cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Low temperature carburization of high surface area tungsten powders

Abstract Reductive decomposition of WO 3 precursor powder gives high surface area α-W at temperatures above 650 °C, β-W at temperatures below 575 °C, and mixtures of α-W and β-W (in various ratios) at intermediate temperatures. The carburization behavior of these powders in flowing CO over the temperature range 350 °–700 °C is sensitive to the initial crystalline state of the powder. The α-W powder can be carburized directly to WC phase in an appropriately high carbon activity environment, whereas the carburized β-W powder becomes trapped in a metastable W 2 C state. A simple model is presented to account for this difference in carburization behavior of α-W and β-W phases.
Stimulus control of punished reactions: Sequence of punishment trials and magnitude of reinforcement trials

Abstract In two runway investigations, rats received reinforced trials and punished nonreinforced trials in acquisition followed by punished extinction. The major findings may be summarized as follows; the larger the reinforcement occurring on trials following punishment trials, the faster was running in acquisition, particularly toward the goal section, and the faster was running in punished extinction, particularly toward the start section. These findings are both similar to and different from previous findings employing analogous schedules of partial reinforcement (unpunished nonreinforcement). These similarities and differences may be understood, it was suggested, by considering simultaneously the conditions under which punishment stimuli acquire control over and thus elicit instrumental reactions, and the response suppressive properties of nonreinforcement and of punished nonreinforcement, respectively, as a function of two variables, density of nonreinforcement trials or punished nonreinforcement trials, and section of the runway.
Switched-capacitor bandpass filters with simultaneous amplitude selectivity and passband phase linearity

This paper presents design techniques of switched-capacitor bandpass filters of the lossless-discrete-integrator (LDI) type which exhibit, simultaneously, good amplitude selectivity as well as good approximation to a constant group delay in the passband in an optimum manner. All the available degrees of freedom are exploited to shape both the amplitude and delay responses, in contrast to the available methods of delay equalization which yield suboptimal designs.
581 ANTIGEN CLEARANCE FROM NEWBORN CIRCULATION BY TRANS PLACENTAL ANTIBODIES: IMPORTANT DEFENSE MECHANISM AGAINST PATHOLOGIC ANTIGEN UPTAKE

The present experiments examine the effect of antibody derived by placental transfer on the uptake of enteric antigen in the new born rabbit pup. Female New Zealand White rabbits were immunized with bovine serum albumin (BSA). Litters from immunized and non-immunized rabbits were examined either at birth, 24hrs., 48hrs., or 72 hrs. After obtaining serum all pups were gavaged with 100 mg of I125-BSA. Pups born to immunized mothers had circulating antibody before feeding while pups of unimmunized mothers had no detectable antibody to BSA. The fed animals were sacrificed 1, 2,3, or 4 hrs. later and sera were examined for the presence of BSA by electroimmunodiffusion. None of the 43 immunized pups had any BSA in their sera, whereas all 20 unimmunized pups had 6-15 ug/m1 of BSA. All animals had>2×104cpm/m1 of serum. Four immunized animals had radioactivity which appeared to be associated with circulating immune complexes. Radioactive material in the remaining immunized animals was <1000 m.w. Passive transplacental immunization appears to eliminate the absorbed BSA from the serum of newborn rabbits. In a few immunized animals circulating immune complexes appear after feeding. These findings suggest that transplacental antibodies may be important as a second line of defense by the clearance of excessive quantities of milk proteins taken up from the intestine of newborns fed formula.
Expert Systems, Knowledge Development and Utilization, and Sustained Competitive Advantage: A Resource-Based Model

In this paper, we propose a resource-based model to explain how expert systems generate sustained competitive advantage for a firm. Speciftcally, we analyze the extent to which expert systems (ESs) exhibit the attributes of value, rareness, imperfect imitability, and non substitutability associated with a rent-generating resource (e.g., Barney, 1991). Then, we discuss how expert systems yield sustainable competitive advantage through fostering organizational knowledge development and utilization. Finally, we examine the role of ESs in engenden’ng a reciprocal, mutually enhancing relationship with organizational competencies, leading to sustained competitive advantage. Propositions are ofleered to facilitate future research.
Comparsion of perturbation analysis with conventional sensitivity estimates for regenerative stochastic systems

Perturbation Analysis (P/A) of Discrete Event Dynamical Systems is a recently introduced method for estimating the sensitivity of the performance of such systems to adjustable parameters. We examine the Mean Squared Error (MSE) of these estimates and compare it to that of estimates obtained by conventional methods. We assume that the P/A estimate is unbiased (a question dealt with in other papers). The results obtained establish the asymptotic superiority of P/A over conventional methods, for any stochastic system with regenerative structure. Here we give an overview of the results: details are available in [1].
Diagnostic assessment of Asperger's disorder : A review of five third-party rating scales

