cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 2282: Calmodulin binding to DR-5 and the role of CaM-DR-5 binding in DR-5-mediated DISC formation in breast cancer

Molecular classification of breast cancers into receptor-based subtypes, including estrogen positive or triple negative breast cancers, establish targets that guide individualized treatment for patients (Journal of clinical oncology:27, 1153-1154, 2009). However, drug resistance observed for breast cancer raises the challegens for the breast cancer treatment (CA: a cancer journal for clinicians 59, 303-313, 2009). Targeting the death receptor-5 (DR-5) to induce breast cancer apoptosis is a promising strategy for breast cancer treatment (Immunity 3, 673-682, 1995, Breast Cancer Res Treat 113, 217-230, 2009). TRA-8 is a DR-5 specific agonistic antibody (Nature medicine 7, 954-960, 2001), and TRA-8 can induce apoptosis in breast cancer cells (Clinical cancer research: 9, 3731-3741, 2003). TRA-8 signal DR-5-mediated apoptotic signal via formation of the death inducing signaling complex (DISC) at the DR-5 death domain (Immunity 12, 599-609, 2000). Calmodulin (CaM) is a mediator of calcium signaling and has been shown to play a role in regulating DR-5 mediated apoptosis (Biochem Cell Biol 87, 919-926, 2009). Understanding the mechanism of DR-5-CaM interaction and the role of CaM-DR-5 binding in regulating DR-5 mediated DISC formation, may unveil CaM-DR-5 binding as a potential target to modulate DR-5 mediated apoptosis. In this study we characterize an interaction between CaM and DR-5 and the role of CaM-DR-5 binding in DR-5-mediated DISC formation in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancers. Complex-immunoprecipitation of DR-5 from MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 lysates demonstrated endogenous CaM and DR-5 form a complex. Native PAGE of recombinant 6xHis-SUMO-CaM incubated with MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 lysates showed the formation of a CaM and DR-5 complex. CaM pull down of DR-5 from MCF-7 and MDA-MB231 lysates in the presence of 1 mM Ca2+ or 2 mM EGTA showed CaM/DR-5 interaction is calcium dependent. TRA-8 activation of DR-5 resulted in CaM recruitment into the DR-5 mediated DISC. Additionally, Either EGTA or CaM antagonist trifluopherazine (TFP) attenuated DR-5 mediated DISC formation in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancers. We present evidence for the Ca2+ dependent CaM and DR-5 interaction and a role of CaM-DR-5 binding in regulating DR-5 mediated DISC formation in breast cancer cells. Results from this study provide the basis for the further characterization of CaM-DR5 interactions and its important role in cellular activities, which could lead to novel strategies for effectively regulating DR-5-mediated apoptosis in breast cancer. Citation Format: Romone M. Fancy, Hong Wang, Tong Zhou, Yuhua Song. Calmodulin binding to DR-5 and the role of CaM-DR-5 binding in DR-5-mediated DISC formation in breast cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 2282. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-2282
Men in Prison: Family Characteristics and Parenting Views.

Abstract This article reports the findings of a study of the family characteristics and parenting experiences of long-term prisoners. The majority of the 115 respondents, whether single or married, were fathers of minor children and their parenting experiences were largely prison-based. Most did not see their children often but, nevertheless, wanted to improve their parenting skills. The study findings support recent efforts to identify and address the parenting froblems of incarcerated fathers. Like other men, prison inmates ave parenting aspirations, roles, and commitments.
Pulmonary Complications of Transfused Blood Components

In summary, the “terrible T’s” of TRALI, TACO, and TRIM are all potentially fatal complications of blood transfusion. The mechanisms are multifactorial and complex, involving both transfusion-specific and patient-specific factors. Epidemiologic evidence suggests that these complications are more common in critically ill patients independent of the amount and type of transfused blood components transfused. Therefore, practitioners must be vigilant with respect to blood components in these patient populations. Transfused blood components should be administered only after careful consideration of the patient’s unique risk of a transfusion complication versus the physiologic benefit of the planned transfused blood component. Blood components should be treated like pharmaceuticals, with continued refinement of the product in response to common and deadly side effects, and large multicenter trials performed to demonstrate efficacy. In the meantime, with regard to transfusion, less is often more.
Comparison of three live foods and two dry diets for intensive culture of grass carp and bighead carp larvae

Abstract Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) and bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) larvae fed freshwater rotifers (Brachionus rubens) were consistently longer and heavier at the end of the 3-week feeding trials than those fed the other foods tested. The final length of grass carp fed nematodes (Panagrellus sp.) was the lowest of the live foods tested, however, the length of bighead carp fed Panagrellus was not significantly different from those fed brine shrimp nauplii Artemia salina. Growth of grass carp fed the two commercial dry diets (Ewos Larvstart and Fry Feed Kyowa A) was less than those fed the three live foods. Bighead carp grew well on the commercial diets, but results were somewhat inconsistent. Construction of a simple, inexpensive airlift sponge filter is described. This filter provided adequate water quality, resulting in excellent survival at densities as high as 57 individuals/l with no addition of freshwater. The airlift sponge filter has great potential for intensive larval rearing.
Age-related changes in the human lens : a comparison of Scheimpflug photography and lens density index

