cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Exact Solutions of a Stochastic Model of Electroporation

Two basically different approaches have been suggested to describe the experimentally observed properties of electroporation: the electromechanical model and the statistical model of pore expansion. These models have been reviewed by Dimitrov and Jain (1984). This paper considers a simple but exactly solvable statistical model of electroporation for a one-component planar lipid bilayer membrane. Here we concentrate on solutions of the model which are comparable with available experimental data of electroporation such as: size of electropores in thermodynamically stable membranes; lifetime of thermodynamically metastable membranes in the presence of a constant electric field, and conductivity of the planar lipid bilayer membrane during the formation and the shrinking of the electropores.
Life Tables as Tools of Evaluation and Quality Control for Arthropod Mass Production

Construction of a life table is a simple method for keeping track of births, deaths, and reproduction. For arthropod life tables, parameters are basically calculated by recording deaths and births within a population on a daily basis, from the time that the first egg of an arthropod is born, to the time that all of the arthropods, regardless of their developmental stage, die. The formulae to calculate the important parameters of a life table are given in this chapter. Among the most important are net fecundity, which indicates the number of females produced by a female at a given age; net reproductive rate, which is the average number of offspring left by each female during their lifetime; the intrinsic rate of increase, which provides a measure of population fitness; and the finite rate of increase, which produces a factor indicating how the population will increase every day. These four basic parameters can help while rearing high-quality arthropods because an alteration in any of them will allow us to determine optimal rearing conditions. How a life table is constructed, how these parameters can be interpreted, and their practical applications are presented with examples using different species of insects reared under laboratory conditions.
Review of approaches for integrating loss estimation and life cycle assessment to assess impacts of seismic building damage and repair

Abstract Interest in sustainability and resilience of buildings has led to a growing body of literature on merging environmental impact assessment methods with seismic loss estimation methods. Researchers have taken different approaches to connecting the two fields with the common goal of estimating the social, environmental, and economic impacts of damage to buildings subject to seismic events and thus enabling the study of tradeoffs between performance objectives. The differences among these studies include topics such as treatment of uncertainty, types of components and systems considered in the performance assessment, fidelity of structural analysis ranging from region-specific empirical fragility curves to detailed building-specific finite element analysis, scope of life cycle assessment, and so on. One of the aspects of the most diverse treatment has been in obtaining environmental impact data and relating it to pre-use impact estimates. For example, the translation of damage and repairs into life-cycle environmental impacts has been done by one of three approaches: (1) Economic Input-Output Life Cycle Assessment (EIO-LCA) has been applied to economic loss estimates; (2) repair cost-ratios have been applied to environmental impacts from the pre-use stage; and (3) repair descriptions have been used to model environmental impacts of damage scenarios directly using process life cycle assessment (LCA). All of the approaches are generally accepted but may pose limitations in certain applications and can potentially result in inconsistent conclusions from study to study. A review of existing literature in the area is presented and is followed by a comparative analysis and discussion of the outcomes of taking different environmental life cycle assessment approaches. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the research efforts in this area and discusses opportunities for further development in order to make the implementation consistent and practical for design decision making.
Banks’ deferred tax assets during the financial crisis

Prior studies have demonstrated that the net deferred tax liabilities of industrial firms are valued by market participants in a manner consistent with an expected net present value. In this study, using a sample of bank holding companies, we address several issues not directly addressed in the prior studies. First, do market participants value a firm’s net deferred assets similarly to how they value net deferred tax liabilities? Second, can a regulatory environment that provides incentives to defer recognition of deferred tax assets impact the valuation of net deferred tax assets? Third, does the valuation of net deferred assets change during an economic downturn? Fourth, can explicit or implicit government guarantees impact how firms’ deferred tax assets may be valued? Using a sample of 433 banks from 2006 to 2010, we find that prior to the financial crisis of 2008 the components of net deferred tax assets of banks, other than those deferred tax assets related to NOLs, were viewed as valuable assets, similar to the deferred tax assets of industrial firms. The coefficient on deferred tax assets related to NOLs is negative throughout the period examined. Also, post-crisis, even the coefficients on the other components of deferred tax assets either became significantly negative or lost any positive association with stock prices, consistent with the assets being viewed primarily as an indicator of bankruptcy risk. We also find that, consistent with a market perception that a too-big-to-fail policy continues to exist, the valuation of large banks’ deferred tax assets is less affected by the financial crisis.
Mountains: the origins of the Earth’s mountain systems

Graham Park is an Emeritus Professor from the University of Keele, United Kingdom, who has published textbooks for geology professionals on subjects such as the Foundations of Structural Geology (1...
From clicktivism to hacktivism: Understanding digital activism