Five rating scales for screening and detection of Asperger's Disorder, three commercially available and two research instruments, are evaluated with reference to psychometric criteria outlined by Bracken in 1987 (Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 4, 313). Reliability and validity data reported in examiner's manuals or published reports are reviewed. The scales included in the review are the Asperger Syndrome Diagnostic Scale (ASDS), Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ), Childhood Asperger Syndrome Test (CAST), Gilliam Asperger's Disorder Scale (GADS), and Krug Asperger's Disorder Index (KADI). All published rating scales demonstrated significant weaknesses, particularly in the use of questionable normative samples. Among the published instruments, the KADI appears to be the most sound in terms of reliability and validity. The research instruments present incomplete psychometric data to date, but hold promise as clinical instruments.
Chromosomal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of escherichia coli strains causing recurrent urinary tract infections in young women

To determine whether recurrent, symptomatic urinary tract infections (UTIs) in a given individual are due to the same or different strains, 71 Escherichia coli strains that caused recurrent UTIs were prospectively collected from 23 infection-prone young women and studied by chromosomal restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Thirty-five strains from women with first-episode UTIs were also studied. Overall, 30 (68%) of 44 recurrent UTIs were caused by a strain previously identified in that person. In contrast, 32 of 35 strains from first-episode UTIs had unique RFLP profiles. Analysis of a subset of subjects established that the majority of recurrent UTIs were due to reinfection, not persistence of the pathogen within the urinary tract, and suggested that the colonic flora was the reservoir for these reinfecting strains.
Isolated superior orbital fissure syndrome resulting from gunshot wound to the head.

A 41-year-old man, shot in the face with a handgun, showed left V1 paraesthesia, limited light perception in the left eye, and complete ophthalmoplegia with proptosis and mydriasis. Unenhanced computed tomography (CT) scan showed multiple comminuted fractures of the left orbit, with the bullet lodged near the superior orbital fissure (Fig 1A). Cranial CT angiogram (Fig 1B) and cerebral angiogram (Fig 2) showed dilation of the left superior orbital vein and an isolated segmental 50% narrowing of the internal carotid artery without intrinsic abnormality. Surgical exploration was declined. Despite treatment with high-dose steroids, severe ophthalmoplegia remained, although vision rapidly improved. The complexity of the orbital apex is related to the confluence of crucial neurovascular structures as they transition from the cranium to the orbit and face. The ophthalmic artery and cranial nerves (CN) II, III, IV, V1, and VI transition from the middle cranial fossa to the orbital apex via the superior orbital fissure. Medially, the superior orbital fissure is enclosed by the annulus of Zinn, from which the 4 extraocular recti muscles arise. The infraorbital artery and vein and CN V2 transition via the infraorbital foramen. Superior orbital fissure syndrome (SOFS) reflects injury to neurovascular structures traversing the superior orbital fissure manifest by fixed and dilated pupil (parasympathetic branches of CN III), ptosis and ophthalmoplegia (CN III, IV, VI), proptosis (superior ophthalmic vein), and anesthesia of the forehead and upper eyelid (CN V1) 1,2 and occurs in
Optical properties of LiF

In this paper, we examine the optical properties of LiF. The fundamental calculations performed are a self-consistent Hartree-Fock band-structure calculation. As has been found previously, such a calculation has substantial errors when compared with experiment. Correlation corrections are needed and are included by means of the electronic-polaron method. The usual electronic polaron is extended to include short-range polarization corrections which the usual model neglects but which are peculiarly large for LiF. The energy bands are evaluated directly by the linear-combination-of-local-basis-functions method along with the crystal wave functions for 89 points in the irreducible wedge of the first Brillouin zone. Using these results and the Lemann-Taut interpolation scheme the density of states, the joint density of states, and the imaginary part of the dielectric function are computed. These results which neglect the formation of excitons and "plasmons" are in poor agreement with experiment. The effect of the exciton formation is included by a Koster-Slater one-band---one-site calculation. We find that the inclusion of exciton effects substantially improves the level of agreement with experiment. This is in direct contrast with recent work of Menzel et al. in which energy-band theory alone is found to account for the optical properties of LiF. This disagreement is discussed in detail.
Heparin-induced vasodilation in human hand veins.

Objective To investigate whether heparin produces vasodilation in human veins and to explore the underlying mechanisms. Methods Eleven healthy volunteers were studied with the dorsal hand vein compliance technique. Dose-response curves to heparin and enoxaparin were generated. Dose-response curves to heparin were also constructed before and after heparin was infused with the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor NG-monomethyl-l-arginine (L-NMMA) or combined histamine H1- and H2-receptor blockade. Results Heparin but not enoxaparin caused significant dose-dependent relaxation with an average apparent maximal response (at an infusion rate of 20 IU/min) of 47% ± 23%. L-NMMA attenuated heparin-induced relaxation (P < .001). The combination of H1- and H2-receptor antagonists attenuated heparin-induced relaxation to a lesser extent (P < .05). Heparin-induced relaxation decreased by 52%, 73%, and 35% in the presence of L-NMMA, indomethacin (INN, indometacin) plus L-NMMA, and combined H1- and H2-receptor blockade, respectively. Conclusion Heparin is an endothelium-dependent venodilator in humans. The mechanism of heparin-induced relaxation involves an increased availability of nitric oxide, possibly partially related to local release of histamine. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (1999) 66, 232–238; doi:
Psychometric properties of the EuroQol Five Dimensional Questionnaire (EQ-5D-3L) in caregivers of autistic children

