cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Total But Not Resting Energy Expenditure is Increased in Infants with Ventricular Septal Defects |[dagger]| 89

It has been suggested that increased energy expenditure and/or decreased caloric intake may be responsible for reduced growth often seen in patients with congenital heart disease and substantial left-to-right shunting. We hypothesized that infants with moderate-to-large ventricular septal defects(VSD) would exhibit higher rates of total and resting energy expenditure (TEE and REE) rather than decreased caloric intake (EI) compared with healthy control (CTL) infants. Patients with isolated, unoperated VSDs identified by echocardiogram, and healthy CTLs with normal intracardiac anatomy were selected. Patient characteristics are as follows: VSD: n=5, 3.8±0.4 mo, 5.2±1.1 kg; CTL: n=7, 4.0±0.6 mo, 6.9±1.4 kg. Four VSD infants were being treated for congestive heart failure at time of study. REE was measured by indirect calorimetry, TEE and total body water (TBW) were measured by the doubly labeled water method over one week, and EI was calculated from water turnover correcting for metabolic rate and formula composition.
Nucleate pool boiling heat transfer in a highly wetting liquid on micro-graphite-fiber composite surfaces

Abstract This paper presents results of an experimental study on heat transfer enhancement in nucleate pool boiling of a highly wetting liquid, pentane, on graphite fiber composite surfaces. Two kinds of composites are investigated: graphite—copper (GrCu) consisting of graphite fibers in a copper matrix and graphite-aluminum (GrAl) consisting of graphite fibers in an aluminum matrix. Micro-graphite fibers of 8–10 μm in. diameter are embedded in the matrices with fibers being arranged perpendicular to the boiling surface. The highly wetting liquid has a nominal contact angle of between 2 and 4° of most known surfaces. Pool boiling heat transfer performances of the graphite composites are compared with those of pure metal surfaces in the hysteresis region, which is commonly encountered within boiling startup periods, and the developed boiling region in which the overall performance is determined. It is revealed that the presence of graphite fibers reduces hysteresis effects in the startup region and also enhances overall performance in the developed region. In the hysteresis region, hysteresis temperatures are reduced more on the GrAl surface than on the GrCu surface. In the developed boiling region, however, the heat transfer performance is enhanced more on the GrCu surface than on the GrAl surface.
Heat-stress induced synthesis of chloroplast protein synthesis elongation factor (EF-Tu) in a heat-tolerant maize line.

A heat-tolerant maize (Zea mays L.) line, ZPBL 1304, synthesizes a unique set of five heat-shock polypeptides of 45 kDa. Previous studies suggested that these polypeptides might play a role in the development of thermotolerance in maize (Ristic et al., 1996, J. Plant Physiol. 149:424–432; Ristic et al., 1998, J. Plant Physiol. 153:497–505). In the present study, we isolated these polypeptides, sequenced them, and investigated their subcellular distribution and origin. Of the five polypeptides of 45 kDa, three polypeptides, including the two most abundant ones, yielded amino acid sequences similar to the chloroplast and bacterial protein synthesis elongation factor (EF-Tu). This was further confirmed using an antibody raised against maize EF-Tu, which showed a very strong reaction with the 45-kDa heat-shock protein(s). Studies on subcellular distribution and origin revealed that the 45-kDa polypeptides were localized to the chloroplasts, and were likely of nuclear origin. A full-length maize EF-Tu cDNA (Zmeftu1), previously isolated from the B73 line of maize, was used as a probe for northern blot analysis of RNA extracted from the ZPBL 1304 maize line (the nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences of Zmeftu1 are 88% identical to the rice EF-Tu sequence). Northern blots showed a 1.85-fold increase in steady-state levels of EF-Tu mRNA during heat stress. An increase in EF-Tu transcript levels during heat stress was accompanied by increased levels of the EF-Tu protein. Isolated chloroplasts from heat-stressed plants also had higher levels of EF-Tu as compared to control chloroplasts. The maize EF-Tu polypeptides showed >80% sequence similarity with the bacterial EF-Tu, which has recently been shown to function as a molecular chaperone and to play a role in the protection of other proteins from thermal denaturation (Caldas et al., 1998, J. Biol. Chem. 273:11478–11482). It is hypothesized that chloroplast EF-Tu of the ZPBL 1304 maize line plays an important role in the development of thermotolerance.
Parallel perturbation gradient descent algorithm for adaptive wavefront correction

An adaptive imaging system with a liquid crystal phase modulator having 127 individually addressed hexagonal elements is experimentally studied. The system operation is based on direct optimization of an image quality metric dependent on image plane intensity distribution. For optimization of the image quality metric we applied a modified version of a stochastic perturbation gradient descent algorithm. Experimental results demonstrated the efficiency of the algorithm for high- resolution adaptive wavefront correction in an imaging system. A modification of the algorithm that significantly accelerates algorithm convergence is suggested and studied by numerical simulation.
Stains, labels and detection strategies for nucleic acids assays.

