cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
All-trans retinoic acid stimulates growth and extracellular matrix production in growth-inhibited cultured human skin fibroblasts

All-trans retinoic acid was examined for effects on human dermal fibroblast proliferation and for effects on fibroblast production and expression of non-collagenous and collagenous components of the extracellular matrix in vitro. Fibroblast proliferation was blocked when the cells were cultured in the presence of a serum-free culture medium containing epidermal growth factor, hydrocortisone, insulin, ethanolamine, phosphoethanolamine, and bovine pituitary extract as growth supplements and 0.15 mM Ca++. This level of extracellular Ca++ is lower than that needed to support fibroblast growth. Under these conditions, growth was stimulated by all-trans retinoic acid. Proliferation was also stimulated in the same basal medium without the growth supplements. Growth-promoting concentrations of all-trans retinoic acid ranged from 0.5-2.0 micrograms/ml (1.7-6.6 X 10(-6) M). Stimulation of proliferation was not seen at higher or lower concentrations. Concentrations of all-trans retinoic acid that stimulated proliferation also induced increased production of fibronectin as indicated by biosynthetic labeling/immunoprecipitation and by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Increased production was associated with increased staining for fibronectin in the extracellular matrix. Increased production of two other non-collagenous extracellular matrix component, i.e., thrombospondin and laminin, also occurred in all-trans retinoic acid-treated cells. At 0.5 micrograms/ml, all-trans retinoic acid also stimulated production of type I collagen by the dermal fibroblasts, but at higher concentrations (2.5 micrograms/ml) production of type I collagen was inhibited. These data indicate that all-trans retinoic acid can induce changes in dermal fibroblasts in vitro (i.e., increased proliferation and extracellular matrix production) that mimic the major changes seen in the dermis after topical treatment with this agent.
Tests and consequences of disk plus halo models of gamma-ray burst sources

The gamma-ray burst observations made by the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) and by previous experiments are still consistent with a combined Galactic disk (or Galactic spiral arm) plus extended Galactic halo model. Testable predictions and consequences of the disk plus halo model are discussed here; tests performed on the expanded BATSE database in the future will constrain the allowed model parameters and may eventually rule out the disk plus halo model. Using examples, it is shown that if the halo has an appropriate edge, BATSE will never detect an anisotropic signal from the halo of the Andromeda galaxy. A prediction of the disk plus halo model is that the fraction of the bursts observed to be in the 'disk' population rises as the detector sensitivity improves. A careful reexamination of the numbers of bursts in the two populations for the pre-BATSE databases could rule out this class of models. Similarly, it is predicted that different satellites will observe different relative numbers of bursts in the two classes for any model in which there are two different spatial distribiutions of the sources, or for models in which there is one spatial distribution of the sources that is sampled to different depths for the two classes. An important consequence of the disk plus halo model is that for the birthrate of the halo sources to be small compared to the birthrate of the disk sources, it is necessary for the halo sources to release many orders of magnitude more energy over their bursting lifetime than the disk sources. The halo bursts must also be much more luminous than the disk bursts; if this disk-halo model is correct, it is necessary to explain why the disk sources do not produce halo-type bursts.
A Bivariate t-Distribution with Applications

Abstract A particular bivariate t-distribution is defined and investigated. Included is a discussion of how to compute probabilities for this distribution. Applications involve the construction of double sample tests for hypotheses pertaining to the mean of a normal distribution with unknown variance. Some bounds are given for the error incurred when the two component variables are provisionally assumed to be independent.
Catalysis of carbon-steam gasification by ash components from two lignites

Abstract Ash transfer from a reactive to a less reactive coal is an interesting possibility for improving and equalizing gasification characteristics of coals. To assess the catalytic action of coal impurities in the steam gasification of carbon, three approaches were used. In the first series, the effects of different coal ashes on the gasification kinetics of graphite were compared. A parallel study was made by adding lignite ash to a coal of low reactivity. Finally, gasification rates of chars prepared from demineralized coals were measured. While it was found that ash from reactive coals can significantly enhance the gasification rates of chars derived from coals of lesser reactivity, it was not possible to distinguish clearly between a catalytic lowering of the activation energy and an increase in the number of gasification sites. The gasification enhancement by lignite ash may open practical possibilities for blending coals of different reactivity, and warrants further study to identify the constituents associated with this effect.
The maize (Zea mays) desynaptic (dy) mutation defines a pathway for meiotic chromosome segregation, linking nuclear morphology, telomere distribution and synapsis.

