cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Validation of a procedure for exogenous isotopic labeling of lipoprotein triglyceride with radioactive triolein.

Abstract A procedure has been developed for the exogenous isotopic labeling of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins (chylomicrons and very low density lipoproteins) using high specific activity radioactive triglyceride in the presence of aqueous dimethyl sulfoxide. The labeled product lipoproteins showed unchanged chemical and physical properties. When the particles had also been labeled biologically by incorporation of unesterified fatty acids into the triglycerides of lipoproteins secreted by liver or intestine, both endogenous and exogenous labels were removed at the same rates in the isolated perfused heart and liver or in intact or functionally hepatectomized rats. These experiments additionally indicated that the triglyceride fatty acid composition of chylomicrons and very low density lipoproteins was unchanged during triglyceride depletion in the peripheral tissues. Using such labeled lipoproteins it has been shown that uptake of remnant lipoprotein cholesteryl ester and triglyceride by the liver is simultaneous. The labeling procedure described should prove suitable for kinetic studies of the disposition of the various lipoprotein non-polar (‘core’) lipids.
Internal parasitics of the tunnel diode: Theoretical explanation

Different researchers have experimentally obtained the frequency variation of tunnel diode parasitics. Each one has shown a different form of variation, much in disagreement with the others. Adequate theoretical justification, however, is not available. The distributed device theory explains all these unexplained forms.
ATMOSPHERIC SALT PARTICLES AND RAINDROPS

Abstract Marshall and Palmer (1948) have shown that, for rains of a given intensity, there is a definite distribution curve of number of raindrops of a particular range of diameter. The writer has indicated here that the chlorinity of rains also varies with rain intensity. Recently obtained data, concerning atmospheric sea salt, are presented in the form of distribution curves. These curves show the number of sea-salt particles sampled at different altitudes, of a given weight range, plotted against the weight. A computation is made, using a salt-particle distribution curve obtained at cloud levels, in which water is added to each particle until it reaches an assumed chlorinity for a given rain intensity. Each particle is thereby increased in size and becomes a drop of a new weight. The distribution curves of these computed drops are compared to the observed distribution curves of Marshall and Palmer, for various rain intensities, and are found to be remarkably similar. This result implies that, in the pr...
Continuum models for materials with lattice-like microstructure

Abstract Within the framework of the finite element method, a general technique is presented to compute the continuum constitutive matrix of an equivalent lattice-like microstructural material. The equivalency between the continuum and microstructural stiffness matrices produces an over-determined system which is solved using the Moore-Penrose generalized inverse procedure. Although the resulting solution is not exact, it is unique in the least-squares sense. The present study is limited to two-dimensional problems; however, the technique can easily be extended to three dimensions. Several specific examples are given to demonstrate the effectiveness and accuracy of the method.
MODEL OF SLOWING THE SPREAD OF GYPSY MOTH (LEPIDOPTERA: LYMANTRIIDAE) WITH A BARRIER ZONE

When attempts to eradicate an introduced pest species fail and it becomes established, barrier zones are often used to stop or to slow the spread of the population into uninfested areas. The U.S. Forest Service is currently conducting a Slow-the-Spread (STS) pilot project to evaluate the feasibility of slowing the spread of the gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar L.) in several areas along the population front. To predict the effect of barrier zones on the rate of gypsy moth spread we developed a model that assumes establishment of isolated colonies beyond the expanding population front. These colonies grow, coalesce, and thereby contribute to the movement of the population front. The model estimates the rate of spread from two functions: (1) colonization rate as a function of the distance from the population front and (2) population numbers in a colony as a function of colony age. Eradication of isolated colonies in a barrier zone was simulated by truncating the colonization rate function beyond a specific dist...
The fundamental solution for shallow circular cylindrical shells Part I: derivations

The equations which model the elastostatic shallow circular cylindrical shell (see, e.g., [6,15,23,29]) constitute an important elliptic partial differential equation (PDE) system in the study of shell structures. When the system is subjected to a concentrated point load, the response is described by a fundamental solution of the PDE system. We have found some mathematical inconsistencies in the existing literature. Therefore, in this paper, we discuss these errors, then we use partial fractions and Fourier transform techniques to determine the fundamental solution. Explicit expressions in terms of special functions and convolution integrals are derived and simplified so that the formulas are suitable for algorithmic evaluation and for application elsewhere.
Naming in dementia secondary to Parkinson's, Huntington's, and Alzheimer's diseases

Confrontation naming problems have been found in patients with dementia secondary to Alzheimer's (AD), Huntington's (HD), and in a subset of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with dementia. The source of the naming deficit has not been established. The "Perception" and the "Semantic Feature" theories have been proposed to explain this naming dysfunction. Subjects with dementia secondary to AD, HD, and PD were given three tasks to determine which theory best explained the source of confrontation naming problems. The three tasks including picture matching, visual recognition, and confrontation naming were given to 42 subjects with dementia secondary to AD, HD, and PD controlled for severity of dementia, and to age-matched controls. Subjects with dementia did not have significantly more difficulty matching pictures but did have more difficulty associating pictures through semantic features. Subjects with mild dementia secondary to AD and HD had significantly more confrontation naming errors than subjects with mild dementia secondary to PD and normal controls. All subjects with moderate dementia had significantly more confrontation naming errors than normal controls. Statistical power may have been limited due to the small number of subjects in each group. The source of the reduction in confrontation naming performance in subjects with dementia secondary to AD, HD, and PD originated in the deterioration of semantic fields. The perception theory was rejected as findings were consistent with the semantic feature theory.
Isolation and characterization of deoxyribonucleic acid from tissue of the woolly mammoth, Mammuthus primigenius.

