cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Erythropoietin Administration in Term Infants with Hemolytic Anemia. 792

Administration of recombinant erythropoietin (EPO) has been shown to decrease or eliminate the need for erythrocyte transfusion (Tx) in preterm infants and to decrease the need for Tx in late anemia due to Rh or ABO hemolytic disease. The objective of this study was to determine if EPO administration to infants with hemolytic anemia before one month of age will prevent severe anemia and avoid the need for Tx. A planned randomized, controlled study could not be done due to parents' preference for EPO therapy once relative risks of EPO vs transfusion had been explained. Eighteen term infants were treated with EPO between 8/96 and 11/97. The etiology of the hemolytic anemia was as follows: 10 ABO incompatibility (7/10 with positive direct Coombs), 1 hemolytic elliptocytosis, 1 G6PD deficiency, 2 alpha thal. trait, 4 unknown (1 had Hb SS). At the start of EPO therapy, ages were 1.5-3.5 wks (med 2 wks), Hb levels 9-13.5 gm/dL (med 10.1; all but 1 had Hb < 11.4), reticulocytes 0.6-2.6% (med 1.5%). Serum EPO levels in 10 of these infants ranged from 2.5-20.3 mU/mL (med 9.6 mU/mL). All infants received EPO 200 u/kg SC TIW for a duration of 2-5.5 wks (med 3 wks) with oral iron 3 mg/kg day during EPO therapy and for an additional 6 wks. The reticulocyte counts increased 2-10 fold from pre-EPO values in 1-2 wks. Hb levels remained stable or increased during EPO therapy except in 1 infant with OB hemolytic disease who developed a UTI and was transfused for worsening anemia. In most infants the Hb level remained stable or declined slightly (< 1 gm/dL) after EPO was discontinued, but EPO administration was resumed in 1 infant when the Hb level dropped from 11.4 to 10.1 gms/dL during the first week off therapy. No adverse effects were observed from EPO administration. We conclude that serum EPO levels are not increased in term infants with hemolytic anemia. EPO administration results in brisk reticulocyte response with stable or increasing Hb levels and, thus, is likely to prevent or reduce the need for Tx.
TU-E-BRB-09: Development of a GPU-Based Monte Carlo Dose Calculation Package for Cancer Radiotherapy

Purpose: Monte Carlo(MC) simulation is commonly considered as the most accurate dose calculation method in radiotherapy. However, its efficiency still requires improvement for many routine clinical applications. The goal of this work is to develop a GPU‐based MCdose calculation package, gDPM. It utilizes the parallel computation ability of a GPU to achieve high efficiency, while maintaining same particle transport physics as in the original DPM code and hence simulation accuracy.Methods: The gDPM code is implemented on GPU architecture under CUDA platform. In GPU computing, divergence of execution paths between threads can considerably reduce the efficiency. Since photons and electrons undergo different physics and hence attain different execution path, we design a simulation scheme where photontransport and electron transport are separated to partially relieve the thread divergence issue. High performance random number generator and hardware linear interpolation are also utilized. We have also developed various components to account for fluence map and linac geometry, so that gDPM can be used to compute dose for real IMRT or VMAT treatment plans. The gDPM is tested for its accuracy and efficiency in both phantoms and realistic patient cases. Results: In all cases, the average relative uncertainties are less than 1%. Dose difference between CPU and GPU results is less than 3% of maximum dose in over 98% high dose region. A t‐test is also performed and the dose difference is not statistically significant in over 98% high dose region. Speed up factors of 57.3∼75.5 have been observed using an NVIDIA Tesla C2050 GPU card against a 2.27GHz Intel Xeon CPU processor. Dose calculation for a real IMRT head‐and‐neck plan and a VMAT prostate plan can be finished in 48sec and 46sec, respectively. Conclusions: The gDPM package has achieved high computation efficiency on GPU without losing accuracy. This work is supported in part by the University of California Lab Fees Research Program. GPU cards are partly provided by NVIDIA.
A model of the ULF magnetic and electric field generated from a dust devil

[1] It has been demonstrated that terrestrial dust devils emit ULF magnetic radiation. On Mars, dust devils may also generate such magnetic emissions, which might be used as a hazard alert for manned missions. Specifically, grains in dust devils become charged via contact electrification, and it has been proposed that the cyclonic motion of these charged grains in the vortex wind fields accounts for the magnetic emission. To test this hypothesis in general and the possible Mars application, a computer simulation of the contact electrification/wind blowing phenomena was created, with the charge distribution and resulting magnetic fields monitored as a function of time. The results indicate that indeed a fluctuating charge distribution in a vortex wind can account for the ULF magnetic fields measured from a dust devil. The contact electrification process is a function of composition, and we demonstrate that the various compositions will give rise to different magnetic field responses from the dust devil. We also demonstrate that this system of swirling charged grains develops vertical currents and associated electric fields, as suggested in preceding works.
Effects of non-pharmacological pain treatments on brain states

Objective To (1) evaluate the effects of a single session of four non-pharmacological pain interventions, relative to a sham tDCS procedure, on pain and electroencephalogram- (EEG-) assessed brain oscillations, and (2) determine the extent to which procedure-related changes in pain intensity are associated with changes in brain oscillations.
Dual LOX/COX inhibitors: potential novel anti-cancer drugs.