Abstract Two quantitative techniques, Scheimpflug photography and the lens density index (LDI), were used to measure lens density in 52 patients. In the Scheimpflug technique, a digitized slitlamp camera provides peak and average nuclear density based on a densitometric analysis of the lens nucleus. The LDI is a psychophysical measurement of the difference between retinal scotopic thresholds for two wavelengths of light. Both the Scheimpflug technique and LDI revealed an age-related increase in lens density. Peak and average nuclear density were highly correlated with the LDI.
Neuron-restrictive Silencer Factor (NRSF) Functions as a Repressor in Neuronal Cells to Regulate the μ Opioid Receptor Gene *

The μ opioid receptor (MOR) is expressed in the central nervous system and specific cell lines with varying expression levels perhaps playing important roles. One of the neuronal-specific transcription regulators, neuron-restrictive silencer factor (NRSF), has been shown to repress the expression of neuron-specific genes in non-neuronal cells. However, we showed here that the neuron-restrictive silencer element (NRSE) of MOR functions as a critical regulator to repress the MOR gene expression in specific neuronal cells depending on NRSF expression level. Using co-transfection studies, we showed that the NRSE of the MOR promoter is functional in NRSF-positive cells (NS20Y and HeLa) but not in NRSF-negative cells (PC12). NRSF binds to the NRSE of the MOR gene in a sequence-specific manner confirmed by supershift and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays, respectively. The suppression of NRSF activity with either trichostatin A or a dominant-negative NRSF induced MOR promoter activity and transcription of the MOR gene. When the NRSF was disrupted in NS20Y and HeLa cells using small interfering RNA, the transcription of the endogenous target MOR gene increased significantly. This provides direct evidence the role of NRSF in the cells and also indicates that NRSF expression is regulated by post-translational modification in neuronal NMB cells. Our data suggested that NRSF can function as a repressor of MOR transcription in specific cells, via a mechanism dependent on the MOR NRSE.
PC program for assessing the relationship between rate of change and initial value

Abstract A menu-driven PC program implementing Blomqvist's [J. Am. Stat. Assn.72, 746–749, 1977] method for assessing the relationship between rate of change and initial value is described, illustrated and made available. It is shown that the naive approach to this problem—computing the correlation between the initial value and either the amount or rate of change—results in a negatively biased estimator. The extent of this bias can be dramatic and may lead investigators to conclude that a negative correlation is present when none exists; or that there is no correlation when in fact the correlation is positive. Blomqvist's (maximum likelihood) estimator avoids this bias, and is obtained by a transformation of the naive estimator.
Lessons from the Third World for Understanding American Criminal Justice

This paper argues for and attempts to demonstrate the case for including materials related to the operation of Third World criminal justice in courses dealing with American criminal justice system. The author argues that an examination of the contexts and processes of criminal justice in Third World nations increases one's ability to understand and critique the history and operations of our criminal justice enterprises. The Third World context offers laboratories for testing assumptions about American criminal justice without the implicitly pervasive ideological overtones we come to accept unquestionably in our own system simply because it is the one in which we operate. Within the context of poverty, “dual societies,” chronic political instability, the struggle for economic development, and colonialism, the Third World offers an opportunity to study the interaction and impact of law, politics, economics, social control, and social change on the development and operations of criminal justice. Using exampl...
Premature regression of corpora lutea in pseudopregnant rabbits following the removal of polydimethylsiloxane capsules containing 17 beta-estradiol.

17β-Estradiol, which is luteotropic in rabbits, was administered during pseudopregnancy via polydimethylsiloxane (Silastic) implants to determine the effects on serum progesterone concentrations. Implants which released estradiol at a rate of approximately 2 βg/day were placed beneath the skin the day after sterile mating and ovulation (day 0).Blood (3 ml) was obtained from the marginal ear vein on days 3, 6, 9, 10, 11 and 12. Serum estradiol levels, determined by radioimmunoassay, were 2- to 3-fold higher in estradiol-treated rabbits (11.7 ± 1.2 pg/ml) than in untreated pseudopregnant controls (5.9 ±1.4 pg/ml). Weights of corpora lutea in treated and control rabbits were not different at the conclusion of the experiment on day 12. Serum progesterone concentrations, also determined by radioimmunoassay, were not significantly different between treated and control animals. However, when estradiol implants were removed from other rabbits on day 10, a rapid decline in serum progesterone occurred, from 14.0 ± ...
Neural mechanism for stochastic behaviour during a competitive game

