cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Some Aspects of High Manganese Twinning-Induced Plasticity (TWIP) Steel, A Review

High manganese twinning-induced plasticity (TWIP) steel is a new kind of structural material and possesses both high strength and superior plasticity and can meet the weight-lightening requirement for manufacturing vehicle body. The excellent formability of the TWIP steel comes from the extraordinary strain hardening effect during plastic deformation. The reduction of specific weight by aluminum alloying and strain hardening effect can lead to an effective weight reduction of the steel components, and provide a better choice for materials in vehicle body design. The TWIP effect in high Mn steels is generally associated with the successive workhardening generated by twins and influenced by some factors, such as Mn content, Al addition revealed by stacking fault energy (SFE), grain size, deformation temperature and strain rate. The present review introduces some aspects of the TWIP steels relating to their physical metallurgy, influencing factors associated with their deformation mechanisms, and a prospect for the future investigation is also described. Moreover, as a potential candidate for replacing Ni-Cr austenitic stainless steel, researches on the oxidation behavior and corrosion resistance of Fe-Mn-Al-C system steels are also reviewed.
Strategic Reliabilism: A Naturalistic Approach to Epistemology

Strategic Reliabilism is a framework that yields relative epistemic evaluations of belief-producing cognitive processes. It is a theory of cognitive excellence, or more colloquially, a theory of reasoning excellence (where ‘reasoning’ is understood very broadly as any sort of cognitive process for coming to judgments or beliefs). First introduced in our book, Epistemology and the Psychology of Human Judgment (henceforth EPHJ), the basic idea behind SR is that epistemically excellent reasoning is efficient reasoning that leads in a robustly reliable fashion to significant, true beliefs. It differs from most contemporary epistemological theories in two ways. First, it is not a theory of justification or knowledge – a theory of epistemically worthy belief. Strategic Reliabilism is a theory of epistemically worthy ways of forming beliefs. And second, Strategic Reliabilism does not attempt to account for an epistemological property that is assumed to be faithfully reflected in the epistemic judgments and intuitions of philosophers. If SR makes recommendations that accord with our reflective epistemic judgments and intuitions, great. If not, then so much the worse for our reflective epistemic judgments and intuitions.
Synthesis and structure-activity relationship studies of 1,3-disubstituted 2-propanols as BACE-1 inhibitors.

Abstract A library of 1,3-disubstituted 2-propanols was synthesized and evaluated as low molecular weight probes for β-secretase inhibition. By screening a library of 121 1,3-disubstituted 2-propanol derivatives, we identified few compounds inhibiting the enzyme at low micromolar concentrations. The initial hits were optimized to yield a potent BACE-1 inhibitor exhibiting an IC50 constant in the nanomolar range. Exploration of the pharmacological properties revealed that these small molecular inhibitors possessed a high selectivity over cathepsin D and desirable physicochemical properties beneficial to cross the blood–brain barrier.
Vibrational spectroscopic studies of vinyltriethoxysilane sol–gel and its coating

Abstract Infrared and Raman spectra of vinyltriethoxysilane (VTES), the VTES sol–gel, and the sol–gel coated aluminum have been collected. The assignments of the vibrational modes for the silane, the sol–gel, and the sol–gel films have been made based on the group frequencies and the spectral variation collected at different physical and chemical states of the sol–gel samples. Applying the sol–gels onto the metal grids allowed the drying and the high temperature treatment of the samples for the collection of infrared transmission spectra. From the variation of the sol–gel and the sol–gel coated aluminum IR spectra with temperature, it was noticed that the samples partially decomposed when the temperature was higher than 100 °C. Electrochemical experiments have demonstrated that the anticorrosion property of the coated aluminum has significantly increased. The water and the hexadecane contact angle measurements showed that the surface modified metal had a much higher hydrophobic property than the untreated metal.
Solving VT by reuse

Abstract This paper describes how the Domain-Independent Design System (DIDS) was used to solve the VT Sisyphus task. DIDS enables knowledge engineers to rapidly build knowledge systems by providing libraries of reusable problem-solving procedures, called mechanisms , and reusable knowledge-acquisition procedures, called mechanisms for knowledge acquisition (MeKAs). Instead of writing code, engineers build systems by selecting and combining elements from these libraries. Therefore, DIDS-developed systems are easy to build and are not brittle, i.e. they can be easily modified by replacing mechanisms and MeKAs. To demonstrate these ideas, DIDS was used to solve the VT task by starting with the DIDS solution to the Sisyphus room-assignment problem. A problem solver and knowledge-acquisition tool for the VT task were created by replacing a few of the mechanisms and MeKAs used for the room-assignment task with those better suited to the VT task.
Prenatal predictors of infant temperament

