cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Draw2Code: Low-Cost Tangible Programming for Creating AR Animations

Computational thinking is nowadays considered an essential skill in the K-12 educational curriculum. Many tangible computational kits designed for early childhood are either too expensive to benefit a wide range of children or only provide predetermined challenges with limited creative content creation opportunities. In this paper, we investigated low-cost and expressive tangible interfaces that foster computational literacy. We present Draw2Code, a paper-based computational kit for young children to create an interactive AR animation. Children use Draw2Code to make their paper drawing alive as an animated virtual sprite and control it using hand gestures. It exposes children to basic programming concepts through playful and tangible interaction. Results from our initial evaluation with nine child-parent dyads indicate that children ages 5 to 12 successfully used Draw2Code and played with Draw2Code in 33 minutes on average while creating 2 to 5 diverse AR animations based on their ideas. Throughout the session, all children were engaged in computational thinking concepts and practices and learned drawing and gesture-based interactions.
Dual-task treadmill walking at self-paced versus fixed speeds.

Abstract Background Investigating cognitive-motor interference on the treadmill allows for better examination of motor adaptation to the dual-task challenges through the information of continuous strides. However, one of the major critiques for conducting dual-task investigation on a treadmill is the use of a constant, fixed walking speed, constraining the natural fluctuations of the speed of human walking, which could be addressed by using the self-paced feature of a feedback-controlled treadmill. Research question Do people use different adaptation and task prioritization strategies during the dual-task treadmill walking at self-paced versus fixed speeds? Methods Eighteen healthy younger participants walked on an instrumented treadmill (1) under two speed conditions: self-paced and fixed-speed, and (2) with and without each of the four different cognitive tasks. Dynamic margins of stability (MOS), step spatiotemporal measures, kinematic variability, and local dynamic stability were computed for each trial. Results Participants had significantly more local instability during self-paced than fixed-speed treadmill walking. The often-reported response of reducing stride time variability during dual-task, fixed-speed walking was not observed during dual-task, self-paced walking. In addition, there were significantly greater dual-task interference effects on stride time variability and local dynamic stability as well as the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test performance during self-paced walking. Reduced variability in the lower-extremity joint angles, trunk motion and position, and MOS measures were observed both in dual-task, self-paced and fixed-speed walking. Significance Healthy younger adults had different task prioritization and greater dual-task effects on gait stability and cognitive performance during self-paced versus fixed-speed walking. However, similar adaptation strategies, in terms of gait adjustments, were used for the two walking conditions. The results suggest that self-paced treadmill walking is more challenging than the fixed-speed walking and can serve as a better alternative to the overground walking than the fixed-speed walking for the dual-task investigation.
Unlocking the Archives in a Pandemic Year: Meditations on Research Access and Equity

As we considered the issue’s theme, we asked ourselves how we might bring an “unbound” format to the traditional scholarly journal. To offer current archival context for the scholarly essays in thi...
Nonprofit Resilience in a Natural Disaster Context: An Exploratory Qualitative Case Study Based on Hurricane Florence

This qualitative study explores the impact of natural disasters on nonprofits and the organizational abilities and capacities that contribute to nonprofit resilience. Hurricane Florence was used as...
Physics of the Space Environment: Cosmic Rays and Energetic Particles

Understanding the fundamental properties of the energetic particle population in the heliosphere is very important for two reasons: These particles represent considerable hazard for both humans and radiation-sensitive systems in space, because they can penetrate through large amounts of shielding material. They carry information about the large-scale properties of the heliosphere and the galaxy. High-energy cosmic ray particles carry a large amount of kinetic energy. The deposition of this energy can cause permanent effects in the material through which the cosmic ray particle passes. In the case of biological materials or miniature electronic circuits, these effects can be very serious. In order to provide adequate shielding for radiation-sensitive systems, we need to know the basic properties of the high-energy particle radiation, including its elemental composition, energy spectrum, and temporal variations. A significant portion of our present knowledge about the global structure of the heliosphere comes from energetic particle observations. These particles travel through space at velocities considerably higher than the characteristic velocities of the local plasma population. Because the propagation of the energetic particles is greatly affected by various physical properties of the medium, energetic particles sample regions of the heliosphere and the galaxy that are currently not accessible to spacecraft.
800 Gb/s (20/spl times/40 Gb/s) C-band transmission over 900 km of dispersion shifted fiber

We report 40 Gb/s propagation results over 10 spans (900 km) of dispersion-shifted fiber. This performance is achieved using CS-RZ modulation, FWM reduced channel plan, careful dispersion management, dynamic gain equalization, and high gain super-FEC.
The absence of accessible vitronectin receptors in differentiated tissue hinders adenoviral-mediated gene transfer to the intestinal epithelium in vitro.

