cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Alkaloid content in two Erythroxylum taxa during juvenile growth and development

ABSTRACT Erythroxylum coca var. coca Lam. And Erythroxylum novogranatense var. novogranatense (Morris) Hieron (E.n. var. novogranatense) were grown in a controlled environment for 52 weeks to monitor the content of hygrine, tropinone, tropacocaine, methyl ecgonine, cocaine and cis- and trans-cinnamoylcocaine in seeds, plant parts, and organs during juvenile growth. Embryos and endosperms of var. coca contained cocaine while only embryos of var. novogranatense contained cocaine. Tropacocaine was present in hypocotyls, stems and roots of var. novogranatense, but not in var. coca. Trans-cinnamoylcocaine was the most abundant alkaloid in cotyledons (12 weeks after seeding) and leaves (24 weeks after seeding) in both var. coca and var. novogranatense. After 52 weeks of seeding growth, cocaine was the preeminent alkaloid in leaves of both taxons with a cocaine content of 0.66 percent in var. coca and 1.04 percent in var. novogranatense.
The Use of Intraoperative Echocardiography with Doppler Color Flow Imaging in the Repair of Congenital Heart Defects

Surgical repair of congenital cardiac defects has undergone a remarkable evolution in the past decade. Major defects are now often completely corrected in early infancy with continually improving rates of survival. It has become clear that the next major focus will be improvements in the long-term quality-of-life and this has prompted many innovations in surgical technique and approach. One advance is the use of intraoperative echocardiography with Doppler color flow imaging to evaluate the exactness of operative repair. Aside from anecdotal reports, very little information is available regarding the interpretation of images produced by this technology in the operating room. Furthermore, there have been no studies addressing the predictive value of intraoperative echocardiography with Doppler color flow imaging findings with respect to outcome for patients undergoing repair of congenital cardiac defects. The prospective data obtained by following the course of 273 patients receiving intraoperative echocardiography with Doppler color flow imaging has been reviewed after repair of a variety of congenital cardiac defects (age range 1–53 years; mean 5.3 years; smallest patient 1.8 kg). The average time required to perform a complete intraoperative echocardiography with Doppler color flow imaging evaluation was 3.64 ± 1.73 minutes. Except for mild ectopy induced by pressure from the transducer, complications of the procedure were minimal. Echocardiography with Doppler color flow imaging revealed previously unsuspected details of the anatomy in 21% of patients and in 47% of patients, it was felt that the prebypass echocardiography with Doppler color flow imaging impacted in some way on planning of the operative procedure. Echocardiography with Doppler color flow imaging was 2.5 times more likely to provide help in planning the operation if a previously unrecognized anatomical finding was disclosed. Postbypass evaluation revealed that 47 patients (17%) had initially unacceptable results, by echocardiography, at the completion of their repair. Eighteen of these patients (7% of the entire series) had no clinical problems and the defects were discernible only by echocardiography. Twenty-six patients with initially unacceptable results had their repairs revised in the operating room and left with an acceptable result by echocardiography. Twenty-one patients were allowed to leave the operating room with echocardiographically discernible defects. Follow-up of these patients demonstrated a significantly higher (P 90% likelihood of a long-term acceptable outcome compared to patients who had any problem of concern, whose long-term likelihood of an acceptable outcome approached 50% (P < 0.0125). The results of this study demonstrate that echocardiography with Doppler color flow imaging can provide useful information to surgeons at the time of repair for congenital cardiac defects.
2-D shift-invariant volume holographic correlator

Abstract We describe a shift-invariant optical correlator with a volume hologram as a matched filter. Shift-invariance is achieved by the combination of degeneracy in one direction and image shifting in the perpendicular direction. The amount of shift-invariance along the degeneracy direction is evaluated and various methods to achieve image shifting are proposed. Both theoretical and experimental results are presented and discussed.
Radiative Emission Measurement Of No In Hot. Particulate-Laden Power Plant Flows

This article presents the results of a radiative emission measurement of NO made with a custom Fabry-Perot interferometer at the Arapahoe IV power plant in Colorado. The power plant measurements were done to demonstrate the instrument's ability to nonintrusively monitor NO in a field environment.
Improving Numerical Weather Predictions of Summertime Precipitation over the Southeastern United States through a High-Resolution Initialization of the Surface State

It is hypothesized that high-resolution, accurate representations of surface properties such as soil moisture and sea surface temperature are necessary to improve simulations of summertime pulse-type convective precipitation in high resolution models. This paper presents model verification results of a case study period from June-August 2008 over the Southeastern U.S. using the Weather Research and Forecasting numerical weather prediction model. Experimental simulations initialized with high-resolution land surface fields from the NASA Land Information System (LIS) and sea surface temperature (SST) derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) are compared to a set of control simulations initialized with interpolated fields from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction 12-km North American Mesoscale model. The LIS land surface and MODIS SSTs provide a more detailed surface initialization at a resolution comparable to the 4-km model grid spacing. Soil moisture from the LIS spin-up run is shown to respond better to the extreme rainfall of Tropical Storm Fay in August 2008 over the Florida peninsula. The LIS has slightly lower errors and higher anomaly correlations in the top soil layer, but exhibits a stronger dry bias in the root zone. The model sensitivity to the alternative surface initial conditions is examined for a sample case, showing that the LIS/MODIS data substantially impact surface and boundary layer properties.
Practices and Standards for Data and Processing at the APS

