cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Immunohistochemical localization of basic fibroblast growth factor in mature and developing retinas of normal and RCS rats.

Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) delays photoreceptor degeneration when injected intraocularly in Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rats with inherited retinal dystrophy. In the present study, we have determined the localization of endogenous bFGF in retinas of normal and RCS rats during the normal developmental period (postnatal days 0–20) and the period of photoreceptor degeneration in RCS rats (days 20–90). bFGF was localized immunohistochemically by indirect immunoperoxidase using two different polyclonal antibodies and one monoclonal antibody against bFGF. bFGF was present in retinas as early as birth, and remained through adult age. Controls using either PBS, non-immune IgG or antibody preabsorbed with bFGF peptide were devoid of label. In normal rats between the ages of birth and postnatal day (P) 4, bFGF was found in developing ganglion cells, superficial blood vessels, some of the innermost cells in the neuroblastic layer, developing horizontal cells, and retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells...
Predictors of enrollment in lung cancer clinical trials

BACKGROUND Clinical trials may offer patients innovative therapeutic options with potentially better outcomes, which are particularly relevant for patients afflicted with lung carcinoma, because current therapies provide only modest survival benefits. Only approximately 5% of patients with newly diagnosed cancer participate in clinical trials nationwide, and African-American (AA) patients are particularly under-represented. METHODS To determine predictors of clinical trials enrollment, the authors reviewed the medical records of 427 patients with lung carcinoma (175 AA patients and 252 non-AA patients) who were eligible for clinical trials between 1994 and 1998 at the Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit, Michigan. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the association of patient demographic characteristics and clinical trial enrollment. RESULTS Ninety-one patients (21%) were enrolled onto a lung cancer clinical trial during the period of the current study. Enrollment was associated significantly with race (P < 0.001), gender (P = 0.048), age (P = 0.005), and insurance type (P = 0.024). After multivariable adjustment, only race and gender remained significant predictors of enrollment. AA patients were less likely to enroll than non-AA patients (odds ratio [OR], 0.485; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.243–0.966), and men were more likely than women to enroll (OR, 1.812; 95% CI, 1.033–3.178). CONCLUSIONS The current results suggest disparities by race and gender in the enrollment of patients onto lung cancer clinical trials and support the need to improve educational and outreach endeavors that would make clinical trials available to a wider range of eligible patients. Cancer 2006. © 2005 American Cancer Society.
Noise Caused by the Interaction of a Rotor with Anisotropic Turbulence

An analytical model of fan noise caused by inflow turbulence, a generalization of earlier work by Mani, is presented. Axisymmetric turbulence theory is used to develop a statistical representation of the inflow turbulence valid for a wide range of turbulence properties. Both the dipole source due to rotor blade unsteady forces and the quadrupole source resulting from the interaction of the turbulence with the rotor potential field are considered. The effects of variations in turbulence properties and fan operating conditions are evaluated. For turbulence axial integral length scales much larger than the blade spacing, the spectrum is shown to consist of sharp peaks at the blade passing frequency and its harmonics, with negligible broadband content. The analysis can then be simplified considerably and the total sound power contained within each spectrum peak becomes independent of axial length scale, while the width of the peak is inversely proportional to this parameter. Large axial length scales are characteristic of static fan test facilities, where the transverse contraction of the inlet flow produces highly anisotropic turbulence. In this situation, the rotor/turbulence interaction noise is caused mainly by the transverse component of turbulent velocity.
Degree of acetylation of heteropolysaccharides.

Abstract The acetyl groups in polysaccharides and glycoproteins have been determined using 4 N HCl at 120 °C for acid hydrolysis. Acetic acid and hexosamine were determined by high-performance cation-exchange chromatography with UV detection and high-performance anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperomeric detection, respectively. The method compares well with other procedures and shows an additional advantage of being able to analyze for hexosamine in the same hydrolyzate, thus permitting the degree of acetylation of hexosamine-containing biopolymers to be determined directly without correction for additional components in the material of interest.
Stability of a microvessel subject to structural adaptation of diameter and wall thickness

Vascular adaptation--or structural changes of microvessels in response to physical and metabolic stresses--can influence physiological processes like angiogenesis and hypertension. To better understand the influence of these stresses on adaptation, Pries et al. (1998, 2001a,b, 2005) have developed a computational model for microvascular adaptation. Here, we reformulate this model in a way that is conducive to a dynamical systems analysis. Using th ese analytic methods, we determine the equilibrium geometries of a single vessel under different conditions and classify its type of stability. We demonstrate that our closed-form solution for vessel geometry exhibits the same regions of stability as the numerical predictions of Pries et al. (2005, Remodeling of blood vessels: responses of diameter and wall thickness to hemodynamic and metabolic stimuli. Hypertension, 46, 725-731). Our analytic approach allows us to predict the existence of limit-cycle oscillations and to extend the model to consider a fixed pressure across the vessel in addition to a fixed flow. Under these fixed pressure conditions, we show that the vessel stability is affected and that the multiple equilibria can exist.
Design and fabrication of a plasmonic fishnet structure for the enhancement of light trapping in thin film solar cells

