cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Extraction of plate bending stiffness from coincidence angles of sound transmission measurements

The bending stiffness in a homogeneous, isotropic, thin plate is experimentally derived from measurements of coincidence angles extracted from supercritical sound transmission versus frequency measurements. A computer controlled turn table rotates a plate sample and a receiver array, placed in the near field of the plate. The array is used to track the transmitted sound through the plate, generated by a far-field stationary source, using beam forming. The array technique enables measurement of plates measuring only one wavelength in width. Two examples are used for proof of concept, including an aluminum plate in air and an alumina plate under water.
Hispanic/Anglo-American differences in attributions to paralinguistic behavior☆

Abstract This article reports a study of attributions made by Hispanics and Anglo-Americans to paralinguistic behaviors. The study is part of a large-scale program of research on Hispanic-Anglo differences in perceptions and interpretations of behavior. Procedures for five stages of data collection for the larger project involving interviews with persons from both cultures, observations of interactions, and the use of structured questionnaires to obtain episodes of crosscultural interactions and attributions to these episodes are summarized. Analyses of the attributional choices made by teachers and pupils of both cultures for ten episodes focusing on paralanguage elements such as tempo (fast—slow), laughing, yelling, and intensity (loudness) are presented. The Hispanic-Anglo differences found are discussed in terms of their implications for theory and for cross-cultural training.
Phase constitution and steam corrosion resistance of binary Zr–S alloys

The solubility limit of sulfur in alpha zirconium is about 20 ppm. This value is similar to the sulfur content leading to the maximum improvement in creep strength. In amounts up to 850 ppm, sulfur also has an extremely beneficial effect on the steam corrosion resistance at 400 °C. Thus, while sulfur in solid solution markedly enhances creep strength, the presence of sulfide precipitates has an additional favorable influence on the corrosion behavior.
Koordinationschemische Synthesemethoden zum Aufbau supramolekularer Verbindungen

Organisch-praparativ arbeitenden Chemikern steht zur Herstellung von kleinen Molekulen, Nanostrukturen und Polymeren eine breite Palette zuverlassiger Reaktionen zur Verfugung. Koordinationschemiker hingegen sind damit konfrontiert, dass ihnen in der Ubergangsmetallchemie im Vergleich zur Chemie des Kohlenstoffs selbst zur Synthese kleiner Molekulstrukturen nur relativ wenige mit hohen Ausbeuten verlaufende Reaktionen offenstehen, wenn man deren Zahl auf die Gesamtzahl der Ubergangsmetalle umlegt. Dies liegt hauptsachlich an den im Vergleich zu den starken, kovalenten Bindungen in organischen Molekulen schwachen Metall-Ligand-Wechselwirkungen in Koordinationskomplexen. Eine schwache Bindung fuhrt oft zu vielen Reaktionswegen, die sich energetisch nicht wesentlich unterscheiden, und folglich auch zu geringer Selektivitat. Als Folge davon kamen viele Koordinationschemiker in den letzten Jahren zu der Erkenntnis, dass es leichter und ergiebiger sein konnte, einfache und zuverlassige Reaktionswege fur supramolekulare Strukturen (im Nanomasstab) so zu entwickeln, dass die wenigen Reaktionen aus der Koordinationschemie eingesetzt werden, die eine hohe Ausbeute liefern. Auserdem soll Kapital geschlagen werden aus den die Reaktionsrichtung dirigierenden Bindungen in den Metallzentren und aus den Strategien, die darauf abzielen, den Vorteil schwacher Metallbindungen in Koordinationskomplexen zu nutzen, um damit solche Architekturen aufzubauen. Die drei sich ergebenden Synthesestrategien, namlich der „Symmetry-Interaction“-Ansatz, der „Directional-Bonding“-Ansatz und der „Weak-Bonding“-Ansatz nutzen alle Metallzentren als Strukturbausteine, um in gezielter Weise mit molekularen Komponenten supramolekulare Metallocyclophane aufzubauen. Diese drei Konzepte und ihre zugrunde liegenden Prinzipien werden in diesem Aufsatz behandelt, und es werden die sich daraus ergebenden Moglichkeiten verglichen und gegenubergestellt.
Ultrahigh-temperature electronic transformers: II ¿ Design optimization

A design optimization technique for 500 C (degrees centigrade) electronic transformers makes possible the determination of core dimensions, flux density, and other parameters needed to achieve minimum weight. Certain constraints on these parameters, however, must be satisfied, chief of which relate to performance specifications: power output, regulation, and temperature rise.
The search for the true self in the Gospel of Thomas, the Book of Thomas and the Hymn of the Pearl

