cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Prospective study on effect of new antiepileptic drugs on bone metabolism in children with epilepsy

Objective To study the effects of new antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), including Topiramate (TPM), Oxcarbazepine(OXC), Lamotrigine(LTG), and Levetiracetam (LEV) monotherapy on bone metabolism in children with epilepsy aged 4-12. Method s One hundred and sixty children with epilepsy who were diagnosed for the first time at Shanxi Children′s Hospital from July 2016 to June 2017 were selected and given oral TPM (40 cases), OXC (40 cases), LTG (40 cases) and LEV (40 cases) respectively according to the type of seizure.The changes of bone mineral density (BMD) and bone metabolism indexes including serum calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), osteocalcin (OC), parathyroid hormone (PTH), 25 hydroxyvitamin D [25-(OH)D] before treatment and at 3, 6 and 12 months after treatment were observed. Result s (1) Bone metabolism indicators and BMD had no significant difference among groups before treatment (all P>0.05). (2) After 6 and 12 months of treatment in OXC group, Ca was lower than before treatment[2.38(0.08) mmol/L vs.2.47(0.17) mmol/L, 2.44(0.10) mmol/L vs.2.47(0.17) mmol/L], PTH was higher than before treatment[37.64(17.52) ng/L vs.34.23(20.53) ng/L, 40.74(16.15) ng/L vs.34.23(20.53) ng/L]; Ca in TPM group decreased after 6 and 12 months of treatment[2.40(0.11) mmol/L vs.2.42(0.10) mmol/L, 2.41(0.09) mmol/L vs.2.42(0.10) mmol/L], and the differences were statistically significant(all P<0.05). (3) After 6 and 12 months of treatment, Ca in the OXC group was lower than that in the LEV group[2.38(0.08) mmol/L vs.2.44(0.10) mmol/L, 2.44(0.10) mmol/L vs.2.44(0.12) mmol/L] and LTG group[2.38(0.08) mmol/L vs.2.44(0.13) mmol/L, 2.44(0.10) mmol/L vs.2.42(0.13) mmol/L], and PTH in the OXC group was higher than that in the LEV group[37.64(17.52) ng/L vs.36.52(20.71) ng/L, 40.74(16.15) ng/L vs.31.89(14.84) ng/L] and LTG group[37.64(17.52) ng/L vs.39.39(24.03) ng/L, 40.74(16.15) ng/L vs.33.01(12.20) ng/L], Ca in TPM group after 12 months of treatment was lower than that in the LEV group[2.41(0.09) mmol/L vs.2.44(0.12) mmol/L] and LTG group[2.41(0.09) mmol/L vs.2.42(0.13) mmol/L], and the differences were statistically significant(all P<0.05). Conclusions In the new AEDs, LEV and OXC have no significant effect on bone metabolism.TPM may affect bone metabolism by reducing Ca in children with epilepsy, and OXC may cause the decrease of Ca and the increase of PTH, thereby leading to increased bone turnover in children with epilepsy. Key words: New antiepileptic drug; Bone metabolism; Epilepsy; Child
Institutionalizing the Common Good in Economy: Lessons from the Mondragon Cooperatives

While the idea of worker-owned cooperatives is centuries-old, the network of over 300 such enterprises in the Basque region of Spain and founded upon Catholic social justice teachings, is the most successful and impressive in history. The central claim of this paper is that the worker-owned, Mondragon cooperatives demonstrate not only how economic institutions can be structured so as to promote the common good but also how participation in them can engender a concern for the common good among individual participants in those institutions, which spills over into their broader participation as citizens in the larger community. The paper advances this thesis by, first, providing a brief history of the Mondragon cooperatives, from their founding in the 1950s by Father Jose Arizmendiarrieta, the parish priest in the village of Mondragon, trained in economics. Second, it outlines the central principles of Catholic social justice teachings regarding economy that form the foundation for the Mondragon cooperatives and how those teachings have been institutionalized in the cooperatives’ democratic managerial practices and their creative financial structures. While Father Arizmendiarrieta drew mainly from Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum, this paper shows how Mondragon’s policies and practices are also in keeping with later Church teachings, as put forward especially by Popes John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis I. Third, the paper contrasts the understanding of the common good in Catholic social teachings and the Mondragon cooperatives, on the one hand, to the notion of the common good found in mainstream classical and neoclassical economics. The latter sees society as merely the sum of its individual members and hence the common good as but the sum of individual goods, or aggregate utility. The former, by contrast, sees society as a living organism, the whole of which is greater than the sum of its parts, and hence it understands the common good as greater than the sum of individual goods, but also including the organic relationships among individuals. Fourth, the paper describes how participation in the cooperatives engenders, cultivates, and deepens worker-members’ sense and understanding of the common good and their commitment to it.
Molecular structure and interactions within amyloid-like fibrils formed by a low-complexity protein sequence from FUS.

