cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pulse system for evaluation of parameters of electro-acoustic transducers in a hydroacoustic tank

In the report an applicationof the pulse method is presented for hydroacoustic test tank measurements. The basic test tank hydroacoustic equipment is from Bruel&Kjaer with National Instruments based control and measurement hardware and software platform. A LabVIEW software is used for synthesis, transmission and measurement of acoustic signals with different pulse lengths and intra-pulse modulations. A number of VI's are designed for digital signal processing and visualization of the signals and results. Capabilities are shown for test tank measurements of sonar transducers pattern and quality factor.
Group C Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp.equisimilis (SDSE) Endocarditis with Endogenous Endophthalmitis and Aortic Root Abscess.

Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis (SDSE) is a gram positive, beta-hemolytic, coccal bacterium belonging to the family Streptococcaceae and belongs to the group C and group G streptococci. Streptococcus dysgalactiae is currently divided into the subspecies Streptococcus dysgalactiae subspecies equisimilis (SDSE) and Streptococcus dysgalactiae subspecies dysgalactiae (SDSD); the former mostly associated with human disease, and the latter almost exclusively encountered in veterinary medicine. SDSE is a common colonizer of the pharynx, skin, gastrointestinal tract, and female genital tract and a part of the normal human flora. The clinical manifestations in human disease range from superficial skin infections and tonsillitis, to severe necrotizing fasciitis and bacteremia. The incidence of invasive disease has been reported to be rising.
The Influence of Families on LGBTQ Youth Health: A Call to Action for Innovation in Research and Intervention Development

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and other sexual and gender minority youth (LGBTQ) experience myriad health inequities relative to their cisgender heterosexual peers. Families have a profound impact on adolescent health, but little is known about this influence on LGBTQ youth specifically. We draw on work presented at a public symposium that aimed to characterize existing scientific evidence, identify gaps in knowledge, and set priority areas for future research on the influence of family factors on LGBTQ youth health. We review the evidence in each identified priority area and propose promising avenues for future research and opportunities for innovation.
Sustainability and ideology-infused psychological contracts: An organizational- and employee-level perspective

Abstract In this paper we explore sustainability-based ideology-infused psychological contracts (IPCs) from both organizational and individual-level perspectives. Better knowledge about how and when IPCs operate and the role of the organization's human resource management in that process is beneficial to firms that wish to capitalize on the positive outcomes resulting from IPCs while avoiding the creation of ideological obligations that they are unable or unwilling to meet ( Rousseau & McLean Parks, 1993 ; Thompson & Bunderson, 2003 ). Organizations may show they care, through sustainable HRM strategies, and encourage ideological currency exchange in order to recruit and retain quality employees, increase organizational commitment, increase citizenship behaviors, strengthen identity, increase job satisfaction, and maintain a positive public perception and reputation. On the other hand, if an organization fails to fulfill an IPC it may lead to negative behaviors and consequences. We extended our arguments beyond the individual-level focus common to psychological contract theory, to include firm-level context. In doing so, we explain how an organization's efforts towards being more sustainable can connect employees to the organization through their IPCs, and moreover, through their IPCs, employees can connect to corporate goals. Finally, we advance current theory by exploring the underlying motivations that drive organizations and individuals to develop IPCs.
Midbrain PAG Control of Female Reproductive Behavior: In Vitro Electrophysiological Characterization of Actions of Lordosis-Relevant Substances

Among the various innate behavioral repertoires of mammals, lordosis, as a major component of female reproductive behaviors is one of the best characterized. It is a stereotyped posture consisting of dorsiflexion of the vertebral column, which causes the elevation of the head and rump, accompanied by hind limb extension (Pfaff and Lewis, 1974). Somatosensory input given by a male partner is essential for every component of naturally occurring lordosis; it can be mimicked by an experimenter’s manual stimulation to the flanks, posterior rump, and perineum. The most important feature of lordosis is its steroid hormone dependency; an elevated level of estrogen is a prerequisite for the induction of lordosis both in naturally cycling and experimentally manipulated females. The nature and mechanisms of estrogen and progesterone control of lordosis have been extensively investigated and are well reviewed elsewhere (Pfaff and Schwartz-Giblin, 1988).
Continually Modeling Alzheimer's Disease Progression via Deep Multi-Order Preserving Weight Consolidation.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia. Identifying biomarkers that can track AD at early stages is crucial for therapy to be successful. Many researchers have developed models to predict cognitive impairments by employing valuable longitudinal imaging information along the progression of the disease. However, previous methods model the problem either in the isolated single-task mode or multi-task batch mode, which ignores the fact that the longitudinal data always arrive in a continuous time sequence and, in reality, there are rich types of longitudinal data to apply our learned model to. To this end, we continually model the AD progression in time sequence via a proposed novel Deep Multi-order Preserving Weight Consolidation (DMoPWC) to simultaneously (1) discover the inter and inner relations among different cognitive measures at different time points and utilize such relations to enhance the learning of associations between imaging features and clinical scores; (2) continually learn new longitudinal patients’ images to overcome forgetting the previously learned knowledge without access to the old data. Moreover, inspired by recent breakthroughs of Recurrent Neural Network, we consider time-order knowledge to further reinforce the statistical power of DMoPWC and ensure features at a particular time will be temporally ahead of the features at its subsequential times. Empirical studies on the longitudinal brain image dataset demonstrate that DMoPWC achieves superior performance over other AD prognosis algorithms.
Improving teacher questioning in science using ICAP theory