Incorporating plasmonic structures within the back spacer of thin film solar cells (TFSCs) is an efficient way to improve the cell parameters. The fishnet structure embedded in the back spacer of TFSC results in an enhancement of light absorption in a-Si. The fishnet structure made up of silver was fabricated using electron beam lithography and thermal evaporation. The final fabricated structure optically resembles a TFSC. The results predicted by numerical simulations were reproduced experimentally on a fabricated sample. We show that the reflection is reduced by the presence of the fishnet structure thereby verifying enhanced absorption.
Temperature changes in exhaled breath condensate collection devices affect observed acetone concentrations

Chemical analysis of exhaled breath condensate (EBC) is an emerging method to non-invasively identify and measure potential biomarkers of disease. Various EBC collection methods have been proposed, each with strengths and weaknesses. Recent evidence in the literature suggests that sample collection methodologies could introduce potential artifacts in biomarker measurements. In this study, we tested the effect of thermal changes during condensate collection on measured EBC chemical concentrations. Using both actively-cooled and passively-cooled devices, we measured distinct differences in the amount of condensate that can be collected over discrete time periods. We also found that concentrations of acetone varied with the thermal profile changes in the collection devices, in apparently identical EBC samples. Together, this evidence suggests that great care should be taken to standardize EBC collection methods, and that small deviations in the thermal properties of the collection devices could contribute to confounding EBC measurement artifacts. This has implications for the design and development of future portable breath analysis systems, especially miniature hand-held devices.
KINETIC INVESTIGATION OF THE LIGAND DEPENDENCE OF RABBIT SKELETAL MUSCLE MYOSIN SUBFRAGMENT 1 CYS-697 AND CYS-707 REACTIVITIES

Rate constants for the reactions of Cys-697 and Cys-707 of skeletal muscle myosin subfragment 1 (S1) with N,N'-p-phenylenedimaleimide (pPDM) and its monofunctional analog phenylmaleimide (PM) were measured for S1 and S1 bound to nucleotides and/or actin. The [pPDM] and [PM] dependencies indicate that prereaction noncovalent complexes of S1 and the alkylating agents form. The rates of the pseudo-first-order reactions of the complexes depend on the nucleotide bound. For pPDM, only the rate constant ka (for Cys-707 modification) can be measured. The relative ka magnitudes are S1. MgATPgammaS > S1.MgADP > S1.MgPPi > S1.MgATP > actin.S1.MgADP > S1 > actin.S1 (for which ka approximately 0 s-1). For PM, only ka can be measured for S1.MgATPgammaS and S1.MgPPi. However, for S1, S1. MgADP, and S1.MgATP, ki (for the reaction of Cys-697) can also be measured, and it is also nucleotide sensitive. The data are consistent with a mechanism in which pPDM or PM binds S1 near Cys-707 to form a noncovalent complex that reacts at a rate determined by the relative orientation of the cysteine sulfhydryl and the bound reagent. The simplest mechanism for the cross-linking step that reconciles these data with earlier cross-linker length data and with S1-nucleotide atomic structures is one which has pPDM-S1 complexes exist part of the time in conformations having the helical Cys-697/Cys-707-pPDM region converted to a loop structure which cross-links. The fact that rigor actin.S1 is the slowest and the S1.MgATP analog S1.MgATPgammaS is the fastest to be cross-linked is discussed in terms of possible energetic roles for helix to loop transitions of the Cys-697/Cys-707 region during the ATP hydrolysis cycle.
Evidence of physiological phototropin1 (phot1) action in response to UV-C illumination

Stem growth kinetics were measured in cucumber (Cucumis sativus) and Arabidopsis thaliana using highly-sensitive monitoring with 5-minute resolution, in darkness and in response to a short, single pulse of UV-C illumination. The results show that UV-C, like blue light, induces a rapid decrease in seedling growth rate. The fluence-response kinetics and time course were similar to the phototropin1 mediated response observed following a blue pulse. Arabidopsis seedlings were used to assess the genetic mechanism of this response. The phot1 mutant exhibited defects in stem growth rate inhibition, with sustained growth inhibition completely absent following specific treatments. The cryptochrome and phytochrome mutants exhibited responses comparable to wild type, suggesting that these receptor classes do not contribute to this response. The work demonstrates in two species that UV-C has an effect on a rapid plant photomorphogenic response and that the response is partially mediated by the phot1 photoreceptor.
Radiation-induced transient attenuation of PCS fiber