Dear Editor, I read with great interest the article written by Barry et al. [1]. It is encouraging to see that more studies are being conducted to investigate inflammatory pathway drugs as potential targets for cancer therapeutics. Their observation that the anti-neoplastic effect of COX-2 inhibitors is not sustainable over long periods of time is interesting. Also they found that dual inhibition of COX and LOX pathways attenuated the escape process of these tumor cells. Thus, conclusion was made that even though COX-2 inhibitors may initially downstage tumors, their use along with lipoxygenase inhibitors leads to sustained anti-tumor response. In 2005–2007 there were lots of reports demonstrating the favorable inhibition of cancer cells to dual inhibition of COX2 and LOX enzymes. Keeping this in mind, we used the available X-ray crystal structures of the complexes of COX2 and LOX with the known inhibitors to carry out a structure-based, rational, molecular modeling approach to design a small peptide inhibitor, which is potent for both COX and LOX [2]. Since the crystal structure of 5LOX was not known, and since the active sites of human 5LOX and mammalian 15LOX are highly similar, the crystal structure of rabbit 15LOX enzyme was used. Docking studies using Discovery Studio 1.7 (Accelrys Software Inc) indicated that the designed peptide inhibited both 15LOX and COX2 with potency in the nanomolar range, which is about 1,000 times more than the known dual LOX/COX inhibitors. Barry et al. had raised concerns of the utility of such medications bearing in mind the increased incidence of cardiovascular events with selective COX-2 inhibitors [1]. The inhibitor designed by our team also blocks the COX1 enzyme so that the unwanted cardiovascular side effects of COX2 selective inhibitors are minimized [2]. Thus, the designed small peptide inhibitor is a novel lead compound for the design of a new class of stable anti-cancer drugs.
Profanity and the Grotesque in Indra Sinha's Animal's People

This essay examines the use of profanity and the grotesque in Indra Sinha's 2008 novel Animal's People, which fictionalizes the 1984 Union Carbide gas disaster in Bhopal, India. I argue that Sinha's text utilizes the profane to strip away the artifices separating the international readership the novel targets from the subaltern figures upon whom it centres. In doing so, it calls into question attitudes like those employed by Union Carbide when the company's case came to trial, which alleged that US courts and juries would be unable to comprehend the different standards of living accompanying the poverty of Bhopal's citizens. Through readings of Mbembe and Derrida, I discuss the question of what is human, as well as what constitutes human rights, across national and class boundaries. I contend that Animal's process of self-abjection, through frequent sexual references, vulgar language and references to bodily fluids, renders his readers abject as well. Sinha's use of profanity and the grotesque invokes rea...
Molecular cloning, expression, and characterization of CYP2D17 from cynomolgus monkey liver.

Abstract The cynomolgus monkey is a species used in drug-safety evaluation and biotransformation studies by the pharmaceutical industry. Relatively little is known, however, about the catalytic activities and specificities of cytochromes P450 (CYP) in this species. As a first step in characterizing monkey CYPs, a cDNA was cloned by reverse-transcriptase PCR from cynomolgus monkey liver mRNA using oligonucleotide primers based on the human CYP2D6 sequence. The full-length cDNA (called CYP2D17) encoded a 497-amino-acid protein that is 93% identical to human CYP2D6 and 90% identical to marmoset CYP2D19. The CYP2D17 cDNA was cloned into a baculovirus expression vector, and microsomes prepared from CYP2D17-infected insect cells were used to determine the catalytic properties of the recombinant enzyme. The recombinant CYP2D17 results were compared to data generated with monkey liver microsomes, human liver microsomes, and recombinant CYP2D6 and demonstrated catalytic similarity using probe substrates and inhibitors. Recombinant CYP2D17 catalyzed the oxidation of bufuralol to 1′-hydroxybufuralol and dextromethorphan to dextrorphan, reactions shown to be mediated by CYP2D6 in humans; the apparent Km values for bufuralol and dextromethorphan were 1 and 0.8 μM, respectively. Moreover, both of these reactions were more strongly inhibited by quinidine than by quinine. A more complete understanding of the substrate specificities and activities of monkey CYPs will be advantageous in delineating species differences in metabolite profiles and metabolic activation of new chemical entities in the pharmaceutical industry.
HPMA Copolymer CXCR4 Antagonist Conjugates Substantially Inhibited the Migration of Prostate Cancer Cells.

