cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A strategy to rapidly determine the magnitude of great earthquakes

In the initial hours following the origin of the Sumatra-Andaman Islands earthquake at 0058:53 GMT on 26 December 2004, the event was widely reported as having a magnitude of about 8. Thus, its potential for generating a damaging teletsunami (ocean-crossing tsunami) was considered minimal. The event's size later was shown to be approximately 10 times larger, but only after more than four and a half hours had passed, when a moment estimate based on 2.5 hours of data became available from Harvard University's Centroid-Moment Tensor (CMT) Project (M.Netties and G. Ekstrom, Quick CMT of the 2004 Sumatra-Andaman Islands earthquake, Seismoware FID: BR345, e-mailed announcement, 26 December 2004). This estimate placed its magnitude at Mw ≈9.0, in the range capable of generating a damaging teletsunami. Actually, the earthquake had caused a teletsunami, one that by that time had already killed more than a hundred thousand people. The magnitude estimate has been subsequently revised to at least 9.3 (Stein and Okal, http://www.earth.northwestern.edu/people/∼seth/research/sumatra.html), with the exact magnitude of the event likely to be a subject of further research in the coming years.
New AUG initiation codons in a long 5' UTR create four dominant negative alleles of the Drosophila C2H2 zinc-finger gene ovo.

Promoters active in the germline produce OVO-A and OVO-B mRNAs encoding isoforms of a putative transcription factor. The isoforms have a common C2H2 zinc-finger domain but different N-termini that include potential effector domains. Single point mutations in three dominant-negative ovo D mutations result in new in-frame initiation codons in OVO-B mRNAs and amino acid substitutions within charged regions of OVO-A proteins. Three lines of evidence suggest that the dominant activity is due to the new initiation codons in OVO-B mRNAs and not the amino acid substitutions in OVO-A. First, we made a fourth ovo D allele by inserting a new in-frame AUG. This ovo D4 allele encodes a nearly full-length OVO-A isoform from OVO-B mRNAs. Second, engineered stop codons in ovo D1 downstream of the new AUG abolished dominant negative activity. Third, a substantial deletion of an OVO-A region encoding a highly charged amino acid domain fully rescued loss-of-function ovo alleles. These data suggest that ovo D mutations result in inappropriate expression of OVO-A in the female germline.
Porphyrins as contrast media.

The interest in tissue distribution of variously labeled or otherwise detectable natural and synthetic porphyrins and porphyrin derivatives dates back well over 60 years. Although a considerable interest in fluorescent turnor localization and therapy dominates the history of porphyrin biodistribution studies, many investigators have evaluated the diagnostic and therapeutic characteristics of porphyrins with radioactive, radiopaque, and paramagnetic qualities. In this paper, a review of the use of porphyrins as nuclear medicine, X-ray, and NMR contrast agents is presented. © 1991 Academic Press, Inc.
The Use of Tissue Models for Vascular Access Training: Phase I of the Procedural Patient Safety Initiative

INTRODUCTION: Following the Institute of Medicine report “To Err is Human,” the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality identified proper central venous catheter (CVC) insertion techniques and wide sterile barriers (WSB) as 2 major quality indicators for patients safety. However, no standard currently exists to teach proper procedural techniques to physicians.
Structural System Reliability Quantification Using Multipoint Function Approximations

In structural problems, when dealing with uncertainties, the failure probability of the structure is estimated subject to a particular performance criterion. However, when the failure of a structural system is governed by multiple failure criteria, all of the measures have to be considered in the failure probability estimation. These failure criteria are usually correlated, and the accuracy of the estimated structural failure probability highly depends on the ability to model the joint failure surface. For example, in an aircraft structure, the stresses in each of the members of a wing can be posed as limit-state functions, along with the displacements and the natural frequencies of the wing. There are no criteria to disregard one limit state over the other, or to convert the system reliability problem into component reliability (dealing with displacement, stress, and frequency individually). Each failure criterion is modeled as a limit-state function for the reliability analysis, which is an implicit function of the random variables. The evaluation of this limit state often requires an expensive finite element simulation or a computational fluid dynamics simulation. Therefore, to predict the failure probability of a structural system efficiently, function approximations for the limit states are considered. An accurate way of defining highly nonlinear functions is presented using a new class of approximations. These approximations are used in conjunction with the Monte Carlo simulation to estimate the structural failure probability. Numerical examples are presented to show the applicability of the proposed method.
Conjoint-analysis-based multiattribute optimization: application in acoustical design

The concept of customer preference, or product value, prevalent in economics and management science, is just beginning to be used in engineering design. This concept and the associated measurement approaches offer us a theoretically appealing way to aggregating customer preferences for multiple product attributes into a single objective function, representing total product value, which may then be maximized. Among these methods, conjoint analysis has emerged as the most popular approach in marketing to estimate the value that customers attach to different features of a product that can be at different levels.
Modeling of fuel-system icing inhibitors

