cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Constellation X-ray mission: science goals and mission implementation

The Constellation-X mission is a large collecting area X-ray observatory emphasizing high spectral resolution (R=E/ΔE from 300 to 3000) and a broad energy band (0.25–60 keV). By increasing the telescope aperture and utilizing efficient spectrometers the mission will achieve a factor of 20–100 increased sensitivity over current high resolution X-ray spectroscopy missions. The use of focusing optics across the 10–60 keV band will provide a similar factor of 100 increased sensitivity in this band. The Constellation-X design divides the collecting area across four separate spacecraft, launched two at a time. Constellation-X will address many topics including observing the formation and evolution of clusters of galaxies, constraining the Baryon content of the Universe, observing the effects of strong gravity close to the event horizon of super-massive black holes and the evolution of AGN with redshift.
Is human thioredoxin monomeric or dimeric

We have examined the molecular weight and rotational correlation time of human thioredoxin by analytical ultracentrifugation and NMR spectroscopy, respectively. Two variants of human thioredoxin were studied, namely human thioredoxin identical in amino acid sequence to the one whose NMR structure we previously determined (C62A, C69A, C73A, M74T) and human thioredoxin (C62A, C69A, C73A, M74) containing the wild-type amino acid methionine at position 74. In both cases, the experimental data indicate that the predominant species is monomeric and we find no evidence for the existence of a well-defined dimeric form as was observed in the recently reported crystal structure (Weichsel et al., 1996) of human thioredoxin and the C73S mutant.
Localization of aggrecan and versican in the developing rat central nervous system

The localization of aggrecan and mRNA splice variants of versican in the developing rat central nervous system has been examined by using specific polyclonal antibodies to the nonhomologous glycosaminoglycan attachment regions of these hyaluronan-binding chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans. At embryonic day 16 (E16), aggrecan and versican splice variants containing either or both the alpha-and beta-domains are present in the marginal zone and subplate of the cerebral cortex and in the amygdala, internal capsule, and the optic and lateral olfactory tracts. There is strong staining of versican but not of aggrecan in the hippocampus and dentate gyrus by E19, whereas both aggrecan and alpha-versican are present in the fimbria. At E19, aggrecan is seen throughout the cerebral cortex, whereas the distribution of versican is considerably more limited, being confined essentially to the marginal zone and subplate. At 1 week postnatal, both aggrecan and versican are present in the prospective white matter and in the molecular and granule cell layers of the cerebellum, but neither proteoglycan is seen in the external granule cell layer. alpha- but not beta-versican staining is seen in Purkinje cells, and aggrecan staining of Purkinje cells is also rather minimal. In the spinal cord at E13, aggrecan is present in the dorsal root entry zone, ventral funiculus, mantle layer, and floor plate, as well as in the dorsal root ganglia and ventral roots. However, alpha-versican is confined to the dorsal root entry zone and the ependyma surrounding the spinal canal, and beta-versican is not present in spinal cord parenchyma at this developmental stage, being limited to the surrounding connective tissue. By E19, there are significant amounts of all three proteoglycans in the spinal cord. Aggrecan staining is most intense in the lateral funiculus and the fasciculi gracilis and cuneatus, where alpha-versican staining is also strong. In contrast, beta-versican is seen predominantly in the motor columns. Differences in the localization and temporal expression patterns of these chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans suggest that, like neurocan and phosphacan, they have partially complementary roles during central nervous system development.
Advanced atherosclerosis is associated with increased medial degeneration in sporadic ascending aortic aneurysms

Objective: The pathogenesis of non-familial, sporadic ascending aortic aneurysms (SAAA) is poorly understood, and the relationship between ascending aortic atherosclerosis and medial degeneration is unclear. We evaluated the prevalence and severity of aortic atherosclerosis and its association with medial degeneration in SAAA. Methods and results: Atherosclerosis was characterized in ascending aortic tissues collected from 68 SAAA patients (mean age, 62.9 � 12.0 years) and 15 controls (mean age, 56.6 � 11.4 years [P ¼ 0.07]) by using a modified American Heart Association classification system. Upon histologic examination, 97% of SAAA patientsand73%ofcontrolsshowedatheroscleroticchanges.MostSAAAsampleshadintermediate(types2 and 3, 35%) or advanced atherosclerosis (types � 4; 40%), whereas most control samples showed minimal atherosclerosis (none or type 1, 80%; P < 0.001 after adjusting for age). In a separate analysis, we examined the total incidence and grade distribution of medial degenerative changes among SAAA samples according toatherosclerosisgrade.Advancedatherosclerosiswasassociatedwithhighergradesofsmoothmusclecell depletion (P < 0.001), elastic fiber depletion (P ¼ 0.02), elastic fiber fragmentation (P < 0.001), and mucopolysaccharide accumulation (P ¼ 0.04). Aortic diameter was larger in SAAA patients with advanced atherosclerosis than in patients with minimal (P ¼ 0.04) or intermediate atherosclerosis (P ¼ 0.04). Immunostaining showed marked CD3þ T-cell and CD68þ macrophage infiltration, MMP-2 and MMP-9 production, and cryopyrin expression in the medial layer adjacent to atherosclerotic plaque. Conclusions: SAAA tissues exhibited advanced atherosclerosis that was associated with severe medial degeneration and increased aortic diameter. Our findings suggest a role for atherosclerosis in the progression of sporadic ascending aortic aneurysms.
Adaptive imaging of damage from changes in guided wave signals recorded from spatially distributed arrays

