cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Efficient high level expression of peptides and proteins as fusion proteins with the N-terminal domain of L9: application to the villin headpiece helical subdomain.

The efficient expression of small to midsize polypeptides and small marginally stable proteins can be difficult. A new protein fusion system is developed to allow the expression of peptides and small proteins. The polypeptide of interest is linked via a Factor Xa cleavage sequence to the C-terminus of the N-terminal domain of the ribosomal protein L9 (NTL9). NTL9 is a small (56 residue) basic protein. The C-terminus of the protein is part of an α-helix which extends away from the globular structure thus additional domains can be fused without altering the fold of NTL9. NTL9 expresses at high levels, is extremely soluble, and remains fully folded over a wide temperature and pH range. The protein has a high net positive charge, facilitating purification of fusion proteins by ion exchange chromatography. NTL9 fusions can also be easily purified by reverse phase HPLC. As a test case we demonstrate the high level expression of a small, 36 residue, three helix bundle, the villin headpiece subdomain. This protein is widely used as a model system for folding studies and the development of a simple expression system should facilitate experimental studies of the subdomain. The yield of purified fusion protein is 70 mg/L of culture and the yield of purified villin headpiece subdomain is 24 mg/L of culture. We also demonstrate the use of the fusion system to express a smaller marginally folded peptide fragment of the villin headpiece domain.
Artifact Packages for Characterizing Classroom Practice: A Pilot Study

This article describes the development of artifact collection and scoring procedures to characterize classroom practice in mathematics and science. A data collection tool called the "Scoop Notebook" was used to gather artifacts related to key features of classroom practice, such as teachers' use of instructional materials and strategies, classroom learning activities, and students' work. Pilot studies were conducted in a small number of middle school science and mathematics classrooms to provide initial information about the reliability, validity, and feasibility of artifact collections as measures of classroom practice. The pilot studies yielded positive results, indicating that the Scoop Notebook and associated scoring guide have promise for providing accurate representations of what teachers and students do in classrooms. Due to the small sample size, results are most appropriately used formatively, to help improve artifact collection procedures before they are tested on a larger scale.
1032 INCREASED CEREBRAL METABOLIC RATE AND DECREASED ANOXIC SURVIVAL AFTER AMINOPHYLLINE IN YOUNG MICE

Last year we reported that in 17-21 d old mice, aminophylline (AP), 100 mg/kg i.p., increased brain levels of cyclic AMP 56% (p = 0.01), cyclic GMP 36% (p = 0.01), glucose 93% (p <0.001), ADP 12% (p = 0.04), and AMP 70% (p = 0.02). ATP, P-creatine, glycogen and lactate were unchanged. Increased ADP and AMP levels are sensitive indicators of ATP (~P) breakdown and suggest an increased cerebral metabolic rate (CMR). To test this hypothesis, the effect of AP (100 mg/kg i.p.) on CMR was determined in 48 weanling mice (Lowry et al, J. Biol. Chem. 239:18, 1964). AP increased CMR 3-fold - 34 mmol/kg/min ~P (1.03 mmol/kg/min glucose) vs 12 mmol/kg/min ~P (0.36 mmol/kg/min glucose) in controls. Increased CMR is accompanied by increased extraction of glucose from blood and could explain the brain glucose elevation. Since increased CMR also reflects increased neuronal function, this may be the mechanism by which AP restores normal breathing in premature babies with apnea. However, with a decreased glucose and/or O2 supply to brain, increased CMR would be a distinct disadvantage. This suspicion was confirmed in 3-9 d old mice treated with a therapeutic dose of AP (7.5 mg/kg s.c.). Fifteen to 60 min after injection, one control and one AP-treated littermate were exposed to N2 gas for variable intervals. Survival rate of 32 mice was 62% for controls vs 0% in AP-treated animals. The finding suggests caution in the use of AP in hypoglycemic and/or anoxic newborns.
Direct Scaling of Primitive Valence Force Constants: An Alternative Approach to Scaled Quantum Mechanical Force Fields

We present an alternative approach to the derivation of scaled quantum mechanical (SQM) force fields involving the direct scaling of individual primitive valence force constants from a full set of redundant valence coordinates. Our approach is completely general and more flexible than previous SQM schemes. Optimal scaling factors for various primitive stretching, bending, and torsional force constants are derived from a training set of 30 molecules containing C, O, N, H, and Cl and used to scale force constants for a further 30 molecules. Calculated vibrational frequencies are compared with experimental values for over 1500 fundamentals. Using the hybrid three-parameter B3-LYP density functional with the split-valence 6-31G* basis set, our scaling procedure gives an average error of less than 8.5 cm-1 in the scaled frequencies. The average percentage error is under 1%.
Dedicated breast CT: Geometric design considerations to maximize posterior breast coverage