Emerging data suggest that prenatal factors influence children's temperament. In 50 dyads, we examined fetal heart rate (FHR) activity and women's antenatal psychiatric illness as predictors of infant temperament at 4 months (response to novelty and the Infant Behavior Checklist). FHR change during maternal challenge was positively associated with observed infant motor reactivity to novelty (p = .02). The odds of being classified as high versus low motor among fetuses who had an increase in FHR during maternal stress was 11 times those who had a decrease in FHR (p = .0006). Antenatal psychiatric diagnosis was associated with an almost fourfold greater odds of having a high cry reactivity classification (p = .03). There also were modest associations between baseline FHR and maternal reports of infant temperament and between observed temperament and that based on mothers' reports. All of the infant results were found independent of the influence of women's postnatal anxiety. These data indicate that physiological markers of individual differences in infant temperament are identifiable in the fetal period, and possibly shaped by the prenatal environment.
Pulp reaction to a tricalcium phosphate ceramic capping agent

A porous form of tricalcium phosphate ceramic has been shown to stimulate new bone formation around the implant. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate this material in a powder form as a pulp-capping material. It was found difficult to cover a pulp exposure adequately with Synthos ceramic powder alone. Histologic sections showed dentinogenesis around those particles which were forced into the pulp proper, demonstrating the nonirritating potential of Synthos. Because of the bacterial infection in so many of the specimens, this study is inconclusive with respect to the use of this material as a capping agent. A similar study, employing a rubber dam to protect the exposure, is recommended.
Airway responsiveness in CD38-deficient mice in allergic airway disease: studies with bone marrow chimeras

CD38 is a cell-surface protein involved in calcium signaling and contractility of airway smooth muscle. It has a role in normal airway responsiveness and in airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) develop...
Direct-inverse method for airfoils at high angles of attack

Presentation d'une technique directe-inverse et d'un programme informatique pour l'analyse de l'ecoulement autour de profils aux vitesses subsoniques et faiblement transsoniques
THE FATE OF PEPTIDES PINOCYTOSED BY MACROPHAGES IN VITRO

A series of small peptides, such as might arise in the course of intralysosomal protein digestion, were screened for the ability to escape, intact, from mouse peritoneal macrophage lysosomes. Inability to penetrate lysosomal membranes was inferred from a peptide's induction of lysosomal swelling, or vacuolization, in cultured macrophages. Two of the peptides tested, (D-Glu)2 and (D-Ala)3, induced vacuolization. Neither peptide was susceptible to hydrolysis by enzymes in macrophages or in the serum-containing culture medium. Their morphological effect was inhibited by parafluorophenylalanine, an inhibitor of pinocytosis. Once formed by either peptide, the vacuoles persisted for several hours in peptide-free medium. Quantitative studies of radioactively labeled (D-Glu)2 confirmed the morphological evidence that (D-Glu)2 is taken up by pinocytosis and stored, intact, in macrophage lysosomes. The majority of the peptides which failed to induce vacuolization—(L-Ala)2, L-Ser·L-Ala, L-Val·L-Ala, L-Ala·L-Thr, Gly·D, L-Phe, L-Ala·D-His, (L-Ala)3, (L-Glu)2, and D-Leu·L-Tyr—were found to be susceptible to hydrolysis by cellular or serum peptidases. Their failure to induce vacuolization was attributed to their hydrolysis to subunits capable of penetrating lysosomal membranes. Some of the peptides which had failed to induce vacuolization—(D-Ala)2, D-Ser·D-Ala, D-Val·D-Ala, Gly-D-Asn, D-Ala·D-Thr, and D-Arg·D-Val—were found to be indigestible. Except for the cytotoxic peptide D-Arg·D-Val, peptides in this category all had lower molecular weights and volumes than (Glu)2 or (Ala)3. It is inferred that these peptides are small enough to escape from macrophage lysosomes, while (Glu)2 and (Ala)3 are too large to escape intact. The implications of this inference for the mechanism of intracellular digestion of pinocytosed proteins are discussed.
Cornified Cell Envelope

The cornified cell envelope (CE) is a highly insoluble structure on the inside of the plasma membrane of terminally differentiated keratinocytes. The cellular and molecular biology of the CE is outlined and new areas of research involving the CE are reviewed focussing on morphological and biochemical connections, the sequential gene expression during terminal differentiation, the interaction of lipids and proteins forming the epidermal barrier, the cysteine-rich pool of proteins in the epidermis as well as the molecular cloning and/or characterization of major components of the CE.
A constitutive model for the stress–strain–time behaviour of ‘wet’ clays

A constitutive model is developed to describe the stress–strain–time behaviour of ‘wet’ clays subjected to three-dimensional states of stress and strain. The model is based on Bjerrum's concept of total strain decomposition into an immediate (time-independent) part and a delayed (time-dependent) part generalized to three-dimensional situations. The classical theory of plasticity is employed to characterize the time-independent stress–strain behaviour of cohesive soils using the ellipsoidal yield surface of the modified Cam Clay model presented by Roscoe and Burland. The time-independent strain is divided into an elastic part and a plastic part. The plastic part is evaluated using the normality condition and the consistency requirement on the yield surface. The time-dependent (creep) component of the total strain is evaluated by employing the normality rule on the same yield surface as in the time-independent model and the consistency requirement which requires that the creep strain rate reduces to phenome...
Behavior of dinonylnaphthalene sulfonate monolayers at the air–water interface