Purpose This study aimed to ascertain the psychometric properties of EuroQol Five Dimensional Questionnaire (EQ-5D-3L) in primary caregivers of children with autism. The convergent validity, discriminant validity, known-groups validity, internal consistency reliability, and floor and ceiling effects of EQ-5D-3L were analyzed.
The role of solvent in the stepwise electrochemical oxidation of nickelocene to the nickelocenium dication

Abstract The anodic electrochemistry of nickelocene, 1, first probed in ethanolic media by Cotton et al. in 1954, has been examined in 12 different nonaqueous solvents or solvent mixtures using [NBu4][TFAB] (TFAB = [B(C6F5)4]−) as the supporting electrolyte. Two quasi-Nernstian couples were observed for 1/1+ and 1+/12+ with a potential separation (ΔE1/2) that is consistent with a modified Born model for low-donor solvents varying in dielectric constant (e) from 5.6 (chlorobenzene) to 37.3 (nitromethane). In stronger–donor solvents such as acetonitrile, benzonitrile, and THF, the oxidation of nickelocenium ion to the dication 12+ is coupled to chemical follow-up reactions, reversible in the cases of the nitriles, which are likely to involve solvent coordination to the nickel center. The observed complexity of the anodic behavior shows that much of the previous literature on the second oxidation of nickelocene has given oversimplified conclusions. Variations of up to 600 mV in ΔE1/2 for nickelocene can be achieved by solvent variations when using the weakly-coordinating electrolyte anion [B(C6F5)4]−.
Activity of the replication terminus of plasmid R6K in hybrid replicons in Escherichia coli.

Abstract Hybrids between the antibiotic resistance plasmid R6K and RSF2124, a derivative of plasmid ColEl were constructed in vetro. These hybrids exhibit the replication properties of both parents in Escherichia coli, including the use of either the R6K or the ColEl origin of replication during logarithmic phase growth. Incompatibility properties of both parental plasmids also are expressed by the hybrid plasmids. Analysis of replicative intermediates showed that the asymmetric terminus of R6K was functional in the hybrids. In the absence of protein synthesis where replication of the hybrid plasmid is initiated only from the ColE1 origin, the R6K terminus either prevents or severely impedes the progress of the replication fork. The activity of the R6K terminus region is expressed independent of the direction of DNA replication and in the absence of the R6K replication origin.
Corollary discharge to cockroach giant interneurones

A PROBLEM faced by animals as they move about is to distinguish between sensory input which is generated as a direct consequence of the animals' own movements (called reafference1), and that generated by independent external events. One way an animal might handle reafference would be to use an approximate copy of motor output (corollary discharge2) to repress or otherwise compensate for it. Cockroaches usually react to gentle puffs of air by rapidly running away, the so-called ‘escape response’. Since they do not respond similarly to air currents set up by their own walking (even though the receptors involved are very sensitive to slight air movements from any direction3), they must have some mechanism for recognising and ignoring reafferent input. The escape response had originally been thought to be initiated by the activity of the large interneurones known as giant fibres4. This view has been disputed5,6, however, and the function of the giants is at present unclear. I report here evidence that some of these giants are directly excited during walking by neural input which may represent corollary discharge from motor centres in the thorax, and which may aid the insect in handling reafferent input.
Eosinophilia resulting from administration of recombinant granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (rhGM-CSF) in a patient with T-γ lymphoproliferative disease

A therapeutic trial of recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (rhGM-CSF) was attempted in a patient with neutropenia and frequent infections secondary to T-gamma lymphoproliferative disease (T-gamma LPD). During the 14 days of subcutaneous rhGM-CSF (500 micrograms/m2/day), the absolute eosinophil count increased from 0 to 9,455/microliters. By contrast, the absolute neutrophil count decreased. Toxicity related to rhGM-CSF included arthralgia and nonspecific chest pain. The possible mechanism for the rhGM-CSF induced selective eosinophilia is discussed.
PROGNOSTIC FACTORS IN SEGMENTAL GLOMERULOSCLEROSIS

Thirty-four children with segmental glomerulosclerosis (SGS) were studied retrospectively to establish prognostic factors. At latest follow-up they were divided into 3 groups: 15 children had absent or minimal proteinuria and normal blood pressure and renal function (“recovered”); 9 had heavy proteinuria and/or hypertension (“active disease”); and 10 children had either died or showed chronic renal failure (CRF). In 21 patients biopsy was performed within 6 months of onset. In 16 of these, less than 20% of glomeruli showed segmental or global sclerosis; 12 had recovered, 3 had active disease and one showed CRF. In contrast, 4 of 5 children with > 20% sclerotic glomeruli showed CRF and the other one active disease (p 20% sclerosis even with clinical recovery, early renal biopsy has greater prognostic value when SGS is suspected.
Diagnosis of cardiac defects: where we've been, where we are and where we're going.

