cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A track fitting method for particles in non-uniform magnetic fields

Abstract A new method of fitting particle trajectories in non-uniform magnetic fields is described. It is assumed that measured points in three-dimensional space have already been obtained. The trajectory is broken into segments within which the magnetic field may be regarded as a linear function, for which an approximate analytic form of the trajectory is derived. With this form and its derivatives, a Newton-Rapheson iteration is carried out to minimize the sum of the squares of deviations of observed points from the trajectory. The method described has been used in a spark chamber experiment investigating K e4 and K πee decays.
Hot Chips and the Incomplete Job of Exploiting Them

This column discusses the problem of integrating the software-hardware stack and considers some steps that microarchitecture community can take to optimize workloads across the stack.
Help seeking behavior and the Internet: a national survey.

Summary Health-related websites have the potential to powerfully influence the attitudes and behavior of consumers. Access to reliable disease information online has been linked to reduced anxiety, increased feelings of self-efficacy, and decreases in utilization of ambulatory care. Studies report that Internet health information seekers are more likely to have health concerns; adult seekers are more likely to rate themselves as having poor health status and adolescent seekers are more likely to demonstrate clinical impairment or depressive symptomatology compared to nonseekers. Although more and more Americans are using the Internet for healthcare information, little is known about how this information affects their health behaviors. The current study extends the literature by examining characteristics associated with help seeking, either from a healthcare provider or from peers, as a direct result of health information found online. Medical care seekers appear to be using the Internet to enhance their medical care; they report using the information online to diagnose a problem and feel more comfortable about their health provider’s advice given the information found on the Internet. Support seekers tend to be of slightly lower income compared to non-support seekers. They are also significantly more likely to have searched for information about a loved one’s medical or health condition, signaling that many of these consumers may be caretakers. © 2005 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
DISTRIBUTION AND INHERITANCE OF INCONSTANT SEX FORMS IN NATURAL POPULATIONS OF DIOECIOUS BUFFALOGRASS (BUCHLOE DACTYLOIDES)

Variations of sex inconstancy were examined for vegetative and seed samples from eight natural populations of buffalograss located along two east-west transects crossing the shortgrass prairies of Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas. Each of the eight populations was found to contain inconstant (monoecious) sex forms. Sex form distributions ranged from the Guymon vegetative sample, having no inconstant sex forms, to the Chillicothe seed sample in which the frequency of inconstant sex forms was nearly 70%. Frequencies of inconstant sex forms were generally higher for seed samples than for vegetative samples. Male to female sex ratio of constant (dioecious) sex forms generally did not differ from 1:1 expectations. Inconstant sex forms were more common among peripheral populations where buffalograss vegetation coverage was sparse than for more central populations having a higher concentration of buffalograss vegetation. Quantitative measures of sex inconstancy from artificial crosses were significantly (P < 0.001) correlated with the additive linear model of general combining ability, suggesting that sex determination in buffalograss has high heritability. The possible selection forces affecting the frequency of monoecious sex forms among natural populations are discussed.
Publishing in Open Access Education Journals: The Authors’ Perspectives

Open access publishing is now an accepted method of scholarly communication. However, the greatest traction for open access publishing thus far has been in the sciences. Penetration of open access publishing has been much slower among the social sciences. This study surveys 309 authors from recent issues of open access journals in education to determine why they choose to publish in open access journals and to gain insight into the ways publishing practices within the discipline itself impact the willingness of authors to engage in open access publishing.
Histones and histone synthesis in sea urchin development

Abstract Histones are synthesized and become a part of the chromatin as early as the first cleavage in sea urchins. Reproducible changes in relative amounts of individual histone fractions synthesized are observed during development. A new and electrophoretically distinct very lysine rich fraction appears at hatching in Arbacia and in the early gastrula of Lytechinus . When RNA synthesis is blocked by actinomycin D, maternal mRNA alone can direct a quantitatively and qualitatively changing pattern of histone synthesis as cleavage proceeds. Inhibition of DNA synthesis by hydroxyurea reduces synthesis of histones; the arginine-rich histones are more severely affected than the lysine-rich ones.
The influence of estrogen and progesterone on the isometric tension of the uterus in the intact rabbit.

ASYSTEMATIC analysis of the properties of uterine muscle at the molecular level was first made by Csapo (1948, 1949, 1950 a and b) and Csapo, Erdos, Naeselund and Snellman (1950) and Csapo and Gergely (1950), and it was found that the final contractile system involving contractile proteins, high energy phosphates and ions corresponds very closely to that occurring in skeletal muscle (Szent-Gyorgyi, 1945 and 1951). Experiments relating to the effects of ovarian hormones on the uterine contractile system showed that estrogen is responsible for the synthesis of the contractile proteins (Csapo 1950 b), and for the increase in concentration of high energy phosphate compounds which serve as an immediate source of energy (Menkes and Csapo 1952). An effect of progesterone on these muscle constituents could not be demonstrated conclusively, and it appears, therefore, that the influence is manifest at a higher level of organization (Csapo and Corner 1952). To determine the influence of the ovarian hormones
Load partitioning influences the mechanical response of articular cartilage.

