cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
On utopia, infiltrators and five‐year plans: Argentine populist writings and early Soviet Russia

(1998). On utopia, infiltrators and five‐year plans: Argentine populist writings and early Soviet Russia. Journal of Latin American Cultural Studies: Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 95-110.
Vacuum stability bounds on enhanced couplings of light Higgs fields

Abstract In the standard model with more than one Higgs doublet, Yukawa couplings can be enhanced by ratios of vacuum values. Georgi, Manohar and Moore argued that an enhanced t-quark coupling to a light Higgs could destabilize the effective potential of this Higgs: they used this argument to rule out an enhanced t-quark coupling to the ζ (8.3). We extend their argument to Higgs fields of any mass, critically examine the sensitivity of the result to higher order corrections and to effects of the additional scalars, and we examine the validity of the effective field theory approximation.
Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter Tip Malposition Caused by Power Contrast Medium Injection

Figure 1. Scout radiographs taken before intravenous contras (arrows) in patients 1 (a), 2 (b), 3 (c), and 4 (d). ditor: he use of indwelling peripherally inserted central catheters PICCs) for high-powered contrast medium injection for omputed tomography (CT) scans is an increasingly comon practice. The use of PICCs for this purpose is generlly regarded as safe, as most PICCs have been shown to olerate the high injection speed and volume necessary for ontrast enhancement (1–3). Among possible complicaions, most studies report catheter rupture and few describe he possibility of catheter movement during injection (4). e present four patients who experienced repositioning of ower-rated PICCs during intravenous contrast medium njection for routine CT. The records of four patients who were observed to have ICC movement after contrast medium injection were evalated, for which institutional review board review by our nstitution was not required. All patients had received Xcela
Filarial paramyosin: cDNA sequences from Dirofilaria immitis and Onchocerca volvulus.

Abstract The nucleotide sequence of a cDNA copy of the Dirofilaria immitis paramyosin gene was determined. The sequence was 2545 nucleotides in length, consisting of a single open reading frame of 848 amino acids capable of encoding a protein with a calculated molecular weight of 98 000. The cDNA clone was not complete, but probably includes over 97% of the coding region of the gene. We have previously observed that the cloned D. immitis paramyosin is recognized by sera from humans infected with Onchocerca volvulus . To determine the extent of homology at the protein level, we screened a cDNA library of O. volvulus with an antiserum made against D. immitis paramyosin. Ten recombinant clones were partially sequenced, comprising a total of 1186 nucleotides or 389 amino acids. The amino acid sequence of D. immitis paramyosin was 99% identical to the O. volvulus paramyosin. We also compared the amino acid sequence to other cloned paramyosins, and noted that 92% of the amino acids were identical to those of Caenorhabditis elegans , and 34% identical to those of Schistosoma mansoni . Comparison of the paramyosin sequence between different species revealed a hierarchy of similarities: (1) a 7-amino-acid repeat with apolar residues in the a and d position as the most conserved, followed by (2) the amino acid sequence and (3) the DNA sequence.
Variation in α-amylase and α-amylase inhibitor activities in barley malts

Malts of barley genotypes exhibiting a wide range of α-amylase activities were used to determine if these differences resulted from the absence of functional products of one of the two gene families which encode barley α-amylase. Additional studies were conducted to determine if α-amylase activities reflect differences in activities of a specific proteinaceous α-amylase inhibitor. These malts had a 43-fold variation in in vitro α-amylase activities. When examined by isoelectric focusing and activity staining, all genotypes exhibited the same α-amylase isozyme patterns. In vitro amylase inhibitor activities varied only three-fold. The correlation coefficient between inhibitor and α-amylase activities was -0·92 (P ⩽ 0·01). Examination of two of these malts by isoelectric focusing followed by inhibitor activity staining, showed that both malts had six bands of activity with one very prominent band. We conclude (1) that no gross absence of functional α-amylase isozymes occurs, thus both gene families coding for α-amylases are expressed, and (2) that levels of α-amylase inhibitor may be an important factor, but probably not the only factor, in regulating malt α-amylase activities.
Multiple Ca2+ Binding Sites in the RCK Domain Contribute to Gating in the MthK K+ Channel