There has been tremendous development in the field of prenatal diagnosis of cardiac disease in the last 30 years. Early work centered on the technical aspects of providing an accurate assessment of cardiac structure and function. Techniques of fetal cardiac screening have been developed and utilized throughout the world. More recently, investigators have begun to explore the ramifications of fetal cardiac diagnosis by assessing measures of outcome. In this article, the field of fetal echocardiography, as a screening tool for identifying congenital heart disease, and its impact on disease outcome is reviewed.
RECENCY, REPEATABILITY, AND REINFORCER RETRENCHMENT: AN EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS OF RESURGENCE

Four experiments were conducted with pigeons to assess the experimental conditions necessary for the occurrence of resurgence. The general procedure consisted of the following conditions: Condition 1--reinforcement of key pecking; Condition 2--reinforcement of treadle pressing and concurrent extinction of key pecking; and Condition 3--the resurgence condition wherein resurgence was defined as the recovery of key pecking. In Experiments 1 and 2, the resurgence condition was conventional extinction. The effect of recency on resurgence magnitude was examined in Experiment 1 by manipulating the number of sessions of Condition 2, above. Resurgence was not a function of recency with the parameters used. Repeating the three conditions revealed resurgence to be a repeatable effect in Experiment 2. In Experiment 3, a variable-time schedule was in effect for the resurgence condition. Resurgence was not produced by response-independent food delivery. In Experiment 4, the resurgence condition was a variable-interval schedule for treadle pressing that arranged a lower reinforcement rate than in Condition 2 (92% reduction in reinforcers per minute). Resurgence was lower in magnitude relative to conventional extinction, although resurgence was obtained with 2 out of 3 pigeons. The results are discussed in terms of the variables controlling resurgence and the relations between behavioral history, resurgence, and other forms of response recovery.
Argillic alteration in the Novarupta Vent Region, Katmai National Park, Alaska

Secondary mineralogy in the 1912 vent region at Novarupta illustrates an alteration history that evolved from high-temperature degassing of ejecta through surficial argillic alteration to near-neutral, wet-steam alteration as the posteruptive volcanic system cooled. The locallized distribution of surficial argillization appears to have been controlled mainly by fractures related to slumping and compaction in the near-surface fallback ejecta. The fractures guiding the surviving warm, near-neutral fumarolic fluids, however, must be connected with deeper vent structures that reach a subsurface heat source, perhaps the boiling zone of a hydrothermal system. Trace metals, including Mo, Pb, Cu, Cd, and Zn, concentrated by high-temperature, vapor-phase mobilization, have subsequently been partly removed by argillization processes; in contrast, Hg, Sb, Tl, Bi, and As remain high even though the fumaroles now emit only low-temperature, near-neutral wet steam.
Determination of Trace C1−C4 Aliphatic Alcohols in Aqueous Samples by 9-Fluorenylmethyl Chloroformate Derivatization and Reversed-Phase High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

A simple procedure for precolumn fluorescence derivatization of low-molecular-weight aliphatic alcohols (C1−C4) with 9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate is presented. The derivatization reaction proceeds in 1:1 (v/v) aqueous−acetonitrile solution at room temperature with a sodium phosphate buffer of pH 12.5 as a catalyst. Stable fluorescent derivatives of the alcohols are formed within 10 min. The four derivatives are separated by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and detected by a fluorescence detector at an excitation wavelength of 259 nm and an emission wavelength of 311 nm. The method detection limits are 4, 40, 70, and 30 pmol for methanol, ethanol, propanol, and butanol, respectively, per 5-μL injection volume. The relative standard deviations are 3.7% for methanol at 75 pmol and 2.1, 1.5, and 2.2% for ethanol, propanol, and butanol, respectively, at 750 pmol. As a preliminary application, the method was used to determine methanol concentration in laboratory air and ethanol content i...
The Effectiveness of Foreign Aid

Controversy continues as to the effectiveness of foreign aid and hence whether it is a suitable activity for public financing. Frequently the discussion is in general terms, and country studies are uncommon. Thus, Dr Ozay Mehmet's appraisal of the ‘Effectiveness of Foreign Aid- the case of Somalia’, in this Journal, IX, I, May 1975, pp. 35–47, is Very welcome, particularly since lessons from Somalia's experience are probably applicable elsewhere in Africa. Nevertheless, some of his conclusions mislead on important and au courant issues. Hopefully this commentary will help set the record straight.
Octree-Based 3D Logic and Computation of Spatial Relationships in Live Video Query Processing

Live video computing (LVC) on distributed smart cameras has many important applications; and a database approach based on a Live Video DataBase Management System (LVDBMS) has shown to be effective for general LVC application development. The performance of such a database system relies on accurate interpretation of spatial relationships among objects in the live video. With the popularity of affordable depth cameras, 3D spatial computation techniques have been applied. However, the 3D object models currently used are expensive to compute, and offer limited scalability. We address this drawback in this article by proposing an octree-based 3D spatial logic and presenting algorithms for computing 3D spatial relationships using depth cameras. To support continuous query processing on live video streams, we also develop a GPU-based implementation of the proposed technique to further enhance scalability for real-time applications. Extensive performance studies based on a public RGB-D dataset as well as the LVDBMS prototype demonstrates the correctness and efficiency of our techniques.
Driver Assessment of Service Quality on Urban Streets

