cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Braiding quantum circuit based on the 4 π Josephson effect

We propose a topological qubit in which braiding and readout are mediated by the $4\ensuremath{\pi}$ Majorana-Josephson effect. The braidonium device consists of three Majorana nanowires that come together to make a trijunction. In order to control the superconducting phase differences at the trijunction, the nanowires are enclosed in a ring made of a conventional superconductor. In order to perform initialization and readout, one of the nanowires is coupled to a fluxonium qubit through a topological Josephson junction. We analyze how flux-based control and readout protocols can be used to demonstrate braiding and qubit operation for realistic materials and circuit parameters.
Abstract P122: Intersectional Effects of Racial and Gender Discrimination on Cardiovascular Health Vary Among Black and White Women and Men in the Cardia Study

Background: Some evidence suggests an association of perceived racial but not gender discrimination with disparities in cardiovascular health (CVH) among U.S. black women and men. We assessed wheth...
Robust distributed synchronization of networked linear systems with intermittent information

The problem of synchronization of multiple linear time-invariant systems connected over a network with asynchronous and intermittently available communication events is studied. To solve this problem, we propose a controller with hybrid dynamics, namely, the controller utilizes information transmitted to it during discrete communication events and exhibits continuous dynamics between such events. Due to the additional continuous and discrete dynamics inherent to the interconnected networked systems and communication structure, we use a hybrid systems framework to model and analyze the closed-loop system. The problem of synchronization is then recast as a set stabilization problem and, by employing Lyapunov stability tools for hybrid systems, sufficient conditions for asymptotic stability of the synchronization set are provided. Furthermore, we show that the property of synchronization is robust to perturbations. Numerical examples illustrating the main results are included.
Socially oriented thinking and the biological stress response: Thinking of friends and family predicts trajectories of salivary cortisol decline.

The cortisol stress response has been related to perceived social support, but previous studies rely on self-reported social support variables. The cortisol recovery phase in particular has been theorized to serve a social coping function, but individual differences in recovery slope have not yet been examined in relation to social coping-relevant indices. This study addressed these gaps by examining the relationship of cortisol trajectories after a socioevaluative task to individual differences in covertly assessed cognitions related to close social relationships. We examined trajectories of cortisol change related to socially oriented thinking, the semi-implicit activation of cognitive representations of friends or family. Young adults (N = 64) gave salivary cortisol samples before and for 45 min after a speech task. Participants' thoughts were sampled repeatedly; the frequency of words related to friends or family was assessed to index socially oriented thinking. A free curve slope intercept latent growth curve model showed excellent fit with the cortisol data. Socially oriented thinking was unrelated to overall magnitude of cortisol response to the task (latent intercept) but predicted the latent cortisol trajectory, independently of cortisol intercept and baseline cortisol levels. Socially oriented thinkers showed more gradual cortisol declines, whereas nonsocially oriented thinkers showed a steeper downslope driven primarily by cortisol changes 45 min after the task. Individual differences in socially oriented thinking may manifest in different rates of biological changes following a performance task.
Evidence-Based Treatments

For years, parents were told that there was “nothing we can do” to help their children with autism. There is still no “cure,” even if that were desired by all people with that diagnosis. Fortunately, there are now evidence-based treatments that can benefit most children with ASD and modify their outcomes in many positive ways. Section “Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention” focuses on “EIBI,” or early intensive behavioral interventions, and some of the variations on this generally accepted approach for treating younger children. While the earlier programs were based on positive and negative reinforcements, subsequent modifications are being provided as “NDBI” or Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions, which are provided during the daily life of a child in their homes and communities with focus on social skill and communication development. Some of the confusing alphabet soup of acronyms are defined. Section “Treatment for Older Children” discusses programs for older children and adolescents, and section “The Role of Medications in ASD: Evidence-Based, Commonly Used and Emerging” reviews medications, some more evidence-based than others, used to treat symptoms associated with ASD.
RoAdNet: A Multi-Resolution Transmission Strategy for Long Range Information Diffusion in VANETs

The focus of this paper is on designing a robust information dissemination protocol for Vehicular Ad-Hoc Networks (VANETs) that works across a broad range of application scenarios by dynamically adapting its parameters and transmission strategy to specific information requirements and traffic conditions. Applications of V2V communication can be broadly classified as safety, navigation and environmental efficiency. Safety applications require high frequency and high precision messages at short range (500m) within a single communication hop, navigation applications need low frequency and lower precision information at medium range (1500m/1 mile) and long range aggregate information (10000m/6 miles) can be used for enhancing environmental efficiency and routing. While network protocols for each of these applications have been individually studied, there is scope to study their behavior when they coexist in the network. It is important that the quality of one hop safety messages is not sacrificed when long range communication is introduced. RoAdNet enables long range information dissemination, while maintaining high data.
Burst wave lithotripsy and acoustic manipulation of stones.