The handling of datasets at scientific user facilities is becoming progressively more challenging as advances in sources and detectors drive increasingly aggressive data acquisition rates. The ability to share and process these data depends on the ability of the originator of the data and the persons making use of that data to unequivocally agree on what these data mean. This understanding is driven by use of standardized data formats.
The protein kinase PKR is required for p38 MAPK activation and the innate immune response to bacterial endotoxin

Protein kinase RNA-regulated (PKR) is an established component of innate antiviral immunity. Recently, PKR has been shown to be essential for signal transduction in other situations of cellular stress. The relationship between PKR and the stress-activated protein kinases (SAPKs), such as p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), is not clear. Using embryonic fibroblasts from PKR wild-type and null mice, we established a requirement for PKR in the activation of SAPKs by double-stranded RNA, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and proinflammatory cytokines. This does not reflect a global failure to activate SAPKs in the PKR-null background as these kinases are activated normally by anisomycin and other physicochemical stress. Activation of p38 MAPK was restored in immortalized PKR-null cells by reconstitution with human PKR. We also show that LPS induction of interleukin-6 and interleukin-12 mRNA is defective in PKR-null cells, and that production of these cytokines is impaired in PKR-null mice challenged with LPS. Our findings indicate, for the first time, that PKR is required for p38 MAPK signaling and plays a potentially important role in the innate response against bacterial endotoxin.
Risk factors for intracerebral and subarachnoid hemorrhage among Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites in a New Mexico community.

Background and Objective: A higher incidence of spontaneous intracerebral and subarachnoid hemorrhage among Hispanics than non-Hispanic whites has been measured in Bernalillo County, New Mexico. In an attempt to explain these differences, we compared historical vascular risk factors between Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites living in this community. Methods: An ongoing telephone survey, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, collected annual data about vascular risk factors among non-institutionalized, randomly selected adults. Data covering 6 years, 1988–1993, were analyzed. Results: There were 843 Hispanic and 1,635 non-Hispanic white residents of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, who participated in this survey. Because Hispanics were significantly younger than non-Hispanic whites (37.7 vs. 43.4 years, p Conclusion: The vascular risk factors which we compared between Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites do not help to explain the higher incidence of hemorrhagic strokes among the Hispanics in Bernalillo County, New Mexico. Additional risk factors for hemorrhagic strokes in these two ethnic groups should be studied.
Modeling techniques for medical diagnosis I. Heuristics and learning programs in selected neonatal hepatic disease

Abstract Four methods have been employed in attempting to solve the differential diagnosis problem of neonatal hepatitis and extrahepatic biliary atresia. The primary method utilized is a heuristic and learning program approach. Three other approaches are considered: Fletcher-Powell function optimization, cluster analysis, and discriminant analysis. In the heuristic and learning program approach, a heuristic model of the bilirubin flow is initially formulated and programmed in FORTRAN-V to run on a UNIVAC-1108 computer. Blockage of this flow occurs in the two disease entities under consideration, and proper interpretation of the resultant flow may be of aid in differential diagnosis. Learning program techniques utilizing learning patients' data are employed to cause convergence to the best possible model. The final model obtained presented a disease profile that allowed the correct diagnosis of all of the learning patients. This diease profile is felt to be useful for differential diagnosis.
Foundations for low-loss fiber gradient-index lens pair coupling with the self-imaging mechanism

A fiber-optic collimator that emits a Gaussian beam with its beam waist at a certain distance after the exit face of the lens is labeled a self-imaging collimator. For such a collimator, the waist of the emitted Gaussian beam and its location are partly dependent on the properties of the gradient-index (GRIN) lens. Parameters for the self-imaging collimator are formulated in terms of the parameters of a GRIN lens (e.g., pitch, core refractive index, gradient index, length) and the optical wavelength. Next, by use of the Gaussian beam approximation, a general expression for the coupling power loss between two self-imaging-type single-mode fiber (SMF) collimators is, for the first time to our knowledge, derived as a function of three types of misalignment, namely, separation, lateral offset, and angular tilt misalignment. A coupling experiment between two self-imaging collimators with changing separation distance is successfully performed and matches the proposed self-imaging mechanism coupling loss theory. In addition, using a prism, lateral offset, as well as angular tilt, misalignments are experimentally simulated for a two self-imaging collimator coupling condition by a single collimator reflective test geometry. Experimental results agree well with the proposed loss formulas for self-imaging GRIN lenses. Hence, for the first time to our knowledge, the mathematical foundations are laid for employing self-imaging-type fiber collimators in SMF-based free-space systems allowing optimal design for ultra-low-loss coupling.
Coherent Two-Photon Excitation by Multiple Light Pulses

