cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
AMINO ACID TRANSPORT IN NITZSCHIA OVALIS ARNOTT1,2

SUMMARY The marine diatom Nitzschia ovalis possesses at, least 3 amino acid uptake systems, specific for transport of acidic, polybasic, and, neutral amino acids. Maximum uptake velocity (Vmax) for each, site is inversely related to the nitrogen content of the cell, and to the nitrogen available in the culture medium. Transport, of polybasic amino acids occurs throughout the course of growth in batch, culture, but the Vmax increases dramatically as the culture ages and nitrogen/cell reaches a low value. Ks does not, change significantly. Acidic and neutral amino acids are taken up only by cells harvested from nitrogen-poor culture. It appears that amino acid transport is repressed by high concentrations of nitrogen in the medium. Under natural conditions, where nitrogen concentrations are low, the contribution of amino acid uptake to the nitrogen economy of Nitzschia populations may be significant.
The metro rating game: what can be learned from the recent migrants?

The authors examine nine indicators of quality of life in the 277 U.S. Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas (SMSAs) in terms of their impact on the decision to migrate. The factors considered were utilized in the 1985 publication "Places Rated Almanac" and include climate, housing, health care, crime, transportation, education, recreation, arts, and economics. "The purpose of this paper is both to analyze several alternative methods by which the nine 'Places Rated' indicators have been combined in previous studies, and to estimate a new system of weights for combining such indicators from a multivariate model of metropolitan out-migration." In this article, the authors examine out-migration of metropolitan households during the years 1975-1980. "Coefficient estimates from a multivariate model of out-migration form the basis for a ranking of metropolitan areas in the third section. Also included are comparisons among this and other studies of both the implicit weights employed against the 'Places Rated' scores...to derive both overall measures of urban life quality, and how such quality varies by city size."
Four Portraits of Jame Sharples

Best known of the English-born, eighteenth century itinerant artists working in the United States, both because of his high artistic ability as well as his extensive work, is James Sharples. A group of four portraits by Sharples was included in the bequest of James Neilson, 1866, to Rutgers University. They include portraits of George Washington, John Voorhees, Colonel John Neilson, and his wife, Catherine Voorhees Neilson.
Calibrating the concentration from a serial dilution process

In a chemistry or biology laboratory, people often dilute the sample sequentially to obtain preparations. This serial dilution process usually generates dilution error which results in correlated concentrations. This kind of error is being neglected in current practice and it can lead to a biased estimate. In this paper, we propose a linear calibration with correlated covariates that takes this serial dilution error into consideration when estimating the concentration of the unknown sample. A consistent and asymptotically unbiased estimator with asymptotic normality is derived. One particular appeal of this approach is that the estimate can be obtained with existing SAS® procedures. A simulation study shows that the new approach performs much better than the current practice with respect to the bias, the mean squared error (MSE), and the coverage probability. It also indicates that the effect of the serial dilution is controlled by an index, which has a similar role as the signal-to-noise ratio in a simple regression. A real data set is used to demonstrate the advantage of the proposed approach. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Optimizing a parallel runtime system for multicore clusters: a case study

Clusters of multicore nodes have become the most popular option for new HPC systems due to their scalability and performance/cost ratio. The complexity of programming multicore systems underscores the need for powerful and efficient runtime systems that manage resources such as threads and communication sub-systems on behalf of the applications.In this paper, we study several multicore performance issues on clusters using Intel, AMD and IBM processors in the context of the Charm++ runtime system. We then present the optimization techniques that overcome these performance issues. The techniques presented are general enough to apply to other runtime systems as well. We demonstrate the benefits of these optimizations through both synthetic benchmarks and production quality applications including NAMD and ChaNGa on several popular multicore platforms. We demonstrate performance improvement of NAMD and ChaNGa by about 20% and 10%, respectively.
Pregnancy and abdominal pain: Value of ultrasound in diagnosis

Ultrasound is noninvasive, safe, and versatile. It seems an ideal imaging modality in the pregnant patient, in whom ionizing radiation must be kept to a minimum, yet accurate imaging is important in directing treatment. The objective of our study was to investigate the value of ultrasound as a first-line imaging modality in pregnant women with abdominal pain.
F-19 NMR study of the ordering of high field strength cations at fluoride sites in silicate and aluminosilicate glasses