An Institutional Review Board-approved protocol was used to quantify breast tissue inclusion in 52 women, under conditions simulating both craniocaudal (CC) and mediolateral oblique (MLO) views in mammography, dedicated breast CT in the upright subject position, and dedicated breast CT in the prone subject position. Using skin as a surrogate for the underlying breast tissue, the posterior aspect of the breast that is aligned with the chest-wall edge of the breast support in a screen-film mammography system was marked with the study participants positioned for CC and MLO views. The union of skin marks with the study participants positioned for CC and MLO views was considered to represent chest-wall tissue available for imaging with mammography and served as the reference standard. For breast CT, a prone stereotactic breast biopsy unit and a custom-fabricated barrier were used to simulate conditions during prone and upright breast CT, respectively. For the same breast marked on the mammography system, skin marks were made along the breast periphery that was just anterior to the apertures of the prone biopsy unit and the upright barrier. The differences in skin marks between subject positioning simulating breast CT (prone, upright) and mammography were quantified at six anatomic locations. For each location, at least one study participant had a skin mark from breast CT (prone, upright) posterior to mammography. However for all study participants, there was at least one anatomic location where the skin mark from mammography was posterior to that from breast CT (prone, upright) positioning. The maximum amount by which the skin mark from mammography was posterior to breast CT (prone and upright) over all six locations was quantified for each study participant and pair-wise comparison did not exhibit statistically significant difference between prone and upright breast CT (paired t- test, p = 0.4). Quantitatively, for 95% of the study participants the skin mark from mammography was posterior to breast CT (prone or upright) by at the most 9 mm over all six locations. Based on the study observations, geometric design considerations targeting chest-wall coverage with breast CT equivalent to mammography, wherein part of the x-ray beam images through the swale during breast CT are provided. Assuming subjects can extend their chest in to a swale, the optimal swale-depth required to achieve equivalent coverage with breast CT images as mammograms for 95% of the subjects varies in the range of ~30-50 mm for clinical prototypes and was dependent on the system geometry.
The fine structure of the subnucleus caudalis of the trigeminal nerve.

Summary The spinal tract and subnucleus caudalis of the trigeminal nerve of the cat have been studied with light and electron microscopic techniques. The changing pattern of the spinal tract in its descent is described. The marginal zone, in addition to the typical large marginal neurons, is characterized by a prominent tangential plexus and an extremely profuse population of end knobs, the great majority of which contain spherical vesicles; these axonal terminals are arranged in conspicuous clusters in which knobs are piled densely one on another. Some of them establish axo-axonic contacts in addition to axodendritic synapses. This layer also contains the greatest number of knobs with dense core vesicles and these establish axodendritic as well as axosomatic contacts with marginal neurons. Large dendrites with prominent spines are present both in the marginal layer and in the nucleus proprius. The substantia gelatinosa contains small neurons which usually have few axosomatic contacts; these are formed by small knobs which usually contain spherical vesicles and the synapses are predominantly of the symmetrical type. In the neuropil of the substantia gelatinosa the great majority of the axon terminals are of small size; most of these contain spherical vesicles with occasional prominent dense core granules; the contacts are mostly axodendritic and asymmetrical, and moderate numbers of axo-axonic contacts and glomeruli are present. The nucleus proprius is relatively homogenous throughout, contains large and small neurons each variety having either many or few axosomatic contacts by knobs containing either spherical or flat vesicles. Axodendritic synapses are the most common and large axon terminals which often establish multisynaptic contacts are characteristically present in this part of the nucleus and occasionally in the marginal zone.
Effect of Age on Serum-bound Sialic Acid in Rats

CHANGES in the level of glycoproteins have been reported for a large number of conditions, primarily in man1–6. Since glycoproteins contain a number of sugar components for which quantitative methods are available, many of these methods have been used to estimate the serum- or plasma-bound carbohydrate. With the refinements of the thiobarbituric method7 for a semi-specific assay of N-acetyl neuraminic acid, we have made use of this method to investigate the changes with age in the concentration of plasma-bound sialic acid in the rat in an initial effort to use experimental animals in the investigation of the physiological significance of glycoproteins.
Exploring social influence for recommendation: a generative model approach

Social friendship has been shown beneficial for item recommendation for years. However, existing approaches mostly incorporate social friendship into recommender systems by heuristics. In this paper, we argue that social influence between friends can be captured quantitatively and propose a probabilistic generative model, called social influenced selection(SIS), to model the decision making of item selection (e.g., what book to buy or where to dine). Based on SIS, we mine the social influence between linked friends and the personal preferences of users through statistical inference. To address the challenges arising from multiple layers of hidden factors in SIS, we develop a new parameter learning algorithm based on expectation maximization (EM). Moreover, we show that the mined social influence and user preferences are valuable for group recommendation and viral marketing. Finally, we conduct a comprehensive performance evaluation using real datasets crawled from last.fm and whrrl.com to validate our proposal. Experimental results show that social influence captured based on our SIS model is effective for enhancing both item recommendation and group recommendation, essential for viral marketing, and useful for various user analysis.
TRANSCUTANEOUS SAMPLING OF THEOPHYLLINE AND CAFFEINE IN PRETERM INFANTS