Selected developments and trends in stains, labels and strategies for detecting and measuring nucleic acids (DNA, RNA) and related molecules [e.g. oligo(deoxy)nucleotides, nucleic acid fragments and polymerase chain reaction products] are surveyed based on the literature in the final decade of the 20th century (1991-2000). During this period, important families of cyanine dyes were developed for sensitive detection of double-stranded DNA, single-stranded DNA, and oligo(deoxy)nucleotides in gels and in solution, and families of energy transfer primers were produced for DNA sequencing applications. The continuing quest for improved labels for hybridization assays has produced a series of candidate labels including genes encoding enzymes, microparticles (e.g. quantum dots, nanocrystals, phosphors), and new examples of the fluorophore (e.g. cyanine dyes) and enzyme class of labels (e.g. firefly luciferase mutants). Label detection technologies for use in northern and southern blotting assays have focused on luminescent methods, particularly enhanced chemiluminescence for peroxidase labels and adamantyl 1,2-dioxetanes for alkaline phosphatase labels. Sets of labels have been selected to meet the demands of multicolour assays (e.g. four-colour sequencing and single nucleotide primer extension assays). Non-separation assay formats have emerged based on fluorescence polarization, fluorescence energy transfer (TaqMan, molecular beacons) and channelling principles. Microanalytical devices (microchips), high-throughput simultaneous test arrays (microarrays, gene chips), capillary electrophoretic analysis and dipstick devices have presented new challenges and requirements for nucleic acid detection, and fluorescent methods currently dominate in many of these applications.
Maternal determinants of timely vaccination coverage among infants in rural Bangladesh.

Abstract Background Timely vaccination, i.e., the receipt of all scheduled vaccinations in an age-appropriate fashion, is critical for the prevention of deadly diseases in infants and achievement of the UN Millennium Development Goal to reduce infant mortality. Infants, especially in rural or underprivileged settings often receive delayed vaccinations leaving them susceptible to vaccine-preventable illnesses early in the first year of life. In this study, we examined rates of timely vaccination among 24,435 infants born in Gaibandha and Rangpur rural districts of Bangladesh from 2001 to 2007. Methods Vaccinations due by 14 weeks of age and administered through routine government immunization services were assessed using interviews with enrolled mothers between 11 and 18 weeks postpartum. We created a Timely Vaccination (TV) score to classify infants as vaccinated fully and on schedule (TV = 1) or not (TV = 0), and used multivariable logistic regression to identify maternal characteristics associated with infant's timely vaccination status. Results Our results suggest that only 19% of infants in this cohort received scheduled vaccinations on time by 11–18 weeks postpartum. Mothers’ engagement in paid employment [OR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.03–1.23], receipt of tetanus toxoid vaccination [OR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.11–1.38], history of antenatal care [OR = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.12–1.32], or higher socioeconomic status [OR = 1.07, 95% CI: 1.03–1.11] were positively associated with timely vaccination of their infants. Mother's perception of small infant size at birth was negatively associated with timely vaccination [OR = 0.89, 95% CI: 0.82–0.97]. Conclusion Timely vaccination coverage of infants in rural Gaibandha and Rangpur districts is extremely low. This analysis identifies important shortcomings associated with the 1-year vaccination benchmark of routine immunization performance and suggests the need for specific interventions based on potential maternal determinants as well as known system and programmatic barriers of timely vaccination among infants in rural Bangladesh.
Redox-responsive targeted gelatin nanoparticles for delivery of combination wt-p53 expressing plasmid DNA and gemcitabine in the treatment of pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is one of the most dreaded cancers with very low survival rate and poor prognosis to the existing frontline chemotherapeutic drugs. Gene therapy in combination with a cytotoxic agent could be a promising approach to circumvent the limitations of previously attempted therapeutic interventions. We have developed a redox-responsive thiolated gelatin based nanoparticle system that efficiently delivers its payload in the presence of glutathione-mediated reducing intra-cellular environment and could be successfully used for site-specific wt-p53 expressing plasmid DNA as well as gemcitabine delivery by targeting epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Efficacy studies were performed in subcutaneous human adenocarcinoma bearing SCID beige mice along with molecular level p53 plasmid and apoptotic marker expression by PCR and western blot for all study groups. Efficacy studies demonstrate an improved in vivo targeting efficiency resulting in increased transfection efficiency and tumor growth suppression. In all the treatment groups, the targeted nanoparticles showed better anti-tumor activity than their non-targeted as well as non-encapsulated, naked therapeutic agent counterparts (50.1, 61.7 and 77.3% tumor regression by p53 plasmid alone, gemcitabine alone and in combination respectively). Molecular analysis revealed a higher mRNA expression of transfected p53 gene, its corresponding protein and that the tumor cell death in all treatment groups was due to the induction of apoptotic pathways. Gene/drug combination treatment significantly improves the therapeutic performance of the delivery system compared to the gene or drug alone treated groups. Anti-tumor activity of the thiolated gelatin loaded wt-p53 plasmid or gemcitabine-based therapy was attributed to their ability to induce cell apoptosis, which was confirmed by a marked increase in mRNA level of proapoptotic transcription factors, as well as, protein apoptotic biomarker expression and significant decrease in the anti-apoptotic transcription factors.
Microfluidic platform for hepatitis B viral replication study