The purpose of this research was to investigate the efficacy of professional development in changing two middle school science teachers’ questioning to include more questions that require deeper st...
Caveolin-1 Scaffolding Domain Peptide Regulates Colon Endothelial Cell Survival through JNK Pathway

It has been reported that pathological angiogenesis contributes to both experimental colitis and inflammatory bowel disease. Recently, we demonstrated that endothelial caveolin-1 plays a key role in the pathological angiogenesis of dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) colitis. However, the molecular mechanism of caveolin-1 regulation of endothelial function is unknown. In this study, we examined how the antennapedia- (AP-) conjugated caveolin-1 scaffolding domain (AP-Cav) modulates vascular endothelial growth factor- (VEGF-) dependent colon endothelial cell angiogenic responses, as seen during colitis. We used mouse colon endothelial cells and found that AP-Cav significantly inhibited VEGF-mediated bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation into colon microvascular endothelial cells. AP-Cav significantly blunted VEGF-dependent extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK 1/2) phosphorylation at 10 minutes and 2 hours after stimulation, compared with the AP control peptide. AP-Cav + VEGF-A treatment also significantly increased c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) phosphorylation at 2 hours. AP-Cav + VEGF-A treatment significantly downregulated retinoblastoma (Rb) protein levels, upregulated cleaved caspase-3 protein levels at 4 hours, and induced apoptosis. Thus, our study suggests that disruption of endothelial caveolin-1 function via the AP-Cav diverts VEGF signaling responses away from endothelial cell proliferation and toward apoptosis through the inhibition of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase signaling and the induction of JNK-associated apoptosis.
PTPN22 phosphorylation acts as a molecular rheostat for the inhibition of TCR signaling

The hematopoietic-specific protein tyrosine phosphatase nonreceptor type 22 (PTPN22) is encoded by a major autoimmunity risk gene. PTPN22 inhibits T cell activation by dephosphorylating substrates involved in proximal T cell receptor (TCR) signaling. Here, we found by mass spectrometry that PTPN22 was phosphorylated at Ser751 by PKCα in Jurkat and primary human T cells activated with phorbol ester/ionomycin or antibodies against CD3/CD28. The phosphorylation of PTPN22 at Ser751 prolonged its half-life by inhibiting K48-linked ubiquitination and impairing recruitment of the phosphatase to the plasma membrane, which is necessary to inhibit proximal TCR signaling. Additionally, the phosphorylation of PTPN22 at Ser751 enhanced the interaction of PTPN22 with the carboxyl-terminal Src kinase (CSK), an interaction that is impaired by the PTPN22 R620W variant associated with autoimmune disease. The phosphorylation of Ser751 did not affect the recruitment of PTPN22 R620W to the plasma membrane but protected this mutant from degradation. Together, out data indicate that phosphorylation at Ser751 mediates a reciprocal regulation of PTPN22 stability versus translocation to TCR signaling complexes by CSK-dependent and CSK-independent mechanisms.
Cognitive deficit in children with hyperkinetic disorder

The review presents current data on the nature of cognitive deficit in children with hyperkinetic disorder, and possible pathophysiological mechanisms of the disease. Considering possible neurobiological components of hyperkinetic disorder, attention is given to pathological functional connections underlying specific clinical manifestations of the disease.
A Mouse Model of Proliferative Vitreoretinopathy Induced by Intravitreal Injection of Gas and RPE Cells.

Purpose Develop a reproducible proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) mouse model that mimics human PVR pathology. Methods Mice received intravitreal injections of SF6 gas, followed by retinal pigment epithelial cells 1 week later. PVR progression was monitored using fundus photography and optical coherence tomography imaging, and histologic analysis of the retina as an endpoint. We developed a PVR grading scheme tailored for this model. Results We report that mice that received gas before retinal pigment epithelial injection developed more severe PVR. In the 1 × 104 retinal pigment epithelial cell group, after 1 week, 0 of 11 mice in the no gas group developed grade 4 or greater PVR compared with 5 of 13 mice in the SF6 gas group (P = 0.02); after 4 weeks, 3 of 11 mice in the no gas group developed grade 5 or greater PVR compared with 11 of 14 mice in the SF6 gas group (P = 0.01). We were able to visualize contractile membranes both on the retinal surface as well as within the vitreous of PVR eyes, and demonstrated through immunohistochemical staining that these membranes expressed fibrotic markers alpha smooth muscle actin, vimentin, and fibronectin, as well as other markers known to be found in human PVR membranes. Conclusions This mouse PVR model is reproducible and mimics aspects of PVR pathology reported in the rabbit PVR model and human PVR. The major advantage is the ability to study PVR development in different genetic backgrounds to further elucidate aspects of PVR pathogenesis. Additionally, large-scale experiments for testing pharmacologic agents to treat and prevent PVR progression is more feasible compared with other animal models. Translational relevance This model will provide a platform for screening potential drug therapies to treat and prevent PVR, as well as elucidate different molecular pathways involved in PVR pathogenesis.
Computational modeling of the strength of the ascending thoracic aortic media tissue under physiologic biaxial loading conditions.

