cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Absorption mode for e.l.f. electromagnetic propagation in the Earth-crust waveguide

Using a highly idealised 3-layer model of the Earth's crust, it is shown that the modes of propagation fall into two classes. The conventional type leads to attenuation rates greater than the intrinsic attenuation rate for plane waves in the medium of lowest conductivity. The other type of solution leads to attenuation rates that are anomalously low. It is shown that this mode of propagation corresponds to a condition of complete absorption of an inhomogeneous plane wave incident from below the waveguide. To excite this absorption mode, we would need an aperture of infinite extent!
Classical capacitance of few-electron dielectric spheres

The capacitance of few-electron dielectric spheres differs from the many-electron Gauss model of infinitesimally-divisible charge as a result of the electrostatic interaction of discrete electrons. Minimization of the total classical interaction energy for nanometer-size devices without quantum effects for up to 12 electrons is obtained. Unlike the Gauss model, capacitance is non-constant. The variation of capacitance with N, thus, with voltage, in a non-magnetic, classical domain, opens a new field of discrete charge nanometer-size devices and applies to the general chemistry of nanoparticles.
Use of intravenous amiodarone for emergency treatment of life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias

Efficacy, side effects and predictors of response for intravenous amiodarone were evaluated in 46 patients with recurrent drug-refractory sustained ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation, or both, who were treated with intravenous amiodarone. Of the 46 patients, 27 (58.5%) responded early to intravenous amiodarone and 6 (13%) showed a late response to amiodarone. The majority of patients who responded to intravenous amiodarone did so within the first 2 h of therapy, and all responded within 84 h. Patients with an ejection fraction >25% were more likely to respond (p < 0.05). Major side effects occurred in 13% of patients. The cumulative 2 year mortality rate due to arrhythmia recurrence or sudden death for responders discharged from the hospital was 23% and the cumulative overall 2 year mortality rate was 46%. In conclusion, intravenous amiodarone is rapidly effective in the majority of patients with recurrent ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation refractory to other drugs. The poor long-term outcome of patients who require this therapy, respond to it and are discharged on long-term oral amiodarone therapy warrants consideration of other long-term treatment of these patients. Use of intravenous amiodarone is an important new modality in the treatment of drug-refractory malignant ventricular arrhythmias.
Precipitation of metal 8-hydroxyquinolates from homogeneous solution—VI: Zinc☆

Abstract The precipitation of zinc 8-hydroxyquinolate from homogeneous solution with 8-acetoxyquinoline results in a precipitate with superior physical characteristics in comparison with that produced by the conventional method, and furnishes a much better separation of zinc from lead, calcium and magnesium.
Microbiological characterization of the structures built by earthworms and ants in an agricultural field

Abstract The genesis and architecture of the structures built by ants and earthworms differ markedly, suggesting that—in addition to having different physical and chemical properties—the resident microbial community should also have unique properties. We characterized the inorganic N, biomass C, C mineralization rate, and functional diversity of the microbial communities of earthworm casts, earthworm burrow soil, ant mounds, and bulk soil from an agricultural field. Mound soil was most enriched in inorganic N and had the lowest pH, moisture content, and C mineralization rate. Functional diversity was evaluated by determining the ability of microorganisms to grow on 31 substrates using Biolog®EcoPlates in combination with a most probable number (MPN) approach. Casts had MPNs that were one to two orders of magnitude higher than burrow, mound and bulk soil for most substrates. Casts also had the highest MPNs for particular substrate guilds relative to bulk soil, followed by mound and burrow soil. Indices of substrate diversity and evenness were highest for casts, followed by burrow, mound, and bulk soil. Differences in the type of habitat provided by the structures built by ants and earthworms result in the differential distribution of nutrients, microbial activity, and metabolic diversity of soils within an agricultural field that affect soil fertility and quality.
Nafcillin-loaded PLGA nanoparticles for treatment of osteomyelitis

The goal of this investigation is to develop poly(DL-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles for the delivery of antibiotics such as nafcillin to osteoblasts. This is important in order to treat Staphylococcus aureus-mediated osteomyelitis. The latter is often chronic and highly resistant to antibiotics. Nafcillin (a penicillinase-resistant penicillin)-loaded nanoparticles were prepared by a single emulsion/solvent evaporation method. In vitro drug release studies were conducted in an incubator shaker at 37 degrees C in phosphate buffer saline. Drug loading and release were determined by UV-Vis spectroscopy. A viability study was conducted in S. aureus-infected mouse osteoblasts. In vitro release study showed an initial burst release and a second phase of slow release. Following 24 and 48 h of incubation, all formulations of nanoparticles loaded with nafcillin either killed or significantly reduced all of the intracellular bacteria. Our data demonstrate that effective killing of intracellular S. aureus is possible by treating the infected osteoblasts with nanoparticles loaded with nafcillin.
Power and Politics in the Classroom: The Effect of Student Roles in Simulations.