Protein domains without the usual distribution of amino acids, called low complexity (LC) domains, can be prone to self-assembly into amyloid-like fibrils. Self-assembly of LC domains that are nearly devoid of hydrophobic residues, such as the 214-residue LC domain of the RNA-binding protein FUS, is particularly intriguing from the biophysical perspective and is biomedically relevant due to its occurrence within neurons in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, frontotemporal dementia, and other neurodegenerative diseases. We report a high-resolution molecular structural model for fibrils formed by the C-terminal half of the FUS LC domain (FUS-LC-C, residues 111-214), based on a density map with 2.62 A resolution from cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). In the FUS-LC-C fibril core, residues 112-150 adopt U-shaped conformations and form two subunits with in-register, parallel cross-β structures, arranged with quasi-21 symmetry. All-atom molecular dynamics simulations indicate that the FUS-LC-C fibril core is stabilized by a plethora of hydrogen bonds involving sidechains of Gln, Asn, Ser, and Tyr residues, both along and transverse to the fibril growth direction, including diverse sidechain-to-backbone, sidechain-to-sidechain, and sidechain-to-water interactions. Nuclear magnetic resonance measurements additionally show that portions of disordered residues 151-214 remain highly dynamic in FUS-LC-C fibrils and that fibrils formed by the N-terminal half of the FUS LC domain (FUS-LC-N, residues 2-108) have the same core structure as fibrils formed by the full-length LC domain. These results contribute to our understanding of the molecular structural basis for amyloid formation by FUS and by LC domains in general. The low-complexity (LC) domain mediates liquid-liquid phase separation and fibril formation of the RNA-binding protein FUS (FUsed in Sarcoma). Here, the authors combine cryo-EM, solid-state NMR measurements and MD simulations to structurally characterise the fibrils formed by the C-terminal half of the FUS LC domain and discuss stabilizing interactions within the fibril core.
Instructional improv to analyze inquiry-based science teaching: Zed’s dead and the missing flower

In inquiry-based science lessons teachers face the challenge of adhering to curricular goals while simultaneously following students’ intuitive understandings. Improvisation (improv) provides a useful frame for understanding teaching in these inquiry-based contexts. This paper builds from prior work that uses improv as a metaphor for teaching to present a translated model for analysis of teaching in an inquiry-based, elementary school science lesson context. We call our model instructional improv, which shows how a teacher spontaneously synthesizes rules of improv with teaching practices to support student learning, engagement, and agency. We illustrate instructional improv through case study analysis of video recorded classroom interactions with one teacher and 26 first and second grade students learning about the complex system of honey bee pollination in a mixed reality environment. Our model includes the following defining features to describe how teaching happens in this context: the teacher 1) tells a story; 2) reframes mistakes as opportunities; 3) agrees; 4) yes ands; 5) makes statements (or asks questions that elicit statements); and 6) puts the needs of the classroom ensemble over individuals. Overall, we show how instructional improv helps explain how teachers can support science discourse and collective storytelling as a teacher (a) shifts power and agency to students; (b) balances learning and agency; and (c) makes purposeful instructional decisions. Findings have immediate implications for researchers analyzing interactions in inquiry-based learning environments and potential future implications for teachers to support inquiry learning.
Doing Remote Controlled Studies with Humans: Tales from the COVID Trenches

How should empirical researchers conduct controlled, remote “lab” studies in the uncontrolled, noisy conditions of each participant's own home? Volatility in participant home environments, hardware, internet connection, and surrounding distractions takes the “controlled” out of controlled studies. This paper recounts our in-the-trenches mitigations for designing and conducting two complex controlled studies under COVID, in which participants, from home, interactively localized faults in an AI system. The studies with our COVID-era mitigations in 5 categories—Privacy/Security, Data Collection, Control, Technology Issues, Payment-ultimately produced crisp results beyond what we thought possible under such uncontrolled circumstances.
Analysis and Modeling of the Common-Mode Conducted EMI From a Wireless Power Transfer System for Mobile Applications

Wireless power transfer (WPT) is a safe and convenient technology for battery charging thanks to the elimination of electrical contact. Despite the great advantages, the electromagnetic interference (EMI) noise generated by a WPT system coulddegrade the performance of nearby electrical circuits. In particular, common-mode (CM) EMI noise generated by the WPT system will conduct along the cable and radiate in high frequencies, thus becoming one of the concerns. In this article, the noise source and current path of the conducted CM EMI noisefrom a Qi-compliant WPT system for mobile applications are analyzed. The transfer function relating the CM EMI noise to the noise source voltage is derived analytically in the frequency domain. The noise source voltage is measured in the time domain and then converted to the frequency domain via fast Fourier transform. The conducted CM EMI spectrum is predicted by multiplying the spectrum of noise source voltage by the transfer function. The prediction matches well with measurement. The analysis and modeling explain the mechanism of the CM EMI noise and provide guidelines to reduce the CM EMI noise.
Sustainable Polymers Square Table Final Report

