cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Quantum transport of bosonic cold atoms in double-well optical lattices

We numerically investigate, using the time evolving block decimation algorithm, the quantum transport of ultracold bosonic atoms in a double-well optical lattice through slow and periodic modulation of the lattice parameters (intra- and inter-well tunneling, chemical potential, etc.). The transport of atoms does not depend on the rate of change of the parameters (as along as the change is slow) and can distribute atoms in optical lattices at the quantized level without involving external forces. The transport of atoms depends on the atom filling in each double well and the interaction between atoms. In the strongly interacting region, the bosonic atoms share the same transport properties as noninteracting fermions with quantized transport at the half filling and no atom transport at the integer filling. In the weakly interacting region, the number of the transported atoms is proportional to the atom filling. We show the signature of the quantum transport from the momentum distribution of atoms that can be measured in the time-of-flight image. A semiclassical transport model is developed to explain the numerically observed transport of bosonic atoms in the noninteracting and strongly interacting limits. The scheme may serve as an quantized battery for atomtronics applications.
Evidence for transmission through sympathetic ganglia mediated by muscarinic receptors in anesthetized guinea pigs.

3-Mercaptopropionic acid (3-MP), an inhibitor of the synthesis of GABA, acts in the central nervous system to increase arterial pressure (+50-60 mmHg) in anesthetized guinea pigs, apparently by sympathoadrenal activation. However, blockade of nicotinic receptors in autonomic ganglia with hexamethonium (10 or 20 mg/kg, i.v.) failed to effect any degree of sustained reversal of increases in blood pressure. Infusion of atropine methyl bromide (1 mg/kg, i.v.) likewise was without effect when administered alone, but completely reversed the hypertension induced by 3-MP when given after treatment with hexamethonium. These findings suggest that ganglionic transmission through either the "classical" nicotinic pathway or a muscarinic pathway is sufficient to sustain the sympathetically-mediated pressor response elicited by 3-MP.
Note on the characteristics of potential‐time curves for painted non‐ferrous metals

The potentials of steel, aluminum, brass and copper rods overcoated with various paints were measured in sea-water over a period of time. The potentials obtained in all cases were determined by the substrate metal rather than the paint coating used. It is concluded that essentially one is measuring the potential of bare local anodes. The potential-time curves on copper, brass and aluminum have the same characteristics as those on steel.
Polar observations of plasma waves in and near the dayside magnetopause/magnetosheath

Abstract The plasma wave instrument (PWI) on board the Polar spacecraft made numerous passages of the dayside magnetopause and several probable encounters with the magnetosheath during the years 1996 and 1997. During periods of relatively high density, the PWI antenna–receiver system is coupled to the plasma and oscillates. The oscillations have been shown (cf. Radio Sci. 36 (2001) 203) to be indicative of periods of higher plasma density and plasma flows, possibly associated with magnetic reconnection. We have studied the plasma waves observed on three distinct magnetopause passes distinguished by the presence of these oscillations of the PWI receivers, and we report on the data obtained near, but not during, the times of the oscillations and the possible role of these waves in magnetic reconnection. Sweep-frequency receiver and high-resolution waveform data for some of these times are presented. The plasma wave measurements on each of the passes are characterized by turbulence. The most stable waves are whistler mode emissions typically of several hundred hertz that are seen intermittently in these regions. The data indicate the presence of impulsive solitary-like wave structures with strong electric fields both parallel and perpendicular to the magnetic field near, but not always within, suspected reconnection sites. The solitary waves show the highest occurrence when observed with electrostatic electron cyclotron waves. These latter waves have been observed in the past in the cusp, polar magnetosphere, and auroral regions and therefore may represent excursions into the cusp, but also indicate the presence of low-energy electron beams. Turbulence near the lower hybrid frequency, low-frequency EM waves, and impulsive monopolar electrostatic pulses are seen throughout the magnetopause and particularly near regions of large decrease in the local magnetic field and enhanced field-aligned flows, the suspected reconnection sites. The absence of significant solitary wave signatures within suspected reconnection sites may require modifications to some reconnection models.
Genetic aspects of autism spectrum disorders: insights from animal models

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are a complex neurodevelopmental disorder that display a triad of core behavioral deficits including restricted interests, often accompanied by repetitive behavior, deficits in language and communication, and an inability to engage in reciprocal social interactions. ASD is among the most heritable disorders but is not a simple disorder with a singular pathology and has a rather complex etiology. It is interesting to note that perturbations in synaptic growth, development, and stability underlie a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders, including ASD, schizophrenia, epilepsy, and intellectual disability. Biological characterization of an increasing repertoire of synaptic mutants in various model organisms indicates synaptic dysfunction as causal in the pathophysiology of ASD. Our understanding of the genes and genetic pathways that contribute toward the formation, stabilization, and maintenance of functional synapses coupled with an in-depth phenotypic analysis of the cellular and behavioral characteristics is therefore essential to unraveling the pathogenesis of these disorders. In this review, we discuss the genetic aspects of ASD emphasizing on the well conserved set of genes and genetic pathways implicated in this disorder, many of which contribute to synapse assembly and maintenance across species. We also review how fundamental research using animal models is providing key insights into the various facets of human ASD.
Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Collinear Polymer Nanoparticle Collisions: Reaction and Scattering

