cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Archaeology, Anthropology, and Museums, 1851–2014: Rethinking Pitt-Rivers and His Legacy – An Introduction

This special issue is an outcome of ‘Rethinking Pitt-Rivers: Analysing the Activities of a Nineteenth-Century Collector’, a three-year research project funded by a grant from The Leverhulme Trust. The editors, Coote and Petch, were the project’s principal investigator and researcher, three of the contributors (Green, Morton, and Riviere) were ‘associate researchers’ on the project, and all but one of the contributors participated in ‘The Many Faces of General Pitt-Rivers’, a project workshop held on 25 March 2011 that was the stimulus for the present set of articles (Figure 1). The ‘Rethinking Pitt-Rivers’ project was inspired by three concerns: that so little was known about Pitt-Rivers’s collecting activities in general and about his ‘second’ collection in particular; that scholarly and popular understandings of Pitt-Rivers and his collections had been distorted by the existence of a museum in Oxford that bore his name but was never ‘his’ and was filled with other people’s collections; and, finally, that scholarly and popular understandings of the University of Oxford’s Pitt Rivers Museum had been skewed by its nominal connection with a man of supposedly fixed ideas. The main aim of the project was to gain an overall understanding of the totality of Pitt-Rivers’s collections, and of his related collecting activities, broadly conceived — as a lecturer, author, correspondent, cataloguer, exhibiter, museum creator, thinker, and theorist. The records for Pitt-Rivers’s ‘first’ collection — that is, the one he gave to the University of Oxford — had already been the subject of a previous project, also funded by a grant from The Leverhulme Trust in the mid-1990s. The records for the second had only recently been placed in the public domain, through the deposit by his great-grandson in the Cambridge University Library of the nine-volume manuscript catalogue of Pitt-Rivers’s ‘second’ collection, which had been housed in the main at the private Pitt-Rivers Museum in Farnham (see Saunders, this issue). As part of the work of the ‘Rethinking Pitt-Rivers’ project we were able to commission Cambridge University Library to digitize the manuscript catalogue (Figures 2 and 3), which was then made available online as part of the project website. A database covering the records for both collections was created, and also made available online. Thanks to the generous collaboration of The Salisbury museum history journal, Vol. 7 No. 2, July, 2014, 126–134
Signal Processing System for the CASA Integrated Project I Radars

Abstract This paper describes the waveform design space and signal processing system for dual-polarization Doppler weather radar operating at X band. The performance of the waveforms is presented with ground clutter suppression capability and mitigation of range–velocity ambiguity. The operational waveform is designed based on operational requirements and system/hardware requirements. A dual–Pulse Repetition Frequency (PRF) waveform was developed and implemented for the first generation X-band radars deployed by the Center for Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere (CASA). This paper presents an evaluation of the performance of the waveforms based on simulations and data collected by the first-generation CASA radars during operations.
Energy Dissipation Due to Vehicle/Track Interaction

SUMMARY The effects of track irregularities and wheel profile on the amount of energy dissipated in railroad freight vehicles is examined. A nonlinear computational model is used to determine the average dissipation in the vehicle suspension and the wheel/rail contact patches. This dissipation is a component of the total resistance force acting on the vehicle. Parametric results are presented showing the effects of track geometry, wheel profile, suspension design, and hunting on train resistance. Track geometry studies consider the effects of track quality and curving. The AAR 1:20 wheel profile and the Heumann wheel profile are compared under various operating conditions. Compared with the Heumann profile, the AAR 1:20 profile is shown to have lower average resistance on good quality tangent track, but higher average resistance in steady curves. A trade-off exists between the two profiles when dynamic curve entry is considered.
Rheological changes for urethane polymerizations in bulk and in solution

Abstract Viscosity rise and extent of reaction were followed during the step growth polymerization of linear and branched urethanes in bulk and in solution. Results indicate that intra-molecular reaction may exist in both linear and branched systems. Adding solvent increases the extent of intra-molecular reaction. The system viscosity was found to correlate with CgMw, where C is polymer concentration, g is the ratio of branched to linear polymer radii of gyration, and Mw is the weight-average molecular weight.
Ego development in female-to-male transsexual couples

The ego development of 22 postoperative female-to-male transsexuals and their spouses or lovers with whom they had been living for a year or more was investigated. The transsexuals, their spouses, and a control group of 22 couples were administered the Washington University Sentence Completion Test of Ego Development, a projective measure of ego functioning. Ego development refers to the framework of meaning that the individual brings to an experience. The construct of ego development incorporates a series of sequential stages that integrate various frames of reference including cognitive style, interpersonal style, conscious preoccupation, and impulse control. These processes have received little attention in studies on female-to-male transsexuals who have successfully negotiated the social barrier of cross-living to the extent that they are living the male role in a heterosexual relationship. No significant differences in the distribution of ego development scores were found between the transsexuals and the control males, or between the transsexuals' spouses and the control spouses. Over 93% of the transsexuals and their spouses scored above the conformist level of ego development. These findings are discussed in terms of some of the previous literature on conformist thinking by transsexuals.
Simultaneous splenectomy increases risk for opportunistic pneumonia in patients after liver transplantation

