cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Association between protease-specific proteolytic cleavage of brevican and synaptic loss in the dentate gyrus of kainate-treated rats.

Abstract Proteolytic fragments generated by ADAMTS ( a d isintegrin a nd m etalloprotease with t hrombo s pondin motifs)-mediated cleavage of the aggregating chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan, brevican, have been identified, but not localized in the CNS. The purpose of this study, using kainate-induced CNS lesion, was to examine the spatial and quantitative relationship between ADAMTS1 and 4 mRNA expression and ADAMTS-mediated cleavage of brevican (as determined by the abundance of the neo-epitope QEAVESE at the C-terminal of the cleaved brevican G1 domain). In untreated rats, in situ hybridization and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction indicated that ADAMTS4 expression was higher than ADAMTS1 and was localized to hippocampus, temporal lobe and other areas of cortex, striatum and hypothalamus. ADAMTS4 mRNA expression in these regions correlated with the presence of the QEAVESE neo-epitope, which was concentrated in perineuronal nets and in neuropil. In rats that seized after kainate, there was a dramatic elevation in ADAMTS1 and ADAMTS4 transcript that correlated and co-localized with a robust elevation in an extractable, 55-kDa fragment of brevican in temporal lobe and hippocampus. This fragment consisted, at least in part, of the ADAMTS-cleaved epitope G1-QEAVESE. The kainate-induced elevation in this ADAMTS-cleaved fragment was localized to amygdaloid and thalamic nuclei, hippocampus, caudate–putamen, cingulate cortex, and the outer molecular layer of the dentate gyrus where it was accompanied by a robust elevation in ADAMTS1 and 4 mRNA and a 28% decline in synaptic density 5 days after kainate. Thus, complexes of extracellular matrix proteins that exist in perineuronal nets and in the neuropil are cleaved by specific matrix-degrading proteases at early time points during excitotoxic neurodegeneration. The observed ADAMTS-induced cleavage of brevican in the dentate outer molecular layer is closely associated with diminished synaptic density, and may, therefore, contribute to synaptic loss and/or reorganization in this region.
Avatar-based depression self-management technology: promising approach to improve depressive symptoms among young adults

Major depressive disorder is prevalent among American young adults and predisposes young adults to serious impairments in psychosocial functioning. Without intervention, young adults with depressive symptoms are at high risk for worsening of depressive symptoms and developing major depressive disorder. Young adults are not routinely taught effective depression self management skills to reduce depressive symptoms and preempt future illness. This study reports initial results of a randomized controlled trial among young adults (18-25 years of age) with depressive symptoms who were exposed to an avatar-based depression self-management intervention, eSMART-MH. Participants completed self-report measures of depressive symptoms at baseline and at 4, 8, and 12 weeks follow-up. Participants who received eSMART-MH had a significant reduction in depressive symptoms over 3 months, while individuals in the attention-control condition had no change in symptoms. In this study, eSMART-MH demonstrated initial efficacy and is a promising developmentally appropriate depression self-management intervention for young adults.
Microbial carbonate and phosphate precipitates from sea water cultures

Abstract Nitrogenous organic materials (Difco Tryptone and Difco Yeast Extract) were allowed to decompose in seawater (35 p.p.t.) at approximately 24°C under varying conditions of aeration. In aerated cultures the mineral struvite (NH 4 -MgPO 4 · 6H 2 O) formed by a reaction between phosphate and ammonia from the decomposing organic material and magnesium in the seawater. Cultures grown in paper-plugged flasks produced precipitates consisting of struvite and monohydrocalcite (CaCO 3 · H 2 O). Cultures grown in tightly-stoppered flasks produced a precipitate consisting of calcite containing approximately 14 mol% MgCO 3 and struvite. The uncomplicated nature of these experiments suggests that similar phases may be produced in varying natural situations where nitrogenous organic material decays in seawater or in contact with interstitial water in sediments.
Determination of process-induced residual stress in composite materials using embedded fiber optic sensors

A method to determine process-induced residual stress in composite materials using strain measurements from embedded fiber optic sensors is presented. This method allows non- destructive, real-time determination of residual macrostress in composite materials and may be useful for both process monitoring and control. Extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometer strain sensors were embedded in Hercules AS4/3501-6 graphite/epoxy composite specimens prior to cure. The specimens were cured in a press, and the internal strains and temperatures developed during processing were monitored and recorded. Residual macrostresses were computed using these measurements and a viscoelastic model of the material. The results compare favorably with previous analytical predictions and experimental measurements from a destructive technique.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
“Runaway” social evolution: Reinforcing selection for inbreeding and altruism*