Abstract 1. 1. DNA was isolated from tissue samples of several mammoth specimens, radiocarbon dated between 10,000 and 53,000 years old. 2. 2. The DNA was purified by chromatography on hydroxyapatite at 60°C and was characterized as a heterogeneous population of fragments ranging in size from 3000 to 200 base pairs. 3. 3. Thermal denaturation analysis demonstrated that approximately 25% of the DNA had a base composition similar to Asian elephant DNA calculated as 36% G + C. 4. 4. Preliminary analysis by nucleic acid hybridization indicated that only a small fraction of DNA isolated from mammoth tissue (2–5%) was homologous to DNA of Asian elephant, a close living relative of the mammoth. 5. 5. Our results provide the first definitive isolation and characterization of DNA from ancient tissue and suggest a purification strategy that will lead to preparations of DNA from mammoth tissue significantly enriched in elephant-related DNA sequences.
Sustainable fuel cell integrated membrane desalination systems

Abstract According to the United Nations, between two and seven billion people will face water shortages by the year 2050. Further, it is estimated that the amount of water available per person will shrink by a third during the next two decades. Inadequate supply of good-quality water coupled with higher water demand due to rapid population growth and industrialisation in developing countries are among the major reasons for the worsening water situation. Current shortages of potable water around the world and looming water scarcity especially in the developing countries is the driving force behind the implementation of membrane technologies for seawater and brackish water desalination. Typical energy consumption in seawater reverse osmosis (RO) plants operating at 40–45% product water recovery and with energy recovery from the high pressure reject stream currently is about 3–4 kWh/m3. The near-term goal of the industry is to reduce energy consumption to less than 2 kWh/m3 by using a combination of energy efficient RO pumps, more efficient energy recovery devices, high performance low energy RO membranes, hybrid membrane systems, advanced pretreatment technologies and alternate energy integrated membrane systems. The beneficial aspects of using alternate energy systems such as on-site distributed fuel cell systems integrated with membrane desalination units in remote locations are discussed.
Oral paricalcitol in the treatment of patients with CKD and proteinuria: a randomized trial.

Background Vitamin D has key roles in regulating systems that could be important in the pathobiological state of proteinuria. Because of this, it could be helpful in treating patients with proteinuric renal diseases. The objective is to determine the effect of oral paricalcitol on protein excretion in patients with proteinuric chronic kidney disease. Study Design Double-blind randomized study. Setting & Participants 61 patients with estimated glomerular filtration rate of 15 to 90 mL/min/1.73 m 2 and protein excretion greater than 400 mg/24 h. Intervention Randomization to 6 months of treatment with paricalcitol, 1 μg/d, or placebo. Outcomes & Measurements The predefined primary end point was to compare change in mean spot urinary protein-creatinine ratio between the baseline measurement and the last study evaluation (6 months in study completers) between the 2 groups. Every 4 weeks, there was measurement of serum intact parathyroid hormone, serum calcium, serum phosphorus, serum creatinine, and urine spot protein and creatinine. Results At baseline, mean urinary protein-creatinine ratios were 2.6 and 2.8 g/g in the placebo and paricalcitol groups, respectively. At final evaluation, mean ratios were 2.7 and 2.3, respectively. Changes in protein excretion from baseline to last evaluation were +2.9% for controls and −17.6% for the paricalcitol group ( P = 0.04). A 10% decrease in proteinuria occurred in controls (7 of 27; 25.9%) and the paricalcitol group (16 of 28; 57.1%; P = 0.03). Limitations The relatively small sample size limits the extent to which results should be generalized. Conclusions Paricalcitol resulted in a significant reduction in protein excretion in patients with proteinuric renal disease.
On the graviton mass

Abstract It was suggested that observations of the solar system exclude massive gravity, in the sense that the graviton mass must be rigorously zero. This is because there is a discontinuity in the linearized gravity theory at graviton mass equal to zero. The linearized Schwarzschild metric is not recovered for infinitesimal graviton mass, contradicting observations on light deviation by the Sun and Mercury perihelion advance. It was then argued that non-perturbative effects make the massive gravity theory continuous in the graviton mass. Both the original suggestion and its refutation were based on a non-covariant and linearized action, and the physical interpretation of these results remained questionable. Here we use a covariant quasi-massive gravity theory that is known to be discontinuous in the graviton mass in the linear approximation. We show that non-perturbative effects do restore the continuity; the weak-field Schwarzschild solution is recovered in the limit of small graviton mass. We also show that weak-field Schwarzschild with matter is recovered for infinitesimal graviton mass. Thus: Observations of the solar system only put an upper limit on the graviton mass (in the context of the gravity theory that we use, inverse graviton mass, as measured at distances of order inverse graviton mass, is ≳100 Mpc). But graviton can be massive, with a cosmologically interesting mass.
An improved rosetting assay for detection of human T lymphocytes