Life threatening pneumonias after liver transplantation are often caused by opportunistic pathogens such as Legionella pneumophila, Pneumocystis carinii, Aspergillus species and cytomegalovirus (CMV). Due to the high incidence of morbidity and mortality caused by these pneumonias we reviewed 700 liver transplants for risk factors for the development of opportunistic pneumonia. Immunosuppression was commenced as either cyclosporin A- or tacrolimus-based protocols. In a subgroup of patients, splenectomy was performed simultaneously with liver transplantation (n=57). Overall 60 opportunistic pneumonias occurred in 700 liver transplants. Using a stepwise logistic regression analysis, we found that OKT3 treatment and simultaneous splenectomy revealed a significantly increased risk for opportunistic pneumonia. Our study identified splenectomy as a major risk factor for the development of opportunistic pneumonia after liver transplantation. In these patients prophylactic protocols and early diagnosis may improve the long-term outcome.
Teaching Practices that Promote Motor Skills in Early Childhood Settings

Early childhood educators, especially those in preschool centers, are often expected to design and implement movement programs. However, these individuals may not have been taught these skills during their education. The purpose of this study was to determine if early childhood majors could successfully be taught to implement a mastery climate instructional approach to promote motor skill development to preschool-age children. Twenty undergraduate Early Childhood Education majors, who completed a Motor Development Across the School Years course, designed and implemented a movement program to develop preschoolers’ locomotor and object control skills. Fourteen preschoolers participated in an 11-week movement program. Preschoolers’ motor performance was assessed with the Test of Gross Motor Development—2nd Edition prior to and following the intervention. Results indicate significant improvements in total performance (p < .05) and locomotor skills (p = .037). Findings indicate that with guidance and training, early childhood majors can effectively design and implement a mastery-based movement program that enhances motor skill competence. The findings also demonstrate the need and value for early childhood majors to receive training in the design and implementation of movement programs. This paper provides a conceptual framework and practical recommendations to assist teachers and educators with implementing a mastery climate movement programs.
Toxicity of methyl tertiary butyl ether to Daphnia magna and Photobacterium phosphoreum.

Methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) is a liquid organic compound added to gasoline to increase its oxygen content and to reduce the emission of carbon monoxide during combustion in many urban areas. In order to meet the 1990 Clean Air Act amendments, gasoline must contain 2.7% oxygen (by weight) or 15% (by volume) of MTBE in gasoline to meet the regulations for the control of carbon monoxide emissions. Health effects caused by inhalation of MTBE include headaches, dizziness, irritated eyes and nausea; MTBE is one of cancer--causing chemicals. Intracaval injection of MTBE (0.2 mg/kg) caused the highest mortality (100%) in rats. General anesthetic effect induced by MTBE was found at or above 1200 mg/kg body weight; Rosenkranz and Klopman (1991) predicted that MTBE is neither a genotoxicant nor a carcinogen. Nevertheless, the safety of using MTBE in oxygenated fuels is now being questioned from its potential as groundwater pollutant. This study measures the toxicity of MTBE to Daphnia magna and Photobacterium phosphoreum. 13 refs.
Potential-barrier measurements at clustered metal-semiconductor interfaces

Photoemission spectroscopy is commonly used to study band bending at clustered metal-semiconductor interfaces. However, these band-bending data have been difficult to interpret because of the nonuniform distribution of pinning sites. In this paper the interpretation of these measurements is investigated in detail. Using three-dimensional Poisson integration programs, we examine the extent to which the band bending can be ascribed to states at the cluster-semiconductor interfaces. First, the potential variations in the semiconductor near an individual cluster are calculated. The depletion of the semiconductor along the surface is found to be significantly less than the one-dimensional depletion length. Next, the surface-potential variations are computed for systems of known cluster morphology, assuming that the pinning states are restricted to the cluster-semiconductor interfaces. From these potentials, the expected band-bending measurements are extracted and compared to experiment. At submonolayer coverages, we find that the experimental band bending is greater than can be attributed to pinning states under the clusters. Thus, this low-coverage band bending is interpreted in terms of surface states between the clusters. Defects, chemisorbed adatoms, and surface unbuckling are discussed as possible sources of these states. Above one monolayer coverage, the clusters cover enough of the surface to uniformly pin the Fermi level. Experimentally, however, a separation between the n- and p-type surface Fermi-level positions persists to the highest coverages. This separation is also interpreted in terms of intercluster surface states.
A Double Sampling Plan for Comparing Two Variances

Abstract A double sampling plan is derived to test the hypothesis H0: σ2 1 ≤ σ2 2 where it is assumed the samples are from normally distributed populations. An example is given comparing the double sampling plan with a corresponding single sampling plan.
Effect of blockade of dopaminergic receptors on acetylcholine (Ach)-induced alterations of plasma gonadotropin and prolactin (Prl) in conscious ovariectomized rats.