Kin selection theory predicts that altruistic behaviors, those that decrease the fitness of the individual performing the behavior but increase the fitness of the recipient, can increase in frequency if the individuals interacting are closely related. Several studies have shown that inbreeding therefore generally increases the effectiveness of kin selection when fitnesses are linear, additive functions of the number of altruists in the family, although with extreme forms of altruism, inbreeding can actually retard the evolution of altruism. These models assume that a constant proportion of the population mates at random and a constant proportion practices some form of inbreeding. In order to investigate the effect of inbreeding on the evolution of altruistic behavior when the mating structure is allowed to evolve, we examined a two-locus model by computer simulation of a diploid case and illustrated the important qualitative features by mathematical analysis of a haploid case. One locus determines an individual's propensity to perform altruistic social behavior and the second locus determines the probability that an individual will mate within its sibship. We assumed positive selection for altruism and no direct selection at the inbreeding locus. We observed that the altruistic allele and the inbreeding allele become positively associated, even when the initial conditions of the model assume independence between these loci. This linkage disequilibrium becomes established, because the altruistic allele increases more rapidly in the inbreeding segment of the population. This association subsequently results in indirect selection on the inbreeding locus. However, the dynamics of this model go beyond a simple "hitch-hiking" effect, because high levels of altruism lead to increased inbreeding, and high degrees of inbreeding accelerate the rate of change of the altruistic allele in the entire population. Thus, the dynamics of this model are similar to those of "runaway" sexual selection, with gene frequency change at the two loci interactively causing rapid evolutionary change.
The time course of engraftment of human mesenchymal stem cells in fetal heart demonstrates that Purkinje fiber aggregates derive from a single cell and not multi-cell homing

Objective To study the early time course of engraftment of human mesenchymal stem cells in fetal sheep heart and determine the relative roles of proliferation and homing in formation of aggregates of human Purkinje fiber cells. Methods The human sheep xenograft model was utilized for these studies. Prior to injection in the preimmune fetus, human cells were labeled with fluorescent dyes to be able to track human cells at early times of engraftment. Results Human stem cells were detected in fetal hearts between 29 and 39 hours after intraperitoneal injection. Engraftment was primarily in the Purkinje fiber system. By 45 hours engrafted human cells had a cardiac phenotype. When two groups of human mesenchymal stem cells, each labeled with a different fluorescent dye, were combined prior to injection, aggregates of human Purkinje fiber cells contained cells labeled with either one dye or the other, no aggregate contained cells labeled with both dyes. Conclusions Human mesenchymal stem cells introduced into fetal sheep rapidly enter the myocardium. The swift differentiation into a cardiac phenotype indicates that the cardiac milieu has a strong influence on the fate of engrafting human mesenchymal stem cells. The absence of any aggregates of human Purkinje fiber cells containing both fluorescent dyes demonstrates that each aggregate of human Purkinje fiber cells is derived from a single mesenchymal stem cell and not from homing of multiple cells to a hotspot.
Prevalence and risk factors for renal scars in children with febrile UTI and/or VUR: a cross-sectional observational study of 565 consecutive patients.

Purpose To determine prevalence and risk factors for renal scar in children referred for urologic assessment of febrile UTI and/or VUR.
Kelvin wave propagation in a high drag coastal environment

Abstract Coastally trapped Kelvin waves in a model system of a flat half-planar ocean with a high-drag region of width L adjacent to the coast have properties that depend on L, and its drag, D0. For L less than the Rossby radius, there is a Kelvin wave which has an attenuation coefficient proportional to L. The loss of energy in the drag region results in a nonzero cross-shore velocity which transports energy into the high drag region. Additional trapped waves modes are possible for larger L. At sufficiently large D0, Kelvin waves are trapped on the outer edge of the high drag region rather than at the coast. When this occurs, there is a decrease in the attenuation coefficient. Under conditions of large L and D0, there are also very heavily damped Poincare waves trapped in the drag region. There is a Lagrangian drift at the outer edge of the high drag zone in the direction of Kelvin wave propagation when D0 is small. The Lagrangian drift can be in the opposite direction when D0 is large. Comparison with c...
RPM: a remote computer power management tool

A vital resource for ubiquitous computing systems is energy. Today, energy has been elevated to the status of a first class operating system resource. A major challenge to the ubiquitous computing is how to manage the power consumption in a computer system so as to achieve goals in system performance, quality of service, complexity, cost, and energy conservation. Power-aware computing involves a wide range of systems, from mobile and embedded systems to high-performance servers. In this paper, we describe a Windows based power management tool called RPM that is used to provide power management for local and remote computer systems. The remote control feature of RPM is realised through the Distributed COM protocol. RPM manages the power consumption for an entire computer system, a CPU, or devices. Because it programs the hardware chipset power management registers directly, RPM is not dependent on CMOS setting for CPU power management. The system administrator can also use RPM as a tool for system and device diagnosis. Preliminary results indicate that RPM is a useful tool.
Mapping the contours of faith in the land of separation: spiritual geographies for children

