cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Processor-efficient hypercube algorithms for the knapsack problem

Abstract A processor-efficient parallel algorithm is presented for the 0/1 knapsack problem. The algorithm can run on any number of processors specified by a user and, more importantly, it has optimal time speedup and processor efficiency over the best known sequential algorithm. Most of the existing parallel algorithms for the problem have high processor complexity and low processor efficiency. These algorithms are useful when the problem size is relatively small. One parallel algorithm has been proposed to run on fewer processors but it has much higher time complexity. The parallel algorithm proposed here is more efficient and practical even for large problem sizes. Experimental results on the Connection Machine show that the algorithm performs very well for a wide range of input sizes.
The Chromosome 6p Epilepsy Locus: Exploring Mode of Inheritance and Heterogeneity Through Linkage Analysis

Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) is a common form of adolescent-onset, generalized epilepsy. JME is genetically linked to the HLA locus on chromosome 6. Families of JME patients also have a significant recurrence of other forms of generalized epilepsy. We used the linkage data to investigate the mode of inheritance of JME and the associated electroencephalographic (EEG) traits at the HLA-linked locus. We investigated how robust the linkage results were when we changed the assumptions of mode of inheritance and penetrance and whether absence and clonic-tonic-clonic in JME families are influenced by the same gene locus as JME. Our results show that the finding of linkage is stable within a wide range of assumptions of penetrance and mode of inheritance, and that the EEG traits seen in unaffected family members reflect the actions of the same gene that is involved in the expression of JME. Our data also suggest that the same locus is responsible for non-JME forms of epilepsy seen in JME families, and that either different doses of the disease allele at the JME locus may lead to different epilepsy phenotypes or that another locus influences the final disease phenotype.
Psychomotor reminiscence as a function of sex and length of rest period.

Sex differences in psychomotor reminiscence were examined as a function of the length of the rest period. Five groups of Caucasian subjects, each group consisting of 12 males and 12 females, practiced continuously for 3 min on a mirror-tracking task, then rested for 0, 1, 2, 4, or 8 min before resuming continuous practice. Reminiscence in both sexes increased as negatively accelerated functions of the amount of rest. The asymptotic level of reminiscence was higher for females than for males, but the quadratic slopes of the two functions were essentially alike. Analyses of prerest trial gains supported a conclusion that females reminisced more because they accumulated more reactive inhibition prior to rest.
Treatment of HIV-associated diarrhea with curcumin.

Curcumin is the organic extract of turmeric and possesses known anti-inflammatory properties. Our aim was to explore the utility of curcumin in patients with HIV-associated diarrhea. Eight patients with HIV-associated diarrhea were given a mean daily dose of 1,862 mg of curcumin and followed for a mean of 41 weeks. All had resolution of diarrhea and normalization of stool quality in a mean time of 13 ± 9.3 days. Mean number of bowel movements per day dropped from 7 ± 3.6 to 1.7 ± 0.5. Seven of eight patients had considerable weight gain on curcumin (10.8 ± 8.9 lbs). Five of six patients had resolution of bloating and abdominal pain. Patients on anti-retroviral therapy experienced no discernible drug interactions, changes in CD4 count, or changes in HIV viral load while taking curcumin. Curcumin therapy was associated with rapid and complete resolution of diarrhea, substantial weight gain, improvement in the reduction of bloating and abdominal pain.
Evaluation of a Brief Web-Based Genetic Feedback Intervention for Reducing Alcohol-Related Health Risks Associated with ALDH2

There is increasing interest in health interventions that incorporate genetic risk information. Although genetic feedback has been evaluated as an adjunct to smoking cessation interventions, its efficacy for reducing alcohol-related risks is unknown. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of a web-based alcohol intervention incorporating genetic feedback and risk information specific to ALDH2 genotype. The ALDH2*2 variant is associated with partial protection against alcohol dependence but confers significantly increased risk for alcohol-related cancers as a function of alcohol exposure. Two hundred Asian-American young adults were randomly assigned to receive web-based personalized genetic feedback or attention-control feedback. Genetic feedback included health risk information specific to alcohol-related cancer or alcohol dependence, depending on genotype. Outcomes included postintervention drinking behavior and theoretical correlates of behavior change. Genetic feedback and risk information resulted in significant reductions in 30-day drinking frequency and quantity among participants with the ALDH2*1/*2 genotype. Genetic feedback was rated highly by participants and also showed some effects on theoretical correlates of behavior change. Results provide initial evidence of the feasibility, acceptability, and brief efficacy of web-based genetic feedback for reducing alcohol-related health risks associated with ALDH2 genotype.
Photoinduced Electron Transfer in Bianthryl and Cyanobianthryl in Solution: The Case for a High-Frequency Intramolecular Reaction Coordinate