Several imaging algorithms are being considered for localizing damage in plate-like structures by analyzing changes in signals recorded from permanently mounted guided wave sensor arrays. Delay-and-sum type algorithms have been shown to be effective for damage localization, but exhibit side lobes that significantly reduce the signal-to-noise ratio. Adaptive algorithms such as MVDR (minimum variance distortionless response) can provide significant reduction in the amplitude of side lobes. Additional improvements in image quality are possible if assumptions can be made concerning the scattering characteristics of the damage site. In the work presented here, the efficacy of the adaptive imaging algorithms is evaluated using both simulated and experimental waveform data. The simulated waveform data is generated by ray tracing and incorporates edge reflections, nominal dispersion curves, and a variety of angular scattering patterns for scatterers with cylindrical symmetry. The effect on image quality of mismatch between actual and assumed scattering patterns is evaluated. Images generated from the simulated waveform data are compared to those generated from experimental data for scattering from a 6 mm through-hole in an aluminum plate. The images are in good agreement, and knowledge of scattering characteristics is shown to significantly improve imaging results.
Leveraging GPUs using cooperative loop speculation

Graphics processing units, or GPUs, provide TFLOPs of additional performance potential in commodity computer systems that frequently go unused by most applications. Even with the emergence of languages such as CUDA and OpenCL, programming GPUs remains a difficult challenge for a variety of reasons, including the inherent algorithmic characteristics and data structure choices used by applications as well as the tedious performance optimization cycle that is necessary to achieve high performance. The goal of this work is to increase the applicability of GPUs beyond CUDA/OpenCL to implicitly data-parallel applications written in C/Cpp using speculative parallelization. To achieve this goal, we propose Paragon: a static/dynamic compiler platform to speculatively run possibly data-parallel portions of sequential applications on the GPU while cooperating with the system CPU. For such loops, Paragon utilizes the GPU in an opportunistic way while orchestrating a cooperative relation between the CPU and GPU to reduce the overhead of miss-speculations. Paragon monitors the dependencies for the loops running speculatively on the GPU and nonspeculatively on the CPU using a lightweight distributed conflict detection designed specifically for GPUs, and transfers the execution to the CPU in case a conflict is detected. Paragon resumes the execution on the GPU after the CPU resolves the dependency. Our experiments show that Paragon achieves 4x on average and up to 30x speedup compared to unsafe CPU execution with four threads and 7x on average and up to 64x speedup versus sequential execution across a set of sequential but implicitly data-parallel applications.
Gravity anomalies, flexure of axial lithosphere, and along-axis asthenospheric flow beneath the Southeast Indian Ridge

Abstract Mantle Bouguer and residual gravity anomaly patterns consistent with two- and three-dimensional mantle flow and/or crustal thickness variability, are observed juxtaposed within the five first-order segments of the Southeast Indian Ridge (SEIR) surveyed between 98° and 112°E. Within each segment ‘bull's-eye’ or ‘triangular’ patterns of mantle Bouguer and residual gravity anomalies, consistent with focused mantle upwelling and/or three-dimensional crustal thickness patterns, occur systematically toward the western ends of segments which adjoin significant left-stepping offsets in the ridge axis. The eastern ends of these segments and those that abut smaller, right-stepping transforms display a more two-dimensional anomaly character. Axial morphology also varies along strike; axial highs coincide with focused gravity anomalies, while rifted highs occur elsewhere. These observations imply that more magmatically robust extension, more vigorous mantle upwelling, and/or thicker crust characterize the western parts of those segments adjacent to significant ridge offsets. These trends are mirrored east of the deepest portions of the Australian-Antarctic Discordance (AAD), where more vigorous upwelling is located toward the eastern end of segment B5. In addition to the usual interpretations in terms of crustal thickness and/or mantle temperature, we suggest that the systematics of topographic style and gravity anomaly character provide further evidence for along-axis asthenospheric flow beneath the SEIR. In western portions of segments between 98° and 112°E, sub-axial flow toward the AAD causes asthenosphere to be drawn from beneath older lithosphere to the west, thereby increasing the region of mantle upwelling and melting supplying the ‘upstream’ portion of the ridge axis.
Decline and extirpation of an endangered Panamanian stream frog population (Craugastor punctariolus) due to an outbreak of chytridiomycosis