This is the final report from a NSF-sponsored Square Table on Sustainable Polymers that brought together a diverse cohort of stakeholders to develop broad-ranging, integrated, and futuristic ideas and strategies in the area of sustainable polymers. The Square Table included emerging and established leaders from a wide range of backgrounds and institutional types such that a clear picture of the key challenges and needs were developed. Over the course of two half-day sessions, a group of more than 50 participants (see Appendix 1) discussed strategies for advancing the science, technology, and more overarching systems associated with sustainable polymers. The Square Table concept provides structure and self-facilitated interactions among stakeholders who do not typically interact with one another to bridge gaps that exist between industry, federal agencies, and academia in an open and unbiased manner. This was accomplished by mixing participants in breakout discussion with guiding questions, followed by reporting back to the group and repeating with a new mix of participants, questions, and discussion points. Select participants that not only contributed to the discussion but also acted as scribes for sub-sessions were essential to help capture the sum of the views, suggestions, and inputs from the participants. In this way, the discussions cut to the root cause of successes and opportunities in a rapid and less biased manner than traditional roundtables or workshops. The Square Table objectives included developing proposed answers to key questions such as (1) What are the critical basic and applied questions that, when addressed together, could improve the possibility for impact in terms of moving fundamental research thrusts and translational efforts? (2) What prevents large-scale, coordinated efforts between industry, academia, and federal agencies? (3) What is needed to help reduce these barriers in terms of data resources, physical infrastructure, and/or workforce training? (4) How can data and advanced modeling approaches be shared in a collaborative way that would allow data-driven science and engineering to be accelerated in a translational sense? (5) What partnerships are needed to foster an environment/culture to realize more sustainable polymer solutions in the future?
Design, synthesis, and characterization of vinyl-addition polynorbornenes with tunable thermal properties

Unfunctionalized vinyl-addition polynorbornene (VAPNB) possesses many outstanding properties such as high thermal, chemical, and oxidative stability. These features make VAPNB a promising candidate for many engineering applications. However, VAPNB has a small service window between its glass transition temperature (Tg) and decomposition temperature (Td), and it cannot be readily processed in a melt state. In this work, we demonstrate that the service window of VAPNBs can be tailored through the use of norbornene monomers bearing alkyl, aryl, and aryl ether substituents. The vinyl addition homopolymerization and copolymerization of these functionalized norbornyl-based monomers yielded VAPNBs with high T′gs (>150 °C) and large service windows (Td–Tg > 100 °C), which are comparable to other commercial engineering thermoplastics. To further establish the feasibility of melt processing, a functionalized VAPNB material with Tg = 209 °C and a service window of 170 °C was successfully extruded and molded into bars. Subsequent characterization of the bars by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), and gel permeation chromatography (GPC) revealed only minor signs of polymer degradation. These studies suggest that substituted VAPNBs could be developed into a new class of engineering thermoplastics that is compatible with workhorse melt processing techniques such as extrusion and injection molding, as well as emerging techniques such as extrusion-based 3D printing.
A New Electron Diffraction Technique, Potentially Applicable to Research in Catalysis

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the experimental apparatus and oxygen on nickel. Diffraction patterns are observed from the crystal face before the admission of oxygen, then again during and after exposure to oxygen at various low pressures and for various times and at different stages while oxygen is being removed by heat. As the voltage of the primary electron beam is varied continuously from 0 to 500, diffraction beams appear alternately in the two principal azimuths. Each beam reaches a maximum intensity at a particular voltage and these voltages represent electron wavelengths appropriate to Laue diffraction beams from the crystal. All of the diffraction beams correspond, within the experimental errors of the measurements, to a crystal inner potential of 16 volts. All possible diffraction beams have been found for potentials in the range up to 400 volts and there are no unexplained beams. The presence of oxygen adsorbed upon the crystal surface is discovered by the appearance of new diffraction beams, which were not present before the admission of oxygen and which cannot be accounted for by the structure of the nickel crystal.
Dendritic proliferation in the aging brain as a compensatory repair mechanism.

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the alterations in dendritic extent as potential compensatory responses to age-related neuronal loss in selected brain regions and discusses the apparent breakdown of this compensatory response in Alzheimer's disease and in extreme old age in some brain regions. In considering alterations in dendritic extent as compensatory changes, changes taking place in the surrounding microenvironment of the dendritic trees being considered are also examined in the chapter. Scientists developed a model of two interacting classes of influences on dendritic extent in the aging brain. The loss of neighboring neurons is a proliferative influence in normal aging, at least up to some limit, which seems to be exceeded in very old age in some brain regions. This proliferative influence seems to be deficient in Alzheimer's disease. Partial denervation is a regressive influence in the aged brain, just as it is during earlier periods in the developmental continuum. There are brain regions in which both of these influences are operating. It is suggested that when both influences are operating on the same cell in the normally aging brain, the final effect on the dendritic tree will be a reflection of the net sum of these two influences. The rat cerebellar Purkinje cells represent one example in which there is both neighbor neuron death and an apparent loss of parallel fiber input.
Multiple Specific Hormone Receptors in the Adenylate Cyclase of an Adrenocortical Carcinoma

