cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Palliative Care Utilization in Children with Heart Disease

Background: Pediatric palliative care (PPC) teams can manage distressing symptoms, enable informed decision-making, coordinate multidisciplinary care, and if applicable, provide end-of-life and bereavement support. Access to pediatric palliative care has increased in the last decade; however, information regarding access for children with heart disease remains limited. Objective. Describe demographic and clinical characteristics of patients, admitted to a tertiary children hospital, with congenital or acquired heart disease who received PPC consultation. Methods. We conducted a retrospective chart review for all patients with …
Inter-injection locking — a novel phase control technique for monolithic phased arrays

A novel technique for phase control in millimeter-wave phased arrays has been demonstrated with a 10 GHz model. The main beam of a four-element array has been steered ±5° using only one phase shifter. The system's characteristics such as an effective radiated power of 7.4 W, a sidelobe level 16 dB below the main beam, and adaptability to monolithic fabrication make this technique attractive for beam steering at millimeter wave frequencies.
Abstract PO-001: xCT expression alters the epigenome and induces genomic instability

Metabolic reprogramming, remodeling of the epigenetic landscape, and genomic instability are three processes that drive tumorigenesis. While each has been investigated individually, there is a growing interest in the interplay between each process during early cancer development. High expression of the cystine/glutamate antiporter SLC7A11 (xCT) is frequently seen in lung cancer. Our lab previously demonstrated overexpression of xCT in normal bronchial airway epithelial cells is sufficient to induce metabolic reprogramming. In this study, we investigated the effects of xCT overexpression in normal bronchial airway epithelial cells. We hypothesize that xCT overexpression both induces genomic instability and alters the epigenome in normal bronchial airway epithelial cells through the perturbation of intracellular metabolite levels. Through utilizing an alkaline comet assay, we discovered that xCT overexpression induces DNA damage, increasing the percentage of DNA in the comet tail by 15.1% (P=0.002). Furthermore, we found that xCT overexpression induces alterations to the histone modification landscape, most notably increasing H3K9me3 and H3K9ac by 3.2 and 3.9-fold (P=0.08) respectively. Finally, xCT overexpression shows higher tumorigenic potential through increased colony formation in a soft agar assay. Taken together, xCT overexpression in normal bronchial airway epithelial cells increases tumorigenic potential, induces metabolic reprogramming, causes higher levels of DNA damage, and alters the epigenetic landscape. Future experiments elucidating the links between these processes, including ChIP-seq and whole-genome bisulfite sequencing are currently underway. Establishing causal links between metabolic reprogramming, epigenetic alterations, and genomic instability are imperative in elucidating an effective, potentially multifaceted approach to treating early-stage lung cancer. Citation Format: Dalton Hill, Jamshedur Rahman, Christien Kluwe, Pierre P. Massion. xCT expression alters the epigenome and induces genomic instability [abstract]. In: Abstracts: AACR Special Virtual Conference on Epigenetics and Metabolism; October 15-16, 2020; 2020 Oct 15-16. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(23 Suppl):Abstract nr PO-001.
Online navigation to journal articles: How are journal articles retrieved by researchers and students at an academic institution; a quantitative examination of HTTP referer [sic] data

This quantitative case study employs weblog data supplied by six major academic journal publishers, known as HTTP referer [sic] data from Washington State University IP address ranges to reveal the...
ParChain: A Framework for Parallel Hierarchical Agglomerative Clustering using Nearest-Neighbor Chain.

This paper studies the hierarchical clustering problem, where the goal is to produce a dendrogram that represents clusters at varying scales of a data set. We propose the ParChain framework for designing parallel hierarchical agglomerative clustering (HAC) algorithms, and using the framework we obtain novel parallel algorithms for the complete linkage, average linkage, and Ward's linkage criteria. Compared to most previous parallel HAC algorithms, which require quadratic memory, our new algorithms require only linear memory, and are scalable to large data sets. ParChain is based on our parallelization of the nearest-neighbor chain algorithm, and enables multiple clusters to be merged on every round. We introduce two key optimizations that are critical for efficiency: a range query optimization that reduces the number of distance computations required when finding nearest neighbors of clusters, and a caching optimization that stores a subset of previously computed distances, which are likely to be reused. Experimentally, we show that our highly-optimized implementations using 48 cores with two-way hyper-threading achieve 5.8--110.1x speedup over state-of-the-art parallel HAC algorithms and achieve 13.75--54.23x self-relative speedup. Compared to state-of-the-art algorithms, our algorithms require up to 237.3x less space. Our algorithms are able to scale to data set sizes with tens of millions of points, which existing algorithms are not able to handle.
Evidence of a Unique Critical Fabric Surface for Granular Soils

The critical state of granular soils needs to make proper reference to the fabric that develops at critical state. This study substantializes the concept of critical fabric surface (CFS) which attr...
Ensuring Cloud Service Guarantees via Service Level Agreement (SLA)-Based Resource Allocation