In our continuing efforts to design nontoxic and biodegradable fuel-system icing-inhibitor (FSII) compounds with improved fuel solubility and anti-icing ability, and nontoxic deicers for aircraft and runways, we describe experimental and molecular modeling efforts that allow us to predict the relative performance of FSII candidates. A small-scale, recirculating simulator containing a mixture of jet fuel, FSII, and water was employed to measure the time needed for the water to freeze and the lowest temperature to be achieved before freezing. The molecular model is based on classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of a two component mixture consisting of FSII and water. We assume that anti-icing performance is proportional to the degree of hydrogen bonding between FSIIs and water and, therefore, inversely proportional to the degree of hydrogen bonding between water molecules. FSII performance should therefore increase with decreasing water-cluster size, which is calculated from the MD equilibrium traje...
Introduction to the Special Issue on Neuroscience Perspectives on Early Development and Education

The integration of neuroscience perspectives and methods into research and practice in the social sciences and education (e.g., Butterworth, Sashank, & Laurillard, 2011; Diamond & Amso, 2008; Knuds...
Nonlinear Stiffness Profiles of External Fixators Constructed with Composite Rods

Objective— To determine if composite connecting rods confer nonlinear stiffness characteristics on unilateral and bilateral external skeletal fixators (ESF) in cranial–caudal bending and axial loading. Study Design— Mechanical testing performed on models. Sample Population— Six models of 6-pin ESF constructs composed of birch dowels, a commercial ESF system, and composite connecting rods. Methods— Unilateral and bilateral ESF configurations were assembled using either specially designed composite titanium and silicone (composite group) or solid titanium (solid group) connecting rods. Mechanical testing was performed in axial loading and 4-point cranial–caudal bending. Stiffness was determined at a low and high-load range, and was considered increasing and nonlinear if the stiffness at high loads was greater than at low loads. Results— The stiffness of the solid group was linear in all testing modes and configurations. Bilateral composite fixators had a nonlinear increasing stiffness in axial loading and cranial–caudal bending. Unilateral composite fixators had a nonlinear increasing stiffness in axial loading, but not cranial–caudal bending. Solid connecting rods conferred a higher stiffness in all testing modes and configurations. Conclusions— Composite connecting rods resulted in nonlinear increasing axial and bending stiffness in bilateral fixators, and in axial load in unilateral fixators. Clinical Relevance— Conventional ESF can be constructed so that the stiffness increases as load increases. This provides the surgeon with additional options to control the local mechanical environment of a healing fracture, which may be used to enhance fracture healing.
Does ultrasonic energy for surgical dissection reduce the incidence of renal transplant lymphocele

Abstract Objective To determine the difference in post–renal transplant lymphocele rate based on the surgical dissection technique for control of lymphatics by examining the historical case group under the direction of a single, university-based surgeon in a retrospective, cohort study. Patients Five hundred thirty-two consecutive renal transplant patients from January 1994 to December 2009. Findings Of the 532 cases studied, 259 (48.7%) had suture ligation and 273 (51.3%) employed ultrasonic dissection (UD) for control of lymphatics during renal transplantation. There was no difference found in the rate of lymphocele formation, requiring either percutaneous or surgical drainage, when surgical ties (8.9%) were compared to UD (9.2%; P = .999). Logistic regression analysis showed that the odds ratio for developing a lymphocele was independent of surgical dissection technique. Within the logistic analysis, the prediction for lymphocele was increased 3.29 times for pediatric patients ( P = .002) and increased 2.97 times for those who received a living donor graft ( P = .001), and there was a trend for those with a history of more than one renal transplant of 2.01 times ( P = .079). Summary Surgical dissection technique was not a factor in the development of post–renal transplant lymphocele. Younger age, living donor transplant, and repeat transplant status were found to be predictive variables for symptomatic lymphoceles requiring drainage, which may be considered when patients present for posttransplant evaluations for laboratory alterations.
VDAC Phosphorylation in Control of Mitochondrial Respiration

Tubulin has been recently identified as a powerful regulator of voltage dependent anion channel (VDAC). Dimeric tubulin induces reversible blockage of VDAC reconstituted into planar lipid membranes and blocks the flux of ATP/ADP across the mitochondrial outer membrane. Here we show that phosphorylation of VDAC by cytosolic kinases protein kinase A (PKA) and glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK3β) increases the on-rate of tubulin binding by orders of magnitude, but only for tubulin at the cis (or cytosolic) side of the membrane. This and the fact that the basic properties of VDAC, such as single-channel conductance and selectivity, remained unaltered by phosphorylation allowed us to suggest the phosphorylation regions positioned on the cytosolic loops of VDAC and establish channel orientation in our reconstitution experiments. Experiments on human hepatoma cells HepG2 are in agreement with our findings that phosphorylation state of VDAC determines its blockage by tubulin. When HepG2 cells were treated with the microtubule-destabilizing agent colchicine that is known to increase free tubulin, mitochondrial potential, as measured by tetramethylrhodamine methyester (TMRM) uptake, decreased. Inhibition of PKA activity with H89 increased mitochondrial potential and, furthermore, reversed mitochondrial depolarization induced by colchicine. To further explore a role VDAC-tubulin interaction in cell proliferation and survival, we studied the effect of erastin, the selective anti-tumour agent involved in the RAS-RAF-MEK signalling pathway, on VDAC blockage by tubulin. We found that erastin reverses tubulin blockage of VDAC isolated from HepG2 cells, promoting the unblocked state of the channel. Our findings suggest a novel functional link between serine/threonine kinase signalling pathways, mitochondrial respiration, and highly dynamic microtubule network which is characteristic of carcinogenesis and cell proliferation.
1464 PROTEOLYTIC-ANTIPROTEOLYTIC HOMEOSTASIS IN THE VENTILATED NEWBORN