Abstract Type A Aortic Dissection (TAAD) is a life-threatening condition involving delamination of ascending aortic media layers. While current clinical guidelines recommend surgical intervention for aneurysm diameter > 5.5 cm, high incidence of TAAD in patients below this diameter threshold indicates the pressing need for improved evidence-based risk prediction metrics. Construction of such metrics will require the knowledge of the biomechanical failure properties of the aortic wall tissue under biaxial loading conditions. We utilized a fiber-level finite element based structural model of the aortic tissue to quantify the relationship between aortic tissue strength and physiologically relevant biaxial stress state for nonaneurysmal and aneurysmal patient cohorts with tricuspid aortic valve phenotype. We found that the model predicted strength of the aortic tissue under physiologic biaxial loading conditions depends on the stress biaxiality ratio, defined by the ratio of the longitudinal and circumferential components of the tissue stress. We determined that predicted biaxial tissue strength is statistically similar to its uniaxial circumferential strength below biaxiality ratios of 0.68 and 0.69 for nonaneurysmal and aneurysmal cohorts, respectively. Beyond this biaxiality ratio, predicted biaxial strength for both cohorts reduced drastically to a magnitude statistically similar to its longitudinal strength. We identified fiber-level failure mechanisms operative under biaxial stress state governing aforementioned tissue failure behavior. These findings are an important first step towards the development of mechanism-based TAAD risk assessment metrics for early identification of high-risk patients.
The Effects of Aesthetic Lasers on Three Study Materials Used for Ocular Protection.

Background It is dangerous, though not uncommon, in some clinical settings for laser operators to place gauze underneath external patient protective eyewear when performing laser procedures. Objectives The purpose of this study was to evaluate four lasers, commonly used for aesthetic facial procedures, on three materials commonly found in the clinical setting. Methods Four lasers were utilized, the 2940nm Erbium-doped Yttrium Aluminum Garnet (Er:YAG) laser, the 532nm Potassium Titanyl Phosphate (KTP) laser, the 1064nm Neodymium-doped Yttrium Aluminum Garnet (Nd:YAG) laser, and a Lumenis UltraPulse 10,600nm carbon dioxide (CO2) laser. Their effects were evaluated on dry gauze pads, wet gauze pads, and adhesive external eye shields. Results When exposed to the 2940nm Er:YAG and 10,600nm COs lasers, dry gauze smoked on the first pulse and ignited on the second pulse, while no damage occurred to the wet gauze or adhesive eye shields after 8 and 4 pulses, respectively. No damage to any material or the underlying surface was seen after 30 pulses of the 532nm KTP laser. After 2 pulses of the 1064nm Nd:YAG laser, the adhesive eye shields sparked; dry gauze smoked after 1 pulse, but no damage to the underlying surface occurred after 30 pulses. Conclusions The results of our study highlight the inherent flammability of gauze when exposed to lasers commonly used to address aesthetic facial concerns. Although moistened gauze conveyed more protection than dry gauze, these results do not guarantee patient ocular safety. Therefore, the authors do not recommend the use of any gauze under protective eyewear.
A Post-Quantum Secure Discrete Gaussian Noise Sampler

While the notion of achieving “quantum supremacy” may be debatable, rapid developments in the field of quantum computing are heading towards more realistic quantum computers. As practical quantum computers start becoming more feasible, the requirement to have quantum secure cryptosystems becomes more compelling. Due to its many advantages, lattice based cryptography has become one of the key candidates for designing secure systems for the post-quantum era. The security of lattice-based cryptography is governed by the small error samples generated from a Gaussian distribution. Hence, the Gaussian distribution lies at the core of these cryptosystems. In this paper, we present the hardware design implementation of three different sampling algorithms including rejection, Box-Muller, and the Ziggurat method for the Gaussian Sampler. Our goal is to provide concrete recommendations for future use and adoption in various cryptosystems based on sampling efficiency, hardware cost and throughput. The key feature of our design implementation is that it performs high-precision sampling to meet the NIST’s recommended security level of 112-bits or higher for the postquantum era, which most existing hardware implementations fail to do. Furthermore, our design implementation is highly optimized for FPGA-based implementation and is also generic so that it can be seamlessly integrated into most cryptosystems. Synthesis results are obtained using Vivado design suite for a Xilinx Zynq-7010 CLG400ACX1341 FPGA board.
Smoking Is an Independent Risk Factor for 90-Day Readmission and Reoperation Following Posterior Cervical Decompression and Fusion.

