cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Modeling and simulation of optoelectronic multichip modules using VHDL

System level modeling and simulation of OE-MCMs are performed using the VHSIC hardware description language (VHDL). This paper describes modeling and simulation issues of OE-MCM by using a VHDL-based optoelectronic system modeling and simulation tool: optoelectronic system simulator (OSS). OSS integrates the conventional circuit simulator and event-driven simulator. OSS is capable of modeling active/passive optoelectronic devices, analyzing physical waveguide parameters, and simulating complex photonic systems such as WDM fanouts bus on MCMs. To demonstrate the use of OSS, four-channel and sixteen-fanout global signal distribution networks on MCM is modeled and simulated using VHDL along with a simple analog circuit examples.
Quantitative trait loci influence renal disease progression in a mouse model of Alport syndrome.

Alport syndrome is a human hereditary glomerulonephritis which results in end-stage renal failure (ESRF) in most cases. It is caused by mutations in any one of the collagen α3(IV), α4(IV), or α5(IV) chain genes ( COL4A3 - COL4A5 ). Patients carrying identical mutations can exhibit very different disease courses, suggesting that other genes or the environment influence disease progression. We previously generated a knockout mouse model of Alport syndrome by mutating Col4a3 . Here, we show that genetic background strongly influences the timing of onset of disease and rate of progression to ESRF in these mice. On the 129×1/SvJ background, Col4a3 −/− mice reached ESRF at ∼66 days of age, while on the C57BL/6J background, the mean age at ESRF was 194 days of age. This suggests the existence of modifier genes that influence disease progression. A detailed histopathological analysis revealed that glomerular basement membrane lesions typical of Alport syndrome were significantly more frequent in homozygotes on the 129×1/SvJ background than on the C57BL/6J background as early as two weeks of age, suggesting that modifier genes act by influencing glomerular basement membrane structure. Additional data indicated that differential physiological responses to basement membrane splitting also underlie the differences in disease progression. We attempted to map the modifier genes as quantitative trait loci (QTLs) using age at ESRF as the quantitative trait. Genome scans were performed on mice at the two extremes in a cohort of mutant F1 × C57BL/6J backcross mice. Analysis with Map Manager QT revealed QTLs linked to markers on chromosomes 9 and 16. A more detailed understanding of how these QTLs act could lead to new approaches for therapy in diverse renal diseases.
The solar wind interaction with the geomagnetic field

Solar wind-geomagnetic field interactions, considering day and night hemispheres, satellite observations, shock and magnetopause motion, shock structure, etc
Detection of informational constraints related to multi-variate visual displays

Abstract A contingent uncertainty of one bit is perceptible when imposed upon a combination of two binary-coded visual display variables, but not when imposed upon a combination of three variables. Why? The limitation may be sought in the average amount of the constraint, in the form of the constraint, or in the particular selection of display variables. Tests were carried out in which apparently equivalent informational constraints were imposed upon a single display variable. Such constraints were highly discriminable. Further tests reveal that the limiting feature for the detection of multi-variate constraints is probably the mean constraint level, averaged over all display elements, rather than the constraint level imposed upon the constrained display elements.
Ab Initio Multiple Spawning Dynamics of Excited Butadiene: Role of Charge Transfer

Ab initio multiple spawning simulations of the photochemical reaction dynamics of s-trans-1,3-butadiene were performed. It is found that nonadiabatic events involving two low-lying excited states begin as early as 10 fs after excitation, resulting in the population being split between the bright 11Bu state and the dark 21Ag state. The molecule subsequently twists about a terminal carbon−carbon bond regardless of whether it is on the 11Bu or 21Ag electronic state. This twisting motion leads to conical intersections between S1 and S0. Several regions of the intersection seam involving states of differing character are accessed. The regions of the seam involving intersection between a state of charge-transfer character and a state of covalent character dominate the quenching dynamics, but intersections between two covalent states are also accessed a small percentage of the time. The existence and relative energies of these intersections are validated by optimization at the multistate complete active space se...
EFFECTS OF CHRONIC IMPLANTATION OF RATS WITH PITUITARIES OF THE SAME SPECIES1

Since the work dealing with the loss of sensitivity to hypophyseal extracts exhibited by animals after chronic administration has been reviewed recently by others we shall not attempt to cite all of the publications concerned with this subject. The cause of the production of this insensitivity is at present controversial. In the main, two explanations have been advanced. The one, postulated by Collip (1), that the refractoriness is a normal reaction in which antihormones hold in balance the activity of the internal secretions, is supported by the following evidence. First, the function of the gonads and thyroids of animals which have become insensitive to gonadotropic and thyrotropic extracts of anterior lobes of a different species is depressed below normal, indicating perhaps a neutralization of the animal's own pituitary hormone (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8). In line with this is the evidence that the serum of a horse which had received chronic treatment with thyrotropic extract was capable of reducing the bas...
Reduction of the Maxwell-Bloch equations to a standard form