The feasibility of noninvasive sampling of theophylline (TH) and caffeine (CF) into a novel Transdermal Collection System (TCS) has been studied in 14 pretermn infants (PI) on 1-3 occasions. The TCS induces the outward migration of drugs by Juxtaposing 2.54 cm2 of skin with a transfer medium (saline aguagel), containing a binding sink (activated charcoal). 14 PI (25-34 weeks gestation and 3-175 days old) who were receiving TH therapy had 4 TCS's placed on the back for 12 hours during which one or more routine plasma concentrations (Cp) were measured. Cp and the flux of TH ( 2 wks old. Our Kp for CF ranged from .2-6*10−3 cm/hr and our Kp for TH (.2-8*10−3 cm/hr) overlap the range ( .8-1.4*10−3 cm/hr) derived from a report of transdermal delivery of TH in PI by Evans (JPEDS 107:307. 1985). We have shown that transcutaneous sampling of TH ano CF in PI is feasible and speculate that development of this technology may provide a powerful new tool for noninvasively sampling TH or CF therapy in PI.
Instabilities of spherical solutions with multiple Galileons and SO(N) symmetry

The 4-dimensional effective theory arising from an induced gravity action for a codimension greater than one brane consists of multiple Galileon fields ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{I}$, $I=1,\dots{},N$, invariant under separate Galilean transformations for each scalar, and under an internal $SO(N)$ symmetry. We study the viability of such models by examining spherically symmetric solutions. We find that for general, nonderivative couplings to matter invariant under the internal symmetry, such solutions exist and exhibit a Vainshtein screening effect. By studying perturbations about such solutions, we find both an inevitable gradient instability and fluctuations propagating at superluminal speeds. These findings suggest that more general, derivative couplings to matter are required for the viability of $SO(N)$ Galileon theories.
Neuronal hypoxia-reoxygenation and nitric oxide: A protective role of autophagy

In stroke, hypoxia and reoxygenation induces glutamate excitotoxicity, nitric oxide is overproduced and can damage mitochondria and be detrimental to cellular bioenergetics and survival. Macroautophagy of modified proteins and mitophagy of modified mitochondria may provide a mechanism for the neurons to deal with nitric oxide-induced cellular damage. The role of autophagy in hypoxia-reoxygenation induced mitochondrial damage is not clear. We hypothesized that autophagy plays a protective role in neuronal hypoxia-reoxygenation damage and tested this in cultured rat cortical primary neurons. Cellular bioenergetic responses to DetaNONO under hypoxia conditions and during reoxygenation using Seahorse bioscience XF24 extra flux analyzer were examined. We found that 250 μM DetaNONO did not decrease basal oxygen consumption rate (OCR) in the 30 min pre-hypoxia condition. In response to hypoxia untreated cells maintained the same OCR in hypoxia as normoxia, whereas NO exposed cells exhibited a gradual decrease in mitochondrial respiration. Upon reoxygenation, the respiration in DetaNONO-treated cells recovered to similar levels to pre-hypoxia levels. Inhibition of autophagy by 3-MA alone did not affect cellular bioenergetics in hypoxia-reoxgenated conditions. Interestingly, inhibition of autophagy by 3-MA in the DetaNONO-treated cells completely resulted in a severe bioenergetic dysfunction during reoxygenation. These studies provide new insights into understanding how autophagy and NO may play an interactive role in neuroinflammation-induced cellular damage which is pertinent to our understanding of the pathology in stroke.
An efficient parallel algorithm for the calculation of canonical MP2 energies.

We present the parallel version of a previous serial algorithm for the efficient calculation of canonical MP2 energies (Pulay, P.; Saebo, S.; Wolinski, K. Chem Phys Lett 2001, 344, 543). It is based on the Saebo-Almlof direct-integral transformation, coupled with an efficient prescreening of the AO integrals. The parallel algorithm avoids synchronization delays by spawning a second set of slaves during the bin-sort prior to the second half-transformation. Results are presented for systems with up to 2000 basis functions. MP2 energies for molecules with 400-500 basis functions can be routinely calculated to microhartree accuracy on a small number of processors (6-8) in a matter of minutes with modern PC-based parallel computers.
Phase noise of self-sustained optomechanical oscillators

In this paper we present a theory that predicts the phase noise characteristics of self-sustained optomechanical oscillators. By treating the cavity optomechanical system as a feedback loop consisting of an optical cavity and a mechanical resonator, we analytically derive the transfer functions relating the amplitude and phase noise of all the relevant dynamical quantities from the quantum Langevin equations, and obtain a closed-form expression for the phase noise spectral densities contributed from thermomechanical noise, photon shot noise, and low-frequency technical laser noise. We numerically calculate the phase noise for various situations and perform a sample calculation for an experimentally demonstrated system. We also show that the presented model reduces to the well-known Leeson's phase noise model when the amplitude noise and the amplitude to phase noise intertransfers are ignored. This paper not only addresses the practical questions about oscillator phase noise characteristics but also presents a theoretical framework for studying cavity optomechanical systems with large oscillation amplitude.
Ictal localization by source analysis of infraslow activity in DC-coupled scalp EEG recordings.