We have studied Doppler-free two-photon excitation of atoms with a train of phase-coherent standing-wave light pulses, originating from the same laser pulse. Quantum interference effects produce narrow spectral fringes which have a physical origin similar to that of Ramsey fringes. Linewidths much less than the Fourier-transform limit of an individual light pulse have been observed for the sodium $3S\ensuremath{-}5S$ transition; and a dramatic enhancement of the resonant signal is possible.
Neutral beam injection on the Tokamak fusion test reactor

The neutral beam injection experiment on TFTR has now been underway for over two years, during which time we have injected as much as about 20 MW of beam power at energies up to 110 keV. We have obtained qualitative evidence of direct current drive by the injected beam ions. Recently we have produced plasmas in which the energy confinement time, βp, neutron emission, stored energy (both total and electron), and ion temperature exhibit a pronounced enhancement over previous behavior. Under these conditions we have obtained preliminary indications that significant bootstrap current is being driven. Operation will continue with new sources with which we should be able to increase the beam pulse length fourfold.
Integrating power semiconductor device courses in electrical engineering curricula, a review paper

The skills needed to build the next-generation of power semiconductor devices and to integrate them into power electronic systems require proper education and training of engineering students, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels. To assess the current state of power electronics education, a study of curricular offering in power electronics in the U.S. universities is conducted. The study shows that there is a lack of course offering in semiconductor power devices with a lack of critical topics such as thermal management, temperature effects, reliability, power packaging, modeling, systems integration, and failure analysis. To remedy these deficiencies, new power electronics tracks/concentrations for undergraduate and graduate programs are proposed. The proposed curricular modifications are designed to be rigorous to meet the future needs of the power electronic industry, but flexible enough to be easily adopted by different institutions.
Cyclic Seesaw Process for Optimization and Identification

A known approach to optimization is the cyclic (or alternating or block coordinate) method, where the full parameter vector is divided into two or more subvectors and the process proceeds by sequentially optimizing each of the subvectors, while holding the remaining parameters at their most recent values. One advantage of such a scheme is the preservation of potentially large investments in software, while allowing for an extension of capability to include new parameters for estimation. A specific case of interest involves cross-sectional data that is modeled in state–space form, where there is interest in estimating the mean vector and covariance matrix of the initial state vector as well as certain parameters associated with the dynamics of the underlying differential equations (e.g., power spectral density parameters). This paper shows that, under reasonable conditions, the cyclic scheme leads to parameter estimates that converge to the optimal joint value for the full vector of unknown parameters. Convergence conditions here differ from others in the literature. Further, relative to standard search methods on the full vector, numerical results here suggest a more general property of faster convergence for seesaw as a consequence of the more “aggressive” (larger) gain coefficient (step size) possible.
Flexible representation analysis

Statically typed languages with Hindley-Milner polymorphism have long been compiled using inefficient and fully boxed data representations. Recently, several new compilation methods have been proposed to support more efficient and unboxed multi-word representations. Unfortunately, none of these techniques is fully satisfactory. For example, Leroy's coercion-based approach does not handle recursive data types and mutable types well. The type-passing approach (proposed by Harper and Morrisett) handles all data objects, but it involves extensive runtime type analysis and code manipulations.This paper presents a new flexible representation analysis technique that combines the best of both approaches. Our new scheme supports unboxed representations for recursive and mutable types, yet it only requires little runtime type analysis. In fact, we show that there is a continuum of possibilities between the coercion-based approach and the type-passing approach. By varying the amount of boxing and the type information passed at runtime, a compiler can freely explore any point in the continuum---choosing from a wide range of representation strategies based on practical concerns. Finally, our new scheme also easily extends to handle type abstractions across ML-like higher-order modules.
Rapid preparation of covalently closed circular DNA by acridine yellow affinity chromatography

Abstract Covalently closed circular DNA can be isolated rapidly from cell lysates in a two-step process. Hydroxylapatite chromatography to prepurify the plasmid DNA from contaminating protein and RNA is followed by a step gradient elution of covalently closed circular (CCC) plasmid DNA from an acridine yellow affinity column. This procedure results in CCC DNA of a purity comparable to that obtained from ethidium bromide-CsCl gradients without lengthy centrifugation and free of contaimination by intercalating dye. Up to 250 μg of CCC pBR 322 can be isolated from 500 ml of bacterial culture in 4–6 h.
Thermodynamic dissection of the intrinsically disordered N-terminal domain of human glucocorticoid receptor