Abstract The participation of acetylcholine (Ach) in the control of gonadotropin and prolactin (Prl) release was evaluated in intact or pimozide-treated conscious, ovariectomized (OVX) rats bearing indwelling 3rd ventricular and jugular venous cannulae by measuring plasma hormone levels by radioimmunoassay (RIA). Third ventricular injection of 20 or 100 μg of atropine sulfate (2 μl) significantly lowered plasma LH and Prl levels. Intraventricular injection of 20 μg Ach (2 μl) induced a significant elevation in plasma LH and suppression of Prl within 5 min of injection, whereas FSH was elevated only at 30 min. Intraventricular atropine blocked the action of Ach to elevate FSH and LH and to lower Prl. Intravenous pulse injection of atropine at a dose of 5 mg/kg suppressed plasma LH and Prl. Blockade of dopamine (DA) receptors with pimozide prevented the FSH- and LH-releasing and Prl-lowering effects of intraventricular Ach. The atropine-induced suppression of LH release was reversed and an elevation occurred in animals which were pretreated with the DA receptor blocker. Atropine injection had no effect on already elevated Prl levels in pimozide-pretreated animals. The results provide further evidence for cholinergic stimulation of gonadotropin and inhibition of Prl release and indicate that cholinergic control may be mediated via the tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic neurons.
Effect of Specimen Size on Compaction and Volumetric Properties in Gyratory Compacted Hot-Mix Asphalt Concrete Specimens

Gyratory compaction is the centerpiece of the Strategic Highway Research Program asphalt mixture design procedure Superpave. A number of factors could potentially affect the behavior of asphalt mixes in the gyratory compactor. One of these is specimen size. Four specimen sizes each of one unmodified and two rubber-modified hot-mix asphalt concrete mixes were compacted in the Superpave gyratory compactor to determine the effect of specimen size on compaction and volumetric properties of the mixes. All specimens were compacted using a 150-mm-diameter mold. Specimens of each of the mix types were prepared using three gradations and three binder contents. Densification curves and plotting number of gyrations versus percent of theoretical maximum density were developed for each mix type/gradation/binder content combination. A strong trend in the densification data was observed, in which curves representing specimen sizes of 3500, 5000, and 6500 g were grouped together, apart from the curve representing a 2000-...
Application of a Handheld Portable Mid-Infrared Sensor for Monitoring Oil Oxidative Stability

This study evaluated the capabilities of a handheld mid-infrared (MIR) spectrometer combined with multivariate analysis to characterize oils, monitor chemical processes occurring during oxidation, and to determine fatty acid composition. Vegetable oils (corn, peanut, sunflower, safflower, cottonseed, and canola) were stored at 65 °C for 30 days to accelerate oxidation reactions. Aliquots were drawn at 5 day intervals and analyzed by benchtop and portable handheld mid-infrared devices (4,000–700 cm−1) and reference methods (IUPAC 2301 [1], 2302 [1]; AOCS Cd 8-58 [2]; and Shipe 1979 [3]). PLSR and soft independent modeling of class analogy (SIMCA) models were developed for oil classification and estimation of oil stability parameters. Models developed from MIR spectra obtained with a benchtop spectrometer equipped with a 3-bounce ATR device resulted in superior discriminative performances for classifying oils as compared to those obtained from handheld spectra (single-bounce ATR). Models developed from reference tests and handheld spectra showed prediction errors (SECV) of 1 meq/kg for peroxide value, 0.09% for acid value and 2% for determination of unsaturated fatty acids in different oils. Spectral regions ~3,012–2,850 cm−1 (C–H stretching bands/shoulders of fatty acids), ~1,740 cm−1 (C=O stretching of esters), and ~1,114 cm−1 (–C–O stretching) were found to be important for prediction. Handheld-FTIR instruments combined with multivariate-analysis showed promise for determination of oil quality parameters. Portability and ease-of-use makes the handheld device a great alternative to traditional methods.
Indole-3-carbinol synergistically sensitises ovarian cancer cells to bortezomib treatment.