Hepatocytes, the cells responsible for the metabolic and detoxification processes in the liver, are the predominant target of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections, a major cause of liver cancer. The limited availability of normal human hepatocytes for cell-culture based studies is a significant challenge in HBV-associated liver cancer research. Therefore, there is a need for miniaturized cell-culture systems that can serve as a platform for studying the effect of HBV infections on hepatocyte physiology. Here, we present a microfluidic platform that can be used to study HBV replication in both rat and human hepatocytes. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microchannels fabricated using soft lithography techniques served as a culture vessel for both primary rat hepatocytes (PRH) and a human hepatoblastoma cell line, HepG2. The micro cell-culture chamber was then used as a model for HBV replication studies. Cells were grown in static culture conditions and either transfected with an HBV-genome cDNA or infected with the viral genome expressed from a recombinant adenovirus. Supernatants collected from the microchannels were assayed for secreted HBV using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). We achieved approximately 40 and 10% transfection efficiencies in HepG2 cells and PRH respectively, and 80–100% adenoviral infection efficiency in PRH comparable to standard tissue culture methods. Moreover, we successfully detected replicated HBV using our novel platform. This platform can be easily extended to studies involving DNA transfection or HBV infection of primary human hepatocytes since only a small number of cells are required for studies in microfluidic chambers.
Optimal Classification by Mixed-Initiative Nested Thresholding

We propose a novel architecture for a team of machine and human classifiers (i.e., a mixed-initiative team). We adopt a model of performance that is workload-dependent for the human and workload-independent for the machine. The team is structured in a nested architecture that exploits a primary trichotomous classifier (returning true, false, or unknown) with workload-independent performance that turns over the data classified as unknown to a secondary dichotomous classifier (returning true or false) with workload-dependent performance. The novel classifier architecture outperforms other classifiers, such as a single dichotomous classifier or a simple nested two-classifier team.
Infusing Authentic Inquiry into Biotechnology

Societal benefit depends on the general public’s understandings of biotechnology (Betsch in World J Microbiol Biotechnol 12:439–443, 1996; Dawson and Cowan in Int J Sci Educ 25(1):57–69, 2003; Schiller in Business Review: Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia (Fourth Quarter), 2002; Smith and Emmeluth in Am Biol Teach 64(2):93–99, 2002). A National Science Foundation funded survey of high school biology teachers reported that hands-on biotechnology education exists in advanced high school biology in the United States, but is non-existent in mainstream biology coursework (Micklos et al. in Biotechnology labs in American high schools, 1998). The majority of pre-service teacher content preparation courses do not teach students appropriate content knowledge through the process of inquiry. A broad continuum exists when discussing inquiry-oriented student investigations (Hanegan et al. in School Sci Math J 109(2):110–134, 2009). Depending on the amount of structure in teacher lessons, inquiries can often be categorized as guided or open. The lesson can be further categorized as simple or authentic (Chinn and Malhotra in Sci Educ 86(2):175–218, 2002). Although authentic inquiries provide the best opportunities for cognitive development and scientific reasoning, guided and simple inquiries are more often employed in the classroom (Crawford in J Res Sci Teach 37(9):916–937, 2000; NRC in Inquiry and the national science education standards: a guide for teaching and learning, 2000). For the purposes of this study we defined inquiry as “authentic” if original research problems were resolved (Hanegan et al. in School Sci Math J 109(2):110–134, 2009; Chinn and Malhotra in Sci Educ 86(2):175–218, 2002; Roth in Authentic school science: knowing and learning in open-inquiry science laboratories, 1995). The research question to guide this study through naturalistic inquiry research methods was: How will participants express whether or not an authentic inquiry experience enhanced their understanding of biotechnology? As respondents explored numerous ideas in order to develop a workable research question, struggled to create a viable protocol, executed their experiment, and then evaluated their results, they commented on unexpected topics regarding the nature of science as well as specific content knowledge relating to their experiments. Four out of five participants reported they learned the most during authentic inquiry laboratory experience.
Highly Conformal Thin Films of Tungsten Nitride Prepared by Atomic Layer Deposition from a Novel Precursor