Endogenous proteolytic enzymes and their inhibitors have been identified as important factors in the normal, and certain pathologic, restructuring of pulmonary tissue. This study evaluates these substances in the ventilated newborn. Sera was obtained from 10 ventilator dependent newborns. Total elastase activity and alpha-1 antitrypsin concentration were determined by radial diffusion technique. Total elastase inhibitory capacity was quantitated on elastin agar. Similar control assays were performed on 10 normal unventilated newborns. Differences were evaluated for significance by T-test. Total serum elastase activity was markedly elevated in the ventilator dependent newborn as compared to controls (2.51 ± 0.27 versus 1.91 ± 0.12 units/ml, p < 0.001). Alpha-1 antitrypsin content was slightly elevated in the ventilator dependent group (341 ± 31 versus 287 ± 57 ml/dl, p < 0.02). These alterations, however, were not associated with any significant change in total elastase inhibitory capacity (3.79 ± 2.17 versus 3.04 ± 1.18 units elastase inhibited per ml, p = 0.35). Ventilation in the newborn results in elevated circulating serum elastase levels. This is associated with an increased antiproteolytic concentration (alpha-1 antitrypsin) but no significant change in total serum antiprotease activity. These alterations in proteolytic-antiproteolytic homeostasis may play a role in ventilation induced pulmonary changes in the neonate.
Focusing of weak shock waves at an arête

The focusing of very weak and slightly concave symmetrical shock waves is examined. The equation that describes this focusing is derived and the resulting similitude discussed. The initial conditions come from a formal matching of this nonlinear description with the linear solution. The maximum value of the pressure coefficient is shown to be proportional to the two-thirds power of both the initial strength of the wave front and a parameter characterizing its rate of convergence.
Mortality of Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae) in simulated peanut storages purged with carbon dioxide and nitrogen

Abstract The interstitial air in shelled and inshell peanuts stored in simulated silotype structures (61·73 1. each) was purged 7 consecutive days with carbon dioxide and nitrogen at 3 different flow rates. At the highest rate, 200 ml/min, both gases reduced the oxygen concentration within 1 day to 0 per cent and produced 100 per cent mortality of adult Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) within 2 days. At slower flow rates, carbon dioxide generally provided greater insect mortality than did nitrogen. However, nitrogen generally was more effective than carbon dioxide in purging out the oxygen.
An improved procedure for inverting atom diffraction intensities for structural determination

Abstract A method has been developed to obtain the surface corrugation function from atom diffraction intensities. Two procedures are outlined and it is shown that a stepwise inversion can be carried out which does not require assumptions about the corrugation amplitude or the phases of the diffracted beams. The rapid convergence of the procedure allows such inversions to be carried out on laboratory size computers. A few examples are discussed to show the utility of the method
Zinc in Entamoeba invadens.

Atomic absorption spectroscopy, electron microprobe analysis, and dithizone staining of trophozoites and cysts of Entamoeba invadens demonstrate that these cells have a high concentration of zinc (approximately one picogram per cell or 1% of their dry weight). In the cysts of this organism, the zinc is confined to the chromatoid bodies, which previous work has shown to contain crystals of ribosomes. The chemical state and function of this zinc are unknown.
The geometry of connective tissue planes accentuates the biophysical response to traditional acupuncture: An in vitro study

In traditional acupuncture, fine needles are inserted and rotated at defined points that correspond to specific therapeutic effects, which can occur locally or at a distance from the needling point. The majority of acupuncture points co-align with fascial planes under the skin, which present more subcutaneous loose connective tissue [1] (Fig 1 – black dot). Needle rotation induces this connective tissue specifically to couple to and wind around the needle, forming a whorl of alignment and generating measurable force on the needle that is significantly higher at fascial planes in comparison to insertion above a muscle (Fig 1A – black dot) [2, 3]. At these planes, the loose connective tissue is bounded on two sides by skeletal muscle and generally becomes narrower with increasing depth, presenting distinct geometry and boundary conditions compared to locations above a muscle, which resembles an infinite plane (Fig 1B&C).Copyright © 2010 by ASME
On risk and regulation: Bt crops in India