Collinear collisions of polyethylene nanoparticles are studied, with a particular emphasis on the transition between sticking and reactive scattering trajectories. The former are characterized by collisions where the two polymer particles form a particle dimer, the latter by collisions resulting in the gross change of particle structure, such as particle fragmentation or transfer of polymer chains from one particle to another. It is observed that in the collinear case there are no scattering trajectories where the particles undergo nearly elastic collisions and rebound with small energy change. This property is attributed to the fact that during the collision process the particles undergo reorganization, and the energy involved is difficult to recover. The result is that at all but extremely high velocities, particles undergo rapid and irreversible energy transfer from the relative translational coordinate into other internal coordinates, resulting in dimerization of the polymer particles.
Perspectives on Promoting Breastmilk Feedings for Premature Infants During a Quality Improvement Project

Abstract Objective: This study investigated clinicians' perspectives during a quality improvement project to promote breastmilk feedings in premature infants. Study Design: From 2009 to 2010, 11 hospitals in the California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative participated in a project to promote breastmilk feedings in premature infants. Audio recordings of monthly meetings held to encourage sharing of ideas were analyzed using qualitative methods to identify common themes related to barriers and solutions to breastmilk feeding promotion. Results: Two broad categories were noted: communication and team composition. Communication subthemes included (1) communication among hospital staff, including consistent documentation, (2) communication with family, and (3) communication between transfer hospitals. Team composition subthemes included (4) importance of physician buy-in and (5) integrated teams designed to empower leaders. Conclusions: Optimizing communication among health professionals and parents and im...
The biological effects of tryptophol (indole-3-ethanol): Hemolytic, biochemical and behavior modifying activity

Abstract 1. Indole-3-ethanol (TOL) a tryptophan metabolite of the African trypanosomes has been shown to lyse human red blood cells, induce a sleep-like state and alter body temperature. 2. The lytic reaction is both pH and temperature-dependent, and can be inhibited by increasing the external osmotic strength. 3. TOL appears to chemically interact with the cell membrane altering water permeability. The reaction appears to be both rapid and irreversible. 4. TOL is lipophilic, and therefore presumably combines with the lipids in the cell membrane.
On the Landau constant in mixing layers

The nonlinear evolution of weakly amplified waves in a hyperbolic tangent-free shear layer is described when the Reynolds number is large and the critical layer is dominated by viscosity. The Stuart-Landau equation governing the finite-amplitude development of disturbances is obtained by asymptotic matching. If R denotes the Reynolds number, the Landau constant multiplying the cubic nonlinearity is determined to be O(R-) and is stabilizing. A stable finite-amplitude equilibrium state is therefore reached by linearly amplified waves. The earlier result in Huerre (Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. A 293, 643-675 (i98o)) is shown to be incorrect.
Direct Determination of Hydration in the Lamellar to Inverted Hexagonal Transition of Phosphatidylethanolamine

The bound water associated with phosphatidylethanolamine (PtdEtn) in the lamellar and inverted hexagonal structures is determined directly. Bound water is considered as that water which is unavaila...
Vacuum plasma spray applications on liquid fuel rocket engines

The vacuum plasma spray process (VPS) has been developed by NASA and Rocketdyne for a variety of applications on liquid fuel rocket engines, including the Space Shuttle Main Engine. These applications encompass thermal barrier coatings which are thermal shock resistant for turbopump blades and nozzles; bond coatings for cryogenic titanium components; wear resistant coatings and materials; high conductivity copper, NaRloy-Z, combustion chamber liners, and structural nickel base material, Inconel 718, for nozzle and combustion chamber support jackets.
Building Bayesian Network based expert systems from rules

Combining expert knowledge and user explanation with automated reasoning in domains with uncertain information poses significant challenges in terms of representation and reasoning mechanisms. In particular, reasoning structures understandable and usable by humans are often different from the ones used for automated reasoning and data mining systems. Rules with certainty factors represent one possible way to express domain knowledge and build expert system that can deal with uncertainty. Although convenient to humans, this approach has limitations in accurately modeling the domain. Alternatively, a Bayesian Network allows accurate modeling of a domain and automated reasoning but its inference is less intuitive to humans. In this paper, we propose a method to combine these two frameworks to build Bayesian Networks from rules and derive user understandable explanations in terms of these rules. Expert specified rules are augmented with importance parameters for antecedents and are used to derive probabilistic bounds for the Bayesian Network's conditional probability table. The partial structure constructed from the rules is fully learned from the data. The paper also discusses methods for using the rules to provide user understandable explanations, identify incorrect rules, suggest new rules and perform incremental learning.
Fine structure of the Panorex image