Purpose. Adenoviral (Ad) vectors have been used as efficient tools for gene therapy in various tissues, whereas in some differentiated epithelium transduction efficiency is almost abolished.
On the CM Character of the Curvesy2=xq−1☆

Abstract For most odd primesqwe present an explicit formula for the number of points on the curvey2=xq−1 modulop. The description is similar to Gauss's formula for the caseq=3. The result follows from a determination of the CM character of the curve. The onlyqthat are excluded are those rare ones for which 2q≡2 mod q2.
Gravity Probe B Timing System and Roll Phase Determination

An oven-controlled crystal oscillator at 16.368 MHz provides clock signals to all GP-B components and synchronizes the data collection, transmission and processing. The sampled science data signals are stamped with the vehicle time, a counter of the 10Hz data strobe divided down from the clock. The GPS receiver supplies an external reference for time transfer between the vehicle time and coordinated universal time. Ground and space flight tests show the time transfer error is within 1 microsecond. The time latency between the effective sample time of science signals and the stamped vehicle time is verified to 1 ms in the ground tests. The GP-B satellite is controlled to roll with a period of 77.5 sec about an axis along the direction to the guide star to average out the disturbance torques fixed to the body of the satellite and reduce the gyroscope readout noise. The roll phase is determined on the ground to high accuracy with the telemetry data from two star trackers and used in the data analysis to separate the drifts of gyroscope spin axes in the orbital plane and perpendicular to the orbital plane. The flight data shows that the roll phase is controlled to within 40 arcsec with a measurement uncertainty of 7 arcsec.
Lithologic and Tectonic Controls on Bedrock Channel Form at the Northwest Himalayan Front

[1] Recognition that channel form reflects a river's ability to erode rock and transport material has spawned stream-power models that estimate incision patterns by approximating energy dissipation within a channel. These models frequently assume that channel width scales as a power law with drainage area, partly because drainage area is easily extracted from digital elevation models (DEMs). However, this assumption is often confounded by local variations in rock strength and rock-uplift rate that can cause channel constriction downstream. Here we investigate the morphological response to spatial changes in rock strength and rock-uplift rate of 10 bedrock channels traversing the Mohand range along the northwest Himalayan front. We present a new method to continuously measure and compare channel width, slope, and other hydraulic parameters that integrate satellite imagery and DEM analysis. Our method corrects for an ~13% overestimation of average channel gradient from a 90 m resolution DEM that arises from short circuits of fine-scale meanders. We find that channels (1) narrow >1 km upstream from knickpoints formed by an increase in rock strength, (2) adjust laterally more than vertically in response to downstream decreases rock erodibility and uplift rate, and (3) meander where shear stresses are high and channel widths are low. We attribute these results to a high ratio of sediment supply to transport capacity, which enhances lateral erosion relative to vertical incision. Our results suggest that substrate strength and sediment supply substantially influence channel form and that channel width should be explicitly measured when interpreting tectonic signals from bedrock channel morphology.
Developmental Changes in Genetic and Shared Environmental Contributions to Smoking Initiation and Subsequent Smoking Quantity in Adolescence and Young Adulthood

Background: Few studies examining the genetic architecture of cigarette smoking have focused on adolescents or examined developmental changes in additive genetic, shared environment, and unique environmental influences on liability to initiate cigarette smoking and quantity of cigarettes smoked. The aim of this study was to add to the literature on liability to initiate and use cigarettes during adolescence using a nationally representative sample. Method: Data for this study came from adolescent and young adult twin pairs (aged 14–33 years) from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. We ran a series of developmental causal–contingent–common pathway models to examine whether additive genetic, shared, and unique environmental influences on liability to the initiation of cigarette use are shared with those on smoking quantity, and whether their contributions change across development. Results: We found evidence for a developmental shift in genetic and shared environmental contributions to cigarette use. Early in adolescence, genetic and environmental influences work independently on liability to cigarette smoking initiation and quantity of cigarettes smoked, but liability to these behaviors becomes correlated as individuals age into young adulthood. Conclusions: These findings provide insight into the causal processes underlying the liability to smoke cigarettes. With age, there is greater overlap in the genetic and environmental factors that influence the initiation of cigarette smoking and quantity of cigarettes smoked.
Tuberous Sclerosis: Gastrointestinal Features

Tuberous sclerosis is a genetic disease characterized by nonmalignant tumor growth in all organs due to the inactivation of tumor growth suppressors. The current prevalence is thought to be one in 12,500 Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms include:
Are leaves 'freewheelin'? Testing for a wheeler-type effect in leaf xylem hydraulic decline.

A recent study found that cutting shoots under water while xylem was under tension (which has been the standard protocol for the past few decades) could produce artefactual embolisms inside the xylem, overestimating hydraulic vulnerability relative to shoots cut under water after relaxing xylem tension (Wheeler et al. 2013). That study also raised the possibility that such a 'Wheeler effect' might occur in studies of leaf hydraulic vulnerability. We tested for such an effect for four species by applying a modified vacuum pump method to leaves with minor veins severed, to construct leaf xylem hydraulic vulnerability curves. We tested for an impact on leaf xylem hydraulic conductance (Kx ) of cutting the petiole and minor veins under water for dehydrated leaves with xylem under tension compared with dehydrated leaves after previously relaxing xylem tension. Our results showed no significant 'cutting artefact' for leaf xylem. The lack of an effect for leaves could not be explained by narrower or shorter xylem conduits, and may be due to lesser mechanical stress imposed when cutting leaf petioles, and/or to rapid refilling of emboli in petioles. These findings provide the first validation of previous measurements of leaf hydraulic vulnerability against this potential artefact.
ISTAR: Project Status and Ground Test Engine Design

