cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Thermal repair of tryptophan synthase mutations in a regulatory intersubunit salt bridge. Evidence from arrhenius plots, absorption spectra, and primary kinetic isotope effects.

Abstract This work is aimed at understanding how protein structure and conformation regulate activity and allosteric communication in the tryptophan synthase α2β2 complex from Salmonella typhimurium. Previous crystallographic and kinetic results suggest that both monovalent cations and a salt bridge between α subunit Asp56 and β subunit Lys167 play allosteric roles. Here we show that mutation of either of these salt bridging residues produced deleterious effects that could be repaired by increased temperature in combination with CsCl or with NaCl plus an α subunit ligand, α-glycerol 3-phosphate. Arrhenius plots of the activity data under these conditions were nonlinear. The same conditions yielded temperature-dependent changes in the equilibrium distribution of enzyme-substrate intermediates and in primary kinetic isotope effects. We correlate the results with a model in which the mutant enzymes are converted by increased temperature from a low activity, “open” conformation to a high activity, “closed” conformation under certain conditions. The allosteric ligand and different monovalent cations affected the equilibrium between the open and closed forms. The results suggest that α subunit Asp56 and β subunit Lys167 are not essential for catalysis and for allosteric communication between the α and β subunits but that their mutual interaction is important in stabilization of the active, closed form of the α2β2 complex.
Androgen regulation of an antigen expressed in regions of developing brainstem monoaminergic cell groups.

Abstract To examine the regulation of brain development by gonadal steroids we are using monoclonal antibodies obtained with neonatal rat brain homogenates as immunogens. One antibody, 3D10, binds selectively in regions of identified monoaminergic neuronal cell groups in the brainstem. Characterization of 3D10 immunoreactivity was carried out using free-floating 50 μm tissue sections from perinatal rats. The strongest reactivity was seen on postnatal day 1 in the locus coeruleus (A 6 ) and in the regions of the A 4 (dorsal) and A 5 (ventral) noradrenergic cell groups. Immunoreactivity was also seen in the raphe magnus, pallidus and obscuris. Faint immunoreactivity was seen in the more rostral dorsal and median raphe nuclei and in the midbrain dopaminergic cell groups of the ventral tegmentum and substantia nigra. The number of 3D10 immunoreactive cells in all groups was greatest perinatally and decreased with age. The number of immunoreactive cells in the A 4 region of males decreased at an earlier age than in females. Female offspring treated prenatally with testosterone propionate also had fewer immunoreactive cells in the A 4 region at earlier ages, approximating the time course in the male. Thus, changes in the number of 3D10 immunoreactive cells reveal hormonal control of the time course of a developmental process in a selective population of neurons.
Better But Not Best: Recent Trends In The Well-Being Of The Mentally Ill

Mental illness and its treatment are largely invisible. We use multiple publicly available data sources to evaluate changes in the well-being of Americans with mental illnesses over the past decade. We find that access to care, including specialty psychiatric and inpatient care, and financial protection have improved. However, not all people with mental health problems have shared in these improvements. Access to care among those with mental health impairments appears to have declined, and we estimate that because of continued increases in incarceration, at least 7 percent of the population with serious and persistent mental illnesses are incarcerated in jail or prison each year.
Recent trends in pediatric hospitalization in New York state.

Objective To describe changing rates of disorders associated with child hospitalization. Study design Trends for the 100 diagnosis related groups (DRGs) with the largest number of hospitalizations (0-14 years) were analyzed. Results Children were hospitalized at an average annual rate of 35 per 1000 age-specific population during 1996 to 2002. The hospitalization rate decreased by 2.3% per year. The top 100 DRGs accounted for 90% of all 949,376 child hospitalizations. Hospitalization for mental illness increased by 5.5% per year, accounting for more than 4% of all child hospitalizations in 2002. Ambulatory care-sensitive medical conditions (asthma, gastrointestinal disorders, pneumonia, seizures) continue to be leading causes of hospitalization, and they are declining no faster than the overall rate. DRGs with a significantly faster rate of decline than the overall trend included surgical procedures for which inpatient care is often unnecessary (–12.3%/year, accounting for 11% of the overall decline) trauma-related diagnoses (–4.4%/year, accounting for 7% of the overall decline), and HIV-related conditions (–31.7%/year, accounting for 3% of the overall decline). Conclusions The rising rate of hospitalization associated with child mental illness may represent a clinically important trend. Rates of hospitalization for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions have not declined substantially despite the availability of evidence-based strategies to avoid serious illness.
THE POWER DISTRIBUTION NETWORK EXPANSION PLANNING BASED ON STACKELBERG MINIMUM WEIGHT K-STAR GAME