Bortezomib is a proteasome inhibitor with minimal clinical activity as a monotherapy in solid tumours, but its combination with other targeted therapies is being actively investigated as a way to increase its anticarcinogenic properties. Here, we evaluate the therapeutic potential of co-treatment with bortezomib and indole-3-carbinol (I3C), a natural compound found in cruciferous vegetables, in human ovarian cancer. We examined the effects of I3C, bortezomib and cisplatin in several human ovarian cancer cell lines. Synergy was determined using proliferation assays and isobologram analysis. Cell cycle and apoptotic effects were assessed by flow cytometry. The mechanism of I3C and bortezomib action was determined by RNA microarray studies, quantitative RT–PCR and western blotting. Antitumour activity of I3C and bortezomib was evaluated using an OVCAR5 xenograft mouse model. I3C sensitised ovarian cancer cell lines to bortezomib treatment through potent synergistic mechanisms. Combination treatment with bortezomib and I3C led to profound cell cycle arrest and apoptosis as well as disruptions to multiple pathways, including those regulating endoplasmic reticulum stress, cytoskeleton, chemoresistance and carcinogen metabolism. Moreover, I3C and bortezomib co-treatment sensitised ovarian cancer cells to the standard chemotherapeutic agents, cisplatin and carboplatin. Importantly, in vivo studies demonstrated that co-treatment with I3C and bortezomib significantly inhibited tumour growth and reduced tumour weight compared with either drug alone. Together, these data provide a novel rationale for the clinical application of I3C and bortezomib in the treatment of ovarian cancer.
Examining the interrelationships among perceived environmental change, strategic response, managerial characteristics, and organizational performance

Abstract This study attempts to integrate compatible, yet fragmented research streams, related to the association among environmental change, managerial characteristics, strategic orientation, and organizational performance. By combining a variety of theoretical perspectives, an integrated framework is developed that examines these interrelationships. The results show that managerial perception of environmental change influences the strategic adaptive response of the organization and the selection of top managers. Further, it was found that organizations that are able to achieve the alignment among perceived environmental change–strategic adaptive response–managerial characteristics exhibit superior performance in terms of a variety of performance outcomes as compared to organizations where such alignment is lacking.
Raffinose accumulation related to desiccation tolerance during maize (Zea mays L.) seed development and maturation

Summary A comprehensive analysis of soluble carbohydrates in developing embryos of field-grown maize seed was used to establish the relationship of sucrose and raffinose levels and their mass ratio to the occurrence of desiccation tolerance in immature whole kernels and in isolated embryos. Kernel, endosperm, and embryo dry mass were maximum at 56 d after pollination (DAP). Freshly harvested seeds germinated between 64 and 86 DAP, but after fast drying at 12 % relative humidity, seeds germinated between 30 and 36 DAP and between 14 and 22 DAP after slow drying on the ear. Freshly harvested isolated embryos germinated between 14 and 16 DAP, between 26 and 45 DAP after fast drying, and between 18 and 22 DAP after slow drying. Sucrose accumulated independendy of desiccation tolerance. Raffinose accumulation was not required for germination but was associated with survival after drying. Desiccation tolerance was not observed in the absence of raffinose accumulation, but the presence of small quantities of raffinose was not always associated with the onset of desiccation tolerance during early embryo development. Desiccation tolerance in maize embryos was associated with sucrose-to-raffinose mass ratios less than 20∶1 and stage 2–3 in embryo development.
Adaptive and virtual reconfigurations for effective dynamic job scheduling in cluster systems

In a cluster system with dynamic load sharing support, a job submission or migration to a workstation is determined by the availability of CPU and memory resources of the workstation at the time. In such a system, a small number of running jobs with unexpectedly large memory allocation requirements may significantly increase the queuing delay times of the rest of jobs with normal memory requirements, slowing down executions of individual jobs and decreasing the system throughput. We call this phenomenon as the job blocking problem because the big jobs block the execution pace of majority jobs in the cluster. We propose a software method incorporating with dynamic load sharing, which adaptively reserves a small set of workstations through virtual cluster reconfiguration to provide special services to the jobs demanding large memory allocations. This policy implies the principle of shortest-remaining-processing-time policy. As soon as the blocking problem is resolved by the reconfiguration, the system will adaptively switch back to the normal load sharing state. We present three contributions in this study. (1) the conditions to cause the job blocking problem; (2) the adaptive software method in a dynamic load sharing system; and (3) trace-driven simulations. We show that our method can effectively improve the cluster computing performance by quickly resolving the job blocking problem. The effectiveness and performance insights are also analytically verified.
Maxillary anterior intrusive forces generated by Begg stage I appliances.

Abstract The capability of Begg mechanotherapy to produce intrusion of the maxillary anterior teeth, particularly the incisors, has been questioned. Although the Stage I appliance opens the bite, this can be the result of one or a combination of several occlusogingival displacements, and the manner of bite opening continues to be a subject of discussion. Support in favor of anterior maxillary intrusion exists, at least in part, because of the potential for extrusion of these teeth during Stage III. However, the magnitudes of actual intrusive force generated by the Begg Stage I appliance apparently have not been investigated heretofore. The purpose of this experimental study was to quantify and compare on the bench the intrusion potentials of maxillary appliances used in Stage I by Begg practitioners. Five independent variables (size of anchor bend and gable bend, Class II elastic-force magnitude, anchor-bend positions, and archwire diameter) and a total of 135 appliance configurations were evaluated. The raw intrusive-force data were reduced and analyzed by means of accepted statistical procedures. The individual contributions of the independent variables in the appliance were investigated. Parametric relationships, developed within the experimental results, were compared to the predictions of the engineering bending theory for beams and arches. A force analysis of the appliance design was carried out toward evaluation of anchorage potential. This investigation revealed that the appliances generate light to moderate intrusive forces, that wire diameter, anchor-bend size, and elastic-force magnitude are the controlling parameters, and that several combinations of variable values may yield identical intrusive-force magnitudes as activated. For most of the appliance configurations tested, the results were in general agreement with the elastic bending theory. Although intrusive forces generated by the most commonly used Begg appliances were found to be rather light, factors inherent in the design-in particular the nonuniform distribution of the intrusive force throughout the anterior segment-tend to enhance the potential for intrusion. A systematic approach to the fabrication of the appliance is suggested.
Kidney function estimated from serum creatinine and cystatin C and peripheral arterial disease in NHANES 1999–2002

