cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Integrated Sequential As-Built and As-Planned Representation with D4AR Tools in Support of Decision-Making Tasks in the AEC/FM Industry

The significant advancement in digital imaging and widespread popularity of digital cameras for capturing a comprehensive visual record of construction performance in the architecture, engineering, construction, and facility management (AEC/FM) industries have triggered an extensive growth in the rate of site photography, allowing hundreds of images to be stored for a project on a daily basis. Meanwhile, collaborative AEC technologies centering around building information models (BIMs) are becoming widely applied to support various architectural, structural, and preconstruction decision-making tasks. These models, if integrated with the as-built perspective of a construction, have great potential to extensively add value during the construction phase of a project. This paper reports recent developments from research efforts in (1) automated acquisition of as-built point-cloud models from unordered daily site photo collections and geo-registration of site images, (2) automated generation of four-dimensiona...
Interpretations and Implications of $\gamma $-ray Lines from Solar Flares, the Galactic Centre and $\gamma $-ray Transients

Gamma-ray line emission from the Sun results from the nuclear interactions of energetic protons and nuclei with the solar atmosphere. These interactions produce gamma-ray lines from neutron capture, positron annihilation, and nuclear deexcitation. Observation of such gamma-rays can provide unique information on high energy processes at the Sun. Details of solar gamma-ray spectroscopy are discussed along with the galactic center 0.511 MeV line. The richness of astronomy at 0.511 MeV is indicated by the great variety of astrophysical positron production mechanisms and by the many astrophysical sites where such mechanisms could operate. Attention is also given to lines from gamma-ray transients, and the prospects for gamma-ray line detections, taking into account gamma-ray lines from processes of nucleosynthesis and lines from low-energy cosmic ray interactions.
On the Convergence of Born Expansions

A study is made of the convergence of the Born expansions in collision problems involving a static central potential. The scattering of each partial wave, characterized by the phase shift ${\ensuremath{\eta}}_{l}$, is treated separately. Estimates of the radii of convergence of $tan{\ensuremath{\eta}}_{l}$ and of ${S}_{l}\ensuremath{\equiv}{e}^{2i{\ensuremath{\eta}}_{l}}$ (as well as of the corresponding wave functions) are established, and the truncation errors due to breaking off the Born expansions are investigated. An appendix deals with the expansion of ${\ensuremath{\eta}}_{l}$ itself.
High-Dose Statins Should Only Be Used in Atherosclerotic Strokes

Statin therapy should not be initiated in this patient, a young woman free of vascular risk factors and at low risk for atherosclerotic cerebrovascular disease. Unfortunately, this patient has an iatrogenic stroke after a cardiac catheterization performed for symptoms described as “atypical.” There is no evidence that underlying atherosclerotic disease accounted for her cardiac symptoms or stroke. Cardiac catheterization can cause stroke by multiple mechanisms including disruption of aortic arch atheroma, embolization of thrombus from the catheter tip, air emboli, provoked arrhythmias, hemodynamic instability, or cervical artery dissection.1–3 All potential procedure-mediated mechanisms should be considered and explored to the extent possible, but it is not unusual for the precise cause to remain elusive. The disparate findings of the Medical …
(n, γ) measurements on radioactive isotopes with DANCE

Abstract The Detector for Advanced Neutron Capture Experiments (DANCE) at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is designed as a high efficiency, highly segmented 4 π BaF2 detector for calorimetrically detecting gamma rays following a neutron capture. Coupled with the neutron spallation source at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE), DANCE measurements on unstable isotopes in the energy range between 10 meV and 500 keV will provide many of the missing key reactions that are needed to understand the nucleosynthesis of the heavy elements and will also provide vital information for the design of future reactor concepts.
Adjuvant immunotherapy and chemoimmunotherapy in colorectal cancer (Dukes' class C): prolongation of disease-free interval and survival

The poor postsurgical prognosis in patients with colorectal cancer of the Dukes' C classification has prompted a clinical trial of adjuvant immunotherapy versus chemoimmunotherapy intended to prolong either the disease-free interval or the overall survival or both. One hundred and twenty-one patients have been entered on this study. Fifty-two patients received BCG alone and 69 patients received the combination of 5-FU and BCG. The disease-free interval and the overall survival were compared with similar parameters in a group of historical controls with similar prognostic characteristics who were operated on in our institution prior to the initiation of the current study. There was no difference as yet between BCG alone and the combination of 5-FU + BCG in terms of both the disease-free interval and the survival. Both treatments, however, had significantly better results than the surgical controls. Adjuvant therapy, especially with BCG is advocated for patients with colorectal carcinoma, Dukes' C class, following potentially curative surgery.
Calcium ethylenediaminetetraacetate (CaEDTA) toxicity: Studies on the mechanism of CaEDTA potentiation of pentobarbital anesthesia in the rat

