cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Temporal Variability of Aerosol Properties during TCAP: Impact on Radiative Forcing

Ground-based remote sensing and in situ observations of aerosol microphysical and optical properties have been collected during summertime (June-August, 2012) as part of the Two-Column Aerosol Project (TCAP; http://campaign.arm.gov/tcap/), which was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program (http://www.arm.gov/). The overall goal of the TCAP field campaign is to study the evolution of optical and microphysical properties of atmospheric aerosol transported from North America to the Atlantic and their impact on the radiation energy budget. During TCAP, the ground-based ARM Mobile Facility (AMF) was deployed on Cape Cod, an arm-shaped peninsula situated on the easternmost portion of Massachusetts (along the east coast of the United States) and that is generally downwind of large metropolitan areas. The AMF site was equipped with numerous instruments for sampling aerosol, cloud and radiative properties, including a Multi-Filter Rotating Shadowband Radiometer (MFRSR), a Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS), an Aerodynamic Particle Sizer (APS), and a three-wavelength nephelometer. In this study we present an analysis of diurnal and day-to-day variability of the column and near-surface aerosol properties obtained from remote sensing (MFRSR data) and ground-based in situ measurements (SMPS, APS, and nephelometer data). In particular, we show that the observed diurnal variability of the MFRSR aerosol optical depth is strong and comparable with that obtained previously from the AERONET climatology in Mexico City, which has a larger aerosol loading. Moreover, we illustrate how the variability of aerosol properties impacts the direct aerosol radiative forcing at different time scales.
Unusual Applications of Machining: Controlled Nanostructuring of Materials and Surfaces

A class of deformation processing applications based on the severe plastic deformation (SPD) inherent to chip formation in machining is described. The SPD can be controlled, in situ, to access a range of strains, strain rates, and temperatures. These parameters are tuned to engineer nanoscale microstructures (e.g., nanocrystalline, nanotwinned, and bimodal) by in situ control of the deformation rate. By constraining the chip formation, bulk forms (e.g., foil, sheet, and rod) with nanocrystalline and ultrafine grained microstructures are produced. Scaling down of the chip formation in the presence of a superimposed modulation enables production of nanostructured particulate with controlled particle shapes, including fiber, equiaxed, and platelet types. The SPD conditions also determine the deformation history of the machined surface, enabling microstructural engineering of surfaces. Application of the machining-based SPD to obtain deformation-microstructure maps is illustrated for a model material system-99.999% pure copper. Seemingly diverse, these unusual applications of machining are united by their common origins in the SPD phenomena prevailing in the deformation zone. Implications for large-scale manufacturing of nanostructured materials and optimization of SPD microstructures are briefly discussed.
Modifications of the local environment by natural marine hydrocarbon seeps

The bubble gas partial pressures, dissolved gas and oil, and fluid motions within the rising bubble streams of three shallow ( 108times) than atmospheric equilibrium values; at two of the seeps it was slightly supersaturated with respect to the bubble's partial pressure. This indicates that the rate limiting step for methane, CH4, transfer into the water column was not bubble gas transfer, but rather turbulence transfer of water out of the saturated bubble stream to the bulk ocean. Strong upwelling flows were observed, as well as elevated fluorescence indicative of dissolved oils. At the bottom, bubbles are circa 90% CH4, but at the surface they were circa 60% CH4, 30% air, and 10% higher hydrocarbons.
Bioavailability of mercury in several north-eastern U.S. Spartina ecosystems

Mercury concentrations were measured in sediments, marsh grasses, mussels and fiddler crabs in salt marsh plots treated with a mercury-containing commercial sludge fertilizer and in clean and industrially contaminated marshes. Mercury accumulated in the roots of the marsh grass Spartina alterniflora , rather than in rhizomes or above-ground tissues. Mercury concentrations did not increase in marsh organisms within the plots treated with sewage sludge. Highest concentrations of mercury were found in animals living in the least organic marsh sediments. Mercury was closely associated with small (
IDH Mutations in Human Glioma

A novel mutation of isocitrate dehydrogenase-1 (IDH1) was recently found in a large percentage of secondary human gliomas. Unlike previously discovered prognostic molecular characteristics, IDH1 mutations were found across gliomas of many different grades and histologies. Further studies have illuminated its utility as a prognostic marker in low-grade and high-grade gliomas and its ability to aid the differentiation and diagnosis of various tumors with histologic ambiguity. As a metabolic enzyme, its inhibitory actions and neomorphic activity present a unique avenue in the understanding of these tumors and potentially a novel mechanism through which they may be treated.
Macrophages recognize and adhere to an OmpD-like protein of Salmonella typhimurium

