cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Navier-Stokes computations on full wing-body configuration with oscillating control surfaces

Unsteady Navier-Stokes simulations have been performed for vortical flows over an "arrow-wing" configuration of a supersonic transport in the transonic regime. Computed steady pressures and integrated force coefficients with and without control surface deflection at a moderate angle of attack are compared with experiment. For unsteady cases, oscillating trailing-edge control surfaces are modeled by using moving grids. Response characteristics between symmetric and antisymmetric oscillatory motions of the control surfaces on the left and right wings are studied. The antisymmetric case produces higher lift than the steady case with no deflection and the unsteady symmetric case produces higher lift than the antisymmetric case. The detailed analysis of the wake structure revealed a strong interaction between the primary vortex and the wake vortex sheet from the flap region when the flap is deflected up.
Vocal Fold Injection: Review of Indications, Techniques, and Materials for Augmentation

Vocal fold injection is a procedure that has over a 100 year history but was rarely done as short as 20 years ago. A renaissance has occurred with respect to vocal fold injection due to new technologies (visualization and materials) and new injection approaches. Awake, un-sedated vocal fold injection offers many distinct advantages for the treatment of glottal insufficiency (vocal fold paralysis, vocal fold paresis, vocal fold atrophy and vocal fold scar). A review of materials available and different vocal fold injection approaches is performed. A comparison of vocal fold injection to laryngeal framework surgery is also undertaken. With proper patient and material selection, vocal fold injection now plays a major role in the treatment of many patients with dysphonia.
Human tumor antigens, immunosurveillance, and cancer vaccines

Cancer is a serious health problem as well as a scientific challenge. A lot has been learned about the process of transformation of a normal cell into a tumor cell by studying genes and proteins that regulate this process either in cis or in trans. However, whether these molecular mechanisms succeed in fulfilling their potential to give a clinically evident disease depends in great measure on the host response to those molecular changes. The work of my laboratory aims to provide evidence in animal models as well as in cancer patients that immune system can control cancer growth and that this important function can be improved through vaccination with well-defined tumor antigens.
Human postdiscrimination gradients: The effects of three-stimulus discrimination training

Young adult subjects were trained in a discrimination involving three pure tones varying in pitch, with two positive stimuli and a negative stimulus located midway between the two. Subjects in the control conditions were trained only with the two positive stimuli. Generalization gradients were bimodal in all cases, but for the control subjects, the modes were at the positive stimulus values, while postdiscrimination gradients were displaced away from the negative stimulus toward the extremes of the continuum. Since, with this procedure, the training and test adaptation levels were the same, the observed displacements are difficult to explain in terms of an adaptation-level account of peak shifts. The observed shifts are more consistent with the conditioning-extinction model which assumes interactions between inhibitory and excitatory gradients. However, overall response rates did not reflect the action of summation processes.
High nuclearity single-molecule magnets: a mixed-valence Mn26 cluster containing the di-2-pyridylketone diolate dianion.

The employment of the dianion (dpkd2−) of the gem-diol form of di-2-pyridylketone (dpk) as a tetradentate chelate in manganese chemistry is reported, and the synthesis, crystal structure, and magnetochemical characterization of [Mn26O16(OMe)12(dpkd)12(MeOH)6](OH)6·solv (3·solv) are described. The reaction of Mn(ClO4)2·6H2O, dpk, NaOMe, and NEt3 (2:1:4:2) in MeCN/MeOH affords complex 3, which possesses a rare metal topology and is mixed-valence (4MnII, 22MnIII). The complicated [Mn26(μ4-O)10(μ3-O)6(μ3-OMe)12(μ-OR)12]18+ core of 3 consists of an internal MnIII16 cage of adjacent Mn4 tetrahedra surrounded by an external MnII4MnIII6 shell. The latter is held together by the alkoxide arms of twelve η1:η2:η1:η1:μ3 dpkd2− groups. Variable-temperature, solid-state direct current (dc), and alternating current (ac) magnetization studies were carried out on 3 in the 1.8−300 K range. Complex 3 is predominantly antiferromagnetically coupled with a resulting S = 6 ground state, a conclusion confirmed by the in-phase (χ...
Can we communicate with society if we can't talk to each other?

The task of communicating science to society seems a daunting one when we realize how difficult it is to share our research with fellow scientists outside our field. Here I discuss what may be a root of the problem and the start point towards a solution.
Ion-excited UV lines useful for materials analysis

Abstract Ultraviolet radiation should be useful for the elemental analysis of materials, similar to the numerous applications of visible light and X-rays. In this work, exploratory spectral measurements in the 1000–3000 A region were made using noble-gas ion impact to excite elemental and compound targets. Lines, mostly from neutral or singly ionized target atoms, were identified. Strong lines potentially useful for elemental analysis are tabulated.
κ-Opioid receptors in the substantia nigra pars reticulata mediate the U-50,488-induced locomotor activity of preweanling rats