A N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide (HPMA) copolymer–CXCR4 antagonist (BKT140) conjugate (P-BKT140) was developed and its biological activities were tested. Both free BKT140 and monomer MA-GGPLGLAG-BKT140 (MA is methacryloyl) were prepared by solid phase synthesis. P-BKT140 was prepared by reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) copolymerization of monomers HPMA and MA-GGPLGLAG-BKT140. The in vitro results show that the free BKT140 and P-BKT140 have similar cytotoxicity against human prostate carcinoma PC-3 cells, indicating that conjugation of BKT140 to HPMA did not significantly impact the cytotoxicity of BKT140. Both BKT140 and P-BKT140 inhibited the CXCL12-induced migration of PC-3 prostate cancer cells, but the P-BKT140 conjugate possessed a substantially higher inhibition activity than free BKT140.
A behavioral model of the dual motive approach to behavioral economics and social exchange

Abstract New findings in brain physiology, especially evolutionary neuroscience, have profound implications for behavioral economics. The new findings show that the transactional commercial market evolved from the interplay of our self-preservational (egoistic) and affectional (empathetic) neural circuitries. These fundamental brain circuitries, under homeostatic physiological regulation, are the neural substrate of our human social exchange activity—from sharing in primitive families to the gift exchange economy to the commercial market. Current microeconomic theory is structured on the assumption of a sole primary self-interest motive. The presence of the dual physiological motives, however, is clearly demonstrated in demand, supply, and equilibrium curves as well as in the basic calculus of price theory. This confirmed duality of motives opens the way for new and productive directions in research. The conflict systems neurobehavioral (CSN) model developed by the author in several recent publications expresses the reciprocal interactive dynamic of these circuitries in socio-economic exchange behavior.
Effects of gender and social behavior on the development of coronary artery atherosclerosis in cynomolgus macaques.

Abstract This experiment involved examination of the effects of gender and social status (‘competitive dominance’) on the coronary artery atherosclerosis of cynomolgus monkeys. Thirty-two adult Macaca fascicularis (16 males, 16 females) were fed a diet containing a moderate amount of cholesterol (0.56 mg/cal) for 16 months. The monkeys were housed in groups of 4 animals of the same sex, and all groups were stable in composition for the entire experiment. After 1 year a ‘competitive dominance’ score was determined for each monkey, based on feeding order in 9 trials involving a preferred food as incentive. At necropsy the coronary arteries were pressure perfused; 5 sections each were then taken from the left anterior descending, left circumflex and right coronary arteries. For each animal, the mean percent lumen stenosis calculated from these 15 sections was used as the index of extent of coronary artery atherosclerosis. Males had significantly more extensive coronary artery atherosclerosis than did females. Further, among both males and females, submissive animals (low in competitiveness) had more extensive coronary artery stenosis than did their dominant (highly competitive) counterparts. A similar pattern was observed in the thoracic and abdominal portions of the aorta with respect to competitiveness, but not gender. In the iliac artery, females had less atherosclerosis than males but there was no competitiveness effect. The gender and social status effects on atherosclerosis were each statistically independent of variability in clinical-pathological measures (serum lipid concentrations and heart weight). The results indicated that: (a) gender and psychosocial stress independently affect the development of coronary artery atherosclerosis; (b) the mechanisms mediating these effects remain unknown; and (c) the cynomolgus macaque is a good model for the study of such phenomena.
Marginal microleakage—an in vivo assessment

Bilaterally paired mandibular teeth scheduled for extraction were chosen for in vivo and in vitro studies of marginal leakage. Decided contrast in test results indicates that marginal microleakage should be determined in vivo. Animal and human tests both show that the removal of a tooth from its organism is decisive in studies of marginal leakage around dental restorations. It is suggested that more accurate functional marginal leakage determinations result from in vivo tests.
Competition Coalitions and Conflict Interventions among Captive Female Gorillas

Like mountain gorillas (Gorilla gorilla beringei), western gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) at Howletts Wild Animal Park in Kent, England, intervene in conflicts on behalf of kin. However, in each of the 3 study groups, the female gorillas also appeared to form political alliances: all members of the group almost exclusively supported familiar adult females, i.e., the ones with the greatest group tenure, and their offspring in conflicts involving adult females, the silverback, and immatures. The long-term resident high-status females (HSFs) appeared to form a supportive clique, providing effective competition against low-status females (LSFs). The former maintained dominance status over younger, less familiar adult females that were more recent to the group. Such a pattern is not typical of mountain gorillas in the wild—the subspecies for which data on female relationships are available— except perhaps when groups are unusually large, possibly because mountain gorillas experience little competition over food resources that are widely distributed and relatively freely available. In contrast, the Howletts gorillas had periodic and irregular access to high-energy/-nutrient food resources, for which dominant individuals were able to monopolize the limited available feeding spots. The pattern of agonistic alliances of Howletts females show some similarities with that of some female-philopatric cercopithecines, which also compete over defendable food resources. In female-transfer species, such as gorillas, long-term resident female cliques may be equivalent to matrilines in cercopithecines when resources are patchily distributed, highly nutritious, and defendable.
Utilizing Side Information in Emission Tomography

Anatomical information derived from x-ray and NMR tomographic sections is useful for producing more accurate reconstructions of radioactivity distributions in the same section from emission-tomography data. Additionally, attenuation information acquired for calibration in emission tomography is necessary for producing accurate reconstructions of activity. An algorithm based on the maximum-likelihood method of statistics is identified for utilizing both of these forms of side information in emission-tomography systems.
Late Quaternary Variations in the Level of Paleo-Lake Malheur, Eastern Oregon☆

