in multiple tumor models including pancreatic, NSCLC, and ovarian cell line and patient-derived xenograft models. Single dose administration of RN927C at 1.5 mg/kg was generally sufficient to induce sustained regression of Trop-2 expressing tumors and showed superior efficacy over standard treatment with paclitaxol or Gemcitabine. Furthermore, addition of RN927C to Gemcitiabine greatly enhanced its in vivo efficacy. RN927C was well-tolerated in non-human primates upon repeat dosing at 6mg/kg q2w, with non-severe toxicity observed primarily in skin and oral mucosa, consistent with Trop-2 expression in these epithelial tissues. Importantly, only minimal off-target hematological toxicity was observed in monkeys. Based on the combined efficacy and safety results, RN927C is expected to have a favorable therapeutic index and clinical development is currently underway. Citation Format: Shu-Hui Liu, Pavel Strop, Thomas-Toan Tran, Magdalena Dorywalska, Katherine Delaria, Wei-Hsien Ho, Russell Dushin, Jaume Pons, Arvind Rajpal, Dave Shelton. RN927C, a potent site-specific Trop-2 antibody-drug-conjugate (ADC) for treatment of solid tumors. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 2640. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-2640
Noninvasive assessment of nitrate‐induced stress in koi Cyprinus carpio L. by faecal cortisol measurement

This study determined effects of nitrate (NO3−)-induced stress on faecal cortisol levels in koi (Cyprinus carpio). NO3− was presented in two formats: (1) bulk increase followed by dilution to assess cortisol response and recovery and (2) bulk increase followed by incremental increases to assess cortisol response limit. Fish were maintained group-wise in treatment and control aquaria (n=6 per group), and 0.5 g L−1 NO3− (as NaNO3) was added to the water. Faecal samples were collected daily and blood samples were taken pretreatment and 72-h posttreatment and were assayed for cortisol via ELISA. NO3− increased plasma and faecal cortisol 4.4-fold and 3.9-fold respectively. Plasma cortisol was not measured further. After a 74% NO3− decrease by dilution, faecal cortisol decreased to baseline within 24 h, and restimulation by NO3− (1.0 g L−1) elevated faecal cortisol to maximal study levels. In a separate experiment, exposure to 0.4 g L−1 NO3− increased faecal cortisol 6.9-fold. However, three additional 0.4 g L−1 NO3− increments across 9 days did not further increase cortisol. This study demonstrates that faecal cortisol measurement in fish via an ELISA can be useful as an indicator of NO3−-induced stress in the aquatic environment.
Astronomical Data Coordination: A Perpetual Task

The conference now about to be concluded has presented a wide spectrum of coordinate efforts, of accomplishments, projects, and viewpoints. As is only natural and even purposeful in a first colloquium of this scope, there are also some loose ends which we hope to tie together later. Many experienced scientists found it worth participating in the subject which is more organization rather than primary research, and this is a very encouraging feature. Most of us will have deplored, in one context or other, the lack of reliable data compilations; yet not much could be done before efficient computer and storage facilities were at hand, and we may also have nourished the hope that someone else would undertake the tedious and often thankless job of compilation. We are grateful that the invitation to convene the first Numerical Data conference came from the Strasbourg Observatory, where a large-scale and multi-purpose program has been successfully developing in recent years.
Autonomic Failure in Humans

Autonomic failure is a consequence of disease of the central and peripheral nervous system. Keywords: autonomic; multiple system atrophy; Parkinson disease; pure autonomic failure; autonomic neuropathy
Fibres in human dental papillae: A preliminary report on the fine structure

Abstract The dental papillae of human enamel organs in the bell or morpho-differentiation stage of development were studied electron microscopically relative to fibre types. The three varieties encountered were the aperiodic fibrils associated with the basal lamina of the prospective dentino-enamel junction, the collagenous elements in the intercellular spaces of the pre-odontoblasts and fibroblasts and the oxytalan fibres located in the substance of the papilla which are similarly associated with the fibroblasts. The aperiodic fibrils were about 150 A in width and attained lengths of 6500 A. The collagenous elements displayed definite characteristic periodicity and organization. The oxytalan fibres were composed of fibrils averaging 150 A in diameter with intervening spaces of approximately the same width. Beading along the length of the fibril which occurred at intervals of approximately 200 A was not uncommon.
Ultraviolet Spectroscopy of Cometary Comae