Photoinduced intramolecular electron transfer (ET) in symmetric 9,9‘-bianthryl (BA) was studied by femtosecond pump-supercontinuum-probe spectroscopy in solvents covering the whole polarity scale. Results are compared with those obtained for the nonsymmetric 10-cyano derivative (CBA). The behavior exhibited by both compounds is qualitatively the same, which suggests that symmetry plays no essential role. Our measurements provide novel aspects: (i) electron-transfer proceeds in CBA within a time on the order of 10 fs and therefore along a high-frequency coordinate, (ii) the observation of both educt and product bands allows an estimate of the ET equilibrium, which shifts through solvent relaxation. We find no evidence of dynamics along the intramolecular twist coordinate before ET.
Reactions to Social Categorization: Evaluating One Argument Against Affirmative Action1

One argument made against affirmative action is that it is undesirable or inappropriate to treat people on the basis of their group membership. The present study attempts to evaluate college students' opinions about this type of social categorization. Two variables were manipulated: type of social group (i.e., one based on race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or college major), and the purpose of the categorization (to identify, to form a social group, to form a political group, or for affirmative action purposes). Results indicated that students were, in general, opposed to such social categorizations. The presence of interaction effects, however, suggests that opposition to affirmative action is not uniform across different target groups and is not based solely on objections to social categorization. Implications are discussed.
Ecological engineering in intertidial saltmarshes

Feedbacks between plant biomass density and sedimentation maintain intertidal marshes in equilibrium with mean sea level (MSL). Stable marshes exist at an elevation that is supraoptimal for the biomass density of marsh macrophytes. At this elevation, biomass density is sensitive to changes in MSL, and adjustments in productivity and sedimentation rate help to maintain the marsh in a dynamic equilibrium with sea level, provided that the surface elevation remains within the supraoptimal range of the vegetation. The equilibrium elevation varies inversely with the rate of sea-level rise and directly with biomass density. It was also shown that a succession of intertidal plant communities depends upon the rate of sea level rise and the distribution of biomass density as a function of hydroperiod. Soft engineering solutions to coastal flooding could incorporate planting of marsh vegetation in the intertidal zone for the purpose of promoting sedimentation and dissipating wave energy. A successful design would employ plant species that have varying degrees of tolerance to flooding, maximum drag at their preferred depths, broad ranges within the intertidal zone, and that form a successional series.
Effects of acute swim stress on LiCl-induced conditioned taste aversions

The present study examined the effects of a 5-min period of swim stress experienced between a flavor (saccharin) and illness (LiCl) on conditioned taste aversion learning. Experiment 1 obtained a stress-induced attenuation of learning. Experiment 2 replicated the findings of Experiment 1, and also obtained a similar attenuation when stress was administered 30 min prior to the saccharin presentation. Experiment 3 examined the effects of swim stress either 15 min or 90 min after the LiCl had been administered. It was found that swim stress 15 min after LiCl significantly attenuated CTA, but swim stress 90 min after LiCl did not. These results are discussed with regard to current views of the relationship between external events and conditioned taste aversions.
Dynamic coordinates for auroral ion outflow

[1] The ionosphere provides a large and variable fraction of the plasma that makes up the Earth's magnetosphere. The sparseness of ion outflow observations and limitations of global magnetospheric models have limited progress in understanding how spatial and temporal variations in the ionospheric component of the magnetosphere affects magnetospheric processes such as storms and substorms. Moreover, because existing comprehensive ion outflow data sets are not organized in terms of large-scale, dynamic, magnetospheric features, they cannot be used as boundary conditions or ground truth for large-scale magnetospheric models. This paper presents a method to self-consistently generate dynamic auroral zone boundaries from ion and electron data obtained on the same platform with mass-resolved ion outflow observations. We show that this dynamic coordinate system can be used to organize the ion outflow observations so that they are compatible to use with large-scale magnetospheric models.
The leading root of the partial theta function

Abstract I study the leading root x 0 ( y ) of the partial theta function Θ 0 ( x , y ) = ∑ n = 0 ∞ x n y n ( n − 1 ) / 2 , considered as a formal power series. I prove that all the coefficients of − x 0 ( y ) are strictly positive. Indeed, I prove the stronger results that all the coefficients of − 1 / x 0 ( y ) after the constant term 1 are strictly negative, and all the coefficients of 1 / x 0 ( y ) 2 after the constant term 1 are strictly negative except for the vanishing coefficient of y 3 .
Effect of solute application method on preferential transport of solutes in soil

