cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Analysis of the transient excitation of an elastic rod by the method of characteristics

Abstract The response of a semi-infinite, isotropically elastic rod to a time dependent input on the end of the rod is found using the method of characteristics. To reduce the problem to one where motions depend on only one space variable and time the approximate theory for rods due to Mindlin and McNiven is used. The response is found at stations near the end of the rod to a step input of pressure and is compared to the responses reported in other published works and to a response found independently by the authors.
New Flexible Vascular Adhesive for Use in Cardiovascular Surgery

1. Preliminary studies of polyurethane resins of the reactive prepolymer type indicate that they may be of considerable value in experimental and clinical cardiovascular surgery as adhesive agents. 2. These resins combine hardness, elastomeric (rubber-like) properties, and chemical inertness which persist unchanged for periods of at least six months. 3. The position and quantity of isocyanate groups in the prepolymer molecule, together with the molecular weights of the prepolymer and polyol, determine the physical properties of the final polymer obtained. 4. Exceptional adhesion between the polymer and blood vessel wall is a result of the reaction between available hydrogen atoms in the substrate tissue and the isocyanate groups in the prepolymer.
Visual imagery mnemonics: Common vs. bizarre mental images

Earlier tests of the effectiveness of bizarre imagery failed to support its claimed superiority, but also failed to use experienced subjects. Since it could be argued that experience differentially improves bizarre imagery, either directly by improving the quality of the bizarre image or indirectly by increasing the interference among common images, the present experiment required five sessions. While subjects improved in their speed of forming images over the five sessions, common images retained their speed advantage and no difference was found between the recall of word pairs learned by bizarre images and those learned by common images on any of the 5 days.
First Report of Rhizomania of Sugar Beet in the Columbia River Basin of Washington and Oregon.

Rhizomania, caused by Beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV) and vectored by the soilborne fungus, Polymyxa betae Keskin, is one of the most economically damaging diseases affecting sugar beet (Be...
Skill acquisition and the timing of natal dispersal in the white-throated magpie-jay, Calocitta formosa

Abstract Offspring may remain associated with parents to gain the skills required for independent survival and reproduction. The ontogeny of foraging and breeding behaviour was followed in a cohort of cooperatively breeding white-throated magpie-jays from fledging through to dispersal. Young jays approached adult levels of foraging proficiency within 1 year of fledging. During their first year of age, young jays provisioned nests as helpers at a lower rate than did older individuals. No improvement occurred during that first year, however, suggesting that lower provisioning was the result of other factors than the lack of foraging or nesting skills. Natal dispersal was extremely sex-biased: males dispersed between 4 and 23 months of age, but females remained in their natal group. Male dispersal coincided with both the maturation of foraging skills and the start of a breeding season. Males from larger groups dispersed at an earlier age than those from smaller groups. Therefore, although offspring must associate with parents during some minimum period to acquire skills, the decision of whether and when to disperse from the natal territory is determined by other factors in the white-throated magpie-jay.
Occlusion of pressor responses to posterior diencephalic stimulation and muscular contraction

Although neural occlusion has been suggested to occur between the central and reflex mechanisms increasing arterial pressure, evidence consistent with this phenomenon is lacking. To assess the possibility of neural occlusion we recorded, in chloralose-anesthetized cats, the pressor responses to statically contracting the hindlimb muscles and to electrically stimulating histologically confirmed sites in the posterior hypothalamus and subthalamus. We also recorded the pressor responses to topical application of capsaicin onto the intestine and to stimulation of these diencephalic sites. The pressor responses to simultaneous static contraction and diencephalic stimulation were significantly smaller than the algebraic sum of the pressor responses to contraction and diencephalic stimulation evoked separately. Likewise, the pressor responses to simultaneous capsaicin application and diencephalic stimulation were significantly smaller than the algebraic sum of the responses evoked separately. High intensity stimulation of the L7 dorsal root or the diencephalic sites evoked pressor responses similar in magnitude to the algebraic sum of the two responses evoked separately; thus, the inability of the simultaneous maneuvers to evoke pressor responses that summed algebraically was not due to the fact that they caused a maximal effect. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that neural occlusion occurs during stimulation of the posterior diencephalon and static muscular contraction.
Flow Migration on Multicore Network Processors: Load Balancing While Minimizing Packet Reordering

With ever increasing network traffic rates, multicore architectures for network processors have successfully provided performance improvements through high parallelism. However, naively allocating the network traffic to multiple cores without considering diversified applications and flow locality results in issues such as packet reordering, load imbalance and inefficient cache usage. Consequently, these issues degrade the performance of latency sensitive network processors by dropping packets or delivering packets out of order. In this paper, we propose a packet scheduling scheme that considers the multiple dimensions of locality to improve the throughput of a network processor while minimizing out of order packets. Our scheduling policy tries to maintain packet order by maintaining the flow locality, minimizes the migration of flows from one core to another by identifying the aggressive flows, and partitions the cores among multiple services to gain instruction cache locality. The scheduler uses a novel low cost two-level caching scheme to identify top aggressive flows. Our light weight hardware implementation shows improvement of 60% in the number of packets dropped and 80% improvement in the out-of-order packet deliveries over previously proposed techniques.
β-Endorphin responses to different serotonin agonists: involvement of corticotropin-releasing hormone, vasopressin and direct pituitary action