Abstract The interfacial behavior of the sodium salt of dinonylnaphthalene sulfonic acid, a highly surface-active metal extractant, has been studied using Langmuir trough techniques. Monolayer desorption experiments were conducted at various surface pressures and substrate compositions. The rates of film contraction were found to be consistent with diffusion-controlled dissolution. Pressure–area isotherms indicated the presence of a single surface phase with a two-dimensional compressibility characteristic of a liquid-condensed film. Monolayer collapse occurred at a limiting molecular area of 67 A2. Comparison of the monolayer dissolution rates with metal extraction rates indicates the dominance of an interfacial extraction mechanism over an aqueous phase extraction mechanism.
Bidimensionality: new connections between FPT algorithms and PTASs

We demonstrate a new connection between fixed-parameter tractability and approximation algorithms for combinatorial optimization problems on planar graphs and their generalizations. Specifically, we extend the theory of so-called "bidimensional" problems to show that essentially all such problems have both subexponential fixed-parameter algorithms and PTASs. Bidimensional problems include e.g. feedback vertex set, vertex cover, minimum maximal matching, face cover, a series of vertex-removal problems, dominating set, edge dominating set, r-dominating set, diameter, connected dominating set, connected edge dominating set, and connected r-dominating set. We obtain PTASs for all of these problems in planar graphs and certain generalizations; of particular interest are our results for the two well-known problems of connected dominating set and general feedback vertex set for planar graphs and their generalizations, for which PTASs were not known to exist. Our techniques generalize and in some sense unify the two main previous approaches for designing PTASs in planar graphs, namely, the Lipton-Tarjan separator approach [FOCS'77] and the Baker layerwise decomposition approach [FOCS'83]. In particular, we replace the notion of separators with a more powerful tool from the bidimensionality theory, enabling the first approach to apply to a much broader class of minimization problems than previously possible; and through the use of a structural backbone and thickening of layers we demonstrate how the second approach can be applied to problems with a "nonlocal" structure.
Redundancy management of inertial systems.

The paper reviews developments in failure detection and isolation techniques applicable to gimballed and strapdown systems. It examines basic redundancy management goals of improved reliability, performance and logistic costs, and explores mechanizations available for both input and output data handling. The meaning of redundant system reliability in terms of available coverage, system MTBF, and mission time is presented and the practical hardware performance limitations of failure detection and isolation techniques are explored. Simulation results are presented illustrating implementation coverages attainable considering IMU performance models and mission detection threshold requirements. The implications of a complete GN&C redundancy management method on inertial techniques are also explored.
A dual role for the cAMP-dependent protein kinase in tyrosine hydroxylase gene expression.

Abstract Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) catalyzes the conversion of L-tyrosine to 3,4-dihydroxy-L-phenylalanine, the first and rate-limiting step in catecholamine biosynthesis. The cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) phosphorylates and activates the TH enzyme and is thought to mediate transcriptional induction of the TH gene. To better understand the functional role of PKA in TH gene regulation, we studied TH gene expression at the transcriptional, translational, and post-translational levels in several PKA-deficient cell lines derived from rat PC12 pheochromocytoma cells. Strikingly, all PKA-deficient cell lines analyzed in this study showed substantial deficits in basal TH expression as measured by TH enzymatic activity, level of TH immunoreactivity, TH protein level, and steady-state mRNA level. Interestingly, the steady-state level of mRNA correlated well with levels of TH activity, immunoreactivity, and protein. In addition, PKA-deficient cell lines lacked transcriptional induction of the TH gene following treatment with dibutyryl cAMP. Cotransfection of PKA-deficient cells with an expression plasmid for the catalytic subunit of PKA fully reversed transcriptional defect, as indicated by robust transcriptional induction of a reporter construct containing 2400 bp of TH upstream sequence in all PC12 cells tested. These data indicate that the PKA system regulates both the basal and the cAMP-inducible expression of the TH gene primarily at the transcriptional level in PC12 cells.
Rapid, long-term labeling of cells in the developing and adult rodent visual cortex using double-stranded adeno-associated viral vectors.

Chronic in vivo imaging studies of the brain require a labeling method that is fast, long-lasting, efficient, nontoxic, and cell-type specific. Over the last decade, adeno-associated virus (AAV) has been used to stably express fluorescent proteins in neurons invivo. However, AAV's main limitation for many studies (such as those of neuronal development) is the necessity of second-strand DNA synthesis, which delays peak transgene expression. The development of double-stranded AAV (dsAAV) vectors has overcome this limitation, allowing rapid transgene expression. Here, we have injected different serotypes (1, 2, 6, 7, 8, and 9) of a dsAAV vector carrying the green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene into the developing and adult mouse visual cortex and characterized its expression. We observed labeling of both neurons and astrocytes with serotype-specific tropism. dsAAV-GFP labeling showed high levels of neuronal GFP expression as early as 2 days postinjection and as long as a month, surpassing conventional AAV's onset of expression and matching its longevity. Neurons labeled with dsAAV-GFP appeared structurally and electrophysiologically identical to nonlabeled neurons, suggesting that dsAAV-GFP is neither cytotoxic nor alters normal neuronal function. We also demonstrated that dsAAV-labeled cells can be imaged with subcellular resolution in vivo over multiple days. We conclude that dsAAV is an excellent vector for rapid labeling and long-term in vivo imaging studies of astrocytes and neurons on the single cell level within the developing and adult visual cortex. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 2009
Electronic structure of strontium titanate

