cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Using Whole mount In Situ Hybridization to Examine Thyroid Hormone Deiodinase Expression in Embryonic and Larval Zebrafish: a Tool for examining OH-BDE toxicity to early life stages

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and their oxidative metabolites (hydroxylated PBDEs; OH-BDEs) are known endocrine disrupting contaminants that have been shown to disrupt thyroid hormone regulation both in mammals and in fish. The purpose of this study was to determine the precise organ and tissue locations that express genes critical to thyroid hormone regulation in developing zebrafish (Danio rerio), and to determine the effects of an OH-BDE on their expression. While RT-PCR can provide quantitative data on gene expression, it lacks spatial sensitivity to examine localized gene expression; and, isolation of organs from zebrafish embryos is technically difficult, if not impossible. For this reason, the present study used whole mount in situ hybridization to simultaneously localize and quantify gene expression in vivo. While PBDEs and OH-BDEs have been shown to inhibit the activity and expression of deiodionases, a family of enzymes that regulate thyroid hormone concentrations intracellularly, it is unclear whether or not they can affect regional expression of the different isoforms during early development. In this study we investigated deiodinase 1 (Dio1), deiodinase 2 (Dio2), and deiodinase 3 (Dio3) mRNA expression at the following life stages (2, 8, and 1k-cells; 50%-epiboly, 6 and 18-somites, 22, 24, 48, 72 hpf and/or 10 dpf) in zebrafish and found life stage specific expression of these genes that were highly localized. To demonstrate the use of this technique for investigating potential endocrine disrupting effects, zebrafish embryos were exposed to 1, 10 and 100 nM 6-OH-BDE-47. Significant increases in mean intensity of Dio1 and Dio3 expression in the periventricular zone of brain and pronephric duct, respectively (quantified by measuring intensity of coloration using ImageJ analysis software) were observed, suggesting localized response at the HPT axis with the possibility of impacting neurodevelopment. Our results demonstrate effects of OH-BDEs on thyroid regulating gene expression and provide more insight into potential sites of injury during early life stages.
Deep Antarctic Convection West of Maud Rise

Abstract In February 1977 a column of water (14 km radius), within the central region of the Weddell Gyre west of Maud Rise. was observed in which the normal Antarctic stratification sequence of temperature-minimum to temperature-maximum was absent. The column appeared as a cold, low-salinity, high-oxygen, cyclonic flowing (surface velocity above 50 cm s−1) eddy extending to at lest 4000 m. It is hypothesized that similar eddies were common in this region (at least in Austral summer 1977) and represent winter structures which have survived into the summer period. Eddy formation is explained as a product of winter period static instability, similar to the MEDOC observations in the Mediterranean, but without the subsequent sinking and spreading phase. Winter period static instability in the Weddell Gyre is shown to be a likely condition and may be related to the frequent occurrence of a large polynya within the central region of the Weddell Gyre. Deep penetration of winter surface water within the eddy supp...
Chemical control of nanotube electronics

The possibility of modifying the electronic properties of nanotubes using gas molecule adsorption is investigated using the first-principles total energy density functional calculations. Detailed analysis of the electronic structures and energetics is performed for the semiconducting (10,0) single-walled carbon nanotube interacting with several representative gas molecules (NO2, NH3, CO, O2, and H2O). The results elucidate the mechanisms of the adsorption-induced nanotube doping and illustrate an example of the simulation-based design characterization of nanoelectronic components.
Transmission of intercostal muscle proprioceptor afferent information to medullary respiratory areas.

Abstract Medullary inspiratory activity is inhibited by proprioceptive afferent impulses from the intercostal muscles. The cuneate and external cuneate nuclei are not essential for relaying the afferent information to the medullary respiratory regions. The afferent information is also not acting by way of a generalized effect on the reticular formation. The results suggest that fibers ascending from the intercostal muscle proprioceptors send collaterals directly to the respiratory regions.
Dihydropyridine KATP potassium channel openers

Abstract Three related series of dihydropyridine K ATP potassium channel openers are described.
Motor based assessment of neurocognitive functioning in resource-limited international settings

This study compared variance accounted for by neuropsychological tests in both a brief motor battery and in a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. 327 HIV+ subjects received a comprehensive cognitive battery and a shorter battery (Timed Gait, Grooved Pegboard, and Fingertapping). A significant correlation existed between the motor component tests and the more comprehensive battery (52% of variance). Adding Digit symbol and Trailmaking increased the amount of variance accounted for (73%). Motor battery sensitivity to impairment diagnosis was 0.79 and specificity was 0.76. A motor battery may have broader utility to diagnose and monitor HIV related neurocognitive disorders in international settings.
Forgetfulness during aging: An integrated biology☆☆☆