Abstract Rats which received an iv infusion of CaEDTA (6 mmol/kg/24 hr for 36 and 48 hr) were more susceptible to the anesthetic effect of pentobarbital Na than rats similarly infused with 0.9% NaCl solution. Less mg/kg pentobarbital Na, administered iv, were required to induce a state of surgical anesthesia. The data indicated that the potentiative action of CaEDTA probably was due to an effect on central neurones rather than enhanced distribution of the anesthetic to the brain. This contention was based upon the following findings in CaEDTA-treated rats relative to controls: lower pentobarbital concentrations in the brain at the onset of anesthesia, no difference in brain/plasma concentration ratios of anesthetic when appropriate corrections were made for binding to plasma proteins and pH-p K A relationships in blood, and no difference in brain/plasma concentration ratios of a normally nonpermeating solute. Moreover, when standard doses of pentobarbital Na were given ip, CaEDTA-treated rats slept significantly longer and concentrations of pentobarbital in plasma and brain were significantly less than controls on arousal. Dexamethasone antagonized the potentiative effect of CaEDTA on pentobarbital anesthesia. The occurrence of higher concentrations of pentobarbital in brain and a lower brain/plasma concentration ratio at the onset of anesthesia suggested the steroid acted to stabilize cerebral neurones to the effect of the anesthetic as well as impede the distribution of pentobarbital to the brain. Serotonin concentrations were found to be significantly decreased in brain, duodenum, and kidney, but not the liver, consequent to CaEDTA administration. The iv infusion of calcium acetate, equimolar to CaEDTA, also potentiated barbiturate anesthesia.
Ultrasonographic demonstration of glaucomatous optic nerve excavation

Advanced glaucomatous excavation of the optic nervehead can be demonstrated reliably with contact B scan ultrasonography; large physiologic cups do not produce an abnormal optic nervehead pattern. Demonstration of a depression at the surface of the optic nerve insertion must be interpreted as indicative of glaucomatous excavation but should not be used as a contraindication to surgery.
Regulatory Mechanism of SERCA-PLB Complex Determined by FRET

We have used time-resolved fluorescenceresonance energy transfer (TR-FRET) to study the structural basis of regulation of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase (SERCA) by a single-pass transmembrane protein, phospholamban (PLB). SERCA actively sequesters Ca2+ back into the sarcoplasmic reticulum to cause muscle relaxation. In the heart, SERCA is inhibited by unphosphorylated PLB. Physiologically, this inhibition is relieved by either micromolar Ca2+ or phosphorylation of PLB. Dysregulation of SERCA-PLB complex causes Ca2+ mishandling in cardiomyocyte, which is a prominent feature in heart failure. Our goal is to elucidate the structural basis for the regulation of the complex, with an emphasis on the structural rearrangement during relief of inhibition. We have used time-resolved fluorescence resonance energy transfer (TR-FRET) to probe the complex directly by measuring the distances between SERCA (C674) and a series of positions on PLB in co-reconstituted vesicles. Our data supports that the cytoplasmic domain of bound PLB exists in two states. The relief of inhibition is achieved by combined effect of dissociation of the complex and shifting the equilibrium of the two states of bound PLB. Spectroscopy was performed in the Biophysical Spectroscopy Center at the University of Minnesota. This work was funded by NIH grants to DDT (R01 GM27906 and P30 AR0507220).
Local competition for telephone services

A policy discussion and overview of the development and scope of local exchange competition in U.S. Telecommunications markets is presented. The primary focus is on access and cable competition. In the future, we will see policies which encourage cable to enter telephone services, telephone companies to develop a video dialtone, and transportation networks which allow interexchange carriers to bypass the access charges of the local network. Regulatory policy needs to manage these competitive changes so that there is parity between the various service providers.
Oxidative Coupling of Methane over a Li+/MgO Catalyst Using N2O as an Oxidant

Nitrous oxide is an effective oxidant for the conversion of CH[sub 4] to C[sub 2]H[sub 4] and C[sub 2]H[sub 6] over a Li[sup +]/MgO catalyst, although the rate of oxygen incorporation into the lattice and the regeneration of the active centers is much slower with N[sub 2]O than with O[sub 2]. Thus, except at very low CH[sub 4] partial pressures, the rate-limiting step is oxygen incorporation, rather than the activation of CH[sub 4] at the surface. Carbon dioxide is a poison for the production of CH[sub 3][center dot]radicals and for the conversion of CH[sub 4]. By extrapolation of the rate data, the rate of CH[sub 4] reaction over the unpoisoned catalyst was determined, and the rate was shown to be first order with respect to N[sub 2]O. A kinetic model, based on competitive surface reactions, in addition to gas-phase reactions, adequately accounts for the conversion as a function of reagent concentrations and temperature, as well as the selectivity for ethane and ethylene. At comparable levels of conversion O[sub 2] is a less selective oxidant than N[sub 2]O, not because of more gas-phase oxidation, but because of surface reactions involving reactive oxygen species. The presence of CH[sub 4] significantly inhibits themore » decomposition of N[sub 2]O over the catalyst. It is suggested that CH[sub 4] and N[sub 2]O are activated by a common intermediate (e.g., O[sup [minus]][sub s]ions) and that CH[sub 4] reacts more rapidly with this species. 24 refs., 6 figs., 7 tabs.« less
Yield-enhanced routing for high-performance VLSI designs