We have employed the techniques of photoelectron spectroscopy (with tunable synchrotron radiation $30\ensuremath{\le}h\ensuremath{\nu}\ensuremath{\le}100$ eV) and inverse photoemission spectroscopy at $h\ensuremath{\nu}=9.7$ eV to study respectively the occupied and unoccupied electronic states of $n$-type ${\mathrm{SrTiO}}_{3}$ doped with 1 at.% Nb. Doped samples have the advantage that charging effects are avoided and hence a rather accurate determination of peak positions is possible. The total (occupied and empty) experimental density of states agrees with the calculated density of states of Pertosa and Michel-Calendini when their band-gap energy is readjusted. We have no evidence for intrinsic surface states either in the band gap or in the conduction band, as was calculated by Wolfram et al. The admixture of Ti $3d$ states in the O $2p$ valence states is small, as can be concluded from the Ti $3p\ensuremath{\rightarrow}3d$ resonance behavior.
An Empirical Investigation of Lu's Method of Reliability Estimation

Based upon the belief that examinee-by-item interaction should be conceptualized as true score variability rather than as a result of errors of measurement, Lu (1971) proposed a modification of Hoyt's analysis of variance reliability procedure. Lu claims that his approach is free from the "impurities" and "entanglements" inherent in Hoyt's procedure since with nonadditive data his approach supposedly yields an error MS which estimates just σ∈2, whereas the residual MS of Hoyt's procedure would estimate σ∈ 2 + σαβ2. Via a computer simulation study, it is shown that Lu's approach does not separate interaction from error.
Embodied and disembodied R&D spillovers to developed and developing countries

Abstract This paper examines R&D spillovers from G7 countries to other developed and developing countries. We find that knowledge diffusion to developed countries dominates developing countries through both trade and international telephone traffic. However, there is no significant differing effect for R&D spillovers through FDI. Overall, the impact of knowledge spillovers through FDI is smaller than that through trade and information technology.
Intrinsic volumes and Gaussian processes

Intrinsic volumes are key functionals in convex geometry and have also appeared in several stochastic settings. Here we relate them to questions of regularity in Gaussian processes with regard to Ito–Nisio oscillation and metrization of GB/GC indexing sets. Various bounds and estimates are presented, and questions for further investigation are suggested. From alternate points of view, much of the discussion can be interpreted in terms of (i) random sets and (ii) properties of (deterministic) infinite-dimensional convex bodies.
The motor system estimates uncertainty and higher order statistics for the control of grip forces

Successful manipulation of an object requires exerting grip forces (GF) sufficient to prevent slippage. To prevent slip in more uncertain environments, GF would need to increase. Here we investigate the brain's ability to efficiently control grasp by producing GFs that correspond to confidence estimates of uncertain environments that are characterized by probability density functions of different variances and higher order moments. We found that GFs increased dramatically with the level of environmental uncertainty, and even when environmental uncertainty was held constant while higher order moments were varied, GFs changes in a way that was appropriate for kurtosis.
Membrane Structure and Intermembrane Forces Observed with Small Angle X-Ray Scattering

Cellular functions rely on intermembrane interactions and forces that govern membrane structure and hence modulate lipid-protein interactions [1]. Moreover, the strengths of intermembrane forces vary with interlamellar distances. Here we address material properties of the membrane with structural deformation due to external stress using small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) spectroscopy. The SAXS technique has been extensively used to study membrane bilayers through application of osmotic pressure. However, distinguishing the effects of osmotic stress on intermembrane forces (separation force) and membrane deformation requires further investigation [2]. We subjected model membranes (DMPC) in the liquid-crystalline state to dehydration and high osmotic pressures (up to 25 MPa). The work of removal of water from the interlamellar region to the bulk water region restructures the membrane assembly and prompts us to examine membrane properties using complementary techniques. Using SAXS we were able to directly measure the interlamellar spacings and compare the results to solid-state 2H NMR data [1,3]. We correlated the influences of dehydration and osmotic pressure in SAXS results through the interlamellar spacing. This approach allowed us to gauge the strength of intermembrane forces for a given hydration state. The combined techniques allowed us to estimate the area per lipid and structural deformation at the molecular level. Under high osmotic pressure or low hydration we found large area deformations up to 15% [1]. Temperature variation with this approach is used to discern entropic-based forces (lipid protrusions) and ordering-based forces (the hydration force). These findings show significant area deformation of membranes and provide insight into the forces that govern intermembrane interactions.[1] K.J. Mallikarjunaiah et al. (2011) BJ 100, 98-107.[2] V.A. Parsegian et al. (1979) PNAS 76, 2750-2754.[3] H.I. Petrache and M.F. Brown (2007) Meth. Mol. Biol. 400, 341-353.
Respiratory Exposure to Lead: Epidemiological and Experimental Dose-Response Relationships

Epidemiologic studies of blood lead levels in general and occupational groups show a logarithmic regression on estimated atmospheric exposure. Experimental results at the same and higher levels show a dose-response relationship which fits the same regression. The data imply that long-term increases in atmospheric lead will result in predictably higher blood lead levels in the exposed populations.
Scarlet fever and group A streptococcal surgical wound infection traced to an anal carrier.

