cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Self-assembled gold nanowires from nanoparticles: an electronic route towards DNA nanosensors

We present a new technique for fabricating gold nanowires using carbon nanotubes as the template. By applying an ac voltage to an electrically contacted single walled carbon nanotube, we generate highly non-uniform ac electric fields in the vicinity of the nanotubes. These ac electric fields serve to polarize 2 nm gold nanoparticles dispersed in solution. The induced dipole moment in the nanoparticles is attracted to the high-intensity field regions at the surface of the nanotube, thus causing a gold nanowire to grow on the surface of the nanotube. Interestingly, we find gold nanowires grow even on nanotubes that are not electrically contacted but in close proximity to the electrodes. Future applications of this work may include DNA sensors based on functionalized Au nanoparticles.
An experimental analysis of verbal imitation in preschool children

A model presented English words to three preschool children and reinforced accurate imitation of these words. The model also presented novel Russian words but the subjects' imitation of these words was never reinforced. As long as the subjects' imitation of English words was reinforced, their accuracy of imitating non-reinforced Russian words increased. When reinforcement was not contingent upon imitation of English words, accuracy of imitating both the English and the Russian words decreased. These results support and extend previous work on imitation.
Five-Coordinate Aluminum Amides

In the present manuscript we will detail the first use of the Salen(tBu)H2 ligands with the group 13 elements. This includes the compounds of formula Salen(tBu)AlCl (where Salen = Salen(N,N‘-ethylenebis(3,5-di-tert-butylsalicylideneimine)) (1), Salpen (N,N‘-propylenebis(3,5-di-tert-butylsalicylideneimine)) (2), Salophen (N,N‘-benzenylidenebis(3,5-di-tert-butylsalicylideneamine)) (3), and Salomphen (N,N‘-(3,4-dimethylbenzenylidene)bis(3,5-di-tert-butylsalicylideneimine)) (4)) and the novel five-coordinate monomeric amides of formula LAlNRR‘ (where L = Acen (N,N‘-ethylenebis((tBu)salicylidene(methyl)imine); R, R‘ = H, Ph (5); R = R‘ = SiMe3 (6)) and L = Salen (R, R‘ = H, tBu (7), H, Ph (8), and H, Dipp (2,6-diisopropylphenyl) (9); R = R‘ = Me (10), Et (11), and SiMe3 (12))). Additionally the unique monomeric hydroxy complex Salen(tBu)AlOH (13) and its condensation product, (Salen(tBu)Al)2O (14), will be described. All of the compounds were characterized by spectroscopic (1H, 13C, and 27Al NMR, IR) and physi...
Designing with templates in instructional design

Instructional design lies at the interface of systems theory, theories of teaching and learning, technology, and design. These fields together pose epistemological challenges to instructional designers. In this report I examine one element widely used by instructional designers, specifically the template designed and widely distributed by the Commonwealth of Learning (COL). In analyzing how the template serves intended users (who are instructional designers), I find that efficiency and effectiveness rooted in scientific models of objectivity to effectively corral massive information into manageable yet accessible knowledge for specific needs while expedient can have its drawbacks. I argue that a key emphasis on thinking as an active transaction between an individual and the data to which that individual is exposed permeates not just information, but also Instructional Design. Formalized within that role is a system of reasoning used to generate solutions to problems and in fostering skills in acquiring concepts. And it is missing in a template application such as COL's.
Abnormalities of the brainstem serotonergic system in the sudden infant death syndrome: a review.

INTRODUCTION Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden death of an infant younger than 1 year that remains unexplained by a complete autopsy, death scene investigation, and review of the clinical record [1]. There has been an almost 50% decrease in the incidence of SIDS in the United States after a 1992 national recommendation for the supine sleep position. Nevertheless, SIDS remains a leading cause of postneonatal infant mortality. Its overall incidence is 0.6 per 1,000 live births [2]; approximately 6 infants die per day from SIDS in this country alone. Risk factors for SIDS other than the prone sleeping position are well recognized. Environmental risk factors include maternal cigarette smoking and alcohol intake during pregnancy [3–5]. Genetic risk factors include polymorphisms in the serotonin transporter (SERT) [6–8] and cytokine interleukin-10 [9]. Such risk factors appear to be independent of the prone sleeping position and are certainly more difficult to modify. Thus, SIDS remains a major public health problem, thus mandating further research into the underlying cause(s) and mechanism(s) to develop specific strategies to eradicate all SIDS deaths. Moreover, risk reduction messages are likely to be more compelling to families and health care workers and, hence, more successful when they are based on biologically established or plausible mechanisms. This report presents a review of findings related to brainstem serotonergic (5-HT) abnormalities in a subset of SIDS cases. From 1990 to 2003, my colleagues and I published a series of reports concerning 6 neurotransmitter systems in step tissue sections of the same SIDS and control brainstems [5,10–15]. Our overall conclusion was that the 5-HT system in the medulla oblongata, i.e., the so-called medullary 5-HT system, is abnormal in at least 50% of SIDS cases [16]. We focused on brainstem systems involved in the control of respiration, autonomic function, sleep, and arousal because of an increasing body of prospective studies involving infants who subsequently died of SIDS that indicate subtle abnormalities in respiratory and/or autonomic control during sleep and arousal patterns before death [17–19]. Moreover, studies in normal preterm and term infants have indicated that the period of *Corresponding author, e-mail: hannah.kinney@childrens.harvard.edu Pediatric and Developmental Pathology 8, 507–524, 2005 DOI: 10.1007/s10024-005-0067-y a 2005 Society for Pediatric Pathology
Bivariate extension of the method of polynomials for Bonferroni-type inequalities