Age-related impairments in memory are often attributed to failures, at either systems or molecular levels, of memory storage processes. A major characteristic of changes in memory with increasing age is the advent of forgetfulness in old vs. young animals. This review examines the contribution of a dysfunction of the mechanisms responsible for modulating the maintenance of memory in aged rats. A memory-modulating system that includes epinephrine, acting through release of glucose from liver glycogen stores, potently enhances memory in young rats. In old rats, epinephrine loses its ability to release glucose and loses its efficacy in enhancing memory. Brain measures of extracellular levels of glucose in the hippocampus during memory testing show decreases in glucose in both young and old rats, but the decreases are markedly greater in extent and duration in old rats. Importantly, the old rats do not have the ability to increase blood glucose levels in response to arousal-related epinephrine release, which is retained and even increased in aged rats. Glucose appears to be able to reverse fully the increased rate of forgetting seen in old rats. This set of findings suggests that physiological mechanisms outside of the brain, i.e. changes in neuroendocrine functions, may contribute substantially to the onset of rapid forgetting in aged animals.
Directional Dependence of Fracture Toughness in Hot-Pressed SiC-Whisker Reinforced Alumina at Room and Elevated Temperatures

The directional dependence of fracture toughness was investigated in commercially available hot-pressed SiC-whisker reinforced alumina composites at room and elevated temperatures. Whisker orientation was transversely isotropic with respect to the pressing axis in these composites. Composite bend bars were chevron-notched and loaded in four-point bending to induce stable crack propagation in two different crack systems: defined here as a combination of crack plane and direction with reference to the pressing axis. The average fracture toughness, KIc, was found to be approximately 30% less for a crack system with its crack plane parallel and crack direction perpendicular to the pressing axis compared to a crack system with both its crack plane and direction parallel to the pressing axis through 1200°C. The crack systems with the lower fracture toughness exhibited a characteristic high concentration of whiskers aligned parallel to the crack direction within the crack plane; this appeared to he associated wi...
Cohort crowding and nonresident college enrollment

Abstract This study uses a fixed effects panel data framework to examine the effects of cohort crowding and other variables on nonresident enrollment at four-year public colleges and universities. The results suggest that larger cohorts of resident students crowd out nonresident students at flagship universities, but there is inconsistent evidence of crowd out at non-flagship schools. Additionally, larger cohorts of resident students result in increased nonresident tuition at flagship universities but not at non-flagship schools. When faced with larger cohorts of resident students, flagship universities lower the numbers of nonresident students enrolled and raise the price for nonresidents.
Code Compression for VLIW Embedded Systems Using a Self-Generating Table

We propose a new class of methods for VLIW code compression using variable-sized branch blocks with self-generating tables. Code compression traditionally works on fixed-sized blocks with its efficiency limited by their small size. A branch block, a series of instructions between two consecutive possible branch targets, provides larger blocks for code compression. We compare three methods for compressing branch blocks: table-based, Lempel-Ziv-Welch (LZW)-based and selective code compression. Our approaches are fully adaptive and generate the coding table on-the-fly during compression and decompression. When encountering a branch target, the coding table is cleared to ensure correctness. Decompression requires a simple table lookup and updates the coding table when necessary. When decoding sequentially, the table-based method produces 4 bytes per iteration while the LZW-based methods provide 8 bytes peak and 1.82 bytes average decompression bandwidth. Compared to Huffman's 1 byte and variable-to-fixed (V2F)'s 13-bit peak performance, our methods have higher decoding bandwidth and a comparable compression ratio. Parallel decompression could also be applied to our methods, which is more suitable for VLIW architectures.
Genetic induction of proinflammatory immunity in children with biliary atresia

Summary Background Biliary atresia is the commonest cause of pathological jaundice in infants and the leading indication for liver transplantation in children worldwide. The cause and pathogenesis remain largely unknown. Because of clinical heterogeneity and experimental difficulties in addressing molecular mechanisms underlying multifactorial disorders in human beings, we searched for genomic signatures of biliary atresia in affected infants. Methods We generated pools of biotinylated cRNA from livers of 14 infants with biliary atresia and six with neonatal intrahepatic cholestasis (diseased controls) and hybridised the cRNA against oligonucleotide-based gene chips. Immunohistochemistry and reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR were used to assess the specificity of the findings and functional commitment of lymphocytes in affected livers. Findings Data filtering, to identify genes that are differentially expressed, and cluster analysis revealed a predominant and coordinated activation of immunity/inflammation genes within the livers of infants with biliary atresia. Most of the genes showed differential lymphocyte function, with activation of osteopontin, a regulator of cell-mediated (T-helper 1 [Th-1]) immunity in T-helper lymphocytes, and suppression of immunoglobulin genes in early stages of disease. These findings were associated with production of interferon y in 65% of infants with biliary atresia and no diseased control. However, histologically similar inflammatory infiltrates were present in livers of both groups, implying differential activation states of similar cell types. Interpretation Livers of infants with biliary atresia have a coordinated activation of genes involved in lymphocyte differentiation. Among these genes, the overexpression of osteopontin and interferon γ points to a potential role of Th-1-like cytokines in disease pathogenesis.
Release Mechanism of Octadecyl Rhodamine B Chloride from Au Nanorods by Ultrafast Laser Pulses

