cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Expression and Activity of D-Type Cyclins in F9 Embryonal Carcinoma Cells: Modulation of Growth by RXR-Selective Retinoids

The growth rate of malignant F9 embryonal carcinoma cells slows considerably following all-trans-retinoic acid-induced differentiation into benign parietal endoderm. To determine the mechanism of this process, we examined the expression of cyclins D1, D2, and D3 and the activity of their associated kinases. Cyclin D1 and D3 mRNA levels decreased during complete differentiation induced by all-trans-retinoic acid and dibutyryl cAMP, while the levels of cyclin D2 and the cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk) inhibitor p27 mRNAs increased. Ultimately, terminally differentiated cells possessed 50% of the Cdk4-associated kinase activity observed in undifferentiated cells. Since numerous genes are differentially regulated during parietal endoderm differentiation, it is difficult to determine whether retinoic acid affects cell cycle gene expression directly or if these changes are caused by differentiation. We found that the retinoid X receptor (RXR)-selective agonists LG100153 and LG100268 significantly inhibited F9 cell growth without causing overt terminal differentiation as assessed by anchorage-independent growth and differentiation-associated gene expression. As seen in cells induced to differentiate by the RAR agonist all-trans-retinoic acid, RXR activation led to an increase in the number of cells in G1 phase. RXR agonists also sharply induced the levels of the Cdk regulatory subunits, cyclin D2 and D3. However, Cdk4-dependent kinase activity was reduced by RXR-selective retinoid treatment. These observations suggest that some retinoids can directly inhibit proliferation and regulate Cdk4-dependent kinase activity without inducing terminal differentiation.
Functional modulation of brain sodium channels by protein kinase C phosphorylation

Voltage-gated sodium channels, which are responsible for the generation of action potentials in the brain, are phosphorylated by protein kinase C (PKC) in purified form. Activation of PKC decreases peak sodium current up to 80 percent and slows its inactivation for sodium channels in rat brain neurons and for rat brain type IIA sodium channel alpha subunits heterologously expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells. These effects are specific for PKC because they can be blocked by specific peptide inhibitors of PKC and can be reproduced by direct application of PKC to the cytoplasmic surface of sodium channels in excised inside-out membrane patches. Modulation of brain sodium channels by PKC is likely to have important effects on signal transduction and synaptic transmission in the central nervous system.
Exposure Assessment of Smoke and Biogenic Silica Fibers During Sugar Cane Harvesting in Hawaii

Abstract Agricultural burning is a worldwide practice performed to reduce trash and pest infestation after the crops are harvested. Although this function is economically beneficial, the large quantities of smoke potentially expose not only the farm workers but also any surrounding communities. Characterization of this smoke is difficult, and there are few published reports on this topic. Unique to the sugar cane industry is the practice of burning the crop before harvesting. This not only produces smoke but also creates a considerable potential for worker exposure to the ash during the harvesting operations. A previous study had characterized workers' exposures to biogenic silicate fibers during manual harvesting of sugar cane in Florida. In Hawaii, contrary to practice in Florida, all cane is mechanically harvested. An exploratory survey was performed in Hawaii for the purpose of evaluating the feasibility of using gravimetric particulates, organic and elemental carbon, total elemental profiles, polycyc...
Population planning in India and Nepal.

Presents case studies of two Asian countries to illustrate linkages between family planning and other activities integration of family-planning services with health services in India and promotion of population education in Nepal.
Direct-contact condensation of low-density steam on seawater at high inlet noncondensable concentrations

Computer models and experimental data are summarized to characterize the condensation of low-density steam in direct contact with a process fluid that is distributed over structured packings of various geometries. The one-dimensional models integrate the heat, mass, and momentum processes in the two streams, over the height of the contactor. Both cocurrent and countercurrent flows of the two streams were analyzed. The models were validated extensively with experimental data obtained with fresh water and with seawater, at high inlet noncondensable concentrations. The data obtained in these experiments provide a broad engineering data base to design and evaluate the performance of advanced heat exchangers for a number of applications, such as production of electrical power and/or potable water using low-density steam, as could be used in Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion systems and in the low-pressure stages of conventional power cycles. 13 refs., 14 figs., 3 tabs.
Time-Intensity Characteristics of a Single-Discharge Emission Source

Spectral line intensity vs time measurements were obtained from single, high-energy discharges by means of a photo-multiplier and cathode ray oscillograph. Effects of small changes in current pulse shape upon line intensities are observed for lines representing the first, second, and third spectra of aluminum. Line intensity peaks are observed in the spectra of ionized atoms, especially during the initial steep current rise of short duration pulses. It is concluded that an improvement in the spectrographic sensitivity of spectra of ionized atoms can be achieved by employing an electrical pulse of extremely short duration in combination with detectors, which will resolve and record intensity maxima.
Capillary induced self-assembly of thin foils into 3Dstructures