Four patients developed group A streptococcal wound infections shortly following orthopedic surgery. Two of these patients developed scarlet fever which provided an early indication of the presence of a streptococcal epidemic. A single antigenically characteristic strain of group a streptococci was recovered from the wounds of all four patients and from the anus of one surgeon who had participated in the surgery on three of the patients.
Multiplexing ATM traffic streams with time-scale-dependent arrival processes

This paper presents a flexible traffic model which is capable of describing traffic dynamics on a variety of time-scales associated with broadband packet networks such as ATM. The model is applied to the study of Non-Deterministic Periodic (NDP) sources as well as Variable Bit Rate (VBR) video sources in which cells are delivered at a sub-frame level referred to as a slice. An efficient numerical technique is presented for the study of a finite-capacity multiplexer under an input process determined by the superposition of N of the proposed traffic models. Numerical results support the assertion that the time-scales at which variations in a cell arrival stream occur have a significant impact on multiplexer performance, thereby illustrating the relevance of the proposed modeling and analytical techniques.
Correlation among genotype, phenotype, and biochemical markers in Gaucher disease: implications for the prediction of disease severity

Gaucher disease is a lysosomal storage disorder characterized by a deficiency of the enzyme acid beta-glucosidase. The clinical manifestations of Gaucher disease are highly variable, and although certain genotypes are often associated with mild or severe symptoms, a defined correlation between genotype and phenotype does not exist. Identification of biochemical markers characteristic of pathology may be of use in predicting the progression of the disease state. In this study the relationship among genotype, glycolipid substrates, lysosomal proteins, and the clinical manifestations of Gaucher disease has been evaluated. Plasma glycolipids were analyzed using electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry. Lysosomal-associated membrane protein-1 (LAMP-1) and saposin C were determined by immunoquantification. Patients with Gaucher disease were shown to have an increased 16:0-glucosylceramide/16:0-lactosylceramide ratio and elevated concentrations of LAMP-1 and saposin C in plasma. A general relationship was found to exist among the 16:0-glucosylceramide/16:0-lactosylceramide ratio, LAMP-1 and saposin C levels, and patient phenotype, providing a refinement of the genotype-phenotype correlation. These findings have major implications for the diagnosis, prediction of disease severity, and monitoring of therapy in patients with Gaucher disease.
Cortisone and the regulation of hepatic gluconeogenesis.

In order to evaluate further the role of adrenal steroids in hepatic gluconeogenesis, pyruvate-2-C14 and Cl4O2 have been (1) incubated with liver slices from normal rats or rats treated with cortisone, and C14 incorporation into glucose, glycogen, and fatty acids measured and (2) injected into normal rats or rats treated with cortisone, and the concentration and specific activity of the blood glucose and liver glycogen determined. In the liver slices from the cortisone treated animals there was an increased incorporation of pyruvate (at 40 mM concentration) and CO2 into glucose relative to glycogen. This is in keeping with the elevation of liver glucose-6-phosphatase activity that occurs during cortisone administration. Twice as much pyruvate was incorporated into glycogen plus glucose in the cortisone treated as in the control rat liver slices when the pyruvate was present at a low concentration (0.6 mM). In the intact rats incorporation of CO2 and pyruvate into both glycogen and glucose was increased se...
Mechanical and Tribological Properties of Carbon Nanotubes Investigated with Atomistic Simulations

Atomistic simulations are used to better understand the behavior of bundles of single- walled carbon nanotubes that have been placed between two sliding diamond surfaces. A many-body reactive empirical potential for hydrocarbons that has been coupled to a Lennard-Jones potential is used to determine the energies and forces for all the atoms in the simulations. The results indicate that the degree of compression of the nanotube bundle between the nanotubes has a significant effect on the responses of the nanotubes to shear forces. However, no rolling of the nanotubes is predicted in contrast to previous studies of individual nanotubes moving on graphite.
A flexible procedure for analyzing impedance spectroscopy results: Description and illustrations