At the heart of the Gospel of Thomas lies the call to achieve an understanding of one's self (Logia 67-70). This call focuses the struggle of Thomas Christians by turning it inward as a challenge to understand their own true identity. Through this struggle they come to a knowledge of the Father. The significance of this theme of the search for the true self is examined further in the context of the Gospel of Thomas (Logia 3; 58; 111). From this study, it emerges that Thomas Christians experienced that they were strangers in a hostile world. Feeling alienated, they wished to escape rom the world. The positive outcome of this experience was a deeper self-understanding. This study culminates in an examination of this theme of the search for one's self in two other writings at home within early Syrian Christianity. In the Hymn of the Pearl (Acts of Thomas 108-113) the theme emerges in the allegory of the soul's quest for self-knowledge. The path to salvation is a search that ultimately takes one rom the world. In the Book of Thomas the Contender the same search for one's identity is emphasised (138:15-20 and 145:1-15). Finally, it is argued that this search for one's true identity is appropriate to the historical and sociological context of the Syrian Church in Edessa.
The economics of the women's movement

In recent years, the political process has seemed to become increasingly favorable to issues involving women, as shown by the relatively large number of states which have passed the Equal Rights Amendment. The economic theory of politics would imply that this result would occur if the interests of women in removing labor force sex discrimination had increased. We argue that most sex descrimination in hiring and pay of women is in the form of statistical discrimination where sex is used as a proxy for labor force attachment. If this is so, then, on net, sex discrimination in employment practices would pay in the sense that the gainers from such behavior would gain more than the losers would lose. Married women would share in such gains since they would be compensated for their lower earnings by the higher earnings of their husbands. Single women, however, would receive no such compensation. We therefore hypothesize that the recent increase in legislation benefitting women is related to marriage rates, not to female labor force participation. Using votes in the state legislatures on the ERA as a measure of success by state of the women's movement, we find that our results do hold — number of single women is significant in explaining such voting but female labor force participation is not significant.
Absolute phase and amplitude of second-order nonlinear optical susceptibility components at Si(001) interfaces

We determine the absolute phase and amplitude of four dominant components of the susceptibility tensor that governs second-harmonic generation (SHG) from $\mathrm{Si}(001)$ interfaces, including both bulk and surface contributions. Measurements of crystal-orientation-dependent SHG intensity with linearly polarized excitation alone yield two possible values of the relative phase of bulk and surface SHG, corresponding to dual solutions of quadratic equations. We resolve this ambiguity by measuring the handedness difference of SHG with circularly polarized excitation. Then, using frequency-domain interferometric SHG calibrated to a quartz crystal, we obtain the following absolute phases and amplitudes at the fundamental wavelength $745\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{nm}$ for a $\mathrm{Si}(001)$/dielectric sample: surface dipole susceptibility components ${d}_{15}=1.2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}18}\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}\mathrm{exp}(i0.46\ensuremath{\pi})\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{m}}^{2}∕\mathrm{V}$, ${d}_{31}+\ensuremath{\gamma}∕ϵ=4.3\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}20}\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}\mathrm{exp}(\ensuremath{-}i0.53\ensuremath{\pi})\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{m}}^{2}∕\mathrm{V}$, and ${d}_{33}\ensuremath{-}{d}_{31}\ensuremath{\approx}{d}_{33}=5.8\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}18}\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}\mathrm{exp}(i0.38\ensuremath{\pi})\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{m}}^{2}∕\mathrm{V}$; anisotropic bulk quadrupole susceptibility component $\ensuremath{\zeta}=4.4\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}18}\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}\mathrm{exp}(\ensuremath{-}i0.62\ensuremath{\pi})\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{m}}^{2}∕\mathrm{V}$. Here, $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ is an undetermined isotropic bulk quadrupole susceptibility component and $ϵ$ the dielectric function of Si. If $\ensuremath{\gamma}∕ϵ$ is negligible, all contributions are determined. The estimated error in each amplitude and phase is a single unit of the last significant digit.
A Mobile Automated Skin Lesion Classification System

Melanoma skin cancer accounts for less than 5% of skin cancer cases but causes the most deaths due to skin cancer. Convenient automated diagnosis of skin lesions and melanoma recognition can greatly improve early detection of melanomas. This paper presents a prototype of an image-based automated melanoma recognition system on Android smart phones. The system consists of three major components: image segmentation, feature calculation, and classification. It is designed to run on a mobile device with a camera, such as a smart phone or a tablet PC. A skin lesion image is converted to a monochrome image for outline contour detection. Color and shape features of the lesion are extracted and used as input to a kNN classifier. Initial experimental result shows that the system is efficient and works well on well-lighted test images, achieving an average accuracy of 66.7%, with average malignant class recall/sensitivity of 60.7% and specificity of 80.5%.
Head stabilization shows multisensory dependence on spatiotemporal characteristics of visual and inertial passive stimulation