Murine peritoneal macrophages bind to Salmonella typhimurium in vitro in the absence of exogenous opsonins. We have identified an outer membrane protein of S. typhimurium that mediates this adhesion. Biotin-labeled macrophages were used to probe electroblotted envelope proteins of S. typhimurium that had been previously resolved by polyacrylamide electrophoresis under denaturing and reducing conditions. Macrophages bound to an outer membrane protein with an apparent molecular mass of 44 kDa. The protein was purified to homogeneity and free of detectable lipopolysaccharide. Limited microsequencing of this protein resulted in a 15-amino acid query sequence of A-E-V-Y-N-K-D-G-N-K-L-D-L-Y-G, which shares complete identity with a 15-mer of both the OmpD of S. typhimurium SH 7454 and the OmpC polypeptide of Escherichia coli K-12. Picomolar concentrations of this purified protein significantly inhibited the subsequent adherence of 35S-labeled S. typhimurium to macrophages in monolayers. We propose that this 44-kDa protein is involved in the recognition of S. typhimurium by macrophage during the initial stages of infection.
Impact of Modulation Format on the Performance of Fiber Optic Communication Systems with Transmitter-Based Electronic Dispersion Compensation

We analyze the performance of 10.7 Gb/s G.652 fiber optic systems with transmitter-based EDC and advanced modulation formats and find that RZ-type formats offer ~2 dBQ advantage over NRZ-type formats due to their broader spectrum.
Cortical excitability patterns in the cat: effects of cortical and subcortical lesions.

Abstract 1. 1. Excitability curves have been constructed using measurements of the direct cortical responses elicited by pairs of cortical stimuli in cats immobilized with gallamine triethiodide. The area-specificity of these curves has been described for medial suprasylvian, lateral, anterior sigmoid and ectosylvian gyri. 2. 2. The excitability curves for medial suprasylvian or anterior sigmoid gyri were depressed by undercutting or circumscribing the gyrus, but the curves for the lateral and ectosylvian gyri were affected only by undercutting. 3. 3. Transection of the midbrain produced both spontaneous and stimulus-triggered EEG spindles. After this lesion, the excitability curve for the medial suprasylvian gyrus was elevated, but the curve for the anterior sigmoid gyrus was depressed. No change was seen in the curves for lateral and ectosylvian gyri. 4. 4. After bilateral lesions involving the n. ventralis anterior of the thalamus, the excitability curves for the medial suprasylvian and lateral gyri were depressed. 5. 5. Sodium pentobarbital depressed the curves for intact cortex in a dose-related manner. After undercutting, circumscribing, or lesions of ventralis anterior, this drug produced no further depression of the curves for the medial suprasylvian gyrus; in contrast, this gyrus was more sensitive to low doses of the barbiturate after midbrain transection. 6. 6. These results suggest that the diencephalon may be important in determining the characteristics of cortical excitability curves.
Publicity Traps: Television Talk Shows and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Visibility

The article examines daytime talk shows in the USA where non-conforming genders and sexualities have been public for more than two decades. Using interviews, focus group, video and transcript data,...
Novel Kalman Filter Algorithm for Statistical Monitoring of Extensive Landscapes with Synoptic Sensor Data

Wall-to-wall remotely sensed data are increasingly available to monitor landscape dynamics over large geographic areas. However, statistical monitoring programs that use post-stratification cannot fully utilize those sensor data. The Kalman filter (KF) is an alternative statistical estimator. I develop a new KF algorithm that is numerically robust with large numbers of study variables and auxiliary sensor variables. A National Forest Inventory (NFI) illustrates application within an official statistics program. Practical recommendations regarding remote sensing and statistical issues are offered. This algorithm has the potential to increase the value of synoptic sensor data for statistical monitoring of large geographic areas.
Fabulously Procedural: Braid, Historical Processing, and the Videogame Sensorium

In recent years, the growing field of game studies has contributed to the ongoing cultural debate about what it means for videogames to be an art form that both selectively draws and dramatically departs from earlier forms such as the novel, theater, and cinema. To achieve a sense of videogames as a unique art form requires a more intimate understanding of the new sensorium that they open up-that is, the specific experience of spatiality, temporality, speed, graphics, audio, and procedural activity that they make available. To explore that sensorium, this essay analyzes Jonathan Blow's independently produced hit American videogame Braid (2008). For all of the ways that Braid stands apart from contemporary videogames, it does so less to dismiss them than to contemplate, historicize, and produce a reading of the videogame form. Moreover, this game uses media-specific techniques to make accessible the material effects of the American military-industrial-media-entertainment network on historical consciousness. Braid adopts the affordances of game form to develop a formally experimental analytic of processing-one that is aesthetic, affective, and interactively experiential as opposed to purely cognitive. The game uses its formal blends and its play mechanics to complicate how history is typically thought and to imagine how it might be engaged or processed differently. Ultimately, Braid interrogates the impulses that drive videogames and the historical subjects that they produce.
CONDITIONAL REFLEX ELECTROCARDIOGRAM OF BULBOCAPNINE: CONDITIONING OF THE T WAVE.