Intrinsically disordered (ID) sequence segments are abundant in cell signaling proteins and transcription factors. Because ID regions commonly fold as part of their intracellular function, it is crucial to understand the folded states as well as the transitions between the unfolded and folded states. Specifically, it is important to determine 1) whether large ID segments contain different thermodynamically and/or functionally distinct regions, 2) whether any ID regions fold upon activation, 3) the degree of coupling between the different ID regions, and 4) whether the stability of ID domains is a determinant of function. In this study, we thermodynamically characterized the full-length ID N-terminal domain (NTD) of human glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and two of its naturally occurring translational isoforms. The protective osmolyte trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) was used to induce folding transitions. Each of the three NTD isoforms was found to undergo a cooperative folding transition that is thermodynamically indistinguishable (based on m-values) from that of a globular protein of similar size. The extrapolated stabilities for the NTD isoforms showed clear correlation with the known activities of their corresponding GR translational isoforms. The data reveal that the full-length NTD can be viewed as having at least two thermodynamically coupled regions, a functional region, which is indispensable for GR transcriptional activity, and a regulatory region, the length of which serves to regulate the stability of NTD and thus the activity of GR. These results suggest a new functional paradigm whereby steroid hormone receptors in particular and ID proteins in general can have multiple functionally distinct ID regions that interact and modulate the stability of important functional sites.
A continuous alveolar macrophage cell line: Comparisons with freshly derived alveolar macrophages

Responses of a recently developed rat alveolar macrophage cell (NR8383.1) line were compared to those of freshly derived alveolar macrophages in vitro. Marked inter- and intraspecies heterogeneity in levels of phagocytosis of unopsonized Pseudomonas aeruginosa or zymosan was noted among freshly derived alveolar macrophages from rats, rabbits, and baboons. In contrast, phagocytic responses of alveolar macrophage cell line were predictable and highly reproducible. Similar results were obtained in measuring oxidative burst, as indicated by the production of H2O2 and luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence. Responses were again highly variable in freshly derived alveolar macrophages stimulated with zymosan or phorbol myristic acetate; moreover, freshly derived alveolar macrophages exhibited a wide range of chemiluminescence activity in unstimulated cultures. Results strongly suggest that data derived from the continuous alveolar macrophage culture NR8383.1 can be extrapolated to freshly derived alveolar macrophages of various species, and in many experiments will be useful in avoiding the significant animal-to-animal variance observed among freshly derived cell preparations.
Fluctuation regime in the viscoelastic properties of block copolymer solutions

We report measurements of the dynamic shear moduli for solutions of three symmetric styrene isoprene diblock copolymers in the neutral solvent di-octyl phthalate. For each sample the concentration range was selected to extend from the disordered regime to the (lamellar) ordered state, with the emphasis placed on the intermediate regime, where large amplitude composition fluctuations are clearly evident. Temperatures from 0° to nearly 100°C were employed. The fluctuations were most clearly revealed when the data were plotted as phase angle versus reduced frequency, where the frequency axis was scaled by the longest relaxation time in the absence of fluctuations. The dynamic shear moduli and the apparent longest relaxation times, all normalized to their respective values in the absence of fluctuations, increased markedly as the order-disorder transition was approached. The rate of increase was consistent with recent theoretical predictions of Fredrickson, Larson, and Helfand, but the magnitude of the effect is larger than anticipated by theory. The onset of visible fluctuation effects depends on molecular weight in a manner that suggests that entanglements play an important role in determining the coupling of the fluctuations to the viscoelastic properties. This is consistent with previous measurements of translational diffusion, which demonstrated that entanglements severely diminish the mobility of lamellar-forming block copolymers along the interfaces between microdomains.
VARIABILITY JUDGMENTS IN A THREE-CATEGORY PATTERN CLASSIFICATION TASK

-The purpose of this study was to delineate Ss' capabilities for learning to recognize different levels of stimulus variability in a schema-formation task. Ss were required to classify, without knowledge of results, 30 sets ( 6 stimuli per set) of complex, multidimensional histoforms which were distortions of three different population prototypes; Ss then provided scaled judgments of stimulus variability following each classification response. Results showed that Ss whose classifications were consistent with the prototype-defined categories also learned to recognize several different magnitudes of prototype distortion, whereas the inconsistent Ss failed to exhibit any degree of variability learning. The supposition that deviant stimuli may be processed and stored in memory as pattern-specific corrections was thus supported, at least with respect to the variabiliry-learning requirement.
Virtual pitch extraction from harmonic structures by absolute-pitch musicians