Abstract New bedside long-term DC-coupled EEG techniques have demonstrated that infraslow (
Threatened primates experience high human densities: adding an index of threat to the IUCN Red List criteria

IUCN Red List conservation status is apparently judged mainly by assessment of species' susceptibility to threat. However, risk must often depend also on the threat itself. Therefore, we investigate the value of adding to IUCN's current criteria a separate index of threat, human density. Human density in the geographic range of Threatened primate species is significantly higher than in the range of Lower Risk species. Thus, Threatened species are both susceptible, and experience more threat. However, the match is far from perfect. Given abundant other evidence of adverse effects of high human density, the mismatch emphasizes the potential benefit of adding an index of threat to the current criteria. A main advantage might be improved assessment, given the amount of up-to-date data on threats compared with the paucity on reactions to threat. The simplest means of incorporation might be to increase the status of species that experience higher than a certain threshold human density.
Glucocorticoids stimulate CREB binding to a cyclic-AMP response element in the rat serine dehydratase gene.

Abstract Transcription of the rat serine dehydratase (SDH) gene, which is stimulated in hepatocytes by glucagon through the activity of the second messenger, cAMP, is augmented by pretreatment with glucocorticoids. A putative cAMP response element (CRE) located approximately 3.5 kbp upstream of the transcriptional start site was hypothesized to be responsible for this effect. Here we have demonstrated by DNaseI footprinting and site-directed mutagenesis that the phosphorylated cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) binds to a cAMP response element different from that described previously. While the amount of CREB in the extracts is unaltered by hormone treatment, more CREB is capable of binding the response element upon addition of dexamethasone (Dex). These studies suggest that synergistic induction of the SDH gene by cAMP and Dex is through a CRE and is due, in part, to regulation of CREB–DNA binding by treatment of the cells with glucocorticoids.
893 URINARY METHYLCITRATE AS DISTINGUISHING FEATURE IN NEONATAL PROPIONYL-CoA CARBOXYLASE (PCC) DEFICIENCY

893 URINARY METHYLCITRATE AS DISTINGUISHING FEATURE IN NEONATAL PROPIONYL-CoA CARBOXYLASE (PCC) DEFICIENCY
Mathematical formulation of cardiovascular dynamics by use of the laplace transform

By means of the Laplace transform, the behavior of a simplified model of the cardiovascular system is mathematically formulated. This formulation allows mathematical expression of the periodicity of the cardiac output and the systemic response. With the cardiac output represented as half of a sine function cycle, the systolic aortic pressure becomes the sum of a sine term and exponential terms, while the sum of the exponential terms alone represents the diastolic pressure. The characteristics of the mathematical expressions for systole and diastole are analyzed, and some relationships of potentially practical value are derived. Variation in the parameters of the system yields mathematical results consistent with the expected physical ones.
Short-term pulmonary response to inhaled JP-8 jet fuel aerosol in mice

B6.A.D. (Ahr(d)/Nat(s)) mice were utilized to investigate the short-term pulmonary response to JP-8 jet fuel (JP-8) aerosol inhalation. Mice were nose-only exposed to atmospheres of 0 to 118 mg/m3 for 1 h/d over a period of 7 days to further test the hypothesis that JP-8 concentrations below the permissible exposure level (PEL) of 350 mg/m3 will induce lung injury. At 24 to 30 hours after the final exposure, pulmonary function and respiratory permeability were measured on anesthetized mice and then randomly assigned for bronchoalveolar lavage or histopathology. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was analyzed for total protein, lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG), and cytology. Respiratory permeability increases were observed following doses of 48 and 118 mg/m3 and were supported by concomitant BALF increases in total protein and LDH. Conversely, NAG and alveolar macrophage levels decreased following the same exposure concentrations. Morphological lung injury was characterized by the targeting of bronchiolar epithelium and consisted of perivascular edema, Clara cell vacuolization, and necrosis. Alveolar injury included sporadic pulmonary edema, intra-alveolar hemorrhage, and alterations in type II epithelial cells. These results indicate that repeated inhalation of aerosolized JP-8 induces physiological, biochemical, cellular, and morphological lung injury. This study also provides evidence for the reevaluation of the 350 mg/m3 PEL for more volatile petroleum distillates with regard to respirable aerosols.
PEM fuel cells analysis for grid connected applications

Abstract Polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) fed by hydrogen were investigated with the aim of highlighting their behaviour during grid connected (GC) operation. Starting from the analysis of the systems working under practical conditions on the utility grid, the study was addressed to the materials degradation during GC applications. Endurance tests on 5 kW pre-commercial PEFC fuel cell systems were carried out at direct current constant load and in GC configuration. An evidence of disturbance on the FC system power output was observed. The study was focused on Low Frequency (LF) 100 Hz noise (current ripple) that can mainly affect the fuel cell performance and lifetime. In order to evaluate the issues that occurred on the active components of a PEMFC, when subjected to a current ripple, electrochemical characterizations were performed on single cells of 5 cm2 subjected to a dynamic load. Post mortem physico-chemical analyses showed materials degradation on the cathode catalyst associated to the current ripple.
Detecting war-induced abandoned agricultural land in northeast Bosnia using multispectral, multitemporal Landsat TM imagery