Abstract A systematic procedure is presented for reducing the coupled Maxwell-Bloch equations to a set of coupled cavity mode equations to any desired level of numerical accuracy. This procedure dependes on a careful analysis of the intrinsic length scale and time scale ratios. It is illustrated by application to the CO 2 laser. To order λ/ L , the Maxwell-Bloch equations reduce to three sets of coupled equations for the two large electric field amplitudes, two polarization amplitudes and three population inversion field amplitudes. These equations are expressed in elegant spinor-vector form. The form of these equations is independent of mode selection mechanisms and covers a wide range of cavity shape parameters.
Genetics of primary brain tumors: a review

In this review we provide evidence for the existence of genes associated with primary malignant brain tumors. We summarize the current knowledge from studies of familial cancer aggregation, hereditary syndromes, and molecular and cytogenetic studies. The epidemiologic evidence is suggestive but inconclusive for an association between brain tumors and cancers in other family members, including cancers of the breast, lung and colon. Central nervous system (CNS) tumors have been associated with several hereditary syndromes including the Li-Fraumeni cancer family syndrome, neurofibromatosis (types 1 and 2), tuberous sclerosis, nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome, familial polyposis, and von Hippel-Lindau disease. Significant studies leading to the recognition of molecular and cytogenetic abnormalities in malignant gliomas are described in detail. The genetic studies conducted thus far suggest a role for inherited susceptibility in some CNS tumors.
Normal coronary arteriogram in a patient with clinical evidence of myocardial infarction.

The case of a 61-year-old man in whom coronary arteriography was normal eight weeks after unmistakable clinical evidence of acute myocardial infarction is discussed to illustrate problems occasioned by the introduction of coronary arteriography. There is a growing tendency to consider the coronary arteriogram as the sine qua non for diagnosis of obstructive artery disease while disregarding clinicopathologic observations gathered and refined over many years. A normal coronary arteriogram in the presence of clinical evidence of coronary heart disease almost always elicits an explanation for the clinical findings other than the possibility that a good quality coronary arteriogram may fail to demonstrate significant coronary artery disease. The coronary arteriogram must be correlated with pathologic findings in many more patients before it can be accepted as the ultimate criterion upon which, not only diagnosis of coronary artery disease depends, but also evaluation of work capacity, disability compensation and other socioeconomic problems associated with coronary artery disease.
Finite Element Simulation of an Active Surgical Needle for Prostate Brachytherapy

In this article we present a finite element simulation of an active steerable surgical needle. The highly maneuverable actuated needle can be utilized in many cases involving diagnostic and therapeutic percutaneous procedures; for example, in prostate brachytherapy. To make the surgical needle able to navigate through the tissue accurately, avoiding sensitive organs, external bending forces are being provided by smart actuators attached to the needle body (see Fig. 1). The shape memory alloy (SMA) wires, namely Nitinol, with unique properties of super-elasticity, shape memory effect, and biocompatibility are suitable as an actuator. The attached SMA wires contract when heated due to the phase transformation and therefore bends the needle. A 3D finite element (FE) model of the SMA actuated steerable needle was developed and validated by a prototype to show the feasibility of the design and also to study the factors influencing needle deflection.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Impact of diabetes on burn injury: preliminary results from prospective study.

Reducing diabetes mellitus complications has been a major focus for Healthy People 2010. A prior retrospective cohort of our burn center's admissions revealed worse outcomes among diabetic patients, that is, increased infection rates, grafting and graft complications, and increased length of hospital stay. Therefore, a prospective study has been designed to carefully assess wound repair and recovery of diabetic and nondiabetic burn patients. Our long-term aim is to determine the characteristics of the wound milieu along with global responses to injury that may predict poor outcome among diabetic patients. This is an initial phase of a larger observational study of in-hospital diabetic (types 1 and 2) and nondiabetic patients, prospectively matched for age (18-70 and >70 years) and burn size ( < 5, 5―15, and 16-25%). Time (days) to complete index wound closure, documented through serial photography, is the main outcome measure. Secondary measures compare delays in presentation, prevalence of infections, graft rates, wound and graft complications, adverse events, and length of hospital stay. Detailed history, physical, and baseline hemoglobin A1C are elicited from all subjects who are assessed daily over the initial 72 hours poststudy entry, then weekly until complete index wound closure, and finally monthly through 3 months. Forty subjects are presented herein, 24 diabetic and 16 nondiabetic patients. Time to index wound closure was significantly prolonged in diabetic patients, despite increased grafting. These findings suggest that excision and grafting in diabetic patients may not alone be sufficient to ensure rapid closure, as graft complications may contribute to protracted closure. Evaluating graft need may be more complex among diabetic patients, suggesting the need for alternative management strategies. The current prospective study confirms our previous retrospective analysis, notably manifested by significant delays in index wound closure. Our efforts continue in identifying the most important predictors of outcome, especially modifiable factors that would create a basis of intervention to improve care.
Effects of hypothalamic and preoptic electrochemical stimulation on gonadotropin and prolactin release in proestrous rats.