It is widely recognized that interconnects will be the main bottleneck in enhancing the performance of future deep sub-micron VLSI designs. Interconnects do not "scale" well with decreasing feature sizes and therefore dominate the delays in the integrated circuit. In addition to RC delays, crosstalk noise also contributes significantly to the delays experienced by a signal. Interconnects are more susceptible to manufacturing defects and therefore affect the product yields significantly. Recently, several channel-routing based solutions have been proposed to minimize crosstalk noise and also enhance yield of the routing. While these approaches are effective, they do not provide maximum benefits as they are either constrained by a particular design methodology or are post-routing steps which have limited scope for significant improvement. Also, design for manufacturabiity objectives have not been fully exploited by VLSI CAD tools as they do not integrate seamlessly into the conventional design flow and the added overheads make it less attractive. In this paper, we propose a modified routing algorithm that maximizes yield and reduces crosstalk noise while using minimal area for the routing. The yield enhancement objective has been integrated into the routing phase as a preferred constraint (a constraint that will be satisfied only if the primary constraints of minimal area and wire length have been satisfied) and fits well into the conventional design flow. This enables the router to produce an output which provides maximum achievable critical area reduction for the given routing solution. Post-routing layout modification is also done with the objective of minimizing the interaction area between the interconnects by exploiting the gridless property of the router. The above algorithm is incorporated into GLITTER (the gridless, variable width channel router), and the results on channel-routing benchmarks are presented. These results show a significant reduction in the critical area achievable by using the proposed algorithm.
The Internal Representation of Numbers.

Abstract A principle of second-order isomorphism asserts that the functional similarities among internal representations parallel the structural similarities among the external objects to which those representations correspond. In accordance with this principle, subjects were asked to rate the similarities of all pairs of the numbers 0 through 9 in each of 24 conditions distinguished by the forms into which they were to be mentally transformed and then judged-including the visual forms of rows of dots and Arabic numerals, the auditory form of spoken English names, and the amodal form of the abstract concepts of the integers themselves. Similarity ratings were found to depend entirely upon the form in which the numbers were to be judged and not at all upon the form in which they were actually presented. Regardless of the form presented, multidimensional scaling solutions for each of the 24 conditions were readily interpretable in terms of structural properties of the form judged-curvature and closure for visual numerals; number of syllables, initial consonant, and vowel phoneme for auditory names; and numerical magnitude, odd-evenness, etc., for abstract concepts. Reanalyses of chronometric data are presented to illustrate how a fuller understanding of human cognitive processes may be attainable by using such structural models of internal representation in conjunction with studies of overt confusion and reaction time.
Inhibition of the multidrug resistance efflux pump

An ATP-dependent efflux pump is found in the plasma membrane of certain multidrug resistant (MDR) cancer cells. Drug resistance is due to decreased intracellular drug levels that have been reduced to subcytotoxic concentrations. Inhibition of the MDR efflux pump with a reversal agent may 'trap' the cytotoxic drug inside the cell; thus, cellular drug resistance is reversed. Although many different lipophilic substances exhibit reversal activity, inhibition of the pump is stereospecific with respect to the chiral agent cinchonine. In this article, several methods for the estimation of reversal potency are reviewed. Furthermore, information on the transport characteristics of reversal agents is presented. The rate equations for ATP-dependent drug efflux, competitive inhibition of the MDR pump, and noncompetitive inhibition of the pump are derived. A method is presented that discriminates between competitive or noncompetitive inhibition of the pump. These studies show the potential contribution of fundamental inhibition studies to the design of clinical reversal protocols.
Second-order modeling of arsenite transport in soils

Abstract Rate limited processes including kinetic adsorption–desorption can greatly impact the fate and behavior of toxic arsenic compounds in heterogeneous soils. In this study, miscible displacement column experiments were carried out to investigate the extent of reactivity during transport of arsenite in soils. Arsenite breakthrough curves (BTCs) of Olivier and Windsor soils exhibited strong retardation with diffusive effluent fronts followed by slow release or tailing during leaching. Such behavior is indicative of the dominance of kinetic retention reactions for arsenite transport in the soil columns. Sharp decrease or increase in arsenite concentration in response to flow interruptions (stop-flow) further verified that non-equilibrium conditions are dominant. After some 40–60 pore volumes of continued leaching, 30–70% of the applied arsenite was retained by the soil in the columns. Furthermore, continued arsenite slow release for months was evident by the high levels of residual arsenite concentrations observed during leaching. In contrast, arsenite transport in a reference sand material exhibited no retention where complete mass recovery in the effluent solution was attained. A second-order model (SOM) which accounts for equilibrium, reversible, and irreversible retention mechanisms was utilized to describe arsenite transport results from the soil columns. Based on inverse and predictive modeling results, the SOM model successfully depicted arsenite BTCs from several soil columns. Based on inverse and predictive modeling results, a second-order model which accounts for kinetic reversible and irreversible reactions is recommended for describing arsenite transport in soils.
A Seminonparametric Approach to Joint Modeling of A Primary Binary Outcome and Longitudinal Data Measured at Discrete Informative Times