Abstract Digital activism provides new opportunities for social movement participants and social movement organizations (SMOs). Recent IS research has begun to touch on digital activism, defining it, exploring it, and building new theory to help understand it. This paper seeks to unpack digital activism through an exploratory literature review that provides descriptions, definitions, and categorizations. We provide a framework for digital activism by extending Milbrath's (1965) hierarchy of political participation that divides activism into spectator, transitional, and gladiatorial activities. Using this framework, we identify ten activities of digital activism that are represented in the literature. These include digital spectator activities: clicktivism, metavoicing, assertion; digital transitional activities: e-funding, political consumerism, digital petitions, and botivism; and digital gladiatorial activities: data activism, exposure, and hacktivism. Last, we analyze the activities in terms of participants, SMOs, individuals who are targeted by the activity, and organizations that are targeted by the activity. We highlight four major implications and offer four meta-conjectures on the mechanisms of digital activism and their resulting impacts, and reveal a new construct where participants digitally organize yet lack an identifying cause, which we label connective emotion.
Disclosing adverse events and near misses to parents of neonates.

Abstract Critically ill newborns receiving intensive and complex care may be subject to medical errors and adverse events. Like most physicians, neonatologists do not feel comfortable disclosing their errors and may need assistance in learning how to do so. Understanding useful models of error disclosure, and communication training, will likely be beneficial.
Nutrient Inputs and Hydrology Interact with Plant Functional Type in Affecting Plant Production and Nutrient Contents in a Wet Grassland

We studied the effect of nutrient additions and hydrology on the above-ground production and shoot nutrient contents of representative species of the conservative (Carex acuta) and competitive (Glyceria maxima) plant functional types in a minerotrophic wet grassland. Above-ground samples were collected in May, late June (time of maximum biomass) and August (re-growth following cutting) from plots subjected to nutrient addition treatments in years with differing hydrology, ranging from drought to prolonged flooding. Net above-ground primary production (NAPP) and shoot nutrient contents (C, N, P) were determined separately for C. acuta and G. maxima. Between-year and species differences were analyzed by repeated measures ANOVA and generalized linear mixed models (GLMM). NAPP decreased with hydrologic stress with the proportion due to C. acuta increasing with flooding, while G. maxima responded positively to nutrient additions. As expected, C% was greater, but N and P% were lower, in C. acuta shoots compared to G. maxima. Hydrology affected above-ground production and shoot nutrient contents more than nutrients, but both interacted with plant functional type, with likely impacts on ecosystem processes. Future studies must consider multiple factors to predict the effect of climate and management changes on wetlands.
Self-Regulation for High School Learners in a MOOC Computer Science Course

Courses designed for Massive Open Online Courseware (MOOC)platforms provide learners worldwide with extensive learning opportunities. Previous research has explored learner motivation in MOOC courses using self-regulated learning (SRL) theory. How-ever; the majority of this work has focused on adults and we know little about how high school learners use SRL strategies. This paper explores self-regulated learning differences between high school students enrolled in traditional face-to-face and MOOC Advanced Placement Computer Science A courses. We found significant differences in student help seeking abilities between the two courses, but not in other SRL behaviors (such as, metacognition, effort regulation, etc.). In addition, help seeking was the only SRL strategy that was significantly related to MOOC students' grades on programming tasks. We discuss implications for designing MOOC courses for younger learners and directions for future research to disentangle the role of MOOC environment and motivation in influencing student outcome
Youth Perceptions of Parental Involvement and Monitoring, Discrepancies With Parental Perceptions, and Their Associations With First Cigarette Use in Black and White Girls

Objective:Low parental involvement and monitoring are risk factors for adolescent cigarette use. Assessments of parental involvement and monitoring by youth and parents may capture an additional so...
Calculating Interval Uncertainties for Calibration Standards That Drift with Time

Calibrated values of many devices exhibit predictable drift over time. To provide an uncertainty statement valid over the entire calibration interval, one must account for drift. In this article, a...
Land use diversity and park use in New York City

Abstract Neighborhood parks and mixed-use land development are both understood to be important independent contributors to physical activity levels. It has been hypothesized that mixed-use land development could increase park use as a result of mixed-use neighborhoods being consistently activated throughout the day, but the results of previous research on this question have been inconsistent and the mediational role of neighborhood activation has not been tested. This study leverages data from Google Places Popular Times and the National Establishment Time Series to directly test the mediational role of the daily temporal distribution of neighborhood activation, to construct a novel measure of commercial activity diversity, and to help disentangle built-environment density from commercial diversity. Park use data was measured from 10,004 systematic observations of 20 neighborhood parks in New York City in the spring and summer of 2017. The hypothesis that commercial activity diversity is positively associated with park use was not supported in any models. However, a positive relationship between built-environment density and park use was found, which may help to explain prior inconsistent findings.
Densely Packed Tethered Polymer Nanoislands: A Simulation Study.

