cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Notes from the Field: Decolonizing the Curriculum/The “Spanish” Major

In “Notes from the Field: Decolonizing the “Spanish” Major,” Castro-Klaren argues that the inherited philological model of the “Spanish” language and literature major assumes an ahistorical “unity” of the Spanish language (Castilian in fact) that affects with colonizing measures the historical understanding of Spanish American cultures and literatures. Likewise, the “Spanish” major curriculum “in the language only” excludes from course design a great deal of the indispensable revamping scholarship in English that redefines the field. The author proposes consideration of a relational and critically comparative approach for designing curriculum that would avoid epistemic re-colonization in a globalized world.
IL6 Protection of Myeloid Leukemic Cells Against P53 Induced Apoptosis Is Mediated by Activation of P13kinase/AKT and Stabilization of C-FLIP.

Abstract Myeloid leukemic cells (M1) proliferate continuously in culture unless induced by Interleukin-6 (IL6) to undergo a terminal differentiation program into macrophages, followed by apoptosis. M1 cells lack the tumor suppressor p53, which is a critical determinant of the cellular decision to either growth arrest and repair DNA damage or to undergo apoptosis. Activation of a temperature sensitive p53 protein (p53 val) at the permissive temperature in M1 cells results in rapid apoptosis. IL6 treatment blocks this p53-mediated apoptosis. Towards understanding the basis for this p53-mediated apoptosis and its abrogation by IL6, we have shown that at the permissive temperature p53 activates the pro-apoptotic Fas/CD95 pathway by up regulating the Fas/CD95 receptor and cleaving antiapoptotic c-FLIP. On the other hand, antagonistic Fas antibody protects against apoptosis. IL6 decreases Fas/CD95 ligand expression and prevents cleavage of FLIP. Treatment of M1p53ts cells with the specific Akt inhibitor Ly294002 abrogated IL6 protection and resulted in Flip cleavage, suggesting that IL-6 blocks apoptosis by phosphorylating and activating P13kinase/Akt, which in turn promotes FLIP stability. Inhibition of the ERK pro-survival pathway did not abrogate IL6 protection against p53 apoptosis like Akt inhibition caused. Nevertheless M1p53ts-Flip cell lines fail to completely protect against p53 mediated apoptosis, suggesting that FLIP is itself insufficient to protect against apoptosis. Therefore we examined what other proteins may synergize with FLIP to protect from apoptosis, and found that that the pro-survival bcl2 protein family member MCL-1 is strongly up regulated by IL6 in our M1p53 cell line. Generation of M1p53-FLIP-MCL1, M1p53-MCL1, and M1p53 -uncleavable FLIP cell lines is underway to determine whether there is synergy between MCL-1 and FLIP in escape from p53 mediated apoptosis of M1p53 cells. Thus far taken together these data support a model for leukemic progression where cells that acquire the ability to produce an autocrine survival factor, such as IL6, can bypass normal p53 surveillance function by targeting downstream inhibitors of apoptosis such Akt, c-Flip and MCL-1.
From the Cover: ImpairedProliferation and Differentiation of the Conducting Airway Epithelium Associated With Bronchiolitis Obliterans After Sulfur Mustard Inhalation Injury in Rats

Sulfur mustard (SM) is a chemical warfare agent that causes chronic airway remodeling. This study’s objective was to assess for changes to the bronchiolar epithelium after SM exposure to explain its contribution to chronic airway remodeling. Materials and methods: Adult male rats were exposed to a sublethal dose of SM inhalation (1.0–1.2 mg/kg) for 50 min. Histological sections of the bronchiolar epithelium were analyzed for changes using hematoxylin and eosin, trichrome, and immunofluorescent staining for acetylated tubulin (AT) and club cell secretory protein (CCSP). CCSP in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was assessed using western blot. A bromodeoxyuridine (BRDU) assay was used to assess for epithelial proliferation, and real-time PCR measured changes in Notch mRNA expression. Results: SM caused significant proximal bronchiolar epithelial injury with epithelial denudation, loss of acetylated tubulin and CCSP staining, and reduced bronchoalveolar lavage fluid CCSP levels. bromodeoxyuridine (BRDU) + staining of proximal bronchiolar epithelial cells was not increased, but staining was increased in the distal bronchiolar epithelium. One month after injury, the proximal bronchiolar epithelium was not fully repaired. Significant collagen deposition surrounded proximal bronchioles with luminal obstruction, consistent with bronchiolitis obliterans. These changes corresponded with a downregulation of Notch1, Notch3, and Hes1 mRNA expressions. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that SM exposure resulted in severe proximal airway epithelial injury, persistent morphological changes, impaired epithelial proliferation and, ultimately, bronchiolitis obliterans. These changes occurred at the same time that the Notch signaling genes were downregulated. Thus, the lung epithelium and the Notch signaling pathway may be worthy targets for the prevention of chronic airway remodeling after SM inhalation injury.
Renal vascular and glomerular pathologies associated with spontaneous hypertension in the nonhuman primate Chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus

Hypertension is a complex, multifactorial disease affecting an estimated 78 million adults in the United States. Despite scientific gains, the etiology of human essential hypertension is unknown an...
Predictive offloading in mobile-fog-cloud enabled cyber-manufacturing systems

An industrial cyber-physical system (ICPS) integrates the physical processes, systems and networks with the computation resources to provide reliable and responsive computation services. A cyber-manufacturing system (CMS), which is generated from ICPS, poses significant challenges on reliability, accuracy and responsiveness of computation services for manufacturing decision making. In this paper, we focus on reliability and responsiveness. Due to the heterogeneities of the computation and communication capacities and conditions, demanding computation services may not be completed in a timely manner. To facilitate reliable and responsive computation services, we propose a deadline constrained predictive offloading method based on a mobile-fog-cloud (MFC) network. This method optimizes the offloading decisions by solving a quadratically constrained integer linear programming constrained by latency requirements and predicted availability of devices. A newly constructed hybrid cyber-additive manufacturing network is used to test the performance of the proposed predictive offloading method and the MFC network. The results show that the proposed method outperforms mobile computing, fog computing, cloud computing, and fog-cloud computing benchmarks to minimize resource consumption and comply with latency requirements.
Real-Time Control of a Waste Water Neutralization Process Using Radial Basis Functions

Abstract A feedforward neural network and a radial basis function network are applied to real-time identification of a waste water neutralization process. The models, obtained via off-line training procedure, are implemented in a model predictive control environment. The identification and control performances of both networks are demonstrated. The results show that both network structures are applicable for modeling the system, the radial basis function model improves the approximation and the control task.
Cancer and the Nuclear Pore Complex

The nuclear pore complex (NPC) mediates trafficking between the cytoplasm and nucleoplasm. It also plays key roles in other nuclear processes such as chromatin silencing, transcriptional regulation, and DNA damage repair. Nucleoporins, the structural components of the NPC, have been linked to a multitude of cancers through chromosomal translocations generating fusion proteins, changes in protein expression levels, and single point mutations. Only a small number of nucleoporins have been linked to tumorigenesis thus far, and these proteins—Nup62, Nup88, Nup98, Nup214, Nup358/RanBP2, and Tpr—line the trafficking pathway and are particularly associated with mRNA export. Overexpression of several associated nuclear export factors, most also involved in various stages of mRNA export, has been linked to cancers as well. Some oncogenic nucleoporin mutants are mislocalized to either the cytoplasm or nucleoplasm while others are incorporated into the NPC, and in all these cases they are thought to misregulate signaling pathways and transcription through either altered or diminished nucleoporin functionality. Intriguingly, many viruses target the same cancer-linked nucleoporins, often causing their degradation or mislocalization, implying that these viruses exploit some of the same weaknesses as the oncogenic defects.
Abstract PR09: Modeling the tumor microenvironment in sarcoma: The impact on MPNST biology and chemotherapeutic response

NF1 haploinsufficiency is a hallmark of neurofibromatosis Type 1 and is critical for neurofibroma development. The role of the supporting stroma (endothelial cells, immune cells, fibroblasts, etc.) in the development of patient neurofibromas is well established. However, the impact of NF1 haploinsufficiency on MPNST biology is less clear. Sporadic MPNSTs arise in patients with NF1 wild-type stroma (NF1 +/+), while NF1-associated MPNSTs arise in neurofibromatosis patients with NF1 haploinsufficient stroma (NF1 -/+). Patients with NF1-associated MPNSTs have worse outcome than patients with sporadic MPNSTs, but the cause of this difference is under debate. To define the impact of stromal genetics on tumor biology, we have developed unique mouse models that reflect the genetics of patient-associated MPNSTs. Using paired littermate mice, we model the genetic status of NF1 in the tumor microenvironment of different MPNST patient populations. We use Adenovirus-Cre injections to generate MPNSTs in NF1 Flox/Flox; CDKN2A Flox/Flox and NF1 Null/Flox; CDKN2A Flox/Flox paired littermate mice to model tumors from NF1 wild-type and NF1-assoicated patients, respectively. We find that NF1 haploinsufficiency (NF1 +/- stroma) accelerates tumor onset, which is accompanied by an increase in immune cells comprising CD11B+ cells, monocytes, and mast cells. Furthermore, mast cells are also enriched in human NF1-associated MPNSTs. We used these mouse models in a preclinical trial to examine how the tumor microenvironment influences response to multiagent chemotherapy and found that the stromal NF1 status does not impact the response of MPNSTs to chemotherapy. Taken together, these studies help clarify the role of the NF1 haploinsufficient tumor microenvironment in MPNSTs. This abstract is also being presented as Poster B15. Citation Format: Rebecca Dodd, Chang-Lung Lee, Mary Overton, Wesley Huang, William Eward, Davis Ingram, Diana Cordona, Alexander Lazar, David Kirsch. Modeling the tumor microenvironment in sarcoma: The impact on MPNST biology and chemotherapeutic response [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Conference on Advances in Sarcomas: From Basic Science to Clinical Translation; May 16-19, 2017; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2018;24(2_Suppl):Abstract nr PR09.
Coherent Structures in a Population Model for Mussel-Algae Interaction