Sensorimotor coordination relies on fine calibration of the interaction among visual, vestibular, and somatosensory input. Our goal was to investigate how the spatiotemporal properties of passive inertial motion and visual input affect head stabilization. Healthy young adults (n=12) wore a head-mounted display during A/P sinusoidal horizontal translations of the whole body. Visual conditions (VIS) displayed forward (EO), sideways (SW), or backward (BW) visual motion relative to the head, plus an eyes-closed conditions (EC) which were combined with 4 inertial conditions to comprise 16 conditions in total. In SW either near or far DEPTH of field with 180° phase shift was displayed. Subjects were secured in a seat with head free to move. Frequency and amplitude of sinusoidal input included overlapping max acceleration (a max ) or max velocity (v max ). Amplitude and phase of angular velocity was collected with a 3-axis gyro. A main effect of inertial condition on amplitude for all axes of head motion (p&#60;.0000) and a shift (p&#60;.0000) from phase lead to lag of head pitch with increasing freq (121°, 127°, 83°, −32°) were found. A main effect of VIS on head pitch (p&#60;0.01) was due to the absence of vision (EC). An interaction effect between inertial and VIS conditions on head yaw occurred with SW (p&#60;0.05). In SW, a significant interaction of depth of field and inertia on amplitude (p&#60;0.001) and phase (p&#60;0.05) of head yaw occurred, especially during high v max conditions. Thus, visual flow can organize lateral cervical responses despite being discordant with inertial input.
Topology of T cell receptor-peptide/class I MHC interaction defined by charge reversal complementation and functional analysis

The molecular interactions between the CD8 co-receptor dependent N15 and N26 T cell receptors (TCRs) and their common ligand, the vesicular stomatitis virus octapeptide (VSV8) bound to H-2Kb, were studied to define the docking orientation(s) of MHC class I restricted TCRs during immune recognition. Guided by the molecular surfaces of the crystallographically defined peptide/MHC and modeled TCRs, a series of mutations in exposed residues likely contacting the TCR ligand were analyzed for their ability to alter peptide-triggered IL-2 production in T cell transfectants. Critical residues which diminished antigen recognition by 1000 to 10,000-fold in molar terms were identified in both N15 Vα (αE94A or αE94R, Y98A and K99) and Vβ (βR96A, βW97A and βD99A) CDR3 loops. Mutational analysis indicated that the Rp1 residue of VSV8 is critical for antigen recognition of N15 TCR, but R62 of H-2Kb is less critical. More importantly, the αE94R mutant could be fully complemented by a reciprocal charge reversal at Kb R62 (R62E). This result suggests a direct interaction between N15 TCR Vα E94R and Kb R62E residues. As Rp1 of VSV8 is adjacent to R62 in the VSV8/Kb complex and essential for T cell activation, this orientation implies that the N15 Vα CDR3 loop interacts with the N-terminal residues of VSV8 with the Vα domain docking to the Kb α2 helix while the N15 Vβ CDR3 loop interacts with the more C-terminal peptide residues and the Vβ domain overlies the Kb α1 helix. An equivalent orientation is suggested for N26, a second VSV8/Kb specific TCR. Given that genetic analysis of two different class II MHC-restricted TCRs and two crystallographic studies of class I restricted TCRs offers a similar overall orientation of V domains relative to α-helices, these data raise the possibility of a common docking mode between TCRs and their ligands regardless of MHC restriction.
Recommendations for the Use of Online Social Support for African American Men

African American men face greater psychosocial stressors than African American women and men of other racial and ethnic groups, which place them at higher risk for psychological distress. Yet, research suggests that African Americans are less likely to utilize professional mental health services because of their mistrust of the health care system and their need for more specialized and innovative services. Supplemental resources aimed at positive coping and social support for African American men may reduce the likelihood that they experience psychological distress, which could lead to more severe mental disorders. This article proposes the use of online social support for African American men who are in early, nonsevere stages of psychological distress. We examine the unique experiences of African American men, discuss distress among this underserved group, and finally, offer recommendations for achieving an online community for African American men.
Reinventing from Within: Thinking Spherically as a Policy Imperative in Music Education

If policy is the most significant gatekeeping element for access to and development of community goods and services, and if music educators have historically lived at the margins of policy, then who procures access for the field? How are visions for musical and educational development articulated and what are the resulting implications? This article suggests sphericity as a metaphorical point of entry in discussing the need for the music education field to consider policy and policy studies differently. The article argues for connections between policy and teacher education, contending that the practice of contesting and creating representations of knowledge structures and learning based on deliberative skills is at the center of policy formation and development, as well as the center of teaching.
Stability of optimal output least squares estimators in certain beams and plate models

In this note we obtain sufficient conditions for the existence of positive La-grange multipliers associated with norm constraints. The positivity of these multipliers implies regularity properties of the optimal estimators. In addition we present a class of boundary value problems for which we can demonstrate stability of infinite dimensional estimation problems having constraints without the benefit of regularization
EFFECTS OF AGE, SEX, SEASON, AND SOCIAL DYNAMICS ON JUVENILE GUANACO SUBORDINATE BEHAVIOR

One behavioral tactic that juvenile mammals can use to resolve conflict with adults is the reversion to behaviors of an earlier developmental stage. Therefore, we examined the appearance, body posture, and ontogenetic differences of submissive crouch behavior between juvenile male and female guanacos from birth to 9 months of age in Torres del Paine National Park, Chile. On average, submissive crouches appeared 73 days after birth, and juvenile males displayed them more frequently than did juvenile females. Juvenile males also displayed more extreme body postures during submissive crouches than did juvenile females. Sex, group size, and season significantly influenced a juvenile's likelihood of displaying a submissive crouch.
Fate of bacterial plasmid DNA during uptake by barley and tobacco protoplasts: II. Protection by poly-L-ornithine