MthK is a prokaryotic Ca2+-gated K+ channel that has yielded structural insight toward mechanisms of RCK domain controlled channel gating. In MthK, a “gating ring” of eight RCK domains regulates channel activation that is steeply dependent on [Ca2+], with a Hill coefficient >8. Using electrophysiology and X-ray crystallography, we show that each RCK domain contributes to three different regulatory Ca2+ binding sites, two of which are located at the interfaces between adjacent RCK domains. Charge-neutralizing mutations of individual Ca2+-coordinating sidechains at each of the three sites decrease Ca2+-sensitivity of the channel, shifting the EC50 for Ca2+-activation by up to 8.4-fold. Combined mutations at pairs of sites decreased the Ca2+-sensitivity of mutant channels in an approximately energetically additive manner, suggesting that Ca2+ binding at each site may act independent of one another to faciliate channel opening. Finally, a combined mutation at all three sites effectively eliminates Ca2+-dependent activation of the channel through very high [Ca2+]. The additional Ca2+ binding sites, resulting in a stoichiometry of 24 Ca2+ ions per channel, is consistent with the steep relation between [Ca2+] and MthK channel activity, and crystal structures of the MthK RCK domain in the presence of Ca2+ suggest points at which subunits may physically interact to facilitate channel opening.
Nonlinear resonant traveling waves in rotating disks

Abstract The resonant conditions for traveling waves in rotating disks are derived. The nonlinear resonant spectrum of a rotating disk is computed from the resonant conditions. Such a resonant spectrum is useful for the disk drive industry to determine the range of operational rotation speed. The resonant wave motions for linear and nonlinear, rotating disks are simulated numerically for a 3.5-inch diameter computer memory disk.
Electron crystallography of macromolecular periodic arrays on phospholipid monolayers

Abstract Electron crystallography has the potential of yielding structural information equivalent to x-ray diffraction. The major difficulty has been preparing specimens with the required structural order and size for diffraction and imaging in the electron microscope. 2D crystallization on phospholipid monolayers is capable of fulfilling both of these requirements. Crystals can form as a result of specific interactions with a protein's ligand or an analog, suitably linked to a lipid tail; or on a surface of complementary head-group charge. With such choices, the availability of a suitable lipid is limited only by synthetic chemistry. Ultimately, it is the quality and regularity of the protein-protein interactions that determine the crystalline order, as it is with any protein crystal. In the case of streptavidin, the monolayer crystal diffracts beyond 2.5 A. A 3 A projection map reconstructed from electron diffraction amplitudes and phases from images shows density which can be interpreted as β-sheets and clusters of side chains. It remains to be shown that the monolayer crystals are flat and diffract as well at high tilt angle as untilted. Technological issues such as charging must be resolved. With parallel advances in data collection and processing, electron crystallography of monolayer macromolecular crystals will eventually take its place beside x-ray crystallography and NMR as a routine and efficient structural technique.
Changes in upper airway muscle activity related to head position in awake cats

Abstract The influence of head position on the respiratory activity of the diaphgram (DIA), posterior cricoarytenoid (PCA) and genioglossus (GG) muscles was studied in conscious cats with chronically implanted electromyographic electrodes. Tracheal pressure was also recorded through a small implanted catheter. Spontaneous or passive downward movements of the head resulted in sustained increases in the respiratory excursions of tracheal pressure in PCA and GG activities. Conversely, these variables all decreased when the head was raised. Activity of the DIA was little affected. In animals with chronic tracheostomies, which greatly diminished tracheal pressure excursions and their changes with head movements, the postural responses of PCA and GG activities persisted, but were attenuated. The responses also persisted after bilateral superior laryngeal nerve section. These findings demonstrate responses that act to maintain the patency of the upper respiratory tract, probably by reflex mechanisms. Receptors in the upper airway contribute to the responses, but other afferents - possibly from vestibular or joint receptors - are also involved.
Generalization, Adverse Events, and Development of Depressive Symptoms

Many diathesis-stress models have been proposed in which cognitive processes of various types are presumed to represent vulnerabilities to development of depressive symptoms. This study tested three potential vulnerabilities as prospective predictors of such symptoms: the holding of especially high standards, the tendency to be self-critical after failure, and the tendency to generalize from a single failure to the broader sense of self-worth. At the start of a semester, college students completed a measure of these cognitive tendencies and a measure of depressive symptoms. Six weeks later they completed the same measure of depressive symptoms and a brief measure of intervening life events. Hierarchical regression analysis yielded evidence that Generalization interacted with adverse events to predict subsequent depressive symptoms. Self-Criticism also tended to predict later symptoms, but only if the symptoms were present initially. High Standards had no adverse effect.
Direct covalent grafting of conjugated molecules onto Si, GaAs, and Pd surfaces from aryldiazonium salts.