The highest shoreline features of paleo-Lake Malheur are undated gravelly barrier beaches south of Harney Lake that lie ca. 3.5 m higher than the hydrographic outlet of Harney Basin at Malheur Gap (1254 m). The earliest Quaternary record for Lake Malheur consists of occurrences of water-deposited tephra dated to ca. 70,000–80,000 yr ago. The next identified lake interval is dated by shells with ages of ca. 32,000 and 29,500 yr B.P. No dates are available for the terminal-Pleistocene Lake Malheur. Lake(s) were present between ca. 9600 and 7400 yr B.P., although periodic low levels or desiccation are suggested by a paleosol dated as ca. 8000 yr B.P. The lake system probably dried further after 7400 yr B.P., although dates are lacking for the period between ca. 7400 and 5000 yr B.P. Dune deposits on the lake floor are ca. 5000 yr old and indicate generally dry conditions. Fluctuating shallow lakes have probably characterized the last 2000 years. A date of 1000 yr B.P. gives a maximum age for beach deposits at 1254 m, near the basin threshold elevation. Thus, the Malheur Lake system may have drained to the Pacific Ocean by way of Malheur Gap during the latest Holocene.
On symplectic lattice maps

Abstract Symplectic lattice maps are lattice maps which can be thought of as the restriction of a symplectic map to an invariant lattice. I show how Ruth's method, the midpoint rule, and the generating function technique may be altered to determine symplectic lattice maps which approximate the flow map of a Hamiltonian system to arbitrarily high order. Consequently, symplectic lattice maps are a viable tool in the study of Hamiltonian systems.
Decomposition of leaf and root litter of Chihuahuan desert shrubs: effects of three years of summer drought

Abstract One of the more uncertain aspects of nutrient cycling in desert ecosystems is the extent to which decomposition is controlled by water availability. Some of this uncertainty may be partly related to the duration of the studies and/or differences in the chemical composition of the decaying litter. We conducted a 3-year field study of rainfall to determine the impact of summer (June – September) drought on decomposition of leaf and root litter of two shrub species (Larrea tridentata and Prosopis glandulosa) in the northern Chihuahuan Desert (New Mexico, U.S.A.). In both species, leaf litter decayed at a faster rate and was less effected by drought than root litter. Drought had no influence on the rates of decomposition of leaves of either species during the first 18 months, but caused decay rates to decline by about 25% during the latter half of the study. Drought decreased decay of root litter in both species by about 25% throughout the 3 years. There was a general increase in percent nitrogen (%N) of decomposing leaf litter in both species. Root litter %N declined slightly in Larrea but remained relatively constant in Prosopis. Using a modified version of the CENTURY model, we were able to predict most aspects of observed leaf and root litter mass loss and nitrogen dynamics. Overall, the results of this study suggest that relatively large changes in precipitation produce comparatively small changes in rates of decay of both leaf and root litter.
Cross-cultural counseling: A systematic approach to understanding the issues

Counseling theory and practice tend to be dominated by a European-American orientation. Cross-cultural counseling is advanced as an approach that transcends European dominance while focusing on the specific needs of African American, Asian and Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino, and Native American cultures. This paper reviews the major conceptual models, described by social scientists, and advances a more culturally sensitive, cross-cultural approach to conceptualizing counseling theory and practice when counseling members of large minority groups living in the United States.
Beyond risk. A more realistic risk-benefit analysis of agricultural biotechnologies.

Like any technology, agricultural biotechnologies that use genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have their opponents and supporters. For their proponents, the significant benefits of GMOs for humans, animals and the environment clearly outweigh any risks that are inherent with new technologies (Jauhar, 2006; Reis et al , 2006). For example, crops could be genetically engineered to grow more quickly and more densely to use less land, feed the increasing world population and slow environmental degradation. These new crops could also be engineered to reduce the need for pesticides and herbicides, thus decreasing the contamination of soil and water. Similarly, animals could be engineered, for example, to lack the traits that account for their suffering in large‐scale, intensive animal farming environments. > …ethical concerns are reduced to technical questions and, of course, technical questions beg for technical answers Critics of GMOs and other agricultural biotechnologies do not find such claims compelling, and see the balance between risk and benefit as less clear‐cut (Margulis, 2006; Seralini et al , 2007). They contend that GM plants might have an allergenic potential that would render them unsafe for human consumption, that their nutritional value could be altered for the worse and that they could contribute to the spread of antibiotic resistance. Opponents also question the potential benefits of GMOs for the environment and animals. They worry that genetically altered plants could transfer recombinant DNA to other plants—thus threatening biodiversity—or that they might create superweeds or kill unintended organisms. Detractors also point out that GMO crops alone could not feed the world's population without serious social, economic and political changes. These concerns about GMOs—although not a complete list—also indicate that previous and current discussions about the ethics of developing and using agricultural biotechnologies have focused solely, or at least primarily, on narrow assessments of risks and possible …
Coffeetalk: Starbucks™ and the commercialization of casual conversation