The reliability of power distribution network is important. For high reliability, it is necessary for some nodes to have backup connections to other feeders in the network. The substation operator wants to expand the network such that some nodes have k redundant connection lines (i.e., k redundancy) in case the current feeder line does not work. The corporation is given this task to design the expansion planning to construct new connection lines. The substation operator will choose the minimum charged k redundant connection lines based on both of the existing network and the expansion network, which is designed by the corporation. The existing network has the cost for the redundant connection due to the operational expense. The corporation proposes the design with its own price, which may include the operational expense and the construction expense. Thus, for the corporation, how to assign the low price on the connection lines while maximizing the revenue becomes a Stackelberg minimum weight k-star game for the power distribution network expansion. A heuristic algorithm is proposed to solve this Stackelberg minimum weight k-star game for the power distribution network expansion, using three heuristic rules for price setting in a scenario by scenario fashion. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm always outperforms the greedy algorithm which is natural to k-star game in terms of corporation revenue. Compared to the greedy algorithm, the proposed algorithm improves up to 60.7% in the corporation revenue in the chosen minimum weight k-star, which is the minimum charged k connection lines. The average improvement is 7.5%. This effectively handles k redundancy in the power distribution network expansion while maximizing the corporation revenue.
Hepatic very-low-density lipoprotein and apolipoprotein B production are increased following in vivo induction of betaine-homocysteine S-methyltransferase.

We have previously reported a positive correlation between the expression of BHMT (betaine–homocysteine S-methyltransferase) and ApoB (apolipoprotein B) in rat hepatoma McA (McArdle RH-7777) cells [Sowden, Collins, Smith, Garrow, Sparks and Sparks (1999) Biochem. J. 341, 639–645]. To examine whether a similar relationship occurs in vivo, hepatic BHMT expression was induced by feeding rats a Met (L-methionine)-restricted betaine-containing diet, and parameters of ApoB metabolism were evaluated. There were no generalized metabolic abnormalities associated with Met restriction for 7 days, as evidenced by control levels of serum glucose, ketones, alanine aminotransferase and L-homocysteine levels. Betaine plus the Met restriction resulted in lower serum insulin and non-esterified fatty acid levels. Betaine plus Met restriction induced hepatic BHMT 4-fold and ApoB mRNA 3-fold compared with Met restriction alone. No changes in percentage of edited ApoB mRNA were observed on the test diets. An increase in liver ApoB mRNA correlated with an 82% and 46% increase in ApoB and triacylglycerol production respectively using in vivo Triton WR 1339. Increased secretion of VLDL (very-low-density lipoprotein) with Met restriction plus betaine was associated with a 45% reduction in liver triacylglycerol compared with control. Nuclear run-off assays established that transcription of both bhmt and apob genes was also increased in Met-restricted plus betaine diets. No change in ApoB mRNA stability was detected in BHMT-transfected McA cells. Hepatic ApoB and BHMT mRNA levels were also increased by 1.8- and 3-fold respectively by betaine supplementation of Met-replete diets. Since dietary betaine increased ApoB mRNA, VLDL ApoB and triacylglycerol production and decreased hepatic triacylglycerol, results suggest that induction of apob transcription may provide a potential mechanism for mobilizing hepatic triacylglycerol by increasing ApoB available for VLDL assembly and secretion.
The categories of hue in infancy

Infant looking time was monitored during habituation to the repeated presentation of a wavelength stimulus selected from one basic adult hue category and after a change in stimulation. Recovery from habituation was greater to a wavelength selected from an adjacent hue category than to a wavelength from the same category even though these two stimuli were equally distant (in nanometers) from the habituation wavelength. Differential responding evidenced infants' categorical perception of hue; that is, infants see the physically continuous spectrum as divided into the hue categories of blue, green, yellow, and red. These results help to resolve the long-standing controversy surrounding the primacy of perception over language in the organization of hue.
Shared Book Reading and Head Start Preschoolers' Vocabulary Learning: The Role of Book-Related Discussion and Curricular Connections

This study examined the ways in which the language that Head Start teachers used during book reading, as well as the extent to which they made explicit connections between book reading and other instructional activities, were linked to preschoolers' vocabulary development. Participants included 10 Head Start teachers and 153 children in their classrooms. Research Findings: Analyses revealed that teachers varied substantially in the frequency and nature of their book-related remarks, and connections between books and the broader curriculum were relatively few in number and constrained in nature. On average, children learned more words over the course of the year when teachers used more contextualized and decontextualized talk during book readings. Contextualized book-related talk was most positively associated with learning among children with relatively low initial vocabulary knowledge. Too few connections between book reading and the curriculum were observed to afford analysis of their contributions to c...
Decoupling of protein and RNA synthesis during deuterium parthenogenesis in sea urchin eggs

The parthenogenetic activation of cell division and suppression of nucleic acid synthesis by deuterium in eggs of sea urchins was investigated. D/ sub 2/O treatment was found to evoke a high rate of protein synthesis in the eggs that was maintained for several hours. However, eggs whose protein synthesis was activated and that were making labeled cytasters showed no increment in RNA synthesis over controls. (P.C.H.)
An Investigation of the Possible Potentiation of Ethinamate Activity by Chlorpromazine