Some applications of optical fibers require their exposure to intense radiation fields. This exposure can potentially degrade performance of a fiber data link. Research at Los Alamos National Laboratory has recently concentrated on development of an understanding of such radiation effects at short times, less than 100 ns. In previous papers we have identified a particular type of fiber, ITT plastic-clad-silica (PCS) with Suprasil core as optimum for short time radiation-induced attenuation, but that work used very large doses of ionizing radiation, close to 1 Mrad. For these high dose exposures, moderate success in understanding the transient nature of the attenuation was realized with a geminate recombination model. In this paper, we report further studies with ITT PCS fiber over a range of doses and wavelengths. Data on other PCS fibers is included that provide performance comparable to the ITT product. Comparison to several fluorsilicate fibers is also included.
Vascular Lesions in Infants with Congenital Rubella

Vascular lesions were reviewed in 13 autopsied infants with congenital defects of maternal rubella. The characteristic finding was intimal fibromuscular proliferation. The internal elastic lamella and media were almost always unchanged, even in the presence of a greatly thickened intima. These arterial changes appeared to be unlike other vascular lesions described in infancy. Severe and extensive lesions were found in four infants, and lesser changes in another five. The lesions in the pulmonary artery were probably related to clinically diagnosed peripheral pulmonary artery stenosis. Ostial stenosis of a renal artery was found in an infant with documented systemic hypertension.
A note on absolute extrema of certain integrals

Abstract This note deals with a method for finding functions with prescribed endpoints which yield the absolute extrema (minima or maxima) of certain integrals. The technique described below differs from the theory of the variational calculus in two important respects; it leads to an absolute extremum of the given integral and it does so directly , i.e. without a variational argument based on a comparison of neighboring functions.
Synthesis, Structure, and Reactivity of the Sterically Crowded Complex (C5Me4SiMe3)3U

The unusual chemistry obtainable from sterically crowded (C5R5)3M complexes has been explored with M = U and (C5Me4SiMe3)1–, a ligand that has independently provided unexpected uranium chemistry. (C5Me4SiMe3)2UMe2 (1), is reduced by potassium to generate the “ate” salt (C5Me4SiMe3)2UMe2K (2), which reacts with [HNEt3][BPh4] to yield the cationic species [(C5Me4SiMe3)2U][BPh4] (3). KC5Me4SiMe3 reacts with 3 in benzene to form (C5Me4SiMe3)3U, (4). The structure of 4 shows that the displacement of the methyl groups from the cyclopentadienyl ring planes, a useful indicator of steric crowding, is the largest ever observed in a (C5R5)3M complex. The reactivity of 4 is consistent with this structural indicator in that it engages in THF ring opening to form (C5Me4SiMe3)2UO[(CH2)4(C5Me4SiMe3)](THF).
Evolutionary ecology: how to reconcile pelagic dispersal with local adaptation

Because of dispersal, many marine organisms exist in a series of local populations spanning a wide variety of different physical environments. Recruitment is often sporadic, and thus the age structure and density of the population are also highly unpredictable. Rates of gene flow may be high, and this can inhibit local genetic differentiation. How can local adaptation occur when the environments that young or adults will face are so variable and unpredictable? One solution is phenotypic plasticity, a set of specific responses to cues in the environment that indicate local conditions critical to fitness. In some cases local populations may be very finely tuned to the local environment. Other environmental factors simply cannot be predicted by adults. For such cases, fixed responses are the best solution, averaged over the dispersed range of the species. Such fixed responses may be highly maladaptive at many local levels. Their validity cannot be interpreted in studies that restrict themselves to a few localities. The relative roles of local genetic differentiation, phenotypic plasticity, and large-scale fixed responses in determining behavior and morphology should be a function of the selective regime, the degree of larval dispersal (and hence the gene flow among populations), and the detection abilities of the benthic individuals. Phenotypic plasticity may most likely occur in species with widely dispersed larvae and good sensory capabilities. In contrast, corals may employ a strategy of simply varying the phenotypes of their young, as do some plant species.
Crystal growth within a phase change memory cell.

Phase change materials play a key role in information technology. Here, the authors measure the crystal growth velocity in doped Ge2Sb2Te5 up to the melting temperature, exploiting the nanoscale dimensions and the fast thermal dynamics of a phase change memory cell.
Electromagnetic decay of the second excited state of C^(12)

It was desired to determine what fraction of C^(12) nuclei in the second excited state decay electromagnetically to the ground state instead of by alpha emission. The state was formed with the reaction N^(14)(d,α)C^(12)* by bombarding a thin vanadium nitride target on carbon foil with 1.8-MeV deuterons. Recoil C^(12)nuclei were observed in coincidence with the alpha particles from the reaction. The alphas were detected with a surface-barrier counter set at the appropriate unique angle, and the recoiling nuclei at 90° were analyzed in momentum with a magnetic spectrometer, in energy by a surface-barrier counter at the spectrometer focus, and in velocity by the time delay between the alpha and the C^(12) counts. Pulses of 40-nsec width were recorded photographically from a Tektronix type 555 dual-beam oscilloscope, providing a time resolution of 5 nsec, and also allowing pulse height analysis on the fast pulses. Of the C^(12) nuclei formed in the second excited state, 99.9+ per cent decay by alpha emission to Be^8 and are not detected; only those which decay to the C^(12) ground state by gamma or pair emission will be seen. Thus the experiment provides a direct measurement of Г_(rad)/Г. The value of Г_(rad) = (Г_γ + Г_e±) has astrophysical significance determining the rate of C^(12) formation in the He-burning process in red giant stars. Analysis of 170 observed events gives Г_(rad)/Г = (2.8±0.3) x 10^(-4) . Averaged with a value of (3.3 ± 0.9) X 10^(-4) obtained by Alburger, and combined with a value of Г =(8 ± 5) eV, the result is Г_(rad) = (0.0024 ± 0.0015) eV, which is two-and-one-half times the value used in previous astrophysical calculations.
Common object request broker architecture (CORBA)-based security services for the Virtual Radiology Environment