According to Jean Piaget, children begin to develop a concept of an object, such as that it has sides that are not visible from the child's perspective or that it is likely to be where one saw it last, in early infancy. By the close of the prelinguistic phase at about 2 years old, the child has developed a mature object concept, one that comprehends the object as a continuing entity even when it is not visible. Many children's picture books demonstrate Piaget's concept of object permanence through narrative and image. This paper offers a close reading of three classics, Goodnight moon, Harold and the purple crayon and Where the wild things are, in an explanation of how children are able to develop faith in an invisible, omnipresent deity.
Structuring Research Culture and Strategy in Community Practice: Appreciating the Diversity of Templates for Steering Inquiry in Social Work

McRoy, R. G., Flanzer, J. P., & Levy Zlotnik, J. (2012). Building Research Culture and Infrastructure. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, ISBN: 978-0-19-539964-6, 200 pp. (Paperback)Gilvin, A.,...
Selection of carrier gas velocity in the analysis of a multicomponent sample

The selection of the average linear carrier gas velocity in the analysis of a multicomponent mixture under isothermal and programmed-temperature conditions is discussed. It is shown that one shouls always select a velocity which is at least equal but preferably higher than the optimum average gas velocity of the earliest peak at the initial column temperature.
Regulation of cytoplasmic tubulin carboxypeptidase activity in vitro by cations and sulfhydryl‐modifying compounds

alpha-tubulin subunits within microtubules (MTs) can be post-translationally detyrosinated by a tubulin-specific carboxypeptidase (TCP) activity to form biochemically distinct MTs. Attempts to characterize and purify TCP have suffered from the inability to detect low levels of activity and to distinguish TCP from other, competing enzyme activities. We recently developed an assay for TCP [Webster et al. (1992) Biochemistry 31:5849] that uses taxol-stabilized MTs as the substrate. In this study, we exploited the increased sensitivity and specificity of this new assay to explore the effects of various agents that might act to either stimulate or inhibit this enzyme in vitro. We tested a variety of both monovalent and divalent cations for their ability to affect TCP, and tested whether the cations were affecting the enzyme, the substrate, or both. We found that TCP displayed salt-sensitive binding to MTs, characteristic of other, more well characterized MT-associated proteins. While both calcium and magnesium stimulated TCP activity over a narrow concentration range (2-10 mM), they inhibited activity at higher concentrations. Other divalent cations tested, including zinc, copper, and cobalt, inhibited TCP at virtually all concentrations tested, but to different levels (zinc > copper > cobalt). Most of the zinc-induced TCP inhibition was attributed to the interference with the normal binding of TCP to MTs. In addition, we examined the involvement of free sulfhydryl groups (which are important for the activities of many types of enzymes) in TCP activity by the addition of sulfhydryl-modifying compounds during the assay, and found that their addition reduced TCP activity mainly (but not solely) by their action on the extract that contained the TCP. Finally, we tested the ability of DL-benzylsuccinic acid, a potent inhibitor of carboxypeptidase A, to inhibit TCP. While carboxypeptidase A has been found, in other studies, to be inhibited by micromolar concentrations, TCP was affected only at concentrations above 20 mM, adding another proof that carboxypeptidase A and TCP are distinct enzyme activities.
Differential effects of amorphous and crystalline nickel sulfide on murine αβ interferon production

Abstract Mouse embryo fibroblast cultures were exposed to various concentrations of amorphous or crystalline NiS (nickel sulfide). After removal of the NiS from the cultures, polyriboinosinic-polyribocytidylic acid was added to induce α β interferon. Pretreatment of the cultures with crystalline NiS significantly inhibited the production of α β interferon at relatively noncytotoxic concentrations (i.e., 1 μg/ml) while amorphous NiS had no significant effect on α β interferon production at 10 μg/ml. Treatment of cells with reduced glutathione did not block the inhibitory effects of crystalline NiS on α β interferon production, suggesting that these effects are not mediated by a free-radical mechanism.
Relationship of ascorbic acid levels of blood and gingival tissue with response to periodontal therapy.

Abstract The effect of ascorbic acid megadoses on gingival clinical parameters and vitamin content of blood and gingival tissue was studied. 10 nondeficient individuals, carefully matched according to age, periodontal status, and oral hygiene level, were divided into 2 groups: one received 250 mg q.i.d. of ascorbic acid and the other a placebo. After 1 week on the tablet all patients were scaled and root planed and received oral hygiene instructions. Blood samples and clinical parameters were obtained at baseline and 2, 6, and 7 weeks after. A gingival biopsy was taken at week 6. Correlations between the clinical parameters and the ascorbic acid levels at the different time periods revealed no significant differences between the vitamin and the placebo groups, therefore suggesting that the use of megadoses of vitamin C in normal human subjects does not have a predictable or strong effect on the gingival response to initial therapy.
Role of the Cyclization in De Novo Design of Antimicrobial Peptide Mimics

