cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Development and characterization of microsatellites for switchgrass rust fungus (Puccinia emaculata)

Ten polymorphic microsatellite loci from the fungus Puccinia emaculata, responsible for rust disease of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) were developed. Loci were characterized using 20 single-pustule derived isolates of P. emaculata collected from switchgrass plants growing in the southeastern US. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 2 to 5. Observed heterozygosity ranged from 0 to 0.89 and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.21 to 0.77. These microsatellite loci provide a sufficient set of markers to perform genetic diversity and epidemiological studies of P. emaculata.
A Monolithic CMOS Image Sensor With Wire-Grid Polarizer Filter Mosaic in the Focal Plane

In this paper, we report on an image sensor with an integrated focal-plane 2 × 2 wire-grid polarizer for the visible spectrum, fabricated in a 65-nm standard CMOS technology. This imager enables the reconstruction of the polarization response for each pixel. Finite-difference time-domain method has been used to optimize the extinction ratio (ER) in the visible spectrum of a multilayered focal-plane wire-grid polarizer. Experimental results show that an ER of 16.35 dB is achieved with a standard error of ~ 0.25% between the experimental results and the fitting sinusoidal polarization response curve. Design guidelines for the wire-grid polarizer are derived based on numerical analysis and experimental results. Sensitivity ratio is defined to balance the tradeoff between the intensity sensitivity and polarization sensitivity of the imager.
String and graph grammar characterizations of bounded regular languages

Two grammatical characterizations of the bounded regular languages are presented: one in terms of graph grammars, the other using string grammars. First it is shown that a class of state graphs recognizing the bounded regular languages can be generated by a particular second-order contextfree graph grammar. Next we call uniquely recursive a right-linear (string) grammar having at most one right-recursive production for each of its nonterminals. It is then established that the class of languages generated by uniquely recursive, sequential right-linear grammars is exactly the bounded regular languages. Some comments on the relationship between string and graph grammars are made.
Electroretinography in the evaluation of childhood myotonic dystrophy

Electroretinography (ERG) may provide laboratory support for the diagnosis of childhood myotonic dystrophy. The sensitivity of ERG may exceed that of electromyography for early detection of the disease. The electroretinographic abnormalities are not specific for myotonic dystrophy.
Ground state of a two-dimensional electron liquid in a weak magnetic field.

We consider a clean two-dimensional electron liquid in a weak magnetic field where N\ensuremath{\gg}1 lower Landau levels are completely filled, while the upper level is only partially filled. Due to a screening by the lower Landau levels, the repulsive interaction between any two electrons at the upper level as a function of the separation between the guiding centers of their cyclotron orbits abruptly drops at the distance of two cyclotron radii. Such a ``box-like'' component in the interaction potential makes the uniform distribution of the electron density at the upper Landau level unstable, and domains with filling factor equal to one and zero are formed. The shape of domains is studied both analytically and numerically. We show that when the filling factor of the upper Landau level is close to one-half, the domains have the form of parallel stripes alternating with a spatial period close to three cyclotron radii. Away from a small interval around half-filling, a ``bubble'' phase is more favorable. We investigate the implications of the proposed ground state for the one-particle density of states, which can be probed by tunneling experiments. For the stripe phase, the density of states is shown to have a pseudogap linearly dependent on the magnetic field in the limit of large N. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.
Cross-platform comparison of nucleic acid hybridization: toward quantitative reference standards

Measuring interactions between biological molecules is vitally important to both basic and applied research as well as development of pharmaceuticals. Although a wide and growing range of techniques is available to measure various kinetic and thermodynamic properties of interacting biomolecules, it can be difficult to compare data across techniques of different laboratories and personnel or even across different instruments using the same technique. Here we evaluate relevant biological interactions based on complementary DNA and RNA oligonucleotides that could be used as reference standards for many experimental systems. We measured thermodynamics of duplex formation using isothermal titration calorimetry, differential scanning calorimetry, and ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) monitored denaturation/renaturation. These standards can be used to validate results, compare data from disparate techniques, act as a teaching tool for laboratory classes, or potentially to calibrate instruments. The RNA and DNA standards have many attractive features, including low cost, high purity, easily measurable concentrations, and minimal handling concerns, making them ideal for use as a reference material.
Determination of 2,4-D residues in animal products.

Several simplified methods for the analysis of pesticide residues in animal products have been reported recently from our Laboratory (1). The present communication is concerned with a rapid and convenient method for cleanup and analysis of high protein samples for the herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyace-tic acid (2,4-D).
New or unusual dermatopathology tumors: a review.

