cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Thermoelectric Mapping of Nanostructures

There is intense interest to develop nanowires [1] and superlattices [2] that may offer superior thermoelectric figure of merit for efficient energy conversion. Meanwhile, the advance of semiconductor processing techniques has yielded impurity-doped semiconductor nanostructures with a doped region as small as a few nanometers. These include shallow junction Si field-effect transistors, strained Si/SiGe/Ge heterostructures and quantum dots, III-V heterostructures, and doped nanowires and nanotubes. Due to various size confinement effects, these doped semiconductor nanostructures often have unique electrical, optoelectronic, or thermoelectric properties that may lead to a wide range of applications. In contrast to the progress made in synthesizing thermoelectric nanostructures and in fabricating doped semiconductor nanostructures, the ability to quantify thermoelectric property and carrier concentration in comparable length scale has been lagging behind. For example, the 1997 U.S. Roadmap of Semiconductors from the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) defines the need for nanometer-scale measurements of carrier concentration profiles [3]. Though progress has been made, currently no technique can satisfy the requirements posted by the SIA roadmap due to the lack of either spatial resolution or accuracy.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
Cascading Signal-Model Complexity for Energy-Aware Detection

Equipping everyday objects with sensing and computational capabilities creates the potential to achieve context and situational awareness through the detection of natural events. A major challenge in energy-constrained devices is that the detection of natural events generally demands sophisticated signal modeling and processing, along with continuous sensing. In this paper, we propose to use a cascade architecture to control signal-model complexity; this approach allows the device to sense continuously and trigger a more accurate signal model only when an event of interest is likely to be occurring. The sensitivity of the triggering affects detection performance and device energy consumption, so we formulate and solve the problem of optimal threshold allocation to control this sensitivity. We prove that for controlling signal-model complexity, triggering as often as possible maximizes detection performance; this seemingly intuitive result does not hold in other popular cascading techniques, most notably in low-power wakeup mechanisms. Our analysis leads to a simple threshold-tracking algorithm that can adjust to time-varying environmental conditions and energy supply. Combining a low-power MCU with controllable supply-voltage scaling, we present an acoustic wildlife monitoring system that exhibits 12× energy scalability from cascading detectors, and an additional 2× from synergistic hardware scaling on commercially available components. In practical scenarios, we demonstrate energy savings ranging from 3× to 20× with minimal loss in performance, compared to the conventional approach.
Possession and discounting behavior

Abstract Subjects chose when they could first use financial rewards between choices 2 months apart. We manipulated the early reward date and whether participants took immediate possession. Quasi-hyperbolic discounting is rejected in favor of hyperbolic discounting without but not with possession.
Broccoli yield response to selected levels of cabbage looper (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) larvae in southwestern Virginia

Second-instar cabbage loopers, Trichoplusia ni (Hubner), were applied to cv. Packman broccoli, Brassica oleracea var. italica Plenck, grown in Montgomery County, Va. Insects were applied at the 5-8-leaf stage for three planting seasons. Means of 8.4 cabbage looper larvae per plant in spring and 12.1 in fall 1986 caused 29.5 and 55.1% defoliation, respectively, but did not influence yield (head weight) significantly. Under suboptimal planting conditions in spring 1987, head weight decreased linearly with increasing numbers of cabbage looper larvae. Head weight resulting from 0.03 cabbage loopers (1.05% defoliation) was greater than the head weight resulting from 7.36 cabbage loopers (30.95% defoliation). The mean harvest date was influenced by the number of cabbage loopers or the percentage of defoliation in each season, but the maximum difference between treatments within a season was only 2.7 d.
Surgical Ventricular Restoration for Advanced Congestive Heart Failure: Should Pulmonary Hypertension Be a Contraindication?

Background Surgical ventricular restoration (SVR) is an established therapy for congestive heart failure due to ischemic cardiomyopathy. Pulmonary hypertension (PHTN) has been considered a contraindication for SVR owing to a presumed increase in operative risk. However, outcomes in these patients and the impact of SVR on PHTN have not been specifically evaluated. Methods We retrospectively reviewed SVR patients between January 2002 and June 2005. Patients were classified as PHTN (mean pulmonary artery pressure ≥ 25 mm Hg) and no PHTN (mPAP Results Sixty-nine patients underwent SVR for congestive heart failure. Thirty-six percent (25 of 69) had preoperative PHTN. Preoperatively, PHTN patients had significantly lower ejection fraction (21.1% versus 30.0%; p = 0.005) and larger left ventricular end-systolic volume index (119.0 versus 88.7 mL/m 2 ; p = 0.04) than patients without PHTN. All PHTN patients and 95.5% (42 of 44) of the no PHTN group were New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III/IV preoperatively. There was 1 operative death in the PHTN group. Surgical ventricular restoration significantly improved cardiac function and pulmonary pressures for PHTN patients. Both groups had similar cardiac function postoperatively. Seventy-two percent (18 of 25) of PHTN patients and 69.0% (29 of 42) of patients without PHTN improved to NYHA class I/II at follow-up. Kaplan-Meier survival of PHTN patients was 68.1% at 3 years, which was lower than patients without PHTN (81.4%; p = 0.44), but not statistically significant. Kaplan-Meier 3-year survival for all SVR patients was 76.6%. Conclusions Surgical ventricular restoration is a good treatment option in patients with advanced congestive heart failure and PHTN. Our early results are promising and should prompt further studies to confirm these findings.
Religious themes in recent Soviet cinema