This article examines how so-called ordinary or casual conversational practices in the contemporary United States are constrained and structured in terms of where, when, how, and with whom people choose and are able to interact socially. The focus of analysis is the middle-class sociolinguistic practice of "coffeetalk" - a term borrowed from U.S. popular culture to signal the naturalized conflation of conversation with the commercialized consumption of coffee, space, and other commodities. The discussion of coffeetalk involves research methods including critical analyses of the marketing rhetoric of coffeehouse corporations; informal interviews with coffeehouse owners, employees and patrons; and the author's observations as a "native" participant in coffeetalk and other commodified modes of middleclass social interaction. By situating coffeetalk within its spatial, temporal and social contexts, this analysis challenges the claim of some sociolinguists that conversation is a "naturally occurring" phenomenon that is ontologically prior to other speech genres. A systematic investigation of the material and social dimensions of seemingly ordinary conversational practices demonstrates that these are inextricably implicated in the political, economic, and cultural-ideological processes of global capitalism, as symbolized by the increasingly ubiquitous Starbucks Coffee Company. (Conversation, social interaction, political economy, space, coffeehouses.)*
Does Physics Lead to Berkeley

Russell said that physics drove him to a position not unlike that of Berkeley —by which he meant subjectivism or solipsism. ‘As regards metaphysics’, he tells us in his Autobiography , ‘when, under the influence of Moore, I first threw off the belief in German idealism, I experienced the delight of believing that the sensible world is real. Bit by bit, chiefly under the influence of physics, this delight has faded, and I have been driven to a position not unlike that of Berkeley, without his God and his Anglican complacency’.
Human-induced morphological shifts in an island lizard

Understanding the evolutionary consequences of anthropogenic change is an emerging topic in evolutionary biology. While highly sensitive species may go extinct in response to anthropogenic habitat alteration, those with broader environmental tolerances may persist and adapt to the changes. Here, we use morphological data from the brown anole (Anolis sagrei), a lizard species that lives in both natural and human-disturbed habitats, to examine the impact of anthropogenic habitat alteration. We find populations inhabiting disturbed habitats were significantly larger in snout-vent length, hindspan, and mass and provide evidence that the observed divergence in hindspan is driven by human-induced changes in habitat structure. Populations were found to be genetically distinct among islands but are not genetically differentiated between habitat types on islands. Thus, the observed pattern of intra-island morphological differences cannot be explained by separate founding populations. Rather, our results are consistent with morphological differences between habitats having arisen in situ on each island. Results underscore the significant impact anthropogenic change may have on evolutionary trajectories of populations that persist in human-altered habitats.
A case of harlequin ichthyosis treated with isotretinoin.

Harlequin ichthyosis is a rare congenital ichthyosis classified under the category of Autosomal Recessive Congenital Ichthyoses, which also include lamellar ichthyosis and congenital ichthyosiform erythroderma. It is caused by functional null mutations in the ABCA12 gene, a keratinocyte lipid transporter associated with lamellar granule formation. Patients have a classic clinical presentation at delivery and need neonatal intensive care treatment to maximize their chances of survival. Early oral retinoid therapy has been shown to increase survival in patients with harlequin ichthyosis[1], and we present a case of a 9-month-old male with this condition who has been treated with isotretinoin since day 7 of life.
Characteristics of patients with primary non-adherence to medications for hypertension, diabetes, and lipid disorders.

BACKGROUND Information comparing characteristics of patients who do and do not pick up their prescriptions is sparse, in part because adherence measured using pharmacy claims databases does not include information on patients who never pick up their first prescription, that is, patients with primary non-adherence. Electronic health record medication order entry enhances the potential to identify patients with primary non-adherence, and in organizations with medication order entry and pharmacy information systems, orders can be linked to dispensings to identify primarily non-adherent patients.
The use of the ionization constant (pKa) in selecting models of toxicity in phenols.

Abstract Phenols elicit a toxic response by one of two mechanisms: polar narcosis or uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation, and p K a values appear to be useful in predicting the mechanism of toxic action of a given phenol. The relative biological response (log BR) of 21 selected phenols in the static Tetrahymena pyriformis population growth test was determined. Seven derivatives, including dinitro- and polyhalogen-substituted phenols, were selected for testing because they were potential uncoupling agents. The other 14 derivatives were all suspected polar narcotics. 1-octanol/water partition coefficient (log K ow )-dependent regression analysis of the two subsets of derivatives results in two linear equations. The polar narcosis model is log BR = 0.6128 (log K ow ) − 1.1297; r 2 = 0.958, s = 0.187. The uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation model is log BR = 0.4485 (log K ow ) + 0.3007; r 2 = 0.985, s = 0.209. Polar narcotic chemicals have p K a values > 8.00, while uncoupling agents have p K a values K ow ) − 0.1885 p K a + 0.8190; r 2 = 0.958, s = 0.225.
Guest Editors' Introduction: Reliability Challenges in Nano-CMOS Design