Previous studies have shown that non-human primates can generate highly stochastic choice behaviour, especially when this is required during a competitive interaction with another agent. To understand the neural mechanism of such dynamic choice behaviour, we propose a biologically plausible model of decision making endowed with synaptic plasticity that follows a reward-dependent stochastic Hebbian learning rule. This model constitutes a biophysical implementation of reinforcement learning, and it reproduces salient features of behavioural data from an experiment with monkeys playing a matching pennies game. Due to interaction with an opponent and learning dynamics, the model generates quasi-random behaviour robustly in spite of intrinsic biases. Furthermore, non-random choice behaviour can also emerge when the model plays against a noninteractive opponent, as observed in the monkey experiment. Finally, when combined with a meta-learning algorithm, our model accounts for the slow drift in the animal's strategy based on a process of reward maximization.
The Golgi apparatus of ciliated cells in the cat trachea negatively-stainedin situ and in cell fractions

Application of a modified tannic acid fixation and en bloc staining technique to specimens of cat trachea resulted in an unusual condition of electron-contrast, with a dense cytosol and relatively unstained membrane-bound organelles, in effect producing a negatively-stained image in thin sections. Thus, a direct comparison was possible between negatively-stained Golgi apparatusin situ and Golgi apparatus isolated from homogenates of the same tissue and negatively-stained with phosphotungstic acid. In both instances, these organelles revealed closely similar, if not identical, cisternal features including solid or fenestrated central saccules, often with fenestrated peripheries, and a system of peripheral cisternal tubules. Our findings provide directin situ validation of the general pattern of Golgi apparatus architecture first revealed by isolated and negatively-stained Golgi apparatus preparations.
Elastic constants of nickel: Variations with respect to temperature and pressure.

The temperature dependence and pressure derivatives of the adiabatic second- and third-order elastic coefficients of metallic nickel are calculated from molecular dynamics. We employ a Morse potential parametrized from lattice sums for nickel to model the interactions between the atoms. The elastic coefficients are obtained at three different temperatures (T=300, 482, and 671 K) from statistical fluctuation expressions. By use of the zero-pressure second- and third-order elastic coefficients, the pressure derivatives of second-order elastic coefficients of nickel on the aforementioned isotherms are also obtained. The difference between the theoretical and experimental second-order elastic coefficients are found to vary from 4% to 14%. The largest differences are seen for higher temperatures. The theoretical values for ${C}_{11}$ and ${C}_{12}$ are smaller than the experimental values, whereas the results for ${C}_{44}$ are larger than the experimental values. The parametrized Morse potential used in the calculations cannot quantitatively reproduce the third-order elastic coefficients of nickel at 300 K. For example, the differences between the calculated results and the experimental values at T=300 K are larger than 20% for some moduli. The comparably large magnitude of fluctuation terms appearing in the statistical formulas for the elastic coefficients shows the importance of the thermal and anharmonic effects which are not accounted for in lattice sums and harmonic lattice dynamics.
“I Have Looked Steadily around Me”: The Power of Examples in Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman

Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman has been thoroughly discussed as a text in which its feminist arguments and its rhetorical maneuvers not only inform each other, but becom...
Modifications of the Müller's Muscle-Conjunctival Resection Operation for Blepharoptosis

We used a modified Muller's muscle-conjunctival resection operation to correct cases of minimal blepharoptosis with good levator function. After we everted the eyelid, we placed a marking suture through the conjunctiva and Muller's muscle 4 mm above the superior tarsal border. The suture was used to tent up Muller's muscle and the conjunctiva from the underlying levator aponeurosis, facilitating placement of a resection clamp. These improvements ensure excision of the proper amount of tissue and reduce intraoperative trauma. Eighteen (95%) of 19 eyelids treated with this modification were cosmetically acceptable.
Role of elastin polymorphisms in panic disorder.

Panic disorder (PD) is a complex neuropsychiatric disorder that has been associated with an increased frequency of mitral valve prolapse. Elastin is a prominent component of mitral valves and, in a genome screen of 23 pedigrees with PD, we found evidence of linkage to the region of chromosome 7 that contains the elastin gene (ELN). Therefore, we examined the minimal essential promoter and coding regions of ELN in 23 independent probands from the families in our linkage studies using single strand conformational polymorphism analysis. We found three polymorphisms including one that coded for a non-conservative amino acid change. However, none of these polymorphisms were associated with panic disorder in a case-control analysis or linked to it in multiplex pedigrees. In our pedigrees, exonic polymorphisms in ELN do not play a major role in the genetic vulnerability to PD.
MRCP is Not a Cost-Effective Strategy in the Management of Silent Common Bile Duct Stones

