cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The IMF in Young Galaxies: What Theory Might Tell Us

Observations have not yielded convincing results concerning the form of the stellar initial mass function (IMF) or its variations in space and time, so it is proposed that theoretical models may provide useful guidance. Several classes of theoretical models for the physics controlling the IMF are reviewed, emphasizing the dependence of the results on the probability distribution of velocity and density fluctuations, the spatial density distribution, the softness of the equation of state as controlled by the dominant heating and cooling processes, the ambient radiation field, and the star formation rate itself. One particularly relevant result is the ability of turbulent interactions to form high-density condensations, which should vary with decreasing redshift as the dominant cooling mechanism changes from H$_2$, to fine structure lines, and finally to CO and gas-grain collisions, due to corresponding changes in the effective polytropic exponent. A second theme is the ability of some of these models to produce a characteristic or turnover mass in the IMF which has nothing to do with the Jeans mass. Further development of such models should provide IMFs whose functional dependence can be used as input for simulations of galaxy formation, in which the energy input from massive stars plays a crucial role, and for calculations of the consequences of protogalactic star formation on the subequent evolution of the universe. The probable irrelevance of the concepts of pressure-confined clouds and the formation of condensations by thermal instability in a turbulent interstellar medium is also discussed.
A questionnaire to assess the generic and disease-specific health outcomes of patients with chronic hepatitis C

A 69-item questionnaire measuring generic functioning and well-being and disease-specific health outcomes was developed and tested using the pre-treatment data from patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) participating in two randomized trials of interferon alpha-2b (n = 157). The questionnaire included all eight scales from the SF-36 and measures of nine other generic and disease-specific health concepts. Psychometric tests confirmed the assumptions underlying the construction and scoring of all generic and disease-specific scales. Cross-sectional tests of 'known groups' validity showed that CHC patients scored worse on the generic scales than patients with other chronic conditions and worse than a healthy general population. The generic and disease-specific scale scores were lower in the presence of physical findings of CHC, as hypothesized, but only the physical functioning and bodily pain scales were linked to cirrhosis or extreme alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ratios. This instrument will be useful in studies of health outcome among patients with CHC, a condition whose health burden appears to have been underestimated in studies to date.
Headache or facial pain attributed to disorders of cranium, neck, eyes, ears, nose, sinuses, teeth, mouth, or other facial or cranial structures.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the chronic headache attributed to disorder of cranium, neck, eyes, ears, nose, sinuses, teeth, mouth, or other facial or cranial structures. Management of the cranial disorders is primarily surgical and may require a variety of different specialties depending on the location. Often surgery is accompanied by pharmacological therapy. Cervical blockade, whether peripheral nerve block with steroid, facet block, or selective nerve root block, usually produces transient relief. The primary therapy for cervical dystonia has been botulinum toxin. Trigeminal dysesthesia or deafferentation is managed pharmacologically with tricyclic antidepressants, selective serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, antiepileptic agents, antidepressants, and alpha-blockers. treatment outcome studies of headache related to temporomandibular disorders (TMD) use various methods of assessing pain reduction, seldom with the same outcome variables. One of the greatest problems is the generalization that if headache is decreased by treatment of TMD then the etiology of the pain is the TMD. Physical therapy modalities provide a popular and safe approach to the management of TMDs.
Role of N-acetylcysteine in prevention of contrast-induced nephropathy after cardiovascular procedures: A meta-analysis

Background: Contrast-induced nephropathy is one of the common causes of acute renal insufficiency after cardiovascular procedures. Hypothesis: The objective of this paper was to analyze the published data on the usefulness of N-acetylcysteine in the prevention of contrast-induced nephropathy after these procedures. Methods: Trials were selected if they were prospective, randomized, controlled, had selected patients with impaired renal function, used low-osmolality, nonionic contrast media intra-arterially, administered a total of four doses of N-acetyl-cysteine in addition to intravenous saline hydration, and had contrast-induced nephropathy as their primary outcome. Contrast-induced nephropathy was defined as an increase in serum creatinine concentration by > 0.5 mg/dl or a 25% increase above baseline at or within 48 h post procedure. Meta-analysis was performed using the Fisher's Combined Test with a measure of effect size. The magnitude of the N-acetyl-cysteine effect was estimated using random-effects models. Homogeneity was evaluated using the chi-square test of homogeneity and standard Q statistic. Reporting bias was explored by the Rosenthal method. Results: The Fisher's Combined Test was significant at p < 0.005 in favor of N-acetylcysteine. The size of the N-acetylcysteine effect was to reduce contrast-induced nephropathy by 20%. There was a 62% relative risk reduction in contrast-induced nephropathy with N-acetylcysteine using a fixed-effects model, and a 70% relative risk reduction using the random-effects model. In addition, we found that 27 unpublished trials showing no effects of N-acetylcysteine would exist to overturn the combined significance of p < 0.005 of the five trials in our meta-analysis. Conclusion: Oral administration of N-acetylcysteine in addition to intravenous saline hydration has a beneficial effect in the prevention of contrast-induced nephropathy after cardiovascular procedures in patients with impaired renal function.
Realizability and Synthesis of Reactive Modules