In a study conducted at the New York University Fertility Center, one of the scientific objectives is to investigate the relationship between the final pregnancy outcomes of participants receiving an in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment and their β-human chorionic gonadotrophin (β-hCG) profiles. A common joint modeling approach to this objective is to use subject-specific normal random effects in a linear mixed model for longitudinal β-hCG data as predictors in a model (e.g., logistic model) for the final pregnancy outcome. Empirical data exploration indicates that the observation times for longitudinal β-hCG data may be informative and the distribution of random effects for longitudinal β-hCG data may not be normally distributed. We propose to introduce a third model in the joint model for the informative β-hCG observation times, and relax the normality distributional assumption of random effects using the semi-nonparametric (SNP) approach of Gallant and Nychka (Econometrica 55:363–390, 1987). An EM algorithm is developed for parameter estimation. Extensive simulation designed to evaluate the proposed method indicates that ignoring either informative observation times or distributional assumption of the random effects would lead to invalid and/or inefficient inference. Applying our new approach to the data reveals some interesting findings the traditional approach failed to discover.
On visual adaptation: II. The electroretinogram and the bipolar cells.

First a model for theb-wave of the electroretinogram is given. The essential part of the model is the diffusion into the rod-bipolar synapse of a transmitter substance, followed by the induction of an inhibitor. Making use of this model, adaptation to an illumination too weak to cause of significant decrease in the concentration of visual pigment is interpreted as due to a decreased effectiveness of the rod impulse in exciting the bipolar cell. The disparity between threshold changes for very small test spots and for relatively large spots is explained simply, without invoking any additional physiological mechanisms.
A prototype reading coach that listens: summary of project LISTEN

What: Project LISTEN is developing a novel weapon against illiteracy: an automated reading coach that displays a story on a computer screen, listens to a child read it aloud, and helps where needed. The coach provides a combination of reading and listening, in which the child reads wherever possible, and the coach helps wherever necessary. We demonstrated a prototype of this coach at the ARPA Workshop on Human Language Technology in March 1994. A short video shows the coach in action [1].
“Proximity effects”: the effect of methylation and vibrational excitation on bi-exponential decay in pyrimidine

Abstract Experimental data concerning the effect of methylation and vibrational excitation on bi-exponential decay in pyrimidine is analyzed within the framework of a kinetic scheme. A method for the exact determination of the rate constants is given. It is shown that the effect of methylation and vibrational excitation on the internal conversion and intersystem crossing rates is consistent with the results of model studies dealing with the “proximity effect” in radiationless transitions.
Protease-active extracellular protein preparations from Porphyromonas gingivalis W83 induce N-cadherin proteolysis, loss of cell adhesion, and apoptosis in human epithelial cells.

Background: The protease-induced cytotoxicity of P. gingivalis may partly result from alteration of the extracellular matrix and/or surface receptors that mediate interaction between the host cells and their matrix. While P. gingivalis-induced degradation of E-cadherin has been documented, there is no information on the effects of P. gingivalis proteases on other members of this family of cell adhesion proteins. Methods: Human epithelial KB cells were exposed to proteaseactive extracellular protein preparations from isogenic mutants of P. gingivalis. Quantification of apoptosis was performed by visualization of nuclei stained with 4,6'-diamidino-2-phenylindole. Alteration of cell adhesion proteins was examined by immunoblotting of cell lysates using monoclonal antibodies to those proteins. Results: Treated cells exhibited loss of cell adhesion properties with apoptotic cell death subsequently observed. These effects correlated with the different levels of cysteine-dependent proteolytic activities of the i...
Atmospheric Plasma Deposition of Coatings Using a Capacitive Discharge Source

In this paper, a review is provided of the plasma-enhanced (PE)CVD of thin films using an atmospheric-pressure (AP) capacitive discharge source. This source is unique in that the organometallic precursors are fed downstream of the plasma, where reactions occur exclusively between neutral molecules, radicals, and the substrate surface. As a result, the properties of the films differ from those obtained in low-pressure (<1 torr) gas discharges. For example, glass may be deposited on plastic with no carbon contamination and less than 15 mol-% hydroxyl groups, yielding material with good scratch protection. Silicon nitride and amorphous hydrogenated silicon films have also been prepared by AP-PECVD. These material processes further illustrate the unique attributes of this new deposition technology.
Structure, diffusion and rheology of Brownian suspensions by Stokesian Dynamics simulation