Results of an attempt to determine the extent of the ability of chlorpromazine under specific circumstances to potentiate the hypnotic activity of ethinamate are presented. These results are compared with those pertaining to the extent of the ability of chlorpromazine to enhance ethinamate toxicity.
Determination of interfacial heat-transfer boundary conditions in an aluminum low-pressure permanent mold test casting

Great advances in casting modeling/simulation software have been made in the past several years. However, software predictions are only as accurate as the material and processing properties used as inputs. The process of low-pressure semipermanent mold casting is widely used by the automotive industry in the production of aluminum cylinder head castings. However, the process is highly sensitive to various casting parameters and many of the influences are not well understood. This report presents results from casting experiments and simulations using a specially designed casting, the “wing casting.” The casting experiments demonstrated the variation in temperature change in different parts of the casting for different processing parameters. Boundary conditions were determined for different areas on the mold surface and those parameters were discussed in terms of temperature sensitivity in the casting behavior. It was also demonstrated that boundary conditions play a major role in the thermal behavior in the casting during solidification. Finally, changes in the mold/casting surface geometry were found to have a large influence on the value of the boundary conditions.
Appendicular skeletal morphology in minute salamanders, genus Thorius (amphibia: Plethodontidae): Growth regulation, adult size determination, and natural variation.

Patterns of growth and variation of the appendicular skeleton were examined in Thorius, a speciose genus of minute terrestrial plethodontid salamanders from southern Mexico. Observations were based primarily on ontogenetic series of each of five species that collectively span the range of adult body size in the genus; samples of adults of each of seven additional species provided supplemental estimates of the full range of variation of limb skeletal morphology. Limbs are generally reduced, i.e., pedomorphic, in both overall size and development, and they are characterized by a pattern of extreme variation in the composition of the limb skeleton, especially mesopodial elements, both within and between species. Fifteen different combinations of fused carpal or tarsal elements are variably present in the genus, producing at least 18 different overall carpal or tarsal arrangements, many of which occur in no other plethodontid genus. As many as four carpal or tarsal arrangements were observed in single population samples of each of several; five tarsal arrangements were observed in one population of T. minutissimus. Left-right asymmetry of mesopodial arrangement in a given specimen is also common. In contrast, several unique, nonpedomorphic features of the limb skeleton, including ossification of the typically cartilaginous adult mesopodial elements and ontogenetic increase in the degree of ossification of long bones, are characteristic of all species and distinguish Thorius from most related genera. They form part of a mechanism of determinate skeletal growth that restricts skeletal growth after sexual maturity. Interspecific differences in the timing of the processes of appendicular skeletal maturation relative to body size are well correlated with interspecific differences in mean adult size and size at sexual maturity, suggesting that shifts in the timing of skeletal maturation provide a mechanism of achieving adult size differentiation among species. Processes of skeletal maturation that confer determinate skeletal growth in Thorius are analogous to those typical of most amniotes - both groups exhibit ontogenetic reduction and eventual disappearance of the complex of stratified layers of proliferating and maturing cartilage in long bone epiphyses - but, unlike most amniotes, Thorius lacks secondary ossification centers. Thus, the presence of secondary ossification centers cannot be used as a criterion for establishing determinate skeletal growth in all vertebrates.
Neural specialization for speech in the first months of life

How does the brain's response to speech change over the first months of life? Although behavioral findings indicate that neonates' listening biases are sharpened over the first months of life, with a species-specific preference for speech emerging by 3 months, the neural substrates underlying this developmental change are unknown. We examined neural responses to speech compared with biological non-speech sounds in 1- to 4-month-old infants using fMRI. Infants heard speech and biological non-speech sounds, including heterospecific vocalizations and human non-speech. We observed a left-lateralized response in temporal cortex for speech compared to biological non-speech sounds, indicating that this region is highly selective for speech by the first month of life. Specifically, this brain region becomes increasingly selective for speech over the next 3 months as neural substrates become less responsive to non-speech sounds. These results reveal specific changes in neural responses during a developmental period characterized by rapid behavioral changes.
Recent Canadian Experience on the Profitability of Insider Trades

Recent Canadian data on large insider transactions showed that abnormal gains accrued to directors and bank directors during a stock market upturn. During a stock market downturn, beneficial owners, senior officers, and bank directors were compensated by more than the risk-adjusted rates of return from sales of stocks of their own companies. Since Baesel and Stein's early study, abnormal gains persisted in spite of the introduction of stiffer penalties on insider trading.
Toward A Code of Ethics for Marketing Educators