Abstract The purpose of the present study was to determine the neuroanatomical location where κ-opioid receptor stimulation induces locomotor activity in the preweanling rat. To confirm that the U-50,488-induced locomotor activity of preweanling rats is mediated by κ-opioid receptors, 18-day-old rats were initially injected with vehicle or the κ-opioid receptor agonist U-50,488 (5 mg/kg, s.c.) followed, 15 min later, by an injection of the κ-opioid receptor antagonist nor-binaltorphimine (nor-BNI; 0, 2, 4, 8, or 12 mg/kg, s.c.). In subsequent experiments, 18-day-old rats were injected with vehicle or U-50,488 (5 mg/kg, s.c.) 15 min prior to bilateral administration (0.25 or 0.5 μl per side) of nor-BNI (0, 5, 10, or 20 μg) into the substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNR) or medial dorsal striatum (MDS). In the final experiment, 18-day-old rats received bilateral administration (0.25 μl per side) of vehicle or U-50,488 (0.0, 0.8, 1.6, or 3.2 μg) into the SNR. Results showed that systemically administered nor-BNI (0–12 mg/kg, s.c.) produced a dose-dependent reduction in the U-50,488-induced locomotor activity of preweanling rats. The site of action for U-50,488's locomotor-activating effects appeared to be the SNR, because (a) bilateral administration of nor-BNI (5, 10, or 20 μg) into the SNR caused a complete attenuation of U-50,488-induced locomotion, and (b) bilateral administration of U-50,488 into the SNR caused a dose-dependent increase in the locomotor activity of preweanling rats. Striatal injections of nor-BNI did not affect U-50,488-induced locomotor activity. When these findings are considered together it is apparent that stimulation of κ-opioid receptors in the SNR is both necessary and sufficient for the occurrence of U-50,488-induced locomotor activity in the preweanling rat.
Model reduction of state space systems via an implicitly restarted Lanczos method

The nonsymmetric Lanczos method has recently received significant attention as a model reduction technique for large-scale systems. Unfortunately, the Lanczos method may produce an unstable partial realization for a given, stable system. To remedy this situation, unexpensive implicit restarts are developed which can be employed to stabilize the Lanczos generated model.
A photochemical snapshot of CD22 binding

Identification of endogenous glycan-binding ligands for cell-surface receptors has been difficult. Incorporation of a photoactive sialic acid analog into B-cell surface glycoproteins suggests that CD22 molecules may cluster by binding carbohydrate antigens on neighboring CD22 molecules.
Art and Life: Art and Death. A Review Article

While few in our society can agree upon a definition of it, art is generally believed to be recognizable. That being the practical rule, we have admired and collected the objects of other cultures, "recognizing" them as art despite the fact that they have been created within an entirely different set of cultural assumptions. This right to designate has been particularly pronounced in relationship to Africa. Europe and America began discovering art there in the nineteenth century, appropriating objects which amazed the "civilized" world with their sophisticated artistry. Our museums are filled with African objects snatched from their cultural contexts and stripped of the meanings they held for their creators. Once there, they were doubly appropriated, becoming the basis for entire new schools of art and the inspiration for some of our most famous artists.
Rage and aggression in youth: A self psychological perspective

The conceptual development of self psychology has emphasized that traditional psychoanalytic “drives” (sexuality, aggression) become pathological in their expression when self-selfobject ties at crucial developmental periods are problematic, flawed or damaged. This theory was derived from Kohut's psychoanalytic work with adult patients and not from direct observation of behaviorally and emotionally disturbed youth. This paper examines the experience of the self and its relationships in the development of aggressive behavior in children and adolescents. It argues from a largely self psychological perspective that rage and aggression in many youth may be conceptualized as reactions to actual or threatened loss of tenuously held selfobject relationships that render the self feeling anxious, helpless and without value. The aggression attempts to restore cohesion and self-value by punishing the deficient selfobject, nullifying its actions and/or by compelling the selfobject (or substitute) to reverse the behavior or deed that produced the initial self-selfobject rupture.
Fermi-Level Pinning by Misfit Dislocations at GaAs Interfaces

Fermi-level pinning by misfit dislocations at GaAs interfaces has been investigated. ${n}^{+}$-GaInAs was used to control the misfit dislocation density by varying of composition and epilayer thickness. Interfaces with zero or low dislocation densities are Ohmic to current flow, and become rectifying with increasing dislocation density. The "Schottky barrier height" increases with dislocation density in accordance with a simple physical model which assumes Fermi-level pinning at the dislocation.
Adsorption of inorganic ions on alumina from salt solutions: Correlations of distribution coefficients with uptake of salt☆

Abstract The amounts of sodium and bromide ions taken up by chromatographic alumina from solutions of NaBr were determined as a function of pH and NaBr concentration by means of an isotope dilution technique. The behavior of the adsorption of trace quantities of Cs(I), Sr(II), and Eu(III) on alumina with respect to pH and salt dependence was correlated with the uptakes of sodium and bromide ions using equations derived from equilibrium theory. These equations also predict that adsorbents such as hydrous oxides which have little or no fixed charge should show fairly simple patterns of behavior with respect to pH and salt dependence of the uptakes of the major ions present in the solution, and the patterns of behavior observed with sodium and bromide uptake on alumina were in many respects similar to those predicted by these equations. The increase in distribution coefficient with pH observed with Cs(I), Sr(II), and Eu(III) is readily explained from these equilibrium equations without resorting to assumed ion exchange reactions or assuming that hydrolysis of the ions causes increase in adsorption.
BACTERIOPHAGE PLAQUE-COUNT ASSAY AND CONFLUENT LYSIS ON PLATES WITHOUT BOTTOM AGAR LAYER.

