cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Demonstration of tantalum as a structural material for MEMS thermal actuators.

This work demonstrates the processing, modeling, and characterization of nanocrystalline refractory metal tantalum (Ta) as a new structural material for microelectromechanical system (MEMS) thermal actuators (TAs). Nanocrystalline Ta films have a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) and Young’s modulus comparable to bulk Ta but an approximately ten times greater yield strength. The mechanical properties and grain size remain stable after annealing at temperatures as high as 1000 °C. Ta has a high melting temperature (Tm = 3017 °C) and a low resistivity (ρ = 20 µΩ cm). Compared to TAs made from the dominant MEMS material, polycrystalline silicon (polysilicon, Tm = 1414 °C, ρ = 2000 µΩ cm), Ta TAs theoretically require less than half the power input for the same force and displacement, and their temperature change is half that of polysilicon. Ta TAs operate at a voltage 16 times lower than that of other TAs, making them compatible with complementary metal oxide semiconductors (CMOS). We select α-phase Ta and etch 2.5-μm-thick sputter-deposited films with a 1 μm width while maintaining a vertical sidewall profile to ensure in-plane movement of TA legs. This is 25 times thicker than the thickest reactive-ion-etched α-Ta reported in the technical literature. Residual stress sensitivities to sputter parameters and to hydrogen incorporation are investigated and controlled. Subsequently, a V-shaped TA is fabricated and tested in air. Both conventional actuation by Joule heating and passive self-actuation are as predicted by models.
Water dynamics within nanostructured amphiphilic statistical copolymers from quasielastic neutron scattering

Understanding the properties of water under either soft or hard confinement has been an area of great interest, but nanostructured amphiphilic polymers that provide a secondary confinement have garnered significantly less attention. Here, a series of statistical copolymers of 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA) and 2-(N-ethylperfluorooctane sulfonamido)ethyl methacrylate (FOSM) are swollen to equilibrium in water to form nanostructured physically cross-linked hydrogels to probe the effect of soft confinement on the dynamics of water. Changing the composition of the copolymer from 10 to 21 mol. % FOSM decreases the average size of the assembled FOSM cross-link, but also the spacing between the cross-links in the hydrogels with the mean distance between the FOSM aggregates decreasing from 3.9 to 2.7 nm. The dynamics of water within the hydrogels were assessed with quasielastic neutron scattering. These hydrogels exhibit superior performance for inhibition of water crystallization on supercooling in comparison to analogous hydrogels with different hydrophilic copolymer chemistries. Despite the lower water crystallinity, the self-diffusion coefficient for these hydrogels from the copolymers of HEA and FOSM decreases precipitously below 260 K, which is a counter to the nearly temperature invariant water dynamics reported previously with an analogous hydrogel [Wiener et al., J. Phys. Chem. B 120, 5543 (2016)] that exhibits nearly temperature invariant dynamics to 220 K. These results point to chemistry dependent dynamics of water that is confined within amphiphilic hydrogels, where the interactions of water with the hydrophilic segments can qualitatively alter the temperature dependent dynamics of water in the supercooled state.
Africology and the Question of Disciplinary Language

This essay is a contribution to Africology’s discipline-building. It examines more particularly the importance of disciplinary language, stressing the need for clear language and consistent definit...
Localization as a Mechanism for the Transition to Anomalous Relaxation

Anomalously slow relaxation to equilibrium has been observed in a wide variety of disordered systems. These include spin glasses,1 ionic glasses,2 charge density waves,3 amorphous semiconductors,4 and plate glass.5 A common feature of such glassy systems is generally believed to be a complex free energy surface consisting of many metastable local minima separated by barriers spanning a wide range of energy scales. Thermal activation over these barriers introduces a broad distribution of time scales leading to anomalously slow relaxation of correlations.
Analysis of 3-D Propagation Effects Due to Environmental Variability

Abstract : The goals of this work were multi-faceted, consistent with the various efforts supported by this work. Particular focus was placed on predictions and analysis of the three-dimensional (3-D) propagation in the presence of 3-D environmental variations, especially shelf break canyons. Work was also performed in support of 2-D propagation in shallow water to study the impact of bottom roughness and water column variability on arrival structure coherence. Additional modeling efforts were undertaken to examine the accuracy of the treatment of the bottom density discontinuity. By continuing to expand and improve the capabilities of the numerical modeling methods, the long-term goal of this effort is to provide a useful tool for understanding the physical phenomena leading to variability in shallow water acoustic propagation. The overall objective of this work was to study the response of the acoustic field in the presence of environmental variability, and to examine the effects of 3-D topography on shallow water propagation.
Self-Evidence and A Priori Moral Knowledge