This paper builds on previous work by Sirgy, M. J. (1999), Journal of Business Ethics 19, 193–206, dealing with issues of code of conduct of marketing educators. Sirgy developed a discussion document outlining a semblance of what might be construed as a code of ethics for marketing educators. The discussion document was debated and accompanied by three commentaries (Ferrell, O. C.: 1999, Journal of Business Ethics 19, 225–228; Kurtz, D. L.: 1999, Journal of Business Ethics 19, 207–209; Malhotra, N. and G. L. Miller: 1999, Journal of Business Ethics 19, 211–224). One conclusion derived from the discussion document and the commentaries is the need to develop a code of ethics involving behaviors that most marketing educators find morally unacceptable. The current paper reports on a descriptive study involving a survey of marketing educators in which survey respondents were asked to rate the extent to which certain behaviors are deemed acceptable or unacceptable. The results of the survey identified certain behaviors deemed unacceptable by the vast majority of survey respondents. This evidence of hypernorms (a concept derived from social contract theory) within the community of marketing educators was used to propose an initial code of ethics.
The Wise Chisel: The Rise of the Smart Handheld Tool

Smart handheld tools epitomize a mythical and technological quest for personal mastery of skill, delivering both might and mind in the hands of their holders. A recent spur of academic and industrial efforts has given rise to a new field of research in HCI, one devoted to smart handheld tools. Here, the authors offer a definition for smart handheld tools, discuss the tools' origins and motivation, and present a survey of prominent work by themselves and others in disciplines such as fabrication, painting, printing, and maintenance. They also discuss their experiences operating in this new territory and conclude with a vision of a hybrid creative practice: smart handheld instruments that enable synergetic cooperation with human skill, personal style, and computational assistance that results in accuracy, guidance, and protection for users. This article is part of a special issue on printing and fabrication.
Evidence for a Second Binding/Transport Site for Chloride in Erythrocyte Anion Transporter AE1 Modified at Glutamate 681

Transport kinetics have been examined in erythrocyte anion transporter AE1 that has been chemically modified to convert glutamate 681 to an alcohol (E681OH AE1). Outward conductive Cl− flux in E681OH AE1 is inhibited by removal of extracellular Cl−; this effect is the opposite of that in native AE1 and is consistent with coupled electrogenic 2:1 Cl−/Cl− exchange. A second Cl− binding/transport site is also suggested by the characteristics of flux in E681OH AE1: bilateral and cis Cl−, which are normally inhibitory, accelerate flux. These effects would be expected if Cl− binds to a second transport site on -loaded E681OH AE1, thereby allowing cotransport. Alternatively, the data can be explained without proposing cotransport if the rate-limiting event for exchange is external release, and the binding of external Cl− accelerates release. With either interpretation, these data indicate that E681OH AE1 has a binding/transport site for Cl− that is distinct from the main transport site. The effects of graded modification of E681 or inhibition by H2DIDS are consistent with the idea that the new Cl− binding site is on the same E681OH-modified subunit of the AE1 dimer as the normal transport site.
Long-term, continuous mixed-gas dry fed CO2/CH4 and CO2/N2 separation performance and selectivities for room temperature ionic liquid membranes

Abstract Previously, we reported on using room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) in place of traditional solvents in liquid membranes and showed that stabilized RTIL-membranes outperformed standard polymers for the separations of CO 2 /CH 4 and CO 2 /N 2 (considering ideal gas permeabilities). Here, we report on mixed-gas permeances and selectivities for the gas pairs CO 2 /CH 4 and CO 2 /N 2 using continuous flows of the mixed gases at various carbon dioxide concentrations (up to 2 bars of CO 2 partial pressure). Under mixed-gas test conditions, three of the tested membranes still operated with commercially attractive mixed-gas selectivity combined with CO 2 -permeability for CO 2 /CH 4 separations. In addition, one of the tested membranes is, potentially, economically viable for CO 2 capture from flue gas. We answer three objections to reduction-to-practice of RTIL-membranes for gas separations; namely, mixed-gas operations did not reduced the gas selectivities, membranes give advantageous performance even under dry gas feed conditions, and we achieved long-term stability in continuous operation, up to 106 days, without performance degradation. Furthermore, the RTIL-membranes operated under CO 2 -partial pressures of at least 207 kPa without decrease in separation ability. The RTIL-membranes tested include [emim][BF 4 ], [emim][dca], [emim][CF 3 SO 3 ], [emim][Tf 2 N], and [bmim][BETI].
Scalar perceptions of distance for a monocularly determined depth interval

Even in the absence of the usual cues to egocentric distance, a single visual object tends to be seen at an “egocentric reference distance” as a combined result of a perceptual tendency and the residual oculomotor cues. It has previously been shown that two objects, separated in binocular depth, tend to be seen with the far object located near this reference distance and the near object displaced toward the observer. The present research demonstrates that a similar perceptual positioning of a depth configuration will also occur, if the depth interval is established through multiple monocular cues, rather than stereoscopically.
Inexpensive semi-autonomous ground vehicles for defusing IEDs

Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) are an important concern to coalition forces during the conflicts in the Middle East. These devices are responsible for many casualties to American armed forces in the Middle East. These explosives are particularly dangerous because they are improvised with materials readily available to the designer, and there is no systematic way of explosive ordinance disposal. IEDs can be made from things such as standard military ammunition and can be detonated with common electronic devices such as cell phones and garage door openers. There is a great need for a low cost solution to neutralize these IEDs. At the Applied Physics Institute we are building a single function disrupter robot whose sole purpose is to neutralize these IEDs. We are modifying a toy remote control car to control it either wirelessly using WI-FI (IEEE 802.11) or wired by tethering the vehicle with an Ethernet cable (IEEE 802.3). The robot will be equipped with a high velocity fuze disrupter to neutralize the IED as well as a video camera for inspection and aiming purposes. This robot utilizes commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) components which keeps the cost relatively low. Currently, similar robot systems have been deployed in Iraq and elsewhere but their method of operation is such that it is impractical to use in non-combat situations. We will discuss our design and possible deployment scenarios.
SU‐FF‐I‐66: An Interactive Deformable 3D/3D Image Registration System: Radial Basis Functions

Purpose: Deformable image registration becomes challenging in the existence of noise and/or extrinsic objects such as rectum fillings or gas, and subject to failure. When the registration is unsatisfactory the result needs to be corrected. For this purpose we have developed an interactive 3D/3D deformable registration system that allows users to easily modify the registration using computer input devices. Method and Materials: The system uses radial basis functions to deform one of the input volumes. Users can edit control points on three orthogonal sectional views: selecting, moving, adding, and removing control points. As the function status changes the renderer updates the views real‐time to feed the change back to the user. The system also has automatic local registration features, which utilize box or mask ROI based rigid body registrations to establish correspondences of the selected points. Results: Real‐time rendering is very important for interactive editing. The editing of radial basis functions was possible up to 125 control points without major noticeable delay. The computer was equipped with one 3.0GHz CPU, 2GB system memory, and an NVidia GeForce 6800 graphics adaptor with 512MB GPU memory. Conclusion: We have developed an interactive deformable 3D/3D image registration system that allows editing radial basis functions interactively. We find this system is useful to correct registration errors after an automatic registrations session.
Frequency and temperature dependence of poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) gel rheology

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) or p-NIPAAM gels undergo a prominent deswelling transition near physiological temperatures. Using passive microrheology, we have investigated the viscoelastic response of p-NIPAAM gels over a frequency range not accessible to bulk rheological measurements. Overall, NIPAAM gels moderately shear stiffen with increasing frequency. More intriguingly, sample viscosity rapidly declines with increasing frequency before leveling off near the solvent viscosity. The frequency for this crossover coincides with the emergence of fast gel modes seen in dynamic light scattering (DLS) from the gel. Furthermore, we monitored viscoelastic responses on approach to the deswelling transition. Intrinsic light scattering indicates that experimental conditions are not near the critical point and that the deswelling transition is second order in nature. Nevertheless, the corresponding elastic and viscous moduli of p-NIPAAM displayed power-law decreases with temperature. These changes with temperature were independent of probe frequency. Power law exponents, however, are sensitive to details of the sample preparation suggesting that these viscoelastic responses vary with gel structure. Correlating our microrheological measurements with DLS from the gel matrix itself, we find that several of the observed microrheological features are closely related to the intrinsic dynamics of the p-NIPAAM gels. In particular, the transition from gel- to solvent dominated dissipation coincides with a transition from fast to slow gel modes. Combining microrheology with intrinsic light scattering, therefore, provides a compelling approach to probe rheological responses and correlate them to the underlying network dynamics. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci., 2013
The occurrence of nerve growth factor in teleost fishes.

Le «nerve growth factor» a ete decouvert dans les axes spinaux de quelques poissons lors d'un essai biologique, in vitro, provoquant la croissance de fibres nerveuses des ganglia spinaux des embryons de poulet.
Gene Transfer of a Synthetic Pacemaker Channel Into the Heart A Novel Strategy for Biological Pacing

Background— One key element of natural pacemakers is the pacemaker current encoded by the hyperpolarization-activated nucleotide-gated channel (HCN) gene family. Although HCN gene transfer has been used to engineer biological pacemakers, this strategy may be confounded by unpredictable consequences of heteromultimerization with endogenous HCN family members and limited flexibility with regard to frequency tuning of the engineered pacemaker. Methods and Results— To circumvent these limitations, we converted a depolarization-activated potassium-selective channel, Kv1.4, into a hyperpolarization-activated nonselective channel by site-directed mutagenesis (R447N, L448A, and R453I in S4 and G528S in the pore). Gene transfer into ventricular myocardium demonstrated the ability of this construct to induce pacemaker activity with spontaneous action potential oscillations in adult ventricular myocytes and idioventricular rhythms by in vivo electrocardiography. Conclusions— Given the sparse expression of Kv1 family...
Automated synthesis of transonic transports.