Summary A recombinant-DNA plasmid vehicle (pBR313) was shown to be stable in solutions containing 2% Driselase, but unstable in Driselase prepared plant protoplasts. This apparent instability was assumed to be a consequence of depolymerization by DNAases of protoplast origin. Such depolymerization was significantly reduced by addition of poly-L-ornithine (PLO), kinetin, ZnSO4, or alkali (pH 9.0) to exogenous DNA uptake reactions. The inhibition of endogenous nucleases was particularly obvious in the presence of disrupted protoplasts. In addition to reducing plasmid DNA depolymerization, PLO also stimulated DNA uptake especially at short time periods. This stimulation was probably not a consequence of increased protoplast damage, since tobacco protoplast regeneration was not reduced either by direct addition of PLO to the culture medium or by pretreatment of protoplasts with PLO and subsequent plating in normal medium. A significant fraction (64% of zero time control) of barely protoplast associated plasmid DNA (mol. wt 5.8 × 106), taken up in the presence of PLO, was completely excluded from Sepharose 4B (mol. wt ⩾ 2 × 106) 8 h after uptake. This fraction remained constant up to at least 24 h. In the case of tobacco, a large fraction (40% of zero time control) of the plasmid DNA taken up by protoplasts in the presence of PLO is of potential significance to host gene expression since this DNA (mol. wt ⩾ 2 × 106) persisted for at least 72 h after uptake.
Anemia induced by ingestion of excess zinc in chicks: importance of red blood cell turnover?

Abstract Three studies were conducted to determine whether ingestion of excess zinc induces anemia, at least partially, by increasing red blood cell fragility directly or through changes in copper-zinc—dependent superoxide dismutase (Cu-Zn-SOD). Chicks from the cross New Hampshire × Single Comb White Leghorn were fed adequate (0.72–0.76 μmol Zn/g diet) or high (22.60–25.17 μmol Zn/g diet) levels of zinc and adequate (0.11–0.14 μmol Cu/g diet) or high (3.13–3.45 μmol Cu/g diet) levels of copper. To assess whether excess zinc could induce a hemolytic anemia, we monitored red blood cell (RBC) Cu-Zn-SOD, RBC fragility in vitro, and erythrocyte t 1 2 in vivo. Cu-Zn-SOD activity was depressed among chicks fed excess zinc and the ingestion of extra copper restored Cu-Zn-SOD activities to the levels of the control chicks. However, lysis of erythrocytes in diluted saline (0.35% NaCl) was lower when chicks were fed high levels of zinc and the ingestion of extra copper further decreased lysis. With these counteracting influences, the lifespan of erythrocytes was not affected by any of the treatments in one study and was greater in chicks fed both high zinc and copper in another study. These data indicate that the anemia induced by excess zinc is not a hemolytic anemia.
Rayleigh temperature profiles in a hydrogen diffusion flame

Rayleigh scattering from a hydrogen-air laminar jet diffusion flame in combination with a numerical model of the flame has been used to determine temperature profiles. The model predictions of species concentration are used to calculate a mean Rayleigh cross-section which is used to relate the Rayleigh scattered intensity to temperature. Using an argon ion laser producing 7.5 watts at 488 nm and an optical multichannel analyzer (OMA), the scattered light was imaged into a spectrometer. The OMA was rotated 90 degrees to its normal orientation, allowing scans to be taken along the spectrometer exit slit. This resulted in a spatially resolved Rayleigh signal along the laser beam through the entire flame. Spatial resolution of 0.18 mm on each of the 500 detector elements with good signal-to-noise ratios was achieved even with integration times of only 0.03 second. Since the entire profile is made simultaneously, particulate perturbed profiles are easily recognized and discarded. Transverse profiles are presented to show flame structure. Axial profiles are compared to radiation corrected thermocouple measurements.
Synthesis, Characterization, and Repair of a Flexible O6‐2′‐Deoxyguanosine‐alkylene‐O6‐2′‐deoxyguanosine Intrastrand Cross‐Link

Oligonucleotides tethered by an alkylene linkage between the O6-atoms of two consecutive 2′-deoxyguanosines, which lack a phosphodiester linkage between these residues, have been synthesized as a model system of intrastrand cross-linked (IaCL) DNA. UV thermal denaturation studies of duplexes formed between these butylene- and heptylene-linked oligonucleotides with their complementary DNA sequences revealed about 20 °C reduction in stability relative to the unmodified duplex. Circular dichroism spectra of the model IaCL duplexes displayed a signature characteristic of B-form DNA, suggesting minimal global perturbations are induced by the lesion. The model IaCL containing duplexes were investigated as substrates of O6-alkylguanine DNA alkyltransferase (AGT) proteins from human and E. coli (Ada-C and OGT). Human AGT was found to repair both model IaCL duplexes with greater efficiency towards the heptylene versus butylene analog adding to our knowledge of substrates this protein can repair.
Reasons, Rational Requirements, and the Putative Pseudo-Question "Why Be Moral?"