The ability of absolute-pitch (AP) musicians to identify or produce virtual pitch from harmonic structures without feedback or an external acoustic referent was examined in three experiments. Stimuli consisted of pure tones, missing-fundamental harmonic complexes, or piano notes highpass filtered to remove their fundamental frequency and lower harmonics. Results of Experiment I showed that relative to control (non-AP) musicians, AP subjects easily (>90%) identified pitch of harmonic complexes in a 12-alternative forced-choice task. Increasing harmonic order (i.e., lowest harmonic number in the complex), however, resulted in a monotonic decline in performance. Results suggest that AP musicians use two pitch cues from harmonic structures: 1) spectral spacing between harmonic components, and 2) octave-related cues to note identification in individually resolved harmonics. Results of Experiment II showed that highpass filtered piano notes are identified by AP subjects at better than 75% accuracy even when the note’s energy is confined to the 4th and higher harmonics. Identification of highpass piano notes also appears to be better than that expected from pure or complex tones, possibly due to contributions from familiar timbre cues to note identity. Results of Experiment III showed that AP subjects can adjust the spectral spacing between harmonics of a missing-fundamental complex to accurately match the expected spacing from a target musical note. Implications of these findings for mechanisms of AP encoding are discussed.
An Indirect Impedance Characterization Method for Monolithic THz Antennas Using Coplanar Probe Measurements

We develop a simple and robust impedance characterization method for planar THz antennas with micron- and submicron-size port geometries. Such antennas are often encountered in THz sensing applications where an ultrafast electronic device, such as a Schottky junction or a heterostructure backward diode, is integrated with a planar antenna structure. Standard probe characterization of such antennas at the device port is not currently possible due to the large contact areas required. The proposed method allows for indirect characterization of antenna impedance seen at the device port using measurements collected at a more suitable, remote location on the antenna plane. Three S11 measurements are performed using contact probes at a larger pad on the antenna periphery, using three terminations (short, open, and a resistive load) of the port under consideration. Through a simple relation, the measured data set is used to compute the port-impedance indirectly. Experimental results are presented to illustrate the accuracy of the proposed approach.
Prostaglandin E2 Regulates AMPA Receptor Phosphorylation and Promotes Membrane Insertion in Preoptic Area Neurons and Glia during Sexual Differentiation

Sexual differentiation of the rodent brain is dependent upon the organizing actions of the steroid hormone, estradiol. In the preoptic area, a brain region critical for the expression of adult reproductive behavior, there are twice as many dendritic spine synapses per unit length on newborn male neurons compared to female neurons and this sex difference correlates with the expression of adult male copulatory behavior. The sex difference in the POA is achieved via estradiol's upregulation of the membrane-derived lipid signaling molecule prostaglandin E2 (PGE2); PGE2 is necessary and sufficient to masculinize both dendritic spine density and adult sexual behavior in rats. We have previously shown that PGE2 activates EP2 and EP4 receptors which increases protein kinase A (PKA) activity and that masculinized dendritic spine density and sex behavior are both dependent upon PKA as well as activation of AMPA type glutamate receptors. In the current experiments, we build upon this signaling cascade by determining that PGE2 induces phosphorylation of the AMPA receptor subunit, GluR1, which leads to increased AMPA receptor insertion at the membrane. Treating female pups on the day of birth with PGE2 induced the phosphorylation of GluR1 at the PKA-sensitive site within 2 hours of treatment, an effect that was blocked by co-administration of the PKA/AKAP inhibitor, HT31 with PGE2. Brief treatment of mixed neuronal/glial POA cultures with PGE2 or the cAMP/PKA stimulator, forskolin, increased membrane associated GluR1 in both neurons and glia. We speculate that PGE2 induced increases in AMPA receptor associated with the membrane underlies our previously observed increase in dendritic spine density and is a critical component in the masculinization of rodent sex behavior.
Delayed Wound Healing in Immunodeficient TGF-β1 Knockout Mice

Previous studies showed that full-thickness wounds in transforming growth factor-β1-deficient mice initially heal normally. Unfortunately, transforming growth factor-β1 deficiency leads to a multifocal inflammatory disease affecting most organs of the body, which ultimately interferes with later stages of wound healing in these mice. As this inflammatory disease is eliminated in transforming growth factor-β1-deficient mice lacking T and B cells (Tgfb1–/–Scid–/– mice), we hypothesized that wound repair in the latter would proceed normally, even at later stages of healing. Unexpectedly, Tgfb1–/–Scid–/– mice demonstrate a major delay of approximately 1 wk in each of the major phases of wound healing: inflammation, proliferation, and maturation. Immuno- deficient Scid–/– mice that have the wild-type Tgfb1 allele do not experience this delay in wound healing. One interpretation of these findings is that lymphocytes and transforming growth factor-β1 affect compensatory pathways in wound healing. An alternative interpretation is that the delayed expression of Tgfb2 and Tgfb3 that occurs in the absence of transforming growth factor-β1 results in the delayed wound healing, suggesting that transforming growth factor-β2 and/or transforming growth factor-β3 play important parts in wound healing.
Effects of occlusal attrition and continuous eruption on odontometry of rat molars