Background Posterior cervical decompression and fusion (PCF) is a common procedure used to treat various cervical spine pathologies, but the 90-d outcomes following PCF surgery continue to be incompletely defined. Objective To identify risk factors associated with 90-d readmission and reoperation following PCF surgery. Methods Adults undergoing PCF from 2012 to 2020 were identified. Demographic and radiographic data, surgical characteristics, and 90-d outcomes were collected. Univariate analysis was performed using Student's t-test, chi square, and Fisher exact tests as appropriate. Multivariable logistic regression models with lasso penalty were used to analyze various risk factors. Results A total of 259 patients were included. The 90-d readmission and reoperation rates were 9.3% and 4.6%, respectively. The most common reason for readmission was surgical site infection (SSI) (33.3%) followed by new neurological deficits (16.7%). Patients who smoked tobacco had 3-fold greater odds of readmission compared to nonsmokers (odds ratio [OR]: 3.48; 95% CI 1.87-6.67; P = .0001). Likewise, the most common reason for reoperation was SSI (33.3%) followed by seroma and implant failure (25.0% each). Smoking was also an independent risk factor for reoperation, associated with nearly 4-fold greater odds of return to the operating room (OR: 3.53; 95% CI 1.53-8.57; P = .003). Conclusion Smoking is a significant predictor of 90-d readmission and reoperation in patients undergoing PCF surgery. Smoking cessation should be strongly considered preoperatively in elective PCF cases to minimize the risk of 90-d readmission and reoperation.
Abstract P654: Predicting Afib in Cryptogenic Ischemic Stroke Patients With Implantable Loop Recorders

Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (Afib) detection in cryptogenic stroke is difficult but essential because it changes management. We describe a scoring system that discriminates between cryptogenic i...
CONSIDER Statement: Consolidated Recommendations for Sharing Individual Participant Data from Human Clinical Studies

Many research sponsors require sharing of data from human clinical trials. We created the CONSIDER statement, a set of recommendations to improve data sharing practices and increase the availability and re-usability of individual participant data from clinical trials. We developed the recommendations by reviewing shared individual participant data and study artifacts from a set of completed studies, as well as study data deposited on ClinicalTrials.gov and on several data sharing platforms. The CONSIDER statement is comprised of seven sections including: format, data sharing, study design, case report forms, data dictionary, data de-identification and choice of data sharing platform. We developed several different forms of CONSIDER which includes a brief form (the checklist), a full form (detailed descriptions and examples), and a scoring methodology. The checklist can be used to evaluate adherence to various progressive data sharing recommendations. We are currently in Phase 2 of collecting feedback on the CONSIDER statement.
Of cityscapes, affect and migrant subjectivities in Kiran Desai’s Inheritance of Loss

Kiran Desai's Inheritance of Loss revolves around questions of identity and entities flawed by a deep sense of deprivation and loss left by colonization that manifests itself in various forms through generations. The novel chronicles the lives of an Anglophile Indian judge, Jemubhai Patel, whose educational sojourn in Britain permanently brands him as an alien both abroad and in his homeland, and of his orphaned 16-year-old granddaughter Sai, her tutor/lover Gyan, and Patel’s cook who pushes his son, Biju, to go seek his fortune in America. This paper seeks to discuss the lives of Jemubhai and Biju as it tracks the role of the city and its impact on the construction of their identities. This impact factor is further analyzed through affective theory, namely Jose Munoz’s concept of “disidentification,” a tactic of survival by which minoritarian subjects either consciously or unconsciously “neither assimilate nor strictly oppose the dominant regime.”
The role of second phase particles and grain boundaries on recrystallization: Quasi-in situ experiments and modeling in U-10Mo alloy system

Abstract Grain boundaries and second phase particles are known to have a significant influence on the recrystallization kinetics of metals undergoing thermomechanical processing. Using ex-situ heating methods and electron backscattered diffraction, we deconvoluted the influence of grain boundaries and second phase particles on the recrystallization kinetics in uranium alloyed with 10 wt% molybdenum (U-10Mo). The U-10Mo alloy is a monolithic nuclear fuel relevant to nuclear non-proliferation efforts. In this study, the sample was homogenized at 1173.15 K (900 ˚C) for 48 hours, hot rolled to 20% reduction, and subsequently annealed at 873.15 K (600˚C) in sequential increments up to a total of 1320 minutes. It was observed that upon deformation, dislocations are accumulated in the vicinity of uranium carbides (UCs) which serve as nucleation sites for randomly oriented grains during annealing. Most nucleation occurred in the first 30 minutes of annealing and favored the grain boundaries and shear bands near the carbides. A simulation of recrystallization coupling the finite element method (FEM) and the Kinetic Monte Carlo Potts Model (KMCPM) was developed to investigate the grain structure evolution in the polycrystalline U-10Mo fuel. The observed U-10Mo recrystallization and grain growth kinetics with respect to time and temperature was quantitatively reproduced.
Survey of Contemporary Content-Based Image Retrieval Systems

This chapter conducts an in-depth literature survey on comtem-porary image retrieval systems by focusing on the image features explored by these systems. For each class of image features, we describe the typical system formation, examine representative systems incorporating the features, and reveal the characteristics, the pros and cons of the image features for content-based image retrieval. Finally, we summarize the literature survey by indicating the appropriate applications of each class of the image features, so as to establish guidelines for the future development of intelligent image database systems.
Factors influencing employee beliefs that pay is tied to performance