Synthetic compounds mimicking the structure of natural antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have a great promise as potential anti-infectious agents due to their stability towards enzymatic degradation, high antibiotic efficiency, and broad adjustability of physicochemical properties. Recently we have demonstrated that antimicrobial activity of AMP synthetic analogs depends on their conformational rigidity. Cyclization is one of the strategies to restrain the flexibility of antimicrobial agents. Herein we present results of a study aimed to establish how the cyclization affects the ability of cyclic N- substituted glycine oligomers (peptoids) to disrupt selectively bacterial, but not mammalian cell, membrane mimics. Lipid monolayers at the air/liquid interface composed of LPS or DPPG were used to model the outer leaflets of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial membranes, respectively, while the DPPC/Cholesterol 6/4 mixed film was used to mimic the mammalian plasma membrane. Interactions of cyclic and linear peptoids with model lipid membranes were investigated using constant-pressure insertion assays, epifluorescence microscopy (EFM), and synchrotron X-ray reflectivity (XR) and grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXD). Insertion assays show that both cyclic and non-cyclic peptoids readily incorporate into the bacterial, but not mammalian, membrane mimics. Moreover their insertion into the bacterial membrane mimics was accompanied by rapid deterioration of the structural order in the lipid acyl chains. Electron density profiles across the film, derived from XR data, demonstrate that both peptoids penetrate into the hydrophobic core of DPPG more efficiently than that of LPS, which might be due to a difference in packing of the hydrophobic core. Nevertheless, our data indicate that, despite these similarities, the mechanisms of action of cyclic and linear peptoids on bacterial membranes are different.
Ductile fracture in sheets under transverse strain gradients

The fully plastic fracture of a metal sheet subjected to a small transverse gradient of tensile strain near a reinforcement is modeled as mode I fracture under transverse plane strain (TPS). Necking and fracture were analyzed by assuming that they were set by prior uniform strains and then necking displacements. Equations for the spreading of TPS necking and fracture were thus derived for a sheet with strain gradient. Experiments on tapered specimens confirmed the expected fracture displacements within 12 percent, but Moire studies suggest the agreement may be fortuitous. In any event, in-plane transverse displacements and normal strains in the crack growth direction, as well as shear strains, were negligible. This should simplify any future numerical analysis.
Measurement of the Radioactive Decay Constant of ThC' Using a Coincidence Method

The radioactive half-life of ThC' has been measured using a delayed coincidence circuit of high resolution. A theory of the effect on the coincidence rate of variations in pulse formation in counters has been developed and compared with experiment. The radioactive decay constants of ThC' have been found to be: $T=(2.2\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.1)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}7}$ $\ensuremath{\lambda}=\frac{(3.15\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.14)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{6}}{sec}$
Die Cycloaddition von Äthoxyacetylen an Diphenylketen

The reaction between diphenylketene and ethoxyacetylene at −25° is shown to yield 1,1-diphenyl-2-ethoxy-cyclobut-2-en-4-one (I) and 1-ethoxy-3-oxo-3a-phenyl-3,3a-dihydroazulene (II). The modes of formation of I and II, their rearrangements to naphthalene derivatives are discussed and an unambiguous structural proof for II is given.
Mid-tertiary ash flow tuff cauldrons, southwestern New Mexico

Characteristics of 28 known or suspected mid-Tertiary ash-flow tuff cauldrons in New Mexico are described. The largest region is 40 km in diameter, and erosional and block faulting processes have exposed levels as far down as the plutonic roots. The study supports a five-stage process: precursor, caldera collapse, early post-collapse, volcanism, major ring-fracture volcanism, and hydrothermal activity. The stages can repeat or the process can stop at any stage. Post-collapse lavas fell into two categories: cauldron lavas, derived from shallow defluidized residues of caldera-forming ash flow tuff eruption, and framework lavas, evolved from a siliceous pluton below the cauldron complex. The youngest caldera was shallow and formed from asymmetric subsidence and collapse of the caldera walls.
The cynomolgus monkey as a model for orbital research. II. Anatomic effects of lateral orbitotomy

In order to assess the anatomic consequences of lateral orbitotomy in a disease-free muscle cone, a technique of microsurgical exposure of the ciliary ganglion in the cynomolgus monkey was formulated. Animals were sacrificed at 2 and 6 months following surgery, and microscopic sections of the whole orbit prepared and compared to sections taken from the non-operated contralateral orbits. Findings at two months were: periorbital thickening and hypercellularity along with osteoneogenesis at sites remote from the surgery, particularly the superior-lateral orbit, and lack of appreciable scar formation in the fat of the muscle cone itself. The thickened periorbita persisted at six months, although remodeling of the bone had largely restored the normal appearance of the orbital walls. These findings may possibly explain the restrictive myopathy sometimes seen following surgical and traumatic disruption of the bony orbit.
Advice-Giving and the Management of Uncertainty for Cancer Survivors

This study examines advice and uncertainty management, in the context of cancer survivorship, with specific emphasis on the relative influence of target receptiveness, advice content, and advice optimism on uncertainty-management processes, coping processes, and advice evaluation. Cancer survivors (N 5 184) completed a questionnaire (online or paper) reporting on informal advice received after diagnosis. Results indicated that target receptiveness and advice optimism were positively related to coping processes and advice evaluation. Target receptiveness was positively related to uncertainty management. Appropriateness of advice was significantly related to problem-solving utility, and absence of limitations was significantly related to emotional awareness. Limitations of the study are offered, and implications for future research are advanced in the area of cancer survivorship.
Sample size estimates for determining treatment effects in high-risk patients with early relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.