The role of the fluid within articular cartilage as affected by the load-sharing mechanism and its potential, beneficial effects were assessed with the u-p finite element method. The mechanical behavior of cartilage as it covers the surface of a diarthrodial joint was evaluated when the partitioning of an applied stress to the solid and fluid phases of the tissue was varied. Comparisons were made in the response of the cartilage when 0%, 25%, 50%, or 75% of the applied stress was supported by the fluid at the surface. Substantial changes in the behavior of the tissue were observed for each load case. As the fluid sustained a larger portion of the applied stress, several parameters were affected; the fluid pressure within the cartilage layer remained at a higher value, the stress and strain generated in the solid matrix decreased while the compression of the cartilage layer decreased. These findings indicate that an increased loadpartitioning to the fluid phase in cartilage may perform the function of shielding the solid matrix from excessive stresses. This could also potentially alter the mechanical environment around the chondrocytes, influencing metabolic activity and homeostasis.
Environmental Surveillance at Los Alamos: An Independent Reassessment of Historical Data

Since 1971, a series of annual Environmental Surveillance ... reports have served as the official public record of Los Alamos National Laboratory's (LANL) environmental performance. In northern New Mexico, where past LANL emissions are a public health concern, there is public skepticism over the accuracy of information contained in these reports. To test the hypothesis that LANL Environmental Surveillance ... reports systematically understate past emissions, we compared the data on releases in LANL's own internal Occurrence Reports Collection (ORC) to the data reported to the public in the Environmental Surveillance ... reports. A data set of 89 environmental occurrences recorded in the ORC in the time period from 1971 through 1980 was assembled. We did not find a systematic pattern of quantitative underreporting of source terms. However, 17 of the 89 (19%) environmental occurrences recorded in the ORC were not reported to the public in the Environmental Surveillance ... reports. The observed discrepancies are discussed in terms of their relevance to public health concerns. Methodological caveats dictate restraint in applying these findings beyond the scope of the relative comparison performed here. Possible social origins for the rejected hypothesis are discussed. Areas for further consideration by the Centers for Disease Control's dose reconstruction study of LANL are identified.
A Methodology to Predict Surface Wear of Planetary Gears Under Dynamic Conditions

In this study, a torsional dynamic model and a surface wear model are combined to study the interaction between the surface wear and the dynamic response of planetary gear sets. The proposed dynamic planetary gear wear model includes the influence of worn surface profiles on the dynamic tooth forces and the motion transmission error as well as the influence of dynamic tooth forces on wear profiles. The dynamic model includes the gear backlash and the periodic time variation of gear mesh stiffnesses. The model is used to investigate the interactions between the surface wear and the dynamic behavior within both linear and nonlinear response regimes. Several sets of simulation results are used to demonstrate the two-way relationship between nonlinear planetary gear dynamics and tooth surface wear.
Study of the reaction of polyester resins with magnesium oxide

The reaction of polyester resin and magnesium oxide, which is the basis of the thickening process of sheet-molding compound technology, has been characterized in a systematic study. The effect of reactant equivalency ratios, temperature, and added water on viscosity development have been determined. Excess amounts of magnesium oxide are necessary for thickening. Water increases the initial rate of thickening but reduces the overall level attained. A new thickening mechanism is proposed on the basis of a model study with polyester resin and sodium hydroxide.
Activation of the Arp2/3 Complex by the Listeria ActA Protein ActA BINDS TWO ACTIN MONOMERS AND THREE SUBUNITS OF THE Arp2/3 COMPLEX

ActA is a bacterially encoded protein that enables Listeria monocytogenes to hijack the host cell actin cytoskeleton. It promotes Arp2/3-dependent actin nucleation, but its interactions with cellular components of the nucleation machinery are not well understood. Here we show that two domains of ActA (residues 85-104 and 121-138) with sequence similarity to WASP homology 2 domains bind two actin monomers with submicromolar affinity. ActA binds Arp2/3 with a K(d) of 0.6 microm and competes for binding with the WASP family proteins N-WASP and Scar1. By chemical cross-linking, ActA, N-WASP, and Scar1 contact the same three subunits of the Arp2/3 complex, p40, Arp2, and Arp3. Interestingly, profilin competes with ActA for binding of Arp2/3, but actophorin (cofilin) does not. The minimal Arp2/3-binding site of ActA (residues 144-170) is C-terminal to both actin-binding sites and shares sequence homology with Arp2/3-binding regions of WASP family proteins. The maximal activity at saturating concentrations of ActA is identical to the most active domains of the WASP family proteins. We propose that ActA and endogenous WASP family proteins promote Arp2/3-dependent nucleation by similar mechanisms and require simultaneous binding of Arp2 and Arp3.
Just Don’t Call It Science