The possibility of the existence of specific loci controlling the release of gonadotropins and prolactin was explored by studying the effects of electrochemical stimulation of various regions in and adjacent to the hypothalamus on plasma gonadotropins and prolactin. Sprague- Dawley rats with 4-day estrous cycles had elevated plasma levels of LH, FSH and prolactin during the afternoon of proestrus. The administration of Nembutal at 1:30 PM on the day of proestrus inhibited this surge. Various regions of the hypothalamus were electrochemically stimulated using stainless steel bipolar concentric electrodes with direct current of 100 μA for 60 sec. Plasma levels of LH, FSH and prolactin at different intervals following stimulation were estimated by radioimmunoassay. Small stimulating lesions in the region of medial preoptic area (MPOA) consistently stimulated the release of LH within 1 hr, which was associated with ovulation even though FSH release was unaltered. When electrode placements were localized in mo...
The Life History of Panorpa nuptialis (Mecoptera: Panorpidae)

Immature stages of Panorpa nuptialis Gerstaecker, including egg, the four larval instars, prepupa, and pupa, have been obtained by rearing the species under artificial conditions. Size increase in the larva is rapid during the month following hatching. Following the period of larval growth and activity is a prolonged prepupal stage. The pupal stadium is about 20 days. First- and fourth-instar larvae, egg, and pupae of both sexes are illustrated, and all stages are briefly described. Comparisons with other species are made for most stages.
Heat resistance and thermotolerance in a radiation-resistant cell line.

Exponentially growing TN-368 lepidopteran insect cells have a normal growth temperature of 28°C. These cells were heated in water baths at various temperatures between 33 and 44°C under conditions of constant or fractionated heating. Determinations of cell survival using colony formation as well as measurements of DNA and protein synthesis were performed to assess relative heat resistance and development of thermotolerance. The results demonstrate a marked heat resistance over previously reported findings from the same laboratory for dipteran Drosophila cells in culture. The degree of heat resistance is remarkable, especially when compared to the heat resistance of mammalian cells, i.e. TN-368 cell survival at 41·5 and 44°C was somewhat similar to mammalian cell survival, even though these temperatures are 13·5 and 16°C above the normal growth temperature for TN-368 cells and 4·5 and 7°C above the growth temperature of mammalian cells. Furthermore, the lepidopteran cells maintain the ability to develop a ...
Hyperspectral image projector applications

For the past several years NIST has been developing, along with several collaborators, a Hyperspectral Image Projector (HIP). This scene projector produces high-resolution programmable spectra and projects them into dynamic two-dimensional images. The current digital micromirror device (DMD) based HIP prototype has a spatial resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels and a spectral range of 450 nm to 2400 nm, with spectral resolution from 2 nm in the visible to 5 nm in the short-wave infrared. It disperses light from a supercontinuum fiber source across two DMDs to produce the programmable spectra, which then globally-illuminate a third DMD to form the spatial images. The HIP can simulate top-of-the atmosphere spectral radiance over a 10 mm x 14 mm, f/3 image, and this can be collimated to stimulate remote sensing instruments. Also, the spectral radiance of the projected scenes can be measured with a NIST-calibrated spectroradiometer, such that the spectral radiance projected into each pixel can be accurately known. The HIP was originally developed for applications in multi-spectral and hyperspectral imager testing, calibration, and performance validation, and examples of this application will be reviewed. Conceivable applications for the HIP in photovoltaic device characterization and optical medical imaging will also be discussed.
A dual-process account of the development of scientific reasoning: The nature and development of metacognitive intercession skills

Abstract Metacognitive knowledge of the dual-processing basis of judgment is critical to resolving conflict between analytic and experiential processing responses [Klaczynski, P. A. (2004). A dual-process model of adolescent development: Implications for decision making, reasoning, and identity. In R. V. Kail (Ed.), Advances in child development and behavior, Vol. 31 (pp. 73–123). San Diego, CA: Academic Press]. Such conflict is ubiquitous when reasoning scientifically. Three studies explored the nature, development, and stability of this metacognitive knowledge. In each study, participants completed the ratio-bias judgment task, which assessed their tendency to make analytically based responses, and the ratio-bias evaluation task, which assessed their metacognitive knowledge of the processing basis of judgments on the task (Metacognitive Status). In Study 1, college students’ judgment performance was related to metacognitive status but not to general cognitive ability. In Study 2, metacognitive status was related to age and mathematics-related changes. Metacognitive status again predicted participants’ tendency to make analytically based judgments. In Study 3, college students’ judgments, but not metacognitive status, were affected by task conditions. The evidence suggests that assessing metacognitive knowledge is important for understanding how conflict between analytically and experientially based judgments is resolved.
Predictors of Urban fathers' involvement in their child's health care.