Abstract The fine structure of the focal trough, including a blur-free plane of focus, has been studied by means of a continuous phantom and direct-exposure film.
Stability of sanidine + forsterite and its bearing on the genesis of potassic magmas and the distribution of potassium in the upper mantle

Experimental determination of the reaction KAlSiO 4 + 4MgSiO 3 ⇌KAlSi 3 O 8 + 2Mg 2 SiO 4 between 17.5 and 30 kbar and 900–1300°C defines an average slope of 33 bar/°C. The reaction delineates the maximum pressure stability of sanidine in a forsterite-bearing assemblage; sanidine and anorthoclase megacrysts in alkalic magmas must have crystallized at lower pressures. The reaction occurs at slightly lower pressures than the transition from silicate liquids (extremely silica-undersaturated) to carbonate-normative liquids as observed in partial melting studies of the systems KAlSiO 4 MgO SiO 2 CO 2 and KAlSiO 4 MgO SiO 2 H 2 O CO 2 . Both the reaction and the change in melt compositions reflect the rapid expansion of the enstatite stability volume with increasing pressure. Suggestions that potassium resides in sanidine or a hollandite structure in the deep upper mantle need to be revised. The stable K Al silicate at high pressures in anhydrous lherzolite compositions is kalsilite.
The Logistic Model and Estimation of Latent Structure

Abstract Consider the logistic model for dichotomous response involving a group of individuals with varying levels of ability and a set of items with varying degrees of difficulty. This article is concerned with estimating the parameters of the latent ability distribution for any given group of individuals. An iterative procedure for obtaining maximum likelihood estimates of these parameters based on the missing information principle is presented and illustrated with real data. The article also contains results on asymptotic variances and covariances of estimators and a discussion of the use of ability distributions in comparing groups of individuals.
Adjacent Basic Amino Acid Residues Recognized by the COP I Complex and Ubiquitination Govern Endoplasmic Reticulum to Cell Surface Trafficking of the Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor α-Subunit

Abstract The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in muscle is a ligand-gated ion channel with an ordered subunit arrangement of α-γ-α-δ-β. The subunits are sequestered in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and assembled into the pentameric arrangement prior to their exit to the cell surface. Mutating the Arg313–Lys314 sequence in the large cytoplasmic loop of the α-subunit to K314Q promotes the trafficking of the mutant unassembled α-subunit from the ER to the Golgi in transfected HEK cells, identifying an important determinant that modulates the ER to Golgi trafficking of the subunit. The association of the K314Q α-subunit with γ-COP, a component of COP I coats implicated in Golgi to ER anterograde transport, is diminished to a level comparable to that observed for wild-type α-subunits when co-expressed with the β-, δ-, and γ-subunits. This suggests that the Arg313–Lys314 sequence is masked when the subunits assemble, thereby enabling ER to Golgi trafficking of the α-subunit. Although unassembled K314Q α-subunits accumulate in the Golgi, they are not detected at the cell surface, suggesting that a second post-Golgi level of capture exists. Expressing the K314Q α-subunit in the absence of the other subunits in ubiquitinating deficient cells (ts20) results in detecting this subunit at the cell surface, indicating that ubiquitination functions as a post-Golgi modulator of trafficking. Taken together, our findings support the hypothesis that subunit assembly sterically occludes the trafficking signals and ubiquitination at specific sites. Following the masking of these signals, the assembled ion channel expresses at the cell surface.
Biomolecular Surfaces for the Capture and Reprogramming of Circulating Tumor Cells