COordinated Responsive Arrays of Surface-Linked polymer islands (CORALS) allow for the creation of molecular surfaces with novel and switchable properties. Critical components of CORALs are the uniformly distributed islands of densely grafted polymer chains (nanoislands) separated by regions of bare surface. The grafting footprint and separation distances of nanoislands are comparable to that of the constituent polymer chains themselves. Herein, we characterize the structural features of the nanoislands and semiflexible polymers within to better understand this critical constituent of CORALs. We observe different characteristics of grafted semiflexible polymers depending on the polymer island’s size and distance from the center of the island. Specifically, the characteristics of the chains at the island periphery are similar to isolated tethered polymer chains (full flexible chains), while chains in the center of the island experience the neighbor effect such as chains in the classic polymer brush. Chains close to the edge of the islands exhibit unique structural features between these two regimes. These results can be used in the rational design of CORALs with specific interfacial characteristics and predictable responses to external stimuli. It is hoped that this the discussion of the different morphologies of the polymers as a function of distance from the edge of the polymer will find applications in a wide variety of systems.
How I do it: horizontal fissure approach to the middle cerebellar peduncle.

BACKGROUND The horizontal fissure approach is a workhorse for brainstem lesions in the central and dorsolateral pons and middle cerebellar peduncle (MCP). The cerebellopontine fissure is a V-shaped fissure with a superior and inferior limb between the cerebellum, pons, and MCP. The horizontal or petrosal fissure is at the apex of the cerebellopontine fissure and extends laterally to divide the petrosal surface of the cerebellum into superior and inferior parts. Splitting this fissure exposes the posterolateral aspect of the MCP without excessive retraction or transgression of the cerebellum. METHOD We demonstrate and describe the horizontal fissure operative approach to the middle cerebellar peduncle for resection of a pontine cavernoma with illustrative figures and operative video. CONCLUSION Splitting the horizontal (petrosal) fissure of the cerebellum brings the middle cerebellar peduncle into view behind the root entry zone of the trigeminal nerve, providing an expanded, safe corridor to the central and dorsolateral pons.
A Landfill Case in California

This case describes a neighborhood problem in California that was one of the worst headaches for the California State Department of Health Services but now has developed into a most satisfying relationship with a local community. It illustrates that society’s outrage increases with the visibility and concentration of the population at risk.
Rotation and Macroturbulence in Supergiant Stars

A statistical investigation has been made of rotation and macroturbulence in early type la and lab supergiants. The principal results are: (1) At all spectral types in the range B0—A5 both rotation and macroturbulence contribute to the observed line broadening. In the early B stars rotation is as important a broadening agent as large-scale mass motion. In the middle B and A stars turbulence dominates but there still is an appreciable contribution from rotation. (2) In spite of the fact that the stars observed seem to be losing mass, there is no strong evidence for significant angular momentum loss.
Comparing the effectiveness of three instructional approaches in a problem-centered, multimedia-based learning environment.

University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. June 2011. Major: Education, Curriculum and Instruction. Advisor: Dr. Aaron Doering. 1 computer file (PDF); ix, 108 pages, appendices A-H.
Incidence and implication of vocal fold paresis following neonatal cardiac surgery.

Objectives/Hypothesis: To study the incidence and implications of vocal fold paresis (VFP) following congenital neonatal cardiac surgery. Study Design: Retrospective chart review. Methods: All neonates who underwent median sternotomy for cardiac surgery from May 2007 to May 2008 were evaluated. Flexible laryngoscopy was performed to evaluate vocal fold function after extubation. Swallow evaluation and a modified barium swallow study were performed prior to initiating oral feeding if the initial screening was abnormal. Results: A total of 101 neonates underwent cardiac surgery during the study period. Ninety-four patients underwent a median sternotomy, and 76 of these were included in the study. Fifteen (19.7%) had vocal fold paresis (VFP) postoperatively. Almost 27% of the patients with aortic arch surgery had VFP while only 4.1% of the patients with nonaortic arch surgery developed VFP (P=0.02) Those patients who underwent aortic arch surgery weighed significantly less (P<0.01). All the patients with VFP had significant morbidity related to swallowing and nutrition (P=0.01) and required longer postsurgical hospitalization (P=0.02). Conclusions: The reported incidence of VFP following cardiac surgery via median sternotomy ranges between 1.7% and 67% depending on the type of surgery and the weight of the infant at the time of surgery. In our cohort, 19.7% had VFP. Surgery requiring aortic arch manipulation had a higher incidence of complications and required longer hospitalizations. These results may be used to improve informed consent and to manage postoperative expectations by identifying patients who are at higher risk for complications.
New ants from Venezuela and neighboring countries.