Abstract General considerations in nonlinear least squares fitting of small-signal ac frequency response data (conductive or dielectric systems) are first discussed. A very general and flexible complex nonlinear least squares fitting (CNLS) program (LOMFP) is described which runs on microcomputers of the PC and AT type. Advantages and disadvantages of LOMFP are discussed and compared to those of a recent CNLS program developed by Boukamp. LOMFP incorporates many thousands of equivalent circuits fitting possibilities and ten different distributed circuit elements which can be used in these circuits. Its fitting is both speedy and accurate, and it provides considerable insurance against confusing local minima fits with true least squares fits. It is optimized for fitting real, imaginary, or complex data of either partly conducting or purely dielectric character, and it incorporates great flexibility in handling and fitting data in different forms (different immittance levels and rectangular or polar representation). Seven different data weighting choices are provided. Exact synthetic data were generated from a typical Impedance Spectroscopy equivalent circuit, and the effects on CNLS fitting were investigated of rounding the exact data to 4, 3, and 2 decimal places. We present the results of an extensive study of the effects of transforming exact data to different immittance levels and representations and then rounding to two places or of transforming rounded 2-place data directly. We conclude that real data should not be transformed from its original measured form before carrying out CNLS fitting. Finally, the effects were investigated of various kinds of weightings on CNLS fitting of 2-place data, leading to the conclusion that in spite of its advocacy and use by Zoltowski and Boukamp, modulus weighting generally yields misleading and appreciably worse CNLS fitting results than does proportional weighting. The LOMFP program (source and executable files) is available from the first author.
Genetic analysis of hyperproduction of epidermal growth factor receptors in human epidermoid carcinoma A431 cells

Human epidermoid carcinoma A431 cells, possessing an extraordinarily high number of epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptors (1), were found to be hypotetraploid in their chromosome constitution and to contain two copies of intact chromosome 7 and two types of the translocation chromosomes involving chromosome 7 (M4 and M14) as well as several other rearranged chromosomes. The A431 cells were fused with mouse A9 cells, which lack EGF receptors (2) and are deficient in hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (3), and the human-mouse cell hybrid (AA series) were selected in HAT/ouabain medium (3, 4). The expression of high EGF binding ability was correlated with the presence of human translocation chromosome M4. AA hybrid clones that contained intact human chromosome 7 but not the marker chromosome M4 expressed only ordinary levels of EGF receptors. The EGF receptors expressed in the AA hybrids were proven to be of human nature by immunoprecipitation of the receptors cross-linked with [125I]EGF. These observations and our previous gene assignment of the EGF receptor to human chromosome 7 (2, 5) suggest that the marker chromosome M4 may carry an alteration(s) in the gene(s) involved in EGF receptor biosynthesis.
Audio watermarking using bit modification of voiced or unvoiced segments

A method of audio watermark embedding by sample bit modification directly in the time domain is proposed. Five maximum consecutive samples in each voiced or unvoiced segments are located and are embedded with a watermark using a key. Voiced segment embedding has better performance in robustness and imperceptibility while the unvoiced segment embedding has higher payload. Both of the proposed methods are better on imperceptibility, as measured by enhanced modified Bark spectrum distortion, and have higher robustness to embedded data under noise-added conditions compared to a similar bit modification method.
An improved regression algorithm for automated well-test analysis

Automated well-test analysis is a familiar technique, but the procedure still depends on the speed and robustness of the regression algorithms used. This paper examines a modification of the Cholesky factorization (CF) method for the solution of nonlinear-parameter-estimation problems and show that this modification is a very beneficial adaptation of the Gauss-Newton method. The new algorithm, the modified Gauss-Cholesky (MGC) method, is more robust under unfavorable conditions than two of the most reliable existing algorithms (the Gauss-Marquardt (GM) and the Newton-Barua (NB) methods). This robustness seems to depend on the algorithm's ability to control the rapid change of ill-defined parameters and not on computational singularity or higher-order representation.
Dissolution of the condensed chromatin structures of isolated thymocyte nuclei and the disruption of deoxyribonucleoprotein by inorganic phosphate and a phosphoprotein.

Phosvitin, a phosphoprotein, is able to severely disrupt deoxyribonucleoprotein (DNP) and thereby cause a large release of saline-soluble DNA from the saline-insoluble DNP isolated from normal rat thymocytes. This ability of phosvitin to disrupt DNP was reduced by calcium and magnesium ions. Equivalent amounts of inorganic phosphate (in the form of Na2HPO4) were unable to cause a similar large release of saline-soluble DNA from nucleoprotein. Both inorganic phosphate and the phosphoprotein caused the complete disappearance of the highly condensed deoxyribonucleoprotein (chromatin) structures in nuclei isolated from normal thymocytes. Condensed structures reappeared within these isolated nuclei when they were exposed to lysinerich histones. The support which these observations lend to current hypotheses on the roles of phosphate and phosphoproteins in the determination of the degree of condensation of nuclear chromatin structures in the whole cell under normal and pathological conditions is discussed.
Cardiopulmonary Effects of Positive Pressure Ventilation During Acute Lung Injury