Although these works seek to promote reason and accountability in public affairs, their versions of the relation of science to the civic reveal a disturbing and persistent gap: between those for whom science is transcendent and eternal, and those for whom it is contingent and accidental. Scientific Values and Civic Virtues (hereafter 'SVCV'), edited by the philosopher Noretta Koertge, seeks to infuse a nonrelativist conception of science into the body politic. In Designs on Nature: Science and Democracy in Europe and the United States (hereafter 'DN'), Sheila Jasanoff challenges the separability of science from its political contexts. Koertge argues that 'better knowledge and appreciation of the values embedded in scientific inquiry are essential for a liberal civil society' (SVCV, p. 4); Jasanoff, that 'as state-science relations become more openly instrumental, we can reasonably wonder whether science will lose its ability to serve either state or society as a source of impartial critical authority' (DN, p. 6).
Reexamining Agricultural Policy: Selected Issues and Alternatives

Despite a great deal of discussion by agricultural economists and others about alternative farm policies, last December Congress passed a five-year farm bill that, for the most part, continued existing programs. Although one can argue that some important changes were made in the way loan rates and deficiency payments are calculated and that there were some new initiatives in the trade and resources areas, the basic structure of earlier farm programs remains intact. I will leave to the political scientists the question of why Congress chose not to make major adjustments in agricultural policy. Instead, I will focus on some limitations of current policies and a few possible alternatives. Although as a profession we may be tired of agricultural policy discussions after all of the conferences, papers, and books that preceded the passage of the Food Security Act of 1985, we continue to have an obligation to probe and critique existing policies and to consider the pros and cons of alternatives. I will briefly summarize some shortcomings of current policy and then discuss what I consider to be some of the major policy issues facing the agricultural sector in the future. After commenting on the ability (or lack thereof) of current policies to address these issues, I will propose an alternative set of policies for consideration.
Application-specific garbage collection

Prior work, including our own, shows that application performance in garbage collected languages is highly dependent upon the application behavior and on underlying resource availability. We show that given a wide range of diverse garbage collection (GC) algorithms, no single system performs best across programs and heap sizes. We present a Java Virtual Machine extension for dynamic and automatic switching between diverse, widely used GCs for application-specific garbage collection selection. We describe annotation-guided, and automatic GC switching. We also describe a novel extension to extant on-stack replacement (OSR) mechanisms for aggressive GC specialization that is readily amenable to compiler optimization.
Complementary approaches to low dissipation computing

One of the major problems in the design of powerful computers is their large heat dissipation. The author questions whether there is any minimal dissipation requirements for reliable Turing computation by physical computers. The answer is found to depend on the underlying phase space of the physical machine as well as the precise definition of computation. Two complementary approaches to low dissipation computation within this framework are outlined. The author concludes that it is possible to design very low dissipation computers by either using quantum mechanics to provide a discrete phase space for computation or using special-purpose computers (annealing machines) operating in continuous phase space to solve a restricted (but very useful) class of problems. >
Dynorphin(1-13) impairs memory formation for aversive and appetitive learning in chicks.

Abstract The opioid peptide dynorphin(1–13) impairs memory formation in chicks (5). We examined whether this occurs for both aversively and appetitively motivated learning. Four-day-old chicks were injected with dynorphin(1–13) into the intermediate medial hyperstriatum ventrale and trained on either a peck avoidance (PA) or an appetitive discrimination (AD) task; 2-day-old chicks were trained on PA. In 2-day-old chicks, dynorphin was amnestic for PA at 0.01, 0.03, or 0.1 m M . In 4-day-old chicks, dynorphin impaired memory formation for PA at 0.1 m M , and for AD training at 0.03 m M . Thus, similar doses of dynorphin impair memory formation for both appetitive and aversive conditioning.
Purchasing Power Parity When Prices Are I(2)

This paper examines the purchasing power parity (PPP) hypothesis over the modern float using data on 15 OECD currencies. Evidence is presented that suggests the price levels evolve as second-difference stationary processes, i.e., integrated of order two (P1– I(2)). A necessary condition for PPP when prices are I(2) is that prices are cointegrated across countries to an I(1) relative price. In general this relative price is not the same as the simple price ratio. For some of the relationships examined, this relative price level is cointegrated with the exchange rate, implying a long-run equilibrium between nominal exchange rates and prices.
Model development for the wideband expressway vehicle-to-vehicle 2.4 GHz channel