Few formal cost-effectiveness analyses simultaneously evaluate radiographic, endoscopic, and surgical approaches to the management of choledocholithiasis. Using the decision analytic software TreeAge, we modeled the initial clinical management of a patient presenting with symptomatic cholelithiasis without overt signs of choledocholithiasis. In this base case, we assumed a 10 % probability of concurrent asymptomatic choledocholithiasis. Our model evaluated four diagnostic/therapeutic strategies: universal magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP), universal endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC), or laparoscopic cholecystectomy with universal intraoperative cholangiogram (LCIOC). All probabilities were estimated from a review of published literature. Procedure and intervention costs were equated with Medicare reimbursements. Costs of hospitalizations were derived from median hospitalization reimbursement for New York State using diagnosis-related groups (DRG). Sensitivity analyses were performed on all cost and probability variables. The most cost-effective strategy in the diagnosis and management of symptomatic cholelithiasis with a 10 % risk of asymptomatic choledocholithiasis was LCIOC. This was followed by LC alone, MRCP, and ERCP. LC was preferred only when the probability that a retained CBD stone would eventually become symptomatic fell below 15 % or if the probability of technical success of an intraoperative cholangiogram (IOC) was less than 35 %. Universal MRCP and ERCP were both more costly and less effective than surgical strategies, even at a high probability of asymptomatic choledocholithiasis. Within the tested range for both procedural and hospitalization-related costs for any of the surgical or endoscopic interventions, LCIOC and LC were always more cost-effective than universal MRCP or ERCP, irrespective of the presence or absence of complications. Varying the cost, sensitivity, and specificity of MRCP had no effect on this outcome. LC with routine IOC is the preferred strategy in a cost-effectiveness analysis of the management of symptomatic cholelithiasis with asymptomatic choledocholithiasis. MRCP was both more costly and less effective under all tested scenarios.
Piezoelectric properties of the high temperature MPB xPbTiO3 - (1−x)[BiScO3 + Bi(Ni1/2Ti1/2)O3] composition

The ternary perovskite xPbTiO3 - (1−x)[BiScO3 + Bi(Ni1/2Ti1/2)O3] (PT-BS-BNiT), where x = 0.54 is the morphotropic phase boundary composition, was studied for high temperature ferroelectric applications. Polycrystalline ceramics were prepared using the standard solid-state methods. The stoichiometric ceramic was found to have room temperature dielectric permittivity and loss values at 1 kHz of 1490 and 0.049 respectively. Piezoelectric properties, of the stoichiometric composition, measured included: Pr = 31.0 μC/cm2, Ec = 25.0 kV/cm, d33 = 340 pC/N, d33 * = 896 pm/V, and a bipolar electromechanical strain of 0.25 %. From these data, the Curie temperature was TC = 370 °C and the depoling temperature was TD = 325 °C. Processing ceramics with excess bismuth improved the low field piezoelectric coefficients with a maximum of d33 = 445 pC/N, while increasing the lead content increased the transition temperatures. The depoling and Curie temperatures of all compositions were measured to be between 275 and 400 °C.
On a stress resultant geometrically exact shell model. Part II: the linear theory; computational aspects

Abstract Computational aspects of a linear stress resultant (classical) shell theory, obtained by systematic linearization of the geometrically exact nonlinear theory, considered in Part I of this work, are examined in detail. In particular, finite element interpolations for the reference director field and the linearized rotation field are constructed such that the underlying geometric structure of the continuum theory is preserved exactly by the discrete approximation. A discrete canonical, singularity-free mapping between the five and the six degree of freedom formulation is constructed by exploiting the geometric connection between the orthogonal group (SO(3)) and the unit sphere (S2). The proposed numerical treatment of the membrane and bending fields, based on a mixed Hellinger-Reissner formulation,provides excellent results for the 4-node bilinear isoparametric element. As an example, convergent results are obtained for rather coarse meshes in fairly demanding, singularity-dominated, problems such as the classical rhombic plate test. The proposed theory and finite element implementation are evaluated through an extensive set of benchmark problems. The results obtained with the present approach exactly match previous solutions obtained with state-of-the-art implementations based on the so-called degenerated solid approach.
TU-FF-A2-06: Dynamic IMRT Treatments of Sinus Region Tumors: Comparison of Monte Carlo Calculations with Treatment Planning System Calculations and Ion Chamber Measurements

Purpose: To compare Monte Carlo (MC) calculations for dynamic IMRTtreatments of tumors in the sinus region with Eclipse treatment planning system dose calculations (pencil beam, modified Batho correction), and ion chamber measurements. Methods: The EGS4nrc MC code, BEAMnrc, was commissioned to simulate a Varian 21Ex Linac. The accuracy of the simulation for IMRT plans was evaluated using the RPC head phantom by comparing MC, Eclipse, RPC's TLD results, and ion chamber in solid water phantom measurements. The MC code was then used to simulate dose distributions for 5 patients who were treated using dynamic IMRT for tumors in the sinus region. The results were compared with absolute and relative dose distributions calculated using Eclipse (modified‐Batho inhomogeneity correction). Absolute dose differences were also compared ion chamber results. Results: Comparison of the doses calculated on the RPC phantom using MC, compared with Eclipse, ion chamber, and TLD measurements showed differences of −3.9%, −1.4%, and −2.0%, respectively (MC is colder). Relative dose distributions for the patient plans calculated using MC agreed well with those calculated using Eclipse with respect to targets and critical organs, indicating the modified‐Batho correction is adequate. Average agreement for mean absolute target doses between MC and Eclipse was −2.9±2.2%. Agreement between ion chamber and Eclipse for these patients was −2.2±1.9%, compared with 0.2±2.0% for all head and neck IMRT patients. When Eclipse doses were corrected based on ion chamber results, agreement between MC and Eclipse improved to ‐ 0.7±2.0%. Conclusions: (1) The effect of inhomogeneities in the sinus region is adequately accounted for by the modified‐Batho correction in Eclipse. (2) Both MC and ion chamber results indicate a small systematic uncertainty in the doses calculated using the treatment planning system for this subset of patients.
Looking down: large microwave apertures for meteorological and oceanographic remote sensing