The use of satellite technology by military planners has a relatively long history as a tool of warfare, but little research has used satellite technology to study the effects of war. This research addresses this gap by applying satellite remote sensing imagery to study the effects of war on land-use/land-cover change in northeast Bosnia. Although the most severe war impacts are visible at local scales (e.g. destroyed buildings), this study focuses on impacts to agricultural land. Four change detection methods were evaluated for their effectiveness in detecting abandoned agricultural land using Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data from before, during and after the 1992-95 war. Ground reference data were collected in May 2006 at survey sites selected using a stratified random sampling approach based on the derived map of abandoned agricultural land. Fine-resolution Quickbird imagery was also used to verify the accuracy of the classification. Results from these analyses show that a supervised classification of the Landsat TM data identified abandoned agricultural land with an overall accuracy of 82.5%. The careful use of freely available Quickbird imagery, both as training data for the supervised classifier and as supplementary ground reference data, suggests that these methods are applicable to other civil wars too dangerous for researchers' fieldwork.
Depressive symptoms enhance loss-minimization, but attenuate gain-maximization in history-dependent decision-making

Individuals with depressive symptoms typically show deficits in decision-making. However, most work has emphasized decision-making under gain-maximization conditions. A gain-maximization framework may undermine decision-making when depressive symptoms are present because depressives are generally more sensitive to losses than gains. The present study examined decision making in a non-clinical sample of depressive and non-depressive individuals under gain-maximization or loss-minimization conditions using a task for which the currently available rewards depend upon participants’ previous history of choices. As predicted, we found a cross over interaction whereby depressive individuals were superior to non-depressive individuals under loss-minimization conditions, but were inferior to non-depressive individuals under gain-maximization conditions. In addition, we found that loss-minimization performance was superior to gain-maximization performance for depressive individuals, but that gain-maximization performance was superior to loss-minimization performance for non-depressive individuals. These results suggest that decision making deficits observed when depressive symptoms are present may be attenuated when decisions involve minimizing losses rather than maximizing gains.
Birthways Lactation Services: A Model for Breastfeeding Support

Newborn Care Poster Presentation Purpose for the Program The purpose of the Birthways Lactation Services program is twofold. We want to increase breastfeeding initiation and duration rates and thereby improve long-term health for every infant. We also want to increase the lactation consultant’s productivity while decreasing full time equivalents and cost. Most lactation programs have lost state funding in recent years and are now funded by hard-to-find grants, or as in our hospital’s case, by community benefit dollars.
A conversation-analytic hermeneutic rating protocol to assess L2 oral pragmatic competence:

Speech act theory-based, second language pragmatics testing (SLPT) poses problems for validation due to a lack of correspondence with empirical conversational data. Since conversation analysis (CA) provides a richer and more accurate account of language behavior, it may be preferred as a basis for SLPT development. However, applying CA methodology in turn poses epistemological and practical challenges to psychometrics-driven language testing. The present pilot study, attempting to resolve this seeming conflict, focuses on the behavior of two CA-trained raters applying a holistic rubric to responses on a test of ESL oral pragmatic competence. Results showed that CA-informed testing (CAIT) could be practical, though statistical reliability was not achieved. However, post-rating hermeneutic dialogues between the raters provided evidence that valid inferences of examinee oral ESL pragmatic ability could be made through iterative, rater recourse to empirical data in a conversation-analytic mode. A model for it...
Choanal Atresia Part II: Surgical Management

Unilateral choanal atresia is repaired by simply removing a portion of the posterior nasal septum. The trans- palatal correction of bilateral choanal atresia is explained and illustrated.
Bipolar nanosecond pulse generation using transmission lines for cell electro-manipulation

Design and operation of a pulse generator based on fast recovery diodes and shorted transmission lines are presented. The generator produces 3.5 ns wide, plusmn350 V amplitude bipolar pulses into 50-ohm load at the maximum repetition rate of 100 kHz. Short bipolar pulses are used for the studies of biological cell response to high electric fields when the net transfer of charge is undesirable. The bipolar pulse is produced from a unipolar pulse by the parallel connection of a shorted transmission line. This transmission line delays and inverts the initial pulse, so the output is the sum of the initial and the inverted and delayed pulses. Proper terminations both at the entrance and the exit of the transmission line system are essential if one is to avoid spurious pulses. If preserving the exact shape of the pulse is not necessary, a parallel L-C circuit can replace the shorted transmission line. This L-C circuit provides near Gaussian bipolar pulse shapes
Rank Is Not Enough: Why We Need a Sociocultural Perspective to Understand Social Class