Using aryldiazonium salts that are air-stable and easily synthesized, we describe here a one-step, room-temperature route to direct covalent bonds between π-conjugated organic molecules on three material surfaces: Si, GaAs, and Pd. The Si can be in the form of single crystal Si including heavily doped p-type Si, intrinsic Si, heavily doped n-type Si, on Si(111) and Si(100), and on n-type polycrystalline Si. The formation of the aryl−metal or aryl−semiconductor bond attachments was confirmed by corroborating evidence from ellipsometry, reflectance FTIR, XPS, cyclic voltammetry, and AFM analyses of the surface-grafted monolayers. A data-encompassing explanation for the mechanism suggests a diazonium activation by reduction at the open circuit potential, with aryl radical secondary products bonding to the surface. The synthetic details are included for preparing the surface-grafted monolayers and the precursor diazonium salts. This spontaneous diazonium activation reaction offers an attractive route to high...
Variability Of 24-Hour Voiding Diary Variables Among Asymptomatic Women

Purpose: We determine whether urinary diary values are stable over time among women without lower urinary tract symptoms.Materials and Methods: Women without lower urinary tract symptoms completed a 24-hour log of fluid intake and volumes voided during June/July 2001 and again during February/March 2002. Initial and repeat diaries were compared using Wilcoxin signed rank tests, considered significant at the 5% level.Results: A total of 137 subjects completed both diaries. Subjects voided a median of 8 times per 24 hours during the first and 7 per 24 hours during the second diary with 95% of subjects recording fewer than 13 voids per 24 hours during both diaries. Nighttime voids were recorded by 59 (43%) subjects during the first and 54 (39%) during the second diary. Urinary frequency and total urine volume were significantly greater during the first than second diary (Z = 2.1, p = 0.03 and Z = 3.3, p = 0.001, respectively). No significant differences in mean voided volume, maximum voided volume, voids per...
A novel integrated biological process for cellulosic ethanol production featuring high ethanol productivity, enzyme recycling and yeast cells reuse

High enzyme loading requirements, slow xylose fermentation and low ethanol productivity are three of the major issues impeding commercial biochemical production of cellulosic ethanol. We report here a novel integrated biological process to overcome these problems. Enzymatic hydrolysis was performed for only 24 h to avoid the slow rate period which begins at about that time. Unhydrolyzed recalcitrant solids with adsorbed enzymes were recycled to the subsequent cycles. By this approach, easily digestible biomass was processed first and recalcitrant biomass was given enough residence time to get hydrolyzed during subsequent processing steps. Fermentation was conducted using a high yeast inoculation level and was also completed in 24 h. The yeast cells were then recycled. With this novel processing approach, the enzyme loading was reduced from 36 to 22.3 and 25.8 mg protein per gram glucan, respectively, for separate hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF) and for simultaneous saccharification and co-fermentation (SSCF) on AFEX™ pretreated corn stover. The process ethanol productivity was enhanced by 2 to 3 fold due to both fast enzymatic hydrolysis and fast fermentation.
Mesh generation and flow calculations in highly contorted geometries

Abstract We present a method to define the solid-liquid boundaries in complex dendritic geometries and construct finite element meshes using quadrilateral isoparametric elements. Calculations of flow at low Reynolds numbers through the dendritic network are also performed. The results of the calculations are used to estimate the average pressure drop as a function of the fraction of liquid in the region, from which permeabilities can be obtained to model the full domain as a porous medium.
Convexity verification for a hybrid chance constrained method in stochastic control problems

This paper is concerned with the verification of convexity for a class of stochastic control problems. In our previous work we proposed a hybrid method for solving the stochastic control problem with uncertainty in both the system and the constraint parameters. Under certain conditions, the optimization program is convex resulting in a drastic reduction in computational complexity over other methods. However, the previously proposed conditions for convexity are posterior checks on the results from the optimization program. In this work, we propose a finite cone cover method to a priori verify convexity. The method is established from a geometric approach which transforms the chance constraints into deterministic conditions. In addition, we also provide an efficient iterative partitioning algorithm to check the conditions. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the method on a stochastic motion planning example.
SCALAR ANALYSIS OF THE TEST OF WRITTEN ENGLISH

The present research was conducted to explore the psychometric characteristics of the Test of Written English (TWE) rating scale. Rasch model scalar analysis methodology was employed with more than 4,000 scored essays across two elicitation prompts to gather the following information about the TWE rating scale and rating process: the position and size of the interval on the overall latent trait that could be attributed to behavioral descriptors accompanying each possible integer scoring step on the TWE scale the standard error of estimate associated with each possible transformed integer rating the fit of rating scale steps and individual rated essays to a unidimensional model of writing ability and, concurrently, the adequacy of such a model, including the proportion of misfitting essays as a portion of all essays analyzed the fit of individual readers to a unidimensional model of writing ability and to the expectations of a chi-square contingency test of independence of readers and ratings assigned, along with information on some characteristics of misfitting readers comparative scalar information for two distinct TWE elicitation prompts, including nonparametric tests of the independence of readers and scale steps assigned and the feasibility of equating of scales. Results suggested that the intervals between TWE scale steps were surprisingly uniform and that the size of the intervals was appropriately larger than the error associated with assignment of individual ratings. The proportion of positively misfitting essays was small (approximately 1% of all essays analyzed) and was approximately equal to the proportion of essays that required adjudication by a third reader. This latter finding, along with the low proportion of misfitting readers detected, provided preliminary evidence of the feasibility of employing Rasch rating scale analysis methodology for the equating of TWE essays prepared across prompts. Some information on characteristics of misfitting readers was presented that could be useful in the reader training process.
Sensitivity and specificity of nuclear phase analysis versus ejection fraction in coronary artery disease.