Genetic engineering in agriculture raises contentious politics unknown in other applications of molecular technology. Controversy originated and persists for inter-related reasons; these are not primarily, as frequently assumed, differences over scientific findings, but rather about the relationship of science to 'risk.' First, there are inevitably differences in how to interpret 'risk' in situations in which there are no established findings of specific hazard; 'Knightian uncertainty' defines this condition. Science claims no method of resolution in such cases of uncertainty. Second, science has no claim about risk preferences in a normative sense. In genetic engineering, Knightian uncertainty is pervasive; declaring uncertainty to constitute 'risk' enables a precautionary politics in which no conceivable evidence from science can confirm absence of risk. This is the logic of the precautionary state. The logic of the developmental state is quite different: uncertainty is treated as an inevitable component of change, and therefore a logic of acceptable uncertainty, parallel to acceptable risk of the sort deployed in cost-benefit analysis in other spheres of behavior, dominates policy. India's official position on agricultural biotechnology has been promotional, as expected from a developmental state, but regulation of Bt crops has rested in a section of the state operating more on precautionary than developmental logic. As a result, notwithstanding the developmental success of Bt cotton, Bt brinjal [eggplant, aubergine] encountered a moratorium on deployment despite approval by the regulatory scientific body designated to assess biosafety.
Mechanisms involved in the cardiovascular response to intracerebroventricular injection of noradrenaline and phentolamine.

Abstract Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of noradrenaline in anaesthetized and unanaesthetized rats caused a dose-related, bimodal change in blood pressure i.e. a fall after low doses (1–2 μg), variable responses after intermediate doses (4–6 μg) and a rise after higher doses (12–50 μg). The hypotensive response to the low dose of noradrenaline was shown to be mediated by central α-adrenergic receptors, since it was abolished by intracerebroventricular pretreatment with phentolamine. The pressor response to the higher dose was due to leakage of the catecholamine from the CNS to the periphery, as it was abolished by intravenous administration of phentolamine but not by prior ganglionic blockade with mecamylamine. Intracerebroventricular injection of 100 μg of phentolamine alone produced a fall in arterial pressure. This response was most likely due to diffusion of the α-adrenergic blocking agent to the peripheral circulation, since central injection of phentolamine attenuated the pressor response generated by intravenous administration of noradrenaline.
Ferromagnetic granular exchange interactions of nickel and iron

Abstract Micromagnetic grains of nickel and iron were blended to investigate whether the magnetic exchange interaction was significant to produce a bulk result in a measured deflection by a fixed applied magnetic field. The results follow the same trend as Slater-Pauling's magnetization density calculations for nickel iron films, most notably a stronger following with a finer grain. Furthermore, by adding chromium into nickel and iron blends, the Invar minimum shifts toward less iron in nickel. Hysteresis was determined for the same samples through a homemade vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). Areas of each loop are determined that show a minimum around the Invar transition, followed by sharp increases based on concentration of iron in nickel. These results help further understand the extent of magnetic exchange interactions in granular materials.
The Effect of Health Beliefs on the Smoking Behavior of College Women

Abstract Of the 953 women from four New England colleges who responded to a random-sample survey of smoking behavior, 30.5% were current smokers; 20.3%, former smokers; and 49.2%, non-smokers. Most had begun smoking in high school. They were concerned about their smoking and over three-fourths of them had made a serious effort to stop. Their motivations for smoking and for stopping were studied. Coping with stress was an important motivation for continuation; health effects, loss of control over their lives, and social effects were important for cessation. Discriminant analysis was used to determine the relative contribution of health beliefs to changes in smoking status.
Socio-Economic Influences of E-Commerce Adoption

AbstractThe adoption of Internet and e-commerce has rapidly spread across the world. Most countries, especially in the developing nations category, are making substantial investments in raising IT infrastructure, building a strong telecommunications infrastructure, promoting Internet and e-commerce adoption in businesses, government, and various communities. As electronic commerce grows and its benefits realized, important socio-economic affects are likely to emerge. This paper proposes a framework for investigating the socio-economic influences of e-commerce adoption. The proposed framework is illustrated by considering the adoption of Internet and e- commerce in India.
Temporal Asynchrony in Soil Nutrient Dynamics and Plant Production in a Semiarid Ecosystem

A central goal of ecosystem ecology is to understand how the cycling of nutrients and the growth of organisms are linked. Ecologists have repeatedly observed that nutrient mineralization and plant production are closely coupled in time in many terrestrial ecosystems. Typically, mineralization rates of limiting nutrients, particularly of nitrogen, during the growing season determine nutrient availability while pools of mineral nutrients remain low and relatively constant. Although several previous reports suggest nitrogen mineralization has the potential to vary seasonally and out of phase with plant production, such a phenomenon has been poorly documented. Here we report results from a semiarid savanna ecosystem characterized by distinct temporal asynchrony in rates of soil nitrogen cycling and plant production. Periods of positive plant growth following the onset of rains coincide with periods of low N turnover rates, whereas higher rates occur late in the wet season following plant senescence and throughout dry seasons. Plant uptake from the substantial mineral N pool present early in the growing season is sufficient to explain most of the N allocation to aboveground plant biomass during the growing season, even in the absence of any wet-season mineralization. The mineral N pool is subsequently recharged by late wet- and dry-season mineralization, plus urine inputs at sites with high levels of ungulate activity. These findings suggest fundamental changes in the quality of substrates available to decomposers over a seasonal cycle, with significant implications for the partitioning of limiting nutrients by plant species, the seasonal pattern of nutrient limitations of aboveground production, and the effective use of N fertilizers in semiarid ecosystems.
History of the search for continuous melting