Abstract Self-assembly of complex structures is common in nature. Self-assembly principles provide a promising way to fabricate three-dimensional, micro- or millimeter scale devices. In the present paper, we present a generalized analytical study of the self-folding of thin plates into deterministic 3D shapes through fluid–solid interactions. Based on the beam theory, a mechanics model is developed, incorporating the two competing components—a capillary force promoting folding and the bending rigidity of the foil that resists folding into a 3D structure. Through an equivalence argument of thin foils of different geometry, an effective folding parameter, which uniquely characterizes the driving force for folding, has been identified. A criterion for spontaneous folding of any shaped 2D patterned foil based on the effective folding parameter is thus established. The model predictions show excellent agreement with experimental measurements made on a variety of materials, indicating that the assumptions used in the analysis arevalid.
The undecidability of associativity and commutativity analysis

Associativity is required for the use of general scans and reductions in parallel languages. Some systems also require functions used with scans and reductions to be commutative. We prove the undecidability of both associativity and commutativity. Thus, it is impossible in general for a compiler to check for those conditions. We also prove the stronger result that the resulting relations fail to be recursively enumerable. We prove that these results hold for the kind of function subprograms of practical interest in such a situation: function subprograms that, due to syntactical restrictions, are guaranteed to halt. Thus, our results are stronger than one can obtain from Rice's Theorem. We also obtain limitations concerning the construction of functions and limitations concerning compiler-generated run-time checks. In addition, we prove an undecidability result about programmer-constructed run-time checks.
Tumor localizing agents V. Radioiodinated pregnanes

Previous studies with progesterone-4-14C suggested that a radioiodinated analog might be useful for photoscanning the adrenal gland and associated tumors. 21-Iodoprogesterone was prepared by conversion of deoxycorticosterone to its mesylate and subsequent displacement with iodide. Depending on the conditions for mesylation, 21-chloroprogesterone could also be isolated. 21-Iodopregnenolone acetate was obtained in a similar manner from the 21-bromo analog which in turn was prepared in good yield from the enol acetate of pregnenolone acetate. The radioiodinated steroids were prepared by isotope exchange with sodium iodide-125 in refluxing acetone. Tissue distribution studies showed that the radioactivity concentrated mainly in the thyroid gland presumably as a result of rapid in vivo deiodination.
Disturbances in identity and self‐regulation in bulimia nervosa: Implications for a metaphorical perspective of “body as self”

This study investigates a metaphorical account of bulimia that proposes that bulimics lack a clearly defined sense of self, and subsequently utilize their physical bodies as a means of self-definition and regulation. Three major aspects of this perspective were assessed: identity disturbance; use of the binge and purge as means of emotional regulation; and sensitivity to interpersonal contact. Differences among bulimics, binge eaters, and normal controls were explored. Bulimics reported greater amounts of identity confusion, enmeshment, and overall instability in self-concept than normal controls and binge eaters. The binge led to an escape from self-awareness for bulimics, and the purge served to manage negative affect. Bulimics also showed greater sensitivity to interpersonal contact with positive people, and with their mother than both binge eaters and controls. Implications of the findings are discussed as well as future directions for research. © 1993 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Variable fiber-optic attenuator using optofluidics

Proposed is a Variable Fiber Optical Attenuator (VFOA) using an electronically controlled, variable focus liquid lens. The demonstrated experiment for the VFOA is shown for operation over the communication C-Band (1530nm- 1560nm).
The moth and the aspen tree: sodium in early postnatal development.

The moth and the aspen tree: Sodium in early postnatal development. Over the past 25 years, our perception of the neonatal kidney has changed markedly from its being a "limited" organ compared with that of the adult to being extraordinarily well adapted in its role in maintaining homeostasis and making possible the rapid somatic growth necessary during this critical period of life. The present review focuses on the physiologic adaptations by the neonatal kidney in the maintenance of a positive sodium balance, which is necessary for normal growth not only in mammals but also in moths. There is a fine interplay between the developing brain, heart, thyroid, adrenals, and sympathetic nervous system, all converging on the kidney to conserve sodium, which is limited in the diet. The renin-angiotensin system plays a central role in this response and is balanced by developmental changes in the renal response to atrial natriuretic peptide, all of which contribute to sodium conservation. Over the next 25 years, advances in molecular genetics will doubtless elucidate many more facets of the mechanisms underlying neonatal sodium homeostasis. This will be particularly important as the survival of ever smaller preterm infants improves steadily.
Color screening in cold quark matter