Abstract Several glasses were synthesized to explore cation ordering at fluorine sites in silicate and aluminosilicate glasses. Utilizing 19F NMR, we found a significant (at least ∼30% of the total intensity) amount of the fluorine signal to be due to F–Mg(n) (fluorine with an unknown number of exclusively Mg2+ nearest neighbors) bonding in the Mg-aluminosilicates. By combining this with previous data on Ca- and Ba-aluminosilicate glasses, we demonstrated a clear trend of an increasing amount of F–M(n) type bonding with increasing field strength of the network modifying cation. This indicates that the higher field strength cations can more effectively compete with Al3+ for fluorine bonds. The mixed-modifier (Na,La)-silicate glasses have primarily F–M(n) type bonding, with a pronounced preference for bonding to the higher field strength La3+ over Na+. In addition, Si–F bonding was found in the (Na,La)-silicate glasses at a level (∼2% of the total intensity) comparable to that found in other silicate glasses, suggesting that Si–F bonding is consistently present in silicate glasses. The (Na,La)-silicate glasses also had unusually short spin–spin relaxation times, suggesting short (similar to crystalline fluorides) fluorine–fluorine distances in environments associated with La3+.
Suppression of Lymphocyte Stimulation Following Bereavement

In a prospective study of 15 spouses of women with advanced breast carcinoma, lymphocyte stimulation responses to phytohemagglutinin, concanavalin A, and pokeweed mitogen were significantly suppressed during the first two months following the death of a spouse compared with prebereavement levels. A highly significant suppression was seen as early as one month after bereavement. No differences were found in total lymphocyte or B- or T-cell numbers. An intermediate level of mitogen responsivity was found during the four- to 14-month period after bereavement. Suppressed immunity following the death of a spouse may be related to the increased morbidity and mortality associated with bereavement. (JAMA1983;250:374-377)
Characterization of tantalum zirconium nitride sputter-deposited nanocrystalline coatings

Abstract The structural, chemical, optical and mechanical properties of nanocrystalline tantalum zirconium nitride films deposited by DC unbalanced magnetron sputtering were studied by means of X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, spectroscopic ellipsometry and nanoindentation. Coatings were deposited on silicon substrates with a growth temperature of 440 °C and RF bias voltages in the −40 to −130 V range. The concentration of zirconium and tantalum was regulated by controlling the power to the sputtering guns. The nitrogen concentration was controlled by varying the nitrogen flow rate and, hence, partial pressure. XRD revealed that these films formed a solid solution and that the grain size, deduced from the width of the XRD peaks using the Scherrer formula, did not vary with tantalum content. The elemental composition was determined from XPS measurements. The optical constants were measured using spectroscopic ellipsometry. A correlation between film structure/composition and optical constants was established using a Drude-Lorentz model. The mechanical properties of the coatings were evaluated using nanohardness testing and were found to depend on composition and deposition parameters. Optimum mechanical properties were achieved for a tantalum content of 10% and a substrate bias of −70 V.
HEARING AND RESPONSES TO CALLS IN ANURANS

1. Nerve responses evoked by tone pips of known frequency were recorded from the medulla of Bufo americanus, Rana pipiens, Rana clamitans, Pseudacris triseriata, and Hyla crucifer. 2. Nerve responses were obtained between 20 cps and 4000 cps in Bufo and Rana, and between 100 cps and 6000 cps in Pseudacris and Hyla. 3. In all species, the best frequency for nerve responses was 1000 cps. In Pseudacris and Hyla there was a second low threshold area at 2000-3000 cps. It is suggested that the lower frequency dip in the response curve may represent responses from the pars amphibiorum and that the higher frequency dip may represent responses from the pars basilaris. 4. The threshold at the best frequency in Rana is similar to the sensitivity of human hearing. 5. Three Pseudacris and one Hyla were induced to answer tone pips. 6. These answered pips of frequencies between 700 cps and 4600 cps. Since this conforms to the high frequency dip in the nerve response curve, it is suggested that the Hylids might have been hearing pips with the pars basilaris only. 7. Pseudacris answered pips of a great variety of durations and intervals. 8. The data suggest that responses of Pseudacris males to frog calls may be, to a great extent, non-specific. 9. Alternating of calls in duets is controlled by at least two factors. There is a constant latency between a call and the stimulus eliciting it. A stimulus following a call too closely inhibits calling. 10. The data obtained here and by others suggest that even for location of males by females, the repetitive nature and frequency of calls may be of only minor importance. Rather, trill rate is implicated as an important call parameter.
See You in the Movies? We Hope Not?

(2002). See You in the Movies? We Hope Not? Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance: Vol. 73, No. 8, pp. 38-44.
Thermodynamic properties of 1,2-dihydronaphthalene: Glassy crystals and missing entropy