Highly uniform, smooth, and conformal coatings of tungsten nitride were synthesized by atomic layer deposition (ALD) from vapors of a novel precursor, bis(tert-butylimido)-bis(dimethylamido)tungsten, (tBuN)2(Me2N)2W, and ammonia at low substrate temperatures (250−350 °C). This tungsten precursor is a low-viscosity, noncorrosive liquid with sufficient volatility at room temperature to be a vapor source for ALD. These vapors were alternately pulsed into a heated reactor, yielding up to 0.1 nm of tungsten nitride film for every cycle, with no initial delay or induction period. The films were uniform in thickness along the 20-cm length of the deposition zone, as determined by scanning electron microscopy. Successful depositions were carried out on all substrates tested, including silicon, glass, quartz, glassy carbon, stainless steel, aluminum, gold, and copper. The films are shiny, silver-colored, and electrically conducting. All of the films showed good adhesion to the substrates, were acid-resistant, and d...
The valuation of off-site ecosystem service flows: Deforestation, erosion and the amenity value of lakes in Prescott, Arizona

One of the most important services provided by forests is the control of erosion. We investigated the value of forest cover in protecting water quality in five urban lakes around Prescott, AZ. We first estimated the role of forest cover in regulating sediment loadings into each lake via a sediment delivery model. We then used 8301 single-family residential property transactions that occurred between 2002 and 2005 in Prescott, AZ, to estimate a hedonic price function. This yielded an estimate of the marginal willingness-to-pay (MWTP) for avoiding 1 t of sediment per lake-acre, from which we were able to infer the marginal willingness to pay for the erosion control services associated with a 10% change in current canopy cover. We found that the marginal value of the erosion control services of forest cover varies widely across the watersheds depending on the accessibility of affected lakes, the current level of canopy cover, and the number and value of affected residential properties among other factors.
Voltage-gated Na+ channels in neuropathic pain

Neuropathic pain occurs as a result of some form of injury to the nervous system. Although the basis of the disease remains to be fully elucidated, numerous studies have suggested a major role for ion channels in the pathogenesis of neuropathic pain. As Na+ channels play a fundamental role in not only the generation but also in the conduction of an action potential, they have received considerable attention in the aetiology of pain sensation and have become important pharmacological targets. In this review, the authors discuss the importance of specific Na+ channel isoforms in the pathophysiology of neuropathic pain and the present use of Na+ channel antagonists in the treatment of neuropathic pain.
Approximation techniques for several stochastic inventory models

Abstract This paper considers two methods for approximating several complex stochastic inventory models. The first method involves determining optimal policies for a simpler modified version of the original problem. Examples of this approach, as used by the author, include stocking perishable inventory, the leadtime lost sales problem and an inventory problem with recycling. A second technique, which is appropriate for continuous review models, is based on using a line of reasoning similar to that used by Hadley and Whitin in the development of a heuristic (Q.R) inventory model. Examples of the approach include solutions of some continuous review systems including stocking decaying inventories and determining expected backorders in an inventory system with rationing.
Analysis of reinforced concrete shear wall components using the ADINA nonlinear concrete model

Two shear wall specimens loaded for experimental testing at the University of California, Berkeley, were modeled using the ADINA Nonlinear Finite Element Concrete Material Model with plane stress isoparametric finite elements. Force vs displacement results show good correlation with the experimental data. The models were loaded with monotonically increasing static loads. The analyses give an estimate of the displacement ductility available in shear walls. Using this technique, finite element modeling can be used for future structural applications to design for greater displacement ductility.
Healing as social criticism in the time of colonial conquest

Histories of resistance to colonial conquest often describe a moment when African political leaders were defeated, but resistance did not end because ‘religious’ leaders took over the fight. This article suggests that the ‘religious’ leaders might, in many cases, be seen instead as healers. The article demonstrates this with reference to a single place — the frontier area to the north of Rwanda where mediums of the Nyabingi spirit led resistance to conquest. Nyabingi mediums helped organise responses to public misfortune (to famines or epidemics), and also to individual illness or infertility. These healers of collective misfortune led resistance to acts of conquest which threatened survival and reproduction. The mediums served as partially autonomous social critics, but found themselves constrained in this role by European measures to control indigenous healing.
Two-dimensional zero-field NMR and NQR

Abstract Corrlalations between quadrupolar frequencies in a spin I = 1 system are determined through a two-dimensional version of the zero-field NMR experiment. Results presented on a selectively deuterated polycrystalline solid illustrate this for the quadrupolar lines corresponding to inequivalent deuterium sites.
Advancing health and environmental disease tracking: a 5-year follow-up study.