VLSI design is driven by an ever-increasing challenge to cope with unreliable components at the device, circuit, and system levels. Reliability challenges include, for example, bias-temperature instability (BTI), dielectric breakdown, early-life failure, and soft errors, as well as their interaction with statistical process variation. The impact of unreliability must be managed at various levels of the design abstraction. This special issue addresses the problem of design for reliability at the 32-nm node and beyond, in the context of the emerging threat of progressively unreliable components used in VLSI chip design.
The basic principles of computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging

From the Department of Radiology, Division of Neuroradiology,a and Division of Musculoskeletal Imaging,b Indiana University School of Medicine. Reprint requests: Karen S. Caldemeyer, MD, Indiana University School of Medicine, University Hospital, Room 0279, 550 N University Blvd, Indianapolis, IN 46202-5253. J Am Acad Dermatol 1999;41:768-71. Copyright © 1999 by the American Academy of Dermatology, Inc. 0190-9622/99/$8.00 + 0 16/1/98499 C omputed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are the most widely used cross-sectional imaging methods used in medicine. CT was a revolutionary development of the 1970s. The term computed tomography derives from computed (with computer), tomo (to cut), and graph(y) (pictures). CT uses ionizing radiation, or x-rays, coupled with an electronic detector array to record a pattern of densities and create an image of a “slice” or “cut” of tissue. The x-ray beam rotates around the object within the scanner such that multiple x-ray projections pass through the object (Fig 1). The internal structure of the object can then be reconstructed from the multiple projections of that object.1 As x-rays pass through the patient, they are attenuated. The amount of attenuation depends on the type of tissue through which the x-ray beam passes. X-ray imaging contrast is generated as a consequence of differences in attenuation between adjacent tissues. The higher the attenuation of the x-ray beam, the brighter the tissue on CT images, and the lower the attenuation, the darker the tissue on CT images. Therefore bone and calcification that significantly attenuate the x-ray beam are white. Fat, being rich in carbon, is more transparent than water containing oxygen, which attenuates x-rays to a greater degree.1 Therefore fat is blacker than water on CT. Air causes little attenuation of x-rays and is very black (Figs 2 and 3). Regional or focal deviations from the normal CT appearance will be
Antiborrelial Activity of Serum from Rats Injected with the Lyme Disease Spirochete

The functional properties of humoral factors generated in rats immunized against Borrelia burgdorferi were investigated. After Lewis strain rats were injected intraperitoneally with live B. burgdorferi or in the footpad with dead borreliae incorporated in complete Freund's adjuvant, they produced high-titered antisera. At a dilution of less than or equal to 1:10, sera from immunized or infected rats but not control sera inhibited growth of B. burgdorferi in vitro. Neutralization of growth of three different strains of B. burgdorferi by posttreatment sera was dose-dependent and was detected equally well by direct microscopic counts or by measuring incorporation of tritiated adenine into newly synthesized nucleic acids. These findings provide direct evidence that infection or immunization with the Lyme disease spirochete induces the formation of serum factors capable of preventing the growth of B. burgdorferi in vitro.
Analysis of Thermal Emission Spectrometer data using spectral EOF and tri-spectral methods

We introduce two new techniques in analyzing martian spectrally resolved radiance data obtained by the Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES): spectral empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis and the tri-spectral algorithm. Spectral EOF analysis allows us to obtain the variability of spectra and associated temporal and spatial patterns. The case study with TES 20° S–20° N data shows that the first principal component (PC1) dominates the total variance and is associated with surface or near-surface brightness temperature variations. The PC2 is associated with atmospheric variability, and a negative correlation between dust and ice absorptions can be clearly seen over many regions. The annual cycle is a major component of the PC1 temporal patterns. The fingerprint of the dust storm can be clearly seen in the PC2 temporal patterns in most areas except the highlands. Spectral EOF can be used for validation of the variability of martian GCMs. The tri-spectral algorithm is based on the differences between three bands (dust, ice and a weak CO_2 absorption band) to distinguish spectra sampled in different situations: water ice cloud, dust, and surface anisothermality. We use a line-by-line radiative transfer model coupled with multiple scattering to investigate the sensitivity of this algorithm to dust and ice optical depth as well as surface emissivity. The comparisons between results of this algorithm and the TES team's retrieved dust and ice opacity are consistent over all studied periods except during the peak of the dust storm. Our algorithm is complementary to the more sophisticated TES retrieval and can be used to screen large amounts of data to get an overview.
One-step femtosecond laser patterning of light-trapping structure on dye-sensitized solar cell photoelectrodes†.

Light-trapping patterns were constructed in TiO2 photoelectrodes for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) by a one-step femtosecond laser structuring method that utilized ablation to create patterns at the surface of nanostructured TiO2 films. As a result, much more light was trapped in the photoelectrodes. Grating and orthogonal-grid patterns were studied, and the light trapping performance was optimized through the adjustment of pattern spacing, which was easily realized in the laser ablation process. With a 5 μm-spacing orthogonal-grid pattern, DSSCs showed a highest photon-to-electron conversion efficiency of 9.32% under AM 1.5G, a 13.5% improvement compared to the same cell without laser ablation. This simple and universal laser ablation method could be used to process many kinds of nanomaterials, and could be applied for various devices with nanostructures.
Modulation of NB4 promyelocytic leukemic cell machinery by Anaplasma phagocytophilum.