Abstract We conducted a mark-recapture study of three subpopulations of Craugastor punctariolus at a mid-elevation site in central Panama between 1999 and 2005. The study spans a period over which the pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) was absent from the site, invaded the site and decimated all amphibian populations, and now persists. We quantified natural demographic parameters prior to and during an event of mass mortality due to chytridiomycosis caused by Bd. Prior to the event of mass mortality, all three subpopulations of C. punctariolus were large (19–68 animals/200 m), showed a stable age-size distribution, and had high survival. All age-size classes of this species co-occurred on boulder clumps along streams, and adults showed high site fidelity and were likely territorial. Following detection of Bd at this site in late September 2004, four dead C. punctariolus were found infected with Bd and all three subpopulations completely disappeared from this site within 2 months. The association of all age-size classes with microhabitats appropriate for survival and growth of Bd likely contributed to the rapid and severe degree of decline of this species at this site. These data provide insight into the patterns and mechanisms of decline within a species due to Bd.
Depression and weight gain: the serotonin connection

The inability to control food intake and to engage in consistent exercise may account for repetitive episodes of weight gain. Many individuals who fail to maintain a normal weight may be susceptible to daily, monthly or seasonal perturbations in mood which result in an excessive intake of carbohydrate-rich foods and resistance to engaging in physical activity. Brain serotonin appears to be involved in these disturbances of mood and appetite; recent studies have shown that dietary and pharmacological interventions which increase serotoninergic activity normalize food intake and diminish depressed mood. Preventing recurrent weight gain may require periodic or sustained interventions that maintain mood and control over food intake.
AEROSOL DELIVERY OF DETANO, A NITRIC OXIDE ADDUCT, CAUSES SELECTIVE AND SUSTAINED PERINATAL PULMONARY VASODILATION † 2019

Postnatal adaptation of the pulmonary circulation is mediated by endothelium-derived nitric oxide (EDNO). Recent studies have demonstrated that inhaled nitric oxide (NO) causes selective and sustained vasodilation in infants with PPHN. The short half-life of NO limits its clinical application. We hypothesized that aerosol delivery of a NO-adduct, diethylenetriamine(DeTANO), can cause sustained and selective pulmonary vasodilation. To test this hypothesis, we studied the pulmonary vascular response of late-gestation fetal lambs (n=7; age=138 days; term = 147) to aerosolized DeTANO in the presence of an EDNO inhibitor, nitro-L-arginine (L-NA). At surgery, an ultrasonic flow transducer was placed on the left pulmonary artery (LPA) to measure flow (Q). Pressures were measured with catheters in the main pulmonary artery and aorta. After baseline measurements, L-NA (1 mg/min × 30 min) was infused into the LPA prior to ventilation (VENT) with 100% O2 for 30 minutes, followed by continued VENT with 10% O2 for 10 min. This represents the control period. VENT was continued with 100% O2 and DeTANO was given in doses of 0.1, 0.4, and 1.0 mg. 15 minutes following the last dose of DeTANO animals were ventilated with 10% O2.In the control period, after VENT with 100% total pulmonary resistance (TPR) was 0.724±.26 mmHg/cc/min. During VENT with 10% O2, TPR increased by 0.115±.068mmHg/cc/min. Aerosol delivery of DeTANO 0.1mg decreased TPR from 1.075±0.144 to 0.497±0.038 (p<0.05). After DeTANO, TPR did not change during VENT with 10% O2 (p<0.05, compared to control period. Aortic pressure did not change with DeTANO. We conclude that DeTANO can cause selective and sustained fetal pulmonary vasodilation. Aerosol delivery of DeTANO may increase the clinical applications of NO.
Development of an improved quantitative calibration for an exciplex liquid/vapor fuel visualization system

Exciplex-based liquid/vapor visualization systems used for fuel distribution studies allow 2D fluorescent images of the two phases to be taken separately. Although the exciplex technique is not new, an improved quantitative calibration method has been developed, relating fluorescence intensity to mass concentration of liquid and vapor fuel. Multiple droplet summation of optically thin droplets should be used to generate liquid phase calibrations for use in studies with high-pressure injectors. In addition to eliminating the need to correct for optical density, the spatial-averaging effect of this method resulted in a repeatable calibration.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Precision Alignment For X-Ray Lithography

X-ray lithography promises cost-effective integrated circuit production with submicron resolution. Achievement of this promise requires precision mask-to-wafer alignment over the whole wafer. This paper describes Perkin-Elmer's X-100 full-field X-ray lithography system with emphasis on the alignment subsystem. The alignment subsystem provides six degrees of freedom alignment between wafer and mask with an air gauge gap setting technique and a laser based physical optics lateral alignment system. These techniques were selected to be compatible with the subfield-stepper systems needed to pattern wafers over 100 mm in diameter. The physical optics technique has demonstrated alignment stability with signal-to-noise ratios representing less than 0.01 micron rms error for a 30 Hz bandwidth. The alignment system and its relation to the entire lithographic system is described in detail. X-ray exposed alignment overlays are shown.
Hybrid checking for microarchitectural validation of microprocessor designs on acceleration platforms