Purpose of review Burst wave lithotripsy and ultrasonic propulsion of kidney stones are novel, noninvasive emerging technologies to separately or synergistically fragment and reposition stones in an office setting. The purpose of this review is to discuss the latest refinements in technology, to update on testing of safety and efficacy, and to review future applications. Recent findings Burst wave lithotripsy produced consistent, small passable fragments through transcutaneous applications in a porcine model, while producing minimal injury and clinical trials are now underway. A more efficient ultrasonic propulsion design that can also deliver burst wave lithotripsy effectively repositioned 95% of stones in 18 human participants (18 of 19 kidneys) and clinical trials continue. Acoustic tractor beam technology is an emerging technology with promising clinical applications through the manipulation of macroscopic objects. Summary The goal of the reviewed work is an office-based system to image, fragment, and reposition urinary stones to facilitate their natural passage. The review highlights progress in establishing safety, effectiveness, and clinical benefit of these new technologies. The work is also anticipating challenges in clinical trials and developing the next generation of technology to improve on the technology as it is being commercialized today.
Effects of iron oxalate on rhenium incorporation into low-activity waste glass

Abstract Volatilization of technetium-99 (99Tc) is of concern during vitrification of Hanford low-activity waste (LAW) to produce a borosilicate glass waste form at the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant. Addition of reducing agents to LAW glass feed has been known to increase the retention of 99Tc in the final glass product. We investigated rhenium incorporation into glass by performing crucible melting tests on simulated LAW glass feeds, prepared without and with iron oxalate as a reducing agent, to understand the mechanism how the reducing agent influences Re retention in glass. Deionized water leaches were conducted on the dried feed and heat-treated samples to analyze the compositions of soluble and insoluble phases separately and to profile the partitioning of components into different phases during melting. The results in this study do not support the previous hypothesis that the low volatility of reduced Re4+ and Tc4+ is responsible for higher Re and Tc retention in glass when a reducing agent is added. We propose that early reaction of nitrate/nitrite and faster incorporation of sulfate into glass caused by iron oxalate are the two contributing factors that can explain the experimental findings in this study regarding the positive effect of iron oxalate on Re incorporation and retention.
The Renin Angiotensin System, the Kidney, and the Pathogenesis of Hypertension

Some individuals enjoy a high salt diet with impunity: others, on the other hand, raise their blood pressure and suffer the consequences. Multiple observations suggest that familial, probably genetic, factors are involved and that the abnormality resides in the kidney. We have identified a group of patients, called “non-modulators,” in whom impaired responsiveness of the kidney and adrenal to Angiotension H (All) with shifts in salt intake, is associated with failure of renal blood flow to change as salt intake changes, impaired ability to handle a salt load, and sodium-sensitive hypertension. The abnormality is familial and probably inherited. Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition corrects many of the associated abnormalities, increases renal blood flow, and enhances the ability of the kidney to handle a salt load — an important contribution, we believe, to the antihypertensive effect. The renal abnormality may also predispose to progressive renal injury if an additional abnormality, such as diabetes mellitus, is superimposed.
Mutiny in the House: Domestic Rebellion in Fausta Cialente’s Natalia

The cult of domesticity positions women into a state of subservience while reinforcing gendered roles. The ideology was propagated in post-Unification Italy by Catholic doctrine as well as Fascist propaganda and practices that consigned women to the roles of wives and mothers. The physical site of the cult of domesticity was the home where traditional values were honored and upheld. In Fausta Cialente’s novel Natalia—originally published in 1930 and censored by the Fascist regime, then reissued in 1982—the home becomes a site of rebellion and resistance, which challenges ideology that limits female autonomy. In Natalia, a verdant house in the country is the scene of illicit sexual activity between the female protagonist and a young woman, and an ancestral home becomes the threatening locus of the protagonist’s marriage, as well as the setting of her failed attempt at motherhood. Throughout the text, the explicit connection between physical space—the home—and female autonomy, acts as a critique of female oppression and pervasive societal expectations.
The Impact of Cultural Immersion Experience on Identity Transformation Process

This study focused on understanding the cultural immersion experience of students who participated in Study Abroad Programs (SAP) and Global Service Learning Programs (GSL). The study looked at how the immersion experience impacted the participants’ view of self and others upon re-entry into their local community. Specifically, we applied the perspective transformation theoretical framework to analyze the extent to which participation in cultural immersion programs transforms students’ perceptions of self and others. The analysis of the semi-structured interviews suggested that by engaging in intentional immersion and guided reflections, participants became aware of the need to reevaluate their perspectives, expectations, and assumptions about self and others. We also found that there were differences in the way participants experienced the cultural immersion process and the impact it had on cultural awareness and self-identity.
PANEL DISCUSSION ON THE EDUCATION OF ENGINEERS FOR THE OCEAN INDUSTRY: FUTURE TRENDS