The design strategy for environmental satellite constellations relies upon low orbiting satellites to provide global, high-resolution synoptic data and geostationary satellites to provide continuous observations of rapidly evolving local events. The latter category includes storm systems and, with the advent of cloud-track and water vapor winds, winds aloft. This division of labor is an architectural convenience for visual and infrared sensors but a necessity for microwave sensors. In fact, the typical ground resolution of microwave sensors on low orbiters is barely acceptable. Unfortunately, microwave sensors are preferable to visual and infrared systems for many applications including sea-surface temperature and wind measurement and the only viable method for remotely sensing sea surface salinity. Microwave sensors are also preferable for some atmospheric sounding applications because they are relatively insensitive to cloud cover. The most important cases where microwave sensors are preferred, those related to diagnosing the evolution of severe storm activity, require the highest spatial resolution and are best done with geostationary satellites. In particular, microwave sounding would be an ideal capability for a geostationary weather satellite.
Alice Paul Activist, Advocate, and One of Ours

Alice Paul was one of the foremost advocates for woman at the end of the Progressive Era, working successfully for passage of the 19th Amendment. In her work for suffrage, she pioneered methods and techniques that were to become standard tools for later successful social movements. She was one of the first graduates of the New York School of Applied Philanthropy and spent her early career working in both settlement houses and Charity Organization Societies; however, Paul has been conspicuously absent from the social work literature.
City Systems and World Systems: Four Millennia of City Growth and Decline

This is a study of the growth of cities in four regions over the past 4,000 years. The authors discuss changes in the relationship between political/military power, economic power, and city systems with special attention to the rise of European hegemony and the subsequent rise of East Asian world cities. They compare East Asian urban growth with the original heartland of cities in West Asia and North Africa, as well as Europe and the subcontinent of South Asia. This reveals the trajectories of city growth and decline and the relative importance of the different regions over time. And they re-examine the hypothesis of synchronicities of city growth and decline across distant regions as the Afro-Eurasian world system became more and more integrated.
Perceptions of on‐line support providers: An examination of perceived homophily, source credibility, communication and social support within on‐line support groups

The study examined perceptions of support providers, social support network size and network satisfaction, and the advantages and disadvantages of computer‐mediated support groups among (N = 107) on‐line support group users. The results indicated that the amount of time a person spent communicating within these groups and the number of messages received within on‐line groups was related to support group network size and network satisfaction. Perceptions of source credibility and homophily were also related to on‐line network size and network satisfaction. Finally, a number of advantages and disadvantages to receiving and providing support on‐line were reported by respondents.
Online Training for Resilient Communication during Shift Change Handovers

Numerous training interventions on patient handoffs have been initiated in the last few years, in part to meet new residency program accreditation requirements. Most of these programs focus on incr...
Who talks to a doctor about existing depressive illness

Data on respondents from household and institutional samples from the St. Louis Epidemiologic Catchment Area Study who reported a depressive spell within the last year were analyzed to determine the type of recent depressive symptoms, sociodemographic and personal characteristics related to recent discussion with a doctor about depressive illness. Symptoms of lost appetite or substantial weight loss, being female and separated or widowed, and not using the Emergency Room as a usual source of care encouraged a recent discussion. Comparison with findings from studies of general mental health services use suggests that influences on help-seeking may vary across psychiatric disorders.
GENERAL WELL-BEING AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE '

A self-scoring version of the General Well-being Questionnaire, a measure of a comprehensive set of 32 factors that contribute to healthfulness, was used as a class exercise in discussing subtopics in health psychology. Scores for 37 women and 25 men were analyzed to estimate their relative association with final course grade. Six factors had significant correlations with grade, and three of the six significantly predicted final course grade with a multiple R of 522. The three predictors were Growth Environment, Effectence, and Medical Condition.
Synthetic Vision Enhances Situation Awareness and RNP Capabilities for Terrain-Challenged Approaches

The Synthetic Vision Systems (SVS) Project of Aviation Safety Program is striving to eliminate poor visibility as a causal factor in aircraft accidents as well as enhance operational capabilities of all aircraft through the display of computer generated imagery derived from an onboard database of terrain, obstacle, and airport information. To achieve these objectives, NASA 757 flight test research was conducted at the Eagle-Vail, Colorado airport to evaluate three SVS display types (Head-Up Display, Head-Down Size A, Head-Down Size X) and two terrain texture methods (photo-realistic, generic) in comparison to the simulated Baseline Boeing-757 Electronic Attitude Direction Indicator and Navigation / Terrain Awareness and Warning System displays. These independent variables were evaluated for situation awareness, path error, and workload while making approaches to Runway 25 and 07 and during simulated engine-out Cottonwood 2 and KREMM departures. The results of the experiment showed significantly improved situation awareness, performance, and workload for SVS concepts compared to the Baseline displays and confirmed the retrofit capability of the Head-Up Display and Size A SVS concepts. The research also demonstrated that the pathway and pursuit guidance used within the SVS concepts achieved required navigation performance (RNP) criteria.
Precipitation of dilute chromatographic samples (ng/ml) containing interfering substances for SDS-PAGE.