In this paper, I challenge a well-known argument for the view that “Why be moral?” is a pseudo-question. I do so by refuting a component of that argument, a component that is not only crucial to the argument but important in its own right. That component concerns the status of moral reasons in replies to “Why be moral?”; consequently, this paper concerns reasons and rationality no less than it concerns morality. The work I devote to those topics shows not only that the argument I address is unsound, but that the conclusion of that argument is false. “Why be moral?” is no pseudo-question.
Broadband dispersion-engineered microresonator on a chip

The control of dispersion in fibre optical waveguides is of critical importance to optical fibre communications systems and more recently for continuum generation from the ultraviolet to the mid-infrared. The wavelength at which the group velocity dispersion crosses zero can be set by varying the fibre core diameter or index step. Moreover, sophisticated methods to manipulate higher-order dispersion so as to shape and even flatten the dispersion over wide bandwidths are possible using multi-cladding fibres. Here we introduce design and fabrication techniques that allow analogous dispersion control in chip-integrated optical microresonators, and thereby demonstrate higher-order, wide-bandwidth dispersion control over an octave of spectrum. Importantly, the fabrication method we employ for dispersion control simultaneously permits optical Q factors above 100 million, which is critical for the efficient operation of nonlinear optical oscillators. Dispersion control in high-Q systems has become of great importance in recent years with increased interest in chip-integrable optical frequency combs.
INFLUENCE OF THE PHYSIOLOGICAL BLOOD CLOTTING PROCESS ON THE COAGULATION OF BLOOD BY STAPHYLOCOAGULASE

The conversion of plasma to serum results in a variable loss of the coagulase-reacting factor (C.R.F.) of the plasma. The C.R.F. loss is incurred during the process of prothrombin conversion: conditions which favor the most effective prothrombin conversion result in maximal C.R.F. loss, while factors which interfere with prothrombin conversion spare the C.R.F. In a system containing an adequate concentration of calcium, thrombo-plastin, and prothrombin, the C.R.F. loss reflects the amount of prothrombin conversion-accelerating substances (factor V or AC globulin). If fibrin clots are produced directly by thrombin, and prothrombin conversion is excluded, there is no significant C.R.F. loss.
Apsopelix miyazakii, a new species of crossognathid fish (Teleostei) from the Upper Cretaceous of Hokkaido, Japan

Abstract. Apsopelix miyazakii sp. nov. is described on the basis of a single specimen from the Upper Cretaceous (Turonian), Nakagawa Town, Hokkaido, Japan. This new species differs from the other species of the genus Apsopelix by the existence of a median frontal convexity near the posterior end of the frontal bones, the articulation of the lower jaw behind the middle of the orbit and the antorbital contacting with the first infraorbital at the ventral half of its posterior margin. This is the first record of the genus Apsopelix and the family Crossognathidae from the eastern part of the Tethys.
Time dependent priority scheduling for guaranteed QoS systems

With the advances in server technology, and the advent of fast gigabit networks, it has become possible to support multimedia applications. To support the requirements for the transmission of isochronous data, the network must provide service guarantees to connections, including minimum bandwidth, packet delay, delay jitter, and loss. Three factors determine the utilization of the network when providing these services. These are the scheduling algorithm employed at each switch; the accuracy (tightness) of the admission control (schedulability condition) that detects violations to the service guarantees; accuracy of the input traffic characterization. In this paper we present a scheduling algorithm, its schedulability condition and implementation. The schedulability condition is free of input traffic characterization and thus any input traffic model can be used. Further, the algorithm is capable of achieving up to maximum efficiency possible at each switch.
Parenting Intervention Outcome Studies: Research Design Considerations

SYNOPSIS This tutorial provides an overview of major considerations in the design and implementation of research on outcomes of parenting interventions. It is offered in the context of escalating interest in the use of rigorous research designs for determining effective strategies for improving parents’ contributions to the well-being of their children. The tutorial provides guidance on preliminary work for conducting an outcome study, sampling, research designs that permit causal inference, options for comparison conditions, the measurement of implementation fidelity and parent/child outcomes, and basic considerations in outcome analyses.
Apoptosis and Bcl‐2 Protein Expression in Experimental Alcoholic Liver Disease in the Rat

