cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Isolated combined growth hormone and gonadotrophin deficiency due to hypothalamic dysfunction, associated with insulin resistance

A 47-year-old woman was evaluated for congenital dwarfism, primary amenorrhoea due to hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism, severe hyperlipidaemia with pancreatitis, and overt diabetes mellitus associated with severe insulin resistance requiring 2.5-3 units of insulin per kilogram body weight. Chromosomal analysis with trypsin banding was normal and biochemical evaluation revealed low oestrogen levels, inappropriately low gonadotrophins, very low IGF-I concentrations and GH concentrations unresponsive to insulin or L-dopa administration. Prolactin, pituitary-adrenal and pituitary-thyroid axes were normal. Dynamic testing with GnRH and GHRH produced increases in FSH, LH and GH concentrations. A MRI of the brain revealed no discernible hypothalamic abnormalities and a small pituitary. The presence of congenital combined growth hormone and gonadotrophin deficiency on the basis of a suprapituitary defect suggests the existence of common or related pathways regulating GnRH and GHRH synthesis or secretion and may have contributed to the ultimate development of insulin resistance and hyperlipidaemia.
Obesogenic high fat western diet induces oxidative stress and apoptosis in rat heart

Feeding Wistar rats a high calorie “Western” diet (45% fat) for up to 48 weeks induces obesity and cardiac dysfunction, while a high fat diet (60% fat) induces obesity only. Here we investigated the molecular “footprints” of the two forms of diet-induced obesity in the heart. In rats fed Western diet for a long term, cardiac mRNA transcript levels of malic enzyme were decreased (−72%, P < 0.05), suggesting impaired anaplerotic flux of the Krebs cycle (KC) and mitochondrial dysfunction. In addition, there was a marked decrease in the expression of the transcription factor MEF2C (myocyte enhancer factor 2C) and its target gene SERCA2a (sarco-endo-plasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase). Oxidative stress was reflected in reduced transcript levels of manganese superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase 1, and increased protein levels of mitochondrial transcription factor A, suggesting compensatory mitochondrial biogenesis in the face of increased mitochondrial damage. Oxidant injury was accompanied by increased protein glycosylation, increased transcript levels of glutamine fructose 6-phosphate amidotransferase 2, and decreased protein levels of acetyl Co-A carboxylase. Lastly, apoptosis was evident by TUNEL positivity and elevated mRNA transcript levels and activity of caspase 3. Consistent with these results, protein levels of Bcl2 were markedly reduced. We conclude that inadequate supplementation of KC intermediates due to reduced levels of malic enzyme, downregulation of MEF2C and its target gene SERCA2a, oxidative stress, and programmed cell death are all potential contributors to contractile dysfunction of the heart.
Effects of forskolin on placental vascular resistance in rabbits.

Forskolin is a direct stimulant of adenylate cyclase and increases cAMP production. It also acts as a vasodilator. To study the effect of forskolin infusion on rabbit maternal vascular resistance, we instrumented 11 pregnant rabbits with catheters in the left ventricle, jugular vein, and left and right femoral arteries. After a 2-day recovery period, one of two protocols was performed. In the control period of the first protocol (N = 6), 50% ethanol in saline was infused at 0.103 ml.min-1 for 5-min. Forskolin (10(-3) M) in 50% ethanol was then infused for 5 min at 0.103 ml.min-1. After each infusion period, regional blood flows were measured by microsphere injection. Data are expressed as means +/- SEM. Blood pressure decreased from 81 +/- 3 to 79 +/- 3 mm Hg, (P less than 0.05, N = 10) during forskolin infusion. Total placental resistance fell from 180.3 +/- 10.7 to 133.8 +/- 12.0 mm Hg.min.ml-1 per gram, P less than 0.05. Cerebral, coronary, and renal vascular resistance fell significantly. During the second protocol (N = 5), angiotensin II (0.05 microgram.min-1) was infused for 5 min followed by the addition of forskolin (10(-3) M at 0.103 ml.min-1) to the infusate. Regional blood flows, vascular resistances and blood pressures were determined. Blood pressure fell from 99 +/- 6 to 92 +/- 7 mm Hg (P less than 0.05) when forskolin was added to the infusate. Placental resistance fell from 202.5 +/- 21.6 to 158.0 +/- 29.0 mm Hg.min.ml-1 per gram (P less than 0.05). While cerebral vascular resistance did not change, renal and coronary resistances fell in response to forskolin. This study demonstrates that forskolin is able to dilate rabbit placental vessels alone and in the presence of the vasoconstrictive agent angiotensin II.
Clock and cycle Limit Starvation-Induced Sleep Loss in Drosophila