In the target article, Kraus, Tan, and Tannenbaum identify a key feature of the psychological experience of social class—perception of one's rank vis-a-vis others. This rank-based perspective, whic...
Matching characteristics of metal resistors

This paper describes feasibility study on metal wiring resistors. Using 130nm technology node process, matching characteristics of metal wirings are discussed. It is found that precision of tungsten resistor fabricated by damascene process is as high as those of polycrystalline-silicon and polycrystalline-silicon with silicide resistors in the broad temperature. It is likely that tungsten can provide electrical, mechanical robust and highly reliable resistors.
Hypertension in pregnancy

The hypertensive diseases of pregnancy commonly refer to a group of disorders whose definitions have changed over time within and among professional organizations. Pre-eclampsia, either mild or severe, is managed best with a policy of delivery at or beyond 37 and 34 weeks' gestation, respectively. Similarly, chronic hypertension,gestational hypertension, and chronic hypertension with superimposed pre-eclampsia are conditions wherein it is difficult to justify expectant management beyond 37 weeks' gestation. The approach to management before these gestational ages is subject to interpretation of a limited body of literature.
Analysis of microwave ferrite devices by the transfinite element method

A procedure for modeling microwave ferrite devices is presented that is based on the transfinite-element method. This method uses analytic basis functions to approximate the fields extending to infinity at the microwave ports. This procedure automatically satisfies the boundary conditions at the ports using the variational method along a single reference plane at each port. It is shown that this procedure is both easy to set up and inexpensive to solve. A computer implementation is described that gives the fields and scattering parameters in microwave devices of arbitrary two-dimensional geometry. >
A Scanning Fabry-Perot Interferometer

A simple method of photoelectrically scanning a Fabry-Perot interferometer pattern is described. Scanning is accomplished by parallel displacement of the incident beam of light across the face of an interferometer whose plate separation varies in the direction of the displacement. This method of scanning allows a slightly distorted plot of the line profile to be continuously displayed on an oscilloscope.
Parallel 3D PML-FDTD simulation of GPR on dispersive, inhomogeneous and conductive media

A 3D FDTD simulation of a ground penetrating radar (GPR) is described. The soil material is characterized by inhomogeneities, conductive loss and strong dispersion. The dispersion is modelled by a N-th order Lorentz model and implemented by recursive convolution. The perfectly matched layer (PML) is used as an absorbing boundary condition (ABC). This formulation facilitates the parallelization of the code. A code is written for a 32 processor system. Almost linear speedup is observed. The results include the radargrams of buried objects.
The evolutionarily conserved residue A653 plays a key role in HERG channel closing

Human ether-a-go-go-related gene (HERG) encodes the rapid, outwardly rectifying K+ current IKr that is critical for repolarization of the cardiac action potential. Congenital HERG mutations or unintended pharmaceutical block of IKr can lead to life-threatening arrhythmias. Here, we assess the functional role of the alanine at position 653 (HERG-A653) that is highly conserved among evolutionarily divergent K+ channels. HERG-A653 is close to the ‘glycine hinge’ implicated in K+ channel opening, and is flanked by tyrosine 652 and phenylalanine 656, which contribute to the drug binding site. We substituted an array of seven (I, C, S, G, Y, V and T) amino acids at position 653 and expressed individual variants in heterologous systems to assess changes in gating and drug binding. Substitution of A653 resulted in negative shifts of the V1/2 of activation ranging from −23.6 (A653S) to −62.5 (A653V) compared to −11.2 mV for wild-type (WT). Deactivation was also drastically altered: channels with A653I/C substitutions exhibited delayed deactivation in response to test potentials above the activation threshold, while A653S/G/Y/V/T failed to deactivate under those conditions and required hyperpolarization and prolonged holding potentials at −130 mV. While A653S/G/T/Y variants showed decreased sensitivity to the IKr inhibitor dofetilide, these changes could not be correlated with defects in channel closure. Homology modelling suggests that in the closed state, A653 forms tight contacts with several residues from the neighbouring subunit in the tetramer, playing a key role in S6 helix packing at the narrowest part of the vestibule. Our study suggests that A653 plays an important functional role in the outwardly rectifying gating behaviour of HERG, supporting channel closure at membrane potentials negative to the channel activation threshold.
Towards high performance cell segmentation in multispectral fine needle aspiration cytology of thyroid lesions

Thyroid nodule is a common cancer of the thyroid gland that affects up to 20% of the world population and approximately 50% of 60-year-old persons. Early detection and screening of the disease, especially analysis by fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC), has led to improved diagnosis and management of the disease. Simultaneously, advances in imaging technology has enabled the rapid digitization of large volumes of FNAC specimen leading to increased interest in computer assisted diagnosis (CAD). This has led to development of a variety of algorithms for automated analysis of FNAC images, but due to the large scale memory and computing resource requirements, has had limited success in clinical use. In this paper, we present our experiences with two parallel versions of a code used for texture-based segmentation of thyroid FNAC images, a critical first step in realizing a fully automated CAD solution. An MPI version of the code is developed to exploit distributed memory compute resources such as PC clusters. An OpenMP version is developed for the currently emerging multi-core CPU architectures, which allow for parallel execution on every desktop system. Experiments are performed with image sizes ranging from 1024x1024 pixels up to 12288x12288 pixels with 21 spectral channels. Both versions are evaluated for performance and scalability.
Evidence for an infrasound waveguide