During the past decade, vacuum ultraviolet spectra of over 30 comets have been obtained with the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) satellite observatory. With few exceptions, the spectra of these comets appear to be similar, with OH and H produced by the photodis-sociation of water being the dominant species and emissions of C, O, S, CS and CO2 + usually present. Although signs of variability of many kinds in comet spectra appear, the evidence from the ultraviolet observations suggests that all comets have the same basic chemical composition and that observed differences are due to evolution and ageing processes. The principal exception is S2, which was detected by IUE in comet IRAS-Araki-Alcock (1983 VII), but not in any other comet to date. During the 1985–86 apparition of comet Halley, ultraviolet spectra were also obtained by other spacecraft and by sounding rocket instruments, including a long-slit imaging spectrograph. Further advances await future ultraviolet observations of comets by the Hubble Space Telescope and other planned ultraviolet astronomy missions.
Analysis of Defect Structures in Recrystallized Amorphous Layers of Self-Ion Irradiated Silicon by Channeling and Transmission Electron Microscopy Measurements

The purpose of this work is to study the structure and characteristics of residual defects in a epitaxially regrown amorphous layer of 28Si bombarded silicon by channeling and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A secondary objective is to compare the channeling data with the TEM results in order to make critical judgments about the adequacy of standard channeling analysisas(1) it is applied to microdefects in diamond structure semiconductors. The standard approach assumes that randomly distributed interstitials produce direct back-scattering as well as forward scatter dechanneling. The total amount of dechanneling is assumed to be in strict proportion to the number of interstitials with no consideration given to the possibility that other defect types may be present which produce dechanneling with little or no direct scattering.
Colonization of Lutzomyia verrucarum and Lutzomyia longipalpis Sand Flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) by Bartonella bacilliformis, the Etiologic Agent of Carrión’s Disease

Bartonella bacilliformis is a pathogenic bacterium transmitted to humans presumably by bites of phlebotomine sand flies, infection with which results in a bi-phasic syndrome termed Carrion’s disease. After constructing a low-passage GFP-labeled strain of B. bacilliformis, we artificially infected Lutzomyia verrucarum and L. longipalpis populations, and subsequently monitored colonization of sand flies by fluorescence microscopy. Initially, colonization of the two fly species was indistinguishable, with bacteria exhibiting a high degree of motility, yet still confined to the abdominal midgut. After 48h, B. bacilliformis transitioned from bacillus-shape to a non-motile, small coccoid form and appeared to be digested along with the blood meal in both fly species. Differences in colonization patterns became evident at 72h when B. bacilliformis was observed at relatively high density outside the peritrophic membrane in the lumen of the midgut in L. verrucarum, but colonization of L. longipalpis was limited to the blood meal within the intra-peritrophic space of the abdominal midgut, and the majority of bacteria were digested along with the blood meal by day 7. The viability of B. bacilliformis in L. longipalpis was assessed by artificially infecting, homogenizing, and plating for determination of colony-forming units in individual flies over a 13-d time course. Bacteria remained viable at relatively high density for approximately seven days, suggesting that L. longipalpis could potentially serve as a vector. The capacity of L. longipalpis to transmit viable B. bacilliformis from infected to uninfected meals was analyzed via interrupted feeds. No viable bacteria were retrieved from uninfected blood meals in these experiments. This study provides significant information toward understanding colonization of sand flies by B. bacilliformis and also demonstrates the utility of L. longipalpis as a user-friendly, live-vector model system for studying this severely neglected tropical disease.
Indexing Individual Objects in Infant Working Memory.