We compute\char22{}at finite quark chemical potentials\char22{}the color screening of cold quark matter at the one-loop level, comparing the normal, BCS-paired ${\mathrm{U}(1)}_{\text{em}}$ (or Higgs) phase and a singlet phase with color-singlet condensate near the Fermi surface. The latter phase is computed using the example of two-color QCD with a color-singlet diquark condensate. In contrast to the normal and Higgs phases, neither electric nor magnetic screening masses appear in the singlet phase. The absence of a magnetic mass, within a perturbative framework, is a consequence of the proper treatment of gauge invariance. While at large momenta the gluon self-energies approach those in the normal phase, the medium contributions to the infrared region below a scale of the mass gap are substantially suppressed. Infrared gluons at low quark density in the singlet phase appear protected from medium effects, unless the quark-gluon vertices are significantly enhanced in the infrared.
Low-dimensional systems

In 1932, H. P. Rocksby 1 discovered that the red or yellow color of some silicate glasses could be linked to microscopic inclusions of CdSe and CdS. It was not until 1985 when these changes in color were linked to the energy states determined by quantum confinement in these CdS or CdSe quantum dots 2 . Since that time, the number of experimental studies of quantum dots has literally exploded, stimulated, in particular, by the development of mature Molecular Beam Epitaxy technology, which rapidly became the technology of choice for growing quantum dots in different materials systems.
The cytoskeletal regulatory scaffold protein GIT2 modulates mesenchymal stem cell differentiation and osteoblastogenesis.

G protein-coupled receptor kinase interacting protein 2 (GIT2) is a signaling scaffold protein involved in the regulation of cytoskeletal structure, membrane trafficking, and G protein-coupled receptor internalization. Since dynamic cytoskeletal reorganization plays key roles both in osteoblast differentiation and in the maintenance of osteoclast polarity during bone resorption, we hypothesized that skeletal physiology would be altered in GIT2−/− mice. We found that adult GIT2−/− mice have decreased bone mineral density and bone volume in both the trabecular and cortical compartments. This osteopenia was associated with decreased numbers of mature osteoblasts, diminished osteoblastic activity, and increased marrow adiposity, suggesting a defect in osteoblast maturation. In vitro, mesenchymal stem cells derived from GIT2−/− mice exhibited impaired differentiation into osteoblasts and increased adipocyte differentiation, consistent with a role for GIT2 in mesenchymal stem cell fate determination. Despite elevated osteoclast inducing cytokines and osteoclast numbers, GIT2−/− mice also exhibit impaired bone resorption, consistent with a further role for GIT2 in regulating osteoclast function. Collectively, these findings underscore the importance of the cytoskeleton in both osteoblast and osteoclast function and demonstrate that GIT2 plays essential roles in skeletal metabolism, affecting both bone formation and bone resorption in vivo.
Investigating the Role of the Geminal Dimethyl Groups of Coenzyme A: Synthesis and Studies of a Didemethyl Analogue

An analogue 2 of coenzyme A (CoA) has been prepared in which the geminal methyl groups are replaced with hydrogens. An NMR titration study was conducted and shifts in frequency of protons in the pantetheine portion of the molecule upon titration of the adenine base were observed as has been previously reported with CoA. These studies indicate that the geminal dimethyl groups are not essential for adoption of a partially folded conformation in solution. Based on 1H-1H coupling constants, the distribution of conformations about the carbon-carbon bonds in the region of the methyl deletion were estimated. The results suggest that the conformer distribution is similar to that of CoA, but with small increases in population of the anti conformers. A simple model compound containing the didemethyl pantoamide moiety was prepared and subjected to similar conformational analysis. The coupling constants and predicted conformer distribution were almost identical to that of the CoA analogue, indicating that the conformer distribution is controlled by local interactions and not influenced by interactions between distant parts of the CoA molecule. The acetyl derivative of 2 was a fairly good substrate for the acetyl-CoA utilizing enzymes carnitine acetyltransferase, chloramphenicol acetyltransferase, and citrate synthase, with 1.3- to 10-fold increased Km values and 2.5- to 11-fold decreases in Vmax. The combined results indicate that the geminal dimethyl groups of CoA have modest effects on function and minimal effects on conformation.
A Study of Supermaneuverable Flight Trajectories Through Motion Field Simulation of a Centrifuge Simulator

Abstract : The advent of supermaneuverable flight trajectories for high performance aircraft opens up new research areas involving the human factors effects on pilots when they fly these unusual flight scenarios. There exists a need to conduct studies in motion simulators such as centrifuges to investigate how these unusual motion fields effect humans both physiologically and how they impact the ability of a pilot to perform a mission. The dynamic control of a centrifuge simulator to emulate supermaneuverable flight trajectories is studied in this paper by considering the centrifuge simulator as a 3 revolute axes robot manipulator.... Supermaneuverability, Motion Simulation, Robotic Manipulator.
‘Apples’ and ‘oranges’: comparing the structural aspects of biomineral- and ice-interaction proteins