This paper presents the results of a study that compared drivers' assessments of the performance of urban streets with objective measures of performance, including level of service (LOS). The purpose of the study was to test the ability of LOS to predict drivers' perceptions of service quality. Seventy-seven automobile drivers rated the service quality of half-mile segments of urban streets as depicted on videotaped scenes from the driver's perspective. Drivers rated 12 to 15 video segments on a sixpoint scale from very satisfactory to very unsatisfactory. After rating all segments, the drivers selected and ranked from a list of 36 factors the three factors that they considered the most important to quality. The results show that the mean driver rating had statistically significant correlations with operational and design characteristics and aesthetics, including the following variables: travel time, average travel speed, number of stops, delay, number of signals, lane width, the presence of trees, and th...
N-tropomodulin: a novel isoform of tropomodulin identified as the major binding protein to brain tropomyosin

We have identified and characterized two proteins in rat brain that bind to the neuron-specific tropomyosin isoform, TMBr3. The two proteins were identified by blot overlay assay, in which the proteins immobilized on the membrane were probed by epitope-tagged TMBr3, followed by detection with anti-epitope antibody. We have purified these proteins using a TMBr3 affinity column. Peptide sequencing as well as immunoblotting showed that one of the two proteins is identical to tropomodulin, a tropomyosin-binding protein originally identified in erythrocytes. The cDNA for the other protein was cloned from an adult rat brain cDNA library using degenerate oligonucleotides that we designed based on the peptide sequences. Sequence analysis of the cDNA clone revealed this protein to be a novel isoform of tropomodulin which is the product of a distinct gene, and is herein referred to as N-tropomodulin. Recombinant N-tropomodulin bound to TMBr3 as well as to other low molecular mass tropomyosins (TM5a or TM5), but not to high molecular mass tropomyosins (TM2 or TMBr1). Northern blotting and RNase protection assays as well as immunoblotting showed that N-tropomodulin is expressed predominantly in brain. Furthermore, RNase protection assays revealed no alternatively spliced regions within the coding sequence. Developmentally, N-tropomodulin was detected in rat brain as early as embryonic day 14 and reaches the adult level before birth. Immunofluorescence of primary frontal cortex cell cultures showed that N-tropomodulin is specifically expressed in neurons. The neuron-specific expression of N-tropomodulin strongly suggests specialized roles of this TM-binding protein in neurons.
Tissue Distribution and Prediction of Total Body Folate of Rats

To clarify relationships between dietary folie acid intake, blood levels and body stores of folate, rats were fed an amino acid-based diet supplemented with 0, 0.125, 0.5, 1, 2 or 4 mg folie acid/kg diet for 25 d. Folate concentrations of carcass, liver,gastroin testinal (GI) tract, kidney, spleen, testes, heart and lung from rats fed the folate -free diet were 0.06 Â±0.01, 0.73 Â± 0.08, 0.05 Â± 0.01, 0.39 Â± 0.01, 0.05 Â± 0.01, 0.17 Â± 0.01, 0.02 Â± 0.01 and 0.02 Â± 0.01 ng/g, respectively. Serum and erythrocyte concentrations and total body stores were 0.88 Â±0.16ng/mL, 0.30 Â± 0.01 ng/mL and 13.9 Â± 0.7 \ig, respectively. Body folate distribution was carcass, 55.6 Â±1.4%; liver, 26.0 Â± 1.9%; erythrocytes, 7.7 Â± 0.4%; kidney, 4.8 Â± 0.2%; GI tract, 3.0 Â± 0.2%; and testes, 2.5 Â± 0.2%. Carcass content dropped to 38% whereas livercontent increased to 44% in rats fed the highest dietary level. Tissue concentrations were correlated with one an other and with dietary folate levels, under these exper imental conditions total body folate could be predicted from serum folate, but the general applicability of this relationship requires further study. J. Nutr. 120: 1633-1639, 1990.
MODULATION OF CRF-R1 MRNA IN RAT ANTERIOR PITUITARY BY DEXAMETHASONE : CORRELATION WITH POMC MRNA

Abstract Glucocorticoids have been shown to decrease CRF receptor binding in the anterior pituitary. To determine whether glucocorticoids or CRF peptide modulate CRF-R1 gene expression, CRF-R1 mRNA levels in rat pituitary and brain were measured after administration of a synthetic glucocorticoid, dexamethasone (DEX) or rat/human CRF (r/hCRF), using a sensitive solution hybridization RNase protection assay. DEX (400 μg/day) or r/hCRF (100 μg/kg/day) was administered twice daily for 5 days to male rats. DEX treatment caused a significant decrease in CRF-R1 mRNA levels in the anterior pituitary. Also, a significant positive correlation was found between CRF-R1 and POMC mRNA levels in the anterior pituitary of the individual animals: levels of both mRNAs were reduced by DEX. However, r/hCRF treatment had no significant effect on CRF-R1 mRNA levels in the anterior pituitary. In extrahypothalamic brain regions, mRNA levels of CRF-R1 did not change following either DEX or r/hCRF administration. Our data suggest that in addition to POMC and CRF genes, CRF-R1 gene may also be subject to negative feedback control by glucocorticoids.
Engineered polyketide biosynthesis and biocatalysis in Escherichia coli