Statistical channel models for small-scale fading are presented for a frequency selective vehicle-to-vehicle or mobile-to-mobile wireless communications link in an expressway environment in Atlanta, Georgia, where both vehicles travel in the same direction. These doubly selective models were developed from measurements taken using the direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) technique at 2.45 GHz. The models imply a non-separable channel with a persistent Ricean behavior across multiple model taps. We also explore model dynamics by comparing BER statistics for an overall model that is fit to the entire data set with those of a collection of models, each fit to smaller, non-overlapping intervals
Measuring the nonlinear coefficient of a fiber span using optical and RF clock tone monitoring

We demonstrate a technique for measuring the nonlinear-coefficient of a fiber spool/span using the optical and RF clock tones. We measure the variation in these tones induced by SPM and relate them to the nonlinear-coefficient.
An N.M.R. study of N,N-dimethylformamide complexes

(1966). An N.M.R. study of N,N-dimethylformamide complexes. Molecular Physics: Vol. 11, No. 6, pp. 597-598.
Investigating the Relationship Between Test‐Taker Background Characteristics and Test Performance in a Heterogeneous English‐as‐a‐Second‐Language (ESL) Test Population: A Factor Analytic Approach

This study examined the heterogeneity in the English-as-a-second-language (ESL) test population by modeling the relationship between test-taker background characteristics and test performance as measured by the TOEFL iBT® using a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with covariate approach. The background characteristics studied included: (a) main reason for taking the TOEFL iBT test; (b) time spent studying English; (c) time spent attending a school, college, or university in which content classes were taught in English; and (d) lived in a country where English is the main language. The results indicated that at most levels of the background characteristics studied, there were statistically significant differences in the means of the four underlying latent factors (reading, listening, speaking, and writing) representing English-language proficiency (ELP). Overall, the effect size differences on the reading, listening, speaking, and writing latent factors among the levels for each of the background variables studied ranged from small to medium. The results of this study provide empirical evidence of the association and possible influence of test-taker background characteristics on the four underlying latent factors representing ELP and, thus, on test performance.
Ethanol Oxidation and Toxicity: Role of Alcohol P-450 Oxygenase

The isolation and characterization of ethanol-inducible rabbit liver microsomal cytochrome P-450, termed P-450 3a or P-450ALC, has provided definitive evidence for the role of this enzyme in alcohol oxidation. From findings on the distribution, substrate specificity, and mechanism of action of P-450ALC we have suggested "alcohol P-450 oxygenase" as a more biochemically accurate name than "microsomal ethanol-oxidizing system." The present review is concerned with studies in this and other laboratories on activities and inducers associated with this versatile enzyme. Numerous xenobiotics, including alcohols and ketones, nitrosamines, aromatic compounds, and halogenated alkanes, alkenes, and ethers, are known to undergo increased microsomal metabolism after chronic exposure of various species to ethanol. Diverse compounds and treatments may induce P-450ALC, including the administration of ten or more chemically different compounds, fasting, or the diabetic state. Whether a common mechanism of induction is involved is unknown at this time. As direct evidence that P-450ALC catalyzes numerous metabolic reactions, the purified rabbit enzyme has been used in a reconstituted system to demonstrate various metabolic transformations, including the oxidation of various alcohols, acetone, acetol, p-nitrophenol, and aniline, the dealkylation of substituted nitrosamines, the reductive dechlorination of carbon tetrachloride, carbon tetrachloride-induced lipid peroxidation, and acetaminophen activation to form the glutathione conjugate.
Handoff Determination for a Hybrid Channel Allocation Algorithm in Wireless and Mobile Networks

The major contributions of this paper includes two aspects: (1) a novel expression for the handoff rate to the proposed hybrid channel allocation algorithm in a wireless and mobile networks [9] is theoretically derived, and (2) an efficient iterative algorithm to calculate this handoff rate is proposed. Furthermore, our numerical analysis validates the algorithm and the corresponding theoretic expression.
Discrete finite variation: a new measure of smoothness for the design of wavelet basis

A new method for measuring and designing a smooth wavelet basis which dispenses with the need for having a large number of zero moments of the wavelet is given. The method is based on minimizing the "discrete finite variation", and is a measure of the local "roughness" of a sampled version of the scaling function giving rise to a "visually smooth" wavelet basis. A smooth wavelet basis is deemed to be important for several applications and in particular for image compression where the goal is to limit spurious artifacts due to non-smooth basis functions in the presence of quantization of the individual subbands. The definition of smoothness introduced here gives rise to new algorithms for designing smooth wavelet basis with only one vanishing moment leaving free parameters, otherwise used for setting moments to zero, for optimization.
Wet silica-supported permanganate: A mild and inexpensive reagent for highly enantiomeric purity conversion of α-sulfinyl oximes and α-sulfinyl hydrazones to α-keto sulfoxides

Wet silica-supported potassium permanganate was used as an inexpensive and efficient reagent for conversion of α-sulfinyl oximes 1 and α-sulfinyl hydrazones 2 to the corresponding α-keto sulfoxides (3) in high yields and high enantiomeric purity under solvent-free conditions.
Preparation of High-Purity Vitreous B2S3