Abstract We studied conditioning to a drug, bulbocapnine, which produces marked motor effects (catalepsy) as well as profound changes in the electrocardiogram. The latter consist mainly in changes in the amplitude of the T wave in standard limb leads and greatly exaggerated T waves which are equal in height to the R wave in bipolar precordial leads. Separating the dog from the interference of the presence of a person, and using injection of the drug from outside a sound-shielded room, we were able to demonstrate a conditional electrocardiographic change after 20 repetitions. The conditional reflex was formed to the signals of the intravenous injection (without the presence of the person), namely, to the injection of saline or to auditory signals. The effects of bulbocapnine (catalepsy and ECG pattern) are mediated through the central nervous system in contrast to certain effects of atropine and of acetylcholine on cardiac functions. The fact that cardiac changes due to bulbocapnine (centrally acting) are conditionable, whereas those due to atropine and other peripherally acting substances are not conditionable is further evidence that the criterion for conditioning is not the type of response but whether it is mediated peripherally or centrally .
Losing Weight on Reality TV: A Content Analysis of the Weight Loss Behaviors and Practices Portrayed on The Biggest Loser

A number of weight loss-related reality television programs chronicle the weight loss experience of obese individuals in a competitive context. Although highly popular, such shows may misrepresent the behavior change necessary to achieve substantial weight loss. A systematic, quantitative content analysis of Seasons 10-13 (n = 66 episodes) of The Biggest Loser was conducted to determine the amount of time and number of instances that diet, physical activity, or other weight management strategies were presented. The average episode was 78.8 ± 15.7 min in length. Approximately 33.3% of an episode, representing 1,121 segments, portrayed behavioral weight management-related content. Within the episode time devoted to weight management content, 85.2% was related to physical activity, 13.5% to diet, and 1.2% to other. Recent seasons of The Biggest Loser suggest that substantial weight loss is achieved primarily through physical activity, with little emphasis on modifying diet and eating behavior. Although physical activity can impart substantial metabolic health benefits, it may be difficult to create enough of an energy deficit to induce significant weight loss in the real world. Future studies should examine the weight loss attitudes and behaviors of obese individuals and health professionals after exposure to reality television shows focused on weight loss.
Modeling and Real-Time Process Monitoring of Organometallic Chemical Vapor Deposition of III-V Phosphides and Nitrides at Low and High Pressures

The purpose of this paper is to review modeling and real-time monitoring by robust methods of reflectance spectroscopy of organometallic chemical vapor deposition (OMCVD) processes in extreme regimes of pressure. The merits of p-polarized reflectance spectroscopy under the conditions of chemical beam epitaxy (CBE) and of internal transmission spectroscopy and principal angle spectroscopy at high pressure are assessed. In order to extend OMCVD to materials that exhibit large thermal decomposition pressure at their optimum growth temperature we have designed and built a differentially-pressure-controlled (DCP) OMCVD reactor for use at pressures greater than or equal to 6 atm. We also describe a compact hard-shell (CHS) reactor for extending the pressure range to 100 atm. At such very high pressure the decomposition of source vapors occurs in the vapor phase, and is coupled to flow dynamics and transport. Rate constants for homogeneous gas phase reactions can be predicted based on a combination of first principles and semi-empirical calculations. The pressure dependence of unimolecular rate constants is described by RRKM theory, but requires variational and anharmonicity corrections not included in presently available calculations with the exception of ammonia decomposition. Commercial codes that include chemical reactions and transport exist, but do not adequately cover at present the kinetics of heteroepitaxial crystal growth.
Regular Expression Matching for Reconfigurable Constraint Repetition Inspection

Recent network intrusion detection systems (NIDS) use regular expressions to represent suspicious or malicious character sequences in packet payloads in a more efficient way. This paper introduces a new basic building block based on Non- deterministic Finite Automata (NFA) hardware implementation to support complex constraint repetitions in regular expressions. This block is a customized counter capable of handling any type of constraint repetition, applicable to any sub-regular expression. We also introduce optimization techniques to reduce the area and improve the overall performance. We have examined SNORT IDS regular expressions by taking advantage of the basic NFA building blocks, our proposed counting block and our proposed optimization techniques. We report experimental results for our architecture that verify area saving and performance improvement.
A New Insight Into Prediction Modeling Systems

Data mining and forecasting has attracted a lot of research interest in time series data sequence. The paper brings a new insight in how to select different time series forecasting models to make prediction according to different situations and data patterns. The contribution of this research is to facilitate prediction modelling system design for extensive forecasting purpose.
Democracy in the classroom: an exercise for the first days of CS1

Selecting a first-day activity for CS1 is an important way to set the scene for an introduction to computer science. This paper presents the task of counting votes as an accessible vehicle for lessons on algorithms, data management, parallel processing, and other key computational ideas.
Spatial–temporal patterns of electrocorticographic spectral changes during midazolam sedation