Polyketides are important bioactive natural products biosynthesized by bacteria, fungi, and plants. The enzymes that synthesize polyketides are collectively referred to as polyketide synthases (PKSs). Because many of the natural hosts that produce polyketides are difficult to culture or manipulate, establishing a universal heterologous host that is genetically tractable has become an important goal toward the engineered biosynthesis of polyketides and analogues. Here, we summarize the recent progresses in engineering Escherichia coli as a heterologous host for reconstituting PKSs of different types. Our increased understanding of PKS enzymology and structural biology, combined with new tools in protein engineering, metabolic engineering, and synthetic biology, has firmly established E. coli as a powerful host for producing polyketides.
In-Depth Activation of Channelrhodopsin 2-Sensitized Excitable Cells with High Spatial Resolution Using Two-Photon Excitation with a Near-Infrared Laser Microbeam

We used two-photon excitation with a near-infrared (NIR) laser microbeam to investigate activation of channelrhodopsin 2 (ChR2) in excitable cells for the first time to our knowledge. By measuring the fluorescence intensity of the calcium (Ca) indicator dye, Ca orange, at different wavelengths as a function of power of the two-photon excitation microbeam, we determined the activation potential of the NIR microbeam as a function of wavelength. The two-photon activation spectrum is found to match measurements carried out with single-photon activation. However, two-photon activation is found to increase in a nonlinear manner with the power density of the two-photon laser microbeam. This approach allowed us to activate different regions of ChR2-sensitized excitable cells with high spatial resolution. Further, in-depth activation of ChR2 in a spheroid cellular model as well as in mouse brain slices was demonstrated by the use of the two-photon NIR microbeam, which was not possible using single-photon activation. This all-optical method of identification, activation, and detection of ChR2-induced cellular activation in genetically targeted cells with high spatial and temporal resolution will provide a new method of performing minimally invasive in-depth activation of specific target areas of tissues or organisms that have been rendered photosensitive by genetic targeting of ChR2 or similar photo-excitable molecules.
Overlapped message passing for quasi-cyclic low-density parity check codes

In this paper, a systematic approach is proposed to develop a high throughput decoder for quasi-cyclic low-density parity check (LDPC) codes, whose parity check matrix is constructed by circularly shifted identity matrices. Based on the properties of quasi-cyclic LDPC codes, the two stages of belief propagation decoding algorithm, namely, check node update and variable node update, could be overlapped and thus the overall decoding latency is reduced. To avoid the memory access conflict, the maximum concurrency of the two stages is explored by a novel scheduling algorithm. Consequently, the decoding throughput could be increased by about twice assuming dual-port memory is available.
Why don't those ear drops work for my patients?

In this month’s Pediatrics Electronic Pages , Dohar et al1 present “Topical Ciprofloxacin/Dexamethasone Is Superior to Oral Amoxicillin/Clavulanic Acid in Acute Otitis Media With Otorrhea Through Tympanostomy Tubes,” the latest in a series of pharmaceutical industry–funded articles and consensus conferences on the subject of the draining ear.2,3 These authors contend that, on the basis of good cure rates with ear drops and concerns about resistance with systemic antibiotics, fluoroquinolone ototopical drops are the only reasonable choice for treating a child with a draining ear. This conclusion may not be valid for infants with acute tube otorrhea, who make up much of the population seen in daily pediatric practice. We know a lot about acute infectious drainage through tympanostomy tubes. Mandel et al4 performed an exhaustive study of otorrhea among 246 children with tubes. They found 2 very distinct groups. Infants and young children usually developed otorrhea after an upper respiratory infection. Cultures … Address correspondence to Glenn Isaacson, MD, FAAP, Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Temple University School of Medicine, 3400 N Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19140. E-mail: glenn{at}ent.temple.edu
Impact of HfSiON Induced Flicker Noise on Scaling of Future Mixed-Signal CMOS

It is shown for the first time that HfSiON gate dielectric thickness has a strong impact on the flicker (1/f) noise of devices with Lg < 1mum. We have developed a simple model for both gate length (Lg) and HfSiON thickness dependences of N-FET flicker noise, based on excess traps at the gate-edges. P-FET noise does not exhibit such strong dependences. Scaling of future analog devices with high-k gate stack may be limited by noise considerations
JIVE: visualizing Java in action demonstration description

Dynamic software visualization should provide a programmer with insights as to what the program is doing. Most current dynamic visualizations either use program traces to show information about prior runs, slow the program down substantially, show only minimal information, or force the programmer to indicate when to turn visualizations on or off. We have developed a dynamic Java visualizer that provides a view of a program in action with low enough overhead that it can be used almost all the time by programmers to understand what their program is doing while it is doing it.
Sternomastoid, rib cage, and expiratory muscle activity during weaning failure