Summary Meiosis involves a dramatic reorganization of the genetic material, along with changes in the architecture of the nucleoplasm and cytoplasm. In the opisthokonts, nuclear envelope and meiotic chromosome behavior are coordinated by forces generated in the cytoplasm and transferred to the nucleus by the nuclear-envelope protein linkers SUN and KASH. During meiotic prophase I, the telomere bouquet arrangement has roles in interhomolog recognition, pairing, synapsis, interlock resolution and homologous chromosome recombination. The maize desynaptic ( dy ) mutant is defective in homologous chromosome synapsis, recombination, telomere–nuclear envelope interactions and chromosome segregation. A detailed three-dimensional cytological analysis of dy revealed telomere misplacement during the bouquet stage, synaptic irregularities, nuclear envelope distortion and chromosome bridges at anaphase I. Using linkage and B-A translocation mapping, we placed dy on the long arm of chromosome 3, genetic bin 3.06. SSR marker analysis narrowed the mapping interval to 9 cM. Candidate genes in this region include a PM3-type SUN domain protein, ZmSUN3. No obvious genetic lesions were found in the ZmSUN3 allele of dy , but a conspicuous splice variant, ZmSUN3-sv1 , was observed in mRNA from dy . The variant message is predicted to result in the synthesis of a truncated ZmSUN3 protein lacking two C-terminal transmembrane domains. Other potential candidate genes relevant to the documented phenotypes were also considered. In summary, this study reveals that dy causes disruption of a central meiotic pathway connecting nuclear envelope integrity to telomere localization and synapsis during meiotic prophase.
Risk factors for conversion of laparoscopic to open cholecystectomy

Abstract Background. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) has become the treatment of choice for symptomatic gallstones; however conversion to open cholecystectomy (OC) remains a possibility. Unfortunately, preoperative factors indicating risk of conversion are unclear. Therefore, we aimed to identify risk factors associated with conversion of LC to OC. Patients and materials. Records of 564 patients undergoing LC in 1995 and 1996 were reviewed. Patients were assigned to one of two groups: (1) acute cholecystitis defined by the presence of gallstones, fever, leukocyte count >104, and inflammation on ultrasound or histology; (2) chronic cholecystitis that included all other symptomatic patients. Demographics, history, and physical, laboratory, and radiology data, operative note, and the pathology report were reviewed. Results. 161 of 564 patients, had acute and 403 patients had chronic cholecystitis; 16 acute cholecystitis patients (10%) were converted from LC to OC and 17 chronic cholecystitis patients (4%) had LC converted to OC. Patients having open conversion were significantly older, had greater prevalence of cardiovascular disease, and were more likely to be males. LC conversion to OC in acute cholecystitis patients was associated with a greater leukocyte count; in gangrenous cholecystitis patients, 29% had open conversion. Conclusions. Importantly, these risk factors—older men, presence of cardiovascular disease, male gender, acute cholecystitis, and severe inflammation—are determined preoperatively, permitting the surgeon to better inform patients about the conversion risk from LC to OC. While acute cholecystitis was associated with more than a twofold increased conversion rate, only 10% of these patients could not be completed laparoscopically. Therefore, acute cholecystitis alone should not preclude an attempt at laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
Implementation of the phase-gradient algorithm

The recently introduced Phase Gradient Autofocus (PGA) algorithm is a non-parametric autofocus technique which has been shown to be quite effective for phase correction of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery. This paper will show that this powerful algorithm can be executed at near real-ume speeds and also be implemented in a relatively small piece of hardware. A briefreview ofthe PGA wiibe presented along with an overview ofsome critical implementation considerations. In addition a demonstration of the PGA algorithm running on a 7" xlO" printed circuit board containing a TMS32OC3O digital signal pro cessing (DSP) chip wilibe given. With this system using only the 20 range bins which contain the brightest points in the image the algorithm can correct a badly degraded 256x256 image in as little as 3 seconds. Using all range bins the algorithm can correct the image in 9 seconds.© (1990) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Stationkeeping of a Flux-Pinned Satellite Network

Satellite formation stationkeeping represents a nontrivial application of novel dynamics and control. We explore the possibility of utilizing a flux-pinning connection to create a virtual structure that allows these maneuvers to become more feasible by augmenting the dynamics and passively stabilizing the relative position and orientation of the component satellites. We develop a mathematical framework for a generalized satellite formation along with expressions for the flux-pinning effect about established dynamic equilibria. This framework is then applied via simulation to a candidate ring-aperture telescope formation to examine the value of implementing a vehicle formation that is maintained through flux pinning.
The effects of recombinant activated factor VII dose on the incidence of thromboembolic events in patients with coagulopathic bleeding