Aims Serum cystatin C, a novel marker of kidney function, is reported to be superior to serum creatinine as a risk factor for atherosclerotic disease, but associations may vary across vascular beds. Methods and results A cross-sectional study of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in 3089 adult participants aged 40+ from the 1999–2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Kidney function, assessed by estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), was determined from serum creatinine and cystatin C using established equations. Peripheral arterial disease defined by an ankle brachial index 90), the odds ratio for PAD was 3.11 (95% confidence interval 1.26–7.64) for preclinical CKD (eGFRserum creatinine ≥60, eGFRcystatin C <76.7) and 5.07 (3.01–8.52) for ‘confirmed’ CKD (eGFRserum creatinine <60, eGFRcystatin C <60). Conclusion Chronic kidney disease was strongly and independently associated with PAD. Cystatin C was a more potent marker of lower extremity PAD when compared with the serum creatinine equation currently used in clinical practice. Our results suggest that cystatin C may have clinical utility when combined with serum creatinine in evaluation of individuals who may have PAD.
Iterative learning identification for an automated off-highway vehicle

This paper presents a new approach for identifying the lateral dynamics of an automated off-highway agricultural vehicle. A second order model is proposed to represent the vehicle lateral dynamics. An Iterative Learning Identification (ILI) method is used to identify the model parameters. Simulation and experimental results show the convergence of parameters with arbitrarily chosen initial estimations. The estimation results are compared to other traditional identification methods: least square estimation and gradient based adaptive estimation. The results highlight the practical benefit of the ILI approach- i.e. that it can be performed in a relatively small section of field and therefore done prior to actual usage or engagement with crops.
Soybean Seed Respiration During Simulated Preharvest Deterioration

Amable, R. A. and Obendorf, R. L. 1986. Soybean seed respiration during simulated preharvest deterioration.—J. exp. Bot. 37: 1364-1375. Rapid decline of seed quality limits soybean production in the lowland tropics. Seed deterioration is promoted by delayed harvest under high ambient temperature and relative humidity. To evaluate changes in respiration during deterioration, soybean seed were subjected to four controlled, constant or fluctuating, water content regimes at 25 °C and 32 °C to simulate the postmaturation, preharvest environment. Seed deteriorated rapidly under high water content regimes at 32 °C and were non-viable by 20 d. Low rates of oxygen uptake during early imbibition correlated with deterioration and were attributed to a decline in the integrity of the cyanide-sensitive cytochrome pathway. However, tissues subjected to high water content fluctuation at 32 °C for 20 d had high rates of oxygen uptake due mainly to 'residual' respiration. Only small increases in alternative respiration and lipoxygenase activity occurred during deterioration. A marked increase in ethanol content during imbibition indicated a shift from aerobic to anaerobic metabolism induced by the decline in the cytochrome pathway. A reduction in tetrazolium staining was not accompanied by decreased activity of alcohol dehydrogenase or malate dehydrogenase. Reduced pyruvate metabolism through the tricarboxylic acid cycle and a concomitant decline in NADH levels were proposed to limit dehydrogenase activity in vivo causing the decreased staining of tissues. The mitochondria appear to be the site of a primary lesion during seed deterioration under combinations of high water content and high temperature. Key words—Cytochrome, alternative-respiration, germination. Correspondence to: Department of Agronomy, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. 14853-0144, U.S.A.
Quantity and gradability across categories

This paper proposes a unified analysis of scalar modifiers across the adjec- tival, nominal and verbal domains, with a special focus on the proportional modifier half in English. I claim that half has a scalar meaning in all the environments in which it appears. Specifically, I show that in partitive and event-modifying uses, half targets a quantity-based scale whose scale structure crucially depends on the part structure of a nominal argument, just like many adjectival cases. To formalize the analysis, I extend the degree-based analysis of Kennedy & McNally (2005) for gradable adjectives to partitives and VPs headed by incremental theme verbs, with some discussion of compounding uses of half with both nouns and verbs.
Phosphorylation Regulates Id3 Function in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