Abstract Objective To better understand ‘when’ and ‘where’ wideband electrophysiological signals are altered by sedation. Methods We generated animation movies showing electrocorticography (ECoG) amplitudes at eight spectral frequency bands across 1.0–116 Hz, every 0.1 s, on three-dimensional surface images of 10 children who underwent epilepsy surgery. We measured the onset, intensity, and variance of each band amplitude change at given nonepileptic regions separately from those at affected regions. We also determined the presence of differential ECoG changes depending on the brain anatomy. Results Within 20 s following injection of midazolam, beta (16–31.5 Hz) and sigma (12–15.5 Hz) activities began to be multifocally augmented with increased variance in amplitude at each site. Beta-sigma augmentation was most prominent within the association neocortex. Augmentation of low-delta activity (1.0–1.5 Hz) was relatively modest and confined to the somatosensory-motor region. Conversely, injection of midazolam induced attenuation of theta (4.0–7.5 Hz) and high-gamma (64–116 Hz) activities. Conclusions Our observations support the notion that augmentation beta-sigma and delta activities reflects cortical deactivation or inactivation, whereas theta and high-gamma activities contribute to maintenance of consciousness. The effects of midazolam on the dynamics of cortical oscillations differed across regions. Significance Sedation, at least partially, reflects a multi-local phenomenon at the cortical level rather than global brain alteration homogeneously driven by the common central control structure.
Alternate Tillage Practices for Peanut Production in Virginia

Abstract This study compared alternate tillage practices for peanut production. The influence of these alternate tillage practices on peanut yield, crop value, and grade factors were evaluated. Alternate tillage practices consisted of a power-driven rotary tiller or rolling cultivators with planters attached. Tillage and planting were performed simultaneously immediately following moldboard plowing. This was compared to the conventional practice of moldboard plowing in late March, and two disking operations prior to planting. Results indicated approximately a 10% increase in peanut yield and crop value for the alternate tillage treatments as compared to the conventional treatment. Although not determined in this study, the alternate tillage practices have the potential to reduce soil compaction, reduce the potential of soil erosion, and reduce land preparation input costs.
Eigen-disfigurement model for simulating plausible facial disfigurement after reconstructive surgery

Patients with facial cancers can experience disfigurement as they may undergo considerable appearance changes from their illness and its treatment. Individuals with difficulties adjusting to facial cancer are concerned about how others perceive and evaluate their appearance. Therefore, it is important to understand how humans perceive disfigured faces. We describe a new strategy that allows simulation of surgically plausible facial disfigurement on a novel face for elucidating the human perception on facial disfigurement. Longitudinal 3D facial images of patients (N = 17) with facial disfigurement due to cancer treatment were replicated using a facial mannequin model, by applying Thin-Plate Spline (TPS) warping and linear interpolation on the facial mannequin model in polar coordinates. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to capture longitudinal structural and textural variations found within each patient with facial disfigurement arising from the treatment. We treated such variations as disfigurement. Each disfigurement was smoothly stitched on a healthy face by seeking a Poisson solution to guided interpolation using the gradient of the learned disfigurement as the guidance field vector. The modeling technique was quantitatively evaluated. In addition, panel ratings of experienced medical professionals on the plausibility of simulation were used to evaluate the proposed disfigurement model. The algorithm reproduced the given face effectively using a facial mannequin model with less than 4.4 mm maximum error for the validation fiducial points that were not used for the processing. Panel ratings of experienced medical professionals on the plausibility of simulation showed that the disfigurement model (especially for peripheral disfigurement) yielded predictions comparable to the real disfigurements. The modeling technique of this study is able to capture facial disfigurements and its simulation represents plausible outcomes of reconstructive surgery for facial cancers. Thus, our technique can be used to study human perception on facial disfigurement.
Criterion for analyzing experimental data on eddy diffusion coefficients

Abstract. Problems exist in estimating the eddy heat transport coefficient, Keh, from experimental data. These problems are due to uncertainty in determining the turbulent energy dissipation rate and to the uncertainty of Keh dependence on the energy dissipation rate. In this paper, a new criterion for estimating the eddy heat transport coefficient is suggested. This criterion is based on the effect of eddy turbulence on the energy budget of the upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere. The calculations show high cooling around and above the Keh peak for Keh values inferred from experimental data. The cooling rates are much higher than cooling rates corresponding to the temperature given by the MSIS-E-90 model or to temperatures measured during the experiments. The main contribution to high cooling rates is due to the term with eddy heat conduction, which strongly depends on the Keh gradient. According to our results, the heating/cooling values below the Keh peak altitude correspond to the temperature given by the MSIS-E-90 model, but at the peak and above, the cooling rates are larger by a factor of 2–3 than the rates corresponding to the temperatures. This means that the Keh values in the peak and above may be overestimated. Application of this criterion to the Turbulent Oxygen Mixing Experiment (TOMEX) data shows that eddy diffusions inferred from observing chemical tracers in TOMEX are strongly overestimated.
Photonic generation and radio transmission of ECMA 387 signal at 60 GHz using WDM demultiplexer

We propose to realize an experimental setup for millimeter wave (mmW) band Radio over Fiber system using wavelength division multiplexing technique.In this article, broadband mmW at 60-GHz band, which is compliant with the ECMA 387 standard, is generated by photodetection and transmitted with horn antennas. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett, 54:275–277, 2012; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/mop.26556
Infection with Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis results in rapid interleukin-1β release and macrophage transepithelial migration.