Currently there are disputes in the infancy literature concerning when infants are first able to individuate physical objects by their features or properties. This issue has taken on new significance following claims that individuation by feature is linked to the emergence of object kind concepts toward the end of the first year. Needham (2001, this issue) presents evidence that infants as young as 4.5 months old can individuate objects by feature. We locate this controversy within the framework of brain mechanisms that index or track individual objects, drawing upon theories of attention and working memory developed in the study of adults. We find that Needham's work contributes to two issues: categorization and the effect of object history on the individuation of objects in a complex display.
NET gains and losses: the role of changing nuclear envelope proteomes in genome regulation

In recent years, our view of the nucleus has changed considerably with an increased awareness of the roles dynamic higher order chromatin structure and nuclear organization play in nuclear function. More recently, proteomics approaches have identified differential expression of nuclear lamina and nuclear envelope transmembrane (NET) proteins. Many NETs have been implicated in a range of developmental disorders as well as cell-type specific biological processes, including genome organization and nuclear morphology. While further studies are needed, it is clear that the differential nuclear envelope proteome contributes to cell-type specific nuclear identity and functions. This review discusses the importance of proteome diversity at the nuclear periphery and highlights the putative roles of NET proteins, with a focus on nuclear architecture.
Structural change and lag length in VAR models

Abstract This paper investigates the relationship between changes in policy rules and changes in the estimated lag length in empirical models. The paper finds that there is a close association between changes in the parameter on the output gap term in the monetary policy rule investigated here and changes in estimated lag length for an associated VAR model.
Evaluation of the S phase distribution of flow cytometric DNA histograms by autoradiography and computer algorithms

Cell sorting and tritiated thymidine autoradiography were used to define the distribution of S phase cells in flow cytometric DNA histograms obtained from exponential mouse lymphoma cells (L5178Y). The numbers of labeled S phase cells, autoradiographically determined from cells, autoradiographically determined from cells sorted at 2-channel intervals in the G/sub 1//early S and late S/G/sub 2/M regions of the histogram, were compared with the numbers of computed S phase cells in comparable 2-channel intervals as predicted by several computer algorithms used to extract cell cycle phase distributions from DNA histograms. Polynomial and multirectangle algorithms gave computed estimates of total %S in close agreement with the tritiated thymidine labeling index for the cell population, while multi-Gaussian algorithms underestimated %S. Interval autoradiographic and algorithm studies confirmed these results in that no significant differences were found between the autoradiographic S phase distribution and S phase distributions calculated by the polynomial and multirectangle models. However, S phase cells were significantly underestimated by G/sub 1//early S by a constrained multi-Gaussian model and in both G/sub 1//early S and late S/G/sub 2/ by an unconstrained multi-Gaussian model. For the particular cell line (L5178Y), staining protocol (mithramycin following ethanol fixation) and instrumentation (Coulter TPS-2 cell sorter) usedmore » in this study, close agreement between computed %S and tritiated thymidine labeling index was found to be a reliable indicator of an algorithm's success in resolving S phase cells in the G/sub 1//S and S/G/sub 2/ transition regions of the DNA histograms.« less
Prolonged hypothyrotropinaemia in congenital primary hypothyroidism

Recently it has been reported that children with congenital hypothyroidism may have persistent elevation of TSH despite normal serum T4 level with exaggerated response to TRH, indicating a functional abnormality.*We report 2 patients showing the converse situation.- K.K.(♀, 4.9.70.) and A.M. (♂, 22.5.74.) had early symptoms of hypothyroidism and serious psychosomatic demage, later convulsions. Thyroid replacement was begun at the 4th and 2nd month of life respectively. Neither responded with TSH increase to 100 μg of i.v. TRH during their first years in repeated tests despite low T4 level. 99mTc scan showed the absence of functioning thyroid tissue. In a 3-day TSH (AMBINON) test they did not respond with T4 elevation. K.K. was able to secrete GH and FSH in DOPA and LHRH tests; A.M. heigh- and bone age were nearly normal. K.K. was 8 yrs old at the first moderate TSH increase (T4:33,8 nmol/L;TSH:4,9 μU/ml) and A.M. 5 yrs (T4:7 nmol/L;TSH:22 μU/ml) during a temporary cessation of thyroid therapy. Finally a 7-day oral TRH test (1mg/day) increased the TSH level of K.K. to 27,8 μU/ml and of A.M. to 84 μU/ml. During the last two years both children have shown nearly normalized TSH responsiveness.- In conclusion: early deficiency of thyroid hormones may alter the TSH control of man as well as in hypothyroid rats. This demage may prolonged but recovers eventually. The use of TSH alone determinations for neonatal screening of congenital hypothyroidism can miss these rare cases. *Redmond, G.P. & Soyka, L.F.: J.Pediat.98 ,83.1981.
Wireless control of smartphones with tongue motion using tongue drive assistive technology