We argue that power roles can make a significant difference in how students experience in-class simulations. To test this, students who participated in Congressional simulations in one of the author's introduction to American politics classes were surveyed concerning their views of Congress, the legislative process, and the simulation experience. We then compared responses between students assigned to the majority and minority parties, as well as between students in “high-power” roles (leadership positions in the majority party) and “low-power” roles (non-leadership positions in the minority party). Power role had little effect on general views of Congress or the legislative process, but there were clear differences between power-role and non-power-role students in their views of the simulation. Students in power roles reported a greater understanding of and appreciation for the legislative process and found the simulation to be a more worthwhile experience than did students in non-power roles. Given this...
Spin-lattice relaxation rates of iron-sulfur proteins and heme proteins affected by dysprosium complexes and temperature

Abstract The method of progressive power saturation of the electron paramagnetic resonance spectrum has been utilized to determine the spin-lattice relaxation rate, 1/ T 1 , in the high potential iron-sulfur protein from Chromatium vinosum , the binuclear ferredoxin, bovine adrenodoxin, cytochrome c 2 from Rhodospirillum rubrum and sperm whale myoglobin-NO complex. The effect of added dysprosium complexes on these structurally known proteins was studied to describe more accurately the dipolar interaction. Based on an analysis of the data it can be concluded that an exogenous paramagnetic relaxer such as dysprosium-EDTA can be used to determine the effective distance ( r −6 , weighted average distance) of a paramagnetic center relative to the protein surface, which is somewhat longer than the closest approach. The temperature dependence of 1/ T 1 of adrenodoxin could be followed over a wide range and confirms the low-temperature T 2 phonon bottleneck mechanism and intermediate-temperature T 9 Raman process found in other iron-sulfur proteins. The C. vinosum high potential iron-sulfur protein (Hipip) gave anomalous results due to the onset of lower-temperature line-broadening, although the T 2 lowest-temperature mechanism is confirmed.
BAYESIAN ANALYSIS OF REPEATED EVENTS USING EVENT-DEPENDENT FRAILTY MODELS: AN APPLICATION TO BEHAVIORAL OBSERVATION DATA

In social interaction studies, one commonly encounters repeated displays of behaviors along with their duration data. Statistical methods for the analysis of such data use either parametric (e.g., Weibull) or semi-nonparametric (e.g., Cox) proportional hazard models, modified to include random effects (frailty) which account for the correlation of repeated occurrences of behaviors within a unit (dyad). However, dyad-specific random effects by themselves are not able to account for the ordering of event occurrences within dyads. The occurrence of an event (behavior) can make further occurrences of the same behavior to be more or less likely during an interaction. This article develops event-dependent random effects models for analyzing repeated behaviors data using a Bayesian approach. The models are illustrated by a dataset relating to emotion regulation in families with children who have behavioral or emotional problems.
Laser spectroscopy of cyanoacetylene-Mgn complexes in helium nanodroplets: Multiple isomers

Infrared laser spectroscopy and ab initio calculations are reported for cyanoacetylene bound to magnesium clusters of varying size, formed and observed in the superfluid helium nanodroplets. Ab initio calculations of the binary HCCCN-Mg potential energy surface reveal three minima. The corresponding isomers are observed experimentally, owing to the unique "growth" conditions provided by liquid helium. The cyanoacetylene is also observed to bind at both the nitrogen and hydrogen ends to larger magnesium clusters in agreement with the minima found in the corresponding ab initio calculations. The infrared spectra show rotational structure that can be fit by the corresponding gas-phase Hamiltonian, using modified constants that account for the effects of the helium solvent. Stark spectroscopy is used to measure the dipole moments of these complexes, providing further insights into the nature of the associated interactions.
Band-structure-dependent transport and impact ionization in GaAs

We have performed a Monte Carlo simulation of high-field transport in GaAs including a realistic band structure to study the band-structure dependence of electron transport and impact ionization. The band structure has been calculated using the empirical pseudopotential method. Unlike previous theories of impact ionization, our method is capable of calculating various parameters, such as mean free path, from first principles. The calculated electron mean free path, drift velocity, and impact ionization rate are in reasonable agreement with the experimental data in spite of several simplifications of the model. Within statistical uncertainty we do not observe any orientation dependence of the ionization rate in contradiction to the interpretation of recently reported experimental results. We also find that the contribution of ballistic electrons to impact ionization is negligibly small. Based on the results of the calculation, a general discussion of impact ionization is given.
Mobile dislocation density during the deformation of KC1 single crystals

Abstract A method is proposed for measuring the density of mobile dislocations in KC1 crystals during deformation. This method is based on the fact that edge dislocations in ionic crystals carry electric charges, so that their motion creates an electric potential difference which can be measured. It is found that the density of mobile dislocations increases during constant strain rate compression, remains the same during the strain rate cycling, and decreases to a steady value during stress relaxation. Such information could not be obtained before.
Role of codon 160 in the sensitivity of human O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase to O6-benzylguanine