The non-equilibrium behaviour of concentrated colloidal dispersions is studied using Stokesian Dynamics, a molecular-dynamics-like simulation technique for analysing suspensions of particles immersed in a Newtonian fluid. The simulations are of a monodisperse suspension of Brownian hard spheres in simple shear flow as a function of the Peclet number, Pe, which measures the relative importance of hydrodynamic and Brownian forces, over a range of volume fraction 0.316 [less-than-or-eq, slant] [phi] [less-than-or-eq, slant] 0.49. For Pe < 10, Brownian motion dominates the behaviour, the suspension remains well-dispersed, and the viscosity shear thins. The first normal stress difference is positive and the second negative. At higher Pe, hydrodynamics dominate resulting in an increase in the long-time self-diffusivity and the viscosity. The first normal stress difference changes sign when hydrodynamics dominate. Simulation results are shown to agree well with both theory and experiment.
Environmental influences on methods used to collect dietary data from children.

When collecting dietary data on children, confidence about responses is required. Children exist in multienvironments in their everyday lives, eg, the personal, school, home, peer, medical care, media, food industry, and fast-food facility environments. These macroenvironments influence the format and type of data-collection methods used to interview today's youth. Researchers should identify the influence of each environment on the child's eating pattern and nutrient intake, explore the pros and cons of various data-collection methods amid these environments, and determine unresolved methodological issues to stimulate future research
THE ECOLOGY OF AGING: NEIGHBORHOOD SATISFACTION IN AN OLDER POPULATION*

This paper explores the determinants of neighborhood satisfaction for a population of older persons. Here neighborhood satisfaction is presumed to be the result of a complicated process involving: objective qualities in the neighborhood, the psychological and physical state of the person making the evaluation, as well as the person's own subjective definitions of the neighborhood. The intent of this research is to weigh the significance of these objective neighborhood conditions, subjective definitions, and the individual's level of environmental docility for the determination of neighborhood satisfaction among the elderly. To investigate this issue a random sample of 1,185 respondents 60 years and older was interviewed in the Albany-Schenectady-Troy, New York SMSA. The data suggest that while all three general factors are significant in the production of neighborhood satisfaction, mental portraits of the neighborhood are the most significant source of neighborhood satisfaction. This finding indicates support for a synthesis of symbolic interactionist and traditional ecological models of environmental response. Clearly, for this sample, older persons sharing the same neighborhoods do not necessarily occupy the same environmental worlds.
An algorithm for detecting features of the hormone profiles of the human menstrual cycle

An algorithm for detecting features of the cycles of the gonadotropic and ovarian hormones in women is described. The algorithm can detect hormone peaks and normal cycles defined in terms of the peaks in sequences of measurements that have an arbitrary starting point in the menstrual cycle and are of arbitrary length. The algorithm makes use of fuzzy set theory and is optimized using signal detection theory.
Scalable Tensor Decompositions for Multi-aspect Data Mining

Modern applications such as Internet traffic, telecommunication records, and large-scale social networks generate massive amounts of data with multiple aspects and high dimensionalities. Tensors (i.e., multi-way arrays) provide a natural representation for such data. Consequently, tensor decompositions such as Tucker become important tools for summarization and analysis. One major challenge is how to deal with high-dimensional, sparse data. In other words, how do we compute decompositions of tensors where most of the entries of the tensor are zero. Specialized techniques are needed for computing the Tucker decompositions for sparse tensors because standard algorithms do not account for the sparsity of the data. As a result, a surprising phenomenon is observed by practitioners: Despite the fact that there is enough memory to store both the input tensors and the factorized output tensors, memory overflows occur during the tensor factorization process. To address this intermediate blowup problem, we propose Memory-Efficient Tucker (MET). Based on the available memory, MET adaptively selects the right execution strategy during the decomposition. We provide quantitative and qualitative evaluation of MET on real tensors. It achieves over 1000X space reduction without sacrificing speed; it also allows us to work with much larger tensors that were too big to handle before. Finally, we demonstrate a data mining case-study using MET.
Isolation and characterization of a complementary deoxyribonucleic acid insert encoding bovine aromatase cytochrome P450

Aromatase, an enzyme complex comprised of aromatase cytochrome P450 (P450arom; the product of the CYP19 gene) and the flavoprotein NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase, catalyzes the conversion of androgens to estrogens. Three cDNA inserts encoding P450arom were isolated from a bovine placental cDNA library. These inserts were sequenced and found to correspond closely to human P450arom sequence from the internal EcoRI restriction site (exon III) through the termination codon (exon X) into the 3'-untranslated region. The rapid amplification of cDNA ends technique was used to generate the rest of the cDNA 5' of the internal EcoRI site, using mRNA obtained from bovine granulosa cells as a template. This insert was sequenced, and when aligned with the other inserts, an open reading frame was found which was predicted to encode a protein of 503 amino acid residues. The deduced polypeptide shares 84% identity with human P450arom and 79%, 76%, 71%, and 57% identity with mouse, rat, chicken, and trout P450arom, respec...
Measuring Food Intake and Nutrient Absorption in Caenorhabditis elegans