The melting of crystals has resisted efforts to understand the microscopic process for more than a century. The course of the struggle has stimulated the development of quantum mechanics, concepts of long-range order, the role of dimensionality in condensed matter, surface physics, and more sensitive experimental techniques to test the theories. After years of probing the mechanism within the bulk material, we learn that the answer has been lying on the surface.
Teaching introductory autonomous robotics with JavaScript simulations and actual robots

This paper describes a flexible method of teaching introductory robotics. Students program an autonomous mobile robot to complete a set of tasks of increasing complexity, including multirobot tracking. Two proximity detectors (1 b each) and a pair of photosensors (2 b each) provide six sensory inputs to logic circuits, which control two drive motors and two internal memory flip-flops. The robot brain is a digital logic circuit programmed by loading an AS CH code that specifies the logic circuit configuration, similar in approach to a field-programmable gate array. The logic circuit design evolves with task complexity. Two internal set/reset flip-flops can be used to design a finite-state machine to implement a memory. One novelty of the method is that students develop and test their logic circuits on a Web-based graphic simulation before downloading the code to an actual robot. The simulation is written in JavaScript to acquire sensor readings and control robot motors to interact with the environment in a flexible manner. The simulation is downloaded with the Web page and runs smoothly on the client's machine, eliminating the need for high-speed connections. The ASCII code producing successful simulation performance is downloaded to an actual robot through a printer port on a PC in the robot laboratory. A microcontroller on the actual robot interprets the ASCII code in the same manner as the simulation. Classroom experience indicates that evolving a robot brain is an effective teaching tool and students enjoy applying logic circuit design to program a robot.
The incidence of severe adverse reactions to food in Colorado.

1. Cromwell 0, Pepys .I. Parish WE, et al. Specific IgE antibodies to platinum salts in sensitized workers. Clin Allergy 1979;9: 109. 17 7-. Pepy\ J, Pickering CAC. Hughes EC. Asthma due to inhaled chemical agents-complex salts of platinum. Clin Allergy IY72;2:3Yl-6. 3. Khan A. Hill JM. Grater W, et al. Atopic hypersensitivity to cl\-dichlorodiamineplatinum (II) and other platinum complexes. Cancer Re\ 1975:35:2766-70. 4. Naclerio R. Mizrahi EA. Adkinson HF. Jr Immur~ol~~~c ohservations during desensitization and mamtenancc UI ~linl<:il tolerance to penicillin. J ALLERGY Cm IMM! UOI. I’~43 X:.‘(M301. 5. Wiesenfcld M. Reinders E, Corder M , Cl 41 su, W\Still rc-treatment with cis-dichlorodiammineplatinum (11) ;il!er ripparent allergic reactions. Cancer Treat Rep 19?9;6.?.2 1 L-)-:’ j 6. Greenberger P, Patterson R. Radin KC. Two pretrcn~~l *ncJl;~. J AILLKIX CLIN hMUNO1 1984;74:540-2
An 86-Year-Old Woman With Gastric Outlet Obstruction

The cytologic diagnosis of metastatic carcinomas in body fluids is challenging when the malignant cells occur singly, have bland morphologic features, and represent the predominant population of cells. We present the caseof a metastatic lobular carcinoma of the breast, identified in the ascites fluid in a patient without clinical signs of a recurrent neoplasm. Differential diagnoses range from benign to malignant entities and include neoplasms of diverse origins. Clinical history and immunohistochemical workup play important roles in the characterization of these cells. Their identification is of extreme importance, especially for patients without a personal history of a well-documented malignancy.
Chlamydia Pneumoniae and Atherosclerosis: From Koch Postulates to Clinical Trials

Atherosclerosis is increasingly viewed as an inflammatory process. A number of infectious agents have been implicated in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease. Chlamydia pneumoniae has been the most popular and well-studied of these pathogens. It is difficult to prove a causal relationship which requires the fulfillment of Koch's postulates, first developed in the late 1800s, to establish an infectious agent as the cause of a disease process. This paper reviews the evidence for and against Chlamydia pneumoniae infection as a contributing factor to atherosclerosis disease. It examines seroepidemiologic and histopathologic studies as well as animal models using Koch's postulates and then provides an analysis of current clinical trial data.
Environment learning using a distributed representation