WITH so much research being carried out on bacterio-phage, improvements to simplify and save time in the routine techniques of assay and preparation would be of great value. Having spent considerable time on preparation of ‘bottom’ agar plates for the agar layer assay by the plaque count method1,2 and for high-titre bacterio-phage stock preparation on a large number of plates by the confluent lysis method3, we investigated the possibility of saving time by using plates without ‘bottom’ agar for assay and stock preparation.
PRODUCTION AND TESTING OF THE DØ SILICON MICROSTRIP TRACKER

We present the overview of the production and testing of the DO Silicon Microstrip Tracker. Final assembly and anticipated performance of the deterctor are also discussed in this context.
Dupuytren's contracture: A review of 100 patients

Abstract The experience in treating 100 patients with Dupuytren's contracture is reviewed. Clinical characteristics, indications for surgery, types of incisions and operations, attendant complications and their effect on results are presented. Partial fasciectomy through a longitudinal incision with one or more Z-plasties as required, is preferred; transverse incisions have a higher incidence of complications and poorer end results.
Episcleral clearance of sodium fluorescein from a bioerodible sub-tenon's implant in the rat

We quantified episcleral drug clearance of sodium fluorescein (NaFl) in rats to examine the hypothesis that there is rapid clearance of episcleral water soluble drugs, and that this rapid clearance may limit the amount of drug that is able to reach the posterior segment from an episcleral location. 2 mm implants containing either 12 or 22 microg of NaFl were manufactured and in vitro release rates were determined. Implants were placed in the sub-Tenon's space and the amount of drug remaining in the conjunctiva/sclera/choroid complex (CSCC) at various time points was quantified following tissue solubilization and fluorescence quantification using a spectrofluorometer. Kinetics of NaFl clearance was determined in live animals, following euthanasia and in animals in which choroidal non-perfusion had been achieved with indocyanine green-enhanced 810 nm diode laser thrombosis of the choroidal vasculature. Choroidal non-perfusion in these laser-treated rats was verified with Concavalin-A staining of choroidal flatmounts. In vitro, >99% of drug was released by 25 min for the low dose implants, and by 60 min for the high dose implants. In vivo, both implant doses were >99% cleared from the episcleral tissue by 3 h. By 7 h, an average of only 0.14 +/- 0.131 ng of NaFl per mg of wet tissue weight (mean +/- SD) remained in the CSCC with the low dose implant, and 0.29 +/- 0.428 ng of NaFl per mg of wet tissue weight remained in animals with the high dose implant. By comparison, in euthanized animals at 7 h following sub-Tenon's implantation, 432.0 +/- 181.40 ng of NaFl per mg of wet tissue weight was in the episcleral tissue of animals with the low dose implant, and of 787.8 +/- 409.89 ng of NaFl per mg of wet tissue weight remained in the animals with the high dose implant. In live animals with selective thrombosis of the choroidal vasculature, the difference in the amount of drug remaining in the episcleral tissue as compared to control live animals was not significant at all time points for both implant doses. In conclusion, there is rapid clearance of episcleral NaFl delivered from a bioerodible sub-tenon's implant. The clearance mechanisms are dramatically reduced following euthanasia, suggesting that elimination is occurring via active physiologic mechanisms, rather than by passive diffusion clearance (CL(diff)) (Pfister et al., 2003). Interestingly, the choroid does not appear to play a prominent role as clearance of episcleral NaFl was not affected by elimination of choroidal blood flow. Further work is needed to delineate the pathways of episcleral drug clearance.
AN EXAMPLE OF COMPACT EXTENSIONS OF KRONECKER FACTORS AND SKEW PRODUCTS OF IRRATIONAL ROTATIONS WITH FINITE GROUPS

We give an example to show that compact extensions of Kronecker factors for two ergodic commuting measure preserving transformations can be different. Also, a criteria for ergodicity of skew products of irrational rotations with finite abelian groups is obtained.
Three new cryptophycins from Nostoc sp. GSV 224.

Cryptophycin 46 (2), -175 (3), and -176 (4) have been identified as three new trace constituents of Nostoc sp. GSV 224. Cryptophycin-46 is an epimer of cryptophycin-3 (5) and to date is the only naturally occurring analogue having the S configuration at C-10 (C-2 in Unit B). Cryptophycins-175 and -176 also differ in unit B where 3 is the O-methyl analogue of cryptophycin-45 (6) and 4 is the O-desmethyl analogue of cryptophycin-21 (8). The relative and absolute stereochemistries of the three new analogues have been related to known cryptophycins by synthesis.
Review of time-frequency domain concepts with application to ultrashort laser pulses

We review the application of time-frequency concepts in the field of ultrashort laser science. We consider the Wigner distribution, the spectrogram, and the sonogram, and show how each of these distributions are used in ultrafast laser science. We also plot four example pulses in each of the three representations.
Correlated oxide phase transition switch: A paradigm in electron devices