Objective. Fathers make important contributions to many aspects of children’s well-being, but relatively few studies have evaluated father involvement in their child’s health care. The objective of this study was to explore the extent to which fathers are involved in their children’s health care and identify those factors that are associated with greater involvement. Methods. A convenience sample of 104 English-speaking, urban fathers with children younger than 7 years were recruited to complete an anonymous, structured interview. Fathers self-reported the number of well-child visits (WCVs) that they had ever attended and which factors had influenced their attendance. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify those factors that predicted greater involvement. Results. Eighty-nine percent of the fathers had attended at least 1 WCV. Fifty-three percent had high involvement, ie, had attended ≥40% of the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended visits for their child’s age. In multivariate modeling, factors that were significantly associated with high involvement in attending WCVs included attendance at the child’s delivery (odds ratio [OR]: 7.3 [1.7–30.4]), younger child age (OR: 0.96 [0.94–0.99]), older father age (OR: 1.2 [1.2–1.3]), the child’s having health insurance (OR: 4.1 [1.3–12.0]), and having >1 child (OR: 0.22 [0.06–0.72]). Conclusions. The factors identified suggest ways that pediatric providers can support fathers’ involvement in their children’s health care. Providers should focus on encouraging greater involvement early, especially for younger fathers and those with older children. In addition, support of universal health coverage for children might, in addition to other obvious benefits, enhance a father’s engagement with his child’s health care.
The texture of condensed CO2 on the martian polar caps

Abstract The widespread deposition of CO 2 ice on the martian polar caps in winter is readily visible from Earth and has been extensively studied from orbit. As the surface cools during polar night, CO 2 condenses directly out of the atmosphere at a rate that establishes equilibrium between radiative loss and latent heat of condensation. Since radiative loss is strongly geometry-dependent, the CO 2 frost will grow most rapidly on exposed surfaces and more slowly in depressions. Positive feedback will cause a dramatic enhancement of the relief of the underlying topography and a corresponding reduction in the average bulk density. The resulting surface will be highly textured and riddled with perforations.
Coherent-state analysis of the quantum bouncing ball

Gaussian-Klauder coherent states are applied to the bound ``quantum bouncer,'' a gravitating particle above an infinite potential boundary. These Gaussian-Klauder states, originally created for Rydberg atoms, provide an overcomplete set of wave functions that mimic classical trajectories for extended times through the utilization of energy localization. For the quantum bouncer, analytic methods are applied presently to compute first and second moments of position and momentum operators, and from these results, at least two scalings of Gaussian-Klauder parameters are highlighted, one of which tends to remains localized for markedly more bounces than comparable states that are Gaussian in position (by an order of magnitude in some cases). We close with a connection that compares Gaussian-Klauder states and positional Gaussian states directly for the quantum bouncer, relating the two through a known energy-position duality of Airy functions. Our results, taken together, ultimately reemphasize the primacy of energy localization as a key ingredient for long-lived classical correspondence in systems with smooth spectra.
Anosmia in male rhesus monkeys does not alter copulatory activity with cycling females

Three adult male rhesus monkeys were tested daily with intact adult female partners over the course of four or five mentstrual cycles. The males were made permanently anosmic by chemical ablation of the olfactory epithelium after the second or fourth cycle was completed. All males continued to display typical cycles of copulation with their partners after the anosmia procedures, with the shortest latencies to ejaculation occurring during the periovulatory phase of the partner's ovulatory cycle. Hence, female attractivity and cyclic copulatory performance of rhesus monkeys are not dependent upon olfactory signals.
Prostate Cancer Volume at Biopsy Predicts Clinically Significant Upgrading

Purpose: A significant proportion of patients with prostate cancer with Gleason score 6 disease at biopsy is upgraded to Gleason score 7 or higher after radical prostatectomy, increasing the risk of adverse outcome. We identified clinical and pathological parameters that predict pathological upgrading in this population.Materials and Methods: A total of 268 patients with biopsy Gleason score 6 prostate cancer who underwent biopsy and radical prostatectomy between October 1999 and January 2007 were included in the study. Pretreatment characteristics were used to identify predictors of pathological upgrading. Upgrading significance was established by comparing radical prostatectomy pathology between cases that were and were not upgraded.Results: A total of 134 patients (50%) were upgraded postoperatively to Gleason score 7 or higher. Preoperative prostate specific antigen greater than 5.0 ng/ml (p = 0.036), prostate weight 60 gm or less (p = 0.004) and more cancer volume at biopsy, defined by cancer involvi...
Operators with spectral decomposition properties