O6-Alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (AGT) is a DNA repair protein that provides protection from alkylating agents such as dacarbazine, temozolomide, and 1,3-bis-(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU), which are used for cancer chemotherapy. O6-Benzylguanine (BG) is an inhibitor of AGT that sensitizes tumors to these agents. BG is currently in clinical trials. It is possible that the presence of resistant forms of AGT may limit the effectiveness of this strategy. Previous studies have shown that the AGT mutant G160R, which may occur naturally as a result of a polymorphism in the AGT gene, is resistant to BG, whereas the mutants G160W and G160A are actually more sensitive to the inhibitor. To examine other mutations at this site, a random sequence was placed at codon 160 in the AGT cDNA, and a plasmid library was constructed to express these sequences in Escherichia coli. After selection with BG and N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine, BG-resistant mutants were obtained and analyzed. Eleven different amino acid substitutions were found to impart BG resistance by this assay. The most resistant mutants contained histidine or arginine, which had EC50 values of 12 and 4.7 microM, respectively, compared with the wild-type EC50 of 0.08 microM, but nine other alterations led to at least a 10-fold rise in the EC50 value. Three additional mutations at codon 160 were constructed by site-directed mutagenesis, and these led to 6- to 11-fold increases in resistance to BG. Comparisons of the properties of mutants G160R and G160E showed that the presence of DNA enhanced the reaction with BG much more strongly when an acidic residue was present at this position. This may account for the lack of selection of the G160E mutation even though it did impart resistance to BG. These results indicate that many alterations of AGT at position 160 can lead to significant resistance to BG.
Mastoiditis presenting as parietooccipital scalp abscess—A case report and literature review

Abstract This is a case report of a child who presented with an unusual presentation of acute mastoiditis, where the only feature was a gradually enlarging parieto-occipital mass. There was no significant other otological features at the time of presentation, where otoscopy revealed a normal middle ear and audiogram/tympanogram were normal. CT of the temporal bone revealed left mastoiditis with erosion of the inner cortex with extension of the abscess along the epidural space. A skull defect in the vault of the skull allowing communication of this extradural collection with a scalp abscess. MRI noted transverse and sigmoid sinus thrombosis. The child underwent left cortical mastoidectomy via extended post auricular approach. This was followed by a six weeks’ course of intravenous antibiotics and subcutaneous low molecular weight heparin. This case highlights the need to identify unusual modes of presentation for acute mastoiditis and to keep a high index of clinical suspicion to avoid complications of delayed treatment.
From progesterone in biopsies to estimates of pregnancy rates: Large scale reproductive patterns of two sympatric species of common dolphin, Delphinus spp. off California, USA and Baja, Mexico

Abstract Blubber progesterone levels were measured in biopsy samples and used to predict the pregnancy status of 507 female common dolphins (204 long-beaked common dolphins, Delphinus capensis, and 303 short-beaked common dolphins, D. delphis). Samples were collected in the coastal waters of the eastern North Pacific between central California, USA and the southern end of Baja California, Mexico. The percentage of females pregnant was similar between the two species: 22.1% (n = 45) of D. capensis and 28.1% (n = 85) of D. delphis. For both species we found strong geographic patterns in pregnancy, suggesting that some areas were more conducive for pregnant females. A sizable drop in percent pregnant from early (38.8%, n = 133) to late (25.3%, n = 91) autumn was found in D. delphis but not in D. capensis. The potential for sample selectivity was examined via biopsies collected either from a large research ship or from a small, rigid-hull inflatable boat (RHIB) launched from the larger ship. An analys...
Having one's cake and eating it too: Better routes and lower control traffic for AODV

In this research we develop new techniques for optimizing the performance of a reactive routing protocol in operational environments characterized by high node mobility and long-lived connections. The question we seek to answer is whether in such environments, reactive routing protocols necessarily exhibit a tradeoff between control traffic and route optimality. More specifically, does a protocol which makes use of less control traffic (i.e. better) than standard AODV, necessarily exhibit connection routes that are longer (i.e. worse) than those achieved by standard AODV? We show that the commonly assumed tradeoff can be avoided, and that it is possible to “Have one's cake and eat it too”. Towards this, we design an extension of the AODV protocol, and show through extensive ns2 simulation experiments that the new protocol both significantly reduces the control traffic overhead, while simultaneously improving the topological optimality of connections. These remarkable conclusions are seen to continue to hold scalably as one varies situational parameters such as network size, number of connections, and node mobility.
Evidence for an alcohol-stress link among normal weight adolescents reporting purging behavior