Abstract Introduction Previous studies have suggested the used of off-label recombinant factor VII (rFVIIa) increases the risk of thromboembolic events, but the effect of the dose of rFVIIa is not well described in the literature. Materials and Methods All adult patients that received off-label rFVIIa from 2005-2012 were included in this single-center, retrospective cohort study. The primary endpoint was the incidence of a thromboembolic event in the low dose ( Results There were 152 patients that received rFVIIa during the study period with 66 in the low dose cohort and 86 in the high dose cohort. Mean total dose of rFVIIa was 30.2 mcg/kg (SD ± 9.5 mcg/kg) in the low dose and 99.8 mcg/kg (SD ± 64.7 mcg/kg) in the high dose cohort (p = 0.0001). The overall incidence of thromboembolic events was 12.5%. There were 12 (14%) events in the low dose cohort and seven (10.6%) in the high dose cohort, RR = 0.76 (95% CI 0.31-1.82). There were no differences in any of the secondary outcomes. A higher incidence of thromboembolic events in cardiothoracic surgery (20.8%) and penetrating trauma patients (21.4%) was seen compared to the remaining cohort (6.7%). Conclusions No significant difference in the incidence of thromboembolic events was seen between low dose versus high dose rFVIIa over a seven year period at our institution. However, due to the relatively low overall incidence and a small sample size, type II error may be present.
The Role of Universities in the Second World: The Example of the American University of Armenia

Despite the end of the Cold War, the problems and needs of the underdeveloped countries of the world remain as pressing and difficult as ever. But a new and different set of underdeveloped countries has recently come into existence: those countries presently emerging from under the domination of the centralized authority of the former Soviet Union. Taken together, these countries comprise what might be called the Second World. The role that universities can and should play in the historic transformation now under way remains to be spelled out. In the Republic of Armenia, as an important experiment and example, there has been founded in Yerevan the American University of Armenia. Its history, its goals and purposes, the nature of its programmes and the characteristics of its students will be described. Questions of replicability in other countries and areas, as yet unanswered, deserve (and demand) attention.
Characterization and performance comparison of the power DIMOS structure fabricated with a reduced thermal budget in 4H and 6H-SiC

Abstract In this work, a reduced thermal budget processing scheme using aluminum as the p -well dopant is investigated for the fabrication of the power DIMOS (Double Implanted MOSFET) in 4H and 6H-SiC in an effort to improve the on-state conduction. The on-state conduction in 4H-SiC devices is limited severely by low values of carrier mobility at the surface as compared with 6H-SiC. Surface mobilities extracted on lateral MOSFETs indicate the mobility values in 6H-SiC (40 cm 2 /Vs) are significantly higher than in 4H-SiC (5 cm 2 /Vs). Therefore, even when step-bunching is avoided through the use of a reduced thermal budget, the intrinsic surface disorder in 4H-SiC is higher than in 6H-SiC and leads to degraded conduction at the surface. Moreover, mobility on accumulated surfaces is higher than on inverted surfaces in both polytypes. The relative insensitivity of surface mobility to gate bias and temperature changes does not conform to existing models for surface mobility necessitating the development of new models to explain carrier transport at implanted SiC surfaces. The present study suggests that unless the surface morphology of 4H-SiC is improved, the advantage of a higher vertical bulk mobility in 4H cannot be exploited and 6H will remain as the polytype of choice for the power DIMOS fabrication in SiC.
STUDIES ON THE SUBMAXILLARY VIRUS OF GUINEA PIGS : I. THE EFFECT OF DUCT LIGATION AND PILOCARPINE ADMINISTRATION UPON THE CELLULAR RESPONSE TO THE VIRUS.

The development in the submaxillary glands of guinea pigs ol intranuclear inclusions traceable to submaxillary virus can be wholly suppressed by ligation of the gland ducts. Inclusions appear in fai greater numbers in glands stimulated with pilocarpine than is the case in ordinary spontaneous and induced infections.
A Murine Retrovirus Co-Opts YB-1, a Translational Regulator and Stress Granule-Associated Protein, To Facilitate Virus Assembly

The Gag protein of the murine retrovirus mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) orchestrates the assembly of immature virus particles in the cytoplasm which are subsequently transported to the plasma membrane for release from the cell. The morphogenetic pathway of MMTV assembly is similar to that of Saccharomyces cerevisiae retrotransposons Ty1 and Ty3, which assemble virus-like particles (VLPs) in intracytoplasmic ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes. Assembly of Ty1 and Ty3 VLPs depends upon cellular mRNA processing factors, prompting us to examine whether MMTV utilizes a similar set of host proteins to facilitate viral capsid assembly. Our data revealed that MMTV Gag colocalized with YB-1, a translational regulator found in stress granules and P bodies, in intracytoplasmic foci. The association of MMTV Gag and YB-1 in cytoplasmic granules was not disrupted by cycloheximide treatment, suggesting that these sites were not typical stress granules. However, the association of MMTV Gag and YB-1 was RNA dependent, and an MMTV RNA reporter construct colocalized with Gag and YB-1 in cytoplasmic RNP complexes. Knockdown of YB-1 resulted in a significant decrease in MMTV particle production, indicating that YB-1 plays a role in MMTV capsid formation. Analysis by live-cell imaging with fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) revealed that the population of Gag proteins localized within YB-1 complexes was relatively immobile, suggesting that Gag forms stable complexes in association with YB-1. Together, our data imply that the formation of intracytoplasmic Gag-RNA complexes is facilitated by YB-1, which promotes MMTV virus assembly. IMPORTANCE Cellular mRNA processing factors regulate the posttranscriptional fates of mRNAs, affecting localization and utilization of mRNAs under normal conditions and in response to stress. RNA viruses such as retroviruses interact with cellular mRNA processing factors that accumulate in ribonucleoprotein complexes known as P bodies and stress granules. This report shows for the first time that mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV), a mammalian retrovirus that assembles intracytoplasmic virus particles, commandeers the cellular factor YB-1, a key regulator of translation involved in the cellular stress response. YB-1 is essential for the efficient production of MMTV particles, a process directed by the viral Gag protein. We found that Gag and YB-1 localize together in cytoplasmic granules. Functional studies of Gag/YB-1 granules suggest that they may be sites where virus particles assemble. These studies provide significant insights into the interplay between mRNA processing factors and retroviruses.
Mineralogy of Fumarole Deposits: At Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument Northern Arizona