Abstract The title of this review describes structural comparisons of protein classes whose task is to identify and interact with biological solids (minerals and ice). To date, the following trends have been noted: (1) biomineral-interaction proteins typically adopt unfolded, open conformations, and, where mineral binding motifs have been identified, these sequences exhibit structural trends towards extended, random coil, or other unstable secondary structures; (2) ice-interaction proteins typically adopt folded structures, featuring stable secondary structure preferences ( α -helix, β -sheet, β -helix, etc.) and stable, planar ice binding motifs that exploit hydrophobicity and van der Waals’ interactions for ice binding.
When the dual of an ideal is a ring

Let R be a commutative integral domain with identity with quotient field K, and let I be a nonzero ideal of R. We analyze several general and particular instances when I−1 is a subring of K. We then apply some of our results to show that certain non-maximal prime ideals in Prufer domains are divisorial.
Effect of age on human-computer-interface control via neck electromyography.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of age on visuomotor tracking using submental and anterior neck surface electromyography (sEMG) to assess feasibility of computer control via neck musculature, which allows people with little remaining motor function to interact with computers. Thirty-two healthy adults participated: 16 younger adults aged 18–29 years and 16 older adults aged 69–85 years. Participants modulated sEMG to achieve targets presented at different amplitudes using real-time visual feedback. Root mean squared (RMS) error was used to quantify tracking performance. RMS error was increased for older adults relative to younger adults. Older adults demonstrated more RMS error than younger adults as a function of increasing target amplitude. The differential effects of age found on static tracking performance in anterior neck musculature suggest more difficult translation of human–computer interfaces controlled using anterior neck musculature for static tasks to older populations.
Quantitation of the Antigenicity and Immunogenicity of Purified Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus Vaccine for Swine and Steers

The antigenicity and immunogenicity of a purified preparation of foot-and-mouth disease virus [type A12, strain 119 (FMDV A-119)] inactivated with 6.0 mmN-acetylethylenimine at 37 C were compared in swine and steers. Three antigen doses were tested, 640, 160, and 40 ng. In accordance with findings for guinea pigs, as previously determined by dose-response curves, as little as fourfold changes in antigen in the region of the minimum effective dose produced marked differences in the serological and immune responses of swine. The minimum effective dose of antigen for antibody formation in swine and guinea pigs, as determined by mouse median protective dose (PD50) values, was 160 ng. The minimum immunogenic dose for swine was also 160 ng. The vaccinated swine were challenged with either FMDV A-119 or with heterologous subtype A24 strain Cruzeiro or type A strain A-CANEFA-1. Those immunized with 640 ng of antigen were about equally immune to the three challenge viruses; most swine having a mouse PD50 value of 2.0 or greater were immune regardless of which strain was used for challenge. In steers, the smallest dose tested, 40 ng, was satisfactory in eliciting circulating antibodies and immunity. Physical and biological tests indicated that the antigen used in the vaccine is stable for at least 9 months at 4 C.
Why there Should be No Political Foreign Aid Curse

Summary This paper considers the causality underlying the so-called political aid curse, which proposes that foreign aid, like oil, should hinder democracy. Using a theoretical model which identifies repression and appeasement as the primary alternatives to democratization, it argues that aid revenue should not produce a political curse because it is less fungible, more conditional, and less constant than state oil revenue, making it difficult for recipient governments to use their aid to fund either repression or appeasement. Using several different measures associated with repression and appeasement, the statistical results show that aid cannot be associated with any of these dependent variables.
Bypassing Holes in Sensor Networks: Load-Balance vs. Latency

This work addresses the problem of geographic routing in the presence of holes or voids in wireless sensor networks. We postulate that, once the boundary of the hole has been established, relying on the existing algorithms for bypassing it may cause severe depletion of the energy reserves among the nodes at (or near) that boundary. This, in turn, may soon render some of those nodes useless for any routing (and/or sensing) purposes, thereby effectively enlarging the size of the pre-existing hole. To extend the lifetime of the nodes along the boundary of a given hole, we propose two heuristic approaches which aim at relieving some of the routing load of the boundary nodes. Towards that, our approaches propose that some of the routes that would otherwise need to bypass the hole along the boundary, should instead start to deviate from their original path further from the hole. Our experiments demonstrate that the proposed approaches not only increase the lifetime of the nodes along the boundary of a given hole, but also yield a more uniform depletion of the energy reserves in its vicinity.
Utilization of a clinical prediction rule for abdominal–pelvic CT scans in patients with blunt abdominal trauma