Tongue Drive System (TDS) is a noninvasive, wireless and wearable assistive technology that helps people with severe disabilities control their environments using their tongue motion. TDS translates specific tongue gestures to commands by detecting a small permanent magnetic tracer on the users' tongue. We have linked the TDS to a smartphone (iPhone/iPod Touch) with a customized wireless module, added to the iPhone. We also migrated and ran the TDS sensor signal processing algorithm and graphical user interface on the iPhone in real time. The TDS-iPhone interface was evaluated by four able- bodied subjects for dialing 10-digit phone numbers using the standard telephone keypad and three methods of prompting the numbers: visual, auditory, and cognitive. Preliminary results showed that the interface worked quite reliably at a rate of 15.4 digits per minute, on average, with negligible errors.
A fault detection and diagnosis technique for digital microfluidic biochips

With the miniaturized biochips finding applications in safety-critical applications dependability of these chips has become an important issue since the consequences of a malfunction of such as chip could be catastrophic. Thus, these chips have to be tested both after the manufacture as well as during field operations. In this paper we propose an integrated testing and diagnosis strategy for the digital microfluidic biochips that can locate single as well as a certain class of multiple defects. This can be used to increase chip yield and dependability of the biochips in the field operation.
Transplant reno‐vascular stenoses associated with early erythropoeitin use

: Background and objectives: This report describes an unusual presentation of severe hypertension (HTN) in a subset of pediatric kidney recipients treated with a steroid avoidance pediatric renal transplantation protocol. The HTN was secondary to atypical, reno-vascular abnormalities (RVA) of the transplanted vasculature, temporally associated with erythropoietin (EPO) use. Design, setting, participants, and measurements: To investigate the clinical significance underlying this event, a retrospective clinical study of 100 pediatric renal transplants was undertaken (50 steroid-free and 50 matched steroid-based controls), with peripheral blood transcriptional analysis of four RVA patients and controls. Results: Regardless of a higher observed incidence of anemia (p < 0.001) and greater overall EPO usage in the first post-transplant year in steroid-free patients, the incidence of new-onset HTN at one yr was significantly less in the steroid-free cohort (p = 0.03). Nevertheless, early EPO (first week post-transplant) was significantly associated with the combinatory findings of new-onset HTN (p = 0.03) and RVA (p = 0.007). Molecular mechanisms of RVA injury were investigated further by peripheral blood cDNA microarray gene expression profiling. A panel of 42 transcripts differentiated patients with RVA and HTN from three sets of matched controls, with and without HTN and EPO use, with 100% concordance (p < 0.001). The biological processes governed by these significant genes suggest a role for EPO regulation of growth factor receptor ubiquitination as a putative mechanism for renal vascular injury. Conclusion: This study cautions against the use early post-transplant use of EPO in immunosuppression regimens with steroid minimization/avoidance, which may have an increased incidence of post-transplant anemia.
ADP-ribosylation of the intermediate filament protein desmin and inhibition of desmin assembly in vitro by muscle ADP-ribosyltransferase.

Abstract Arginine-specific mono(ADP-ribosyl)transferase purified from rabbit skeletal muscle catalyzes stoichiometric ADP-ribosylation of the intermediate filament protein, desmin. In contrast, cholera toxin catalyzes a much lower level of ADP-ribosylation of desmin. Modification results in potent inhibition of desmin′s ability to assemble into filaments. Phosphorylation of desmin by the catalytic subunit of cAMP dependent protein kinase is also inhibited by ADP-ribosylation. ADP-ribosylation site(s) are located within the N-terminal head domain of desmin.
Role of HDL Dysfunction in End-Stage Renal Disease: A Double-Edged Sword

End-stage renal disease (ESRD) is associated with a significant propensity for development of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular mortality. The atherogenic diathesis associated with ESRD is driven by inflammation, oxidative stress, and dyslipidemia. Reduced high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) level and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) dysfunction are the hallmarks of ESRD-related dyslipidemia. Clinical and laboratory studies have revealed that ESRD is associated with significantly reduced serum apolipoprotein A-I (ApoA-I) and HDL-C level as well as altered HDL composition. Furthermore, although ESRD is associated with impaired HDL antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in most patients, in a small subset, HDL may in fact have a pro-oxidant and proinflammatory effect. Therefore, it is no surprise that serum HDL-C level is not a dependable indicator of cardiovascular disease burden in ESRD, and markers such as HDL function are critical to accurately identifying patients at risk for cardiovascular disease and mortality in ESRD.
Acceptance Testing of a Computerized Tomographic Scanner