The unique relationship of perceived pay level equity, perceived appraisal accuracy, merit increase satisfaction, trust in supervisor, and trust in top management to employee beliefs that pay is tied to performance was investigated in a sample of 658 managerial, professional, and clerical employees. Pay level equity, merit increase satisfaction, and trust in top management exhibited a significant unique relationship. Post hoc analysis found appraisal accuracy exhibited a significant unique relationship with belief that pay is tied to performance among employees receiving a lower or higher than expected performance appraisal, but not among employees receiving the expected performance appraisal.
Tactics for Heliogyro Solar Sail Attitude Control via Blade Pitching

Heliogyros generate attitude control moments by pitching their sail membrane blades collectively or cyclically, similar to a helicopter. Past work has focused on simple blade pitch profiles with the heliogyro normal to the sun; however, most solar sail missions will require sun angles of at least 35 deg. Furthermore, combination pitch profiles (e.g., cyclic plus collective) are needed for attitude control during all mission segments. The control moments for such situations vary in an unintuitive, nonlinear fashion. This paper explores heliogyro control moment authority with varying sun angles and combinations of pitch profiles, providing critical insight for future development of heliogyro attitude control schemes. Three tactics for generating control moments using various profile combinations are introduced for three-axis attitude control during a variety of practical mission scenarios. These tactics indicate that the heliogyro can generate control moments from any orientation, including edge-on to the s...
Sensitivity analysis of transversal RLS algorithms with correlated inputs

The effects of input signal correlation on the performance on finite-precision RLS (recursive-least-squares) algorithms we presented. It is shown that one way to analyze finite-precision effects is indirectly through the study of the sensitivity of the RLS algorithm to perturbations in the filter coefficients. The authors show that the mean deviation of the optimum error power grows linearly with time and is the same for both correlated and uncorrelated input samples. However, the variance of the deviation from the optimum increases with signal correlation. Upper and lower bounds are derived in terms of the ratio of the maximum eigenvalue of the sample autocorrelation matrix to the signal variance. (The deviation increases as the signal dynamic range increases.) Simulations are presented to verify the theory. A stable finite-precision RLS algorithm is derived by modeling roundoff errors and incorporating their effects into the algorithm. >
Caloric intake, dietary lifestyles, macronutrient composition and dementia

Abstract: Alzheimer's disease is a devastating neurodegenerative condition currently affecting over five million elderly individuals in the US. There is much evidence suggesting that certain dietary lifestyles can help to prevent and possibly treat Alzheimer's disease. In this chapter, we discuss how certain cardiovascular and diabetic conditions can induce an increased susceptibility for Alzheimer's disease and the mechanisms through which this occurs. We further discuss how the consumption of certain foods or food components can help to reduce one's risk for Alzheimer's disease and may possibly be developed as a therapeutic agent.
Aggregation of Claims and Illogic

Classical logic and probability theory produce in law the troublesome paradox of aggregation: On the one hand, logic seems to tell us that the aggregated likelihood of alternative claims elevates in response to probability’s rules; thus, if the plaintiff almost proves claim A and almost proves an alternative but independent claim B, then the plaintiff should win one. On the other hand, because the law requires each claim to meet the standard of proof, and thus refuses to apply the proof standard to the aggregation, the plaintiff loses in actuality; legal scholars despair in consequence — including Ariel Porat and Eric Posner in their new article Aggregation and Law.Fuzzy logic, however, eradicates the aggregation paradox, by showing that the theories’ aggregated likelihood equals the most likely theory’s likelihood. The law is correct in applying this approach.
A Survey of Orion a Emission Lines from 330–360 GHz

A spectral survey of Orion A in the range 330–360 GHz has been performed with the NRAO 12 m telescope. About 180 spectral lines were detected. Most of these lines can be associated with one of 19 distinct chemical species, although a number of lines are yet unidentified. The spectrum is dominated by light symmetric or near-symmetric rotors such as CH3 OH and the asymmetric rotor SO 2. Heavy asymmetric rotors such as HCOOCH3 that are prevalent at lower frequencies are diminished in intensity in this band.
Delay efficient sleep scheduling in wireless sensor networks

Medium access techniques for wireless sensor networks raise the important question of providing periodic energy-efficient radio sleep cycles while minimizing the end-to-end communication delays. This study aims to minimize the communication latency given that each sensor has a duty cycling requirement of being awake for only 1/k time slots on an average. As a first step we consider the single wake-up schedule case, where each sensor can choose exactly one of the k slots to wake up. We formulate a novel graph-theoretical abstraction of this problem in the general setting of a low-traffic wireless sensor network with arbitrary communication flows and prove that minimizing the end-to-end communication delays is in general NP-hard. However, we are able to derive and analyze optimal solutions for two special cases: tree topologies and ring topologies. Several heuristics for arbitrary topologies are proposed and evaluated by simulations. Our simulations suggest that distributed heuristics may perform poorly because of the global nature of the constraints involved. We also show that by carefully choosing multiple wake-up slots for each sensor significant delay savings can be obtained over the single wake-up schedule case while maintaining the same duty cycling. Using this technique, we propose algorithms that offer a desirable bound of d+O(k) on the delay for specialized topologies like the tree and grid and a weaker guarantee of O((d+k)log n) for arbitrary graphs, where d is the shortest path between 2 nodes in the underlying topology and n is the total number of nodes.
Flow cytometric analysis of live cell proliferation and phenotype in populations with low viability.