The traditional roles of the naval architect and marine engineer are expanding into the broad multidisciplinary field of ocean engineering. Education for this field--the problems, methods, and prospects--are explored in this paper, which comprises the points of view of three authorities in the field.
Secure routing and trust computation in multihop infrastructureless networks

Today's wireless networks rely mostly on infrastructural support for their operation. With the concept of ubiquitous computing growing more popular, research on infrastructureless networks have been rapidly growing. However, such types of networks face serious security challenges when deployed. This dissertation focuses on designing a secure routing solution and trust modeling for these infrastructureless networks. The dissertation presents a trusted routing protocol that is capable of finding a secure end-to-end route in the presence of malicious nodes acting either independently or in collusion, The solution protects the network from active internal attacks, known to be the most severe types of attacks in an ad hoc application. Route discovery is based on trust levels of the nodes, which need to be dynamically computed to reflect the malicious behavior in the network. As such, we have developed a trust computational model in conjunction with the secure routing protocol that analyzes the different malicious behavior and quantifies them in the model itself. Our work is the first step towards protecting an ad hoc network from colluding internal attack. To demonstrate the feasibility of the approach, extensive simulation has been carried out to evaluate the protocol efficiency and scalability with both network size and mobility. This research has laid the foundation for developing a variety of techniques that will permit people to justifiably trust the use of ad hoc networks to perform critical functions, as well as to process sensitive information without depending on any infrastructural support and hence will enhance the use of ad hoc applications in both military and civilian domains.
Recurrent follicular cyst of mandible. Report of a case.

Abstract This case emphasizes the necessity of meticulous inspection of the fibrous tissue and bony walls around follicular cysts for the presence of hidden pockets of cyst lining. The judicious use of liquid phenol to destroy such residua, followed by 70 per cent alcohol to neutralize the undesirable effects of the phenol, has been found to be good insurance against possible recurrent cyst formation. In spite of such treatment, however, follow-up x-ray studies should be made periodically. We suggest that such studies be made at 2 months, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, and, finally, at the end of the fifth year. Recurrences may be evaluated and treated as outlined in this article.
Cyclic nucleotide metabolism during lymphocyte transformation: I. Enzymatic mechanisms in changes in cAMP and cGMP concentration in Balb/c mice

Abstract Balb/c mouse spleen lymphocytes incubated from 0 to 30 min with the mitogen, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), were examined for alterations in concentration of cGMP and cAMP using radioimmunoassay. An optimal concentration of LPS, 10 μg/106 cells/ml, caused an increase in the cGMP concentration which reached a maximum of 53% above control values 10 min after the addition of LPS. cAMP concentration also increased, showing two peaks, the first after 5 min to 32% above control values and the second after 30 min to 52% above control values. Although these changes in cyclic nucleotide concentration are small in comparison with other studies, they demonstrate that consistent and statistically significant data are obtained following transformation by a mitogen at its optimal concentration rather than at a concentration that causes maximum cyclic nucleotide changes. Enzymatic mechanisms were also investigated in order to explain the changes in cyclic nucleotide concentration during Balb/c mouse splenocyte transformation that were reported earlier. In cells incubated with LPS, the specific activity of adenylate cyclase increased more than twofold within 10 min, while there was no change in guanylate cyclase activity. Furthermore, cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase activity for both cAMP and cGMP increased by more than 20% over control values. These results explain the observed increase in cAMP, but not cGMP. It was demonstrated that cAMP was capable of inhibiting cGMP degradation by cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase by as much as 70%. The same is true for the effect of cGMP on cAMP degradation. LPS tended to inhibit the latter with no effect on the former. The relative affect was shown to be dependent on the cGMP/cAMP ratio. Therefore, it is proposed that the elevation in cGMP concentration observed early in lymphocyte activation occurs as a consequence of the inhibition by each cyclic nucleotide on the hydrolysis of the other.
Measurement of humeroradial and humeroulnar transarticular joint forces in the canine elbow joint after humeral wedge and humeral slide osteotomies.