Recurrent reports by others of posteruptive dimensional increase of the crowns of rat molar teeth were analyzed in the context of our present study of occlusal attrition, continuous eruption and alteration of the occlusal planes of rat maxillary molar teeth with age. Marked attrition of the anatomical crowns occurs, together with a considerable continuous eruption that increasingly brings the markedly convex mesial root of the maxillary first molar into the clinical crown. Further, a slight change in occlusal plane occurs. Previous workers used standardized planes of orientation and of registration prior to measurement, which masked the phenomena mentioned above. They thus mistakenly reported increased coronal dimensions.
EFFECTS OF INSULIN ON THE BLOOD LIPIDS OF MAN

IT IS WELL KNOWN that increased amounts of lipid appear in the blood of the uncontrolled diabetic subject (Bloor, 1921; Allen, 1922; Gray, 1924; Blix, 1925; Bloor et al., 1927). The recognition, however, that the pan-creas contains a factor, other than insulin, that influences lipid metabolism led to a recent re-investigation of the role of insulin deficiency upon the level of the blood lipids. It was shown by Gibbs and Chaikoff (1941), that hypoinsulinism induced in the dog by excision of the pancreas can produce under certain experimental conditions an increase in the triglyceride content of the blood. Although the levels of cholesterol and phospholipid were also increased under these conditions, the increases were not as striking as those in fatty acids, and in many cases rises in fatty acids were unaccompanied by increases in phospholipid or cholesterol. The effect of hyperinsulinism upon lipid metabolism is not clear. Page et al.
Report of the 1993–94 Sterling Bunnell Traveling Fellow

One of the greatest pleasures in my life has been to represent the American Society for Surgery of the Hand as a Sterling Bunnell Traveling Fellow. I began planning my travels with a mission. My primary objective was to see and evaluate different centers' philosophies, strategies, and results of treatment of brachial plexus injuries. My additional objectives were to visit centers of excellence, where I could exchange ideas on peripheral nerve basic research, and to observe and contrast healthcare systems in other parts of the world with the changing system that we are seeing develop in the United States. I started my trip from California by going east. On arrival in Stockholm, which was founded in 1252 and is the home of the Blue Hall, a venue for the Nobel banquet each year, I visited Thomas Carlsted at Sodersjukhuset and at the Karolinska Institute. Dr. Carlsted has a deep interest in brachial plexus injuries and pursues this specialty in both his investigative and his clinical activities. His research is innovative in that he has successfully implanted avulsed ventral roots back into the spinal cord. Most of this work has been in monkeys; however, Dr. Carlsted has implanted avulsed nerve roots in five patients, including one with birth palsy, with some limited functional return. In an area once considered irreparable, there is now some hope of bridging the central and peripheral nervous system. In light of Sweden often being cited as having a model healthcare delivery system, we discussed some interesting social issues. In a population of 8 million, the government assigned all hand malpractice cases to be reviewed by three hand surgeons and all workers'
ROC-1: hardware support for recovery-oriented computing

We introduce the ROC-1 hardware platform, a large-scale cluster system designed to provide high availability for Internet service applications. The ROC-1 prototype embodies our philosophy of recovery-oriented computing (ROC) by emphasizing detection and recovery from the failures that inevitably occur in Internet service environments, rather than simple avoidance of such failures. ROC-1 promises greater availability than existing server systems by incorporating four techniques applied from the ground up to both hardware and software: redundancy and isolation, online self-testing and verification, support for problem diagnosis and concern for human interaction with the system.
Self-Testing the Motorola MC6804P2

The internal serial architecture of the MC6804P2?Motorola's smallest 8-bit, single-chip microcomputer?and the need to minimize test costs led to development of a built-in self-test scheme. The self test is based on a ROM-driven signature analysis technique that utilizes polynomial division to compress lengthy output responses (or signatures) to much smaller results. On-chip signature analysis is an attractive alternative to conventional testing. The signature register, associated control logic, and 288 bytes of self-test ROM occupy less than 5 percent of total chip area. High fault coverage and support for parametric testing with minimal chip area are keys to successful application. This was the authors' first experience with on-chip signature analysis in a commercial MOS microcomputer, but the usefulness of the technique for testing and data compression will undoubtedly find its way into future Motorola products.
Opioid mediation of amniotic fluid effects on chemosensory responsiveness in the neonatal rat

The present study investigated if oral exposure to milk or amniotic fluid (AF) alters responsiveness to sensory stimulation in the neonatal rat, and whether these effects are mediated by the opioid system. Facial wiping evoked by intraoral lemon infusion was used as a measure of sensory responsiveness. Pups were tested in a supine posture, because they showed more paw-face strokes during facial wiping than pups tested prone (Experiment 1). Moreover, pups orally exposed to milk (Experiment 2) or AF (Experiment 3) showed a diminished wiping response to lemon compared to controls exposed to water. Blockade of opioid receptors with the nonselective antagonist naltrexone (Experiment 4) or the kappa antagonist nor-binaltorphimine (Experiment 5) reinstated higher levels of facial wiping after AF exposure. These findings confirm developmental continuity between fetal and neonatal behavioral responses to AF and the ability of AF to induce activity at kappa receptors of the endogenous opioid system.
Rate-Distortion Optimized Video Transmission Over DS-CDMA Channels with Auxiliary Vector Filter Single-User Multirate Detection