Background: Risk factors for short-term progression in early relapsing-remitting MS have been identified recently. Previously we determined potential risk factors for rapid progression of early relapsing-remitting MS and identified three groups of high-risk patients. These non-mutually exclusive groups of patients were drawn from a consecutively studied sample of 98 patients with newly diagnosed MS. High-risk patients had a history of either poor recovery from initial attacks, more than two attacks in the first two years of disease, or a combination of at least four other risk factors. Objective: To determine differences in sample sizes required to show a meaningful treatment effect when using a high-risk sample versus a random sample of patients. Methods: Power analyses were used to calculate the different sample sizes needed for hypothetical treatment trials. Results: We found that substantially smaller numbers of patients should be needed to show a significant treatment effect by employing these high-r...
Increased aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase activity in hepatic microsomes from streptozotocin-diabetic female rats.

1. In streptozotocin-induced diabetic male rats, hepatic microsomal aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) activity was depressed to less than control values, but was increased in microsomes from diabetic female rats. Insulin treatment of diabetic animals returned the altered AHH activity to control values in both sexes of rats.2. Hepatic microsomal AHH activity was increased over control values in both sexes of diabetic mice.3. Protection of female rats from the diabetogenic effects of streptozotocm by nicotinamide pretreatment also prevented the increase in AHH activity observed in unprotected animals.4. Treatment of control and diabetic female rats with 3-methylcholanthrene resulted in larger increases in hepatic AHH activity in control animals, but similar increases in cytochrome P-448 content occurred in both treatment groups.5. Differential stimulatory or inhibitory effects on AHH activity were observed after the addition of SKF 525-A, metyrapone, and rotenone to hepatic microsomes in vitro from control...
Szilard-Chalmers and thermal annealing processes in D-tris(ethylenediamine)cobalt(III) nitrate

Abstract The solid state Szilard-Chalmers process in d -[Co(en)3](NO3)3 has been investigated for the 59Co(n, γ)60Co process. Seven radiochemical fractions were separated and at least partially characterized. When irradiation and storage conditions suppressed thermal annealing, cobalt(II), which carried 65% of the 60Co was the predominant radiochemical form isolated. The combined d - and l -[Co(en)3]3+ isomers carried 8 ± 4% whereas less than 1% of the total activity appeared in the l -[Co(en)3]3+ fraction. Two radiochemical fractions, [Co(en)2X2]n+ and [Co(en)2(NH3)X]m+, were isolated and separated as the [Co(en)2(NO2)2]+ and [Co(en)2(NH3)(NO2)]2+ ions in solution. Two unknown radiochemical forms, which were converted to [Co(H2O)6]2+ in aqueous solution, were detected. First order rate constants for this conversion of these two species at 30° in aqueous solution were 1.4 × 10−4 sec−1 and 2.6 × 10−6 sec−1. Upon post-irradiation thermal treatment between 40 and 160°C, the [Co(en)3]3+ activity increased at the expense of Co2+ activity, with little change in the activities of the other products below 120°C. A comparison of isothermal and isochronal annealing curves indicated three annealing processes with activation energies of ca. 100, 100 and 270 kJ/mole, respectively.
Timing of resource input and larval competition between invasive and native container-inhabiting mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae)

Container-inhabiting mosquito species are subject to both intraspecific and interspecific competition during larval development in resource-limited habitats. The arrival of an invasive species, Aedes albopictus, in the U.S. has altered competitive interactions among container-inhabiting mosquito species and, in some cases, has led to displacement of these species. Resource enrichment of container habitats has been shown to alleviate competitive interactions and to promote species co-existence; however, the importance of the timing of enrichment has yet to be explored. Larval competition between Ae. albopictus and a native species, Ochlerotatus triseriatus, was explored when resources were added either gradually or in a single pulse. Replacement series experiments revealed that Ae. albopictus was able to outcompete and displace Oc. triseriatus via resource monopolization when all resources were made available simultaneously; however, when the same resource amount was added over time, survival was high for both species, leading to co-existence. Timing of resource input also had an effect in monospecific treatments, indicating that intraspecific competition impacts survival as well. Duration of larval development was influenced by both species presence and by timing of resource input for Oc. triseriatus. These results indicate competitive outcome is condition-specific and that timing of resource input can determine whether a dominant invasive competitor displaces a native species, or if the two species are able to co-exist. Both intraspecific and interspecific competition occur at different temporal scales due to species-specific differences in larval developmental time. Timing of resource availability in container habitats can impact mosquito survival via competitive interactions, which can ultimately influence vector population size and behavior, possibly influencing vector-borne disease transmission.
High resolution analog/digital power supply controller