Abstract Let A 1 , A 2 , ..., A n and B 1 , B 2 , ..., B N be two sequences of events. Let m n ( A ) and m N ( B ) be the number of those A j and B k , respectively, which occur. Set S k,t for the joint ( k , t )th binomial moment of the vector ( m n ( A ), m N ( B )). We prove that linear bounds in terms of the S k,t on the distribution of the vector ( m n ( A ), m N ( B )) are universally true if and only if they are valid in a two dimensional triangular array of independent events A j and B i with P ( A j ) = p and P ( B i ) = s for all j and i . This allows us to establish bounds on P ( m n ( A ) = u , m N ( B ) = v ) from bounds on P ( m n − u ( A ) = 0, m N − v ( B ) = 0). Several new inequalities are obtained by using our method.
Frame of Reference in Posture Specification for Computer-Aided Ergonomic Analysis

An experiment was conducted to examine the effect of the congruency between the reference frame adopted to perceive and record postures and the one employed in a computer-aided ergonomics software on human posture specification performance. The role that the interface can play in enhancing the congruency was also investigated. The subjects were presented with the photographs of a working posture, and were required to manipulate the human stick figures generated by the ergonomics software to match the posture in the photographs. The experiment showed that the congruency played a significant role in facilitating the performance of posture specification for ergonomic analysis. It also demonstrated a clear advantage of using a 3-D humanoid display to improve the congruency when it is not achievable in the pre-analysis posture data-collection. Implications for ergonomic job analysis and ergonomics software design are discussed.
Monoclonal IgM, IgG, and IgA Human Rheumatoid Factors Produced by Synovial Tissue-Derived, EBV-Transformed B Cell Lines

In an effort to study disease-related autoantibodies in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), rheumatoid factor (RF)-producing B cell lines were developed from the heterogeneous B cell populations infiltrating the synovial tissue of patients with arthritis. Over 125 EBV-transformed B cell cultures were derived from three patients: one with early pre-erosive RA, one with advanced RA, and one with osteoarthritis (OA). IgM, IgG, and IgA RF-producing B cell lines were found in all three series but with several significant differences. In each of the two RA patients, 22% of the Ig-producing cell lines secreted RF compared to 7% in the OA patient. The isotypes of these RF were mostly IgM in the early RA (62%) and the OA patient (60%) as contrasted to predominantly IgA (75%) and, to a lesser extent, IgG (12.5%) in the advanced RA patient. Analyses of the light (L) chain composition of these RF revealed that 82% of the IgM RF used kappa L chains whereas only 31% of the non-IgM RF used kappa chains. Antigen-binding analyses of these RF revealed that all the synovial tissue-derived RF from the advanced RA patient exhibited antigen binding specificities restricted to a narrow range of gamma globulins. In contrast, the synovial RF of the other two patients were either reactive with a broader spectrum of gamma globulins or reactive with a variety of unrelated antigens. In every instance, the gamma globulin-specific RF were of all three major isotypes whereas the polyreactive RF were restricted to the IgM isotype. These data demonstrate that synovial B cells from both RA and OA patients can produce RF and that significant differences can exist among patients in the percentage of RF generated and their H and L chain isotype distribution. The reversal of the kappa:lambda ratio among the IgG and IgA RF and the more restricted antigen-binding specificities of the IgG and IgA vs IgM RF suggest that a non-stochastic, possibly antigen-driven selection process was involved in their generation. The relevance of these differences in RF precursor frequency, H and L chain distribution, and antigen specificity to these two diseases warrants further investigation.
Geometrical properties of the Fermi energy

The Fermi energy at 0°K is evaluated for electrons confined to cubical and spherical rigid-walled boxes of equal volume, respectively, in the Sommerfeld approximation. Due primarily to large differences in single-particle degeneracies, Fermi energies compared for equal numbers of particles in these two configurations are found to be unequal. Approximate expressions of the Fermi energy in the large particle-number limit for the spherical case reveal that it agrees in form with the Fermi energy for the cubical configuration. The finite cylindrical box is also examined and it is found that for fixed number of particles and fixed volume, the Fermi energy varies as the two characteristic lengths of the box are changed. Experimental corroboration of the theory is suggested through measurement of the work function for equal-volume micrometallic samples in the different geometries.
Zelebrieren und Verhandeln: Zur Praxis ständischer Institutionen im frühneuzeitlichen Europa