Objective— To determine the effect of humeral wedge and humeral slide osteotomies on force distribution between the articular surfaces of the humerus and the radius and ulna in normal canine thoracic limbs. Study Design— In vitro mechanical testing. Sample population— Cadaveric canine right thoracic limbs (n=12). Methods— Transarticular elbow force maps were measured using a tactile array pressure sensor in elbow joints of axially aligned limbs under 200 N axial load before and after humeral wedge and humeral slide osteotomies. Results— Loading induced 2 distinct areas of high forces that corresponded with the proximal articular surfaces of the radius and ulna. Mean force on the proximal articular surface of the ulna was reduced by 25% and 28% after 4 and 8 mm sliding osteotomies, respectively. Statistically significant differences were not observed for the wedge osteotomies. Conclusion— Humeral slide osteotomy significantly decreases force on the proximal articular surface of the ulna. Clinical Relevance— The proximal articular surface of the ulna contributes significantly to load transfer through the canine elbow joint. Abnormalities that significantly increase this force might contribute to canine elbow dysplasia, specifically fragmentation of the medial coronoid process and osteochondritis dissecans of the medial aspect of the humeral condyle. Under the conditions studied, the overall reduction in mean joint surface force across the proximal articular surface of the ulna after humeral slide osteotomy indicates that this technique merits further investigation for potential use in medial compartmental osteoarthritis of the canine elbow joint.
The Right to Strike vs. the Right to Care

This article addresses the struggle between hospitals and the nurses who are entrusted to care for the patients. In December, several thousand nurses staged a strike in hospitals throughout California. In New York, the threat of strikes recently passed, at least for now. Last month in Riverside County, California, a Judge issued an eleventh-hour injunction to avert a walkout. Without opining on the propriety of nursing unions or collective bargaining in the United States, this article raises the need to balance the demands of hospital patients who have a functional "right" to health care with the legal entitlement on the part of nurses who wish to participate in strikes as a lawful exercise of collective bargaining rights.
Contextualizing Bias Crimes: A Social and Theoretical Perspective on Frederick M. Lawrence's Punishing Hate

This essay surveys the underlying justification for bias crime laws from the perspectives of retributive and consequentialist theories.Retributivist theory justifies punishment in terms of its relationship to past acts. Retributivists believe that punishment should be both deserved by an offender for his or her wrongdoing and proportionate to the offense which was committed; it should inflict pain against convicted wrongdoers in return for the suffering they caused. A primary implication of this theory is that it advocates punishing criminals irrespective of (or at least ambivalent to) whether that course of action is useful for achieving broader social goods.Consequentialist theories of punishment, by contrast, justify punishment in terms of its potential to deter, incapacitate, and rehabilitate perpetrators-its potential to produce good consequences. Within the context of criminal justice, the good consequentialists seek is public safety, and laws must employ techniques which are most likely (or at least as likely as any other) to improve crime prevention. Policymakers and adjudicators can gauge the appropriate severity of punishment by determining its likelihood to reduce crime.I think a mixture of these two theories best explains why enhanced punishments for bias crimes are legitimate. The differences between retributivist and consequentialist theories can be bridged by legislation which expresses social disapprobation with bias crimes Retributivism appeals to the sense that guilty individuals should be punished, while consequentialism reflects government's obligation to design a criminal justice system which assures citizens' security. A mixed theory integrates these theories to best express the greater social disapprobation with violence committed to instigate intergroup conflict.
Pentoxifylline: A New Drug for the Treatment of Intermittent Claudication; Mechanism of Action, Pharmacokinetics, Clinical Efficacy and Adverse Effects

During the past decade, the effectiveness of peripheral vasodilator drugs in the treatment of chronic occlusive arterial disease has been questioned. Pentoxifylline is a hemorheologic agent with primary actions that include increasing erythrocyte flexibility, reducing blood viscosity and increasing microcirculatory flow and tissue perfusion. The result is improved supply of oxygen to ischemic muscles of the limbs. In several double-blind studies, pentoxifylline increased walking distance of patients with intermittent claudication in comparison to placebo or vasodilators. Like other methylxanthines, pentoxifylline is well absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract, almost completely metabolized in the body and excreted in the urine. The most significant difference in its pharmacokinetics is that, unlike other methylxanthines, it is bound to the erythrocytic membrane where it is initially metabolized. Although pentoxifylline has been shown to be effective in the treatment of intermittent claudication, additional research is needed to determine its use as adjunctive therapy in patients with concurrent coronary or cerebrovascular disease.
Working memory, short-term memory and reading proficiency in school-age children with cochlear implants