In the process of extending the spectral theory to ever more general linear operators, it was found that all types of operators known to perform a spectral decomposition of the underlying space possess the single valued extension property. It is then natural to ask whether this property is or is not an intrinsic element of the spectral decomposition. In order to answer this question we defined axiomatically the spectral decomposition of a continuous linear operator on a general Banach space. Then we obtained an affirmative answer. A minimal requirement imposed on operators by any spectral theory is the existence of proper invariant subspaces. Assuming this we did not require from the invariant subspaces any specific property, not even the “spectral inclusion property” of the very general v-spaces introduced by Bartle and Kariotis [3]. E. Bishop’s “duality theory of type 3” [4] for continuous linear operators on a reflexive Banach space comes close to the present formulation of the spectral decomposition. Bishop gives some sufficient conditions for an operator to admit a duality theory of type 3 [4], but he does not investigate for the properties of that operator. The spectral decomposition here developed entails some elements of an operational calculus. For T in the Banach algebra B(X) of b ounded linear operators acting on a Banach space X over the complex field C, we shall use the following notations: spectrum u(T), point spectrum u,(T), approximate point spectrum aa( T), local spectrum U(X) with x in X, the resolvent operator R(z; T) with a in the resolvent set p(T), and the local resolvent set p(x). For a set S, So indicates the interior, S the closure, SC the complement (in a given total set), a(S) the boundary, and d(x, S) the distance from a point z to S. N is reserved for the set of all positive integers.
Pitch Control of a Micro Air Vehicle with Micropressure Sensors

Maintaining stable flight of micro aerial vehicles is challenging, especially in complex, low-Reynolds-number flight environments while considering wind gust disturbance, flow separation, and flow reattachment. To date, most micro aerial vehicles use vision, inertial measurement units, and/or global positioning systems as their primary sensing and navigation devices; however, actual flow conditions over the aircraft wing surfaces cannot be captured directly. In this paper, a biologically inspired micro aerial vehicle pitch control system is designed using distributed pressure information. The pressure information on the wing surfaces of a micro aerial vehicle is directly measured by a array of digital barometric micropressure sensors and is then used to calculate the aerodynamic forces, center of pressure, pitching moment, etc. A new pitch motion model that can capture the pressure information is derived from the control perspective. A nonlinear controller is also designed to achieve accurate pitch contro...
Biomimetic electrically small antennas

A biomimetic electrically small antenna system is proposed in this paper, which may lead to advancements in designing electrically small antennas. It was demonstrated that using an antenna system modeled based on the hearing mechanism of a parasitoid fly may allow us to design electrically small antenna systems with directional characteristics that are commonly found in larger antenna array systems. Further investigations are necessary to evaluate the extent to which such biomimetic concepts can enhance the current state-of-the-art in electrically small antenna design.
An AI constraint network-based approach to bed-of-nails DFT for digital circuit design

Abstract One approach to design for testability (DFT) is to provide on-line DFT advice systems which can give designers the kind of feedback that would be provided by test engineers. This paper presents an approach to implementing such systems on an AI programming technology called constraint networks. We illustrate the approach by outlining some aspects of the implementation of RICK, a bed-of-nails DFT advisor which advises printed wiring board (PWB) designers by interjecting testability-oriented feedback throughout the design activity.
Outcomes of Mitral Regurgitation Associated With Large Ventricular Septal Defect and a Normal Mitral Valve Apparatus: Does Intact Atrial Septum Have an Impact?

The hemodynamics of isolated large ventricular septal defect with an intact atrial septum results in greater mitral valve (MV) annular dilation and an increased incidence of mitral regurgitation (MR). MR will resolve in most patients after surgical VSD closure alone without MV repair.
Mechanism of Reaction of an Arenediazonium Ion in Aqueous Solutions of Acetamide, N-Methylacetamide, and N,N-Dimethylacetamide. A Potential Method for Chemically Tagging Peptide Bonds at Aggregate Interfaces

The mechanism of dediazoniation of 2,4,6-trimethylbenzenediazonium ion, 1-ArN2+, in concentrated aqueous solutions of acetamide, N-methylacetamide, and N,N-dimethylacetamide (peptide bond models) was probed by a combination of techniques including HPLC, GC/MS, and H218O isotopic labeling. The kinetics and product distributions are completely consistent with the heterolytic dediazoniation mechanism, i.e., rate-determining loss of N2 followed by trapping of the aryl cation intermediate, 1-Ar+, by H2O and the oxygens and nitrogens of the amides. Aryl imidates formed from trapping by amide O hydrolyze rapidly into aryl ester/amine and amide/phenol product pairs. The results were used to estimate the selectivity of 1-Ar+ toward the amide oxygens and nitrogens versus H2O. 1-Ar+ is only 10−40% more selective toward H2O than amide O, but it is more than 10 times more selective toward H2O than the amide N. 1-Ar+ is slightly more selective toward the N of acetamide than N-methylacetamide. However, within the HPLC d...
Impact parameter analysis of multiparticle production in π - p interactions at 15 and 147 GeV/ c