Understanding the mechanisms that regulate cell cycle progression in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) is key to understanding and modulating vascular lesion formation. Results of the present study provide the first evidence that phosphorylation of the helix-loop-helix factor Id3 in VSMCs occurs in vitro and in vivo and provides a regulatory switch controlling Id3-induced regulation of p21Cip1 and VSMC growth.
Estimation of images degraded by film-grain noise

Film-grain noise describes the intrinsic noise produced by a photographic emulsion during the process of image recording and reproduction. In this paper we consider the restoration of images degraded by film-grain noise. First a detailed model for the over-all photographic imaging system is presented. The model includes linear blurring effects and the signal-dependent effect of film-grain noise. The accuracy of this model is tested by simulating images according to it and comparing the results to images of similar targets that were actually recorded on film. The restoration of images degraded by film-grain noise is then considered in the context of estimation theory. A discrete Wiener filer is developed which explicitly allows for the signal dependence of the noise. The filter adaptively alters its characteristics based on the nonstationary first order statistics of an image and is shown to have advantages over the conventional Wiener filter. Experimental results for modeling and the adaptive estimation filter are presented.
Extensions of 2-homogeneous polynomials on c0

We prove that every 2-homogeneous polynomial on the complex c0 has a unique normpreserving extension to its bidual l∞.
Relationship of 65Zn absorption kinetics to intestinal metallothionein in rats: effects of zinc depletion and fasting

Intestinal 65Zn transport and metallothionein levels were examined in rats fed zinc-adequate and zinc-deficient diets and in rats subjected to an overnight fast. 65Zn uptake by intestines perfused with 1.5 microM 65Zn was greater in both zinc-deficient and fasted groups than in the control group. Mucosal retention of 65Zn was also greater in the zinc-deficient group but not in the fasted group. The greater 65Zn uptake in the fasted group was associated with a compartment that readily released 65Zn back into the lumen. Kinetic analysis of the rate of 65Zn transfer to the vascular space (absorption) showed that 65Zn absorption involved approximately 3% of mucosal 65Zn in a 40-min perfusion period. The half-life (t1/2) of this mucosal 65Zn rapid transport pool corresponded directly to changes in intestinal metallothionein levels. Both metallothionein and t1/2 were higher in the fasted group and lower in the zinc-deficient group than in controls. While the rate of 65Zn transport from this rapid transport pool decreased with increasing metallothionein level, the predicted pool size increased when the metallothionein level was elevated by fasting. These results indicate that the rate of zinc absorption is inversely related to intestinal metallothionein levels, but the portion of mucosal 65Zn available for absorption is directly related to intestinal metallothionein.
Intermediate-term results of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support following congenital heart surgery

Background:Although there are considerable data regarding in-hospital results of congenital heart surgery (CHS) patients requiring postoperative extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support, there is limited information on intermediate-term outcomes.Methods:A single-institution retrospective review of 25 consecutive postoperative CHS patients who required ECMO and survived to hospital discharge between January 2003 and June 2008. Survival was estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method.Results:At a median follow-up of 3.3 years (interquartile range: 1.2-5.9 years), there was one death which occurred at six months postsurgery. Kaplan-Meier-estimated survival at three years was 95% (95% confidence interval: 90%-100%). Indications for ECMO included extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (48%), systemic hypoxia (4%), postoperative low-cardiac output syndrome (28%), and intraoperative failure to wean off cardiopulmonary bypass (20%). Following ECMO support, 65% of patients had unplanned cardiac reinterven...
Design Tables for an Elliptic-Function Band-Stop Filter (N=5)

Design tables for a wide-band elliptic-function band-stop trammission-line filter are described. The filter consists of five alternating quarter-wave and half-wave stubs separated by quarter-wave lines. The characteristic impedances of the filter elements were computed from published tables of the lumped-element prototype by an exact method. The filter elements are assumed to be lossless.
Treatment of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma with external beam radiation combined with interstitial brachytherapy

Background. We reviewed the outcomes of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma treated with external beam radiation and interstitial brachytherapy. Methods. Ninety patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx were treated with interstitial brachytherapy at the University of Utah between 1984 and 2001. Seventy-two patients received external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) followed by brachytherapy boost, 11 had surgery followed by EBRT and brachytherapy, 4 had surgery and brachytherapy, and 3 were treated with brachytherapy alone. Median doses for EBRT and brachytherapy were 50 and 24 Gy, respectively. Results. Median follow-up after brachytherapy was 48.3 months for all patients. Five-year local control, disease-free survival, and overall survival were 76%, 61%, and 55%. For T1, T2, T3, and T4, 5-year local control rates were 83%, 79%, 79%, and 64%, respectively. Severe complications occurred in 13 patients, including 2 treatment-related deaths. Conclusions. EBRT combined with interstitial brachytherapy provide good local control rates for locally advanced oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2007.
DONOR CRITERIA AND EVALUATION