Tim Neu, Michael Sikora and Thomas Weller (eds), Zelebrieren und Verhandeln: Zur Praxis standischer Institutionen im fruhneuzeitlichen Europa (Symbolische Kommunikation und gesellschaftliche Wertes...
Methodological issues underlying multiple decrement life table analysis

In this paper, the actuarial method of multiple decrement life table analysis of censored, longitudinal data is examined. The discussion is organized in terms of the first segment of usage of an intrauterine device. Weaknesses of the actuarial approach are pointed out, and an alternative approach, based on the classical model of competing risks, is proposed. Finally, the actuarial and the alternative method of analyzing censored data are compared, using data from the Taichung Medical Study on Intrauterine Devices.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cardiovascular disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an inflammatory disease of the lung associated with progressive airflow limitation and punctuated by episodes of acute exacerbation. There is growing recognition that the inflammatory state associated with COPD is not confined to the lungs but also involves the systemic circulation and can impact nonpulmonary organs. Epidemiologic and mechanistic studies indicate that COPD is associated with a high frequency of coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure and cardiac arrhythmias, independent of shared risk factors. Possible pathways include complex interrelationships between chronic low-grade systemic inflammation and oxidative stress as well as shared risk factors such as age, cigarette smoking, and environmental pollutants. In this review, we provide an overview of the epidemiologic data linking COPD with cardiovascular disease, comment on the interrelationships among COPD, inflammation, and cardiovascular disease, and highlight diagnostic and therapeutic challenges.
Crystal and molecular structure of 1,1′,3,3′-tetraphenyloxaldiamidrazone

1,1′,3,3′-Tetraphenyloxaldiamidrazone, C26H24N6, crystallizes in the monoclinic system: space groupP21/c,a= 13.946(1) A,b= 5.706(1) A,c= 17.109(1) A, β = 125.31(1) °,Dm= 1.254,Dc= 1.259 gcm−3 andZ= 2. Intensities were obtained from θ–2θ scans with a Syntex automated diffractometer using graphite-monochromated MoKα radiation. The structure was solved by direct methods. Full-matrix least-squares refinement of all positional and thermal (anisotropic for the nonhydrogen atoms and isotropic for the hydrogen atoms) parameters using 2022 reflections [I>2σ(itI)] converged at a conventionalR of 0.041. The molecule is characterized by a conjugated pi system which includes the central N=C−C=N moiety and two of the four aniline groups. No intermolecular and only weak intramolecular hydrogen bonds are present.
Control of decidual growth in the rat by steroid hormones of the ovary.

Massive deciduomata weighing 2,000 mg per uterine horn were induced mechanically in intact pseudopregnant rats. Castration and treatment with progesterone evoked maximal responses of only 1,000 mg. The concomitant administration of estradiol or estrone with progesterone reproduced the decidual weight observed in intact rats, but estriol in combination with progesterone was only slightly effective. The decidual cell response was found to be sensitive to alteration in steroid ratio as well as in absolute dose levels. The water content of deciduomata in intact rats was 84.3%. Only those combinations of hormones that produced maximal weights could reproduce the water content observed in the intact pseudopregnant rat. It was concluded that progesterone alone was incapable of reproducing the weight and water content of the deciduomata of intact pseudopregnant rats, and that combinations of estrogen and progesterone that were effective were similar to those reported for the optimal maintenance of gestation.
Interleukin-1 and the mesangial cell.

Interleukin-1 (IL-1) is a proinflammatory cytokine which was originally described as a product of activated mononuclear phagocytes, but is now known to be released by many cell types. Systemically, IL-1 induces fever, the acute phase response, and neutrophilia. Locally it mediates tissue injury and remodelling by inducing cells to undergo a coordinated response that culminates in the expression of new structural determinants and functional characteristics. IL-1 is encoded by at least two distinct genes which may have arisen by a reverse transcriptase-mediated duplication. Two IL-1 receptors have been identified. The 80 kD receptor present on T cells and connective tissue cells has been cloned. The cytoplasmic domain of this receptor does not contain sequences with homology to the known catalytic domains of tyrosine or serine/threonine-specific protein kinases. A second 67 kD IL-1 receptor has also been demonstrated by cross linking on monocyte-macrophages, but its sequence has not been published. The molecular biology, biochemistry and structure of IL-1 and its receptors has been extensively reviewed and will not be further discussed [1, 2].
Burial rates and stoichiometry of sedimentary carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in Midwestern US reservoirs