Pathogen processing by the intestinal epithelium involves a dynamic innate immune response initiated by pathogen-epithelial cell cross talk. Interactions between epithelium and Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis have not been intensively studied, and it is currently unknown how the bacterium-epithelial cell cross talk contributes to the course of infection. We hypothesized that M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis harnesses host responses to recruit macrophages to the site of infection to ensure its survival and dissemination. We investigated macrophage recruitment in response to M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis using a MAC-T bovine macrophage coculture system. We show that M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis infection led to phagosome acidification within bovine epithelial (MAC-T) cells as early as 10 min, which resulted in upregulation of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) at transcript and protein levels. Within 10 min of infection, macrophages were recruited to the apical side of MAC-T cells. Inhibition of phagosome acidification or IL-1β abrogated this response, while MCP-1/CCL-2 blocking had no effect. IL-1β processing was dependent upon Ca2+ uptake from the extracellular medium and intracellular Ca2+ oscillations, as determined by EGTA and BAPTA-AM [1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy) ethane-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetic acid tetrakis (acetoxymethyl ester)] treatments. Thus, M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis is an opportunist that takes advantage of extracellular Ca2+-dependent phagosome acidification and IL-1β processing in order to efficiently transverse the epithelium and enter its niche—the macrophage.
Eugen Fink and Maurice Merleau-Ponty: The Philosophical Lineage in Phenomenology

Published and unpublished documentation allows drawing significant similarities between Merleau-Ponty’s grasp of Husserlian phenomenology, as summarized in his “preface” to Phenomenologie de la perception, and Fink’s well-based understanding of that program. Pivoting on the long discussion the two philosophers held in Louvain in 1939, the article outlines the themes of the remarkable continuity and coherence between them, suggesting the two were carrying out the central investigatory thrust that is phenomenology’s core.
A-Single Spermatogonia Heterogeneity and Cell Cycles Synchronize with Rat Seminiferous Epithelium Stages VIII–IX

In mammalian testes, ‘‘A-single’’ spermatogonia function as stem cells that sustain sperm production for fertilizing eggs. Yet, it is not understood how cellular niches regulate the developmental fate of A-single spermatogonia. Here, immunolabeling studies in rat testes define a novel population of ERBB3 + germ cells as approximately 5% of total SNAP91 + A-single spermatogonia along a spermatogenic wave. As a function of time, ERBB3 + A-single spermatogonia are detected during a 1- to 2day period each 12.9-day sperm cycle, representing 35%–40% of SNAP91 + A-single spermatogonia in stages VIII–IX of the seminiferous epithelium. Local concentrations of ERBB3 + Asingle spermatogonia are maintained under the mean density measured for neighboring SNAP91 + A-single spermatogonia, potentially indicative of niche saturation. ERBB3 + spermatogonia also synchronize their cell cycles with epithelium stages VIII–IX, where they form physical associations with preleptotene spermatocytes transiting the blood-testis barrier and Sertoli cells undergoing sperm release. Thus, A-single spermatogonia heterogeneity within this short-lived and reoccurring microenvironment invokes novel theories on how cellular niches integrate with testicular physiology to orchestrate sperm development in mammals. A-single spermatogonia, epithelial cycle, ERBB3, germline stem cell, HER3, seminiferous, SNAP91, spermatogenesis, spermatogonia, spermatogonial stem cells, stem cell niche, stem cells, testis
New Outbreaks of Bacterial Wilt of Dry Bean in Nebraska Observed from Field Infections.

Bacterial wilt caused by Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens pv. flaccumfaciens was one of the more problematic diseases of dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) throughout the irrigated High Plains (Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming) in the 1960s and early 1970s, but has not been observed since that time. However, in August of 2003, plants exhibiting wilting and irregular, interveinal necrotic foliar lesions surrounded by a bright yellow border were found in three dry bean fields (market class Great Northern) in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska. During 2004, plants exhibiting identical symptoms were additionally found occurring in more than 40 dry bean fields in western Nebraska. Affected fields were planted with dry bean from multiple market classes and seed sources, including yellow bean, Great Northern bean, and pinto bean, and incidence varied from trace levels to 80 to 90%. Isolations were made from leaf and stem tissues and seeds collected after harvest from infected plants, and all yielded slow-growing, creamy ye...
The multi-band, multi-pitch antenna

A new design of multi-band, broadband multiple pitch helical antenna is presented. The proposed antenna is applicable for the use of portable transceivers to cover two bands of operating frequencies. The first band covers 150 MHz to 174 MHz. The second band covers 764 to 870 MHz. Dividing the helix into multiple segments with different pitches and number of turns to create multiple, overlapping resonances, a VSWR of better than 2:1 is achieved from 764 to 870 MHz. Also, by using a simple, two-element high-pass matching circuit, the antenna is matched to 50 ohms from 150 to 174 MHz without affecting the response in the second band. The radiation patterns of the antenna mounted on a portable radio chassis exhibit the characteristics of a dipole in both bands. The helical antenna remains as a single feeding, single element antenna.
Regulation of retinal progenitor expansion by Frizzled receptors: implications for microphthalmia and retinal coloboma

