cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The effects of low-level environmental tobacco smoke exposure on pulmonary function tests in preschool children with asthma

AbstractObjectives: Though parents of children with asthma smoke, they often avoid smoking in their homes or near their children, thus limiting exposure. It is not known if such low-level environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) results in measurable exposure or affects lung function. The objectives of this study were to measure urinary cotinine in preschool children with asthma, and to examine the relationship between low-level ETS exposure and pulmonary function tests (PFTs). Methods: Preschool children with asthma were enrolled. Parents completed questionnaires on ETS exposure and asthma control, urinary cotinine concentrations were measured and PFTs were compared between subjects with and without recent ETS exposure. Results: Forty one subjects were enrolled. All parents denied smoking in their home within the last 2 weeks, but 14 (34%) parents admitted to smoking outside their homes or away from their children. Fifteen (37%; 95%CI: 23–53) of the children had urinary cotinine levels ≥1 ng/ml, of which seven ...
Improving The Catalytic Activity Of Semiconductor Nanocrystals Through Selective Domain Etching

Colloidal chemistry offers an assortment of synthetic tools for tuning the shape of semiconductor nanocrystals. While many nanocrystal architectures can be obtained directly via colloidal growth, other nanoparticle morphologies require alternative processing strategies. Here, we show that chemical etching of colloidal nanoparticles can facilitate the realization of nanocrystal shapes that are topologically inaccessible by hot-injection techniques alone. The present methodology is demonstrated by synthesizing a two-component CdSe/CdS nanoparticle dimer, constructed in a way that both CdSe and CdS semiconductor domains are exposed to the external environment. This structural morphology is highly desirable for catalytic applications as it enables both reductive and oxidative reactions to occur simultaneously on dissimilar nanoparticle surfaces. Hydrogen production tests confirmed the improved catalytic activity of CdSe/CdS dimers, which was enhanced 3–4 times upon etching treatment. We expect that the demons...
Lack of cross-tolerance for hypophagia induced by DOI versus m-CPP suggests separate mediation by 5-HT2A and 5-HT2C receptors, respectively

Intraperitoneal administration of 1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl)-2-aminopropane (DOI) produced significant decreases in the first-hour food intake on day 1 and on day 2 relative to saline-treated animals. Complete tolerance developed to DOI-induced hypophagia by day 3. However, there was no cross-tolerance to m-chlorophenylpiperazine (m-CPP)-induced hypophagia. Similarly, complete tolerance developed to m-CPP-induced hypophagia by day 3, but again there was no cross-tolerance to DOI-induced hypophagia. These findings suggest that DOI and m-CPP-induced hypophagia are mediated by different mechanisms, most likely by selective stimulation of 5-HT2A receptors by DOI and 5-HT2C receptors by m-CPP. The functional sensitivity changes did not parallel changes in hypothalamic [3H]-mesulergine-labeled 5-HT2C receptors or [3H]-ketanserin-labeled 5-HT2A receptors following chronic m-CPP or DOI treatment, although both treatments significantly reduced 5-HT2A and 5-HT2C receptors in cortex. Thus, future studies investigating the effects of daily m-CPP and DOI administration on phosphoinositide hydrolysis or mRNA for 5-HT2C and 5-HT2A receptors in the hypothalamus might help explain the functional sensitivity changes observed in the present study.
Development of hyperspectral imaging technique for the detection of chilling injury in cucumbers

Hyperspectral images of cucumbers were acquired before and during cold storage treatments as well as during subsequent room temperature (RT) storage to explore the potential for the detection of chilling induced damage in whole cucumbers. Region of interest (ROI) spectral features of chilling injured areas, resulting from cold storage treatments at 0°C or 5°C, showed a reduction in reflectance intensity during multi-day post chilling periods of RT storage. Large spectral differences between good-smooth skins and chilling injured skins occurred in the 700-850 nm visible/NIR region. A number of data processing methods, including simple spectral band algorithms, second difference, and principal component analysis (PCA), were attempted to discriminate the ROI spectra of good cucumber skins from those of chilling injured skins. Results revealed that using either a dual-band ratio algorithm (Q811/756) or a PCA model from a narrow spectral region of 733-848 nm could detect chilling injured skins with a success rate of over 90%. Furthermore, the dual-band algorithm was applied to the analysis of images of cucumbers at different conditions, and the resultant images showed more correct identification of chilling injured spots than other processing methods.
Effect of a vibrating substructure on acoustic radiation from a cylindrical shell

The presence of a substructure in a cylindrical shell gives rise to dynamic interactions, including resonance effects, which have an influence on the radiated acoustic field. The lowest mode of the substructure may interact vigorously with a higher order mode of the shell. In this paper a Lagrangian formulation is used to analyze the forced motion of the immersed shell/substructure system. In addition, the frequency window method is used to reduce the complexity of the resulting expressions and to obtain approximate solutions in a frequency range of interest. The particular example is concerned with a spring-mass system, which is attached to the shell. Three cases of forced harmonic motion are considered. The radiated pressure is computed as a function of the frequency. The radiated pressure for the shell/substructure system is compared with that for a shell without an oscillator subjected to the same input force.
Use of combined GC/CIMS-EIMS-FTIR for the automated analysis of complex mixtures