Computerized tomographic scanners have gained quick and widespread acceptance in diagnostic radiological practice. The cost of such units is currently about a half million dollars. Technologically, they are one of the most complicated pieces of equipment to be found in a radiology department. Because of the cost and complexity, it seems logical to set up performance specifications, acceptance tests, and a quality assurance program for a CT scanner. Pertinent performance specifications are herein described and discussed. In order to assure that the CT unit does meet specifications, appropriate acceptance tests are likewise discussed. Finally, a basic quality assurance program is outlined with an indication of the tests to be performed and their time frequency.
Does Democracy Increase Growth More in New Countries

Countries face governing challenges at their inception, albeit not of the same degree or type. Challenges such as creating governing structures and forming one nation from disparate groups can create uncertainty and so lower economic growth. Does democracy exacerbate or lessen such problems? This paper considers an empirical specification where the effect of democracy upon economic growth is allowed to vary over time. I find that democracy is more greatly associated with economic growth in newer countries. This suggests that democracy helps to mitigate governing challenges that can lower economic growth.
Amniotic fluid volume in normal singleton pregnancies

Objective To evaluate the amniotic fluid (AF) volume in normal singleton pregnancies from 15 to 40 weeks. Methods This prospective study evaluated the AF volume in singleton pregnancies undergoing amniocentesis for genetic assessment of fetal karyotype, preterm labor, or fetal lung maturity. Amniotic fluid volume was determined using a dye dilution technique. To assess the relationship between AF volume and estimated gestational age, a nonlinear regression model was applied. Results One hundred forty-four normal singleton pregnancies had AF volume evaluated. There was wide variability in the measured AF volumes with a significant (P Conclusion In contrast to other reports indicating that maximal AF volume in singleton gestations is expected early in the third trimester, we observed the attainment of maximal AF volume near term.
Tissue ablation using multi-frequency focused ultrasound

In this study, experiments and simulations on tissue ablation were performed to investigate the effectiveness of multifrequency focused ultrasound (FUS) with frequency differences more than 500 kHz (950 kHz, 1.5 MHz and 3.3 MHz FUS). In tissue ablation tests, temperature rise was recorded when chicken breast tissue was ablated by FUS with single-frequency and multi-frequency ultrasound, respectively, at controlled acoustic power and exposure time. Simulations have been performed to verify the temperature change and distribution in these tests. Distinct temperature rise differences were observed between singlefrequency modes and dual-frequency modes, indicating that dual-frequency FUS is more effective on the rate of temperature rise. This finding is promising for ultrasound surgery.
Risk Factors for Colonization with S. pneumoniae Resistant to Penicillin (PRSP) in Healthy Children Are Different from Infected Children

Risk Factors for Colonization with S. pneumoniae Resistant to Penicillin (PRSP) in Healthy Children Are Different from Infected Children
Perioperative Assessment of Myocardial Deformation