We investigated the release of octadecyl rhodamine B chloride (R18) loaded onto cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) coated gold nanorods (NR) by pulsed ultrafast laser excitation. R18 intercalates into the hydrophobic CTAB bilayer on the NR surface and can exchange on and off the NR with free CTAB micelles in solution. We find that laser excitation accelerates the rate of both R18 release from the NR and R18 binding to the NR with increasing fluence. However, at laser fluences >220 μJ/cm2 thermal degradation of the R18 dominates. We also find that the concentration of CTAB, particularly around the critical micelle concentration, strongly influences the release and binding rates.
Gendered Recruitment without Trying: How Local Party Recruiters Affect Women's Representation

Do strong and active political parties enhance women's representation, or do they contribute to the ongoing inequality in men's and women's candidacy rates? Studies have examined this question by looking at a variety of measures of party strength, focusing particularly on the role parties play in candidate emergence. For qualified individuals in the pool of potential candidates, being encouraged to run for office by a political actor is the most important step in considering a candidacy (Lawless and Fox 2005). Such encouragement is especially important in increasing the typically lower political ambition among women in the candidate pool (Fox and Lawless 2010). Yet the limited research examining the effects of party recruitment on men's and women's candidacies finds negative (Niven 1998; 2006) or no (Sanbonmatsu 2006) effects of recruitment on women's representation. Some studies even find evidence that parties more often run female than male candidates as “sacrificial lambs” in unwinnable races (Carroll 1994; Stambough and O'Regan 2007).
Temperature dependence of silicate weathering in nature: How strong a negative feedback on long-term accumulation of atmospheric CO2 and global greenhouse warming?

Estimation of the temperature dependence of natural feldspar weathering in two catchments at different elevations yields an apparent Arrhenius activation energy of 18.4 kcal/mol (77.0 kJ/mol), much higher than most laboratory values. This finding supports recent suggestions that hydrolytic weathering of silicate minerals may consume carbonic acid and thereby remove atmospheric carbon dioxide more rapidly with increasing temperature than previously thought. This result provides a stronger negative feedback on long-term greenhouse warming than has been assumed in most models of global carbon cycling. The present estimate was determined from the ratio of feldspar weathering rates (determined by geochemical mass balance) in the southern Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, United States. Temperature (a function of elevation) is the only factor that differs between the two catchments; parent rock type, aspect, hillslope hydrology, and vegetation type and successional stage are the same in both.
Up-regulation of mitochondrial chaperone TRAP1 in ulcerative colitis associated colorectal cancer

AIM: To characterize tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated protein 1 (TRAP1) expression in the progression of ulcerative colitis (UC)-associated colorectal cancer. METHODS: Chronic UC is an inflammatory bowel disease that predisposes to colorectal cancer. Immunohistochemical analysis was used to evaluate TRAP1 expression on tissue microarrays containing colonic tissues from 42 UC progressors (patients with cancer or dysplasia) and 38 non-progressors (dysplasia/cancer free patients). Statistical analyses of the TRAP1 immunohistochemistry staining were performed using GraphPad Prism. Differences in the TRAP1 level between non-progressors and progressors were tested for statistical significance using the Mann-Whitney test. Receiver operating characteristic curve method was used to quantify marker performance in distinguishing diseased cases from controls. RESULTS: TRAP1 was up-regulated in the colon tissues from UC progressors, but not in the colon tissues from UC non-progressors. Moreover, up-regulation of TRAP1 preceded the neoplastic changes: it was present in both the dysplastic and non-dysplastic tissues of UC progressors. When TRAP1 staining in rectal tissue was used as a diagnostic marker, it could distinguish progressors from non-progressors with 59% sensitivity and 80% specificity. Our study further showed that the increase of TRAP1 expression positively correlated with the degree of inflammation in the colorectal cancer tissues, which could be related to the increased oxidation present in the colonic mucosa from UC progressors. We then investigated the cellular proteome changes underlying oxidative stress, and found that oxidative stress could induce up-regulation of TRAP1 along with several other negative modulators of apoptosis. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that oxidative stress in long standing UC could lead to the increase of cytoprotective protein TRAP1, which in turn could promote cancer progression by preventing or protecting the oxidative damaged epithelial cells from undergoing apoptosis. TRAP1 could be a potential diagnostic marker for UC associated colorectal cancer.
New algorithm for efficient polygon decimation for virtual reality applications in medicine