Neural systems controlling the vital functions of sleep and feeding in mammals are tightly interconnected: sleep deprivation promotes feeding, whereas starvation suppresses sleep. Here we show that starvation in Drosophila potently suppresses sleep, suggesting that these two homeostatically regulated behaviors are also integrated in flies. The sleep-suppressing effect of starvation is independent of the mushroom bodies, a previously identified sleep locus in the fly brain, and therefore is regulated by distinct neural circuitry. The circadian clock genes Clock (Clk) and cycle (cyc) are critical for proper sleep suppression during starvation. However, the sleep suppression is independent of light cues and of circadian rhythms as shown by the fact that starved period mutants sleep like wild-type flies. By selectively targeting subpopulations of Clk-expressing neurons, we localize the observed sleep phenotype to the dorsally located circadian neurons. These findings show that Clk and cyc act during starvation to modulate the conflict of whether flies sleep or search for food.
Spatio-temporal patterns generated by Salmonella typhimurium

We present experimental results on the bacterium Salmonella typhimurium which show that cells of chemotactic strains aggregate in response to gradients of amino acids, attractants that they themselves excrete. Depending on the conditions under which cells are cultured, they form periodic arrays of continuous or perforated rings, which arise sequentially within a spreading bacterial lawn. Based on these experiments, we develop a biologically realistic cell-chemotaxis model to describe the self-organization of bacteria. Numerical and analytical investigations of the model mechanism show how the two types of observed geometric patterns can be generated by the interaction of the cells with chemoattractant they produce.
Continuous Particle Separation in Split-Flow Thin (SPLITT) Cells Using Hydrodynamic Lift Forces

Abstract In this paper we discuss the relationship between field-flow fractionation and split-flow thin (SPLITT) cell methodology, both of which utilize transverse driving forces to establish different transverse concentration profiles for various suspended particle populations carried by flow down a ribbonlike channel. It is shown that hydrodynamic lift forces can assume a particularly important role among the stable of forces available; when combined with certain other forces the lift forces lead to the formation of thin hyperlayers of particles distributed within the channel. The conditions necessary to split the channel flow into substreams containing different particle populations by SPLITT techniques are discussed. It is shown that the SPLITT system can be operated in either an equilibrium or a transport mode, both benefiting by the use of an inlet as well as an outlet flow splitter in the cell.
The crackling core model for the reaction of solid particles

Abstract A one parameter model is here proposed to represent the reaction of an initially nonporous solid with gas. It views that cracks form at the pellet surface and penetrate into the interior. As a result the virgin core shrinks leaving behind a grainy structure which then reacts away according to the shrinking core model. Simple conversion-time expressions are obtained, methods of comparison with data are suggested, and a good fit is shown to reported iron ore reduction data.
Serum Lysozyme Levels in Paddlefish and Walleye

Abstract The turbidimetric assay of lysozyme activity in serum revealed ranges of 0.0–27.8 units/mL in walleyes Stizostedion vitreum (spawners and nonspawners) and 11.1–238.9 units/mL in paddlefish Polyodon spathula (spawners and juveniles). A unit of lysozyme activity was defined as the amount of the sample causing a decrease in absorbance of 0.001 /min. Lysozyme activity was significantly different (P < 0.05) in the two species. This first demonstration of lysozyme in the sera of paddlefish and walleye is further evidence of the occurrence of this nonspecific immune factor, which has been ubiquitous in fishes investigated to now.
Measuring performance at the army research laboratory: The performance evaluation construct

The Army Research Laboratory (ARL) is the only R&D organization to be designated a Pilot Project for Performance Measurement under the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA). As such, managers at ARL were required to develop a system for measuring progress towards meeting strategic and annual performance goals, as specified in the required planning documents. The measurement system developed at ARL to comply with the GPRA, which we call the Performance Evaluation Construct, is presented herein.
CONSIDERING CAPITALISM IN AMERICAN SOCIAL THOUGHT

Triumphant capitalism seems nowadays to be a fact of nature, requiring no name and admitting, as Margaret Thatcher famously put it, of “no alternative.” Neither American Capitalism nor Transcending Capitalism shrinks from “naming the system,” as perplexed New Leftists once struggled to do when trying to articulate their own alternative. But having named it, neither book takes as its primary task to define or fully describe that economic and sociocultural system. Rather, both are concerned principally with how twentieth-century American intellectuals, broadly construed, oriented and addressed themselves to the idea of capitalism in light of their respective historical moments’ shifting economic and social realities. Some reformist thinkers came to deny the efficacy of “capitalism” for describing a political–economic order which they believed to be rapidly passing away; their rivals to the right, meanwhile, mounted a reinvigorated defense of the term and its classical implications. While Daniel Bell announced in his 1960 essay on “The End of Ideology in the West” that post-World War II intellectuals had achieved a “rough consensus” on the desirability of the welfare state and political pluralism, the essays in American Capitalism suggest a more complicated picture. The “age of consensus,” that favorite punching bag of recent historians of the United States, takes a few more ritual knocks in the Lichtenstein volume. But the book's essays, in conjunction with Howard Brick's monograph, do establish that the lively discourse on the future of American society which proceeded in the aftermath of World War II was also part of a continuous debate that ran across most of the century's course. Bell suggested one theme of that debate when he argued that Western intellectuals must turn their attention away from political economy in order to address “the stultifying aspects of contemporary culture,” which could not be adequately framed in traditional right-versus-left terms. If Bell's generation, along with the younger New Left thinkers who were soon to appear, found the contradictions of capitalism to be decreasingly pressing, they would find sufficient challenge when they engaged instead with the knotty social and cultural issues of modern America.
Kidney Injury, Insulin Therapy, and Hypoglycemia

The intent of this review is to evaluate the literature with respect to increased risk for hypoglycemia for critically ill patients with acute kidney injury or chronic kidney disease who are given insulin therapy. The unique pathophysiology of insulin and glucose metabolism during renal failure that predisposes patients for hypoglycemia is reviewed. Studies that contribute to the understanding and clinical relevance of renal dysfunction upon glycemic control during intensive insulin and continuous nutrition therapy are evaluated. Some practical suggestions for management of hyperglycemia with insulin therapy for critically ill patients with renal failure are given.
Working with pathological and healthy forms of splitting: a case study.