The following ants were taken in Venezuela, Trinidad, B.W.I., British Guiana, Surinam and the Panama Canal Zone. They are mostly described at tbis time in order to use their names in non-taxonomic biological studies. The new Pogonomyrmex (Ephebomyrmex) from Venezuela is of particular interest in that it bridges the considerable gap in the distribution of tbese harvesting ants between Guatemala and southern Brazil, Bolivia and Chile. British Guiana is also added to the range through the ocurrence of a form, closely related to the Venezuelan species, on the Rupununi Savannahs. The members of this genus and subgenus occur from Texas to Uruguay and Argentina but intermediate records are rare. They are animals of the desert or dry plains and are represented in the Old World by the Biblical barvester, Messor, very common in Africa, Southwestern Asia and neighboring regions. The distinctness of the Venezuelan and British Guiana Ephebomyrmex, like the distinctness of two fungus-growing ants from the same two localities (Acromyrmex (Moellerius) balzani, susbpecies planorum and myersi Weber), presents a . problem. It would seem that the Venezuelan llanos immediately north of Ciudad Bolivar and the Rupununi Savannahs in British Guiana, although not separated greatly in space, must either afford different ecological niches or have been long separated by other barriers. The Sierra Pacaraima may well be a more important barrier than the rivers between the localities. The new Leptothorax. from a bat cave in Venezuela and sent by Mr. Pablo J. Anduze, is particularly striking in coloration, sculpturing and large size. It does not appear to have especial morphological adaptations to life in a cave. The tree ants, Dendromyrmex, are rarely seen nocturnal ants living in arboreal carton nests and will undoubtedly be found in Venezuelan Guiana although those here described are from Panama, British Guiana and its boundary with Surinam.
The Asymmetrical Bridge

More than a decade ago, the cognitive scientist Steven Pinker published The blank slate, a book that weighed in on the centuries-old debate about the contributions of nature and nurture to human psychological characteristics (Pinker 2002). When the eminent British biologist Sir Patrick Bateson needed a title for his review of the book in Science, he chose to call it ‘‘The corpse of a wearisome debate,’’ because by 2002, Bateson already considered this debate to be ‘‘tedious and increasingly irrelevant’’ (Bateson 2002, p. 2212). But the public’s reaction was different: Pinker’s book was a bestseller that ultimately qualified as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Today, published studies continue to compare the contributions of genes and environments to complex human traits (Plomin and Deary 2015; Polderman et al. 2015) even as numerous theorists insist that such comparisons are pointless and that the Nature–Nurture debate should be considered passe (Blumberg 2005; Gottlieb 1997; Moore 2002, 2013b; Weaver 2007). So the question is, why do some people continue to think the Nature–Nurture debate is still worthy of attention? Into this morass wades James Tabery, an associate professor of philosophy at the University of Utah, whose admirable new book, Beyond versus: The struggle to understand the interaction of nature and nurture, explains the persistence of this debate by pointing out how the two groups of disputants in the Nature–Nurture debate have been talking past one another for more than 100 years. As Tabery sees it, by failing to agree on what is meant by the phrase ‘‘interaction between nature and nurture,’’ the disputants have found themselves separated by an ‘‘explanatory
Effect of Decreasing the Affinity of the Class II-Associated Invariant Chain Peptide on the MHC Class II Peptide Repertoire in the Presence or Absence of H-2M1

The class II-associated invariant chain peptide (CLIP) region of the invariant chain (Ii) directly influences MHC class II presentation by occupying the MHC class II peptide-binding groove, thereby preventing premature loading of peptides. Different MHC class II alleles exhibit distinct affinities for CLIP, and a low affinity interaction has been associated with decreased dependence upon H-2M and increased susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis, suggesting that decreased CLIP affinity alters the MHC class II-bound peptide repertoire, thereby promoting autoimmunity. To examine the role of CLIP affinity in determining the MHC class II peptide repertoire, we generated transgenic mice expressing either wild-type human Ii or human Ii containing a CLIP region of low affinity for MHC class II. Our data indicate that although degradation intermediates of Ii containing a CLIP region with decreased affinity for MHC class II do not remain associated with I-A b , this does not substantially alter the peptide repertoire bound by MHC class II or increase autoimmune susceptibility in the mice. This implies that the affinity of the CLIP:MHC class II interaction is not a strong contributory factor in determining the probability of developing autoimmunity. In contrast, in the absence of H-2M, MHC class II peptide repertoire diversity is enhanced by decreasing the affinity of CLIP for MHC class II, although MHC class II cell surface expression is reduced. Thus, we show clearly, in vivo, the critical chaperone function of H-2M, which preserves MHC class II molecules for high affinity peptide binding upon dissociation of Ii degradation intermediates.
ARTFUL TALES OF ORIGINATION IN OLIVE SCHREINER'S THE STORY OF AN AFRICAN FARM