A method for robust mobile robot navigation and environmental learning is presented. It was implemented and tested on a physical robot. The method consists of a collection of simple, incrementally designed robot behaviors. The behaviors receive sonar and compass data which they use to dynamically detect landmarks and construct a distributed map of the environment. The map is represented as a graph in which each node is a collection of augmented finite state machines functioning in parallel. The distributed nature of the map allows for localization in constant time. The method utilizes a modified spreading of activation scheme to accomplish robust linear-time path planning. It is capable of generating both topologically and physically shortest paths to the goal. The method uses local information to achieve the global task without having to replan if the robot becomes lost or strays off the desired path. >
On improving the stuck-at fault coverage of functional test sequences by using limited-scan operations

Functional test sequences were shown to detect unique defects in VLSI circuits. This is thought to be due to the fact that they are applied at-speed. However, functional test sequences do not achieve complete stuck-at fault coverage. Therefore, scan-based stuck-at tests, as well as other types of tests, are typically also applied. This increases the amount of test resources required for test application. We describe a procedure for inserting (limited) scan operations into a functional sequence in order to improve its stuck-at fault coverage, thus reducing or eliminating the need for separate scan-based stuck-at tests. Between scan operations, the functional sequence is still applied at-speed: however, a higher stuck-at fault coverage is achieved.
Growth of anisotropic one-dimensional ZnS nanostructures

Anisotropic growth in nanomaterials can lead to many interesting growth morphologies. This is especially true when the crystal structure contains anisotropy not only due to different surface plane energies but also due to surface polarity and/or chemical activity. Such is the case with wurtzite ZnS. This feature article covers the ZnS one-dimensional nanostructures that have been synthesized by a vapor–solid process, focusing on nanowires, nanorods, nanobelts, nanohelices and other derived nanostructures. This feature article mainly focuses on the polar surface dominated growth phenomena and the understanding of their formation mechanisms.
Matching and edge-connectivity in regular graphs

Henning and Yeo proved a lower bound for the minimum size of a maximum matching in a connected k-regular graph with n vertices; it is sharp infinitely often. In an earlier paper, we characterized when equality holds. In this paper, we prove a lower bound for the minimum size of a maximum matching in an l-edge-connected k-regular graph with n vertices, for l>=2 and k>=4. Again it is sharp for infinitely many n, and we characterize when equality holds in the bound.
Different structural correlates for verbal memory impairment in temporal lobe epilepsy with and without mesial temporal lobe sclerosis.

Objectives Memory impairment is one of the most prominent cognitive deficits in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). The overall goal of this study was to explore the contribution of cortical and hippocampal (subfield) damage to impairment of auditory immediate recall (AIMrecall), auditory delayed recall (ADMrecall), and auditory delayed recognition (ADMrecog) of the Wechsler Memory Scale III (WMS-III) in TLE with (TLE–MTS) and without hippocampal sclerosis (TLE-no). It was hypothesized that volume loss in different subfields determines memory impairment in TLE–MTS and temporal neocortical thinning in TLE-no.
Construct validity of the definition of primary graft dysfunction after lung transplantation

Background This study tested the discriminant validity of International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) primary graft dysfunction (PGD) grades with lung injury biomarker profiles and survival. Methods The study samples consisted of a multicenter prospective cohort study for the biomarker analysis and a cohort study of 450 patients for the mortality analyses. PGD was defined according to ISHLT consensus at 24, 48, and 72 hours after transplantation. We compared the changes in plasma markers of acute lung injury between PGD grades using longitudinal data models. To test predictive validity, we compared differences in the 30-day mortality and long-term survival according to PGD grade. Results PGD Grade 3 demonstrated greater differences between plasma intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1), protein C, and plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) levels than did PGD Grades 0 to 2 at 24, 48, and 72 hours after lung transplantation ( p p p p Conclusions The ISHLT grading system has good discriminant validity, based on plasma markers of lung injury and mortality. Grade 3 PGD was associated with the most severely altered plasma biomarker profile and the worst outcomes, regardless of the time point of grading. PGD grade at 48 and 72 hours discriminated mortality better than PGD grade at 24 hours.
User-controllable coherence for high performance shared memory multiprocessors

In programming high performance applications, shared address-space platforms are preferable for fine-grained computation, while distributed address-space platforms are more suitable for coarse-grained computation. However, currently only distributed address-space systems scale beyond the low hundreds of processors. In this paper we introduce a hybrid architecture that allows users to trade off local memory usage for coherence communication, making possible larger-scale shared memory architectures. We introduce a programming model and examine possible implementations of hardware mechanisms, evaluating some of the trade-offs inherent in each. Preliminary experiments on an application with particularly fine-grained communication requirements indicate that effective placement of directives can reduce coherence communication by more than a factor of 10 for 64 processors.
Efficient Processing of Laser Speckle Contrast Images

Though laser speckle contrast imaging enables the measurement of scattering particle dynamics with high temporal resolution, the subsequent processing has previously been much slower. In prior studies, generating a laser speckle contrast image required about 1 s to process a raw image potentially collected in 10 ms or less. In this paper, novel algorithms are described which are demonstrated to convert 291 raw images per second to laser speckle contrast images and as many as 410 laser speckle contrast images per second to relative correlation time images. As long as image processing occurs during image acquisition, these algorithms render processing time irrelevant in most circumstances and enable real-time imaging of blood flow dynamics.
Variance property of discontinuous perturbation analysis