Abstract The author illustrates through a case discussion how he understands the concept of splitting and how he makes use of that understanding in tracking, and at times, interpreting movement of the unconscious transference and countertransference. He views splitting not simply as a primitive defense but also as essential to early emotional development and to healthy psychological maturation in the course of analytic work. In the analytic relationship discussed in this article, the author presents both aspects of splitting—as a primitive defense and as a healthy movement toward new and more complex object relatedness. Difficulties arise when one fails to distinguish pathological from healthy but immature forms of splitting. Healthy splitting in its beginnings represents an important developmental step that serves as a transition to ambivalence and mature integration. The author demonstrates the importance of the analyst's capacity to distinguish pathological splitting from healthy splitting during perio...
Micro-capillary agglutination.

Abstract The capillary assay of agglutinating-like anti-leukocyte antibodies appears to be a simple, reliable and sensitive technique. A number of factor iin measuring anti-leukocyte agglutinins were investigated to determine the optimum conditions for the method. Concentrations of Ethylene-dinitrilotetraacetic acid (EDTA) and calcium, capillary tube size, centrifuge packing time, assay temperature, overlaying oil on serum-cell mixtures, and cell preparations are parameters that effect capillary formation. Low concentration of EDTA, increased concentrations of calcium, prolonged in vitro storage of stock cells, and increased assay temperatures were either deleterious to streamer formation or reduced sensitivity of the assay. One or two microliter tube assays are as sensitive as tests performed with 10 microliter tubes. Whole leukocytes, lymphocytes, or polymorphonuclear leukocytes may be utilized providing a rather unique assay system for the investigation of leukocyte antibodies.
Two-dimensional vector flow inversion by diffraction tomography

The reconstruction of a two-dimensional moving fluid from acoustic transmission measurements is considered. The fluid is described by both a scalar index of refraction and a vector velocity. If the measured data are assumed to be straight-ray geometric projections of the flow, it is known that inversion for the vector velocity is an underdetermined problem. In the present work, it is shown that if the measured data are assumed to satisfy a linearized time-harmonic wave equation, then a unique inversion for the vector velocity is possible. This result is a distinctly finite wavelength effect indicating why ray-based methods fail to produce a complete reconstruction. A filtered backpropagation algorithm for the tomographic reconstruction of the vector flow field is derived.
Two dimensional analysis of a high temperature gaseous radiation receiver

The characteristics of the Flowing Gas Radiation Receiver (FGRR), a device that absorbs solar radiation volumetrically in a gas to produce high temperatures for space propulsion and power applications, are analyzed using a two-dimensional axisymmetric numerical model of the flow and radiation fields within a diffusely reflecting channel. The results show that an FGRR system is capable of generating temperatures in excess of 3000 K with collection efficiencies of approximately 75 percent for a channel with a reflectivity of 0.9. For a collinear radiation source, outflow temperatures of 3193 and 3092 K were achieved for axial and radial flow inputs, respectively, with receiver efficiencies of 0.82 and 0.76.
Route to Higher Fidelity FT-IR Imaging

FT-IR imaging employing a focal plane array (FPA) detector is often plagued by low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) data. A mathematical transform that re-orders spectral data points into decreasing order of SNR is employed to reduce noise by retransforming the ordered data set using only a few relevant data points. This approach is shown to result in significant gains in terms of image fidelity by examining microscopically phase-separated composites termed polymer dispersed liquid crystals (PDLCs). The actual gains depend on the SNR characteristics of the original data. Noise is reduced by a factor greater than 5 if the noise in the initial data is sufficiently low. For a moderate absorbance level of 0.5 a.u., the achievable SNR by reducing noise is greater than 100 for a collection time of less than 4 min. The criteria for optimal application of a noise-reducing procedure employing the minimum noise fraction (MNF) transform are discussed and various variables in the process quantified. This noise reduction is shown to provide high-quality images for accurate morphological analysis. The coupling of mathematical transformation techniques with spectroscopic Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) imaging is shown to result in high-fidelity images without increasing collection time or drastically modifying hardware. Index Headings: Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy; Imaging; Minimum noise fraction; Principal components; Signal-tonoise ratio; Morphological analysis; Polymer dispersed liquid crystals.
Thirty years' experience with gastrinoma.