Solid industrial waste dumps, being an anthropogenic part of the vadose zone, are potential non-point sources of ground water contamination. The early warning provided from qualitative and quantitative information on contaminant migration within a dump is an essential element in monitoring and screening sites for hazardous waste deposition that prevents degradation of recoverable ground water resources and permits to avoid either false positive or false negative errors in evaluation and prediction of the extent of environmental hazards. Multilevel sampling of dump and vadose zone cross sections in the defined points of known waste age and dump construction delivers direct information on vertical distribution of contaminants as a function of time, that is a resultant of a dump and vadose zone hydrogeology, as well as of the mechanism and dynamics of constituent release, interaction and biogeochemical transformation in pore solution. The current presentation describes a procedure for multilevel sampling, pore solution extraction and examination and provides data (vertical profiles of contaminant distribution from a selected landfill site) that exemplify necessity of dump/vadose zone multilevel sampling for correct assessment of contaminants migration rate, understanding processes and conditions affecting contaminant transport, and enhancement of remedial response measures.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Thermal and spectral analysis of self-heating effects in high-power LEDs

This study employed a thermal/spectral technique for examining self-heating effects in high-power light emitting diodes (LEDs). Here, high-power LEDs were thermally stressed, and the impact of self-heating effects was characterized in terms of luminal performance. Results from high-speed thermography demonstrated that these thermal effects lead to degraded device performance, reduced power conversion efficiency, and power loss. The ability to monitor and quantify thermal transients using this approach is important for many optoelectronic and lighting applications. Temporal thermal and spectral characteristics were examined with the purpose of improving thermal management strategies.
Calculation of the absolute detection efficiency of a moderated 235U neutron detector on the tokamak fusion test reactor

Neutron transport simulations have been carried out to calculate the absolute detection efficiency of a moderated /sup 235/U neutron detector which is used on the TFTR as a part of the primary fission detector diagnostic system for measuring fusion power yields. Transport simulations provide a means by which the effects of variations in various shielding and geometrical parameters can be explored. These effects are difficult to study in calibration experiments. The calculational model, benchmarked against measurements, can be used to complement future detector calibrations, when the high level of radioactivity resulting from machine operation may severely restrict access to the tokamak. We present a coupled forward-adjoint algorithm, employing both the deterministic and Monte Carlo sampling methods, to model the neutron transport in the complex tokamak and detector geometries. Sensitivities of the detector response to the major and minor radii, and angular anisotropy of the neutron emission are discussed. A semi-empirical model based on matching the calculational results with a small set of experiments produces good agreement (+-15%) for a wide range of source energies and geometries. 20 refs., 6 figs., 4 tabs.
GRAY WHALE OCCURRENCE AND FORAGE SOUTHEAST OF KODIAK, ISLAND, ALASKA

Although the Bering and Chukchi seas are commonly cited as the principal summer feeding grounds of Eastern North Pacific (ENP) gray whales (e.g., Highsmith et al. in press, Swartz et al. 2006), records indicate that this population actually feeds opportunistically throughout its range from the lagoons of Baja California, Mexico, to Alaskan waters (Nerini 1984). Specifically, recent reports suggest that whales may routinely feed in the Gulf of California (Sanchez-Pacheco et al. 2001) and Bahia Magdalena, Baja California Sur (Caraveo-Patino and Soto 2005), whereas Clapham et al. (1997) noted that feeding gray whales occurred offshore California even in the 1920s when population numbers were very low. The dynamic nature of foraging in this population is best described from coastal study sites along the southeastern shore of Vancouver Island, Canada, where whales shift among pelagic, epi-benthic, and benthic prey within and between years (Darling et al. 1998; Dunham and Duffus 2001, 2002). In the 1980s the southern Chukchi Sea and the Chirikov Basin in the northern Bering Sea were considered the primary feeding grounds for ENP gray whales, based on reported high densities of both whales (Braham 1984, Kim and Oliver 1989, Moore et al. 2000) and their ampelicid amphipod prey (Grebmeier et al. 1989, Highsmith and Coyle 1990). However, by 2002, benthic productivity in the Chirikov Basin had declined precipitously, due to either whale foraging (Highsmith et al. 2006), ecosystem change (Grebmeier et al. 2006), or both, and only the southern Chukchi Sea supported dense aggregations of gray whales (Moore et al. 2003). Indeed, the
Imaging of Pancreatic and Duodenal Trauma