As experience is acquired, there is a constant evolution in both terminology and understanding of various relatively newly described tumors in the realm of dermatopathology. Several mesenchymal tumors of the lower extremity have undergone various changes in nomenclature, molecular discoveries, and histologic grading. Examples include hemosiderotic fibrohistiocytic lipomatous lesion/pleomorphic hyalinizing angiectatic tumor; superficial acral fibromyxoma; and myxoinflammatory fibroblastic sarcoma. Primary cutaneous myoepithelioma is also a relatively newly described entity for which grading and classification continue to evolve. Finally, even our understanding of the classic granular cell tumor has expanded to include a non-neural variant. This article reviews the current nomenclature, emerging concepts, and differential diagnosis of these evolving entities. Lewin MR, Montgomery EA, Barrett TL. New or unusual dermatopathology tumors: a review.
Nitrate and nitrite reduction in flooded gamma-irradiated soil under controlled pH and redox potential conditions

Abstract Nitrate and nitrite reduction was studied in a waterlogged soil after γ-irradiation with 2.5 Mrad. Before irradiation and mineral-N addition the pH was controlled at 4.5, 6 and 8, and the redox potential controlled at 0, +200 and +400 mV Nitrate reduction rate increased with increasing pH as well as with decreasing redox potential. Nitrate reduction rate was doubled by decreasing the redox potential from +400 to 0 mV. At pH 4.5 almost no nitrite accumulated regardless of redox potential, while at pH 6 and 8 marked nitrite accumulation occurred at low redox potential. In relation to non-irradiation. γ-irradiation had a stimulating effect on nitrate reduction at pH 6 and 8 but a retarding effect at pH 4.5; nitrite reduction proceeded slower at pH 6 and 8 but at the same rate at pH 4.5. It has been demonstrated that nitrate and nitrite reduction can be carried out by radiation-resistant enzyme systems of non-proliferating cells of denitrifying organisms.
Why do categorization effects occur in comparative judgment tasks

Three experiments were conducted to understand what eliminates the symbolic distance effect for reaction times (RTs) when subjects learn that items belong to categories. Artificial city locations were judged, and artificial states served as categories. In Experiment 1, whether or not categories were presented and the amount of categorization practice were manipulated. Only those subjects who had practice categorizing cities into states showed a reduced symbolic distance effect for different-state pairs. Analyses of serial position curves indicated that categorization produced faster RTs to different-as compared with their adjacent same-state pairs and it also produced faster RTs for same-state pairs closer to the category border. The border seems to serve as an anchor and facilitates RTs. In Experiments 2a and 2b, distance judgments were made by subjects who either had or had not categorized artificial cities into states. Subjects who learned categories gave larger estimates of distance between cities belonging to different states than to cities belonging to the same state. Categorization seemed to place cities from different states farther apart in psychological space, making their locations more discriminable. This, along with the use of the category border as an anchor, might explain why categorization effects occur in this location judgment task.
The Absorption Spectrum of Cyanogen Gas in the Ultraviolet

The absorption spectrum of cyanogen gas has been investigated in the ultraviolet down to λ1800. In the region λλ2300-1820 more than one hundred bands were found which apparently belong to one system with origin probably at 44900 cm^-1. The bands have a pronounced tendency to appear as doublets. The more intense ones are usually broad with edges toward the violet, but many line-like structures appear which are probably Q branches. Some regularities in the spectrum are pointed out and the relation of the ultraviolet spectrum to the infrared absorption and Raman spectrum is briefly discussed.
Comparison between microsphere-assisted and confocal microscopies

We show that microsphere-assisted microscopy, where liquid-immersed barium titanate glass (n ~ 1.9) beads with diameters of several microns are employed, has superior optical resolution compared to the confocal microscopy. The resolution advantage of microsphere-assisted microscopy stems from an ability of high-index microspheres to pick spatial distribution of optical near-fields produced by the plasmonic nanostructure used in our experiments. It is shown that an additional advantage of imaging through liquid-immersed microspheres is the ability to achieve high resolution imaging using microscope objectives with moderate numerical apertures. This means that microsphere-assisted microscopy can be performed with longer working distances compared to conventional or confocal microscopy. Super-resolution microscopy by using liquid-immersed microspheres can be potentially used in biomedical microscopy, microfluidics, and nanophotonics applications.
A scalable decomposition algorithm for PMU placement under multiple-failure contingencies

This paper presents several advances for the PMU placement problem (PPP). Existing approaches have difficulty scaling to full-scale systems, and are not guaranteed to be resilient to multiple component failures. This paper expands PPP to a more general k-resilient PPP, where any k PMUs and/or lines can fail without jeopardizing the problem's full supervision criterion. Our PPP model — a novel formulation based on maximum-flow network design — is unique in that it is amenable to efficient decomposition, which significantly improves tractability and scalability. We present two cutting plane algorithms to support this decomposition — the first such algorithms for the PPP to our knowledge. The improvements in computational efficiency afforded by the network decomposition suggest that our approach can solve the PPP for large-scale systems.
Responses of three species of captive fruit‐eating birds to phosmet‐treated food