Over a 30-year period (1947–1977), 40 patients with gastrinoma have been studied. Fifteen of the 19 survivors have lived 10 to 28 years following surgical treatment. Recent multiple endocrine studies in the long-term survivors have verified the clinical importance of including at least prolactin, parathormone, and catecholamine levels in addition to gastrin and calcium in every patient whose risk of other endocrine adenomas increases with time. Five-year survival was 62.5%, and 10-year, 47.5%. The absence of gross tumor at operation, origin within the submucosa of the duodenum or antrum, or proof of hyperparathyroidism favorably influenced long-term survival, regardless of the type of surgical procedure. Survival was improved following removal of a rare solitary tumor or combined aggressive tumor removal, hemipancreatectomy, and total gastrectomy for extensive disease.
Improving Operating Room Turnover Time: A Systems Based Approach

Operating room (OR) turnover time (TT) has a broad and significant impact on hospital administrators, providers, staff and patients. Our objective was to identify current problems in TT management and implement a consistent, reproducible process to reduce average TT and process variability. Initial observations of TT were made to document the existing process at a 511 bed, 24 OR, academic medical center. Three control groups, including one consisting of Orthopedic and Vascular Surgery, were used to limit potential confounders such as case acuity/duration and equipment needs. A redesigned process based on observed issues, focusing on a horizontally structured, systems-based approach has three major interventions: developing consistent criteria for OR readiness, utilizing parallel processing for patient and room readiness, and enhancing perioperative communication. Process redesign was implemented in Orthopedics and Vascular Surgery. Comparisons of mean and standard deviation of TT were made using an independent 2-tailed t-test. Using all surgical specialties as controls (n?=?237), mean TT (hh:mm:ss) was reduced by 0:20:48 min (95 % CI, 0:10:46---0:30:50), from 0:44:23 to 0:23:25, a 46.9 % reduction. Standard deviation of TT was reduced by 0:10:32 min, from 0:16:24 to 0:05:52 and frequency of TT?30 min was reduced from 72.5to 11.7 %. P?<?0.001 for each. Using Vascular and Orthopedic surgical specialties as controls (n?=?13), mean TT was reduced by 0:15:16 min (95 % CI, 0:07:18---0:23:14), from 0:38:51 to 0:23:35, a 39.4 % reduction. Standard deviation of TT reduced by 0:08:47, from 0:14:39 to 0:05:52 and frequency of TT?30 min reduced from 69.2 to 11.7 %. P?<?0.001 for each. Reductions in mean TT present major efficiency, quality improvement, and cost-reduction opportunities. An OR redesign process focusing on parallel processing and enhanced communication resulted in greater than 35 % reduction in TT. A systems-based focus should drive OR TT design.
DNA melting on yeast RNA polymerase II promoters

Transcription-dependent DNA melting on the yeast GAL1 and GAL10 promoters was found to be more closely correlated with the TATA box than the transcription start site. On both these genes, melting begins about 20 base pairs downstream of the TATA box. Physical and genetic analyses suggest that RNA polymerase II associates with this region. Thus, the distance between promoter melting and the TATA box in yeast may be similar to that in higher eukaryotes, even though transcription initiates in a region about 10 to 90 base pairs farther downstream in yeast.
Circular polarisation in HDE226868

MUCH effort is being expended to develop an understanding of the details of X-ray production in some astronomical sources. Accretion on to magnetic poles is the mechanism most often invoked for X-ray production in collapsed stars. Strong magnetic fields, such as those associated with collapsed objects, are capable of producing observable circular polarisation; so it is of great interest to determine whether HDE226868, the binary containing Cyg X-1, exhibits this effect.
Effects of short-term changes in electrolyte intake on the adrenal steroidogenic responses of juvenile mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos).

Abstract 1. 1. Adjusting the Na + and K + intake of juvenile mallard ducks caused the plasma concentrations of corticosterone (B) and aldosterone (Aldo) to increase independently of one another, but none of these changes in electrolyte intake had a significant effect on the deoxycorticosterone (DOC) concentration. 2. 2. With the exception of DOC in birds consuming the control diet, the plasma concentration of each hormone, regardless of diet, increased significantly following exposure to stress. 3. 3. Stress-induced increases in Aldo concentration were greatest in birds given diets containing low concentrations of Na + . 4. 4. Unlike the mammal and some other species of birds, Na + may be the primary secretogogue responsible for the regulation of both corticosterone and aldosterone synthesis in the mallard duck.
Depressed mood and its functional correlates in institutionalized schizophrenia patients

Abstract Objective To determine the frequency of depressed mood in institutionalized schizophrenia patients and its association with illness-related and functional variables. Methods Out of 657 institutionalized schizophrenia patients, patients with depressed mood were identified and compared to non-depressed patients, matching for potential confounders. Results Forty-eight (7.3%) patients had moderate to severe depressed mood. They were younger, more educated and had fewer years since their first hospitalization than non-depressed patients. After matching for these variables, depressed patients showed more positive symptoms and exhibited better social and cognitive functioning. When controlling for negative symptoms, the differences in social and cognitive functioning between the depressed and non-depressed patients disappeared, and depressed patients showed more positive symptoms and more impaired impulse control. Conclusions Unlike the negative impact of depressed mood in other populations, this study shows that symptoms of depressed mood may identify a subgroup of institutionalized schizophrenia patients who show better functioning across a variety of indicators. Future studies should determine differential treatment responses and long-term outcomes of these patients.
Effect of travel distance and time to radiotherapy on likelihood of receiving mastectomy.