Abstract The adenylate cyclase of a corticosterone producing transplanted adrenal cancer of the rat is stimulated not only by adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), but also by epinephrine, norepinephrine, thyroid-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, and follicle-stimulating hormone. The lowest effective concentration of each hormone is about 10-6 m. Other hormones, including parathyroid hormone, thyrocalcitonin, glucagon, and vasopressin, do not influence the tumor cyclase. ACTH is the only hormone that stimulates normal adrenal adenylate cyclase. To study further the characteristics of the tumor hormone receptors, experiments have been performed employing hormone analogues, subunits, and inhibitors. The tumor ACTH receptor requires similar portions of the ACTH molecule for activity as does the normal adrenal receptor. Thus, the tumor and the normal adrenal cyclase are stimulated by the ACTH analogue containing the NH2-terminal 24 amino acids of ACTH, but neither responds to the analogue containing only the COOH-terminal 15 amino acids. A number of observations suggest that the tumor possesses a β adrenergic receptor. The tumor cyclase is stimulated by a series of catecholamines in the following order of potency: isoproterenol g epinephrine g norepinephrine g ephedrine. Methoxamine is inactive. The β adrenergic antagonist propranolol abolishes the stimulatory effect of the catecholamines but not that of the other hormones. Phentolamine and dibenzylamine do not block the catecholamine responses. Studies with the subunits of luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone have shown activity in stimulating the tumor cyclase principally by the β subunit of each hormone. The results indicate the presence of multiple specific hormone receptors in the tumor cyclase. Since the effects of the different hormones are not additive, it is suggested that the multiple hormone receptors act through a common cyclase catalytic unit.
Coupled-system stability of flexible-object impedance control

This paper examines the stability of the flexible-object impedance controller when coupled to an arbitrary passive environment. A simple representative system is developed to study the problem based on phenomena observed in a more complex, experimental system. Analysis of this representative system leads to several conclusions regarding factors that limit the achievable impedances of a multi-arm system grasping a common object. The filtering of the external force signals and the effective mass contributed by the manipulators prove to be two of the important factors. Some general guidelines are developed for the successful application of flexible-object impedance control to insure coupled system stability. These guidelines are applied to both the representative and experimental systems and verified.
Slavery, Segregation, and Health

Racism has a long history that touches every aspect of the social arrangements in the United States. This includes medicine, where African Americans have historically been victimized, sometimes by direct maltreatment and sometimes by being disfranchised from opportunities to get health care and more generally to maintain health. This entry primarily covers the broader social-structural context in which African Americana were mistreated by their exclusion from medicine and their limited social and economic opportunities. Examples of these include the segregation of hospitals and medical schools and the lack of attention to public health problems that largely affected blacks. These constitute a patterned and widespread set of experiences, less sensational, but perhaps more consequential for understanding racial disparities in health both past and present. Keywords: African American; inequality; race and ethnicity; racism
A Mathematical Type for Physical Variables

In identifying the requirements of a markup language for describing the mathematical semantics of physics-based models, we pose the question: "Is there a mathematical type for physical variables?" While this question has no a priori answer, since physics is fundamentally empirical, it appears that a large body of physics may be described with a single mathematical type. Briefly stated, that type is formed as the mathematical product of a physical unit, such as meteror second, and an element of a Clifford algebra. We discuss some of the properties of this mathematical type and its use in documentation of physics-based models.
Activation of AIM2 inflammasome triggers mitochondrial damage and blocks mitophagy (INM6P.409)

The AIM2 inflammasome is critical for host defense against certain intracellular bacteria and DNA viruses. It is a cytoplasmic complex consisting of the regulatory subunit AIM2, the adaptor ASC, and the effector subunit caspase-1. Stimulus dependent assembly of the complex activates the proteolytic activity of caspase-1, which is required for the processing and production of inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-18. Here we demonstrate that mitochondrial damage is a consequence of activation of the AIM2 inflammasome. We address the underlying mechanisms, thus providing insight into regulation of a key inflammasome effector activity.
Field study comparing growth and viability of a population of phototrophic bacteria

The growth and viability of an anoxygenic, phototrophic bacterial community in the hypolimnion of Zaca Lake, Calif., were compared throughout the summer. The community is dominated by a single species, “Thiopedia rosea,” that inhabits the entire hypolimnion (6 to 8 m) for approximately 11 months. Suboptimal conditions in the hypolimnion (extremely low light intensity, high or low H2S levels) result in zero or extremely low growth rates (doubling times > 1 month) for most of the population, most of the time, yet cells remain viable and capable of high specific growth rates (doubling times of 1 to 10 days) when placed under favorable conditions (higher light intensities and temperatures). We first conclude that phototrophic bacterial populations in situ may frequently exist in a viable yet nongrowing state. Second, the viability of cells is likely to be reduced with depth owing to higher concentrations of potentially toxic chemicals and to changes in the physiological state associated with the prolonged periods of darkness commonly found at the bottom of bacterial plates.
Update Strategies for Restricted Master Problems for User Equilibrium Traffic Assignment Problem