Abstract Objective The objective of the study was to examine short-term memory and working memory through both visual and auditory tasks in school-age children with cochlear implants. The relationship between the performance on these cognitive skills and reading as well as language outcomes were examined in these children. Methods Ten children between the ages of 7 and 11 years with early-onset bilateral severe-profound hearing loss participated in the study. Auditory and visual short-term memory, auditory and visual working memory subtests and verbal knowledge measures were assessed using the Woodcock Johnson III Tests of Cognitive Abilities, the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-IV Integrated and the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children II. Reading outcomes were assessed using the Woodcock Reading Mastery Test III. Results Performance on visual short-term memory and visual working memory measures in children with cochlear implants was within the average range when compared to the normative mean. However, auditory short-term memory and auditory working memory measures were below average when compared to the normative mean. Performance was also below average on all verbal knowledge measures. Regarding reading outcomes, children with cochlear implants scored below average for listening and passage comprehension tasks and these measures were positively correlated to visual short-term memory, visual working memory and auditory short-term memory. Performance on auditory working memory subtests was not related to reading or language outcomes. Conclusions The children with cochlear implants in this study demonstrated better performance in visual (spatial) working memory and short-term memory skills than in auditory working memory and auditory short-term memory skills. Significant positive relationships were found between visual working memory and reading outcomes. The results of the study provide support for the idea that WM capacity is modality specific in children with hearing loss. Based on these findings, reading instruction that capitalizes on the strengths in visual short-term memory and working memory is suggested for young children with early-onset hearing loss.
Systems Engineering Model and Training Application for Desktop Environment

Provide a graphical user interface based simulator for desktop training, operations and procedure development and system reference. This simulator allows for engineers to train and further understand the dynamics of their system from their local desktops. It allows the users to train and evaluate their system at a pace and skill level based on the user's competency and from a perspective based on the user's need. The simulator will not require any special resources to execute and should generally be available for use. The interface is based on a concept of presenting the model of the system in ways that best suits the user's application or training needs. The three levels of views are Component View, the System View (overall system), and the Console View (monitor). These views are portals into a single model, so changing the model from one view or from a model manager Graphical User Interface will be reflected on all other views.
Comparative biological effects of vitamins D2 and D3 and dihydrotachysterol2 and dihydrotachysterol3 in the chick

Abstract The relative biological activities of vitamin D 3 (D 3 ), dihydrotachysterol 2 (DHT 2 ) and dihydrotachysterol 3 (DHT 3 ) were assayed via oral feeding of different levels of the test compounds to chicks raised on a rachitogenic diet. After 28 days the relative growth, per cent of bone ash, and serum calcium levels were determined. The relative dose required to produce 50 per cent of the maximal D 3 response for DHT 2 :DHT 3 :Da was 96:20:1.0, where 1.0 is equivalent to 0.55 μg D 3 . Also, a comparison was made of the differing responses of the intestinal calcium absorption system (ICA) and the bone calcium resorption system (BCR) to varying doses of vitamin D 2 , D 3 , DHT 2 and DHT 3 . It was found that, although D 3 was the most active of the compounds tested in both systems, compounds having the side chain of D 3 and DHT 3 act preferentially in the ICA system, whereas compounds having the side chain of D 2 and DHT 2 act preferentially in the BCR system. It is suggested that these results may be an indication of a different detailed mechanism of action of vitamin D in the ICA and BCR systems.
Rapid and sensitive handheld biosensor for detection of hantavirus antibodies in wild mouse blood samples under field conditions.

Abstract Hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS) is an acute, life threatening viral illness that was first recognized in the spring of 1993 during an outbreak in the Four Corners region of the southwest United States. The etiologic agent, Sin Nombre (SN) virus, is a zoonotic infection that is enzootic in deer mice ( Peromyscus maniculatus ). Both human and rodent infections lead to specific antibody responses, and detection of such antibodies is the mainstay of diagnosis of infection in both species. More than 300 cases of HCPS have been confirmed in 30 states and four Canadian provinces since 1993 outbreak. Forty percent have been fatal. Conventional methods for the detection of hantavirus antibodies require 4–9 h. Since HCPS can rapidly progress to death, there is a clear need for a rapid diagnostic test. Rapid diagnostic tests for the detection of hantavirus infection should be ideally be (a) quick (b) simple to carry out, (c) allowing if possible for use in field conditions. A field-deployable test would have a particular advantage for diagnosis of infection in wild rodents, such as for risk assessments around case-households, as well as potential human diagnostic applications in battlefield situations. A prototype amperometric immunosensor based on highly dispersed immunoelectrode is developed for operation in field conditions on the importance of rapid and sensitive assay for hantavirus infection in mouse blood serum. This study was initiated to simplify and develop effective procedures for screening rodent serum samples in remote areas. A sandwich scheme immunoassay has been developed and used. Naphthol formed as a result of enzymatic reduction of naphthyl phosphate in the presence of alkaline phosphatase label has been detected amperometrically. The performance of the biosensor device is evaluated by testing mice blood samples in the wild under field conditions. The results were compared with the results obtained using the strip immunoblot assay (SIA) and that obtained from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The overall time of analysis is as low as 25 min and statistical analysis of the data indicated promising results. The device can be easily adapted for fast analysis of other microorganisms under non-laboratory conditions, in remote locations and field operations.
Imaging a slow bilateral rupture with broadband seismic waves: The September 2, 1992 Nicaraguan tsunami earthquake