Caenorhabditis elegans has emerged as a powerful model to study the genetics of feeding, food-related behaviors, and metabolism. Despite the many advantages of C. elegans as a model organism, direct measurement of its bacterial food intake remains challenging. Here, we describe two complementary methods that measure the food intake of C. elegans. The first method is a microtiter plate-based bacterial clearing assay that measures food intake by quantifying the change in the optical density of bacteria over time. The second method, termed pulse feeding, measures the absorption of food by tracking de novo protein synthesis using a novel metabolic pulse-labeling strategy. Using the bacterial clearance assay, we compare the bacterial food intake of various C. elegans strains and show that long-lived eat mutants eat substantially more than previous estimates. To demonstrate the applicability of the pulse-feeding assay, we compare the assimilation of food for two C. elegans strains in response to serotonin. We show that serotonin-increased feeding leads to increased protein synthesis in a SER-7-dependent manner, including proteins known to promote aging. Protein content in the food has recently emerged as critical factor in determining how food composition affects aging and health. The pulse-feeding assay, by measuring de novo protein synthesis, represents an ideal method to unequivocally establish how the composition of food dictates protein synthesis. In combination, these two assays provide new and powerful tools for C. elegans research to investigate feeding and how food intake affects the proteome and thus the physiology and health of an organism.
Electron Beam Induced Two-State Noise in Carbon Nanotubes

Discrete current switching is induced in carbon nanotubes by electron beam irradiation. Switching amplitudes of 3% to 6% are observed at room temperature. Switching is created by electron beam exposure with dosage as low as 1000 pC/cm. Relative switching amplitude remains constant as the bias voltage varies, suggesting that current fluctuation is dominated by mobility fluctuation. Changes in the noise power spectral density following electron beam exposure will be discussed.
The Impact of Long-Term Client Relationships on the Performance of Business Service Firms

In this article, the author empirically examines the impact of long-term client relationships on the performance of business service firms. On the basis of the information contained in the Compustat and Compact Disclosure sets of databases, he finds that, over the long run, relationship-oriented business service firms achieve higher returns on their investments than do transaction-oriented firms. Importantly, the findings suggest that, unlike relationship-oriented suppliers of business goods such as component parts, long-term client relationships do not improve the productivity of relationship-oriented service firms. However, such relationships help business service firms to resist price pressures from their customers and add more value to their services over time.
Improved Monolingual Hypothesis Alignment for Machine Translation System Combination

This article presents a new hypothesis alignment method for combining outputs of multiple machine translation (MT) systems. An indirect hidden Markov model (IHMM) is proposed to address the synonym matching and word ordering issues in hypothesis alignment. Unlike traditional HMMs whose parameters are trained via maximum likelihood estimation (MLE), the parameters of the IHMM are estimated indirectly from a variety of sources including word semantic similarity, word surface similarity, and a distance-based distortion penalty. The IHMM-based method significantly outperforms the state-of-the-art, TER-based alignment model in our experiments on NIST benchmark datasets. Our combined SMT system using the proposed method achieved the best Chinese-to-English translation result in the constrained training track of the 2008 NIST Open MT Evaluation.
A Model of Distributed Sensorimotor Control in the Cockroach Escape Turn

In response to a puff of wind, the American cockroach turns away and runs. The circuit underlying the initial turn of this escape response consists of three populations of individually identifiable nerve cells and appears to employ distributed representations in its operation. We have reconstructed several neuronal and behavioral properties of this system using simplified neural network models and the backpropagation learning algorithm constrained by known structural characteristics of the circuitry. In order to test and refine the model, we have also compared the model's responses to various lesions with the insect's responses to similar lesions.
Inhibition of integrin-mediated adhesion and signaling disrupts retinal development

Abstract Integrins are the major family of cell adhesion receptors that mediate cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix (ECM). Integrin-mediated adhesion and signaling play essential roles in neural development. In this study, we have used echistatin, an RGD-containing short monomeric disintegrin, to investigate the role of integrin-mediated adhesion and signaling during retinal development in Xenopus. Application of echistatin to Xenopus retinal-derived XR1 glial cells inhibited the three stages of integrin-mediated adhesion: cell attachment, cell spreading, and formation of focal adhesions and stress fibers. XR1 cell attachment and spreading increased tyrosine phosphorylation of paxillin, a focal adhesion associated protein, while echistatin significantly decreased phosphorylation levels of paxillin. Application of echistatin or β1 integrin function blocking antibody to the embryonic Xenopus retina disrupted retinal lamination and produced rosette structures with ectopic photoreceptors in the outer retina. These results indicate that integrin-mediated cell–ECM interactions play a critical role in cell adhesion, migration, and morphogenesis during vertebrate retinal development.
Evaluating Public Responses to Environmental Trend Indicators