Summary Lakes and reservoirs bury large quantities of organic carbon (C) and nutrients (nitrogen, N; phosphorus, P) in their sediments, especially when expressed relative to the small area they occupy. Global estimates of C and nutrient burial rates in reservoirs require a quantitative understanding of the wide variation in the rates and ratios at which C, N and P are sequestered in sediments. We examined how catchment and reservoir characteristics relate to sediment organic C, N and P concentrations, stoichiometric burial ratios (C : P, C : N, N : P) and burial rates in 13 small reservoirs across a catchment land use gradient in the Midwestern United States. Sediment P concentrations were positively correlated with urban catchment land use and negatively correlated with agricultural catchment land use. Stoichiometric burial ratios varied with catchment land use. Both N : P and C : P were positively correlated with agricultural land use, while these ratios were negatively correlated with urban land use and forested land use. In general, rates of C, N and P burial per unit lake area were not related to land use in the catchment, but were all positively correlated with catchment area to lake area ratios. Results from our study reservoirs suggest that reservoir burial rates are more tightly coupled with morphometric catchment characteristics than with land use. Our results suggest that small reservoirs are regionally and globally significant for biogeochemical processing. However, regional variation requires that much more comprehensive sampling is needed for accurate estimates of global element burial rates.
Purine salvage pathways in the Apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii

We have exploited a variety of molecular genetic, biochemical, and genomic techniques to investigate the roles of purine salvage enzymes in the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. The ability to generate defined genetic knockouts and target transgenes to specific loci demonstrates that T. gondii uses two (and only two) pathways for purine salvage, defined by the enzymes hypoxanthine-xanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HXGPRT) and adenosine kinase (AK). Both HXGPRT and AK are single-copy genes, and either one can be deleted, indicating that either one of these pathways is sufficient to meet parasite purine requirements. Fitness defects suggest both pathways are important for the parasite, however, and that the salvage of adenosine is more important than salvage of hypoxanthine and other purine nucleobases. HXGPRT and AK cannot be deleted simultaneously unless one of these enzymes is provided in trans, indicating that alternative routes of functionally significant purine salvage are lacking. Despite previous reports to the contrary, we found no evidence of adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (APRT) activity when parasites were propagated in APRT-deficient host cells, and no APRT ortholog is evident in the T. gondii genome. Expression of Leishmania donovani APRT in transgenic T. gondii parasites yielded low levels of activity but did not permit genetic deletion of both HXGPRT and AK. A detailed comparative genomic study of the purine salvage pathway in various apicomplexan species highlights important differences among these parasites.
An intact heavy chain at the actin-subfragment 1 interface is required for ATPase activity of scallop myosin.

Scallop S1 has a region sensitive to tryptic hydrolysis not found thus far in S1s of other species, located 65K from theN-terminus as determined by SDS/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. In the presence of actin the S1 heavy chain is preferentially cleaved at this site. The high-salt EDTA and calcium ATPase activities of the nicked 65K–31K S1 are abolished. This inactivation is not due to denaturation, conformational effects of actin, or to light chain dissociation. The unique proteolytic site of scallop S1 is adjacent to a peptide involved in actin-S1 interaction in scallop and rabbit but it is far removed from the nucleotide-binding site in the linear amino acid sequence. We conclude that proteolysis inactivates the high-salt ATPase activities through a connection mediated by tertiary interactions. Such a connection provides a structural correlate for the known reciprocal relationship between the nucleotide and actin affinities of myosin.
THE ORIGIN OF THE POTENTIAL DIFFERENCES RESPONSIBLE FOR ANOMALOUS OSMOSIS.

1. Collodion bags coated with gelatin on the inside were filled with a M/256 solution of neutral salt (e.g., NaCl, CaCl2, CeCl3, or Na2SO4) made up in various concentrations of HNO3 (varying from N/50,000 to N/100). Each collodion bag was put into an HNO3 solution of the same concentration as that inside the bag but containing no salt. In this case water diffuses from the outside solution (containing no salt) into the inside solution (containing the salt) with a relative initial velocity which can be expressed by the following rules: (a) Water diffuses into the salt solution as if the particles of water were negatively charged and as if they were attracted by the cation and repelled by the anion of the salt with a force increasing with the valency of the ion. (b) The initial rate of the diffusion of water is a minimum at the hydrogen ion concentration of about N/50,000 HCl (pH 4.7, which is the point at which gelatin is not ionized), rises with increasing hydrogen ion concentration until it reaches a maximum and then diminishes again with a further rise in the initial hydrogen ion concentration. 2. The potential differences between the salt solution and the outside solution (originally free from salt) were measured after the diffusion had been going on for 1 hour; and when these values were plotted as ordinates over the original pH as abscissae, the curves obtained were found to be similar to the osmotic rate curves. This confirms the view expressed by Girard) Bernstein, Bartell, and Freundlich that these cases of anomalous osmosis are in reality cases of electrical endosmose where the driving force is a P.D. between the opposite sides of the membrane. 3. The question arose as to the origin of these P. D. and it was found that the P.D. has apparently a double origin. Certain features of the P.D. curve, such as the rise and fall with varying pH, seem to be the consequence of a Donnan equilibrium which leads to some of the free HNO3 being forced from the solution containing salt into the outside solution containing no (or less) salt. This difference of the concentration of HNO3, on the opposite sides of the membrane leads to a P.D. which in conformity with Nernst's theory of concentration cells should be equal to 58 x (pH inside minus pH outside) millivolts at 18°C. The curves of the values of (pH inside minus pH outside) when plotted as ordinates over the original pH as abscissae lead to curves resembling those for the P. D. in regard to location of minimum and maximum. 4. A second source of the P.D. seems to be diffusion potentials, which exist even if no membranes are present and which seem to be responsible for the fact that the rate of diffusion of negatively charged water into the salt solution increases with the valency of the cation and diminishes with the valency of the anion of the salt. 5. The experiments suggest the possibility that the establishment of a Donnan equilibrium between membrane and solution is one of the factors determining the Helmholtzian electrical double layer, at least in the conditions of our experiments.
Platelet pathology in sex-linked GATA-1 dyserythropoietic macrothrombocytopenia I ultrastructure.