Background Breast-conserving surgery (BCS) followed by adjuvant radiation therapy (RT) is the standard of care for women with early-stage breast cancer as an alternative to mastectomy. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between receipt of mastectomy and travel distance and time to RT facility in New Jersey (NJ).
Cloud overbooking through stochastic admission controller

Cloud providers apply overbooking to increase utilization of data center resources, which is associated with the risk of overloading cloud resources. In this paper, we study an admission control technique that permits cloud overbooking with bounded probability of resource over-utilization. The objective is to achieve a specified quality-of-service related to the probability of resource over-utilization in an uncertain loading condition, while maintaining high resource utilizations. Our method relies on estimating the probability of over-utilization based on approximating the probability distribution of the total resource demand on hosts as Beta. We perform a qualitative study to investigate the efficiency of using our method on Google Compute Cluster where we disclose some empirical observations on how well the resource utilization can be estimated as Beta Distribution. We also report results on the performance of the stochastic admission controller by estimating the mean and the standard deviation of the usage data.
Hypomethylating agents for urologic cancers

Silencing of tumor suppressor genes by promoter-region methylation as an epigenetic mechanism of gene regulation is increasingly recognized as beneficial in cancer. Initially developed as cytotoxic high-dose therapies, azacitidine and decitabine are now being reinvestigated in lower-dose cancer treatment regimens with a different paradigm – hypomethylation. Recent evidence for benefit in myelodysplastic syndromes and acute myeloid leukemias has renewed interest in hypomethylation as a therapeutic option in epithelial cancers. In this article, we describe the mechanistic aspects of DNA methylation, which alters gene expression, and review the evidence for hypomethylation as a therapeutic option in urologic cancers. Potential correlative studies that may assist in developing tailored therapy with hypomethylating agents are reviewed. Given that the population with urologic cancers is typically elderly with multiple comorbidities, the excellent tolerability of lower-dose hypomethylating agents provides a high...
Geochemistry of pore waters from Shell Oil Company drill holes on the continental slope of the northern Gulf of Mexico

Abstract Pore waters were analyzed from 6 holes drilled from M.V. “Eureka” as a part of the Shell Oil Co. deeper offshore study. The holes were drilled in water depths of 600–3,000 ft. (approximately 180–550 m) and penetrated up to 1,000 ft. (300 m) of Pliocene-Recent clayey sediments. Salt and anhydrite caprock was encountered in one diapiric structure on the continental slope. Samples from holes drilled near diapiric structures showed systematic increases of pore-water salinity with depth, suggestive of salt diffusion from underlying salt plugs. Anomalous concentrations of K and Br indicate that at least one plug contains late-stage evaporite minerals. Salinities approaching halite saturation were observed. Samples from holes away from diapiric structures showed little change in pore-water chemistry, except for loss of SO 4 and other variations attributable to early-stage diagenetic reactions with enclosing sediments. Thus, increased salt concentrations in even shallow sediments from this part of the Gulf appear to provide an indicator of salt masses at depth.
Physical and Psychological Problems Associated With Exposure to Diethylstilbestrol (DES)

The synthetic hormone diethylstilbestrol (DES) was widely prescribed between 1943 and 1971 to minimize pregnancy complications. It has caused serious physical and psychological damage to the women who took it and to their offspring. DES-exposed mothers may suffer a higher incidence of breast cancer, their exposed daughters are at risk for reproductive tract cancers and infertility, and their exposed sons are more likely to have genital abnormalities and reproductive dysfunction. Psychiatric disorders among DES-exposed persons are reportedly twice as common as for nonexposed persons, with anger, anxiety, low self-worth, identity confusion, and guilt the most frequent symptoms. The author describes therapeutic interventions designed to alleviate these problems.
Ubiquitination and Degradation of the Substrate Recognition Subunits of SCF Ubiquitin–Protein Ligases

Abstract The S. cerevisiae SCF Cdc4p ubiquitin–protein ligase complex promotes cell cycle transitions through degradation of cell cycle regulators. To investigate SCF Cdc4p regulation in vivo, we examined the stability of individual SCF Cdc4p components. Whereas Cdc53p and Skp1p were stable, Cdc4p, the F box–containing component responsible for substrate recognition, was short lived and subject to SCF-mediated ubiquitination. Grr1p, another F box component of SCF complexes, was also ubiquitinated. A stable truncated Cdc4p F -β-gal hybrid protein capable of binding Skp1p and entering into an SCF complex interfered with proteolysis of SCF targets and inhibited cell proliferation. The finding that the F box–containing SCF components are unstable suggests a mechanism of regulating SCF function through ubiquitination and proteolysis of F box components.
Bearing fault diagnosis based on wavelet transform and fuzzy inference