We conducted two-cup feeding trials to assess the responses of cedar waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum (Vieillet)), American robins (Turdus migratorius (L.)), and European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris L.) to food adulterated with phosmet 500 g kg−1 WP (‘Imidan’®). All species avoided phosmet concentrations ⩾ 100 mg kg−1.Robins avoided food containing 60 mg kg−1 phosmet, while food consumption by starlings was reduced by a 30 mg kg−1 treatment. All species were indifferent to phosmet at 10 mg kg−1. These findings suggest that fruit-eating birds will safely avoid ingesting harmful levels of phosmet when the insecticide is applied to small fruit such as blueberries and cherries. Feeding deterrence associated with phosmet might be exploited in management strategies to protect small fruit crops from damage by birds.
Developmental aspects of categorized recall in a West African Society

Abstract Studies are reported among West African populations on the relationship between preferred mode of organization of categorizable material and use of organization in recall. Various child and adult groups differed in the types of organization they imposed on the material in a sorting task, with those exposed to school and modernizing influences showing a preference for taxonomic organization. All subjects, however, used their own form of organization to order their subsequent recall of the material, supporting the idea that organizing processes in recall are universal.
Moderate alcohol intake lowers biochemical markers of bone turnover in postmenopausal women

Objective Epidemiological studies indicate that higher bone mass is associated with moderate alcohol consumption in postmenopausal women. However, the underlying cellular mechanisms responsible for the putative beneficial effects of alcohol on bone are unknown. Excessive bone turnover, combined with an imbalance whereby bone resorption exceeds bone formation, is the principal cause for postmenopausal bone loss. This study investigated the hypothesis that moderate alcohol attenuates bone turnover following menopause.
Seismic Design Philosophy for Precast Concrete Frames

Seismic design philosophy for ductile precast concrete frames is discussed. The difference between “strong-connection” and “ductile-connection” precast design is defined. A discussion is presented ...
Performance analysis in the real world of on line services

Performance analysis has always been an integral part of a computer architect's agenda. However, the term performance is used largely to measure “speed”. The dictionary defines performance more broadly as “the manner in which or the efficiency with which something reacts or fulfills its intended purpose”. In today's internet based on line computing environment, performance has taken a broader view. For example, power and energy efficiency is becoming as or more important measures of system performance as speed of computation. The industry's ability to deliver speed has outpaced the ability of most applications to consume it effectively. This talk will discuss how performance is viewed in the world of on line web services from an end user's point of view.
Bringing Democracy Home: Post‐Katrina New Orleans

Ironically, Katrina uncovered social and economic disenfranchisementamong poor African Americans in New Orleans at a time when theUnited States was actively, and literally offensively, exporting idealsof democracy. At issue should be the problems of US democracy, andmore precisely, how to redesign New Orleans based on inclusive andparticipatory principles of democracy.This intervention draws in part from the late Iris Young’s book
Liquid phase silicon at the front of crystallization during SiC PVT growth

Abstract Formation of liquid phase silicon at the growth front during the process of SiC PVT growth is considered to be among the factors leading to the formation of structural defects in SiC. A brief thermodynamic analysis of the Si liquid phase development was carried out in the temperature range of 1500–3150 K. The possibility of Si liquid phase formation at the seeding surface during SiC PVT growth has been experimentally demonstrated.
Blockade of the release of gonadotropins and prolactin by subcutaneous or intraventricular injection of atropine in male and female rats.

To determine whether cholinergic pathways are involved in central nervous system (CNS) control of gonadotropin and prolactin release, atropine sulfate was injected sc (70 mg/100 g body wt) or directly into the third ventricle (250 μg) in order to block cholinergic receptors. The alkaloid injected by either route at 11:45–1:15 on the day of proestrus blocked the surges of LH, FSH and prolactin during the afternoon. Following orchidextomy, sc atropine prevented the elevation of plasma FSH and LH that normally occurred 16 and 24 hr post—castration. When atropine was injected into the third ventricle 24 hr post—orchidectomy, plasma LH decreased significantly within 2 hr. At 3–5 weeks post—ovariectomy or orchidectomy, sc injection of the alkaloid decreased plasma LH within 1 hr in females but the decrease was only apparent after 24 hr in the castrate males. Since injection of synthetic LHreleasing factor (LRF) elevated plasma LH in both proestrous females and castrate males injected sc with atropine, the actio...
A mathematical programming approach to school finance