The availability of high speed computers and high data storage capacities has facilitated the development of practicalvirtual reality (VR) systems. YR uses computer modeling and simulation to enable human interactions with artificialthree-dimensional visual or other sensory environments. In medicine, YR systems have the potential to significantly advancethe practice of surgery. Surgery planning and rehearsal can be effectively carried out on YR systems, eliminating or significantlyreducing the need for exploratory surgery.There are two components of YR applications that we consider in this paper. The first is three dimensional (3D)graphics modeling. YR and 3D graphics modeling is growing in medical applications, especially surgery (1-3). Toolkits havebeen developed to visualize and analyze three dimensional data sets and anatomic models (4). The second component is real timecontrol over anatomic models. Real time processing and rapid display updating are essential for a VR system to be practicallyuseful in medical applications. In order to give the general impression of reality to the user, the model must respond in real timeto user inputs. As the user interacts with the model, the visual display and response to peripheral input must be rapidly updatedin order to achieve the feel of a real system. This must take place at a high repetition rate, typically 30 frames per second.Most YR models are formed by connecting a set of polygons together to represent the shape of the surface of theunderlying object. This process is called "tiling". It is analogous to how a cube is formed by connecting six squares together.Triangles are the most common drawing primitive used for tiling in computer graphics, and specialized graphics hardware canrender them very quickly. Polygons can generally represent any model to any desired degree of accuracy. Unfortunately, as theshape complexity increases, so does the number of required polygons to achieve a high level of accuracy. The increase of numberof polygons relative to the accuracy required is approximately exponential (5).
A genetic algorithm that exchanges neighboring centers for fuzzy c-means clustering

Clustering algorithms are widely used in pattern recognition and data mining applications. Due to their computational efficiency, partitional clustering algorithms are better suited for applications with large datasets than hierarchical clustering algorithms. K-means is among the most popular partitional clustering algorithm, but has a major shortcoming: it is extremely sensitive to the choice of initial centers used to seed the algorithm. Unless k-means is carefully initialized, it converges to an inferior local optimum and results in poor quality partitions. Developing improved method for selecting initial centers for k-means is an active area of research. Genetic algorithms (GAs) have been successfully used to evolve a good set of initial centers. Among the most promising GA-based methods are those that exchange neighboring centers between candidate partitions in their crossover operations. K-means is best suited to work when datasets have well-separated non-overlapping clusters. Fuzzy c-means (FCM) is a popular variant of k-means that is designed for applications when clusters are less well-defined. Rather than assigning each point to a unique cluster, FCM determines the degree to which each point belongs to a cluster. Like k-means, FCM is also extremely sensitive to the choice of initial centers. Building on GA-based methods for initial center selection for k-means, this dissertation developed an evolutionary program for center selection in FCM called FCMGA. The proposed algorithm utilized region-based crossover and other mechanisms to improve the GA. To evaluate the effectiveness of FCMGA, three independent experiments were conducted using real and simulated datasets. The results from the experiments demonstrate the effectiveness and consistency of the proposed algorithm in identifying better quality solutions than extant methods. Moreover, the results confirmed the effectiveness of region-based crossover in enhancing the search process for the GA and the convergence speed of FCM. Taken together, findings in these experiments illustrate that FCMGA was successful in solving the problem of initial center selection in partitional clustering algorithms.
Efficacy of TEPA as a “sperm label” for competitive fertilization studies in the rabbit

In this paper, the conditions necessary to use TEPA [tris (1-aziridinyl)] effectively as a label for spermatozoa in competitive fertilization are established. The fertilizing ability of rabbit spermatozoa treated with 0 and 0.8 mg TEPA/ml was compared at insemination doses of 1, 5, 20, and 40 × 106 spermatozoa. Fertility was assessed by collecting ova from 64 does 48 to 52 h after insemination. TEPA blocked all but 4% of the ova from developing when 1 × 106 spermatozoa were inseminated, but fertility was reduced. When 5 × 106 spermatozoa were inseminated following treatment with 0, 0.6 or 1.2 mg of TEPA/ml, the fertility was 83, 74 and 50% (P<0.05), and the percentage of ova containing more than four blastomeres was 83, 11 and 5% (P<0.05), respectively. The 0.6% TEPA level was selected for a competitive fertilization trial. Equal numbers of sperm from pure Dutch-color and albino sires were combined so that either both types were untreated, only the ‘albino’ semen was treated, only the ‘Dutch’ semen was treated, or both were treated. Does were inseminated with 5 × 106 sperm and allowed to kindle. The litter sizes were 5.6, 3.1, 2.7, and 0 young, and the proportion of Dutch-color progeny was 63, 97, 0 and 0%, respectively, confirming the effectiveness of TEPA as a “label”. Only one of 60 young born resulted from fertilization by a TEPA-treated spermatozoon, demonstrating that few embryos fully escape the TEPA block. Thus, the TEPA concentration and sperm numbers were established to use TEPA effectively as a label for spermatozoa in competitive fertilization studies.
Myocardial substrate and route of administration determine acute cardiac retention and lung bio- distribution of cardiosphere-derived cells

Background Quantification of acute myocardial retention and lung bio-distribution of cardiosphere-derived cells (CDCs) following transplantation is important to improve engraftment.
Abnormal EKG stress test in rats with type 1 diabetes is deterred with low-intensity exercise programme.