Software-based simulation provides a convenient environment for microprocessor design validation, where a number of complex software checkers are integrated with the simulated design to identify discrepancies between design and specification. Unfortunately, the performance of software-based simulation is vastly inadequate to achieve sufficient coverage for large microprocessor designs with complex microarchitectures. Hence, acceleration and emulation platforms are heavily deployed in the industry for high-performance validation. However, software checkers cannot be directly incorporated into such platforms, forcing designers to craft ad-hoc solutions. Adapting checking solutions for software simulation to acceleration platforms presents the following constraints: i) only a limited number of signals can be monitored per cycle for checking purposes so as to retain acceptable simulation performance, and ii) the overhead of the added checking logic must be minimal. In this work, we explore a novel solution to adapt software-based checkers for individual microarchitectural blocks to acceleration platforms, by leveraging a hybrid approach. Our solution exploits embedded logic and data tracing for post-simulation checking in a synergistic fashion to limit the associated overhead. Embedded logic can be used for synthesized local checkers as well as to compress the traced data and thus limit recording overhead. We analyze several trade-offs associated with checking accuracy and logic / recording overhead for different microarchitectural blocks of an out-of-order superscalar processor design. We strive to provide valuable insights on how to adapt such software checkers to the acceleration environment using our hybrid approach. We find that, by leveraging simple embedded checkers and data compressors (15-25% logic overhead), we can achieve excellent checking accuracy even when aggressively compressing the data for transfer (only 15-25 bits/cycle), and localize bugs up to 5,900 cycles sooner than an architectural-level checker.
Communication: Note on detailed balance in symmetrical quasi-classical models for electronically non-adiabatic dynamics.

It is noted that the recently developed symmetrical quasi-classical (SQC) treatment of the Meyer-Miller (MM) model for the simulation of electronically non-adiabatic dynamics provides a good description of detailed balance, even though the dynamics which results from the classical MM Hamiltonian is “Ehrenfest dynamics” (i.e., the force on the nuclei is an instantaneous coherent average over all electronic states). This is seen to be a consequence of the SQC windowing methodology for “processing” the results of the trajectory calculation. For a particularly simple model discussed here, this is shown to be true regardless of the choice of windowing function employed in the SQC model, and for a more realistic full classical molecular dynamics simulation, it is seen to be maintained correctly for very long time.
Simulation and Measurement of the Electric Fields Generated by Weakly Electric Fish

The weakly electric fish, Gnathonemus petersii, explores its environment by generating pulsed electric fields and detecting small perturbations in the fields resulting from nearby objects. Accordingly, the fish detects and discriminates objects on the basis of a sequence of electric "images" whose temporal and spatial properties depend on the timing of the fish's electric organ discharge and its body position relative to objects in its environment. We are interested in investigating how these fish utilize timing and body-position during exploration to aid in object discrimination. We have developed a finite-element simulation of the fish's self-generated electric fields so as to reconstruct the electrosensory consequences of body position and electric organ discharge timing in the fish. This paper describes this finite-element simulation system and presents preliminary electric field measurements which are being used to tune the simulation.
A review of the status of the horseradish peroxidase method in neuroanatomy

Abstract The purpose of this review is to evaluate several aspects of the retrograde transport of horseradish peroxidase as a neuroanatomical tracing technique. These include (1) methods for the delivery of tracer, (2) determination of the effective injection site, (3) perfusion techniques and histological processing, (4) identification of labelled cells, (5) the role of axonal injury in the uptake and accumulation of enzyme, (6) representative species and neural systems in which the method has been used, (7) comments on anterograde transport, (8) conjunctive or multiple tracing methods, and (9) a comparison of the retrograde transport method with other tracing techniques. The recent literature pertaining to these areas is reviewed, and where necessary, appropriate future experiments are proposed. It is concluded that the retrograde transport method offers a number of conspicuous advantages to tracing methods based on neuronal degeneration. Many unresolved issues merit further study, especially numbers (2) and (5). The retrograde transport method is compatible with and complements many histochemical and degeneration methods as well as autoradiography and electron microscopy.
Radioprotection of the rat parotid gland by WR-2721: morphology at 60 days post-irradiation

Abstract The ultrastructure of rat parotid glands protected by S-2 (3-aminopropylamino) ethyl phosphorothioate (WR-2721) was evaluated 60 days following a single dose of 3.2 kR of X-irradiation and compared with that of similarly irradiated but non-protected glands. Non-protected glands suffered a drastic reduction in the amount of acinar tissue while ducts and blood vessels exhibited only minor morphological changes. The evidence of acinar loss was provided by the presence of excessive and redundant basal laminae around surviving acini, and large condensations of empty basal lamina) profiles in the spaces between surviving structures. The blood vessels present at 60 days post-irradiation showed no evidence of damage. However, there were additional layers of basal lamina around occasional capillaries, which others have interpreted as evidence of previous endothelial repair. The WR-2721 protected glands showed similar signs of damage but to a much lesser degree. Therefore, this paper shows that WR-2721 is effective in protecting the rat parotid gland, specifically the radiosensitive acinar cells.
Carcinogenicity Evaluation: Comparison of Tumor Data from Dual Control Groups in the CD–1 Mouse:

Current regulatory thinking allows for the use of single control groups for rodent carcinogenicity testing although there has been a trend until recently to use dual control groups. To date, virtually nothing has been published on whether a shift from dual to single control groups will affect the identification of tumorigenic risk potential in these studies. A recent evaluation of dual control carcinogenicity data in the rat (Baldrick, Toxicol Pathol 2005, 33: 283-291) showed that although no major differences in tumor incidences between the control groups were found, some interstudy variation occurred and in cases were a notable difference was seen, the use of 2 control groups, as well as robust, contemporary background data, allowed an easier interpretation of findings in drug-treated groups. In this paper, the results of 10 mouse carcinogenicity studies, performed between 1991 and 2004, with 2 control groups, are presented. As in the rat, interstudy variation was seen and in some cases, the use of dual control groups assisted in the tumor risk assessment. Thus, the continued use of 2 control groups can have a vital role in mouse carcinogenicity studies. The paper also presents an update on survival, on the range and extent of background spontaneous neoplasms and comments on genetic drift in this commonly used mouse strain.
Effects of Malathion on Humoral Immunity and Macrophage Function in Mast Cell-Deficient Mice

Abstract Malathion, when administered at noncholinergic doses, was previously shown to enhance the humoral immune response to a T-dependent antigen, sheep red blood cells (SRBC), and macrophage function. In addition, malathion was shown to cause mast cell degranulation. The hypothesis that mast cells contribute to the observed alterations in humoral immunity and macrophage function was determined by examination of the effects of acute administration of malathion to mast cell-deficient mice on macrophage function and the generation of a humoral immune response to SRBC. Initial studies in two strains of mast cell-deficient mice (6–7 weeks old) indicated that oral administration of malathion reduced macrophage function in these mice, but enhanced macrophage function in the wild-type strain. Because both strains reacted in a similar fashion and the defect in the WBB6F1-W/W v strain allowed reconstitution, further studies were conducted with this strain. Exposure of either wild-type mice or mast cell-deficient mice with reconstituted with bone marrow-derived mast cells (BMMC) from the wild-type mice to malathion enhanced macrophage function and the production of circulating IgM, but not IgG, antibodies to SRBC on Days 3 and 5 after immunization. In contrast, administration of malathion to older mast cell-deficient mice suppressed the generation of IgM and IgG antibodies to SRBC on Days 3 and 5 after immunization, but did not affect macrophage function. In summary, the results presented indicate that the presence of mast cells was necessary for the increases in macrophage function and humoral immunity observed after acute oral administration of malathion to mice.
Transcriptional regulation of lipid synthesis in bovine mammary epithelial cells by sterol regulatory element binding protein-1

The objective of this study was to investigate the transcriptional regulation of lipid synthesis by sterol regulatory element binding protein-1 (SREBP-1) in bovine mammary epithelial cells. In the current study, bovine mammary epithelial (MAC-T) cells cultured in insulin- and prolactin-containing medium were treated with a transfection reagent as control, a nontargeting small interfering (si)RNA sequence (100 nM) as a negative control, or an SREBP-1-specific siRNA (100 nM) for 48 h. The mRNA expression of SREBP-1 was decreased more than 90% by siRNA. Precursor and mature forms of SREBP-1 protein were undetectable in cells treated with SREBP-1 siRNA. Fatty acid synthesis and fatty acid uptake, measured using isotope incorporation, were reduced significantly in cells treated with SREBP-1 siRNA compared with controls. Transcript abundance of acyl-CoA synthetase short-chain family member 2, acetyl-CoA carboxylase, fatty acid synthetase, and isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (key enzymes of de novo lipogenesis) was decreased by 40 to 65% with SREBP-1 siRNA, in agreement with acetate incorporation data. The mRNA levels of fatty acid binding protein 3 and stearyl-CoA desaturase 1 (proteins responsible for intracellular fatty acid trafficking and long-chain fatty acid modification) were decreased 76 and 60%, respectively, by SREBP-1 siRNA treatment compared with controls. The mRNA expression of mitochondrial glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase and lipin 1 (involved in triglyceride synthesis) was significantly decreased in cells treated with SREBP-1 siRNA compared with control cells. However, the expression of milk fat globule membrane proteins measured did not differ among treatments. In conclusion, SREBP-1 plays an important role in integrated regulation of lipid synthesis in bovine mammary epithelial cells through regulation of key enzymes.
Optically Pumped Gas Lasers

Recent advances in techniques for remote probing of trace gases in the atmosphere [1,2], in laser induced photochemistry [3,4], and in laser isotope separation [5,6] have created a need for new infrared laser sources at frequencies that match molecular vibrational absorption bands. The work on optically pumped infrared lasers described here has been motivated primarily by the needs of the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory UF6 isotope separation program which requires lasers at 7.74, 8.62, 12.1 or 15.9 μm [7].
A collaborative adaptive Wiener filter for image restoration using a spatial-domain multi-patch correlation model