Activation of serotonergic neurotransmission has been shown to increase plasma β-endorphin-like immunoreactivity (β-End-LI). To study the mechanism(s) of this action, we measured the effects of 3 potent serotonin (5-HT) agonists with different structures and 5-HT receptor binding profiles in conscious unrestrained Sprague-Dawley rats in vivo and in dispersed anterior pituicytes in vitro. The 5-HT1A agonist, 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin (8-OH-DPAT), the 5-HT1C agonist, m-chlorophenylpiperazine(m-CCP), and the 5-HT2 agonist, 1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl)-2-aminopropane (DOI), all markedly increased β-End-LI in plasma in vivo. All 3 responses were blocked by dexamethasone pretreatment. Pituitary stalk transection (PST), as well as pretreatment with rabbit serum hyperimmune against rat corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH, TS-6) completely abolished β-End-LI response to 8-OH-DPAT and attenuated the responses by about 60% to DOI. Responses to m-CPP were markedly attenuated in PST rats, but pretreatment with TS-6 had no significant effect. To examine whether vasopressin (AVP) might be involved in the CRH neutralizing antibody-resistant β-End-LI responses after m-CPP and DOI, we measured AVP concentrations after each agonist. m-CPP, but not DOI or 8-OH-DPAT, significantly elevated circulating AVP levels. As a proof of direct pituitary effectm DOI markedly stimulated β-End-LI release from the anterior pituitary cell culture preparation in vitro. It was approximately as potent as CRH in the picomolar range. m-CPP was much less effective than DOI, while 8-OH-DPAT did not stimulate β-End-LI release in vitro. Thus, the present findings suggest that the 5-HT1A agonist 8-OH-DPAT causes plasma β-End-LI increases in vivo by stimulating hypothalamic CRH secretion. The mechanism of β-End-LI response to the 5-HT1C agonist m-CPP is a complex phenomenon including mainly AVP-mediated and direct pituitary actions. The 5-HT2 agonist DOI may elicit β-End-LI responses by CRH-mediated and direct pituitary effects.
Dissecting the structural and functional roles of the S3-S4 linker of pacemaker (hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-modulated) channels by systematic length alterations.

Abstract If or Ih, a key player in neuronal and cardiac pacing, is encoded by the hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-modulated (HCN) channel gene family. We have recently reported that the S3-S4 linker (i.e. residues 229EKGMDSEVY237 of HCN1) prominently influences the activation phenotypes of HCN channels and that part of the linker may conform a secondary helical structure. Here we further dissected the structural and functional roles of this linker by systematic alterations of its length. In contrast to voltage-gated K+ channels, complete deletion of the S3-S4 linker (Δ229–237) did not produce functional channels. Similarly, the deletions Δ229–234, Δ232–234, and Δ232–237 also abolished normal current activity. Interestingly, Δ229–231, Δ233–237, Δ234–237, Δ235–237, Δ229–231/Δ233–237, Δ229–231/Δ234–237, and Δ229–231/Δ235–237 all yielded robust hyperpolarization-activated inward currents, indicating that loss-of-function caused by deletion could be rescued by keeping the single functionally important residue Met232 alone. Whereas shortening the linker by deletion generally shifted steady-state activation in the depolarizing direction (e.g. ΔV½ of Δ229–231, Δ233–237, Δ235–237 >+10 mV relative to wild type), linker prolongation by duplicating the entire linker (Dup229–237) or by glutamine insertion (InsQ233Q, InsQQ233QQ and InsQQQ233QQQ, or Ins237QQQ) produced length-dependent progressive hyperpolarizing activation shifts (–35 mV < ΔV½ < –4 mV). Based on these results, we conclude that only Met232 is prerequisite for channels to function, but the length and other constituents of the S3-S4 linker shape the ultimate activation phenotype. Our results also highlight several evolutionary similarities and differences between HCN and voltage-gated K+ channels. Manipulations of the S3-S4 linker length may provide a flexible approach to customize HCN gating for engineering electrically active cells (such as stem cell-derived neuronal and cardiac pacemakers) for gene- and cell-based therapies.
A Classification of Concepts in Consumer Education

The classification system described in this article is designed to assist educators in clarifying the confusion that surrounds con sumer education programs.
Domoic acid binds iron and copper: a possible role for the toxin produced by the marine diatom Pseudo-nitzschia