Olive Schreiner9s The Story of an African Farm (1883) has long been considered an anticolonial novel that nevertheless, because of its author9s affiliation with a European colonial culture, neglects to investigate the problem of disenfranchised African labor in significant detail. In this essay I reassess Schreiner9s anticolonialism by placing it in the context of her growing postcolonial aspirations. This rather paradoxical position of the colonist becoming a postcolonial manifests itself in the novel9s central artist figure, Waldo, who, while descended from European colonists, manages to make himself at home in his South African environment. Employing nineteenth-century ethnological and aesthetic discourses in the construction of this curious figure (which I refer to as the colonial indigene), Schreiner establishes a connection among the novel, colonial art, and an indigenous South African culture. The novel9s narrative present is set during a period of intense border struggle, and while indigenous artists like the San known to the colonists as the Bushmen) have disappeared from the novel9s narrative present, Schreiner9s colonial indigene takes their place. This imaginative displacement thus corresponds with a demographic one, while also manifesting itself in The Story of an African Farm through a fetishistic aesthetic and the uncanny return of a frequently overlooked African laborer.
The trans-Saharan slave trade in the context of Tunisian foreign trade in the western Mediterranean

The paper explores effects of local Tunisian reforms and broader economic and political developments occurring in the western Mediterranean shores during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries on the trans-Saharan slave trade. While the scanty available literature stresses the insignificance of the trans-Saharan slave trade to Tunisia, this paper examines the complex interplay of Tunisian economic reforms and the burgeoning European commercial expansion that shaped the Tunisian economy and, in turn, the trans-Saharan slave trade. Impact of these developments was not limited to Tunisian trade with Europe and the Levant. A significant increase in trade activities between the Regency of Tunis and the African interior can be observed on a number of levels. In particular, aside from the favourable conditions arising from Hammuda Pasha's reform and economic policies, expanding European trade in Tunisia, mainly after 1788, was a major force behind a continuation and growth of the trans-Saharan slave ...
Effect of Potassium Nitrate Intake on Dairy Calves

Summary This study provides information on the effects of level, frequency, and duration of nitrate intake on the nitrate tolerance of young dairy animals. Administration of KNO 3 to bull calves indicated that the minimum lethal dose for initial intake was in excess of 30g. per 100lb. body weight. Toxic response to the compound was found to vary between animals, but was not materially affected by experimental method of intake (by capsule or dissolved in milk). The level of KNO 3 ingestion exerted little, if any, influence on the time required for the in vivo formation of maximal levels of methemoglobin (determined spectrophotometrically). Up to 1.3g. % nitrate, but no nitrite, was detected by microbiological assay of the urine from two calves receiving 25g. KNO 3 per 100lb. body weight and showing low levels of methemoglobin.
Augmenting the DGPS broadcast with emergency information — Potential coverage and data rate

Differential GPS, or DGPS, is a medium frequency (MF) radio system that is used worldwide for the broadcast of differential corrections to users to improve the accuracy and integrity of the GPS. This communications system works by digitally modulating radio signals broadcast from a network of marine radio beacons operating in the medium frequency 283.5–325 kHz radio band. The modulation scheme called Minimum Shift Keying (MSK) is used to transmit the correction data at typical data rates of between 50 and 200 bits per second (bps). The U.S. Coast Guard has pioneered the use of MSK for transmission of differential GPS corrections, and has provided over ten years of worthy service with the system. The U.S. DGPS installation is nation-wide, with over 85 transmitters providing double coverage to most of the CONUS. Today, the Coast Guard is re-examining the role of DGPS/radio beacons with the goal of optimizing service for the next ten years. Here we suggest that the DGPS system has significant capability for use beyond that of its current mandate; specifically, there exists the potential for concurrently transmitting a second information-bearing signal on the beacon signal. We believe that this simultaneous transmission of the current navigation correction information (the primary channel) and additional messaging (perhaps DHS emergency messaging or other relevant information) could be accomplished at very minimal cost, and with minimal impact on current users, using a technique we have called phase trellis overlay. This idea has been proposed in earlier work by these authors; several variations of the approach have been designed, analyzed, and tested with results presented at Institute of Navigation conferences. These previous presentations have focused on the technical details of the method; for example, design of the new communications signals, bandwidth of the resulting signal relative to the DGPS system requirements, implementation concerns at the transmitter, and its impact on legacy user performance were analyzed. Here we summarize these earlier results within the context of a potential DHS emergency messaging system. We re-examine the technical details of this approach as a simply parameterized FM (frequency modulation) overlay which yields mathematically tractable performance results. Sample results of this analysis highlight the tradeoffs between coverage expected for legacy users and coverage expected for the new DHS messaging system.
The mechanical properties of the human hip capsule ligaments

