cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A scattering model for perfectly conducting random surfaces. I - Model development. II - Range of validity

The surface current on a perfectly conducting randomly rough surface is estimated by solving iteratively a standard integral equation, and the estimate is then used to compute the far-zone scattered fields and the backscattering coefficients for vertical, horizontal and cross polarizations. The model developed here yields a simple backscattering coefficient expression in terms of the surface parameters. The expression reduces analytically to the Kirchhoff and the first-order small-perturbation model in the high- and low-frequency regions, respectively. The range of validity of the model is determined.
Aging Susceptibility of Terrace-Like Pentacene Films

Structural and chemical changes of aged terrace-like pentacene films have been investigated using grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The electrically active pentacene nanolayers on the dielectric substrate are susceptible to the oxidative degradation upon aging in air because the near-substrate grain boundaries between the terrace-like domains are well exposed to light and air during aging. GIXD and AFM for pentacene films have been used to elucidate the structural changes, locally initiated at the edges of terraced layers of pentane films upon aging-related oxidative degradation. XPS has revealed the chemical nature of pentacene oxidation upon aging, suggesting the development of hydroxyl and carbonyl groups during aging with light in air. Finally, we have investigated how the structural and chemical degradation of the aged pentacene films reduces the charge mobility and on-off ratio of organic field-effect transistors exposed to light and air.
Demo: open data kit 2.0 tool suite

Open Data Kit (ODK) is an open-source, modular toolkit that enables organizations to build application-specific mobile information services in resource-constrained environments. Feedback from users and developers about limitations experienced with the ODK 1.x set of tools led to a redesign of the system architecture and the creation of new tools. This demonstration presents a revised tool suite called ODK 2.0. This expanded ODK toolkit aims to increase an organization's data collection and management capabilities by supporting data synchronization, adaptable workflows, more configurable presentation screens, and increasing the diversity of input types by enabling new data input methods on mobile devices.
End-joining of free radical-mediated DNA double-strand breaks in vitro is blocked by the kinase inhibitor wortmannin at a step preceding removal of damaged 3' termini.

Abstract Both mammalian cells and Xenopus eggs possess activities for the joining of nonhomologous DNA ends, and such activities may play a major role in double-strand break repair. In order to dissect the biochemical processing of breaks with oxidatively modified ends, vectors containing various site-specific double-strand breaks with 3′-phosphoglycolate termini were constructed and treated with Xenopus egg extracts. These vectors were rejoined by the extracts at rates 30-100 times slower than comparable 3′-hydroxyl vectors. Vectors with blunt or cohesive 3′-phosphoglycolate ends yielded single repair products corresponding to simple phosphoglycolate removal followed by ligation, while a vector with mismatched ends was also rejoined but yielded a mixture of products. Addition of the kinase inhibitors wortmannin and dimethylaminopurine not only blocked rejoining, but also suppressed phosphoglycolate removal, implying an early, essential, kinase-dependent restriction point in the pathway. The results suggest that double-strand breaks with oxidatively modified ends are repaired in Xenopus eggs by a highly conservative and stringently regulated end-joining pathway, in which all biochemical processing of the breaks is contingent on both end alignment and a specific phosphorylation event. Several lines of indirect evidence suggest DNA-dependent protein kinase as a likely candidate for effecting this phosphorylation.
Reviewing NSF proposals (abstract only): learn about effective proposal writing via the review process

This workshop focuses on the NSF proposal review process. Via close examination of the review process, participants gain an understanding of how to write good reviews and how to improve their own proposal writing. The workshop covers the following topic areas: the proposal review process from submission of a proposal to award or decline; elements of a good review; NSF merit criteria (intellectual merit and broader impacts); elements of a good proposal; and how to volunteer to review proposals. The workshop uses a structured guided-interactive methodology to lead participants through each topic by introducing related issues, engaging participants in group exercises designed to explore and share their understanding of the issues, and then providing some expert opinion on these issues. Good and bad examples and a Top Ten List of Do's and Don't's will be provided. The intended audience is faculty members at two-year and four year colleges and universities who wish to better understand the NSF review process and/or those who are seeking NSF funding in support of undergraduate education. Participants will include people with little or no proposal reviewing experience, novice proposal writers, and those with more experience who seek to improve their proposal writing and/or reviewing skills. Laptop optional.
Noninvasive Assessment of Cardiac Abnormalities in Experimental Autoimmune Myocarditis by Magnetic Resonance Microscopy Imaging in the Mouse