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to present a rational and systematic method from which state resource allocation strategies to local school districts in state educational finance programs may be determined. In order to determine “optional” resource allocation strategies, a linear programming model was developed for a foundation type state support program. The model, presented in this paper could be solved under various objective functions and constrained by different “design criteria” related to the variances in per pupil expenditures for those districts on the program. The results obtained by the application of the model to an actual foundation program indicate potential usefulness of this approach to school finance. The important contribution of this approach is that it realistically places the problem of educational finance in a system constrained by political, social and economic considerations.
Job and Deutero Isaiah: The Use and Abuse of Traditions

he similarities between Job and Deutero Isaiah have been used to argue for a relative chronology. These kinds of arguments are problematic; nevertheless, noting quotations and allusions when they do occur is of great value in interpreting the quoting or alluding text. For example, Fishbane's explication of the allusion to Ps. 8:4-6 in Job 7:17-18 sheds light on Job's attitude toward the psalmist's view of humankind's status in the created order. Literary theorists have noted similar kinds of allusions, called “reflexive” or “dialectic” allusions, in which one text alludes to another such that the alluding text “smears” the source text and the value systems of the two texts compete with one another. Allusions fitting this description have been noted with regard to Job, both in individual texts and in the genre of the book as a whole. I argue for two further allusions of this kind to Deutero Isaiah (Job 9:4, 8 and 12:9). In both cases, the author of Job uses words to describe God that are the same as or similar to those used by Deutero Isaiah, but with a profoundly different effect on the reader. He effectively sets up a competing way to interpret the same picture that Deutero Isaiah paints of God and God's action in creation. Henceforth, readers who note the similarities experience the Deutero Isaiah texts as “smeared” by the texts in Job. Recognizing the allusions fills out our picture of the elusive author(s) of Job and his attitudes toward familiar traditions and texts.
Composition of the Fetal and Maternal Guinea Pig throughout Gestation

ABSTRACT: The guinea pig is a small animal species in which the conceptus constitutes a large proportion of maternal weight at term, thereby imposing a major metabolic demand on the mother during pregnancy. In addition the neonatal fat concentration is similar to the human making the guinea pig an interesting model for comparative physiologic study. The purpose of our study was to describe the fetal and maternal physical/chemical growth characteristics of the Hartley albino guinea pig throughout the latter half of gestation. Forty-eight pregnant adult and 122 fetal guinea pigs were sacrificed at intervals throughout gestation and the carcasses analyzed for a variety of growth parameters. The fetal growth rate during the last 8 days of gestation (5.8 g/day) was 9.7 times faster than from 30 to 40 days of gestation (0.6 g/day). The fetal mass comprised 55.4% of the maternal weight gain at term. Fetal energy increased from 403 cal/g at 30 days to 1950 cal/g at term and was paralleled by an increase in fetal fat concentration from 0.3 to 9.8% (wet weight). Nitrogen concentration increased from 0.9% wet weight at 30 days to 2.6% at term. An increasing carbon concentration and carbomnitrogen ratio was also evident. Fetal water concentration declined from 91.6 to 67.8% during latter gestation. On a wet weight basis, the concentration of fetal sodium remained stable throughout the latter half of pregnancy; potassium, magnesium, iron, calcium, and phosphorus concentrations increased. In contrast to the changes in fetal composition, maternal energy, fat, protein, water, sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and iron concentrations remained relatively constant throughout pregnancy. Therefore, close parallels exist between the guinea pig fetus and human fetus with respect to rates of weight gain as well as energy, fat, protein, water, sodium, calcium, and phosphorus composition. Although dissimilar from the human fetus in respect to potassium, magnesium, iron and “chemical maturity,” the fetal guinea pig may be a good model for the study of fetal and perinatal fat matabolism.
Membrane Binding Kinetics of Peripheral Proteins Studied with Single Giant Unilamellar Vesicles

Clathrin mediated endocytosis (CME) requires coordinated recruitment of peripheral proteins such as epsin, endophilin and amphiphysin. Recently, lots of efforts have been focused on mapping out the temporal and spatial organization of peripheral proteins during CME. However, the molecular basis defining the behavior of each protein is still not clear. In this work, we studied the association and dissociation kinetics of the membrane binding epsin N-terminal homology (ENTH) domain, as well as NBAR domains of endophilin and amphiphysin, with the goal to understand their membrane binding mechanisms in vitro. The kinetics measurements are performed on a single giant unilamellar vesicle (GUV) combined with micropipette aspiration. This technique allows us to strictly confine the protein association measurements to the pseudo - first order regime while a rapid dilution could be induced to allow protein dissociation measurements. The kinetic behavior of ENTH and NBAR domains was characteristically different. ENTH binds to membranes in a simple one-step manner with binding rates in agreement with surface plasmon resonance measurements. Association curves of NBAR, however, display a protein concentration dependent sigmoidal shape. In addition, the dissociation measurements of NBAR yield a linear relation between decay time and initial protein density on the GUV. Both observations indicate additional cooperativity between NBAR domains on the membrane. Furthermore, by studying the binding kinetics of BAR domain lacking N-terminal helix (H0), the protein cooperativity is found to be directly related to H0. Overall, this kinetics study yields insight into the similarities and differences in membrane binding mechanisms of CME related proteins.
Critical evaluation of simple network models of protein dynamics and their comparison with crystallographic B-factors