Abstract Circulating Tumor Cells (CTC) have the potential to be used clinically as a diagnostic tool and a treatment tool in the field of oncology. As a diagnostic tool, CTC may be used to indicate the presence of a tumor before it is large enough to cause noticeable symptoms. As a treatment tool, CTC isolated from patients may be used to test the efficacy of chemotherapy options to personalize patient treatment. One way for tumors to spread is through metastasis via the circulatory system. CTC are able to exploit the natural leukocyte recruitment process that is initially mediated by rolling on transient selectin bonds. Our capture devices take advantage of this naturally occurring recruitment step to isolate CTC from whole blood by flowing samples through selectin and antibody-coated microtubes. Whole blood was spiked with a known concentration of labeled cancer cells and then perfused through pre-coated microtubes. Microtubes were then rinsed to remove unbound cells and the number of labeled cells captured on the lumen was assessed. CTC were successfully captured from whole blood at a clinically relevant level on the order of 10 cells per mL. Combination tubes with selectin and antibody coated surface exhibited higher capture rate than tubes coated with selectin alone or antibody alone. Additionally, CTC capture was demonstrated with the KG1a hematopoietic cell line and the DU145 epithelial cell line. Thus, the in vivo process of selectin-mediated CTC recruitment to distant vessel walls can be used in vitro to target CTC to a tube lumen. The biomolecular coatings can also be used to capture CTC of hematopoietic and epithelial tumor origin and is demonstrated to sensitivities down to the order of 10 CTC per mL. In a related study aimed at reducing the blood borne metastatic cancer load, we have shown that cells captured to a surface can be neutralized by a receptor-mediated biochemical signal. In the proposed method we have shown that using a combined selectin and TRAIL (TNF Related Apoptosis Inducing Ligand or Apo 2L) functionalized surface we are able to kill about 30% of the captured cells in a short duration of one hour whereas it took about 4 hours to kill the same proportion of cells without flow on a similarly functionalized surface. Here we have taken the approach a step further by showing that with very small doses of chemotherapeutic agents like bortezomib, we can increase the kill rate of CTC, thus allowing the device to function in scenarios where the patient is undergoing treatment. We show here that, with leukemic cells treated with bortezomib we are able to kill about 41% of the captured cells.
Sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) exposure and recovery effects on mice.

SummaryContinuous exposure of mature, male mice to 40 ppm atmospheric SO2 depressed feed and water intake, body weight, and O2 consumption; and caused upper respiratory damages. After approximately 20 days of exposure, feed and water intake returned to control values, although body weight and metabolism remained low. Immediately following cessation of SO2 exposure, the animals began to recover body weight and overcompensated in feed and H2O intake. Oxygen consumption was normal at 32–34 days postexposure; and limited histological evidence showed no apparent damaging effects of exposure on the surviving mice.
Life after genetics

Gene finding is a finite exercise, and a means to an end, rather than an end in itself. The field of human genetics should increasingly shift its attention from disease gene identification to following through on next steps, most importantly pursuing the biological mechanisms underlying genotype-phenotype associations.
Spatial grouping in human vision: Temporal structure trumps temporal synchrony

Temporal information promotes visual grouping of local image features into global spatial form. However, experiments demonstrating time-based grouping typically confound two potential sources of information: temporal synchrony (precise timing of changes) and temporal structure (pattern of changes over time). Here, we show that observers prefer temporal structure for determining perceptual organization. That is, human vision groups elements that change according to the same global pattern, even if the changes themselves are not synchronous. This finding prompts an important, testable prediction concerning the neural mechanisms of binding: patterns of neural spiking over time may be more important than absolute spike synchrony.
The Nash equilibrium region of the linear deterministic interference channel with feedback

The two-user linear deterministic interference channel (LD-IC) with feedback is studied under the assumption that each transmitter aims to selfishly maximize its individual achievable rate by tuning its own transmit configuration. More specifically, each transmitter autonomously tunes parameters such as the number of information bits per block, block length, codebook and encoding/decoding functions. To this end, the Nash equilibrium (NE) region of the LD-IC with feedback is fully characterized. The main observations presented in this paper are: (i) The NE region with feedback is strictly larger than the NE region with no feedback. Moreover, all the new rate pairs achieved with feedback are either strictly Pareto or weakly Pareto optimal. (ii) The use of feedback allows the achievability of all Pareto optimal rate pairs of the capacity region of the LD-IC with feedback.
The n -width of the unit ball of H q

Let E be a compact subset of the open unit disc Δ and let Hq be the Hardy space of analytic functions f on Δ for which stf¦q has a harmonic majorant. We determine the value of the Kolmogorov, Gel'fand, and linear n-widths in Lp(E, μ) of the restriction to E of the unit ball of Hq when p ⩽ q or when 1 ⩽ q < p < ∞ and E is “small”.
The relationship of pain, allodynia and thermal sensation in post-herpetic neuralgia