(2008). Mineralogy of Fumarole Deposits: At Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument Northern Arizona. Rocks & Minerals: Vol. 83, No. 6, pp. 534-546.
Moving Target Indication Radar

MTI (Moving Target Indication) radar systems have been built for many years, based on sys-tem concepts evolved in the early 1950's. Digital techniques now permit easier implementation, but do not change the basic concepts; staggered repetition periods to eliminate blind speeds; and MTI cancellers with the velocity response shaped by feed forward and feedback techniques. Many pf the existing systems are very successful, even though their performance, measured in terms of MTI improvement factor or subclutter visibility, often falls far short of the performance predicted from linear theory. The basic MTI concepts and definitions are presented, and the real problems of modern surface-based MTI radar systems are discussed. Future signal-processing techniques are postulated.
Novel strategies for managing dyslipidemia: treatment beyond statins.

AbstractPurpose: This article reviews the current status of lipid–lowering drugs and their impact on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Because there is compelling evidence to suggest that substantial residual risk persists despite the use of current lipid–lowering treatments, novel strategies for managing dyslipidemia are discussed. Summary: Statins remain the drugs of choice for the treatment of dyslipidemia in patients with coronary heart disease or substantial risk factors for coronary heart disease. The evidence supporting the use of non–statin monotherapy for reductions in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality is examined. Furthermore, the evidence supporting the use of combinations of lipid–lowering drugs, primarily a statin plus another agent, for reductions in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality is discussed. Available clinical data for novel dyslipidemia drugs that can potentially expand on the current known benefits of statin therapy are reviewed. The cholesteryl ester transfer protein...
Educational Researchers: Living With a Lesser Form of Knowledge:

In this article, I argue that key characteristics of educational knowledge both constrain and enable the work of educational researchers, as producers of this knowledge, in distinctive ways. Educational knowledge is soft (vs. hard), applied (vs. Pure), and provides use value (vs. exchange value). As a result, knowledge production in education is organized in a manner that is structurally egalitarian and substantively divergent. Some consequences of this are negative. For example, educational researchers find themselves unable to speak authoritatively about their field and feel pressure to imitate unproductive forms of intellectual practice. Other consequences are positive: For example, they have the potential for speaking to a wide lay audience and for participating in a relatively open and unregulated mode of scholarly production.
An Epizootic of Malignant Catarrhal Fever in a Large Captive Herd of White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

Over a 4-mo period 23 of 28 white tailed deer kept at a small zoo in New Jersey (USA) died. Clinical signs prior to death were minimal and consisted of depression, central nervous system disorders, and watery diarrhea in a few animals only. Histopathology revealed widespread acute vascular lesions, ranging from modest accumulations of blast like mononuclear cells and edema in the adventitia through to disruption of the tunica media and thrombosis. These vascular lesions were seen in a variety of organs but were most prominent in lung, heart, liver and intestine. Severe vascular changes were associated with necrosis. Lymphoreticular hyperplasia was evident in the lymphoid tissue of all animals.
Alumina films on sapphire crystal show restricted epitaxial growth

Abstract Solid-state epitaxial growth has been demonstrated by forming a thin film of an alumina sol on a single-crystal alumina and firing. Single-crystal and polycrystalline alumina were used here as substrates upon which boehmite sol was deposited by spin coating. The substrates were then dried and fired and characterized by powder X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Films on sapphire single crystals showed highly oriented growth while the films on polycrystalline alumina substrates showed random orientation.
Differential effects of enterostatin, galanin and opioids on high-fat diet consumption