We consider a known model that describes formation of mussel beds on soft sediments. The model consists of nonlinearly coupled partial differential equations that capture evolution of mussel biomass on the sediment and algae in the water layer overlying the mussel bed. The system accounts for the diffusive spread of mussels, while the diffusion of algae is neglected and at the same time the tidal flow of the water is considered to be the main source of transport for algae but does not affect mussels. Therefore, both the diffusion and the advection matrices in the system are singular. A numerical investigation of this system in some parameter regimes is known. We present a systematic analytic treatment of this model. Among other techniques, we use geometric singular perturbation theory to analyze the nonlinear mechanisms of pattern and wave formation in this system.
Spatial distribution, movements, and geographic range of Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) in Alaska.

The two stocks of Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) in Alaska include an endangered western stock, recently recovering in parts of its range following decades of decline, and an eastern stock which was removed from the U.S. Endangered Species List in 2013 following increasing numbers since the 1970s. Information on overlapping distributions of eastern and western sea lions is needed for management considerations. We analyzed >30,000 sightings collected from 2000–2014 of 2,385 sea lions that were branded as pups at 10 Alaskan rookeries to examine mesoscale (mostly <500km) spatial distribution, geographic range, and geographic population structure based on natal rookery, sex, and age during breeding and non-breeding seasons. Analyses of summary movement measures (e.g., natal rookery, sex, and age-class differences in spatial distribution and geographic range) indicate wide variation in rookery-specific movement patterns. Correlations between movement measures and population dynamics suggested movement patterns could be a function of density dependence. Animals from larger rookeries, and rookeries with slower population growth and lower survival, had wider dispersion than animals from smaller rookeries, or rookeries with high growth and survival. Sea lions from the largest rookery, Forrester Island, where survival and population trends are lowest, were the most widely distributed. Analysis of geographic population structure indicated that animals born in the eastern Aleutian Islands had the most distinct movements and had little overlap with other western sea lions. Northern Southeast Alaska, within the eastern stock, is the area of greatest overlap between stocks, and is important to western animals, especially those born in Prince William Sound. Detailed knowledge of distribution and movements of western sea lions is useful for defining recovery and population trend analysis regions that better reflect dispersion and population structure and provides valuable information to managers as critical habitat is re-evaluated and the location of the stock boundary reconsidered.
Glutamate Transporters and Mitochondria: Signaling, Co-compartmentalization, Functional Coupling, and Future Directions

In addition to being an amino acid that is incorporated into proteins, glutamate is the most abundant neurotransmitter in the mammalian CNS, the precursor for the inhibitory neurotransmitter γ-aminobutyric acid, and one metabolic step from the tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediate α-ketoglutarate. Extracellular glutamate is cleared by a family of Na+-dependent transporters. These transporters are variably expressed by all cell types in the nervous system, but the bulk of clearance is into astrocytes. GLT-1 and GLAST (also called EAAT2 and EAAT1) mediate this activity and are extremely abundant proteins with their expression enriched in fine astrocyte processes. In this review, we will focus on three topics related to these astrocytic glutamate transporters. First, these transporters co-transport three Na+ ions and a H+ with each molecule of glutamate and counter-transport one K+; they are also coupled to a Cl- conductance. The movement of Na+ is sufficient to cause profound astrocytic depolarization, and the movement of H+ is linked to astrocytic acidification. In addition, the movement of Na+ can trigger the activation of Na+ co-transporters (e.g. Na+-Ca2+ exchangers). We will describe the ways in which these ionic movements have been linked as signals to brain function and/or metabolism. Second, these transporters co-compartmentalize with mitochondria, potentially providing a mechanism to supply glutamate to mitochondria as a source of fuel for the brain. We will provide an overview of the proteins involved, discuss the evidence that glutamate is oxidized, and then highlight some of the un-resolved issues related to glutamate oxidation. Finally, we will review evidence that ischemic insults (stroke or oxygen/glucose deprivation) cause changes in these astrocytic mitochondria and discuss the ways in which these changes have been linked to glutamate transport, glutamate transport-dependent signaling, and altered glutamate metabolism. We conclude with a broader summary of some of the unresolved issues.
On the Objectivity of Investigations: An Experiment

This experiment examined whether the objectivity of investigations are influenced by the structure of the investigatory process. Lay participants role-played an investigator, and were assigned to investigate on behalf of either one of the parties (adversarial assignments) or on behalf of both parties (inquisitorial assignment). All participants were provided with the same ambiguous factual pattern and were instructed to be fair and objective. The results show the adversarial groups' perception of the case was polarized in the direction of their assignment, with the inquisitorial group's perception somewhere in between. The assignment also influenced participants' reported affect and emotions towards the student, as well as their motivation regarding the outcome of the case. The reported affect, emotions, and motivations were found to mediate the inculpatory judgments. The adversarial assignments also caused participants to develop a cynical mindset, manifested by a distrusting view of the (fictitious) counterpart investigator, and a perceived mirror image distrust by that person. The adversarial assignment was found to entail a group-like identification with other people on the same side of the assignment. These findings replicate and extend the research on coherence based reasoning.
Electrical conductivity increase by order of magnitude through controlling sintering to tune hierarchical structure of oxide ceramics