In the syndrome of post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN), the nature of the sensory disturbance and its relationship both to the severity and cause of the pain is controversial. To address these issues, sensory mapping and quantitative thermal sensory testing was carried out four times in separate sessions on 35 subjects with established PHN. All subjects had pain affecting the torso or extremities and brush-evoked allodynia. Each session included rating of ongoing pain, mapping of the area of any sensory disturbance and the area of greatest pain, grading of allodynia severity within the area of greatest ongoing pain, and quantitative testing of thermal sensation in both the painful and the contralateral unaffected mirror-image skin. The severity of allodynia was positively correlated with reported ongoing pain severity. As a group, subjects had a sensory deficit to thermal stimuli in PHN skin compared with unaffected mirror-image skin. However, the magnitude of the heat pain sensory deficit was inversely correlated with both pain intensity and severity of allodynia. In fact, 12 subjects had heat hyperalgesia in their region of maximum pain. Compared with the 23 subjects with heat hypoalgesia, the group of 12 heat hyperalgesic subjects had significantly higher pain ratings and allodynia severity. Sensory loss was less strongly, but still inversely related to pain severity for the thermal modalities of innocuous warming, cooling and cold pain. This implies that there is no simple relationship between loss of peripheral nerve function and spontaneous or evoked pain. Rather, the preservation of several sensory modalities in their area of maximal pain suggests that in some PHN patients, activity in primary afferent nociceptors that remain connected to both their peripheral and central targets contributes significantly to ongoing pain. Although other mechanisms are likely to contribute to the pain, the demonstrated responsivity of PHN to topical agents including local anaesthetics, capsaicin, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, supports this proposed mechanism of pain generation.
The Direct Historical Approach, Analogical Reasoning, and Theory in Americanist Archaeology

Prior to the early 1950s, Americanist archaeologists, given their interest in chronology, routinely searched for direct historical connections between ethnographically documented cultures and archaeological cultures. In those instances where clear evolutionary connections existed between ethnographic and prehistoric cultures, the ethnic affinities of the latter could be assessed, chronologies of prehistoric cultures could be built, and ethnographic descendant cultures could be used as analogs of prehistoric ancestral cultures. The latter became known as specific historical analogy, and it stands in contrast to general comparative analogy, in which no detectable evolutionary connection exists between archaeological subjects and ethnographic sources. The theory underpinning the use of specific historical analogs is Darwinian evolutionism, or descent with modification; thus similarities between ethnographic sources and archaeological subjects are homologous. By midcentury, with the problem of chronology behind them, archaeologists began to address anthropological concerns. Darwinian evolutionism was replaced by the theory of orthogenesis as an explanation of culture change, and concomitantly specific historical analogy was replaced by general comparative analogy, in which similarities between ethnographic sources and archaeological subjects are the result of convergence. For over a century anthropologists and archaeologists have mixed elements of the two theories.
Is the Legalization of Physician-Assisted Suicide Compatible with Good End-of-Life Care?

Many have held that there is some kind of incompatibility between a commitment to good end-of-life care and the legalization of physician-assisted suicide. This opposition to physician-assisted suicide encompasses a cluster of different claims. In this essay I try to clarify some of the most important of these claims and show that they do not stand up well to conceptual and empirical scrutiny.
Regional and Global Patterns of Annular Remodeling in Ischemic Mitral Regurgitation

Background The mammalian mitral annulus is saddle shaped. Experimental studies have shown that loss of saddle shape occurs in ischemic mitral regurgitation. However, neither the temporal pattern of global annular remodeling nor the geometric pattern of regional annular remodeling has been described. We sought to characterize these changes using real-time three-dimensional echocardiography in an ovine model. Methods Ten sheep underwent real-time three-dimensional echocardiography at baseline and 1 hour and 8 weeks after posterobasal myocardial infarction. Multiple mitral annular geometric indexes were measured at each time point to assess regional and global annular remodeling. Results One hour after infarction, global annular height decreased from 5.8 ± 0.5 mm to 4.0 ± 0.4 mm ( p p = 0.023), resulting in a decrease in the global annular height to commissural width ratio from 20.0% ± 1.6% to 11.2% ± 0.9% ( p p p p Conclusions Significant global annular flattening and dilatation occur during the development of ischemic mitral regurgitation in an ovine model. Regional annular remodeling is heterogeneous and is not limited the posterior commissure or the posterior annulus.
Joint Analysis of Health Histories, Physiological State, and Survival

Data on individual health histories, age trajectories of physiological or biological variables, and mortality allow for the study of the joint evolution of health and physiological states and their effects on mortality. Individual health and physiological trajectories are described using a stochastic process with two mutually-dependent continuous and jumping components. The parameters of this process and mortality rate are identified from the data in which the continuous component is measured in discrete times, and transitions of jumping process are observed.
Density functional study of vibrational and thermodynamic properties of ringwoodite

[1] Phonon dispersions and vibrational density of states (VDoS) of Mg2SiO4 ringwoodite have been calculated by first principles as a function of pressure up to 30 GPa using density functional perturbation theory. The predicted zone center frequencies are in close correspondence with existing Raman and infrared experimental data. The pressure dependence of phonon frequencies is linear and agrees well with experiments. The calculated VDoS has then been used in conjunction with the quasi-harmonic approximation to compute the Helmholtz free energy and thermodynamic properties, most of which agree very well with experiments.
Predictors of Career Exploration Intentions: A Social Cognitive Career Theory Perspective.