Abstract Enterostatin, the activation peptide of pancreatic procolipase, suppresses high-fat diet consumption both centrally and peripherally. κ-opioid agonists are also known to stimulate fat intake. These experiments were conducted to determine if an opioidergic central pathway might mediate the effects of enterostatin and galanin on fat intake. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were adapted to a high-fat diet (56% energy) and were implanted with cannulae aimed at the lateral cerebral ventricle (LV) or third cerebral ventricle (3V). Injection of enterostatin (1 nmol, LV) suppressed high-fat diet consumption in fasted (20 h) rats. This inhibition of high-fat intake by enterostatin was attenuated by central injection of the specific κ-agonist U50488 (2.15, 21.5 and 215 nmol, LV) in a dose-dependent manner in fasted rats while only the highest dose of U50488 (215 nmol, LV) independently produced stimulation of high-fat diet consumption in sated rats. Galanin (0.1 nmol, 3V) induced consumption of high-fat diet in sated rats similar to that seen with U50488 and this stimulation was attenuated by peripheral injection of naloxone (1.0 mg/kg i.p.). We present a model which integrates the present data, as well as previous findings, in explaining a potential common opioid pathway modulating fat consumption.
The role of community support and psychological well-being in aging in place

AbstractThis study examined the effect of community support and psychological well-being in aging on place in Iowa older people. The data of 1,134 older participants aged 65 years and over were analyzed in this study. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multiple sample analysis in Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) using Mplus 6.1 were performed to assess how community support predicted aging in place through psychological well-being (loneliness, depression, self-rated health) and to compare this assessment between metropolitan (metro) and non-metropolitan (non-metro) residents. Differences between metro and non-metro residents were obtained in community support, depression and self-rated health. Multiple sample analysis showed that there was a difference in the relationships among community support, psychological well-being, and aging in place. We concluded that the environment—community and degree of urbanization—is a key factor in maintaining physical health as well as psychological well-being among older...
Enhanced activity of antisense phosphorothioate oligos against Leishmania amastigotes: augmented uptake of oligo, ribonuclease H activation, and efficient target intervention under altered growth conditions

Leishmania, a parasitic protozoan, infects human macrophages, often causing severe morbidity and mortality. The pathogenic form of this parasite, the amastigote, lives inside the acidic phagolysosomes of infected macrophages. In our attempt to develop anti-miniexon phosphorothioate oligodeoxyribonucleotides (S-oligos) as an alternative chemotherapy against Leishmania, we found that intracellular as well as ‘axenic’ amastigotes were more susceptible to these S-oligos than were the cultured promastigotes. Lower pH (4.5) and elevated temperature (35°) of the medium were among the direct enhancing factors for killing. Addition of the cationic polypeptide poly-l-lysine (PLL) to the growth medium further enhanced the killing effect of the S-oligo at pH 4.5. The enhancement of specific ablation of mRNA expression was directly correlated to the increased leishmanicidal activity of the S-oligo. This was shown by the increased inhibition of luciferase activity expressed in transgenic Leishmania amazonensis promastigotes by anti-miniexon S-oligo or anti-luciferase S-oligo at acidic pHs and in the presence of PLL. The leishmanicidal effects of S-oligos at acidic pH and in the presence of PLL were related to increased uptake of the S-oligos under these conditions. The rate of S-oligo uptake was enhanced up to 15-fold at pH 4.5. The addition of PLL to the assay medium at acidic pH further enhanced the uptake of S-oligo up to 80-fold. RNase H is known to accentuate the antisense action of S-oligos. We found that at an elevated temperature RNase H activity in Leishmania cell extracts increased about 5-fold. Thus, enhanced uptake of S-oligos at the acidic pH of macrophage phagolysosomes and activation of RNase H may explain the efficient killing of the parasite in macrophages, both in tissue culture and in the animal model, by antisense miniexon oligonucleotide/PLL, when targeted directly to the parasite-containing phagolysosomes.
A difference equation model of partial series

Abstract A model for partial series is given in terms of difference equations. This model allows the techniques of digital signal processing to be applied to series for the purpose of series evaluation, filtering, and extrapolation.
Do peers influence children's skill development in preschool?

Abstract Currently, a disjuncture exists between the economic literature on young children's outcomes from early education or child care and the literature on schooling outcomes of older children and adolescents. Peer effects have been found to be both theoretically important and empirically significant in school settings, yet the effects of peers have not been incorporated into research estimating the child development production function. In this study, we estimate the value-added effects of peer abilities on the educational outcomes of a probability sample of four year olds who attended Head Start, publicly subsidized pre-kindergarten, or private preschool in Georgia. We use a longitudinal data set that includes measures of preschool quality, child and family characteristics, peer abilities, and assessments of the skills of pre-kindergarteners both before and after attending preschool. The ability level of the peers in a child's classroom has direct and positive effects on the child's cognitive skills, pre-reading skills, and expressive language skills after controlling for preschool resources, family characteristics, and the child's skills at the beginning of preschool. Neither time spent on discipline, nor contextual effects of classroom composition, nor teachers’ motivation appear to be the mechanisms that explain the influences of peers on children's skill development.
CHARACTERIZATION OF GUN-BARREL STEEL CORROSION AS A FUNCTION OF TIME IN CONCENTRATED HYDROCHLORIC ACID SOLUTION