Abstract : On May 30, 2005, eight strongly dispersed infrasound signals were recorded at one seismo-acoustic array in the Republic of Korea. Phase-matched filtering (Herrin & Goforth, 1977) and a forward modeling technique were used to determine the nature of the dispersion. The most likely explanation for these dispersed infrasound signals is that the dispersion is due to propagation down a low-velocity waveguide: This can be characterized as an ephemeral "SOFAR" layer in the atmosphere.
Characterizing Task-Machine Affinity in Heterogeneous Computing Environments

Many computing environments are heterogeneous, i.e., they consist of a number of different machines that vary in their computational capabilities. These machines are used to execute task types that vary in their computational requirements. Characterizing heterogeneous computing environments and quantifying their heterogeneity is important for many applications. In previous research, we have proposed preliminary measures for machine performance homogeneity and task-machine affinity. In this paper, we build on our previous work by introducing a complementary measure called the task difficulty homogeneity. Furthermore, we refine our measure of task-machine affinity to be independent of the task type difficulty measure and the machine performance homogeneity measure. We also give examples of how the measures can be used to characterize heterogeneous computing environments that are based on real world task types and machines extracted from the SPEC benchmark data.
STATE-RESOLVED COLLISION-INDUCED ELECTRONIC TRANSITIONS

Laser and molecular beam techniques have enabled researchers to determine the rovibrational levels populated in collision-induced electronic transitions from specified initial levels of several diatomic molecules. As exemplified by the N2+- and CN-rare-gas systems, such measurements, in combination with theoretical calculations of cross sections for these state-to-state collisional processes, provide a means to understand in detail the dynamics of these electronic quenching and energy transfer processes. The present article reviews state-to-state studies of collision-induced electronic transitions. The various collision systems studied provide examples of both perturbation-assisted "gateways" between the initial and final electronic states and perturbation-independent transitions enabled by nonadiabatic mixing induced by the collision partner.
Wavelet Transform Based Fast Inverse Light Scattering Analysis for Size Determination of Spherical Scatterers

We present a fast approach for size determination of spherical scatterers using the continuous wavelet transform of the angular scattering profile and compare its accuracy, speed, and robustness to Mie theory and T-matrix based analysis.
Sir Oliver Lodge's British Association Address

The list of Sir Oliver Lodge's writings is long and varied, ranging from school text-books in elementary science through The Ether of Space, School Reform, Life and Matter, Reason and Belief, to The Survival of Man. With most of these writings I have no direct acquaintance, but on the mere evidence of their titles one may with reasonable safety venture certain particulars toward an estimation of their author. He must have intellectual vigor, he must have an instinct for vital questions, he must have the power of popular exposition, and, finally, he cannot be overcautious in the formation and expression of his opinions. All of these particulars would, I believe, be found also in any consensus of judgment that his fellows in science might pass upon his scientific work. This, if not unmixed praise, is much to say for a man, and it may be added that in general he speaks out from a sense of well-being natural to one of cheerful and sturdy temper who has achieved fame, station, ten children, and the confident hope of immortality for all of us. Is it then to be wondered at that he says things which multitudes are glad to hear, and holds a position almost unique in the esteem and confidence of the public at large?
Sperm Mobility: A Primary Determinant of Fertility in the Domestic Fowl (Gallus domesticus)

Previous research demonstrated that sperm mobility is a quantitative trait of the domestic fowl. The trait is quantified by measuring the absorbance of an Accudenz solution after overlay with a sperm suspension and brief incubation at body temperature. In the present work, average and high sperm mobility phenotypes (n = 30 males per phenotype) were selected from a base population. Differences were found between sperm oxygen consumption (p < 0.0001), acylcarnitine content (p < 0.05), linear velocity (p < 0.001), and straightness (p < 0.001), a trajectory variable measured with the Hobson SpermTracker. Oxygen consumption and stearoylcarnitine content of sperm from the high-mobility phenotype were twice those observed with sperm from average males, implying a pivotal role for mitochondria. On the basis of these results, a graded relationship was predicted between fertility and sperm mobility. Males (n = 48) were chosen at random from another base population, sperm mobility was measured per male, and each ejaculate was used to inseminate 8-12 hens (8 x 10(7) viable sperm per hen). When fertility was plotted as a function of sperm mobility, data points approximated a skewed logistic function. The hypothesis that vaginal immunoglobulins constitute an immunological barrier to sperm transport was tested and rejected. Therefore, we concluded that sperm mobility is a primary determinant of fertility in the fowl.
Policy Model for Pollution Control in the Copper Industry, Including a Model for the Sulfuric Acid Market