Abstract An improved procedure for detection of human T lymphocytes using sulfhydryl-treated sheep erythrocytes is described. Major advantages of this procedure compared with previously described methods are: 1) a highly purified sulfhydryl reagent, AET, is readily available, inexpensive, and has an indefinite shelf life at room temperature; 2) AET-treated sheep erythrocytes, once prepared, are stable and usable over a 5 day period; 3) the rosetting procedure is rapid, and highly reproducible, minimizing differences due to sheep cell age and source; 4) the rosettes formed are very stabll, being quite resistant to disruption by routine handling procedures; 5) the percentage of rossete-forming cells in normal peripheral blood is significantly and reproducibly increased; 6) the data reported confirm the presence of ‘double marker’ lymphocytes in all normals and chronic lymphocytic patients studied.
Existence of Dendritic Crystal Growth with Stochastic Perturbations

Summary. We prove the first mathematical existence result for a model of dendritic crystal growth with thermal fluctuations. The incorporation of noise is widely believed to be important in solidification processes. Our result produces an evolving crystal shape and a temperature field satisfying the Gibbs-Thomson condition at the crystal interface and a heat equation with a driving force in the form of a spatially correlated white noise. We work in the regime of infinite mobility, using a sharp interface model with a smooth and elliptic anisotropic surface energy. Our approach permits the crystal to undergo topological changes. A time discretization scheme is used to approximate the evolution. We combine techniques from geometric measure theory and stochastic calculus to handle the singular geometries and take advantage of the cancellation properties of the white noise.
Distinguishing chromophore structures of photocycle intermediates of the photoreceptor PYP by transient fluorescence and energy transfer.

The cinnamoyl chromophore is the light-activated switch of the photoreceptor photoactive yellow protein (PYP) and isomerizes during the functional cycle. The fluorescence of W119, the only tryptophan of PYP, is quenched by energy transfer to the chromophore. This depends on the chromophore’s transition dipole moment orientation and spectrum, both of which change during the photocycle. The transient fluorescence of W119 thus serves as a sensitive kinetic monitor of the chromophore’s structure and orientation and was used for the first time to investigate the photocycle kinetics. From these data and measurements of the ps-fluorescence decay with background illumination (470 nm) we determined the fluorescence lifetimes of W119 in the I1 and I1′ intermediates. Two coexisting distinct chromophore structures were proposed for the I1 photointermediate from time-resolved X-ray diffraction (Ihee, H., et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 2005, 102, 7145): one with two hydrogen bonds to E46 and Y42, and a second wi...
Differential effects of specific opioid receptor agonists on rat pup isolation calls

The possibility was investigated that specific opioid receptor types might selectively alter the production of isolation-induced ultrasonic vocalizations. Intracisternal injections of mu, delta and kappa opioid receptor agonists were administered to isolated 10-day-old rat pups. The mu receptor agonist [D-Ala2-NMe-Phe4-Gly-ol]-enkephalin (DAMGO) and delta receptor agonist [D-Pen2, D-Pen5]-enkephalin (DPDPE) both reduced the rate of isolation-induced ultrasonic calling in the absence of sedation. The kappa receptor agonist U50,488 had the opposite effect, significantly raising the rate of vocalization. Fourteen-day-old pups, with a larger delta receptor population, showed a greater sensitivity to DPDPE than was seen in the younger animals.
Feedback multilevel control for continuous dynamic systems

Abstract An iterative technique for the derivation of a nearly optimal feedback control law for continuous dynamic systems with separable cost functions is developed based on the fundamental concepts of multilevel control. The developed technique comprises two major and subsequent stages. In the first stage, a two-level optimization structure is devised using the coordination by control method. An identification processthen follows in order to determine the constant gains of the dynamic controller utilizing the discrete quasilinearization algorithm. A three-level control structure is thus provided for the overall technique which can adaptively compute the unknown gains of the dynamic controller.
Hemodynamic and angiographic effects of prostaglandin E1 in coronary artery disease