Preparation schemes for high-purity vitreous B{sub 2}S{sub 3} (v-B{sub 2}S{sub 3}) with a S:B ratio of 1.478 {plus minus} 0.032 are described. Preparation schemes reported in the literature are shown by very sensitive FT-IR measurements to yield v-B{sub 2}S{sub 3} with significant oxygen contamination. Through extreme care taken in carbonizing silica reaction tubes and through the use of very high purity starting materials, oxygen contamination of less than 1% has been achieved. The IR spectrum for very pure v- B{sub 2}S{sub 3} contains only two absorption bands.
“What...[thought] cannot bear to know”: Crippin’ the Limits of “Thinkability”

In this essay, I show how disability studies scholarship can challenge normative ways of thinking in higher educational contexts. I call this “crippin’ the limits of thinkability.” To make this argument, I draw on one pedagogical context, the course Multicultural Education for Leadership Personnel , offered to nurse educators enrolled in a doctoral degree in Instructional Leadership offered jointly through the College of Education and the College of Nursing in the university where I teach. In this course, through disability studies scholarship, students came to interrogate their own socialization into authority-based practices intimately tied to the positivist claims of evidence-based research. Thus, in this paper, I use queer theory and crip theory to describe three methods: the study of limits, the study of ignorance, and the study of reading practice (Britzman, 1998) to illustrate how disability studies scholarship enabled students to critically reflect on the knowledge of bodies and the bodies of knowledge manifested in nursing pedagogy and curriculum.
Buprenorphine Clinic for Opioid Maintenance Therapy: Program Description, Process Measures, and Patient Satisfaction

Buprenorphine (Suboxone®, Subutex®), a partial mu opioid agonist, has been shown to be a relatively safe and effective form of pharmacotherapy for the treatment of opioid dependence. Since its introduction and approval, however, few clinicians have described specific programs or approaches to long-term opioid maintenance therapy with buprenorphine, and fewer still have examined this phenomenon from the perspective of patient satisfaction. Here we describe a quality improvement project for a monthly buprenorphine clinic for opioid maintenance therapy, and have included demographic and clinical characteristics of the participants. Based on patient satisfaction survey results and supporting clinical data, respondents showed high levels of patient satisfaction, attendance, and treatment adherence in a multidisciplinary buprenorphine clinic for opioid maintenance therapy in an outpatient addictions treatment program.
Trends in behavior analysis in education

The preparation of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis Reprint Series: Behavior Analysis in Education (1988) provided an opportunity to survey and analyze trends in the field, as reflected by publications in the journal. Apparently, the large volume of behavior-analytic papers on educational topics has been declining and its contents undergoing some interesting but not uniformly welcome shifts. Although the intense concern with classroom conduct has diminished somewhat, that topic continues to be heavily emphasized. Simultaneously, reports of social skills and language studies have accelerated, but analyses of academic performance have progressively declined. Explanations for the findings remain speculative, but behavior analysts are encouraged to address these areas of essential social need.
Watching language grow

Because sign languages are processed by eye and hand rather than by ear and mouth, we might expect them to be structured differently from spoken languages. However, they are not. Sign languages are characterized by the same hierarchy of linguistic structures [syntax (1), morphology (2), and phonology (3)], and thus draw on the same human abilities as spoken languages. Moreover, children exposed to sign language from birth acquire that language as naturally as hearing children acquire the spoken language to which they are exposed, achieving major milestones at approximately the same ages (4, 5). However, the manual modality makes sign languages unique in at least one respect. It is relatively easy to use the manual modality to invent representational forms that can be immediately understood by naive observers (e.g., indexical pointing gestures or iconic miming gestures). As a result, communication systems can be invented on the spot in the manual modality, which means that sign systems have the potential to provide a window onto the process of language creation. Indeed, deaf individuals have often found themselves in situations where they needed to create a language de novo . One such situation is described by Sandler et al. in this issue of PNAS (6). A community, now in its seventh generation and containing 3,500 members, was founded 200 years ago in Israel by the Al-Sayyid Bedouins. Within the last three generations, 150 deaf individuals were born into this community, all descended from two of the founders' five sons. Al-Sayyid Bedouin Sign …
Target-specific mechanics of phagocytosis: protrusive neutrophil response to zymosan differs from the uptake of antibody-tagged pathogens