Toxigenic species of the pennate diatom Pseudo-nitzschia can produce domoic acid (DA), an analog of the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate and known to cause the human illness amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP). Although the trophic transfer of this phycotoxin resulting in mass marine bird and mammal mortality has recently been demonstrated, the physiological role of domoic acid to the causative organism is still unknown. Domoic acid is a small tricarboxylate amino acid whose structure resembles that of known iron-complexing agents produced by terrestrial plants, such as mugineic acid. This similarity in chemical structure of domoic acid to other phytosiderophores suggests a role for domoic acid as a trace metal chelator. Using a highly sensitive adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetric technique, we investigated the iron and copper-binding characteristics of domoic acid revealing it does form chelates with both iron and copper and with the following conditional stability constants: KFeDA,Fe(III)′cond=108.7±0.5 M−1 and KCuDA, Cu(II)′cond=109.0±0.2 M−1 (KFeDA,Fe3+cond=1018.7±0.5 M−1 and KCuDA, Cu2+cond=1010.3±0.2 M−1). Certain Pseudo-nitzschia species may therefore produce domoic acid to selectively bind trace metals in order to either increase the availability of an essential micronutrient, such as in the case of iron, or to decrease the availability of a potentially toxic trace metal, such as in the case of copper. The strength with which domoic acid binds iron and copper in seawater combined with concentrations of dissolved domoic acid potentially produced and released during toxic bloom conditions render dissolved iron and copper sufficiently bound to domoic acid in seawater so as to affect their chemical speciation and thus their biological availability. In addition, domoic acid may be particularly important in solubilizing particulate iron suspended in these coastal waters where Pseudo-nitzschia blooms tend to occur. Thus, possible physiological roles for domoic acid with respect to the harmful algal species Pseudo-nitzschia may include the acquisition (iron) or detoxification (copper) of trace metals in seawater.
Effect of Turbulence Models and Spatial Resolution on Resolved Velocity Structure and Momentum Fluxes in Large-Eddy Simulations of Neutral Boundary Layer Flow

Abstract This paper demonstrates the importance of high-quality subfilter-scale turbulence models in large-eddy simulations by evaluating the resolved-scale flow features that result from various closure models. The Advanced Regional Prediction System (ARPS) model was used to simulate neutral flow over a 1.2-km square, flat, rough surface with seven subfilter turbulence models [Smagorinsky, turbulent kinetic energy (TKE)-1.5, and five dynamic reconstruction combinations]. These turbulence models were previously compared with similarity theory. Here, the differences are evaluated using mean velocity statistics and the spatial structure of the flow field. Streamwise velocity averages generally differ among models by less than 0.5 m s−1, but those differences are often significant at a 95% confidence level. Flow features vary considerably among models. As measured by spatial correlation, resolved flow features grow larger and less elongated with height for a given model and resolution. The largest difference...
Enhanced mixing and mass transfer in a recirculation loop results in high cell densities in a roller bottle reactor

A recirculation loop added to a large-scale roller bottle reactor resulted in high cell densities as compared to standard roller bottles. Four different mammalian cell lines reached an average maximum density equal to 5.4 x 10(6) cells /mL (sigma = 0.263), which was between 2.13 and 2.95 times greater than the densities in roller bottles without recirculation using the same cell lines. The high densities were maintained over long durations (>25 days) while the reactor operated with continuous perfusion. The increased densities are attributed to enhanced liquid mixing and oxygen transfer that occur as a result of the recirculation loop. Models were developed that describe axial liquid flow and oxygen transfer in both the sample loop and the reactor growth chamber. Axial dispersion and oxygen transfer coefficients are presented for a variety of operating conditions. The increased oxygen transfer characteristics of the reactor allow for easy scale-up of roller bottle cultures by operating at larger volumes with greater liquid depths than conventional roller bottles permit. The surface-area-to-volume ratio in the tests performed was 0.206 versus 1.16 cm(-1) in a standard roller bottle.
Quantitative impact of neutrophils on bacterial clearance in a murine pneumonia model

The rapid increase in the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens is a global problem that has challenged our ability to treat serious infections. Currently, clinical decisions on treatment are often based on in vitro susceptibility data. The role of the immune system in combating bacterial infections is unequivocal, but it is not well captured quantitatively. In this study, the impact of neutrophils on bacterial clearance was quantitatively assessed in a murine pneumonia model. In vitro time-growth studies were performed to determine the growth rate constants of Acinetobacter baumannii ATCC BAA 747 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1. The absolute neutrophil count in mice resulting from different cyclophosphamide preparatory regimens was determined. The dynamic change of bacterial (A. baumannii BAA 747) burden in mice with graded immunosuppression over 24 h was captured by a mathematical model. The fit to the data was satisfactory (r(2) = 0.945). The best-fit maximal kill rate (K(k)) of the bacterial population by neutrophils was 1.743 h(-1), the number of neutrophils necessary for 50% maximal killing was 190.8/μl, and the maximal population size was 1.8 × 10(9) CFU/g, respectively. Using these model parameter estimates, the model predictions were subsequently validated by the bacterial burden change of P. aeruginosa PAO1 at 24 h. A simple mathematical model was proposed to quantify the contribution of neutrophils to bacterial clearance and predict the bacterial growth/suppression in animals. Our results provide a novel framework to link in vitro and in vivo information and may be used to improve clinical treatment of bacterial infections.
HTLV x gene mutants exhibit novel transcriptional regulatory phenotypes

The human T-cell leukemia viruses, HTLV-I and HTLV-II, contain a gene, termed x, with transcriptional regulatory function. The properties of the x proteins were analyzed by constructing mutant genes containing site-directed deletions and point mutations. The results demonstrate that the amino terminal 17 amino acids of the x protein constitute part of a functional domain that is critical for the transcriptional activating properties of the protein. Within this region, substitution of a leucine residue for a proline residue results in major changes in the trans-activation phenotype of the protein. The mutant HTLV-II x protein, though incapable of activating the HTLV-II long terminal repeat, will block trans-activation of the HTLV-II long terminal repeat by the wild-type protein. The altered phenotype of this mutant suggests a potential negative regulatory function of the x protein.
Denosumab: anti-RANKL antibody.