Abstract In soils containing macropores, both water and solutes can move preferentially, bypassing much of the soil matrix. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of solute application method on preferential solute transport in soil materials containing differing amounts of macroporosity. Transport experiments were conducted with three undisturbed soil columns (18 cm diameter, 33–35 cm long) that contained extensive networks of macropores. The macroporosity of the soil columns was first characterized by measuring the saturated hydraulic conductivity and drained porosity, and by conducting saturated, steady-fluid-flow miscible displacement experiments in which a 0.05 N CaCl 2 solution displaced a 0.01 N CaSO 4 solution. These measurements indicated extensive macroporosity and a range in macroporosity among the three columns. Two transport experiments were then conducted with each of the three columns. The initial moisture condition of the soil in both experiments was a gravity-drained profile. In the first transport experiment, a 200-ml pulse of 0.05 N CaCl 2 solution was ponded on the surface of each of the three columns and allowed to infiltrate. A solution of 0.01 N CaSO 4 was then immediately ponded on the soil surface. In the second transport experiment, after leaching the excess chloride remaining in the columns from the first experiment, 40 ml of a fivefold more concentrated CaCl 2 solution (0.25 N CaCl 2 ) was uniformly dripped on the soil surface of the same three columns (no ponding), allowed to redistribute for 15 min, and then leached with a steady flow of 0.01 N CaSO 4 solution. The resulting breakthrough curves for the two solute application methods were distinctly different, indicating a sensitivity of the transport process to solute application method, or solute boundary condition. In addition, the curves showed that the sensitivity to application method decreased with decreasing soil macroporosity. An analysis of the breakthrough curves is presented to explain the experimental results obtained. Two factors are important in understanding the results. The initial water status of soil macropores, saturated or drained, is important in determining the degree of dispersion that takes place in individual macropores and thus in the soil as a whole. Second, mass transfer of solute into the soil matrix as a consequence of both diffusion and solution absorption from macropores is important in causing dispersion of the solute. The implications of these findings for conducting solute transport experiments are discussed.
Can simple social copying heuristics explain tag popularity in a collaborative tagging system

While research on collaborative tagging systems has largely been the purview of computer scientists, the behavior of these systems is driven by the psychology of their users. Here we explore how simple models of boundedly rational human decision making may partly account for the high-level properties of a collaborative tagging environment, in particular with respect to the distribution of tags used across the folksonomy. We discuss several plausible heuristics people might employ to decide on tags to use for a given item, and then describe methods for testing evidence of such strategies in real collaborative tagging data. Using a large dataset of annotations collected from users of the social music website Last.fm with a novel crawling methodology (approximately one millions total users), we extract the parameters for our decision-making models from the data. We then describe a set of simple multi-agent simulations that test our heuristic models, and compare their results to the extracted parameters from the tagging dataset. Results indicate that simple social copying mechanisms can generate surprisingly good fits to the empirical data, with implications for the design and study of tagging systems.
The Impact of Congregation-Related Variables on Programs for Senior Adult Members

The growing number of elderly individuals is beginning to have an impact on the composition of local churches. Using a national probability sample of Churches of Christ (N = 753), three hypotheses are tested. An examination of frequencies indicates that the program offered most often for senior adult members by local congregations is visitation to shut-ins. Results of chi-square tests reveal that having an organized senior adult ministry greatly enhances the number of programs for senior adults. Finally, multiple regression is used to test a model of factors believed to influence how “elder friendly” a local congregation is. The percentage of the congregation over the age of 65 has little influence. Of greater importance is the amount of money budgeted for senior adult ministry, as well as the size of the congregation and whether an organized effort to minister to senior adults is in place. Implications for religious leaders and researchers are discussed.
Non-Infectious Cryoglobulinemia Vasculitis (CryoVas): Update on Clinical and Therapeutic Approach

CryoVas is a small vessel vasculitis associated with the presence of circulating cryoglobulins. In the absence of HCV infection, several disorders have been identified in association of CryoVas. Although evidence is limited, a few studies have recently described the clinical presentation, prognosis, and therapeutic management of non-infectious CryoVas. Patients with type I CryoVas, especially associated with hematologic malignancies, have shown a worse clinical presentation. Recent studies have also identified prognostic factors in mixed CryoVas. Therapeutic management in non-infectious CryoVas remains to be defined. Overall, treatment options should be individualized based on severity of involvement. In this setting, new data have emerged regarding the role of biologic therapy in non-infectious CryoVas. Off-label use of rituximab should be highlighted, based on the assessment of benefits and risks, especially infections.
Neuroendocrine Peptides - Analysis by Reversed Phase High Performance Liquid Chromatography

Abstract A high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method is described for determining the biologically active neuroendocrine peptides thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH), leucine (leu) and methionine (met) enkephalin, angiotensin II, delta sleep inducing peptide (DSIP), luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH), substance P and growth hormone release inhibiting factor (somatostatin). The selection of mobile phases was limited to these systems that do not exhibit strong absorbtion at 215 nm and 254 nm. Under isocratic conditions at room temperatures with the appropriate selection of mobile phase it was possible by reversed phase chromatography to resolve all of the peptides investigated. We can resolve with the systems employed peptides differing by only one amino acid in chain length as well as peptides differing by only one amino acid in the chain sequence. The method is rapid, does not require derivitization, can be used with aqueous matrixes and is sensitive in the nanomolar range. Our resea...
Close & closer: social cluster and closeness from photo collections