Abstract Anaplasma phagocytophilum is a gram-negative obligate intracellular bacterium that persists within neutrophils. We assessed the impact of A. phagocytophilum infection in NB4 promyelocytic leukemic cells using high-density oligoarray, two-dimensional differential gel electrophoresis and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. Our Affymetrix data revealed that A. phagocytophilum altered the expression of transcription factors, cell adhesion molecules, signal transduction genes, and proinflammatory cytokines. However, the expression of Toll-like receptors, MYD88, RNF36, IRF3, and TBK1 and inhibitors of the NF-κB gene was not altered. A. phagocytophilum infection also altered the apoptotic program of NB4 cells and resulted in increased transcription of antiapoptotic genes (MCL1 and BFL1). The transcription and translation of iron-metabolism genes (light polypeptide ferritin chain, transferrin, and the transferrin receptor) were significantly altered, suggesting a possible link between A. phagocytophilum infection and iron metabolism. Our study clearly demonstrates multifactorial effects of A. phagocytophilum infection on NB4 promyelocytic leukemic cell machinery.
American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Surgery hernia survey revisited

Abstract Background The aim of the study was to describe current treatment and trends in surgical management of pediatric inguinal hernias (IHs), specifically contralateral exploration. Methods Surveys were sent to 599 Surgical Section members. Questions paralleled the 1993 American Academy of Pediatrics survey and addressed recent controversial topics. Statistical analysis by χ 2 was performed. Results Three hundred ninety-five (66%) surveys returned. For full-term boys with reducible IH, 79% ( 82% ) repair electively, regardless of age or weight. For full-term girls with reducible ovary, 49% ( 27% ) repair electively, 36% (59%) next available slot, 5% (10%) emergently ( P 65% ) routinely explore contralateral groins in boys 2 years or younger ( P 84% ) routinely explore girls 4 years or younger ( P 6% ), ( P Conclusion Reports of routine contralateral inguinal exploration had absolute decreases of 21% for boys 2 years or younger, 37% for girls 4 years or younger. There has been a shift toward elective repair for girls with reducible ovaries. Use of laparoscopy for diagnostic contralateral evaluation has increased dramatically.
GRAFTED MOUSE OVARIES AND THEIR ADRENAL CORTICAL FUNCTION1

Introduction ALTHOUGH it has long been suspected that the ovary is responsible for some degree of androgenic activity, Lipschutz (1932) was apparently the first to present good evidence of such activity. A female guinea pig bearing a grafted ovary took on several characteristics of maleness, including a greatly overdeveloped clitoris. Lipschutz ascribed this unusual development to the presence of the grafted ovary. However, this isolated case did not constitute proof of androgenic activity by the ovary. More recent experiments with mice (Hill and Gardner, 1936; Hill, 1937; Hill and Strong, 1938; 1940) greatly extended the studies on the androgenic activity of ovaries, and have given final proof to the original idea of Lipschutz. The environmental temperature of the graft was shown to be at least one factor in the control of the androgenic activity of ovaries, but the specific androgen produced has never been discovered.
GHz-range serrodyne frequency shifting of continuous optical signals

Serrodyne frequency shifting of continuous optical signals by /spl plusmn/ 1..28 GHz is reported, exceeding the highest previously published serrodyne shifts by over two orders of magnitude. Electrical sawtooth created by spectral modulation of dispersed optical pulses was used.
Human Embryonic Stem Cell Lines Model Experimental Human Cytomegalovirus Latency

Herpesviruses are highly successful pathogens that persist for the lifetime of their hosts primarily because of their ability to establish and maintain latent infections from which the virus is capable of productively reactivating. Human cytomeg- alovirus (HCMV), a betaherpesvirus, establishes latency in CD34hematopoietic progenitor cells during natural infections in the body. Experimental infection of CD34 cells ex vivo has demonstrated that expression of the viral gene products that drive productive infection is silenced by an intrinsic immune defense mediated by Daxx and histone deacetylases through heterochro- matinization of the viral genome during the establishment of latency. Additional mechanistic details about the establishment, let alone maintenance and reactivation, of HCMV latency remain scarce. This is partly due to the technical challenges of CD34cell culture, most notably, the difficulty in preventing spontaneous differentiation that drives reactivation and renders them permis- sive for productive infection. Here we demonstrate that HCMV can establish, maintain, and reactivate in vitro from experimen- tal latency in cultures of human embryonic stem cells (ESCs), for which spurious differentiation can be prevented or controlled. Furthermore, we show that known molecular aspects of HCMV latency are faithfully recapitulated in these cells. In total, we present ESCs as a novel, tractable model for studies of HCMV latency. IMPORTANCE Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a significant human pathogen that is known for causing birth defects, blind- ness in AIDS patients, and organ transplant rejection. The ability of HCMV to cause disease is dependent upon its capacity to establish and maintain latent infections. Very few of the molecular mechanisms of latency have been elucidated, due in part to the lack of a tractable cell culture model. Here we present embryonic stem cells (ESCs) as a model for HCMV latency, one in which genome maintenance and reactivation could be closely monitored. HCMV establishes latency in ESCs in the same fashion as it does in CD34 cells, the currently favored in vitro model. Hence, ESCs represent a novel model with unique properties, such as the ability to be genetically manipulated and cultured indefinitely in an undifferentiated state, that will facilitate the mechanistic examination of certain aspects of HCMV latency that have proven technically challenging in other model systems.
Axial and shear fracture strength evaluation of silicon microneedles