Abstract Measurements leading to the calculation of the standard thermodynamic properties for gaseous 1,2-dihydronaphthalene (Chemical Abstracts registry number [447-53-0]) are reported. Experimental methods include oxygen combustion-bomb calorimetry, adiabatic heat-capacity calorimetry, vibrating-tube densitometry, comparative ebulliometry, and inclined-piston gauge manometry. 1,2-Dihydronaphthalene decomposed significantly when heated to temperatures above T = 480 K. Consequently, the critical temperature, critical pressure, and critical density were estimated. Standard molar entropies, standard molar enthalpies, and standard molar Gibbs free energies of formation were derived at selected temperatures between T = 250 K and 500 K. The standard state is defined as the ideal gas at the pressure p = p∘ = 101.325 kPa. Standard entropies are compared with those calculated statistically on the basis of assigned vibrational spectra from the literature for the vapor phase. A large and near constant difference between the entropies calculated statistically and those determined calorimetrically was observed over the entire temperature range studied. Two glass-like features are observed in the heat capacity against temperature curve for the solid state, indicating that the crystals are disordered. A quantitative accounting for the entropy discrepancy is proposed based on possible molecular orientations of 1,2-dihydronaphthalene. Results are compared with experimental values reported in the literature.
Taking your medicine? Attitudes toward direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA)

Abstract The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (1997) reinterpretation of existing regulatory guidelines facilitated a substantial increase in direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription medicines. Consumer attitudes toward this regulatory phenomenon and their political implications have been understudied by social scientists. This study develops and tests several individual-level explanations, and shows that there are no simple explanations for understanding support for DTCA, including a tempting appeal to what a person thinks about the doctor–patient relationship. We use an ordered probit analysis to find that searching for health information on the internet, education, and ethnicity are strong and consistent predictors of support for DTCA. As patterns of support for DTCA vary across important segments of the population, we find that DTCA support is increased by select characteristics generally associated with weaker outcomes from the American health system.
DOCTORAL TRAINING IN THE PSYCHOLOGY OF ADULT DEVELOPMENT AND AGING: 1989‐1990 SURVEY RESULTS

A survey was conducted in the 1989‐1990 academic year of 421 American Psychological Association (APA) approved programs offering graduate study at the doctoral level in psychology and associated fields. The purpose was to provide continuing documentation of opportunities for doctoral training in adult development and aging. Results were compared to similar surveys conducted in 1975 and 1984. From 1975‐1984 there was dramatic growth in programs offering specialized training in adult development and aging. For the 1984‐1990 time period, growth proceeded at a much slower rate. Additional survey results indicate that most programs offering specialized training in adult development and aging are located in developmental psychology programs in general psychology departments. In addition, respondents were asked to provide information about opportunities for professional experiences offered doctoral students specializing in adult development and aging. Approximately 50% of programs with specialized doctoral train...
Opportunity costs and the framing of resource allocation decisions

Abstract This paper develops and tests an information-processing explanation of the behavior of decision makers when resource allocation decisions meet with setbacks. Findings support the contention that because opportunity costs often are ignored, setback decisions may be framed as choices between certain losses and the possibility of larger or no losses. Making opportunity costs more explicit alters the framing of such decisions and leads to decisions which more closely mirror traditional cost/benefit prescriptions.
NON-VERBAL RESPONSE TO INTRAOPERATIVE CONVERSATION

In a double-blind study, 33 patients (herniorraphy, cholecystectomy and orthopaedic) were randomly assigned to either suggestion or control groups. Under known clinical levels of nitrous oxide and enflurane or halothane anaesthesia, suggestion patients were exposed to statements of the importance of touching their ear during a postoperative interview. Compared with controls, suggestion patients did touch their ear (tetrachoric correlation 0.61, P
Heterosexual Anal Sexuality and Anal Sex Behaviors: A Review

Little research addresses the role of anal sexuality and anal sexual behaviors as a widely practiced but relatively less frequent element of a heterosexual sexual repertoire. However, the importance of anal sex in sexual health is increasingly well-defined by epidemiological and clinical studies. This article reviews existing data on a range of heterosexual anal sex practices and provides conceptual and methodological recommendations for new research.
Depression and Obesity: Implications for Assessment, Treatment, and Research

Markowitz, Friedman, and Arent (2008) review the literature on the relationship between obesity and depression and (a) highlight behavioral, cognitive, physiological, and social mechanisms potentially elucidating these links and (b) provide a valuable resource both for clinicians and researchers. This commentary underscores (a) the strengths of the article; (b) additional areas of consideration; (c) implications for treatment; and (d) future clinical and research opportunities. Also included are suggestions for the design and measurement of future longitudinal observational studies, intervention trials, and other conceptual models. Finally, we comment on the responsibility of the scientist practitioner not only to consider evaluating and treating each behavior in isolation, but also to take an inclusive approach and apply the common features of evidence-based treatment for both obesity and depression.
First results from STAR EbyE analysis at RHIC

I review the first STAR event-by-event analysis of fluctuations, event multiplicity fluctuations and large-scale two-particle pt correlations. Significant nonstatistical charge-independent and charge-dependent fluctuations and correlations are observed.
Some Correlation Inequalities for Ising Antiferromagnets