This paper studies the problem of resource management and placement for high performance clouds. It is concerned with the three most important performance metrics: response time, throughput, and utilization as Quality of Service (QoS) metrics defined in a Service Level Agreement (SLA). We propose SLA-based approaches for resource management in clouds. Specifically, we first quantify the metrics of trustworthiness, a percentile of response time, and availability. Then, this paper provides the formulation of cloud resource management as a nonlinear optimization problem subject to SLA requirements and further gives the solution of the problem. Finally, we give a solution of this nonlinear optimization problem and demonstrate the effectiveness of proposed solutions through illustrative examples.
Architectural Mediation of Residential Density and Control: Crowding and The Regulation Of Social Contact

Publisher Summary In this chapter, the Architectural mediation of residential density and control: crowding and regulation of social contact, is discussed. The chapter emphasizes that the study of the physical environment is becoming increasingly more sophisticated and widespread. This chapter is a product of these recent developments and it illustrates the relationships among physical variables, such as architecture, social stressors, such as crowding and behavior. The chapter discusses density and the arousal of crowding stress wherein group size and excessive stimulation, crowding and control, and response to anticipated crowding are discussed. The chapter also discusses social density in residential settings, residential experience and the social use of space, persistent stress and social withdrawal, reactance and helplessness, group development and the modification of stress.
Endothelin-1 gene expression and regulation of endothelin mRNA and protein biosynthesis in avascular human amnion. Potential source of amniotic fluid endothelin.

We demonstrated previously that preproendothelin mRNA is present in avascular human amnion tissue and in human amnion cells maintained in primary monolayer culture. In this investigation we sought to identify the specific endothelin (ET) gene that is expressed in amnion and to determine whether endothelin is produced by amnion. Using oligonucleotides specific for ET-1, ET-2, and ET-3 mRNA, we identified preproET-1 mRNA in human amnion tissue. By radioimmunoassay of ET we found that human amnion tissue explants and amnion cells in culture secrete immunoreactive ET into the medium. PreproET mRNA levels and immunoreactive ET production by human amnion cells in monolayer culture are increased in response to treatment with agents that are known to be present in human amniotic fluid, i.e. epidermal growth factor, interleukin-1, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha. We found that the level of preproET mRNA in amnion cells was low compared with that in human umbilical endothelial cells; treatment with cycloheximide together with a stimulus of ET-1 gene transcription led to a striking increase in the level of preproET mRNA in amnion cells compared with a much weaker response in endothelial cells. These findings suggest that protein synthesis-dependent mechanisms may be of great importance in maintaining low levels of preproET mRNA in amnion tissue and in regulating the amount of preproET mRNA in amnion exposed to stimuli of ET-1 transcription. In addition, we demonstrated that immunoreactive ET is present in human amniotic fluid at the midtrimester of pregnancy and at term. Thus, it is likely that the avascular fetal amnion is one tissue site of origin of ET in amniotic fluid during human pregnancy.
Restoring the American Chestnut: Optimizing Founder Spacing to Promote Population Growth and Genetic Diversity Retention

Efforts are underway to return the American chestnut (Castanea dentata) to eastern forests of North America following its decline due to the introduction of the chestnut blight (Cryphonectria parasitica). Approaches include developing blight-resistant chestnut lines through breeding programs and via genetic engineering. Reestablishment of resistant chestnut to eastern forests would produce one of the most extensive ecological restoration transformations ever attempted. However, this undertaking is costly and optimization of reintroduction methods is needed. We used the computer program NEWGARDEN to model whether some patterns of founder placement (regular vs. random spacing at differing densities) produce more rapidly expanding populations across a range of gene dispersal distance conditions (via both offspring and pollen). For a simulated introduction project employing 169 founders, placing founders randomly in a square of side 0.85 km produced higher rates of predicted population growth compared with larger or smaller squares under near gene dispersal conditions; this side distance was 1.0 km under far gene dispersal conditions. After 100 population bouts of mating and under near gene dispersal conditions, the trial with founder placement producing the greatest population expansion rate exhibited a 314% increase in census size compared with the founder pattern yielding the slowest expansion. Neither loss of alleles nor inbreeding or subdivision was significantly increased under the founder placement patterns yielding the most descendants. Exploring different numerical and geometrical founding scenarios using NEWGARDEN can provide first estimates of founding patterns or stand manipulations that will return the most descendants produced per founder planted in restoration projects.
Pathology Resident Attitudes and Opinions About Pathologists' Assistants

Abstract Context.—Changes in health care economics and organization have resulted in increased use of nonphysician providers in most health care settings. Attitudinal acceptance of nonphysician providers is important in the current health care environment. Objectives.—To obtain descriptive information regarding pathology resident attitudes and opinions about pathologists' assistants in anatomic pathology practice and to assess the implications of resident attitudes and opinions for pathology practice and training. Design.—A self-administered, mailed, voluntary, anonymous questionnaire was distributed to a cross-sectional sample of pathology residents in the United States (2531 pathology residents registered as resident members of one of the national pathology professional organizations). The questionnaire contained (1) items relating to resident demographics and program characteristics, (2) Likert-scale response items containing positive and negative statements about pathologists' assistants, (3) a multip...
Design of an active vibration control system for isolation of an optical bench