Objectives. Our goal was to gain an understanding of the extent to which environmental public health tracking (EPHT) has progressed since the release of the 2000 Pew Environmental Health Commission report examining the nation’s EPHT infrastructure.Methods. As a follow-up to the Pew Commission report, we conducted a telephone survey of state practitioners in an effort to assess EPHT trends and changes in state-level capacities and activities over the past several years.Results. We found that new and enhanced federal–state partnerships; improved surveillance, data analysis, and communication capacities; and enhanced support of tracking personnel have provided a foundation for progress in the area of EPHT. Also, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s support of EPHT has strengthened the national environmental public health infrastructure and capacity to track environmental hazards, exposures, and health.Conclusions. Improved funding, data access, and translation of data to prevention activities are...
Regional Cooperation, Coordination, and Communication Between Airports During Disasters

Regional cooperation, coordination, and communication between airports can promote preparedness and continuity of operations during disasters. Interviews at 20 U.S. airports led to workshops in South Florida, New England, and Minnesota, in which representatives of airports, airlines, local responders, state agencies, and federal agencies discussed needs, opportunities, and barriers to increased regional cooperation, coordination, and communication. Qualitative analysis of the discussions led to a number of recommendations. Increased regional cooperation, coordination, and communication between airports and between regional groups of airports and other responding or regulatory agencies are highly desirable goals. Different regions of the country have different methods in place, but none is fully optimized. Interstate mutual aid between airports has different issues from intrastate aid arrangements. Intrastate arrangements may need new state legislation to provide liability coverage and reimbursement. Airpo...
A review of atmospheric aerosol measurements

Abstract Recent developments in atmospheric aerosol measurements are reviewed. The topics included complement those covered in the recent review by Chow (JAWMA 45: 320–382, 1995) which focuses on regulatory compliance measurements and filter measurements of particulate composition. This review focuses on measurements of aerosol integral properties (total number concentration, CCN concentration, optical coefficients, etc.), aerosol physical chemical properties (density, refractive index, equilibrium water content, etc.), measurements of aerosol size distributions, and measurements of size-resolved aerosol composition. Such measurements play an essential role in studies of secondary aerosol formation by atmospheric chemical transformations and enable one to quantify the contributions of various species to effects including light scattering/absorption, health effects, dry deposition, etc. Aerosol measurement evolved from an art to a science in the 1970s following the development of instrumentation to generate monodisperse calibration aerosols of known size, composition, and concentration. While such calibration tools permit precise assessments of instrument responses to known laboratory-generated aerosols, unquantifiable uncertainties remain even when carefully calibrated instruments are used for atmospheric measurements. This is because instrument responses typically depend on aerosol properties including composition, shape, density, etc., which, for atmospheric aerosols, may vary from particle-to-particle and are often unknown. More effort needs to be made to quantify measurement accuracies that can be achieved for realistic atmospheric sampling scenarios. The measurement of organic species in atmospheric particles requires substantial development. Atmospheric aerosols typically include hundreds of organic compounds, and only a small fraction (∼10%) of these can be identified by state-of-the-art analytical methodologies. Even the measurement of the total particulate organic carbon mass concentration is beset by difficulties including the unknown extent of evaporative losses during sampling, adsorption of gas-phase organic compounds onto sampling substrates, and the unknown relationship between carbon mass and mass of the particulate organics. The development of improved methodologies for such measurements should be a high priority for the future. Mass spectrometers that measure the composition of individual particles have recently been developed. It is not clear that these instruments will provide quantitative information on species mass concentrations, and more work is needed to routinely interpret the vast quantities of data generated during field sampling. Nevertheless, these instruments substantially expand the range of atmospheric aerosol issues that can be explored experimentally. These instruments represent the most significant advance in aerosol instrumentation in recent years.
Recurrent onset of epigenetic silencing in rice harboring a multi‐copy transgene

Extensive methylation of the Ubi1 promoter has been shown to be associated with transcriptional silencing and bialaphos herbicide sensitivity in several R(1) progeny derived from a transgenic rice line, JKA 52, containing multiple copies of the introduced genes (Kumpatla et al. 1997;Plant Physiol. 115, 361-373). All of the progeny from silenced R(1) lines were silenced, and a proportion (24%) of the R(2) seedlings from JKA 52-6, a non-silenced homozygous R(1) line, were found to be silenced. Several non-silenced (bialaphos-resistant) R(2) progeny derived from the selfed seed of JKA 52-6 were tested at various stages throughout the growth period and found to be resistant to bialaphos, indicating the absence of silencing. Five of these were investigated further to determine whether silencing could recur in subsequent generations. R(3) seedlings were raised from selfed R(2) seed and herbicide sensitivity was detected in 5-40% of the plants in three of the five lines. This silencing was accompanied by methylation of the Ubi1 promoter and the absence of steady-state bar mRNA. This recurrent onset of silencing and instability of expression associated with a transgene locus containing several repeated sequences is undesirable. The data strongly suggest that multi-generation molecular analysis should be undertaken for transgenic lines to be used for agricultural purposes and that lines containing methylated inserts should be carefully evaluated before being included in further breeding strategies.
The Real Global Technology Challenge