We investigate the discovery of social clusters from consumer photo collections. People's participation in various social activities is the base on which social clusters are formed. The photos that record those social activities can reflect the social structure of people to a certain degree, depending on the extent of coverage of the photos on the social activities. In this paper, we propose a scheme to construct a weighted undirected graph from photo collections by examining the co-appearance of individuals in photos, wherein the weights of edges are measures of the social closeness of the involved individuals (vertices in the graph). We further apply a graph clustering algorithm that maximizes the modularity of the graph partition to detect the embedded social clusters. The experiment results demonstrate that this scheme can reveal the social cluster with high precision rate. In addition, we also introduce a few photo management capabilities enabled by the social graph and discovered social clusters.
Immunofluorescence study of patients with neuropathy and IgM M proteins

Immunofluorescence histochemistry was used to study the pathogenesis of polyneuropathy in patients with an IgM M protein. Seventeen patients had an M protein that reacted with myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG), and their serum immunostained myelin sheaths of normal peripheral nerve of humans and certain other species. The staining was specific for the M protein idiotype and was abolished by prior absorption of serum with MAG. The sural nerve biopsy specimens from these 17 patients had pathological features of primary demyelination and deposits of IgM on the myelin sheaths. Sural nerve specimens of 2 patients with an M protein reactive with chondroitin sulfate showed axonal degeneration and diffuse deposits of IgM in the endoneurium. Serum of one of these patients immunostained connective tissue; the staining was specific for the M protein idiotype and was blocked by absorption of the serum with chondroitin sulfate. The antigenic specificity of the IgM M protein in another 9 patients with neuropathy is not known; however, sural nerve specimens obtained from some of the patients showed axonal degeneration and endoneurial deposits of IgM, and the serum IgM immunostained axons in some instances. The findings suggest that IgM M proteins may cause the neuropathy and that more than one autoantigen is involved.
An elastic analysis that predicts the pull-out capacity of adhesive anchors

Adhesive anchors been widely used in both new construction and repair/retrofit projects because of their rapid curing speed and economy. They are thus especially attractive for use in sustaining aging infrastructure. However, recent accidents have shown that current design procedure may not be safe. Although several failure modes exist in engineering practice, this work focus on the failure due to pullout of an adhesive core. A rational examination of the current elastic model has been conducted, and its limitations are presented. A new elastic model is developed for the future design of adhesive anchors. An axisymmetric problem is studied for an adhesive core bonded to a rigid hole through an adhesive layer. The stress distribution within the adhesive interlayer is derived, and then the load capacity of the anchor can be obtained. Compared with the existing design method, the proposed model provides the elastic fields at both the adhesive core and the adhesive layer, which makes it possible to capture different failure mechanisms. The model's assumptions are then validating using an axisymmetric finite element model. An extension of this work to consider the creep behavior and predict the long term performance of adhesive anchors is underway.
Exploring the Use of Egocentric Online Social Network Data to Characterize Individual Air Travel Behavior

The rapid growth of online social networking over the past decade has generated substantial amounts of data about individuals and their social relationships. Recent research studies investigating social relationships and travel behavior have sought connections between individuals' social networks and socially related travel; however, to the authors' knowledge, no study has pursued the use of online social networking data to do so. This study explores the use of online social network data in characterizing individuals' air travel behavior. Data were collected through a web-based survey including information about individuals' air travel history and online social network information, specifically participants' Facebook networks. The data were then analyzed to address a series of hypotheses about the association between online social network characteristics (specifically Facebook) and air travel behavior, in particular, travel distance, leisure-related travel, and trip generation. This study found a positive...
Design Component Method for Sensitivity Analysis of Built-up Structures

A 'design component method' that provides a unified and systematic organization of design sensitivity analysis for built-up structures is developed and implemented. Both conventional design variables, such as thickness and cross-sectional area, and shape design variables of components of built-up structures are considered. It is shown that design of components of built-up structures can be characterized and system design sensitivity expressions obtained by simply adding contributions from each component. The method leads to a systematic organization of computations for design sensitivity analysis that is similar to the way in which computations are organized within a finite element code.
Metaphor and minimalism

This paper argues first that, contrary to what one would expect, metaphorical interpretations of utterances pass two of Cappelan and Lepore’s Minimalist tests for semantic context-sensitivity. I then propose how, in light of that result, one might analyze metaphors on the model of indexicals and demonstratives, expressions that (even) Minimalists agree are semantically context-dependent. This analysis builds on David Kaplan’s semantics for demonstratives and refines an earlier proposal in (Stern, Metaphor in context, MIT Press, Cambridge, 2000). In the course of this argument, I also discuss some new examples of linguistic phenomena that motivate a semantic structure underlying metaphorical interpretation, phenomena I argue that neither Minimalists nor Contextualists can explain.
Specificity in DNA recognition by phage integrases.