The isolation of an optical bench mounted on an airplane using active noise cancellation was studied. The most difficult problem is the necessity for isolation at low frequencies (0.1 Hz). At these frequencies, an active noise cancellation filter was necessary. An ANC filter using strain gauges (which have no rigid body component) as the reference signal was simulated with several different algorithms. The algorithms were tested under a variety of different frequency inputs and different modal frequencies of the body. A recursive least squares filter was found to give the fastest convergence and best results. A least means squares, on the other hand, gave unsatisfactory performance. It was decided to use active vibration control for this problem. >
Modeling and control for microwave heating of ceramics

This paper presents results to date on the development of an automatic feedback control system for controlling the temperature of ceramic samples being heated by microwave energy. The paper discusses three major topics: mathematical modeling of the microwave cavity, design and evaluation of the temperature control system, and design of the plunger/iris control system.
A Cladistic Analysis of Phenotypic Associations With Haplotypes Inferred From Restriction Endonuclease Mapping. I. Basic Theory and an Analysis of Alcohol Dehydrogenase Activity in Drosophila

Because some genes have been cloned that have a known biochemical or physiological function, genetic variation can be measured in a population at loci that may directly influence a phenotype of interest. With this measured genotype approach, specific alleles or haplotypes in the probed DNA region can be assigned phenotypic effects. In this paper we address several problems encountered in implementing the measured genotype approach with restriction site data. A number of analytical problems arise in part as a consequence of the linkage disequilibrium that is commonly encountered when dealing with small DNA regions: 1) different restriction site polymorphisms are not statistically independent, 2) the sites being measured are not likely to be the direct cause of the associated phenotypic effects, 3) haplotype classes may be phenotypically heterogeneous, and 4) the sites that are most strongly associated with phenotypic effects are not necessarily the most closely linked to the actual genetic cause of the effects. When recombination and gene conversion are rare, the primary cause of linkage disequilibrium is history (mutational origin, genetic drift, hitchhiking, etc.). We deal with historical association directly by producing a cladogram that partially reconstructs the evolutionary history of the present-day haplotype variability. The cladogram defines a nested analysis of variance that simultaneously detects phenotypic effects, localizes the effects within the cladogram, and identifies haplotypes that are potentially heterogeneous in their phenotypic associations. The power of this approach is illustrated by an analysis of the associations between alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity and restriction site variability in a 13-kb fragment surrounding the ADH locus in Drosophila melanogaster.
Identification of 1, 2 and 3 body Raman scattering by the field gradient induced dipole A tensor in methane

In previous work involving the v 1 mode, Raman depolarization ratio (RDR) density dependent studies of supracritical methane, 10% methane in carbon dioxide, and 10% methane in argon, the present authors had hypothesized that the Coriolis coupling and resulting dipole moment played a leading role in the explanation of the RDR versus density (pressure) dependence found. This was necessitated by the fact that we could find no direct evidence for interaction induced ii, i.e., 2-body and 3-body light scattering. That evidence has now been identified from the previously recorded pure methane data and is the subject of this paper. It should be noted, however, that this current interpretation reverses the previous arguments for angular dependent intermolecular coupling as a contributing factor in addition to translational ii in explaining the earlier RDR results.
Comparability of WISC-R and WAIS-R Scores for a Sample of College Students with Learning Disabilities:

Given the recent revision of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS), information about its comparability to the WISC-R for persons with learning disabilities is unknown. To determine the relationship between WISC-R and WAIS-R Verbal, Performance, Full Scale, and scaled scores, this study analyzed the IQ and subtest scaled scores of 38 college students who applied for entrance to a program for learning disabilities. Results indicated that the WISC-R and WAIS-R Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale IQs were correlated significantly. Even so, subjects tended to obtain higher scores on the WISC-R than on the WAIS-R. Our learning disabilities sample performed higher on only two WAIS-R subtests: Digit Span and Digit Symbol. Only three subtests were not correlated significantly: Similarities, Arithmetic, and Comprehension. Perhaps the most likely hypothesis for the lower WAIS-R scores is the more recent norming of the WAIS-R (1981) versus the WISC-R (1974). Because of its more recent norms, the WAIS-R may re...
An Ultraviolet-Excess Optical Candidate for the Luminous Globular Cluster X-Ray Source in NGC 1851