Myocarditis is an inflammation of the myocardium, but only ~10% of those affected show clinical manifestations of the disease. To study the immune events of myocardial injuries, various mouse models of myocarditis have been widely used. This study involved experimental autoimmune myocarditis (EAM) induced with cardiac myosin heavy chain (Myhc)-α 334-352 in A/J mice; the affected animals develop lymphocytic myocarditis but with no apparent clinical signs. In this model, the utility of magnetic resonance microscopy (MRM) as a non-invasive modality to determine the cardiac structural and functional changes in animals immunized with Myhc-α 334-352 is shown. EAM and healthy mice were imaged using a 9.4 T (400 MHz) 89 mm vertical core bore scanner equipped with a 4 cm millipede radio-frequency imaging probe and 100 G/cm triple axis gradients. Cardiac images were acquired from anesthetized animals using a gradient-echo-based cine pulse sequence, and the animals were monitored by respiration and pulse oximetry. The analysis revealed an increase in the thickness of the ventricular wall in EAM mice, with a corresponding decrease in the interior diameter of ventricles, when compared with healthy mice. The data suggest that morphological and functional changes in the inflamed hearts can be non-invasively monitored by MRM in live animals. In conclusion, MRM offers an advantage of assessing the progression and regression of myocardial injuries in diseases caused by infectious agents, as well as response to therapies.
Methodological problems in investigating disease clusters.

Abstract Increased reporting of disease clusters is stretching health department resources while failing to uncover many significant environmental hazards. By reviewing the methodology by which health departments respond to such reports, we argue that there is a strong bias against investigating the most hazardous situations. Failure to find serious hazards is more a reflection of the methodology used than an assessment of the existence of environmental problems. The biases arise from the selection of situations that dictate full in-house consideration, the selection of the methodology used to evaluate reported or registry-based data and the interpretation given to anomalous observations. We argue for more rigorous evaluation of statistical cluster detection methods and for use of more objective criteria investigation protocols.
Digital Analysis Of The Effects Of Terrain Clutter On The Performance Of Matched Filters For Target Identification And Location

A digital analysis of the effect of terrain-target interactions on the signal-to-clutter (S/C) ratio of the output of a matched filter is made. Three terrain types (wood-land, village, and roadside) were included in the investigation. A photographic image of an M-60 tank used as the target was digitized (512 x 512 pixels) and a matched filter constructed digitally, using a two-dimensional FFT algorithm. The matched filter was then used to obtain the correlation between the target and the various terrain types to obtain the signal-to-clutter ratio. Various high frequency versions of the matched filter were systematically investigated for possible optimization in the S/C ratio in an attempt to optimize the design which was eventually realized in analog optical form. The computational aspects of the problem, from the point of view of doing digital image analysis on a minicomputer with limited memory, is also discussed.
Amiloride blocks a keratinocyte nonspecific cation channel and inhibits Ca(++)-induced keratinocyte differentiation.

Proliferation and differentiation in many cells are linked to specific changes in transmembrane ion fluxes. Previously, we have identified a nonspecific cation channel in keratinocytes, which is permeable to and activated by Ca ++ . To test whether this cation channel might serve as a pathway for Ca ++ entry, we examined the effect of blocking this channel on membrane currents, markers of differentiation, and intracellular Ca ++ . In patch clamp studies, 10 -8 to 10 -6 M amiloride decreased the single-channel open probability. The same concentrations of amioride inhibited the calcium-induced formation of cornified envelopes and activity of transglutaminase in a dose-dependent fashion. Amiloride inhibited the long-term rise of intracellular Ca ++ induced by raised extracellular Ca ++ , without blocking the initial increase of intracellular Ca ++ . Amiloride at concentrations of 10 -7 to 10 -3 M did not change the resting intracellular pH of keratinocytes, although concentrations of 10 -6 M or greater inhibited the recovery from NH 4 + -induced acidification. To test whether the effect of amiloride was toxic, we measured DNA synthesis in the presence or absence of amiloride. DNA synthesis was unchanged, suggesting that amiloride's actions were not due to toxic effects. Although the exact mechanism of amiloride's action remains to be determined, these experiments suggest that this compound may inhibit keratinocyte differentiation by blocking the nonspecific cation channel.
Reduction in Resorption Cavity Size following Anti-Resorptive Drug Treatment

Raloxifene treatment increases bone strength more than would be expected from changes in bone mass or bone turnover A possible mechanism through which raloxifene treatment increases bone strength independent of bone mass and bone turnover is by reducing the size of resorption cavities formed during bone remodeling. A novel three-dimensional dynamic bone histomorphometry approach was used to determine the effects of raloxifene treatment on the threedimensional size of individual bone remodeling events (both resorption cavities and subsequent bone formation events) in cancellous bone using an ovariectomized rat model. Raloxifene treated animals were found to have reduced cavity volume and maximum cavity depth compared to both ovariectomized and sham control groups. Sham control and raloxifene treated animals also have reduced formation event size compared to OVX animals. Raloxifene leads to reduced size of remodeling events compared to ovariectomized and sham controls. Differences in cavity size may influence subsequent bone biomechanical performance independent of bone turnover.
Different Steady State Subcellular Distributions of the Three Splice Variants of Lysosome-associated Membrane Protein LAMP-2 Are Determined Largely by the COOH-terminal Amino Acid Residue