The development of a vehicle synthesis program, called TRANSYN, designed to perform automated preliminary design of long-haul transport aircraft is briefly described. The TRANSYN-TST program was used in a study of commercial transonic transports designed for introduction in the early 1980s. The optimum engine cycles of all the study aircraft are within the current state-of-the-art, but fan noise suppression will be required to meet the noise requirements of FAR Part 36. It was found that full use of advanced composite materials in the wing and fuselage structure is neutrally cost effective when compared with aluminum for aircraft designed to cruise in the low transonic regime (Mach 0.90 to 1.0), but that such materials are very cost effective for aircraft designed to cruise in the high transonic regime (Mach 1.0 to 1.15). Finally, increasing speed results in reduced trip times with at most very slight increases in cost in the low transonic regime, but cruise speeds in the high transonic regime result in a significant economic penalty for the conventional configurations considered in this study.
Approximate Entropy as a diagnostic tool for machine health monitoring

This paper presents a new approach to machine health monitoring based on the Approximate Entropy (ApEn), which is a statistical measure that quantifies the regularity of a time series, such as vibration signals measured from an electrical motor or a rolling bearing. As the working condition of a machine system deteriorates due to the initiation and/or progression of structural defects, the number of frequency components contained in the vibration signal will increase, resulting in a decrease in its regularity and an increase in its corresponding ApEn value. After introducing the theoretical framework, numerical simulation of an analytic signal is presented that establishes a quantitative relationship between the severity of signal degradation and the ApEn values. The results of the simulation are then verified experimentally, through vibration measurement on a realistic bearing test bed. The study has shown that ApEn can effectively characterise the severity of structural defect, with good computational efficiency and high robustness.
Gender Quotas and Comparative Politics: Past, Present, and Future Research Agendas

The use of electoral gender quotas—both nationally-mandated and party-based—has generated a large and growing body of research examining these policies. The rapid development of this literature stems from the widespread nature of this phenomenon, with quotas being adopted in more than half of all countries worldwide—nearly all within the last 20 years. The “first generation” of quota research focused primarily on mapping the contours of these measures, theorizing elements of quota design, paths to quota adoption, and reasons for variations in quota effects on the numbers of women elected. While such studies continue to remain important, scholars increasingly recognize that quotas are not simply about increasing the number of women in politics. This has led to the emergence of a “second generation” of quota research, examining their impact on legislative diversity, policy-making behavior, public opinion, and mass mobilization. In contrast, non-gender scholars have generally been slow to respond to these developments, despite the potential for quotas to shape a variety of political dynamics—and thus to illuminate trends in relation to many key debates in comparative politics.
449 VASOPRESSIN (VP) RELEASE IN FETAL NEWBORN AND ADULT SHEEP INDUCED BY HYPOXIA: CORRELATION WITH β-ENDORPHIN IMMUNOACTIVITY (-EP) & PaO2

To study the relationship of plasma VP(pg/ml), β-EP(pg/ml) & PaO2(mmHg)during hypoxic stress,we exposed pregnant ewes & lambs to an FIO2 of 5 or 10% in N2 for 30 min.In 11 fetuses of ewes exposed to 10% FIO2,VP increased from 1.7±0.5 to 56±17.8(p<.001). In 6 newborn lambs with 10% FIO2,mean VP increased from 2.1±0.4 to 10.5±5.8(p<.005)while with 5% FIO2,VP increased to 421±138 (p <.001).Exposure of 7 ewes to 10% FIO2 produced no change in mean VP,yet with 5% FIO2 mean VP increased from 1.7±5 to 38.9±15.7. There were significant negative correlations(p <.001)between PaO2 and log VP in the fetal & newborn lamb.
Risedronate: a clinical review.

Background Risedronate sodium has recently been approved for the prevention and treatment of postmenopausal and corticosteroid-induced osteoporosis. Methods Studies of risedronate were obtained from the MEDLINE database (1966 to the present) of references usingrisedronate, risedronic acid, osteoporosis,andhuman subjectas keywords. Additional references were sought from the reference lists of the articles obtained. Results Nine randomized controlled trials and 7 other clinical trials were obtained. In postmenopausal women with normal bone density, risedronate increases lumbar spine bone density and preserves femoral neck density. In postmenopausal women with prior vertebral fracture, risedronate decreases new vertebral and nonvertebral fracture incidence. In patients who experienced breast cancer and who have chemotherapy-induced menopause, risedronate preserves bone. Risedronate prevents vertebral bone loss in patients beginning long-term corticosteroid therapy. Risedronate decreases pagetic bone pain and induces radiological improvement in pagetic lesions. Risedronate induces normalization of biochemical abnormalities and may be more effective than etidronate disodium for Paget disease. Only one study, a trial in patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis using a low dose (2.5 mg) of risedronate, did not have a positive result. Adverse effects in patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis, breast cancer, and Paget disease and in those taking corticosteroids are similar to those of patients taking placebo, and do not include notable upper gastrointestinal tract adverse event rates or serious adverse events. Conclusions Risedronate prevents postmenopausal bone loss, decreases fracture in those with established postmenopausal osteoporosis, effectively treats Paget disease, and prevents corticosteroid-induced bone loss. Long-term toxic effects and efficacy, particularly fracture end point data, are unknown. Also undefined are optimal duration of therapy, potential for use in combination with other agents, and direct comparison with other bisphosphonates used for osteoporosis.
Comparative study of solutions for pulmonary preservation using an isolated rabbit lung model