Alternate information processing state variables and computing architectures are an active area of research given the rapidly approaching physical limitations of conventional CMOS scaling. In this context, it may be worth exploring the idea of ultra fast phase transitions in correlated oxides as a basic switching element that can be used in CMOS-like or neural circuits or other high-frequency circuit components in photonics. The basic paradigm is to trigger an insulator-to-metal phase transition in a correlated oxide with an external perturbation in form of thermal, electrical, optical, or magnetic excitations, while switching off upon the removal of the applied external excitation. Vanadium dioxide (VO 2 ) is a correlated oxide that undergoes a sharp insulator-to-metal transition (IMT) near room temperature (∼340K for single crystals) with several orders of magnitude of resistance change. In this presentation, we discuss results on electrical triggering of the phase transition in VO 2 devices fabricated on semiconductor platforms such as Si and Ge along with studies on elementary semiconductor physics associated with such materials as a device component.
Determination of bacterial aerosol spectral cross sections

In a continuing series of experiments designed to determine the spectral extinction cross-section of bacterial aerosols, a White cell transmissometer was constructed to obtain stable, long path length measurements. Laser transmittance at different aerosol concentrations allows calculation of the extinction cross-sections. Using three lasers, a HeNe at 543 nm, a diode pumped solid state at 1.064 μm, and a fiber laser at 1.558 μm, the data on the spectral cross section of Bacillus globigi (BG) was extended into the NIR. The extinction cross-section was estimated to be 2.58 x 10 -8 cm 2 at 543 nm wavelength during the 2003 measurements, which is consistent with previous measurements at this wavelength. In the NIR, the cross section of BG was determined to be 2.71 x 10 -8 cm 2 and 2.32 x 10 -8 cm 2 at 1.064 and 1.558 μm, respectively. To validate the measurements, Mie calculations were used to continuously represent the extinction and backscatter cross-sections from the UV to NIR. The efforts described herein are intended to explore the various optical scatter features that may allow discrimination of biological pathogens from naturally occurring aerosol constituents such as pollen, dust, etc.
Three-dimensional computational micro-mechanical model for woven fabric composites

This work presents a computational material model for plain-woven fabric composite for use in finite element analysis. The material model utilizes the micro-mechanical approach and the homogenization technique. The micro-mechanical model consists of four sub-cells, however, because of the existing anti-symmetry only two sub-cells have to be homogenized for prediction of the elastic material properties. This makes the model computationally very efficient and suitable for large-scale finite element analysis. The model allows the warp and fill yarns not to be orthogonal in the plane of the composite ply. This gives the opportunity to model complex-shaped composite structures with different braid angles. General homogenization procedure is employed with two levels of property homogenization. The model is programmed in MATLAB software and the predicted material properties of different composite materials are compared and presented. The material model shows good capability to predict elastic material properties of composites and very good computational efficiency.
Contingency management for patients with dual disorders in intensive outpatient treatment for addiction.

Objective: This quality improvement program evaluation investigated the effectiveness of contingency management for improving retention in treatment and positive outcomes among patients with dual disorders in intensive outpatient treatment for addiction.Methods: The effect of contingency management was explored among a group of 160 patients exposed to contingency management (n = 88) and not exposed to contingency management (no contingency management, n = 72) in a six-week partial hospitalization program. Patients referred to the partial hospitalization program for treatment of substance use and comorbid psychiatric disorders received diagnoses from psychiatrists and specialist clinicians according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association. A unique application of the contingency management “fishbowl” method was used to improve the consistency of attendance at treatment sessions, which patients attended 5 days a week. Days attending treatment and drug-free days were ...
Effects of social anxiety and depressive symptoms on the frequency and quality of sexual activity: A daily process approach

Diminished positive experiences and events might be part of the phenomenology of social anxiety; however, much of this research is cross-sectional by design, limiting our understanding of the everyday lives of socially anxious people. Sexuality is a primary source of positive experiences. We theorized that people with elevated social anxiety would have relatively less satisfying sexual experiences compared to those who were not anxious. For 21 days, 150 college students described their daily sexual episodes. Social anxiety was negatively related to the pleasure and feelings of connectedness experienced when sexually intimate. The relationship between social anxiety and the amount of sexual contact differed between men and women—it was negative for women and negligible for men. Being in a close, intimate relationship enhanced the feelings of connectedness during sexual episodes for only individuals low in social anxiety. Depressive symptoms were negatively related to the amount of sexual contact, and the pleasure and feelings of connectedness experienced when sexually intimate. Controlling for depressive symptoms did not meaningfully change the social anxiety effects on daily sexuality. Our findings suggest that fulfilling sexual activity is often compromised by social anxiety.
Laboratory production of a phosphorylated mannan by Hansenula holstii.

Abstract Conditions for the production of a phosphorylated mannan by strains of the yeast Hansenula holstii were investigated. Polysaccharide was produced from glucose in media containing organic nitrogen and inorganic salts. The ratio of mannose to phosphate in the polymer was not altered by changes in medium constituents. Yields of polymer in the range of 50–55% based on glucose were realized in shaken-flask experiments.
Lower prevalence of the debrisoquin oxidative poor metabolizer phenotype in American black versus white subjects.