The US Army Great Plains Regional Medical Command (GPRMC) has a requirement to conform to Department of Defense (DoD) and Army security policies for the Virtual Radiology Environment (VRE) Project. Within the DoD, security policy is defined as the set of laws, rules, and practices that regulate how an organization manages, protects, and distributes sensitive information. Security policy in the DoD is described by the Trusted Computer System Evaluation Criteria (TCSEC), Army Regulation (AR) 380-19, Defense Information Infrastructure Common Operating Environment (DII COE), Military Health Services System Automated Information Systems Security Policy Manual, and National Computer Security Center-TG-005, “Trusted Network Interpretation.” These documents were used to develop a security policy that defines information protection requirements that are made with respect to those laws, rules, and practices that are required to protect the information stored and processed in the VREProject. The goal of the security policy is to provide, for a C2-level of information protection while also satisfying the functional needs of the GPRMC’s user community. This report summarizes the security policy for the VRE and defines the CORBA security services that satisfy the policy. In the VRE, the information to be protected is embedded into three major information components: (1) Patient information consists of Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM)-formatted fields. The patients information resides in the digital imaging network picture archiving and communication system (DIN-PACS) networks in the database archive systems and includes (a) patient demographics; (b) patient images from x-ray, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and ultrasound (US); and (c) prior patient images and related patient history. (2) Meta-Manager information to be protected consists of several data objects. This information is distributed to the Meta-Manager nodes and includes (a) radiologist schedules; (b) modality worklists; (c) routed case information; (d) DIN-PACS and Composite Health Care system (CHCS), messages, and Meta-Manager administrative and security information; and (e) patient case information. (3) Access control and communications security is required in the VRE to control who uses the VRE and Meta-Manager facilities and to secure the messages between VRE components. The CORBA Security Service Specification version 1.5 is designed to allow up to TCSEC’s B2-level security for distributed objects. The CORBA Security Service Specification defines the functionality of several security features: identification and authentication, authorization and access control, security auditing, communication security, nonrepudiation, and security administration. This report describes the enhanced security features for the VRE and their implementation using commercial CORBA Security Service software products.
Mediator analysis of Moms on the Move

This study examined whether improvements in physical activity discovered in a test of Moms on the Move were mediated by the behavioral constructs from which the intervention was derived. Identifying mediator variables is vital for intervention planning. The intervention was derived from the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) of behavior change and promoted moderately intense activities like walking. Sedentary mothers with children enrolled in the Women, Infants, and Children program (N = 44) were randomly assigned to the experimental intervention or attention control. Large effect sizes were reported for improvements in physical activity and changes in TTM constructs. This study examined whether the physical activity improvements were mediated by the behavioral constructs. Statistical analyses used bivariate correlation coefficients and two-stage multiple linear regression. These exploratory findings did not support the hypothesis that increased physical activity, which was associated with the experimental intervention, was mediated by the TTM constructs.
A High Order Explicit Method for the Computation of Flow About a Circular Cylinder

In this paper a finite difference method for computing the solutions of the incompressible NavierÂ?Stokes equations for flow about a circular cylinder in two dimensions is presented. A stream function/vorticity formulation of the equation is used and the numerical method incorporates recent developments in the computation of vorticity boundary conditions as well as far field boundary conditions. Three schemes are described, one of second order accuracy, one of fourth order accuracy, and a hybrid method which is second order accurate in the computation of the vorticity transport and fourth order accurate in the determination of the stream function. Fully resolved solutions for flow past a cylinder have been computed over a range of Reynolds numbers from 1000 to 9500. Comparisons are made between the results obtained with methods of different orders of accuracy as well as of the effectiveness of the vorticity and far field boundary conditions.
Modeling and forecasting energy markets with the intermediate future forecasting system

This paper describes the Intermediate Future Forecasting System IFFS, which is the model used to forecast integrated energy markets by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The model contains representations of supply and demand for all of the major fuels consumed in the United States, and is a partial equilibrium model containing a large number of equations and inequalities. We discuss methods for solving the models, as well as the convergence properties of the solution procedure. We also present issues associated with managing large models.
Arterial and venous compromise by an osteochondroma