According to rationalists about moral knowledge, some moral truths are knowable a priori. Rationalists often defend their position by claiming that some moral propositions are self-evidently true. Copp 2007 has recently challenged this rationalist strategy. Copp argues that even if some moral propositions are self-evident, this is not enough to secure rationalism about moral knowledge, since it turns out that such self-evident propositions are only knowable a posteriori. This paper considers the merits of Copp’s challenge. After clarifying the rationalists’ appeal to self-evidence, I show why this rationalist strategy survives Copp’s challenges to it.
Liposome disposition in vivo: III. Dose and vesicle-size effects

The effect of lipid dose (4,3-512.8 mumol total lipid/kg body weight), administered intravenously as liposomes encapsulating radioactive inulin, upon the ability of mouse organs to bind and/or take-up the radioactive label has been studied in vivo. Three different liposome diameters were investigated: 0.46 micrometers (L), 0.16 micrometers (M) and 0.058 micrometers(S). All liposomes were negatively charged with lipid composition of phosphatidylcholine/phosphatidic acid/cholesterol/alpha-tocopherol in the molar ration 4 : 1 : 5 : 0.1 or 4 : 1 : 1 : 0.05. Overall radioactive label disposition after 2 h was consistent with localization predominantly in the reticuloendothelial system. A saturation of liver with increasing lipid dose was demonstrated for all three sizes, together with a corresponding increase in blood levels. Spleen radioactivity increased with increasing dose of L- and M-liposomes, but decreased for increasing doses of S-liposomes. Levels in residual carcass exhibited no trend. It was noted that by adjusting liposomal lipid dose and vesicle diameter the percentage of administered dose present in blood could be varied 733-fold, that in spleen 9-fold, liver 4-fold. Stability in vivo was ranked L greater than M greater than S-liposomes. Correction for differences of in vivo stability reduced the differences in organ accumulation between the three liposome sizes. The organ accumulation pattern suggested a dose- and diameter-dependent mechanism for liposome disposition. It was expected that when doses of fixed liposome composition were expressed as number of liposomes or their total surface area, organ saturation patterns would be similar. However, re-plotting the percent dose values for liver and spleen versus the number of liposomes administered revealed a saturation pattern for L-, M- and S-liposomes which was different in each case. Plotting the data versus the total surface area of the dose revealed a similar disposition pattern for L-, M- and S-liposomes in liver and L- and M-liposomes in spleen. The data indicate that in addition to composition, the lipid dose, total liposomal surface area and effective mean diameter are important pharmacokinetic variables. Further, the optimization of the therapeutic index of an encapsulated agent or target-tissue delivery via liposomes will require consideration of both the surface area and diameter of the liposome doses together with liposome composition.
Play as a Factor in Development

(1897). Play as a Factor in Development. American Physical Education Review: Vol. 2, No. 4, pp. 209-215.
Content-Based Image Database Retrieval Using Variances of Gray Level Spatial Dependencies

In this paper, we discuss how we use variances of gray level spatial dependencies as textural features to retrieve images having some section in them that is like the user input image. Gray level co-occurrence matrices at five distances and four orientations are computed to measure texture which is defined as being specified by the statistical distribution of the spatial relationships of gray level properties. A likelihood ratio classifier and a nearest neighbor classifier are used to assign two images to the relevance class if they are similar and to the irrelevance class if they are not. A protocol that involves translating a K x K frame throughout every image to automatically construct groundtruth image pairs is proposed and performance of the algorithm is evaluated accordingly. From experiments on a database of 300 512 x 512 grayscale images with 9,600 groundtruth image pairs, we were able to estimate a lower bound of 80% correct classification rate of assigning sub-image pairs we were sure were relevant, to the relevance class. We also argue that some of the assignments which we counted as incorrect are not in fact incorrect.
Feeling Welcome with No "Buts": Chinese Student Engagement in Residence Life

College student personnel and administrators working in residence halls are expected to provide a positive learning environment where every student’s point of view is welcomed respectfully. Creating that learning community requires residence coordinators to understand the circumstances of all students providing the means of a safe engaging environment to all of them. College administrators have to come up with innovative techniques and strategies to accommodate and extend helping hands to these students. Social adjustment is tumultuous for first year international students especially for those living in residence halls. Yet, research focused specifically on international residents in this environment is lacking (Paltridge et al., 2010). A quantitative study conducted at a Midwestern, midsized private institution examined first year international students’ perception of racial climate, community, and diversity in residence halls and how their perception influences learning outcomes. A descriptive analysis of the data was conducted, and the results were compared to data collected from the American College and University Housing Satisfaction Survey to compare experiences between international and domestic students. With insights on international student perception, practitioners can tailor programming to engage them.
Analysis of Gene-Gene Interactions.