The extensively glycosylated lysosome-associated membrane proteins (LAMP)-2a, b, and c are derived from a single gene by alternative splicing that produces proteins with differences in the transmembrane and cytosolic domains. The lysosomal targeting signals reside in the cytosolic domain of these proteins. LAMPs are not restricted to lysosomes but can also be found in endosomes and at the cell surface. We investigated the subcellular distribution of chimeras comprised of the lumenal domain of avian LAMP-1 and the alternatively spliced domains of avian LAMP-2. Chimeras with the LAMP-2c cytosolic domain showed predominantly lysosomal distribution, while higher levels of chimeras with the LAMP-2a or b cytosolic domain were present at the cell surface. The increase in cell surface expression was due to differences in the recognition of the targeting signals and not saturation of intracellular trafficking machinery. Site-directed mutagenesis defined the COOH-terminal residue of the cytosolic tail as critical in governing the distributions of LAMP-2a, b, and c between intracellular compartments and the cell surface.
Computational On-Chip Imaging

We review our recent progress on lensfree holographic on-chip microscopy techniques that are aimed at high-throughput imaging applications including 3D tracking of sperms.
The ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling enzyme CHD7 regulates pro-neural gene expression and neurogenesis in the inner ear

Inner ear neurogenesis is positively regulated by the pro-neural bHLH transcription factors Ngn1 and NeuroD, but the factors that act upstream of this regulation are not well understood. Recent evidence in mouse and Drosophila suggests that neural development depends on proper chromatin remodeling, both for maintenance of neural stem cells and for proper neuronal differentiation. Here, we show that CHD7, an ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling enzyme mutated in human CHARGE syndrome, is necessary for proliferation of inner ear neuroblasts and inner ear morphogenesis. Conditional deletion of Chd7 in the developing otocyst using Foxg1-Cre resulted in cochlear hypoplasia and complete absence of the semicircular canals and cristae. Conditional knockout and null otocysts also had reductions in vestibulo-cochlear ganglion size and neuron number in combination with reduced expression of Ngn1, Otx2 and Fgf10, concurrent with expansion of the neural fate suppressor Tbx1 and reduced cellular proliferation. Heterozygosity for Chd7 mutations had no major effects on expression of otic patterning genes or on cell survival, but resulted in decreased proliferation within the neurogenic domain. These data indicate that epigenetic regulation of gene expression by CHD7 must be tightly coordinated for proper development of inner ear neuroblasts.
Pediatric renal cell carcinoma

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) comprises about 5% of pediatric renal neoplasms. It has been recognized as a second malignancy in multiple reports. It is generally symptomatic at diagnosis, and most children with RCC present with more locally advanced disease than do adults. Contemporary investigation of pediatric RCC has demonstrated that a large percentage of these tumors bear cytogenetic translocations involving the MiT family of transcription factors. Surgical therapy for these children resembles operative intervention for adult RCC, though debate continues about the precise role of lymph node dissection. There are no adequately powered studies to support conclusions about adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy for children with RCC. This may be ameliorated by a multi-institutional protocol which is enrolling patients.
Lateral neglect in a head movement task: More impairment with unilateral than bilateral lesions of the superior colliculus in the rat

Unilateral lesions of the superior colliculus produce contralateral neglect. This study determined if bilateral lesions would impair head orientation in a way expected from the summation of two contralateral neglects. Rats were trained to make various head movements to get water at a 3 x 3 array of holes, each with a recessed water-baited dipper. On each of 20 trials in a session, a water-deprived subject approached and sampled the array by orienting its head and inserting its snout in the holes in a self-determined sequence. The measures recorded for each position and for each trial were: the order in which a baited position was sampled (selection order), the number of times it was not sampled (misses), and the number of times it was sampled when dry (perseverations). Radio-frequency lesions were made and testing was resumed after 3 days. Large unilateral lesions of the superior colliculus produced a neglect of contralateral positions and increased perseverations to ipsilateral positions. Center positions were also neglected but to a lesser extent. Bilateral lesions of the superior colliculus produced only a moderate increase in lateral misses and no increase in lateral perseverations. Bilateral lesions did produce a neglect of upper positions on both sides. The results indicate that a major contributor to contralateral neglect produced by a unilateral lesion is an antagonistic process that promotes orientation to the side ipsilateral to the lesion.
How Does the Record July 1996 Illinois Rainstorm Affect Probable Maximum Precipitation Estimates

The probable maximum precipitation (PMP), an estimate of the upper limit to storm rainfall, is determined using a catalog of extreme rainstorms. The effect of a recent extreme rainstorm—the northeastern Illinois storm of July 17–18, 1996—on PMP estimates for the Chicago area, is evaluated using standard PMP moisture maximization procedures. The results show that although the storm is a record rainfall event, its maximized precipitation is still below the PMP estimates for the Chicago area. Instead, a storm that occurred in Oklahoma, or perhaps another in Iowa, established the 24-h, 26- km2 (10- mi2 ) PMP estimate for Chicago. In either case, the higher maximized precipitation can be attributed to the combination of a larger storm rainfall amount, and a larger in-place moisture maximization factor. The case study also illustrates potential limitations with using standard PMP procedures. For instance, it is difficult to obtain an objective index to represent the mean moisture availability for this storm, si...
Multicultural peer counseling: counseling the multicultural student.