Indicators of trends in environmental conditions have been touted as ways to inform the public and provide a “report card” on environmental agency performance, but no quantitative analysis of such claims has been done. A small study of New Jersey residents’ reactions to indicators as presented by the state environmental agency found that these indicators were deemed understandable, credible, and useful. However, actual comprehension was not related to perceived understanding, and many in this well-educated sample exhibited the ecological fallacy of inferring local environmental conditions or priority-setting uses that these indicators could not possibly provide. Prior beliefs about statewide trends in environmental quality, accuracy in extracting information from the indicator presentations, and demographic variables had varying but significant effects on reactions to and interpretations of the indicators. These findings have implications for preparation and evaluation of institutional communications about science in general.
Effect of acute and long-term smoking on myocardial blood flow and flow reserve.

Background Cigarette smoking is a major preventable risk factor for coronary artery disease and sudden cardiac death. However, the effect of acute and long-term cigarette smoking on coronary vasodilatory capacity and myocardial flow reserve has not been quantified in humans. Methods and Results To examine the effect of short-term and long-term smoking, myocardial blood flow was quantified at rest and during dipyridamole-induced hyperemia (0.56 mg/kg) in 12 smokers (10 males and 2 females; mean age, 27±4 years) under baseline conditions (reflecting the effect of long-term smoking) and during short-term cigarette smoking with 13N ammonia, positron emission tomography, and a two-compartment model. Twelve sex- and age-matched nonsmokers served as control subjects. Smoking significantly increased the rate-pressure product at rest from 7525±1290 to 9160±1125 (P<.001 versus baseline), which was paralleled by a proportional increase in myocardial blood flow at rest (0.70±0.17 versus 0.88±0.17 mL · g−1 · min−1; P<...
Integration of Frequency Response Measurement Capabilities in Digital Controllers for DC–DC Converters

Recent work has shown the feasibility of integrating nonparametric frequency-domain system identification functionality into digital controllers for switched-mode pulse-width modulated (PWM) dc-dc power converters. The resulting discrete-time frequency response can be used for design, diagnostic, or self-tuning purposes. The success of these applications depends on the fidelity of the identified frequency responses and the degree to which the process is automated, as well as the costs, in terms of gate count, time duration of identification, and effect on output voltage, incurred to obtain these benefits. This paper demonstrates the feasibility of incorporating fully automated frequency response measurement capabilities in digital PWM controllers at relatively low additional cost. In particular, it is shown that relatively accurate and smooth frequency response data can be obtained using a Verilog-coded implementation with low tens of thousands of logic gates and about 10 kB of memory. The identification process can be accomplished in several hundred milliseconds and the output voltage can be kept within specified bounds during the entire process. Experimental results are provided for four different PWM dc-dc converters, including a synchronous buck with two different filter capacitors, a boost operating in continuous conduction mode (CCM), and a boost operating in discontinuous conduction mode (DCM).
DNA Enables Nanoscale Control of the Structure of Matter

Structural DNA nanotechnology consists of constructing objects, lattices and devices from branched DNA molecules. Branched DNA molecules open the way for the construction of a variety of N-connected motifs. These motifs can be joined by cohesive interactions to produce larger constructs in a bottom-up approach to nanoconstruction. The first objects produced by this approach were stick polyhedra and topological targets, such as knots and Borromean rings. These were followed by periodic arrays with programmable patterns. It is possible to exploit DNA structural transitions and sequence-specific binding to produce a variety of DNA nanomechanical devices, which include a bipedal walker and a machine that emulates the translational capabilities of the ribosome. Much of the promise of this methodology involves the use of DNA to scaffold other materials, such as biological macromolecules, nanoelectronic components, and polymers. These systems are designed to lead to improvements in crystallography, computation and the production of diverse and exotic materials.
Domestic Political Preconditions of US Trade Policy: Liberal Structure and Protectionist Dynamics

This paper examines the set of norms, rules and institutions (the regime) which regulate the domestic politics of international trade policy in the US. It is particularly concerned to explain the simultaneous occurrence of successful participation in multilateral trade liberalization in the GATT and rising levels of protection via the administered protection mechanisms (e.g. anti-dumping and countervailing duty, and escape clause). The explanation of this phenomenon is the development of a new institutional definition of trade policy that permitted executive dominance of trade policy, in conjunction with a changed perception of the role of trade policy by the executive branch. Specifically, it is argued that post-war executives (at least until Reagan) came to associate trade policy with broader foreign policy goals.
Effect of m-AMSA on the cellular pharmacology of ara-CTP in human leukemic cells during therapy with high-dose ara-C.