The goal of this unit is to introduce gene-gene interactions (epistasis) as a significant complicating factor in the search for disease susceptibility genes. This unit begins with an overview of gene-gene interactions and why they are likely to be common. Then, it reviews several statistical and computational methods for detecting and characterizing genes with effects that are dependent on other genes. The focus of this unit is genetic association studies of discrete and quantitative traits because most of the methods for detecting gene-gene interactions have been developed specifically for these study designs.
Time and space efficient algorithms for two-party authenticated data structures

Authentication is increasingly relevant to data management. Data is being outsourced to untrusted servers and clients want to securely update and query their data. For example, in database outsourcing, a client's database is stored and maintained by an untrusted server. Also, in simple storage systems, clients can store very large amounts of data but at the same time, they want to assure their integrity when they retrieve them. In this paper, we present a model and protocol for two-party authentication of data structures. Namely, a client outsources its data structure and verifies that the answers to the queries have not been tampered with. We provide efficient algorithms to securely outsource a skip list with logarithmic time overhead at the server and client and logarithmic communication cost, thus providing an efficient authentication primitive for outsourced data, both structured (e.g., relational databases) and semi-structured (e.g., XML documents). In our technique, the client stores only a constant amount of space, which is optimal. Our two-party authentication framework can be deployed on top of existing storage applications, thus providing an efficient authentication service. Finally, we present experimental results that demonstrate the practical efficiency and scalability of our scheme.
Police protective custody: A systemic predictive model for police decision making and the reduction of referrals

Purpose – To document the police protective custody (PPC) process and in doing so develop a predictive model to better inform police decision makers on the factors that are more likely to result in the state maintaining custody of a child.Design/methodology/approach – Data for the current study were gathered through a series of focus groups and 6,607 existing records of PPC admissions into a children's home in the Wichita Children's Home (WCH) (Kansas). Systematic predictive modeling (logistic regression) was used to differentiate between children that are likely to need continued involvement of the child welfare system and those who could remain in the custody of their families.Findings – Documents the PPC process by which a child is referred to be housed by WCH by a law enforcement agency. Reports on the design of a decision model which identifies the factors affecting the outcome of the PPC process.Originality/value – Provides recommendations for streamlining the PPC process as well as the improvement ...
Numerical aberrations in a Stefan problem from detonation theory

The velocity of the moving boundary in a Stefan problem from detonation theory is examined analytically. Motivation comes from computations in which the velocity profile exhibited cusps and terminations (i.e. inability of the computer to find a velocity). Here we show that a solution exists with continuous velocity and acceleration at all times but that, under certain circumstances, another (singular) solution may bifurcate off. If a similar phenomenon occurs in the finite-difference schemes used, the analysis suggests that the aberrations (cusps and terminations) are due to numerical inaccuracies. The next step, apparently a difficult one, is to modify the schemes so as to follow the non-singular solution.
Civic Traditions in Premodern Italy

Civic Traditions in Premodern Italy In the afth chapter of Making Democracy Work, Putnam argues that the origins of civic society in modern Italy can be traced back to the age of the communes (twelfth to afteenth centuries) in its northern and central regions. The distinctive features of those republican regimes were a high degree of cooperation and collaboration among their members, an atmosphere of mutual trust essential for their survival and the achievement of common goals, and an egalitarian ethos based upon horizontal social bonds. The associative impulse that led to the establishment of the communes also inspired the creation of other civic organizations: tower societies; guilds, Guelf and Ghibelline “parties”; and confraternities. The contrast between the political and social structures of the feudal world, from which these associations emerged, was dramatic. In those parts of the peninsula that were not intensely urbanized—Piedmont and the Appennine region—or dominated by a strong, centralized monarchy—like the towns in the south—a social structure based upon vertical relationships survived intact. Putnam admits that the civic ethos of the communal world was weakened in the decades following the Black Death, and particularly after the foreign invasions and the hegemony established in the sixteenth century by Hapsburg Spain. Still, he insists that the values and ideals of the communal era survived into the modern age of the Risorgimento and uniacation: “In the North, norms of reciprocity and networks of civic engagement have been embodied in tower societies, guilds, mutual aid societies, cooperatives, unions and even soccer clubs and literary societies.” “Mutual aid societies were built on the razed foundations of the old guilds, and cooperatives and mass political parties on the experience of mutual aid societies.”
Answer set programming and planning with knowledge and world-altering actions in multiple agent domains

This paper discusses the planning problem in multi-agent domains, in which agents may execute not only world-altering actions, but also epistemic actions. The paper reviews the concepts of Kripke structures and update models, as proposed in the literature to model epistemic and ontic actions; it then discusses the use of Answer Set Programming (ASP) in representing and reasoning about the effects of actions on the world, the knowledge of agents, and planning. The paper introduces the m $\mathcal{A}_{0}$ language, an action language for multi-agent domains with epistemic and ontic actions, to demonstrate the proposed ASP model.
Characteristic Functions and the Berry-Esseen Theorem