Denosumab (anti-receptor activator of nuclear factorκB ligand [RANKL] antibody) is a novel agent, a fully human monoclonal antibody that inhibits osteoclastic-medicated bone resorption by binding to osteoblast-produced RANKL. By reducing RANKL binding to the osteoclast receptor RANK, bone resorption and turnover decrease. In phase 2 dose-ranging studies, denosumab had a rapid onset and offset effect. Also, in patients who had received 2 years of denosumab and were discontinued for the third year, rechallenge with denosumab during the fourth year demonstrated a return of responsiveness to denosumab that mimicked the initial treatment. Phase 3 pivotal fracture data were recently presented with positive outcome data; denosumab (60 mg subcutaneously every 6 months) significantly reduced vertebral, nonvertebral, and hip fracture risk compared with placebo, and had an excellent safety profile through 3 years of use. Denosumab will offer a novel approach to managing postmenopausal osteoporosis, one that should be associated with a high adherence rate and global fracture risk reduction.
Driving-Related Anxiety in Recently Deployed Service Members: Cues, Mental Health Correlates, and Help-Seeking Behavior

Recent military operations have involved repeated trauma exposure while driving vehicles. Combat deployment and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have been associated with risky driving practices, increasing the likelihood of fatalities and problems adjusting to civilian life. However, no studies have specifically examined the role of driving-related anxiety, including common cues and mental health correlates. This study conducted structured interviews with 46 recently deployed service members. Interviews assessed the prevalence of driving-related anxiety or hyperarousal (anger or irritation) in relation to civilian driving scenarios, combat exposure, post-traumatic stress symptoms, depression symptoms, and help-seeking behavior. The majority of participants reported high driving anxiety or hyperarousal in response to scenarios involving close proximity to other cars. Driving-related anxiety was positively correlated with PTSD and depression. Although PTSD and driving anxiety were positively associated with help seeking, only one-third of soldiers sought help for driving anxiety and most sought help from informal sources (i.e., friend and battle buddy). The findings underscore the need to address driving-related anxiety in combat-exposed service members with mental health symptoms, with a particular focus on specific anxiety-provoking situations. Furthermore, interventions that reduce stigma and improve access to formal care could improve help seeking and treatment for these problems.
Did Secularism Fail? The Rise of Religion in Turkish Politics

Religious movements have long been challenging the modernist and secularist ideas around the world. Within the last decade or so, pro-religious parties made significant electoral advances in various countries, including India, Sudan, Algeria, and the Palestinian territories. In this article, we focus on the rise of the pro-religious Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi- AKP) to power in the 2002 elections in Turkey. Using the Turkish experience with political Islam, we evaluate the explanatory value of Mark Juergensmeyer's rise of religious nationalism theory, with a special emphasis on the “failed secularism” argument. Our analysis indicates that the theoretical approach formulated by Juergensmeyer has a great deal of explanatory power; however, it does not provide a complete explanation for the success of the AKP. The rise of religion in Turkish politics is the result of a complex process over long years of encounter and confrontation between two frameworks of order, starting with the sudden imposition of secularism from above, when the republic was established. Hence, to understand the rise of religion in contemporary Turkish politics, an in-depth understanding of history, politics, and the sources of tension between secularists and Islamists is essential. The findings of this article have important implications for other countries, especially those that are experiencing a resurgence of religion in politics, and are struggling to integrate religious parties into a democratic system.
Interaction and Activation of Carbon–Heteroatom π Bonds with a Zr/Co Heterobimetallic Complex

Single-electron transfer from the ZrIVCo–I heterobimetallic complex (THF)Zr(MesNPiPr2)3Co-N2 (1) to benzophenone was previously shown to result in the isobenzopinacol product [(Ph2CO)Zr(MesNPiPr2)3Co-N2]2 (4) via coupling of two ketyl radicals. Thermolysis of 4 led to cleavage of the C═O bond to generate a Zr/Co μ-oxo species featuring an unusual terminal Co═CPh2 carbene linkage (3). In this work monomeric ketyl radical complexes have been synthesized, and the reactivity of these compounds has been explored. The electronic preference for the formation of a ketyl radical complex or a coordination complex has been investigated computationally. Furthermore, thione substrates were allowed to react with 1, generating new complexes that bind the thione to the Co rather than undergoing single-electron transfer (12, 14). The preference of thiones to coordinate to Co can be overridden if the Co is ligated by CO, in which case a thioketyl radical complex forms (13) analogous to 4. The reaction between 1 and imines ...
Classification of nuclear isomers