Abstract At the University of Minnesota, University of Wisconsin (UW), modified Euro-Collins (MEC), and Marshall (M) solutions were compared as agents for pulmonary preservation in an isolated rabbit lung model. Normal saline (NS) was used as a control. The heart–lung blocks of donor rabbits were flushed with, and then preserved in, one of the solutions at 4°C. Five rabbits were studied in each group. After 8 h of cold ischemia, the left lung was ventilated and reperfused with fresh venous blood from donor rabbits for 30 min. Pulmonary function was assessed by serial measurements of oxygen (O 2 ) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) tensions in blood obtained from the left atrial appendage. The ratios of wet/dry (W/D) weight of the lungs were calculated to assess the extent of pulmonary edema. After 8 h of preservation followed by 30 min of reperfusion, O 2 tension was significantly higher with UW (178.36 + 1.72 mmHg). The calculated P values were UW vs NS, 2 tension with UW was also lower than the other solutions: UW, 35.8 ± 0.698 mmHg; NS, 48.5 ± 0.745 mmHg; MEC, 40.69 ± 0.749 mmHg; and M, 44.68 ± 0.697 mmHg. The calculated P value was UW vs NS, 0.0001; UW vs MEC, 0.0003; and UW vs M, 0.0001 using repeated-measures analysis of covariance. The W/D ratio was lower with UW as well: UW, 6.82 ± 0.19; NS, 8.01 ± 0.23; MEC, 7.28 ± 0.10; and M, 7.34 ± 0.17. The P value was
A SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC STUDY OF THE OESTING COLORIMETER AND OF THE COLORS DEVELOPED WITH CRYSTALLINE ANDROSTERONE AND URINARY KETOSTEROIDS BY THE OESTING MODIFICATION OF THE ZIMMERMANN REACTION12

THE CHEMICAL METHOD of determining crystalline and urinary androgens3 and related ketosterols is based on a nonspecific reaction between the - CH2CO group of these substances and nvdinitrobenzene in an alkaline alcoholic solution. The shade and intensity of the characteristic colors resulting from the reaction of these substances depend on a number of variables. The most important of these are the temperature and duration of the reaction, alkalinity of the solution, relative amounts of the reactants, concentration of alcohol and of mdinitrobenz;ene, and the intensity of light to which the reactionmixture is exposed. Beer's law is applicable within certain limits of androgen concentration. Zimmermann (1) was the first to propose this reaction as the basis of a colorimetric method for the quantitative determination of ketonic sterols. He (a) later adapted his procedure to the Pulfrich photometer and studied the colors produced by crystal line androsterone and testosterone as well
A microarchitectural performance evaluation of a 3.2 Gbyte/s microprocessor bus

Several architectural innovations intended to reduce access latency and improve overall throughput increase system bandwidth requirements. Bandwidth scales with clock speed, and can be regarded as an architectural resource to be applied to latency reduction. A properly designed bus provides low arbitration latency and delivers high sustained bandwidth. The paper evaluates the performance of 3.2 Gbyte/s peak bandwidth, low-latency arbitration bus connecting a GaAs superscalar CPU to a GaAs memory management unit. A microarchitectural performance model was written in the Verilog hardware description language. Bus transactions characteristic of the SPECint92 benchmarks and other workloads were generated as input. Sustained bandwidths of 1.68 Gbytes/s were achieved with arbitration costs of less than 0.5 cycles per data transfer. >
Semivectorial beam-propagation method for analyzing polarized modes of rib waveguides

The authors report a semivectorial beam-propagation method which can determine the form birefringence in rib or channel waveguides. In this approach, a finite-difference equation is solved by using the alternating-implicit method to simulate the propagation of the optical beam. Since boundary conditions are incorporated into the finite-difference equation, polarized modes can be simulated. Numerical results on three well-known rib waveguides are presented with comparisons to published data. >
Poor antibody validation is a challenge in biomedical research: a case study for detection of c-FLIP