The physical mechanisms that control target-specific responses of human neutrophils to distinct immune threats are poorly understood. Using dual-micropipette manipulation, we have quantified and compared the time courses of neutrophil phagocytosis of two different targets: zymosan (a prominent model of fungal infection), and antibody-coated (Fc) particles. Our single-live-cell/single-target approach exposes surprising differences between these two forms of phagocytosis. Unlike the efficient uptake of 3-μm Fc targets (within ~66 seconds), the engulfment of similarly sized zymosan is slow (~167 seconds), mainly due to the formation of a characteristic pedestal that initially pushes the particle outwards by ~1 μm. Despite a roughly twofold difference in maximum cortical tensions, the top ‘pull-in’ speeds of zymosan and Fc targets are indistinguishable at ~33 nm/second. Drug inhibition shows that both actin as well as myosin II partake in the regulation of neutrophil cortical tension and cytoplasmic viscosity; other than that, myosin II appears to play a minor role in both forms of phagocytosis. Remarkably, an intact actin cytoskeleton is required to suppress, in antibody-mediated phagocytosis, the initially protrusive deformation that distinguishes the neutrophil response to zymosan.
An Epidemic Model With Post-Contact Prophylaxis of Distributed Length II. Stability and Oscillations if Treatment is Fully Effective

A possible control strategy against the spread of an infectious disease is the treatment with antimicrobials that are given prophylactically to those that had contact with an infective per- son. The treatment continues until recovery or until it becomes obvious that there was no infection in the first place. The model considers susceptible, treated uninfected exposed, treated infected, (untreated) infectious, and recovered individuals. The overly optimistic assumptions are made that treated uninfected individuals are not susceptible and treated infected individuals are not infec- tious. Since treatment lengths are considered that have an arbitrary distribution, the model system consists of ordinary differential and integral equations. We study the impact of the treatment length distribution on the large-time behavior of the model solutions, namely whether the solutions con- verge to an equilibrium or whether they are driven into undamped oscillations.
Genomic Signatures and Dose-Dependent Transitions in Nasal Epithelial Responses to Inhaled Formaldehyde in the Rat

Repeated and acute exposure studies assessed time and concentration-dependencies of nasal responses to formaldehyde. Exposures were to 0, 0.7, 2, and 6 ppm for 6 h/day, 5 days/week for up to 3 weeks. Neither cell proliferation nor histopathology was observed at 0.7 ppm. At 6 ppm, cell proliferation increased at the end of the first week (day 5), but not at the end of week 3 (day 15). Squamous metaplasia occurred at day 5; epithelial hyperplasia occurred at both day 5 and day 15. In microarray studies, no genes were altered at 0.7 ppm. At 2 ppm, 15 genes were changed on day 5; only half of them were changed at 6 ppm. No genes were changed significantly at 2 ppm at day 15. The pattern of gene changes at 2 and 6 ppm, with transient squamous metaplasia at day 5, indicated tissue adaptation and reduced tissue sensitivity by day 15. The acute study included an additional concentration (15 ppm) and an instillation group (40 microl, 400 mM per nostril). Three times more genes were affected by instillation than inhalation. U-shaped dose responses were noted in the acute study for many genes that were also altered at 2 ppm on day 5. On the basis of cellular component gene ontology benchmark dose analysis, the most sensitive changes were for genes were associated with extracellular components and plasma membrane. With formaldehyde, there are temporal and concentration-dependent transitions in epithelial responses and genomic signatures between 0.7 and 6 ppm. Low concentrations primarily affect extracellular matrix or external plasma membrane portions of the epithelium.
Knowledge-based robotic grasping

A general-purpose robotic grasping system for use in unstructured environments is described. Using computer vision and a compact set of heuristics, the system automatically generates the robot arm and hand motions required for grasping an unmodeled object. The utility of such a system is most evident in environments where the robot will have to grasp and manipulate a variety of unknown objects, but where many of the manipulation tasks may be relatively simple. Examples of such domains are planetary exploration and astronaut assistance, undersea salvage and rescue, and nuclear waste site clean-up. A two-stage model of grasping is described. Stage one is an orientation of the hand and wrist and a ballistic reach toward the object; stage two is hand preshaping and adjustment. Visual features are first extracted from the unmodeled object. These features and their relations are used by an expert system to generate a set of valid reaches/grasps for the object. These grasps are then used in driving the robot hand and arm to bring the fingers into contact with the object in the desired configuration. >
Facility-level DC vs. typical ac distribution for data centers: A comparative reliability study

This paper presents a comparative reliability analysis of a dc power distribution system in a range of 400 Vdc at the facility level against a typical ac distribution, for critical datacenter loads. Assumptions and conditions are established to allow meaningful comparisons. Inherent availability and survival function are used as the two reliability metrics. Analytical reliability models for various common configurations are developed, and quantitative results are obtained based on a set of generic reliability data. The study indicates that the dc system would be more reliable than the ac to a certain extent when considering a configuration with multiple units of uninterruptible power supply and loads but without redundancy. However, on a large scale with redundancy, it is shown that the dc would have a similar reliability level to that of the typical ac distribution.
In vivo detection of macrophages in a rabbit atherosclerotic model by time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy

Accumulation of numerous macrophages in the fibrous cap is a key identifying feature of plaque inflammation and vulnerability. This study investigates the use of time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy (TR-LIFS) as a potential tool for detection of macrophage foam cells in the intima of atherosclerotic plaques. Experiments were conducted in vivo on 14 New Zealand rabbits (6 control, 8 hypercholesterolemic) following aortotomy to expose the intimal luminal surface of the aorta. Tissue autofluorescence was induced with a nitrogen pulse laser (337 nm, 1 ns). Lesions were histologically classified by the percent of collagen or macrophage foam cells as well as thickness of the intima. Using parameters derived from the time-resolved fluorescence emission of plaques, we determined that intima rich in macrophage foam cells can be distinguished from intima rich in collagen with high sensitivity (>85%) and specificity (>95%). This study demonstrates, for the first time, that a time-resolved fluorescence-based technique can differentiate and demark macrophage content versus collagen content in vivo. Our results suggest that TR-LIFS technique can be used in clinical applications for identification of inflammatory cells important in plaque formation and rupture.
Rodent Aβ Modulates the Solubility and Distribution of Amyloid Deposits in Transgenic Mice

The amino acid sequence of amyloid precursor protein (APP) is highly conserved, and age-related Aβ aggregates have been described in a variety of vertebrate animals, with the notable exception of mice and rats. Three amino acid substitutions distinguish mouse and human Aβ that might contribute to their differing properties in vivo. To examine the amyloidogenic potential of mouse Aβ, we studied several lines of transgenic mice overexpressing wild-type mouse amyloid precursor protein (moAPP) either alone or in conjunction with mutant PS1 (PS1dE9). Neither overexpression of moAPP alone nor co-expression with PS1dE9 caused mice to develop Alzheimer-type amyloid pathology by 24 months of age. We further tested whether mouse Aβ could accelerate the deposition of human Aβ by crossing the moAPP transgenic mice to a bigenic line expressing human APPswe with PS1dE9. The triple transgenic animals (moAPP × APPswe/PS1dE9) produced 20% more Aβ but formed amyloid deposits no faster and to no greater extent than APPswe/PS1dE9 siblings. Instead, the additional mouse Aβ increased the detergent solubility of accumulated amyloid and exacerbated amyloid deposition in the vasculature. These findings suggest that, although mouse Aβ does not influence the rate of amyloid formation, the incorporation of Aβ peptides with differing sequences alters the solubility and localization of the resulting aggregates.
Selection-Integrated Optimization (SIO) Methodology for Optimal Design of Adaptive Systems

Many engineering systems are required to operate under changing operating conditions. A special class of systems called adaptive systems have been proposed in the literature to achieve high performance under changing environments. Adaptive systems acquire this powerful feature by allowing their design configuration to change with operating conditions. In the optimization of the adaptive systems, designers are often required to select (i) adaptive and (ii) non-adaptive (or fixed) design variables of the design configuration. Generally, the selection of these variables, and the optimization of adaptive systems are performed sequentially, thus leaving a likelihood of a sub-optimal design. In this paper, we propose the Selection-Integrated Optimization (SIO) methodology that integrates the two key processes: (1) the selection of the adaptive and fixed design variables, and (2) the optimization of the adaptive system, thereby leading to an optimum design. A major challenge to integrating these two key processes is the selection of the number of fixed and adaptive design variables, which is discrete in nature. We propose the Variable-Segregating Mapping-Function (VSMF) that overcomes this roadblock by progressively approximating the discreteness in the design variable selection process. This simple yet effective approach allows the SIO methodology to integrate the selection and optimization processes, and help avoid one significant source of sub-optimality from typical optimization formulations. The SIO methodology finds its applications in a variety of other engineering fields as well, such as product family optimization. However, in this paper, we limit the scope of our discussion to adaptive system optimization. The effectiveness of the SIO methodology is demonstrated by optimally designing a new air-conditioning system called Active Building Envelope (ABE) System.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Rapsyn mutations in humans cause endplate acetylcholine-receptor deficiency and myasthenic syndrome.

Congenital myasthenic syndromes (CMSs) stem from genetic defects in endplate (EP)-specific presynaptic, synaptic, and postsynaptic proteins. The postsynaptic CMSs identified to date stem from a deficiency or kinetic abnormality of the acetylcholine receptor (AChR). All CMSs with a kinetic abnormality of AChR, as well as many CMSs with a deficiency of AChR, have been traced to mutations in AChR-subunit genes. However, in a subset of patients with EP AChR deficiency, the genetic defect has remained elusive. Rapsyn, a 43-kDa postsynaptic protein, plays an essential role in the clustering of AChR at the EP. Seven tetratricopeptide repeats (TPRs) of rapsyn subserve self-association, a coiled-coil domain binds to AChR, and a RING-H2 domain associates with β-dystroglycan and links rapsyn to the subsynaptic cytoskeleton. Rapsyn self-association precedes recruitment of AChR to rapsyn clusters. In four patients with EP AChR deficiency but with no mutations in AChR subunits, we identify three recessive rapsyn mutations: one patient carries L14P in TPR1 and N88K in TPR3; two are homozygous for N88K; and one carries N88K and 553ins5, which frameshifts in TPR5. EP studies in each case show decreased staining for rapsyn and AChR, as well as impaired postsynaptic morphological development. Expression studies in HEK cells indicate that none of the mutations hinders rapsyn self-association but that all three diminish coclustering of AChR with rapsyn.
Robust IP watermarking methodologies for physical design