We prove some inequalities for two-point correlations of Ising antiferromagnets and derive inequalities relating correlations of ferromagnets to correlations of antiferromagnets whose interactions and field strengths have equal magnitudes. The proofs are based on the method of duplicate spin variables introduced by J. Percus and used by several authors to derive correlation inequalities for Ising ferromagnets.
Stress-Rupture Performance of Glass-Fiber Reinforced Composites

A new family of materials is available to address the issue of premature failure of reinforced concrete structures as a result of rusting of steel reinforcements. Composite reinforcing bars have been recognized by the American Concrete Institute as an acceptable alternative to steel and epoxy-coated steel rebars for use in reinforced concrete structures. An initial study was conducted to quantify stress limits for one class of composite rebars to assess their capability to provide 50 years of service. Stress-rupture testing was conducted to assess the combined effects of constant stress and a concrete environment on the life of pultruded composite rods. The results provide proof of concept that glass-fiber reinforced composite bars can provide long-term performance as a reinforcement system for concrete structures.
A model of radiation sensitization by quinones.

(1972). A Model of Radiation Sensitization by Quinones. International Journal of Radiation Biology and Related Studies in Physics, Chemistry and Medicine: Vol. 22, No. 5, pp. 507-511.
Microglia as neuroprotective, immunocompetent cells of the CNS

The role of glial cells is to support and sustain proper neuronal function and microglia are no exception to this. This viewpoint article emphasizes the fundamental interdependence of microglia and neurons and takes a look at the possibility of what could happen if microglial cells became dysfunctional as a result of aging, genetics, or epigenetics. Could microglial senescence be a factor in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases? The cautious answer to that question is 'yes'. Future studies along these lines may provide novel insights into microglial involvement in neurodegenerative disease pathogenesis.
Additive and Classical Drude Polarizable Force Fields for Linear and Cyclic Ethers

Empirical force field parameters consistent with the CHARMM additive and classical Drude based polarizable force fields are presented for linear and cyclic ethers. Initiation of the optimization pr...
Studies of stereotypy function in the canary (Serinus canarius)

Summary Caged canaries exhibit two general repetitive stereotypies, route-tracing and spot-picking. In the present study, experiments were conducted to determine the influence of certain environmental and physiological factors upon these avian stereotypies. Stereotypies were counted in 5-min observation periods excluding time spent singing, feeding, drinking, or preening. Twelve of these 5-min periods made up an experimental test series. Presentation of both novel stimuli (plastic beads and a mirror) and social stimuli (brief daily view of a bird in an adjacent cage) significantly reduced both canary stereotypies, apparently by initiating other incompatible behaviours. Grouping of birds (i.e. three birds per cage instead of one) also caused a decrease in route-tracing, but this decrease probably can be explained by the fact that the additional birds physically disrupted this stereotypy. In addition to supplying environmental stimuli to initiate alternate behaviours, the physiology of male canaries was also altered. By administering hormones or hormone analogues, which initiate reproductive behaviour and moulting, alternate behaviours were activated which significantly reduced the number of route-traces. Since canary stereotypies can be reduced by presenting the birds with opportunities to engage in alternate behaviours (by providing appropriate external or internal stimulation), these results suggest that in caged canaries, stereotypies occur primarily to supply the birds with a source of stimulation.
Measurements of electron detection efficiencies in solid state detectors

Detailed laboratory measurements have been made of the electron response of solid state detectors as a function of incident electron energy, detector depletion depth, and energy-loss discriminator threshold. These response functions were determined by exposing totally-depleted silicon surface barrier detectors with depletion depths between 50 μm and 1000 μm to the beam from a magnetic β-ray spectrometer. The data were extended to 5000 μm depletion depth using the results of previously published Monte Carlo electron calculations. When the electron counting efficiency of a given detector is plotted as a function of energy-loss threshold for various incident energies, the efficiency curves are bounded by a smooth envelope which represents the upper limit to the detection efficiency. These upper limit curves, which scale in a simple way, make it possible to easily estimate the electron sensitivity of solid state detector systems.
Sequence-based prediction of HIV-1 coreceptor usage: utility of n-grams for representing gp120 V3 loops

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) targets for infection host cells that express both the CD4 surface membrane receptor, which binds the viral envelope glycoprotein gp120, as well as either the CCR5 (R5) or CXCR4 (X4) chemokine coreceptor, which principally interact with the V3 loop region of gp120. Coreceptor selectivity, or tropism, is dependent upon the sequence patterns encoding HIV-1 viral strains, and there are medications currently on the market and in development designed to bind and inhibit each coreceptor. Since determination of HIV-1 coreceptor usage must be undertaken prior to administering such a drug, and given the costly and time-consuming nature of experimental assays in this regard, there is now considerable interest in direct application of machine learning algorithms for classifying HIV-1 coreceptor usage based on the V3 loop region of gp120. Here for the first time, a number of n-grams (subsequences formed by a sliding window of size n) approaches are described for representing as feature vectors two large datasets of V3 loop peptide sequences obtained from HIV-1 viruses with known coreceptor usage, and the random forest algorithm is implemented for classification. These datasets were previously retrieved and used to develop combined sequence-structure based classifiers as well as sequence based string kernel classifiers, respectively. A comparison of the accuracy reported for those complex classifiers with the performance achieved here using relatively simpler and more computationally efficient n-grams reveals significant advantages while highlighting limitations.
Income variability, homeownership, and housing demand