This chapter discusses the role of the characteristic function in describing probability distributions. Theorems allowing the underlying probability function to be reconstructed from the characteristic function are presented. Results are also derived outlining the sense in which inversion of an approximate characteristic function leads to an approximate density or distribution function. These results are applied to derive Berry-Esseen theorems quantifying the error incurred in such an approximation. Finally, the relation between the characteristic function and moments and cumulants are investigated.
Hb G-Waimanalo [A1] [α64(E13)Asp→Asn; HBA1: c.193 G > A] with Decreased Oxygen Affinity

A clinically asymptomatic 12-year-old girl showed microcytosis in routine examination. Cation exchange high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), revealed two additional peaks eluting after Hb A and DNA sequencing uncovered a novel heterozygous mutation at codon 64 of the α1-globin gene. The hemoglobin (Hb) variant was annotated as Hb G-Waimanalo [A1]. Further analyses demonstrated a decreased oxygen affinity Hb compared to the normal Hb configuration.
A Practical Synthesis of Various 2‐Deoxy‐N‐glycosides by Using D‐Glucal

We herein report the synthesis of 2-deoxy-2-iodo-glycosylamides, glycosylurea, N-glycosylbenzotriazole, and N-glycosyl imidazole by addition reaction of trimethylsilyl amides, imidazoles, and benzotriazoles to D-glucal in the presence of N-iodosuccinimide and propionitrile at 0 °C. Two diastereomers were isolated ― the α-mannose and β-gluco isomers. Reduction and substitution reaction of the iodine at position C-2 led to formation of various 2-deoxy-N-glycosides and 2-hydroxy-β-D-glucopyranosylamide. The newly generated compounds were screened for their inhibitory activity against various enzymes that included Nav1.7 sodium ion voltage-gated channel in HEK293 cells and the results are discussed.
Asian American and Native Pacific Islander LGBT Elders

The purpose of this chapter is to discuss issues pertaining to LGBT Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) elderly in the USA. Attention is also given to the citizenship status of foreign-born Asian-Americans. Information is presented on cultural characteristics and values of Asian culture, acknowledging that there is great heterogenerity among AAPIs. Discussion focuses on attitudes and perceptions of Asian Americans’ perspectives about LGBT persons, characteristics, and issues pertinent to Asian American LGBT elders, health status and service delivery for LGBT Asian-American elders, and current health policy and practices. Whenever possible, specific reference is made to certain subgroups of persons of Asian descent.
Expression of a gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor-simian virus 40 T-antigen transgene has sex-specific effects on the reproductive axis.

The GnRH receptor (GnRHR) responds to pulsatile GnRH signals to coordinate pituitary gonadotropin synthesis and secretion. Previously, a 1.2-kb fragment of the 5′-flanking region isolated from the mouse GnRHR gene was shown to target expression to pituitary gonadotropes in vivo. The 1.2-kb gene promoter fused to the simian virus 40 large T antigen (TAg) was used to generate transgenic mice that form gonadotrope-derived pituitary tumors at 4–5 months of age. Transgenic female mice have hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, infantile gonads, and are infertile throughout their life span, whereas males remain reproductively intact until their tumors become large. We hypothesized that the targeted TAg expression causes a sex-specific disruption of the reproductive axis at the level of the pituitary gland. To test this hypothesis, we characterized the pituitary gonadotropin β-subunit and TAg expression patterns, and measured plasma gonadotropin and gonadal steroid levels in female and male mice before and after pituitary tumor development. TAg expression was observed in transgenic females and males 15 d of age, before tumor development. Interestingly, and in contrast to the transgenic males, pituitary LHβ and FSHβ subunit protein levels, and plasma LH and FSH levels, were reduced in transgenic females. Reproductive organs in transgenic female mice remained underdeveloped but were normal in transgenic males. We conclude that the expression of the TAg transgene driven by the GnRHR gene promoter results in female-specific infertility due to disruption of gonadotropin production and secretion even before tumor development.
Sequential analyses of foraging behavior and attack speed in ambush and widely foraging lizards

Food acquisition mode in lizards (i.e., ambush vs. widely searching) has been intensely scrutinized for the past decade to identify correlations between food acquisition mode, diet, sprint speed, and other aspects of phenotypic diversity. To begin to understand these correlations, we studied foraging mode variation in natural foraging behavior and attack speed in three ambush predators and two widely foraging species in the field. Sequential analyses revealed considerable variation in the temporal structure of behavioral repertoires associated with acquiring food. Ambush and wide-foraging species use unique combinations of behaviors prior to prey attack with differences among and between food acquisition modes. Attack speeds were well below maximum sprint speed for these species. Thus, the widely demonstrated correlation between food acquisition mode and sprint speed is not related to prey capture per se. The striking variation in prey capture repertoires in these model ambush and wide foragers shows that we have a long way to go before we will understand the ecological relevance of many performance and phenotypic traits that are related to foraging mode in lizards.
A 3He refrigerator module

Abstract We have developed a 3 He refrigerator module which allows the temperature range of a coldplate-style helium dewar to be extended without costly and time-consuming dewar modification. The module bolts to the coldplate and is controlled by a single heater. The module has reached 0.27 K.
Discrimination learning in mice genetically selected for high and low blood pressure: initial findings and methodological implications.