The corrosion behavior of gun-barrel steel in 37.8% hydrochloric acid (HCl) at room temperature was investigated as a function of exposure time by several methods, including mass loss measurement, atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS), x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM)/energy dispersive x-ray analysis (EDX), x-ray fluorescence (XRF), and x-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS). The corrosion rate showed unsteady-state behavior; however, time had no significant effect on the composition of corrosion product. XRD analyses of this surface corrosion indicated the formation of akaganeite (β-FeOOH). Fluorescence XAFS studies revealed that the iron coordination environment in the steel was similar to that of the body-centered cubic (bcc) iron. Surface sensitive total electron yield (TEY) XAFS showed that the structure of the corrosion product was invariant as a function of exposure time.
OCCURRENCE AND POPULATION DENSITIES OF YEAST SPECIES IN A FRESH-WATER LAKE.

Quantitative studies of yeasts present in surface and deep water samples from a fresh water body (Douglas Lake, Michigan) revealed 12 species (Candida parapsilosis, C. pulcherrima, Cryptococcus albidus, Cr. diffluens, Cr. gastricus, Cr. laurentii, Rhodotorula glutinis, R. pilimanae, R. rubra, Trichosporon cutaneum, Debaryomyces sp., “black yeasts”). In two regions of surface sampling the population densities averaged 39.6 and 5.5 cells per 100 ml respectively, whereas the average deep water count was 40.3 cells per 100 ml. Yeasts of the genusRhodotorula predominated.
The CMR Examination in Heart Failure

This article presents a rationale for incorporating cardiovascular MR in the evaluation of patients who have heart failure and is organized in four parts. Part I defines the context of cardiovascular MR within standard clinical evaluation and among the many other modalities available for cardiovascular assessment in patients who have heart failure. Part II describes the techniques most useful in treating heart failure. Part III provides recommended approaches for the standard heart failure cardiovascular MR examination. Part IV concludes with perspectives on the appropriate use and incorporation of cardiovascular MR in the evaluation and management of patients who have heart failure.
Equilibrium, outcomes, and the economics of organization

Abstract Most empirical work in the economics of organization consists of theory-testing exercises, where the theories under examination rely on optimality principles but not equilibrium. This paper discusses recent attempts to bring equilibrium analysis into the economics of organization, highlighting the types of research questions that researchers can investigate and the evidentiary and analytical inputs necessary in such approaches.
txt 4 l8r: lowering the burden for diary studies under mobile conditions

We present and evaluate a new technique for performing diary studies under mobile or active conditions. Diary studies play an important role as a means for ecologically valid participant data capture. Unfortunately, when participants are asked to capture data while mobile or active, they are often unwilling or unable to invest time in thorough, reflective entries. Ultimately, this leads to lowered entry quality and quantity. The technique presented here suggests the capture of only small snippets of information in the field. These snippets then serve as prompts for participants when completing full diary entries at a convenient time. We describe how this system automates collection of snippets via text (SMS), picture (MMS) and voicemail messages and later presents these snippets for full entry elicitation. We then present results from a preliminary evaluation of this technique.
Computational techniques for the verification of hybrid systems

Hybrid system theory lies at the intersection of the fields of engineering control theory and computer science verification. It is defined as the modeling, analysis, and control of systems that involve the interaction of both discrete state systems, represented by finite automata, and continuous state dynamics, represented by differential equations. The embedded autopilot of a modern commercial jet is a prime example of a hybrid system: the autopilot modes correspond to the application of different control laws, and the logic of mode switching is determined by the continuous state dynamics of the aircraft, as well as through interaction with the pilot. To understand the behavior of hybrid systems, to simulate, and to control these systems, theoretical advances, analyses, and numerical tools are needed. In this paper, we first present a general model for a hybrid system along with an overview of methods for verifying continuous and hybrid systems. We describe a particular verification technique for hybrid systems, based on two-person zero-sum game theory for automata and continuous dynamical systems. We then outline a numerical implementation of this technique using level set methods, and we demonstrate its use in the design and analysis of aircraft collision avoidance protocols and in verification of autopilot logic.
Needle aspiration of the lung in complex pneumonias.

In 39 patients with treated unresponsive pneumonia complicated by life-threatening underlying disease, direct needle aspiration of the lung was performed to establish a cause. An infections agent was detected in 18 patients (46 percent), a nonbacterial cause was found in one, and cure of a recent infection was substantiated in six patients. An incorrect diagnosis was made in seven patients (one false-positive and six false-negative), and an indeterminant answer was obtained by needle aspiration in seven. Serious complications occurred in 11 patients, most commonly in those who had hypoxia or thrombocytopenia, but no morbidity occurred in 22 patients. The diagnostic yield allowed effective rational therapy to be selected for multiple potential pathogens in 12 patients and detected pathogens not suspected in six instances. The technique compares favorably to other invasive techniques for establishing definitive information in this group of seriously ill patients.
Community-based health intervention trials: an overview of methodological issues.