We present a new patch-based image restoration algorithm using an adaptive Wiener filter (AWF) with a novel spatial-domain multi-patch correlation model. The new filter structure is referred to as a collaborative adaptive Wiener filter (CAWF). The CAWF employs a finite size moving window. At each position, the current observation window represents the reference patch. We identify the most similar patches in the image within a given search window about the reference patch. A single-stage weighted sum of all of the pixels in the similar patches is used to estimate the center pixel in the reference patch. The weights are based on a new multi-patch correlation model that takes into account each pixel’s spatial distance to the center of its corresponding patch, as well as the intensity vector distances among the similar patches. One key advantage of the CAWF approach, compared with many other patch-based algorithms, is that it can jointly handle blur and noise. Furthermore, it can also readily treat spatially varying signal and noise statistics. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first multi-patch algorithm to use a single spatial-domain weighted sum of all pixels within multiple similar patches to form its estimate and the first to use a spatial-domain multi-patch correlation model to determine the weights. The experimental results presented show that the proposed method delivers high performance in image restoration in a variety of scenarios.
A conserved late endosome-targeting signal required for Doa4 deubiquitylating enzyme function.

Enzyme specificity in vivo is often controlled by subcellular localization. Yeast Doa4, a deubiquitylating enzyme (DUB), removes ubiquitin from membrane proteins destined for vacuolar degradation. Doa4 is recruited to the late endosome after ESCRT-III (endosomal sorting complex required for transport III) has assembled there. We show that an N-terminal segment of Doa4 is sufficient for endosome association. This domain bears four conserved elements (boxes A–D). Deletion of the most conserved of these, A or B, prevents Doa4 endosomal localization. These mutants cannot sustain ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis even though neither motif is essential for deubiquitylating activity. Ubiquitin-specific processing protease 5 (Ubp5), the closest paralogue of Doa4, has no functional overlap. Ubp5 concentrates at the bud neck; its N-terminal domain is critical for this. Importantly, substitution of the Ubp5 N-terminal domain with that of Doa4 relocalizes the Ubp5 enzyme to endosomes and provides Doa4 function. This is the first demonstration of a physiologically important DUB subcellular localization signal and provides a striking example of the functional diversification of DUB paralogues by the evolution of alternative spatial signals.
Quadrotor Helicopter Flight Dynamics and Control: Theory and Experiment

Quadrotor helicopters are emerging as a popular platform for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) research, due to the simplicity of their construction and maintenance, their ability to hover, and their vertical take o and landing (VTOL) capability. Current designs have often considered only nominal operating conditions for vehicle control design. This work seeks to address issues that arise when deviating significantly from the hover flight regime. Aided by well established research for helicopter flight control, three separate aerodynamic eects are investigated as they pertain to quadrotor flight, due to vehicular velocity, angle of attack, and airframe design. They cause moments that aect attitude control, and thrust variation that aects altitude control. Where possible, a theoretical development is first presented, and is then validated through both thrust test stand measurements and vehicle flight tests using the Stanford Testbed of Autonomous Rotorcraft for Multi-Agent Control (STARMAC) quadrotor helicopter. The results enabled improved controller performance.
Evidence of Phenylalanine Transaminase Activity in the Isoenzymes of Aspartate Transaminase

Abstract The transamination by pig mitochondrial and supernatant aspartate transaminase of aromatic amino acids was studied in order to determine if an analogy exists between these enzymes and a previously reported brain phenylalanine transaminase (George, H., and Gabay, S. (1968) Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 167, 555). Supernatant and mitochondrial aspartate transaminase from pig heart can utilize aromatic amino acids as substrates. Phenylalanine and other aromatic amino acids are competitive inhibitors of the transamination between glutamate and aspartate and their respective keto acids. The inhibition constants (Ki) are: phenylalanine = 6.8 mm, tryptophan = 4.1 mm, and tyrosine = 3.9 mm for the supernatant enzyme; and phenylalanine = 18.4 mm, tryptophan = 12 mm, and tyrosine = 3.3 mm for the mitochondrial enzyme. It can be shown that phenylalanine reacts with the pyridoxal form of both isozymes (absorbance, 350 to 360 nm) to generate the pyridoxamine form of the enzyme (absorbance, 330 nm). This form reconverts into the pyridoxal form upon addition of either phenylpyruvate or α-ketoglutarate, completing a full transamination cycle between an amino acid and its analogous keto acid or with acceptor keto acid. Other non-aromatic amino acids, with the exception of methionine, are considerably poorer substrates. At pH 8.3 the transamination rates of isolated pig heart supernatant and mitochondrial aspartate transaminase with phenylalanine as amino donor and α-ketoglutarate as acceptor are 12 and 200 nmoles of glutamate formed per hour per µg. The substrate dissociation constants, as determined by direct spectrophotometric titrations of the isoenzyme's active site, are: phenylalanine = 18.3 mm and phenylpyruvate = 0.4 mm for the mitochondrial enzyme and phenylalanine = 25 mm and phenylpyruvate = 0.6 mm for supernatant enzyme. These values are comparable to those of purified brain phenylalanine transaminase. Immunological and electrophoretic studies reveal identity between the isoenzymes of heart aspartate transaminase and brain phenylalanine transaminase. Antibodies against the heart enzyme inhibit the brain enzyme, with a concomitant decrease in both the aspartate transaminase and phenylalanine transaminases activities. After inhibition by heart's supernatant and mitochondrial aspartate transaminase antibodies, the ratio of aspartate transaminase activity to phenylalanine transaminase remains constant throughout the brain's enzyme purification procedure. It appears that because of substrate specificity, substrate affinity, transamination rates, inhibition by phenylalanine, inhibition by antibodies and electrophoretic mobility, pig brain phenylalanine transaminase is aspartate transaminase. Brain contains both the cytoplasmic and mitochondrial isoenzymes. Because of a higher rate of utilization of phenylalanine by the mitochondrial enzyme, it is suggested that the production of phenylpyruvate in brain might preferentially occur, in vivo, through the participation of mitochondrial glutamate aspartate transaminase.
Random Vibrations in Discrete Nonlinear Dynamic Systems