We used the intragastric feeding rat model to investigate the relationship between severity of alcoholic liver injury, apoptosis, bcl-2 protein expression, and lipid peroxidation. Rats were fed ethanol with different dietary fats (saturated fat, corn oil, and fish oil) for a 1-month period. Apoptosis was evaluated using an immunohistochemical method, and flow cytometry. Bcl-2 protein concentrations in liver were evaluated by Western blot analysis and lipid peroxidation by measurement of conjugated dienes. Pathological changes (fatty liver, necrosis, and inflammation) were present in corn oil-ethanol and fish oil-ethanol groups only. The highest number of apoptotic cells were seen in the group of rats exhibiting liver injury. The fish oil-ethanol-fed group had the highest concentrations of bcl-2 protein; this protein was localized in the bile duct epithelial and inflammatory cells. A significant correlation was seen between bcl-2 protein assessed densitometrically and the number of inflammatory cells/mm2 (r = 0.78, p < 0.02) and conjugated diene levels (r = 0.82, p < 0.01). Increased numbers of apoptotic cells were seen in rats developing ethanol-induced pathological liver injury. Increased bcl-2 protein concentration are associated with the presence of inflammatory cells and lipid peroxidation.
Design and Implementation of Business Objects for Automated Business Negotiations

In recent years, there has been increasing interest in the specification, generation and exchange of business objects in the context of electronic commerce. Common business objects have been defined for product catalogs, purchase orders and other business entities. However, no business objects have been defined and implemented for supporting automated business negotiations even though business negotiation is very much an integral part of business activities. In this work, we have designed and implemented a set of business negotiation objects for supporting the bargaining type of business negotiations. These objects define the operations and information contents needed for negotiation parties to express their requirements and constraints during a bargaining process. They correspond to a set of negotiation primitives, which is a superset of the negotiation-related primitives defined in two popular languages: ACL and COOL. The implementation of these objects is patterned after the business object documents in the XML format proposed by the Open Applications Group, thus conforming to the established standard. The incorporation of several types of constraint specifications in these business negotiation objects provides the negotiation parties and the negotiation servers that represent them much expressive power in specifying call‐for‐proposals and proposals. Two synchronization problems and their solutions associated with the withdrawal and modification of negotiation proposals are addressed and presented in this paper. The use of these business negotiation objects in a bi‐lateral bargaining protocol is also presented. We have validated the utility of these objects in an integrated network environment, which consists of two replicated negotiation servers, two commercial products, and some other university research systems that form a supply chain.
Narcissistic Processes: Optimistic Expectations, Favorable Self‐Evaluations, and Self‐Enhancing Attributions

Three studies investigated the relationship between narcissism (as measured by the Narcissistic Personality Inventory; Raskin & Hall, 1979) and three forms of self-enhancement. In Study 1, narcissism positively correlated with predictions of own final course grades, but not with actual grades received. In Study 2, narcissism positively correlated with estimated current course grades; high narcissists tended to overestimate their grades, while low narcissists tended to underestimate them. In Study 3, narcissism was associated with optimistic expectations for own performance on a laboratory interdependence task and with attributions of a successful task outcome to own ability and effort, but it did not correlate with attributions to a partner’s ability or effort, suggesting self-aggrandizement but not other-derogation. Narcissism was also associated with weaker gratitude and liking. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for the origins and generality of self-enhancement and for the relationship between narcissism and self-functioning in the social domain.
Temporal Cluster of Herpes Simplex Encephalitis: Investigation by Restriction Endonuclease Cleavage of Viral DNA

Eight patients with brain biopsy-proven herpes simplex encephalitis were seen at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, within a three-month period in the summer of 1977. The unusual temporal clustering of these cases engendered a formal epidemiologic investigation. No significant link among these patients was uncovered, and analysis of the cleavage products of seven of the eight viral isolates produced by the restriction endonucleases HsuI and HpaI showed that they were different. This cluster thus appears to have been a random event. Its occurrence, however, emphasizes that herpes encephalitis is not a rare disease in this country. In addition, the utility of restriction enzyme cleavage of DNA in clarifying the epidemiology of viral disease is underscored.
Gene Space Dynamics During the Evolution of Aegilops tauschii, Brachypodium distachyon, Oryza sativa, and Sorghum bicolor Genomes

Nine different regions totaling 9.7 Mb of the 4.02 Gb Aegilops tauschii genome were sequenced using the Sanger sequencing technology and compared with orthologous Brachypodium distachyon, Oryza sativa (rice), and Sorghum bicolor (sorghum) genomic sequences. The ancestral gene content in these regions was inferred and used to estimate gene deletion and gene duplication rates along each branch of the phylogenetic tree relating the four species. The total gene number in the extant Ae. tauschii genome was estimated to be 36,371. The gene deletion and gene duplication rates and total gene numbers in the four genomes were used to estimate the total gene number in each node of the phylogenetic tree. The common ancestor of the Brachypodieae and Triticeae lineages was estimated to have had 28,558 genes, and the common ancestor of the Panicoideae, Ehrhartoideae, and Pooideae subfamilies was estimated to have had 27,152 or 28,350 genes, depending on the ancestral gene scenario. Relative to the Brachypodieae and Triticeae common ancestor, the gene number was reduced in B. distachyon by 3,026 genes and increased in Ae. tauschii by 7,813 genes. The sum of gene deletion and gene duplication rates, which reflects the rate of gene synteny loss, was correlated with the rate of structural chromosome rearrangements and was highest in the Ae. tauschii lineage and lowest in the rice lineage. The high rate of gene space evolution in the Ae. tauschii lineage accounts for the fact that, contrary to the expectations, the level of synteny between the phylogenetically more related Ae. tauschii and B. distachyon genomes is similar to the level of synteny between the Ae. tauschii genome and the genomes of the less related rice and sorghum. The ratio of gene duplication to gene deletion rates in these four grass species closely parallels both the total number of genes in a species and the overall genome size. Because the overall genome size is to a large extent a function of the repeated sequence content in a genome, we suggest that the amount and activity of repeated sequences are important factors determining the number of genes in a genome.
Copulas in Econometrics