This paper aims to investigate how the trade-offs involved in the construction and solution of restrictive master problems for the user equilibrium traffic assignment problem may affect the overall convergence performance of the solution algorithms. Three strategies used to update user equilibrium path sets in path-based algorithms are examined: an origin-destination (O-D)-based strategy that updates the path set for each single O-D pair just before path flows are updated, an origin-based strategy that updates path sets for all O-D pairs associated with the same origin at once, and a simultaneous strategy that updates the path sets for all O-D pairs together. Three recently developed path-based algorithms to update the path sets by using three strategies are implemented for solution of the restrictive master problems. The implementation strategies are tested on medium to large real networks, and their relative performance characteristics are compared. The results show that the construction and update of t...
A neural network model of spatio-temporal pattern recognition, recall, and timing

The author describes the design of a self-organizing, hierarchical network model of unsupervised serial learning. The model learns to recognize, store, and recall sequences of unitized patterns, using either short-term memory (STM) or both STM and long-term memory (LTM) mechanisms. Timing information is learned and recall both from STM and from LTM is performed with a learned rhythmical structure. The network, bearing similarities to ART, learns to map temporal sequences to unitized patterns, which makes it suitable for hierarchical operations. It is therefore capable of self-organizing codes for sequences of sequences. The capacity is only limited by the number of nodes provided. Selected simulation results are reported to illustrate system properties. >
Floral Nectar Guide Patterns Discourage Nectar Robbing by Bumble Bees

Floral displays are under selection to both attract pollinators and deter antagonists. Here we show that a common floral trait, a nectar guide pattern, alters the behavior of bees that can act opportunistically as both pollinators and as antagonists. Generally, bees access nectar via the floral limb, transporting pollen through contact with the plant’s reproductive structures; however bees sometimes extract nectar from a hole in the side of the flower that they or other floral visitors create. This behavior is called “nectar robbing” because bees may acquire the nectar without transporting pollen. We asked whether the presence of a symmetric floral nectar guide pattern on artificial flowers affected bumble bees’ (Bombus impatiens) propensity to rob or access nectar “legitimately.” We discovered that nectar guides made legitimate visits more efficient for bees than robbing, and increased the relative frequency of legitimate visits, compared to flowers lacking nectar guides. This study is the first to show that beyond speeding nectar discovery, a nectar guide pattern can influence bees’ flower handling in a way that could benefit the plant.
Optically Detected Electron Spin Locking and Rotary Echo Trains in Molecular Excited States

Electron spin locking, rotary echoes, and rotary echo trains have been detected for molecules in their excited triplet states by monitoring the microwave-induced modulation of the phosphorescence. The preliminary results of these studies suggest that nuclear and electron spins in ground and excited states, acoustic phenomena in molecular solids, energy transfer, spin-exchange, nuclear polarization, and a wide variety of additional processes can be optically detected, measuring as few as ${10}^{4}$ spins.
A Climatology of Collective Lake Disturbances

Abstract This study examines the frequency and intensity with which collective lake disturbances (COLDs) develop. These disturbances develop when cold air overspreads the Great Lakes region in winter. The heat and moisture that is transferred from the Great Lakes aggregate into the lower atmosphere, and that spreads across a large region, allows eventually for the development of a meso-α-scale pressure perturbation and circulation. Cases from the period 1980–90 were identified based on the existence of a surface trough or closed low over the Great Lakes region in the presence of cold air. Output from the Limited-Area Fine Mesh (LFM) model was used rather than performing numerous with-lake and no-lake numerical simulations to determine whether the feature was indeed the result of aggregate heating by the lakes. The LFM did not include the lakes in its simulations, so the 24-h forecast served as an optimal no-lakes simulation. Subtracting the initialization sea level pressure (SLP) field valid at the same t...
MECHANISMS OF ESTROGEN MEDIATED LUNG MATURATION

To investigate the mechanism of estrogen enhancement of the β-adrenergic system in fetal lung maturation, the following studies were performed. Pregnant New Zealand white rabbits of 26 days gestation were treated with 17β-estradiol (20 ug/kg) with or without actinomycin D and cycloheximide (100 ug/kg) and 24 hours thereafter the fetuses were delivered by Cesarean Section. The newborns were divided into a group receiving lung lavage and another group was killed immediately by decapitation and the lungs removed and processed for the estimation of β-adrenergic receptors, cAMP and adenylate cyclase activities. Estrogen stimulated the lecithin-sphingomyelin ratio, phosphatidyl choline contents in lung lavage, and the β-adrenergic receptors, cAMP and adenylate cyclase activities in lung tissue. These activities in lung lavage and lung tissue were inhibited by actinomycin D and cycloheximide. These studies suggest that estrogen stimulates lung maturation by synthesizing mRNA for β-adrenergic receptors, and the regulation occurs at the cellular level controlled by the cAMP system.
The 4 Ps as a Guiding Perspective

This chapter summarizes some of the themes that characterize a 4 Ps orientation to institutional retention strategy and offers an example of how one institution has used this approach to structure its retention efforts.
Accurate calculation of SET propagation probability for hardening