Review of the current technical and programmatic status of the Integrated System Test of an Airbreathing Rocket (ISTAR) project. November 2002 completed Phase 1 of this project: which worked the conceptual design of the X-43B demonstrator vehicle and Flight Test Engine (FTE) order to develop realistic requirements for the Ground Test Engine (GTE). The latest conceptual FTE and X-43B configuration is briefly reviewed. The project plan is to reduce risk to the GTE and FTE concepts through several tests: thruster, fuel endothermic characterization, engine structure/heat exchanger, injection characterization rig, and full scale direct connect combustion rig. Each of these will be discussed along with the project schedule. This discussion is limited due to ITAR restrictions on open literature papers.
Secretory capacity of isolated pancreatic acinar cells.

Summary: In order to characterize the secretory capacity of isolated acinar cells, the effects of various secretagogues on amylase release were studied in guinea pigs. The effect of carbachol on amylase secretion reached a maximal level after a 30-min incubation and was dose dependent. At 10 −4 M, carbachol induced a 33% increase in amylase secretion over control values (P < 0.001); at 10−6 M, there was an 8% increase over control (P < 0.05); and, at 10 −8 M, there was no change in amylase secretion. Muscarinic blockade with equimolar concentrations of atropine completely blocked the expected carbachol-induced increase in amylase secretion after both 30− and 60-min incubations. The response to secretin was neither significantly different from that to carbachol nor dose dependent over the concentration range tested. After a 30-min incubation, secretin induced significant increases in amylase secretion of 23%, 19%, and 23% at concentrations of 10 −5 M, 10−7 M, and 10−9 M, respectively. As with carbachol, the response to secretin was blocked by atropine. Secretion of amylase in response to cholecystokinin-pancreozymin octapeptide (CCK-PZ) was maximal after a 30-min incubation and was dose dependent. CCK-PZ, at concentrations of 10−7 M and 10−9 M, induced significant increases in amylase secretion of 18% (P < 0.001) and 17% (P < 0.001), respectively. At 1011 M, CCK-PZ did not evoke a significant increase in amylase secretion. The CCK-PZ-induced increase in amylase secretion was significantly less than that observed with carbachol (P < 0.05), was not significantly different from that observed with secretin, and was not potentiated by the simultaneous exposure of the acinar cells to carbachol.
What Has Happened since the Little Red Schoolhouse

Briefly looks at the changes in education since the 1920s which have been necessitated by the changes in society with reference to supervision of instruction, child protection laws, child labour laws, compulsory attendance laws and new educational programmes.
Purification and separation of A and B forms of N-acetyl- -D-hexosaminidase from human aorta.

Abstract Human aorta has been shown to possess multiple forms of N-Acetyl-6-D-hexosaminidase (β-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-glucoside-acetamido-deoxyglucohydro-lase, EC 3.2, 1.30). The enzyme was separable, by gel electrophoresis, into 2 enzymatically active bands representing A and B forms. By gel electro-focussing, A and B forms were further subdivided into at least 5 and 8 bands, respectively. The B form consisted of 4 bands (B1) and 4 bands (B2), which were not inactivated at 50° for 3 hr. (at pH 4.4) in the presence of serum; whereas, the 5 bands found in A form were completely inactivated. All forms of the enzyme were active towards naphthol-AS-BI-N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminide and the corresponding galactosaminide (about one-eighth of the hydrolysis rate of the former), suggesting each single enzyme acts on both substrates. The N-acetyl-hexosaminidases of bull epididymis, by comparison, were also found to be active towards both substrates and to possess 13 bands having pis more alkaline than those of the B f...
Effectiveness of Microsurfacing Treatments

This paper determines that microsurfacing can offer average reductions of 0.442 international roughness index (IRI) [in m/km], 4 mm in rut depth, and an increase of 6.2 pavement condition rating (PCR) units. The pretreatment pavement condition was determined to be an influential factor of the treatment effectiveness in the short-term. The long-term analysis showed that for each measure of effectiveness (MOE) and performance indicator, effectiveness is influenced by freeze index, traffic, and pavement class: effectiveness, in terms of service life, was found to range from 2 to 10 (average 5) years for IRI; over 10 years for rutting; and 4–15 years (average 7) for PCR; in terms of increased-pavement-condition, effectiveness is 7–27% IRI decrease, 90–96% rut reduction, and 2–7% PCR increase; in terms of both MOEs, effectiveness is 0.474–4.074 (m∕km) years , 16–104 mm years , and 18–56 PCR years . Greater long-term effectiveness was found to be generally associated with lower freeze and traffic conditions, an...
Bethe-Kikuchi approximations for lattice gauge theories