Like Soviet literature, Soviet cinema has in recent decades exhibited a persistent interest in religious themes, though this has usually been expressed in Aesopian fashion. The reason for the often elliptical and coded articulation of this interest has been the rigorous Soviet censorship. Lenin, as is well known, once termed the cinema "the most important art", because of its potential to reach a mass audience, and the Soviet authorities have traditionally subjected film to extremely close scrutiny. During the long Brezhnev years, films which raised serious questions about their possible political or ideational effect on viewers were placed on the shelf.) Instead of combing through Soviet cinema over the past thirty years for evidence of religious leanings, I have decided to concentrate on two distinguished modern filmmakers who, unlike other Soviet directors, have had the opportunity to make their religious commitment explicit: the late Andrei Tarkovsky (1932-86) and Andrei Konchalovsky (b. 1937). A number of other Soviet filmmakers also appear to have a keen interest in religious themes. One could cite, for example, the nameS of the late Vasili Shukshin (1929-74); the late Larisa Shepitko (1938-79); Elem Klimov (b. 1933), the recently-elected first secretary of the filmmakers' union; Rolan Bykov (b. 1929), ,director of the acclaimed Scarecrow (Chuche/o) (1984); and Georgian 'lfilm-maker Tengiz Abuladze (b. 1924), whose remarkable Repentance (Monanieba) (1984) took Moscow by storm when released in 1987. Since these individuals did not have the opportunity· to work in the West, however, the extent of their religious commitment remains problematic. It is politically impossible, even under the Gorbachev leadership, for a writer or film-maker to admit to being religious. Hence even writers like tpe eminent Kirghiz novelist Chingiz Aitmatov and directors like Abuladze, who are clearly focused on religious. themes, must, in interviews with Soviet and Western journalists, profess to being unbelievers. 2
A yield criterion for anisotropic and pressure dependent solids such as oriented polymers

The anisotropic yield criterion first posed by Hill has been modified to account for differences in tensile and compressive yield strengths in a given direction; additionally, the influence of hydrostatic pressure on yielding is also considered. Predictions using this new criterion are compared with published experimental results involving oriented polymers and excellent agreement is found. It is suggested that this criterion is more correct on fundamental grounds than those put forth in earlier publications.
Exploring the Temporal Dynamics of the Neutralization/Delinquency Relationship

Despite the popularity of neutralization theory, numerous issues about the theory still exist. This study examines the stability of neutralization acceptance, the role of neutralization acceptance ...
An attempt to complete the record

In 1916 there was published in Buitenzorg, Java, a small book, consisting of a relatively simple key, in the Dutch language, to the families, genera, and species of ferns and flowering plants that are characteristic of the settled agricultural areas of Java at low and medium altitudes. Its author was Doctor I. Boldingh1 and its title may be rendered in English as "Pocket Flora of the Agricultural lands of Java." This small, but apparently very useful volume, contains twenty names that are followed by the abbreviation "Bold." clearly indicating that in the author's mind they were new. Being published in a popular work, and not otherwise indicated as new, none of these Boldingh names appeared in Index Kewensis until its ninth Supplement was issued in 1938, twenty-two years after the book was published in Java. These new names, published in a most unorthodox manner and in contravention to the rules of the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature, form the subject of this discussion. I think that it is entirely clear that Doctor Boldingh attempted to locate and to adopt the earliest specific name that he considered to be valid for various species under the genera that he recognized. In this he was only doing what a great many other authors have done in their attempts to select specific names under the provisions of the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature, for that code is based essentially on priority. It is, however, most unfortunate that in no case did he even hint at the name-bringing synonyms on which his new names were based. The following examples indicate how these new Boldingh names appear in the text; nor are there any other entries except in the key. Thus under Flemingia, p. 121, we note:
An association of plant cell microtubules and virus particles.

Abstract Microtubules are closely associated with tubules containing virus particles in leaf cells infected with bean pod mottle virus or cowpea mosaic virus. The similar orientation and apparent continuity suggest that cores of tubules with virus particles are actually microtubules. It is suggested that microtubules may be involved in the intra- and intercellular movement of viral components and in the assembly of virus particles as well as being a factor in the reaction of a plant to virus infection.
Hydromagnetic flow at an oscillating plate

Abstract Uniformly valid solutions are obtained for the hydromagnetic flow at a moving plate and at an oscillating plate. In each case, two different representations for the solution are presented. On one representation a half order fractional operator is used, whereas the other representation did not rely on fractional operator. Solutions for special cases of the oscillating plate are calculated for finite times. Furthermore, the effects of the nondimensional numbers M (the magnetic parameter), Re (the suction Reynolds number) on the flow are compared with the existing results and are discussed.
Developing and leveraging the professional intellect through working e-portfolios