A 9.5-year-old girl had popliteal arterial and venous compression by a distal femoral osteochondroma. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated the relation of the vessels to the osteochondroma and a three-phase bone scintigram showed asymmetry of arterial perfusion and evidence of venous stasis.
A dosimetric comparison of MammoSite high-dose-rate brachytherapy and Xoft Axxent electronic brachytherapy

Purpose Over 20,000 patients have been treated with partial breast irradiation (PBI) using the MammoSite balloon brachytherapy applicator (IBB). Recently, a new form of balloon-based PBI, Xoft Axxent electronic brachytherapy (KVB), which uses a 50-kV x-ray source, has been introduced. This analysis was undertaken to dosimetrically compare the results of treatment using these two methods of PBI. Methods and Materials The study population consisted of 15 patients previously treated with IBB. The planning CT scans from these 15 patients were used to construct hypothetical treatment plans using the source characteristics of the KVB device. The plans were then compared using the dosimetric parameters discussed below. Results The mean %V90 was 99.6% vs. 99.0% (p = nonsignificant [ns]), the mean %V100 was 96.5% vs. 96.5%, the mean %V150 was 41.8% vs. 59.4% (p < 0.05), the mean %V200 was 11.3% vs. 32.0% (p < 0.05), and the mean %V300 was 0.4% vs. 6.7% (p < 0.05) for the IBB and KVB methods, respectively. The mean ipsilateral breast %V50 was 19.8% vs. 13.0% (p < 0.05), the mean ipsilateral lung %V30 was 3.7% vs. 1.1% (p < 0.05), and the mean heart %V5 was 59.2% vs. 9.4% (p < 0.05) for the IBB and KVB methods, respectively. Conclusions The IBB and KVB methods of PBI offer comparable target volume coverage; however, the KVB method is associated with an increased volume of breast tissue in the high-dose regions and a decreased dose to the adjacent normal tissues.
Indications of increasing land surface evaporation during the second half of the 20th century

[1] It is generally agreed that the evaporation from pans has been decreasing for the past half century over many regions of the Earth. However, the significance of this negative trend, as regards terrestrial evaporation, is still somewhat controversial, and its implications for the global hydrologic cycle remain unclear. The controversy stems from the alternative views that these evaporative changes resulted, either from global radiative dimming, or from the complementary relationship between pan and terrestrial evaporation. Actually, these factors are not mutually exclusive but act concurrently. It is shown quantitatively that, if the presently available data records are taken at face value, despite global dimming, the observed decreases in pan evaporation are generally evidence of increased terrestrial evaporation in those regions. This is consistent with independent hydrologic budget calculations for several large river basins in the USA, and likely further evidence of an accelerating hydrologic cycle in many areas.
Bimodal throughout characteristics of a single-hop WDM system

A WDM-based single-hop local lightwave network is considered. The system can support a large number of users (M), and employs a limited number of WDM channels (N + 1), N of which are used for data transmission, while the (N + 1 )th is used as a control channel through which nodes arbitrate their transmission rights on data channels. Each node is equipped with a transmitter and a receiver, both of which are tunable over all N + 1 channels. Protocol and performance studies on such a system have been conducted before.1,2
Electron heat flow in the solar corona: Implications of non‐Maxwellian velocity distributions, the solar gravitational field, and Coulomb collisions

[1] It has long been known that weak electron temperature gradients in fully ionized plamas (satisfying λ ∣∇Te∣/Te ≲ 10−4, where λe is the electron mean free path and Te is the electron temperature) can lead to the development of significant non-Maxwellian suprathermal tails on electron velocity distributions, invalidating the Spitzer and Harm [1953] perturbation theory [Gray and Kilkenny, 1980; Bell et al., 1981; Scudder and Olbert, 1983]. In this paper we work out the implications of such nonlocal heat flow for electrons in the solar corona, comparing a new analytical theory to numerical solutions of the Fokker-Planck equation. While electron-electron Coulomb collisions are strong enough at coronal densities to influence the local temperature, the electron heat flux is determined by the essentially collisionless high-energy tail. The deceleration of suprathermal electrons in the polarization electric field allows electron heat to flow radially outward against the local temperature gradient, in contrast to the local thermodynamic equilibrium picture, in which heat is constrained to flow down the local temperature gradient. We discuss the implications of this effect for empirical constraints of coronal heating mechanisms.
Mating Behavior Drives Seed Dispersal by the Long-wattled Umbrellabird Cephalopterus penduliger