Abstract Mice selected for high and low blood pressure and randomly mated controls were compared with regard to discrimination learning performance. The high blood pressure mice performed more poorly than the low blood pressure mice. Subsequent comparisons of high blood pressure mice from a different foundation stock and extreme blood pressure groups from an F 2 distribution, formed from the cross of F 1 (High × Low) hybrids, indicated that these differences were not due to a causal relationship between blood pressure and performance, linked gene effects or pleiotropic effects of the same genes. Implications of these findings for the development of animal models for hypertension and behavior studies are discussed.
The effect of injection of chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides on hatchability of eggs.

Abstract Dieldrin, aldrin, endrin, DDT, heptachlor, toxaphene, endosulfan, lindane, and strobane were injected via a corn oil carrier into fertile hen eggs as a test of their toxicity. Dieldrin, 5 or 10 mg, injection into the albumin of fertile eggs prior to incubation caused decreases in hatchability of 30 and 45%, respectively. In addition, chicks from the 10-mg treatment exhibited tremors and died within 24 hours, while the chicks given 5 mg all died within 1 week of hatching. Injection of 0.2 mg of endrin into fertile eggs after 7 days of incubation decreased hatchability to 40%. Higher levels were very toxic and resulted in as low as 1.8% hatchability. Similarly, 3.0 mg of DDT per egg resulted in 10% lower hatchability. Lindane, at 2.0 mg and strobane at 6.0 mg/egg caused no decrease in hatchability. Aldrin, at 2.0 mg per egg and toxaphene and endosulfan, at 1.5 mg/egg resulted in no decrease in hatchability. The 1.5 mg injection of heptachlor resulted in 12% reduction in hatchability. All tested chicks appeared normal except those given dieldrin.
Symmetries in trees and parking functions

We investigate a particular symmetry in labeled trees first discovered by Gessel, which can be stated as follows: In the set of rooted labeled trees on n + 1 vertices rooted at the smallest vertex, the number of trees with a descents and b + 1 leaves equals the number of trees with b descents and a + 1 leaves. We present two new ways to prove the symmetry resulting from decompositions of trees, which lead to three different bijections from trees to trees in which leaves and descents are swapped. We also interpret the symmetry in terms of parking functions: the number of parking functions on [n] with a descents and b unfavorable spaces (defined in this paper) equals the number of parking functions on [n] with b descents and a unfavorable spaces. We conclude with a generalization of these results to binary trees.
Natural Convection in a Fully Partitioned, Inclined Enclosure

Natural convection in an inclined enclosure with a centrally located, complete partition has been investigated by a finite-difference procedure. The thermal conditions along the partition are not known beforehand; rather, they are an outcome of the coupling of the natural convection systems on either side of the enclosure partition. To resolve this coupling, a consecutive calculation procedure is used in which the natural convection on either side of the enclosure is successively solved (until convergence) with information exchange in each cycle of solution. Results have been obtained for enclosures with overall aspect ratios of 1 and 2 for Rayleigh numbers up to 107 and for inclination angles of 30, 45, 60, and 90 degrees. Results indicate that the strength of the convective motion and the average Nusselt number are both considerably reduced owing to the presence of the partition. The partition temperature increases monotonically along its length. For a vertical enclosure, the non-uniformity in the parti...
A Spatial Analysis of Incomes and Institutional Quality: Evidence from US Metropolitan Areas

We use the Stansel (2013) metropolitan area economic freedom index and 25 conditioning variables to analyze the spatial relationships between institutional quality and economic outcomes across 381 U.S. metropolitan areas. Specifically, we allow for spatial dependence in both the dependent and independent variables and estimate how economic freedom impacts both per-capita income growth and per-capita income levels. We find that while economic freedom and income levels are directly and positively related, increases in economic freedom in one area result in negative indirect effects on income levels in surrounding areas. In addition, we find that economic freedom has an insignificant relationship with economic growth.
USING STOCHASTIC INFORMATION TO PREDICT APPLICATION BEHAVIOR ON CONTENDED RESOURCES

Prediction is a critical component in the achievement of application execution performance. The development of adequate and accurate prediction models is especially difficult in local-area clustered environments where resources are distributed and performance varies due to the presence of other users in the system. This paper discusses the use of stochastic values to parameterize cluster application performance models. Stochastic values represent a range of likely behavior and can be used effectively as model parameters. We describe two representations for stochastic model parameters and demonstrate their effectiveness in predicting the behavior of several applications under different workloads on a contended network of workstations.
Managing Maternity Leave: A Qualitative Analysis of Temporary Executive Succession:

The ethnographic study reported here examines executive maternity leave as a succession event that manifests itself in a novel transition pattern that I term “temporary executive succession.” In a ...
Combining collective, MSW, and turbulence effects in supernova neutrino flavor evolution

In order to decode the neutrino burst signal from a Galactic core-collapse supernova and reveal the complicated inner workings of the explosion we need a thorough understanding of the neutrino flavor evolution from the proto-neutron star outwards. The flavor content of the signal evolves due to both neutrino collective effects and matter effects which can lead to a highly interesting interplay and distinctive spectral features. In this paper we investigate the supernova neutrino flavor evolution in three different progenitors and include collective flavor effects, the evolution of the Mikheyev, Smirnov & Wolfenstein conversion due to the shock wave passage through the star, and the impact of turbulence. In the Oxygen-Neon-Magnesium supernova we find that the impact of turbulence is both brief and slight during a window of 1-2 seconds post bounce. Thus the spectral features of collective and shock effects in the neutrino signals from ONeMg supernovae may be almost turbulence free making them the easiest to interpret. For the more massive progenitors we again find that small amplitude turbulence, up to 10%, leads to a minimal modification of the signal, and the emerging neutrino spectra retain both collective and MSW features. However, when larger amounts of turbulence is added,more » 30% and 50%, the features of collective and shock wave effects in the high density resonance channel are almost completely obscured at late times. Yet at the same time we find the other mixing channels - the low density resonance channel and the non-resonant channels - begin to develop turbulence signatures. Large amplitude turbulent motions in the outer layers of more massive, iron core-collapse supernovae may obscure the most obvious fingerprints of collective and shock wave effects in the neutrino signal but cannot remove them completely, and additionally bring about new features in the signal.« less
Lire désespérément… W.G. Sebald

Dans la foulee d’Evelyne Grossman et de sa reflexion sur « la paradoxale vitalite de la negativite depressive » (L’angoisse de penser, 2008), cet article envisage l’exploration litteraire de la negativite et de la depossession de soi, caracteristique d’une certaine modernite que l’on peut faire remonter a Mallarme, en tant qu’elle peut fonctionner, pour le lecteur, a la maniere d’un antidepresseur paradoxal. Questionnant d’abord de facon generale certaines conceptions « sublimantes », reparatrices ou redemptrices de la litterature (Leo Bersani) et la pregnance des modeles platoniciens et aristoteliciens de la creation comme pharmakon, l’auteure tente ensuite de cerner plus specifiquement, a partir de l’oeuvre de l’ecrivain allemand W.G. Sebald, le caractere tout a la fois anxiogene et liberateur de la symbolisation de la perte en litterature.
Characterization of the secretion efficiency of a plant signal peptide in Bacillus subtilis

The ability of the Bacillus subtilis secretion machinery to interact with a heterologous signal peptide was studied using a plant (wheat alpha-amylase) signal peptide. The plant signal peptide was capable of mediating secretion of Escherichia coli alkaline phosphatase and B. amyloliquefaciens levansucrase from B. subtilis. This secretion was dependent on the plant signal peptide, as deletion of five amino acids from the hydrophobic core resulted in a block of secretion. Attempts to improve the efficiency of the plant signal peptide in B. subtilis were made by increasing the length of the hydrophobic core from 10 to 16 residues by insertion of 2, 4, 5 or 6 amino acids. None of the alterations improved the secretion efficiency relative to the wild-type plant signal peptide.
Interaction of thiourea with rat lung protein.

Abstract Administration of the pulmonary edemagenic agent [ 14 C]Thiourea([ 14 C]TU) to adult rats results in heterogeneous binding to lung protein. Indirect evidence suggests that TU may be binding to the amino acid cysteine, possibly via the SH moiety. The nature of the adduct is not known, but appears to involve one major and several minor species.
Mathematical separation of multi-component exponential signals from the u.v. laser excitation of glycogen phosphorylase b.

Laser excitation of the vitamin B6 cofactor of the glycogen phosphorylase enzyme produces a transient absorbance signal at 470 nm. Martin et al. proposed four exponential decays for this complex signal. One component with the largest amplitude and a decay rate constant in the region of 150,000 s-1 results from an excited singlet state, and three successive decays of smaller amplitude with the rate constants in the regions of 700,000 s-1, 30,000 s-1, and 6000 s-1 result from a triplet state. These results were determined through nonlinear least squares regression and residual analyses, with some knowledge of the possible photochemistry of the cofactor by itself. The Fourier transform method, which requires no initial estimates of the parameters or of the number of decays, was selected for further analysis of the data. The results of the Gardner and differential approaches to the method confirm that the predicted four exponential components are in the signal and that the values of the decay rate constants agree with those from the nonlinear regression analysis. These results, presented here, help to demonstrate protein changes at the active site of enzyme catalysis.
A randomized controlled trial of ketamine/propofol versus propofol alone for emergency department procedural sedation.