The pyrimidine nucleoside analog, 1-β-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine (ara-C), is the most effective drug for the successful treatment of adult acute myelogenous leukemia (1). The cytotoxic activity of ara-C is dependent upon its intracellular conversion to the active 5′-triphosphate ara-CTP. Ara-CTP competes with dCTP in the inhibition of DNA polymerase, but its incorporation into DNA indicates that it also serves as a substrate for the enzyme. These actions are associated with the cytotoxicity of the drug. However, ara-CTP also participates as an analog in the intermediary metabolism of phospholipids and is glycoprotein synthesis. In fact, ara-CTP is required for all of the known mechanisms of ara-C-induced cell killing.
Using Linear Superposition to Solve Multiple Heat Source Transient Thermal Problems

For many years engineers have been using linear superposition to solve steady state thermal problems with multiple-heat-source systems. Predicting transient response of single-heat-source systems has been performed using R-C Foster networks with reasonable success. In most real applications there are multiple heat sources that are interacting perhaps in very complex ways in the time domain. Being able to simulate these interactions using a spreadsheet tool or a circuit simulator may be very advantageous to a device or application engineer designing or evaluating an application design. Using an RC-network model of a system to represent the individual transient response curves, we’ll show how to do this bookkeeping (and all the other calculations) for a simple system using Microsoft Excel. We’ll also see how to set up this sort of problem in a circuit simulator.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Strongman, Constable, or Free-Rider? India's “Monroe Doctrine” and Indian Naval Strategy

Many scholars assume that the European model of realpolitik will prevail in Asia as the dual rise of China and India reorders regional politics. Others predict that Asia's China-centric tradition of hierarchy will reassert itself. But Indians look as much to nineteenth-century U.S. history as to any European or Asian model. Indeed, successive prime ministers explicitly cited the Monroe Doctrine to justify intervention in hotspots around the Indian periphery. But the Monroe Doctrine underwent several phases during America's rise to world power. These phases can help South Asia analysts project possible futures for Indian maritime strategy.
Reperfusion-associated hemorrhagic transformation in SHR rats: Evidence of symptomatic parenchymal hematoma

Background and Purpose— Symptomatic hemorrhagic transformation (HT) is the most important complicating factor after treatment with intravenous tissue plasminogen activator. In this study, we used multimodal magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the incidence and severity of reperfusion-based HT in spontaneously hypertensive rats after ischemia/reperfusion. Methods— Twenty male spontaneously hypertensive rats were subjected to 30 minutes of middle cerebral artery occlusion via the suture model. Diffusion-weighted, T2-weighted, and gradient-echo imaging were performed on days 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7 for longitudinal evaluation of lesion evolution, vasogenic edema, and HT, respectively. Findings on gradient-echo images were classified according to the severity of hemorrhage: no HT; punctate or small petechial hemorrhage (HI-1); confluent petechial hemorrhage (HI-2); hematoma with absent/mild space-occupying effect (PH-1, ≤30% lesion volume); and hematoma with significant space-occupying effect and potential pe...
Improved Halftone Data Hiding Scheme Using Hilbert Curve Neighborhood Toggling

In this paper, we examine the effects of embedding in randomly selected locations and present a simple but novel high capacity data hiding method for halftone images. Data hiding smart pair toggling (DHSPT) is a flexible method for hiding data directly into halftone images in high embedded capacity applications. It embedded data into randomly selected locations, having the chance of forced single-pixel toggling especially when the payload increases. The proposed method avoids the chance of forced single-pixel toggling by selecting the best pair of connected neighboring pixels out of a sequence of candidate pairs along Hilbert curve for a to-be-embedded bit. The proposed method can significantly improve the visual quality of marked halftone images especially for high-capacity data hiding.
The Use of Imaging in Gallbladder Disease

Diseases of the gallbladder and biliary tree are conditions that physicians routinely encounter, and they can present multiple diagnostic and treatment dilemmas. Cholelithiasis, choledocholithiasis, and acute cholecystitis are only some of the many potential diagnoses. Recent advances in imaging modalities have provided numerous options to aid clinicians in confirming or clarifying a particular diagnosis. For most cases of acute cholecystitis, ultrasound remains the initial diagnostic imaging of choice. It is inexpensive, readily available, and easily repeatable. HIDA scans also can be helpful, especially if an initial ultrasound is equivocal. These scans also have a role in the post-operative setting to evaluate for biliary leaks. MRI and MRCP provide high-resolution images of the hepatobiliary system with excellent tissue contrast. Currently, this modality is especially useful in the evaluation choledocholithiasis, and it will likely play an increasing role in the diagnosis of acute cholecystitis as MRI technology improves and becomes more widely available. CT scans are available to most patients, but have the downside of delivering ionizing radiation. They are most useful when the clinical picture is unclear or when there are additional symptoms outside of the right upper quadrant. By tailoring the selection of radiographic images to the individual patient scenario, clinicians can maximize diagnostic utility and mitigate unnecessary costs and radiation exposure.