Abstract The Kikuchi method is applied to lattice gauge theories with nonabelian groups. When the fundamental cluster is a 3-dimensional cube the approximation is identical to previous treatments which replaced the original system by a Cayley tree of cubes. The discrete subgroup O ⊂ SU(2) is treated as an example.
Separation of Isotopic Mixtures of Polyatomic Gases by Thermal-Diffusion Columns: Interpretation of Data on Oxygen

The extension of Furry and Jones theory of thermal‐diffusion columns (or more appropriately its generalized version given by Saxena and Raman) to pure polyatomic gases by Youssef and Hanna is used to interpret the experimental results of Narten and Landau on oxygen. It is found that the results obtained on the basis of extended theory are in better agreement with the experimental values by a few percent than the predictions of the simpler theory of Furry and Jones which is applicable only to pure monatomic gases. The disagreement between the theory and experiment is still relatively larger than the difference between the results of simple and extended theories.
Motivational Factors of Women Committed to Religious Life

This investigation examined the factors motivating 52 U.S. women religious (ages 66–83 years) to enter and remain committed to the vowed life. The main motivational factors to enter religious life were the example of Sisters and the experience of an inner call. In terms of remaining committed, the major factor was the Sisters' commitment to God and to their community. Although the Sisters did identify future changes that would intensify their commitment to the vowed life, they also boldly stated that their commitment is firm, regardless of these changes. Cross-generational investigations might provide additional insights in regard to Sisters' motivational factors.
The greening of brownfields in American cities

The redevelopment of brownfields has become a central component of government efforts to revitalize many US cities. While the focus of these efforts has concentrated on promoting industrial and commercial redevelopment, some cities have started to also consider converting brownfields into parks and open space as part of a more comprehensive renewal strategy. Based on a survey of 20 case studies, this paper identifies and discusses: (1) the primary issues involved in brownfield greening projects; (2) the benefits of such projects; and (3) the specific planning processes involved. The overall conclusion drawn from the survey is that numerous renewal‐oriented benefits can ensue from greening projects, if there is extensive stakeholder commitment devoted to deal with its financial and development‐oriented challenges.
Drug treatment of depression in HIV-positive patients : safety considerations

Safe and effective treatment of major depression, one of the most common comorbid conditions in individuals infected with HIV, significantly lowers morbidity and mortality from HIV disease. However, optimal treatment of both conditions is complicated by interactions between the disease processes as well as the pharmacological agents used to treat them. In patients with HIV it may be difficult to distinguish major depression from other physiological and emotional states that present with similar symptoms. Accurate diagnosis of major depression is thus complex and essential to preventing inappropriate exposure of patients to potentially harmful psychotropic medications. This review outlines important initial steps in making this diagnosis. All patients with HIV should be screened for depression by their medical providers and referred to a psychiatrist for full evaluation when necessary. The mainstay of treatment for major depression in patients with HIV disease is pharmacotherapy. Depressed patients with HIV respond to the same wide variety of antidepressant-class medications as depressed patients without HIV, including tricyclic antidepressants, paroxetine, fluoxetine and trazodone. Notably, new studies have also shown that some psychiatric medications can inhibit HIV replication. No particular antidepressant medication is superior for the treatment of depressed HIV-infected patients; however, the most important component of treatment of major depression in HIV-disease is patient adherence, which is highly influenced by antidepressant adverse effects. This review outlines adverse effects of antidepressant-class medications that are of particular concern in HIV-infected patients and describes pharmacological strategies for overcoming these potential barriers to medication adherence. This review also describes situations in which some adverse effects of antidepressant-class medications may be safely exploited to benefit depressed patients with HIV disease. Potential interactions between antidepressant-class medications and HIV medications, as well as pharmacological treatment strategies for treating the psychiatric adverse effects of HIV medications, are also discussed.
Effect of Salsalate on Insulin Action, Secretion, and Clearance in Nondiabetic, Insulin-Resistant Individuals: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study

OBJECTIVE Salsalate treatment has been shown to improve glucose homeostasis, but the mechanism remains unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of salsalate treatment on insulin action, secretion, and clearance rate in nondiabetic individuals with insulin resistance. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This was a randomized (2:1), single-blind, placebo-controlled study of salsalate (3.5 g daily for 4 weeks) in nondiabetic individuals with insulin resistance. All individuals had measurement of glucose tolerance (75-g oral glucose tolerance test), steady-state plasma glucose (SSPG; insulin suppression test), and insulin secretion and clearance rate (graded-glucose infusion test) before and after treatment. RESULTS Forty-one individuals were randomized to salsalate (n = 27) and placebo (n = 14). One individual from each group discontinued the study. Salsalate improved fasting (% mean change −7% [95% CI −10 to −14] vs. 1% [−3 to 5], P = 0.005) but not postprandial glucose concentration compared with placebo. Salsalate also lowered fasting triglyceride concentration (−25% [−34 to −15] vs. −6% [−26 to 14], P = 0.04). Salsalate had no effect on SSPG concentration or insulin secretion rate but significantly decreased insulin clearance rate compared with placebo (−23% [−30 to −16] vs. 3% [−10 to 15], P CONCLUSIONS Salsalate treatment in nondiabetic, insulin-resistant individuals improved fasting, but not postprandial, glucose and triglyceride concentration. These improvements were associated with a decrease in insulin clearance rate without change in insulin action or insulin secretion.
Treatment with a consensus peptide based on amino acid sequences in autoantibodies prevents T cell activation by autoantigens and delays disease onset in murine lupus.