We present two algorithms: a realizability-checking algorithm and a synthesis algorithm. Given a specification of reactive asynchronous modules expressed in prepositional ETL (Extended Temporal Logic), the realizability-checking algorithm decides whether the specification has an actual implementation, under the assumptions of a random environment and fair execution. It also creates a structure which can then be transformed by the synthesis algorithm into a program, represented as a labeled finite automaton. Unlike previous approaches, the realizability-checking algorithm can handle fairness assumptions. The realizability-checking algorithm is incremental and it directly manipulates formulas in linear temporal logic without having to transform into a branching-time logic or other representations.
N‐Methyl‐2,3‐Dimethoxybenzylamine

N-methyl-2,3-dimethoxybenzylamine product: N-methyl-2,3-dimethoxybenzylamine reactant: 2,3-dimethoxybenzaldehyde employed was a darkcolored product supplied by the Monsanto Chemical Company or Eastman Kodak Company Keywords: addition, to CO; reduction, miscellaneous; catalysts, metal, Raney nickel W-6; hydrogenation apparatus
Reliability Aspects of a Composite Bolted Scarf Joint

The design, fabrication, static test, and fatigue test of both tension and compression graphite-epoxy candidates for a wing splice representative of a next-generation transport aircraft was the objective of the reported research program. A single-scarf bolted joint was selected as the design concept. Test specimens were designed and fabricated to represent an upper-surface and a lower-surface panel containing the splice. The load spectrum was a flight-by-flight random-load history including ground-air-ground loads. The results of the fatigue testing indicate that, for this type of joint, the inherent fatigue resistance of the laminate is reflected in the joint behavior and, consequently, the rate of damage accumulation is very slow under realistic fatigue loadings.
Phosvitin: HOMOGENEITY AND MOLECULAR WEIGHT

Abstract Egg yolk phosvitin and components of it, separated by countercurrent distribution, were subjected to a physical study to obtain information concerning the homogeneity of this protein with respect to molecular size and shape. 1. Both components of phosvitin sediment at the same rate as the unfractionated protein (s020,w = 3.7 S, corrected for the effect of selective solvation). 2. The diffusion coefficients of the major and minor phosvitin components appear to be slightly different (D20,w = 5.5 x 10-7 and 5.0 x 10-7 cm2 per sec, respectively). 3. No significant differences were found between the apparent partial specific volumes of the components of phosvitin and the unfractionated protein (V = 0.52 ml per g). 4. Analysis of sedimentation velocity data by the method of Fujita yielded results consistent with the conclusion that the components of phosvitin are very similar, if not identical, with respect to molecular size and shape. 5. The molecular weights of the major and minor phosvitin components were calculated as 36,000 and 40,000, respectively.
Finite Self-Information

We present a definition, due to Levin, of mutual information I(A : B) for infinite sequences. We say that a set A has finite self-information if I(A : A) < 1. It is easy to see that every K-trivial set has finite self-information. We answer a question of Levin by showing that the converse does not hold. Finally, we investigate the connections between having finite self-information and other notions of weakness such as jump-traceability. In particular, we show that our proof can be adapted to produce a set that is low for both effective Hausdorff dimension and effective packing dimension, but not K-trivial.
Precognition: Thinking about the query before it happens

Web Information Retrieval and Integration is one of the most challenging of emerging information retrieval domains. Traditional approaches of returning all of exactly what the user asks for are not feasible; what does a user do with a billion pages in rank order? Identifying relevant documents requires substantially more “thought” go into selecting each result; but the data scale is such that doing the “thinking” at query time as a post-processing of results is not really a viable option. The solution that WebFountain[5] has pursued is that of examining the pages and really “thinking” about them before the query occurs. There are many kinds of analysis that are easier to do page by page than over a whole corpus. For example, trying to find all of the pages that contain a mention a drugs which contain aspirin is difficult (there are thousands of drugs and brand names that do). A query with this kind of term fan-out is untenable in a high performance system. Instead, consider a program that scanned a document and was able to add a tag Drug: Aspirin whenever it found one of the variants. While doing so it could also add Drug: Cox I inhibitor and Drug-type: Analgesic. This allows high level queries such as Drug: Cox II inhibitor NEAR Condition: Cardiac Disease to be processed as a simple 2 term boolean query. But there is more to finding information than simple boolean queries. In many cases it is not actually the pages that are of interest, but aggregate information on them. With the proper indexes and complex joining functionality it is possible to explore what trends and relationships occur between entities mentioned on webpages. For example, what I say in my blog about a popular music artist is not a good predictor of their popularity, but the trend of the number of all blog mentions is an excellent predictor of sales two weeks later. We have found the same true for certain classes of book sales as well. Understanding the strong relationships between people, places, universities, companies, products, etc. is another example where the preponderance of existence in a particular set of websites is sufficient evidence to propose a linkage. These higher level annotations and more complex querying capabilities enable not only better point querying, but also open the door for more interesting higher level applications. Examples include exploring trends in discussions and information diffusion[6], identifying templates[4], detecting collusion[3], finding connections[1], finding the connections between the real world and the web[7], and discovering aliases[8], just to name a few. In short, the creation of this semi-structured metadata from unstructured source data allows the system to begin to perform “business intelligence” type queries over the unstructured corpus. Traditionally, the thought of generating and storing all this metadata has been prohibitive. However, the price on low end storage has been dropping, recently falling below $.31 a gig. This opens the door for this kind of research even in small scale systems. References
Developing channel and floodplain dimensions with limited data: a case study in the Amazon Basin