The λ-related (lambdoid) coliphages are related to one another by frequent natural recombination and maintain a high level of functional polymorphism for several activities of the phages. Arguments are presented that the polymorphism of the integration module results from selection (presumably frequency-dependent) for new (not improved) specificities of site recognition. Analysis of phages λ and HK022 by Weisberg and collaborators previously showed that changes in five noncontiguous amino acids could switch site recognition specificity. Phage 21 and defective element e14, which integrate at the same site, differ in recognition specificity for both core and arm sites. In vitro assays of e14 and 21 insertion and excision confirm this conclusion. Inhibition by ds arm site oligonucleotides defines the sequence specificity more precisely.
An empirical method for estimating thermal system parameters based on operating data in smart grids

An experimental methodology was developed for online system identification of a thermal system or heated space. In this setting, the intelligent controller detects system parameters during normal operation and adapts its performance accordingly. The ultimate goal is to demonstrate that load leveling with demand side management can be used to reduce peak power consumption while maintaining residential room temperatures at a comfortable level. A prototype enclosure was built and equipped with a heater and thermal measuring equipment. Data was collected during a 17 hour temperature regulation experiment using a bang-bang controller similar to those commonly used for residential heating control. First and second order mathematical models were developed for thermal system identification. The mathematical models utilized the collected temperature data to estimate the net thermal resistance and capacitance using system identification techniques. Results showed the second order model to match the real system characteristics reasonably well. It was found that even for a small prototype enclosure, the estimated thermal parameters showed quite large values of thermal capacitance which can be a great asset for demand side management and control applications in a smart grid. The system identification method developed here is an important step toward the development of intelligent controllers.
Heterochromatin protein 1a stimulates histone H3 lysine 36 demethylation by the Drosophila KDM4A demethylase.

Summary Recent discoveries of histone demethylases demonstrate that histone methylation is reversible. However, mechanisms governing the targeting and regulation of histone demethylation remain elusive. Here we report that a Drosophila melanogaster JmjC domain-containing protein, dKDM4A, is a histone H3K36 demethylase. dKDM4A specifically demethylates H3K36me2 and H3K36me3 both in vitro and in vivo. Affinity purification and mass spectrometry analysis revealed that heterochromatin protein 1a (HP1a) associates with dKDMA4A. We found that the chromo shadow domain of HP1a and a HP1-interacting motif of dKDM4A are responsible for this interaction. HP1a stimulates the histone H3K36 demethylation activity of dKDM4A, and this stimulation depends on the H3K9me-binding motif of HP1a. Finally, we provide in vivo evidence suggesting that HP1a and dKDM4A interact with each other and that loss of HP1a leads to an increased level of histone H3K36me3. Collectively, these results suggest a function of HP1a in transcription facilitating H3K36 demethylation at transcribed and/or heterochromatin regions.
Verified models of multiagent systems for vehicle health management

A multiagent framework for data acquisition, analysis, and diagnosis in health management is proposed. It uses the contract net protocol, a protocol for high-level distributed problem solving that provides adaptive and flexible solutions where task decomposition and assignment of subtasks is natural. Java is used to wrap implementations of existing techniques for individual tasks, such as neural networks or fuzzy rule bases for fault classification. The Java wrapping supplies an agent interface that allows an implementation to participate in the contract net protocol. This framework is demonstrated with a simple Java prototype that monitors a laboratory specimen that generates acoustic emission signals due to fracture-induced failure. A multiagent system that conforms to our framework can focus resources as well as select important data and extract important information. Such a system is extensible and decentralized, and redundancy in it provides fault tolerance and graceful degradation. Finally, the flexibility inherent in such a system allows new strategies to develop on the fly. The behavior of a non-trivial concurrent system (such as multiagent systems) is too complex and uncontrollable to be thoroughly tested, so methods have been developed to check the design of a concurrent system against formal specifications of the system"s behavior. We review one such method-model checking with SPIN-and discuss how it can be used to verify control aspects of multiagent systems that conform to our framework.© (2005) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
2D Multilayered π-stacked conjugated polymers based on a U-turn pseudo-geminal [2.2]paracyclophane scaffold

4,15-Diethynyl, diethenyl and dihalo-substituted [2.2]paracyclophanes were explored as monomers to prepare polymers consisting of conjugated units held in a multi-tiered stacked arrangement. The pseudo-geminal substitution pattern of the [2.2]paracyclophane core affords a U-turn at the end of each tier in the polymeric architecture. This two-dimensional assembly of conjugated chains is similar to the organization of segments of conjugated polymers in the solid state. The broad fluorescence emission and large Stokes shift of the polymers compared to model unstacked linear analogs suggest that the excited state of the polymer undergoes energy transfer with mixing of π-orbitals to afford a “phane” electronic state. The magnitude of the Stokes shift of the polymers relative to the isomeric pseudo-parapolymers, in which stacking is limited to just the terminal rings of each tier, indicates the importance of the extended nature of the overlap of conjugated units on their electronic structure.
Extended 60 micrometers emission from nearby Mira variables