Increasingly popular reuse-based design paradigms create a pressing need for authorship enforcement techniques that protect the intellectual property rights of designers. We develop the first intellectual property protection protocols for embedding design watermarks at the physical design level. We demonstrate that these protocols are tarnsparent with respect to existing industrial tools and design flows, and that they can embed watermarks into real-world industrial designs with very low implementation overhead (as measured by such standard metrics as wirelength, layout area, number of vias, routing congestion and CPU time). On several industrial test cases, we obtain extremely strong, tamper-resistant proofs of authorship for placement and routing solutions.
Cervantes de Salazar y las fundaciones en falso de la ciudad de México

Los mexicas fundan Tenochtitlan en una isla sobre el lago de Mexico y crean un complejo sistema hidraulico para manejar su medio ambiente. Mexico en 1554 de cervantes de Salazar propones la transicion de la violencia de la conquista al establecimiento de un orden colonial a traves de la urbanizacion y la creacion de instituciones. El dominio del estado espanol y la formacion de sus ciudadanos "legitimos" se funda, sin embargo, en su desinteres respecto al conocimiento indigena. Esta negligencia sera la mas grande limitante de la hegemonia colonial que tendra que hacerse cargo de las constantes inundaciones provocadas por su descuido de las condiciones locales y el conocimiento que las manejaba.
Do Veterans Health Administration Enrollees Generalize to Other Populations

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has historically served a disproportionately male patient population with lower income and greater rates of mental illness than non-VHA populations. The generalizability of research based on VHA enrollees is unknown because the overlap between VHA and non-VHA populations has never been empirically examined. This study used 2013 National Health Interview Survey data to examine the extent to which VHA enrollees had similar demographic and health characteristics as individuals with Medicaid, Medicare, or private insurance coverage, based on propensity score models. A majority of male VHA enrollees were similar to Medicare beneficiaries suggesting greater generalizability of VHA studies than commonly hypothesized. Overlap declined when comparing with Medicaid enrollees or privately insured individuals, suggesting more limited generalizability of VHA studies to these populations.
The Waldorf Property

The Waldorf property is a tract of land whose development value is uncertain. One acre must be preserved as wetlands: The seller claims that it is too small an amount, and the Corps of Engineers indicates that it could be large enough. The case offers students the opportunity to apply the tools of pro forma cash-flow forecasting, electronic-spreadsheet modeling, decision analysis, and discounted cash flow and to wrestle with risk aversion and develop creative alternatives for reducing the uncertainty.
The preparation and properties of carbon inverse opal papers using carbon fiber sheets as a framework

Carbon inverse opal monoliths store energy, sense small molecules, and catalyse reactions, but can be limited by their rigid form because it prevents the mechanical flexure that would be needed to embed this material within devices that bend during use. We report a method that uses carbon fiber papers to impart partial mechanical flexibility and greater electronic conductivity to carbon inverse opals. Our approach deposits colloidal crystals between the fibers in carbon fiber paper and uses the colloidal crystal templates to form inverse opal carbon from phenolic resin. The resulting carbon inverse opal papers (CIOPs) comprise both three-dimensionally interconnected macropores and aperiodic meso- and micropores, the combination of which establishes hundreds of square meters of interfacial area per gram that can store and discharge electrochemical capacitance while planar, while flexed around radii of curvature as small as 5 mm, and after 150 reversible flexures. Carbon inverse opal papers offer at least 3 times greater electronic conductivity than reported carbon inverse opals because the network of carbon fibers doubly serves as pliable framework and conductive conduit.
Superstring Cosmology at Late Times and Time Variation of Fundamental Coupling Constants

The variation of Newton’s gravitational constant G at the present time is studied in the framework of superstring cosmology in an attempt to con­front superstring prediction with observations. It turns out that the present value of Ġ/G critically depends on the shape of the potential for the size of internal space. If the potential is almost flat, as in pertur­bation theory to all orders, |Ġ/G| is estimated to be in the range -1 x 10-10 yr.-1 - 1 x 10-12 yr.-1. If the potential has a minimum with finite curvature due to unknown nonperturbative effects, Ġ/G will become unobservably small. Thus the improvement of the measurement of Ġ/G would discriminate between the two situations. Complications in superstring unified theories for time variation of other coupling constants are also pointed out, which invalidate the assumptions made in previous analyses of data.