This research builds on the concept of hydraulic geometry and presents a methodology for estimating bankfull discharge and the hydraulic geometry coefficients and exponents for a station using limited data; only stage-discharge and Landsat imagery. The approach is implemented using 82 streamflow gauging locations in the Amazon Basin. Using the estimated values for the hydraulic geometry relations, bankfull discharge, discharge data above bankfull and upstream drainage area at each site, relationships for estimating channel and floodplain characteristics as a function of drainage area are developed. Specifically, this research provides relationships for estimating bankfull discharge, bankfull depth, bankfull width, and floodplain width as a function of upstream drainage area in the Amazon Basin intended for providing reasonable cross-section estimates for large scale hydraulic routing models. The derived relationships are also combined with a high resolution drainage network to develop relationships for estimating cumulative upstream channel lengths and surface areas as a function of the specified minimum channel width ranging from 2 m to 1 km (i.e. threshold drainage areas ranging from 1 to 431,000 km2). At the finest resolution (i.e. all channels greater than 2 m or a threshold area of 1 km2), the Amazon Basin contains approximately 4.4 million kilometers of channels with a combined surface area of 59,700 km2. The intended use of these relationships is for partitioning total floodable area (channels versus lakes and floodplain lakes) obtained from remote sensing for biogeochemical applications (e.g. quantifying CO2 evasion in the Amazon Basin). Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effects of Diuretics On Lipid Metabolism in Patients With Essential Hypertension

Available clinical evidence indicates a high prevalence of hyperuricemia in patients with essential hypertension; this becomes accentuated with diuretic therapy. Since there is an association of hyperlipidemia with hyperuricuria and hypertension and since hyperuricemia is a feature of diuretic therapy, we explored whether these relationships might be provoked by prolonged diuretic therapy. Eighteen male patients with uncomplicated essential hypertension of mild severity were treated for 9 months with hydrochlorothiazide and supplemental potassium chloride, 100 mg and 45 mEq/day, respectively. Arterial pressure, renal function, and serum electrolyte, uric acid, blood glucose, and lipid concentrations were measured several times before and during therapy. Arterial pressure remained significantly reduced during therapy (P less than 0.001); this was associated with reduced serum potassium (P less than 0.01) and increased blood glucose and serum uric acid concentrations (P less than 0.005, P less than .025, respectively). Blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, sodium, cholesterol and triglyceride levels did not significantly change with treatment. Thus, although diuretics increase serum uric acid and blood glucose, their effect on serum lipid concentration is negligible.
Hepatoblastoma, thrombocytosis, and increased thrombopoietin

Two children with hepatoblastoma, marked thrombocytosis, and extremely elevated alpha fetoproteins are reported. It is not clear from review of the literature whether hepatoblastomas or hepatocarcinomas are associated with thrombocytosis. Elevated thrombopoietin levels were found in liver tumor extract from one patient.
The mechanism of maternal inheritance in Chlamydomonas: Biochemical and genetic studies.

The cytoplasmic linkage group of Chlamydomonas shows maternal inheritance, i.e. preferential transmission of cytogenes from the female (m t+) parent and loss of the corresponding male (m t−) genome in sexual crosses. The mechanism of this process is postulated to be enzymatic modification of chloroplast DNA of the female to protect it from a restriction enzyme which degrades the chloroplast DNA of the male parent in the zygote soon after fusion. Genetic, biochemical and physical data bearing on this hypothesis are summarized and discussed.
DNA-mediated vaccination against infectious bursal disease in chickens.

The objective of the present study was to investigate the feasibility of a DNA vaccine to protect chickens against infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) infection. A plasmid DNA carrying VP2, VP4, and VP3 genes of the standard challenge (STC) strain of IBDV was constructed and designated as pCR3.1-VP243-STC. One-day-old chickens were intramuscularly injected with the plasmid pCR3.1-VP243-STC once (group D1), twice (group D2), or three times (group D3) at weekly intervals. Chickens at 3 weeks old were orally inoculated with IBDV strain STC and observed for 10 days after challenge. Immunization twice (group D2) or three times (group D3) with the plasmid pCR3.1-VP243-STC conferred protection for 50–100 or 80–100% of chickens, respectively, as evidenced by the absence of clinical signs, mortality, and bursal atrophy. Although chickens vaccinated once (group D1) with the plasmid pCR3.1-VP243-STC did not have clinical signs, they exhibited varying degree of bursal atrophy after challenge. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) antibody titers in chickens protected by the plasmid pCR3.1-VP243-STC were significantly lower (P<0.05) than those not protected 10 days after challenge. IBDV antigen was not detected in the bursae of chickens that were protected by receiving the plasmid pCR3.1-VP243-STC twice or three times. The results indicate that the constructed plasmid pCR3.1-VP243-STC as a DNA vaccine provided efficacious protection for chickens against IBDV infection.
A prospective study of Type 2 diabetes and depressive symptoms in the elderly: the Rancho Bernardo Study.