This study aims to determine if a clinical prediction (CP) rule to identify patients at low risk for intra-abdominal injury (IAI) is being utilized in patients undergoing abdominal computed tomography (CT) following blunt abdominal trauma. A retrospective review of adult patients with blunt abdominal trauma undergoing abdominal CT scans was performed. The CP rule was positive if any of the following were present: systolic blood pressure 25 red blood cells/high power field; Glasgow Coma Scale score <14; abdominal tenderness; costal margin tenderness; femur fracture; hematocrit <30 %; or pneumothorax or rib fracture on chest X-ray. The CP rule was negative if all variables were negative. Acute intervention was defined as therapeutic laparotomy or angiographic embolization. All variables in the CP rule were obtained in 218/262 (83 %; 95 % confidence interval (CI), 78, 88 %) patients. Of the 44 patients without complete CP rule assessment, 1 (2.3 %; 95 % CI, 0.1 %, 12.0 %) had an IAI but did not undergo therapeutic intervention. IAI was present in 11 (6.7 %; 95 % CI, 3.4, 11.6 %) of the 165 patients with at least one CP rule positive and 4 (36 %; 95 % CI, 11, 69 %) underwent therapeutic intervention. In the CP rule-negative patients, IAI was identified in 1/53 (1.9 %; 95 % CI, 0, 10.1 %) and no therapeutic intervention was required. An important percentage of patients undergoing abdominal CT are not assessed for or have a negative CP rule. Improved implementation of this CP rule may reduce unnecessary abdominal CT scans in patients presenting with blunt abdominal trauma.
The effects of opiate antagonists on milk intake of preweanling rats

The observation that acute administration of opiate agonists to rodent adults increased food intake while the reverse was true with a single injection of an opiate antagonist has led to the suggestion that endogenous opioids may in part mediate feeding behaviour in adult rodents. Studies were performed in infant rats to explore further the generality and ontogeny of this function. In three models of food availability, the effects of naloxone and naltrexone were assessed in deprivation-induced feeding tests in 3-, 10-, 12-, 14- and 19-day-old preweanling rats. Naloxone or naltrexone attenuated food intake only after 14 days. Functional immaturity of the opioid systems vis-a-vis ingestive behaviour may account for this developmental sequence.
Transcription Factor CHF1/Hey2 Regulates Specific Pathways in Serum Stimulated Primary Cardiac Myocytes: Implications for Cardiac Hypertrophy

We have previously found that overexpression of CHF1/Hey2 in the myocardium prevents the development of phenylephrine-induced hypertrophy. To identify transcriptional pathways regulated by CHF1/Hey2, we cultured primary neonatal mouse cardiac myocytes from wild type and transgenic mice overexpressing CHF1/Hey2 and treated them with serum, a potent hypertrophic stimulus. We verified that overexpression of CHF1/Hey2 suppressed cardiac myocyte hypertrophy induced by serum and then determined transcriptional profiles by microarray hybridization. We identified and verified important downstream target genes by single gene analysis and qRT-PCR and then identified important biological processes by Gene Set Analysis using Biological Process Gene Sets from the Gene Ontology Consortium. We found that CHF1/Hey2 suppresses pathways involved in water transport, adenylate cyclase activity, embryonic eye morphogenesis, gut development and fluid transport after serum stimulation. Genes involved in protein dephosphorylation, demonstrate increased expression in myocytes overexpressing CHF1/Hey2, independent of serum treatment. Genes overexpressed prior to serum treatment are involved in regulation of transcription factor activity, nuclear protein export and steroid hormone receptor signaling. Genes overexpressed after serum treatment are involved in autophagy, apoptosis and mitochondrial biogenesis.
Maximum likelihood estimation of a binary choice model with random coefficients of unknown distribution

Abstract We consider a binary response model yi=1{xi′βi+ei⩾0} with xi independent of the unobservables (β i , e i ) . No finite-dimensional parametric restrictions are imposed on F0, the joint distribution of (β i , e i ) . A nonparametric maximum likelihood estimator for F0 is shown to be consistent. We analyze some conditions under which F0 is or is not identified. In particular, we show that if the support of F0 is a subset of any half of the unit hypersphere, then F0 is identified relative to all distributions on the unit hypersphere. We also provide some Monte Carlo evidence on the small sample performance of our estimator.
Reduced hypothermic effects of cholinomimetic agents following chronic anticholinesterase treatment.

Abstract Tolerance to diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP), an irreversible anticholinesterase agent which produces hypothermia following an acute injection, developed rapidly for temperature regulation. The third injection of a chronic regimen of DFP treatment produced little or no hypothermia, in rats. The hypothermie effects of systemically administered pilocaprine, a tertiary cholinomimetic agent, were reduced or eliminated following chronic administration of DFP. Similarly, the hypothermie effects of intrahypothalamically administered carbachol were also reduced following chronic administration of DFP. These results support other recent findings of a reduced sensitivity to cholinomimetics following chronic anticholinesterase treatment and suggest that the muscarinic cholinergic receptors in the anterior hypothalamus may alter their sensitivity to acetylcholine. This alteration in the sensitivity of the cholinergic receptors may be one mechanism underlying the development of tolerance to DFP.
Parathyromatosis: a cause for recurrent hyperparathyroidism.