Health interventions applied on a community-wide basis have come into increasing use in public health and epidemiologic research over the past several decades. With the promise of community-based interventions as a means of increasing the generalizability of health program benefits, providing information to health policy-makers beyond that obtained by individual-based clinical trials, and improving health in a cost-effective manner (1), researchers have forged ahead to expose numerous communities to large-scale health interventions. The emergence of community health intervention trials represents a shift in health research from investigations that focus primarily on the individual to those that focus on larger community groups. This emphasis on interventions focusing on communities has created distinct methodological challenges for researchers. In this paper, we provide an overview of major methodological issues pertaining to community-based intervention trials as compared with the more traditional, individualbased clinical intervention trials. Although the boundaries distinguishing community-based research from individualbased research are not always easily discernable (2), the well-established literature on individual-based clinical trials can stand as a useful point of comparison against the relatively recent development of community-based health trials. The methodological issues we focus on here include randomization, statistical power, cohort versus cross-sectional assessments, secular trends, outcome measurement, and the role of conceptualization in methodological design. Furthermore, the balance between scientific methodology and other practical issues (e.g., economic and sociopolitical issues) is discussed.
RON: An on-chip ring oscillator network for hardware Trojan detection

Integrated circuits (ICs) are becoming increasingly vulnerable to malicious alterations, referred to as hardware Trojans. Detection of these inclusions is of utmost importance, as they may potentially be inserted into ICs bound for military, financial, or other critical applications. A novel on-chip structure including a ring oscillator network (RON), distributed across the entire chip, is proposed to verify whether the chip is Trojan-free. This structure effectively eliminates the issue of measurement noise, localizes the measurement of dynamic power, and additionally compensates for the impact of process variations. Combined with statistical data analysis, the separation of process variations from the Trojan contribution to the circuit's transient power is made possible. Simulation results featuring Trojans inserted into a benchmark circuit using 90nm technology and experimental results on Xilinx Spartan-3E FPGA demonstrate the efficiency and scalability of the RON architecture for Trojan detection.
Characterization of HSCD5, a novel human stearoyl-CoA desaturase unique to primates.

Abstract Stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) is an integral membrane protein of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) that catalyzes the formation of monounsaturated fatty acids from saturated fatty acids. Recent studies suggest that SCD is a key regulator of energy metabolism and has implications in dislipidemia and obesity. Four SCD isoforms (SCD1–4) have been identified in mouse. In human, only one SCD isoform has been characterized so far. Here we report that the previously reported human ACOD4 gene encodes a distinct stearoyl-CoA desaturase, hSCD5. GenBank database mining revealed orthologues of hSCD5 in the primates, but not in the rodents. In transiently transfected 293 cells, hSCD5 co-localized with calnexin on ER membrane. Microsome fractions prepared from hSCD1 and hSCD5 transfected cells displayed similar delta 9 desaturase activity. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR analysis suggested that hSCD5 was abundantly expressed in adult brain and pancreas. These data suggested that hSCD5 plays a role distinct from that of hSCD1 during development and in normal physiological conditions.
Investigation of the thermal degradation of alkyl isocyanate polymers by direct pyrolysis mass spectrometry

Thermal degradation mechanisms of alkyl isocyanate homo- and copolymers were studied using TGA and DP–MS. Both analyses showed that these polymers begin decomposing at around 190°C under inert or vacuum conditions. DP–MS analysis showed the formation of trace quantities of monomer from poly(butyl isocyanate) only and none from higher homologs. All polymers studied produced trimers as their principal decomposition product, implying that intramolecular cyclization is the dominant mechanism of decomposition.
Regulation and Bank Failures: New Evidence from the Agricultural Collapse of the 1920s

This article examines the contribution of government policies to the high number of bank failures in the United States during the 1920s. In the state of Kansas, which had a system of voluntary deposit insurance and where branch banking was strictly prohibited, bank failure rates were highest in counties suffering the greatest agricultural distress and where deposit insurance system membership was highest. The evidence for Kansas illustrates how prohibitions on branch banking caused unit banks to be especially vulnerable to local economic shocks and suggests that deposit insurance caused more bank failures than would have occurred otherwise.
Law versus Ethics: Reconciling Two Concepts of Public Service Ethics

Developing a workable system of public service ethics is difficult owing, to a fundamental tension between law (public duties) and ethics (private duties). This article surveys the literature on legal ethics to observe how a well-defined public service profession has reconciled this tension, to some extent, through the adoption of a "legalized" code of ethics that also allows professionals to step from behind the prescribed system of rules and engage his or her individual ethical sense in appropriate instances. The article then surveys the literature on administrative ethics and concludes that contrary to current trends aimed at deprofessionalizing the field, public administration would benefit from creating a new profession of public administrators that could adopt a code of ethics similar to the legal profession's code of ethics, thus allowing for a fusion of legalized rules (public duties) and individual ethical precepts (private duties).
Mixed-state SU(2) squeezing and its occurrence in two quantum optical models