Abstract Perovskite calcium manganate CaMnO3-δ is representative of an essential group of semiconductors with unique physical phenomena including colossal magnetoresistance and thermoelectric properties. For the large-scale applications that require the utilization of oxide ceramics, the polycrystalline materials’ physical properties such as conductivity can be controlled and ultimately optimized through tuning the ceramics sintering conditions. In the present study, the impact of the sintering temperature on the structure and thermoelectric performance of CaMnO3-δ is systematically studied. For the ceramics pellets made of precursors powders synthesized using the chemical sol-gel reaction, the increase in the sintering temperature dramatically increases the electrical conductivity by order of magnitude and simultaneously increases the Seebeck coefficient. Meanwhile, the thermal conductivity increases with the rise of the sintering temperature. Among the samples sintered at different temperatures, the peaking thermoelectric Figure of Merit ZT of pristine CaMnO3-δ reached 0.28, which is a factor of 2.5 higher than the highest reported ZT for pristine CaMnO3-δ and approached that of the doped single-phase CaMnO3-δ. The electrical and thermal properties changes were interpreted based on the oxide ceramics hierarchical structure evolutions, from unit cell level to micron scales, induced by changes of sintering temperatures.
Machine Learning Properties of Electrolyte Additives: A Focus on Redox Potentials

Electrolyte additives for lithium-ion battery (LIB), commonly categorized into anode additives, cathode additives, redox shuttle additives, and fire retardants, can improve properties of electrolyt...
Chronic Allograft Injury

With the incremental improvements in long-term kidney transplant survival, there is renewed focus on what causes failure of the transplanted allograft. Over the past decade, our understanding of the injuries that lead to loss of graft function over time has evolved. Chronic allograft injury includes both immune-mediated and nonimmune-mediated injuries, which may involve the organ donor, the recipient, or both. The targets of injury include the kidney tubular epithelium, the endothelium, and the glomerulus. As a response to injury, there are the expected tissue remodeling and repair processes. However, if inflammation persists, which is not uncommon in the transplant setting, the resulting maladaptive response is matrix deposition and/or fibrosis. This ultimately leads to declining graft function and, finally, failure. With our advancing knowledge of the multiple etiologies and mechanisms, enhanced by more recent cohort studies in humans, there is an opportunity to identify those at greater risk to initiate new strategies to ameliorate the process. Although the most recent studies focus on immune-mediated injuries, there is a critical need to identify both markers of injury and mechanisms of injury. In this review, we highlight the findings of recent studies, highlight the potential therapeutic targets, and identify the continued unmet need for understanding the mechanisms of late graft failure.
Interception and rendezvous: An intuition-building approach to orbital dynamics

The problem of rendezvous, the meeting of spacecraft in orbit, is an important aspect of mission planning. We imagine a situation where a chaser craft, initially traveling on the same circular orbit as its target and separated from it by a known distance, must select an initial thrust vector that will allow it to meet the target (interception) followed by a second thrust vector that will allow it to match velocities with the target (rendezvous). The analysis presented here provides solutions to this problem in simple algebraic forms while offering many rich challenges that support intuition-building exercises for students across a range of skill levels. An html-javascript orbit calculator is made available with this manuscript as a supporting visual aid and can be used to test the analysis and explore the consequences of different orbital intercept solutions.
Discrimination as Anti-ethical: Achieving Systemic Change in Large Law Firms

As protests calling for racial justice erupted across the country in 2020, many large law firms issued statements acknowledging systemic inequities and bias. They had previously expressed their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Some had launched well-publicized diversity initiatives. Still, break-through progress has been elusive. Women, and women of color, continue to be severely underrepresented in partnership ranks. The gender pay gap at law firms persists. An unrelenting pattern of heavy burden in the lived experiences of women and women of color at law firms continues. Large law firms, on their own, have not been sufficiently incentivized to dismantle systemic discrimination and bias. And yet, they are allowed and trusted to proceed with barely any ethical oversight on issues of discrimination and bias in pay and promotion in a self-regulated profession. Sustained, pervasive change is needed. This Article takes leaders of large law firms at their word. It extends an invitation to advocate for state supreme courts, state bars, the American Bar Association, and state legislatures to move quickly to implement a new framework and bring about an ethical reset to eliminate systemic bias and discrimination in large law firms. With the gender pay gap in law firm partnership compensation as a vehicle, this Article explains precisely how the design of the rules of professional conduct renders them largely symbolic on discrimination and ineffective against longstanding systemic barriers. It proposes a framework requiring (1) transparency of process and pay; (2) regular self-assessment addressing milestones; and (3) a financial incentive for compliance. The framework can be used as a springboard to address other consequences of systemic discrimination in law firms, like the abysmal underrepresentation of women of color in law firm partnership ranks.
Human Temperature Scanning from a Distance