Objective: To report a case of parathyromatosis as a cause for recurrent hyperparathyroidism. Methods: We present the case history, laboratory results, operative interventions, and pathologic findi...
Elements of an integrated health monitoring framework

Internet technologies are increasingly facilitating real-time monitoring of Bridges and Highways. The advances in wireless communications for instance, are allowing practical deployments for large extended systems. Sensor data, including video signals, can be used for long-term condition assessment, traffic-load regulation, emergency response, and seismic safety applications. Computer-based automated signal-analysis algorithms routinely process the incoming data and determine anomalies based on pre-defined response thresholds and more involved signal analysis techniques. Upon authentication, appropriate action may be authorized for maintenance, early warning, and/or emergency response. In such a strategy, data from thousands of sensors can be analyzed with near real-time and long-term assessment and decision-making implications. Addressing the above, a flexible and scalable (e.g., for an entire Highway system, or portfolio of Networked Civil Infrastructure) software architecture/framework is being developed and implemented. This framework will network and integrate real-time heterogeneous sensor data, database and archiving systems, computer vision, data analysis and interpretation, physics-based numerical simulation of complex structural systems, visualization, reliability & risk analysis, and rational statistical decision-making procedures. Thus, within this framework, data is converted into information, information into knowledge, and knowledge into decision at the end of the pipeline. Such a decision-support system contributes to the vitality of our economy, as rehabilitation, renewal, replacement, and/or maintenance of this infrastructure are estimated to require expenditures in the Trillion-dollar range nationwide, including issues of Homeland security and natural disaster mitigation. A pilot website (http://bridge.ucsd.edu/compositedeck.html) currently depicts some basic elements of the envisioned integrated health monitoring analysis framework.
Skin substitutes from cultured cells and collagen-GAG polymers

Engineering skin substitutes provides a potential source of advanced therapies for the treatment of acute and chronic wounds. Cultured skin substitutes (CSS) consisting of human keratinocytes and fibroblasts attached to collagen-glycosaminoglycan substrates have been designed and tested in preclinical and clinical studies. Cell culture techniques follow general principles of primary culture and cryopreservation in liquid nitrogen for long-term storage. Biopolymer substrates are fabricated from xenogeneic (bovine) collagen and glycosaminoglycan that are lyophilised for storage until use. At maturity in air-exposed culture, CSS develop an epidermal barrier that is not statistically different from native human skin, as measured by surface electrical capacitance. Preclinical studies in athymic mice show rapid healing, expression of cytokines and regulation of pigmentation. Clinical studies in burn patients demonstrate a qualitative outcome with autologous skin that is not different from 1:4 meshed, split-thickness autograft skin, and with a quantitative advantage over autograft skin in the ratio of healed skin to biopsy areas. Chronic wounds resulting from diabetes or venous stasis have been closed successfully with allogeneic CSS prepared from cryopreserved skin cells. These results define the therapeutic benefits of cultured skin substitutes prepared with skin cells from the patient or from cadaver donors. Future directions include genetic modification of transplanted cells to improve wound healing transiently or to deliver gene products systemically.
Advanced simulation technology used to reduce accident rates through a better understanding of human behaviors and human perception

Human beings and technology have attained a mutually dependent and symbiotic relationship. It is easy to recognize how each depends on the other for survival. It is also easy to see how technology advances due to human activities. However, the role technology plays in advancing humankind is seldom examined. This presentation examines two research areas where the role of advanced visual simulation systems play an integral and essential role in understanding human perception and behavior. The ultimate goal of this research is the betterment of humankind through reduced accident and death rates in transportation environments. The first research area examined involved the estimation of time-to-contact. A high-fidelity wrap-around simulator (RAS) was used to examine people's ability to estimate time-to- contact. The ability of people to estimate the amount of time before an oncoming vehicle will collide with them is a necessary skill for avoiding collisions. A vehicle approached participants at one of three velocities, and while en route to the participant, the vehicle disappeared. The participants' task was to respond when they felt the accuracy of time-to-contact estimates and the practical applications of the result. The second area of research investigates the effects of various visual stimuli on underground transportation tunnel walls for the perception of vehicle speed. A RAS is paramount in creating visual patterns in peripheral vision. Flat-screen or front-screen simulators do not have this ability. Results are discussed in terms of speed perception and the application of these results to real world environments.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Numerical Modeling of Pit Growth in Microstructure