A survey of 1728 tenth grade students was conducted to assess the prevalence of purging behavior, alcohol and drug use, and reported physical and psychological distress. Thirteen percent reported purging behavior. Female purgers outnumbered males 2 to 1. Male purgers were significantly heavier than male nonpurgers. The prevalence of drunkenness and daytime drinking among female purgers was significantly higher than for female nonpurgers. Female purgers were more likely to report using alcohol to reduce stress than nonpurging female peers. Female purgers reported a higher level of psychological distress when perceived situational control is low than female nonpurgers. Significant differences were not found between male purgers and male nonpurgers on variables assessing alcohol use and psychological distress. Educational programs aimed at prevention of eating disorders may need to be developed.
Exploring Cross-Group Discrimination: Measuring the Dimensions of Inferiorization1

We describe a theoretical framework that identifies similar themes across the reported experiences of historically stigmatized groups. lnferiorization is a function of the contluence of stigma. context. and associated cultural myths. A self-report measure of inferiorization was applied to college-student samples of African Americans, White women. gay men and lesbians. people with disabilities, and, as a control. a White male comparison group (total N = 263). Stigmatizable people tended to report more frequent inferioriring events than generally nonstigmatizable people. Debiations from this pattern were explained by the contextual and stigma-related specificity of inferiorization and the presence or absence of associated cultural myths. Inferiorization describes a general social process that remains sensitive to the experiences of specific groups and to the contemtal nature of stigmatization.
Study of the relationship between fractal dimension and viscosity ratio for viscous fingering with a modified DLA model

Abstract The morphological evolution characters of viscous fingering, which occurred in two-dimensional Hele-Shaw cells with various viscosity ratio of the displaced-to-driving fluids from 1 to 10 000, were simulated by a modified DLA model on off-lattices. The model can reproduce experimental patterns conveniently and generate various finger growth aggregations from skeletal patterns to fleshy patterns. Both the shapes and the fractal dimension of fractal clusters obtained by controlling the parameters in the present model are in good agreement with experiments. The present work indicates that the effective fractal dimension of viscous fingering decreases and the corresponding morphologies of finger growth vary from fleshy patterns to skeletal patterns when viscosity ratio V R is increased in laboratory scale. Low fractal dimension corresponds to very ramified viscous fingering fractal structure and short breakthrough time. In small scale, the effective fractal dimension can be reasonably regarded as a useful parameter for the fluid displacement process. In the scale of laboratory experiments, the unfavorable viscous fingering can be controlled by reducing the viscosity ratio, thus, increasing the effective fractal dimension of viscous fingering.
Male-female differences in occupational attitudes within minority groups

Abstract Few studies have considered sex differences in occupational attutudes in minority group samples. Evidence of interracial differences in occupational attitudes, coupled with probably interracial differences in socialization processes, suggests that patterns of sex differences in occupational attitudes may not be invariant across races. Any such variations could contaminate interracial comparisons within sexes. The current study examined sex differences in occupational attitudes in two samples of poor minority group members. Differences regularly isolated in studies of whites were not evident. In both samples, rankings of preferences for work-related outcomes of males and females were remarkably similar.
Microarray analysis of active cardiac remodeling genes in a familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy mouse model rescued by a phospholamban knockout

Familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (FHC) is a disease characterized by ventricular hypertrophy, fibrosis, and aberrant systolic and/or diastolic function. Our laboratories have previously developed two mouse models that affect cardiac performance. One mouse model encodes an FHC-associated mutation in α-tropomyosin: Glu → Gly at amino acid 180, designated as Tm180. These mice display a phenotype that is characteristic of FHC, including severe cardiac hypertrophy with fibrosis and impaired physiological performance. The other model was a gene knockout of phospholamban (PLN KO), a regulator of calcium uptake in the sarcoplasmic reticulum of cardiomyocytes; these hearts exhibit hypercontractility with no pathological abnormalities. Previous work in our laboratories shows that when mice were genetically crossed between the PLN KO and Tm180, the progeny (PLN KO/Tm180) display a rescued hypertrophic phenotype with improved morphology and cardiac function. To understand the changes in gene expression that occur in these models undergoing cardiac remodeling (Tm180, PLN KO, PLN KO/Tm180, and nontransgenic control mice), we conducted microarray analyses of left ventricular tissue at 4 and 12 mo of age. Expression profiling reveals that 1,187 genes changed expression in direct response to the three genetic models. With these 1,187 genes, 11 clusters emerged showing normalization of transcript expression in the PLN KO/Tm180 hearts. In addition, 62 transcripts are highly involved in suppression of the hypertrophic phenotype. Confirmation of the microarray analysis was conducted by quantitative RT-PCR. These results provide insight into genes that alter expression during cardiac remodeling and are active during modulation of the cardiomyopathic phenotype.
Caring perspectives in nursing education: liberation, transformation and meaning

The author's personal journey through many years of nursing education as both a student and faculty member lead to a theoretical exploration of a caring pedagogy between students and teachers. The author places this exploration in a historical context and examines education, feminist and nursing literature to evolve common themes in describing caring pedagogy within nursing. Finally, the author suggests a model that forms the foundation for nursing curricula based on caring values.
A notch analysis of fracture approach to fatigue crack propagation