In this paper, we consider the rate-distortion optimized resource allocation for video transmission over multi-rate wireless direct-sequence code-division-multiple-access (DS-CDMA) channels. We consider the performance of transmitting scalable video over a multipath Rayleigh fading channel via a combination of multi-code multirate CDMA and variable sequence length multirate CDMA channel system. At the receiver, despreading is done using adaptive space-time auxiliary-vector (AV) filters. We propose a new interference cancelling design that uses just a single AV filter for single-user mutirate despreading. Our experimental results show that the proposed interference cancelling design has excellent performance in scalable video transmission over DS-CDMA systems that use a combination of multicode multirate and variable processing gain multirate CDMA. The proposed design takes advantage of the fact that single user's video data is transmitted using two spreading codes, one for the base layer and one for the enhancement layers, and of the fact that these spreading codes can have different processing gains. The proposed interference cancelling design is compared with two conventional single-user multirate CDMA receiver configurations, however now we use an AV filter rather than a simple matched filter. We also propose a resource allocation algorithm for the optimal determination of source coding rate, channel coding rate and processing gain for each scalable layer, in order to minimize the expected distortion at the receiver.
The Role of Oxygen in Wound Healing: A Review of the Literature

BACKGROUND The presence of oxygen is necessary for normal wound healing. Oxygen has been given as a therapeutic modality to assist and speed wound healing. OBJECTIVE The objective was to summarize the role of oxygen in wound healing. MATERIALS AND METHODS A literature review of clinical and basic science studies regarding oxygen and wound healing was conducted. RESULTS Hypoxia appears to jump start wound healing via hypoxia-inducible factor 1α and reepithelialization. Nonetheless, oxygen is often required to start or sustain other wound healing processes. CONCLUSION Both the absence and the presence of oxygen have effects on wound healing; however, its role is not completely understood. Although hyperbaric oxygen and topical oxygen therapy have been described in aiding wound healing, case-controlled prospective studies are lacking and evidence for their efficacy is inconsistent.
On optimization of sensor selection for aircraft gas turbine engines

Many science and management problems can be formulated as global optimization problems. Conventional optimization methods that make use of derivatives and gradients are not, in general, able to locate or identify the global optimum. Sometimes these problems can be solved using exact methods like brute force. Unfortunately, these methods become computationally intractable because of multidimensional search spaces. Hence, the application of heuristics for a class of problems that incorporates knowledge about the problem helps solve optimization problems. Optimization of sensor selection using heuristics can lead to significant improvements in the controllability and observability of a dynamic system. The aim of this research is to investigate optimal or alternate measurement sets for the problem of aircraft gas turbine engine health parameter estimation. The performance metric is defined as a function of the steady state error covariance and the cost of the selected sensors.
A Review of Spacecraft Material Sputtering By Hall Thruster Plumes

Sputtering of spacecraft surfaces by energetic xenon ions in the plumes of Hall thrusters is a primary integration concern. The available literature is surveyed to identify useful sources of information for estimating these effects. In particular, the search considers relevant experimental measurements, analytical theory, and computer modeling. Sputter yields have been measured at normal incidence caused by xenon ions incident on many single-element materials. However, for more complex materials used on spacecraft such as silicon dioxide and Kapton, no direct yield measurements with xenon have been made. There are many theoretical models available for the estimation of xenon sputter yields of singleand multi-element surfaces, but these are generally only reliable after direct calibration against experimental measurements. There are a number of well-established, public-domain computer codes for simulating ion sputtering processes that are based on a Binary Collision Approximation (BCA) or a Molecular Dynamics (MD) approach. The BCA codes are more numerically efficient but less physically accurate than the MD methods. These computational methods appear to offer the potential to generate data-bases of sputter yields for complex materials as a function of impact energy and angle.
Further comments on the definition of antenna gain

[Editor's note: Three short articles concerning the definition of the gain of active antenna systems and planar arrays appeared on pages 62-64 of the October, 1989, Newsletter. The following comments were solicited by Antoine Roederer as a part of the questions he raised in the October issue, but unfortunately arrived a few da s too late to include in that issue. Alan J. Simmons ($0 Box 103, Winchester, MA 01890) and Donald G. Bodnar (GTRI/CCRF/STL/ATD-Room 4-138, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332 also solicited input from M - S regarding the gain o d active antenna s stems, as a result of discussions at an Antenna StandYards Committee meeting during the San Jose symposium. This later input was sollcited on behalf of the Committee. Those wishing to contribute to this discussion are requested to send their comments to the appropriate author, with copies to Alan Simmons or Donald Bodnar, who will act as coordinators for these discussions. WRS]
Predicting deep neck space abscess using computed tomography.