Our objective was to determine whether there are differences in debrisoquin hydroxylase (P450IID6) activity between American black subjects and white subjects. Phenotype was assigned in a group of 586 unrelated white and black children with use of dextromethorphan as the substrate probe. Restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of genomic deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was performed in a subset of subjects by use of a full length complementary DNA for P450IID6. Thirty-seven of 480 (7.7%) white children were poor metabolizers compared with 2 of 106 (1.9%) black children (p = 0.03). Among 41 white subjects and 18 black subjects, there were significant differences (p < 0.05) in two Xbal DNA restriction fragments; the 44 kb fragment was more common and the 29 kb fragment was less common in black versus white extensive metabolizers. There is a lower prevalence of the debrisoquin poor metabolizer phenotype among American black persons, which could have implications for efficacy or toxicity of drugs metabolized by this enzyme, as well as for racial differences in the prevalence of diseases associated with the debrisoquin oxidative phenotype. Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (1991) 50, 308–313; doi:10.1038/clpt.1991.141
NCSU's Virtual Computing Lab: A Cloud Computing Solution

The delivery of many diverse computing services over the Internet, with flexible provisioning, has led to much greater efficiency, substantial cost savings, and many ways to enable and empower end users. NCSU's own experience with cloud computing, through its Virtual Computing Lab, indicates that this approach would be beneficial to a much wider audience.ays to enable and empower end users. NCSU's own experience with cloud computing, through its Virtual Computing Lab, indicates that this approach would be beneficial to a much wider audience.
Design and Synthesis of High Refractive Index Polymers. II

Abstract The synthesis, physical and optical properties of a series of high molecular weight, colorless, nonbirefringent, amorphous polymethacrylates (and acrylates) comprising brominated and iodinated carbazole rings that are connected to the backbone by short hydrocarbon spacers are described. The refractive indices exhibited by these homopolymers are in the range of 1.67 to 1.77. A ternary mixture of brominated monomers has a low melting point (<50°C); the refractive index of the corresponding polymer = 1.72.
Kit (W-sh) Mice Develop Earlier and More Severe Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis Due to Absence of Immune Suppression

Mast cells (MCs) have been thought to play a pathogenic role in the development of autoimmune diseases, including experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of multiple sclerosis. However, an immunoregulatory function of these cells has recently been suggested. We investigated the role of MCs in EAE using the W -sh mouse strain, which is MC deficient. W -sh mice developed earlier and more severe clinical and pathological disease with extensive demyelination and inflammation in the CNS. The inflammatory cells were mainly composed of CD4 + T cells, monocyte/macrophages, neutrophils, and dendritic cells. Compared with wild-type mice, MC-deficient mice exhibited an increased level of MCP-1/CCR2 and CD44 expression on CD4 + T cells in addition to decreased production of regulatory T cells, IL-4, IL-5, IL-27, and IL-10. We also found that levels of IL-17, IFN-γ, and GM-CSF were significantly increased in peripheral lymphocytes from immunized W -sh mice compared with those in peripheral lymphocytes from wild-type mice. Reconstitution of W -sh mice downregulated susceptibility to EAE, which correlated with MC recruitment and regulatory T cell activation in the CNS. These findings indicate that responsiveness is not required in the pathogenesis of inflammatory demyelination in the CNS and that, in the absence of MCs, increased MCP-1, CCR2, IL-17, IFN-γ, CD44, and other inflammatory molecules may be responsible for increased severity of EAE.
Phosducin regulates the expression of transducin βγ subunits in rod photoreceptors and does not contribute to phototransduction adaptation

For over a decade, phosducin's interaction with the βγ subunits of the G protein, transducin, has been thought to contribute to light adaptation by dynamically controlling the amount of transducin heterotrimer available for activation by photoexcited rhodopsin. In this study we directly tested this hypothesis by characterizing the dark- and light-adapted response properties of phosducin knockout (Pd−/−) rods. Pd−/− rods were notably less sensitive to light than wild-type (WT) rods. The gain of transduction, as measured by the amplification constant using the Lamb-Pugh model of activation, was 32% lower in Pd−/− rods than in WT rods. This reduced amplification correlated with a 36% reduction in the level of transducin βγ-subunit expression, and thus available heterotrimer in Pd−/− rods. However, commonly studied forms of light adaptation were normal in the absence of phosducin. Thus, phosducin does not appear to contribute to adaptation mechanisms of the outer segment by dynamically controlling heterotrimer availability, but rather is necessary for maintaining normal transducin expression and therefore normal flash sensitivity in rods.
Inner-city asthma