A model of fatigue crack growth is proposed that utilizes the recent developments in notch analysis of fracture and a concept of size effect that results from the changes in the critically stressed volume ahead of a crack tip. Accordingly, the fatigue crack growth mechanism involves local stresses reaching the theoretical cohesive strength and causing brittle fracture of atomic bonds at nominal stresses near the threshold, whereas slip-plane decohesion and plastic blunting and resharpening of the crack tip process may occur at stresses above the threshold range. The model contains three material parameters σFF nF, and ρF, that conveniently extend continuum analysis to situations where inhomogeneity of the material structure can influence the behavior appreciably. The analytical expression from the model was found to correlate fatigue crack growth data reasonably well in the low and intermediate stress ranges in Al 2024-T3, Al 7075-T6 and 250 grade maraging steel. The fracture modes observed are in agreement with the predictions from the model. The same fatigue crack growth model can be extended to estimating the threshold stress intensity factor range, ΔKo and fatigue notch sensitivity of different materials.
Hair-forming activity of human lymphocyte specific protein 1 requires cooperation between its caldesmon-like domains and the villin headpiece-like domains.

LSP1 is an F-actin binding with multiple F-actin binding domains. Overexpression of LSP1 in NAD 47/89 patient's neutrophils created hair-like projections on the patient's neutrophil cell surfaces and inhibited neutrophil cell motility and transfection of LSP1 in serial cell lines recreate the NAD 47/89 phenotype and produce branching hair-like surface projections. Although LSP1 contains hair-forming ability and LSP1 F-actin binding domains have been defined, the LSP1 domains responsible for its hair-forming activity, the relationship to the F-actin binding domains, and the required domain interactions, if any, for hair formation are not well understood. To define the hair-forming domains of LSP1, the relationship to the known F-actin binding domains, and binding domain interactions, LSP1 truncates, which include or exclude the different F-actin binding domains, were created by PCR. LSP1 mutants were created by site-directed mutagenesis to define the amino acids important for hair formation. Sf9 cells were infected with recombinant baculovirus expressing the cDNA of LSP1 truncates and mutants, and the morphology of infected Sf9 cells was documented by DIC optics. Results show that (1) the hair-forming activity of LSP1 is localized to the basic C-terminal half of the molecule, which contains all of the F-actin binding domains; (2) both the caldesmon-like domains and the villin headpiece-like domains are required for the hair-forming activity of LSP1; (3) basic amino acids in the villin headpiece regions are crucial for the hair-forming activity of LSP1 molecule. The results suggest cooperation between the caldesmon-like domains and the villin headpiece-like domains are required for the hair-forming activity of human LSP1 in cells. Cell Motil. Cytoskeleton 49:179–188, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Transducer arrays for omnidirectional guided wave mode control in plate like structures

For structural health monitoring applications, ultrasonic guided wave mode control is critical for obtaining simple signals that can be easily analyzed as well as special modes and frequencies for improved sensitivity to certain defects. This paper discusses the development of an annular array transducer for omnidirectional guided wave mode control in plate like structures. Using a flexible piezoelectric material like polyvinlydine fluoride (PVDF), annular array transducers that are low cost, low profile and conformable to the structure can be made rapidly. Two different array patterns, namely ones of comb and inter-digital (IDT) type, are studied. The loadings of these transducers on a structure differ from one another and hence so do their source influences. An axi-symmetric finite element modeling is employed to study the surface displacement pattern of these two transducer configurations. The source influence of the transducer configurations is studied experimentally by exciting an anti-symmetric (A1) and a symmetric (S1) type guided wave mode in a steel plate. It was observed that IDT type transducers were able to couple well to the guided wave modes at the wavelengths that they are designed for. The comb type transducers have a weak coupling to symmetric guided wave modes at frequencies where the wave structure has high in-plane displacement and negligible out-of-plane displacement on the surface of the structure.
Restoration of our lakes and rivers with wetlands — An important application of ecological engineering

The role of wetlands, both natural and man-made, in improving water quality of streams, rivers, and lakes is illustrated with examples of fringe, instream, and riparian wetlands. Fringe wetlands have been shown to reduce inputs to freshwater lakes, instream wetlands can improve habitat and provide some water quality function to small streams, and riparian wetlands along larger rivers provide important roles in both capturing sediments and nutrients from the river itself and serving as buffer between uplands and the river. Two major experimental riparian wetland sites in Midwestern USA are introduced: The Des Plaines River Wetland Demonstration Project and the Olentangy River Wetland Research Park.
Decoupled Cache Segmentation: Mutable Policy with Automated Bypass