In recent article we presented a Discontinuous Perturbation Analysis (DPA) to deal with discontinuous sample performance functions. DPA is applicable to derivative estimation with respect to most threshold type of problems in Discrete Event Dynamic Systems (DEDS). In this paper, we examine the variance property of DPA method through a few examples. We will demonstrate that a better variance reduction can be obtained via DPA approach even if IPA Infinitesimal Perturbation Analysis (IPA) is applicable. A numerical example is also provided to compare DPA with other derivative estimation techniques.
An Efficient Scheme for Securing XOR Network Coding against Pollution Attacks

Network coding is promising to maximize throughput in various networking systems. Compared to normal network coding operated over large finite fields, XOR network coding has gained an increasing number of applications for its simplicity, especially in wireless networks. However, both types of network coding systems are vulnerable to pollution attacks in which the compromised forwarders inject polluted messages into the systems. Existing solutions to pollution attacks can protect only the normal network coding, but none of them is able to secure XOR network coding. In this paper, we propose an efficient scheme for securing XOR network coding against pollution attacks. Our scheme exploits probabilistic key pre-distribution and message authentication codes (MACs). In our scheme, the source appends multiple MACs to each message, where each MAC can authenticate only a part of the message and the parts authenticated by different MACs are overlapped. Thus, multiple forwarders can collaboratively verify different parts of messages using the MACs with their own shared keys. By carefully controlling the overlapping between the parts authenticated by different MACs, our scheme can filter polluted messages in a few hops with a high probability. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first solution to pollution attacks for XOR network coding. Experimental results show that it is 200 to 1000 times faster than existing ones, hence, it is particularly suitable for resource-constrained wireless networks.
Upper Albian rudist buildups of the Edwards Formation in central Texas: A GPR-assisted reservoir analog study

Abstract Albian rudist-associated shallow water carbonates form important hydrocarbon reservoirs in the Middle East, Mexico, and the United States. Outcrops of rudist-bearing shallow water carbonates are common across parts of central Texas, USA, and in places display lateral and vertical relationships that form important analogs for the subsurface distribution and heterogeneity of hydrocarbon reservoirs and seals. In particular, the walls and spillways of several lakes in central Texas provide ideal conditions for the investigation by ground-penetrating radar (GPR) of the three-dimensional geometries of platform interior rudist lithofacies belts. This study integrates outcrop studies and GPR surveys to clarify lateral and vertical facies relations of rudist-bearing lithofacies in the Cretaceous Edwards Formation (Fredericksburg Group) that are partially exposed in spillways and gullies near Lake Georgetown and Belton Lake in central Texas, USA. GPR data illuminated four types of mounds that have distinct three-dimensional geometries, lithofacies, and biota and that record both seaward to leeward changes and vertical changes from below wavebase to within wavebase. The lowermost mounds are high relief circular caprinid mounds that mark the aggradational part of the Edwards lithostratigraphic unit at our study locality. Well cemented, low relief toucasid–foraminiferal mounds and grainstones cap these caprinid-dominated buildups. Weakly cemented, circular, flat-topped radiolitid–caprinid–toucasid mounds developed above the toucasid mounds and low relief, often sucrosic-dolomitized mounds constitute the most shallow water rudist accumulations. Stromatolitic dolomites record final filling of accommodation space on the Edwards platform. GPR provides an unparalleled view of the three-dimensional growth, vertical accretion, and progradation of these mounds and lithofacies through time, and the geoelectrical signatures provide insight on porosity and permeability of the lithofacies in outcrop.
Landward-dipping reflectors in accretionary wedges: Active dewatering conduits?

Landward-dipping seismic reflectors (LDRs) within the accretionary wedge at convergent plate margins have generally been interpreted as tilted-bedding or thrust-fault surfaces (e.g., Mexico, northern Japan). This interpretation accords with models in which trench-axis sediments are scraped off the descending plate to form a series of imbricate thrust sheets. However, intensely disturbed melanges with a regionally extensive landward-dipping foliation are found beneath slope sediments in many ancient and active subduction complexes. This observation, combined with the fact that large volumes of fluid are released during dewatering of subducting and previously accreted sediments, leads to the proposal that some of the seismic reflectors are porous, laterally extensive fractureways filled with dewatering fluids derived from deeper underthrust water-rich sediments. These fractureways trend subparallel to the regional foliation of the accreted melange wedge. The contrast in acoustic impedance between the high-porosity fluid-filled fractureways and the melange wall rocks is enhanced whenever methane and/or carbon dioxide exsolve from rising waters. Ancient LDRs may be recognized where mineralized veins trend subparallel to the regional foliation of melange belts generated during subduction accretion. 42 references, 2 figures.
Continuous monitoring of micturition pattern in nonhuman primates: Similarities to humans