Abstract Phase standard deviation (SD) and skew characteristics of the first Fourier harmonic of equilibrium radionuclide volume curves were examined and compared during rest and during supine bicycle exercise with ejection fraction (EF) changes and the development of ischemia in 17 control subjects and in 2 groups of patients (n = 57) with coronary artery disease (CAD). Group I comprised 37 patients with CAD; IA was a subgroup of 20 patients with previous myocardial infarction (Ml) and IB a subgroup of 17 patients with CAD without Ml (all with coronary stenosis >75% diameter narrowing). Group II comprised 20 patients with CAD who had undergone coronary bypass surgery. In the Group I subjects, phase SD was the most sensitive indicator of CAD at rest (Group I, 56%; Group IA, 70%, and Group IB, 29 % ), and the EF was the most sensitive indicator at submaximal (Group I, 78%; Group IA, 86%, and Group IB, 64%) and maximal exercise (Group I, 70%; Group I A, 93%, and Group IB, 53%). When phase SD and skewness were combined with EF changes, little increase in sensitivity occurred in Group I (rest 61 %, submaximal exercise 88% and maximal exercise 76% ). The results from Group II subgroups were qualitatively similar to those observed with Group I subgroups. These data reveal a marginally improved sensitivity for detection of CAD during supine bicycle radionuclide ventriculography when phase measurements were added to changes in global EF values.
Tethered polymer layers: phase transitions and reduction of protein adsorption

The structural and thermodynamic properties of tethered polymer layers formed by spreading diblock copolymers at a solid surface or at a fluid-fluid interface are studied using a molecular mean-field theory. The role of the anchoring block in determining the properties of the tethered polymer layer is studied in detail. It is found that both the anchoring and the tethered blocks are very important in determining the phase behavior of the polymer layer. The structures of the coexisting phases, the phase boundaries and the stability of the layer are found to depend on the ratio of molecular weight between the two blocks, the polymer-interface (surface) interactions and the strength of the interactions between the two blocks. The different phase transitions found are related to experimental observations. The properties of the polymer layers at coexistence reflect the block that is the dominant driving force for phase separation. The ability of the tethered polymer layers, under different conditions, to control protein adsorption to surfaces is also studied. It is found that the most important factors determining the ability of a polymer layer to reduce the equilibrium amount of proteins adsorbed to a surface are the surface coverage of polymer and the surface-polymer interactions. The polymer chain length plays only a secondary role. For the kinetic control, however, it is found that the potential of mean-force, and thus the early stages of adsorption, depends strongly on polymer molecular weight. Further, it is found that the molecular factors determining the ability of the tethered polymer layer to reduce the equilibrium amount of protein adsorption are different than those that control the kinetic behavior. Comparisons with experimental observations are presented. The predictions of the theory are in very good agreement with the measured adsorption isotherms. Guidelines for building optimal surface protection for protein adsorption, both kinetic and thermodynamic, are discussed.
Lime pretreatment of switchgrass

Lime (calcium hydroxide) was used as a pretreatment agent to enhance the enzymatic digestibility of switchgrass. After studying many conditions, the recommended pretreatment conditions are: time = 2 h, temperature = 100°C and 120°C, lime loading = 0.1 g Ca(OH)2/g dry biomass, water loading = 9 mL/g dry biomass. Studies on the effect of particle size indicate that there was little benefit of grinding below 20 mesh; even coarse particles (4–10 mesh) digested well. Using the recommended pretreatment conditions, the 3-d reducing sugar yield was five times that of untreated switchgrass, the 3-d total sugar (glucose + xylose) yield was seven times, the 3-d glucose yield was five times, and the 3-d xylose yield was 21 times. A material balance study showed that little glucan (approx 10%) was solubilized as a result of the lime pretreatment, whereas about 26% of xylan and 29% of lignin became solubilized.
Withdrawal of chronic chlorpromazine medication: an experimental analysis.