The ability of the U.S. to grow its economy and maintain its global economic strength depends on its ability to develop the "new breed" of technical and non-technical workers who can work across national, organizational, and cultural boundaries. The US economy is not threatened by the increase in the numbers of scientists and engineers in China and India, nor is there a lack of qualified science and engineering graduates in the U.S. The best competitiveness policy for the United States would not focus on efforts to monopolize the world's science and technology human resources. Rather it would focus on strengthening basic education, on the performance of those at the bottom, on providing a broad-based education, and on developing a cohort of cosmopolitan scientists and engineers who will give the U.S. "collaborative advantage" in today's emerging global technology value chains.
Interior-point methods for nonconvex nonlinear programming: regularization and warmstarts

In this paper, we investigate the use of an exact primal-dual penalty approach within the framework of an interior-point method for nonconvex nonlinear programming. This approach provides regularization and relaxation, which can aid in solving ill-behaved problems and in warmstarting the algorithm. We present details of our implementation within the loqo algorithm and provide extensive numerical results on the CUTEr test set and on warmstarting in the context of quadratic, nonlinear, mixed integer nonlinear, and goal programming.
Set-theoretic equivalence of extensive-form games

A new game-form, theset-theoretic form, is introduced and it is shown that a set-theoretic form can be associated with every extensive form. The map from extensive forms to set-theoretic forms is not one-to-one and this fact is used to define a notion of equivalence for extensive games. A transformation for extensive forms is then defined, called theinterchange of contiguous simultaneous moves, and it is shown that it is possible to move from one game to any other game in the same equivalence class by using this transformation a finite number of times and without ever leaving the equivalence class. This transformation is a generalization of Thompson's “interchange of decision nodes”. Thus given an extensive gameG there is a different extensive gameG′ that is equivalent toG if and only if there are moves inG that are simultaneous and the difference betweenG andG′ lies exactly in the fact that (some of) these moves are taken in a different temporal order in the two games.
Megavoltage CT imaging quality improvement on TomoTherapy via tensor framelet.

Purpose: This work is to investigate the feasibility of improving megavoltage imaging quality for TomoTherapy using a novel reconstruction technique based on tensor framelet, with either full-view or partial-view data. Methods: The reconstruction problem is formulated as a least-square L1-type optimization problem, with the tensor framelet for the image regularization, which is a generalization of L1, total variation, and wavelet. The high-order derivatives of the image are simultaneously regularized in L1 norm at multilevel along thex, y, and z directions. This convex formulation is efficiently solved using the Split Bregman method. In addition, a GPU-based parallel algorithm was developed to accelerate image reconstruction. The new method was compared with the filtered backprojection and the total variation based method in both phantom and patient studies with full or partial projection views. Results: The tensor framelet based method improved the image quality from the filtered backprojection and the total variation based method. The new method was robust when only 25% of the projection views were used. It required ∼2 min for the GPU-based solver to reconstruct a 40-slice 1 mm-resolution 350 × 350 3D image with 200 projection views per slice and 528 detection pixels per view. Conclusions: The authors have developed a GPU-based tensor framelet reconstruction method with improved image quality for the megavoltage CT imaging on TomoTherapy with full or undersampled projection views. In particular, the phantom and patient studies suggest that the imaging quality enhancement via tensor framelet method is prominent for the low-dose imaging on TomoTherapy with up to a 75% projection view reduction.
Electron-probe analysis of isolated goldfish hair cells: Implications for preparing healthy cells

Abstract Electron-probe analysis provides an objective criterion for the physiological status of cells; whether they show the high potassium and low sodium that are expected of healthy animal cells. Preparing isolated goldfish hair cells that were healthy by this criterion required several precautions, including: limited exposure to enzymes and to simple salt solutions, a rest period between enzyme treatment and mechanical disruption of the tissue, and presence of bovine albumin in the medium both during the rest period and during mechanical dispersion and plating. Cells prepared with these precautions from the saccule and lagena and kept in an enriched medium had the following elemental composition (mole percentages with respect to phosphorus): K, 103; Na, 18; Cl, 23; S, 13; Mg, 8; Ca, 1.5. These mole percentages were close to these elements' total millimolar concentrations in the cells. If the precautions were not taken, cells with intact surface membranes (as assessed by exclusion and retention of dyes) could be obtained, but the cells had elevated cell sodium and low cell potassium.
Lanthanide distribution in human placental tissue by membrane desolvation-ICP-MS