Frugivores exhibit considerable variation in the seed dispersal services they provide. Understanding what drives these differences is a key goal for ecologists because of the central role seed dispersal plays in shaping ecological and genetic diversity in plant populations. The lek-mating system of the Long-wattled Umbrellabird (Cephalopterus penduliger) provides a powerful lens to examine how mating behavior may impact seed dispersal outcomes. As in all lek-breeding species, male Umbrellabirds congregate in traditional sites (leks) to display, whereas females are solitary and visit leks only rarely. This study demonstrates how differences in mating behavior between the sexes drive distinctive seed movement and deposition patterns by male vs. female Umbrellabirds. Using radio tracking and gut retention trials, we documented divergent movement patterns between the sexes that are directly attributable to mating behavior differences. These movement differences led males to disperse seeds long distances from source trees and to deposit the majority of seeds they ingested within the lek; females dispersed seeds shorter distances and more evenly across the landscape. We empirically confirmed that the density of dispersed seeds was higher in leks than in control areas outside the lek, yet found no evidence that this higher density of seeds in leks reduced probability of seedling establishment. This research not only provides a mechanistic explanation for long dispersal distances and high levels of genetic diversity previously reported for seeds in Umbrellabird leks, but also highlights the importance of explicitly considering behavior in studies of animal-mediated seed dispersal.
LONGITUDINAL CHANGES IN BRAIN MRI AND NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL MEASURES IN ASYMPTOMATIC AND SYMPTOMATIC FAMILIAL FRONTOTEMPORAL LOBAR DEGENERATION WITH MUTATIONS IN MAPT

idences have confirmed the significant volume loss and disrupted connectivity pattern of the thalamus in AD/MCI subjects. The present study is to investigate alteration of thalamic functional connectivity in patients with MCI during a one year follow-up. Methods: Neuropsychological tests and thalamic functional connectivity based on resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) were evaluated in 13 MCI subjects (age 74.568.7years, gender 8M/5F) both at the baseline and one year later. Results: After mean 13 6 2.2 months, one MCI subject converted to mild AD. The Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) score decreased significantly over the period (23.762.5 versus 21.764.7, p 1⁄4 0.04), while the mini-mental state examination (MMSE) score decreased numerically in the follow-up (27.361.8 versus 25.863.4, p 1⁄40.10). Compared to the baseline, the MCI patients demonstrated decreased functional connectivity between the left thalamus and left inferior parietal cortex (IPC), left putamen and right cerebellar posterior lobe one year later. Decreased functional connectivity was also detected between the right thalamus and left putamen in the follow-upMCI.Conclusions:We suggest that the MoCA can be used as an effective tool in longitudinal studies of MCI. The impaired functional connection between the thalamus and various brain regions which are involved with higher cognition functions may be associated with the progression of illness in the MCI subjects. These results provided new evidence for the longitudinal alteration of the functional abnormality in the MCI.
CHROMOSOMAL CONTROL OF FERTILITY IN DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER. I. RESCUE OF T(Y;A)/bbl-158 MALE STERILITY BY CHROMOSOME REARRANGEMENT

Many translocations between the Y chromosome and a major autosome have no effect on the fertility of Drosophila melanogaster males. However, when such translocation-bearing males also carry an X chromosome deficient for a large portion of the centric heterochromatin, they are generally sterile. This has been interpreted to be the result of an interaction between the deficiency and the subterminally capped autosome. Using this observation as a starting point, we have developed a selection scheme for radiation-induced translocation resealings that depends on the prediction that fertility in the presence of such a deficient X is restored whenever the displaced autosomal tip is brought back in association with an autosomal centromere. The observation and the prediction form the basis for what is referred to as the autosomal continuity model for male fertility.—Such a mutagenesis scheme offers several advantages. (1) It is efficient, producing upward of 1% resealings in some cases. (2) It is simple; since fertility is the basis for the selective screen, many males can be tested in a single vial. (3) It can be used to simultaneously generate both duplications and deficiencies specific for chromosomal material adjacent to the original translocation breakpoints. (4) The target for mutagenesis can be mature sperm.—Analysis of the pattern of male-fertile rearrangements obtained from several translocation lines using this protocol indicates that continuity of the autosomal tips and their centromeres is neither a necessary nor sufficient condition for male fertility in the presence of a bobbed-deficient X . Thus, the simple autosomal continuity model is not adequate to explain this complicated mechanism of chromosomal control of fertility and will have to be revised accordingly. Potential future lines of inquiry toward this goal are discussed.
Localized epidermal necrolysis (erythema multiforme‐like reaction) following intravenous injection of vinblastine

We report a case of localized epidermal necrolysis that developed 24 hours after an intravenous injection of vinblastine. Clinically, the lesions consisted of erythematous macules, vesicles, and bullae with a linear arrangement over the injected vein. Histologically, the lesions showed features closely resembling erythema multiforme (epidermal necrolysis). We discuss the pathogenesis of this curious cutaneous drug reaction and review the literature concerning local cutaneous complications associated with intravenously administered chemotherapeutic agents.
Application of projective controls technique to singularly perturbed systems

The projective controls approach was introduced by J. Medanic (1978) for regular linear time-invariant systems. The systems considered have the two-time-scale property. This property is exploited, and the projective controls approach is applied to the slow system. It is shown that it is possible to reduce the computational burden by solving a lower-order control problem. The relation between the cost due to a state feedback regulator and the cost obtained using the projective controls approach are discussed. >
Malathion Exposure and the Incidence of Cancer in the Agricultural Health Study