This paper deals with a new scheme for the diagnosis of localised defects in ball bearings based on the wavelet transform and neuro-fuzzy classification. Vibration signals for normal bearings, bearings with inner race faults and ball faults were acquired from a motor-driven experimental system. The wavelet transform was used to process the accelerometer signals and to generate feature vectors. An adaptive neural-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) was trained and used as a diagnostic classifier. For comparison purposes, the Euclidean vector distance method as well as the vector correlation coefficient method were also investigated. The results demonstrate that the developed diagnostic method can reliably separate different fault conditions under the presence of load variations.
Gene Reactivation by 5-Aza-2′-Deoxycytidine–Induced Demethylation Requires SRCAP–Mediated H2A.Z Insertion to Establish Nucleosome Depleted Regions

5-Aza-2′-deoxycytidine, approved by the FDA for the treatment of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), is incorporated into the DNA of dividing cells where it specifically inhibits DNA methylation by forming covalent complexes with the DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs). In an effort to study the correlations between DNA methylation, nucleosome remodeling, and gene reactivation, we investigate the integrated epigenetic events that worked coordinately to reprogram the methylated and closed promoters back to permissive chromatin configurations after 5-Aza-2′-deoxycytidine treatment. The ChIP results indicate that H2A.Z is deposited at promoter regions by the Snf2-related CBP activator protein (SRCAP) complex following DNA demethylation. According to our genome-wide expression and DNA methylation profiles, we find that the complete re-activation of silenced genes requires the insertion of the histone variant H2A.Z, which facilitates the acquisition of regions fully depleted of nucleosome as demonstrated by NOMe–seq (Nucleosome Occupancy Methylome–sequencing) assay. In contrast, SRCAP–mediated H2A.Z deposition is not required for maintaining the active status of constitutively expressed genes. By combining Hpa II digestion with NOMe–seq assay, we show that hemimethylated DNA, which is generated following drug incorporation, remains occupied by nucleosomes. Our data highlight H2A.Z as a novel and essential factor involved in 5-Aza-2′-deoxycytidine–induced gene reactivation. Furthermore, we elucidate that chromatin remodeling translates the demethylation ability of DNMT inhibitors to their downstream efficacies, suggesting future therapeutic implications for chromatin remodelers.
Presentation, treatment, and outcome of type 1 gastric carcinoid tumors.

Background and Objectives The aim of this study was to review the presentation, treatment, and outcome of patients with Type 1 gastric carcinoid tumors. Methods A retrospective review of 1,600 carcinoid patients was analyzed to identify patients with gastric carcinoid tumors. Results Eighteen patients were found to have biopsy-confirmed Type 1 gastric carcinoid tumors on upper endoscopy. Reasons for endoscopy included abdominal pain (n = 4), gastrointestinal bleeding (n = 4), surveillance for pernicious anemia (n = 8), and other (n = 2). The mean pre-treatment serum gastrin and chromogranin A levels were 1,436 ng/ml (±771 ng/ml) and 91.6 ng/ml (±68.6 ng/ml), respectively. Imaging revealed evidence of gastric carcinoid in 4 of 10 patients undergoing CT scanning and 3 of 10 patients undergoing octreotide scintigraphy. Of the 18 patients, 8 were treated medically (acidification or octreotide) and 10 were treated with surgery (laparoscopic antrectomy or partial gastrectomy). Mean gastrin levels decreased by 37.2% in the medically treated group (median follow-up 6 months), versus 94.0% in the surgically treated patients (median follow-up 5 months). Mean chromogranin A levels decreased by 56.2% in patients undergoing surgery. Conclusions Gastric antrectomy is the most efficacious treatment for Type 1 gastric carcinoid, leading to a significant reduction in serum gastrin levels and regression of carcinoid tumors. J. Surg. Oncol. 2006;93:368–372. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The Characterization of Insects and Ticks by their Free Amino Acid Patterns

Previous investigations in this laboratory have shown that mosquito extracts contain 19 free amino acids, the concentrations of which vary quantitatively from species to species as well as from stage to stage (Micks and Ellis, 1951, 1952). Subsequent evidence has demonstrated that paper chromatograms of amino acids in mosquito tissues may be used to distinguish between closely related species (Micks, 1954). More recently, paper chromatography was used as a systematic tool to compare several representatives of three orders of insects (Micks, 1956). Although there was evidence of qualitative differences in amino acids from order to order, most of the interspecific differences were on a quantitative basis.
CO2 solubility and speciation in rhyolitic sediment partial melts at 1.5–3.0 GPa – Implications for carbon flux in subduction zones