Nineteen Wnt ligands and 10 Frizzled (Fz) receptors mediate multiple distinct cellular events during neuronal development. However, their precise roles in cell-type specification and organogenesis are poorly delineated because of overlapping functions and expression profiles. Here, we have explored the role of two closely related Frizzled receptors, Fz5 and Fz8, in mouse retinal development. We previously showed that Fz5(-/-) mice exhibit mild coloboma and microphthalmia at ~50% penetrance. Fz8 expression overlaps with Fz5 in the neural retina and optic fissure/disc. Mice lacking Fz8 show minimal eye and retinal defects. The embryos lacking both Fz5 and Fz8 die early in development, but a majority of triallelic Fz5(-/-);Fz8(+/-) mutants survive until birth. The triallelic mutant develops severe retinal coloboma and microphthalmia with full penetrance. At the cellular level, impaired neurogenesis is indicated by increased early-born retinal neurons that result from accelerated cell cycle exit of progenitors. Deficiency of apical retinal neuroepithelium is indicated by altered localization of apical junction markers, such as atypical protein kinase C, RhoA and β-catenin. Hes1 expression, which is critical for retinal progenitor expansion, is down-regulated in the triallelic mutant mouse. Furthermore, blocking Frizzled receptors in cultured retinal explants led to basally shifted divisions of retinal progenitors. Together, our studies suggest a dose-dependent regulation of signaling by Fz5 and Fz8 in optic fissure/disc formation and progenitor expansion.
Invasion percolation model for abnormal TDDB characteristic of ULK dielectrics with Cu interconnect at advanced technology nodes

With the continuing aggressive scaling of interconnect dimensions and introduction of new lower k materials, dielectric TDDB reliability margin is greatly reduced. In this paper, a comprehensive investigation on an abnormal low-k TDDB characteristic, a systematic degradation of Weibull slopes at lower stress voltages, was conducted for Cu and CuMn alloy interconnect with porous ultra low-k (ULK) CVD dielectric (k=2.4). Based on extensive electrical and physical evidences, such abnormal TDDB characteristic was attributed to slow metallic diffusion in bulk ULK induced by Mn and Cu segregation. A new TDDB model based on invasion percolation was proposed to successfully model the observed abnormality. CuMn interconnect with robust liner to assure metal free ULK has become important for TDDB reliability.
Effects of an educational program and a standardized insulin order form on glycemic outcomes in non‐critically ill hospitalized patients

BACKGROUND: The optimal approach to managing hyperglycemia in noncritically ill hospital patients is unclear. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of targeted quality improvement interventions on insulin prescribing and glycemic control. DESIGN: A cohort study comparing an intervention group (IG) to a concurrent control group (CCG) and an historic control group (HCG). SETTING: University of Michigan Hospital. PATIENTS: Hyperglycemic, noncritically ill hospital patients treated with insulin. INTERVENTION: Physician and nurse education and a standardized insulin order form based on the principles of physiologic insulin use. MEASUREMENTS: Glycemic control and insulin prescribing patterns. RESULTS: Patients in the IG were more likely to be treated with a combination of scheduled basal and nutritional insulin than in the other groups. In the final adjusted regression model, patients in the IG were more likely to be in the target glucose range (odds ratio [OR], 1.72; P = 0.01) and less likely to be severely hyperglycemic (OR, 0.65; P < 0.01) when compared to those in the CCG. Patients in the IG were also less likely to experience hypoglycemia than those in the CCG (P = 0.06) or the HCG (P = 0.01). Over 80% of all patient-days for all groups contained glucose readings outside of the target range. CONCLUSIONS: Standardized interventions encouraging the physiologic use of subcutaneous insulin can lead to significant improvements in glycemic control and patient safety in hospitalized patients. However, the observed improvements are modest, and poor metabolic control remains common, despite these interventions. Additional research is needed to determine the best strategy for safely achieving metabolic control in these patients. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2010. © 2010 Society of Hospital Medicine.
Reduced gap junctional communication among astrocytes in experimental diabetes: Contributions of altered connexin protein levels and oxidative–nitrosative modifications