Synopsis The progress made during the last few years permits a definite classification of many nuclear gamma ray transitions according to their multipole character. This classification yields matrix elements for gamma transitions which can be compared with calculations based on the one particle model. For electric transitions, just as for beta transitions, deviations from the simple model show up through the “scatter” of the matrix elements. Magnetic transitions, however, have surprisingly uniform matrix elements. — In many cases the energy differences of levels of known spin vary in a regular manner from nucleus to nucleus. For a discussion of these regularities the language of shell theory proves useful.
A distributed protocol for safe real-time planning of communicating vehicles with second-order dynamics

This work deals with the problem of planning in real-time, collision-free motions for multiple communicating vehicles that operate in the same, partially-observable environment. A challenging aspect of this problem is how to utilize communication so that vehicles do not reach states from which collisions cannot be avoided due to second-order motion constraints. This paper provides a distributed communication protocol for realtime planning that guarantees collision avoidance with obstacles and between vehicles. It can also allow the retainment of a communication network when the vehicles operate as a networked team. The algorithm is a novel integration of sampling-based motion planners with message-passing protocols for distributed constraint optimization. Each vehicle uses the motion planner to generate candidate feasible trajectories and the message-passing protocol for selecting a safe and compatible trajectory. The existence of such trajectories is guaranteed by the overall approach. Experiments on a distributed simulator built on a cluster of processors confirm the safety properties of the approach in applications such as coordinated exploration. Furthermore, the distributed protocol has better scalability properties when compared against typical priority-based schemes.
The toughening mechanism in hybrid epoxy-silica-rubber nanocomposites (HESRNs)

Abstract Two different size nanosilica (NS) particles, nominally 20 nm and 80 nm in diameter, and carboxyl terminated butadiene acrylonitrile (CTBN) were blended into a lightly crosslinked, DGEBA/piperidine epoxy system to investigate the toughening mechanisms in hybrid epoxy-silica-rubber nanocomposites (HESRNs). Adding small amount of NS particles into CTBN toughened epoxies further improved the fracture toughness to a level that could not be achieved by increasing CTBN content alone. Interestingly, this toughening effect is diminished when NS particles clustered at high CTBN contents. In addition, the effect of NS particle size on toughening behavior was not considerable, except the case when NS clustering is observed. According to the SEM and TOM investigations, the plastic zone, which consists of shear banding and matrix dilation, is further enlarged in front of the crack tip in HESRNs. Irwin’s model is used to evaluate the process zone concept and the result indicates that zone shielding is credited for the toughening mechanism in these HESRNs.
Who Participates in Local Politics and Why The better-off citizen is more active, but so is the citizen who encounters social and economic barriers

A survey of registered voters in New Haven in 1959 indicated that only a few citizens participate much in local affairs by any action other than voting, and that variations in participation are related to variations in resources, political confidence, alternative opportunities , and rewards. The more resources one has (income, education, occupational standing, social standing, and so on), the more one is likely to participate. However, because the number of better-off citizens is small, citizens with smaller resources generally outnumber the better-off citizens at every level of political participation. The more confident one is of his capacity to be effective in political matters, the more one participates actively in local affairs. This relationship tends to strengthen the influence of middle-class citizens and to weaken the influence of working-class citizens. The fewer the alternatives a citizen has to politics as a means to achieve hisd goals, the more likely he is to participate actively. Thus, in New Haven, Negroes are among the most active participants in local affairs. The greater the rewards a citizen receives or expects to receive from politics, the greater is his participation. Thus, the more "concerned" he is over politics, the greater is his participation. And the more "problems" he thinks the community is faced with, the greater is his participation likely to be.
Vacuum microelectronics applications using carbon nanotube cathodes

We will present the recent advances in carbon nanotube bundle array based field emission electron source development. These cathodes are being applied for developing new vacuum microelectronic devices. Some application issues, cathode life time, current density influencing factors, and a novel electrode integration technique will be described.
Clutter Spectra of Low PRF AMTI Pulse-Doppler Radar

Approximate expressions are derived for the video clutter spectra in the receiver of a low pulse repetition frequency (PRF), airborne moving target indicator (AMTI), pulse-Doppler radar for both step-scanning and continuous-scanning antennas. The receiver is assumed to process the received waveform with a clutter-tracking oscillator and a window function is employed to obtain short-term spectra. Except for the broadening effects of the window function, it is shown that the clutter spectrum can be simply related to the antenna voltage-gain pattern. It is further shown, in the scanning antenna case, that the combined spectral broadening due to platform motion and antenna scanning cannot be assumed to be the result of the convolution of the separate effects unless the antenna gain pattern has a Gaussian shape. The approximate clutter expressions are illustrated by examples and are shown to agree well with the results of computer calculations.
TUBERCULOSIS IN URBAN CHILDREN 1979–1985