Abstract Approximately 50% of all institutionalized, mentally retarded adults receive psychotropic medication to control inappropriate behavior. In this study, behaviors exhibited by five retarded adults were formally observed while they were on and off medication. Each subject had been receiving chlorpromazine for six or more years prior to the start of the study. The drug was withdrawn and readministered using a double-blind B-A-B (drug placebo-drug) design. Effects were highly individualized. Some desirable behavior emerged when chlorpromazine was discontinued.
Memristors With Flexible Electronic Applications

In addition to the potential for memristors to be used in logic, memory, smart interconnects, and biologically inspired architectures that could transform traditional silicon-based computing, memristors may enable such transformative technologies on physically flexible substrates. The simple structure of a memristor, which generally consists of a thin film of oxide sandwiched between two metal contacts, contributes to its compatibility with existing and future large area flexible electronics. This is especially true considering that recent work has demonstrated the ability for titanium dioxide-based memristors to be deposited from solution at room temperature by using a sol gel technique on a flexible polymer substrate. The integration of memristors with traditional flexible devices (such as thin-film organic, zinc oxide, or amorphous-Si transistors) may enable the realization of a new paradigm in computing technology through lightweight, inexpensive, flexible electronics.
Thin Filament Protein Dynamics in Fully Differentiated Adult Cardiac Myocytes: Toward A Model of Sarcomere Maintenance

Sarcomere maintenance, the continual process of replacement of contractile proteins of the myofilament lattice with newly synthesized proteins, in fully differentiated contractile cells is not well understood. Adenoviral-mediated gene transfer of epitope-tagged tropomyosin (Tm) and troponin I (TnI) into adult cardiac myocytes in vitro along with confocal microscopy was used to examine the incorporation of these newly synthesized proteins into myofilaments of a fully differentiated contractile cell. The expression of epitope-tagged TnI resulted in greater replacement of the endogenous TnI than the replacement of the endogenous Tm with the expressed epitope-tagged Tm suggesting that the rates of myofilament replacement are limited by the turnover of the myofilament bound protein. Interestingly, while TnI was first detected in cardiac sarcomeres along the entire length of the thin filament, the epitope-tagged Tm preferentially replaced Tm at the pointed end of the thin filament. These results support a model for sarcomeric maintenance in fully differentiated cardiac myocytes where (a) as myofilament proteins turnover within the cell they are rapidly exchanged with newly synthesized proteins, and (b) the nature of replacement of myofilament proteins (ordered or stochastic) is protein specific, primarily affected by the structural properties of the myofilament proteins, and may have important functional consequences.
Arginine vasopressin as a thyrotropin-releasing hormone

Although hypothyroidism (with concomitant increased levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone) has been associated with elevated plasma vasopressin, the role that vasopressin plays in controlling thyroid-stimulating hormone secretion from the adenohypophysis is not understood. In two in vitro pituitary cell systems, vasopressin caused a specific and dose-related release of thyroid-stimulating hormone from cells that was equal in potency to that elicited by thyrotropin-releasing hormone, the primary acknowledged regulator of thyroid-stimulating hormone release. When injected into the hypothalamus, however, vasopressin specifically inhibited the release of thyroid-stimulating hormone. Thus, vasopressin may exert differential regulatory effects on thyroid-stimulating hormone secretion in the hypothalamus and pituitary gland.
Role of CYP3A4 and CYP2B6 in the in vitro N-demethylation of meperidine

Meperidine (MEP) is an opioid analgesic that exerts its chief pharmacological action in the brain. It is metabolized in the liver by N-demethylation to normeperidine, a potent CNS stimulant. We investigated the in vitro formation of normeperidine by pooled human liver microsomes (HLM) and recombinant human CYP450s. Normeperidine levels were measured by HPLC. Initial screening of 16 CYP isoforms (MEP=85 μM) showed CYP2B6>CYP2C19>CYP2C18>CYP3A4 as the enzymes with the highest MEP N-demethylase activity. Apparent kinetic parameters of MEP N-demethylase activity are described below.(See Table) Normeperidine formation in HLM was reduced by 42% in the presence of ketoconazole (CYP3A4 inhibitor, 2 μM). Treatment with anti-CYP2B and anti-2C inhibitory antibodies resulted in minor inhibition (<15%) of MEP N-demethylation in the liver. To further characterize the in vitro formation of normeperidine, future experiments will include correlation studies in HLM with probe substrates. Our studies suggest that (1) CYP3A4 (but not CYP3A5) has a dominant role in the hepatic metabolic clearance of MEP, and (2) CYP2B6 (a brain CYP) might contribute to normeperidine formation in the brain. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2004) 75, P85–P85; doi: 10.1016/j.clpt.2003.11.325 Table 1. Microsomes Km (μM) mean±SE) Vmax (pmol/min/pmol CYP) (mean±SE) Intrinsic clearance (μl/min/pmol CYP) HLM–high affinity phase 45.4 ± 12.8 124 ± 17 2.73 HLM–low affinity phase 1240 ± 185 1230 ± 60 0.99 CYP2B6 356 ± 34 138 ± 3 0.39 CYP2C19 71.4 ± 19.6 20.6 ± 1.1 0.29 CYP2C18 149 ± 47 17.0 ± 1.1 0.11 CYP3A4 355 ± 80 25.0 ± 1.3 0.07 CYP3A5 1260 ± 10 10.2 ± 0.3 0.01
Observations on the exchange of mercury between phenvlmercuric chloride and mercuric chloride using mercury 203