In recent years, elastic network models (ENM) have been widely used to describe low-frequency collective motions in proteins. These models are often validated and calibrated by fitting mean-square atomic displacements estimated from x-ray crystallography (B-factors). We show that a proper calibration procedure must account for the rigid-body motion and constraints imposed by the crystalline environment on the protein. These fundamental aspects of protein dynamics in crystals are often ignored in currently used ENMs, leading to potentially erroneous network parameters. Here we develop an ENM that properly takes the rigid-body motion and crystalline constraints into account. Its application to the crystallographic B-factors reveals that they are dominated by rigid-body motion and thus are poorly suited for the calibration of models for internal protein dynamics. Furthermore, the translation libration screw (TLS) model that treats proteins as rigid bodies is considerably more successful in interpreting the experimental B-factors than ENMs. This conclusion is reached on the basis of a comparative study of various models of protein dynamics. To evaluate their performance, we used a data set of 330 protein structures that combined the sets previously used in the literature to test and validate different models. We further propose an extended TLS model that treats the bulk of the protein as a rigid body while allowing for flexibility of chain ends. This model outperforms other simple models of protein dynamics in interpreting the crystallographic B-factors.
Ultrafast polarization dynamics and noise in pulsed vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers

We have measured on ps time scales the temporal behavior of the intensity noise of, and correlations between, orthogonally polarized modes in an optically pumped VCSEL. Measurements were made in both the circular and the linear bases. Sub-ps optical pumping with circular polarization leads to positively correlated intensity noise for emission in orthogonal linear polarizations. Optical pumping with linear polarization leads to anti-correlated intensity noise for emission in orthogonal linear polarizations, due to random orientation of linearly polarized emission. Intensity noise for circularly polarized emission is uncorrelated or anti-correlated depending on spin-flip rates which determine the strength of gain competition. We have generalized the theoretical treatment of San Miguel, Feng, and Moloney to successfully model these phenomena.
Comparing van Genuchten and Percolation Theoretical Formulations of the Hydraulic Properties of Unsaturated Media

Recent results from percolation theory as applied to the hydraulic conductivity of unsaturated porous media are compared with the frequently used phenomenological relationship due to van Genuchten. In applications so far percolation theory has proven to be predictive and unifying, while the van Genuchten phenomenology is intended only to be descriptive. To illustrate: the critical volume fraction for percolation is an analog to the residual moisture content, but a phenomenological result exists for the former in terms of the specific surface area, whereas the latter is intended only as a fit parameter. Second, it is recognized not to be possible to predict the hydraulic conductivity as a function of saturation using merely textural data—enough information about the pore space must be available to distinguish between various potential models. When the data are sufficient to confirm a fractal model, however, percolation theory yields a result that has several similarities to the van Genuchten parameterization. The analysis helps lead to a better understanding of the van Genuchten relationship.
319 USE OF TRANSCUTANEOUS PCO2 ELECTRODES FOR DIAGNOSIS AND THERAPY OF INFANTS IN SHOCK

Transcutaneous PCO2 (PtcCO2) values are dependent on changes of local perfusion. We studied the effects of shock, acidosis and cardiovascular (CV) drugs on unheated (NH) PtcCO2, in 21 preterm and 5 term infants who required dopamine (D), isoproterenol (I), tolazoline (T) and transfusions of blood (B). Simultaneous PaCO2 and NHPtcCO2 tensions obtained before and during drug therapy were compared. Correlations of values obtained during hypotension (BP<2SD of normal), acidosis (pH<7.25) or both treated with CV drugs, were compared to those during the same conditions without CV drug therapy. When CV drugs were not given, PtcCO2 values during hypotension were the highest and most discrepant from PaCO2. Administration of I and D decreased the PtcCO2 differences. With CV drugs, the differences became greater in hypotension accompanied by acidosis. T and B decreased the difference between PtcCO2 and PaCO2. These data suggest that: 1) The high PtcCO2 associated with cardiovascular compromise reflects lack of tissue perfusion. 2) In hypotension, widened PtcCO2 - PaCO2 differences are narrowed by CV drugs. 3) If acidosis is added to hypotension, CV drugs are less effective in reducing the differences, suggesting it interfers with their action. 4) T and B narrow the differences, indicating improved tissue perfusion. We conclude the PtcCO2 electrode can be valuable as an indicator of tissue perfusion in the care of infants with cardiovascular alterations.
PREDICTIVE VALUE OF ENDOTHELIAL FUNCTION BY NON-INVASIVE PERIPHERAL ARTERIAL TONOMETRY FOR CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE

Endothelial dysfunction is an early stage of atherosclerosis and is associated with cardiovascular events. We examined whether peripheral endothelial function, as assessed by fingertip reactive hyperemia-peripheral arterial tonometry (RH-PAT) can provide an additional clinical value to Framingham
Meso-design of heterogeneous dielectric material systems: Structure property relationships

Heterogeneous materials are inherently dielectric, and charge distribution and transport in such materials involves complex local fields and polarizations that are remarkably sensitive to morphology and the interaction of conduction and permittivity. Trial and error design of such material systems is time consuming and expensive, and often ineffectual. However, heterogeneous materials are essential for energy conversion and storage, and they have become the foundation for major advances in the performance of devices such as batteries, fuel cells, separation membranes, and solar cells. The present paper presents some relationships in support of rational design based on an extensive experimental validation of the concepts and analysis that form a foundation for that design. Salient results include the prediction and confirmation of volume fraction effects (including nondilute mixtures), and the prediction and direct measurement of surface charge effects at internal interfaces as a function of constituent morphology and orientation.
Proficiency and Linguistic Complexity Influence Speech Motor Control and Performance in Spanish Language Learners.