With the progress of technology, the paper-based portfolios have been taken to another level. Electronic portfolios, also know as e-portfolios or digital portfolios, are not new ideas. However, many higher level institutions and businesses struggle with how to best use e-portfolios. A personal interview procedure was implemented on employed professional people, representative of the service industry located in the metropolitan section of Pittsburgh, PA, USA, testing a number of hypotheses as well as exploratory research. This paper explores the possibility of using the e-portfolio developed by the working professionals not just as an assessment tool, but to assist individuals with career planning and job placement. As partially demonstrated, portfolios do aid in the development of professional intellect, especially in the first three levels, namely cognitive knowledge, advanced skills and systems understanding or critical-thinking skills.
The United States and the new law of the sea

This article examines the objections by the United States to the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention and explains why the government rejected a treaty that it had worked so long and hard to produce. This study also evaluates UN efforts since 1990 to reconcile international difficulties over seabed mining. The focus here falls on how deep seabed provisions of the 1982 text were revised to render the Convention more acceptable to the United States. Certain lessons for multilateral negotiations from the protracted law of the sea experience are also proffered, especially how circumstances of time, economics, politics, and personalities can affect the outcomes of complex international negotiations. Finally, the 1994 Implementation Agreement is assessed. The conclusion is that this Agreement makes notable improvements benefitting U.S. interests as a principal ocean miner. It replaces an overly detailed and costly regime in Part XI of the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention text with a more streamlined approach to deep se...
Indentation Depth Dependent Hardness in Polydimethylsiloxane

Size dependent deformation in polymers has been observed in various experiments including microbeam bending, foams, composites and indentation. For indentation depths from 100 microns down to hundreds of nanometers strong increases in the hardness has been observed where the hardness has been determined with a Berkovich indenter tip on polydimethylsiloxane. These observations are related to other existing experimental data of the literature and possible rationales for these indentation size effects are discussed.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
THE INHIBITORY EFFECT OF ROLIPRAM ON TNF-α PRODUCTION IN MOUSE BLOOD EX VIVO IS DEPENDENT UPON THE RELEASE OF CORTICOSTERONE AND ADRENALINE

Abstract Intraperitoneal administration of the phosphodiesterase type 4 (PDE 4 ) inhibitor rolipram (1–30 mg/kg) caused a dose-dependent increase in the circulating levels of both corticosterone and adrenaline in male Balb/c mice. These increases were maximal 0.5–1 h after administration of rolipram and had declined to control levels by 4 h. Rolipram (10 mg/kg i.p.) substantially inhibited the production of tumour necrosis factor α (TNF-α) ex vivo in blood from normal mice but was ineffective in adrenalectomized mice, suggesting that the inhibitory effect of rolipram is dependent on intact adrenal function. The corticosterone antagonist, RU 486, and the β-adrenoceptor antagonist, popranolol, both partially reversed the inhibitory activity of rolipram while the combination of RU 486 and popranolol abrogated the effect of the rolipram to the same degree as adrenalectomy. These data suggest the release of both corticosterone and adrenaline contribute to the ability of rolipram to inhibit TNF-α production in mouse blood ex vivo.
THE DOT PLANIMETER, A NEW WAY TO MEASURE MAP AREA

(1954). THE DOT PLANIMETER, A NEW WAY TO MEASURE MAP AREA. The Professional Geographer: Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 12-14.
Extracting speech-rate values from a real-speech database

An examination of the articulatory and acoustic correlates of duration change using rules based on Klatt '79 confirms the influence of such known effects as stress, phonetic context, intrinsic vowel duration, part of speech, and position in utterance and provides a key to quantifying and isolating the effects of speech-rate through measurement of the smoothed error extracted from the difference between predicted and observed durations. >
A Molecular and Fitness Evaluation of Commercially Available versus Locally Collected Blue Lupine Lupinus perennis L. Seeds for Use in Ecosystem Restoration Efforts

Dependence on wild seed sources is often impractical for large-scale habitat restoration programs. Reliance on commercial seed supplies of unknown provenance and fitness is thereby warranted. Little consideration has been given, however, to how the large volumes of seed required should be sourced. We evaluated commercial and locally collected seed sources for potential use in a New York State-based, landscape-scale program for restoring blue lupine Lupinus perennis. Through analysis of microsatellite markers we determined that “native” lupine designations by some commercial suppliers were in fact interspecific hybrids and therefore unreliable; at least two commercial sources, however, were genetically as close to native New York populations as native New York populations were to one other. Common garden experiments revealed that seed source influenced first-year overwintering survival and subsequent height growth of surviving plants; seed sources more closely related genetically to native New York populations survived better and produced more stems per individual in the field in the area targeted for restoration. We conclude that (1) commercial suppliers often but not always offer reliably characterized seed sources of sufficient genetic similarity to native populations to warrant their use in restoration projects and (2) genetic affinity of potential seed stock to native populations is positively related to its fitness in the environment targeted for restoration.
α-Actinin-1 phosphorylation modulates pressure-induced colon cancer cell adhesion through regulation of focal adhesion kinase-Src interaction