The spatio-temporal rupture history of the September 2, 1992 Nicaragua tsunami earthquake (Ms=7.2; Mw=7.6) is analyzed using long-period (157–288 s) Rayleigh and Love wave spectral inversions and an empirical Green function analysis of very broadband (10–250 s) body and surface waves. The event has a rupture duration exceeding 110 s with a slow (0.6–2.3 km/s) rupture velocity, and involves shallow dipping (6°–10°) thrust faulting at a shallow depth (≤ 10 km), with the latter being primarily responsible for the strong tsunami excitation. Two subevents dominate the source radiation, resulting from a slow asymmetric bilateral, 100–160 km long rupture. Long-period surface wave directivity reveals a predominant rupture azimuth of 140° ± 30°, consistent with asymmetric extension of the bilateral rupture at an azimuth of 125° ± 30° resolved by the source time function analysis. An inverse Radon transform of the source time functions confirms the asymmetric bilateral rupture characteristics.
The ecology of marine microbenthos III. The reproductive potential of ciliates

Abstract Growth rates of populations of 9 benthic marine ciliate species were measured in pure cultures at different temperatures. All species had a maximal growth rate above 20°C which is above the average temperature in their natural environment. Several species multiplied at 4°C and one species also at 0°C, and it is suggested that all species are able to multiply at temperatures between 0 and 4°C at very slow rates after long periods of adaptation. At 20°C generation times varied between 2.4 hours (Uronema marina) and 46 hours (Condylostoma patulum) corresponding to intrinsic rates of natural increase (r, per day): 6.65–0.36 and finite rates of increase (λ per day): ca. 1000-1.4. The maximal reproductive rate of ciliates was found to be correlated with cell size. It was found that T = k × v0.44, where T is generation time and v is the average body volume. The reproductive rates of ciliates are compared with values of r for small metazoans (based on the literature or estimated from published data on fe...
Checking spelling in source code

Word processors have long been able to check spelling as a special pass over the whole document, but the feature really came into its own with "check as you type". So useful is this feature (and so well within the capabilities of modern computers) that we now find it in other text-handling applications such as mailers and web browsers. Mac OS offers it on all text components for no extra programming effort. Programs that don't check what you're typing as you type it are becoming increasingly annoying and the surprising number of programs that won't check your spelling at all are even worse.Despite this, the editors and other tools used by programmers are least likely to offer spelling checking. This article looks at why this is, and describes the addition of spelling checking to a programmer's editor.
Characterization and reduction of the transient response in steady-state MR imaging.

Refocused steady-state free precession (SSFP) imaging sequences have recently regained popularity as faster gradient hardware has allowed shorter repetition times, thereby reducing SSFP's sensitivity to off-resonance effects. Although these sequences offer fast scanning with good signal-to-noise efficiency, the “transient response,” or time taken to reach a steady-state, can be long compared with the total imaging time, particularly when using 2D sequences. This results in lost imaging time and has made SSFP difficult to use for real-time and cardiac-gated applications. A linear-systems analysis of the steady-state and transient response for general periodic sequences is shown. The analysis is applied to refocused-SSFP sequences to generate a two-stage method of “catalyzing,” or speeding up the progression to steady-state by first scaling, then directing the magnetization. This catalyzing method is compared with previous methods in simulations and experimentally. Although the second stage of the method exhibits some sensitivity to B1 variations, our results show that the transient time can be significantly reduced, allowing imaging in a shorter total scan time. Magn Reson Med 46:149–158, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Dual roles of the MAPK/ERK1/2 cell signaling pathway after stroke

Extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), one of the best-characterized members of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family, mediates a range of activity from metabolism, motility, and inflammation to cell death and survival. It is phosphorylated and activated through a three-tiered MEK mode via cell surface receptors stimulated by growth factors or cytokines. The phosphorylated ERK1/2 level is usually increased after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion, but whether an increase in ERK1/2 phosphorylation is protective or detrimental is highly debatable. Much of the support for ERK1/2's role as a neuroprotectant against stroke stems from its apparent involvement in the beneficial effects of growth factors, estrogen, preconditioning, and hypothermia on the ischemic brain. Conversely, evidence supporting the detrimental effects of ERK1/2 activity is derived from its activation promoting inflammation and oxidative stress and its inhibition reducing ischemic damage. The dual potential of ERK1/2 actions in the ischemic brain is likely related to its responses to a diverse array of agonists and cell surface receptors. Plausibly, the ERK1/2 activity generated by cytokines and free radicals or other inflammatory factors after stroke may worsen ischemic damage, whereas the ERK1/2 activity produced by exogenous growth factors, estrogen, and preconditioning favors neuroprotection. Future experiments should be conducted to optimize the protective effect of ERK1/2 while blocking its detrimental actions.
Strategic turns labeled ‘ethnography’: from description to openly ideological production of cultures:

In this article we suggest that strategic turns shape various contemporary uses of ethnography and reflect the exploration of ontological, epistemological, and methodological alternatives. In addit...
Checks and Balances between Cohesin and Polycomb in Gene Silencing and Transcription

The cohesin protein complex was discovered for its roles in sister chromatid cohesion and segregation, and the Polycomb group (PcG) proteins for their roles in epigenetic gene silencing during development. Cohesin also controls gene transcription via multiple mechanisms. Genetic and molecular evidence from Drosophila argue that cohesin and the PRC1 PcG complex interact to control transcription of many active genes that are critical for development, and that via these interactions cohesin also controls the availability of PRC1 for gene silencing.
Making a Paradigmatic Convention Normal: Entrenching Means and Variances as Statistics

Most lay users of statistics think in terms of means (averages), variances or the square of the standard deviation, and Gaussians or bell-shaped curves. Such conventions are entrenched by statistical practice, by deep mathematical theorems from probability, and by theorizing in the various natural and social sciences. I am not claiming that the particular conventions (here, the statistics) we adopt are arbitrary. Entrenchment can be rational without its being as well categorical (excluding all other alternatives), even if that entrenchment claims also to provide for categoricity. 1 provide a detailed description of how a science is “normal” and conventionalized. A characteristic feature of this entrenchment of conventions by practice, theorems, and theorizing, is its highly technical form, the canonizing work enabled by apparently formal and esoteric mathematical means.
Classification of mammographic patterns : Beyond fraction of dense tissue

Women with mammograms that radiologists classify as dense have been found to have an increased risk of breast cancer. The purpose to this investigation was to determine whether human readers are willing and able to make reliable comparisons of five attributes of pairs of mammograms matched by a quantitative estimate of the fraction of dense tissue (FDT). Forty pairs of CC projections were digitized and presented using a computer workstation. The 40 pairs of mammograms had the same FDT as measured by a visual threshold procedure. Each breast image was from a different woman. The difference in the following 5 attributes were rated: (1) fraction of dense tissue, (2) fraction of homogeneous of the dense tissue, (3) fraction of ductal dense tissue, (4) prominence of scalloping of dense tissue, and (5) prominence of subareolar structures. The rating were replicated to evaluate their reliability. Spearman rank-order correlations of replicated measurements ranged from 0.89 to 0.65 (p was less than 0.0001). Homogeneous dense tissue ratings were negatively correlated with ductal dense tissue ratings (-0.59, p equals 0.0001). The prominence of scalloping rating was not significantly correlated with other attributes. The ratings of the attributes, except scalloping, were significantly correlated to differences mean gray level of breast parenchyma. Readers can make reliable judgments regarding the differences in attributes of mammograms that are matched by FDT. The negative correlation between the homogeneous dense and the ductal dense tissue ratings suggest that homogeneous dense and ductal dense tissues contend for perceived dense breast area. The absence of correlation between scalloping and other image attributes suggests further investigation of scalloping as an independent, breast-cancer risk factor is warranted.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Ideally glassy hydrogen-bonded networks

The axiomatic theory of ideally glassy networks, which has proved effective in describing phase diagrams and properties of chalcogenide and oxide glasses and their foreign interfaces, is broadened here to include intermolecular interactions in hydrogen-bonded polyalcohols such as glycerol, monosaccharides (glucose), and the optimal bioprotective hydrogen-bonded disaccharide networks formed from trehalose. The methods of Lagrangian mechanics and Maxwellian scaffolds are useful at the molecular level when bonding hierarchies are characterized by constraint counting similar to the chemical methods used by Huckel and Pauling. Whereas Newtonian molecular dynamical methods are useful for simulating large-scale interactions for times of order $10\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{ps}$, constraint counting describes network properties on glassy (almost equilibrated) time scales which may be of cosmological order for oxide glasses or years for trehalose. The ideally glassy network of trehalose may consist of extensible tandem sandwich arrays.
Instrumental evaluation of the mouthfeel of beer and correlation with sensory evaluation

Physical and chemical measurements were made on a set of 30 beers which had previously been used to characterize the sensory attributes of the mouthfeel of beer using descriptive analysis techniques; these measurements were then correlated with the sensory attributes. By principal component analysis of the physical and chemical data it was found that the first principal component (PC) was a function of dissolved substances in the beer and the second PC was a function of degree of fermentation. When principal component analysis was performed on the combined sensory and instrumental data, the 30 beers displayed clustering in the PC space based on beer type.
FANCD2 regulates BLM complex functions independently of FANCI to promote replication fork recovery