Various mutations in the X-linked transcription factor, GATA-1, may result in dyserythropoietic anemia, macrothrombocytopenia and/or erythropoietic porphyria. The present study has carried out detailed ultrastructural studies of abnormal platelet morphology in one, previously described family with a GATA-1 G208S mutation. The ultrastructural investigations revealed a large proportion of their circulating platelets were hypogranular macrothrombocytes, resembling cells from patients with the Gray Platelet Syndrome. However, most of their platelets contained some alpha granules and a small number contained as many as are present in normal platelets. GATA-1 platelets from family members also contained tubular inclusions formed from elements of the dense tubular system like those observed in the Medich Giant Platelets Disorder. The unique pathology of the GATA-1 family platelets found in this study involved features never observed previously in normal or abnormal platelets. Many of their cells contained unusua...
Cardiac failure 30 years after treatment containing anthracycline for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

In 1977, a 5-year-old girl diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) was treated on DFCI Childhood ALL Protocol 77-01, receiving a cumulative doxorubicin dose of 465 mg/m2, cranial radiation, and other drugs. After being in continuous complete remission for 34 months, she developed heart failure (HF) and was treated with digoxin and furosemide. At 16, she was diagnosed and treated for dilated cardiomyopathy. Over the years she continued to have bouts of HF, which became less responsive to treatment. At 36, she received a heart transplant. Six months later, she stopped taking her medications and suffered a sudden cardiac death.
Everlasting secrecy in wireless communications: Challenges and approaches

A guarantee of everlasting secrecy is of great interest in modern communication systems. Information-theoretic secrecy is a promising method for providing such and has been widely considered. However, the adoption of information-theoretic security has been hampered by the difficulty of guaranteeing the necessary conditions for secrecy to be realized in a wireless communications environment, where the adversary might have a significant (and likely unknown) signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) advantage over the intended recipient. Thus, whereas the wireless communications environment provides opportunities to gain an advantage over the adversary, as has been considered widely in the literature, it is that same environment that challenges its ultimate utility. We review pertinent past and emerging work to address these challenges and provide perspectives on future directions in the field.
Removal of ampholines by hollow fiber dialysis: application to dextransucrase.

Abstract Ampholines must be removed from proteins that have been purified using isoelectric focusing chromatography before hydrolysis since ninhydrin positive fragments result. Hollow fiber dialysis was shown to be a fast and efficient method for the removal of ampholines from dextransucrase after isoelectric focusing. The purified protein was then subjected to amino acid analysis.
Testing Accommodations and Inclusive Assessment Practices

The inclusion of students with disabilities in large-scale assessments, typically by using testing accommodations, for statewide accountability systems became a legal reality with the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 1997, and the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2002. These legal mandates and best assessment practices are imperatives for special educators to develop a greater understanding of key issues surrounding testing accommodations to facilitate the meaningful participation of all students in assessments. This article briefly describes the legal and educational context of testing accommodations, current issues in testing accommodations, and the rationale for this special issue. It then introduces readers to the special series in Assessment for Effective Intervention on Testing Accommodations: Research to Guide Practice.
A variational analysis of small finite deformations of pretwisted elastic beams

Abstract The principle of minimum potential energy, in conjunction with a suitably assumed strain energy density and in conjunction with suitably assumed expressions for strain and displacement components, is used to derive a system of non-linear ordinary differential equations for the problem of stretching, shearing, bending, twisting and warping of pre -twisted originally straight beams. Two problems which are considered in some detail concern the combined finite stretching and twisting of beams with doubly symmetric cross-section, and the influence of pretwist on shear and twist center locations.
Adaptive optimal filters for correlators operating on obscured inputs

Several algorithms are developed to produce optical correla- tion filters for obscured inputs. Each algorithm is optimal for a different set of performance criteria. Computer simulations using binary inputs indicate that some algorithms operate over a wide range of obscurations (down to 5% of the input) while others have restricted operating ranges. © 1998 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers. (S0091-3286(98)01701-2) Subject terms: recognition techniques; pattern recognition; optimal filtering; cor- relation; associative memory.
Magnetic Bearing Measurement Configurations and Associated Robustness and Performance Limitations

We obtain bounds on achievable sensitivity and complementary sensitivity reduction for a magnetic bearing system in three measurement configurations. We use the sensitivity reduction bounds to deduce achievable robustnessand performance limits for each system configuration. We then show how these limits vary with varying magnetic bearing physical dimensions and other parameter values as well as varying closed-loop system bandwidth and controller relative degree. Using all of this information, we derive guidelines for designing magnetic bearing systems and their controllers, for each measurement configuration considered, for greatest achievable robustness and performance.
Apparent anomalously short mean free paths observed in relativistic heavy-ion collisions.