Study objectives To assess the gas exchange and hemodynamic effects of pressure-limited ventilation (PLV) strategies in acute lung injury (ALI). We hypothesized that in ALI, the reduction of plateau airway pressure (Paw) would be associated with less alveolar overdistention and thus have better hemodynamic and gas exchange characteristics than larger tidal volume (VT) ventilation. Setting Laboratory. Design Prospective time-controlled sequential animal study. Measurements Right atrial, pulmonary artery, left atrial, arterial, lateral pleural (Pp1), and pericardial (Ppc) pressures, Paw, ventricular stroke volume, mean expired CO 2 , and arterial and mixed venous oxygen contents. Airway resistance and static lung compliance were also measured. Interventions Intermittent positive pressure ventilation (IPPV) given before (control) and after induction of ALI by oleic acid infusion (0.1 mL/kg). IPPV at FIo 2 of 1, VT of 12 mL/kg, and frequency adjusted to maintain normocarbia. ALI PLV was given during ALI and defined as that VT which gave a similar plateau Paw to that of control IPPV. High-frequency jet ventilation (HFJV) and ALI HFJTV were also given and defined as frequency within 10% of heart rate and mean Paw similar to that during control IPPV. Results After ALI, static lung compliance, PaO 2 , and pH decreased, whereas airway resistance and PaCO 2 increased. For a constant lung volume, Ppl and Ppc were not different between control and ALI. Both absolute dead space (VD) and intrapulmonary shunt fraction increased after ALI, but absolute VD was lower with ALI PLV and ALI HFJV when compared with ALI IPPV. Ventilation did not after hemodynamics during ALI. Conclusions Changes in lung volume determine Ppc and Ppl. PLV strategies do not after hemodynamics but result in less of an increase in VD/VT than would be predicted from the obligatory decrease in VT.
Fast neutral beam Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry for analysis of insulating and conductive materials

Abstract The use of an autoneutralizing fast neutral SF6 beam (FNB) for secondary ion quadrupole mass spectrometry of refractive samples has been demonstrated previously. Here, we demonstrate the FNB technique for generation and high-resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometric detection of ions from a wide variety of samples. The fast neutral beam generates abundant secondary ions from both conductive and insulating samples for detection in an open-ended ICR ion trap, as demonstrated by representative mass spectra of methyl stearate, fluorocarbon polymers, gramicidin S, and fullerenes. Optimization of the FNB-FT-ICR-MS experiment is discussed in detail, with particular emphasis on analysis of insulating materials which are not readily analyzed by ion-bombardment secondary ion mass spectrometry.
Effect of Oxygen on Minimum Miscibility Pressure in Carbon Dioxide Flooding

Laboratory studies of the effect of oxygen content in CO2 on the minimum miscibility pressure (MMP) are conducted on the n-C5H12/n-C16H34 model oil and Cottonwood Creek crude oil with three injection gases of different oxygen contents. The results indicate that the MMPs for these oils increase unfavorably with increasing O2 concentration in the CO2 stream. The experimental results are also supported by our modeling work using a multiple-mixing-cell model, which is found to capture the effects of compositions and temperature, and is found to be a robust and predictive method for determining the MMP. Our experiments and calculations indicate that the effect of O2 contamination on the MMP is larger for heavier oil and the effect of N2 impurity on the MMP is larger than that of O2 impurity.
Computer-aided stereotaxic neurosurgery

The current generation of stereotaxic neurosurgery systems uses CT or MRI images and a small laptop computer system to determine the coordinates of the target and burr hole entry points. The detail provided by the anatomical atlas is lost. A system is described whereby neuroanatomic atlases mapped onto CT or MRI images provide the neurosurgeon with both the detail of the atlas and the patient-specific coordinate accuracy of the images. Other features of the proposed system include the direct computation of frame settings for the Brown-Roberts-Wells CT-compatible stereotaxic frame, real-time display of multiplanar images of neural structures surrounding the advancing tip of the stereotaxic probe, and the use of intraoperative ultrasonography to enable correcting the actual location of the probe to its computed location. >
Differential cellular and subcellular localization of protein phosphatase 1 isoforms in brain

Protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) is a gene family with a number of important functions in brain. Association with a wide variety of regulatory/targeting subunits is thought to be instrumental in directing the phosphatase to specific subcellular locations and substrates. By using antibodies directed against specific PP1 isoforms, we asked whether PP1 isoforms are differentially distributed in brain. Immunoblotting detects in brain the PP1gamma2 isoform, which had previously been thought to be testis specific, in addition to alpha, beta, and gamma1 isoforms. PP1 isoform expression varies modestly in extracts from different subdissected brain regions and is relatively constant during postnatal development, except for an about twofold increase in PP1gamma2. By immunohistochemical analyses of rat brain, PP1beta and PP1gamma1 cellular expression is widespread but quite distinct from one another. Subcellular fractionation studies demonstrate that PP1beta and PP1gamma1 are selectively associated with different cytoskeletal elements: PP1beta with microtubules, PP1gamma1 with the actin cytoskeleton. Double-immunofluorescence labeling of cultured cortical neurons further reveals a strikingly different and nonoverlapping localization of PP1beta and PP1gamma1: whereas PP1beta localizes to a discrete area of the soma, PP1gamma1 is highly enriched in dendritic spines and presynaptic terminals of cultured neurons. These results show that PP1 isoforms are targeted to different neuronal cytoskeletal compartments with a high degree of specificity, presumably by isoform-specific association with regulatory/targeting proteins. Furthermore, the synaptic localization of PP1gamma1 indicates that it is this isoform that is involved in the regulation of synaptic phosphoproteins such as neurotransmitter receptors and ion channels implicated in synaptic plasticity.
Gamma scintigraphy : an in vivo technique for assessing the equivalence of inhaled products