Malathion is the most common organophosphate insecticide applied in the United States, and while some studies suggest that it may be clastogenic, its carcinogenicity has not been demonstrated in rodents. However, malathion has been associated with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in several epidemiologic studies. The authors investigated associations between malathion exposure and cancer among 19,717 pesticide applicators enrolled in the Agricultural Health Study between 1993 and 1997. Information on lifetime years and days per year of use and intensity of malathion exposure was obtained with self-administered questionnaires prior to the onset of any cancer. The average follow-up time was 7.5 years (1993-2002). Rate ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated using Poisson regression, adjusting for potential confounders. Overall, lifetime days of malathion use (top tertile of exposure, >39 days) was not associated with all cancers combined (rate ratio = 0.97, 95% confidence interval: 0.81, 1.15). The risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was not associated with malathion use, although the number of cases was small. The risk of melanoma with more than 39 lifetime exposure-days was 0.39 (95% confidence interval: 0.14, 1.03). In summary, malathion exposure was not clearly associated with cancer at any of the sites examined. Although the rate ratios for melanoma were reduced, small numbers and lack of experimental evidence suggest that the observed reductions may have arisen by chance.
Reconfigurable and programmable System-On-Chip hardware platform for real-time ultrasonic testing applications

Present day ultrasonic signal processing applications such as medical imaging and non-destructive testing has stringent requirements on low cost and portability to provide high quality diagnostics and characterization at real-time pace. Advancements in the field of digital signal processing, embedded computing, and semiconductor technologies, have significantly assisted ultrasound researchers in the development of low-cost, portable, and computationally efficient systems. In this study, a reconfigurable and programmable ultrasonic testing system (RPUTS) is designed and developed to effortlessly test and evaluate a wide variety of ultrasonic signal processing applications. RPUTS integrates a reconfigurable Analog Front-End (AFE) which supports up to 8 transducers suitable for phased-array implementations. The back-end processing is provided by Xilinx Zynq System-on-Chip (SoC) which includes a powerful embedded ARM processor. Zynq SoC manages the overall system configuration as well as the execution of the signal processing algorithms. This study demonstrates the capabilities of RPUTS by realizing a complete ultrasonic testing system which acquires ultrasonic data and performs high-speed 3D compression on the acquired data at real-time rate.
Scalable implementations of MPI atomicity for concurrent overlapping I/O

For concurrent I/O operations, atomicity defines the results in the overlapping file regions simultaneously read/written by requesting processes. Atomicity has been well studied at the file system level, such as POSIX standard. We investigate the problems arising from the implementation of MPI atomicity for concurrent overlapping write access and provide two programming solutions. Since the MPI definition of atomicity differs from the POSIX one, an implementation that simply relies on the POSIX file systems does not guarantee correct MPI semantics. To have a correct implementation of atomic I/O in MPI, we examine the efficiency of three approaches: I) file locking, 2) graph-coloring, and 3) process-rank ordering. Performance complexity for these methods are analyzed and their experimental results are presented for file systems including NFS, SGI's XFS, and IBM's GPFS
DPM and DFID: Interactive tools for evidence-based decision making

As engineering managers, we can learn lessons from the healthcare sector concerning evidence-based tools. When new healthcare facilities are built, providers seek design evidence from their peers to make design decisions that have positive impacts on the patient and on their employees. Two tools are profiled: the Design Performance Matrix (DPM) and the Design Feature Implementation Dashboard (DFID). The DPM uses the House of Quality from Quality Function Deployment (QFD) to map demanded qualities to specific design features. The DFID uses the resulting design features in an interactive web-based (or intranet-based) tool. These tools use the existing evidence base for design decisions and, in the process, continue the cycle of producing evidence for other providers. Managers can set up several scenarios to find the right mix of decisions to suit customer needs and organizational budgets. Case data from a healthcare example are used to demonstrate the DPM and DFID tools. Implications for using these tools in typical engineering management settings are identified.
Modeling for solder self-assembled MEMS

A new method of assembling MEMS is being developed that uses solder surface tension force to manipulate and assemble MEMS 3D structures. Modeling is critical to design solder joints for precision assembly. An accurate model has been developed based on the principle of surface energy minimization. Using surface evolver software, this model considers 3D MEMS configurations with different pad dimensions, geometries, and volumes of the solder joint. The software calculates solder shapes with local minimum surface energies and identifies the final shape with the global minimum energy. A two-plate popped-up MEMS structure was modeled and experimentally measured. The experiment confirmed the model could predict the final, equilibrium angle to within +/- 2 degrees. This accuracy level is actually limited by the experimental error bar of +/- 2 degrees, which was caused by the volume variation of the solder spheres used. The model's accuracy is expected to be much better. Nevertheless, the present model, with the verified accuracy, can help MEMS researchers design innovative 3D MEMS assembled using solder.
Creation Stories: Myths about the Origin of Money