Abstract Purpose To investigate objective measures that could increase the positive predictive value of computed tomography (CT) in diagnosing deep neck space infections (DNSIs). Methods A retrospective analysis of patients surgically treated at a tertiary care hospital for DNSIs for more than 2 years were reviewed. Patients who had had CT with contrast scanning suggestive of deep neck space abscess within 24 hours before surgery were included. The average Hounsfield units for each abscess were calculated. Based on the intraoperative finding of pus, the patients were divided into groups. Student t tests compared the average Hounsfield units, white blood cell count, and maximum temperature between the groups. Outcomes were measured by comparing overall length of hospital stay, length of postoperative stay, and complications. Results Of the 32 patients surgically drained, 24 (75%) had discreet collections of pus, whereas 12 (25%) did not. Hounsfield unit measurement was not reliable in distinguishing abscess from phlegmon. None of the other clinical variables studied to distinguish abscess from phlegmon were statistically different either. A statistical difference between the 2 groups was not identified. Conclusion Although CT with contrast plays an important role in the diagnosis and management of DNSIs, the decision for surgical drainage of an abscess should be made clinically. A negative exploration rate of nearly 25% despite careful selection criteria should be expected.
Benefits, safety, and prescription of exercise in persons with multiple sclerosis

Exercise represents a behavioral approach for the restoration of function and management of symptoms among persons with multiple sclerosis (MS). The current paper provides a review on the topic of exercise in MS and is separated into four sections. The first section defines exercise and related constructs. The second section summarizes evidence for the benefits of exercise in MS based on literature reviews and meta-analyses. The third section focuses on the safety of exercise in MS based on the reporting of relapses and other adverse events, and the last section describes guidelines for exercise. The paper concludes with a discussion of major limitations with the existing body of research and highlights some of the pressing areas for future research on exercise in MS.
Infant and toddler diabetes.

The incidence of type 1 diabetes mellitus continues to increase with an estimated rise in incidence rates of between 3% and 5% per year.1,2 This increase has been most pronounced in the pre-school age group.3,4 The rising incidence has been paralleled by the increasing intensity of management of this condition. The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) study group demonstrated the importance of intensive diabetes management and subsequent strict glycaemic control, with significant reductions in microvascular complications with small changes in HbA1c.5 However, intensive diabetes management is associated with a potential increased risk of severe hypoglycaemia.6,7 Efforts to achieve near-normoglycaemia as early as possible after diagnosis should be considered based on the “tracking phenomenon” data which suggest a correlation between metabolic control in the early stages of treatment and that in subsequent years.8 The importance of intensive diabetes management has significant implications for toddlers and infants diagnosed with diabetes and for the children’s diabetes services who look after them. This age group has particular features and clinical characteristics which makes their care distinct from that of older children with diabetes. This article will review the main clinical areas in the management of these children. Oxford data suggest an incidence rate in the UK of type 1 diabetes mellitus in children <2 years of age of about 1:15 000.4 Approximately 4% of children with type 1 diabetes are less than 2 years of age at diagnosis.9 This suggests that there are several hundred children being cared for in the UK and Ireland who were diagnosed at this age. These relatively small numbers must necessarily limit an individual diabetes clinic team’s experience in the management of infants and toddlers with diabetes. It is thus vital for diabetes health professionals in training to …
Differential retinoic acid radiosensitization of cervical carcinoma cell lines

The potential of retinoic acid as a radiosensitizer was investigated using SiHa and CC-1 human uterine cervical carcinoma cell lines, representative of high- and low-grade lesions, respectively. SiHa was significantly (P < 0.05) radiosensitized, whereas CC-1 was not. Although 48 h of treatment with 5 microM 13-cis-retinoic acid prior to irradiation was sufficient to induce radiosensitization, continuation of treatment after irradiation significantly increased the effect (P < 0.05). Three hypotheses were tested to explain the different responses of the two lines. One hypothesis was that SiHa is more sensitive to retinoic acid than CC-1. Measurement of growth revealed that SiHa was more sensitive to growth inhibition by retinoic acid than CC-1. The second hypothesis was that retinoic acid increases the proportion of G1-phase cells in SiHa but not in CC-1. This was found not to be true, because a retinoic acid treatment schedule that induced radiosensitization did not alter cell cycle distribution profiles in the absence of radiation. The third hypothesis was that retinoic acid alters the cell cycle response of SiHa but not CC-1 to radiation. Postirradiation cell cycle profiles revealed that retinoic acid increased G1 delay in SiHa, whereas CC-1 exhibited no significant G1 delay. Both lines exhibited G2 delays that were unaffected by retinoic acid. In conclusion, radiosensitization of SiHa but not CC-1 may be explained by different sensitivities to retinoic acid and differences in postirradiation cell cycle responses. Radiosensitization at radiation doses used clinically was observed when retinoic acid was administered both before and after irradiation.