A novel method is proposed to enhance SET propagation probability and it is shown how it can assist the hardening process. This paper provides a method to determine a set of patterns that must be applied at the inputs to determine propagation characteristics of the SET that are meaningful for hardening purposes. The impact of the proposed method is experimentally verified on the ISCAS and ITC benchmarks.
Information science approaches to studying virtual organizations: a panel

The National Science Foundation's Virtual Organizations as Sociotechnical Systems program (VOSS) provides funding for "research directed at advancing the understanding of what constitutes effective virtual organizations and under what conditions" such organizations "can enable and enhance scientific, engineering, and education production and innovation." This panel brings together representatives of four VOSS-funded research teams (from Florida State University, Syracuse University, Pennsylvania State University, and the University of Arkansas) to discuss the role of information science theories and methodologies in their different approaches to studying virtual organizations. The projects of these four teams investigate a variety of phenomena associated with virtual organizations, ranging from the life-cycles of distributed scientific teams, through the interactions between core groups of scientists and volunteers in "citizen science," the socio-technical requirements of loosely coupled emergent teams, to the roles of communication, trust, and leadership in teams. Following the theme of the conference, this panel focuses on navigating two different "streams" in "information ecosystems": it examines the ways in which information science scholars have successfully navigated one particular NSF funding stream, and it will also examine how these scholars investigate the information ecosystems of virtual organizations. Each member of the panel brings a particular theoretical and methodological perspective informing their VOSS projects, and the panel addresses issues related to Information Science scholars who are pursuing NSF and other funding opportunities.
In vitro regeneration of silktree (Albizzia julibrissin) from excised roots

Root segments (1 cm long) were excised from 15–20 day old seedlings of silktree (Albizzia julibrissin) grown on B5 medium. About 50% of the control (no growth regulators added) root explants formed shoot buds within 15 days after placement on the culture medium. After 30 days, there were about 4 shoots per control explant. Addition of low levels of various auxins (0.5 μM) did not influence the formation of shoot buds from the explants. Higher concentrations (5μM), however, decreased shoot regeneration. Kinetin and 2iP did not influence shoot regeneration at the concentrations tested (1 & 10 μM). Addition of benzyladenine, Zeatin, or thidiazuron to the culture medium increased both the percentage of explants that formed shoots and the number of shoots per explant. Thidiazuron was highly effective in stimulating shoot formation at low concentrations (<1 μM). At 0.05 μM thidiazuron, 95% of the explants produced shoots and about 10 shoots were formed per explant. Compared to TDZ, higher concentrations (10 μM) of benzyladenine and Zeatin were required to enhance shoot formation. Upon excision and transfer to B5 medium, regenerated shoots developed into normal rooted plantlets.
Interaction between chromium oxide and chromium silicide

We have used x‐ray induced photoemission spectroscopy and Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy to study the chemical reaction between Cr2O3 and CrSi2. We observed that upon annealing a Cr film on a Si substrate at 550 °C to form CrSi2, the native chromium surface oxide will decompose while a film of SiO2 will form when the CrSi2 growth front reaches the Cr2O3.
A review of application of carbon nanotubes for lithium ion battery anode material

Abstract With their unique structural, mechanical, and electrical properties, carbon nanotubes are promising candidates for use as anode material in lithium ion batteries. As an allotrope of graphite, carbon nanotubes have already been presented as a competitive lithium storage material. What is more, carbon nanotubes can be a critical component in nanostructured anode materials with greatly improved capacity and cyclability. Carbon nanotubes have demonstrated to be very effective buffering components, and can serve as the backbone in nanostructured anode materials since they can alleviate the degradation of the structural integrity that often results from the significant volume change associated with the charging and discharging process. In addition, the highly conductive carbon nanotubes offer enhanced electronic transport in these nanostructured anode materials. This paper reviews the recent progress of using carbon nanotubes as components of anode material to improve the performance of lithium ion batteries.
Experimental evidence for quantum jumps in three-level systems

Abstract Measurements are reported of the fluorescence from laser excitation of the resonance line of 138 Ba I. Because of the presence of intermediate metastable D states, this atom behaves as a three-level system, and is suitable for the investigation of quantum jumps. Such quantum jumps occur when a system makes an abrupt transition into a third metastable state; the “shelving” of the atom in the state is reflected by the cessation of resonance fluorescence. The rate of photon emission was studied for single atoms which were known to be still fluorescing at some later time. This rate was found to be constant, in agreement with a quantum jump description and in disagreement with one-time counting distributions based on published values of the branching ratio for decays from the resonance level.
Two cloned β thalassemia genes are associated with amber mutations at codon 39

Two β globin genes from patients with the β+ thalassemia phenotype have been cloned and sequenced. A single nucleotide change from CAG to TAG (an amber mutation) at codon 39 is the only difference from normal in both genes analyzed. The results are consistent with the assumption that both patients are doubly heterozygous for β+ and β° thalassemia, and that we have isolated and analyzed the β° thalassemia gene.
CONSIDERATION OF TEMPORAL TOXICITY CHALLENGES CURRENT DEFAULT ASSUMPTIONS