We hypothesized that patients who fail weaning from mechanical ventilation recruit their inspiratory rib cage muscles sooner than they recruit their expiratory muscles, and that rib cage muscle recruitment is accompanied by recruitment of sternomastoid muscles. Accordingly, we measured sternomastoid electrical activity and changes in esophageal (DeltaPes) and gastric pressure (DeltaPga) in 11 weaning-failure and 8 weaning-success patients. At the start of trial, failure patients exhibited a higher DeltaPga-to-DeltaPes ratio than did success patients (P = 0.05), whereas expiratory rise in Pga was equivalent in the two groups. Between the start and end of the trial, failure patients developed additional increases in DeltaPga-to-DeltaPes ratio (P < 0.0014) and the expiratory rise in Pga also increased (P < 0.004). At the start of trial, sternomastoid activity was present in 8 of 11 failure patients contrasted with 1 of 8 success patients. Over the course of the trial, sternomastoid activity increased by 53.0 +/- 9.3% in the failure patients (P = 0.0005), whereas it did not change in the success patients. Failure patients recruited their respiratory muscles in a sequential manner. The sequence began with activity of diaphragm and greater-than-normal activity of inspiratory rib cage muscles; recruitment of sternomastoids and rib cage muscles approached near maximum within 4 min of trial commencement; expiratory muscles were recruited slowest of all. In conclusion, not only is activity of the inspiratory rib cage muscles increased during a failed weaning trial, but respiratory centers also recruit sternomastoid and expiratory muscles. Extradiaphragmatic muscle recruitment may be a mechanism for offsetting the effects of increased load on a weak diaphragm.
An investigator-initiated open-label clinical trial of vismodegib as a neoadjuvant to surgery for high-risk basal cell carcinoma.

Background Vismodegib is an oral hedgehog-pathway inhibitor approved for advanced basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Although most BCCs are amenable to surgery, excision of large tumors in aesthetically sensitive sites may compromise function or cosmesis. Objective We sought to evaluate the reduction in BCC surgical defect area after 3 to 6 months of neoadjuvant vismodegib. Methods This was an open-label, single-arm intervention trial with a primary outcome of change in target-tumor surgical defect area pre- and post-vismodegib (150 mg/d). Secondary outcomes were change in tumor area and tolerability. Results Eleven of 15 enrolled patients, aged 39 to 100 years, completed the trial. Thirteen target tumors were excised after a mean of 4 ± 2 months of vismodegib. In all, 29% (4 of 14 patients) could not complete more than 3 months because of vismodegib-related side effects. The mean baseline target-tumor diameter was 3.2 cm, and 10 of 13 tumors occurred on the face. Overall, vismodegib reduced the surgical defect area by 27% (95% confidence interval –45.7% to –7.9%; P = .006) from baseline. Vismodegib was not effective in patients who received less than 3 months. Over a mean follow-up of 11.5 (range 4-21) months for all tumors, only 1 tumor recurred at 17 months post-Mohs micrographic surgery. Limitations Short follow-up time and no placebo control are limitations. Conclusion Neoadjuvant vismodegib appears to reduce surgical defect area when taken for 3 months or longer for nonrecurrent BCCs in functionally sensitive locations. Further studies with larger sample sizes and long-term follow-up are warranted.
The Myc 3′ Wnt-Responsive Element Regulates Homeostasis and Regeneration in the Mouse Intestinal Tract

The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway controls cellular proliferation in the intestines. In response to Wnt, β-catenin transits into the nucleus and associates with members of the T-cell factor (TCF) family of transcription factors. β-Catenin/TCF complexes bind Wnt responsive DNA elements (WREs) to activate target gene expression. The c-MYC proto-oncogene (MYC) is a direct target of β-catenin/TCF complexes. We recently identified the MYC 3′ WRE, which maps 1.4-kb downstream from the MYC transcription stop site. To investigate the role of the Myc 3′ WRE in the intestines, we generated a mouse model with a germ line deletion of this element. The intestinal architecture was largely preserved in knockout mice; however, removal of the Myc 3′ WRE compromised the crypt microenvironment. In comparison to wild-type intestines, knockout intestines contained an increased number of proliferative cells and a reduced number of differentiated cells comprising both absorptive and secretory lineages. Using a model of colitis, we found that knockout colons repaired more rapidly during the recovery period of the protocol. These results indicate that regulation of MYC expression through the Myc 3′ WRE contributes to intestinal homeostasis. Furthermore, our study implicates MYC as an important regulator of intestinal regeneration following injury.
Propulsion of Gold Nanoparticles with Surface Plasmon Polaritons: Evidence of Enhanced Optical Force from Near-Field Coupling between Gold Particle and Gold Film

We experimentally demonstrate the enhanced propulsion of gold nanoparticles by surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs). Three dimensional finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulations indicate considerably enhanced optical forces due to the field enhancement provided by SPPs and the near-field coupling between the gold particles and the film. This coupling is an important part of the enhanced propulsion phenomenon. Finally, the measured optical force is compared with that predicted by FDTD simulations and proven to be reasonable.
On the stationary state of topologically ordered competitive learning