Lanthanide elements are finding increasing use in industrial, technological, and medical applications, due to their unique magnetic, optic, and catalytic properties. Consequently, the risk of human exposure to these nonessential elements is rising, and the ability to measure the lanthanides in human tissues and body fluids is gaining in importance. In this study, the concentrations of naturally occurring lanthanide elements, as well as Sc, were measured in human placental tissues, consisting of ∼160 samples each of placenta body, membrane, and umbilical cord, for evaluation of possible maternal and fetal exposure to these metals. Measurements were conducted using ICP-MS instrumentation coupled to a membrane desolvation introduction system, in order to enhance sensitivity for these elements, as well as to decrease oxide formation. Method detection limits (MDLs) ranged from 0.3 ng g−1 to 4 ng g−1. Method validation entailed the use of a mussel tissue reference material (RM) certified for most of the analytes of interest, spike recovery experiments and, for some analytes, a caprine liver secondary RM. Heavier lanthanides (Eu–Lu) were not detectable in most placental tissues. Lighter lanthanides (La–Sm) were detected in the ng g−1 range. The placenta body accumulated the greatest concentrations of lanthanides. Lanthanide concentrations in placenta appeared to follow a pattern similar to that found in the Earth's crust, indicating natural human exposure to these analytes.
Design of compact, narrow-band, band-pass microwave filters in coplanar waveguide technology

A new topology for designing compact, band-pass filters of arbitrary order is proposed. The basic building block of band-pass filters designed using this technique is a capacitively coupled second-order filter, which can be thought of as the unit cell of a higher order band-pass filter. The second-order filter is composed of slow-wave transmission line resonators separated by an inductive admittance inverter. To easily control the bandwidth of the filter, the entire structure is capacitively coupled to the feeding transmission lines using series capacitors. This unit cell can be used in different cascading schemes to obtain filters of odd and even orders. Using this technique, band-pass filters with fractional bandwidths in the range of 1–20% can easily be designed. Several different examples of such band-pass filters along with their measurement results are presented and discussed in this article. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 52: 1999–2002, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.25420
A case study examining the influence of Conference Food Function on Attendee Satisfaction and return intention at a Corporate Conference

For many conferences and events, increased attendee registration leads to increased profits for the hosting organization. Food functions, in particular, can be an effective tool to satisfy attendees and build attendance, as it empowers an attendee's sensory memory of an event. Nutritiously balanced food can enhance an attendee's learning ability. The purpose of this research was to identify factors that impact the attendee's satisfaction with conference food functions, and further, to understand an attendee's return intention based on the satisfaction level at a corporate conference. It is concluded that the quality of food content is the leading determinant of an attendee's satisfaction with the food function performance and that food function predicts an attendee's intention to return. This research provides insights into how important food functions are to conference attendees’ intent to return to future conferences.
Structural basis for misaminoacylation by mutant E. coli glutaminyl-tRNA synthetase enzymes

A single-site mutant of Escherichia coli glutaminyl-synthetase (D235N, GlnRS7) that incorrectly acylates in vivo the amber suppressor supF tyrosine transfer RNA (tRNA(Tyr] with glutamine has been described. Two additional mutant forms of the enzyme showing this misacylation property have now been isolated in vivo (D235G, GlnRS10; I129T, GlnRS15). All three mischarging mutant enzymes still retain a certain degree of tRNA specificity; in vivo they acylate supE glutaminyl tRNA (tRNA(Gln] and supF tRNA(Tyr) but not a number of other suppressor tRNA's. These genetic experiments define two positions in GlnRS where amino acid substitution results in a relaxed specificity of tRNA discrimination. The crystal structure of the GlnRS:tRNA(Gln) complex provides a structural basis for interpreting these data. In the wild-type enzyme Asp235 makes sequence-specific hydrogen bonds through its side chain carboxylate group with base pair G3.C70 in the minor groove of the acceptor stem of the tRNA. This observation implicates base pair 3.70 as one of the identity determinants of tRNA(Gln). Isoleucine 129 is positioned adjacent to the phosphate of nucleotide C74, which forms part of a hairpin structure adopted by the acceptor end of the complexed tRNA molecule. These results identify specific areas in the structure of the complex that are critical to accurate tRNA discrimination by GlnRS.
A finite element analysis of metal‐forming problems with an elastic‐viscoplastic material model

A finite element formulation for elastoviscoplasticity problems in the presence of large strains and deformations is presented in this paper. The formulation is capable of using any of a class of combined creep-plasticity constitutive models with state variables for the description of material behaviour. The specific problem considered is plane strain extrusion using the constitutive model originally proposed by Hart. Numerical results are presented for sample problems and the important effects of extrusion speed and friction (at the die–workpiece interface) on the residual stresses in an extruded sample are investigated. The computer program developed here is quite general and can be modified to solve problems for other manufacturing processes like rolling, sheet forming, etc.
Beam bending-torsion dynamic stiffness method for calculation of exact vibration modes

Abstract The exact dynamic stiffness matrix is derived for a straight and uniform beam element whose elastic and inertial axes are not coincident. Elementary bending-torsion beam theory is used, and bending translation is restricted to one direction. The element matrix can be used in the dynamic stiffness method for calculation of exact natural frequencies, mode shapes, and generalized masses for planar assemblages of connected bending-torsion beams. The dynamic stiffness method is outlined, and details pertinent to the bending-torsion beam element are given. An example of a three-beam assemblage representing an airplane wing is posed, and exact numerical solutions are tabulated for natural frequencies and generalized masses. Solutions calculated by the finite element method are also tabulated for comparison.
DIRECT ACTION OF THYROXINE ANALOGUES ON MOLTING IN THE ADULT NEWT.