Aims The association between Type 2 diabetes and depressive symptoms was examined prospectively to assess possible causal relationships between the two diseases. Methods A cohort of 971 men and women aged 50 and older from the adult population of Rancho Bernardo, California had an oral glucose tolerance test and completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) at two clinic visits, 1984–87 and 1992–96. Results Depressive symptoms at baseline were associated with higher follow-up levels of non-fasting plasma glucose (P = 0.001) and an increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes [odds ratio (OR) = 2.50; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.29–4.87], independent of sex, age, exercise and body mass index. Conversely, baseline non-fasting plasma glucose was not significantly associated with follow-up depressive symptoms and Type 2 diabetes at baseline was not significantly associated with the onset of BDI scores ≥ 11 by the second visit (OR = 0.73; 95% CI = 0.41–1.30). Conclusions Depressed mood is more likely to be a risk factor for Type 2 diabetes in older adults than the reverse.
Family members' experiences of the intensive care unit waiting room.

Title. Family members’ experiences of the intensive care unit waiting room Aim. This paper is a report of a study to explore family members’ perspectives and experiences of waiting rooms in adult intensive care units. Background. Waiting to visit family members who are hospitalized in intensive care units can be very stressful. Although flexible and or open visiting is practised in many hospitals, family members may spend a great deal of time in the waiting room. Method. A qualitative design using semi-structured interviews was used and the data were collected in 2004. A convenience sample of six visitors was recruited from waiting rooms of three different adult intensive care units. Data collection and analysis were concurrent. Findings. Six categories emerged from the data that included structural and subjective aspects of waiting: ‘close proximity’ referred to the importance of a close physical distance to their family member; ‘caring staff’ captured the comfort family members felt when staff showed caring behaviours towards relative; ‘need for a comfortable environment’ represented the impact of the design of the waiting room on family members well-being; ‘emotional support’ referred to the waiting room as a place where comfort was found by sharing with others; ‘rollercoaster of emotions’ captured the range of emotions experienced by family members; ‘information’ referred to the importance of receiving information about their relative. Conclusion. Future research should focus on the impact of the interior design of waiting rooms on the comfort and welfare of family members and on identifying needs of family members across different cultures.
Ontogeny of opiate receptors in the rat medial preoptic area: Critical periods in regional development

Abstract Opiate receptor labeling was examined throughout the early postnatal period using autoradiography to localize and quantify [ 3 H]naloxone binding to μ-type opiate receptors in the medial preoptic area (MPOA). This region begins to exhibit sexual dimorphism of volume and dendritic growth shortly after birth. A distinct concentration of opiate receptor labeling appears on postnatal day 3 in females: this labeling is directly associated with the sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area (SDN-POA). SDN-POA labeling becomes denser through postnatal day 10 in females and the densely labeled area increases in size to encompass and surround the SDN-POA. These changes in opiate receptor labeling occur only in females, since males show relatively uniform labeling across the region throughout the early postnatal period. The critical time of formation of dense MPOA opiate receptor labeling may be related to endogenous MPOA opioid function and to the critical period of dendritic growth of SDN-POA neurons. The timing of these critical periods and their focus in the SDN-POA are coincident. The possible role of MPOA opiate receptors in modulating growth of MPOA neurons is discussed.
On the stability of a barotropic shear flow to nongeostrophic disturbances

The stability of a barotropic shear flow ?* = U tanh ( y */ L ) of a stably stratified fluid of depth H to three-dimensional disturbances, is investigated by a linear analysis. Both the basic-state and perturbed motion are hydrostatic and the Brunt-Vaisala frequency and Coriolis parameter are assumed constant. A neutral solution is found, under the condition that 1 - (U/cgi) 2 > 0, where c gi denotes the phase speed of a gravityinertia wave which is characterized by zonal and vertical wave numbers ?* and n ?/ H respectively. With the aid of this solution, some characteristics of the unstable waves are found by numerical methods. It is then shown that, for values of the parameters characteristic of large-scale mid-latitude flow, the basic current is stable to the internal baroclinic modes (n ? 0) but unstable to the barotropic mode ( n = 0) in the quasi-geostrophic range, R 0 = U/fL 1 - ??1 = 0.682, well-outside the quasi-geostrophic range. Characteristics of the instability are presented and discussed. DOI: 10.1111/j.2153-3490.1971.tb00575.x
Fully integrated capacitive converter with all digital ripple mitigation

This paper presents an adaptive all digital ripple mitigation technique for fully integrated capacitive converters. Ripple control is achieved using a two pronged approach where coarse ripple control is achieved by varying the size of the bucket capacitance and fine control is achieved by charge/discharge time modulation of the bucket capacitors used to transfer the charge between the input and output. A dual loop control was used to achieve regulation and ripple control. The fully-integrated converter was implemented in IBM's 130nm CMOS. Enabling ripple mitigation, reduces the measured ripple by 65% for a load of 0.4V and 2mA without significantly impacting the converter core efficiency.
Poly(U) in poliovirus minus RNA is 5'-terminal.