The intense, bursting X-ray source in the globular cluster NGC 1851 was one of the first cluster sources discovered, but has remained optically unidentified for 25 years. We report here on results from Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 multicolor images in NGC 1851. Our high spatial resolution images resolve approximately 200 objects in the 3 minute radius Einstein X-ray error circle, 40 times as many as in previous ground-based work. A color-magnitude diagram of the cluster clearly reveals a markedly UV-excess object with B approximately 21, (U - B) approximately -0.9, only 2 minutes from the X-ray position. The UV-excess candidate is 0.12 minutes distant from a second, unremarkable star that is 0.5 mag brighter in B; thus ground-based studies of this field are probably impractical. Three other UV-excess objects are also present among the approximately 16,000 objects in the surveyed region of the cluster, leaving an approximately 5% probability that a UV-excess object has fallen in the X-ray error circle by chance. No variability of the candidate is seen in these data, although a more complete study is required. If this object is in fact the counterpart of the X-ray source, previous inferences that some globular cluster X-ray sources are optically subluminous with respect to low-mass X-ray binaries in the field are now strengthened.
Nonlinear wave function expansions: A progress report

Some recent progress is reported for a novel nonlinear expansion form for electronic wave functions. This expansion form is based on spin eigenfunctions using the Graphical Unitary Group Approach and the wave function is expanded in a basis of product functions, allowing application to closed and open shell systems and to ground and excited electronic states. Each product basis function is itself a multiconfigurational expansion that depends on a relatively small number of nonlinear parameters called arc factors. Efficient recursive procedures for the computation of reduced one- and two-particle density matrices, overlap matrix elements, and Hamiltonian matrix elements result in a very efficient computational procedure that is applicable to very large configuration state function (CSF) expansions. A new energy-based optimization approach is presented based on product function splitting and variational recombination. Convergence of both valence correlation energy and dynamical correlation energy with respect to the product function basis dimension is examined. A wave function analysis approach suitable for very large CSF expansions is presented based on Shavitt graph node density and arc density. Some new closed-form expressions for various Shavitt Graph and Auxiliary Pair Graph statistics are presented. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2007
What about the Boys?: Addressing Issues of Masculinity within Male Anorexia Nervosa in a Feminist Therapeutic Environment

As a disorder, anorexia nervosa is associated mainly with young women. For centuries, girls have exhibited symptoms of anorexia nervosa and the disorder has exploded into a cultural, “female” problem. Feminist psychotherapy treatments address the problem of anorexia nervosa from a sociocultural perspective, which has been very effective for female patients. However, the number of cases found among men is rising and a gender-specific treatment that focuses on men’s issues related to anorexia nervosa is not available. Psychologists must begin to look at anorexia nervosa as a cultural issue for men that has unique features and issues related to the social construction of masculinity. By incorporating these ideas into a newly adapted feminist treatment approach that also employs concepts of empowerment and acceptance, psychologists will be able to treat male anorexia nervosa more effectively and possibly change the social stigmas that have plagued anorexic men for so long.
Cohomology and rigidity of fuchsian groups

We prove the localC 3-rigidity of the standard actions of cocompact lattices in PSL(2,ℝ) on a circle, using the Schwarzian and the duality technique for twisted cocycles.
ONTOGENY OF INDUCIBLE NITRIC OXIDE SYNTHASE IN FETAL RATS. ▴ 376

Nitric oxide (NO) formation is upregulated during pregnancy, but its role in fetal and perinatal development has not been clearly defined. Both constitutive (cNOS) and inducible (iNOS) isoforms contribute to NO production in the utero-placental unit. cNOS is normally responsible for NO synthesis under physiologic conditions, whereas iNOS expression is a hallmark of host defense mechanisms and autoimmune disorders. The purpose of this study was to determine if iNOS is expressed in the utero-placental unit and fetus.STUDY DESIGN: Timed pregnant rats were sacrificed on days 14, 16, 19 and 21 of gestation and days 1, 3 and 7 of life. Fetal heart, intestine, liver, lung, spleen and thymus and maternal colon, placenta and uterus were harvested. RNA was extracted using the guanidine thiocyanate extraction method and iNOS expression determined from total RNA using RT-PCR. Additionally, uterine and placental tissues were evaluated for iNOS expression by immunohistochemical techniques. RESULTS: At 14 and 16 days gestation, fetal tissue (total) was positive for iNOS. At 19 and 21 days gestation, when dissection allowed testing of individual organs, iNOS was present in fetal lung and heart, intestine, spleen and thymus, respectively but absent in fetal liver. Results were similar at 1, 3 and 7 days postnatal life. Placenta, uterus and maternal colon were positive for iNOS throughout gestation. Immunohistochemical techniques reveal that the placental sinusoids and uterine smooth muscle as predominant sites of iNOS expression.CONCLUSIONS: The inducible enzyme, iNOS, a cytotoxic-cytostatic agent of the immune system, is expressed in the fetal tissue from the second trimester through early post-natal life. We postulate that the fetus can afford to utilize iNOS as a source of NO because the likelihood of peroxynitrite formation is reduced because of its hypoxic environment. It appears that the expression of iNOS and increased NO release perse, are not synonymous with cell injury.
Antibodies to hepatitis C virus in autologous blood donors