Apparent anomalously short mean free paths observed in relativistic heavy-ion collisions are given a plausible explanation by a parameter-free theory in which input parameters are experimentally measurable physical quantities. A new theoretical analysis is carried out for a specific case of the anomalous behavior of $Z=2$ secondary nuclei recently observed in a hydrogen bubble chamber in order to demonstrate the validity of the new theory. Implications of the new theory for other cases are also discussed.
Study of cross lingual information retrieval using on-line translation systems

Typical cross language retrieval requires special linguistic resources, such as bilingual dictionaries and parallel corpus. In this study, we focus on the cross lingual retrieval problem that only uses online translation systems. We compare two approaches: a translation-based approach that directly translates queries into the language of documents and then applies traditional information retrieval techniques; and a model-based approach that first learns a statistical translation model from the translations acquired from an online translation system and then applies the learned statistical model to cross lingual information retrieval. Our empirical study with ImageCLEF has shown the model-based approach performs significantly better than the translation-based approach.
Functions of calcium in sweat secretion

CALCIUM is an important regulatory factor in many physiological systems, including fluid-transporting epithelia. There is good evidence that such regulatory factors are involved in normal secretory function1, and indirect evidence that they may be involved in secretory irregularities in disease states2,3. Using a novel in vitro preparation, we have examined the effects of calcium on the secretory properties of the human eccrine sweat gland. The sweat gland consists of a single coiled tubule which is closed at the proximal secretory end and open at the distal re-absorptive end. On stimulation, the secretory portion of the tubule secretes an isotonic precursor fluid from which NaCl is absorbed hypertonically in the distal, re-absorptive duct. The final secretory product, hypotonic sweat, is excreted on to the epidermis for evaporation. We have found that calcium is an essential requirement for stimulating sweat and that this ion may be a factor in regulating the hypotonicity of sweat.
Regulation of nucleotide and pentose synthesis in resting and stimulated 3T6 fibroblasts.

A two-step procedure has been used to follow the activation of one metabolic system involved in the return of cells to a proliferative state after resting in a Go state as a result of serum limitation. One feature of the resting state is a limited capacity to synthesize nucleotides. The limitation apparently is in the rate of synthesis of 5-phosphoribosylpyrophosphate from glucose and indirectly in the capacity of the resting cells to turn over the triphosphopyridine nucleotide pair, NADPH:NADP+. A reaction utilizing NADPH is apparently greatly diminished in resting cells and is substantially increased by only brief contact of cells with the hormonal elements in dialyzed calf serum. Insulin together with platelet-derived growth factor can substitute for calf serum. Aside from stimulating the turnover of the pyridine nucleotide coenzyme pair, serum also stimulates the utilization and reformation of ATP, principally from AMP. Among the NADPH-linked reactions that have been examined for their physiological significance in the initiation of growth stimulation are two steps in the conversion of glutamate to proline in the cytoplasm. Pyrroline 5-carboxylate, an intermediate in this metabolic pathway, has been shown to stimulate PRPP synthesis when added to cultures of resting 3T6 cells. Proline, the product of the reduction of this 5-membered heterocycle is also a stimulant of PRPP synthesis. In addition, dehydroascorbic acid is a potent stimulant of PRPP synthesis. As a working hypothesis, we are exploring the role of a series of reactions that form a pyrroline 5-carboxylate/proline cycle operating between the cytoplasm and mitochondria. The net result is the oxidation of NADPH by molecular oxygen to yield NADP+ and water. The NADP+ is then used in the hexose monophosphate pathway for the conversion of glucose to PRPP. We wish to determine whether dehydroascorbate is operating in this cycle as an oxidant of proline in the mitochondria or whether it participates in some other reaction in the cell that redistributes the ratio of NADPH to NADP+.
Risk-Based Analysis and Decision Making in Multi-Disciplinary Environments