Corrector magnets for the SPEAR-3 synchrotron radiation source require precision, high-speed control for use with beam-based orbit feedback. A new Controller Analog/Digital Interface card (CANDI) has been developed for these purposes. The CANDI has a 24-bit DAC for current control and three 24-bit /spl Delta/-/spl Sigma/ ADCs to monitor current and voltages. The ADCs can be read and the DAC updated at the 4 kHz rate needed for feedback control. A precision 16-bit DAC provides on-board calibration. Programmable multiplexers control internal signal routing for calibration, testing, and measurement. Feedback can be closed internally on current setpoint, externally on supply current, or beam position. Prototype and production tests are reported in this paper. Noise is better than 17 effective bits in a 10 mHz to 2 kHz bandwidth. Linearity and temperature stability are excellent.
Predictive medicine: computational techniques in therapeutic decision-making.

The current paradigm for surgery planning for the treatment of cardiovascular disease relies exclusively on diagnostic imaging data to define the present state of the patient, empirical data to evaluate the efficacy of prior treatments for similar patients, and the judgement of the surgeon to decide on a preferred treatment. The individual variability and inherent complexity of human biological systems is such that diagnostic imaging and empirical data alone are insufficient to predict the outcome of a given treatment for an individual patient. We propose a new paradigm of predictive medicine in which the physician utilizes computational tools to construct and evaluate a combined anatomic/physiologic model to predict the outcome of alternative treatment plans for an individual patient. The predictive medicine paradigm is implemented in a software system developed for Simulation-Based Medical Planning. This system provides an integrated set of tools to test hypotheses regarding the effect of alternate treatment plans on blood flow in the cardiovascular system of an individual patient. It combines an Internet-based user interface developed using Java and VRML, image segmentation, geometric solid modeling, automatic finite element mesh generation, computational fluid dynamics, and scientific visualization techniques. This system is applied to the evaluation of alternate, patient-specific treatments for a case of lower extremity occlusive cardiovascular disease.
Generalized crack closure analysis for elements with arbitrarily-placed side nodes and consistent nodal forces

A new approach was developed for the eval- uation of energy release rate by the virtual crack closure technique in quadratic and linear elements. The gener- alized method allows arbitrary placement of the side nodes for quadratic elements and thus includes both standard elements, with mid-side nodes, and singular- ity elements, with quarter-point nodes, as special cases of one general equation. It also accounts for traction- loaded cracks. The new derivation revealed that the proper nodal forces needed for crack closure calcula- tions should be the newly-dened \nodal edge forces," rather than the global or element forces from standard nite element analysis results. A method is derived for calculating nodal edge forces from global forces. These new forces aect energy release rate calculations for sin- gularity elements and for problems with traction-loaded cracks. Several sample calculations show that the new approach gives improved accuracy.
Optimal bounds for the distributions of some test criteria for tests of dimensionality

Optimal upper bounds are obtained for the distributions of two functions of the m r smallest latent roots of HE1, where E and H have Wishart distributions with identical covariance matrices; E has a central distribution while H has a noncentral distribution with unknown noncentrality matrix A of rank r. These bounds are then used to investigate the chi-squared approximation for some test criteria used in tests of dimensionality.
Assessment of high-frequency performance potential of carbon nanotube transistors

Self-consistent quantum simulations are used to explore the high-frequency performance potential of carbon nantube field-effect transistors (CNTFETs). The cutoff frequency expected for a recently reported CNT Schottky-barrier FET is well below the performance limit, due to the large parasitic capacitance between electrodes. We show that using an array of parallel nanotubes as the transistor channel reduces parasitic capacitance per tube. Increasing tube density gives a large improvement of high-frequency performance when tubes are widely spaced and parasitic capacitance dominates but only a small improvement when the tube spacing is small and intrinsic gate capacitance dominates. Alternatively, using quasi-one-dimensional nanowires as source and drain contacts should significantly reduce parasitic capacitance and improve high-frequency performance. Ballistic CNTFETs should outperform ballistic Si MOSFETs in terms of the high-frequency performance limit because of their larger band-structure-limited velocity.
Differentiation, Dynamical Integration and Functional Emotional Development

In recent decades, considerable progress has been made in our understanding of emotional development. Yet no single current theory can fully encompass all of the empirical findings. Herein I propose that aspects of several theoretical approaches can be incorporated into a novel view that is informed by the dynamical systems perspective.
Historic livelihoods and land uses as ecological disturbances and their role in enhancing biodiversity: An example from Bhutan