Failure of young people with disabilities to engage in career exploratory behavior contributes to their difficulties in transitioning into adult career roles. Social cognitive career theory's task ...
One dimensional steady-state circulating fluidized-bed reactor model for biomass fast pyrolysis

Abstract A one dimensional (1-D) steady-state biomass fast pyrolysis reactor model is developed for integration with a biomass pyrolysis plant system model. A state-of-the-art biomass pyrolysis kinetic mechanism is combined with the 1-D Eulerian fluid dynamics and heat transfer description. Simulations are performed for a small scale reactor (0.023 kg/s) with four different biomass feedstocks (pine, wheat straw, olive husks, organic fraction of MSW). Results show that biomass particles are heated to pyrolysis temperature of 786 K in 0.3 s and 99% biomass conversion is reached in 0.9 s from entering the reactor. Comparison of pyrolysis products yields against available literature data shows that the employed reaction mechanism generally gives good predictions. However, water yield is under predicted. Fluid dynamics and heat transfer results are compared with averaged results from a 2-D, transient reactor model developed in Multiphase Flow with Interphase eXchanges (MFIX). Comparison of the 1-D and the 2-D model results shows flow patterns and reasonably similar values of flow parameters, with the average relative error between the gas velocities of 10%. The solids velocity predictions from the 1-D model carry a larger error since particle clustering is neglected in the plug flow approximation. The 1-D model is still considered attractive because of a reasonable agreement with the averaged experimental results.
Has the Implementation of EVAR for Ruptured AAA Improved Outcomes

Objective: Previous studies have demonstrated improved outcomes with Endovascular Aneurysm Repair (EVAR) for the treatment of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms (rAAA). However, these data may not...
Design of Prototype Digital Processors Employing Subnanosecond Emitter Coupled Logic and Rapid Fabrication Techniques

The development during the past decade of specialized and arithmetically demanding signal processing algorithms, exemplified by advanced digital radar processing and X-ray computed tomography requirements, has created a need for special purpose digital computers of ever increasing computational capacity. Although processor throughput can be enhanced by exploitation of computational parallelism, an alternate approach is to employ a family of very high-speed digital logic components. The recent introduction of such a component family, subnanosecond emitter coupled logic (ECL), has not been succeeded by widespread application since microstrip and stripline interconnection technqiues and complex multilayer logic panels are believed necessary to insure proper control of subnanosecond signal wavefronts. In many instances advanced special purpose processors that could benefit from high-speed logic components are initially prototype or single-copy devices for which the costs of iterative development of a set of multilayer circuit boards would be prohibitive. With these cost constraints as a motivation, we are developing a protocol for the design of single-copy high throughput processor systems using subnanosecond ECL. Clock rates in excess of 200 MHz have been achieved in several experimental systems.
Seasonal changes in gene expression at the sapwood—heartwood transition zone of black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) revealed by cDNA microarray analysis

Heartwood is a determining factor of wood quality and understanding the biology of heartwood may allow us to control its formation. Heartwood formation is a form of senescence that is accompanied by a variety of metabolic alterations in ray parenchyma cells at the sapwood-heartwood transition zone. Although senescence has been studied at the molecular level with respect to primary growth, the cell maturation and death events occurring during heartwood formation have been difficult to study because of their location and timing. Analysis of global gene expression patterns during the transition from sapwood to heartwood may offer a powerful means of identifying the mechanisms controlling heartwood formation. Previously, we developed cDNA microarrays carrying 2567 unigenes derived from the bark/cambium region, sapwood and transition zone of a mature black locust tree. Here, we describe the use of these microarrays to characterize seasonal changes in the expression patterns of 1873 genes from the transition zone of mature black locust trees. When samples collected in summer and fall were compared, 569 genes showed differential expression patterns: 293 genes were up-regulated (> twofold) in summer (July 5) and 276 genes were up-regulated in fall (November 27). More than 50% of the secondary and hormone metabolism-related genes on the microarrays were up-regulated in summer. Twenty-nine out of 55 genes involved in signal transduction were differentially regulated, suggesting that the ray parenchyma cells located in the innermost part of the trunk wood react to seasonal changes. We established the expression patterns of 349 novel genes (previously unknown or no-hit), of which 154 were up-regulated in summer and 195 were up-regulated in the fall.
Reference values for amplitudes and conduction velocities obtained from a cohort of middle-aged and retired workers.