The human hip capsule is adapted to facilitate upright posture, joint stability, and ambulation, yet it routinely is excised in hip surgery without a full understanding of its mechanical contributions. The objective of this study was to provide information about the mechanical properties of the ligaments that form the hip capsule. Cadaver bone-ligament-bone specimens of the iliofemoral, ischiofemoral, and femoral arcuate ligaments were tested to failure in tension. The hip capsule was found to be an inhomogeneous structure and should be recognized as being composed of discrete constituent ligaments. The anterior ligaments, consisting of the 2 arms of the iliofemoral ligament, were much stronger than the posterior ischiofemoral ligament, withstanding greater force at failure and exhibiting greater stiffness. Knowledge of the anatomy and mechanical properties of the capsule may help the hip surgeon choose an appropriate surgical approach or repair strategy.
Acceptor spectral bleedthrough correction in spectral FRET imaging microscopy

The current advances in fluorescence microscopy coupled with the development of new fluorescent probes such as visible fluorescent proteins (VFP) allow Forster (fluorescence) resonance energy transfer (FRET) to be used to study protein-protein interactions in living specimens. For FRET to occur, the donor emission spectrum should overlap the acceptor absorption at least about 30%. This spectral overlap generates donor and acceptor spectral bleedthrough (DSBT and ASBT) in the FRET channel (or acceptor channel) while exciting the double labeled cell with donor excitation wavelength. The spectral imaging microscopy helps to avoid the DSBT into FRET channel by linear unmixing. But the ASBT is the same spectral region of the FRET signal which cannot be removed by linear unmixing. To obtain a quantitative estimation of the C/EBPα protein dimerization in GHFT1-5 living cell nucleus, we need to remove the ASBT from the FRET channel. So, we developed an algorithm that removes the ASBT signal from the spectral FRET (sFRET) image. The E% estimated using the processed spectral FRET (psFRET) algorithm provides excellent comparison with other techniques such as confocal and lifetime FRET microscopy. This psFRET algorithm was also characterized with FRET standards, based on constructs with known-length amino acid linkers.
Experimental Combustion Studies of Two-Dimensional Ammonium Perchlorate-Binder Sandwiches

Abstract In order to obtain information essential to the future success of analytical modeling of solid propellant combustion, an experimental investigation was conducted using the quench combustion of two-dimensional propellant sandwiches prepared with AP oxidizer and four conventional propellant binders—polysulfide (PS), polyurethane (PU), polybutadiene acrylic acid (PBAA), and carboxy terminated polybutadiene (CTPB). Propellant sandwiches, prepared with both single crystal sheets and compacted polycrystalline sheets, were burned and quenched at combustion pressure levels from 300 psig (20 kg/sq cm) to 2400 psig (163 kg/sq cm) for a range of binder lamination thicknesses varying between 25 and 200 microns. The features of the quenched sandwiches indicate that there is considerable interplay between the binder and oxidizer species on the oxidizer portion of the sandwich surface, primarily through the ability of the binder to form a flowable melt prior to gasification; sandwiches prepared with all four fu...
Serum tocopherol levels and vitamin E intake are associated with lung function in the normative aging study

Summary Background & aims The results of studies assessing relationships between vitamin E intake and status and lung function are conflicting. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of vitamin E intake and serum levels of tocopherol isoforms on lung function in a cross-sectional sample of 580 men from the Normative Aging Study, a longitudinal aging study. Methods Regression models were used to look at associations of serum tocopherol isoform levels and vitamin E intake with lung function parameters after adjustment for confounders. Vitamin E intake was measured using a food frequency questionnaire and serum levels of γ, α, and δ-tocopherol levels were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography. Results After adjustment for potential confounders, serum γ-tocopherol had a significant inverse association with forced vital capacity (β = −0.10, p = 0.05). Alpha and δ-tocopherol were not associated with any lung function parameter. After classifying COPD status according to Global Initiative for Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) stage criteria, serum levels of δ-tocopherol were lower in participants with more severe COPD (p = 0.01). Serum levels of δ-tocopherol were also lower in participants with greater levels of smoking (p = 0.02). Both vitamin E intake (β = 0.03, p = 0.02; β = 0.03, p = 0.01) and use of vitamin E supplements (β = 0.05, p = 0.03; β = 0.06. p = 0.02) were positively associated with FEV1 and FVC, after adjusting for confounders. Subjects who took vitamin E supplements had significantly higher α-tocopherol levels (p Conclusion In this study, there is a positive association between dietary vitamin E intake and lung function, and evidence of an inverse relationship between serum levels of γ-tocopherol and lung function.
Affective disorders in people with autism: A review of published cases