This article focuses on methods of recruitment, selection, and training of multicultural peer advisors, e.g. screening, training workshops, and innovative recruitment methods are discussed. The author devotes special attention to instructional elements that are intended to provide peer advisors with those humanistic skills needed to work directly with primarily adolescent clients between the ages of 18 and 24 and to serve as a referral agent. The author believes that peer advisors can serve as an important adjunct to core services and can serve as an effective means to humanize and increase utilization of all the services available to multicultural students.
Effects of alternative fuels on ignition limits of the J85 annular combustor

Recent studies on ignition limits in gas-turbine engines have focused on alternative fuels and their effects. New tests reported here at the Naval Air Propulsion Center (NAPC) utilized five fuels and systematic increments of combustor inlet conditions to establish data for the General Electric J85-21 gas-turbine combustor. A characteristic time model for ignition was used to scale inlet conditions to those used by GE and to reduce the data. The resulting correlation, including both NAPC and GE data, is rearranged to predict loss in engine altitude for relight with a fuel more viscous than JP-4.
Measures of homogeneity in two-person, two-choice games.

In the resolution of interpersonal conflicts it is of interest to determine (1) the extent to which the members of a group adopt homogeneous strategies, and (2) the extent to which different groups respond similarly to a conflict. In this article, indices are described and illustrated which measure these two types of homogeneity in experimental games.
Effect of short-term flaxseed consumption on lignan and sex hormone metabolism in men

Abstract To investigate the effects of flaxseed supplementation (13.5 g/d) on lignan and sex hormone metabolism, six healthy young men were studied. The subjects consumed whole wheat/flaxseed (WWF) bread for six weeks. Three-day dietary records, fasting blood samples and 24-h urine collections were obtained. Energy intake remained constant. Urinary levels of enterodiol and enterolactone were significantly higher following 1, 2, 4 and 6 weeks of WWF feeding, exceeding by 7–28 fold the amounts found at baseline. Urinary enterolactone excretion was 5–10 fold greater than enterodiol excretion. Flaxseed supplementation yielded, on average, 4.2 μmol urinary lignans/g flaxseed flour/d. No significant change in plasma total testosterone, free testosterone or sex-hormone-binding globulin was observed. Although dietary lignans may influence hormone-dependent cancer incidence by modulating the hormonal environment, an increase in short-term flaxseed consumption did not lead to significant differences in the hormonal milieu. Further study delineating the effect of lignans on steroid hormone metabolism and risk of hormone-dependent cancer is Warranted.
Cone entomofauna of whitebark pine and alpine larch (Pinaceae): potential impact of Leptoglossus occidentalis (Hemiptera: Coreidae) and a new record of Strobilomyia macalpinei (Diptera: Anthomyiidae)

Laboratory and field feeding tests with Leptoglossus occidentalis Heidemann demonstrated that both immature and mature seed bugs can use cones and foliage of whitebark pine, Pinus albicaulis Engelmann, as a food source for 1- to 2-week periods. Damage to unprotected whitebark pine cones by seed bugs ranged from 0.3 to 2.1% of seeds per cone. Total insect damage ranged from 0.4 to 7.1% of seeds per cone. A seed chalcid, Megastigmus Dalman. sp. (Hymenoptera: Torymidae), was documented for the first time on whitebark pine and was found in 4.7% of examined seeds at one site. The larch cone fly, Strobilomyia macalpinei Michelsen, was reared from cones of alpine larch, Larix lyallii Parl., from the Bitterroot Range of Montana. This is the first record of this species in the United States and the first since its description in 1988. Ninety-four percent of a sample of alpine larch cones were damaged by cone fly larvae and 64% contained larvae or puparia.
Dissociation dynamics of sequential ionic reactions: heats of formation of tri-, di-, and monoethylphosphine.