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the major cause of posttransfusion hepatitis. Two anti-HCV enzyme immunoassay (EIA) kits and one recombinant immunoblot assay (RIBA) were used to test serum samples of 1476 donations from 692 autologous blood donors to assess the prevalence of anti-HCV and its relationship to transfusion history. Of all autologous blood donations, 23 (1.6%) reacted when tested with one EIA kit and 29 (2.0%) reacted when tested by the other EIA kit. Of the autologous donors, 12 (1.78%) reacted by the first EIA kit and 14 (2.02%) by the second. Discrepancies in the EIA results from different donations by the same donor were seen in seven donors. The RIBA was positive or indeterminate in 33 percent of the EIA-reactive donations and in 41 percent of EIA-reactive donors. All RIBA-positive and - indeterminate samples reacted with both EIA kits. There was no significant difference in the EIA-reactive rates of autologous and first-time homologous blood donors. Previously transfused autologous blood donors had a higher anti-HCV EIA-reactive rate than nontransfused autologous donors, but the difference was not significant. In regard to hepatitis C, the use of autologous blood for homologous transfusion appears to be as safe as the use of blood from first-time homologous donors. Universal testing of previously transfused patients for hepatitis C appears premature at this time. Discrepant anti-HCV EIA results from different donations from the same individual have implications regarding donor deferral.
Elevated levels of Ca(II) modulate the activity and inhibition of serine proteases: implication in the mechanism of apoptosis.

Elevated levels of intracellular Ca(II) are a prominent feature of apoptosis, a natural form of cell death involved in many physiological and pathological processes. Serine proteases play crucial roles in apoptosis and have been implicated in the genomic DNA degradation and the massive protein degradation that occur during apoptosis. In this study, the effects of the elevated level of Ca(II) on the activity and inhibition of serine proteases were examined by spectrophotometric methods. The effects of the elevated levels of Ca(II), Mg(II), K(I), and Na(I) on the activity and inactivation of three representative members of serine proteases were determined. The level of serine protease activity in CEM-C7-14 leukemic cells was also evaluated in the presence and absence of dexamethasone-induced apoptosis, and also in the presence of A23187, a Ca(II)-ionophore. Among the four metal-ions studied, only Ca(II) was found to significantly enhance the activity of mammalian serine proteases. Ca(II) was also found to significantly protect the enzymes from inhibition, while the other three metal-ions showed no significant effect on the inactivation of the enzymes. Compared to the control sample, the enzymic activity was found to be higher during apoptosis, and in the presence of the Ca(II)-ionophore. Results of this study indicate that Ca(II) can significantly enhance the catalytic efficiency of serine proteases during apoptosis.
Size of Breeding Colony Related to Attraction of Mates in a Tropical Passerine Bird

Field observations and counts of nests and birds present were made for 18 colonies of the Village Weaverbird, Ploceus (Textor) cucullatus, in north—west Senegal during the breeding season of 1967. In this gregarious and polygynous species, the male weaves the nest and then endeavors to attract the female to the nest by means of special displays and vocalizations. Breeding colonies with fewer than 10 males had a much smaller proportion of females resident in the colony at or near the peak of colony growth than did larger colonies (chi—square test, P = .018). The species is near the northern border of its range near the Sahara in this region and presence or absence of sufficiently large trees is at times a crucial factor limiting local distribution of colonies. Although large trees in general tend to have larger colonies than do small trees, success of a colony in attracting females was correlated much more with number of males and nests than with size of tree. It is concluded that the evolution of gregarious breeding in this species was in part due to the increased efficiency of attracting mates that results from colony life.
Vive la différence

Hormonal effects are increasingly recognized as important influences on neuronal function and, ultimately, on animal behavior. Such 'higher' behavioral effects are well studied, particularly in relation to sexually dimorphic behaviors. Yet, somewhat surprisingly, a significant proportion of more basic neuroscience research papers fail to specify the sex of the subjects used. In this brief article Karen Berkley argues that knowledge of, and controlling for, the sex of research animals is important. In addition, if females are used, their reproductive-cycle status could provide a deliberate strategy to investigate the effects of gonadal steroid hormones on biological functions.
Macrophages of multiple sclerosis patients display deficient SHP-1 expression and enhanced inflammatory phenotype.

Recent studies in mice have demonstrated that the protein tyrosine phosphatase SHP-1 is a crucial negative regulator of proinflammatory cytokine signaling, TLR signaling, and inflammatory gene expression. Furthermore, mice genetically lacking SHP-1 (me/me) display a profound susceptibility to inflammatory CNS demyelination relative to wild-type mice. In particular, SHP-1 deficiency may act predominantly in inflammatory macrophages to increase CNS demyelination as SHP-1-deficient macrophages display coexpression of inflammatory effector molecules and increased demyelinating activity in me/me mice. Recently, we reported that PBMCs of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients have a deficiency in SHP-1 expression relative to normal control subjects indicating that SHP-1 deficiency may play a similar role in MS as to that seen in mice. Therefore, it became essential to examine the specific expression and function of SHP-1 in macrophages from MS patients. Herein, we document that macrophages of MS patients have deficient SHP-1 protein and mRNA expression relative to those of normal control subjects. To examine functional consequences of the lower SHP-1, the activation of STAT6, STAT1, and NF-κB was quantified and macrophages of MS patients showed increased activation of these transcription factors. In accordance with this observation, several STAT6-, STAT1-, and NF-κB-responsive genes that mediate inflammatory demyelination were increased in macrophages of MS patients following cytokine and TLR agonist stimulation. Supporting a direct role of SHP-1 deficiency in altered macrophage function, experimental depletion of SHP-1 in normal subject macrophages resulted in an increased STAT/NF-κB activation and increased inflammatory gene expression to levels seen in macrophages of MS patients. In conclusion, macrophages of MS patients display a deficiency of SHP-1 expression, heightened activation of STAT6, STAT1, and NF-κB and a corresponding inflammatory profile that may be important in controlling macrophage-mediated demyelination in MS.
Towards an integrated multimedia service hosting overlay