Objective To test the hypothesis that an artificial peptide, based on an algorithm describing T cell stimulatory sequences from the VH regions of murine IgG antibodies to DNA, is an effective tolerogen in vivo in the (NZB/NZW)F1 (BWF1) mouse model of systemic lupus erythematosus. Methods Using proliferative T cell responses to 439 Ig peptides, an algorithm was constructed that describes the amino acid sequences likely to stimulate BWF1 T cells. Stimulatory (pConsensus [pCONS]) or nonstimulatory (pNegative [pNEG]) peptides were synthesized. Groups of 10-week-old (healthy) or 20-week-old (diseased) BWF1 mice received monthly intravenous injections of 1,000 μg of peptide or saline. Ex vivo splenic T cell responses and in vivo clinical effects were measured. Results Tolerance was induced by pCONS, but not by pNEG, with respect to ex vivo T cell proliferation and T cell help for antibodies to DNA. T cell help for IgG anti-DNA was impaired not only after T cell stimulation by pCONS but also after stimulation by some peptides from nucleosomal and Ro antigens. Treatment with pCONS significantly delayed the onset of nephritis and inhibited increases in the plasma levels of total IgG, IgG antibodies to DNA, nucleosome, cardiolipin, interferon-γ, and interleukin-4. In contrast, antibody responses to an exogenous antigen were not impaired. Survival was significantly prolonged in both healthy and diseased mice treated with pCONS. Conclusion Induction of immune tolerance in response to treatment with pCONS in autoreactive T cell helper populations is highly effective in delaying the appearance of multiple autoantibodies, cytokine increases, and nephritis in BWF1 mice, and dramatically prolongs survival. A striking effect is the ability of the peptide to tolerize T cell help for anti-DNA that is induced by multiple, structurally unrelated self antigens.
The Elusive Search for Nora Luca: Tony Gatlif's Adventures in Gypsy Land

This essay examines Gypsy filmmaker Tony Gatlif and his 1997 film Gadjo Dilo (The Crazy Foreigner). The film ventures on the icy roads of Romania and casts a young French man in search for Nora Luca’s voice, a woman taped by his musicologist father. The young man is adopted by a Romanian Gypsy community and initiated to Gypsy culture. The film reverts stereotypes associated to Gypsies and questions the place of the white traveler in late 20th century Europe. Questions of otherness and exoticism are raised amidst the Western urge to preserve and collect other cultures. The essay is informed by current Gypsies studies on Gypsy law that locate the interaction Rom cultures have had with non-Rom cultures. The film may be seen as a trilingual road movie set in Eastern Europe, yet Gatlif, a man for whom “the road is his country” stretches the limits of the genre, usually situated in the vast open spaces of North America. Gender is important in the analysis of the film as Rom women encountered act as mediators between two different cultures and spaces. Last, the essay reconsiders the place of Tony Gatlif, a now recognized French filmmaker, a spokesperson for Gypsies who delocalised the story and traveled to Eastern Europe. An analysis of the reception of the film adds to the discussion of a filmmaker, born in Algeria, of Berber and Andalusian descent.
Race and gender in play practices: young African American males

In this paper we present a study with young African American men, to gain a better understanding of the impacts of cultural and gender identity on play practices and to explore the relationship between cultural play practices and interest in computing. Our findings indicate that while young African American men play video games frequently, their objectives in playing may be unlike those who enter computer scientist fields. From this we discuss implications of this study on designing CS learning interventions that leverage video games to introduce young people to computation.
Pharmacokinetics and elimination of salicylic acid in rabbits

Sodium salicylate was administered to rabbits in order to compare its disposition with that in other major and minor agricultural species. A dose of 44 mg/kg was given orally (p.o.) or intravenously (i.v.), and plasma and urine samples were collected for 36 h and 96 h, respectively. The majority of the drug was excreted as salicylic acid (SA) within 12 h. The major metabolites following an oral dose were salicyluric acid (SUA) and the glucuronide conjugates of SA and SUA. Following i.v. dosing, sulfate conjugates of both SA and SUA were also evident. Both SA and SUA were detected in plasma. Following i.v. administration, SA was distributed with a Vss of 0.249 +/- 0.082 l/kg and cleared at a rate of 0.0432 +/- 0.006 l/h/kg. The biological half-life, calculated from the terminal disposition-rate constant, was 4.3 h (i.v.) or 9.7 h (p.o.). The urinary elimination pattern of SA and metabolites in the rabbit was similar to that previously reported by our laboratories for cattle and goats, although total recovery of the administered dose was not as high as for the latter two species. However, the volume of distribution was larger than for cattle and goats, and rabbits cleared the drug more slowly than those species. As a consequence, the biological half-life was eight to ten times longer than in the ruminants studied previously.
On the Very Idea of Direction of Fit