Physical forces including pressure, strain, and shear can be converted into intracellular signals that regulate diverse aspects of cell biology. Exposure to increased extracellular pressure stimula...
Electroluminescent organic light emitting micro/nanofibers fabricated using three-fluid coaxial electrospinning

This paper presents the development of three-fluid coaxial electrospinning technology and its application in electroluminescent organic light emitting micro/nanofibers (OLEFs). It is demonstrated that one-dimensional micro/nano-scale light sources can be realized using a single-step, substrate-free fabrication process - three-fluid coaxial electrospinning. The OLEF devices are formed in air rather than on a substrate before coming to the object surface of interest, and do not require any thin-film deposition and high-resolution lithography processes that are generally used in current light emitting device technologies. Such micro/nano-scale OLEFs could be beneficial in applications ranging from bio-imaging to chemical and biological sensing to other nano-scale luminescence in general.
9-cis retinoic acid is the ALDH1A1 product that stimulates melanogenesis

Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1A1 (ALDH1A1), an enzyme that catalyses the conversion of lipid aldehydes to lipid carboxylic acids, plays pleiotropic roles in UV-radiation resistance, melanogenesis and stem cell maintenance. In this study, a combination of RNAi and pharmacologic approaches were used to determine which ALDH1A1 substrates and products regulate melanogenesis. Initial studies revealed that neither the UV-induced lipid aldehyde 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal nor the ALDH1A1 product all-trans retinoic acid appreciably induced melanogenesis. In contrast, both the ALDH1A1 substrate 9-cis retinal and its corresponding product 9-cis retinoic acid potently induced the accumulation of MITF mRNA, Tyrosinase mRNA and melanin. ALDH1A1 depletion inhibited the ability of 9-cis retinal but not 9-cis retinoic acid to stimulate melanogenesis, indicating that ALDH1A1 regulates melanogenesis by catalysing the conversion of 9-cis retinal to 9-cis retinoic acid. The addition of potent ALDH1A inhibitors (cyanamide or Angeli's salt) suppressed Tyrosinase and MITF mRNA accumulation in vitro and also melanin accumulation in skin equivalents, suggesting that 9-cis retinoids regulate melanogenesis in the intact epidermis. Taken together, these studies not only identify cyanamide as a potential novel treatment for hyperpigmentary disorders, but also identify 9-cis retinoic acid as a pigment stimulatory agent that may have clinical utility in the treatment of hypopigmentary disorders, such as vitiligo.
Characterization of ancient materials using PIXE spectrometry

Abstract The first part of this paper describes some of the novel features of the Bartol Research Institute's PIXE facility that have made it such an effective analytical tool for the study of a diversity of ancient materials. The gains of selective filtering of the X-ray spectrum (to enhance detection limits for minor and trace elements), and of a “microbeam” mode of operation of the facility, are illustrated by two practical applications: (i) a new look at the nature of colorants used in late 2nd millennium Egyptian glassmaking, and (ii) a study of Panamanian gold artifacts finished by the “depletion gilding” process.
The origin and the course of the communicating branch of the facial nerve to the lesser petrosal nerve in man.

In order to clarify the origin and the course of the communicating branch, 25 human nerve complexes (entire intra-osseous part of the facial nerve, greater petrosal nerve, lesser petrosal nerve, communicating branch, auricular branch of the vagus) and stapedius muscles were dissected out and removed as a whole. Each of the 25 complexes was dehydrated, sectioned serially at 10–20 μ, and either stained with Luxol Fast Blue or treated with a silver technique. The communicating branch was observed to originate from the auricular branch of the vagus. It ascended first along the anterior side of the third intra-osseous part of the facial nerve and then penetrated the stapedius. From within the stapedius some of its fibers continued anteriorly as a nerve bundle through the facial sheath of the second intra-osseous part of the nerve. This nerve bundle separated from the seventh nerve upon approaching the geniculate ganglion, and joined the lesser petrosal nerve. The communicating branch consisted mainly of small myelinated fibers in the course of which either isolated ganglion cells or small ganglia were sometimes present.
RPM-1 is localized to distinct subcellular compartments and regulates axon length in GABAergic motor neurons