The focus of this study was to determine whether minimal levels of exercise could halt the formation of diabetes-induced heart pathology. Seven-week-old male rats were divided into four groups: sedentary nondiabetic, exercise-trained non-diabetic, sedentary diabetic and exercise-trained diabetic. Individualised exercise programmes were based on the animal’s tolerance, and continued for 7 weeks after the induction of diabetes. At the completion of the study, no differences were found in skeletal muscle citrate synthase activity between diabetic sedentary and exercise-trained rats, indicating that the exercise was low intensity. Diabetes-induced heart hypertrophy was not reversed with exercise as measured by heart-to-body weight ratios and EKG (R wave height). There was no statistical difference between groups in the response to an exercise stress test prior to the induction of diabetes. However, 4 weeks of diabetes resulted in a significant decrease in resting and post-stress test heart rates (9% and 20%, respectively), which remained depressed at week 7. The sedentary diabetic animals demonstrated an abnormal response during the recovery period of the EKG exercise test, which was not present in non-diabetic or exercise-trained diabetic animals. In conclusion, lowintensity exercise training improved the cardiac response to an exercise stress test in diabetic animals.
The National Mucolytic Study. Results of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of iodinated glycerol in chronic obstructive bronchitis.

Seventy-four pulmonologists and one allergist were recruited to assess the efficacy and safety of iodinated glycerol (Organidin), 60 mg qid, vs placebo in patients with stable chronic obstructive bronchitis in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel design. A total of 361 patients (180 to iodinated glycerol and 181 to placebo) who complained of cough and difficulty bringing up sputum entered the eight-week study. Evaluations were based upon eight primary symptom efficacy parameters (cough frequency, cough severity, chest discomfort, dyspnea, ease in bringing up sputum, patient and physician global assessments, and a derived patients' global assessment), and six secondary parameters (frequency of aerosol bronchodilator use, incidence and duration of acute exacerbations, frequency of concomitant medication use, incidences of adverse experiences and dropouts). Cough frequency, cough severity, chest discomfort, patients' ease in bringing up sputum, patients' overall condition, and a derived subject global assessment were significantly (p
Intelligent SOP manufacturing

Microsystems packaging is fundamentally dependent on the manufacture of microelectronic, photonic, radio frequency (RF), and MEMS devices. The system-on-package (SOP) approach has been identified as a key strategy for integrating these strategic packaging technologies. Because of rising costs, the challenge before SOP manufacturers is to offset capital investment with greater automation and technological innovation in the fabrication process. To reduce manufacturing cost, several important subtasks have emerged, including increasing fabrication yield, reducing product cycle time, maintaining consistent levels of product quality and performance, and improving the reliability of processing equipment. Because of the large number of steps involved, maintaining product quality in an SOP manufacturing facility requires the control of hundreds of process variables. The interdependent issues of high yield, high quality, and low cycle time are addressed by the ongoing development of several critical capabilities in state-of-the-art computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) systems: in situ process monitoring, process/equipment modeling, real-time process control, and equipment diagnosis. Recently, the use of computational intelligence in various manufacturing applications has increased, and the SOP manufacturing arena is no exception to this trend. Artificial neural networks, genetic algorithms (GAs), and other techniques have emerged as powerful tools for assisting CIM systems in performing various process monitoring, modeling, and control functions. This paper reviews current research in these areas, as well as the potential for deployment of these capabilities in state-of-the-art SOP manufacturing facilities.
Correction of the spatial noise of LCD using error diffusion

LCDs are replacing CRTs as primary diagnostic softcopy displays in clinics. They exhibit higher spatial noise than CRTs, which can interfere with diagnosis and reduce the efficiency especially when subtle abnormalities are presented. We have reported recently a study on the LCD spatial noise 1 . A high quality CCD camera was used to acquire images from the LCD. Noise properties were estimated from the camera images. Then an error diffusion based operation was applied to compensate for the display spatial noise. This paper presents the noise estimation and compensation results on five different LCDs using same processing protocol. These five different LCDs vary in terms of matrix size, pixel size, pixel structure and vendors. The purpose of this work is to demonstrate that the LCD spatial noise estimation and compensation scheme we proposed earlier is valid, robust and necessary for different medical grade LCDs used in clinics today.
Injection molding of polypropylene reinforced with short jute fibers

Composites with polypropylene (PP) and jute fiber were prepared by injection molding technique. Maleic anhydride-grafted polypropylene was added as coupling agent to improve the adhesion between jute fiber and PP. A high fiber attrition was noted during injection molding, which had negative effects on the mechanical properties of the composites. The coupling agent improved the tensile and bending strengths, however the elastic and bending moduli were found not to be influenced by the coupling agent. The role of the average fiber length in strengthening of the composites was interpreted with help of the critical fiber length. Fracture surfaces of the composites, and the fiber orientations, were investigated by scanning electron microscopy and light microscopy, respectively. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Development of Linear Mixed Effects Models for Predicting Individual Pavement Conditions