Fanconi Anemia (FA) and Bloom Syndrome share overlapping phenotypes including spontaneous chromosomal abnormalities and increased cancer predisposition. The FA protein pathway comprises an upstream core complex that mediates recruitment of two central players, FANCD2 and FANCI, to sites of stalled replication forks. Successful fork recovery depends on the Bloom’s helicase BLM that participates in a larger protein complex (‘BLMcx’) containing topoisomerase III alpha, RMI1, RMI2 and replication protein A. We show that FANCD2 is an essential regulator of BLMcx functions: it maintains BLM protein stability and is crucial for complete BLMcx assembly; moreover, it recruits BLMcx to replicating chromatin during normal S-phase and mediates phosphorylation of BLMcx members in response to DNA damage. During replication stress, FANCD2 and BLM cooperate to promote restart of stalled replication forks while suppressing firing of new replication origins. In contrast, FANCI is dispensable for FANCD2-dependent BLMcx regulation, demonstrating functional separation of FANCD2 from FANCI.
Performance analysis of the intense slow-positron beam at the NC State University PULSTAR reactor

Abstract An intense positron beam, for application in nanophase characterization, is now under construction at the 1 MW PULSTAR nuclear reactor at North Carolina State University (NCSU). A tungsten converter/moderator is used, allowing positrons to be emitted from the surface with energies of a few electron volts. These slow positrons will be extracted from the moderator and formed into a beam by electrostatic lenses and then injected into a solenoidal magnetic field for transport to one of three experimental stations, via a beam switch. To optimize the performance of the beam and to predict the slow-positron intensity, a series of simulations were performed. A specialized Monte-Carlo routine was integrated into the charged-particle transport calculations to allow accounting for the probabilities of positron re-emission and backscattering from multiple-bank moderator/converter configurations. The results indicate that either a two-bank or a four-bank tungsten moderator/converter system is preferred for the final beam design. The predicted slow-positron beam intensities range from nearly 7×108 to 9×108e+/s for the two-bank and the four-bank systems, respectively.
Exploiting the Imperialist Competition Algorithm to determine exit door efficacy for public buildings

The Imperialist Competition Algorithm has recently shown superior performance in optimizing goals. This algorithm has inspired us to apply it to exit doors. The Imperialist Competition Algorithm is applied to an environment to find the best possible locations for exit doors and also to estimate the minimum required width for each door in order to be able to rapidly evacuate a crowd out of danger in emergency situations. The results of our system are applied to a few prototypical scenarios that have demonstrated that the location of each exit door in an indoor space can play a significant role in the evacuation of a crowd out of an emergency situation. Our results thus far are promising and future work will account for more complex floor layouts.
Fixing solitonic waveguides in photorefractive strontium barium niobate

Optical spatial soMtons1 in photorefractive crystals2 have shown potential to form graded index waveguides which can guide other beams3,4. A soliton forms when a photoinduced index change in the material exactly compensates for the diffraction of the beam; i.e. the beam creates its own waveguide.
Low-complexity channel resolvability codes for the symmetric multiple-access channel

We investigate channel resolvability for the l-user multiple-access channel (MAC) with two different families of encoders. The first family consists of invertible extractors, while the second one consists of injective group homomorphisms, and was introduced by Hayashi for the point-to-point channel resolvability. The main benefit of these two families is to provide explicit low-complexity channel resolvability codes in the case of symmetric MACs. Specifically, we provide two examples of families of invertible extractors suitable for MAC resolvability with uniform input distributions, one based on finite-field multiplication, which can be implemented in O(n logn) for a limited range of values of the encoding blocklength n, and a second based on modified Toeplitz matrices, which can be implemented in O(n logn) for a wider range of values of n. We also provide an example of family of injective group homomorphisms based on finite-field multiplication suitable for MAC resolvability with uniform input distributions, which can be implemented in O(n logn) for some values of n.
A Note on Confidence Intervals with Extended Least Squares Parameter Estimates

It has previously been shown that the extended least squares (ELS) method for fitting pharmacokinetic models behaves better than other methods when there is possible heteroscedasticity (unequal error variance) in the data. Confidence intervals for pharmacokinetic parameters, at the target confidence level of 95%, computed in simulations with several pharmacokinetic and error variance models, using a theoretically reasonable approximation to the asymptotic covariance matrix of the ELS parameter estimator, are found to include the true parameter values considerably less than 95% of the time. Intervals with the ordinary least squares method perform better. Two adjustments to the ELS confidence intervals, taken together, result in better performance. These are: (i) apply a bias correction to the ELS estimate of variance, which results in wider confidence intervals, and (ii) use confidence intervals with a target level of 99% to obtain confidence intervals with actual level closer to 95%. Kineticists wishing to use the ELS method may wish to use these adjustments.