The sequential ethene (C2H4) loss channels of energy-selected ethylphosphine ions have been studied using threshold photoelectron photoion coincidence (TPEPICO) spectroscopy in which ion time-of-flight (TOF) distributions are recorded as a function of the photon energy. The ion TOF distributions and breakdown diagrams have been modeled in terms of the statistical RRKM theory for unimolecular reactions, providing 0 K dissociation onsets, E0, for the ethene loss channels. Three RRKM curves were used to model the five measurements, since two of the reactions differ only by the internal energy of the parent ion. This series of dissociations provides a detailed check of the calculation of the product energy distribution for sequential reactions. From the determined E0's, the heats of formation of several ethylphosphine neutrals and ions have been determined: ΔfH°298K[P(C2H5)3] = −152.7 ± 2.8 kJ/mol, ΔfH°298K[P(C2H5)3+] = 571.6 ± 4.0 kJ/mol, ΔfH°298K[HP(C2H5)2] = −89.6 ± 2.1 kJ/mol, ΔfH°298K[HP(C2H5)2+] = 669....
Quality of soluble organic C, N, and P produced by different types and species of litter: Root litter versus leaf litter

Abstract In forested ecosystems, the quality of dissolved organic matter (DOM) produced by freshly senesced litter may differ by litter type and species, and these differences may influence the amount of DOM that is respired versus that which may either contribute to soil organic matter accumulation or be leached from the ecosystem. In this study, we investigated the effect of litter type (including freshly senesced fine root, leaf, fine woody, and reproductive litter) and species (5 species of leaf litter) on several measures of the quality of DOM produced at a site along a primary successional chronosequence at Mt. Shasta, California. We measured differences in solid litter chemistry (C, N, and P concentration) and differences in the concentration of dissolved organic C, N, and P (DOC, DON, and DOP, respectively), water-soluble monomeric carbohydrates, polyphenols, proteins, fractions of DOC, as well as UV absorbance. For several aspects of DOC quality, DOM from fine roots was less labile than DOM from leaf litter. In contrast to DOC quality, soluble material originating from fine roots was high in labile forms of dissolved N and P in comparison to leaf litter. We also found that leaf litter with greater total %N or %P in solid litter had higher DON or DOP concentration (and higher total soluble P concentration). A very high percentage, on average 72% (up to 89%) of the total P in leaf litter was water-soluble and mostly inorganic P. Concentrations of soluble polyphenols were strongly related to DOC, and concentrations of soluble proteins were significantly related to DON in leaf litter of different species. During primary succession at the Mt. Shasta site, an increasing ratio of root to leaf litter production and shifting species composition has been found to occur, and the results of this study suggest that some aspects of DOC quality reflect a decrease in labile forms of DOC originating from both above and belowground litter. In contrast, dissolved N and P reflect an increase in labile forms with increasing inputs of root litter. In particular, our study has demonstrated important differences in the quality of inputs of DOM from freshly senesced root and leaf litter, and these differences have implications for C and nutrient cycling.
On the Performance of Hedge Funds

This paper investigates hedge fund performance and risk. The empirical evidence indicates that hedge funds differ substantially from traditional investment vehicles such as mutual funds. The funds with watermarks significantly outperform the funds without watermarks. The average hedge fund returns are related positively to incentive fees, the size of the fund, and the lockup period. Hedge funds follow dynamic trading strategies and have low systematic risk. There are low correlations among different strategies. Compared with mutual funds, hedge funds offer better risk-return trade-offs: they have higher Sharpe ratios, lower market risks, and higher abnormal returns. In the period of January 1994 to December 1996, hedge funds provide positive abnormal returns. Overall, hedge fund strategies dominate mutual fund strategies, hence hedge funds provide a more efficient investment opportunity set for investors.
Estimation of ARMA models using generalized H-lattice filters

Various lattice structures for implementing adaptive recursive filters are discussed. They include the generalized H-lattice filter. In this filter, the unit delay operator in the normal lattice is replaced by an all-pole filter. The adaptive recursive filters described have properties of stability and fast convergence that can be put to good use in real-time applications. >
Maternal and fetal adaptations during pregnancy: lessons in regulatory and integrative physiology

pregnancy is a complex physiological condition that involves the integration of a variety of regulatory and organ systems. Many aspects of maternal and fetal adaptations during pregnancy have been addressed by recent publications in the American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and
Novel treatment options for severe inflammatory acne vulgaris

Acne vulgaris is one of the most common dermatological disorders encountered in everyday practice. Treatment options for this often psychologically scarring disease are numerous and, for many individuals, provide relief from the disorder. However, factors such as antibiotic resistance and, slow onset of action from many topical therapies has led researchers to seek out alternative therapies, especially for those suffering from moderate to severe inflammatory acne vulgaris.
Full Operating Range Robust Hybrid Control of a Coal-Fired Boiler/Turbine Unit

Multi-input-multi-output robust controllers recently designed for the megawatt output/throttle pressure control in a coal-fired power plant boiler/turbine unit have demonstrated performance robustness noticeably superior to that of the currently employed nonlinear PID-based controller. These controllers, however, have been designed only for the range of 150-185 MW around the 185 MW nominal operating point, exhibiting a significant loss of performance in the lower range of 120-150 MW. Through system identification, the reason for this performance loss is demonstrated in the current work to be a pronounced dependence of the boiler/turbine unit steady state gains on the operating point. This problem is addressed via a hybrid control law consisting of two robust controllers and a robust switch between them activated by the set point change. The controllers are designed to cover the corresponding half-ranges of the full operating range. This permits attainment of the desired overall performance as well as reduction of modeling uncertainty induced by the operating point change to approximately 25% of that associated with the previous designs. Robust switching is accomplished through a novel hybrid mode of behavior-robustly controlled discrete transition.
A Framework to Secure Peripherals at Runtime