Abstract A recently proposed method of calculating experimental lower bounds, b L , on the root-mean-squared impact parameter of multiparticle processes has been applied to a variety of reactions in π − p interactions at 15 and 147 GeV/ c . The values obtained for b L show a decrease of the root-mean-squared impact parameter with increasing multiplicity at fixed energy and a very slow increase, if any, of b L with energy at fixed multiplicity. Furthermore, the results might indicate that absorption effects in multiparticle production in π − p interactions are not important. The transverse momentum transfer correlation matrices calculated in this paper have a diagonal form in agreement with multiperipheral type models.
Radiographic equalization using computer-controlled filter wheels

Equalization is advantageous in some radiographic applications in order to reduce the dynamic range of the x-ray signal incident on the detector. A technique is discussed which employs several filter wheels, which are radio-transparent wheels mounted near the x-ray tube which can be rotated under computer control. The wheels are designed to contain complex patterns of attenuator material on the annular region of each wheel which intersects the x-ray beam. Rotation of the wheels changes the attenuator pattern presented to the x-ray beam, and therefore this system is capable of regional exposure compensation. The use of multiple filter wheels provides a large selection of compensation patterns, for example, an 8 wheel system with 30 patterns per wheel would allow 1011 patterns. Two different design strategies are discussed, one aimed at digital subtraction angiography, and another at chest equalization. Clinical data bases of 191 DSA images and 250 chest radiographs were employed with computer simulation to evaluate the potential of the filter wheel equalization technique.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Urinary Excretion of Calcium in the Presence or Absence of Shell Formation by Chickens Producing Thick or Thin Shells

The pattern of urinary calcium excretion before and during shell formation was observed for White Leghorn chickens producing thick or thin shelled eggs. Urine samples were collected at 2.5, 7.5, 12.5, and 20 hr after oviposition. Urine was collected in a tube inserted to cover both ureters within the cloaca and calcium levels were determined by atomic absorption. Urinary calcium was found to decrease similarly in both shell lines from 44 mg % to 5 to 6 mg % during shell formation. When no shell was being produced, hens of both shell lines excreted calcium in the urine at 34 to 53 mg % levels throughout the 20-hr period.
An application of a system analysis methodology to manage logistics in a textile supply chain

One of the common problems encountered in managing a supply chain is that of synchronisation of activities throughout the life cycle of its products. Among several initiatives in the US textiles industry to deal with the problem, one in particular aims to achieve quick response (QR) in the supply chain through accurate response (AR). AR is an approach to forecasting, planning, and production that builds on QR capabilities within the supply chain organisation. In order to achieve this, a total systems perspective is necessary requiring analysis of activities. This paper describes a formal system analysis methodology utilising design principles that builds on activities, and utilises models that achieve synchronisation through waste management in inventory for a textile garment supply chain. The generic features of this activity‐based problem representation methodology hold promise for its common application across supplier/consumer class of system problems.
Fluorescence Measurements of Aromatic Amino Acids in the Presence of Lipid Membranes

Amphiphilic peptides are capable of finding their way to, and occasionally through, cellular membranes using a mechanism that includes specific amino acid sequences. Physical measurements of amino acid-lipid interactions are of interest for a quantitative description of peptide affinities to biological membranes. In this study, we investigate small peptide-lipid interactions using the fluorescence of the aromatic amino acids tyrosine (Tyr), tryptophan (Trp) and phenylalanine (Phe). Reference spectra in isopropanol-water, ethylene-glycol-water, DMSO-water, and polyethyleneglycol-water solutions are obtain to mimic hydrophobic environments and are used to quantify the interaction of Lys-Tyr-Lys, Trp-Gly, and Gly-Phe with 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC) and 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoserine (DOPS) lipid membranes. These fluorescence data complement previously reported UV absorption data and have the advantage of eliminating background and scatter from solution. Together with NMR data, these results can be used to more fully characterize lipid-aromatic amino residue interactions.
Hypophosphorylation of the RB protein in S and G2 as well as G1 during growth arrest.

The RB tumor suppressor protein is a cell cycle regulator, where hypophosphorylated RB is associated with G1/0 arrest and its cyclin-dependent phosphorylation in G1 allows progression from G1 to S. The present report shows that in human leukemia cells induced to undergo growth arrest with sodium butyrate or DMSO, hypophosphorylation of the RB protein is not G1 restricted and also occurs in S and G2/M cells as well as in G1 cells when growth is inhibited. While all of the RB protein in G1/0 cells is hypophosphorylated, residual cells in S and G2 have significant detectable amounts of hypophosphorylated RB as well as still hyperphosphorylated RB protein. Thus RB hypophosphorylation can be induced in S and G2 as well as the G1 phase. The results show that growth retardation in other than the G1 phase is associated with occurrence of hypophosphorylated RB. RB may thus have a broader capability to inhibit proliferation than just in G1.
Different subcellular localization of Saccharomyces cerevisiae HMG-CoA reductase isozymes at elevated levels corresponds to distinct endoplasmic reticulum membrane proliferations.