AbstractAccording to the 1983 NAS paradigm that serves as the basis for current health risk assessment procedures, risk characterization requires the comparison of an exposure estimate against a dose-response estimate. The types of exposure scenarios required under various regulations can be categorized as acute, subchronic, and chronic. Toxicity testing studies can also be so categorized, but such categories are defined by the exposure duration and not the underlying mechanism of action or its appropriate dose metric. Considerations of underlying mechanisms and temporal relationships of toxicity challenge current default assumptions and extrapolation approaches for derivation of dose-response estimates. This article discusses the duration adjustments used in current health risk assessment procedures and highlights the attendant assumptions. Comprehensive dosimetry model structures integrate mechanistic and temporal determinants of the exposure-dose-response continuum. Analysis of dosimetry model structur...
Seasonal reversal of flood-tide dominant sediment transport in a small Oregon estuary

The Sixes River in southwestern Oregon has a summer discharge of only about 2 m 3 /sec. During these low-discharge conditions, a flood-dominated system of bottom tidal currents develops in the estuary and a deltalike sill, as much as 1.5 m in height, builds across the mouth of the estuary by upstream progradation. Flood-tide currents move across this sill at velocities of as much as 90 cm/sec 15 cm above the bottom, but the velocity of ebb-tide currents usually does not exceed about 40 cm/sec. Dispersal patterns of dyed sediment injected at the river mouth during low river discharge show that flood-tide currents transport sand across the sill and up the estuary as far as 0.8 km (about one-fourth the length of the estuary) in a single flood-tide phase. During ebb tide, the sill impedes movement of salt water along the estuary bottom, producing a sharply stratified two-layer water system. Although tracer experiments show that some fine sand is removed from the estuary during the ebb phase, primary sedimentary structures and the mineral composition of the sand indicate that flood-tide dominance of the bottom tidal currents causes a net gain of marine sediment in the estuary while the sill is in place. River discharge after winter storms may increase to more than 400 m 3 /sec, and large quantities of detritus, including gravel, are transported downstream into and through the estuary. High river discharge also causes erosion of the sill, greatly reducing the sediment-trapping capacity of the estuary. The finer fluvial detritus, together with fine marine sediment deposited during the summer, is swept from the estuary, leaving it floored largely by gravel. Thus, the hydraulic sediment-trapping mechanisms observed in the estuary of the Sixes River appear to be effective only on a seasonal basis under present hydrologic conditions.
Erratum to: “Synthesis of multi-qudit hybrid and d-valued quantum logic circuits by decomposition” [Theoret. Comput. Sci. 367 (3) (2006) 336-346]

This note corrects notational discrepancies and indexing errors in the description of the iterative lateral decomposition algorithm presented in the proof of theorem 5.1.1 of the original paper which appeared in Theoretical Computer Science, Volume 367, Number 3, December 2006. The theorem and the algorithm are both valid, and the corrections serve to restore the flow of the description. We thank Yi Huang in the Department of Computer Science, Sun Yat-sen University, China, for pointing out the errors in the original article and suggesting the corrections. We give the corrections with reference to the page numbers of the original document. Page 341 The last line reads 0 ≤ i ≤ n. It should instead be 1 ≤ i ≤ n. Page 342–344 In equations (5.1.1)–(5.1.5), we relabel the block diagonal matrices C r as D r , where r and t take on appropriate values. This eliminates the possible misconception that the cosine-sine matrices occurring in the iteration are the same as the block diagonal matrices C r also occurring in the iteration. Page 343 The inequality in the lines third and second from last reads 0 ≤ k ≤ (j− 1). This should be 0 ≤ k ≤ 2(j−1) − 1. The last line mj = m0 − (j+ 1)r0 should be mj = m0 − jr0. Page 344 The left hand side of equation (5.1.5) should be A k rather than A (j) k′ everywhere it occurs after equation (5.1.5). In the second line after equation (5.1.5), the sentence “. . .previous (j−1) steps.” should instead read “. . .previous j steps.” In the second line after equation (5.1.5), the interval range for k should be 0 ≤ k ≤ 2 − 1 instead of 0 ≤ k ≤ j. Equation A k′ = A (j+1) k′ B (j+1) k′ C (j+1) k′ should be A (j−1) k = A (j) k′ B (j) k′ C (j) k′ .
The American Academy of Kinesiology and Physical Education, 1940-1984: Innovation, Introspection, Identity, and Involvement

In 2005, the American Academy of Kinesiology and Physical Education reached its 75th anniversary. In celebration of this momentous occasion, this paper examines 44 years of the Academy's history from 1940 to 1984. During the 1940s, the Academy was engaged in the war effort. Then in the 1950s, it sought to defi ne more precisely its role and function as an organization. The 1960s saw the Academy embark on a “Body of Knowledge” project, while the emergence of subdisciplines in the 1970s moved the Academy to question its nomenclature and challenge its leadership. The next decade, it made a valiant, though unsuccessful, attempt to unify subdisciplines. Nevertheless, the American Academy of Kinesiology and Physical Education produced a distinguished record of signifi cant achievements during this 44-year time period
Desalting of proteins, peptides, and amino acids on polyacrylamide gel.