Secure hardware forms the foundation of a secure system. However, securing hardware devices remains an open research problem. In this paper, we present IOCheck, a framework to enhance the security of I/O devices at runtime. It leverages System Management Mode (SMM) to quickly check the integrity of I/O configurations and firmware. IOCheck is agnostic to the operating system. We use random-polling and event-driven approaches to switch into SMM. We implement a prototype of IOCheck and conduct extensive experiments on physical machines. Our experimental results show that IOCheck takes 10 milliseconds to check the integrity of a network card and a video card. Also, IOCheck introduces a low overhead on Windows and Linux platforms. We show that IOCheck achieves a faster switching time than the Dynamic Root of Trust Measurement approach.
Adenosine A1 and A2 receptors mediate tone-dependent responses in feline pulmonary vascular bed

Adenosine produces tone-dependent pulmonary vascular responses; however, the adenosine receptor subtype mediating these responses is unknown. In the present study, the adenosine receptor subtypes mediating tone-dependent responses were investigated, Intralobar injections of adenosine,ATP, and analogues under low-tone conditions caused dose-related increases in lobar arterial pressure; the order of potency was alpha,beta-methylene ATP (alpha,beta-metATP) > N6-cyclopentyladenosine (CPA) > ATP > adenosine. Under low-tone conditions, pressor responses to adenosine, ATP, and CPA, an adenosine A1-receptor agonist, were reduced by KW-3902, an adenosine A1-receptor antagonist, whereas KW-3902 and meclofenamate had no effect on responses to alpha,beta-metATP, norepinephrine, serotonin, or angiotensin II. Under elevated-tone conditions, injections of adenosine, ATP, and analogues caused dose-related decreases in lobar arterial pressure, and adenosine was 10-fold less potent than 5'-(N-cyclopropyl)-carboxamidoadenosine (CPCA), an A2-receptor agonist, and ATP. KF-17837, an A2-receptor antagonist, reduced vasodilator responses to adenosine and CPCA, whereas responses to ATP, isoproterenol, diethylamine-NO, lemakalim, and bradykinin were not changed. The vasodilator responses to adenosine were not attenuated by Nw-nitro-L-arginine benzyl ester, methylene blue, or U-37883A. These results suggest that vasoconstrictor responses to adenosine are mediated by A1 receptors and the release of vasoconstrictor prostanoids, and that, under elevated-tone conditions, vasodilator responses are mediated by A2 receptors but not the release of nitric oxide or the activation of guanylate cyclase or K+ATP channels.
Evaluating the impact of legislation prohibiting hand-held cell phone use while driving

As of November 2008, the number of cell phone subscribers in the US exceeded 267 million, nearly three times more than the 97 million subscribers in June 2000. This rapid growth in cell phone use has led to concerns regarding their impact on driver performance and road safety. Numerous legislative efforts are under way to restrict hand-held cell phone use while driving. Since 1999, every state has considered such legislation, but few have passed primary enforcement laws. As of 2008, six states, the District of Columbia (DC), and the Virgin Islands have laws banning the use of hand-held cell phones while driving. A review of the literature suggests that in laboratory settings, hand-held cell phone use impairs driver performance by increasing tension, delaying reaction time, and decreasing awareness. However, there exists insufficient evidence to prove that hand-held cell phone use increases automobile-accident-risk. In contrast to other research in this area that uses questionnaires, tests, and simulators, this study analyzes the impact of hand-held cell phone use on driving safety based on historical automobile-accident-risk-related data and statistics, which would be of interest to transportation policy-makers. To this end, a pre-law and post-law comparison of automobile accident rate measures provides one way to assess the effect of hand-held cell phone bans on driving safety; this paper provides such an analysis using public domain data sources. A discussion of what additional data are required to build convincing arguments in support of or against legislation is also provided.
TACT: a protocol conversion toolkit

A description is given of TACT (Transport Abstraction Conversion Toolkit), a toolkit (or software function library) for synthesizing conversions between different transport interfaces. TACT classifies transport interfaces according to their abstraction type or basic model of communication. Each actual transport interface is converted to or from a canonical form for its abstraction type, and TACT provides sufficient abstraction converters to convert between all of the canonical forms. A TACT conversion is accomplished by combining some number of elementary conversions that execute in series. Also provided are remedies for other sources of heterogeneity, such as differences in endpoint naming or buffer management. A program that has been augmented with TACT functions can adapt to different available transports at run time. >
“Standards” of anesthesia: law and ASA guidelines