This research aims to quantify fracture limits of hollow silicon microneedles due to axial and shear forces, and validate their use on human skin. Needle failure due to axial and shear loads may be due to heterogeneous peak stresses within the bulk material. Analytical determination of physical usage limits of microneedles can be misleading, as beam fracture models do not translate well to the micro-scale. In this research, various sizes of hollow silicon microneedles were fabricated. Their point of failure due to fracture was tested via application of axial and shear forces. Axial fracture of 36 gauge silicon microneedles took place at about 740 gram-force. It was determined that the axial force experienced by microneedles during insertion into human cadaver skin, is much lower than this critical limit, and thus needle failure due to breakage can thus be generally attributed to shear forces. Fracture limits of microneedles due to shear forces were quantified; ranging from about 36 gram-force for 36 gauge needles to about 275 gram-force for 33 gauge needles.
The Role of an Advanced Land Model in Seasonal Dynamical Downscaling for Crop Model Application

Abstract An advanced land model [the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Community Land Model, version 2 (CLM2)] is coupled to the Florida State University (FSU) regional spectral model to improve seasonal surface climate outlooks at very high spatial and temporal resolution and to examine its potential for crop yield estimation. The regional model domain is over the southeast United States and is run at 20-km resolution, roughly resolving the county level. Warm-season (March–September) simulations from the regional model coupled to the CLM2 are compared with those from the model with a simple land surface scheme (i.e., the original FSU model). In this comparison, two convective schemes are also used to evaluate their roles in simulating seasonal climate, primarily for rainfall. It is shown that the inclusion of the CLM2 produces consistently better seasonal climate scenarios of surface maximum and minimum temperatures, precipitation, and shortwave radiation, and hence provides superior inputs...
End-to-end simulation of high-contrast imaging systems: methods and results for the PICTURE mission family

We describe a set of numerical approaches to modeling the performance of space flight high-contrast imaging payloads. Mission design for high-contrast imaging requires numerical wavefront error propagation to ensure accurate component specifications. For constructed instruments, wavelength and angle-dependent throughput and contrast models allow detailed simulations of science observations, allowing mission planners to select the most productive science targets. The PICTURE family of missions seek to quantify the optical brightness of scattered light from extrasolar debris disks via several high-contrast imaging techniques: sounding rocket (the Planet Imaging Concept Testbed Using a Rocket Experiment) and balloon flights of a visible nulling coronagraph, as well as a balloon flight of a vector vortex coronagraph (the Planetary Imaging Concept Testbed Using a Recoverable Experiment - Coronagraph, PICTURE-C). The rocket mission employs an on-axis 0.5m Gregorian telescope, while the balloon flights will share an unobstructed off-axis 0.6m Gregorian. This work details the flexible approach to polychromatic, end-to-end physical optics simulations used for both the balloon vector vortex coronagraph and rocket visible nulling coronagraph missions. We show the preliminary PICTURE-C telescope and vector vortex coronagraph design will achieve 10 -8 contrast without post-processing as limited by realistic optics, but not considering polarization or low-order errors. Simulated science observations of the predicted warm ring around Epsilon Eridani illustrate the performance of both missions.
John Wyclif and the Rights of the Infidels: The Requerimiento Re-Examined *

The Requerimiento was one of the most striking legal documents of the entire age of European overseas expansion. A long line of publicists and scholars from Bartholomew de Las Casas to Lewis Hanke have discussed, praised and condemned it. The Requerimiento appears to illustrate more clearly than any other single document the combination of high-sounding motives, legal chicanery and brute force that made the Spanish conquest of the Americas possible. In recent years, there has been increasing emphasis upon examining the conquest in terms of the brute force involved and a decreasing emphasis upon the motives and the legalisms which the Spanish employed. As one scholar has said, the Requerimiento was but a “useless legalism,” and, presumably, no longer worthy of serious attention. In addition, scholars have generally agreed that the Requerimiento is thoroughly understood. Following Las Casas, they have asserted that it contained the legal opinion of the thirteenth century canon lawyer known as Hostiensis that infidels had no right to property or political jurisdiction. In medieval terms, that infidels, such as the inhabitants of the Americas, did not possess dominium . In recent years, scholars have asserted that those who defended the Indians against the conquerors, such as Las Casas himself and Francisco Vitoria, drew upon the opinion of Hostiensis' teacher, the canonist-Pope Innocent IV. In this way, the Requerimiento and the related debate about the rights of the Indians has been placed within its proper position within the late medieval canonistic tradition.