Direction of fit theories usually claim that beliefs are such that they �aim at truth� or �ought to fit� the world and desires (or intentions) are such that they �aim at realization� or the world �ought to fit� them. This essay argues that no theory of direction of fit is correct. The two directions of fit are supposed to be determinations of one and the same determinable two-place relation, differing only in the ordering of favored terms. But there is no such determinable because of ineliminable asymmetries between the way that beliefs �aim at truth� and the way that desires (or intentions) �aim at realization.� This essay traces the ills of direction of fit theory to a misunderstanding of Anscombe and proposes a cure that distinguishes theoretical and practical thought by appeal to a distinction between thought in the form of a state and thought in the form of an event.
A method of tuning charged-particle beam transport systems

Abstract A general method is given for tuning an operating charged-particle beam with maximum efficiency (least number of iterations). The method involves finding the optimum linear combinations of magnet strengths to vary during the tuning process.
The Du Pont Oz Creative Thinking Network

The OZ Creative Thinking Network is a volunteer group of Du Pont employees devoted to educating themselves and others in the field of creativity and innovation. This network was organized in 1986 and has a current membership of over 600 employees. It illustrates the power of grass roots support for learning and applying the skills of creative thinking, a field that people intrinsically value. An OZ project led to publication in 1990 of a book entitled “ARE WE CREATIVE YET?” that couples essays expressing concepts in creativity and innovation with Bob Thaves' Frank and Ernest cartoons.
An “azo” substitute for benzoyl peroxide in polymerizing glycol methacrylate (GMA)

Abstract Benzoyl peroxide is used almost exclusively to initiate polymerization of glycol methacrylate (GMA) embedding media for both light and electron microscopy. Unfortunately, benzoyl peroxide can be explosive. A non-explosive but toxic azo initiator, azo-1-cyanocyclohexane, was evaluated as a substitute for benzoyl peroxide as a polymerization initiator for the GMA-polyethylene glycol embedding medium used for light and electron microscopy. This study concludes that: (a) A concentration of 0.025% azo initiator by weight of GMA is equal to the optimal concentration of benzoyl peroxide in requiring nearly equal times to polymerize. The azo-initiated polymer, however, contains bubbles (reflecting polymerization artifact) compared to the bubble-free polymer produced with benzoyl peroxide. (b) Lowering the concentration of azo initiator to avoid bubble formation requires a longer time for polymerization than required for benzoyl peroxide. (c) With proper care, the azo initiator appears to offer no significant advantages (or disadvantages) over benzoyl peroxide in termsof safety or as an initiator for GMA.
The balance point: Focus on serials issues

(1989). The Balance Point: Focus on Serials Issues. Serials Review: Vol. 15, No. 3, pp. 79-85.
INDIVIDUAL, TEMPORAL, AND SEASONAL VARIATION IN SPERM CONCENTRATION IN TREE SWALLOWS

Abstract We determined sperm concentrations in Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) by manually expressing semen samples from males during prelaying, egg-laying, incubation, and nestling periods. Sperm concentrations varied by orders of magnitude (0–109 sperm mL−1) among males. Sperm concentrations were highest during the incubation period and lowest during the prelaying period. None of the samples collected during the prelaying, egg-laying, and incubation periods were devoid of sperm. In contrast, 45% of samples collected during the nestling period lacked sperm. Sperm concentrations (1) did not vary over the course of the morning during prelaying, egg-laying, and incubation periods but significantly increased during the nestling period; (2) did not vary with the date that samples were collected during prelaying, egg laying, and incubation but significantly decreased with date during the nestling period; and (3) did not vary with the number of fertile females at the study site during any part of the breedi...
Cigarette Smoking and Food Consumption in the United States1

Correlations were computed between United States per capita consumption of cigarettes and 41 different foods for the years 1964–1977 and 1968–1973. There were significant negative correlations between consumption of cigarettes and sugar. Few other foods showed any relationship to cigarette consumption. These findings corroborate the results of a recent human laboratory study of cigarette smoking and food consumption and a recent animal study of the effects of nicotine on food consumption, taste preferences, and body weight. Taken together, these studies suggest that the inverse relationship between cigarette smoking and body weight may be partially explained by changes in consumption of sweet-tasting high caloric foods.
Deconstructing gelsolin: identifying sites that mimic or alter binding to actin and phosphoinositides

Gelsolin is involved in cytoskeletal remodeling as it can fragment and guide reassembly of actin networks. Recent advances in defining the structure of gelsolin identified functionally important sites. These structural insights could lead to the design of small molecule analogs to enhance, inhibit or mimic the functions of gelsolin.
Ultrastructure of the Pulmonary Alveolar Septa after Hemodynamic Edema