The least recently used (LRU) replacement policy performs poorly in the last-level cache (LLC) because temporal locality of memory accesses is filtered by first and second level caches. We propose a cache segmentation technique that adapts to cache access patterns by predicting the best number of not-yet-referenced and already-referenced blocks in the cache. The technique is independent from the LRU policy so it can work with less expensive replacement policies. It can automatically detect when to bypass blocks to the CPU with no extra overhead. It outperforms LRU replacement on average by 5.2% with not-recently-used (NRU) replacement and on average by 2.2% with random replacement in a 2MB LLC in a single-core processor with a memory intensive subset of SPEC CPU 2006 benchmarks.
Global feature space neural network for active computer vision

We advance new active computer vision algorithms based on the Feature space Trajectory (FST) representations of objects and a neural network processor for computation of distances in global feature space. Our algorithms classify rigid objects and estimate their pose from intensity images. They also indicate how to automatically reposition the sensor if the class or pose of an object is ambiguous from a given viewpoint and they incorporate data from multiple object views in the final object classification. An FST in a global eigenfeature space is used to represent 3D distorted views of an object. Assuming that an observed feature vector consists of Gaussian noise added to a point on the FST, we derive a probability density function for the observation conditioned on the class and pose of the object. Bayesian estimation and hypothesis testing theory are then used to derive approximations to the maximum a posterioriprobability pose estimate and the minimum probability of error classifier. Confidence measures for the class and pose estimates, derived using Bayes theory, determine when additional observations are required, as well as where the sensor should be positioned to provide the most useful information.
Matrix metalloproteinases: Drug targets for myocardial infarction

Myocardial infarction (MI) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Rapid advances in the treatment of acute MI have significantly improved short-term outcomes in patients, due in large part to successes in preventing myocardial cell death and limiting infarct area during the time of ischemia and subsequent reperfusion. Matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) play key roles in post-MI cardiac remodeling and in the development of adverse outcomes. This review highlights the importance of MMPs in the injury and remodeling response of the left ventricle and also discusses their potential as therapeutic targets Additional pre-clinical and clinical research is needed to further investigate and understand the cardioprotective effects of MMPs inhibitors.
Relationship of serum prolactin with severity of drug use and treatment outcome in cocaine dependence

Rationale Alteration in serum prolactin (PRL) levels may reflect changes in central dopamine activity, which modulates the behavioral effects of cocaine. Therefore, serum PRL may have a potential role as a biological marker of drug severity and treatment outcome in cocaine dependence.
Resonant Si/Ge avalanche photodiode with an ultrahigh gain bandwidth product

A resonant Ge/Si APD with the SACM (separate-absorption-charge-multiplication) structure is presented. Due to the resonance effect in the avalanche region, the Ge/Si APD shows an ultra-high gain-band products (GBP) (860GHz). This may make it possible to generate electrical data directly without a TIA (trans-impedance-amplifier). Consequently, the receiver based on the resonant Ge/Si APD may be cheaper, smaller and lower power than existing approaches.
Design and Performance of NSTX Movable GDC Probe

The NSTX GDC system has been improved by replacing one of the two fixed anodes with a movable GDC probe (MGP) anode that can be inserted 1.2 m to about midway between the inner and outer vessel walls. The purpose was to provide more spatially uniform HeGDC for improving discharge stability and reliability. The MGP has been used reliably between every discharge during the last two NSTX experimental campaigns. It has also been used to apply HeGDC assisted boronization, and more recently, HeGDC assisted lithiumization. The MGP has contributed to improved NSTX performance during long pulse and H-mode discharges, and enabled a faster discharge repetition rate.
Helicopter vibration suppression using simple pendulum absorbers on the rotor blade

A comprehensive anaytical design procedure for the installation of simple pendulums on the blades of a helicopter rotor to suppress the root reactions is presented. A frequency response anaysis is conducted of typical rotor blades excited by a harmonic variation of spanwise airload distributions as well as a concentrated load at the tip. The results presented included the effect of pendulum tuning on the minimization of the hub reactions. It is found that a properly designed flapping pendulum attenuates the root out-of-plane force and moment whereas the optimum designed lead-lag pendulum attenuates the root in-plane reactions. For optimum pendulum tuning the parameters to be determined are the pendulum uncoupled natural frequency, the pendulum spanwise location and its mass. It is found that the optimum pendulum frequency is in the vicinity of the excitation frequency. For the optimum pendulum a parametric study is conducted. The parameters varied include prepitch, pretwist, precone and pendulum hinge offset.
Joint hop-timing estimation for FH signals using a coarsely channelized receiver