With the proliferation of multimedia data sources on the Internet, we envision an increasing demand for value-added and function-rich multimedia services that transport, process, and analyze multimedia data on behalf of end users. More importantly, multimedia services are expected to be easily accessible and composable by users. In this paper, we propose MSODA, a service-oriented platform that hosts a wide spectrum of media services provided by different parties. From the user's point of view, MSODA is a shared "market" for media service access and composition. For a media service provider, MSODA creates a virtual dedicated environment for service deployment and management. Finally, the underlying MSODA middleware performs the key functions of service composition, configuration, and mapping for users. We discuss key challenges in the design of MSODA and present preliminary results towards its full realization.
Chemical Vapor Deposition of Silica Micro- and Nanoribbons Using Step-Edge Localized Water

Amorphous silica (SiO2) ribbons were prepared by hydrolyzing SiCl4 at highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) surfaces on which water had condensed. Exposure to humid air (>30% relative humidity ...
Hydrogen effects on slip character and ductility in NiCo alloys

Nickel-cobalt binary alloys containing 45, 55 and 65 wt.% Co were annealed to a constant grain size and deformed in compression to produce slip lines. Strains were 2.5 and 5% for surface slip lines, and 2.5% for “interior” slip lines. Some specimens were also pre-charged with hydrogen from the gas phase prior to testing. The waviness of “interior” slip lines in uncharged specimens decreased with increasing Co content, i.e. decreasing stacking fault energy, as would be expected, but in the presence of hydrogen no dependence on Co content was observed. Hydrogen somewhat reduced the waviness of slip lines in these alloys, but mostly for surface slip lines. The results have implications for deformation-related concepts of hydrogen effects on materials.
Angular correlations in top quark pair production and decay at hadron colliders

We show how to observe sizable angular correlations between the decay products of the top quark and those of the top antiquark in top quark pair production and decay at hadron colliders. These correlations result from the large asymmetry in the rate for producing like-spin versus unlike-spin top quark pairs provided the appropriate spin axes are used. The effects of new physics at production or decay on these correlations are briefly discussed. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society.}
Novel toxicity of the unedited GluR2 AMPA receptor subunit dependent on surface trafficking and increased Ca2+-permeability.

Abstract RNA editing modifies the GluR2 AMPA receptor subunit pore loop at the Q/R site and limits receptor Ca2+ permeability. Editing failure is implicated in neurodegenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. We show that channels with unedited GluR2 are highly toxic in cultured hippocampal neurons. Toxicity exceeds that of other Ca2+-permeable AMPA receptor types and is influenced by agonist binding site mutations, ability to desensitize, and extracellular Ca2+ levels. Significantly, toxicity also depends on GluR2's constitutive surface trafficking, a function dependent on GluR2 C-terminal domain interaction with NSF, a specialized chaperone. We have exploited the interaction between unedited GluR2 and NSF to reduce GluR2 surface levels. We show that a peptide that blocks the GluR2-NSF interaction reduces unedited GluR2 toxicity by reducing receptor surface expression. Peptide block of trafficking provides a model for design of drugs to reduce unedited GluR2 excitotoxicity in neurodegenerative diseases that result from editing failure.
IgM multiple myeloma: Disease definition, prognosis, and differentiation from Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia

IgM multiple myeloma (MM) and Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia (WM) are two distinct hematologic entities with the common finding of an IgM monoclonal gammopathy. Distinguishing these two diagnoses is critical as the approach to therapy is different. A priori, we defined IgM MM as a symptomatic clonal plasma cell proliferative disorder characterized by an IgM monoclonal protein (regardless of size), 10% or more plasma cells on bone marrow biopsy, plus the presence of lytic bone lesions and/or translocation t(11;14). Twenty-one patients met this definition of IgM MM. All 21 patients had lytic bone lesions. Of the 16 evaluated with FISH, 6 (38%) demonstrated t(11;14). Median overall survival was 30 months, which is similar to non-IgM myeloma patients treated during this period and shorter than what would be expected for WM. In this, the largest series of patients with IgM MM, we describe the clinical features and prognosis of patient with IgM MM using a strict definition for the disease. The subset of patients without lytic lesions or t(11;14) but with immunophenotypic features suggestive of MM need further study.
Chordwise spacing aerodynamic detuning for unstalled supersonic flutter stability enhancement