The Infrared Astronomy Satellite (IRAS) has detected extended emission around a number of evolved stars. Individual IRAS scans of nearby Mira variables which showed emission from circumstellar dust and for which distance estimates were available were examined. Extended emission at 60 micrometers was detected for R Cas, o Cet, R Leo, U Ori, and possibly for R Hor. The Leung code for the calculation of radiative transfer in a circumstellar dust shell was used to calculate the emission from model dust shells composed of silicate grains. The output was convolved with the IRAS beam profile to determine whether steady mass loss could explain the observed extension. The observed extensions for o Cet, R Hor and U Ori could be due to steady mass loss, while the model calculations do not produce enough extension to explain the observations of R Cas and R Leo.
Crystal Growth and Structure Determination of LaMIn5 (M=Co, Rh, Ir)

Abstract The compounds CeMIn5 (M=Co, Rh, Ir) have been shown to exhibit heavy fermion behavior. In order to better understand this effect and the nature of the observed superconductivity, we have synthesized and characterized the non-magnetic analogs, LaMIn5 (M=Co, Rh, Ir). The structures of LaCoIn5, LaRhIn5, and LaIrIn5 were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. CeMIn5 and LaMIn5 compounds are isostructural and adopt a tetragonal structure with space group P4/mmm, Z=1. Lattice parameters are a=4.6399(4) and c=7.6151(6) A for LaCoIn5, a=4.6768(3) and c=7.5988(7) A for LaRhIn5, and a=4.6897(6) and c=7.5788(12) A for LaIrIn5. We compare these experimental data with band structure computations and examine structural trends that affect the magnetic and transport properties of these compounds.
Watermarking of dither halftoned images

Image watermarking concerns embedding information in images, in a manner that does not affect the visual quality of the image. This paper focusses on watermarking of dither halftone images. The basic idea is to use a sequence of two dither matrices (instead of one) to encode the watermark information. Analyzing a specific statistical model of input images, leads to an optimal decoding algorithm in term of the rate- distortion trade-off. Furthermore, we characterize optimal dither matrix pairs (i.e.: dither matrix pairs whose use results in the most favorable rate-distortion). Finally, the results are demonstrated in a synthetic example. The example is synthetic in the sense that it does not resort to printing and re-scanning of the image.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
OSS in China — New information about an old role

(1994). OSS in China — New information about an old role. International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence: Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 75-96.
Diagnóstico fotodinámico (PDD) en el cáncer vesical no músculo-invasivo. Revisión bibliográfica

Resumen El cancer vesical no musculo-invasivo es una de las neoplasias de mayor incidencia y prevalencia en el medio occidental. Su control clinico origina un gasto importante a los sistemas de salud. El diagnostico y el tratamiento se basan en la vision directa de este y en la deteccion de formas planas que no presentan una expresion morfologica caracteristica y que, en ocasiones, pasan inadvertidas. El pronostico de este proceso depende en muchos casos de la calidad de la reseccion transuretral y en la deteccion temprana de formas planas indiferenciadas. La cistoscopia con empleo de sustancias fotosensibilizantes, como el acido 5- aminolevulinico (5-ALA) o el acido hexil-amino-levulinico (HAL), consigue tasas de sobredeteccion de neoformaciones vesicales del 29%, y en el caso concreto del carcinoma in situ, del 59%. Esta capacidad de sobredeteccion lleva consigo un aumento de supervivencia libre de enfermedad y del tiempo a la primera recidiva, entre otros parametros analizados. El incremento en el coste al emplear estos recursos se compensa, ya que se disminuye o retrasa en numero de cistectomias, el numero de resecciones y el de instrumentaciones. Concluimos que debe de universalizarse el empleo de sustancias fotosensibles, no solo empleandolas en aquellos casos de riesgo alto.
Programs, Paradigms, Architecture, City Planning, and Urban Design

It has often been asserted that urban design became a recognized area of professional practice as the professions of architecture and city planning diverged in the foci of their concern with cities...
Ultimate Strength Analysis of Long Hinged Reinforced Concrete Columns

Theoretical analyses; treatments of concentrically and eccentrically loaded columns utilize stress-strain relationship for concrete determined by E.HOGNESTAD; consideration of end restraints requires addition of new assumption and methods of solution; results of analyses considering concrete strength, percentage of reinforcement, yield point of reinforcement, end restraint, eccentricity, slenderness ratio and duration of loading.
Procalcitonin induced cytotoxicity and apoptosis in mesangial cells: implications for septic renal injury