Background: The PAM/Highwire/RPM-1 (PHR) proteins are conserved signaling proteins that regulate axon length and synapse formation during development. Loss of function in Caenorhabditis elegans rpm-1 results in axon termination and synapse formation defects in the mechanosensory neurons. An explanation for why these two phenotypes are observed in a single neuronal cell has remained absent. Further, it is uncertain whether the axon termination phenotypes observed in the mechanosensory neurons of rpm-1 mutants are unique to this specific type of neuron, or more widespread defects that occur with loss of function in rpm-1. Results: Here, we show that RPM-1 is localized to both the mature axon tip and the presynaptic terminals of individual motor neurons and individual mechanosensory neurons. Genetic analysis indicated that GABAergic motor neurons, like the mechanosensory neurons, have both synapse formation and axon termination defects in rpm-1 mutants. RPM-1 functions in parallel with the active zone component SYD-2 (Liprin) to regulate not only synapse formation, but also axon termination in motor neurons. Our analysis of rpm-1�/�; syd-2�/� double mutants also revealed a role for RPM-1 in axon extension. The MAP3K DLK-1 partly mediated RPM-1 function in both axon termination and axon extension, and the relative role of DLK-1 was dictated by the anatomical location of the neuron in question. Conclusions: Our findings show that axon termination defects are a core phenotype caused by loss of function in rpm-1, and not unique to the mechanosensory neurons. We show in motor neurons and in mechanosensory neurons that RPM-1 is localized to multiple, distinct subcellular compartments in a single cell. Thus, RPM-1 might be differentially regulated or RPM-1 might differentially control signals in distinct subcellular compartments to regulate multiple developmental outcomes in a single neuron. Our findings provide further support for the previously proposed model that PHR proteins function to coordinate axon outgrowth and termination with synapse formation.
Aspects of Interjurisdictional Sharing of the Value-Added Tax

The sharing of consumption taxes between different levels of government has come to the fore in a number of developing countries in recent years with respect to the VAT. Employing a simple model that abstracts from considerations of equalization transfers and complications of tax competition, this article inquires about the determinants of an optimal arrangement for interjurisdictional sharing of the VAT base and revenue, and derives explicit solutions for the optimal central and local VAT rates, as well as the optimal revenue-sharing ratio between central and local governments on a derivation basis. The central finding is that an optimal VAT sharing arrangement is generally characterized by the simultaneous sharing of the VAT base and of the VAT revenue. The nature of the optimal solutions is shown to depend on the interactions among interjurisdictional differences in population, income, and the level of local government expenditure relative to local tax base.
PARASITE IMPACTS ON HOST COMMUNITIES: PLANT PARASITISMIN A CALIFORNIA COASTAL PRAIRIE

Generalized parasites may strongly influence host communities by differ- entially impacting host species. However, the community effects of an important and wide- spread group of generalized parasites, the parasitic plants, have been poorly studied. I performed removal experiments to assess the role of a small annual hemiparasite, Triphy- saria pusilla (Scrophulariaceae), in a California coastal prairie community. Removal of Triphysaria led to increased total biomass of the host assemblage; this effect was largely attributable to a substantial increase in the biomass of graminoids. In addition, host suitability differed dramatically among three annual taxa: Triphysaria par- asitizing grass hosts produced 3.2 and 6.4 times more fruits, on average, than those attacking two dicot hosts, Hypochaeris glabra and Lupinus nanus, respectively. Availability of mul- tiple host species failed to improve parasite performance beyond that achieved on grasses alone. Triphysaria impacts also differed greatly among host species: natural densities of Triphysaria significantly reduced the dry mass of grasses, while Hypochaeris and Lupinus were unharmed. In addition to these direct effects, I tested whether Triphysaria attack influenced com- petitive interactions among host taxa. Natural densities of grasses significantly reduced growth and fecundity of Hypochaeris and Lupinus, suggesting that the presence of Tri- physaria in mixed stands of hosts might allow competitive release of these dicot species. However, the combination of grasses and Triphysaria caused a more severe reduction in Lupinus performance than that caused by grasses alone. Thus, observations of direct effects among pairs of species were not sufficient to explain either the outcome or intensity of multi-species interactions. Taken together, these experiments demonstrate that a generalist plant parasite can influence the structure of a natural plant community, and that interactions between a generalist parasite and its multiple host species can be difficult to predict from studies that consider only single host taxa.
Active inverted stripline circular patch antennas for spatial power combining

An active antenna configuration is proposed for spatial-power-combining applications. The active patch antenna uses an inverted stripline topology to take advantage of several features. These features include avoiding drilling through the circuit substrate to insert the diode and the use of air within the resonant cavity to reduce loss. The inverted substrate serves as a radome for hermetic sealing. The active antenna and housing can be fabricated in modular form for reduced cost and easy replaceability of devices. The active inverted stripline patch antenna exhibits a much cleaner spectrum and greater stability than previously reported active antennas. The fixture serves as a ground plane, heat sink, and support in an active planar array or as a mirror in a quasi-optical power-combining resonator. A single active antenna operating at 9.23 GHz exhibited a 16-MHz locking bandwidth at 30-dB locking gain. Power-combining efficiencies of over 89% have been demonstrated for a four-element square array that maintained injection-locking and power-combining over a 60-MHz bias tuned bandwidth. Similarly, a four-element diamond array showed over 86% combining efficiency and 50-MHz bias tuned bandwidth. Beam steering was demonstrated by varying bias voltage to the individual antenna elements of the square array. >
Marimastat in the Treatment of Patients with Biochemically Relapsed Prostate Cancer: A Prospective Randomized, Double-Blind, Phase I/II Trial