Predicting future conditions of pavement plays an important role in pavement management. Prediction for a specific pavement is usually based on the deterioration trend of a group of pavements with similar characteristics, i.e., the same pavement family. This study proposes using the linear mixed effects model (LMEM) to predict future conditions of a specific pavement section by a weighted combination of the average deterioration trend of the family and the past conditions of the specific pavement. The relative weights are determined by the number of past condition measurements available and the degree of variations of the measured past conditions for the specific pavement. The results of the LMEM show significantly higher accuracy in predicting specific pavement conditions compared with two existing adjustment methods that use the last available condition measurement of the specific pavement to adjust the family trend prediction. The finding of this study shows that the LMEM can be used for project level ...
The effect of intercondylar notchplasty on the normal canine stifle.

This study evaluated the effect of notchplasty (enlargement of the intercondylar fossa) in stable and unstable canine stifles. Bilateral notchplasty and unilateral cranial cruciate ligament (CrCL) transection were performed in 6 dogs. Exercise, consisting of walking 1.5 miles three times a week, began 1 month after surgery and continued until euthanasia 6 months after surgery. Evaluation methods included orthopedic examination, serial radiographs, thin section radiography, histopathology, and gross pathology. Notchplasty in the stable stifle did not cause lameness beyond 3 weeks, joint instability, or degenerative joint disease. In the stable stifle, smooth resurfacing of the notchplasty site with fibrous and osseous tissue occurred. Stifles with notchplasty and CrCL transection exhibited persistent lameness, instability, and degenerative joint disease. In CrCL deficient stifles osteophytes formed within the notchplasty site, resulting in a rough surface. Our observations indicated significant refilling in notchplasties of both stable and unstable stifles (P < .05). However, the intercondylar fossa (ICF) width 6 months after notchplasty was significantly smaller in unstable stifles compared with stable stifles (P < .05) indicating that greater refilling of the notchplasties occurred in the unstable stifles. In clinical cases, notchplasty should be larger than the desired final result to accomodate the partial refilling that occurs even in stable stifles.
Nonlinear ship-wave theories by continuous mapping

The exact equations of steady inviscid flow past a ship hull are formulated in a reference domain, onto which the flow domain is mapped. A thin-ship perturbation analysis is performed in the reference domain, and the first- and second-order solutions are derived. The classical thin-ship theory is obtained as the consistent, mapping-independent, perturbation solution in the physical space. Guilloton's method is interpreted as an inconsistent, mapping-dependent, second-order approximation. A new inconsistent approximation is obtained by exploiting the freedom in the mapping of the flow domain onto the reference domain. Further improvements are suggested.
ATP-dependent calcium transport in cardiac sarcolemmal membrane vesicles.

Abstract Cardiac sarcolemmal (SL) membrane vesicles accumulated Ca in the presence of ATP. The accumulated Ca was released by osmotic shock and by the Ca ionophore A23187, indicating that the Ca had been transported into the vesicle interior. Ca uptake by the SL vesicles was not inhibited by ruthenium red, 2,4-dinitrophenol, carbonyl cyanide m -chlorophenyl hydrazone, of NaN 3 , agents that are known to inhibit mitochondrial Ca transport activity. In contrast to the behavior of cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum, Ca accumulation by the SL vesicles was not stimulated by oxalate and could not driven by p-nitrophenylphosphate hydrolysis. NaCl inhibited ATP-dependent Ca uptake by the SL vesicles. This effect was shown to be due to a stimulation of Ca efflux by Na, mediated by the sarcolemmal NaCa exchange system. The results provide conclusive evidence for the presence of an ATP-dependent Ca “pump” in the cardiac SL membrane.
Temperature dependence of the resistivity of Nb: Ni glasses

The temperature dependence of the resistivity $\ensuremath{\rho}$ of ${\mathrm{Nb}}_{1\ensuremath{-}c}{\mathrm{Ni}}_{c}$ metallic glasses is reported as a function of concentration in the range $c=0.4$ to $c=0.6$. This spans the interval in which glasses can be quenched from the melt in this system. We find $\ensuremath{\alpha}\ensuremath{\equiv}(\frac{1}{\ensuremath{\rho}})(\frac{d\ensuremath{\rho}}{\mathrm{dT}})l0$ for all samples studied. We interpret these results in terms of a recent calculation which extends the Ziman theory to metallic glasses. In order to fit the data with this theory one must assume that $2{k}_{F}\ensuremath{\simeq}{k}_{p}$, where ${k}_{p}$ is the position of the first peak in the structure factor. Good agreement between the theory and the experiment is found if electron-electron scattering is also included. The fact that $\ensuremath{\alpha}l0$ for all glass forming compositions in this system tentatively supports an extension of an electronic model of glass formation proposed for the transition-metal-metalloid systems to these amorphous intertransition-metal alloys.
Ballistic and diffuse light detection in confocal and heterodyne imaging systems