Increased numbers of micropinocytotic vesicles were observed in cells of the air-blood barrier of isolated dog lungs after increased filtration from the microcirculation had created septal edema and alveolar flooding. In studies of dog lungs in vivo, increased rates of filtration from the microcirculation were not associated with increased numbers of cellular vesicles. Since extravascular fluid accumulation in these studies was restricted to the extraalveolar connective tissue spaces, alveolar septal edema and potentially associated increases in alveolar interstitial tissue pressures also failed to occur. Even though the specific sites of increased filtration from the pulmonary microcirculation were not determined, these results are consistent with the interpretation that fluid accumulation in the alveolar septa does not occur until pulmonary lymphatic capacity is overcome. Furthermore, increased cellular vesiculation, which was observed in the isolated lung studies only after septal edema had developed, was not associated with increased filtration but was more likely a response to distension of the septal interstitium. Accordingly, the increased number of vesicles could represent a cellular defense mechanism against excessive interstitial fluid accumulation by providing a pathway for the return of excess filtrate to the blood and alveolar surfaces. The expanded vesicular population, on the other hand, could signify an initial cellular pathologic response, with subsequent coalescence of the more closely packed vesicles eventually leading to the formation of cytoplasmic vacuoles and ultimately to disruption of the lining cell layers.
Comparing Value Systems of College Students, Faculty, and Corporate Recruiters

This study compares the value systems of 148 senior business students, 31 business faculty, and 102 corporate recruiters using England's (1967) Personal Values Questionnaire. Multivariate tests show significant differences among the three groups. Implications for career counseling and the design of effective recruitment and motivation systems are offered.
Relevance of electrokinetic theory for soft particles to bacterial cells : Implications for bacterial adhesion

Bacterial cells and other biological particles carry charged macromolecules on their surface that form a “soft” ion-permeable layer. In this paper, we test the applicability of an electrokinetic theory for soft particles to characterize the electrophoretic mobility (EPM) and adhesion kinetics of bacterial cells. The theory allows the calculation of two parametersthe electrophoretic softness and the fixed charged densitythat define the characteristics of the polyelectrolyte layer at the soft particle surface. The theory also allows the calculation of an outer-surface potential that may better predict the electrostatic interaction of soft particles with solid surfaces. To verify its relevance for bacterial cells, the theory was applied to EPM measurements of two well-characterized Escherichia coli K12 mutants having lipopolysaccharide (LPS) layers of different lengths and molecular compositions. Results showed that the obtained softness and fixed charge density were not directly related to the known charact...
A Summary of Granular Computing System Vulnerabilities: Exploring the Dark Side of Social Networking Communities

Online social networking communities are connecting hundreds of millions of individuals across the globe and facilitating new modes of interaction. Due to their immense popularity, an important question is whether these communities are safe for their users. In our encyclopedia article, we address this safety question and show that social networking communities are susceptible to numerous attacks. In this paper, we summarize two broad attack classes: traditional attacks that have been adapted to these communities (e.g., malware propagation, spam, and phishing) and new attacks that have emerged through malicious social networking profiles (e.g., rogue advertising profiles and impersonating profiles).
OBSERVATIONS ON SERUM AND GONAD CHOLESTEROL IN PIGEONS

Scrum cholesterol of pigeons undergoes a seasonal cycle in concentration with maximal values present in April and minimal values in August. No sex differences were apparent and both sexes exhibited this yearly fluctuation in cholesterol concentration. These seasonal changes occurred even when only males showing histological evidence of spermatogenesis were considered. The suggestion is made that perhaps serum cholesterol is not regulated by the sex steroids in this species. Cholesterol concentration is high in the small undeveloped testis and declines rapidly when gonad development starts. This concentration is inversely proportional to the logarithm of relative testis weight. The logarithm of cholesterol content of the testis is directly related to the logarithm of testis weight. The data suggest that testicular cholesterol is involved in gonad growth and increased mass.
Correlation of the detachment of two-dimensional turbulent boundary layers

An improved single-variable correlation is developed for incipient and full detachment, and for reattachment ,of turbulent boundary layers on two-dimensional surfaces. The correlation is shown to agree with 1) the wallwake law of Coles; 2) the criterion for detachment of Sandborn and Kline; 3) a large amount of old flowvisualization data; and 4) new measurements of time-averaged fraction of forward flow. Relationships among the correlation, the underlying physics, and the implications for computations are discussed. The results clarify long-standing confusion between incipient and full detachment of turbulent boundary layers with regard to both correlation and computation.
A 15N NMR mobility study on the dicalcium P43M calbindin D9k and its mono-La3+-substituted form.