Even with the availability of effective chemoprophylaxis, tuberculosis (Tb) continues to be a problem in children. From 1979 to 1985, 76 cases of Tb in children were reported to the Department of Public Health (Boston). 7 were incorrectly classified; 9 records were incomplete. We reviewed the remaining 60 cases that occurred in children aged birth to 18 years of age, all residents of Boston. Tb was diagnosed in children who had a positive culture or whose clinical presentation was consistent with Tb. 29 of the 60 children were born in the US, 28 in Haiti, Asia, or Cape Verde, and 3 unknown. The mean age was 8.1 years with 30% of children under age 3. The indications for Tb screening were as follows: routine screening (19), known contact (20), clinical suspicion (17), and unknown (4). The PPD was positive in all 60 children. 31 of the children were symptomatic - including cough, recurrent fever, anorexia, weight loss and night sweats. The chest x-ray was abnormal at the time of diagnosis in 52 of 53 children with pulmonary Tb. (28 pulmonary infiltrates, 8 infiltrates and adenopathy, 8 adenopathy, 3 scars, 5 pleural disease, 1 mediastinal mass). 6 of the 7 children with extrapulmonary Tb (4 cervical adenitis, 1 miliary, 1 meningitis, 1 renal) had abnormal x-rays. We conclude: (1) 50% of pediatric Tb cases in Boston occurred in children born outside of the US; (2) active Tb in the home, pulmonary symptoms, and abnormal chest x-rays were common; (3) 48% of tne cases occurred in children with no symptoms; (4) in all of our cases the PPD was positive. Based on these findings vigilant screening of certain high risk populations is essential.
HTS/ferroelectric thin films for tunable microwave components

We report on the electrical characterization of Ba/sub 0.5/Sr/sub 0.5/TiO/sub 3//YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-/spl delta///LaAlO/sub 3/ multilayer structure. This structure was fabricated using a pulsed laser deposition technique yielding film thicknesses of 300 nm and 800 nm for the YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-/spl delta// (YBCO) and the Ba/sub 0.5/Sr/sub 0.5/TiO/sub 3/ (BST) films, respectively, A transition temperature T/sub c/=91.5 K was measured for the YBCO film in this structure after deposition of the BST layer. The structure was patterned into parallel plate capacitors with 400/spl times/400 /spl mu/m gold contacts and YBCO electrodes on top and underneath the BST, respectively. A relative dielectric constant (/spl epsiv//sub r/)/spl sim/425 and a loss tangent (tan/spl delta/)=0.010 were measured at 1.0 MHz at 298 K and zero dc voltage (V/sub dc/=0 volts). At 77 K, the dielectric data showed 320/spl les//spl epsiv//sub r//spl les/360 and tan/spl delta/=0.036 at V/sub dc/=0 volts. For 5.0/spl ges/V/sub dc//spl ges/-3.0 volts /spl epsiv//sub r/ could be varied from 180 to 370. For -5.0/spl les/V/sub dc//spl les/-3.0 volts, /spl epsiv//sub r/ decreased rapidly with little change in tan/spl delta/. The /spl epsiv//sub r/ versus V/sub dc/ data suggest that changes in /spl epsiv//sub r/ were affected by electrode space charge layers. >
Delayed luminance and chromatic contrast sensitivity in infants with spontaneously regressed retinopathy of prematurity.

The current study assessed whether contrast sensitivity is affected in preterm infants with a history of spontaneously regressed retinopathy of prematurity (ROP, Stages 1–3). Specifically, we employed luminance (light/dark) and chromatic (red/green) stimuli, which are mediated by the magnocellular (M) and parvocellular (P) subcortical pathways, respectively. Contrast sensitivity (CS) was measured using forced-choice preferential looking testing in 21 infants with a history of ROP and 41 control preterm infants who were born prematurely but did not develop ROP, tested between 8 and 47 weeks (2–11 months) postterm age. Infants were presented with chromatic and luminance drifting sinusoidal gratings, which appeared randomly on the left or right side of the monitor in each trial. The contrast of the stimuli varied across trials and was defined in terms of root mean squared cone contrast for long- and medium-wavelength cones. Between 8 and 25 weeks postterm, ROP infants had significantly worse CS, and there was a trend for greater impairment for luminance than chromatic CS. This delay was not seen at older ages between 26 and 47 weeks postterm. These findings are consistent with the concept that early maturation of the M pathway is vulnerable to biological insult, as in the case of ROP, to a greater extent than in the P pathway.
Optimal design of thermally stable proteins

Motivation: For many biotechnological purposes, it is desirable to redesign proteins to be more structurally and functionally stable at higher temperatures. For example, chemical reactions are intrinsically faster at higher temperatures, so using enzymes that are stable at higher temperatures would lead to more efficient industrial processes. We describe an innovative and computationally efficient method called Improved Configurational Entropy (ICE), which can be used to redesign a protein to be more thermally stable (i.e. stable at high temperatures). This can be accomplished by systematically modifying the amino acid sequence via local structural entropy (LSE) minimization. The minimization problem is modeled as a shortest path problem in an acyclic graph with nonnegative weights and is solved efficiently using Dijkstra's method. Contact: mitchell@biochem.wisc.edu
Growth of Calcium Hydroxide Islands in Tricalcium Silicate-Based Cements at Early Age