The rate of asthma has increased dramatically in the past 20 years, both in the United States and worldwide [1]. Data collected by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention over the last 4 decades show large and unexplained increases in asthma prevalence, hospitalization rates, and mortality in the United States [2]. Between 1980 and 1994, asthma prevalence rose from 3.1% to 5.4% [2]. This asthma epidemic caused heavy increases in health expenditure; direct and indirect monetary costs related to asthma were estimated at approximately $12.7 billion in 1998 [3]. Childhood asthma is the most frequent health-related cause of school absenteeism, accounting for more than 10 million missed school days annually. Asthma is the most common admitting diagnosis for children [2,4,5], accounting for 159,000 annual hospitalizations with an average length of stay of 3.4 days. The largest increase in asthma hospitalizations has occurred in the youngest of children. From 1979 to 1980, the number of children aged 4 years and younger who were hospitalized for asthma was 34.3 per 10,000 population, but this number escalated to 58.3 per 10,000 in 1990 to 1992 and remained high at 49.7 per 10,000 in 1993 to 1994 [2]. In comparison, hospitalizations for children aged 5 to 14 years have remained relatively stable, with rates of 15.9, 20.6, and 18.0 per 10,000 population for the same respective time periods [2]. Asthma rates vary between regions, states, cities and neighborhoods. From 1988 to 1994, the Northeast region of the United States had more asthma hospitalizations than did the Western and Southern regions across all age groups. During that same time period, asthma hospitalizations increased in the Northeast region but decreased in the Midwestern and Western regions. By 1993 to 1994, age-adjusted hospitalizations were higher among persons residing in the Northeast
The Implications of a Paternally Derived Centrosome During Human Fertilization: Consequences for Reproduction and the Treatment of Male Factor Infertility

PROBLEM: Successful fertilization in humans follows a complex series of events, including the completion of meiotic maturation of the oocyte with the extrusion of the second polar body, the decondensation of the sperm nucleus and the maternal chromosomes into male and female pronuclei, the restoration of the sperm centrosome, and the nucleation of microtubule-mediated motility necessary to bring the male and female pronuclei into close apposition. These events occur after both fertilization in vitro and after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), a new technique which is currently being applied in many clinics to overcome severe male infertility. Defects in any of the events leading to fertilization can be lethal to the zygote and may prove to be causes of infertility. METHODS: Imaging of inseminated human and rhesus oocytes using immunohistochemical techniques reveals several phases at which fertilization arrests. RESULTS: Oocytes from some infertile patients failed to complete fertilization due to failure of the sperm aster microtubules in uniting the sperm and egg nuclei. The rate of sperm aster formation, size, and organization during fertilization has been used as a measurement of bovine sperm quality. The development of an assay using Xenopus laevis oocyte extract can also be used to test sperm from various species for their ability to form asters and perform other centrosomal functions in vitro, as well as another indicator of sperm quality. Semen from men with questionable fertility was found to contain sperm which are generally incapable of producing sperm asters. In addition, the activity of centrosomal proteins such as γ-tubulin and centrin have been detected in mammalian eggs and sperm. The levels of γ-tubulin increase markedly after exposure to X. laevis egg extract. CONCLUSION: Defects in either male or female nucleus decondensation also resulted in the arrest of fertilization and was found to occur in both inseminated human oocytes and in rhesus oocytes fertilized by ICSI. These discoveries on the molecular basis of infertility in humans have important implications for infertility diagnosis and managing reproduction.
Playground Panopticism Ring-Around-the-Children, a Pocketful of Women

In this article, the author invokes Michel Foucault's analysis of panopticism to understand the performance of mothering in the suburban playground. The mothers in the ring of park benches symbolize the suggestion of surveillance, which Foucault describes as the technology of disciplinary power under liberal ideals of governance. However, the panoptic force of the mothers around the suburban playground becomes a community that gazes at the children only to ultimately gaze at one another, seeing reflected in the children the parenting abilities of one another. The author analyzes the elaborate rules of playground etiquette and social competition that occupy the mothers, linking their social discourses to the public neighborhood playground as a symbol for child-centered (suburban) ideology. The author then compares the mothers at suburban playgrounds with the parents that she observed at McDonald's PlayPlaces, which affords different context of use, design and social opportunities. She argues that maternal ...
Retinoic acid attenuates ileitis by restoring the balance between T-helper 17 and T regulatory cells.

Background & Aims Retinoic acid (RA), produced by intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) and dendritic cells (DCs) promotes the induction of regulatory T cells (Tregs) and decreases the induction of T-helper (Th)17 cells. Methods We studied the roles of RA in mice that overproduce tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and develop chronic ileitis (TNF_ARE mice). We assessed the frequency and function of CD103+ DCs, Th17 cells, and Tregs by flow cytometry, and we measured expression of cytokines and retinaldehyde dehydrogenase (RALDH) enzymes in ileum samples, DCs, and IECs by real-time polymerase chain reaction. We quantified RA by electrochemical analysis and examined the effect of RA supplementation on TNF-induced ileitis using histologic, coculture, and suppression assays and flow cytometry. Results Numbers of CD103+ DCs decreased in the inflamed ilea of mice with chronic disease; RA synthetic machinery (RALDH1,2) was down-regulated. Nevertheless, the proportion of CD4+, CD25+, FoxP3+ Tregs increased, indicating an alternate source for RA. IECs responded to reduced levels of RA by up-regulating RALDH3 in vivo and in vitro. Net tissue levels of RA remained lower in TNF+ARE than wild-type mice, indicating that epithelial up-regulation of RALDH3 could not maintain adequate concentrations of RA, probably because of loss of IEC mass. RA supplementation significantly attenuated disease by increasing the number and function of CD103+ DCs and Tregs and reducing Th17 cells. Conclusions Reduced levels of RA appear to induce IECs to up-regulate synthesis of RA. RA supplementation attenuates ileitis through its effects on CD103+ DCs, Tregs, and Th17 cells. RA supplementation might offer therapeutic benefit in Crohn's disease.
Holcus lanatus invasion slows decomposition through its interaction with a macroinvertebrate detritivore, Porcellio scaber