In this paper we develop a policy model for pollution control investment and operational decisions in the copper industry. The system consists of (i) a nonlinear integer model to optimize smelter operations, including the investment decisions relating to smelting capacity and pollution control plants that complies with environmental regulations, and (ii) a network flow model to describe the economic behavior of the sulfuric acid market, which considers the sulfuric acid produced at the pollution abatement stages in the smelting process. This second model solves for an equilibrium among spatially separated markets, that determines the price and distribution of acid in each demand and supply region. The two models interact through the input each receives from the other. Thus, the smelter model uses the sulfuric acid price at each smelter to find optimal operational and investment decisions, whereas the sulfuric acid market model considers sulfuric acid output at the smelters as part of the supply input to find the price of this product at each smelter location. The solution given by the policy model is the global equilibrium obtained when this iterative process between the two models converges. Thus, the price of the sulfuric acid, which is the central component when deciding when and where to locate a sulfuric acid plant, is determined endogenously, rather than assumed exogenous as in most models of this type. Computational experiments show that expected profits associated with the copper industry can increase significantly when the problem is solved in aggregate, as compared with the smelters making their decisions independently. Several applications of the policy model are described.
Interleukin-7 Induces Expression of Latent Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 with Minimal Effects on T-Cell Phenotype

Latent human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) persists even in patients treated with antiretroviral therapy. New treatment strategies are therefore needed to eradicate this latent viral reservoir without reducing immune cell function. We characterize the interleukin-7 (IL-7)-induced stimulation of primary human T cells and thymocytes and demonstrate, using the SCID-hu model, that IL-7 induces substantial expression of latent HIV while having minimal effects on the cell phenotype. Thus, IL-7 is a viable candidate to activate expression of latent HIV and may facilitate immune clearance of latently infected cells.
Modular network construction using eQTL data: an analysis of computational costs and benefits

Background: In this paper, we consider analytic methods for the integrated analysis of genomic DNA variation and mRNA expression (also named as eQTL data), to discover genetic networks that are associated with a complex trait of interest. Our focus is the systematic evaluation of the trade-off between network size and network search efficiency in the construction of these networks. Results: We developed a modular approach to network construction, building from smaller networks to larger ones, thereby reducing the search space while including more variables in the analysis. The goal is achieving a lower computational cost while maintaining high confidence in the resulting networks. As demonstrated in our simulation results, networks built in this way have low node/edge false discovery rate (FDR) and high edge sensitivity comparing to greedy search. We further demonstrate our method in a data set of cellular responses to two chemotherapeutic agents: docetaxel and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), and identify biologically plausible networks that might describe resistances to these drugs. Conclusion: In this study, we suggest that guided comprehensive searches for parsimonious networks should be considered as an alternative to greedy network searches.
The Importance of Cultural Competency in Occupational Therapy

Several years ago, I was asked to design and implement a course that focused on raising the cultural awareness of potential occupational therapy (OT) students at the university I teach at. As many ...
Aerobic-type ribonucleotide reductase in the anaerobe Bacteroides fragilis.

Bacteroides fragilis, a component of the normal intestinal flora, is an obligate anaerobe capable of long-term survival in the presence of air. Survival is attributed to an elaborate oxidative stress response that controls the induction of more than 28 peptides, but there is limited knowledge concerning the identities of these peptides. In this report, RNA fingerprinting by arbitrarily primed PCR identified five new genes whose expression increased following exposure to O2. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the cloned genes indicated that they encoded an outer membrane protein, an aspartate decarboxylase, an efflux pump, heat shock protein HtpG, and an NrdA ortholog constituting the large subunit of a class Ia ribonucleotide reductase (RRase). Attention was focused on the nrdA gene since class I RRases are obligate aerobic enzymes catalyzing the reduction of ribonucleoside 5′-diphosphates by a mechanism that requires molecular oxygen for activity. Sequence analysis of the nrd locus showed that two genes, nrdA and nrdB, are located in the same orientation in a 4.5-kb region. Northern hybridization and primer extension experiments confirmed induction of the genes by O2 and suggested they are an operon. The B. fragilis nrdA and nrdB genes were overexpressed in Escherichia coli, and CDP reductase assays confirmed that they encoded an active enzyme. The enzyme activity was inhibited by hydroxyurea, and ATP was shown to be a positive effector of CDP reductase activity, while dATP was an inhibitor, indicating that the enzyme was a class Ia RRase. A nrdA mutant was viable under anaerobic conditions but had decreased survival following exposure to O2, and it could not rapidly resume growth after O2 treatment. The results presented indicate that during aerobic conditions B. fragilis NrdAB may have a role in maintaining deoxyribonucleotide pools for DNA repair and growth recovery.
Study’s need for IRB approval

We disagree with the conclusion of Drs. Fassett and Hazlet that our project was an example of human subjects research and therefore required review and approval by the institutional review board (IRB). When we approached poster presenters, we described the purpose of our project before asking