The exchange of mercury between henylmercuric acetate and mercuric acetate using radioactive mercury 203 is reportex. The reaction was found to come to equilibrium within the time required for mixing and separating the components (about one minute). This rapid exchange was found in the four solvents; glacial acetic acid, 50 per cent ethanol, water, and benzene. The exchange of mercury between phenylmercuric chloride and mercuric chloride was found to be slower, and several time-exchange curves in benzene solution were obtained. When the reactants were present in equimolar quantities (0.1 M), the half-time for the exchange in benzene was found to be thirty-seven and one-half minutes. Time versus exchange curves in dry benzene, wet benzene, and in acidified benzene at 24.8°, and in dry benzene at 44.8,° are given.
A lack of self-consciousness in autism.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated self-consciousness in autism. METHOD: An incidental memory task was conducted on 18 adults with high-functioning autism and 18 normal comparison subjects. Three kinds of orienting questions (phonological, semantic, and self-referent, i.e., “Does the word describe you?”) were asked about target words (adjectives for personality traits) in order to induce different types of processing. This was followed by an unexpected recognition test. RESULTS: While semantic processing resulted in better memory than phonological processing in both groups, self-referent processing yielded better memory performance than semantic processing in the comparison group but not in the autistic group. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest deficits in self-consciousness in individuals with autism.
Identification of a control oriented nonlinear dynamic USV model

The identification of the parameters in a three degree of freedom nonlinear dynamic surface vessel model using drag test data in each of the axes of motion is presented in this work. Parameter estimates based on the use of terminal velocity measurements and on the use of dynamic position measurements are determined and compared. The identification procedure is carried out on an experimental model boat which is used as the basis for comparison.
PUNCHING THE PARENTING TIME CLOCK: THE APPROXIMATION RULE, SOCIAL SCIENCE, AND THE BASEBALL BAT KIDS*

The American Law Institute proposes that in contested physical custody cases the court should allocate to each parent a proportion of the child's time that approximates the proportion of time each has spent performing caretaking functions in the past. Examined through the lens of child development research, the approximation rule is unlikely to improve on the best interests standard. It is difficult to apply; is perceived as gender-biased; creates a new focus for disputing parents; renders a poor estimate of parents’ contributions to their child's best interests; overlooks parents’ intangible, yet significant, contributions to their child's well-being; and miscalculates the essence of how a child experiences the family. A preferable alternative is a better defined, contemporary best interests standard that accommodates new knowledge and reforms that encourage nonadversarial, individualized resolutions of custody disputes.
Amino Acid Substitutions in the F-Specific Domain in the Stalk of the Newcastle Disease Virus HN Protein Modulate Fusion and Interfere with Its Interaction with the F Protein

The hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) protein of Newcastle disease virus mediates attachment to sialic acid receptors, as well as cleavage of the same moiety. HN also interacts with the other viral glycoprotein, the fusion (F) protein, to promote membrane fusion. The ectodomain of the HN spike consists of a stalk and a terminal globular head. The most conserved part of the stalk consists of two heptad repeats separated by a nonhelical intervening region (residues 89 to 95). Several amino acid substitutions for a completely conserved proline residue in this region not only impair fusion and the HN-F interaction but also decrease neuraminidase activity in the globular domain, suggesting that the substitutions may alter HN structure. Substitutions for L94 also interfere with fusion and the HN-F interaction but have no significant effect on any other HN function. Amino acid substitutions at other positions in the intervening region also modulate only fusion. In all cases, diminished fusion correlates with a decreased ability of the mutated HN protein to interact with F at the cell surface. These findings indicate that the intervening region is critical to the role of HN in the promotion of fusion and may be directly involved in its interaction with the homologous F protein.
A Lymphatic Mechanism of Rotavirus Extraintestinal Spread in the Neonatal Mouse

We used the neonatal mouse model of rotavirus infection and virus strains SA11-clone 4 (SA11-Cl4) and Rhesus rotavirus (RRV) to examine the mechanism of the extraintestinal spread of viruses following oral inoculation. The spread-competent viruses, RRV and reassortant R7, demonstrated a temporal progression from the intestine, to the terminal ileum, to the mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN), and to the peripheral tissues. SA11-Cl4 was not found outside the intestine. Reassortant virus S7, which was unable to reach the liver in previous studies (E. C. Mossel and R. F. Ramig, J. Virol. 76:6502-6509, 2002), was recovered from 60% of the MLN, suggesting that there are multiple determinants for the spread of virus from the intestine to the MLN. Phenotypic segregation analysis identified RRV genome segment 6 (VP6) as a secondary determinant of the spread of virus to the MLN (P = 0.02) in reassortant viruses containing segment 7 from the spread-incompetent parent. These data suggest that in the orally infected neonatal mouse, the extraintestinal spread of rotavirus occurs via a lymphatic pathway, and the spread phenotype is primarily determined by NSP3 and can be modified by VP6.
Modified surface plasmon antenna for localized field enhancement