The presentation of affective disorders in people with autism and autistic-like disorders is discussed based upon a review of 17 published cases. Half of the patients were female and almost all of the patients had IQs in the mentally retarded range. 35% of the patients had the onset of affective disorder in childhood. Of the cases mentioning family history, 50% had a family history of affective disorder or suicide. Changes in mood, self-attitude, and vital sense were rarely reported by the patients. A change in mood, attitude toward self and others, and vegetative changes were inferred based on the observations of others. Difficulties in diagnosing affective disorders in autistic people are presented and suggestions are made for diagnosis, treatment, and research.
The Vitamin A and Vitamin D Content of Cod Liver Meal

Abstract Since cod liver meal is now coming on the market in considerable quantities as an ingredient for poultry feeds it was believed important to ascertain the vitamin A and vitamin D potency of this material by testing it with chickens. The particular meal used was obtained in 1926 from St. John’s Newfoundland and had a high oil content, viz., 45 per cent; while it also contained 43 per cent of protein. VITAMIN D In testing the vitamin D content, nine groups of chicks (one day old Leghorns) were used; seven birds in six of the groups and six in the remaining three. These birds were housed in pens in an attic where direct light had no access. They were kept on screens in place of shavings. The basal ration used was one that will invariably lead to a rachitic condition in chicks in 5 to 6 weeks . . .
A new design approach to neural network pattern recognition systems

As reported in our publications in SPIE conferences in the last two years, we can use a simple VB6 program to break the boundaries of some selected objects in an edge-detected binary picture into many simple branches and reconstruct accurately the boundaries of the original objects free of noise. By this means we can then program the computer to automatically learn some standard objects and automatically recognize any test objects by a novel topological connections of the simple, bi-directional graph of the object boundaries. It is very accurate, yet very robust, way to recognize the test objects because it is like the design of an electric circuit. When the way of connection of an electric circuit, or the topology of an electric circuit, is fixed, all the electrical properties of the circuit are fixed.
InGaAs-GaAs-AlGaAs strained-layer distributed feedback ridge waveguide quantum well heterostructure laser array

Strained-layer DFB ridge waveguide laser arrays, requiring only a single MOCVD growth step, exhibit phase-locked emission in the highest order supermode. Uncoated 14 element arrays with CW threshold current of 110 mA and ηext = 36% emit in a single longitudinal mode to above 190 mA. Peak pulsed and CW output powers are 400 mW and 53 mW, respectively.
IRT Estimation of Domain Scores

In classical test theory, a test is regarded as a sample of items from a domain defined by generating rules or by content, process, and format specifications. If the items are a random sample of the domain, then the percent-correct score on the test estimates the domain score, that is, the expected percent correct for all items in the domain. When the domain is represented by a large set of calibrated items, as in item banking applications, item response theory (IRT) provides an alternative estimator of the domain score by transformation of the IRT scale score on the test. This estimator has the advantage of not requiring the test items to be a random sample of the domain, and of having a simple standard error. We present here resampling results in real data demonstrating for uni- and multidimensional models that the IRT estimator is also a more accurate predictor of the domain score than is the classical percent-correct score. These results have implications for reporting outcomes of educational qualification testing and assessment. The origin of item response theory (IRT) can be traced to the efforts of Thurstone (1925) and others to scale the tasks that made up the Binet test of intelligence. The objective of their work was the creation of quantitative scales, not unlike those of physical science, on which the strength of a trait could be expressed. From this beginning, developments have continued to focus on the measurement of psychological constructs assumed to underlie persisting individual differences in behavior. The earlier name for the field, latent trait theory, reflected that conceptual orientation. Educational measurement, insofar as it refers to measuring the extent to which a student, or group of students, has mastered some area of content or skill, does not fit comfortably within the trait concept. Measurement in this context is better conceived of as testing student performance on a sample of tasks from the area for purposes of predicting the extent of satisfactory performance in the area as a whole. The concept is that of domain mastery, and the domain score, expressed as a percentage, is the index of the proportion of the domain mastered. Although an item sampling concept is noticeably absent in IRT, under conditions that are attainable in practical applications it is possible to transform the IRT scale score on a test into an estimate of the domain score. The conditions are that (a) there exists a bank of n items regarded as a probability sample of the domain-that is, the bank may consist of arbitrary allocations of items to strata, but there are sampling weights attached to the items representing the domain proportions of items per strata; (b) well-fitting item response models exist for the items in the
For your eyes only? A ‘Do Not Track’ proposal

The Internet has become an indispensable part of Americans’ everyday lives. At the same time, its ease of data collection and storage has put the notion of personal privacy in grave danger. The FTC is finally gearing up to face this danger and opened discussions on how Do Not Track regulations should operate. This article first explores the landscape of the current tracking mechanisms and surveys what Americans actually think of these practices and how much they understand about their legal protections. Second, it proposes a possible solution, partially grounded in a comparison with the popular and proven Do Not Call regulations. Specifically, I parse the problem into three main types of behavior – first-party tracking, third-party tracking, and the selling/sharing of collected data – and suggest a different legal rule for each. Selling/sharing of data poses the greatest threat to personal privacy and therefore, should be governed by an opt-in regime. Third-party tracking can be placed under a browser lev...
Preliminary Report on the Second Spectrum of Protactinium (Pa II)

The first results of a continuing analysis indicate that the ground configuration of the first ion of protactinium is 5f27s2, the ground level being 3H4. 656 lines have been classified as combinations between 25 low–even and 164 high–odd energy levels; these represent approximately 35% of the lines that have been assigned to the second spectrum of protactinium. Four other low-lying levels have been assigned to the 5f26d7s configuration. The importance of the use of hfs measurements in the level-searching program is stressed.
Research on the psychotherapy of bulimia nervosa: half empty or half full.