Purpose: To evaluate the safety and biological activity of three different doses of marimastat given for 6 months to patients with biochemically relapsed prostate cancer. Experimental Design: Patients with a biochemical relapse within 2 years of primary therapy, a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) increase of at least 50% within 6 months of study entry, and no prior systemic therapy were eligible. Patients were randomized to receive marimastat at total daily doses of 5, 20, or 40 mg for 6 months unless dose-limiting toxicity or new evidence of disease occurred. Results: Thirty-nine patients were treated. Grade 3-4 reversible musculoskeletal toxicity was the only dose-limiting toxicity. Increasing dose was associated with increased probability of experiencing dose-limiting toxicity (5.9%, 42.9% and 88.9% for the 5, 20, and 40 mg groups, respectively; P = 0.03). Accrual was discontinued early on the two higher dose levels due to toxicity. A significant decrease in PSA slope was shown in the 20 mg group when compared with the 5 mg group (0.117 and −0.0046, respectively; P = 0.03) The 40 mg group (versus the 5 mg group) showed a similar change (0.109) with a trend towards significance ( P = 0.07). An increased serum matrix metalloproteinase 2 level at month 3 compared with the baseline correlated with a decrease in PSA slopes (Slope, 0.001; 95% confidence interval, 0.0002-0.0018; P = 0.02). Conclusion: These data suggest that marimastat has a biological effect and may effectively delay progression in patients with biochemical relapsed prostate cancer, as shown by the change in PSA slope; however, dose-limiting toxicity at active doses is significant. Confirmatory studies with less toxic matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors employing more conventional end points are indicated. This design is feasible and potentially efficient for screening antimetastatic agents.
Reconfigurable active front-end of adjustable speed drives for power quality improvement

A new control scheme is proposed to utilize the active front-end of a high performance adjustable speed drives (ASD) to solve power quality problems caused by conventional diode/thyristor drives. Under the proposed control scheme, a fully controlled active front-end ASD acts as a local power quality conditioner in order to compensate harmonic currents as well as reactive power generated by other neighboring drives. In this way, power quality problems caused by multiple motor drives can be solved locally. The proposed solution can fully utilize the capability of the active front-end of ASDs and does not require vast replacement of conventional diode/thyristor ASD sets. Therefore, it can provide flexible and economical solutions for power quality improvement compared to other custom power devices. Simulation results verify the performance of the proposed active front-end configuration and control schemes.
Necdin, a p53 target gene, in stem cells

Necdin, a member of the melanoma antigen gene (MAGE) family, originally identified to suppress cell proliferation in post-mitotic neurons, facilitates the entry of the cell into cell cycle, functions like retinoblastoma (Rb) protein, and acts as a transcriptional repressor that recognizes guanosine (G)-rich DNA sequences. Necdin also binds to p53 and inhibits p53-dependent apoptosis in these cells, demonstrating its function as an endogenous anti-mitotic and anti-apoptotic protein in post-mitotic neurons [1]. The necdin gene is located on chromosome 15 in human and its expression is controlled through genomic imprinting; it is one of the genes that have been associated with the human Prader-Willi syndrome, a genetic neurobehavioral disorder [2]. Necdin is expressed in some stem or undifferentiated progenitor cells such as mesoangioblast stem cells [3], vessel-associated stem cells [4], adipocyte progenitor cells [5, 6], and hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) [7], yet the function of necdin in these cells remains unclear. While highly expressed in long-term HSCs, transcript profiling of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) isolated from wild-type and p53 null mice identified necdin as being a p53 target gene [7]. We then demonstrated using chromatin immunoprecipitation assays that the necdin promoter contains a p53 binding site and that necdin is a direct transcriptional activator of p53 in HSPCs. Lentivirus-mediated knock down or overexpression of necdin resulted in decreased or increased HSPC quiescence, respectively [7]. We recently clarified the function of necdin in HSCs and HSPCs using necdin null mice [8]. Necdin null mice show the same phenotype as the patients with Prader-Willi syndrome and because they die perinatally, we transplanted necdin null fetal liver cells into lethally irradiated wild type recipients to reconstitute their bone marrow function and analyzed the HSC intrinsic function of necdin in adult hematopoiesis. Necdin-null HSCs have normal self-renewal capacity after serial transplantation, while we found that necdin-null HSCs are less quiescent and more proliferative than normal, suggesting that necdin has the similar function as p53 in promoting HSC quiescence in the steady state. We then demonstrated that necdin-null HSCs are highly sensitive to genotoxic stress, irradiation or chemotherapy, with increased apoptosis via both cell-cycle-dependent and cell-cycle independent mechanisms. We further found that the function of necdin in hematopoiesis in response to genotoxic stress depends on Gas2L3, a novel member of the Gas2 family, using
Fruit Size Affects Physiological Attributes and Storage Disorders in Cold-stored ‘Royal Gala’ Apples