In this work we present an inexpensive, yet accurate, solution of measuring human temperature from a distance. The need for such solution is essential during pandemics. During COVID-19, one of the most common symptoms, for those who develop symptoms, is fever. We believe a tool that measures multiple peoples’ temperature from a safe distance can be valuable. As people enter buildings, airports, hospitals, etc. they can be scanned automatically from a safe distance. The system can alert the authorities for further assessment. Even though such a tool does not prevent the spread of a virus by itself, it can help contain the virus following additional measures such as wearing a face mask, frequent hand washing, and social distancing.
Rhetorics of Silence

This chapter discusses conceptualizations and categorizations of silence, and the values and roles of silence in various global cultures, in classrooms, and in social justice events. The chapter argues for acceptance of silence in a variety of social spaces and for a variety of purposes.﻿
Mid-fidelity simulations and comparisons of five techniques for axial induction control of a wind turbine

Abstract. As wind turbines are more frequently placed in arrays, the need to understand and mitigate problems arising from their wakes has increased. When downstream turbines are in the wakes of upstream ones, the downstream turbines produce less power, require more maintenance, and have shorter lifetimes. One wake mitigation technique is known as axial induction control (AIC) and it involves derating (operating suboptimally) upstream turbines such that more energy remains in their wakes for downstream turbines to harvest. While there has been considerable research on this technique, much of it has suffered from a misunderstanding of the most important parameters in optimizing AIC. As such, the research has been largely inconclusive. Herein, we seek to rectify several perceived shortcomings of previous work by using mid-fidelity simulations to compare five different techniques for AIC at three different derate percentages against a baseline case and examining the recovery of the wake. We find that only the case with the lowest derate, 10 %, and using maximum thrust exceeds the baseline when estimating the combined power of the simulated turbine and a virtual turbine five diameters downstream and that it produced 10 % more power. Furthermore, these results help to validate previous work that concluded that the excess energy that is in the wake of a derated turbine will be at the edges of the wake unless the wake can sufficiently recover before the next downstream turbine. Finally, all together this suggests that the precise combination of derate percentage and the method used to derate turbines (i.e., the precise combination of pitch and torque controls), as well as the spacing and arrangement of turbines, must all be considered when optimizing AIC, and that substantial power gains may be possible.
Chapter 19 – Applications of Holography

This chapter discusses some of the practical applications of holography. The most important application of holography for industrial purposes is the holographic interferometry. It provides an engineering tool for strain and vibration analysis and for defect detection. The use of holographic interferometry makes the interferometric methods applicable to the measurement and testing of surfaces with complicated shapes and to surfaces that are not specularly reflecting. In it, the wavefront is released and is used to interfere with some other wavefront, so as to form bright and dark fringes in the regions of constructive and destructive interference. The two wavefronts can represent an object at different instants of time. The three important types of holographic interferometry are: the real-time holographic interferometry, the double-exposure holographic interferometry, and the time-average holographic interferometry. Holographic interferometry can be employed in a practical manner for solving various problems in the evaluation of optical materials.
Theoretical and experimental analysis of H 2 binding in a prototypical metal-organic framework material

Hydrogen adsorption by the metal-organic framework (MOF) structure ${\text{Zn}}_{2}{(\text{BDC})}_{2}(\text{TED})$ is investigated using a combination of experimental and theoretical methods. By using the nonempirical van der Waals density-functional approach, it is found that the locus of deepest ${\text{H}}_{2}$ binding positions lies within two types of narrow channel. The energies of the most stable binding sites, as well as the number of such binding sites, are consistent with the values obtained from experimental adsorption isotherms and heat of adsorption data. Calculations of the shift of the H-H stretch frequency when adsorbed in the MOF give a value of approximately $\ensuremath{-}30\text{ }{\text{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ at the strongest binding point in each of the two channels. Ambient temperature infrared-absorption spectroscopy measurements give a hydrogen peak centered at $4120\text{ }{\text{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$, implying a shift consistent with the theoretical calculations.
Stochastic distributed optimization of reactive power operations using conditional ensembles of V2G capacity

Energy storage and reactive power supplied by electric vehicles (EV) through vehicle-to-grid (V2G) operation can be coordinated to provide voltage support, thus reducing the need of grid reinforcement and active power curtailment. Optimization and control approaches for V2G-enabled reactive power control should be robust to variations and offer a certain level of optimality by combining real-time control with several-hours-ahead network management schemes. This paper introduces an optimization and control framework that can be used to manage energy storage availability in near future while using the remaining capacity of V2G to generate reactive power and cooperatively perform voltage control. Stochastic distributed optimization of reactive power is realized by integrating a Markov chain-based distributed sub-gradient method with conditional ensemble predictions of V2G capacity. Hence, the obtained solutions can reflect on the system requirements for the upcoming hours along with the instantaneous cooperation between distributed EVs.
Distributed streaming for video on demand