Detritus based food webs may mediate the impacts of invasive species on ecosystem processes. Holcus lanatus (L.) is an invasive perennial grass that is rapidly spreading in the coastal prairie of California. We used litterbags to determine if H. lanatus altered the rate of litter decomposition through its interaction with the dominant macroinvertebrate detritivore at our study site, the isopod Porcellio scaber (Latreille). Over the course of a year, H. lanatus litter loss was 15% less than annual grasses, a difference that was directly attributable to P. scaber. Although there was no effect of isopods on litter loss during the winter, when most decomposition occurred, isopods had substantial effects on litter loss of annual grasses during the summer. P. scaber had no effect on litter loss of H. lanatus litter. Our findings suggest that H. lanatus invasion slows decomposition in the coastal prairie because it is unusually refractory to an important detritivore. The decreased decomposition of H. lanatus litter, along with increased production during the growing season, lead to a doubling of the end-of-season litter biomass where H. lanatus had invaded.
Miniaturization of a Spiral Antenna Using Periodic Z-Plane Meandering

A new approach for miniaturizing an ultra-wideband spiral antenna, called the periodic spiral antenna (PSA), is presented. The combination of ${\bm{z}}$ -directed meandering of the antenna element and a tapered substrate profile provides a volumetric style of miniaturization. In this design, the distributed inductance and capacitance, and therefore the impedance match, are tightly controlled as the footprint is reduced. The effectiveness of ${\bm{z}}$ -directed meandering is confirmed through a loop antenna study that demonstrates a footprint reduction of 76.7% compared to the 57.1% reduction using planar meandering. Numerical simulations and measurements show that the PSA maintains similar performance as a traditional Archimedean spiral antenna with a miniaturization factor up to 1.2 prior to dielectric loading. A sinusoidal variation in the sidewall height of the back cavity is also shown to contribute to improved antenna performance. A 0.8–3 GHz cavity-backed PSA fabricated using a tapered ULTEM ( ${{\boldsymbol{\varepsilon}}_{\bm{r}}} = {\bf{2}}.{\bf{75}}$ ) substrate and 0.81 mm diameter copper wire is described.
Mechanisms of Simian Virus 40 T-Antigen Activation by Phosphorylation of Threonine 124

Previous studies have shown that phosphorylation of simian virus 40 (SV40) T antigen at threonine 124 enhances the binding of T antigen to the SV40 core origin of replication and the unwinding of the core origin DNA via hexamer-hexamer interactions. Here, we report that threonine 124 phosphorylation enhances the interaction of T-antigen amino acids 1 to 259 and 89 to 259 with the core origin of replication. Phosphorylation, therefore, activates the minimal DNA binding domain of T antigen even in the absence of domains required for hexamer formation. Activation is mediated by only one of three DNA binding elements in the minimal DNA binding domain of T antigen. This element, including amino acids 167, 215, and 219, enhances binding to the unique arrangement of four pentanucleotides in the core origin but not to other pentanucleotide arrangements found in ancillary regions of the SV40 origin of replication. Interestingly, the same four pentanucleotides in the core origin are necessary and sufficient for phosphorylation-enhanced DNA binding. Further, we show that phosphorylation of threonine 124 promotes the assembly of high-order complexes of the minimal DNA binding domain of T antigen with core origin DNA. We propose that phosphorylation induces conformational shifts in the minimal DNA binding domain of T antigen and thereby enhances interactions among T-antigen subunits oriented by core origin pentanucleotides. Similar subunit interactions would enhance both assembly of full-length T antigen into binary hexamer complexes and origin unwinding.
Myocardial failure in cats associated with low plasma taurine: a reversible cardiomyopathy

Thousands of pet cats die each year with dilated cardiomyopathy, the cause of which is unknown. Although taurine is present in millimolar concentrations in the myocardium of all mammals, taurine depletion has not previously been associated with a decrease in myocardial function in any species. In this study, low plasma taurine concentrations associated with echocardiographic evidence of myocardial failure were observed in 21 cats fed commercial cat foods and in 2 of 11 cats fed a purified diet containing marginally low concentrations of taurine for 4 years. Oral supplementation of taurine resulted in increased plasma taurine concentrations and was associated with normalization of left ventricular function in both groups of cats. Since myocardial concentrations of taurine are directly related to plasma concentrations and low plasma concentrations were found to be associated with myocardial failure in cats, a direct link between decreased taurine concentration in the myocardium and decreased myocardial mechanical function is proposed.
Changes in sodium balance and hemodynamics during development of experimental renal hypertension in dogs.