Pancreatic and duodenal injuries are rare but life-threatening occurrences, often occurring in association with other solid organ injuries. Findings of pancreatic and duodenal trauma on computed tomography and MR imaging are often nonspecific, and high levels of clinical suspicion and understanding of mechanism of injury are imperative. Familiarity with the grading schemes of pancreatic and duodenal injury is important because they help in assessing for key imaging findings that directly influence management. This article presents an overview of imaging of blunt and penetrating pancreatic and duodenal injuries, including pathophysiology, available imaging techniques, and variety of imaging features.
Parallel architecture for analog-to-information converters via multibit delta-sigma modulation

This paper presents a parallel architecture for analog-to-information converters. The converter's architecture shifts most of the computational burden to the digital domain to take full advantage of deep-submicron IC fabrication technologies. The analog part of the converter is composed of a single multibit first-order Delta-Sigma modulator. The proposed architecture is validated through numerical simulations. The results show that signal recovery improves significantly when a 2-bit and a 3-bit Delta-Sigma modulators are employed.
Decreased lubricin concentrations and markers of joint inflammation in the synovial fluid of patients with anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Objective To study the effect of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury on lubricin concentrations in synovial fluid (SF) and its correlation with time postinjury, inflammatory cytokines, lubricin-degrading enzymes, and SF proteoglycan content. Methods SF samples were obtained from both knees of 30 patients with unilateral ACL insufficiency, 32–364 days postinjury. Lubricin, inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-1β [IL-1β], tumor necrosis factor α [TNFα], and IL-6), and catabolic enzymes (procathepsin B and neutrophil elastase) were measured in SF from injured and contralateral (uninjured) joints, by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Sulfated glycosaminoglycan (sGAG) levels in the SF were measured by Alcian blue binding assay. Results SF lubricin concentrations were significantly (P < 0.001) reduced at an early stage following ACL injury when compared with those in the contralateral joint. Within 12 months, the lubricin concentration in the injured knee (slope = 0.006, SE = 0.00010, P < 0.001) approached that in the contralateral knee, which did not change with time (slope = −0.0002, SE = 0.00050, P = 0.71). TNFα levels showed a significant negative relationship with log2 lubricin levels. IL-1β, TNFα, IL-6, procathepsin B, and neutrophil elastase concentrations in SF from injured knees were greater in samples from recently injured knees compared with those that were chronically injured. There were no detectable cytokines or enzymes in the SF of contralateral joints. Concentrations of sGAG were significantly (P = 0.0002) higher in the SF from injured knees compared with the contralateral joints. Conclusion The decrease in SF lubricin concentrations following ACL injury may place the joint at an increased risk of wear-induced damage as a consequence of lack of boundary lubrication, potentially leading to secondary osteoarthritis. The decrease in SF lubricin was associated with an increase in levels of inflammatory cytokines.
Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis in Children: A Histologic Follow-up Study

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is rare in the pediatric population. Little information exists on the progression of the disease in children. This study evaluated the experience with PSC at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia over the past 20 years, with an emphasis on the histologic features at presentation, during disease progression, and after liver transplantation. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients diagnosed with PSC between 1981 and 2001. Nineteen patients met the inclusion criteria with classic radiographic evidence of PSC. One additional patient with normal biliary imaging was subsequently diagnosed at the time of liver transplantation. The 20 patients with PSC (14 males) ranged in age from 1 month to 15 years at time of presentation. Inflammatory bowel disease was evident in 50% of patients. Initial histology revealed advanced disease (bridging fibrosis or cirrhosis) in 13 patients and an earlier histologic stage in 7 patients. Of the latter, 3 remain stable, 2 required transplantation, and 2 were lost to follow-up. Seven of the 13 patients with advanced disease required orthotopic liver transplantation, and 3 of these subsequently showed recurrence of primary disease in the allograft. Thus, most subjects presented insidiously at an advanced stage that required transplantation. Subjects who presented at an earlier stage progressed or remained stable, but the histologic findings at diagnosis were generally not predictive of disease progression. Recurrence of PSC after transplantation is a significant complication in children.
Poor physical health predicts time to additional breast cancer events and mortality in breast cancer survivors

Background: Health-related quality of life has been hypothesized to predict time to additional breast cancer events and all-cause mortality in breast cancer survivors. Methods: Women with early-stage breast cancer (n=2967) completed the SF-36 (mental and physical health-related quality of life) and standardized psychosocial questionnaires to assess social support, optimism, hostility, and depression prior to randomization into a dietary trial. Cox regression was performed to assess whether these measures of quality of life and psychosocial functioning predicted time to additional breast cancer events and all-cause mortality; hazard ratios were the measure of association. Results: There were 492 additional breast cancer events and 301 deaths occurred over a median 7.3 years (range: 0.01–10.8 years) of follow-up. In multivariate models, poorer physical health was associated with both decreased time to additional breast cancer events and all-cause mortality (p trend=0.005 and 0.004, respectively), while greater hostility predicted additional breast cancer events only (p trend=0.03). None of the other psychosocial variables predicted either outcome. The hazard ratios comparing persons with poor (bottom two quintiles) to better (top three quintiles) physical health were 1.42 (95% CI: 1.16, 1.75) for decreased time to additional breast cancer events and 1.37 (95% CI: 1.08, 1.74) for all-cause mortality. Potentially modifiable factors associated with poor physical health included higher body mass index, lower physical activity, lower alcohol consumption, and more insomnia (p<0.05 for all). Conclusion: Interventions to improve physical health should be tested as a means to increase time to additional breast cancer events and mortality among breast cancer survivors. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
17β-Estradiol increases endothelial nitric oxide synthase mRNA copy number in cerebral blood vessels: quantification by real-time polymerase chain reaction