In an analysis of the factors that affect the likelihood of homeownership, the intertemporal variability of income is found to be important. A 10% increase in variability reduces homeownership by the same amount as a 5% decrease in income. Also important in explaining homeownership and the quantity of housing demanded in a measure of whether a household's tenure choice is constrained by the downpayment qualification requirement of mortgage lenders. The study also argues that the use of permanent income as an explanatory variable is inappropriate in housing choice models because labor supply is a choice variable. An alternative measure based on a permanent wage concept is developed and tested in the empirical analysis.
THE URBAN BLACK COMMUNITY AS NETWORK: TOWARD A SOCIAL NETWORK PERSPECTIVE

The social organization of Afro-American urban communities has often been viewed in a negative manner. As an alternative to traditional approaches to urban social organization that stress “patholog...
The ruthless Fed: A critique of the AST hypothesis

This paper examines the hypothesis that the Great Contraction was the result of rational rent-seeking by members of the Federal Reserve System. In contrast to the AST hypothesis, evidence on the share prices of member banks that survived the contraction suggests that the owners of these banks suffered an absolute decline in real wealth and a decline relative to a broad spectrum of other investment alternatives. Furthermore, monetary surprises had no statistically discernible effect on the share prices of these banks. This evidence conflicts with the notion that rational rent-seeking would lead the owners of member banks and their bureaucratic conspirators in the Federal Reserve System to unleash a policy with the goal of contracting the money supply by 35 percent.
Biodegradable Poly(Lactic Acid)/Clay Nanocomposites by Melt Intercalation: A Study of Morphological, Thermal, and Mechanical Properties

Abstract Biodegradable polymer nanocomposites of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and several organically modified montmorillonites (nanoclays), namely, Cloisite 30B, Cloisite Na+, Cloisite 25A, Cloisite 20A, Cloisite 93A, and Cloisite 15A were prepared by melt compounding using a Brabender twin-screw extruder. An exfoliated morphology was observed using both X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) for the combination of PLA and Cloisite 30B (the montmorillonite modified with a quaternary ammonium salt). The first XRD peaks for all the other nanocomposites were observed to shift to lower angles, indicating that intercalation occurred. The extent of intercalation depended on the type of organic modification on the Cloisite organoclay and was exhibited in the sequence of Cloisite Na+ > 25A > 20A > 93A > 15A. Further studies were carried out to compare the properties of the PLA-30B nanocomposites with those of the neat PLA at clay loading levels of 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, and 5% (w/w). The...
Effect of calcium channel blockers on hemodynamic responses to defibrillation

Abstract The hemodynamic response to sequences of ventricular fibrillation and defibrillation includes an adrenergic component that is important for the maintenance of blood pressure after successful defibrillation. Because calcium channel blocking drugs have antiadrenergic effects, we hypothesized that they might blunt the adrenergic response to defibrillation. Ventricular fibrillation was induced in 35 closed-chest dogs. Each recaived 4 to 7 direct current transthoracic shocks at three energy levels to determine defibrillation energy requirements. Heart rate and blood pressure were recorded. Energy sequences were repeated after 45 minutes of no intervention (control, n=5) or after 45-minute infusions of diltiazem (0.1 mg/kg/min, n=10), verapamil (0.1 mg/kg bolus plus 0.01 mg/kg/min, n=10), or nifedipine (40 μg/min for 3 minutes plus 2 to 20 μg/min adjusted to maintain a 10 mm Hg drop in mean arterial pressure, n=10). Our results show that the normal post-shock rise in mean arterial pressure was blunted by the calcium channel blockers diltiazem (systolic arterial pressure at 15 and 60 seconds post-shock, pre-drug versus post-drug: 102 ± 9 versus 64 ± 9 mm Hg and 113 ± 10 versus 87 ± 6 mm Hg; p p p p
Extracellular Discontinuities in Cardiac Muscle Evidence for Capillary Effects on the Action Potential Foot