After unilateral nephrectomy and application of a Goldblatt clamp to the remaining renal artery, there was sodium retention of approximately 123 mEq in 15 days. At this time, blood pressure increased from 95 to 142 mm Hg without demonstrable changes in plasma volume or cardiac output. When the accumulation of sodium was prevented and a negative balance induced by a low sodium diet and a single dose of a diuretic agent postoperatively, the blood pressure increased from 102 to 139 mm Hg, but it increased further, to 155 mm Hg, after a normal sodium diet had been restored and there had been a gain of 189 mEq of sodium above control. The accumulation of sodium after application of the Goldblatt clamp does not appear to be necessary for the emergence of hypertension, but it does appear to play some part in determining the magnitude of the rise in pressure.
Molecular cloning of the cDNA for the catalytic subunit of human DNA polymerase δ

The cDNA of human DNA polymerase delta was cloned. The cDNA had a length of 3.5 kb and encoded a protein of 1107 amino acid residues with a calculated molecular mass of 124 kDa. Northern blot analysis showed that the cDNA hybridized to a mRNA of 3.4 kb. Monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies to the C-terminal 20 residues specifically immunoblotted the human pol delta catalytic polypeptide. A multiple sequence alignment was constructed. This showed that human pol delta is closely related to yeast pol delta and the herpes virus DNA polymerases. The levels of pol delta message were found to be induced concomitantly with DNA pol delta activity and DNA synthesis in serum restimulated proliferating IMR90 cultured cells. The human pol delta gene was localized to chromosome 19 by Southern blotting of EcoRI digested DNA from a panel of rodent/human cell hybrids.
The Effects of Experimental Cryptorchidism on the Entry of [3H]-Inulin and [3H]-Horseradish Peroxidase into the Lumen of the Rat Seminiferous Tubules

The objective of this research was to determine if experimental cryptorchidism causes significant changes in the rat blood-testis barrier. Micropuncture of the seminiferous tubules of normal, sham-operated, or surgicaily-cryptorchid rats was performed after intravenous infusion of [3H]-inulin or subtunica injection of [3H]-horseradish peroxidase. Concentration of the isotopes in the lumen of the seminiferous tubule was determined. Normal, sham, and cryptorchid tissues were also immersed in hypertonic (.75 M) LiCI and prepared for observation by light microscopy. Micropuncture experiments demonstrated that cryptorchidism significantly increased the penetration of the blood testis barrier by [3H]-inulin and [3H]-horseradish peroxidase. The LiCI emersion techniques, a histological method of visually detecting the presence of an intact blood-testis barrier, also demonstrated partial disruption of the blood-testis barrier in the cryptorchid testis. In spite of these alterations, the seminiferous tubules of the experimentally-cryptorchid testes retained a large proportion of their capacity to exclude macromolecules.
Type-2 Fuzzistics for Nonsymmetric Interval Type-2 Fuzzy Sets: Forward Problems

Interval type-2 fuzzy sets (IT2 FS) play a central role in fuzzy sets as models for words and in engineering applications of T2 FSs. These fuzzy sets are characterized by their footprints of uncertainty (FOU), which in turn are characterized by their boundaries-upper and lower membership functions (MF). The centroid of an IT2 FS, which is an IT1 FS, provides a measure of the uncertainty in the IT2 FS. The main purpose of this paper is to quantify the centroid of a non-symmetric IT2 FS with respect to geometric properties of its FOU. This is very important because interval data collected from subjects about words suggests that the FOUs of most words are non-symmetrical. Using the results in this paper, it is possible to formulate and solve forward problems, i.e., to go from parametric non-symmetric IT2 FS models to data with associated uncertainty bounds. We provide some solutions to such problems for non-symmetrical triangular, trapezoidal, Gaussian and shoulder FOUs.
Clinico-histopathologic Correlation of a Successful Glaucoma Pump-shunt Implant

A 64-year-old diabetic man was treated for neovascular glaucoma with a pump-shunt implant (seton) after maximal medical therapy was unsuccessful. The seton, with supplemental agents, maintained the intraocular pressure (IOP) within a therapeutic range for 6 months, until the time of death from cardiac complications. Histopathologic evaluation of the eye showed the inlet of the seton in the periphery of the anterior chamber, not in contact with a coexisting anterior chamber intraocular lens (IOL). There was no fibrosis of the intracameral portion of the device. The tissue tract containing the silicon outlet tube extended from peripheral Descemet's membrane, through the sclera, to exit in the episcleral tissue over the posterior pars plana. Fibrous tissue originating from the episclera encased the external chambers of the seton. The internal contours of the fistulous tract, i.e., that portion adjacent to the seton, were smooth. There was no gross tissue hiatus at the exit port of the seton. The posterior wall of the fibrous capsule surrounding the seton in this region was diaphanous and immediately anterior to an area of cystic tissue comprising an equatorially placed bleb. The bleb was characterized by an irregular internal surface and a cystic cavity crossed by collagenous columns, suggesting it was the sub-Tenon's reservoir of aqueous. The success of the seton in this particular case may be due to a lack of fibrous reaction in the anterior chamber and the establishment of a stable filtering bleb in the equatorial region of the eye.
Calcium-dependent arrhythmias in transgenic mice with heart failure.

Transgenic mice overexpressing the inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α (TNF-α mice) in the heart develop a progressive heart failure syndrome characterized by biventricular dilatati...