Purpose Second-language (L2) production requires greater cognitive resources to inhibit the native language and to retrieve less robust lexical representations. The current investigation identifies how proficiency and linguistic complexity, specifically syntactic and lexical factors, influence speech motor control and performance. Method Speech movements of 29 native English speakers with low or high proficiency in Spanish were recorded while producing simple and syntactically complex sentences in English and Spanish. Sentences were loaded with cognate (e.g., baby–bebe) or noncognate (e.g., dog–perro) words. Effects of proficiency, lexicality (cognate vs. noncognate), and syntactic complexity on maximum speed, range of movement, duration, and speech movement variability were examined. Results In general, speakers with lower L2 proficiency differed in their speech motor control and performance from speakers with higher L2 proficiency. Speakers with higher L2 proficiency generally had less speech movement v...
Editorial: Editorial Responsibilities

This PDF file contains the editorial “Editorial: Editorial Responsibilities” for OE Vol. 31 Issue 10
High-speed wavelet implementation with field-programmable logic

Field-Programmable-Logic (FPL) is on the verge of revolutionizing digital signal processing (DSP) in a manner that programmable DSP microprocessors did nearly two decades ago. While FPL densities and performance have steadily improved to the point where some DSP solutions can be integrated into a single FPL chip, they still have limited the use in high-precision high-bandwidth applications. In this paper it is shown that alternative implementation strategies can be found which overcome the precision/bandwidth barrier. The design of Daubechies length 4 and 8 filter is presented to compare FPL and programmable DSP solutions.
Changes in mu opiate receptors following inescapable shock.

Abstract Rats exposed to inescapable shock exhibit profound hypoalgesia. Pharmacological evidence has suggested that changes in endogenous opiate activity may be responsible for the hypoalgesic response. We measured the binding of [ 3 H]DAGO, a selective μ-opiate receptor agonist, in brains of rats exposed to no shock, or escapable shock. Binding [ 3 H]DAGO in the midbrains of rats in the inescapable shock group was decreased relative to the other two groups. The decrease in binding appeared to result from a decrease in number of μ-receptors and not a change in affinity. These results support the hypothesis that inescapable shock produces long-term changes in endogenous opiate systems.
Search for evidence of nuclear involvement in the fatal explosion of a “cold fusion” experiment

Forensic analyses of debris from the fatal explosion of an electrochemical “cold fusion” cell at SRI International were conducted at LLNL at the request of Cal-OSHA. One investigation focused on the possibility of conventional nuclear reaction mechanisms contributing to the total energy inventory of the incident. Selected metal components of the electrolysis apparatus were subjected to nondestructive γ-ray spectrometry with high-sensitivity, low-background Ge detector systems. The anticipated analytes in these studies were radioactivation products potentially induced in the explosion residue by either fast or thermal neutrons. The results of this investigation were negative within the temporal constraints of the incident and the analytical sensitivities of the instrumentation.
An investigation of the giving behavior of loyal, lapsed, and non-givers to a religious organization

This paper provides a comparative study of the giving behavior of current donors (CDs), lapsed donors (LDs), and non-donors (NDs) in a Catholic diocese in New England. Focus groups were conducted and surveys were administered to Catholics to compare the attitudes and behaviors of lapsed and active donors as well as those who had not given to a recent diocesan annual campaign. The results show significant differences between the groups. Active donors indicate a much greater level of satisfaction with the church, are more aware of its programs, and feel they are more recognized for their gifts than do lapsed or NDs. These findings suggest that relationship fundraising, and creating trust, are critical to forging and maintaining valued donor relationships. The program implemented by the diocese as a result of the study is described. Marketing for religious organizations Lapsed donors Nonprofit marketing Marketing for churches Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Relationship between the Bohr collective Hamiltonian and the interacting-boson model

A Bohr Hamiltonian expressed in terms of the shape and rotational degrees of freedom of an ellipsoid is derived from an interacting-boson model Hamiltonian.
Extraction and purification of microbial DNA from petroleum-contaminated soils and detection of low numbers of toluene, octane and pesticide degraders by multiplex polymerase chain reaction and Southern analysis