Abstract —It has become of fundamental importance to understand variations in the shape of the upstroke of the action potential in order to identify structural loading effects. One component of this goal is a detailed experimental analysis of the time course of the foot of the cardiac action potential (Vm foot) during propagation in different directions in anisotropic cardiac muscle. To this end, we performed phase-plane analysis of transmembrane action potentials during anisotropic propagation in adult working myocardium. The results showed that during longitudinal propagation there was initial slowing of Vm foot that resulted in deviations from a simple exponential; corollary changes occurred at numerous sites during transverse propagation. We hypothesized that the effect on Vm foot observed in the experimental data was created by the microscopic structure, especially the capillaries. This hypothesis predicts that the phase-plane trajectory of Vm foot will deviate from linearity in the presence of a high density of capillaries, and that a linear trajectory will occur in the absence of capillaries. Comparison of the results of Fast and Kleber ( Circ Res . 1993;73:914–925) in a monolayer of neonatal cardiac myocytes, which is devoid of capillaries, and our results in newborn ventricular muscle, which is rich in capillaries, showed drastic differences in Vm foot as predicted. Because this comparison provided experimental support for the capillary hypothesis, we explored the underlying biophysical mechanisms due to interstitial electrical field effects, using a “2-domain” model of myocytes and capillaries separated by interstitial space. The model results show that a propagating interstitial electrical field induces an inward capacitive current in the inactive capillaries that causes a feedback effect on the active membrane (source) that slows the initial rise of its action potential. The results show unexpected mechanisms related to extracellular structural loading that may play a role in selected conduction disturbances, such as in a reperfused ischemic region surrounded by normal myocardium.
Marital Status as an Independent Predictor of Event-Free Survival of Patients With Heart Failure

BACKGROUND Depressive symptoms are a well-known predictor of mortality in patients with heart failure, and positive spousal support is associated with improved outcomes in these patients. However, in the context of depressive symptoms, the effect on survival of having a spouse is unknown. OBJECTIVE To determine the effect of marital status on event-free survival in patients with heart failure who did or did not have depressive symptoms. METHODS Depressive symptoms were assessed by using the Beck Depression Inventory-II in patients with heart failure who were followed-up for up to 4 years to collect data on mortality and hospitalizations. Patients were grouped according to the presence and absence of depressive symptoms by using the standard cutoff score of 14 on the Beck Depression Inventory-II. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses were used to compare event-free survival for married and nonmarried patients who were stratified according to the presence or absence of depressive symptoms. RESULTS Of 166 patients, 56% were married, and 33% had depressive symptoms. Levels of depressive symptoms were similar between married and nonmarried patients (10.9 vs 12.1; P = .39). Married patients experienced longer event-free survival than did nonmarried patients (P = .009), even with stratification according to depressive symptoms (P = .01). CONCLUSIONS Patients with a spouse had longer event-free survival than nonmarried patients did, even in the context of depressive symptoms.
High density Modular Multilevel Cascade Converter for medium-voltage motor drive

This paper proposes a new Modular Multilevel Cascade Converter (MMCC) topology for future high density medium-voltage motor drive. The proposed topology utilizes the active ripple energy storage method for rectifier capacitance design. Simulation has been done in this paper and proves that the proposed topology works well, and the active energy storage method can significantly reduce the DC-link capacitor. Power density improvement is quantified for an example system to show the benefits of the proposed topology.
Follow-up analysis of mobile robot failures

Mobile robot reliability must be guaranteed before they can be employed in hazardous domains like mine clearing or nuclear waste handling, but recent studies of robots used in urban search and rescue and military scenarios have shown a mean time between failures (MTBF) in the field of 6 to 20 hours. This paper extends previous work characterizing robot failures by including recent data and organizing failures according to a novel taxonomy , which includes human failures. Failure type and frequency data were collected from 15 robots representing three manufacturers and seven models over a period of three years, in a variety of environments. Standard manufacturing measures for product reliability were used. The results show that overall MTBF and availability have improved since the previous analysis but are still low. The MTBF across all robot types was 24 hours and availability was 54%. The control system was the most common source of failures (32%), followed by the mechanical platform. Statistical analysis shows that the time between failures, time to repair, and downtime vary widely. For this reason the means reported here are not reliable predictors for future failures, but still provide information on the overall frequency and consequences of mobile robot failures.
From Endonucleases to Transcription Factors: Evolution of the AP2 DNA Binding Domain in Plants

All members of the AP2/ERF family of plant transcription regulators contain at least one copy of a DNA binding domain called the AP2 domain. The AP2 domain has been considered plant specific. Here, we show that homologs are present in the cyanobacterium Trichodesmium erythraeum, the ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila, and the viruses Enterobacteria phage Rb49 and Bacteriophage Felix 01. We demonstrate that the T. erythraeum AP2 domain selectively binds stretches of poly(dG)/poly(dC) showing functional conservation with plant AP2/ERF proteins. The newly discovered nonplant proteins bearing an AP2 domain are predicted to be HNH endonucleases. Sequence conservation extends outside the AP2 domain to include part of the endonuclease domain for the T. erythraeum protein and some plant AP2/ERF proteins. Our phylogenetic analysis of the broader family of AP2 domains supports the possibility of lateral gene transfer. We hypothesize that a horizontal transfer of an HNH-AP2 endonuclease from bacteria or viruses into plants may have led to the origin of the AP2/ERF family of transcription factors via transposition and homing processes.
ELF PROPAGATION IRREGULARITIES ON NORTHERN AND MID-LATITUDE PATHS