Implementing reliable Video on Demand (VoD) systems over the Internet, which is inherently best-effort, is a challenge. Distributed streaming for Video on Demand addresses this challenge with a combination of two techniques. The first, Distributed Video Streaming using Multicast (DVSM) involves video streaming from multiple servers to overcome path congestion by exploiting path diversity. The second technique, Asynchronous Hybrid mechanism for Video on Demand, implements a segmentation-based periodic broadcast to effectively utilize network bandwidth and decrease latency. The combination involves devising new algorithms for bandwidth estimation, segment partitioning and scheduling. A simulation of our proposed solution demonstrates its effectiveness. Specifically the results show, the prompt reaction of our strategy to congestion, and, the effect the various parameters have on system performance. The results shed light on parameters that can be fine-tuned for an effective VoD system.
HST Imaging of Proto-Planetary Nebulae and Very Young Planetary Nebulae-Towards a New Understanding of Their Formation

With the advent of the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) onboard the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) in Dec 1993, a growing number of young planetary and proto-planetary nebulae (PNe and PPNe) have been imaged with unprecedented high angular resolution and dynamic range. These objects represent the last phases of the evolution of intermediate-mass (~1–8 M ⊙) stars.
A slow excitatory postsynaptic potential mediated by 5-HT2 receptors in nucleus prepositus hypoglossi

Intracellular recordings were made from neurons of the nucleus prepositus hypoglossi in slices of guinea pig medulla. 5-HT (serotonin) caused a hyperpolarization followed by a late depolarization. The hyperpolarization was mediated by 5-HT1A receptor activation and could be selectively blocked by pindobind-5HT1A (PBD). 5-HT then caused a depolarization only. A selective 5-HT2 agonist, (+)-1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl)-2-aminopropane (DOI), also caused a depolarization. Ketanserin and spiperone, 5-HT2 antagonists, blocked the depolarization due to both 5-HT and DOI. Focal electrical stimulation caused an IPSP mediated by 5-HT acting upon 5-HT1A receptors and a slow EPSP (s-EPSP). PBD blocked the IPSP, leaving an isolated s-EPSP. Both spiperone and ketanserin antagonized the s-EPSP, while DOI occluded it. The s-EPSP was from 2 to 10 mV in amplitude and 35-50 sec in duration, and showed voltage dependence consistent with a decrease in potassium conductance. Both the IPSP and the s-EPSP were presynaptically inhibited by the 5-HT1D agonist sumatriptan. These data indicate that the s-EPSP is mediated by 5-HT acting upon 5-HT2 receptors. This represents strong support for the role of 5-HT as an excitatory neurotransmitter in the CNS. Further, it demonstrates that synaptic release of 5-HT can mediate opposing effects on the membrane potential of a single cell.
Quantum bounds for inequalities involving marginal expectation values

We review and develop an algorithm to determine arbitrary quantum bounds based on the seminal work of Tsirelson [Lett. Math. Phys. 4, 93 (1980)]. The potential of this algorithm is demonstrated by both deriving marginal-involving number-valued quantum bounds and identifying a generalized class of function-valued quantum bounds. Those results facilitate an eight-dimensional volume analysis of quantum mechanics which extends the work of Cabello [Phys. Rev. A 72, 012113 (2005)]. We contrast the quantum volume defined by these bounds to that of macroscopic locality, defined by the inequalities corresponding to the first level of the hierarchy of Navascu\'es et al. [New J. Phys. 10, 073013 (2008e)], proving our function-valued quantum bounds to be more complete.
Tunable magnetocaloric effect in transition metal alloys.

The unpredictability of geopolitical tensions and resulting supply chain and pricing instabilities make it imperative to explore rare earth free magnetic materials. As such, we have investigated fully transition metal based “high entropy alloys” in the context of the magnetocaloric effect. We find the NiFeCoCrPdx family exhibits a second order magnetic phase transition whose critical temperature is tunable from 100 K to well above room temperature. The system notably displays changes in the functionality of the magnetic entropy change depending on x, which leads to nearly 40% enhancement of the refrigerant capacity. A detailed statistical analysis of the universal scaling behavior provides direct evidence that heat treatment and Pd additions reduce the distribution of exchange energies in the system, leading to a more magnetically homogeneous alloy. The general implications of this work are that the parent NiFeCoCr compound can be tuned dramatically with FCC metal additives. Together with their relatively lower cost, their superior mechanical properties that aid manufacturability and their relative chemical inertness that aids product longevity, NiFeCoCr-based materials could ultimately lead to commercially viable magnetic refrigerants.
Feedback regulation and male puberty: testosterone-luteinizing hormone relationships in the developing rat.