International conservation efforts have ignored the role and importance of historic disturbance regimes, both natural and anthropogenic, in creating and maintaining biodiversity. In this article we focus on historic livelihoods and land uses which we argue can and should be viewed as a type of intermediate ecological disturbance that may increase landscape heterogeneity which is correlated with biological diversity. Using historic swidden in Bhutan as an example, we illustrate how this historic livelihood and land use maintained intermediate ecological disturbances in an otherwise densely forested landscape and increased plant structural heterogeneity, the proportion of early successional plant species, and the availability of forage and browse of importance to wild ungulates and their predators (e.g., tigers). The cessation of swidden in Bhutan and elsewhere alters historic disturbance regimes with potentially profound effects on flora and fauna. We argue that biodiversity conservation requires understanding and building upon ecological disturbance regimes which should include historic livelihoods and land uses. To be realized in practice, this requires not only further ecological study, but addressing the politics of knowledge.
-Omics and Cancer Biomarkers: Link to the Biological Truth or Bear the Consequences

The search for clinically relevant tissue and body fluid–borne biomarkers has never been more important to the war on cancer. New -omic technologies can measure hundreds to tens of thousands of analytes at once. The field is intoxicated with the prospect of coupling these platforms, and the
Approximate closed-form solution of ambipolar input voltage equation for the common-gate symmetric FinFET

Abstract We propose an accurate closed-form algorithm for solving recently developed input voltage equation including ambipolar effects in the common gate symmetric FinFET. The new algorithm is verified for both the surface potential ψs and its derivatives and includes previously published analytical approximation for ψs as a special case when ambipolar effects can be neglected.
Engendering Legal History

ARIELA DUBLER. In the Shadow of Marriage: Single Women and the Legal Construction of the Family and the State. Yale Law Journal 112 (2003): 1641-715. KATHERINE M. FRANKE. Becoming a Citizen: Reconstruction Era Regulation of African American Marriages. Yale Journal of Law and the Humanities 11 (1999):251-310. KENNETH MACK. A Social History of Everyday Practice: Sadie T. M. Alexander and the Incorporation of Black Women into the American Legal Profession. Cornell Law Review 87 (2002):1405-474. AMY DRU STANLEY. From Bondage to Contract: Wage Labor, Marriage, and the Market in the Age of Slave Emancipation. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press, 1998. Pp. 294. $65.00 cloth; $22.99 paper. BARBARA YOUNG WELKE. Recasting American Liberty: Gender, Law, and the Railroad Revolution, 1865-1920. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press, 2001. Pp. 426. $80.00 cloth; $25 paper.
Oxygen minimum zone Benthos: Adaptation and community response to hypoxia

Mid-water oxygen minima (� 0.5 ml l � 1 dissolved O2) intercept the continental margins along much of the eastern Pacific Ocean, off west Africa and in the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal, creating extensive stretches of sea floor exposed to permanent, severe oxygen depletion. These seafloor oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) typically occur at bathyal depths between 200 m and 1000 m, and are major sites of carbon burial along the continental margins. Despite extreme oxygen depletion, protozoan and metazoan assemblages thrive in these envi- ronments. Metazoan adaptations include small, thin bodies, enhanced respiratory surface area, blood pigments such as haemoglobin, biogenic structure formation for stability in soupy sedi- ments, an increased number of pyruvate oxidoreductases, and the presence of sulphide-oxidising symbionts. The organic-rich sediments of these regions often support mats of large sulphide- oxidising bacteria (Thioploca, Beggiatoa, Thiomargarita ), and high-density, low-diversity meta- zoan assemblages. Densities of protistan and metazoan meiofauna are typically elevated in OMZs, probably due to high tolerance of hypoxia, an abundant food supply, and release from predation. Macrofauna and megafauna often exhibit dense aggregations at OMZ edges, but depressed densities and low diversity in the OMZ core, where oxygen concentration is lowest. Taxa most tolerant of severe oxygen depletion ( � 0.2 ml l � 1 ) in seafloor OMZs include calcare- ous foraminiferans, nematodes, and annelids. Agglutinated protozoans, harpacticoid copepods, and calcified invertebrates are typically less tolerant. High dominance and relatively low species richness are exhibited by foraminiferans, metazoan meiofauna, and macrofauna within OMZs. At dissolved oxygen concentrations below 0.15 ml l � 1 , bioturbation is reduced, the mixed layer is shallow, and chemosynthesis-based nutrition (via heterotrophy and symbiosis) becomes important. OMZs represent a major oceanographic boundary for many species. As they expand and con- tract over geological time, OMZs may influence genetic diversity and play a key role in the evo- lution of species at bathyal depths. These ecosystems may preview the types of adaptations, species, and processes that will prevail with increasing hypoxia over ecological and evolution- ary time. However, many questions remain unanswered concerning controls on faunal standing stocks in OMZs, and the physiological, enzymatic, metabolic, reproductive and molecular adap- tations that permit benthic animals to live in OMZs. As global warming and eutrophication reduce oxygenation of the world ocean, there is a pressing need to understand the functional consequences of oxygen depletion in marine ecosystems.
Applying aggressive propagation-based strategies for testing changes