Copulas are functions that describe the dependence between two or more random variables. This article provides a brief review of copula theory and two areas of economics in which copulas have played important roles: multivariate modeling and partial identification of parameters that depend on the joint distribution of two random variableswithfixedorknownmarginal distributions. Wefocusonbivariate copulasbut providereferences onrecent advancesinconstructing higher-dimensional copulas.
Clams and Brachiopods: Chips That Pass Out of Sight

Abstract Data from modern subtidal brachiopod-mollusk dominated death assemblages are used to investigate the effect of sieve size on taphonomic signature, comparing bivalves and brachiopods. The data comprise a total of 4439 specimens, mainly fragments (93%), sorted into five size fractions, and scored for four taphonomic variables: fragmentation, surface alteration, bioerosion, and encrustation. The taphonomic signatures of bivalve and brachiopod shells change as a function of sieve size, primarily from loss of encrusters on small, mobile fragments. Bivalves and brachiopods show significant differences (Wilcoxon rank-sum, α = 0.05) in taphonomic signature that become more pronounced in the fine fractions, mainly as a result of different levels of bioerosion. Bivalves seem to become fragmented after weakening from bioerosion, whereas brachiopods apparently are more prone to mechanical breakage. Thus, brachiopod shells may be shorter-lived in the coarse fractions and enter the fine fractions with less acc...
Fundamentals of ocean wave energy conversion, modeling, and control

• Wave energy background • Resource fundamentals • Simple modelling and control assuming frequency independent hydrodynamic parameters and linearity • These are strong assumptions, but it allows the formulation of simple models and control strategies that can form the basis for more complex modelling and control as needed • Audience: electrical and control engineers without a strong hydrodynamics background
Individual patient-specific immunity against high-grade glioma after vaccination with autologous tumor derived peptides bound to the 96 KD chaperone protein.

Purpose: Cancer immunotherapy offers hope of a highly specific nontoxic adjuvant treatment. Heat shock protein peptide complexes (HSPPCs) found in cancer cells carry tumor-specific antigenic proteins and can facilitate adaptive and innate immune responses. Here we show that peptides bound to a 96 kD chaperone protein (HSP-96) from brain tissue containing glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) can be used to safely immunize patients with recurrent GBM. Experimental Design: Multimodality immunomonitoring was completed on 12 patients with recurrent GBM before and after immunization with an autologous HSPPC vaccine derived from surgically resected tumor. Clinical endpoints included safety assessments and overall survival. Results: No adverse events attributable to the vaccine were found. Testing of peripheral blood leukocytes before and after vaccination revealed a significant peripheral immune response specific for the peptides bound to HSP-96, in 11 of the 12 patients treated. Brain biopsies of immune responders after vaccination revealed focal CD4, CD8, and CD56 IFNγ positive cell infiltrates, consistent with tumor site specific immune responses. Immune responders had a median survival of 47 weeks after surgery and vaccination, compared with 16 weeks for the single nonresponder. Conclusions: These data provide the first evidence in humans of individual patient-specific immune responses against autologous tumor derived peptides bound to HSP-96. Clin Cancer Res; 19(1); 205–14. ©2012 AACR .
Landfill Caps: Long Term Investments in Need of Attention

The various physical and biological forces which will degrade landfill caps are reviewed. In particular soil erosion may be accelerated by the presence of impermeable liners too close to the surface. Water penetration of clay surface soils may be augmented by cracks caused by drying and by holes produced by earthworms, burrowing mammals and plant roots. Some research needs are outlined to help maintain landfills over long periods.
Somatic Embryogenesis in Pecan (Carya Illinoinensis)

Pecan, Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch, is the most economically important nut tree crop indigenous to North America. It is a member of the Juglandaceae family which includes hickories and walnuts. Pecan is native to the Mississippi River Valley and tributaries, and extends from the north central and eastern United States into northern Mexico (Peterson, 1990; Harlow et al., 1991). Commercial production has extended considerably beyond its native range from Ontario, Canada, south to Oaxaca, Mexico, and from Virginia and the Carolinas west to California (Grauke and Thompson, 1996). Some commercial production occurs in Israel, South Africa, Australia, and Brazil. However, the United States is the principal grower of pecans and produced 335 million pounds in 1997 (Agricultural Statistics 1999, USDA). The state of Georgia alone produced about 30% of the U.S. crop. In addition to producing a prized edible nut, pecan can be a valuable landscape tree forming an upright, cylindrical-to-rounded crown. Pecan is a source of wood products for flooring, veneer and furniture, and serves as a habitat and food source for wildlife. The oil extracted from the kernels is edible and can be used to produce drugs and essential oils.
Plate Versus Intramedullary Nail Fixation of Anterior Tibial Stress Fractures A Biomechanical Study