The enzyme endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) plays a critical role in the maintenance of vascular tone. The mechanism by which estrogen increases eNOS function remains controversial. We demonstrate here using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunoblot analysis that in vivo estrogen treatment leads to a 100% increase in eNOS messenger RNA (mRNA) copy number and increases eNOS protein levels by 47% in mouse cerebral blood vessels. These data suggest that estrogen can modulate eNOS at the transcriptional level in blood vessels in vivo.
Enhanced fatigue life of carbon nanotube-reinforced epoxy composites†

The effects of carbon nanotube (CNT) inclusion on cyclic fatigue behavior and the residual mechanical properties of epoxy composites after different degrees of fatigue have been studied. Tension–tension cyclic fatigue tests were conducted at various load levels (25–50 MPa) to establish the relationship between stress and the number of cycles to failure (S–N curves). The residual strength and modulus were measured after loading at 30 MPa for 5000, 15,000, and 25,000 cycles. The incorporation of a small amount of CNTs increased the fatigue life of epoxy in the high-cycle, low-stress-amplitude regime by 1550%. Micrographs indicate the key mechanisms for enhancement in fatigue life such as CNT crack-bridging and pullout. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 52:1882–1887, 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers
The Control of Rheumatic Fever

Not only does an attack [of rheumatic fever] not confer immunity, but predisposes the subject to the disease. — Sir William Osler, The Principles and Practice of Medicine
MRI predictors of cognitive change in a diverse and carefully characterized elderly population.

Background Trajectories of cognitive decline among elderly individuals are heterogeneous, and markers that have high reliability for predicting cognitive trajectories across a broad spectrum of the elderly population have yet to be identified.
Perceived environmental threats as a factor in reproductive behavior: an examination of American youth

Abstract This study presents a test of general life history theory by estimating the association between perceived environmental threat (PET) and reproductive outcomes among American youth. Data for the study came from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997–2009, which consists of a nationally representative sample of youth. Analyses were based on a subsample of N =4748 respondents who were aged 12–14 years in 1997; reported having no biological children in 1997; and, for females, were not pregnant at the time of the 1997 interview. PET was measured using 11 questionnaire items that asked respondents about experiences with violent assaults from peers, witnessing violent assaults, and nonviolent crime victimization. First childbirth occurred earlier among respondents who reported higher PET in 1997. Average fertility during the study period was also higher among respondents with higher PET. Male and female respondents' reproductive behaviors were similarly associated with PET. However, only among female respondents was the association between PET and fertility moderated by the quality of the household environment.
THE PREPARTICIPATION SPORTS EXAMINATION

Approximately 5.5 million high school students participated in high school sports in the United States during 1991 and 1992. 1 , 12 The American Medical Association (AMA) Guidelines for Adolescent Preventive Services (GAPS) recommends that a comprehensive health evaluation occur at least every other year during the adolescent period. In addition, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that adolescents involved in strenuous activity have a sports-specific examination on entry into junior and senior high school and that such an examination be updated by an annual questionnaire emphasizing recent injuries or any health condition affecting sports participation. The student must have annual physician clearance to continue participating, which requires the physician reviewing an updated health history and performing the directed physical examination discussed later. The preparticipation sports examination (PSE) is not a comprehensive health maintenance visit because topics such as drug use, sexual activity, violence, mental health, and immunizations are not routinely addressed; however, the PSE is used as a substitute for the annual comprehensive health evaluation for 30% to 78% of adolescents. 7 , 11 Some parents expect psychosocial issues to be addressed and immunizations to be given. The role of the PSE, then, is and has been controversial regarding its goal. If it is a comprehensive examination, then more than what is described here needs to be done. 14 This discussion of the PSE assumes that the athlete is receiving regular maintenance care, and the PSE is in addition to their routine care. If the PSE is the athlete's only encounter with the health care system, then the physician should decide what conditions will be screened for and how follow-up of the screening tests will be arranged. Mechanisms wherein teens receive annual comprehensive health maintenance visits and have PSEs should be a priority, although the current trend in managed care to limit medical expenditures (e.g., physician time) argues against this priority.
A scalable feature learning and tag prediction framework for natural environment sounds