Evaluation of left ventricular performance improves risk assessment and guides anesthetic decisions. However, the most common echocardiographic measure of myocardial function, the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), has important limitations. LVEF is limited by subjective interpretation that reduces accuracy and reproducibility, and LVEF assesses global function without characterizing regional myocardial abnormalities. An alternative objective echocardiographic measure of myocardial function is thus needed. Myocardial deformation analysis, which performs quantitative assessment of global and regional myocardial function, may be useful for perioperative care of surgical patients. Myocardial deformation analysis evaluates left ventricular mechanics by quantifying strain and strain rate. Strain describes percent change in myocardial length in the longitudinal (from base to apex) and circumferential (encircling the short-axis of the ventricle) direction and change in thickness in the radial direction. Segmental strain describes regional myocardial function. Strain is a negative number when the ventricle shortens longitudinally or circumferentially and is positive with radial thickening. Reference values for normal longitudinal strain from a recent meta-analysis by using transthoracic echocardiography are (mean ± SD) -19.7% ± 0.4%, while radial and circumferential strain are 47.3% ± 1.9% and -23.3% ± 0.7%, respectively. The speed of myocardial deformation is also important and is characterized by strain rate. Longitudinal systolic strain rate in healthy subjects averages -1.10 ± 0.16 s. Assessment of myocardial deformation requires consideration of both strain (change in deformation), which correlates with LVEF, and strain rate (speed of deformation), which correlates with rate of rise of left ventricular pressure (dP/dt). Myocardial deformation analysis also evaluates ventricular relaxation, twist, and untwist, providing new and noninvasive methods to assess components of myocardial systolic and diastolic function. Myocardial deformation analysis is based on either Doppler or a non-Doppler technique, called speckle-tracking echocardiography. Myocardial deformation analysis provides quantitative measures of global and regional myocardial function for use in the perioperative care of the surgical patient. For example, coronary graft occlusion after coronary artery bypass grafting is detected by an acute reduction in strain in the affected coronary artery territory. In addition, assessment of left ventricular mechanics detects underlying myocardial pathology before abnormalities become apparent on conventional echocardiography. Certainly, patients with aortic regurgitation demonstrate reduced longitudinal strain before reduction in LVEF occurs, which allows detection of subclinical left ventricular dysfunction and predicts increased risk for heart failure and impaired myocardial function after surgical repair. In this review, we describe the principles, techniques, and clinical application of myocardial deformation analysis.
Endothelial Cell–Specific Deficiency of Ang II Type 1a Receptors Attenuates Ang II–Induced Ascending Aortic Aneurysms in LDL Receptor−/− Mice

Rationale: Human studies and mouse models have provided evidence for angiotensin II (Ang II)–based mechanisms as an underlying cause of aneurysms localized to the ascending aorta. In agreement with this associative evidence, we have published recently that Ang II infusion induces aneurysmal pathology in the ascending aorta. Objective: The aim of this study was to define the role of angiotensin II type 1a (AT 1a ) receptors and their cellular location in Ang II–induced ascending aortic aneurysms (AAs). Methods and Results: Male LDL receptor −/− mice were fed a saturated fat–enriched diet for 1 week before osmotic mini-pump implantation and infused with either saline or Ang II (1000 ng/kg per minute) for 28 days. Intimal surface areas of ascending aortas were measured to quantify ascending AAs. Whole body AT 1a receptor deficiency ablated Ang II–induced ascending AAs ( P 1a receptors on leukocytes, LDL receptor −/− ×AT 1a receptor +/+ or AT 1a receptor −/− mice were irradiated and repopulated with bone marrow–derived cells isolated from either AT 1a receptor +/+ or AT 1a receptor −/− mice. Deficiency of AT 1a receptors in bone marrow–derived cells had no effect on Ang II–induced ascending AAs. To determine the role of AT 1a receptors on vascular wall cells, we developed AT 1a receptor floxed mice with depletion on either smooth muscle or endothelial cells using Cre driven by either SM22 or Tek, respectively. AT 1a receptor deletion in smooth muscle cells had no effect on ascending AAs. In contrast, endothelial-specific depletion attenuated this pathology. Conclusions: Ang II infusion promotes aneurysms in the ascending aorta via stimulation of AT 1a receptors that are expressed on endothelial cells.
Personality characteristics of very bright adults.

(1968). Personality Characteristics of Very Bright Adults. The Journal of Social Psychology: Vol. 75, No. 1, pp. 119-126.
Characterization of interface defects in oxygen-implanted silicon films