Institute of Health Law Studies, California Western School of Law, San Diego, CA 92101, USA Department of Anesthesiology, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, San Diego, CA 92103, USA San Diego Center for Patient Safety, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, San Diego, CA, USA Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, University of Pennsylvania Health System, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Beatlemania in the General Music Classroom

In Geoff Edgers’s biography of the Beatles, Who Were the Beatles?, young readers learn of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison’s youth and growth as musicians, the band’s formation, and their contributions to music in popular culture. General Music Today columnist, Cardany provides music teachers with related music listening lessons and suggests question answer relationships (QARs) to aid music teachers in enhancing students’ reading comprehension.
Gravitational degrees of freedom and the initial-value problem

It is shown that for every spacelike three-geometry there exists a symmetric tensor that is (1) defined locally using only the three-metric and its derivatives, (2) conformally invariant, (3) traceless, and (4) covariantly divergence free ("transverse"). As a result, the arbitrarily specifiable (unconstrained) initial-value data in the Einstein initial-value problem for gravity can be completely characterized by a pair of symmetric, transverse, traceless tensors.
Transcriptional Establishment of Cell-Type Identity: Dynamics and Causal Mechanisms of T-Cell Lineage Commitment

Precursor cell entry into the T-cell developmental pathway can be divided into two phases by the closure of T-lineage commitment. As cells decide against the last alternative options to the T-cell fate, they turn on the transcription factor Bcl11b and silence expression of a group of multipotent progenitor regulatory factors that include hematopoietic transcription factor PU.1. Functional perturbation tests show that Bcl11b is needed for commitment while PU.1 actively participates in keeping open access to alternative fates, until it is silenced; however, PU.1 and Bcl11b both contribute positively to T-cell development. Our recent work reviewed here sheds light on the transcriptional regulatory network that determines the timing and irreversibility of Bcl11b activation, the ways that Notch signaling from the thymic microenvironment restricts the action of PU.1 to prevent it from diverting cells to non-T fates, and the target genes that PU.1 still regulates under the influence of Notch signaling to contribute to T-cell generation. We argue that T-cell development depends on the sequential operation of two interlaced, but mutually antagonistic, gene regulatory networks, one initially supporting expansion before commitment and the other imposing a "terminal" differentiation process on committed cells.
Safety and Toxicity Analysis of Oxaliplatin Combined With Fluorouracil or as a Single Agent in Patients With Previously Treated Advanced Colorectal Cancer

Purpose: Two consecutive compassionate use studies of oxaliplatin were conducted in the United States and Canada in more than 5,000 patients with locally advanced or metastatic colorectal carcinoma who had experienced treatment failure after at least one prior chemotherapy regimen. Patients and Methods: The main focus was safety. Patients were assigned to treatment with either single-agent oxaliplatin or oxaliplatin in combination with fluorouracil (FU) and with or without leucovorin (LV) in various regimens. Response data collection was not a trial objective, but time to treatment failure (TTF) was recorded in the first cohort (1,370 patients). Results: All treatment regimens were well tolerated, with an overall incidence of grade 3 or 4 hematologic toxicity of 23.2%, grade 3 or 4 treatment-related gastrointestinal toxicity of 26.4% (including diarrhea, vomiting, and mucositis), and grade 3 neurosensory toxicity 3.9%. Similar results were reported in the second cohort (3,806 patients), in which the eligi...
The costs of corporate bankruptcy: how little we know

For almost as long as there have been bankruptcy laws, there have been complaints that the primary beneficiaries of these laws are insiders who administer the bankruptcy system. In recent decades, this line of criticism has carried with it an implicit criticism of bankruptcy courts, who are urged to more aggressively police the costs of bankruptcy. Indeed, at least one recent critic has unkindly suggested that the failure of the courts to control bankruptcy costs is the result of a corrupt bargain between bankruptcy courts and practitioners. Rarely addressed is why bankruptcy courts regulate professional costs at all. In most areas of American law, a professional is accountable solely to its client. Complaints about excessive cost might result in a separate malpractice action, but a client who thinks they have been overcharged for the defense of their speeding ticket will find little relief in traffic court. Why is bankruptcy different?This paper begins to look at this question with brief overview of the concept of bankruptcy costs, traditionally divided between direct and indirect costs. I next turn to a consideration of the process for overseeing bankruptcy costs. I briefly trace the history of court control of compensation in corporate bankruptcy, and then detail the current legal structure. The final part of the chapter then surveys the existing understanding of chapter 11 cost, and concludes with a some thoughts on the important questions that remain unanswered.In short, we know a bit about direct costs, but very little about any other sort of costs. Moreover, what we know is almost entirely lacking in context. This makes it quite hard to understand if the existing system of cost regulation is either useful or justified.
Is the Sevier Desert reflection of west-central Utah a normal fault?