Studies were performed with the primary objective of evaluating the hypothesis that the onset of puberty in males is related to a change in the sensitivity of the negative feedback mechanisms which mediate the androgen suppression of LH secretion. Unlike previous studies, stabilized testosterone (T) levels were produced by sc implantation of Silastic capsules containing T, and both plasma T and LH were directly measured by RIA. Male rats were castrated and simultaneously received capsule implants at 26, 55 and 115 days of age, and autopsied 5 days later. A given level of plasma T produced a significantly greater suppression of plasma LH in the prepuberal than in the two older groups. It was concluded that the sensitivity of the testosterone-LH feedback mechanism is higher before than after puberty. A clear trend to increases of LH over the castrate control levels was found in castrated puberal rats treated with low T doses, but this stimulatory effect was not replicated in subsequent experiments. In addit...
Modeling of domain switching in ferroelectric ceramics : An example

The authors have recently proposed a continuum model for domain switching in polycrystalline ferroelectric ceramics in which each crystallite is modeled as a mixture of various domains characterized by their mass fractions, and domain switching corresponds to changes of the mass fractions of the corresponding domains. In order to explore the implications of this model, the authors present the explicit solution to an idealized one-dimensional ferroelectric system. The solution indicates that the orientation misalignment of crystallites results in a local electric field of strong inhomogeneity. The local electric field does not necessarily vanish in the absence of an externally applied electric field and its magnitude at certain locations can be substantially larger than that of the externally applied electric field. With a postulated domain switching criterion, the model produces the hysteretic response of the macroscopic polarization to the applied electric field due to local domain switching.
The treatment of primary tuberculosis in infancy

Summary 1. The management of the infant under one year with primary pulmonary tuberculosis has received inadequate attention in the past. 2. The malignant forms of progressive primary tuberculosis, i.e., miliary tuberculosis and tuberculous meningitis, occur with greatest frequency during infancy, and should be prevented whenever possible. 3. All infants and children should routinely be tested with tuberculin in order to detect early the presence of primary tuberculosis. 4. BCG should be given to those likely to be exposed to tuberculosis. 5. Infants with a positive tuberculin and negative x-ray findings should receive a course of INH. 6. Infants with a positive tuberculin and positive x-ray findings should receive INH and streptomycin sulfate.
Content and emphasis in CS1

In the spring of 2004, 351 faculty members responded to a survey concerning the content and topic emphasis in the first course in computing. The survey targeted two different groups of faculty, one SIGCSE members and the other faculty who had contacted a medium-sized publisher of Computer Science textbooks. The questions fell into five categories: design methodology, general programming issues, object-oriented issues, software engineering issues, and other topics. The results are analyzed and, where possible, some conclusions are drawn.
The Feasibility of Ethnodrama as Intervention to Highlight Late-Life Potential for Nursing Students and Older Adults

One barrier to the expansion of geriatric health care providers is the limited desire of nursing students to work with older adults. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of using ethnodrama as an intervention to highlight late-life potential. Twelve baccalaureate nursing students were paired with 12 residents of an assisted living facility to complete transformative learning activities focused on the topic of late-life potential culminating in a performance of an ethnodrama developed from these data. Transcripts of initial student meetings, self-reflections, the performance, postperformance discussion, and open-ended survey questions were analyzed using in vivo and pattern coding. Older adult participants recognized and emphasized positive late-life potential, whereas students explored potential throughout the life span and reflected on its meaning in their own lives. Increasing discussion about late-life potential may alter the stigma associated with aging.
Synthesis of chiral disulfides: potential reagents for enantioselective sulfurization

Synthesis of chiral phosphorothioates for use as antisense oligonucleotides might benefit from the use of chiral disulfides. This paper reports the synthesis of chiral analogs of phenylacetyl disul...
Effects of US biofuel policies on US and world petroleum product markets with consequences for greenhouse gas emissions

Abstract US biofuel policy includes greenhouse gas reduction targets. Regulators do not address the potential that biofuel policy can have indirect impacts on greenhouse gases through its impacts on petroleum product markets, and scientific research only partially addresses this question. We use economic models of US biofuel and agricultural markets and US and world petroleum and petroleum product markets to show that discontinuing biofuel tax credits and ethanol tariff lower biofuel use could lead to increased US petroleum product use, and a reduction in petroleum product use in other parts of the world. The net effect is lower greenhouse gas emissions. Under certain assumptions, we show that biofuel use mandate elimination can have positive or negative impacts on greenhouse gas emissions. The magnitude and the direction of effects depend on how US biofuel trade affects biofuel in other countries with different emissions, context that determines how important use mandates are in the first place, who pays mandate costs, and the price responsiveness of global petroleum supplies and uses. However, our results show that counter-intuitive effects are possible and discourage broad conclusions about the greenhouse gas impacts of removing these elements of US biofuel policy.
β Pictoris and the λ Bootis stars: testing the accretion hypothesis

It is suggested that β Pic may be an unrecognized λ Boo star, based on the recent discussion of its evolutionary status by Paresce (1991, A&A, 247) and the proposal by Venn & Lambert (1990, ApJ, 363) linking circumstellar material with the λ Boo phenomenon. The star's metallicity, photometric indices and UV spectrum support this interpretation. If confirmed as a λ Boo star, β Pic would lend support to the accretion hypothesis of Venn & Lambert and would be the first λ Boo object recognized a priori from surrounding circumstellar material. In light of this classification, other workers' results suggesting that β Pic would be undergoing possible enrichment in metals from infalling, comet-like bodies, are discussed
A new variant of serum leucine aminopeptidase in the mouse: its development and possible regulation.