Study objective We compare the frequency of respiratory depression during emergency department procedural sedation with ketamine plus propofol versus propofol alone. Secondary outcomes are provider satisfaction, sedation quality, and total propofol dose. Methods In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, healthy children and adults undergoing procedural sedation were pretreated with intravenous fentanyl and then randomized to receive either intravenous ketamine 0.5 mg/kg or placebo. In both groups, this procedure was immediately followed by intravenous propofol 1 mg/kg, with repeated doses of 0.5 mg/kg as needed to achieve and maintain sedation. Respiratory depression was defined according to any of 5 predefined markers. Provider satisfaction was scored on a 5-point scale, sedation quality with the Colorado Behavioral Numerical Pain Scale, and propofol dose according to the total number of milligrams of propofol administered. Results The incidence of respiratory depression was similar between the ketamine/propofol (21/97; 22%) and propofol-alone (27/96; 28%) groups, difference 6% (95% confidence interval −6% to 18%). With ketamine/propofol compared with propofol alone, treating physicians and nurses were more satisfied, less propofol was administered, and there was a trend toward better sedation quality. Conclusion Compared with procedural sedation with propofol alone, the combination of ketamine and propofol did not reduce the incidence of respiratory depression but resulted in greater provider satisfaction, less propofol administration, and perhaps better sedation quality.
The philosophy of geochemistry

Environmental Geochemistry: A Holistic Approach. Ecological Studies, Vol.35. By John A.C. Fortescue. Pp.347., Published by (Springer-Verlag: 1980.) DM 69, $40.80.
Arteriovenous Cord Blood pH Discordancy in a High-Risk Population and Its Clinical Significance

Five hundred and twenty patients with gestational ages between 24 and 42 weeks who had both umbilical cord venous (V) and arterial (A) gases recorded were studied retrospectively to 1) establish th...
Effects of Starch Amylose Content of Wheat on Textural Properties of White Salted Noodles

ABSTRACT White salted noodles were prepared through reconstitution of fractionated flour components with blends of waxy and regular wheat starches to determine the effects of amylose content on textural properties of white salted noodles without interference of protein variation. As the proportion of waxy wheat starch increased from 0 to 52% in starch blends, there were increases in peak viscosity from 210 to 640 BU and decreases in peak temperature from 95.5 to 70.0°C. Water retention capacity of waxy wheat starches (80–81%) was much higher than that of regular wheat starch (55–62%). As the waxy wheat starch ratio increased in the starch blends, there were consistent decreases in hardness of cooked noodles prepared from reconstituted flours, no changes in springiness and increases in cohesiveness. White salted noodles produced from blends of regular and waxy wheat flours became softer as the proportion of waxy wheat flour increased, even when protein content of flour blends increased. Amylose content of ...
Pro-apoptotic effects of 1'-acetoxychavicol acetate in human breast carcinoma cells

The tropical ginger compound, 1'-acetoxychavicol acetate (ACA) possesses cancer chemopreventive properties in several models but its effects on breast cancer have not been fully evaluated. In this study, the effects of ACA on human breast carcinoma-derived MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cell viability were assessed using trypan blue exclusion analysis. ACA significantly decreased cell viability in a time- and dose-dependent manner, with effective concentrations 10-50 microM. Apoptosis was confirmed by morphological examination of cells through light microscopy, 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole dihydrochloride staining, and annexin V/Alexa Fluor 488 staining visualized using flow cytometry. ACA also increased protein expression of the activated form of caspase-3 in MDA-MB-231 cells. Addition of antioxidants N-acetylcysteine, ascorbic acid, or trolox prevented the loss of viability caused by ACA using trypan blue uptake as a marker. These results suggest ACA may have potential anticancer effects against breast carcinoma cells by inducing apoptosis.
In situ variations in oyster mutagenicity and tissue concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Variations in oyster mutagenicity were monitored in a series of in situ relocation experiments and compared with tissue concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Oysters (Crassostrea virginica) were relocated among three rivers in the southern Chesapeake Bay and sampled over a 2-week exposure period. Extracts of oyster tissues were assayed for mutagenic activity by the Salmonella typhimurium microsomal test and analyzed for selected PAHs by gas chromatography. Oysters relocated to the polluted Elizabeth River (Norfolk, VA) from a pristine site (Ware River, VA) accumulated mutagenic activity and PAHs within 3 d following relocation. Mutagenicity increased over a 14-d period while tissue levels of most PAHs stabilized or declined after 3 d. Extracts of native oysters from the Elizabeth River exhibited comparable levels of mutagenic activity as 14-d relocated oysters. In elimination experiments, PAH levels and mutagenic activity of Elizabeth River oysters decreased following relocation to the Ware River and were not detected after 14 d. Regression analyses did not detect a significant association between slopes of mutagenicity dose-responses and tissue levels of PAHs. Marginal associations with numbers of Salmonella revertants per plate were detected in comparisons with sums of PAH tissue levels, and with tissue levels of benzofluoranthene.
Hippocampal neuropeptide Y mRNA is reduced in a strain of learned helpless resistant rats