Many workers are exposed on the job to chemicals or physical agents which put them at risk for peripheral neuropathies. Currently, electrophysiologic tests are one method of assessing peripheral nerve damage. Reference values for tests of amplitude, latency, and nerve conduction velocity among healthy individuals have been reported by other researchers. Many of these data are limited, however, because mean values are presented for large age ranges, they are based on a small number of observations, or they are not controlled for variables known to affect nerve function. This paper describes the construction of reference values for selected nerve amplitudes and conduction velocities obtained from healthy white male workers. These data improve on previous work by presenting values for a large occupational cohort while controlling for variables related to peripheral nerve function. Subjects and methods Study population. The data used to construct the reference values were collected as part of a cross-sectional medical study of 281 workers exposed to chemicals contaminated with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and 260 unexposed individuals. Although the chemical workers had been highly exposed to TCDD, previous research showed that the two study groups were similar with respect to measures of peripheral nerve function (1). Hence the data from the exposed and unexposed groups were combined for the construction of the reference values. Nonwhites and women were excluded from the present data set because they were few in number (N = 90). Moreover, individuals who had medical conditions which would affect nerve function were excluded from further evaluation. Specifically, individuals were excluded if they reported a history of diabetes (N = 33), stroke (N = 13), neurotoxic drug use (N = 7) (ie, dilan
Aviation Policy and Governance

Aviation has become a critical part of the global economy in the last 60 years. It has redefined the nature of opportunity and neighbors in our world. Aviation has become a crucial driver of economic development in large parts of the world and supports the world’s largest industry—tourism. Yet, the success of aviation growth in opening borders, expanding travel, and integrating economies has produced concerns over its environmental impacts.
Rural Families' Connections to Services in an Alternative Response System

ABSTRACT Alternative response systems, which address low-risk cases of child maltreatment, are based on three assumptions: that services are available, that services are accessible, and that service networks develop to connect families to services. This article examines whether the nature of rural areas challenges these assumptions. Findings from a qualitative study of families' connections to services in alternative response systems conducted in an urban and rural county in two states, Oklahoma and Kentucky, suggest that these systems operate differently in rural areas. While few service gaps exist, service providers may lack the capacity needed to serve clients, and transportation barriers make service access more challenging. Yet, service providers use the small nature of rural areas to develop tight-knit networks to better serve these families.
Computational evolutionary perception.

Marr proposed that human vision constructs “a true description of what is there”. He argued that to understand human vision one must discover the features of the world it recovers and the constraints it uses in the process. Bayesian decision theory (BDT) is used in modern vision research as a probabilistic framework for understanding human vision along the lines laid out by Marr. Marr's contribution to vision research is substantial and justly influential. We propose, however, that evolution by natural selection does not, in general, favor perceptions that are true descriptions of the objective world. Instead, research with evolutionary games shows that perceptual systems tuned solely to fitness routinely outcompete those tuned to truth. Fitness functions depend not just on the true state of the world, but also on the organism, its state, and the type of action. Thus, fitness and truth are distinct. Natural selection depends only on expected fitness. It shapes perceptual systems to guide fitter behavior, ...
337 NASAL CONTINUOUS POSITIVE AIRWAY PRESSURE DURING PROLONGED VENTILATION AFFECTS PULMONARY EXPRESSION OF STAT3 AND ITS DOWNSTREAM TARGET SOCS3 IN THE PREMATURE LUNG.

Objective Chronic lung disease (CLD) of prematurity associated with mechanical ventilation (MV) is characterized in part by persistently thick, cellular mesenchyme. Power blot analysis of lung tissue revealed that STAT3 (signal transducers and activators of transcription 3) protein was significantly less in chronically ventilated preterm lambs managed by nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) compared with MV, suggesting dysregulation of cell proliferation with MV. We hypothesized that nasal CPAP management will result in less pulmonary mesenchymal cell proliferation and STAT3 expression and more SOCS3 (suppressors of cytokine signaling 3; negative feedback on STAT3) expression compared with MV management. Materials/Methods Preterm lambs (≈132 days9 gestation; term ≈148 days), treated with antenatal steroids and postnatal surfactant, were managed by either nasal CPAP or MV (n = 4 each). The lungs were analyzed morphologically and biochemically. Results Abundance of PCNA and STAT3 proteins was lower in the nasal CPAP group (1.1 ± 0.5 and 4.8 ± 1.0, respectively; mean ± SD) compared with the MV group (13.0 ± 3.2 and 7.9 ± 1.1, respectively; both p Conclusion Nasal CPAP permits alveolar formation in part by allowing appropriate expression of STAT3/SOCS3 proteins, such that cell proliferation is down-regulated among mesenchymal cells in the immature lung9s parenchyma. HL62875, HL56401, HD41075, T35 HL07744, CHRC.
Drawing Transformation between Pro/E and CAD Softwares

This article has discussed the way that the two-dimensional drawing changes among Pro/Engineer,CAXA,AutoCAD.It has explained the feasibility of the pattern change and the transferring course.
Review of the U.S. health professional shortage and medically underserved areas designation: public health workforce setting & research in China