Immuno-neutralization of procalcitonin (ProCT) has been shown to ameliorate experimental sepsis as well as the renal complications of this disease. Accordingly, we investigated the direct effect of ProCT on mesangial cells (MCs). Primary culture of murine MCs. ProCT (0.5, 1.0, 2.5, 5.0 ng/ml) for 2, 4, 6 h. MCs were exposed in vitro to ProCT. Expression levels of IL-6, iNOS and TNF-α were determined by real time RT-PCR, Inflammatory pathways, and a panel of cytokines and chemokines involved in the process were investigated by PCR array; apoptosis/viability were evaluated in a multiplex assay and actin cytoskeleton alterations were examined by immunofluorescence (IF). ProCT caused an early elevation in both IL-6 and iNOS mRNA (2–4 h), and a later rise (6 h) in TNF-α mRNA. ProCT upregulated genes of proinflammatory pathways 5- to 24-fold compared to control. IF images revealed disruption of the actin cytoskeleton and retraction of cell bodies with loss of typical stellate or spindle shape phenotype. ProCT decreased MCs viability by 36 % compared to control cells and induced significant apoptosis. ProCT has direct cytotoxic properties and may play a role in septic acute kidney injury that is independent of endotoxemia or hemodynamic alterations.
IONIC CONTRIBUTIONS TO LATTICE INSTABILITIES AND PHONON-DISPERSION IN LA2CUO4

We have applied the potential-induced breathing model, a nonempirical ionic model, to La/sub 2/CuO/sub 4/. The ionic model predicts the observed tetragonal-to-orthorhombic distortion, predicts a lower-symmetry ground state, and predicts a stable oxygen breathing mode. We find unstable phonon branches that we relate to phase transitions. Harmonically unstable double-well modes will couple to the charge density in the copper-oxide planes and possibly contribute to high-T/sub c/ superconductivity. This ionic coupling is not included in recent calculations.
How effective are 3-month and 12-month predictive models of mortality after first liver transplantation?

How effective are 3-month and 12-month predictive models of mortality after first liver transplantation?
Stress‐Induced Dopamine Release in the Neostriatum: Evaluation of the Role of Action Potentials in Nigrostriatal Dopamine Neurons or Local Initiation by Endogenous Excitatory Amino Acids

: It has been hypothesized that excitatory amino acids can initiate dopamine release in neostriatum. We examined whether the increase in extracellular dopamine in neostriatum produced by acute stress reflects presynaptic initiation of dopamine release by endogenous excitatory amino acids. Thirty minutes of intermittent tail-shock stress significantly elevated extracellular concentrations of dopamine, glutamate, aspartate, and γ-aminobutyric acid in neostriatum of freely moving rats as measured with in vivo microdialysis. Local infusion of the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonist 2-amino-5-phosphonovaler-ate or the non-N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonist 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione via the dialysis probe did not attenuate the stress-induced increase in extra cellular dopamine. In fact, the increase was prolonged in rats treated with specific excitatory amino acid receptor antagonists. Infusion of tetrodotoxin into medial forebrain bundle increased extra cellular glutamate and aspartate in neostriatum yet reduced basal dopamine in extra cellular fluid to below the limit of detection of the assay and eliminated the stress-induced increase in extra cellular dopamine. These findings fail to support the hypothesis that the stress-induced increase in extra cellular dopamine in neostriatum is initiated locally by excitatory amino acids. Rather, the effects of stress on extra cellular dopamine seem to be determined by impulse propagation in dopamine neurons.
RHETORIC OF FAITH AND PATTERNS OF PERSUASION IN BERKELEY'S ALCIPHRON

In this article I consider George Berkeley's Alciphron (1732) from the standpoint of the literary techniques and rhetorical procedures employed, as evidence for placing this composition within the tradition of Christian apologetic rhetoric. The argument develops around three main issues: 1) Berkeley's employment of the traditional rhetorical tool of attacking his opponents using their own weapons; 2) Berkeley's resort to a perennial tradition of pre-Christian or non-Christian wisdom, in order to validate his Christian-theistic claims; and 3) Berkeley's ‘argument from utility’ (considering the beneficial effects that accepting Christianity has had over the centuries on people's lives, making them better, wiser, happier, and more virtuous, as well as the social peace and harmony that living by Christian standards brings about – it is preferable to adopt the Christian faith than not). These three theses are discussed in light of the history of Christian apologetic rhetoric, with references to the works of St. Augustine, St. Justin Martyr, Origen, St. Thomas Aquinas and other Christian authors.
Equation of State of NaCl and Its Use as a Pressure Gauge in High-Pressure Research

The pressure as a function of lattice parameter and temperature has been calculated for NaCl over a pressure range of 0 to 500 kbar for temperatures between 0° and 1500°C. The calculation used the Mie‐Gruneisen equation of state with Born‐Mayer type repulsion terms between first and second nearest neighbors. The Gruneisen constant was expanded about its value at room temperature and atmospheric pressure; the first coefficient in the expansion being evaluated by forcing the calculated thermal expansion at atmospheric pressure to fit the experimental results of Enck. The two empirical parameters in the repulsion terms were evaluated using the experimental lattice parameter and isothermal compressibility at atmospheric pressure. The calculated pressure vs volume agrees with Bridgman's room‐temperature measurements in NaCl below 100 kbar to within 3% and with high‐pressure high‐temperature shock data to better than 2%. It is proposed to use the numerical results to calibrate the pressure in high‐pressure high‐temperature apparatus.
Core allocation based on probability