Abstract Unstalled supersonic flutter is a significant problem in the development of advanced gas turbines because it restricts the high speed operating range of the engine. A new approach to passive control of unstalled supersonic flutter is aerodynamic detuning, defined as designed passage-to-passage differences in the unsteady aerodynamics of a blade row. In this paper, a mathematical model is developed to predict the unstalled torsion mode stability of an aerodynamically detuned turbomachine rotor operating in a supersonic inlet flow field with a subsonic axial component, with the aerodynamic detuning accomplished by alternate chordwise spacing of adjacent rotor blades. The unsteady aerodynamic moments acting on the blading are calculated in terms of influence coefficients. The stability enhancement associated with this alternate chordwise aerodynamic detuning is demonstrated utilizing an unstable twelve bladed rotor based on Verdon's Cascade B flow geometry. This model and unstable baseline rotor configuration are then used to show that axial spacing detuning leads to greater flutter stability enhancement than does circumferential spacing aerodynamic detuning. Finally, the trade-offs between structural damping, alternate chordwise aerodynamic detuning, and alternate circumferential aerodynamic detuning are considered.
NSF programs in the behavioral and neural sciences

The National Science Foundation’s new Division of Behavioral and Neural Sciences supports basic research and related activities in psychology, ethology, anthropology, linguistics, and the neurosciences. Research equipment and facilities can be provided either through a grant supporting a research project or through a separate grant. The scientific importance and soundness of the research to be conducted, as evaluated by reviewers from the research community, are the main criteria for support. Preparation of proposals is briefly discussed, and sources of further information are noted.
Organ-cultured chick embryonic hearts of various ages. II. Ultrastructure.

Three-day old chick embryonic hearts organ cultured in vitro for 1 to 2 weeks do not acquire the tetrodotoxin-sensitive fast Na+ channels in the sarcolemma that would normally develop if left in situ, whereas 19-day old hearts tend to retain their fast Na+ channels. Therefore, electron microscopy was done on chick embryonic hearts placed in organ culture at various stages of development to determine whether ultrastructural changes occurred. Some old hearts were minced into small fragments before culturing. Culture was either by immersion or placement at an interface between medium and atmosphere. After culture for periods varying between 3 and 16 days, the hearts were fixed; some hearts were fixed following a period of electrophysiological study. Control hearts, not cultured, were fixed immediately after removal from the embryos. Three-day old hearts cultured for 7 to 16 days exhibited the typical ultrastructure of young hearts freshly fixed; the cellular morphology did not advance to the level expected from the calendar age (initial age plus days in culture). These hearts had few and non-aligned myofibrils, the sarcomeric structure was incomplete, and there was substantial rough ER. Only the junctional SR appeared to advance in development. The 19-day old intact hearts and minced fragments of such hearts cultured for several days showed some general deterioration; some cells, particularly at deeper sites in the hearts, were necrotic. Some cells exhibited morphology that suggested a partial reversion to a condition more typical of an earlier embryonic state, namely, few and non-aligned myofibrils. Many cells, however, were adult-like in their morphology. They had abundant and aligned myofibrils, and complete sarcomeric structure, including M line and I bands; there was little rough ER. Hence, young or old hearts placed in organ culture for several days tend to retain the cellular ultrastructure that they originally possessed when placed into culture. Some cells in old hearts revert back morphologically to an earlier embryonic state (as has been shown to occur in monolayer cell culture). These ultrastructural observations show a parallelism with the electrophysiological findings.
Designing and Evaluating Diabetes Education Material for American Indians

This paper describes the methods used to develop and evaluate diabetes education material for American Indians and Alaska Natives living in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Reading skills of individuals and readability of a sample of existing diabetic education material were measured. Using the Wide Range Achievement Test to measure reading skills, the authors found that 66% of the sample read at a 5th "grade" or higher level. Readability of a sample of available diabetic education material was found to be, on average, at the 10th "grade" level. Diabetes education booklets targeted to a 5th to 7th "grade" level were developed and assessed for acceptability and comprehension. Final evaluation, using the close procedure, showed that 62% of the target audience understood the messages in the booklets. A comprehensive assessment process was found to be useful in developing effective diabetes education material for Indian communities.
Crack‐healing behavior of epoxy–amine thermosets