The effects of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) were assessed in 24 patients with coronary artery disease. Quantitative coronary angiography was performed in 15 patients. PGE1 was found to produce dilation of coronary stenoses (6 +/- 12% to intravenous PGE1, difference not significant, 19 +/- 22% to intracoronary PGE1, p less than 0.05), but usually no change in the diameter of angiographically normal segments. In these patients intracoronary nitroglycerin consistently dilated the normal segments not altered with PGE1 and often led to further dilation of the stenoses. In 9 other patients who were undergoing coronary angioplasty, hemodynamics and the time to ischemia induced by coronary occlusion were measured. In both patient groups PGE1 led to decreases in aortic, pulmonary artery and pulmonary arterial wedge pressures and an increase in heart rate (all p less than 0.05). Before coronary occlusion PGE1 produced coronary vasodilation manifested by preservation in coronary sinus flow (130 +/- 41 to 126 +/- 42 ml/min, difference not significant); as aortic pressure declined coronary resistance decreased (0.9 +/- 0.3 to 0.8 +/- 0.3 mm Hg/ml/min, p less than 0.05). During coronary occlusion residual flow to the affected region was usually similar to control occlusions (37 +/- 20 to 36 +/- 25 ml/min, difference not significant) and collateral resistance was decreased (3.2 +/- 2.9 to 2.9 +/- 2.6 mm Hg/ml/min, p less than 0.05). However, time to ischemia usually remained unchanged. PGE1 shows an interesting angiographic and hemodynamic profile in patients with coronary artery disease. Although no obvious clinical benefit was seen, PGE1 was safely administered both intravenously and directly into narrowed coronary arteries.
Scholar quest: a residency research program aligned with faculty goals.

Introduction: The ACGME requires that residents perform scholarly activities prior to graduation, but this is difficult to complete and challenging to support. We describe a residency research program, taking advantage of environmental change aligning resident and faculty goals, to become a contributor to departmental cultural change and research development. Methods: A research program, Scholar Quest (SQ), was developed as a part of an Information Mastery program. The goal of SQ is for residents to gain understanding of scholarly activity through a mentor-directed experience in original research. This curriculum is facilitated by providing residents protected time for didactics, seed grants and statistical/staff support. We evaluated total scholarly activity and resident/faculty involvement before and after implementation (PRE-SQ; 2003-2005 and POST-SQ; 2007-2009). Results: Scholarly activity was greater POST-SQ versus PRE-SQ (123 versus 27) (p<0.05) with an incidence rate ratio (IRR)=2.35. Resident and faculty involvement in scholarly activity also increased PRE-SQ to POST-SQ (22 to 98 residents; 10 to 39 faculty, p<0.05) with an IRR=2.87 and 2.69, respectively. Conclusion: Implementation of a program using department environmental change promoting a resident longitudinal research curriculum yielded increased resident and faculty scholarly involvement, as well as an increase in total scholarly activity. [West J Emerg Med. 2014;15(3):299–305.]
Synthesis and crystal growth of SrLiH3 and EuLiH3; Ternary hydrides with the perovskite structure

Abstract The ternary metal hydrides, MLiH 3 , with M = Sr 2+ and Eu 2+ which crystallize in the cubic perovskite structure were synthesized by direct reaction between lithium hydride and the appropriate metal dihydride. The reactants were obtained by direct reaction of the vacuum distilled (10 -5 Torr) parent metals with ultrapure hydrogen. Large single crystals of both SrLiH 3 and EuLiH 3 were grown from the melt using a modification of the Bridgman-Stockbarger technique. Contrary to a previous report these materials melt incongruently rather than congruently, and it was necessary to utilize an initial charge composition of 40% MH 2 -60% LiH to prevent the precipitation of MH 2 upon melting. The peritectic melting point of EuLiH 3 was determined as 780 ± 5°C using DTA. Crystals of SrLiH 3 were orange-brown and those of EuLiH 3 were deep-red in color. The absorption edge at room temperature, determined by optical transmission measurements, was about 4.0 eV for SrLiH 3 and 1.8 eV for EuLiH 3 . The room temperature resistivity of both materials was about 10 7 ohm-cm. The crystals were quite brittle, quite sensitive to thermal shock, and tended to fracture conchoidally when cleavage was attempted by ordinary means. Chemical analysis suggested that the major impurities in both hydrides were oxygen and nitrogen and that these hydrides are not grossly non-stoichiometric with respect to hydrogen content.
The embryo-specific EMB-1 protein of Daucus carota is flexible and unstructured in solution☆

Abstract The EMB-1 protein is a highly hydrophilic protein of unknown function that accumulates in embryos of carrot before seed desiccation. To investigate the structure of this protein, it was expressed in E. coli , and purified to near homogeneity by Q-Sepharose anion exchange chromatography and ultrafiltration. The purified protein was characterized by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy under both aqueous conditions and conditions simulating desiccation. The NMR results reveal poor chemical shift dispersion, rapid chemical exchange of the amide backbone protons, unexpectedly narrow linewidths and the general absence of nuclear Overhauser effects. Together, these results indicate the EMB-1 protein has no defined secondary or tertiary structure in solution and the polypeptide backbone of the EMB-1 protein is flexible on a sub-nanosecond time scale.
A note on the up-and-down method