Background:Anterior midtibial stress fractures are an important clinical problem for patients engaged in high-intensity military activities or athletic training activities. When nonoperative treatment has failed, intramedullary (IM) nail and plate fixation are 2 surgical options used to arrest the progression of a fatigue fracture and allow bone healing.Hypothesis:A plate will be more effective than an IM nail in preventing the opening of a simulated anterior midtibial stress fracture from tibial bending.Study Design:Controlled laboratory study.Methods:Fresh-frozen human tibias were loaded by applying a pure bending moment in the sagittal plane. Thin transverse saw cuts, 50% and 75% of the depth of the anterior tibial cortex, were created at the midtibia to simulate a fatigue fracture. An extensometer spanning the defect was used to measure the fracture opening displacement (FOD) before and after the application of IM nail and plate fixation constructs. IM nails were tested without locking screws, with a ...
Financial Strain, Major Family Life Events, and Parental Academic Involvement During Adolescence

Parental academic involvement-whether through school participation and communication, or supervision and assistance at home-often has been cited as a way to enhance academic achievement. Yet, little is known about how the financial and life pressures faced by families can compromise parents' ability to become involved in their adolescents' education. In the current study, these dynamics were examined among Mexican-origin families, who often may face challenging financial and familial circumstances, and whose students may have more difficulty in secondary school. Parents of Mexican-origin ninth and tenth grade students from two high schools in Los Angeles (N = 428; 50 % female) completed quantitative interviews. The results revealed that financial strain predicted less involvement at school, and major family life events predicted less involvement at home, even after controlling for potentially confounding factors. Moreover, both of the associations between parental stress and parental academic involvement were mediated by lower levels of relationship quality between parents and adolescents, but not by conflict within the parent-adolescent dyad or parental depressive and somatic symptoms. The findings suggest that stress may limit parents' ability to become involved their adolescents' education, and highlight the importance of understanding family dynamics when examining parental academic involvement among Mexican-origin families.
Energy Awareness and Ad Hoc Routing.

In this paper , we focus on a way to extend the working lifetime of mobile nodes in a wireless , ad hoc network . For this, we employ ad hoc cognitive packet networks (AHCPN), which are inspired by previous research in cognitive packet networks (CPN). These networks employ smart packets to build networked learning systems that support adaptive, quality of service-driven routing of packets. To make smart packets seek a desired routing goal, appropriate adjustments are required in weights of a random neural network prior to use the decision making procedure . Reinforcement learning is employed to achieve this task with a new routing metric that we have introduced (path availability) to manage efficiently the low energy resources typically present in ad hoc networks . The new metric quantifies a path via the probability to find nodes and links available for routing . In this paper , we define this metric as a function of battery lifetime at nodes . This addition enables smart packets to make power -aware routing decisions , and consequently, nodes, which have low power , are able to extend their working lifetime and routes are selected based on power considerations , leading to the establishment of more robust communication paths over time. This paper examines the AHCPN algorithm and defines path availability in relation to energy factors.
Impact of Propagation on the Vulnerability of Channel-Based Key Establishment

When generating encryption keys using the reciprocal propagation channel, the secure key rate bounding the number of bits that can be generated securely differs from the available key rate that ignores the presence of an eavesdropper. To explore the impact of propagation on this difference, this work formulates a model for computing the secure and available key rates for a multiuser scenario involving two legitimate nodes and a passive eavesdropper. Application of the model to a variety of different propagation conditions demonstrates that the secure and available key rates differ appreciably when the $K$ -factor is large or when the separation between the eavesdropper and one of the legitimate nodes is small.
Mild, Safe, and Versatile Reagents for (CF2)n Transfer and the Construction of Fluoroalkyl-Containing Rings

The preparation of new dizinc reagents [(MeCN)2Zn((CF2)n)2Zn(MeCN)2] (n = 3, 4, and 6) is reported. We show that the C4 reagent can readily transmetalate nickel to form a mononuclear perfluoronickelacycle. We also demonstrate that the reagents can be used to prepare novel fluoroorganics containing either perfluoroalkyl ring systems or perfluoroalkyl linked arenes under relatively mild conditions.
Demeter: An Implementation of the Marlinspike Interactive Drama System.

Demeter is a text-based prototype game that demonstrates the Marlinspike architecture for producing computer-based interactive dramas. Marlinspike uses a top-down, directed approach to generating stories: a central drama manager agent responds to story-significant user actions by selecting the next scene to play from a pre-authored collection. This drama manager strives to explicitly reincorporate past user actions into the story in order to meet an Aristotelean definition of narrative unity.