Abstract SDS–PAGE of chromatographic fractions requires prior removal of salts, detergents, denaturants, or organic solvents which may perturb the electrophoretic separation. Likewise, to successfully visualize minute amounts of protein present in chromatographic fractions, they must often be concentrated before analysis by SDS–PAGE. In this study, we used a dye precipitation procedure for simultaneous removal of interfering substances and concentration of dilute samples (ng/ml) before analysis by SDS–PAGE. Nanogram amounts of protein (143 ng) were effectively precipitated with a pyrogallol red–molybdate reagent from commonly used chromatographic buffers containing various interfering solutes or solvents. Proteins were successfully precipitated from solution in the presence of organic solvents (acetonitrile, methanol, 2-propanol), chaotropic agents (6 M urea, 6 M guanidine–HCl), a protein stabilizer (40% sucrose), metal chelators (30 mM EDTA and 30 mM EGTA), or high salt (1.0 M NaCl). Detergents, at concentrations up to twice their critical micelle concentrations, from the nonionic class (Triton X-100, Tween 20) or from the zwitterionic class (3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate) did not inhibit protein precipitation. Some interference was observed when proteins were precipitated in the presence of ammonium sulfate (0.5–2.0 M). Proteins did not precipitate in the presence of ionic detergents (SDS and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide). The sensitivity of the combined pyrogallol red–molybdate precipitation/SDS–PAGE procedure is approximately 7 ng. Two other methods of precipitating proteins (trichloroacetic acid and phenol–ether) both exhibited varying degrees of effectiveness, ranging from 714 to 7 ng/ml, in the precipitation of individual proteins. In summary, the pyrogallol red–molybdate protein precipitation procedure facilitates the SDS–PAGE analysis of dilute protein samples (ng/ml) from chromatographic fractions of various compositions. The method is useful for rapid pilot-scale protein fractionation and facilitates the ongoing propensity of researchers to work with minuscule amounts of protein.
Stressed pairing in conventional color superconductors is unavoidable

At sufficiently high densities, cold dense three-flavor quark matter is in the color-flavor locked (CFL) phase, in which all nine quarks pair in a particularly symmetric fashion. Once the heaviness of the strange quark (mass m{sub s}) and the requirements of electric and color neutrality are taken into account, the CFL pattern of color superconductivity requires the pairing of quarks that would, in the absence of pairing, have Fermi momenta that differ by of order m{sub s}{sup 2}/{mu}, with {mu} the quark number chemical potential. This means that at sufficiently small {mu}, the 'stress' on the pairing is large enough that the system can lower its energy by breaking pairs, resulting in some unconventional color superconductor which includes gapless excitations, spatial inhomogeneity, counter-propagating currents, or all three. In this paper we ask whether there is some less symmetric but still conventional pattern of pairing that can evade the stress. In other words, is there a pattern of pairing in which, once electric and color neutrality are imposed by suitable chemical potentials, pairing only occurs among those quarks whose Fermi momenta would be equal in the absence of pairing? We use graph-theoretical methods to classify 511 patterns of conventional color-superconducting pairing,more » and show that none of them meet this requirement. All feel a stress, and all can be expected to become unstable to gapless modes at a density comparable to that at which the CFL phase becomes unstable.« less
An Improved Measure of Handedness: The Fazio Laterality Inventory

The Edinburgh Handedness Inventory (EHI) is the most widely used handedness inventory. The EHI has some weaknesses: it has been suggested it is outdated; the instructions are frequently misunderstood by participants; and the response format produces skewed responses in those who avoid extreme responding. This study introduces the Fazio Laterality Inventory (FLI) as an alternative that addresses these limitations. In an initial development study, the 12-item instrument showed acceptable internal reliability (Cronbach's alpha =.921), and a one-component solution explained 55.5% of the variance. After removal of two items, a validation study revealed the instrument again had good internal reliability (Cronbach's alpha =.943) with a one-component solution explaining 65.8% of the variance. The FLI did not correlate as strongly as expected with the EHI, likely due to its lack of an “Oldfield Admonition” as well as the finer scaling of the response format. Additional analyses of the FLI as a whole and each item ...
Effect of exogenous dopamine on hypothalamic dopamine and norepinephrine concentrations in the neonatal brain in rats

Abstract Hypothalamic dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE) concentrations were studied in the neonatal rats after acute (postnatal day 4) or chronic (postnatal days 1–10) DA injections (0.5 mg in 5% dextrose in 0.45% saline). Acute injection of DA twice on postnatal day 4 resulted in an increase of hypothalamic DA and NE concentrations 16 hr later. Chronic treatment with the DA (twice in a day) for 10 days resulted in a reduction of NE concentration in the hypothalamus. The results of these studies suggest that the amount and duration of exposure to exogenous DA during postnatal development may result in divergent effects on hypothalamic catecholamine concentration.
Handbook of SiC properties for fuel performance modeling