A prominent west-dipping reflection that can be traced in seismic-reflection profiles over an area of 7000 km 2 beneath the Sevier Desert basin of west-central Utah is generally referred to as the Sevier Desert detacbment and is widely regarded as one of tbe best examples of an upper-crustal low-angle normal fault. The absence of evidence for fault-related deformation in drill cuttings and core from two industry boreholes that intersect this feature casts doubt on the fault interpretation. The existing interpretation is based mainly on the observation that high­ angle normal faulting is restricted largely to Tertiary sedimentary and volcanic rocks above the reflection. An alternative explanation is tbat the bigh-angle faults are related to the withdrawal of early deposited lacustrine salt, which even today is as much as 2 km thick. Reevaluation of the seismic data suggests that the Sevier Desert reflection consists of two spatially and genetically distinct segments: a shallow segment here interpreted as an unconformity between Paleozoic and Tertiary strata and a fortuitously aligned deeper segment that is traceable to mid- and lower­ crustal levels and that appears to represent a thrust fault related to the Cretaceous Sevier orogeny.
p59fyn tyrosine kinase associates with multiple T-cell receptor subunits through its unique amino-terminal domain.

Abstract Several lines of evidence link the protein tyrosine kinase p59fyn to the T-cell receptor. The molecular basis of this interaction has not been established. Here we show that the tyrosine kinase p59fyn can associate with chimeric proteins that contain the cytoplasmic domains of CD3 epsilon, gamma, zeta (zeta), and eta. Mutational analysis of the zeta cytoplasmic domain demonstrated that the membrane-proximal 41 residues of zeta are sufficient for p59fyn binding and that at least two p59fyn binding domains are present. The association of p59fyn with the zeta chain was specific, as two closely related Src family protein tyrosine kinases, p60src and p56lck, did not associate with a chimeric protein that contained the cytoplasmic domain of zeta. Mutational analysis of p59fyn revealed that a 10-amino-acid sequence in the unique amino-terminal domain of p59fyn was responsible for the association with zeta. These findings support evidence that p59fyn is functionally and structurally linked to the T-cell receptor. More importantly, these studies support a critical role for the unique amino-terminal domains of Src family kinases in the coupling of tyrosine kinases to the signalling pathways of cell surface receptors.
The Effects of Modified School Calendars on Student Achievement and on School and Community Attitudes

This review synthesizes studies of the effects of modifying the academic calendar in Grades K-12 to do away with the long summer break while not increasing the length of the school year. The synthesis indicated that the quality of evidence on modified calendars is poor. Within this weak inferential framework, the average effect size for 39 school districts was quite small, d = .06, favoring modified calendars. Studies that used statistical or matching controls revealed an effect size of d = .11. Modified calendars were associated with higher achievement for economically disadvantaged students. Students, parents, and staffs who participated in modified calendar programs were positive about their experiences. Policymakers can improve acceptance of modified calendars by involving communities in the planning and by providing quality intersession activities.
Dynamic utility-based bandwidth allocation policies: the case of overloaded network

Efficient and reliable bandwidth allocation remains an important open issue in the management of networks that aim to offer a guaranteed quality of service (QoS). Guaranteeing QoS to incoming requests means that users explicitly specify certain requirements such as throughput, loss or delay. It also means that the provider needs to be prepared to compensate for transient outages or overloads and re-allocate resources according to priorities. Dynamic bandwidth allocation can be used to assure that high priority requests can be always routed through relatively favorable paths within a differentiated services environment. In this paper we introduce a utility-based QoS model and a generalized bandwidth allocation scheme which accounts for the users of QoS requirements. We analyze the dynamic and static bandwidth allocation policies in the presence of four types of traffic each described with its utility value when the network experiences overloads. Our approach allows a service provider to differentiate between different types of customers based on their priority or the service charges that they pay, in order to offer real time services, to provide QoS guarantees for multimedia traffic and to guarantee stability even in overloaded conditions.
Learning social behavior

This paper discusses the challenges of learning to behave socially in the dynamic, noisy, situated and embodied mobile multi-robot domain. Using the methodology for synthesizing basis behaviors as a substrate for generating a large repertoire of higher-level group interactions, in this paper we describe how, given the substrate, greedy agents can learn social rules that benefit the group as a whole. We describe three sources of reinforcement and show their effectiveness in learning non-greedy social rules. We then demonstrate the learning approach on a group of four mobile robots learning to yield and share information in a foraging task.
An analysis of weighted eigenspace methods in the presence of sensor errors

Among all direction finding methods, eigenspace-based spectral methods are of interest because they are known to yield asymptotically unbiased and efficient estimates. These algorithms require knowledge of the array geometry and its elements' characteristics. In real systems, only approximate knowledge of the required array characterization is available. There is valid concern that deviation of nominal sensor gain and phase values can result in degradation of DOA estimates. We analyze the effects of sensor gain and phase perturbation on weighted eigenspace methods (WEMs). We quantify the sensitivity of WEMs by first- and second-order statistical analyses. Simulation results are included to validate our analytical results. >