This paper addresses the joint hop-timing (epoch) estimation problem for a desired frequency-hopping (FH) signal plus an interfering FH signal using a coarsely channelized pre-processor which suppresses the frequency and phase dependence of the signals. The signals are modeled with the same hop rate and candidate hop frequencies, but with distinct power and timing epochs. Coarse channelization implies a bank of filters, much smaller in number than the size of the candidate hop frequency set, which covers the total shared bandwidth. It is shown that the Viterbi algorithm can be used to efficiently implement the maximization over the frequency sequences. Performance evaluation is presented via extensive computer simulations, showing that the estimates are unbiased and consistent whenever the signal powers are distinct. When the co-channel signal-to-interference ratio increases towards one this estimator deteriorates in performance.
Thermal Convection in Polar Ice Sheets Related to the Various Empirical Flow Laws of Ice

Summary A more detailed analysis of the original application of thermal convection theory to polar ice sheets is made. This analysis considers the empirical flow laws of ice for a wide range of stress and temperature. A polynomial flow law based on theoretical creep models gives the best representation of thermal stresses driving convection in polar ice sheets. The flow law also predicts ice viscosities which decrease rapidly with depth, and leads to supercritical Rayleigh numbers for the central portions of the Antarctic ice sheet. Ascending convection flow is visualized as confined to narrow, mushrooming diapirs perhaps regularly dispersed throughout the central portions of the ice sheet. Oriented crystal fabrics defining these diapirs may weaken from the centre toward the edge of the ice sheet; nevertheless the presence of diapirs should be detectable seismically by the vertical alignment of glide planes within them.
Biodegradable Polymers Poly(amide-urethanes) [1]

Poly(amide-urethanes) with long repeating units were prepared from 2-aminoethanol, α,ω-alkylene dicarboxylic acid chlorides, and 1.6-diisocyanatohexane. These partially crystalline polymers undergo slow hydrolysis when suspended in buffered water but were found to be more readily degraded by the enzyme subtilisin.
Discrepancy between the Atwater factor predicted and empirically measured energy values of almonds in human diets

Background: The energy content of foods is primarily determined by the Atwater factors, which may not be accurate for certain food groups. Nuts are a food group for which substantial evidence suggests that the Atwater factors may be poorly predictive. Objective: A study was conducted to determine the energy value of almonds in the human diet and to compare the measured energy value with the value calculated from the Atwater factors. Design: Eighteen healthy adults consumed a controlled diet or an almond-containing diet for 18 d. Three treatments were administered to subjects in a crossover design, and diets contained 1 of 3 almond doses: 0, 42, or 84 g/d. During the final 9 d of the treatment period, volunteers collected all urine and feces, and samples of diets, feces, and urine were analyzed for macronutrient and energy contents. The metabolizable energy content of the almonds was determined. Results: The energy content of almonds in the human diet was found to be 4.6 6 0.8 kcal/g, which is equivalent to 129 kcal/28-g serving. This is significantly less than the energy density of 6.0‐6.1 kcal/g as determined by the Atwater factors, which is equivalent to an energy content of 168‐170 kcal/serving. The Atwater factors, when applied to almonds, resulted in a 32% overestimation of their measured energy content. Conclusion: This study provides evidence for the inaccuracies of the Atwater factors for certain applications and provides a rigorous method for determining empirically the energy value of individual foods within the context of a mixed diet. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01007188. Am J Clin Nutr 2012;96: 296‐301.
Motion parameter estimation from global flow field data

Presented are two methods for the determination of the parameters of motion of a sensor, given the vector flow field induced by an imaging system governed by a perspective transformation of a rigid scene. Both algorithms integrate global data to determine motion parameters. The first (the flow circulation algorithm) determines the rotational parameters. The second (the FOE search algorithm) determines the translational parameters of the motion independently of the first algorithm. Several methods for determining when the function has the appropriate form are suggested. One method involves filtering the function by a collection of circular-surround zero-mean receptive fields. The other methods project the function onto a linear space of quadratic polynomials and measures the distance between the two functions. The error function for the first two methods is a quadratic polynomial of the candidate position, yielding a very rapid search strategy. >
Nutrition Policy Research That Can Lead to Reduced Childhood Obesity in the U.S.

One of the clear insights from obesity prevention research over the past few years is the potential for impactful, sustainable, and cost-effective policy change. This insight draws on lessons of the campaign to reduce tobacco use in the U.S. The tobacco campaigns clearly demonstrated the power of policy and regulatory change to promote healthier behavior. Although treatment and educational programs also have helped to reduce smoking, three key sets of policies drove down smoking rates in the U.S.: (1) the ban on advertising cigarettes on television; (2) the imposition of substantial taxes on tobacco; and (3) smoking restrictions in public spaces. The combination of these policies has saved countless lives. Policy-based strategies have been a powerful method of tobacco control and also have formed the basis of many other successful public health achievements such as vaccinations, motor-vehicle safety, safer foods, and safer workplaces. Thus, using policy approaches to modify the food environment could be a powerful tool to reduce obesity at the population level. As with tobacco control, addressing the epidemic of obesity in the U.S. will require major policy and contextual changes. Although dietary and eating behavior and obesity development are complex and are influenced by multiple factors, policy approaches to promote healthy eating provide important tools that can be applied in many settings where children and adults spend their time. Policy change at local, state, and national levels can make it more likely that healthy choices are the easy choices and that both children and adults can reduce their excess intake of nutritionally empty or harmful foods and beverages and decrease their obesity risk. The authors in the accompa-
Working with Self-Injurious Adolescents Using the Safe Kit