Objections to the use of the original version of the up-and-down method in psychology, as exaggerating individual differences and yielding discrepant results, overlook statistical, psychometric, and logical factors. When the method is applied incorrectly, the standard error of SD is largeand apparent differences in estimates of SD are not statistically significant. Psychometrically, a singletrial procedure should give less reliable, hence more variable. PSEs than one using multiple trials. But this effect increases standard error of the mean. thus significant mean differences found with the method are not attributable to greater variability in PSEs. Explanations of discrepancies in results from up-and-down and traditional methods in the study of perceptual development fail to account for numerous similarities. Finally, a novel method ought to produce some novelty, if it is to make a contribution to psychology,
Perception-driven IT-CADe analysis for the detection of masses in screening mammography: initial investigation

We have previously reported an interactive information-theoretic CADe (IT-CADe) system for the detection of masses in screening mammograms. The system operates in either traditional static mode or in interactive mode whenever the user requests a second opinion. In this study we report preliminary investigation of a new paradigm of clinical integration, guided by the user's eye-gazing and reporting patterns. An observer study was conducted in which 6 radiologists evaluated 20 mammographic cases while wearing a head-mounted eye-tracking device. For each radiologistreported location, eye-gazing data were collected. Image locations that attracted prolonged dwelling (>1000msec) but were not reported were also recorded. Fixed size regions of interest (ROIs) were extracted around all above locations and analyzed using the IT-CADe system. Preliminary analysis showed that IT-CADe correctly confirmed 100% of reported true mass locations while eliminating 12.5% of the reported false positive locations. For unreported locations that attracted long dwelling, IT-CADe identified 4/6 false negative errors (i.e., errors of decision) while overcalling 8/84 TN decisions. Finally, for missed true masses that attracted short (i.e., errors of recognition) or no dwelling at all (i.e., errors of search), IT-CADe detected 5/8 of them. These results suggest that IT-CADe customization to the user's eye-gazing and reporting pattern could potentially help delineate the various sources of diagnostic error (search, recognition, decision) for each individual user and provide targeted decision support, thus improving the human-CAD synergy.
Extended Collaboration Description Language (X-CODL)

Enterprise Computing requires seamless collaboration between business parties. One major factor that decides the success of collaboration activities is coordination. In this paper, we introduce an Extended Collaboration Description Language (X-CODL) as a plug in to define collaboration-related coordination requirements in a uniform manner. Bound to multiple coordination points of discussion threads, X-CODL realizes fine-grained coordination control. We also propose a mechanism to formally verify and reason about X-CODL specifications through Colored Petri Nets.
Myocardial Infarction Secondary to Calcific Embolization: An Unusual Complication of Bioprosthetic Valve Degeneration

A patient with coronary artery embolization of calcific material from a degenerated Ionescu-Shiley bovine pericardial bioprosthesis in the aortic position with resultant acute myocardial infarction is described.
Role of Genetic Redundancy in Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) Polymerases in PHA Biosynthesis in Rhodospirillum rubrum

This study investigated the apparent genetic redundancy in the biosynthesis of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) in the Rhodospirillum rubrum genome revealed by the occurrence of three homologous PHA polymerase genes (phaC1, phaC2, and phaC3). In vitro biochemical assays established that each gene product encodes PHA polymerase. A series of single, double, and triple phaC deletion mutants were characterized with respect to PHA production and growth capabilities on acetate or hexanoate as the sole carbon source. These analyses establish that phaC2 contributes the major capacity to produce PHA, even though the PhaC2 protein is not the most efficient PHA polymerase biocatalyst. In contrast, phaC3 is an insignificant contributor to PHA productivity, and phaC1, the PHA polymerase situated in the PHA biosynthetic operon, plays a minor role in this capability, even though both of these genes encode PHA polymerases that are more efficient enzymes. These observations are consistent with the finding that PhaC1 and PhaC3 occur at undetectable levels, at least 10-fold lower than that of PhaC2. The monomers in the PHA polymer produced by these strains establish that PhaC2 is responsible for the incorporation of the C(5) and C(6) monomers. The in vitro characterizations indicate that heteromeric PHA polymerases composed of mixtures of different PhaC paralogs are more efficient catalysts, suggesting that these proteins form complexes. Finally, the physiological role of PHA accumulation in enhancing the fitness of R. rubrum was indicated by the relationship between PHA content and growth capabilities of the genetically manipulated strains that express different levels of the PHA polymer.
Determination of Crude Fat in Fish Feeds

Abstract Traditional solvent extraction procedures have yielded crude fat values lower than anticipated, on the basis of fat contents of composing ingredients, in extrusion processed fish feeds but provided reasonable values in steam pelleted feeds. Acid hydrolysis before solvent extraction increased the crude fat values in extrusion processed fish feeds by two and one-half times. Acid hydrolysis pretreatment offered no advantage over solvent (ether) extraction alone for crude fat determination in steam pelleted fish feeds, fishmeal, catfish waste meal, or yellow corn meal. Acid hydrolysis pretreatment doubled the yield of crude fat in commercial, solvent-extracted soybean meal.
A Real-Time Per-Thread IQ-Capping Technique for Simultaneous Multi-threading (SMT) Processors