Microstructural characteristics of hydrated triclinic tricalcium silicate [C3S(t)], monoclinic tricalcium silicate (alite), and type I portland cement at ages between time zero and 28 days were observed using electron microscopy. Image analysis was used to follow the development of calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) and calcium silicate hydrate at micro- and meso-length scales. In all cases, easily recognizable islands of Ca(OH)2 were noted to form, though the morphology and rate of formation differed for the three cement types. The formation of these islands was found to influence hydration by hindering the reaction of unhydrated cement particles that are embedded within their largely Ca(OH)2-bearing matrix. Such may be important features to include and validate in developing microstructural and other forms of computational models. The extent to which such microstructural features influence the local rates of reaction seems to depend, at least in part, upon the crystallography of the C3S.
The WAIS Assistant: A Windows Program to Aid in Writing WAIS-III Reports

The WAIS Assistant is intended to facilitate reporting the results of testing with the Wechsler Adult Intelli- gence Scale-Third Edition. The Assistant does not send output directly to a printer, but rather writes output to a file, in or- der to encourage editing and inclusion of additional information. The program is available only upon certification that the requestor meets the author's rules for its use, including professional status and appropriate training. Finally, research is encouraged by making the program available to qualified psychologists at no charge.
Hypofractionated versus standard radiation therapy with or without temozolomide for older glioblastoma patients.

Purpose Older patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma have poor outcomes, and optimal treatment is controversial. Hypofractionated radiation therapy (HRT) is frequently used but has not been compared to patients receiving standard fractionated radiation therapy (SRT) and temozolomide (TMZ). Methods and Materials We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients ≥65 years of age who received radiation for the treatment of newly diagnosed glioblastoma from 1994 to 2013. The distribution of clinical covariates across various radiation regimens was analyzed for possible selection bias. Survival was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Comparison of hypofractionated radiation (typically, 40 Gy/15 fractions) versus standard fractionation (typically, 60 Gy/30 fractions) in the setting of temozolomide was conducted using Cox regression and propensity score analysis. Results Patients received SRT + TMZ (n=57), SRT (n=35), HRT + TMZ (n=34), or HRT (n=9). Patients receiving HRT were significantly older (median: 79 vs 69 years of age; P P P =.01), lower Karnofsky performance status (AHR: 1.02; 95% CI: 1.01-1.03; P =.01), multifocal disease (AHR: 2.11; 95% CI: 1.23-3.61, P =.007), and radiation alone (vs SRT + TMZ; SRT: AHR: 1.72; 95% CI: 1.06-2.79; P =.03; HRT: AHR: 3.92; 95% CI: 1.44-10.60, P =.007) were associated with decreased overall survival. After propensity score adjustment, patients receiving HRT with TMZ had similar overall survival compared with those receiving SRT with TMZ (AHR: 1.10, 95% CI: 0.50-2.4, P =.82). Conclusions With no randomized data demonstrating equivalence between HRT and SRT in the setting of TMZ for glioblastoma, significant selection bias exists in the implementation of HRT. Controlling for this bias, we observed similar overall survival for HRT and SRT with concurrent TMZ among elderly patients, suggesting the need for a randomized trial to compare these regimens directly.
Scaling communication-intensive applications on BlueGene/P using one-sided communication and overlap

In earlier work, we showed that the one-sided communication model found in PGAS languages (such as UPC) offers significant advantages in communication efficiency by decoupling data transfer from processor synchronization. We explore the use of the PGAS model on IBM BlueGene/P, an architecture that combines low-power, quad-core processors with extreme scalability. We demonstrate that the PGAS model, using a new port of the Berkeley UPC compiler and GASNet one-sided communication layer, outperforms two-sided (MPI) communication in both microbenchmarks and a case study of the communication-limited benchmark, NAS FT. We scale the benchmark up to 16,384 cores of the BlueGene/P and demonstrate that UPC consistently outperforms MPI by as much as 66% for some processor configurations and an average of 32%. In addition, the results demonstrate the scalability of the PGAS model and the Berkeley implementation of UPC, the viability of using it on machines with multicore nodes, and the effectiveness of the BG/P communication layer for supporting one-sided communication and PGAS languages.
Regulation of Cyclin A protein in meiosis and early embryogenesis

In contrast to the extensive analysis of the regulation of Cyclin B protein levels during developmental progression through meiosis in oogenesis, little is known about Cyclin A. Repression of cyclin A translation early in prophase I in Drosophila is important to maintain the oocyte in meiosis, and this has been shown to be mediated by deadenylation of the mRNA and inhibition by the Bruno repressor. We find that at oocyte maturation as meiosis resumes, Cyclin A protein reappears, coincident with polyadenylation of the mRNA and loss of Bruno repressor. Cyclin A is multiphosphorylated in a pattern consistent with autophosphorylation, and this form accumulates aberrantly in metaphase I if the Cortex form of the Anaphase Promoting Complex/Cyclosome is inactive. The PAN GU (PNG) kinase positively promotes translation of Cyclin A, beginning in oogenesis, an earlier onset than previously recognized. After egg activation and the completion of meiosis, PNG promotes further polyadenylation of cyclin A mRNA and appears to antagonize repression of translation by the PUMILIO inhibitor. Epistasis studies with png; apc mutants indicate that PNG acts solely to promote translation, rather than having a parallel function to inhibit degradation. These studies reveal multiple levels of posttranscriptional regulation of Cyclin A protein by translational and proteolytic control during oocyte maturation and the onset of embryogenesis.
THREE-DIMENSIONAL CULTURE MODELS OF NORMAL AND MALIGNANT BREAST EPITHELIAL CELLS