A one-degree-of-freedom system and a two-degree-of-freedom system containing Dis-placement and velocity dependent nonlinearities subjected to stationary gaussian white noise excitation have been studied by the method of the Fokker-Planck equation. Non-linearities have been represented by suitable polynomials. The Fokker-Planck equations governing the stationary probability density function for these systems have been solved by representing the density function by a multiple series of Hermite polynomials. The constants in the series expansion were determined by Galerkin's method. Analysis is developed for the system containing nonlinearities described by suitable polynomials in velocity and displacement dependent forces. Comparisons were made between series and exact solutions for those special cases for which exact solutions are known.
Long-term temporal stability of the National Institute of Standards and Technology spectral irradiance scale determined with absolute filter radiometers

The temporal stability of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) spectral irradiance scale as measured with broadband filter radiometers calibrated for absolute spectral irradiance responsivity is described. The working standard free-electron laser (FEL) lamps and the check standard FEL lamps have been monitored with radiometers in the ultraviolet and the visible wavelength regions. The measurements made with these two radiometers reveal that the NIST spectral irradiance scale as compared with an absolute thermodynamic scale has not changed by more than 1.5% in the visible from 1993 to 1999. Similar measurements in the ultraviolet reveal that the corresponding change is less than 1.5% from 1995 to 1999. Furthermore, a check of the spectral irradiance scale by six different filter radiometers calibrated for absolute spectral irradiance responsivity based on the high-accuracy cryogenic radiometer shows that the agreement between the present scale and the detector-based scale is better than 1.3% throughout the visible to the near-infrared wavelength region. These results validate the assigned spectral irradiance of the widely disseminated NIST or NIST-traceable standard sources.
Contemporary Chinese America: Immigration, Ethnicity, and Community Transformation – By Min Zhou

A review of the book "Contemporary Chinese America: Immigration, Ethnicity, and Community Transformation," by Min Zhou is presented.
Putting an 'End' to HIV mRNAs: capping and polyadenylation as potential therapeutic targets

Like most cellular mRNAs, the 5′ end of HIV mRNAs is capped and the 3′ end matured by the process of polyadenylation. There are, however, several rather unique and interesting aspects of these post-transcriptional processes on HIV transcripts. Capping of the highly structured 5′ end of HIV mRNAs is influenced by the viral TAT protein and a population of HIV mRNAs contains a trimethyl-G cap reminiscent of U snRNAs involved in splicing. HIV polyadenylation involves active repression of a promoter-proximal polyadenylation signal, auxiliary upstream regulatory elements and moonlighting polyadenylation factors that have additional impacts on HIV biology outside of the constraints of classical mRNA 3’ end formation. This review describes these post-transcriptional novelties of HIV gene expression as well as their implications in viral biology and as possible targets for therapeutic intervention.
Shell-model structure of light hypernuclei

Abstract The status of shell-model calculations that include both Λ and Σ configurations with p-shell cores to interpret γ -ray transitions in Li Λ 7 , Be Λ 9 , B Λ 10 , B Λ 11 , C Λ 12 , N Λ 15 , and O Λ 16 observed with the Hyperball array of Ge detectors is discussed with an emphasis on new data for C Λ 12 and B Λ 11 from KEK E566.
Likelihood of nursing home referral for fecally incontinent elderly patients is influenced by physician views on nursing home care and outpatient management of fecal incontinence.