This work offers detailed experimental evidence for crack healing in fully formed epoxy–amine polymer networks. Compact tension specimens of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (EPON-828) and 4,4′-methylene biscyclohexanamine were synthesized at stoichiometry and with an excess or paucity of an amine curing agent. Healing efficiencies were measured on the basis of the regain in the fracture load after a healing protocol was applied. For all systems investigated, the average healing efficiency for first fracture was greater than 50% when healing was conducted at 185°C for 1 h. The crack-healing behavior was highly repeatable at all stoichiometries, and healing was found to occur for repeated fracture–heal cycles of the same specimen. On the basis of results from size exclusion chromatography for the extractable phase, infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy, it is postulated that healing is primarily due to mechanical interlocking of the nodular topology of a fractured crack interface that occurs in the rubbery state and is set in place by vitrification upon cooling. A ½ power dependence of the healing efficiency on the healing time was observed, and this suggests that the interlocking of topographical features is governed by diffusive processes. For networks cured with a large excess of epoxide groups, the recovered fracture load was higher than that of virgin specimens. In this case, polyetherification or homopolymerization of previously unreacted epoxy groups increased the healing efficiency significantly, and this suggests that low degrees of covalent bonding can significantly enhance healing behavior in these systems. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009
Infrared spectra of some methyl derivatives of germanium and tin

Abstract The infrared spectra of dimethylgermanium oxide (trimer, tetramer and high-polymer), dimethylgermanium sulfide (trimer), bis(trimethylgermanium)oxide, dimethyltin oxide, dimethyltin sulfide (trimer), methyltin oxide and 1:3-dichlorotetramethyldistannoxane are reported over the region 400 to 1500 cm −1 for most of the compounds. Experimental assignments for most of the bands in each spectrum are made and absorptions characteristic of certain groups are noted.
The structure of tetrahedrally coordinated amorphous semiconductors

Abstract The diffracted X-ray intensities, F ( k )'s, and radial distribution functions of Ge, some III–V compounds, and Ge 0.5 Sn 0.5 are presented. It is shown that the radial distribution functions of the III–V compounds are similar to those of Ge. If the continuous random network, as developed for amorphous Ge, is also applicable to the III–V's, then several bonds between like atoms (wrong bonds) must be present. It is argued that the energy of wrong bonds may not be sufficiently high to prohibit their formation.
Fast rectangular matrix multiplications and improving parallel matrix computations

Galil and Pan, 1984, reduced parallel evaluation of the inverse, the determinant and the characteristic polynomial of a matrix and solving a nonsingular linear system of equw tions to sequential multiplication of rectangular matrices. We asymptotically accelerate the known algorithms for the latter problem to yield an improvement of the current record ~ymptotic bounds on the deterministic arithmetic NC pr~ ceaaor complexit of the four former ones, from order of 2 n2a5’ to 0(n2E 7). The improvement of rectangular matrix multiplication has alao impact on the record complexity estimates for polynomial factorization in finite fields.
Terahertz NDE Application for Corrosion Detection and Evaluation under Shuttle Tiles

Pulsed Terahertz NDE is being examined as a method to inspect for possible corrosion under Space Shuttle Tiles. Other methods such as ultrasonics, infrared, eddy current and microwave technologies have demonstrable shortcomings for tile NDE. This work applies Terahertz NDE, in the frequency range between 50 GHz and 1 THz, for the inspection of manufactured corrosion samples. The samples consist of induced corrosion spots that range in diameter (2.54 to 15.2 mm) and depth (0.036 to 0.787 mm) in an aluminum substrate material covered with tiles. Results of these measurements are presented for known corrosion flaws both covered and uncovered and for blind tests with unknown corrosion flaws covered with attached tiles. The Terahertz NDE system is shown to detect all artificially manufactured corrosion regions under a Shuttle tile with a depth greater than 0.13 mm.
Innate immune messenger 2-5A tethers human RNase L into active high-order complexes.

Summary 2′,5′-linked oligoadenylates (2-5As) serve as conserved messengers of pathogen presence in the mammalian innate immune system. 2-5As induce self-association and activation of RNase L, which cleaves cytosolic RNA and promotes the production of interferons (IFNs) and cytokines driven by the transcription factors IRF-3 and NF-κB. We report that human RNase L is activated by forming high-order complexes, reminiscent of the mode of activation of the phylogenetically related transmembrane kinase/RNase Ire1 in the unfolded protein response. We describe crystal structures determined at 2.4 A and 2.8 A resolution, which show that two molecules of 2-5A at a time tether RNase L monomers via the ankyrin-repeat (ANK) domain. Each ANK domain harbors two distinct sites for 2-5A recognition that reside 50 A apart. These data reveal a function for the ANK domain as a 2-5A-sensing homo-oligomerization device and describe a nonlinear, ultrasensitive regulation in the 2-5A/RNase L system poised for amplification of the IFN response.
Reactivity of perfluoro-n-alkyl radicals with reluctant substrates. Rates of addition to RFCH2CH=CH2 and RFCH=CH2

Abstract Conditions for conducting competitive experiments involving slow reactions of perfluoroalkyl radicals have been defined. A revised value for the rate constant for hydrogen abstraction from Et3SiH is reported [(5.0±0.4) × 105 M−1s−1], as are the rate constants for addition of the n-C4F9 • radical to CH2CHCH2C4F9 [1.15 ± 0.11) × 106 M−1s−1] and to CH2CHC4F9 [2.6 ± 0.2) × 105 M−1s−1] at 25 °C.