Background: Combined analysis of DNA content and immunofluorescence on single cells by flow cytometry provides information on the proliferative response of subpopulations to stimuli in mixed cell preparations; however, in low-viability cell preparations, dead cells interfere with accurate flow cytometric data analysis because of nonspecific binding of antibodies and altered DNA-staining profiles. Light scatter differences between nonviable and viable cells are unreliable, particularly after the cell permeabilization step that is necessary for DNA staining. We developed a method for identification of nonviable cells by fluorescence in cell preparations that are stained simultaneously for cell surface or intracellular immunofluorescence and DNA content. Materials and Methods: Nonviable cells that have lost membrane integrity are identified by uptake of 7-amino-actinomycin D (7-AAD). Transfer of 7-AAD from stained nonviable cells to unstained viable cells after permeabilization is prevented by blocking DNA binding with nonfluorescent actinomycin D (AD). Pyronin Y(G) (PY) is used for DNA staining because the orange spectral emission of PY can be separated from the green fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) emission and the red emission of 7-AAD, respectively. Results: Application of the method to the analysis of the T-cell leukemia cell line Molt-4f and of cultured human peripheral blood mononuclear cells is presented. In both cell preparations, 7-AAD staining permitted reliable dead cell exclusion. Live, 7-AAD–negative Molt-4f cells showed higher expression levels of cell surface CD4 and of intracellular CD3, showed a higher proportion of cells in the G1 phase of the cell cycle, and showed a lower coefficient of variation of the G1 peak compared with data obtained from all the cells in the preparation. Live, CD8+ lymphocytes from OKT3-stimulated cultures of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells showed a specific proliferative response as measured by DNA content analysis. Conclusions: The results show that cells stained with FITC–labeled antibodies can be analyzed by single-laser flow cytometry for DNA content combined with dead cell discrimination. Furthermore, they emphasize the need for exclusion of dead cells from the analysis of cell preparations with low viability to obtain reliable data on immunofluorescence and cell-cycle distributions. Cytometry 35:64–74, 1999. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Activation of Transcription In Vitro by Recruitment of the Yeast RNA Polymerase II Holoenzyme

Abstract It has been argued that many transcriptional activators work by "recruitment," that is, by helping the transcriptional machinery bind stably to DNA. We demonstrate here a realization of a strong prediction of this idea in an in vitro transcription reaction performed with purified yeast RNA polymerase II holoenzyme and a classical transcriptional activator. We show that the level of transcription reached by the activator working on low concentrations of holoenzyme can also be reached in the absence of activator by raising the holoenzyme concentration, and that under that condition the activator has no further stimulatory effect. We also show, in agreement with another prediction of the recruitment model, that in a reaction using a holoenzyme purified from cells bearing the "P" mutation, transcription is stimulated by a DNA-tethered peptide that binds the mutant holoenzyme component Gal11P but that lacks a classical activating region.
Does the Goldilocks Principle apply to calcium release restitution in heart cells

In heart cells, membrane potential and intracellular calcium ([Ca2 +]i) are closely linked. Each time the heart beats, membrane depolarization opens L-type Ca2 + channels in the cell membrane. Ca2 + entering through these channels triggers the release of a larger amount of Ca2 + via ryanodine receptors (RyRs) in the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) membrane, a process known as CICR, for Ca2 +-induced Ca2 + release. The increase and subsequent decrease in [Ca2 +]i, the Ca2 + transient, is the signal that initiates contraction. Conversely, changes in [Ca2 +]i can alter membrane potential through Ca2 +-dependent ion channels, pumps, and transporters in the cell membrane. Not surprisingly, numerous proteins and pathways are involved in regulating Ca2 + transport in myocytes. When these regulatory systems become disrupted or unstable in disease, Ca2 + transients may be altered, and pathological changes in membrane potential such as arrhythmias can result. Understanding beat-to-beat regulation of CICR is therefore critical to gain insight into Ca2 +-dependent arrhythmias. Ca2 + transient restitution is one of the fundamental cellular properties important in determining the beat-to-beat stability of CICR. In this context restitution refers to the following: if two Ca2 + transients are triggered in succession, how does the amplitude of the second relative to the first depend on the interval between triggers? Although restitution is straightforward to measure in heart cells, determining the underlying mechanisms is challenging because several time, voltage, and Ca2 +-dependent processes can contribute, including electrical refractoriness, recovery of L-type channels from inactivation, reloading of SR Ca2 + stores, and recovery of RyRs. To infer underlying mechanisms, investigators have used a variety of techniques aimed at separating the contributing processes, such as triggering Ca2 + release via photolytic “uncaging” of Ca2 + from light-sensitive compounds [1] and [2], and pharmacological manipulation of RyR gating [[3], [4], [5] and [6]]. In this issue of the JMCC, Kornyeyev et al. address restitution mechanisms by comparing Ca2 + transients in genetically-modified versus wild-type mice [7]. This represents a novel approach to this question, and the results presented in this clever study provide new information that enhances our understanding of restitution. These data may also have interesting implications for how changes in myocyte Ca2 + regulation can either increase or decrease susceptibility to arrhythmias.
Central-Station Auxiliary-Drive Motors for Constant and Adjustable Speed