Effective use of critical resources among threads remains a challenge to Simultaneous multithreading (SMT) due to transient behaviors of threads. As Issue Queue (IQ) is regarded as one of most critical shared resources in the pipeline, putting a limit on its occupation by each thread may easily improve the overall throughput, however, such a limit (cap) should be set properly in real time to accommodate the transient behavior of each thread. We propose a simple dynamic algorithm to adjust the cap value for each thread in real time according to its activeness in terms of its dispatching and issuing activities. The simulation results show that the proposed technique not only achieves a significant improvement in IPC over the regular no-capping technique, but also demonstrates a performance superior to the fixed capping approach.
Observations on the regulation of DNA biosynthesis.

Abstract It has been established that bacteria in stationary phase do not incorporate radioactive thymidine into DNA ( see Lark, 1963 ). Three of the possible explanations for the failure to incorporate thymidine in stationary phase have been considered: (1) inactive DNA polymerase, (2) depletion of one or more of the deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates, and (3) non-functionality of DNA as a primer. Experiments with E. , coli starved of an essential amino acid ( Billen, 1962m ) and the slime mold P. , polycephalium ( Guttes and Guttes, 1961 ) were interpreted to indicate that factors other than the enzyme and substrate were responsible for the regulation of DNA synthesis. This communication reports on the relative inability of DNA in sonicates of stationary phase Myxococcus , xanthus to function as an active primer for DNA synthesis.
All-Digital A/D converter TAD for sensor interface over wide temperature ranges

For achieving a highly-durable sensor ASIC with high performance and low cost, an all-digital sensor ADC using a time-domain processor TAD (Time A/D converter) is presented. Generally, measuring travel time of signals (e.g., light pulses, radio and ultrasonic waves, etc.) should be done under various stringent conditions (i.e., high ambient temperature) in automobiles, heavy-machinery and resource exploration systems, for example. Therefore, to realize wide-range temperature durability, sensor ADC circuits should be fully-digital, including a ring-delay-line (RDL) driven by an input voltage Vin for its power supply, along with an RDL frequency counter, latch and encoder. In this study, an ADC core is implemented with 0.26 mm2 in a low-cost 0.35-μm digital CMOS applying our original 2-CKES (clock edge shift) method for higher resolution. When detecting low-level noisy signals received, a high-speed sensor ADC with a voltage resolution of 10.9 mV/LSB (6.5bit, 40MS/s) is available for integrating received pulse/wave amplitude to determine signal-travel time in a wide temperature range between -40 and 125°C. In addition, the all-digital architecture TAD is suitable for porting and scaling to another silicon technology with minimal IC design term and cost. As a scaling result, using a test-IC in a 0.18-μm digital CMOS, we have also experimentally confirmed its stable operations between -40 and 125°C with a smaller active area (0.044mm2) and higher resolutions, resulting in 0.15mV/LSB (1MS/s).
Lazy leisure: A qualitative investigation of the relational uses of television in marriage

Communication researchers have examined television from the perspective of the individual's uses and gratifications, family viewing, and within specific contexts such as soap opera or Olympic coviewing. However, little is known about married couples and the role of television in their relationships. This study sought to use extensive personal interviews to examine why couples watch television together, how they perceive the role of television in their relationships, and any positive or negative effects of television use in their relationship. Results were compared to earlier research regarding family TV use, and quantitative research on couples’ uses of television. A new dimension, interpersonal control, was identified as an outcome of coviewing for married couples.
Automatic generation of qualitative descriptions of process trends for fault detection and diagnosis

Abstract One of the important problems in process operations management is how to deal effectively with a multitude of process data. Often, this information is not presented in a manner that reflects the underlying important trends and events in the process. Hence a system that can assess and explain process trends would help solve these problems of process information management. This paper presents a framework for the automatic generation of such qualitative process trend descriptions directly from sensor data. The approach utilizes hierarchical abstractions of the process data. The qualitative process behavior is constructed by identifying four levels of the behavior, namely, primitives, episodes, trends, and profiles. The performance of this qualitative filtering technique on various simulated trends of a CSTR case study is also discussed. It is seen that this approach is able to identify all the important features of the process trends for a variety of situations. The qualitative filter provides for a meaningful compaction of large amounts of numerical data without losing the essential information about the trends. Using this framework, one can summarize succinctly the important features of the trends, and their potential consequences, and thus provide for cause and effect explanations about the process behavior at various levels of detail to the operator. The applicability of this qualitative filtering framework for process fault detection and diagnosis is also presented using a CSTR case study.
Mass spectrometry of particles formed in a deuterated ethene diffusion flame.