A risk-based decision-making process conceived of and developed at JPL and NASA, has been used to help plan and guide novel technology applications for use on spacecraft. These applications exemplify key challenges inherent in multi-disciplinary design of novel technologies deployed in mission-critical settings. 1) Cross-disciplinary concerns are numerous (e.g., spacecraft involve navigation, propulsion, telecommunications). These concems are cross-coupled and interact in multiple ways (e.g., electromagnetic interference, heat transfer). 2) Time and budget pressures constrain development, operational resources constrain the resulting system (e.g., mass, volume, power). 3) Spacecraft are critical systems that must operate correctly the first time in only partially understood environments, with no chance for repair. 4) Past experience provides only a partial guide: New mission concepts are enhanced and enabled by new technologies, for which past experience is lacking. The decision-making process rests on quantitative assessments of the relationships between three classes of information - objectives (the things the system is to accomplish and constraints on its operation and development), risks (whose occurrence detracts from objectives), and mitigations (options for reducing the likelihood and or severity of risks). The process successfully guides experts to pool their knowledge, using custom-built software to support information gathering and decision-making.
Screen printing of nucleic acid detecting carbon electrodes.

A large fraction of the presently mass-manufactured (>108 units/year) electrochemical biosensors, used mostly by diabetic people to monitor their blood glucose levels, have screen-printed carbon working electrodes. An earlier study (Campbell, C. N., et al. Anal. Chem. 2002, 74, 158−162) showed that nucleic acids can be assayed at 1 nM concentrations by a sandwich-type amperometric method. The assay was performed with vitreous carbon working electrodes on which an electron-conducting polycationic redox polymer and avidin were coelectrodeposited. Because the rate of the electrodeposition increases with the surface density of the polycationic redox polymer, its practicality depends on pretreatment of the surface, which adds anionic functions. (Gao, Z., et al. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2002, 41, 810−813). Here it is shown that the required conducting redox polymer films can be electrodeposited on potentially mass manufacturable electrodes made by screen-printing hydrophilic carbon inks on polyester sheets. The mo...
Computational Model Builder (CMB): A Cross-Platform Suite of Tools for Model Creation and Setup

The US Army Engineer Research and Development Center researches, develops, supports, and maintains many discipline-specific numerical models. Because of the increasing domain size and resolution needs of the modeling applications, it is no longer feasible to execute the pre- and post-processing of the models, such as mesh generation, boundary condition assignment, and visualization, on a single-processor desktop computer. Thus, a cross-platform suite of tools, the Computational Model Builder (CMB), is being developed to allow modelers to create scenes, generate solids from the scenes, and assign boundary conditions and materials on the solids. This greatly reduces the memory footprint of the problem from that required for manipulation of a full three-dimensional mesh, allowing pre- and postprocessing to be performed easily on a desktop. The tagged geometry can then be sent to HPC machines for mesh generation. This paper will discuss the requirements and design decisions for the CMB framework.
End of living: maintaining a lifeworld during terminal illness.

The narrative responses of 32 people with AIDS or cancer with survival prognoses of 6 months to a year to monthly interview questions about their daily lives were analysed with a team-based qualitative methodology. Two groups emerged: (a) a Maintained Lifeworld Group characterised by one or more of the following: continued engagement with family, friends, and community; the ability to relinquish untenable goals and substitute new, realistic ones; engagement in spirituality and a spiritual practice; and, (b) a Lifeworld Interrupted Group characterised by one or more of the following: relocation just before or during the study, cognitive impairment, commitment to untenable goals, ongoing substance abuse. Understanding how people with a terminal illness can maintain a lifeworld and experience well-being while also managing the physical challenges of their illness could help inform the support offered by professional and family caregivers to improve care recipients’ quality of life.
Harm and uncertainty in newborn intensive care.

There is a broadly held view that neonatologists are ethically obligated to act to override parental nontreatment decisions for imperiled premature newborns when there is a reasonable chance of a good outcome. It is argued here that three types of uncertainty undercut any such general obligation: (1) the vagueness of the boundary at which an infant’s deficits become so intolerable that death could be reasonably preferred; (2) the uncertainty about whether aggressive treatment will result in the survival of a reasonably healthy child or, alternatively, the survival of a child with intolerable deficits; and (3) the inability to determine an acceptable ratio between the likelihoods of those two outcomes. It is argued that the broadly held view accords insufficient weight to the fact that newborn intensive care increases the likelihood of harm to the child by effecting survival with intolerable deficits. Though treatment may offer a reasonable chance of a good outcome, it is argued that there are situations in which neonatologists should nonetheless defer to parental nontreatment decisions.
Serotonin–GABA interactions modulate MDMA‐induced mesolimbic dopamine release