Serum leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) isozymes were compared in four strains of inbred mice during postnatal development, adult life, and pregnancy. In pregnancy, no changes in the maternal serum LAP pattern were observed, in contrast to human studies. One strain, DD/S, differs from the other three in serum LAP. Polymorphism in serum LAP has not been previously described in the mouse. Neonatal DD/S mice exhibit a single band of serum LAP upon starch gel electrophoresis; however, between 14 and 18 days of age, two distinct bands appear, which persist throughout adult life. In the strains C57BL/6J, BALB/cJ, and DBA/2J there is a single band of activity at all stages. Crosses and backcrosses between DD/S and C57BL/6J show that the double-band variant is inherited as an autosomal recessive. The variant is independent of both the supernatant malic enzyme (Mod-1) and the intestinal LAP (Lap-1) loci, which are known to be linked on chromosome 9. The serum LAP variant is linked to an intestinal alkaline phosphatase variant. The presence of a separate structural gene is suggested by the genetic independence of the serum LAP variant from Lap-1. Also, the two serum LAP bands of DD/S are not interconverted by treatment with neuraminidase, β-mercaptoethanol, or heat or by mixing the sera of DD/S and C57BL/6J prior to electrophoresis. The level of serum LAP activity in DD/S is approximately twice that in C57BL/6J. While these observations imply two structurally distinct proteins, the absence of any trace of the second LAP band in the heterozygote strongly suggests that the LAP variant protein is not the result of a separate structural gene. Intestinal LAP in DD/S migrates with the same electrophoretic mobility as the serum LAP variant, implying that the variant might originate in the intestine and its appearance in the serum be modulated by some factor at an unlinked locus.
ELECTRICAL ACTIVITY IN THE UTERUS OF THE RAT

THE relationship between endocrine state and contractile activity of the uterus has been extensively studied; however, investigations pertaining to the influence of the sex hormones on the electrical activity underlying uterine movements are few. In the castrate the uterus is quiescent electrically and mechanically; however, estrogen raises the excitability of the uterus to the point that impulse propagation will occur (Bozler, 1937, 1938a, 1938b, 1941, 1948). Measurements of excitability of the uterus to shocks during the estrous cycle of the rat show that it is highest during late estrus and lowest in late diestrus and early proestrus (Katzenstein, 1938). The present work was undertaken to contribute further information regarding the action of estrogen and progesterone on the electrical activity of the uterus.
Cells from Rana pipiens gastrulae and arrested hybrid gastrulae show differences in adhesion to fibronectin-sepharose beads.

Etude des capacites des cellules dissociees provenant de blastula et de gastrula de R. pipiens ou de blastula et blastula arretee d'hybrides interspecifiques a adherer sur des billes de sepharose-fibronectine
The historic urban landscape. Managing heritage in an urban century

The historic urban landscape. Managing heritage in an urban century, by Francesco Bandarin and Ron van Oers, West Sussex, Wiley-Blackwell, 2012, 236 pp., £59.99 (hardcover). Urban conservation in E...
Properties of the subunits of human chorionic gonadotropin.

The preparation and properties of hCG and its subunits hCGα and hCGβ (CR115, CR117 and CR119) are described. The subunits were dissociated in urea and separated on DEAE-Sephadex A-25 followed by further purification on Sephadex G-100. The purity of the subunit preparations has been assessed by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, bioassay, and radioimmunoassay. The biological activities of these subunit preparations are less than 1% of the native hCG. Gel electrophoresis indicates that they are contaminated with less than 2% by weight of the complementary subunit. E 1%280nm values for hCG, hCGα and hCGβ)are 3.6,4.3 and 2.1, respectively; the respective molar extinction coefficients (€) are 1.41 × 104, 0.64 × 104 and 0.56 × 104 M−1 cm−1. (Endocrinology 94: 1601, 1974)
Superconductivity in the K, Rb, and Cs tungsten fluoroxide bronzes

Abstract Tungsten fluoroxide bronzes are compounds of the general formula M x WO 3−z F z , where for this investigation M is an alkali metal and z=x . These compounds form dark blue or black hexagonal crystals for 0·08 x x Li y WO 3−z F z , where z =x+y for this investigation. We have performed magnetization experiments on 24 of the above compounds which show they are superconductors with transition temperatures generally between 0·8 and 4·5K. The transition temperatures, T c , upper critical fields, H c2 , and magnetization curves have been measured for powder samples using the alkali metals K, Rb, and Cs, and empirical relationship between x and y and T c and H c2 have been established. The Abrikosov-Ginzburg and Gor'kov relations between H c2 and t provide a good fit to the Rb and Cs data respectively.