Summary Poly(U) isolated from polio [32P]RF has the base composition (U65, C2)Gp. Labeling of the poly(U) in RF with NaIO4/[3H]NaBH4 failed, even if the RF was pretreated with phosphatase. Labeling of poly(U) in RF with [γ-32P]ATP and polynucleotide kinase occurs but only after treatment of the RF with either snake venom exonuclease or polynucleotide phosphorylase. The data suggest that poly(U) is the 5′-end of polio minus RNA.
Prenatal medicine: the child is the father of the man. 1996.

To see the world in a grain of sandAnd eternity in a wild flower,To hold the world in the palm of your handAnd infinity in an hour.William BlakeNo period in an individual's life is as critical in d...
NHLBI Genomics Initiatives Looking Beyond the Human Genome Project

The US Human Genome Project has already produced a vast abundance of data, technologies, and resources. With its anticipated completion of the sequencing of human genomic DNA by the year 2003 come many exciting challenges and opportunities for the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). With this groundwork placed before us, the next essential step is to successfully correlate these data, technologies, and resources with the physiology and pathophysiology that define health and disorders. Of the ≈100 000 human genes, the NHLBI is particularly concerned with the subset that is linked to heart, lung, blood, and sleep health and disorders. Our challenge is to clearly identify these genes, then to build on this knowledge to develop better methods for prevention, diagnosis, and therapy. Let me provide some examples of approaches we are taking to meet this challenge. The NHLBI has already developed several important initiatives in gene discovery. The Family Blood Pressure Program, for instance, seeks to uncover the multiple genes and interacting factors that contribute to blood pressure regulation and dysfunction. Our asthma program has shown a linkage of asthma and its associated traits to multiple genomic regions and is now moving forward to apply positional candidate gene approaches. For sickle-cell disease, we seek to identify and characterize those genes that modulate disease severity in the hope of designing more individualized strategies to manage this devastating …
Correlation of Material and Processing Time Scales with Structure Development in Isotactic Polypropylene Crystallization

The influence of average molar mass and shear on the crystallization of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) has been studied. The Weissenberg number, a dimensionless parameter consisting of the product of the shear rate and a characteristic relaxation time (γ0λr), provides a criterion to locate the morphological transition from spherulitic to extended growth. The Weissenberg criterion applies to polymers of high and of low molecular weight. This is attributed to the importance of the initial nucleation process. Comparison of materials of different molar masses and various shear histories is allowed by the introduction of the normalized crystallization time τ, which is the ratio of the experimental time and a characteristic crystallization time λVvmax that needs to be defined from the several possible choices. Rheological and rheooptical experiments furnish the material characteristic relaxation and crystallization time scales, respectively. The time λVvmax, defined with light scattering as the moment at maximu...
Combined Aphasia and Apraxia of Speech Treatment (CAAST): effects of a novel therapy

Purpose This investigation was designed to examine the effects of a newly developed treatment for aphasia and acquired apraxia of speech (AOS). Combined Aphasia and Apraxia of Speech Treatment (CAAST) targets language and speech production simultaneously, with treatment techniques derived from Response Elaboration Training (Kearns, 1985) and Sound Production Treatment (Wambaugh, Kalinyak-Fliszar, West, & Doyle, 1998). The purpose of this study was to determine whether CAAST was associated with positive changes in verbal language and speech production with speakers with aphasia and AOS. Method Four participants with chronic aphasia and AOS received CAAST applied sequentially to sets of pictures in the context of multiple baseline designs. CAAST entailed elaboration of participant-initiated utterances, with sound production training applied as needed to the elaborated productions. The dependent variables were (a) production of correct information units (CIUs; Nicholas & Brookshire, 1993) in response to expe...
A comparison of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and somatometrics for determining body fat in rhesus macaques.

COLMAN, RICKI J., JOHN C. HUDSON, HOWARD S. BARDEN, AND JOSEPH W. KEMNITZ. A comparison of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and somatometrics for determining body fat in rhesus macaques. Obes Res. 1999; 7:90–96. Objective: Various approaches have been used to assess fat and fat distribution in nonhuman primates, including measurements of body weight, body dimensions, and estimates derived from these, such as body mass index. Methods such as tritiated water dilution and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) have also been used. The aim of the present study was to evaluate and compare DXA measurements and somatometrics. Research Methods and Procedures: Body composition of 15 adult male rhesus macaques was measured by DXA and somatometrics at four time-points over a 4-year period. Additionally, DXA precision and somatometric variability were analyzed by repeated measurements of the same subjects. Results: DXA estimates of body fat were positively correlated with body weight, body mass index, body circumferences, and abdominal skinfold thicknesses. DXA assessments of soft tissue composition were precise, with coefficients of variation below 3.3% for all compartments analyzed. The majority of the observed variability in somatometrics was explained by subject variance, rather than by inter- or intraobserver variability, or by observer experience level. Discussion: We conclude that noninvasive DXA technology provides precise estimates of nonhuman primate body composition that correlate well with the traditional somatometric measures used in primate studies.
Sculpting the Proteome with AAA+ Proteases and Disassembly Machines