Successful translation of findings derived from preclinical studies into effective therapies is critical in biomedical research. Lack of robustness and reproducibility of the preclinical data, due to insufficient number of repeats, inadequate cell-based and mouse models contribute to the poor success rate. Antibodies are widely used in preclinical research, notably to determine the expression of potential therapeutic targets in tissues of interest, including tumors, but also to identify disease and/or treatment response biomarkers. We sought to determine whether the current antibody characterization standards in preclinical research are sufficient to ensure reliability of the data found in peer-reviewed publications. To address this issue, we used detection of the protein c-FLIP, a major factor of resistance to apoptosis, as a proof of concept. Accurate detection of endogenous c-FLIP levels in the preclinical settings is imperative since it is considered as a potential theranostic biomarker. Several sources of c-FLIP antibodies validated by their manufacturer and recommended for western blotting were therefore rigorously tested. We found a wide divergence in immune recognition properties. While these antibodies have been used in many publications, our results show that several of them failed to detect endogenous c-FLIP protein by Western blotting. Our results suggest that antibody validation standards are inadequate, and that systematic use of genetic knockdowns and/or knockouts to establish proof of specificity is critical, even for antibodies previously used in the scientific literature. Because antibodies are fundamental tools in both preclinical and clinical research, ensuring their specificity is crucial.
Directional Sensitivity of the Ears of Noctuid Moths

1. Noctuid moths of several species were mounted at the tip of a tower of fine tubing in acoustic ‘free space’. Recordings were made of the intensity of a brief pulse of ultrasound necessary to produce a constant tympanic nerve response for any angle of sound presentation relative to the moth9s body axis. Such plots of intensity versus angle were made with the wings held in several postures approximating those assumed in normal flight. 2. The data indicate that sound intensity reaching the tympanic organ can vary by as much as 40 db. depending upon: (a) the position of a sound source relative to the moth9s body axis, and (b) the position of its wings. 3. With wings above the horizontal plane each ear reports sounds c. 20-40 db. louder on the ipsilateral side than on the contralateral side. With wings below the horizontal, the lateral asymmetries are replaced by a dorsoventral asymmetry in which each ear reports sounds coming from below the body c. 10-25 db. louder than sounds coming from above. 4. Directional sensitivity plots at 60 kcyc./sec. are more complex than plots at 30 kcyc./sec.--as expected. 5. A theory is presented to explain how a moth could determine the direction of a sound source in three-dimensional space by comparing the intensity reports of both tympanic organs during a complete wing cycle.
Image processing techniques for describing sea ice features

In this paper, we present a host of image processing techniques for sea ice feature analysis that we have investigated in the framework of ARKTOS. ARKTOS is an intelligent system, a software package that classifies each sea ice feature individually, using rules that fire upon a variety of descriptors of the feature, and thus relies on accurate extraction of objects (or features) in the images. We have studied four stages of image processing in the course of researching for and designing ARKTOS: pre-processing, segmentation, attribute measurements, and symbolic description. The basic techniques are not new in the area of image processing. But the adaptations and extensions that we have made in order to better capture image visual cues specific to sea ice features are results of experiments and evaluations and have seen some specific innovations that may be generalized to other sea ice or remote sensing applications. Design considerations include correctness, robustness, and speed.
Sparse representation of images with hybrid linear models

We propose a mixture of multiple linear models, also known as hybrid linear model, for a sparse representation of an image. This is a generalization of the conventional Karhunen-Loeve transform (KLT) or principal component analysis (PCA). We provide an algebraic algorithm based on generalized principal component analysis (GPCA) that gives a global and noniterative solution to the identification of a hybrid linear model for any given image. We demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed hybrid linear model by experiments and comparison with other transforms such as the KLT, DCT and wavelet transforms. Such an efficient representation can be very useful for later stages of image processing, especially in applications such as image segmentation and image compression.
2-D and 1-D multipaired transforms: frequency-time type wavelets

A concept of multipaired unitary transforms is introduced. These kinds of transforms reveal the mathematical structure of Fourier transforms and can be considered intermediate unitary transforms when transferring processed data from the original real space of signals to the complex or frequency space of their images. Considering paired transforms, we analyze simultaneously the splitting of the multidimensional Fourier transform as well as the presentation of the processed multidimensional signal in the form of the short one-dimensional (1-D) "signals", that determine such splitting. The main properties of the orthogonal system of paired functions are described, and the matrix decompositions of the Fourier and Hadamard transforms via the paired transforms are given. The multiplicative complexity of the two-dimensional (2-D) 2/sup r//spl times/2/sup r/-point discrete Fourier transform by the paired transforms is 4/sup r//2(r-7/3)+8/3-12 (r>3), which shows the maximum splitting of the 5-D Fourier transform into the number of the short 1-D Fourier transforms. The 2-D paired transforms are not separable and represent themselves as frequency-time type wavelets for which two parameters are united: frequency and time. The decomposition of the signal is performed in a way that is different from the traditional Haar system of functions.
Chemically amplified resists: past, present, and future

The chemical amplification concept is based on the use of a photochemically-generated acid as a catalyst, which indices a cascade of chemical transformations in the resist film, providing a gain mechanism. This lithographic imaging strategy invented in 1980 has been fully accepted by the microelectronics industry and implemented in manufacture of devices by deep UV lithography employing a KrF excimer laser. The resist systems currently being developed for the next generation ArF excimer laser lithography are also built on chemical amplification. This paper reviews the development, current status, and future of chemical amplification resist.