A myth about the origins of money has long organized modern approaches to the medium. According to that creation story, money is the natural product of human exchange. It can be analogized to a commodity like silver that comes to hand out of the decentralized activity of trading or a convention like language that arises out of a consensus about the value of an item. But if we consider clues about money’s origins and extrapolate from its continuing practice, another story comes into focus. It suggests that money is a constitutional project, a mode of governance for a material world. Money is a means of mobilizing resources across a collective, one created when people advance in-kind value to a stakeholder in return for a unit that represents that advance. The process both entails material value – the advance to the stakeholder is real – and converts it into a form that everyone else recognizes – the advance holds independent value because it offers a countable measure that can be transferred to make final payments. Money creation tied to a fiscal backbone can be expanded in response to the demand for cash: that practice accords both with modern economic theory and the English medieval history that furnishes the setting here. In contrast to the dominating myths about money, the “stakeholder” creation story explains how each of money’s functions is institutionalized and how that activity shapes “the market” that is made by money.
Reaction Dynamics in Polyatomic Molecular Systems: Some Approaches for Constructing Potential Energy Surfaces and Incorporating Quantum Effects in Classical Trajectory Simulations

This paper deals with the two essential tasks necessary to model chemical reactions theoretically: obtaining the potential energy surface (i.e., the electronic energy of the molecular system as a function of nuclear positions) and then determining the dynamical motion of the nuclei/atoms governed by it.
Toward a General Framework for Microarray Data Comparison

Microarray data management and analysis is emerging as an important area in bioinformatics. Due to the semi-structure nature of microarrays and the huge amount of probes in each slide, traditional database technology can not be applied directly. Microarray analyses have focused on finding differentially expressed as well as co-expressed genes among a single set of arrays associated with an experiment. We consider the problem of normalization among multiple cDNA microarray datasets from various experiments having different array platforms and non-identical sets of cDNA probes. In this paper, we provide a systematic approach for normalizing sets of arrays based on a subset of common cDNA probes shared between different datasets. Our preliminary experiments using two publicly available datasets showed that the proposed approach is feasible and can be adapted to different datasets effectively.
Interactive voice response to assess residents' laparoscopic skills: an instrument validation study.

Abstract Objective The study was undertaken to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) instrument to assess laparoscopic surgical skills of residents. Study design Surgical competence of obstetric-gynecologic residents at the University of Ottawa (Canada) was evaluated after observed performance of skills. Three questions addressing general domains of surgical skill were rated per surgery using a 5-point Likert scale: overall, 993 surgical ratings were made by 29 residents and 13 faculty preceptors. Results With use of a generalizability study, a minimum of 12 preceptor ratings (G = 0.80) are needed to obtain reliable measures of residents' surgical skills. Item analysis indicated that the three items on the instrument were highly correlated (Cronbach α = .92). Elements of construct validity were evident for diagnostic and simple laparoscopic procedures. Conclusion The IVR instrument can be a valid and reliable measure of residents' surgical skills. The IVR ratings functioned as a global rating scale, capturing overall elements of surgical skills. The ratings on the IVR tool had construct validity with improved performance with increased surgical training and experience.
Maintaining Art-World Membership: Self-taught Identity Work of the Florida Highwaymen

In this article, we examine how a group of aging black artists, labeled The Florida Highwaymen, maintained membership in a self-taught art world. Based on fieldwork, interviews, and Web sites, we analyze how the artists constructed identities in ways that enabled them to continue benefiting from the art world, even when they appeared in violation of membership criteria or codes. Such identity work involved affiliating with the artist collective, aligning with the self-taught identity code, and denying and reframing code violations. Rather than adopting racist imagery employed by art-world insiders, they drew from color-blind tactics and cultural discourses to maintain membership in the self-taught art world, and their dignity. Our study demonstrates the usefulness of an identity work approach for the sociology of art worlds and has implications for exploring how people construct selves to maintain membership benefits in other social arenas.
Optimizing watermarking to improve the robustness without affecting the fidelity

One of the expected application areas for the practical use of the watermarking technology is for protecting contents from illegal distribution and/or copying, such as for DVD copy protection. In such application areas, the watermarked contents should be robust with regards to various kinds of post-processing, such as digital-to-analog or analog-to-digital (D/A, A/D) conversion, MPEG compression, and VHS recording. This paper introduces a watermark embedding method that maximizes the strength of the detected watermark signal, an embedding method robust against MPEG compression, and an embedding method robust against VHS recording, without affecting the fidelity of the watermarked contents.
A compact quadrature coupler based on coupled artificial transmission lines

A new compact quadrature hybrid based upon artificial transmission lines (ATLs) is presented. Miniaturization is achieved through reduced even- and odd-mode phase velocities which are achieved using capacitive loading with interdigital open-circuited stubs. A proof-of-concept microstrip implementation of the quadrature hybrid exhibits performance comparable to a conventional branch-line coupler while occupying only 14% of the area. The compact structure of the hybrid is useful for RF applications and is suitable for scaling to frequencies above 100GHz where the size of shielded-microstrip components must be limited to prevent excitation of high-order modes.