Calbindin D 9 k is a dicalcium binding protein consisting of two helix-loop-helix EF-hand motifs joined together by a flexible linker region where one metal ion can bind to each of the two loops. A proline residue at position 43 in the linker region displays cis-trans isomerism in the wild-type (WT) protein. Such isomerism appeared to be removed by substituting the proline with a glycine or a methionine in the P43G or P43M mutant. We have extended the available mobility studies on the P43M mutant through amide 1 5 N R 1 , R 2 , and R 1 [ measurements. This has revealed unexpected conformational equilibria on the millisecond time scale involving residues 38, 42-44, and 46 in the linker region and residues 18 and 19 in calcium binding site I with similar energy barriers. These data are discussed in comparison with those available for the WT, as well as the apo-, mono-, and disubstituted P43G mutant. Quantification of water-amide proton exchange rates using saturation transfer and qualitative application of 1 5 N-(CLEANEX-PM)-FHSQC shows the values are in agreement with high mobility for the above-mentioned residues. Cross correlation between N-H dipole-dipole relaxation and 1 5 N CSA relaxation indicates that some of these mobility differences may extend to the sub-nanosecond time scale. Similar data were also obtained for the derivative where the calcium ion in the C-terminal loop was replaced with lanthanum. The results presented here show that, contrary to expectations, there are significant differences in dynamics between the dicalcium state of P43G and P43M and that these differences are not confined to the flexible linker region containing the point mutation. They also demonstrate that substitution of a lanthanide ion for calcium, which is a common procedure, does not significantly alter the mobility of the native protein.
A sorbitol dehydrogenase inhibitor of exceptional in vivo potency with a long duration of action: 1-(R)-[4-[4-(4,6-dimethyl[1,3,5]triazin-2-yl)- 2R,6S-dimethylpiperazin-1-yl]pyrimidin-2- yl]ethanol.

We report here a novel sorbitol dehydrogenase inhibitor, 16, that shows very high oral potency (50 μg/kg) in normalizing elevated fructose levels in the sciatic nerve of chronically diabetic rats and sustained duration of action (>24 h). Furthermore, 16 shows attractive pharmaceutical properties, including good solubility in simulated human gastric fluid, excellent Caco-2 Papp, moderate lipophilicity, and metabolic stability for achieving good oral absorption and long duration of action.
Sounding the Fire Alarm: The Role of Interest Groups in the Lower Federal Court Confirmation Process

Traditionally, lower federal court nominations were confirmed swiftly and unanimously by the Senate. However, increasingly, lower court confirmations have become lengthy and contentious proceedings. Traditional explanations for this shift have centered on the temporal political environment and the ideological extremism of the nominees. We propose an alternative theory to explain this phenomenon: interest group opposition. We posit that interest groups sound “fire alarms”—raising the salience of a lower court nomination—thereby forcing senators politically aligned with the groups to abandon the senators’ default positions (confirm swiftly) and instead give the opposed nominee thorough consideration and perhaps even block confirmation all together. Our theory is supported by exclusive interview testimony from key players in judicial confirmation politics. We also test our theory using data on all U.S. Courts of Appeals nominations, 1985–2004. We find interest group opposition far eclipses previous explanati...
Hydromechanics of low-Reynolds-number flow. Part 6. Rotation of oblate bodies

Uniform ring distributions of fundamental singularities for Stokes flows, Stokeslets and rotlets, are applied to obtain exact solutions for rotating oblate bodies in an unbounded viscous fluid. The technique used in the present investigation is the inverse-problem approach. Instead of determining the types of singularities and their spatial distributions for a given body geometry, the body shape is determined for a given distribution of singularities. The rotating axis of a body is perpendicular to the plane containing the ring and it passes through the center of the circular ring. The direction of rotlets is parallel to the rotating axis, while the Stokeslets are tangent to the ring and lie in its plane. By changing the radius of the ring and/or changing the strengths of Stokeslets and rotlets, we obtain a family of rotating oblate bodies including simply-connected and doubly-connected bodies. Two special cases involving a slightly deformed sphere and a spinning slender torus are also discussed.
Growth mechanism of cuboid growth pits in lead selenide epilayers grown by molecular beam epitaxy

Microstructures and crystallographic orientations of cuboid growth pits in lead selenide (PbSe) epilayers grown on Si (1 1 1) by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) have been studied by scanning electron microscopy and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy. Cuboid density was found to be dependent on MBE growth parameters such as sample thickness and substrate temperature. Cuboid growth defects nucleate spontaneously on the PbSe growth surface probably at Pb droplets. This nucleation results in randomly oriented PbSe crystallites that preferentially grow along the [1 0 0] axis of the NaCl-type crystal structure. This preferential growth results in cuboid crystallites with cubic faces protruding from the epitaxial (1 1 1) face.
Toughening Mechanisms in Intermetallic γ-TiAl Alloys Containing Ductile Phases

This work is aimed at developing understanding of ductile phase toughening in powder-processed intermetallic γ-TiAl alloys. The nominally ductile phases studied include Nb and Ti6Al4V, in the form of pancake shaped particles. Toughening is primarily due to the formation of crack face bridging zones. Toughness increases in the composites with a Ti6Al4V phase are limited due to particle embrittlement during processing. In this case, toughening is associated with the formation of short, low ductility/high strength bridge zones. Larger toughness increases and significant resistance curves are observed in composites containing Nb particles. In this case, long, high ductility/low strength bridge zones are observed. The behavior of the Nb composites is consistent with current understanding of constrained deformation of embedded particles and bridge zone toughening models. Additional toughening was observed in the Nb composites due to crack deflection and blunting in orientations where the crack intersects the broad pancake face.