Building feature extraction approaches that can effectively characterize natural environment sounds is challenging due to the dynamic nature. In this paper, we develop a framework for feature extraction and obtaining semantic inferences from such data. In particular, we propose a new pooling strategy for deep architectures, that can preserve the temporal dynamics in the resulting representation. By constructing an ensemble of semantic embeddings, we employ an l 1 -reconstruction based prediction algorithm for estimating the relevant tags. We evaluate our approach on challenging environmental sound recognition datasets, and show that the proposed features outperform traditional spectral features.
Strain-Rate-Dependent Failure of a Toughened Matrix Composite

The strain-rate-dependent behavior of a toughened matrix composite (IM7/8552) was characterized under quasi-static and dynamic loading conditions. Unidirectional and off-axis composite specimens were tested at strain rates ranging from 10−4 to 103 s−1 using a servo-hydraulic testing machine and split Hopkinson pressure bar apparatus. The nonlinear response and failure were analyzed and evaluated based on classical failure criteria and the Northwestern (NU) failure theory. The predictive NU theory was shown to be in excellent agreement with experimental results and to accurately predict the strain-rate-dependent failure of the composite system based on measured average lamina properties.
FIT testing: an overview

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common, but preventable, disease and is the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S. CRC screening has proven effective at reducing both the incidence and mortality of this disease, using any of a number of screening tests available. The test options range from the least invasive and least expensive to more invasive and costly options. Fecal occult blood testing is the oldest, least expensive, and least invasive of these options and has evolved from the poorly sensitive standard guaiac test to the newer and diagnostically superior fecal immunochemical test (FIT) for hemoglobin. This article explores the evolutionary history of fecal occult blood testing, examines test performance characteristics among different FOBTs, and evaluates the role of the FIT in programmatic CRC screening.
Electroencephalographic monitoring in epilepsy.

The author reviews various aspects of EEG in monitoring of epilepsy and interseizure abnormalities. The techniques discussed are radiotelemetry, cable telemetry, cassette recording; cerebral function monitors; CCTV and computer roles. Some clinical applications are also examined.
A comparison of averaged evoked response amplitudes using nonaffective and affective verbal stimuli.

In an attempt to study the enhancement of the Average Evoked Response, AERs were obtained from 26 subjects for 50 affective (emotional) and 50 nonaffective (nonemotional) verbal stimuli. Statistica...
Experimental Hypersonic Aerodynamic Characteristics of Mars Surveyor 2001 Precision Lander with Flap

Aerodynamic wind-tunnel screening tests were conducted on a 0.029-scale model of a proposed Mars Surveyor 2001 Precision Lander (70-deg half-angle spherically blunted cone with a conical afterbody). The primary experimental objective was to determine the effectiveness of a single flap to trim the vehicle at incidence during a lifting hypersonic planetary entry. The laminar force and moment data, presented in the form of coefficients, and shock patterns from schlieren photography were obtained in the facilities of the NASA Langley Aerothermodynamic Laboratory for postnormal shock Reynolds numbers (based on forebody diameter) ranging from 2.637 x 103 to 92.35 × 10 3 , angles of attack ranging from 0 up to 23 deg at 0- and 2-deg sideslip, and normal-shock density ratios of 5 and 12. Based upon the proposed entry trajectory of the 2001 Lander, tests in the heavy gas CF 4 simulate a Mach number of approximately 12 based upon a normal shock density ratio of 12 in flight at Mars. The results from this experimental study suggest that when the traditional means of providing aerodynamic trim for this class of planetary entry vehicle are not possible (e.g., offset c.g.), a single flap can provide similar aerodynamic performance. An assessment of blunt-body aerodynamic effects attributed to a real gas was obtained by synergistic testing in Mach 6 ideal air at a comparable Reynolds number. From an aerodynamic perspective, an appropriately sized flap was found to provide sufficient trim capability at the desired lift-to-drag ratio for precision landing. Inviscid hypersonic flow computations using an unstructured grid were made to provide an assessment of the viability of a flap to provide aerodynamic trim to the Lander. Subsequent Navier-Stokes computational predictions were found to be in very good agreement with experimental measurement.
Candida albicans triggers interleukin-8 secretion by oral epithelial cells.