Defects in ungated n- or p-type and gated p-type resistors have been characterized by photoinduced transient spectroscopy (PITS). These resistors were fabricated with p-type separation by implanted oxygen (SIMOX) wafers with a single-energy 200-keV oxygen implant to a total fluence of 1.8 × 1018 cm−2. One wafer, used for gated resistor fabrication was implanted at 595°C and sequentially annealed at 1325°C for 4 h in argon (plus 0.5% oxygen) followed by 4 h in nitrogen (plus 0.5% oxygen). Another wafer, used for ungated resistor fabrication, was implanted at 650°C and annealed at 1275°C for 2 h in nitrogen (plus 0.5% oxygen). The photoconductive response of these resistors to a 1-μs long visible light pulse, measured at temperatures in the 80-to 170-K range, shows different persistent photoconductive effects due to trapped minority carriers that are somewhat linked to the thermal anneal given to the SIMOX wafers. Our results indicate that more damage is present in the wafer annealed at 1275°C than in the one annealed at 1325°C. We model the photoconductive response in terms of a perpendicular built-in field created in the conductive film by trapped charge located at or near the interface with the buried oxide. Defects distributed throughout the conductive film body or located at the interface with the gate oxide are not expected to contribute significantly to the PITS signature, because of the fabrication of the gate oxide with standard metal-oxide semiconductor technology. We estimate the average trap density at the back interface to be in the 1011 cm2 range.
Tolerance intervals for symmetric location-scale families based on uncensored or censored samples

Abstract Exact methods for constructing two-sided tolerance intervals (TIs) and tolerance intervals that control percentages in both tails for a location-scale family of distributions are proposed. The proposed methods are illustrated by constructing TIs for a normal, logistic, and Laplace (double exponential) distributions based on type II singly censored samples. Factors for constructing one-sided and two-sided TIs for a logistic distribution are tabulated for the case of uncensored samples. Factors for constructing TIs based on censored samples for all three distributions are also tabulated. The factors for all cases are estimated by Monte Carlo simulation. An adjustment to the tolerance factors based on type II censored samples is proposed so that they can be used to find approximate TIs based on type I censored samples. Coverage studies of the approximate TIs based on type I censored samples indicate that the approximation is satisfactory as long as the proportion of censored observations is no more than 0.70. The methods are illustrated using some practical examples.
Segmentation-based view synthesis for three-dimensional video

This paper investigates the use of segmentation in view synthesis for three-dimensional video. View synthesis is the process of generating novel views of a scene, using a set of views as the reference. Recently, several techniques that use depth maps for rendering virtual views have been suggested. However, inaccuracy in depth maps causes annoying visual artifacts in depth-based view synthesis. This paper presents an efficient depth image-based rendering technique based on segmentation using multi-level thresholding. In the proposed algorithm, first all the images are segmented according to the depth and the pixels belonging to different objects are warped and blended independently. Based on multi-level thresholding, an algorithm for finding the ghost contour pixels is provided which simplifies the computations. A novel inpainting method for disocclusions has been introduced which uses the segmented images to find the associated background boundary pixels. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm improves the PSNR of the synthesized views up to 0.68 dB for the multi-view video test sequences and eliminates the annoying visual artifacts.
Population regulation in lake whitefish, Coregonus clupeaformis (Mitchill)

Mechanisms that might compensate for changes in mortality are well known but documentation of their operation and determination of their relative capacities is difficult. In this study the potential of lake whitefish to compensate for fishing mortality is quantified using a conventional fishery stock assessment model. The mechanisms examined are proportion of females, fecundity, survival of eggs and larvae, decrease in age at maturity and growth. The change in each of these parameters necessary to maintain constant recruitment with increasing fishing pressure is determined. Decrease in age of maturity and increased survival of larvae and eggs have the greatest potential for compensation. The total capacity for compensation appears large even when the mechanisms are considered alone. A review of several lake whitefish population studies indicates a large variation in the vital statistics. There is a close relation between total mortality and growth. There is also a close relation between growth and age at maturity. The analyses indicate that increased fishing results in increased growth which then results in a lower age at maturity. This feedback mechanism enables lake whitefish to respond to changes in environmental conditions and on average to maintain a birth rate in balance with mortality.
Applied monitoring for tardive dyskinesia and other extrapyramidal side effects

While the rate of tardive dyskinesia (TD) and other extrapyramidal side effects (EPSE) is lower with second generation antipsychotic medications compared to first generation antipsychotic medications, these side effects remain of clinical concern. This paper reviews the basis for the continued concern and the importance of secondary prevention, or early detection, within the primary-secondary-tertiary prevention model. The importance of standardized assessment instruments, education, and training is reviewed. Given the widespread use of antipsychotic drugs, the fact that antipsychotic drugs are the standard of care for several psychiatric conditions (with little indication that the magic bullet is on the immediate horizon to replace current antipsychotic drugs) applied monitoring and the early detection of TD and EPSE takes on added importance.