The atomic pseudospin operators describing a two-level atom, and obeying the SU(2) Lie algebra, can exhibit reduced quantum fluctuations (“squeezing”) in certain states of the atom. These states include both pure and mixed states of the atom. Parameterizing the atom by the spherical polar components S, θ, and ϕ of its pseudospin vector S, we determine the parameter ranges in which squeezing can occur and the magnitude of this squeezing. We illustrate our considerations by examining two models, namely, the coherent-state Jaynes–Cummings model and the optical Bloch equations, in which mixed-state SU(2) squeezing arises dynamically.
Self-Consistent Locally Defined Principal Surfaces

Principal curves and surfaces play an important role in dimensionality reduction applications of machine learning and signal processing. Vaguely defined, principal curves are smooth curves that pass through the middle of the data distribution. This intuitive definition is ill posed and to this day researchers have struggled with its practical implications. Two main causes of these difficulties are: (i) the desire to build a self-consistent definition using global statistics (for instance conditional expectations), and (ii) not decoupling the definition of the principal curve from the data samples. In this paper, we introduce the concept of principal sets, which are the union of all principal surfaces with a particular dimensionality. The proposed definition of principal surfaces provides rigorous conditions for a point to satisfy that can be evaluated using only the gradient and Hessian of the probability density at the point of interest. Since the definition is decoupled from the data samples, any density estimator could be employed to obtain a probability distribution expression and identify the principal surfaces of the data under this particular model.
Dynamic swelling behavior of interpenetrating polymer networks in response to temperature and pH

Temperature responsive hydrogels based on ionic polymers exhibit swelling transitions in aqueous solutions as a function of shifting pH and ionic strength, in addition to temperature. Applying these hydrogels to useful applications, particularly for biomedical purposes such as drug delivery and regenerative medicine, is critically dependent on understanding the hydrogel solution responses as a function of all three parameters together. In this work, interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) hydrogels of polyacrylamide and poly(acrylic acid) were formulated over a broad range of synthesis variables using a fractional factorial design, and were examined for equilibrium temperature responsive swelling in a variety of solution conditions. Due to the acidic nature of these IPN hydrogels, usable upper critical solution temperature (UCST) responses for this system occur in mildly acidic environments. Responses were characterized in terms of maximum equilibrium swelling and temperature-triggered swelling using turbidity and gravimetric measurements. Additionally, synthesis parameters critical to achieving optimal overall swelling, temperature-triggered swelling, and sigmoidal temperature transitions for this IPN system were analyzed based on the fractional factorial design used to formulate these hydrogels.
Speech "re-cognition"? Investigating speech as a cognition-augmenting modality

We report and compare two projects investigating speech interfaces and augmented cognition. We performed an exploratory study to examine the effects of speech-enabled input on an imagery analysis and annotation task. We hypothesized that speech recognition could be a cognition-enabling technology by reducing the mental load of instrument manipulation and freeing up resources. Results indicate that people did identify images more efficiently and could potentially annotate images faster with speech. However, people did not annotate better with speech (precision was lower, and recall was significantly lower). We also developed a personal digital assistant capable of controlling a search-and-rescue robot. The PDA displayed a map and video feed of the robot's camera and permitted both stylus and speech input. We note differences between speech input in the robot control task and in the imagery annotation experiment. We conclude that speech may be helpful if the cognitive cost of speech recognition delays and errors is outweighed by the cognitive benefit of reducing instrument manipulation.
Negative health outcomes among the elderly. Predictors and profiles.

The goals of this research were to identify predictors of negative health outcomes among the elderly and to specify subgroups or profiles of elderly with similar health outcomes one year after an initial health assessment. A secondary analysis of data, pooled from three studies concerned with the health and long term care of the elderly, was performed using a multivariate, statistical approach. Number of chronic conditions, age, social class, and income were important predictors of the two variables measuring health decline. Variables identified as predictors of mortality and/or paths to death include the following: IADL dependencies, degenerative diagnoses, living arrangements, MSQ, and social class. Profiles of the elderly, resulting from the AID analysis, coincided with research findings presented in the literature. This analysis technique holds promise with regard to targeting appropriate health and long-term care services to subgroups of elderly who could benefit most from them.
An interpretation of Akasofu's substorm parameter

The power flux into the magnetosphere from the solar wind is analyzed using the model of polar cap electric fields described by D'Angelo (1977). It is shown that the substorm parameter proposed by Akasofu (1978) to predict the probability of a substorm can be interpreted as the portion of the solar wind electromagnetic power flux which penetrates the magnetosphere at a given moment.
Exact solution of equilateral triangular waveguide

The complete, closed-form exact solutions for the hollow equilateral triangular waveguide are presented. Both TM and TE mode shapes are determined.