Abstract Objectives (1) Characterize physicians’ management practices for fecal incontinence (FI) among elderly patients, (2) describe physician perceptions of the quality of care for FI provided in nursing homes (NH), and (3) identify physician views and attributes associated with referral of elderly patients with FI to an NH. Design Cross-sectional. Setting United States. Participants Physician members of the American Geriatrics Society. Measurements Questionnaire pertaining to physician views on (1) their own FI management practices, (2) management of FI in NHs, and (3) referral of an elderly patient with FI to an NH. Results Of the respondents (n = 606), 54.1% reported screening for FI and 59.3% thought FI could be managed conservatively on an outpatient basis. Only 32.9% believed NHs provide good care for FI, and 27.1% believed NH care conditions exacerbate FI. Responding to a hypothetical vignette, 10.6% would probably or definitely refer an older adult patient with only FI to an NH, and 17.2% were uncertain about whether or not to refer. Logistic regression analysis identified physician characteristics associated with decreased likelihood of NH referral as the belief that FI can be managed conservatively, the belief that NHs provide poor care for FI, longer practice experience, and practicing in an academic medical center. Conclusion Most geriatricians believe FI can be managed conservatively and that NHs provide poor care for FI. These beliefs plus longer years of practice and practice in an academic setting decrease the likelihood of referral to NH for patients with FI.
Bilateral Wilms' Tumor Diagnosis and Management

Wilms' tumors occur bilaterally often enough to make it mandatory to study preoperatively, from this point of view, every child with clear signs of such a le sion in one kidney.
MAPPING SALT MARSH VEGETATION USING AERIAL HYPERSPECTRAL IMAGERY AND LINEAR UNMIXING IN HUMBOLDT BAY, CALIFORNIA

ABSTRACT Composition of salt marsh vegetation is important to wetland ecosystem health, and monitoring invasive species is critical. The purpose of this study was to examine the utility of airborne hyperspectral imagery in mapping salt marsh vegetation in Humboldt Bay, California, USA. An unmixing algorithm was applied to spatial and spectral image subsets. Overall accuracy among Spartina densiflora, Salicornia virginica, and Distichlis spicata was assessed at 85.1%. Algorithm prediction between observed and predicted percent cover ranged from r2 = 0.32 to r2 = 0.53, an improvement on comparable studies. Percent cover prediction was least accurate for Distichlis spicata, due to initial endmember selection. Use of the Pixel Purity Index in conjunction with field work likely aided in identifying the best candidates for the linear unmixing technique.
Does angiographic response to wiring of totally occluded vessels predict outcomes in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction?

Observation has frequently been the foundation for some of the most important research in medicine. New findings based on properly designed studies with well-established statistical methods can influence patient care. When an observational study reports a new finding from a properly designed trial,
Carbon-Based Solid-State Calcium Ion-Selective Microelectrode and Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy: A Quantitative Study of pH-Dependent Release of Calcium Ions from Bioactive Glass

Solid-state ion-selective electrodes are used as scanning electrochemical microscope (SECM) probes because of their inherent fast response time and ease of miniaturization. In this study, we report the development of a solid-state, low-poly(vinyl chloride), carbon-based calcium ion-selective microelectrode (Ca2+-ISME), 25 μm in diameter, capable of performing an amperometric approach curve and serving as a potentiometric sensor. The Ca2+-ISME has a broad linear response range of 5 μM to 200 mM with a near Nernstian slope of 28 mV/log[aCa2+]. The calculated detection limit for Ca2+-ISME is 1 μM. The selectivity coefficients of this Ca2+-ISME are log KCa2+,A = −5.88, −5.54, and −6.31 for Mg2+, Na+, and K+, respectively. We used this new type of Ca2+-ISME as an SECM probe to quantitatively map the chemical microenvironment produced by a model substrate, bioactive glass (BAG). In acidic conditions (pH 4.5), BAG was found to increase the calcium ion concentration from 0.7 mM ([Ca2+] in artificial saliva) to 1....
Early evolution of the thermometer and application to clinical medicine

By the time of Hippocrates and Galen the notion of fevers and temperature were known. Through ensuing centuries, ancient Greek, Roman, and medieval savants and physicians made additional contributions to the understanding of fever, temperature, and thermometry. By the end of that era, there was a working definition of what constitutes a rationale temperature scale, the distinction between fever as a symptom and fever as a disease, an elaborate classification scheme for temperature, hypotheses as to the causes of fever, and methods for measuring fevers. Based on the definition of fever at that time, the 16th century scientist Galileo promulgated production of thermometric instruments hundreds of years before they were routinely used in the clinical setting. In this work we examine the history of fever and clinical thermometry in the ancient world through the end of the eighteenth century with descriptions of instruments for its measure and human relationship to fever.
Residual Methods for Discretization Error Estimation

The largest and most difficult numerical approximation error to estimate is discretization error. This study investigates the accuracy of two different residual-based discretization error estimators: discretization error transport equations and defect correction methods. Residual methods are a category of error estimators that use a discrete solution and information about the problem being solved (either the differential or the discrete equations) to calculate an error estimate using only one grid level. As few as two grid levels are needed if the reliability of the error estimate is to be assessed. This is advantageous because the reliability of all discretization error estimators require that the numerical solution, or solutions, be solved on sufficiently fine grids, which is often difficult to achieve for complex scientific computing applications. Two different linearization methods for the discretization error transport equation will also be studied. The estimated discretization error for these residual-based methods will be compared to Richardson extrapolation using exact solutions to 1D Burgers’ equation and the 2D Euler equations. The exact solutions to the Euler equations include two manufactured solutions, Ringleb's flow, and a supersonic vortex flow.