Nanometer-sized spherule soot precursor particles have been collected by thermophoretic sampling from the interior of a laminar diffusion flame and mass analyzed by laser microprobe mass spectrometry. Mass spectra of the precursor particles formed in an ethene diffusion flame have indicated the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the m/z range of 202−300 and higher mass peaks extending out to m/z 472. The mass resolution of the time-of-flight mass spectrometer used did not provide conclusive identification of PAHs because of ambiguities in assignment for the relative amounts of carbon and hydrogen (CxHy) for each PAH peak and the possibilities of spectral interferences. To determine the chemical formula that can be assigned to each molecular ion peak, an isotopically pure deuterated ethene (C2D4) fuel was burned in place of normal ethene (C2H4) in the diffusion flame. For the normal ethene fuel, mass peaks tentatively identified as C16H10 to C38H16 were obtained. Accordingly, deuterated...
Computing systems dependability

Computer systems provide us with a wide range of services upon which we have come to depend. Many computers are embedded in more complex devices that we use such as automobiles, aircraft, appliances, and medical devices. Others are part of sophisticated systems that provide us with a variety of important facilities such as financial services, telecommunications, transportation systems, and energy production and distribution networks. Engineering systems to be as dependable as we require them to be is a significant challenge and requires a variety of analysis and development techniques. It is important that computer engineers, software engineers, project managers, and users understand the major elements of current technology in the field of dependability, yet this material tends to be unfamiliar to researchers and practitioners alike. Researchers are often concerned in one way or another with some aspect of what is mistakenly called software "reliability". All practitioners are concerned with the "reliability" of the software that they produce but researchers and practitioners tend not to understand fully the broader impact of their work. A lot of research, such as that on testing, is concerned directly with software dependability. Understanding dependability more fully allows researchers to be more effective. Similarly, practitioners can direct their efforts during development more effectively if they have a better understanding of dependability.
Environmental oxygen conditions during the origin and early evolution of life

Abstract The well-known sensitivity of proteins and nucleic acids to UV-radiation requires that some internally consistent protection scenario be envisioned for the origin and early evolution of life on Earth. Although a variety of ozone-surrogates has been proposed, the available biochemical, geochemical and geological evidence best supports the conclusion that free oxygen was available at levels capable of providing at least a moderate ozone screen. Levels of oxygen near 1–2% of the present atmospheric level are consistent with such a screen, and with: (1) the biochemical needs of early procaryotes considered phylogenetically more primitive than the oxygen-producing Cyanobacteria; (2) the rare-earth element data from the oxide facies of the 3.8 Byr-old Isua bandediron formations; (3) the nature and phylogenetic distribution of superoxide dismutases; (4) the need for aerobic recycling of early photosynthetic productivity dictated by the distribution of ancient sedimentary iron and organic carbon; (5) the incompatibility of dissolved reduced sulfur (to support anoxygenic photosynthesis) and ferrous iron (to support banded iron-formations) in the surface waters of the world oceans; and (6) the comparative oxygen and UV-sensitivities of modern procaryotes.
URETHRECTOMY IN MEN WITH TRANSITIONAL CELL CARCINOMA OF BLADDER

Data on a selected group of 90 male patients who had total cystectomy for diffuse transitional cell carcinoma encroaching on the bladder neck and/or involving the prostatic urethra were studied in relation to the incidence of urethral involvement. Of the 59 patients who had only total cystectomy, 8 (13.5%) required a subsequent therapeutic urethrectomy for clinical anterior urethral carcinoma. Of the remaining 31 patients who underwent simultaneous prophylactic urethrectomy at the time of cystectomy, 2 (6.4%) had transitional cell carcinoma and 1 had moderate mucosal atypia of the anterior urethra. Although the remaining urethra constitutes a potential hazard for further tumor formation, only 1 of 10 patients with urethral carcinoma possibly died of urethral tumor recurrence. Therefore, the urologist has a choice either to follow the patient closely with cytologic urethral wash or to do a prophylactic urethrectomy, especially in patients who are difficult to follow-up closely.
Categorizing Local Contexts as a Step in Grammatical Category Induction

Building on the use of local contexts, or frames, for human category acquisition, we explore the treatment of contexts as categories. This allows us to examine and evaluate the categorical properties that local unsupervised methods can distinguish and their relationship to corpus POS tags. From there, we use lexical information to combine contexts in a way which preserves the intended category, providing a platform for grammatical category induction.
Selective Ligands for the μ, δ, and κ Opioid Receptors Identified from a Single Mixture Based Tetrapeptide Positional Scanning Combinatorial Library

A combinatorial library of 6,250,000 tetrapeptides in the mixture based positional scanning format was screened in binding assays for the three opioid receptors, μ, δ, and κ. Three different binding profiles were found. Individual peptides were synthesized representing all possible combinations of the active amino acids identified from the screening data. New, highly active peptides selective for each of the three receptors were chosen. This study demonstrates the power of mixture-based combinatorial libraries to identify distinctly different ligands for closely related receptors.
An Investigation of the Influence of Chain Length on the Interfacial Ordering of L-Lysine and L-Proline and Their Homopeptides at Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interfaces Studied by Sum Frequency Generation and Quartz Crystal Microbalance

Sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy (SFG) and quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) are employed to study the interfacial structure and adsorbed amount of the amino acids L-lysine and L-proline and their corresponding homopeptides, poly-L-lysine and poly-L-proline, at two liquid-solid interfaces. SFG and QCM-D experiments of these molecules are carried out at the interface between phosphate buffered saline at pH 7.4 (PBS) and the hydrophobic deuterated polystyrene (d8-PS) surface as well as the interface between PBS and hydrophilic fused silica (SiO2). The SFG spectra of the amino acids studied here are qualitatively similar to their corresponding homopeptides; however, the SFG signal from amino acids at the solid/PBS interface is smaller in magnitude relative to their more massive homopeptides at the concentrations studied here. Substantial differences are observed in SFG spectra for each species between the hydrophobic d8-PS and the hydrophilic SiO2 liquid-solid interfaces, suggesting surface-dependent interfacial ordering of the biomolecules. Over the range of concentrations used in this study, QCM-D measurements also indicate that on both surfaces poly-L-lysine adsorbs to a greater extent than its constituent amino acid L-lysine. The opposite trend is demonstrated by poly-L-proline which sticks to both surfaces less extensively than its corresponding amino acid, L-proline. Lastly, we find that the adsorption of the molecules studied here can have a strong influence on interfacial water structure as detected in the SFG spectra.
Planned Change in an Organized Anarchy: Support for a Postmodernist Perspective

Presents data from a study of planned organizational redesign to challenge several assumptions underlying theories of planned change. Describes and analyses the experience at Worldwide Action for Development, an international organization with the characteristics of an organized anarchy, to establish a divisional structure based on the location of its programme offices. This case shows how directed change can evolve over the course of implementation and result in unanticipated outcomes. Considers the implications for how planned change can be understood and implemented when circumstances undermine the validity of modernist assumptions about how or why organizations change.
Introducing dimensional analysis to the social sciences

Abstract This study serves to introduce dimensional analysis to the social sciences. Dimensional analysis, a method fundamental to research in the physical sciences, is presented first in a conceptual framework. Questions such as: what makes the method work, what use is it, and what are its limitations … are dealt with summarily. The method is then applied to the modeling of interurban migration. The selection of independent variables, the synthesis of dimensionless groups, and the analysis of data are considered in some detail. While a blanket endorsement of the method must be withheld pending further research, results of the present study are encouraging. Dimensional analysis may eventually find wide application in the social sciences.
Aspects of body self-calibration

The representation of body orientation and configuration is dependent on multiple sources of afferent and efferent information about ongoing and intended patterns of movement and posture. Under normal terrestrial conditions, we feel virtually weightless and we do not perceive the actual forces associated with movement and support of our body. It is during exposure to unusual forces and patterns of sensory feedback during locomotion that computations and mechanisms underlying the ongoing calibration of our body dimensions and movements are revealed. This review discusses the normal mechanisms of our position sense and calibration of our kinaesthetic, visual and auditory sensory systems, and then explores the adaptations that take place to transient Coriolis forces generated during passive body rotation. The latter are very rapid adaptations that allow body movements to become accurate again, even in the absence of visual feedback. Muscle spindle activity interpreted in relation to motor commands and internally modeled reafference is an important component in permitting this adaptation. During voluntary rotary movements of the body, the central nervous system automatically compensates for the Coriolis forces generated by limb movements. This allows accurate control to be maintained without our perceiving the forces generated.
A Self-Organizing Flock of Condors

Condor provides high throughput computing by leveraging idle-cycles on off-the-shelf desktop machines. It also supports flocking, a mechanism for sharing resources among Condor pools. Since Condor pools distributed over a wide area can have dynamically changing availability and sharing preferences, the current flocking mechanism based on static configurations can limit the potential of sharing resources across Condor pools. This paper presents a technique for resource discovery in distributed Condor pools using peer-to-peer mechanisms that are self-organizing, fault-tolerant, scalable, and locality-aware. Locality-awareness guarantees that applications are not shipped across long distances when nearby resources are available. Measurements using a synthetic job trace show that self-organized flocking reduces the maximum job wait time in queue for a heavily loaded pool by a factor of 10 compared to without flocking. Simulations of 1000 Condor pools are also presented and the results confirm that our technique discovers and utilizes nearby resources in the physical network.
The Tides of Reform Revisited: Patterns in Making Government Work, 1945–2002

The past six decades have witnessed acceleration in both the number and variety of major administrative reform statutes enacted by Congress. This increase can be explained partly by the increased involvement of Congress, a parallel decrease in activity and resistance by the presidency, and heightened public distrust toward government. At least part of the variation in the tides or philosophies of reform involves a “field of dreams” effect in which the creation of new governmental structure during the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s generated increased interest in process reforms. However, part of the acceleration and variety of reform appears to be related to the lack of hard evidence of what actually works in improving government performance. Measured by federal employees’ perceptions of organizational performance, what matters most is not whether organizations were reformed in the past, but whether organizations need reform in the future and can provide essential resources for achieving their mission.