The SiC layer integrity in the TRISO-coated gas-reactor fuel particle is critical to the performance, allowed burn-up, and hence intrinsic efficiency of high temperature gas cooled reactors. While there has been significant developmental work on manufacturing the fuel particles, detailed understanding of the effects of the complex in-service stress state combined with realistic materials property data under irradiation on fuel particle survival is not adequately understood. This particularly frustrates the modeling efforts that seek to improve fuel performance through basic understanding. In this work a compilation of non-irradiated and irradiated properties of SiC are provided and reviewed and analyzed in terms of application to TRISO fuels. In addition to a compilation and review of literature data, new data generated to fill holes in the existing database is included, specifically in the high-temperature irradiation regime. Another critical piece of information, the strength of the SiC/Pyrolytic carbon interface, was measured and is included, along with a formalism for its analysis. Finally, recommended empirical treatments of the data are suggested.
2,3-Dihydro-3,5-dihydroxy-6-methyl-4H-pyran-4-one, a degradation product of a hexose

Abstract Evidence is presented to support 2,3-dlhydro-3,5-dihydroxy-6-methyl-4H-pyran-4-one as the structure of a previously isolated, hexose degradation-pr
Automated learning by tactical decision systems in air combat

Abstract In this paper we propose a self learning approach which utilizes artificial intelligence methods in air combat. It is based on the generation and evaluation of situations and on the subsequent construction of optimal missions. The choice of the evaluation function depends on the partner's and the opponent's priorities which are not necessarily known in advance. A learning algorithm is proposed in order to determine these unknown priorities. Furthermore an algorithm is proposed which enables one to decide if the learnt information is sufficient to win. Implementation of these algorithms and their similarities with well known pattern recognition algorithms are outlined. The use of learning algorithms in games involving competing groups of cooperating players (air combats in particular) is new.
Small gas turbine combustor study - Combustor liner evaluation

A reverse flow combustor liner constructed of Lamilloy (a multilaminate transpiration type material) is compared both analytically and experimentally with a conventional splash film-cooled design with the same combustor configuration. Comparison of selected critical combustor panels indicated that it was possible to maintain the liner temperature similar between the two configurations using 50 percent less coolant for the Lamilloy as compared with the reference film-cooled combustor. Additional benefits indicated improvement in outlet temperature distribution and NOx emission level.
Asymptotic properties of Cramér-Smirnov statistics—A new approach☆

Let Y1,…, Yn be independent identically distributed random variables with distribution function F(x, θ), θ = (θ′1, θ′2), where θi (i = 1, 2) is a vector of pi components, p = p1 + p2 and for ∀θ∈I, an open interval in Rp, F(x, θ) is continuous. In the present paper the author shows that the asymptotic distribution of modified Cramer-Smirnov statistic under Hn: θ1 = θ10 + n−1/2γ, θ2 unspecified, where γ is a given vector independent of n, is the distribution of a sum of weighted noncentral χ12 variables whose weights are eigenvalues of a covariance function of a Gaussian process and noncentrality parameters are Fourier coefficients of the mean function of the Gaussian process. Further, the author exploits the special form of the covariance function by using perturbation theory to obtain the noncentrality parameters and the weights. The technique is applicable to other goodness-of-fit statistics such as U2 [G. S. Watson, Biometrika 48 (1961), 109–114].
Phase composition and microstructure of polycrystalline and epitaxial TaNx layers grown on oxidized Si(001) and MgO(001) by reactive magnetron sputter deposition

Abstract TaNx is presently used in a variety of hard coating, wear-resistant, and diffusion barrier applications. However, the Ta–N system is inherently complex with more than 11 reported equilibrium and metastable phases and there has been little systematic study of the synthesis of these materials. Here, we report the results of an investigation of the ultrahigh vacuum reactive magnetron sputtering of Ta as a function of the N2 fraction fN2 in mixed Ar/N2 discharges together with the phase composition and microstructure of TaNx layers grown on MgO(001) and oxidized Si(001). Unlike the Ti–N system, for which TiN is the terminal phase, the abundance of N-rich phases in the Ta–N system results in the film deposition rate R and the N/Ta ratio of as-deposited layers varying continuously with fN2, even for values >fN2*, where fN2* is the N2 fraction corresponding to the maximum rate of N2 uptake by deposited Ta. Phase composition results are summarized in a phase map plotted as a function of film growth temperature Ts (100–800°C) and fN2. In pure Ar, the films are tetragonal β-Ta at Ts 400°C, and a mixture of the two phases at intermediate temperatures. α-Ta layers grown on MgO(001) at Ts>500°C are epitaxial with a strain-driven 45° in-plane rotation with respect to the substrate: (001)α-Ta∣∣(001)MgO with [110]α-Ta∣∣[100]MgO. A series of lower nitrides — TaN0.1, Ta4N, and Ta2N — are formed over narrow ranges of fN2 between 0 and 0.10. This is followed by a wide single-phase field at Ts ≤ 650°C corresponding to the growth of metastable B1 NaCl-structure δ-TaNx with x ranging from 0.94 (fN2=0.10) to 1.37 (fN2=0.275). The thermodynamically-stable hexagonal e-TaN phase is formed at higher growth temperatures. δ-TaNx layers grown on MgO(001) at Ts=550–650°C are epitaxial, exhibiting a cube-on-cube relationship: (001)δ-TaN∣∣(001)MgO with [100]δ-TaN∣∣[100]MgO. The relaxed lattice constant of δ-TaNx(001) layers decreases linearly from 0.4350 nm with x=0.94 to 0.4324 nm with x=1.37. Finally, layers grown in pure N2 are a two-phase mixture of δ-TaNx and body-centered tetragonal TaNx.
A novel technique for vision-based UAV navigation