Experimental diabetes increases production of reactive oxygen-nitrogen species and inhibits astrocytic gap junctional communication in tissue culture and brain slices from streptozotocin (STZ)-diabetic rats by unidentified mechanisms. Relative connexin (Cx) protein levels were assessed by Western blotting using extracts from cultured astrocytes grown in high (25 mmol/liter) or low (5.5 mmol/liter) glucose for 2-3 weeks and STZ-diabetic rat brain. Chemiluminescent signals for diabetic samples were normalized to those of controls on the same blot and same protein load. Growth in high glucose did not alter relative Cx26 level, whereas Cx30 and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) were reduced by ∼30%, and Cx43 increased ∼1.9-fold. In the inferior colliculus of STZ-diabetic rats, Cx30 and Cx43 levels in three of four rats were half those of controls, whereas GAPDH and actin were unaffected. Diabetes did not affect levels of Cx30, Cx43, or GAPDH in cerebral cortex, but actin level rose 24%. Cx43 was predominantly phosphorylated in control and diabetic samples, so the reduced dye transfer is not due to overall dephosphorylation of Cx43. Astrocytic growth in high glucose reduced the dye-labeled area by 75%, but 10 min of treatment with dithiothreitol restored normal dye transfer. In contrast, nitric oxide donors inhibited dye transfer among astrocytes grown in low glucose by 50-65% within 1 hr. Thus, modifications arising from oxidative-nitrosative stress, not altered connexin levels, may underlie the reduced dye transfer among severely hyperglycemic cultured astrocytes, whereas both oxidative-nitrosative stress and regionally selective down-regulation of connexin protein content may affect gap junctional communication in the brains of STZ-diabetic rats.
Atypical Memory Phenotype T Cells with Low Homeostatic Potential and Impaired TCR Signaling and Regulatory T Cell Function in Foxn1Δ/Δ Mutant Mice

Foxn1 Δ / Δ mutants have a block in thymic epithelial cell differentiation at an intermediate progenitor stage, resulting in reduced thymocyte cellularity and blocks at the double-negative and double-positive stages. Whereas naive single-positive thymocytes were reduced >500-fold in the adult Foxn1 Δ / Δ thymus, peripheral T cell numbers were reduced only 10-fold. The current data shows that Foxn1 Δ/Δ peripheral T cells had increased expression of activation markers and the ability to produce IL-2 and IFN-γ. These cells acquired this profile immediately after leaving the thymus as early as the newborn stage and maintained high steady-state proliferation in vivo but decreased proliferation in response to TCR stimulation in vitro. Single-positive thymocytes and naive T cells also had constitutively low αβTCR and IL7R expression. These cells also displayed reduced ability to undergo homeostatic proliferation and increased rates of apoptosis. Although the frequency of Foxp3 + CD4 + CD25 + T cells was normal in Foxn1 Δ/Δ mutant mice, these cells failed to have suppressor function, resulting in reduced regulatory T cell activity. Recent data from our laboratory suggest that T cells in the Foxn1 Δ/Δ thymus develop from atypical progenitor cells via a noncanonical pathway. Our results suggest that the phenotype of peripheral T cells in Foxn1 Δ/Δ mutant mice is the result of atypical progenitor cells developing in an abnormal thymic microenvironment with a deficient TCR and IL7 signaling system.
Automated docking with grid-based energy evaluation

The ability to generate feasible binding orientations of a small molecule within a site of known structure is important for ligand design. We present a method that combines a rapid, geometric docking algorithm with the evaluation of molecular mechanics interaction energies. The computational costs of evaluation are minimal because we precalculate the receptor-dependent terms in the potential function at points on a three-dimensional grid. In four test cases where the components of crystallographically determined complexes are redocked, the «force field» score correctly identifies the family of orientations closest to the experimental binding geometry
Guiding the way: Mentoring graduate students and junior faculty for sustainable academic careers

This article introduces the reader to literature, ideas, and processes the authors have used in mentoring graduate students and junior faculty of color, including women. The writing is based on an ...
Reducing the Complexity of Normal Basis Multiplication

In this paper we introduce a new transformation method and a multiplication algorithm for multiplying the elements of the field GF\((2^k)\) expressed in a normal basis. The number of XOR gates for the proposed multiplication algorithm is fewer than that of the optimal normal basis multiplication, not taking into account the cost of forward and backward transformations. The algorithm is more suitable for applications in which tens or hundreds of field multiplications are performed before needing to transform the results back.
VAT Experimentation -- New York & Illinois

US States are experimenting with VATs to solve market-specific problems with tax compliance and revenue yields. Experimentation has been going on for years. Sometimes the experiment is a success; at other times it needs more work. Although not called VATs either before, during or after adoption – that is what these experiments are. Market-specific VATs are producing benefits long promoted by VAT advocates, notably: an increase in revenue without an increase in tax rates; increased administrative efficiency without significant costs to business; more stable deposits from fractionated payments; and lower enforcement costs from the self-enforcing nature of the VAT. There are strong technical disadvantages to the adoption of a VAT as a general proposition, most of which flow from efforts to make the VAT work well in multi-jurisdictional settings, but the market-specific approach to VAT adoption in the US minimizes these drawbacks. This is what makes the US experiments so interesting. For analytical purposes it is easier to anticipate problems and to take corrective actions if we admit that what we are dealing with is a VAT (even if some do not want to call it that for political reasons). This paper takes two examples of US VATs, the New York VAT in hotel accommodations, and the Illinois VAT in the retail gasoline market, contrasts them, and shows what works and what does not.
Flying Light: British Airways Flight 268 (B)

Despite the incident at takeoff, the British Airways pilots, after discussion with the airline engineers at Heathrow Airport in London, decided to continue the flight uninterrupted. Although the plane landed safely in England, the decision to continue flying set off a hailstorm of criticism and sparked tension between the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the CAA, the British equivalent. This case discusses the fallout from the incident, and the ramifications of the decision that was made. See also the A case, UVA-E-0294.
Reliability of the revised Scoliosis Research Society-22 and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) questionnaires in adult spinal deformity when administered by telephone.