ABSTRACT This article offers a guide for using the Safe Kit when working with clients who self-injure. The Safe Kit can be used as a supplement to more traditional approaches to counseling and offers clients alternatives to self-injury when they need alternatives the most. The Safe Kit works under the assumption that individuals differ in the meaning they assign to self-injury and that they also differ in what they find to be effective alternatives to self-injury. The author offers basic guidelines for building and implementing the kit.
Low-complexity ICI suppression for OFDM over time- and frequency-selective Rayleigh fading channels

While rapid variations of the fading channel cause intercarrier interference (ICI) in OFDM, thereby degrading its performance considerably, they also introduce temporal diversity, which can be exploited to improve the performance. We first derive a matched filter bound (MFB) for OFDM transmissions over doubly-selective Rayleigh fading channels, which benchmarks the best possible performance if ICI is completely cancelled without noise enhancement. We then develop low-complexity MMSE and DFE receivers for ICI suppression. Simulations show that the DFE receiver can collect significant gains of ICI-impaired OFDM with affordable complexity.
Reducing dTLB energy through dynamic resizing

Translation look-aside buffer (TLB), which is small content addressable memory (CAM) structure used to translate virtual addresses to physical addresses, can consume significant energy in some architectures. In addition, its power density is high, due to its small area. Consequently, reducing power consumption of TLB is important for both high-end and low-end systems. While a large TLB might be preferable from the performance angle, it can also lead to excessive dynamic energy consumption. We focus on data TLB (dTLB), and propose an architectural solution to this problem which is based on dynamically resizing the dTLB considering application execution behavior. Our objective is to give the application the minimum dTLB size (at any point) without significantly degrading its performance. We present two different implementations of this idea, and give experimental data demonstrating that it is very effective in practice.
Genetic determinants of lung cancer short-term survival: the role of glutathione-related genes.

Abstract Purpose: Survival of lung cancer patients has been dismal. Glutathione enzymes are directly involved in the metabolism of platinum compounds, a group of important chemotherapeutic drugs in cancer treatment. We tested the hypothesis that genes encoding glutathione enzymes may predict lung cancer short-term survival. Methods: We studied DNA polymorphisms of 250 primary lung cancer patients at four glutathione-related loci: GSTP1 , GSTM1 , GSTT1 and γ - GCS that encode glutathione-S-transferase-π, glutathione-S-transferase-μ, glutathione-S-transferase-θ, and γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase, respectively. Pearson's χ 2 -square tests, Kaplan–Meier survival curves, log rank tests, and Cox regression models were applied in the analysis. Results: There were 150 (60%) men and 100 (40%) women in this study. Seventeen percent of the patients had never smoked cigarettes, and 61% had stopped smoking at least 6 months prior to their lung cancer diagnosis. Among never smokers, those with null (N) or low (L) genotype experienced a better 1-year-survival rate than those with a positive (P) or high (H) genotype. Patients with P or H at two loci (PP or PH) were compared with patients with N or L at one or both loci ( other ). Among never smokers, 1-year-survival rates were 60–78% for patients with PP or PH genotypes compared with 89–100% for other types. The survival advantage was greater among advanced-stage patients who were NL or NN than low-stage patients. Similar results were not observed among smokers. Conclusions: Glutathione-related genes may determine lung cancer survival. Our results, if confirmed, would suggest new directions to enhance cancer treatment, and provide easily measurable markers for clinicians to plan patient-specific therapy.
Multiple HLA Class II-Restricted Melanocyte Differentiation Antigens Are Recognized by Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes from a Patient with Melanoma

Dramatic clinical responses were observed in patient 888 following the adoptive transfer of autologous tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL). Previously, extensive analysis of the specificity of class I-restricted T cells from patient 888 TIL has revealed that these T cells recognize a mutated, as well as several nonmutated tumor Ags. Additional studies that were conducted on TIL from patient 888 indicated that they contained CD4-positive T cells that recognized the autologous tumor that had been induced to express HLA class II molecules. Tumor-reactive CD4-positive T cell clones were isolated from TIL and tested for their ability to react with Ags that are recognized by HLA class I-restricted, melanoma-reactive T cells. Using this approach, T cell clones were identified that recognized an epitope expressed in both the tyrosinase-related protein 1 and tyrosinase-related protein 2 Ags in the context of the HLA-DRβ1*1502 class II gene product. Additional clones were found to recognize an epitope of gp100 in the context of the same HLA-DR restriction element. These observations provide an impetus to develop strategies directed toward generating HLA class II-restricted tumor-reactive T cells.