A modified surface plasmon antenna design is proposed. Simulation results show that the modified design has higher localized field enhancement than traditional rod and bowtie antennas.
An analytical and numerical study of acoustic mismatch effects on internal dielectrically transduced MEMS resonators

This paper presents a supplement to the 1-D theory of internal dielectric transduction by including the effects of acoustic mismatch on the resonant frequency and motional impedance of internal dielectrically transduced micromechanical resonators. Analytical expressions for the mode shapes in said resonators are mathematically derived and verified for various dielectric and resonator body materials by comparing numerical simulation results with finite element analysis results using commercial software. Correction factors to the resonant frequencies and motional impedances predicted by the original theory are presented to provide designers a simple yet accurate model that takes into account the effects of acoustic mismatch. Our analysis shows that the ratio of Young's moduli of the dielectric film and resonator body materials significantly impacts the motional impedance and thus must be considered when choosing the optimal dielectric material. This modified model will allow for precise and optimal design of internal dielectrically transduced micromechanical resonators for applications up to tens of gigahertz.
iWatcher: Efficient Architectural Support for Software Debugging

Recent impressive performance improvements in computer architecturehave not led to significant gains in ease of debugging.Software debugging often relies on inserting run-time softwarechecks. In many cases, however, it is hard to find the root causeof a bug. Moreover, program execution typically slows down significantly,often by 10-100 times.To address this problem, this paper introduces the IntelligentWatcher (iWatcher), novel architectural support to monitor dynamicexecution with minimal overhead, automatically, and flexibly.iWatcher associates program-specified monitoring functionswith memory locations. When any such location is accessed, themonitoring function is automatically triggered with low overhead.To further reduce overhead and support rollback, iWatcher canleverage Thread-Level Speculation (TLS). To test iWatcher, we useapplications with various bugs. Our results show that iWatcher detectsmany more software bugs than Valgrind, a well-known open-sourcebug detector. Moreover, iWatcher only induces a 4-80%execution overhead, which is orders of magnitude less than Valgrind.Even with 20% of the dynamic loads monitored in a program,iWatcher adds only 66-174% overhead. Finally, TLS is effective atreducing overheads for programs with substantial monitoring.
Tissue Tracking in Thermo-physiological Imagery through Spatio-temporal Smoothing

Accurate tracking of facial tissue in thermal infrared imaging is challenging because it is affected not only by positional but also physiological (functional) changes. This article presents a particle filter tracker driven by a probabilistic template function with both spatial and temporal smoothing components, which is capable of adapting to abrupt positional and physiological changes. The method was tested on tracking facial regions of subjects under varying physiological and environmental conditions in 12 thermal clips. It demonstrated robustness and accuracy, outperforming other strategies. This new method promises improved performance in a host of biomedical applications that involve physiological measurements on the face, like unobtrusive sleep studies.
Interplay of ion binding and attraction in DNA condensed by multivalent cations

We have measured forces generated by multivalent cation-induced DNA condensation using singlemolecule magnetic tweezers. In the presence of cobalt hexammine, spermidine, or spermine, stretched DNA exhibits an abrupt configurational change from extended to condensed. This occurs at a well-defined condensation force that is nearly equal to the condensation free energy per unit length. The multivalent cation concentration dependence for this condensation force gives the apparent number of multivalent cations that bind DNA upon condensation. The measurements show that the lower critical concentration for cobalt hexammine as compared to spermidine is due to a difference in ion binding, not a difference in the electrostatic energy of the condensed state as previously thought. We also show that the resolubilization of condensed DNA can be described using a traditional Manning– Oosawa cation adsorption model, provided that cation–anion pairing at high electrolyte concentrations is taken into account. Neither overcharging nor significant alterations in the condensed state are required to describe the resolubilization of condensed DNA. The same model also describes the spermidine 3+ /Na + phase diagram measured previously.
SIN-dependent phosphoinhibition of formin multimerization controls fission yeast cytokinesis

Many eukaryotes accomplish cell division by building and constricting a medial actomyosin-based cytokinetic ring (CR). In Schizosaccharomyces pombe, a Hippo-related signaling pathway termed the septation initiation network (SIN) controls CR formation, maintenance, and constriction. However, how the SIN regulates integral CR components was unknown. Here, we identify the essential cytokinetic formin Cdc12 as a key CR substrate of SIN kinase Sid2. Eliminating Sid2-mediated Cdc12 phosphorylation leads to persistent Cdc12 clustering, which prevents CR assembly in the absence of anillin-like Mid1 and causes CRs to collapse when cytokinesis is delayed. Molecularly, Sid2 phosphorylation of Cdc12 abrogates multimerization of a previously unrecognized Cdc12 domain that confers F-actin bundling activity. Taken together, our findings identify a SIN-triggered oligomeric switch that modulates cytokinetic formin function, revealing a novel mechanism of actin cytoskeleton regulation during cell division.
Humility as a Psychotherapeutic Virtue: Spiritual, Philosophical, and Psychological Foundations