Abstract In all eucaryotic cell types analyzed, proliferations of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) can be induced by increasing the levels of certain integral ER proteins. One of the best characterized of these proteins is HMG-CoA reductase, which catalyzes the rate-limiting step in sterol biosynthesis. We have investigated the subcellular distributions of the two HMG-CoA reductase isozymes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the types of ER proliferations that arise in response to elevated levels of each isozyme. At endogenous expression levels, Hmg1p and Hmg2p were both primarily localized in the nuclear envelope. However, at increased levels, the isozymes displayed distinct subcellular localization patterns in which each isozyme was predominantly localized in a different region of the ER. Specifically, increased levels of Hmg1p were concentrated in the nuclear envelope, whereas increased levels of Hmg2p were concentrated in the peripheral ER. In addition, an Hmg2p chimeric protein containing a 77-amino acid lumenal segment from Hmg1p was localized in a pattern that resembled that of Hmg1p when expressed at increased levels. Reflecting their different subcellular distributions, elevated levels of Hmg1p and Hmg2p induced sets of ER membrane proliferations with distinct morphologies. The ER membrane protein, Sec61p, was localized in the membranes induced by both Hmg1p and Hmg2p green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusions. In contrast, the lumenal ER protein, Kar2p, was present in Hmg1p:GFP membranes, but only rarely in Hmg2p:GFP membranes. These results indicated that the membranes synthesized in response to Hmg1p and Hmg2p were derived from the ER, but that the membranes were not identical in protein composition. We determined that the different types of ER proliferations were not simply due to quantitative differences in protein amounts or to the different half-lives of the two isozymes. It is possible that the specific distributions of the two yeast HMG-CoA reductase isozymes and their corresponding membrane proliferations may reveal regions of the ER that are specialized for certain branches of the sterol biosynthetic pathway.
Evaluation of SiC GTOs for pulse power switching

Certain applications require devices that can switch high peak current with fast rise times and narrow pulse width. This work was done as an initial study to investigate the performance of Silicon Carbide (SiC) Gate turn-off thyristor (GTO) in these applications. The SiC GTOs were designed for high turn-off gain and not optimized for pulse applications. The GTOs were tested as discharge switches in a low inductance circuit delivering 2/spl mu/s pulses with a maximum switching current of 1.4 kA (94.6 kA/cm/sup 2/) and a current rise time of 2.4 kA//spl mu/s. All the devices were switched until failure. The failure modes will be discussed.
Modeling the Unidentified Infrared Emission with Combinations of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

The infrared emission band spectrum associated with many different interstellar objects can be modeled successfully by using combined laboratory spectra of neutral and positively charged polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). These model spectra, shown here for the first time, alleviate the principal spectroscopic criticisms previously leveled at the PAH hypothesis and demonstrate that mixtures of free molecular PAHs can indeed account for the overall appearance of the widespread interstellar infrared emission spectrum. Furthermore, these models give us insight into the structures, stabilities, abundances, and ionization balance of the interstellar PAH population. These, in turn, reflect conditions in the emission zones and shed light on the microscopic processes involved in the carbon nucleation, growth, and evolution in circumstellar shells and the interstellar medium.
Asymmetric and symmetric unbiased image registration: Statistical assessment of performance

Measures of brain changes can be computed from sequential MRI scans, providing valuable information on disease progression for neuroscientific studies and clinical trials. Tensor-based morphometry (TBM) creates maps of these brain changes, visualizing the 3D profile and rates of tissue growth or atrophy. In this paper, we examine the power of different nonrigid registration models to detect changes in TBM, and their stability when no real changes are present. Specifically, we investigate an asymmetric version of a recently proposed unbiased registration method, using mutual information as the matching criterion. We compare matching functionals (sum of squared differences and mutual information), as well as large deformation registration schemes (viscous fluid registration versus symmetric and asymmetric unbiased registration) for detecting changes in serial MRI scans of 10 elderly normal subjects and 10 patients with Alzheimerpsilas disease scanned at 2-week and 1-year intervals. We demonstrated that the unbiased methods, both symmetric and asymmetric, have higher reproducibility. The unbiased methods were also less likely to detect changes in the absence of any real physiological change. Moreover, they measured biological deformations more accurately by penalizing bias in the corresponding statistical maps.
Biologically-inspired antenna arrays based on the hearing mechanism of the parasitoid fly Ormia Ochracea