3,4,-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; 'ecstasy') acts at monoamine nerve terminals to alter the release and re-uptake of dopamine and 5-HT. The present study used microdialysis in awake rats to measure MDMA-induced changes in extracellular GABA in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), simultaneous with measures of extracellular dopamine (DA) in the nucleus accumbens (NAC) shell. (+)-MDMA (0, 2.5, 5 and 10 mg/kg, i.p.) increased GABA efflux in the VTA with a bell-shaped dose-response. This increase was blocked by application of TTX through the VTA probe. MDMA (5 mg/kg) increased 5-HT efflux in VTA by 1037% (p < 0.05). The local perfusion of the 5-HT(2B/2C) antagonist SB 206553 into the VTA reduced VTA GABA efflux after MDMA from a maximum of 229% to a maximum of 126% of basal values (p < 0.05), while having no effect on basal extracellular GABA concentrations. DA concentrations measured simultaneously in the NAC shell were increased from a maximum of 486% to 1320% (p < 0.05). The selective DA releaser d-amphetamine (AMPH) (4 mg/kg) also increased VTA GABA efflux (180%), did not alter 5-HT and increased NAC DA (875%) (p < 0.05), but the perfusion of SB 206553 into the VTA failed to alter these effects. These results suggest that MDMA-mediated increases in DA within the NAC shell are dampened by increases in VTA GABA subsequent to activation of 5-HT(2B/2C) receptors in the VTA.
A Monitoring Network Design Procedure for Three-Dimensional (3D) Groundwater Contaminant Source Identification

Finding the location and concentration of contaminant sources is an important step in groundwater remediation and management. This discovery typically requires the solution of an inverse problem. This inverse problem can be formulated as an optimization problem where the objective function is the sum of the square of the errors between the observed and predicted values of contaminant concentration at the observation wells. Studies show that the source identification accuracy is dependent on the observation locations (i.e., network geometry) and frequency of sampling; thus, finding a set of optimal monitoring well locations is very important for characterizing the source. The objective of this study is to propose a sensitivity-based method for optimal placement of monitoring wells by incorporating two uncertainties: the source location and hydraulic conductivity. An optimality metric called D-optimality in combination with a distance metric, which tends to make monitoring locations as far apart from each o...
Does advanced medical technology encourage hospitalist use and their direct employment by hospitals

In the United States, inpatient medical care increasingly encompasses the use of expensive medical technology and, at the same time, is coordinated and supervised more and more by a rapidly growing number of inpatient-dedicated physicians (hospitalists). In the production of inpatient care services, Hospitalist services can be viewed as complementary to sophisticated and expensive medical equipment in the provision of inpatient medical care. We investigate the causal relationship between a hospital's access to three types of sophisticated diagnostic and therapeutic medical equipment – intensity-modulated radiation therapy, gamma knife, and multi-slice computed tomography – and its likelihood of using hospitalists. To rule out omitted variables bias and reverse causality, we use technology-specific Certificate of Need regulation to predict technology use. We find a strong positive association, yet no causal link between access to medical technology and hospitalist use. We also study the choice of employment modality among hospitals that use hospitalists, and find that access to expensive medical technology reduces the hospital's propensity to employ hospitalists directly. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Turnover of nuclear RNA in HeLa cells: evidence for a single ribonucleotide pool.

Abstract The role of the ribonucleotide pool in measuring turn-over of RNA has been studied. Evidence presented previously has assumed a single pool. The nucleotide base ratios of two different species of nuclear RNA (heterogeneously sedimenting nuclear RNA and ribosomal precursor RNA) are known. We have studied the rate of approach to the equilibrium base ratio established by labeling, either via the salvage pathway or the endogenous route. In either case, normalization of the measured U:C ratios is accomplished by dividing the equilibrium U:C ratio in an isolated species by the measured base ratio (specific U:C ratio). These studies are consistent with the existence of a single ribonucleotide pool.
Stent fracture: an unusual cause of late restenosis after sirolimus-eluting stent placement.

Stent fracture is uncommon but may have consequences including restenosis. To date, stent fractures reported have been related to aggressive post dilation. We describe a case that involves fracture of a stent deployed to nominal pressure. Unlike most stent fractures reported that involve stent struts only our case demonstrated circumferential disruption with complete separation of the stent segments. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Restrictive cardiomyopathy with pseudotumor formation of the left ventricle

A 4-year-old girl had the insidious onset of congestive heart failure without apparent cause. Evaluation by echocardiography, thallous chloride Tl 201 scintigraphy, and angiography suggested the presence of either a neoplasm or restrictive cardiomyopathy with a localized mass effect on the left ventricle. Pathological specimens obtained by transvascular endomyocardial biopsy and at surgery defined the pathology to be restrictive cardiomyopathy. Analysis of myocardium by electron microscopy demonstrated a previously undescribed abnormality of the contractile elements involving the myofilaments and Z bands, with generalized secondary glycogen deposition.
Minimizing total completion time on uniform machines with deadline constraints

Consider n independent jobs and m uniform machines in parallel. Each job has a processing requirement and a deadline. All jobs are available for processing at time t = 0. Job j must complete its processing before or at its deadline and preemptions are allowed. A set of jobs is said to be feasible if there exists a schedule that meets all the deadlines. We present a polynomial-time algorithm that given a feasible set of jobs, constructs a schedule that minimizes the total completion time ΣCj. In the classical α | β | γ scheduling notation, this problem is referred to as Qm | prmt, d¯j | ΣCj. It is well known that a generalization of this problem with regard to its machine environment results in an NP-hard problem.