Machines of protein destruction—including energy-dependent proteases and disassembly chaperones of the AAA+ ATPase family—function in all kingdoms of life to sculpt the cellular proteome, ensuring that unnecessary and dangerous proteins are eliminated and biological responses to environmental change are rapidly and properly regulated. Exciting progress has been made in understanding how AAA+ machines recognize specific proteins as targets and then carry out ATP-dependent dismantling of the tertiary and/or quaternary structure of these molecules during the processes of protein degradation and the disassembly of macromolecular complexes.
Photo- And Electropatterning of Hydrogel-Encapsulated Living Cell Arrays

Living cells have the potential to serve as sensors, naturally integrating the response to stimuli to generate predictions about cell fate (e.g., differentiation, migration, proliferation, apoptosis). Miniaturized arrays of living cells further offer the capability to interrogate many cells in parallel and thereby enable high-throughput and/or combinatorial assays. However, the interface between living cells and synthetic chip platforms is a critical one wherein the cellular phenotype must be preserved to generate useful signals. While some cell types retain tissue-specific features on a flat (2-D) surface, it has become increasingly apparent that a 3-D physical environment will be required for others. In this paper, we present two independent methods for creating living cell arrays that are encapsulated within a poly(ethylene glycol)-based hydrogel to create a local 3-D microenvironment. First, ‘photopatterning’ selectively crosslinks hydrogel microstructures containing living cells with ∼100 µm feature size. Second, ‘electropatterning’ utilizes dielectrophoretic forces to position cells within a prepolymer solution prior to crosslinking, forming cell patterns with micron resolution. We further combine these methods to obtain hierarchical control of cell positioning over length scales ranging from microns to centimeters. This level of microenvironmental control should enable the fabrication of next-generation cellular microarrays in which robust 3-D cultures of cells are presented with appropriate physical and chemical cues and, consequently, report on cellular responses that resemble in vivo behavior.
Reactions of Organic Nitriles with a Three-Coordinate Molybdenum(III) Complex and with a Related Molybdaziridine-Hydride

Reactions of nitriles RCN with the sterically encumbered Mo(N[t-Bu]Ar)3 (1, Ar = 3,5-C6H3Me2) or the somewhat less hindered Mo(H)(η2-Me2CNAr)(N[i-Pr]Ar)2 (2) have been investigated. Where R = Me or Ph, reaction with 1 results in reductive nitrile coupling and the formation of a diiminato product [μ-NC(R)C(R)N][1]2. In contrast, reaction of 1 with Me2NCN surprisingly results in a stable, albeit highly congested, η2 adduct of the nitrile. When the less sterically hindered 2 is used, reaction with PhCN gives the diiminato product analogous to the one mentioned for the tert-butyl system, [μ-NC(Ph)C(Ph)N][Mo(N[i-Pr]Ar)3]2, where molybdaziridine-hydride 2 has provided access to the three-coordinate Mo(N[i-Pr]Ar)3 (3) moiety. Use of a more bulky nitrile such as MesCN (Mes = 2,4,6-C6H2Me3) results in formation of a bis-η1 compound, (η1-MesCN)2[3]. Use of 9-anthracenylcarbonitrile results in head-to-tail C−C coupling of two monomers via the anthracenyl moiety. Detailed variable-temperature EPR and 2H NMR data are ...
Preparation and characterization of trifluoromethylaniline oligomers

Abstract The oxidation of m -trifluoromethylaniline in the presence of trifluoroacetic acid leads to the preparation of poly( m -trifluoromethylaniline). The dimer and a mixture of higher oligomers have been prepared using both cyclic voltammetry for the preparation of thin films, and controlled potential electrooxidation for the preparation of powders. The CF 3 moiety attached to the backbone shifts the oxidation potential of the thin film toward more positive potentials as might be expected because of the electron-withdrawing effects of the CF 3 group. The conductivity of the film has been estimated to be on the order of 10 −8 S/cm when electrooxidized under the appropriate conditions of pH and potential. Extensive analysis of the products of electrooxidation indicates that the solution consists of oxidized monomer, while the dimer and higher molecular weight oligomers precipitate. The dimer can be separated from the other oligomers by vacuum sublimation. Gel permeation chromatography of the remaining precipitate indicates that the precipitate consists of 20% trimer and tetramer, 40% pentamer and hexamer, and about 40% higher molecular weight oligomers.
Nonstaphylococcal bacteria in renal cortical abscess