Abstract Background Context The non-response rates are as high as 20% to 50% after 5 years of follow-up in adult spinal deformity (ASD) surgery. Minimizing loss to follow-up is essential to protect the quality of data in long-term studies. Phone and internet administration of outcomes instruments has grown in popularity and has been found to not only provide a convenient way of collecting data, but also show improved response rates. Purpose The study aimed to examine the reliability of the revised Scoliosis Research Society-22 (SRS-22r) and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) questionnaires in ASD patients when administered by telephone. Study Design/Setting This is a single-center, randomized crossover phone validation of ASD patients. Patient Sample The study included ASD patients presenting to a tertiary spine care center. Outcome Measures The outcome measures were ODI and SRS-22r. Methods Forty-nine patients (mean age: 55.7 years) with ASD were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either phone completion of the SRS-22r and ODI followed by in-office completion, or to in-office completion followed by phone completion. An interval of 2 to 4 weeks was placed between administrations of each version. A paired t test was used to assess the difference between the written and phone versions, and intraclass correlation coefficients were used to assess homogeneity. Finally, goodness-of-fit testing was used to assess version preference. Results There was no significant difference between the phone and in-office versions of the SRS-22r (p=.174) or the ODI (p=.320). The intraclass correlation coefficients of the SRS-22r and ODI were 0.91 and 0.86, respectively. Completion over the phone was the most popular option (57% preferred phone, 29% preferred in-office, and 14% had no preference). Conclusions Phone administration of the SRS-22r and ODI to ASD patients provides a convenient and reliable tool for reducing loss of follow-up data.
The Portrayal of Industrial Melanism in American College General Biology Textbooks

The phenomenon of industrial melanism (IM) became widely acknowledged as a well-documented example of natural selection largely as a result of H.B.D. Kettlewell’s pioneering research on the subject in the early 1950s. It was quickly picked up by American biology textbooks starting in the early 1960s and became ubiquitous throughout the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. While recent research on the phenomenon broadly supports Kettlewell’s explanation of IM in the peppered moth, which in turn has strengthened this example of natural selection, textbook IM entries have actually declined in recent years in favor of other examples. In a previous paper, we drew attention to the pivotal role visual aspects played in the introduction of IM into (and its subsequent removal from) textbook accounts. The present article continues this investigation by analyzing textual passages on industrial melanism within a stratified random sample of textbooks from the 1960s to the 2000s. The fact that this example of natural selection was included by multiple publishers independently, in a short period of time, makes it uniquely qualified for a textbook study of this kind. The purpose of the present project was to determine whether these textbooks contain what has come to be known as the standard peppered moth story. Three complete series were also inspected for change across time. Our analysis focused on (1) the amount of text devoted to industrial melanism; (2) what specific science content elements were present; and (3) what, if any, nature of science (NOS) aspects were included. The study documents an increase in the amount of text devoted to industrial melanism over the decades. In spite of this increase, only modest changes in science content and NOS aspects were found.
Phytophagous and Pollinating Insect Fauna of Baccharis neglecta (Compositae) in Texas

Phytophagous insects representing seven orders, 38 families, and 91 species, 19% of which were economic pests of crops, fed on Baccharis neglecta Britt. (Compositae) in Texas. About 58% of the species were polyphagous, 13% were restricted to the Compositae, and 7% were monophagous on Baccharis. B. neglecta was a host during the dry season (June–September) for ca. 50 species of foliage- and sap-feeding insects. Pollinating insects representing 46 species, 25 families, and four orders visited B. neglecta during flowering in the fall.
The “Intensity” Problem and Democratic Theory

Dinner is over. Mr. and Mrs. Jones and Mr. and Mrs. Smith are having coffee. The question arises: What shall we do this evening? Play bridge? Go to the movies? Listen to some chamber music from the local FM station? Sit and chat? Each, in due course, expresses a “preference” among these four alternatives but with this difference: Mr. and Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Smith, though each has a preference, “don't much care.” Their preferences are “mild” or “marginal.” Not so Mr. Smith. His preference is “strong.” He is tired, couldn't possibly get his mind on bridge, or muster the energies for going out to a movie. He has listened to chamber music all afternoon while working on an architectural problem, and couldn't bear any more. If the group does anything other than sit and chat, he at least will do it grudgingly. He “cares enormously” which alternative is chosen. Now: which is the “correct” choice among the four alternatives? Which, “distributive justice” to one side, is the choice most likely to preserve good relations among the members of the group? Some theorists, it would seem, find these two questions easy to answer. Mr. Smith ought to have his way, and good relations are likely to be endangered if he does not; and these answers are equally valid whether the other three all prefer the same thing or prefer different things. Since, for the latter, the choice is a matter of indifference, it is both “more fair” and “more expedient” (less likely to lead to a quarrel) for the group to do what Mr. Smith prefers to do.