Abstract Thyroxine analogue-cholesterol pellets were implanted subcutaneously in thyroid-ectomized, adult newts, Diemictylus viridescens, in order to determine if specific analogues have molt-inducing activity. Many of the analogues tested, depending upon their concentration in the implants, caused generalized or localized molting or both. The occurrence of a local molt in the region of a pellet is attributed to the direct action of the implanted thyroxine analogue upon the skin. Any chemical changes which may have taken place in the analogue must have occurred locally within the peripheral tissues around the implant. Analogues with acetic, propionic, and acrylic acid side chains and those with three iodine atoms bad as much, if not more, molt-inducing activity as thyroxine; those with two iodine atoms had somewhat less activity. Meta- and ortho-thyroxine and single-ring compounds likely to condense to biologically active diphenyl ethers were only effective when tested in relatively high concentrations, while thyronine and iodinated benzene rings unlikely to condense were inactive. In conclusion, the experiments demonstrate the ability of certain thyroxine analogues to induce molting in adult, thyroidectomized newts by a direct, local action upon the skin.
Estimating biomass in northern lower Michigan forest stands

Abstract Forest biomass data are now being sought by many forest managers and specialists. These data have been accumulating rapidly in recent years, but numerous gaps remain for various forest types, locations, and site quality levels. This paper illustrates how available information was carefully synthesized to generate biomass data for the evaluation and management of forest stands in northern lower Michigan. The basic approach involved the integration of published specific gravity and biomass distribution data with bolewood volumes predicted from regression equations relating these volumes to stand height and basal area. Preliminary evaluations of the data thus generated indicate that the approach should produce reasonable estimates of stand biomass in this region.
Child Vocabulary, Maternal Behavior, and Inhibitory Control Development among Spanish-Speaking Children.

Research Findings: The roles of child lexical diversity and maternal sensitivity in the development of young children’s inhibitory control were examined in 100 low-income Hispanic Spanish-speaking children. Child communication utterances at age 2½ years were transcribed from 10-min mother–child interactions to quantify lexical diversity. Maternal behavior was rated independently from the interactions. Inhibitory control was measured with a battery of tasks at ages 2½ and 3½. Greater maternal sensitivity was correlated with higher vocabulary at 2½. Greater vocabulary predicted positive growth in child inhibitory control skills from ages 2½ to 3½ in multivariable regression models that controlled for maternal education, family income, the home environment, and mothering quality. Practice or Policy: These findings suggest that supporting vocabulary development in low-income Spanish-speaking children is important for the development of inhibitory control skills, an important foundation for school readiness an...
Evidence of a schizotypy subtype in OCD.

Abstract OCD patients represent a heterogeneous mix of clinical phenotypes, likely reflecting a wide range of genetic vulnerabilities. In other medical illnesses, neurobiologically-based traits with a genetic component that are associated with the target disorder have been successfully used to detect patients with a specific genetic liability to disease. The overlap between symptoms of OCD and Schizophrenia suggested that schizotypal traits could have the potential to distinguish a relatively homogeneous subtype of OCD. We obtained schizotypy scores for 119 affected adult probands who met lifetime criteria for DSM-IV OCD. Five subscales from the Structured Interview of Schizotypy were used to assess ideas of reference, suspiciousness, magical thinking, illusions and psychotic-like thought. Selected for their obvious face validity with the cardinal signs of schizophrenia, Cronbach's alpha suggested that these subscales also provided a reliable measure of positive sign schizotypy (0.83). Fifty percent of our OCD sample had mild to severe positive schizotypy signs. t - and χ 2 tests of significance suggested seven variables that distinguished OCD patients with schizotypy, including earlier age of onset, greater number of comorbid diagnoses and increased rates of learning disability, aggressive and somatic obsessions and counting and arranging compulsions. Three of these seven variables, including learning disabilities, counting compulsions and history of specific phobia, significantly increased the odds of schizotypy among patients with lifetime OCD. These findings enhanced the validity of the schizotypy construct in OCD. Whether this schizotypy subtype can distinguish a subgroup of patients with relatively homogeneous genetic characteristics waits further investigation.