The single most important limitation to organ transplantation today is donor availability. Once that hurdle is surmounted, the issues of cost–benefit and societal fiscal responsibility will limit transplantation. Until such a time, transplantation and, particularly, lung transplantation will be constrained by a limited donor pool and the attendant obligation of transplant centers to insure that that precious resource is used optimally. Such restraint is reflected in the progressive re-evaluation and liberalization of donor acceptance criteria; the advent of cadaveric and living, related lobar lung transplantation, and the extremely strict criteria for evaluation and acceptance of lung transplant recipients (there are 10 times as many patients listed for renal transplantation as for lung transplantation, in spite of the facts that there is an alternative to transplantation in kidney disease and lung disease is one of the most common causes of death in North America). The United States has enacted legislation to facilitate organ donation. The Uniform Anatomical Gift Act of 1968 granted legal authority to competent adults and their next-of-kin to donate their organs after death. The Joint Commission on Aging and Health Organization and the Health Care Financing Administration require physicians to offer the possibility of organ or tissue donation to next-of-kin following the declaration of brain death. In spite of that, an appreciable impact on organ donation relative to other countries lacking such legislation has yet to be realized. Estimates of the potential organ donor pool vary from 29 to 59 donors per 1 million population 2,7,11 ; the actual donor yield is considerably less than that, and only 20% of donated organs are suitable for pulmonary transplantation based on current criteria. United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) data 1 indicating the most common causes of death of organ donors are presented in Table 1. Head trauma (which accounts for 54% of all lung donors 1 ) is frequently associated with aspiration of gastric contents and the requirement for prolonged mechanical ventilation. The sequelae of major central nervous system insults commonly include disturbances in fluid balance, consumptive coagulopathy, and, occasionally, neurogenic pulmonary edema. All of those causes and consequences of brain death impact upon the integrity of the lung and its potential utility for transplantation. The following sections discuss existing and expanding criteria for the evaluation and use of donated organs for lung transplantation.
Update on Insulin Therapy for Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is characterized by insulin resistance and impaired insulin secretion at diagnosis and by progressive β-cell dysfunction over time. Insulin therapy is thus frequently required during the course of the disease to maintain glycemic control and prevent diabetes complications. Insulin should be initiated when alternative antihyperglycemic agents have failed or when symptomatic or marked hyperglycemia is present. Recent studies demonstrate that the addition of basal, prandial, basal/bolus, or premixed insulins to existing antihyperglycemic regimens effectively lowers glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA(1c)). The long-acting insulin analogs cause less nocturnal hypoglycemia than bedtime NPH, with comparable HbA(1c) reductions. Insulin detemir confers a weight advantage over glargine or NPH. Rapid-acting insulin analogs control postprandial hyperglycemia more effectively than regular insulin and modestly lower HbA(1c). For selected patients with severe insulin resistance, U-500 is a less expensive and potentially more effective alternative to U-100 insulin. Adverse effects of insulin, including weight gain and hypoglycemia, can be minimized by initial use of basal insulins in combination with metformin, incretin mimetics, or dipeptidyl-peptidase-IV inhibitors. Although in vitro studies suggest that hyperinsulinemia may promote tumorigenesis, no currently available insulin has been shown to increase cancer rates. Targeting near-normal glucose levels in insulin-treated patients should be reserved for those of younger age with a longer life expectancy, a shorter duration of diabetes, and little or no end-organ complications. A higher HbA(1c) target of 7-8% is more appropriate for patients less likely to benefit from intensive control and in those at high risk for severe hypoglycemia.
Variation of the Spectrum of Operators in Infinite Dimensional Spaces

The paper investigates the variation of the spectrum of operators in infinite dimensional Banach spaces. Consider the space of bounded operators on a separable Banach space when equipped with the strong operator topology, and the Polish space of compact subsets of the closed unit disc of the complex plane when equipped with the Hausdorff topology. Then, it is shown that the unit spectrum function is Borel from the space of bounded operators into the Polish space of compact subsets of the closed unit disc. Alternative results are given when other topologies are used.
THE GIN EPIDEMIC: MUCH ADO ABOUT WHAT?