We are discussing a method of core allocation proposed for use in a large-scale, real-time, man-machine, data processing and display system.
An introduction to strip-mapping synthetic aperture radar

Strip-mapping synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is a microwave imaging system capable of producing high resolution terrain images from data collected by a relatively small airborne or spaceborne antenna. Although strip-mapping SAR has been widely covered in the technical literature for at least 25 years, this literature tends to be inaccessible to researchers outside of the radar community due to the following factors: use of unfamiliar terminology, assumption of a prior understanding of basic radar signal processing, and the use of a Doppler viewpoint. In this paper we derive and discuss the fundamental strip-mapping SAR imaging equations from first principles, with radar terminology minimized. The role of the Doppler effect is clarified. Although this paper is fairly elementary, it is hoped that it might serve as a bridge for the signal processing community to the existing literature on strip-mapping SAR.
Ground-based differential absorption lidar system for day or night measurements of ozone throughout the free troposphere.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Aeronomy Laboratory’s rapid tunable daylight differential absorption lidar system for monitoring ozone throughout the free troposphere is described. The system components are optimized to provide continuously and rapidly profiles of ozone, day or night, with a vertical resolution of 1 km and an absolute accuracy of ±10% to the tropopause under clear sky conditions. Routine observations of ozone with frequent error assessments are made by scanning wavelengths between 286 and 292 nm.
Validation of Vector Magnitude Datasets: Effects of Random Component Errors

Abstract A statistically consistent and physically realistic approach for validating vector magnitude measurements is developed, based on a model for random measurement noise that explicitly satisfies a nonnegativity constraint for all “noisy” vector magnitude measurements. Numerical and analytic approximations are used to quantify the nonlinear functional dependence of sample conditional means on true values and component noise magnitudes. In particular, it is shown analytically that random component errors will result in overall vector magnitude biases. A simple nonlinear regression of measured sample conditional mean vector magnitudes (calculated from traditional collocated data) against Monte Carlo simulation results is proposed for determining both deterministic trends and random errors in the data to be validated. The approach is demonstrated using Seasat and ERS-1 scatterometer measurements and collocated buoy data. The approach accounts well for the observed qualitative features of the collocated ...
New Kid on the Block: A Role for the Na/Ca Exchanger in Odor Transduction

Odors seem the most subtle of sensory stimuli, yet our ability to detect them is robust, and their capacity to influence our actions is profound. Although scientists have studied olfaction for >2,000 yr, advances in understanding the cell physiology of odor detection have occurred especially rapidly
Atomistic structure and lattice effects of vacancies in Ni-Al intermetallics

Atomistic computer simulation with embedded atom method potentials has been performed to study the energetics and structures of point defects in L12Ni3A1 and B2 NiAl. The large size of Al atoms plays a dominant role in the relaxed atomic configurations of vacancies and antisite defects in the system. In both Ni3Al and NiAl, it was found that excess Ni can be accommodated by Ni in Al sites. Accommodation of excess Al by locating Al in Ni sites is not energetically favorable in NiAl. The most stable di-vacancy configuration is two vacancies as first nearest neighbors in Ni sublattices for Ni3Al and as second nearest neighbors in Al sublattices for NiAl. General attraction of two vacancies in Ni3Al was found. On the contrary, vacancies in NiAl show repulsive interaction in several cases. This accounts for the existence of structural vacancies in B2 NiAl. The effects of different degrees of random disorder on the lattice parameters were evaluated, and it was found that these effects can be correlated with the local distortion around antisite defects using a simple model.
Surface acoustic wave based biosensor in CMOS for cancer biomarker detection

This paper reports a novel SAW based biosensor developed in CMOS technology for detecting cancer biomarkers in a dip and dry test fashion. The results obtained in our previous work demonstrate that it is possible to design and fabricate SAW delay lines in CMOS with comparable performance to conventional devices. CMOS-SAW devices employ design novelties such as embedded heaters for temperature stability analysis, acoustic absorbers, and EM feedthrough contacts. Due to its highly useful material properties gold was employed as the interface material between the SAW transducers and the selective sensing material of interest, namely streptavidin-biotinylated mammoglobin (hMAM) antibody. A five layered sensing assay was characterized and optimized. The sensitivities of the devices were analyzed primarily based on center frequency shifts. A frequency sensitivity of 8.704 pg/Hz and a mass sensitivity of 2810.25 m2/kg were obtained. Experimental results indicate that it is possible to attach cancer biomarkers to functionalized CMOS-SAW sensor surfaces and selectively detect hMAM antigens with improved sensitivities, lowered costs, and increased reusability.