Objective The current status of the research knowledge on the psychotherapy of bulimia nervosa is reviewed. Methods: Published studies using randomization to treatment are discussed. Results: The existing research data speak convincingly to the efficacy of cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT); however, certain important questions remain unanswered. Discussion: The current deficiencies in the field are underscored. © 1996 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Conservation-withdrawal versus depression

Conservation-withdrawal should be included in the differential diagnosis of the withdrawn, apathetic medical patient. The clinician's awareness of the conservation-withdrawal phenomenon can avert the unnecessary use of psychotropic medications and avoid the alienation that arises between the patient and his primary physician when an unwarranted psychiatric diagnosis is applied. Recognizing the distinction between conservation-withdrawal and clinical depression permits the primary physician to utilize his own skills in supporting his patient.
On-board attitude determination for the Topex satellite

This paper presents an overall technical description of the on-board attitude determination system for The Ocean Topography Experiment (Topex) satellite. The stellar-inertial attitude determination system being designed for the Topex satellite utilizes data from a three-axis NASA Standard DRIRU-II as well as data from an Advanced Star Tracer (ASTRA) and a Digital Fine Sun Sensor (DFSS). This system is a modified version of the baseline Multimission Modular Spacecraft (MMS) concept used on the Landsat missions. Extensive simulation and analysis of the MMS attitude determination approach was performed to verify suitability for the Topex application. The modifications to this baseline attitude determination scheme were identified to satisfy the unique Topex mission requirements.
A salmonellosis resistance factor for the guinea pig.

SummaryGuinea pigs fed a purified diet with and without ad libitum supplementation with cabbage were inoculated intraperitoneally with Salmonella typhimurium. Over a 6-week period the supplement decreased mortality significantly and more than doubled survivorship. There was no effect on tissue damage among survivors. An unrecognized nutrient that increases resistance to salmonellosis is postulated.
Nicotinic acid treatment of skin disorders

Nicotinic add treatment of cutaneous disorders of vascular origin of the lower extremities has been widely proposed (Winkelmann et al, 1974; Physicians Desk Reference, 1976) but this therapy has not been subjected to a controlled critical evaluation. Since the therapeutic effect of nicotinic acid is proposed to be relaxation of vascular smooth muscle, we undertook to examine the effect of nicotinic acid on the pretibial arteriolar pressure in maximally vasodilated skin (Nickerson, 1970). We examined six patients with stasis dermatitis. The patients were given nicotinic acid, 100 mg four times daily, for 2 weeks and placebo, four times daily for 2 weeks in a double-blind crossover fashion. The pretibial arteriolar pressure in maximally dilated skin was measured using a modification of the method of Chavatzas & Jamieson (1974). This technique consists of visualizing a histamineinduced flare through a transparent window in a sphygmomanometer cuff. The pressure at which the flare reappeared after occlusion was recorded. This method correlated well with xenon-washout studies (Chavatzas & Jamieson, 1976). The pretibial arteriolar pressure and the ratio of pretibial arteriolar pressure to brachial systolic pressure were examined at weekly intervals during nicotinic acid treatment and control (placebo) periods. We investigated the pretibial arteriolar pressure and the ratio of pretibial arteriolar pressure to brachial systolic pressure after a single dose of nicotinic acid, 100 mg by mouth. We also monitored the degree of cutaneous involvement, viz., a subjective quantification of dermatitis. We examined the fasting sera at weekly intervals for changes in triglycerides and cholesterol. Finally, one of us recorded the incidence of side effects. Since flushing was felt to be so common, the tabulator of side effects was not involved in the collection of any of the other data. In analysis of the data we foimd no consistent changes in pretibial arteriolar pressure, brachial systolic pressure, their ratio, cutaneous lesions, or serum lipids. Flushing was reported by all patients. Pruritus and nausea with occasional emesis were also reported by some patients. In summary, we found no effect of nicotinic acid on the pretibial arteriolar pressure, which should reflect the proposed therapeutic relaxation of vascular smooth muscle. The general use of nicotinic acid treatment for cutaneous disorders of vascular origin must remain questionable until further studies are done. (Author's note: Data available upon request.)