Abstract Classical bioequivalence testing, based upon equal rates and extents of drug absorption, is inappropriate for showing equivalence of products containing inhaled asthma drugs, which act directly on the airway surface. The non-invasive imaging technique of gamma scintigraphy gives a measure of local bioavailability at the site of action in the lungs, and lung deposition data are strongly correlated with clinical response to inhaled asthma drugs. Therefore if two inhaler products have the same whole lung deposition and the same regional airway deposition pattern, they will be therapeutically equivalent. For assessing the equivalence of inhaled asthma medications, gamma scintigraphy determines in vivo drug delivery more precisely than in vitro testing, and is more incisive than clinical response studies. The approach requires fewer patients than clinical response studies, providing appropriate data in less time, and with the guarantee of strong endpoints. Gamma scintigraphy should therefore become a recognized technique by the regulatory authorities for assessing pulmonary bioequivalence of inhaled products.
Comparison of the effect of α-lipoic acid and α-tocopherol supplementation on measures of oxidative stress

In vitro studies have shown that α-lipoic acid (LA) is an antioxidant. There is a paucity of studies on LA supplementation in humans. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the effect of oral supplementation with LA alone and in combination with α-tocopherol (AT) on measures of oxidative stress. A total of 31 healthy adults were supplemented for 2 months either with LA (600 mg/d, n = 16), or with AT (400 IU/d, n = 15) alone, and then with the combination of both for 2 additional months. At baseline, after 2 and 4 months of supplementation, urine for F2-isoprostanes, plasma for protein carbonyl measurement and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidative susceptibility was collected. Plasma oxidizability was assessed after incubation with 100 mM 2,2′-azobis (2-amidinopropane) hydrochloride (AAPH) for 4 h at 37°C. LDL was subjected to copper- and AAPH-catalyzed oxidation at 37°C over 5 h and the lag time was computed. LA significantly increased the lag time of LDL lipid peroxide formation for both copper-catalyzed and AAPH-induced LDL oxidation (p < .05), decreased urinary F2-isoprostanes levels (p < .05), and plasma carbonyl levels after AAPH oxidation (p < .001). AT prolonged LDL lag time of lipid peroxide formation (p < .01) and conjugated dienes (p < .01) after copper-catalyzed LDL oxidation, decreased urinary F2-isoprostanes (p < .001), but had no effect on plasma carbonyls. The addition of LA to AT did not produce an additional significant improvement in the measures of oxidative stress. In conclusion, LA supplementation functions as an antioxidant, because it decreases plasma- and LDL-oxidation and urinary isoprostanes.
The Counter-Reformation of the Security Council

In September 2003, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan launched another round of United Nations reform. By October 2005, commentators concluded the attempt accomplished little. But there were results and possibly more important results than simply adding more seats to the Security Council: the United Nations Charter principles regulating the use of force were saved from destruction. The vast majority of UN members endorsed a return to orthodoxy. They renewed their commitment to banning the use of force except in self-defense to an armed attack or with the authorization of the Security Council. The reform process also highlighted the need for the Council to respect international legal principles when it authorizes force. These results may mitigate damage to the international legal system caused by the 1999 Kosovo intervention and the 2003 Iraq invasion.
Penalized and weighted K-means for clustering with scattered objects and prior information in high-throughput biological data

Motivation: Cluster analysis is one of the most important data mining tools for investigating high-throughput biological data. The existence of many scattered objects that should not be clustered has been found to hinder performance of most traditional clustering algorithms in such a high-dimensional complex situation. Very often, additional prior knowledge from databases or previous experiments is also available in the analysis. Excluding scattered objects and incorporating existing prior information are desirable to enhance the clustering performance. Results: In this article, a class of loss functions is proposed for cluster analysis and applied in high-throughput genomic and proteomic data. Two major extensions from K-means are involved: penalization and weighting. The additive penalty term is used to allow a set of scattered objects without being clustered. Weights are introduced to account for prior information of preferred or prohibited cluster patterns to be identified. Their relationship with the classification likelihood of Gaussian mixture models is explored. Incorporation of good prior information is also shown to improve the global optimization issue in clustering. Applications of the proposed method on simulated data as well as high-throughput data sets from tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) and microarray experiments are presented. Our results demonstrate its superior performance over most existing methods and its computational simplicity and extensibility in the application of large complex biological data sets. Availability: http://www.pitt.edu/~ctseng/research/software.html Contact: [email protected] Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Fast superpixels for video analysis

The computational cost of video and motion analysis can be dramatically reduced by over-segmenting each frame of video into “superpixels”. But most superpixel algorithms are themselves computationally expensive, and are thus inappropriate for use with real-time video. This paper advocates and analyzes the use of superpixels derived from minimum-cost paths that can be computed by dynamic programming. It is shown that superpixels can be computed comfortably in real time using such methods (30–40 times faster than the most efficient alternative), while sacrificing about 3% in the accuracy of the superpixels. The efficacy of the approach is demonstrated with a simple video analysis application.