Extracellular matrix is a key regulator of normal homeostasis and tissue phenotype. Important signals are lost when cells are cultured ex vivo on two-dimensional plastic substrata. Many of these crucial microenvironmental cues may be restored using three-dimensional (3D) cultures of laminin-rich extracellular matrix (lrECM). These 3D culture assays allow phenotypic discrimination between nonmalignant and malignant mammary cells, as the former grown in a 3D context form polarized, growth-arrested acinus-like colonies whereas the latter form disorganized, proliferative and nonpolar colonies. Signaling pathways that function in parallel in cells cultured on plastic become reciprocally integrated when the cells are exposed to basement membrane-like gels. Appropriate 3D culture thus provides a more physiologically relevant approach to the analysis of gene function and cell phenotype ex vivo. We describe here a robust and generalized method for the culturing of various human breast cell lines in three dimensions and describe the preparation of cellular extracts from these cultures for molecular analyses. The procedure below describes the 3D 'embedded' assay, in which cells are cultured embedded in an lrECM gel (Fig. 1). By lrECM, we refer to the solubilized extract derived from the Engelbreth-Holm-Swarm mouse sarcoma cells. For a discussion of user options regarding 3D matrices, see Box 1. Alternatively, the 3D 'on-top' assay, in which cells are cultured on top of a thin lrECM gel overlaid with a dilute solution of lrECM, may be used as described in Box 2 (Fig. 1 and Fig. 2).
Excitation of the Earth's Polar Motion due to Mass Variations in Major Hydrological Reservoirs

The polar motion excitation caused by variations in major natural lakes, the impoundment in artificial reservoirs, and the depletion of a major groundwater aquifer is calculated. It is found that the annual water mass variation in natural lakes contributes a significant fraction in the total hydrological excitation of the annual wobble and that the hydrological reservoirs have been negligible in the Chandler wobble excitation. It is also shown that the contribution of hydrological reservoirs to the total secular polar drift has been negligible in the century due to fortuitous cancellation among reservoirs.
Body image stereotypes: a developmental comparison

The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that temperament judgments associated with different body types were dependent upon sex and age of the respondents. A total of 500 participants, 249 females and 251 males ranging from 6 to 60 years of age, were sampled. Participants were drawn from various civic, educational, institutional, and residential groups in a Southern cosmopolitan city. A paper-pencil instrument consisted of three body silhouettes (representing an ectomorph, mesomorph, and endomorph) and 40 temperament/behavior descriptors. The respondents matched each descriptor with one of the three body types. The results indicated that the descriptors were differentially associated with body types according to age groups but not by sex. The mesomorph was overwhelmingly and consistently viewed as the most positive of the three body types, but was rated somewhat more negatively as the age of the group increased. Participants of ages 6 through 25 rated the endomorph more negatively than the ectomorph, while those of ages 26-40 rates them equally. In contrast, participants over 40 years of age viewed the ectomorph more negatively than the endomorph.
Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of the trigonal crystal form of Saccharomyces cerevisiae alcohol dehydrogenase I: evidence for the existence of Zn ions in the crystal.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae alcohol dehydrogenase I crystallized as trigonal plates using 20% 2-propanol and 20% PEG 4000 in 0.1 M sodium citrate buffer pH 5.6 in the presence of 1 mM NAD+. The crystals diffract to 3.0 A resolution and belong to the trigonal space group P3121 or P3221, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 146.3, c = 68.1 A, α = β = 90, γ = 120°. X-ray data were collected from frozen crystals at the 17-ID beamline of the Advanced Photon Source. A Zn fluorescence scan of the crystal produced a peak at 9671.6 eV, suggesting the existence of Zn ions in the crystal.
uvby photometry of the chemically peculiar stars AR Aurigae, 3 Hydrae, 49 Cancri, and BX Bootis

Dierential Stromgren uvby photometric ob- servations from the Four College Automated Photoelectric Telescope are presented for four Chemically Peculiar stars of the upper main sequence: the HgMn star binary AR Aurigae and the magnetic stars 3 Hydrae, 49 Cancri, and BX Bootis. AR Aurigae shows little variability except dur- ing the primary and secondary eclipses. The 11.305 day period of Maitzen et al. for 3 Hya is conrmed. A new pe- riod of 7.0501 days is found for 49 Cancri while a slightly rened period of 2.88756 days is derived for BX Boo.
Combining analyses, combining optimizations

Modern optimizing compilers use several passes over a program's intermediate representation to generate good code. Many of these optimizations exhibit a phase-ordering problem. Getting the best code may require iterating optimizations until a fixed point is reached. Combining these phases can lead to the discovery of more facts about the program, exposing more opportunities for optimization. This article presents a framework for describing optimizations. It shows how to combine two such frameworks and how to reason about the properties of the resulting framework. The structure of the frame work provides insight into when a combination yields better results. To make the ideas more concrete, this article presents a framework for combining constant propagation, value numbering, and unreachable-code elimination. It is an open question as to what other frameworks can be combined in this way.