Royal Gala' apple (Malus sylvestris (L.) Mill var. domestica (Borkh.) Mansf.) fruit can be susceptible to the development of postharvest disorders such as flesh breakdown and cracking (splitting) during and after cold storage. The objective of this research was to investigate fruit size and 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) treatment effects on fruit physiological attributes and incidence and severity of storage disorders in 'Royal Gala' apples held in cold storage. In 2011, fruit segregated at harvest into two groups based on size (120 to 175, 250 to 350 g/fruit) were stored in air at 0.5 8C for 6 months and then at 20 8C for 7 days. In 2012, fruit were sorted into four groups (less than 200, 200 to 240, 241 to 280, and greater than 280 g/fruit), treated with 0 or 1 mL·L L1 1-MCP for 12 hours, and then stored in air at 0.5 8C for 3 or 6 months. Storage disorders were only detected at 6 months, regardless of 1-MCP treatment. In both control and 1-MCP-treated fruit, flesh breakdown incidence increased with fruit size, whereas severity was less associated with size. The progression of flesh breakdown developed in overall cortex tissue of control fruit but only detected in the stem-end tissue of 1-MCP- treated fruit. Internal ethylene concentration (IEC) decreased and CO2 production increased with increased fruit weight; however, 1-MCP-treated fruit had low IEC regardless of weight. Cortex tissue lightness (L*) increased with fruit size irrespective of tissue localization (stem end, equatorial, calyx end) at harvest. During 6 months' storage, L* decreased with increased fruit size in controls but not 1-MCP-treated fruit. Fruit fresh weight loss increased with fruit size and storage duration, more so in controls when compared with 1-MCP-treated fruit. Furthermore, fruit circumference increased during storage with fruit size only for control fruit. These physical changes are associated with susceptibility of large fruit to flesh breakdown more so than small fruit. Reduced flesh breakdown incidence, progression of symptoms from the stem end into the cortex, and symptom severity in 1-MCP-treated fruit may indicate flesh breakdown is related to fruit ripening and senescence.
Using digital games to teach history and historical thinking

Consider your pedagogical goals when designing games for history--whether you are focused more on teaching facts and data, concepts and themes, and/or decision-making and resource management. Carefully consider the balance between maintaining historical accuracy and fun and engaging gameplay and actions. Well-designed games can provide effective learning opportunities for students to develop historical thinking and historical empathy skills.
Development of an accident-tolerant fuel composite from uranium mononitride (UN) and uranium sesquisilicide (U 3 Si 2 ) with increased uranium loading

Abstract The processing steps necessary to prepare a potential accident-tolerant fuel composite consisting of uranium mononitride (UN) combined with uranium sesquisilicide (U3 Si2) are described. Liquid phase sintering was performed with U3 Si2 as the liquid phase combined with UN powder or UN μ-spheres. Various UN to U3 Si2 ratios were tested which resulted in up to 94% dense pellets. Composite UN-U3 Si2 samples had greater than 30% more uranium content than UO2.
Pituitary Gonadotropin Response in Women with Idiopathic Hyperprolactinemia

Inappropriate lactation and idiopathic hyperprolactinemia are frequently associated with amenorrhea. In these individuals, peripheral levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (hFSH) are usually normal, and luteinizing hormone (hLH) levels are often found in the low-normal range. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the functional capacity of the pituitary by the response of hFSH and hLH to synthetic gonadotropin-releasing hormone (Gn-RH). Six women with amenorrhea, inappropriate breast secretion, and idiopathic hyperprolactinemia (prolactin levels ranged from 45 to 335 ng/ml) were given 100 μg of Gn-RH intramuscularly. Serum hFSH and hLH levels were assessed in samples obtained at 15-minute intervals over the next 2-hour period. Initial hFSH levels were normal in all women, with a mean of 242±72 ng/ml. The absolute increase after Gn-RH administration averaged 486±193 ng/ml. Serum hLH was below normal in three of the six women, and normal in the remaining three women initially. The absolute increase averaged 1308±315 ng/ml. The greatest percentage increase in hLH was found in the women with the subnormal basal titers. In these women, hLH rose from a mean of 22 ng/ml to a mean of 1092 ng/ml. These data demonstrate an exaggerated increase in hFSH and hLH levels after exogenous Gn-RH administration. This suggests that the amenorrhea associated with elevated serum prolactin levels is principally of hypothalamic origin.
SPYSE: a semantic search engine for python packages and modules

Code reuse is a common practice among software developers, whether novices or experts. Developers often rely on online resources in order to find code to reuse. For Python, the Python Package Index (PyPI) contains all packages developed for the community and is the largest catalog of reusable, open source packages developers can consult. While a valuable resource, the state of the art PyPI search has very limited capabilities, making it hard for developers to find useful, high quality Python code to use for their task at hand. We introduce SPYSE (Semantic PYthon Search Engine), a web-based search engine that overcomes the limitations of the state of the art, making it easier for developers to find useful code. The power of SPYSE lays in the combination of three different aspects meant to provide developers with relevant, and at the same time high quality code: code semantics, popularity, and code quality. SPYSE also allows searching for modules, in addition to packages, which opens new reuse opportunities for developers, currently not supported. TOOL URL: https://pypi.compgeom.com VIDEO URL: https://youtu.be/Praglw-vS50
The measure of erythropoiesis in anemias. II. The immediate and subsequent loss of transfused erythrocytes in healthy subjects.