Five cases of renal cortical abscess are presented, of which four yielded gram-negative pathogens. Along with a review of the recent literature, this suggests that nonstaphylococcal bacteria are a more common cause of this disease.
Performance enhancement and load reduction of a 5 MW wind turbine blade

Abstract A wind turbine rotor blade, based on the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) 5 MW reference turbine, is optimized for minimum cost of energy through simultaneous consideration of aerodynamics and bend-twist coupling. Eighty-three total design variables are considered, encompassing airfoil shapes, chord and twist distributions, and the degree of bend-twist coupling in the blade. A recently developed method requiring significantly less computation than finite element analysis is used for planning and predicting the bend-twist coupling behavior of the rotor. Airfoil performance is computed using XFOIL, while the wind turbine loads and performance are computed using the NREL FAST code. The objective function is annual cost of energy (COE), where reductions in flapwise bending loads and blade surface area are assumed to decrease rotor cost through reduced material requirements. The developed optimization process projects decreased blade loads while maintaining wind turbine performance.
Speech Level Shift and Conversational Strategy in Japanese Discourse.

Abstract This paper attempts to analyze the mechanisms involved in speech level shift in Japanese conversational discourse that contains the des/-mas2 forms. The use of des/-mas is usually regarded as a matter of ‘politeness’ or ‘formalness’. However, by focusing on Japanese ethnography and cohesion in discourse, this study reveals the basic meaning of des/-mas to be ‘distance’ which may be social, attitudinal, or cohesional. In face-to-face conversations, where frequent shifting is observed despite social condition remaining unchanged, level shift is often used (1) to signal the flow of empathy between speakers — the use of [−Distant] level coincides with a speaker's attitudinal closeness to his interlocutor at any moment whereas [+Distant] represents his attitudinal distance — and/or (2) to indicate coherence and the hierarchical positioning of utterances in a discourse.
Superconformal Electrodeposition in Submicron Features

Superconformal electrodeposition is explained based on a local growth velocity that increases with coverage of a catalytic species adsorbed on the copper-electrolyte interface. For dilute concentration of the catalyst precursor in the electrolyte, local coverage in fine features changes more due to interface area change than by accumulation from the electrolyte, yielding superconformal growth. The model is supported by experiments and simulations of copper deposition in 350-100 nm wide features, helping to explain the influence of adsorbates on roughness evolution.
Robot to Solve Rubik’s Cube ®

A compact, portable dual manipulator robot has been constructed to solve Rubik's CubeTM. The robot system reads the color pattern from the scrambled cube faces, computes a solution, and executes the manipulations required to return each cube face to a uniform color. The vision, mechanical manipulator, and microprocessor control subsystems will be discussed in conjunction with the solution algorithm.© (1983) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Feasibility and potential clinical utility of goal-directed transthoracic echocardiography performed by noncardiologist intensivists using a small hand-carried device (SonoHeart) in critically ill patients.

Objective: This study was designed to assess the clinical applicability of a small, handheld, portable transthoracic echocardiography device by noncardiologist intensivists. Design: Prospective, observational study. After 10 one-hour tutorials, intensivists performed a limited transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) (2–4 views, without Doppler or M-mode) examination with the 5.6-lb SonoHeart Echo System (SonoSite, Bethell, WA) on critically ill patients admitted to the surgical intensive care unit. After initial cardiac clinical assessment in 90 patients, a limited TTE was performed by an intensivist to assess left ventricular (LV) function and LV volume status. Each study was immediately reviewed and repeated by an echocardiographer to determine the technical quality of the TTE and the accuracy of the intensivist’s interpretation. Data were analyzed and presented in proportions using descriptive statistics. Setting: Surgical intensive care unit of an academic medical center. Participants: Ninety critically ill adult patients. Interventions: After initial cardiac clinical assessment, a limited TTE was performed by an intensivist to assess LV size and function, to rule out significant pericardial effusions, and to estimate circulatory volume. Results: Intensivists successfully performed a diagnostic limited TTE in 94% of patients and interpreted their studies correctly in 84%. Limited TTE provided new cardiac information and changed management in 37% of patients. TTE added useful information in an additional 47% of patients but did not alter immediate management. The mean “goal-directed TTE” acquisition time was 10.5 ± 4.2 minutes. Conclusion: After a brief formal training in using this handheld echocardiographic system in intensive care unit patients, surgical intensivists successfully performed and correctly interpreted a limited TTE in critically ill patients. Limited TTE provided new information and altered management in a significant number of patients. This study supports incorporating bedside goal-directed, limited TTE into intensivists’ training programs.
Educators' Perceptions and Documentation of Testing Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

Abstract Many educators have limited experience in planning and using testing accommodations for state and/or district testing. Recent changes in federal and state laws have confronted many educators with the requirement of using accommodations for students with disabilities in efforts to include them in assessments. This two-part investigation focused on educators' use of the Assessment Accommodation Checklist (AAC) (Elliott, Kratochwill, & Schulte, 1996) to facilitate selection of assessment accommodations for two hypothetical students with disabilities who are taking either a test featuring multiple-choice items or performance tasks. The volunteer participants in this study included 92 educators from Wisconsin and 26 state-level educational leaders from across the United States. Results suggested that educators do not recommend significantly more accommodations for use with a student with a severe disability than a student with a more mild disability. However, educators recommended significantly more a...
A phase I/II study of decitabine in combination with panitumumab in patients with wild-type (wt) KRAS metastatic colorectal cancer.