Most experimental urodynamic studies have been carried out in animals under anesthesia. This study is performed on awake, unrestrained, upright animal models phylogenetically similar to humans. Five female rhesus monkeys were monitored for their micturition pattern using the system described in Part I. The voiding frequency, physiologic diuresis, and the early voiding correspond well to those of humans. A peak flow nomogram was constructed based on 357 urinations. It depicts a non-linear relation of peak flow to increasing voided volume. The nomogram is similar in pattern to those developed for humans. These findings suggest that the rhesus monkey is one of the best animal models to study the function of lower urinary tract. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Characterizing User Tagging and Co-occurring Metadata in General and Specialized Metadata Collections

This study aims to identify the categorical characteristics and usage patterns of the most popular image tags in Flickr. The “metadata usage ratio” is introduced as a means of assessing the usage of a popular tag as metadata. We also compare how popular tags are used as image tags or metadata in the Flickr general collection and the Library of Congress's photostream (LCP), also in Flickr. The Flickr popular tags in the list overall are categorically stable, and the changes that do appear reflect Flickr users' evolving technology-driven cultural experience. The popular tags in Flickr had a high number of generic objects and specific locations-related tags and were rarely at the abstract level. Conversely, the popular tags in the LCP describe more in the specific objects and time categories. Flickr users copied the Library of Congress-supplied metadata that related to specific objects or events and standard bibliographic information (e.g., author, format, time references) as popular tags in the LCP. Those popular tags related to generic objects and events showed a high metadata usage ratio, while those related to specific locations and objects showed a low image metadata usage ratio. Popular tags in Flickr appeared less frequently as image metadata when describing specific objects than specific times and locations for historical images in Flickr LCP collections. Understanding how people contribute image tags or image metadata in Flickr helps determine what users need to describe and query images, and could help improve image browsing and retrieval.
Cooperative learning in the quiz section in general chemistry

An attempt to foster a group-study atmosphere began at the University of Connecticut in the fall of 1991 with a pilot program for a single 16-student quiz section. A year later, this was expanded to a 150-student large-lecture section. Roughly one-fifth of all general chemistry students were randomly assigned to that section. For fall 1993, one-half of the general chemistry population is in the study-group project. An analysis of statistical results indicates that, in the spring course, study-group attendance helped student performance. >
Semi-Partitioned Hard-Real-Time Scheduling under Locked Cache Migration in Multicore Systems

As real-time embedded systems integrate more and more functionality, they are demanding increasing amounts of computational power that can only be met by deploying multicore architectures. The use of multicore architectures with on-chip memory hierarchies and shared communication infrastructure in the context of real-time systems poses several challenges for task scheduling. In this paper, we present a predictable semi-partitioned strategy for scheduling a set of independent hard-real-time tasks on homogeneous multicore platforms using cache locking and locked cache migration. Semipartitioned scheduling strategies form a middle ground between the two extreme approaches, namely global and partitioned scheduling. By making most tasks non-migrating (partitioned), runtime migration overhead is minimized. On the other hand, by allowing some tasks to migrate among cores, schedulability of task sets may be improved. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach in improving task set schedulability over purely partitioned approaches while maintaining real-time predictability of migrating tasks. In our simulations, we achieve an average increase in utilization of 37.31% and an average increase in density of 81.36% compared to purely partitioned task allocation.
High-transconductance GaN MODFETs

Current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of both normally-on and normally-off AlGaN-GaN MODFETs have been presented. The sheet carrier concentration of GaN used for the fabrication of these devices is significantly high. Both normally-on and normally-off devices exhibit high transconductance g/sub m/. For normally-on devices with 4 /spl mu/m gate length, g/sub m/=72 mS/mm at T=300 K; for normally-off devices with 3 /spl mu/ gate length g/sub m/=120 mS/mm at T=300 K. The devices were observed to operate at high temperatures up to T=300/spl deg/C.
Prehospital hyperventilation after brain injury: a prospective analysis of prehospital and early hospital hyperventilation of the brain-injured patient.

Background The Brain Trauma Foundation's Guidelines for the Management of Severe Head Injury state that the use of prophylactic hyperventilation after traumatic brain injury (TBI) should be avoided because it can compromise cerebral perfusion. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of unintentional hyperventilation. Methods A prospective evaluation of all intubated trauma patients with a diagnosis of TBI was performed. Patients with signs of impending herniation were excluded. Results Forty patients were included in the study. The average Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) was 6.3. Of these, 28 patients (70%) were unintentionally hyperventilated. Eleven (39%) of the hyperventilated patients died or were discharged in a persistent vegetative state. Of the remaining 12 patients who experienced normal ventilation, three patients (25%) died or were discharged in a vegetative state (p = ns) (Table 1). Conclusion Hyperventilation was common after TBI. However, patients ventilated to a normal PaCO2 were significantly more acidotic. Prehospital personnel should undergo educational training after development of strict ventilation protocols for patients suffering TBI.