Abstract Partial melts of subducting sediments are thought to be critical agents in carrying trace elements and water to arc basalt source regions. Sediment partial melts may also act as a carrier of CO2. However, the CO2 carrying capacity of natural rhyolitic melts that derive from partial fusion of downgoing sediment at sub-arc depths remains unconstrained. We conducted CO2-solubility experiments on a rhyolitic composition similar to average, low-degree experimental partial melt of pelitic sediments between 1.5 and 3.0 GPa at 1300 °C and containing variable water content. Concentrations of water and carbon dioxide were measured using FTIR. Molecular CO 2 ( CO 2 mol. ) and carbonate anions ( CO 3 2 - ) both appear as equilibrium species in our experimental melts. Estimated total CO2 concentrations ( CO 2 mol. + CO 3 2 - ) increased with increasing pressure and water content. At 3.0 GPa, the bulk CO2 solubility are in the range of ∼1–2.5 wt.%, for melts with H2O contents between 0.5 and 3.5 wt.%. For melts with low H2O content (∼0.5 wt.%), CO 2 mol. is the dominant carbon species, while in more H2O-rich melts CO 3 2 - becomes dominant. The experimentally determined, speciation-specific CO2 solubilities yielded thermodynamic parameters that control dissolution of CO2 vapor both as CO 2 mol. and as CO 3 2 - in silicate melt for each of our compositions with different water content; CO 2 vapor ↔ CO 2 melt : ln K 0 = - 15 to - 18 , ΔV0 = 29 to 14 cm3 mol−1 and CO 2 vapor + O 2 - melt → CO 3 2 - melt : ln K 0 = - 20 to - 14 , ΔV0 = 9 to 27 cm3 mol−1, with ΔV0 of reaction being larger for formation of CO 2 mol. in water-poor melts and for formation of CO 3 2 - in water-rich melts. Our bulk CO2 solubility data, [CO2] (in wt.%) can be fitted as a function of pressure, P (in GPa) and melt water content, [H2O] (in wt.%) with the following function: [ CO 2 ] ( wt . % ) = ( - 0.01108 [ H 2 O ] + 0.03969 ) P 2 + ( 0.10328 [ H 2 O ] + 0.41165 ) P . This parameterization suggests that over the range of sub-arc depths of 72–173 km, water-rich sediment partial melt may carry as much as 2.6–5.5 wt.% CO2 to the sub-arc mantle source regions. At saturation, 1.6–3.3 wt.% sediment partial melt relative to the mantle wedge is therefore sufficient to bring up the carbon budget of the mantle wedge to produce primary arc basalts with 0.3 wt.% CO2.
Interface and confined optical phonons in wurtzite nanocrystals

We derive within the dielectric-continuum model an integral equation that defines interface and confined polar optical-phonon modes in nanocrystals with a wurtzite crystal structure. It is demonstrated theoretically that, while the frequency of confined polar optical phonons in zinc-blende nanocrystals is equal to that of the bulk crystal phonons, the confined polar optical phonons in wurtzite nanocrystals have a discrete spectrum of frequencies different from those of the bulk crystal. The calculated frequencies of confined polar optical phonons in wurtzite ZnO nanocrystals are found to be in an excellent agreement with the experimental resonant Raman-scattering spectra of spherical ZnO quantum dots.
Growth and characterization of ZnSe/GaAs single quantum well structures

Abstract The integration of II–VI and III–V semiconductors into a single II–VI/III–V heterojunction device enables the exploitation of the many similarities, as well as the many differences, in material properties (energy bandgap, lattice constant, dielectric constant, etc.) to create new devices exhibiting unique optical and electronic properties. The epitaxial growth of dielectric quantum wells (QWs) composed of ZnSe and GaAs is under investigation. One of the critical factors affecting the properties of the ZnSe GaAs QW structure is the formation of the heterovalent interfaces, particularly the formation of the inverted interface formed by GaAs nucleated onto a ZnSe epitaxial surface. The stoichiometry of each interface is engineered by using various growth techniques. Due to the severe mismatch in optimal growth temperatures for the two material systems (600°C for GaAs and 300°C for ZnSe), additional emphasis has been placed on the reduced temperature growth of GaAs on ZnSe. The effects of the growth parameters and nucleation methodology are examined by in situ surface reconstruction analysis using reflection high energy electron diffraction and ex situ using transmission electron microscopy. The optical properties of the reduced temperature GaAs and ZnSe GaAs QWs are further investigated with photoluminescence.
Supporting Students With Asperger Syndrome on College Campuses Current Practices

With the increasing number of students with Asperger syndrome (AS) and high functioning autism (HFA) enrolling in college, it has become apparent that support services are greatly needed to assist these students in navigating college life, both academically and socially. Yet, there is a dearth of research describing the specific supports needed for this population. This exploratory study sought to determine the current support practices offered on college and university campuses for students with AS. A critical focus of this study was on the specific accommodations accessed and the support services provided, including support groups, counseling, supervised social activities, and summer transition programs. Both supports that were found to be helpful and not helpful are provided. In addition, recommendations for implementing support programs are provided.
Ion beam assisted deposition of TiN thin film on Si (100)

Abstract The ion-beam-assisted deposition (IBAD) method was used to deposit TiN film on Si (100) substrate. The IBAD system consists of an e-beam evaporation source for evaporating Ti metal and a 3 cm-diameter Kaufman ion source for providing nitrogen ion beam to form TiN on Si substrate. The ion energy (1000, 500, and 300 V), ion beam incident angle (normal, and 45°) and substrate temperature (25°C and 300°C) were chosen as the processing variables. The ion/atom ratio was kept at 0.89. After deposition, the thin film was characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (XTEM). Resistivity was measured to study the effect of processing parameters on the electric property. The results showed that the preferred orientation of TiN varies with ion beam incident angle and deposition temperature. At the 45° incident ion beam, the (111) orientation is more likely to occur as compared with films prepared at the normal incident beam direction. As the temperature increases, (200) becomes dominant due to thermodynamic factor consideration. The ion-induced defects may be the major factor affecting the resistivity of TiN. Resistivity decreases as the deposition temperature increases or as the ion incident angle changes from normal direction to 45° angle.
Determination of the coupling ratio for Na+ -H+ exchange in renal microvillus membrane vesicles.