The detection of ballistic and diffuse light in confocal and heterodyne imaging systems in transillumination is studied experimentally and theoretically. We find an optimum pinhole size for ballistic light detection and diffuse light rejection for confocal imaging. The ratio of ballistic and diffuse light is found to be determined primarily by sample parameters and aberrations introduced by the sample. For sample and illumination characteristics that are typical for biomedical imaging, the limits of ballistic light detection in confocal imaging are close to the noise limits of standard detectors. Heterodyne detection with narrow-bandwidth light can extend these limits, depending on the spatial and the temporal coherence properties of the transmitted scattered light.
Investigation of the Attractive Forces Between the Persistent Currents in a Superconductor and the Lattice

We have investigated the behavior of a superconducting sphere in a magnetic field in order to answer the question of whether the persistent surface currents can move with respect to the metal or are rigidly bound to it. An early experiment of Tuyn’s1 has been interpreted as indicating that the super-currents are in fact rigidly fixed in the superconductor. Since Tuyn employed a hollow sphere, one would expect the intermediate state to set in and produce a strong frozen-in moment. Therefore his experiment is not conclusive.
A comparison of the proliferative and replicative life span kinetics of cell cultures derived from monozygotic twins.

We have compared the growth rates, kinetics of cell aging, and replicative life spans of skin fibroblast cell cultures derived from three pairs of monozygotic twins of similar ages. The results of these studies indicated no significant differences in the cell densities 7 days after inoculation or replicative life spans within each twin pair but highly significant differences among each twin pair. The kinetics by which each culture aged ([3H]thymidine-labeled nuclei) were compared within and among the twin cell cultures. Although the slopes of each regression line were not significantly different, comparisons of the elevations of each line supported the conclusion that the aging of monozygotic twin cell cultures is similar within the twin pairs but differs among the twin pairs.
Dynamics and Control of a Translating Flexible Beam With a Prismatic Joint

The complete dynamic model of a translating flexible beam, with a tip mass at one end and emerging from or retracting into a rigid base at the other, is presented. The model considers the effect of elastic and translational motions of the beam on each other. The properties of the eigenfunctions of a fixed-free beam are exploited to obtain closed-form expressions for several domain integrals that arise in the model.
A Method of Studying Food Consumption of Live Honey Bee Larvae by Liquid Scintillation Counting

A radioisotope method was developed to study the continuous food intake of individual honey bee larvae, Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae), from hatching until they become prepupae. The amount of 32P-labeled royal jelly eaten during this developmental period was measured directly in living larvae by analyzing their 32P content by liquid scintillation counting in a special vial designed to isolate the insect from the liquid scintillation fluid. The procedure is applicable for insects with a maximum weight up to about 25 mg. For larger organisms, a correction factor for self-absorption of beta radiation can be applied.
Acute Intravenous Infusion of an Adenosine Regulating Agent Improves Left Ventricular Function in Dogs with Advanced Heart Failure

GP531 is a second generation adenosine regulating agent (ARA) that increases concentrations of endogenous adenosine, a natural cardioprotective agent, in ischemic/hypoxic tissue. This study examined the effects of acute intravenous infusions of GP531 on left ventricular (LV) systolic and diastolic function in dogs with advanced chronic heart failure (HF) (LV ejection fraction, EF <30 %). Six dogs with intracoronary microembolization-induced HF received a constant intravenous infusion of GP531 (10 μg/kg/min) or vehicle (normal saline) for 6 h in random order 1 week apart. Hemodynamic measurements were made at baseline and at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 h after initiating drug infusion. Myocardial oxygen consumption (MVO2) was measured at baseline and 4 and 6 h. LV pressure-volume relationship (PVR) was measured at baseline and 6 h. Vehicle infusions had no effect on indexes of LV systolic and diastolic function. GP531 infusion had no effect on heart rate or mean aortic pressure but significantly decreased LV end-diastolic pressure, end-diastolic volume, end-systolic volume and end-diastolic wall stress. GP531 significantly increased LV EF (27 ± 1 at baseline to 34 ± 1 after 6 h of drug infusion, p < 0.05), deceleration time of early mitral inflow velocity and the slope of end-systolic PVR without increasing MVO2. Results of the study indicate that approaches which increase the local release of adenosine in failing LV myocardium, such as ARAs, have a favorable impact on LV performance. These observations support the continued development of ARA’s for the treatment of acute HF syndromes.
A multicenter, matched case-control study of risk factors for equine laminitis.