This work presents the numerical modeling of two-dimensional stable corrosion pit growth by solving the Laplace equation which defines the electric potential within the electrolyte. Microstructural features representative of a 316 stainless steel provides the matrix in which the pit grows. Real microstructural features are incorporated into the computational model. The objective is to determine the influence of the microstructure, specifically crystallographic orientation, on the shape of the pit as it grows over time. The high-resolution definition of the microstructure is obtained by the orientation image microscopy (OIM) technique and is incorporated into the finite element model through a grid-based interpolation functionality. The steel-electrolyte corrosion front movement is simulated with the help of the arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) meshing technique. The front speed, or the material dissolution rate, is approximated with the use of a Butler-Volmer relationship that relates the dissolution current density to the applied overpotential. The results show that small fluctuations (5–10%) in corrosion potential due to the changing crystal orientation ahead of the corrosion front result in variations in pit shape similar to experimental observations reported in the literature.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Urban's crusade : success or failure

THE success of the First Crusade in its capture of Jerusalem and in the foundation of the Latin states in Syria was so unprecedented and so stirring that historians generally have overlooked the possibility that from the point of view of Urban II, who inspired the Crusade, it may have fallen far short of the goal which he hoped to attain when he set it in motion. It is this possibility which the present paper seeks to explore. In recent years, it is true, there has been an ever widening awareness of the fact that Pope Urban may have sought by way of that Crusade to bring about a union between the Greek and Latin churches. La Monte, for example, in commenting Upon an early copy of the present article, which was then unpublished, found support for its thesis in the writings of Norden, Munro, Leib, Duncalf, and Baldwin.' Some thirty years earlier, Munro also referred, in considering the possibility, to K6hler and Fuller as exponents of the same idea;2 and a number of others, especially Brehier, might be added to the list.3 But the references just cited will serve, perhaps, to indicate the growing conviction among historians that the union of the Latin and Greek churches was one of the impelling motives in the call for the First Crusade. A number of the scholars named above have reached this conclusion through a variety of shrewd conjectures that, since the material considerations in the agreement with Alexius were so heavily in favor of the latter, there must have been certain less tangible considerations, such as the union of the two churches, perhaps, to establish the balance. Others, including Leib, Brehier, and Norden, have arrived at a similar inference through a systematic examination of the previous relations of the churches; and both of these approaches have served to throw new light on the whole discussion. But in striving to weigh and canvass the full extent of the problem more
Is Old Age Depressing? Growth Trajectories and Cohort Variations in Late-Life Depression.

Findings in previous research on the association of old age and depression are inconsistent due to a confounding of age changes and cohort differences. Using data from an accelerated longitudinal design from the National Institute of Aging Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly, this study addresses three questions: (1) Does the age growth trajectory show an increase in depressive symptoms in late life? (2) Is there cohort heterogeneity in levels of depressive symptoms and age growth trajectories of depressive symptoms? (3) What social risk factors are associated with these effects? Results show evidence of substantial cohort variation in depression. There is also evidence for an age-by-cohort interaction effect. Specifically, depression declined with age more rapidly for earlier cohorts. The growth trajectories can be accounted for by factors associated with historical trends in education, life course stages, health decline, differential survival, stress, and coping resources.
The impact of sex, gender, and cognitive complexity on the perceived importance of teacher communication skills

The current study examines student perceptions of the importance of selected communication skills for the teacher‐student relationship. Seven of eight communication skills identified in previous research (Burleson & Samter, 1990; Frymier & Houser, 2000) were perceived by students to be important in the teacher‐student relationship. These included referential, ego supportive, regulative, persuasive, conversational, narrative, and conflict management skills. This study sought to explain differences in student perceptions by examining student biological sex, psychological gender, and cognitive complexity. Psychological gender was superior to biological sex as a predictor of six of eight communication skills. Masculine/instrumental individuals reported expectations for teachers' use of persuasive, conversational, and narrative communication skills, while feminine/expressive individuals perceived ego supportive, regulative, and referential skills as important to effective teaching. Finally, cognitive complexit...
Solid-state amorphization of Zr3Al: Evidence of an elastic instability and first-order phase transformation.

Changes in shear elastic constant, long-range order, and lattice parameter were measured during disordering and eventual amorphization of ${\mathrm{Zr}}_{3}$Al by ion irradiation. Large (\ensuremath{\simeq}50%) elastic softening was observed during disordering, and anomalies occurred in all three measured parameters over a narrow range of ion doses. The results indicate that a first-order phase transformation triggered by an elastic instability occurs during solid-state amorphization. The changes reported here during disordering and amorphization are very similar to behavior observed previously in a large number of solids during heating to melting.
Interpersonal Sensitivity, Romantic Stress, and the Prediction of Depression: A Study of Inner-City, Minority Adolescent Girls

The role of interpersonal sensitivity in the relation between romantic stress and depression was examined in 55 adolescent girls from an inner-city high school. Depression, interpersonal sensitivity, and chronic and episodic romantic stress were measured at two time points, 6 months apart. Interpersonal sensitivity was found to moderate the longitudinal relation between romantic stress (both chronic and episodic) and depression. In contrast, interpersonal sensitivity did not potentiate depressive responses to non-romantic interpersonal stress, suggesting particular importance of stress in the romantic domain for adolescent girls. Results indicate that girls' sensitivities to romantic relationship stress should be specifically addressed in depression prevention and intervention programs.
Reexamination of the Effect of Urinary Kallikrein Renin Release: Evidence that Kallikrein Does Not Release Renin but Protects Renin from Destruction