Abstract We evaluated the H+:Na+ coupling ratio of the Na+-H+ exchanger present in microvillus membrane vesicles isolated from the rabbit renal cortex. Our approach was to impose transmembrane Na+ and H+ gradients of varying magnitude and then to measure the net flux of Na+ over the subsequent 5-s period. The Na+-H+ exchanger was observed to be at equilibrium (i.e. no significant net Na+ flux) whenever [Na+]i/[Na+]o was equal to [H+]i/[H+]o. Moreover, under all conditions the magnitude and direction of net Na+ flux was independent of changes in the transmembrane electrical potential difference. These results are consistent with a value of 1.0 for the coupling ratio of Na+-H+ exchange in renal microvillus membrane vesicles.
Characterization of agarose as an encapsulation medium for particulate specimens for transmission electron microscopy

Agarose, agar, and gelatin were initially compared as encapsulation media for 3 structurally diverse particulate specimens: bacteria, yeast, and mitochondria. Agarose proved superior to both gelatin and agar for ease of handling and overall image quality (minimum background). All sample types exhibited high quality fixation and structural detail with no heat damage from the agarose medium. Based on this finding, we further characterized agarose encapsulation as affected by post-fixation, en bloc staining and resin type. Osmium tetroxide post-fixation, followed by en bloc uranyl acetate staining, could be performed without an increase in the electron density of the encapsulation medium. Agarose proved successful as an encapsulation medium regardless of the resin type or preparation protocol, thus providing flexibility in experimental design and excellent results over a range of variables.
The pressure-temperature phase diagram of the HgTe system from dynamic mass loss measurements

Abstract A dynamic mass loss measurement technique was employed, for the first time, to establish the pressure-temperature phase diagram of the HgTe system. The mercury vapor pressures over HgTe samples of various compositions were determined at elevated temperatures in closed ampoules, using an automatic vacuum semi-microbalance and employing the lever principle. The width of the homogeneity range (50.06–50.25 at.% Te) of Hg 1− x Te(s), as determined in this work, is entirely on the tellurium-rich side of the phase diagram. For compositions within the homogeneity range, the mercury pressure depends on composition, temperature, and the sample-to-free volume ratio.
Manifestation of circular photogalvanic current by dynamic holography in BaTiO3

We report the first measurement of the photo-galvanic circular current antisymmetric tensor component in BaTiO3: Co. The measurement gives a value of this coefficient, for extraordinary beam amplification, of 4×10−9 A/W using a nonstationary measurement technique at a wavelength of 0.632 μm.
Advances in graft polymerization lithography

New microlithography patterning technologies must be developed in order to meet the demands of advanced semiconductor manufacturing. This paper describes the development of a new top surface imaging technique that is designed to circumvent the difficulties associated with developing next generation single layer resists. Graft polymerization lithography is an extension of top surface imaging in which exposure creates an acidic surface that activates monomer deposition on top of the base layer. Silicon-containing monomers were synthesized in order to meet the graft polymerization process requirements. A QCM-monitored deposition system was developed to study the fundamental behavior of the deposition process as a function of temperature, pressure, and photoacid generator (PAG) loading. Volumetric, bulk polymer sorption measurements were used to provide insight into the critical sorption behavior that drives the deposition process. These fundamental studies led to a proposed process mechanism that explains the experimentally observed behavior. Finally, proof of concept imaging experiments were conducted that demonstrate the graft polymerization process through all lithographic steps.
Trade-adjusted measures of productivity increases in US hog production

Abstract The average dressed weight for barrows and gilts slaughtered in the United States has increased 23% since 1977, from an annual average of 163 lbs to 201 lbs in 2010. This measure of pork production includes pork produced from US born and raised hogs as well as hogs imported from Canada. This paper addresses technological change in US born and raised pork production. Since pork produced from Canadian hogs could distort estimates of technological improvement and other variables describing changes in US born and raised pork production, a method of adjusting production data series for the portion of US pork production that comes from foreign-born hogs is developed. The resulting data are used to estimate the rate of change in average dressed weight, assumed to be due to technical change in the US swine herd.
Communication functions performed by public relations and marketing practitioners

Abstract While marketing and public relations programs may be comingled in organizations, the research reported here shows that practitioners in each field stress different communication skills on the job. Public relations professionals engage in a broader, more diverse range of communication activities than do their counterparts in marketing. As a result, the author questions the extent to which public relations functions are actually being encroached upon by marketing practitioners.