1. Fresh and stored red cells, transfused in healthy subjects, disappear from the circulation during the first 24 hours at a rate in excess of that prevailing in subsequent 24 hour periods. When fresh red cells are transfused the excess first day loss is approximately 3 per cent. 2. Comparative survival studies using the nonagglutinable red cell method of Ashby have indicated that this excess immediate loss is not due to elution of Cr 51 , but to actual loss of red cells. 3. When red cells are stored improperly or for an extended period of time, the excess loss occurs very rapidly, and at one hour is approximately 50 per cent of the total loss at 24 hours. The limitations to the use of the dilution data of transfused stored cells to establish the 100 per cent value for the measure of the survival of the transfused red cells are implicit. 4. When the first 24 hour loss of transfused red cells is approximately 30 per cent or more, paradoxically the rate of loss in subsequent days is less than when fresh, undamaged red cells are transfused. This observation raises the question of interpretation of the measure of the red cell survival expressed as T ½.
The role of medications in geriatric sexual function.

This article discusses medicines and geriatric sexuality. The interaction of drugs with aging sexual physiology is described. The major therapeutic categories of drugs implicated in causing adverse effects on sexuality in the elderly are the psychotherapeutic and cardiovascular agents. Drug therapies with limited usefulness in the treatment of sexual dysfunctions of the elderly man include use of testosterone and intracavemosal injection of vasoactive drugs. Topical and systemic estrogens may be of use in elderly women.
DNA Affinity Chromatography of Transcription Factors: The Oligonucleotide Trapping Approach

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the current oligonucleotide trapping method practiced in laboratories. A column is prepared with the single-stranded oligonucleotide ACACACA CAC attached to CNBr-activated Sepharose through an aminoalkyl linker. Another DNA is prepared, which has a double-stranded region containing the element bound by a transcription factor and additionally has a GTGTGTGTGT single-stranded tail. The probe is mixed with a cell extract containing a transcription factor to be purified along with salt and various competitors and surfactants, which improve selectivity. Chromatography is either by simply using gravity flow with a fraction collector or using a Bio-Rad Biologic LP Chromatograph. They can also be annealed by boiling 50 ml water in a 100-ml beaker, removing it from the heat, and adding the sealed tube containing the DNA. After allowing the beaker to cool for 30 min, the tube is removed to an ice bath. By adding different dilutions of nuclear extract to a gel shift, performed using a known amount of DNA, usually a total shift of the DNA can be obtained.
Diffusive Instabilities in Dilating and Compacting Geomaterials

This chapter reviews and extends analyses of diffusive instabilities in inelastically deforming geomaterials. The onset of these instabilities is connected with the conditions for shear localization in the limiting cases of drained (constant pore pressure) and undrained (constant fluid mass) deformation and depends on whether inelastic volume change is dilation or compaction. Rice [1975] showed that homogeneous shear deformation of a layer was stiffer for undrained than for drained conditions but was unstable in the sense that the magnitude of infinitesimal spatial nonuniformities begins to grow exponentially in time when the condition for localization is met in terms of the underlying drained response. As the condition for localization in terms of the undrained response is passed, infinitesimal spatial perturbations experience infinitely rapid decay and then infinitely rapidly growth. For materials that dilate with inelastic shearing the condition for localization is met for the drained response before it is met for the undrained response. For materials that compact and for which the shear yield stress increases with normal stress, the undrained response is softer than the drained and conditions for localization are met for undrained response before drained. If the shear yield stress decreases with normal stress, as for materials modeled by a “cap” on the yield surface, results for compacting materials are identical to those for the dilating materials. Generalization of the layer results to arbitrary deformation states reveals the same relation for the onset of diffusive instability: spatial nonuniformities begin to grow exponentially when the condition for localization is met in terms of the underlying drained response. In contrast to the result for the layer, the growth rate of perturbations does not necessarily become unbounded when the condition for localization is met in terms of the undrained response. The difference is due to a lack of symmetry in the constitutive tensors that is typical of geomaterials. Explicit expressions are given for the undrained response in terms of the drained for an elastic-plastic relation with yield stress and flow potential depending on first and second stress invariants. For this relation and the limit of incompressible solid constituents, the lack of symmetry just-mentioned disappears. If the fluid constituent is also incompressible, the analysis confirms a result of Runesson et al. [1996] that the undrained response is independent of mean stress and the predicted direction of shear bands is 45° to the principal axes of stress.
Truck Platooning on Uphill Grades under Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control (CACC)

Abstract: This paper examines CACC truck platooning on uphill grades. It was found that the design of CT policy should consider the effects of low crawl speeds on significant upgrades. Three simple solutions, which have different impacts on traffic flow efficiency, are proposed. Furthermore, truck platoons, controlled by a state-of-the-art CACC model, become asymptotically unstable beyond some critical grade. The errors are permanent, suggesting that trucks fail to re-engage after the upgrade. This occurs by complex interactions between the CACC control and the bounded acceleration capabilities of trucks. New control concepts are developed to complement the existing control model and achieve asymptotic (and string) stability. The instability mechanisms and new control concepts are not specific to the control model used.