While there is no doubt that the era of the 'gin epidemic' was associated with poverty and social unrest, the surge in gin drinking was localized to London and was a concomitant, not the cause, of these problems. The two main underlying social problems were widespread overcrowding and poverty. The former was related to an unprecedented migration of people from the country to London. The latter stemmed from an economic ideology called 'poverty theory', whose basic premise was that, by keeping the 'inferior order' in poverty, English goods would be competitive and would remain that way since workers would be completely dependent on their employers. Widespread overcrowding and poverty led to societal unrest which manifested itself in increased drunkenness when cheap gin became available after Parliament did away with former distilling monopolies that had kept prices high. Reformers ignored the social causes of this unrest and, instead, focused on gin drinking by the poor which they feared was endangering England's wealth and security by enfeebling its labour force, and reducing its manpower by decreasing its population. Part of this hostility was also related to gin itself. While drunkenness was often spoken of affectionately when it was induced by beer, England's national drink, gin was considered a foreign drink, and therefore less acceptable. These concerns were voiced less often after the passage of the Tippling Act of 1751, which resulted in an increase in gin prices and decreased consumption. However, the second half of the century was also a period in which England's military victory over the French gave it new wealth and power, which dispelled upper-class fears about an enfeebled and dissolute working class. It was also an era when new public health measures, such as mass inoculation against smallpox, and a decrease in the marrying age, led to a population increase that dispelled reformist fears about manpower shortages. The conclusion is that, while the lower cost of gin sparked the 'gin epidemic', the social unrest associated with this unprecedented surge in gin consumption was exacerbated, rather than caused, by the increase in drinking.
A combined quantitative mass spectrometry and electron microscopy analysis of ribosomal 30S subunit assembly in E. coli

Ribosome assembly is a complex process involving the folding and processing of ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs), concomitant binding of ribosomal proteins (r-proteins), and participation of numerous accessory cofactors. Here, we use a quantitative mass spectrometry/electron microscopy hybrid approach to determine the r-protein composition and conformation of 30S ribosome assembly intermediates in Escherichia coli. The relative timing of assembly of the 3' domain and the formation of the central pseudoknot (PK) structure depends on the presence of the assembly factor RimP. The central PK is unstable in the absence of RimP, resulting in the accumulation of intermediates in which the 3'-domain is unanchored and the 5'-domain is depleted for r-proteins S5 and S12 that contact the central PK. Our results reveal the importance of the cofactor RimP in central PK formation, and introduce a broadly applicable method for characterizing macromolecular assembly in cells.
Therapeutic Liver Reconstitution With Murine Cells Isolated Long After Death

Background & Aims Due to the shortage of donor organs, many patients needing liver transplantation cannot receive one. For some liver diseases, hepatocyte transplantation could be a viable alternative, but donor cells currently are procured from the same sources as whole organs, and thus the supply is severely limited. Methods Here, we investigated the possibility of isolating viable hepatocytes for liver cell therapy from the plentiful source of morgue cadavers. To determine the utility of this approach, cells were isolated from the livers of non–heart-beating cadaveric mice long after death and transplanted into fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase–deficient mice, a model for the human metabolic liver disease hereditary tyrosinemia type I and a stringent in vivo model for hepatic cell transplantation. Results Surprisingly, complete and therapeutic liver repopulation could be achieved with hepatocytes derived up to 27 hours post mortem. Conclusions Competitive repopulation experiments showed that cadaveric liver cells had a repopulation capacity similar to freshly isolated hepatocytes. Importantly, viable hepatocytes also could be isolated from cadaveric primate liver (monkey and human) efficiently. These data provide evidence that non–heart-beating donors could be a suitable source of hepatocytes for much longer time periods than previously thought possible.
Autoinflammation: From monogenic syndromes to common skin diseases

Autoinflammation is characterized by aberrant regulation of the innate immune system and often manifests as periodic fevers and systemic inflammation involving multiple organs, including the skin. Mutations leading to abnormal behavior or activity of the interleukin 1 beta (IL-1s)-processing inflammasome complex have been found in several rare autoinflammatory syndromes, for which anticytokine therapy such as IL-1 or tumor necrosis factor-alfa inhibition may be effective. It is becoming clear that features of autoinflammation also affect common dermatoses, some of which were previously thought to be solely autoimmune in origin (eg, vitiligo, systemic lupus erythematosus). Recognizing the pathogenetic role of autoinflammation can open up new avenues for the targeted treatment of complex, inflammatory dermatoses.
Control of Phenotypic Plasticity of Smooth Muscle Cells by Bone Morphogenetic Protein Signaling through the Myocardin-related Transcription Factors

Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), unlike other muscle cells, do not terminally differentiate. In response to injury, VSMCs change phenotype, proliferate, and migrate as part of the repair process. Dysregulation of this plasticity program contributes to the pathogenesis of several vascular disorders, such as atherosclerosis, restenosis, and hypertension. The discovery of mutations in the gene encoding BMPRII, the type II subunit of the receptor for bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) provided an indication that BMP signaling may affect the homeostasis of VSMCs and their phenotype modulation. Here we report that BMP signaling potently induces SMC-specific genes in pluripotent cells and prevents dedifferentiation of arterial SMCs. The BMP-induced phenotype switch requires intact RhoA/ROCK signaling but is not blocked by inhibitors of the TGFβ and PI3K/Akt pathways. Furthermore, nuclear localization and recruitment of the myocardin-related transcription factors (MRTF-A and MRTF-B) to a smooth muscle α-actin promoter is observed in response to BMP treatment. Thus, BMP signaling modulates VSMC phenotype via cross-talk with the RhoA/MRTFs pathway, and may contribute to the development of the pathological characteristics observed in patients with PAH and other obliterative vascular diseases.