Abstract Oropharyngeal candidiasis is a frequent opportunistic infection associated with immunocompromised hosts. Candida albicans is the principal species responsible for this infection. Production of interleukin-8 (IL-8), by oral epithelial cells can be expected to play a major role in the recruitment and activation of professional phagocytes at the infected site. The purpose of this study was to determine whether C. albicans triggers secretion of IL-8 by oral epithelial cells in vitro and investigate mechanisms of host cell–fungal interactions that trigger such responses. Oral epithelial cell lines (SCC4, SCC15, and OKF6/TERT-2) as well as primary gingival epithelial cells were used. Epithelial cells were cocultured with C. albicans, strains SC5314, ATCC28366 or ATCC32077, for 24–48 hr, and supernatants were analyzed for IL-8 content by ELISA. A germination-deficient mutant (efg1/efg1 cph1/cph1), otherwise isogenic to strain SC5314, was used to assess the requirement for germination in triggering IL-8 responses. In order to ascertain whether direct contact of yeast with host cells is required to trigger cytokine production, epithelial cells were separated from yeast using cell culture inserts. To test whether IL-8 secretion is dependent on IL-1α activity, epithelial cells were challenged with viable C. albicans in the presence or absence of neutralizing anti-IL-1α antibody or IL-1ra, and IL-8 secretion was measured in the supernatants. All cell lines and primary cultures responded to C. albicans with an increase in IL-8 secretion. IL-8 responses were contact-dependent, strain-specific, required yeast viability and germination into hyphae, and were in part autoregulated by IL-1α.
Controlled growth of ternary alloy nanowires using metalorganic chemical vapor deposition.

We report the growth and characterization of ternary AlxGa1−xAs nanowires by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition as a function of temperature and V/III ratio. Transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy show that, at high temperatures and high V/III ratios, the nanowires form a core–shell structure with higher Al composition in the nanowire core than in the shell. We develop a growth model that takes into account diffusion of reactants and decomposition rates at the nanowire catalyst and stem to describe the compositional difference and the shell growth rate. Utilizing this model, we have successfully grown compositionally uniform Al0.16Ga0.84As nanowires. The ability to rationally tune the composition of ternary alloy nanowires broadens the application range of nanowires by enabling more complex nanowire heterostructures.
Presenting electromagnetic theory in accordance with the principle of causality

A method of presenting electromagnetic theory in accordance with the principle of causality is described. Two 'causal' equations expressing time-dependent electric and magnetic fields in terms of their causative sources by means of retarded integrals are used as the fundamental electromagnetic equations. Maxwell's equations are derived from these 'causal' equations. Except for the fact that Maxwell's equations appear as derived equations, the presentation is completely compatible with Maxwell's electromagnetic theory. An important consequence of this method of presentation is that it offers new insights into the cause-and-effect relations in electromagnetic phenomena and results in simpler derivations of certain electromagnetic equations.
Predicting the performance of complex systems : an approach to greater involvement by design engineers and operating managers

Abstract Current manacturing and material handling systems contain a high degree of automation, and more sophisticated automation is predicted for the manufacturing and materia] handling systems of the future. As the systems have become larger and more complex, so have the tasks facing design engineers in synthesizing the various manual and equipment subsystems into a total system with predictable capabilities. In very large complex systems it is difficult to envision the interaction of subsystems, much less predict the effect of a variable change in subsystem on the total system. This paper outlines the factors which have prevented the more widespread use of simulation modelling by design engineers and operating managers and presents an approach towards overcoming these factors. The research presented focuses on the construction of a generalized simulator system that allows the ultimate users of the simulation results, the design engineers and operating managers, to construct and exercise their own simul...
The Microphysical Structure and Evolution of Hawaiian Rainband Clouds. Part III: A Test of the Ultragiant Nuclei Hypothesis

Abstract A Lagrangian drop-growth trajectory model, applied within dual-Doppler-derived four-dimensional kinematic fields, is used to test the hypothesis that accretion of cloud water on giant and ultragiant cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) can explain the growth of raindrops in warm maritime convective clouds. Radar data collected within offshore rainbands during the 1990 Hawaiian Rainband Project are used to provide realistic timescales and magnitudes of convective updrafts and to capture the horizontal flow variations responsible for transporting drops into and out of these updrafts. The range of conditions under which cloud droplets can grow to large raindrops during simple up–down trajectories is determined. The model results show that accretion of cloud water on giant and ultragiant nuclei can account for the formation of rain in observed timescales. Raindrops with diameters of 1–4 mm formed for the entire range of tested conditions. Maximum drop sizes ranged from 3.5 to 8.5 mm. The general tendency ...
Bio-Aerosol Detection Using Mass Spectrometry: Public Health Applications

I recently spent a summer as an intern at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. I worked on a project involving the real-time, reagentless, single cell detection of aerosolized pathogens using a novel mass spectrometry approach called Bio-Aerosol Mass Spectrometry (BAMS). Based upon preliminary results showing the differentiation capabilities of BAMS, I would like to explore the development and use of this novel detection system in the context of both environmental and clinical sample pathogen detection. I would also like to explore the broader public health applications that a system such as BAMS might have in terms of infectious disease prevention and control. In order to appreciate the potential of this instrument, I will demonstrate the need for better pathogen detection methods, and outline the instrumentation, data analysis and preliminary results that lead me toward a desire to explore this technology further. I will also discuss potential experiments for the future along with possible problems that may be encountered along the way.
Competitive strategies and performance in technology-based industries