The learned helpless rat is considered to be one of the better animal models of depression. A genetically inbred strain with a high vulnerability to develop helplessness (LH), as well as a highly resistant strain (NLH) have both been developed. Since the brain peptide neuropeptide Y (NPY) is involved in the regulation of a number of behaviors known to be altered in clinical depression as well as in learned helplessness, we measured the relative level of NPY mRNA in the hippocampus and cortex of control Sprague Dawley (SD), LH and NLH rats. We find that NLH rats have approximately a 30-35% decrease in basal hippocampal NPY mRNA compared with SD and LH rats. By contrast, cortical NPY mRNA and hippocampal pre-proenkephalin and somatostatin mRNA levels were not significantly different in the 3 strains. The data suggest that the regulation of NPY gene expression may be involved in the reduced vulnerability of NLH rats to develop learned helplessness.
The role of interfirm reciprocity norm and agent's conscientiousness in supply contract adjustment decision

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to better understand the main effects of agent conscientiousness and reciprocity norm and the interaction effect of these two factors on contract adjustment decisions in buyer-supplier relationships. Design/methodology/approach – Two scenario-based experiments with college students and business professionals were conducted. Three regression models were run to test three hypotheses proposed in the paper. Research limitations/implications – The limitations of this study are the use of single-agent decision scenarios and the specific focus on one aspect of agent personality – i.e. conscientiousness and its collective influence on contract adjustment decisions. In a broader picture, the results of this study support the cross-level analytical approach to investigating marketing channel relationships, in which individual-level and organizational-level factors interact and determine decision outcomes in business exchanges. Practical implications – Recruiting and promoting ...
Quantitative ultrasonic characterization of diffuse scatterers in the presence of structures that produce coherent echoes

Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) techniques that parameterize the backscattered power spectrum have demonstrated significant promise for ultrasonic tissue characterization. Some QUS parameters, such as the effective scatterer diameter (ESD), require the assumption that the examined medium contains uniform diffuse scatterers. Structures that invalidate this assumption can significantly affect the estimated QUS parameters and decrease performance when classifying disease. In this work, a method was developed to reduce the effects of echoes that invalidate the assumption of diffuse scattering. To accomplish this task, backscattered signal sections containing non-diffuse echoes were identified and removed from the QUS analysis. Parameters estimated from the generalized spectrum (GS) and the Rayleigh SNR parameter were compared for detecting data blocks with non-diffuse echoes. Simulations and experiments were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the method. Experiments consisted of estimating QUS parameters from spontaneous fibroadenomas in rats and from beef liver samples. Results indicated that the method was able to significantly reduce or eliminate the effects of nondiffuse echoes that might exist in the backscattered signal. For example, the average reduction in the relative standard deviation of ESD estimates from simulation, rat fibroadenomas, and beef liver samples were 13%, 30%, and 51%, respectively. The Rayleigh SNR parameter performed best at detecting nondiffuse echoes for the purpose of removing and reducing ESD bias and variance. The method provides a means to improve the diagnostic capabilities of QUS techniques by allowing separate analysis of diffuse and non-diffuse scatterers.
Genetics of autoimmune thyroid disease: lack of evidence for linkage to HLA within families.

Clinical and epidemiologic observations, including the association of Graves' disease (GD) and Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) with the HLA gene complex, support a role for specific disease-related genes in the development of autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD). The combination of HLA and immunoglobulin heavy chain allotypes (Gm) has previously been reported to be predictive of AITD in multiply affected Japanese families. We have investigated the immunogenetics of AITD in families in the United States. Twenty-seven pedigrees including 15 with GD, 8 with HT, and 4 with both HT and GD were immunogenetically typed and analyzed for population and within family disease associations. The majority of families (63%) were multiplex for AITD. HLA-DR3 was increased in affected family members with GD and HLA-DR5 was increased in affected family members with HT. Formal linkage analysis was applied to test for coinheritance of disease with the HLA locus within families. The LIPED computer program was used to calculate the p...
Machining of composite materials. Part II: Non-traditional methods

Abstract Machining of composite materials is difficult due to the heterogeneity and heat sensitivity of the material and the high abrasiveness of the reinforcing fibres. This results in damage being introduced into the workpiece and very high tool wear. The use of traditional machining methods was reviewed in Part I of this paper. Here new methods are considered: laser, waterjet, electro-discharge, electro-chemical spark, and ultrasonic machining. These various techniques have been applied to organic matrix composites with aramid, glass, graphite fibre reinforcement but also to metal matrix and ceramic matrix composites.