Previously, we showed that superfusion of rat kidney slices by rat urinary kallikrein stimulated renin release. The renin measurements were performed on superfusion samples which we stored frozen at –20 C for 24 h. In this study we investigated the effect of freezing on the renin concentration of superfusion samples in the control period. The renin concentration measured immediately without freezing was 9.8 ± 2.4 ng angiotensin 1/10 ml · 3 h/mg tissue, while the concentration in the samples frozen for 24 h was 2.9 ± 1.0 ng angiotensin 1/10 ml · 3 h/mg. The renin concentration of the superfusion samples during the kallikrein perfusion period was the same as that of the nonfrozen control samples. It appeared, therefore, that kallikrein acted as if it stimulated renin release from kidney slices, when the renin was measured in frozen samples. To clarify this phenomenon, we added kallikrein, inactivated kallikrein, and albumin to superfusion samples of the control period and froze the samples for 24 h. After f...
Information-flow security for interactive programs

Interactive programs allow users to engage in input and output throughout execution. The ubiquity of such programs motivates the development of models for reasoning about their information-flow security, yet no such models seem to exist for imperative programming languages. Further, existing language-based security conditions founded on noninteractive models permit insecure information flows in interactive imperative programs. This paper formulates new strategy-based information-flow security conditions for a simple imperative programming language that includes input and output operators. The semantics of the language enables a fine-grained approach to the resolution of nondeterministic choices. The security conditions leverage this approach to prohibit refinement attacks while still permitting observable nondeterminism. Extending the language with probabilistic choice yields a corresponding definition of probabilistic noninterference. A soundness theorem demonstrates the feasibility of statically enforcing the security conditions via a simple type system. These results constitute a step toward understanding and enforcing information-flow security in real-world programming languages, which include similar input and output operators.
Preliminary Study of Pesticide Drift into the Maya Mountain Protected Areas of Belize

In Belize, Central America, many farms surrounding the Protected Areas of the Maya Mountains rely heavily on the application of agrochemicals. The purpose of this study was to test whether orographic drift of glyphosate and organophosphates into the nearby Maya Mountain Protected Areas occurred by collecting phytotelmic water from seven sites over 3 years. Regardless of location within the Maya Mountain Protected Areas, glyphosate was present; organophosphates were more common at ridge sites. Although glyphosate concentrations were low, due to the number of threatened species and the human use of stream water outside the Maya Mountain Protected Areas, better understanding of these effects is warranted.
Design of single-operator-multi-robot teleoperation systems with random communication delay

Multiple robots can be teleoperated by a single operator to provide enhanced capacity and efficiency on accomplishing complicated tasks. The design of this kind of systems is challenging because simultaneously tele-controlling multiple robots exceeds the ability of one single operator. The intelligence and autonomy of the robots need to be integrated into the system. Besides, the communication between the operator and the multi-robot system and the communication among the multiple robots are both subject to communication constraints like time delays and packet losses. This paper designs a non-time based method to realize the single-operator-multi-robot system with random communication delay. The system is designed based on the non-time based teleoperation method and a proposed perceptive coordination method. The random delay problem and the problem of simultaneously tele-controlling multiple robots by a single operator are resolved. Experiments implemented on a multi-robot system illustrated the effectiveness of the design.
Transistor-Level Tools for High-End Processor Custom Circuit Design at IBM

IBM's high-performance microprocessor designs leverage internally developed electronic design automation tools to create high-frequency, power efficient, and robust microprocessors. This paper describes some of the tools employed in the custom circuit design methodology in IBM. The tools described include a transistor-level block-based static timer, a static noise analysis methodology, and a transistor width tuner that optimizes performance and area. We also describe the application of electrical rule checking used to enforce consistent design practices. Finally, we discuss a macro extraction tool that determines parasitic resistance and capacitance of interconnect from a layout
Modeling Inter- and Intra-Patient Anatomical Variation Using a Bilinear Model

We introduce a novel method for modeling the natural anatomical variation of an organ along inter-patient and intra-patient axes using a bilinear model. Bilinear models are attractive for this purpose since one type of variation can be explored while the other is held constant. We apply our model to a total of 204 prostate shapes contoured from CT imagery of 12 different patients, and show that the learned bilinear models can fit both training and testing shapes accurately. We also demonstrate the superior performance of the bilinear model over a linear model with the same number of parameters in adapting to prostate shapes from a new patient acquired immediately prior to consecutive fractions of radiation therapy.