Test-suite augmentation for evolving software -- the process of augmenting a test suite to adequately test software changes -- is necessary for any program that undergoes modifications as part of its development and maintenance cycles. Recently, we presented a new technique for test-suite augmentation based on leveraging the propagation conditions for the effects of changes. Although empirical studies show that this technique can be quite effective for testing changes, the experiments have been limited because of the complexity of the implementation. In this paper, we present a new and more efficient approach for propagation-based testing of changes that can reach much longer propagation-distances and can focus the testing more precisely on those behaviors of changes that can actually affect the output. Using an implementation of this new approach, we performed a study on a set of changes on Java programs for which we compared, to a much larger extent than possible before, our propagation-based strategies with other existing techniques for testing changes. The results of the study not only confirm the superior effectiveness of propagation-based strategies over these other techniques for testing changes, but also quantify that superiority and clarify the conditions under which our approach is most effective.
Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation

Most astronomers and physicists now believe that we live in an expanding universe that evolved from an early state of extremely high density and temperature. Measurements of the spectrum and anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR) provide strong evidence supporting this picture. Today, the spectrum of the CMBR matches that of a 2.728 K blackbody to within 0.01%, and the radiation is highly isotropic on the sky. Both of these properties are expected of the thermal radiation remnant of a hot, dense early universe (Peebles, 1993).
Markov regenerative SPN with non-overlapping activity cycles

The paper discusses a class of Markov Regenerative Stochastic Petri Nets (MRSPN) characterized by the fact that the stochastic process subordinated to two consecutive regeneration time points is a semi-Markov reward process. This class of SPN's can accommodate transitions with generally distributed firing time and associated memory policy of both enabling and age type, thus generalizing and encompassing all the previous definitions of MRSPN. An unified analytical procedure is developed for the derivation of closed form expressions for the transient and steady state probabilities. >
Silencing of Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-1α Gene Attenuated Angiotensin II–Induced Renal Injury in Sprague-Dawley Rats

Although it has been shown that upregulation of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α is protective in acute ischemic renal injury, long-term overactivation of HIF-1α is implicated to be injurious in chronic kidney diseases. Angiotensin II (Ang II) is a well-known pathogenic factor producing chronic renal injury and has also been shown to increase HIF-1α. However, the contribution of HIF-1α to Ang II-induced renal injury has not been evidenced. The present study tested the hypothesis that HIF-1α mediates Ang II-induced renal injury in Sprague-Dawley rats. Chronic renal injury was induced by Ang II infusion (200 ng/kg per minute) for 2 weeks in uninephrectomized rats. Transfection of vectors expressing HIF-1α small hairpin RNA into the kidneys knocked down HIF-1α gene expression by 70%, blocked Ang II-induced HIF-1α activation, and significantly attenuated Ang II-induced albuminuria, which was accompanied by inhibition of Ang II-induced vascular endothelial growth factor, a known glomerular permeability factor, in glomeruli. HIF-1α small hairpin RNA also significantly improved the glomerular morphological damage induced by Ang II. Furthermore, HIF-1α small hairpin RNA blocked Ang II-induced upregulation of collagen and α-smooth muscle actin in tubulointerstitial region. There was no difference in creatinine clearance and Ang II-induced increase in blood pressure. HIF-1α small hairpin RNA had no effect on Ang II-induced reduction in renal blood flow and hypoxia in the kidneys. These data suggested that overactivation of HIF-1α-mediated gene regulation in the kidney is a pathogenic pathway mediating Ang II-induced chronic renal injuries, and normalization of overactivated HIF-1α may be used as a treatment strategy for chronic kidney damages associated with excessive Ang II.
Expanded redox accessibility via ligand substitution in an octahedral Fe6Br6 cluster

Oxidation of the nominally all-ferrous hexanuclear cluster (HL)2Fe6 with six equivalents of ferrocenium in the presence of bromide ions results in a six-electron oxidation of the Fe6 core to afford the nominally all-ferric cluster (HL)2Fe6Br6. The hexabromide cluster is also structurally characterized in a 4+ core oxidation state. A structural comparison of these two clusters provides an insight into the Fe6 core electronic structure.
L’utilisation de capteurs intelligents chez AREVA: enjeux, perspectives et retour d’expériences

« Smart Sensors » have been acknowledged as a transverse technology by AREVA entities involved in new constructions, revamping and for the extension of plant lifetime. These new technology have been adopted by the other industrial markets especially in countries with a high potential for industrial development such as China. Various benefits are expected: predictive maintenance, remote maintenance, remote adjusting, commissioning. These new technologies increase the cyber security target of a facility and this is taken into account during the works. Today, AREVA partially uses the technical abilities of « smart sensors » in some facilities (Chemical plant, …). Corporate R&D and Innovation together with the Group entities manage a technological roadmap, named « Smart sensor », in order to appraise the performance, contributions and future normative technological developments... A modular approach has been implemented through validation technological platforms. Two platforms have been implemented, one to appraise the Field Control System and the other to appraise wireless technologies. This project will end with the construction of a showroom for AREVA Clients and with a training program dedicated to AREVA staff. The main results obtained since two years of operation in terms of distributed algorithms at the sensor level will be presented during this conference.