The purpose of this paper is to describe the types of ionospheric phenomena that may be expected to affect propagation of ELF waves in the earth-ionosphere waveguide and to exhibit a few examples of ELF propagation measurements in which ionospheric effects are manifest.
Friedrich Nietzsche, Antichrist, Superman, and Pragmatist

One of the most striking and pathetic figures of the nineteenth century was Friedrich Nietzsche. A radical aristocrat, a radical enemy of religion, a prophet, he shared the fate of the prophet and the radical man. He was a poet rather than a philosopher, not one calmly to weigh the issues of his mind. He was a zealot with a mission, a fiery genius, whose torch, unsteady at times, flared into madness in his latter years. So great was the strain of thought that his mind was literally consumed by his zeal for a vast, a revolutionary cause.
A Continuous-Time ADC/DSP/DAC System With No Clock and With Activity-Dependent Power Dissipation

A continuous-time system that converts its analog input to a continuous-time digital representation without sampling, then processes the information digitally without the aid of a clock, is presented. Without sampling there is no aliasing, which reduces the in-band distortion power by not aliasing into band out-of-band distortion components. The 8-bit system, fabricated in a 90 nm CMOS process, utilizes continuous delay elements as part of a programmable transversal FIR filter. The input is encoded by a delta modulator without a clock into a series of non-uniformly spaced tokens, which are processed by the digital continuous-time filter and converted to an analog output using a custom DAC that guarantees there are no glitches in the output waveform. All activity is signal driven, automatically affording dynamic power scaling that tracks input activity.
Effects of perfluorooctanoic acid on mouse mammary gland development and differentiation resulting from cross-foster and restricted gestational exposures.

The adverse consequences of developmental exposures to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) are established in mice, and include impaired development of the mammary gland (MG). However, the relationships between timing or route of exposure, and consequences in the MG have not been characterized. To address the effects of these variables on the onset and persistence of MG effects in female offspring, timed pregnant CD-1 dams received PFOA by oral gavage over various gestational durations. Cross-fostering studies identified the 5 mg/kg dose, under either lactational- or intrauterine-only exposures, to delay MG development as early as postnatal day (PND) 1, persisting beyond PND 63. Intrauterine exposure during the final days of pregnancy caused adverse MG developmental effects similar to that of extended gestational exposures. These studies confirm a window of MG sensitivity in late fetal and early neonatal life, and demonstrate developmental PFOA exposure results in early and persistent MG effects, suggesting permanent consequences.
Swarming control using parallel Gibbs sampling

In the prior work of the author and his coworkers, Gibbs sampling was proposed for coordination of autonomous swarms, where convergence results were only obtained for sequential sampling with additional requirement of modest global communication. In this paper the convergence behavior is investigated under parallel Gibbs sampling, where all mobile nodes update their locations simultaneously. It is established that, with a pairwise Gibbs potential, parallel Gibbs sampling and annealing minimizes a modified potential energy, where the extent of modification is determined by the maximum travel range of each node within one time step. This is the first convergence result for parallel sampling algorithms for Gibbs random fields with configuration-dependent neighborhood systems, and it provides justification for Gibbs sampling as a viable method for swarming control. The latter is further illustrated with simulation results.
Culture Clash? Contesting Notions of American Identity and the Effects of Latin American Immigration

The publication of Samuel Huntington’s Who Are We? The Challenges to America’s National Identity provides an opportunity to consider several distinct underlying assumptions about American national identity, and to evaluate the claim that this identity is threatened by growth among native-born and immigrant populations of Latin American origin, particularly—but not exclusively—Mexicans. It is certainly the case that Latin American migrants and their descendents make up a large and growing share of the nation’s population, and that Mexicans and MexicanAmericans are the overwhelming majority of this group. The timeliness of Huntington’s work is apparent when one considers that the 2002 Current Population Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that Latinos 1 surpassed African Americans as the nation’s largest identifiable ethnic/racial group 2 comprising 13.5 percent of the national population. This growth is fueled by both higher fertility rates and continued immigration. And while others would debate this (see Alba in this symposium), we are inclined to accept Huntington’s characterization of this migrant flow as unlikely to stop or even slow anytime in the immediate future. As a result, population projections of the Census Bureau estimate that Latinos may comprise as much as 25 percent of the national population in 2050, when people of primarily European ancestry are estimated to comprise only 52 percent. 3 In this essay, we use Huntington as a jumping off point. We first examine the question of immigration and threats to national identity within the history of American political development. We consider what current and potential challenges the United States faces as it accommodates population shifts and prepares for a future where Caucasians are a far smaller proportion of the national population than may ever have been the case in our history. Further, we compare the relative abilities of Anglos and Latinos to shape that future, and whether and how those power inequalities inform competing claims regarding resistance to assimilation, cultural segregation, and national disunity. Finally, we offer some thoughts on how America might cope with its demographic evolution without resorting to xenophobia, isolationism, or cultural nationalism.
A Low Power Wake-Up Circuitry Based on Dynamic Time Warping for Body Sensor Networks