IN SELECTING MOTORS for central-station auxiliary drives it might be of interest to note that the range of motor sizes for any particular voltage from the standpoint of reliable operation is much wider than the range when considered from the standpoint of a distribution system and the over-all economic situation including transformers, distribution system, switchgear, and motors.
Visualization of protoplast fusion and quantitation of recombination in fused protoplasts of auxotrophic strains of Escherichia coli

Abstract Protoplast fusion has been used to combine genes from different organisms to create strains with desired properties. A recently developed variant on this approach, genome shuffling, involves generation of a genetically heterogeneous population of a single organism, followed by recursive protoplast fusion to allow recombination of mutations within the fused protoplasts. These are powerful techniques for engineering of microbial strains for desirable industrial properties. However, there is a prevailing opinion that it will be difficult to use these methods for engineering of Gram-negative bacteria because the outer membrane makes protoplast fusion more difficult. Here we describe the successful use of protoplast fusion in Escherichia coli. Using two auxotrophic strains of E. coli, we obtained prototrophic strains by recombination in fused protoplasts at frequencies of 0.05–0.7% based on the number of protoplasts subjected to fusion. This frequency is three–four orders of magnitude better than those previously reported for recombination in fused protoplasts of Gram-negative bacteria such as E. coli and Providencia alcalifaciens.
Listeriosis in Pediatric Oncology Patients

BACKGROUND Adult cancer patients are considered to be at an increased risk for Listeria monocytogenes infections, but, to the authors' knowledge, little information regarding this infection in the pediatric oncology population has been published. METHODS The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center microbiology laboratory's database was searched for cases of Listeria monocytogenes infection during the period from January 1981 to December 1996, and thorough chart reviews of the cases identified in patients age < 21 years were performed. RESULTS Listerial infections occurred in 5 children (3 with leukemia, 1 with lymphoma, and 1 with a brain tumor) among 20,612 admissions to the pediatric department during this period. All five children were actively receiving therapy for their malignancy, and two also were receiving other potentially immunosuppressive therapies. None was receiving co-trimoxazole prophylaxis. All were treated successfully for the Listeria monocytogenes infection with ampicillin and gentamicin (four patients) or ampicillin alone (one patient). At last follow-up two patients were long term, event-free survivors, two had died of their underlying malignancy, and one patient had died of cytomegalovirus pneumonitis. CONCLUSIONS Listeria monocytogenes infections in pediatric oncology patients can be treated successfully with ampicillin-containing antibiotic regimens. Cancer 1998;83:817-820. © 1998 American Cancer Society.
Effects of adiponectin on breast cancer cell growth and signaling

Obesity is a risk factor for postmenopausal breast cancer. Adiponectin/Acrp30 is lower in obese individuals and may be negatively regulating breast cancer growth. Here we determined that five breast cancer cell lines, MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-361, MCF-7, T47D, and SK-BR-3, expressed one or both of the Acrp30 receptors. In addition, we found that the addition of Acrp30 to MCF-7, T47D, and SK-BR-3 cell lines inhibited growth. Oestrogen receptor (ER) positive MCF-7 and T47D cells were inhibited at lower Acrp30 concentrations than ER-negative SK-BR-3 cells. Growth inhibition may be related to apoptosis since PARP cleavage was increased by Acrp30 in the ER-positive cell lines. To investigate the role of ER in the response of breast cancer cells to Acrp30, we established the MDA-ERα7 cell line by insertion of ER-α into ER-α-negative MDA-MB-231 cells. This line readily formed tumours in athymic mice and was responsive to oestradiol in vivo. In vitro, MDA-ERα7 cells were growth inhibited by globular Acrp30 while the parental cells were not. This inhibition appeared to be due to blockage of JNK2 signalling. These results provide information on how obesity may influence breast cancer cell proliferation and establish a new model to examine interactions between ER and Acrp30.
A Semi-Empirical Constitutive Model for Post Yield Behavior of Bone in Tension

Among the material properties that can be assessed through mechanical testing, toughness quantifies the energy required for failure and is therefore most suited for characterizing bone quality. As much of the toughness of bone occurs after yielding, post yield behavior of bone is attracting more and more attention [1, 2]. Although a lot of experimental studies have been conducted on post yield behavior of bone, little efforts have been made to develop constitutive relation for post yield behavior of bone tissues. Elucidating the underlying mechanism of post-yield behavior of bone is critical for further development of clinical strategies to predict and prevent age and disease related bone fractures. In addition, such understanding could help bridge the gap between biology and mechanics of bone since cellular activities are directly related to the ultrastructural architecture and composition of the tissue. Moreover, an accurate constitutive model is always required in numerical modeling and simulating the mechanical behavior of bone under different loading conditions. Based on the results reported in the literature and obtained in our laboratory, this study intends to develop and verify a semi-empirical constitutive model of the post-yield and failure behavior of the cortical bone tissue in tension.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
The LetE Protein Enhances Expression of Multiple LetA/LetS-Dependent Transmission Traits by Legionella pneumophila