We investigated the use of multiplex polymerase chain reaction (FCR) techniques coupled with Southern analysis to detect xenobiotic-degrading organisms that had been added to three soils. Two soils highly contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons and a less contaminated control soil were amended with tenfold dilutions of Pseudomonas putida mt-2 (pWWO), P. oleovorans (OCT), and Alcaligenes eutrophus JMP134 (pJP4), or, for controls, phosphate buffer alone. Total DNA was then isolated from the soils and purified using a sequential precipitation and dissolution purification procedure. This DNA was subjected to multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using primers that amplify regions of xylM (PCR product = 631 bp), alkB (546 bp) and tfdA (710 bp), which are found on pWWO, OCT and pJP4, respectively. The sizes of the amplified DNA fragments were designed to permit simultaneous amplification and detection of the target genes. Ethidium bromide-stained gels of the initial PCR reaction indicated detectable amplification of between 10* to 10* cells per gram soil, depending on the soil and the target gene. Southern analysis of the PCR amplified DNA improved detection limits to between 1 and 10 cells of each target species per gram of soil, and confirmed the identity of the PCR products. For some samples that were initially resistant to PCR, dilution of the environmental DNA resulted in positive PCR results. This treatment presumably overcame the inhibition of the PCR by diluting coextracted contaminants in the environmental DNA. A second PCR on an aliquot (1 μL) of the first reaction increased the ethidium bromide-based detection limits for one of the soils to six cells per gram of soil; it did not increase the detection limits for the other soils. Therefore, the DNA extraction procedure and multiplex PCR permitted the simultaneous detection of three types of biodegradarJve cells, at a lower detection limit of = > 10 cells per gram of highly contaminated, organic soil. However, due to kinetic limitations of multiplex PCR, the amplified signals did not follow a close dose response to the numbers of added target cells.
‘The Heavenization of Earth’: African American Visions and Uses of the Afterlife, 1863–1901

Belief in the afterlife was of central importance to slave converts, who ascribed double-meanings to heaven and hell, as places to which the dead would go, and as metaphors for freedom and slavery. After the war, the continued prominence of the afterlife in ex-slave religion found vocal critics among the black intellectual elite, who saw it as a vestige of the past. Yet many black intellectuals were believers too, and developed their own visions of a progressive and redemptive hereafter. This article argues that, despite class, educational, and religious differences, which translated into contrasting visions of the afterlife among ex-slaves and black intellectuals (material vs. mental, physical vs. abstract), African Americans in all walks of life took a doctrine that could encourage ignoring the inequalities of the present in anticipation of a better life after death, and turned it into a central tenet of an activist faith in an era of hope and disillusionment.
Some considerations on the selection of optimum location, timing, and technique, for diagnostic tests

The ageing of the electrical infrastructure is a growing concern for utilities, regulators and customers; and there is no doubt that addressing this problem will become an ever more important priority. Any solution will have to address three basic issues: firstly where is the optimum place and time to start, secondly what is the most appropriate suite of actions that can be taken and finally is the solution going to deliver the expected life. Diagnostic programs play an important part in the first and the third issues. In the first they may be able to guide the identification and prioritization of assets to be addressed; here they operate on the ageing population. The third issue benefits from diagnostics by using them as part of the assurance process that determines that the replacements / repairs have been effective. Addressing the ageing infrastructure is a large, complex and interacting challenge; this paper focuses on the first issue, namely how to select the appropriate locations, timing and technique.
Nanovoid Relaxation in a Series of Copolyester Glasses Under Cyclic Loading Using Synchronous PALS

This study examines if correlation between a specific molecular motion and the growth and relaxation of nanovoids, which are precursors to crazes, can be estab- lished. A novel technique, positronium annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) synchronized with cyclic stress, is reported. In this technique the positronium annihilation signal was accumulated in sixteen channels corresponding to sixteen phases of the sinu- soidal load, which allowed statistically significant data for nanovoid generation and relax- ation due to the fluctuating stress to be accumulated. This technique was applied to a series of copolymers of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and poly(1,4-cyclohexylenedi- methylene terephthalate) (PCT). Previous studies have shown that the cyclohexylene rings in the main chain of PCT actively undergo chair-boat-chair conformational transi- tions in the glassy PCT at around room temperature. The PET-co-PCTseries was also cho- sen for this study because the crazing stress increases systematically with the cyclohexy- lene content. The synchronized PALS data are consistent with the hypothesis that tran- sient nanovoids generated by the cyclic stress in polymers containing more cyclohexylene rings relax more readily than those with fewer rings. The results also correlate well with the crazing stress in this series of copolymers. V C 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 1410-1417, 2007
Transformation formulas associated with integrals involving the Riemann Ξ-function

Using residue calculus and the theory of Mellin transforms, we evaluate integrals of a certain type involving the Riemann Ξ-function, which give transformation formulas of the form F(z, α) = F(z, β), where αβ = 1. This gives a unified approach for generating certain modular transformation formulas, including a famous formula of Ramanujan and Guinand.
Exosomes as Potential Alternatives to Stem Cell Therapy in Mediating Cardiac Regeneration