Enhancing the wear ability and reducing the form factor often are among the major objectives in design of wearable platforms. Power optimization techniques will significantly reduce the form factor and/or will prolong the time intervals between recharges. In this paper, we propose an ultra low power programmable architecture based on Dynamic Time Warping specifically designed for wearable inertial sensors. The low power architecture performs the signal processing merely as fast as the production rate for the inertial sensors, and further considers the minimum bit resolution and the number of samples that are just enough to detect the movement of interest. Our results show that the power consumption for inertial based monitoring systems can be reduced by at least three orders of magnitude using our proposed architecture compared to the state-of-the-art low power microcontrollers.
Signals for gauge-mediated supersymmetry-breaking models at the CERN LEP 2 collider

We consider a general class of models with gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking in which the gravitino is the lightest supersymmetric particle. Several qualitatively different scenarios arise for the phenomenology of such models, depending on which superpartner(s) decay dominantly to the gravitino. At LEP2, neutralino pair production and slepton pair production can lead to a variety of promising discovery signals, which we systematically study. We investigate the impact of backgrounds for these signals and show how they can be reduced, and outline the effects of model parameter variations on the discovery potential.
A geodynamic and mineral physics model of a solid-state ultralow-velocity zone

Recent results (Wicks et al., 2010) suggest that a mixture of iron-enriched (Mg,Fe)O and ambient mantle is consistent with wavespeed reductions and density increases inferred for ultralow-velocity zones (ULVZs). We explore this hypothesis by simulating convection to deduce the stability and morphology of such chemically-distinct structures. The buoyancy number, or chemical density anomaly, largely dictates ULVZ shape, and the prescribed initial thickness (proxy for volume) of the chemically-distinct layer controls its size. We synthesize our dynamic results with a Voigt–Reuss–Hill mixing model to provide insight into the inherent seismic tradeoff between ULVZ thickness and wavespeed reduction. Seismic data are compatible with a solid-state origin for ULVZs, and a suite of these structures may scatter seismic energy to produce broadband PKP precursors.
Distributed Spatial Anomaly Detection

Detection of traffic anomalies is an important problem that has been the focus of considerable research. Recent work has shown the utility of spatial detection of anomalies via crosslink traffic comparisons. In this paper we identify three advances that are needed to make such methods more useful and practical for network operators. First, anomaly detection methods should avoid global communication and centralized decision making. Second, nonparametric anomaly detection methods are needed to augment current parametric approaches. And finally, such methods should not just identify possible anomalies, but should also annotate each detection with some probabilistic qualifier of its importance. We propose a framework that simultaneously advances the current state of the art on all three fronts. We show that routers can effectively identify volume anomalies through crosslink comparison of traffic observed only on the router's own links. Second, we show that generalized quantile estimators are an effective way to identify high-dimensional sets of local traffic patterns that are potentially anomalous; such methods can be either parametric or nonparametric, and we evaluate both. Third, through the use of false discovery rate as a detection metric, we show that candidate anomalous patterns can be equipped with an estimate of a probability that they truly are anomalous. Overall, our framework provides network operators with an anomaly detection methodology that is distributed, effective, and easily interpretable. Part of the underlying statistical framework, which merges aspects of nonparametric set estimation and multiple hypothesis testing, is novel in itself, although the derivation of that framework is necessarily given elsewhere.
The birth of neurohospitalists.

Over a decade ago, the term hospitalist was coined to describe specialists in internal medicine, whose focus was primarily on inpatient care. Despite the considerable initial skepticism, this once fledgling group has grown rapidly into a well-established specialty containing more than 10 000 members in the United States.1 Similar to the hospitalist movement, neurohospitalists have emerged focusing solely on neurologic inpatient care. Whether this is merely a passing fad or the beginning of an important movement comparable to the medicine hospitalist movement remains to be seen. In this inaugural issue of The Neurohospitalist, we seek to address 4 fundamental questions about neurohospitalists: (1) What is a neurohospitalist? (2) What fueled the “birth” and growth of neurohospitalists? (3) What are the different functions of a neurohospitalist compared to other neurologists? and (4) What areas of research will define this subspecialty (eg, other than stroke and neurocritical care)?