Despite their small size compared to the sound wavelength, many small animals are able to accurately localize a sound source of interest. Noteworthy among these small animals is the parasitoid fly Ormia Ochracea that can determine the direction of arrival of a sound wave of interest with an astonishing degree of precision. An analogy can be drawn between the hearing mechanisms of this insect and an electrically small antenna array, composed of two isotropic receiving elements, that is capable of resolving the direction of arrival of an electromagnetic wave with a fine angular resolution. Inspired by this, we introduce the concept of biomimetic, super-resolving electrically small antennas in this paper. A method for designing such electrically small antenna arrays as well as simulated and measured results of a fabricated prototype are also resented and discussed in this paper. These biomimetic antenna arrays could be used in numerous applications ranging from miniaturized RF sensors and direction finding systems to small aperture, high-resolution microwave imaging systems and radars.
Wnt Signaling in the Pathogenesis of Multiple Sclerosis-Associated Chronic Pain

Many multiple sclerosis (MS) patients develop chronic pain, but the underlying pathological mechanism is unknown. Mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) have been widely used to model MS-related neurological complications, including CNS demyelination, neuroinflammation and motor impairments. Similar to MS patients, EAE mice also develop chronic pain. We are interested in elucidating the potential involvement of Wnt signaling in the pathogenesis of chronic pain in EAE mice. In this study, we characterized the expression of Wnt signaling proteins in the spinal cord dorsal horn (SCDH) of EAE mice, by immunoblotting and immunostaining. The EAE model was created by immunization of adult mice (C57BL/6, 10 weeks) with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) 35-55. Robust mechanical hyperalgesia and allodynia were developed in both fore- and hindpaws of the EAE mice. Wnt3a, a prototypical Wnt ligand for the canonical pathway, was significantly increased in the SCDH of the EAE mice. Another key protein in the canonical pathway, s-catenin, was also significantly up-regulated. In addition, Wnt5a, a prototypic Wnt ligand for the non-canonical pathway, and its receptor (co-receptor) Ror2 were also up-regulated in the SCDH of the EAE mice. We further found that Wnt5a antagonist Box5 and β-catenin inhibitor indomethacin attenuated mechanical allodynia in the EAE mice. Our data collectively suggest that Wnt signaling pathways are up-regulated in the SCDH of the EAE mice and that aberrant activation of Wnt signaling contributes to the development of EAE-related chronic pain.
Appropriate criteria for the use of cardiac computed tomography angiography in patients with high risk of coronary artery disease.

We would like to thank Dr Maria Martin and her colleagues for their interest and comments regarding appropriate use of coronary-computed tomography angiography (CCTA) in our recent article.1 First of all we agree with their comment that we should follow the proper indications for non-invasive coronary angiography to avoid unnecessary radiation. Although it should be a small number of patients, we admit that some patients included in this study may be inappropriate indication for CCTA according to the current guideline.2 Basically, as we retrospectively …
The role of nitric oxide in endothelium-dependent vasodilation of hypercholesterolemic patients.

BACKGROUNDPatients with hypercholesterolemia have a reduced response to endothelium-dependent vasodilators. However, the regulatory function of the endothelium on vascular tone is mediated through the release of several vasoactive substances; therefore, a reduced response to endothelium-dependent agents does not identify which of the factors released by the endothelium is involved in this abnormality.METHODS AND RESULTSTo investigate the role of nitric oxide in the endothelium-dependent vasodilation in hypercholesterolemia, we studied the effect of NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA), an inhibitor of endothelial nitric oxide synthesis, on basal vascular tone and on the responses to acetylcholine, an endothelium-dependent vasodilator, and to sodium nitroprusside, a direct smooth muscle dilator. The study included 33 hypercholesterolemic patients (17 men; 51 +/- 8 years; plasma cholesterol, > or = 240 mg/dL) and 23 normal controls (12 men; 48 +/- 7 years; plasma cholesterol, < 210 mg/dL). Drugs were infused i...
Investigation of Optimal Parameters for Oxide-Assisted Growth of Vertically Aligned Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

An investigation into the optimal growth of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) in vertical arrays, or carpets, is presented utilizing atomic hydrogen catalyst activation with hot filament chemical vapor deposition. Using acetylene decomposition over Fe catalyst, we study the effect of oxidant-assisted growth using O2, CO2, and H2O. Whereas trace amounts of O2 result in the lack of any catalytic activity, CO2 and H2O are found to dramatically enhance the catalyst lifetime. On the basis of the saturation effect of oxidant concentration for both CO2 and H2O, we present this as being due to catalyst stabilization from surface hydroxyl groups, with H2O having the most dominant effect upon carpet growth. Utilizing water-assisted growth, this process is further optimized to yield high-quality single-walled carbon nanotubes. High temperature growth (∼775 °C) yields the highest-quality SWNTs, whereas controllable growth of double- and few-walled nanotubes can also be achieved at lower temperatures (550−600 °C)...
A Lax Pair for the Dynamics of DNA Modeled as a Shearable and Extensible Elastic Rod II. Discretization of the arc length

We find a Lax pair for the geometrically exact discrete Hamiltonian equations for the discrete elastic rod. This is paper III of a series.