Cardiovascular diseases represent a significant cause of death and disability worldwide.1 The decline of cardiovascular mortality as a result of modern medicine and surgery has in turn led to a rapid increase of patients having heart failure, with the only definite cure being heart transplantation. However, many patients are unable to undergo transplantation surgery because of complications from existing comorbidities, and among suitable patients, the procedure is plagued by limited donor supply, high costs, and the need for chronic immunosuppressant therapy. Hence, recent advances in cardiac regenerative therapy have emerged as an attractive alternative. Article, see p 52 Currently, there are several methods to achieve cardiac regeneration. Endogenous cardiac repair that involves generation of new cardiomyocytes from differentiation of cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) or renewal of pre-existing adult cardiomyocytes is one such approach, albeit a rare and inefficient process to cope with the loss of cardiomyocytes after myocardial infarction or other cardiac diseases.2 Alternatively, functional myocardium may be salvaged or replenished through transplantation of exogenous stem cells.3,4 However, the poor long-term engraftment and survival in current transplantation have largely precluded substantial cell replacement, and instead supports the paracrine hypothesis that the release of external factors contributes to myocardial salvage or repair. Historically, the paracrine hypothesis is thought to be mediated primarily by chemical and physical signals, such as soluble proteins, gene products, lipids, and gases. Indeed, various studies have demonstrated that stem cells produce and secrete a broad range of cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors that are involved in cardiac repair.5 Strong support of a paracrine hypothesis came from experimental studies in which the administration of conditioned medium from stem cells was able to confer beneficial effects without the physical presence of stem cells within the infarcted heart.5,6 There is a …
Transient Fatigue Crack-Growth Behavior and Damage Zones in Zr-Based Bulk Metallic Glass

Fatigue crack propagation mechanisms of bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) are not well understood, limiting their use in safety-critical structural applications particularly where complex fatigue loading may occur. Accordingly, the present study examines the effects of variable amplitude fatigue loading associated with block loading and tensile overloads on fatigue crack-growth rates in a Zr-based BMG. Crack growth studies were conducted on compact tension specimens using computer control of the applied stress intensity range, ΔK. Fatigue crack closure loads, which represent the initial contact of mating crack surfaces during the unloading cycle, were continuously monitored during testing. Abrupt drops in ΔK were found to significantly decrease fatigue crack-growth rates far below equilibrium values, arresting growth completely at a ΔK twice the nominal fatigue threshold ΔK TH . Conversely, an abrupt increase in ΔK was found to accelerate fatigue crack-growth rates. The effects of roughness-induced crack closure were assessed and found to be consistent with the suppression or acceleration of growth rates. However, in order to fully explain the observed transient growth rate response, other mechanisms that may be related to the fatigue mechanism itself were also considered. Specifically, the nature of the fatigue crack tip damage zone was also investigated. As BMGs lack distributed plasticity at low temperatures, the plastic zone differs greatly from that seen in ductile crystalline materials, and its role in fatigue crack propagation mechanisms is examined.
Estimating Surface Water Speeds With a Single-Phase Center SAR Versus an Along-Track Interferometric SAR

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) single-aperture systems are designed to image fixed scenes. Dual-antenna along-track interferometric (ATI) SAR systems are designed to detect moving targets and estimate their motion parameters. Although SAR systems are not designed to characterize moving targets, for localized targets, such as vehicles or ships, this problem has been addressed in the literature with some success. Distributed moving targets are hard to characterize, even for ATI systems. Estimating surface water speeds is an ideal example of this since the water returns are generated from weak returns randomly distributed in both time and space. The question asked here is can one measure surface water speeds with a single-phase center SAR system? The answer presented is a qualified yes, with the aid of an upper bound on the water speed, but not with the same accuracy as an ATI system. This upper bound and the collection geometry provide design criteria for the filtering of the phase information. Time-frequency (TF) methods provide another speed estimate as well as a rough profile of the speed across the water channel. A robust nonparametric TF method was developed and applied to estimate the speed. Comparisons between the ATI estimate and single-phase estimates are made using data from an X-band ATI-SAR system.
Simulation Analysis of Routing Strategies in Multicasting Multiservice Loss Networks

This paper begins with an overview of multicast algorithms, which are the most promising candidates to be in wide use in first generation Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) based Broadband Integrated Services Digital Networks (B-ISDN). Since the Multiple Destination Routing (MDR) problem and the associated Steiner Tree problem are known to be NP-complete and therefore a number of heuristic algorithms have been proposed in the literature, we first need to establish which of these are the best candidates for the B-ISDN. We conclude that the weighted greedy -type algorithms are promising ones, and therefore we examine the behavior of these algorithms in terms of blocking probability and network utilization. In doing so, we use a B-ISDN call level simulation program, which proves to be an indispensable tool in the quest for efficient multicast algorithms. We find that shortest path routing with appropriate (adaptive) weight functions combined with the complete partitioning link allocation policy may give satisf...