Abstract The usefulness of a new polyacrylamide gel of small pore size for the desalting of proteins and peptides has been demonstrated. It has also been shown that neutral amino acids can be partially desalted. Maximum desalting of small molecules is obtained when a slow flow rate and a small particle size of gel are used. A method is discussed for predicting the desalting of peptides of molecular weight less than 2500.
The indications for lumbar and cervical disc replacement

Although cervical and lumbar disc replacements are in their spinal surgical infancy with regard to clinical application, the indications are already delineated. Lumbar disc arthroplasty is indicated for one- or two-level discogenic mechanical back pain primarily in the absence of radiculopathy. In contrast, cervical disc replacement can be readily applied in patients presenting with neurologic deficit, radiculopathy or myelopathy because the approach and anterior spinal cord decompression are identical for anterior cervical disc replacement and traditional Smith-Robinson cervical decompression. In addition, the application of more complex spinal osteotomies, revision of pseudarthroses and deformity correction are much more applicable to the cervical arthroplasty procedures. This is because even the most experienced vascular access surgeon has difficulty with the formidable revision through a repeat anterior lumbar procedure, whereas most experienced cervical spinal surgeons are familiar with repeat anterior cervical approaches. The end result is that surgeons will have more trepidation with multilevel lumbar arthroplasties, especially those presenting in conjunction with neurologic symptoms. At the current time radiculopathy is an exclusion criteria for the four prospective Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) studies on lumbar disc replacement, whereas cervical radiculopathy is an inclusion criteria for the major IDE FDA investigations of cervical arthroplasties.
A general model for inferring terrain surface roughness as a root-mean-square to predict vehicle off-road ride quality

Vehicle maximum speed for off-road operations is limited by the absorbed power via vertical acceleration to the driver for a given terrain Root-Mean-Square surface roughness (RMS). RMS calculation requires centimetre-scale terrain elevation data; however, previous work by the authors has shown that RMS can be modelled using a 5-metre terrain profile’s Fractal Dimension (FD) and Power Spectral Density (PSD) DC offset. Presented is a study of the effects of surface elevation data resolution on the model. Forty-nine ride courses were down-sampled from 30 centimetre to 0.91, 1.83, 2.74, 3.66, 4.57, 5.49, 6.40, 7.32, and 8.23 metre spacings, and an RMS model at each spacing was generated using linear regression techniques. The effects of data resolution on the RMS model were studied, and a continuous model for RMS as a function of FD and DC offset across elevation data resolutions for up to 7 metre sample spacing was developed. Results of the model’s use in predicting off road military vehicle mobility are presented.
Otalgia, Facial Nerve Paralysis, and Hearing Loss

Awoman in her 40swas referred for an 8-day history of left facial nerve paralysis, left-ear hearing loss, and vertigo. Three days after her paralysis started, she noticed left ear painwith clear discharge. She had no prior episodes of hearing loss or imbalance, and there was no significant medical history. Findingsfromthepatient’sphysicalexaminationwerenotablefor acomplete left facialparalysis (House-Brackmanngrade6/6)anderythematous skin in the left external auditory canal and conchal bowl withmultiple lesionsthathadcrustedover (Figure,A[unaffectedear] andB [affectedear]).Her tympanicmembranewas intact, and there was no middle ear effusion. Audiometric evaluation revealed mild asymmetric left sensorineural hearing loss with a word recognition score of 92% for the left ear and 100% for the right ear. Because of thisasymmetry,magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)of the internalauditorycanalswithgadoliniumcontrastwasperformed.AnaxialpostgadoliniumT1-weighted sequencewith fat suppression revealedenhancement of the left facial nerve within the internal auditory canal andfallopiancanal (Figure,C).The left cochlearandvestibularnerves were also enhancing, as well as the left basal turn of the cochlea. What is your diagnosis? A
Gelation of fractionated canine submaxillary mucin in a chaotropic solvent.

Abstract Rheological measurements have been performed on three molecular weight fractions of purified canine submaxillary mucin (CSM) dissolved in the chaotropic solvent 6 M guanidine hydrochloride (GdnHCI). Solutions of the lower molecular weight fractions are viscoelastic sols, and their dynamic moduli can be scaled with respect to molecular weight and concentration according to linear viscoelasticity theory. In contrast, preparations of the highest molecular weight fraction form viscoelastic gels that exhibit an equilibrium shear modulus, G e ′ , which scales with mucin concentration as G e ′ ∼ c 3 . Amino acid and carbohydrate analyses of all three fractions are similar; thus, the differences in rheological behavior are attributed to molecular weight differences, which affect the degree of coil overlap in solutions of a given concentration. These observations demonstrate conclusively that mucin glycoproteins of high molecular weight form gels under conditions in which the mucin chains physically interpenetrate, even when non-covalent intermolecular interactions are extensively disrupted. A comparison of these results with previous studies of purified submaxillary and tracheobronchial mucins indicates that the carbohydrate side-chain length, in addition to molecular weight, is an important determinant of the observed elastic response and the ability to form physical gels