This article explores the virtue of humility and its applications to the practice of psychotherapy. Humility is distinguished from a clinical competency and defined as a disposition toward accurate self-assessment, other-orientedness, and the regulation of self-centered emotions. We explore the spiritual and philosophical foundations of humility and highlight the ways in which these perspectives are consistent and distinct from contemporary perspectives in psychology. Then we review the empirical literature on humility as a relational virtue. Finally, we make a case for clinician humility as a virtue supportive of best practice.
A Synopsis of Clinical Pharmacokinetic Alterations in Advanced CKD

Unrecognized alterations in pharmacokinetics, which quantitatively describes the time course of drug disposition in the body, may lead to clinically significant changes in systemic exposure and corresponding response to drugs in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Clinicians must take pharmacokinetic changes into consideration when selecting and dosing medications in CKD patients to optimize the risk:benefit ratio. Pharmacokinetic changes in absorption, distribution, and renal clearance are well characterized and generally predictable for most drugs. Conversely, changes in nonrenal clearance are less well understood and corresponding clinical implications are still being elucidated. This review provides a synopsis of alterations in each of these pharmacokinetic parameters observed in patients with advanced CKD.
Addendum to "systematic control of a class of nonlinear systems with application to electrohydraulic cylinder pressure control"

Develops a systematic methodology for the control of a class of nonlinear systems and applies it to an electrohydraulic system. The class of systems to be dealt with are those that are single input and can be put in strict feedback form. The approach is conceptually similar to previously developed integrator backstepping methodologies. However, unlike some previous investigations which have relied exclusively on a Lyapunov analysis, this work presents a stability analysis using a passivity formulation. There are two main advantages of the proposed approach which become significant during implementation. One practical advantage is that the resulting controller leads to synthetic inputs that are decoupled in a certain sense. This leads to a compartmentalization of modeling error effects associated with the controller. A second advantage of this method is that the system model need not be differentiated in the control formulation. A class of modeling error is introduced and compensated for with the resulting control able to guarantee specified boundary layer tracking. A nonlinear model is developed and verified for an electrohydraulic testbed consisting of a cylinder governed by an electronically controlled servovalve. Finally, the control algorithm is implemented on the testbed and a comparison is made with existing integrator backstepping algorithms. The comparisons demonstrate the benefits of the presented approach.
pH-regulated Slo3 K+ Channels: Properties of Unitary Currents

Here we have examined the voltage and pH dependence of unitary Slo3 channels and used analysis of current variance to define Slo3 unitary current properties over a broader range of voltages. Despite complexity in Slo3 channel openings that precludes simple definition of the unitary conductance, average current through single Slo3 channels varies linearly with voltage at positive activation potentials. Furthermore, the average Slo3 unitary current at a given activation potential does not change with pH. Consistent with macroscopic conductance estimates, the apparent open probability of Slo3 channel exhibits a pH-dependent maximum, with limiting values around 0.3 at the most elevated pH and voltage. Estimates of Slo3 conductance at negative potentials support a weaker intrinsic voltage dependence of gating than is observed for Slo1. For the pH-regulated Slo3 K+ channel, the dependence of macroscopic conductance on pH suggests that the pH-sensitive mechanism regulates gating in an allosteric manner qualitatively similar to regulation of Slo1 by Ca2+. Together, the results support the view that the regulation of macroscopic Slo3 currents by pH reflects regulation of gating equilibria, and not a direct effect of pH on ion permeation. Specifically, both voltage and pH regulate a closed–open conformational change in a largely independent fashion.
Development of Asymmetries in a Three-Dimensional Numerical Model of the Tropical Cyclone1

Abstract Notable asymmetric features of an early experiment with a three-dimensional hurricane model were spiral bands of convection and large-scale asymmetries (eddies) in the outflow layer. Using an improved version of the model, we describe the formation and maintenance of these features in greater detail in this paper. The spiral bands in the model propagate cyclonically outward in agreement with bands in nature. The breakdown of symmetry into a chaotic pattern of eddies in the outflow region is shown to be the result of dynamic (inertial) instability, with the eddy kinetic energy derived from the kinetic energy of the azimuthal flow. This instability does not contribute to the overall intensification of the model storm, however. We observe a curious anticyclonic looping of the vortex center in these experiments. This looping appears to be associated with asymmetries in the divergence pattern associated with the eddies in the outflow layer. This paper also summarizes improvements made in the original ...