Abstract Risk factors for equine laminitis were examined in a prospective case-control study of the 258 cases seen at six collaborating veterinary teaching hospitals over a 32-month period. Case-control pairs were matched on institution, clinician, and season of diagnosis. The 90% of case-control pairs (78 acute, 155 chronic) that had complete data for age, gender, and breed were used in separate conditional logistic-regression models for acute and chronic laminitis. There was an increase in risk for horses with acute laminitis from 5 to 7 years of age (OR 4.7, 95% CI 1.3–16) and from 13 to 31 years of age (OR 3.9, 95% CI 1.3–12) (both compared to
The Early Movements of Anthropology and Their Folkloristic Relationships

anthropological concerns, and conversely, an increasing number of cultural anthropologists recognize the contributions of folklife/folklore research to their methods and theories.' In a past article I outlined some relations between modern trends in anthropology and folklife/folklore;2 in the following essay I explore further back in time to the early movements of anthropology and their impact on the history of folkloristic thought. 'Folkloristic' is used here in a broad sense to represent the study of human traditions and behaviours. Although 'folklife' has come to signify an orientation which stresses holistic studies of 'folk' communities or regions, this meaning has been seriously challenged by a new wave of analysts who want to base folklife study on a behavioural research foundation. For their data construction they look to paradigmatic processes; they investigate the expressive actions and products, the differential identities of individuals. 'Folk' is thus not a class or caste of people; it is not even a style or design. It is an abstraction for customary ways of doing, making, and using things that individuals have in different forms and in diverse situations. Thus the new folklife is an expanded conception that allows for behaviours of
Multiword list items

The list concept as originally proposed by Newell, Simon and Shaw specified single computer words as elements of a list. This report describes the use of two or more consecutive words as one element. Such use results in a considerable saving in both the space required to hold a given amount of data, and in the execution time required to perform a given process on the data.Following a brief description of standard list structures with single-word items, the multiword items are introduced. Then variable-length items are described, along with the corresponding space-utilization problems. Finally, several examples are given to illustrate the use of multiword lists.This paper attempts to draw together various recent papers which have applied some of these concepts in different ways, and indicate how they relate to the more general problem.
Use of La0.85Sr0.15CrO3 in high-temperature NOx sensing elements

Abstract This work focuses on use of the electronically-conducting oxide La 0.85 Sr 0.15 CrO 3 (LSC) in solid electrolyte-based NO x sensing elements intended for operation at T ∼650 °C. Two different investigations are described, in the first LSC was used as a direct substitute for Pt. The substitution led to decreased sensitivity to NO 2 and an enhancement of the NO response, although the NO 2 response was still much larger in magnitude and opposite in sign. Fabrication and evaluation of sensing elements with co-planar LSC and Pt electrodes comprised the second investigation. The measured NO x sensing performance of these elements was commensurate with that of the elements fabricated in the first phase of the investigation (e.g., 450 ppm v NO 2 in 7 vol% O 2 produced ∼50 mV at 600 °C) and the response/recovery times for NO 2 sensing were improved. The results indicate that LSC could be useful in these types of sensing elements, both as a substitute for, and in combination with, Pt.
Design and flight testing of an autonomous variable-pitch quadrotor

This video submission presents a design concept of an autonomous variable-pitch quadrotor with constant motor speed. The main aim of this work is to increase the maneuverability of the quadrotor vehicle concept while largely maintaining its mechanical simplicity. This added maneuverability will allow autonomous agile maneuvers like inverted hover and flip. A custom in lab built quadrotor with onboard attitude stabilization is developed and tested in the ACL's (Aerospace Controls Laboratory) RAVEN (Real-time indoor Autonomous Vehicle test ENvironment). Initial flight results show that the quadrotor is capable of waypoint tracking and hovering both upright and inverted.
Diet, methyl donors and DNA methylation: interactions between dietary folate, methionine and choline.

DNA methylation influences the expression of some genes and depends upon the availability of methyl groups from S-adenosylmethionine (SAM). Dietary methyl groups derive from foods that contain methionine, one-carbon units and choline (or the choline metabolite betaine). Humans ingest ∼50 mmol of methyl groups per day; 60% of them are derived from choline. Transmethylation metabolic pathways closely interconnect choline, methionine, methyltetrahydrofolate (methyl-THF) and vitamins B-6 and B-12. The pathways intersect at the formation of methionine from homocysteine. Perturbing the metabolism of one of these pathways results in compensatory changes in the others. For example, methionine can be formed from homocysteine using methyl groups from methyl-THF, or using methyl groups from betaine that are derived from choline. Similarly, methyl-THF can be formed from one-carbon units derived from serine or from the methyl groups of choline via dimethylglycine, and choline can be synthesized de novo using methyl groups derived from methionine (via SAM). When animals and humans are deprived of choline, they use more methyl-THF to remethylate homocysteine in the liver and increase dietary folate requirements. Conversely, when they are deprived of folate, they use more methyl groups from choline, increasing the dietary requirement for choline. The availability of transgenic and knockout mice has made possible additional studies that demonstrate the interrelationship of these methyl sources. In summary, as we consider dietary requirements and possible effects on DNA methylation, it is important to realize that methionine, methyl-THF and choline can be fungible sources of methyl groups, and the design of our studies should reflect this.