Legionella pneumophila colonizes freshwater amoebae and can also replicate within alveolar macrophages. When their nutrient supply is exhausted, replicating bacteria become cytotoxic, motile, and infectious, which is thought to promote transmission to a new amoeba. The differentiation of L. pneumophila is coordinated by the sigma factors RpoS and FliA and the two-component regulator LetA/LetS and is enhanced by the letE locus. Here we demonstrate that letE promotes motility by increasing expression of the flagellin gene flaA but has little impact on the transcription of fliA, the flagellar sigma factor gene. In addition to promoting motility, letE induces the characteristic shape, pigment, and heat resistance of stationary-phase L. pneumophila. To gain insight into how letE promotes the expression of the transmission phenotype, we designed molecular genetic experiments to discriminate between the following three models: letE mutations are polar on milX; letE encodes a small novel protein; or, by analogy to csrB, letE encodes a regulatory RNA that sequesters CsrA to relieve repression. We report that letE encodes an activator protein, as it does not complement an Escherichia coli csrB mutant, it directs the synthesis of an ∼12-kDa polypeptide, and a letE nonsense mutation eliminates function. A monocistronic letE RNA is abundant during the exponential phase, and its decay during the stationary phase requires RpoS and LetA/LetS. We also discuss how the LetE protein may interact with LetA/LetS and CsrA to enhance L. pneumophila differentiation to a transmissible form.
First in Human High-Resolution Imaging of Regional Lung Function by Single Energy Xenon CT Compared to Ventilation SPECT

underwent SABR in our department. The radius of the smallest PN was 0.3 cm while the biggest one was 2.1 cm. An intensity based deformable image registration (DIR) workflow with manual modification has been developed and applied on extreme tidal volumes to determine the deformation map between inhale and exhale images. Next, an elasticity parameter was derived by calculating the ratio of the volume changes of PN to that of a 1 cm ring of lung tissue surrounding the PN. The proposed formulation of elasticity enables us to compare volume changes of two different PN in two different locations of lung. Secondly, the PN were manually delineated on the inhale and exhale images by two different observers and the volume changes of the PN were compared to those calculated by DIR. Results: Dice similarity coefficient between the delineated tumor by observer 1 versus observer 2 is 0.81 0.1, whereas the dice value is 0.79 0.07 and 0.79 0.06 between DIR and observer 1 and DIR and observer 2, respectively. Calculated volume ratio for PN is 0.91 0.18 compared to the volume changes of 1 cm of regional lung tissue 0.75 0.13, which clearly shows that volume change of PN is less than that of the surrounding lung (p<0.0001). Conclusions: We developed a non-invasive method to determine the elasticity of PN based on deformable image registration of breath-hold images. The tool was validated against manual contouring. Preliminarily, PN elastometry distinguishes proven malignant PN from the surrounding lung, suggesting its potential utility as a non-invasive diagnostic tool. Author Disclosure: M. Negahdar: None. D.B. Shultz: None. R.V. Eyben: None. C. Fasola: None. A.S. Yu: None. L. Tian: None. D. Fleischmann: None. L. Gable: None. X. Shan: None. M. Diehn: None. B.W. Loo: None. P.G. Maxim: None.
Reply to comment on “variational formulation for the equilibrium condition of a conducting fluid in an electric field”

In this comment we respond to the several criticisms of the paper by Sujatha et al. raised by Kingham and Bell. In particular, we demonstrate that, contrary to their assertion, Taylor's solution for the electrostatic fields can never satisfy the boundary conditions for the actual experimental configurations involving field emission liquid metal ion sources and other experiments on electrostatically stressed conducting fluids. It is further argued that a careful analysis of Taylor's experimental procedure and observations suggests that although the observed static structures have a macroscopic axial-symmetry they have not the idealized conical shapes of prescribed angle. Furthermore, the formation of the Taylor cone structure is shown to be inconsistent with the principle of energy minimization. It is concluded that none of the criticism raised by Kingham and Bell invalidate any of the analysis or conclusions presented in the paper by Sujatha et al.
Efficient and Stereoselective Dimerization of Pyrroloindolizine Derivatives Inspired by a Hypothesis for the Biosynthesis of Complex Myrmicarin Alkaloids

Pyrroloindolizine derivatives participate in efficient and stereoselective homo- and heterodimerization reactions upon treatment with Bronsted or Lewis acids. The distinctive ability of pyrroloindolizines to act as azafulvenium ion precursors provides direct access to both heptacyclic and hexacyclic dimeric products. The inherent reactivity of these structures suggests a concise synthesis of complex myrmicarin alkaloids, via dimerization of pyrroloindolizines, and may have implications for the biosynthesis of these intriguing alkaloids.