Purpose KRAS mutations are predictive of lack of response to monoclonal antibodies (mAb) against EGFR in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Most wild-type KRAS patients, however, are also resistant. Retrospective data suggest that EGFR silencing play a role in resistance to therapy. We conducted a study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of decitabine (a hypomethylating agent) in combination with panitumumab (mAb against EGFR) in mCRC patients. Experimental design 20 patients with wild-type KRAS mCRC were included in this phase I/II study. Patients were treated with decitabine at 45 mg/m2 IV over 2 h on day 1 and 15 and panitumumab 6 mg/kg IV over 1 h on day 8 and 22 every 28 days. Blood samples were collected at baseline, day 8, 15 and 22. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to measure promoter-specific methylation in peripheral-blood cells (PBMCs). Results The most common adverse events were grade 1–2 (rash and hypomagnesemia); 3 (16 %) patients had grade III–IV neutropenia including one patient with neutropenic fever. Two of 20 patients (10 %) had a partial response. Both had previously received cetuximab. Ten patients had stable disease (3 of them longer than 16 weeks). Decreased methylation of the MAGE promoter was not evidenced in PBMCs. Conclusions The combination of decitabine and panitumumab was well tolerated and showed activity in wild-type KRAS mCRC patients previously treated with cetuximab. Target modulation in surrogate tissues was not achieved and tumor biopsies were not available. Future studies evaluating hypomethylating agents in combination with EGFR mAb in patients with mCRC are warranted.
Interactions of Lambdas With Protons

Results for LAMBDA + p yields + p and A + p yields EPSILON /sup 0/ + p reactions, based on a sample of 5000 LAMBDA 's produced in the Alvarez 72- in. hydrogen bubble chamber, are presented. An upper n + pi /sup +/ is set. Graphical and tabular representations are given. (L.N.N.)
A quantitative electroencephalographic method for xenobiotic screening in the canine model

A method, using quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG), was developed for screening xenobiotics in conjunction with neurological examinations, for defining toxicodynamic profiles of certain drugs and chemicals in the dog. The standard 10-channel montage was used to evaluate normotonic, auditory, visual, and somatosensory cortical activity. Compressed spectral analysis and Fourier Transformation determined spectral edge frequencies, distribution of the total, fractional and absolute powers of delta, theta, alpha, and beta frequencies as parameters. The alpha 2-agonist, xylazine, was used to detect treatment-related differences, threshold effect levels, and qEEG-target parameters. An increase in theta and alpha activity, and a shift to lower spectral edge frequency were noted. Visual stimulation was the least sensitive test condition in detecting significant changes in measured parameters. Data derived by qEEG may make a reliable contribution to the physiologic interpretation, along with biochemical, clinical, and pathological data collected during a regulatory study.
NextGen integrated communications, navigation, and surveillance study

• The ICNS Study has generated significant insights into NextGen implementation • The Raytheon team's success demonstrates the value of the JPDO's Enterprise Architecture, Integrated Work Plan and the Joint Planning Environment • JPDO Partner Agency planning will benefit from the lessons learned on the ICNS Study.
Coupling agent studies: reaction of thiol-containing esters with aluminum

Abstract Double cantilever beam experiments performed by Joseph et al. showed increases in strain energy release rate and cohesive failure for mercaptoester-treated aluminum substrates as compared to untreated controls. This paper presents evaluation of the mercaptoester–aluminum reactivity as a first step toward assessing the effectiveness of incorporating the mercaptoester functionality into a polymeric coupling agent for an epoxy-aluminum bond system. Grazing-angle infrared spectroscopy and XPS of mercaptoester-treated solid aluminum substrates did not show evidence of a mercaptoester/aluminum reaction. The reaction was also attempted in solution where potential spatial limitations associated with the solid surface were eliminated. IR and NMR showed no evidence of reactivity between the mercaptoester and aluminum ions in solution. Theoretically, the Hard–Soft Acid–Base Theory, in conjunction with the Mison equation, does not support a mercaptoester–aluminum reaction. Thus incorporating a mercaptoester into a polymeric coupling agent for an epoxy–aluminum bond system would not result in chemical bonding. In addition, no significant reaction between thiols and aluminum in general, in the presence of water and moist air, is expected.
Unfalsified adaptive control with reset and bumpless transfer

Adaptive switching control for time-varying plants based on the Battistelli-Hespanha-Mosca-Tesi reset mechanism is investigated. A new reset mechanism is designed and the switching algorithm is improved to admit bumpless transfer at switching times, and to relax several restrictive assumptions. Stability is proved given only that the adaptive stabilization problem is feasible, removing the assumption that the plant is linear and relaxing restrictions on controller state-initialization at switching times so as to allow bumpless transfer. An example is provided to support improved results.