The author proposes a competitive learning algorithm for learning nonparametric representations of unknown probability density functions. The proposed algorithm is shown to generate a reversible Markov chain whose invariant distribution is explicitly computed. The computed distribution is used to derive a nonparametric density estimate of unknown density functions. This fact allows the use of the algorithm's representation in estimating the modes of the unknown density function. >
Data mining in situ gene expression patterns at cellular resolution

Non-radioactive in situ hybridization (ISH) is a powerful technique for revealing gene expression in individual cells, the level of detail necessary for investigating how genes control cell type identity, cell differentiation, and cell-cell signaling. Although the availability of robotic ISH enables the expeditious determination of expression patterns for thousands of genes in serially sectioned tissues, a large collection of ISH images is, per se, of limited benefit. However, via accurate detection of expression strength and spatial normalization of expression location across different specimens, ISH images become a minable resource of annotated gene expression capable of advancing functional genomics in a mode similar to DNA sequence databases. We have developed computational methods to automate robotic ISH image annotation and applied these to over 200 genes throughout the postnatal mouse brain. Gene expression strengths were quantified for each cell tissue section images, and these images were subjected to atlas-based segmentation using a series of subdivision mesh maps that comprise our atlas of the postnatal mouse brain. With this common geometric representation of gene expression, patterns are automatically annotated and spatial searches success fully find the genes expressed in a similar fashion to custom query patterns. Cluster analysis of spatially normalized expression patterns identifies potential relationships in gene networks. Annotated gene expression patterns and query interfaces are publicly accessible at wv/spl bsol/w. geneattas. org.
Fully localized two-dimensional embedded solitons

We report the prediction of fully localized two-dimensional embedded solitons. These solitons are obtained in a quasi-one-dimensional waveguide array which is periodic along one spatial direction and localized along the orthogonal direction. Under appropriate nonlinearity, these solitons are found to exist inside the Bloch bands (continuous spectrum) of the waveguide and thus are embedded solitons. These embedded solitons are fully localized along both spatial directions. In addition, they are fully stable under perturbations.
Fundamental significance of tests that quantum dynamics is linear

Experiments that look for nonlinear quantum dynamics test the fundamental premise of physics that one of two separate systems can influence the physical behavior of the other only if there is a force between them, an interaction that involves momentum and energy. The premise is tested because it is the assumption of a proof that quantum dynamics must be linear. Here, variations of a familiar example are used to show how results of nonlinear dynamics in one system can depend on correlations with the other. Effects of one system on the other, influence without interaction between separate systems, not previously considered possible, would be expected with nonlinear quantum dynamics. Whether it is possible or not is subject to experimental tests together with the linearity of quantum dynamics. Concluding comments and questions consider directions our thinking might take in response to this surprising unprecedented situation.
Software Cost Estimation for Fractionated Space Systems

Fractionated Space Systems, as exemplified by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Future Fast, Flexible, Fractionated, Free-Flying Spacecraft united by Information eXchange (DARPA’s System F6), represent real challenges to software cost estimation. The concept is a traditional 'monolithic' spacecraft is replaced by a cluster of wirelessly interconnected spacecraft modules to create a virtual satellite, delivering capability which is at least equivalent to the monolithic spacecraft. Concurrently, they significantly enhance flexibility and system robustness, and reduce risk throughout the mission life and the spacecraft development cycle. Such systems present real challenges to software cost estimation which arise from both the concept of a Directed System of Systems (DSOS) and the reduced risk which is primarily achievable only through the application of an Incremental Commitment Model (ICM). This paper will briefly introduce a next-generation synthesis of the spiral model and other leading process models into the ICM, which is being piloted or considered for adoption in some parts of Department of Defense (DoD). The ICM emphasizes architecting systems (or DSOSs) to encapsulate subsystems (or systems) undergoing the most rapid change; and architecting the incremental development process by having agile systems engineers handling longer-range change traffic to rebaseline the plans for future increments while largely plandriven teams develop and continuously verify and validate (V&V) the current increment, as is usually required for safe or secure software. One approach being followed for estimating the software development cost of the Fractionated Space Craft Systems of Systems (FSSOS) is based on the Constructive Incremental Commitment Cost Model (COINCOMO) model and its tool which currently implements together in one tool the Constructive Cost Model (COCOMO II), the Constructive Phased Schedule and Effort Model (COPSEMO) and a Constructive Security Cost Model (COSECMO). COINCOMO has an added super-structure to accommodate multiple suppliers of independent software subsystems and multiple builds (or incremental deliveries). Many software systems components today rely on Commercial-Off-the-Shelf (COTS) sub-components and/or reuse of (potentially proprietary) open-source or legacy components which are treated like COTS components rather than reused, modified components, and adapted/reused open-source subcomponents, as well as new code. The COINCOMO model also accommodates them without the name-space explosion that happened in COCOMO II. COINCOMO 2.0 is implemented in a database-centric fashion designed with the ability to save and reuse any of the sets of parameters thus making it much easier to do what-if and evolving estimates.