In this paper, we describe a novel technique for vision based UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) navigation. In this technique, the navigation (position estimation) problem is formulated as a tracking problem and solved by a particle filter. The state and observation models of the particle filter are established based on a stereo analysis of the image sequence generated by the UAV's video camera in connection with a DEM (digital elevation map) of the area of the flight, which helps to control estimation error accumulation. The efficacy of this technique is demonstrated by simulation experimental results.
NMR study of the sites of human hemoglobin acetylated by aspirin.

Abstract Acetylation of hemoglobin by aspirin and other acetylating agents has been used to generate hemoglobin analogs with altered structural and functional properties, and may prove useful in the treatment of sickle cell disease. We have studied the acetylation of human hemoglobin using [1′-13C]acetylsalicylic acid in combination with two-dimensional HMQC and HSQC NMR analysis. The spectra of the acetylated hemoglobin exhibit a number of well resolved resonances. Several spectral assignment strategies were used: blocking the 2,3-DPG binding site non-covalently with inositol hexaphosphate or covalently with a cross-linking agent, selective carbamylation of the N-terminal valine amino groups with cyanate, spin-labeling the hemoglobin at βCys93, and analysis of a hemoglobin triple mutant: βV1MH2ΔK144R, in which βLys144 is replaced by an arginine residue. These studies support the conclusion that the most rapidly acetylated residue is βLys82 rather than βLys144, as previously reported. Further, it is apparent that acetyl βLys82 can give rise to several resonances due to additional acetylation of βLys82′ or other nearby residues. An additional assignment strategy involving comparison of the chemical shifts of the acetyl resonances observed for adducts of diamagnetic carbonmonoxyhemoglobin with the shifts observed in paramagnetic cyanomethemoglobin provides information about the location of the acetyl derivatives relative to the heme irons. This approach is limited, however, by the lack of well defined structural information for the lysine residues on the protein surface. Additional tentative assignments have also been made, using the above approaches.
Activation energies of monocrystalline beta-rhombohedral boron

Abstract Electrical and optical experiments were performed on relatively large but impure single crystals of the beta-rhombohedral form of boron. All samples had a high resistivity (about 7 × 10 5 Ohms-cm at 300°K) which decreased by a factor of 10 6 between 300 and 750°K. The thermal energy gap between the valence band and the conduction band was found to be between 1.27 and 1.35 eV for three crystal directions. The optical activation energy varied between 1.41 and 1.44 eV for single crystals and 1.60 eV for a sample containing several crystallites. The thermal data were accurate to a maximum of ± 0.02 eV and the optical to a maximum of ± 0.08 eV.
Software system performance debugging with kernel events feature guidance

To diagnose performance problems in production systems, many OS kernel-level monitoring and analysis tools have been proposed. Using low level kernel events provides benefits in efficiency and transparency to monitor application software. On the other hand, such approaches miss application-specific semantic information which can be effective to differentiate the trace patterns from distinct application logic. This paper introduces new trace analysis techniques based on event features to improve kernel event based performance diagnosis tools. Our prototype, AppDiff, is based on two analysis features: system resource features convert kernel events to resource usage metrics, thereby enabling the detection of various performance anomalies in a unified way; program behavior features infer the application logic behind the low level events. By using these features and conditional probability, AppDiff can detect outliers and improve the diagnosis of application performance.
Ordering management actions in pervasive systems using specification-enhanced policies

A pervasive system features a plethora of devices, services and applications organized as a large distributed system. One approach to managing such systems is by policies where administrators specify the management action to be taken in different situations using event-condition-action (ECA) rules. An important problem with policy-based management of a pervasive system is that multiple rules can get triggered on a single event and the behavior of the system depends on the order of rule enforcement. Systems managed using ECA policies do not provide guarantees about system behavior when multiple rules are concurrently triggered. In this paper, we present a novel rule framework called event-condition-precondition-action-postcondition (ECPAP) that combines axiomatic specifications with ECA rules for specifying management rules. ECPAP rules contain action specifications in first-order predicate logic that enables us to reason about the enforcement order. We define a notion called enforcement semantics for policy-based management and show how this can be used to provide guarantees about system behavior. We present the details of the framework.