Abstract A model is proposed for relating a technology-based firm's investments in R&D and marketing to its level of performance. The model is based on a homothetic performance function form that is maintained to best represent unique differences among the competitive strategies of firms or groups of firms within an industry. It also permits explicit estimation of returns to scale with respect to investments in R&D and marketing for the industry as a whole. The empirical analysis strongly supports the existence of a heterogenous competitive structure in a technology-based industry with the returns-to-scale estimates varying among the industries studied. The model implies that desirable increases in competition occur through the interaction of individual firms and possibly strategic groups. It also implies the possibility of less than perfect substitution of resources across competitive strategies within an industry. Thus future models of competition should not be based entirely on size-related measures.
Sapphire-Derived All-Glass Optical Fibers

If we could eliminate the phenomenon of stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS), we could create pulsed laser sources for spectroscopic and coherent lidar applications, as well as multi-kW narrow-linewidth fiber laser sources for coherently phased laser arrays. With that in mind, we used a novel fiber fabrication method known as the moltencore method to realize a new class of optical fibers: all-glass optical fibers free from the effects of SBS.
Computational aspects and applications of a branch and bound algorithms for fuzzy multistage decision processes

Abstract Fuzzy multistage decision processes are normally modelled and solved via fuzzy dynamic programming algorithms. We first review the field and present a branch and bound type alternative due to Kacprzyk. We next rectify some computational errors in Kacprzy's example and show some examples from environmental damage reduction planning studies where the algorithm is applicable and efficient.
Thalamocortical connections in newborn mice

Thalamocortical axons reach the developing neocortex and become distributed within the cortical subplate during the third week of gestation. The present study is an analysis of the organization of connections that link thalamus and cortical subplate (corresponding to future layers V and VI) at birth. This age antedates the ascent of thalamic axons to contact cells of the supragranular layers, their principal targets in the adult cortex. At birth thalamic nuclear subdivisions are explicit; field-characteristic cytoarchitectonic features, relating principally to the infragranular layers, delineate the majority of neocortical fields. The projection of principal relay nuclei upon the majority of fields of the cerebral convexity has been mapped by means of retrograde transport of HRP. Nucleus-to-field interrelationships as well as topologic order of the overall thalamic projection prove to be identical to that in the adult animal. The neonatal projection appears to be somewhat more divergent than that of the adult.
Cyclic strain induces reorganization of integrin α5β1 and α2β1 in human umbilical vein endothelial cells

Cyclic strain has been shown to modulate endothelial cell (EC) morphology, proliferation, and function. We have recently reported that the focal adhesion proteins focal adhesion kinase (pp125FAK) and paxillin, are tyrosine phosphorylated in EC exposed to strain and these events regulate the morphological change and migration induced by cyclic strain. Integrins are also localized on focal adhesion sites and have been reported to induce tyrosine phosphorylation of pp125FAK under a variety of stimuli. To study the involvement of different integrins in signaling induced by cyclic strain, we first observed the redistribution of α and β integrins in EC subjected to 4 h cyclic strain. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) seeded on either fibronectin or collagen surfaces were subjected to 10% average strain at a frequency 60 cycles/min. Confocal microscopy revealed that β1 integrin reorganized in a linear pattern parallel with the long axis of the elongated cells creating a fusion of focal adhesion plaques in EC plated on either fibronectin (a ligand for α5β1) or collagen (a ligand for α2β1) coated plates after 4 h exposure to cyclic strain. β3 integrin, which is a vitronectin receptor, did not redistribute in EC exposed to cyclic strain. Cyclic strain also led to a reorganization of α5 and α2 integrins in a linear pattern in HUVEC seeded on fibronectin or collagen, respectively. The expression of integrins α5, α2, and β1 did not change even after 24 h exposure to strain when assessed by immunoprecipitation of these integrins. Cyclic strain-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of pp125FAK occurred concomitant with the reorganization of β1 integrin. We concluded that α5β1 and α2β1 integrins play an important role in transducing mechanical stimuli into intracellular signals. J. Cell. Biochem. 64:505–513. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Shellability and freeness of continuous splines

We provide an example of a shellable polyhedral complex P in R2 such that the module of splines C0(Pˆ) is not a free module over the polynomial ring in three variables, answering a question raised by Schenck (in press) in [10].
Budget systems used in allocating resources to libraries

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to provide information about many different budgeting systems that are used to allocate resources to libraries.Design/methodology/approach – A number of methods of resource allocation are reviewed. The types of budgeting covered are incremental line‐item, formula, mathematical, zero‐based, program (including planning, programming, and budgeting systems), performance‐based, responsibility center, block‐incremental, and initiative‐based.Findings – There are numerous types of budgeting systems and each of them functions differently.Research limitations/implications – There are many variations of each of these basic types of budgeting systems. As a result, this article reviews the most prominent ones.Practical implications – This is a very useful source of finding out the fundamentals of each of the basic kinds of budgeting systems. In addition, the article gives many references for finding out more about each of these methods.Originality/value – This paper covers the ...
Interaction between Arabidopsis Ca2+/H+ Exchangers CAX1 and CAX3