Scientific methodologies are needed in considering what constitutes adequate/appropriate levels of public health workforce to maintain and improve people’s health and to offer medical services to residents when needed. This paper reviews the various indicators, criteria, and methods that are in use by the U.S. government to identify medical workforce shortage: Professional Shortage Area, Medically Underserved Area and one of the US CDC workforce pro- jection methods. Hopefully, health services and policy researchers in China find the review and discussion presented in this paper useful in their future researches on relevant issues and be able to provide more scientific evidences to help public health workforce setting, particularly in rural areas, medical system reform, and both short and long-term planning for financial security on medicine.
Improvement in head blast-protection via the use of polyurea-augmented advanced combat helmet

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to optimize the design of the advanced combat helmet (ACH) currently in use, by its designers in order to attain maximum protection against ballistic impacts (fragments, shrapnel, etc.) and hard-surface/head collisions. Since traumatic brain injury experienced by a significant fraction of the soldiers returning from the recent conflicts is associated with their exposure to blast, the ACH should be redesigned in order to provide the necessary level of protection against blast loads. In the present work, augmentations of the ACH for improved blast protections are considered. These augmentations include the use of a polyurea (a nano-segregated elastomeric copolymer)-based ACH external coating/internal lining. Design/methodology/approach – To demonstrate the efficacy of this approach, instrumented (unprotected, standard-ACH-protected, and augmented-ACH-protected) head-mannequin blast experiments are carried out. These experimental efforts are complemented with the approp...
Impact of heat release on strain rate field in turbulent premixed Bunsen flames

Abstract The effects of combustion on the strain rate field are investigated in turbulent premixed CH4/air Bunsen flames using simultaneous tomographic PIV and OH LIF measurements. Tomographic PIV provides three-dimensional velocity measurements, from which the complete strain rate tensor is determined. The OH LIF measurements are used to determine the position of the flame surface and the flame-normal orientation within the imaging plane. This combination of diagnostic techniques enables quantification of divergence as well as flame-normal and tangential strain rates, which are otherwise biased using only planar measurements. Measurements are compared in three lean-to-stoichiometric flames that have different amounts of heat release and Damkohler numbers greater than unity. The effects of heat release on the principal strain rates and their alignment relative to the local flame normal are analyzed. The extensive strain rate preferentially aligns with the flame normal in the reaction zone, which has been indicated by previous studies. The strength of this alignment increases with increasing heat release and, as a result, the flame-normal strain rate becomes highly extensive. These effects are associated with the gas expansion normal to the flame surface, which is largest for the stoichiometric flame. In the preheat zone, the compressive strain rate has a tendency to align with the flame normal. Away from the flame front, the flame – strain rate alignment is arbitrary in both the reactants and products. The flame-tangential strain rate is on average positive across the flame front, and therefore the turbulent strain rate field contributes to the enhancement of scalar gradients as in passive scalar turbulence. Although increases in heat release result in larger positive values of the divergence as well as flame-normal and tangential strain rates, the tangential strain rate has a weaker dependence on heat release than the flame-normal strain rate and the divergence.
Ultrasonic Signal Analysis Using Wavelet Transform

Ultrasonic methods of nondestructive evaluation are used extensively in industry owing to the versatility and inherent advantages of the method. A major area of research in ultrasonic NDE is the analysis of reflected waveforms representing the interaction between an ultrasonic wave and inhomogeneties in the material under inspection. The objective of the analysis technique described in this paper is to extract information contained in the signal for estimating the size, shape, and location of the defects. Although full defect reconstruction schemes call for considerable computational effort, defect characterization algorithms based on pattern recognition methods are being increasingly used for signal interpretation.
Assessing Effective Exchange Relationships: An Exploratory Examination

This article presents the findings of an exploratory study examining how suppliers can strengthen customer relationships by developing more effective partnerships. Using a relationship marketing framework, we assess four aspects of interorganizational relationships and their impact on effectiveness. A mail survey was sent to all available retailers licensed by the state of Oklahoma LP Gas Board. An OLS regression indicates that the four predictor variables explain over one-third of the variance in relationship performance. Relational context and the ability to predict changes in the environment are both significant predictors of effectiveness; higher levels of each lead to more effective relationships. Though the coefficients for strategic synergy and environmental volatility are as expected, neither is significant. Managerial and research implications are discussed.
“Patriotism and Pacifists in Wartime” (1917)

The position of the pacifist in time of war is most difficult, and necessarily he must abandon the perfectly legitimate propaganda he maintained before war was declared. When he, with his fellow countrymen, is caught up by a wave of tremendous enthusiasm and is carried out into a high sea of patriotic feeling, he realizes that the virtues which he extols are brought into unhappy contrast to those which war, with its keen sense of a separate national existence, places in the foreground.