In plants, high capacity tonoplast cation/H(+) antiport is mediated in part by a family of CAX (cation exchanger) transporters. Functional association between CAX1 and CAX3 has previously been inferred; however, the nature of this interaction has not been established. Here we analyze the formation of "hetero-CAX" complexes and their transport properties. Co-expressing both CAX1 and CAX3 mediated lithium and salt tolerance in yeast, and these phenotypes could not be recapitulated by expression of deregulated versions of either transporter. Coincident expression of Arabidopsis CAX1 and CAX3 occurs during particular stress responses, flowering, and seedling growth. Analysis of cax1, cax3, and cax1/3 seedlings demonstrated similar stress sensitivities. When plants expressed high levels of both CAXs, alterations in transport properties were evident that could not be recapitulated by high level expression of either transporter individually. In planta coimmunoprecipitation suggested that a protein-protein interaction occurred between CAX1 and CAX3. In vivo interaction between the CAX proteins was shown using a split ubiquitin yeast two-hybrid system and gel shift assays. These findings demonstrate cation exchange plasticity through hetero-CAX interactions.
Percolation of elastic networks under tension.

We examine the elastic properties of random networks of Hooke springs under a tension supplied by a frame. As an illustration of the general ideas we use the triangular net with a fraction p of the nearest-neighbor bonds present. When there is no tension, the transition takes place at the threshold for rigidity percolation ${p}_{\mathrm{cen}\mathrm{\ensuremath{\approxeq}}(2/3}$. When the tension is very large (or equivalently the natural length of the springs is zero) the transition takes place at the familiar connectivity percolation ${p}_{c}$\ensuremath{\approxeq}(1/3. As the tension is varied, the phase boundary evolves smoothly and continuously between these two limits. We give a general discussion of the elasticity of random networks under tension and present extensive computer simulations for all the relevant quantities on the bond depleted triangular network. The antisymmetric (nonrotationally invariant) terms in the elastic moduli tensor are equal to the tension. In general, the Cauchy relations are not obeyed in these networks. Although these networks are nonlinear, we show that a harmonic approximation can be made that leads to a very good effective-medium theory of the phase boundary.
Sue Noffke, action research, and democracy

Re-reading Sue Noffke’s publications confirmed for me that her work is more relevant than ever in this time of corporate-led education reform that aims to end teaching as a profession. Many US stat...
The resurrection as near-death experience

I suggest in this paper that Jesus Christ was not clinically dead but in a deep coma when he was taken down from the cross. He was revided by Joseph of Arimathea, who was permitted to take Jesus's body into his care. By Pentecost, seven weeks later, Jesus had finally recovered from his wounds, and his reappearance convinced his followers that he was the Son of God. I suggest that the Resurrection was not a physical happening, but a near-death experience. As such, it was totally real to Christ himself, and it also confirmed his belief that he could, by proxy, discharge humanity's sins.
Identifying the rules of engagement enabling leukocyte rolling, activation, and adhesion.

The LFA-1 integrin plays a pivotal role in sustained leukocyte adhesion to the endothelial surface, which is a precondition for leukocyte recruitment into inflammation sites. Strong correlative evidence implicates LFA-1 clustering as being essential for sustained adhesion, and it may also facilitate rebinding events with its ligand ICAM-1. We cannot challenge those hypotheses directly because it is infeasible to measure either process during leukocyte adhesion following rolling. The alternative approach undertaken was to challenge the hypothesized mechanisms by experimenting on validated, working counterparts: simulations in which diffusible, LFA1 objects on the surfaces of quasi-autonomous leukocytes interact with simulated, diffusible, ICAM1 objects on endothelial surfaces during simulated adhesion following rolling. We used object-oriented, agent-based methods to build and execute multi-level, multi-attribute analogues of leukocytes and endothelial surfaces. Validation was achieved across different experimental conditions, in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo, at both the individual cell and population levels. Because those mechanisms exhibit all of the characteristics of biological mechanisms, they can stand as a concrete, working theory about detailed events occurring at the leukocyte–surface interface during leukocyte rolling and adhesion experiments. We challenged mechanistic hypotheses by conducting experiments in which the consequences of multiple mechanistic events were tracked. We quantified rebinding events between individual components under different conditions, and the role of LFA1 clustering in sustaining leukocyte–surface adhesion and in improving adhesion efficiency. Early during simulations ICAM1 rebinding (to LFA1) but not LFA1 rebinding (to ICAM1) was enhanced by clustering. Later, clustering caused both types of rebinding events to increase. We discovered that clustering was not necessary to achieve adhesion as long as LFA1 and ICAM1 object densities were above a critical level. Importantly, at low densities LFA1 clustering enabled improved efficiency: adhesion exhibited measurable, cell level positive cooperativity.
Practice of dialectical behavior therapy after psychiatry residency.

Objective The University of Washington (UW) psychiatry residency program attempted to determine how participation in a dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) training program influenced the practice of its graduates.