cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cell Broadband Engine™ processor security architecture and digital content protection

Current content protection technologies such as those based on broadcast encryption and public-key encryption focus on the distribution and control of content. Although these technologies are effective and mathematically sound, they are susceptible to systematic attacks that utilize any underlying platform weakness, bypassing the cryptographic strengths of the actual schemes. Thus, ensuring that the computing platform supports the cryptographic content protection layers on top is a critical issue. In this light, the Cell Broadband Engine (Cell BE) processor [1] security architecture has three core features that are well-suited for this purpose. First, it provides a hardware-enforced memory isolation whereby code and data are robustly protected during code execution. Unlike competing security solutions, this design is unique in that even if the supervisory software such as the operating system or the hypervisor is compromised, the memory isolation is guaranteed. In contrast, most security architectures rely on the perpetual integrity and security of its supervisory software to protect and separate the processes. Second, the Cell BE architecture provides the ability to do a hardware supported authentication of the software stack (i.e. "secure boot") during runtime. Many security architectures do a secure boot only at boot time with the assumption that if the software's integrity is verified at time 0, it can be trusted forever afterwards. However, many security attacks such as those that are software-based, compromise the software stack during runtime. The Cell BE protects against this by offering a runtime secure boot feature so that the software stack can be constantly re-verified. Third, the architecture provides a hardware key to act as the root of an encryption chain. Data encrypted by this key directly or indirectly can only be decrypted and provided to an application that is running in the isolated memory (the first feature) and has been verified (via the second feature). This significantly limits an adversary's chances of manipulating software to expose the keys fundamental to a content protection scheme.
Pulmonary hypertension in lambs with congenital diaphragmatic hernia: Vasodilator prostaglandins, isoprenaline, and tolazoline

Abstract After antenatal induction of diaphragmatic hernias in fetal lambs, prostaglandins D2, E1, and I2 were compared to tolazoline, or isoprenaline, for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension. When rendered hypoxic, these, and normal lambs, showed an increase in pulmonary artery pressure, a decrease in systemic pressure, and a decrease in pulmonary blood flow. All of the drugs altered that response, but to different degrees. None of the drugs tested was consistently successful in reversing the adverse affects of hypoxia, but prostaglandin D2 came closest to the ideal vasodilator, decreasing the pulmonary artery pressure in all seven hypoxic lambs having a diaphragmatic hernia. There was a concomitant increase in pulmonary blood flow in six; in the remaining lamb the decrease in blood flow induced by the hypoxia was arrested. At the same time, there was an increase in systemic artery pressure in three, the decrease was arrested in two, but the decrease continued in the other two. Isoprenaline was a more effective drug than tolazoline, producing an increase in pulmonary blood flow in five of the seven lambs, with minor decreases in systemic pressure in five. Tolazo-line improved blood flow in three of six lambs (not all lambs survived the full study), with a marked decrease in systemic pressure in four of them. Prostaglandin D2 seems to be a useful drug for the treatment of patients having diaphragmatic hernias and pulmonary hypertension, and warrants further study. Isoprenaline was the most effective of the readily available drugs tested in this animal model.
Platelet glutathione peroxidase and monoamine oxidase activity in schizophrenics with CT scan abnormalities: relation to psychosocial variables

We have previously reported that the activity in platelets of the important antioxidant enzyme glutathione peroxidase (GPx) is inversely correlated with computed tomographic (CT) measures of brain atrophy in a population of patients with chronic schizophrenia, suggesting that low GPx may be a vulnerability factor in those schizophrenic patients with structural brain abnormalities. The significance of this finding has now been explored in a larger clinical population by examining the relation of GPx and CT parameters to psychosocial variables and to the activity of platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO), which has also been reported to be altered in certain schizophrenic populations. In the present study, low platelet GPx and high brain atrophy were found to be associated with DSM-III diagnoses of nonparanoid schizophrenia, a high degree of chronicity, and a predominance of negative symptoms. Contrary to some literature reports, atrophy also correlated with age and length of illness among the schizophrenic patients, although the contribution of these factors was less than that of low GPx, which was itself not age dependent. The ventricle-brain ratio (VBR) and atrophy were highly correlated in a control group of affective disorder patients, but not in the schizophrenic group, where large VBRs were found predominantly in the DSM-III undifferentiated subgroup. The low-GPx/high-atrophy schizophrenic patients had normal platelet MAO levels, and MAO was significantly lower only in the paranoid subgroup, consistent with reported observations. There was no evidence for a neuroleptic-induced effect on either enzyme.
Engagement in two interdisciplinary graduate programs

This qualitative study examines two US interdisciplinary graduate programs which involve faculty and students from different disciplines. Haworth and Conrad’s engagement theory of quality graduate education was applied. It was found that when interdisciplinary programs facilitate engagement by supporting diversity, participation, connections, and interactive teaching and learning, students report positive experiences. Engagement is particularly achievable when an interdisciplinary administrative unit (e.g., a school or center) grants degrees and serves as a tenure home for faculty. Students earning degrees in traditional departments had more difficulty connecting interdisciplinary requirements to their disciplinary work, and were often faced with incompatible program requirements or advice from faculty members. Although they desire to do interdisciplinary work, the students and faculty in traditional departments are required to meet additional and often conflicting requirements. Engagement may further be complicated because these participants feel divided between collaborations, social networks, and expectations that pull them in different directions.
Ultrastructural and biochemical effects of prolonged oral arsenic exposure on liver mitochondria of rats.

This investigation was undertaken to further delineate the subcellular manifestations of arsenic toxicity following chronic exposure using combined ultrastructural and biochemical techniques. Male ...
Ionospheric Diagnostics Using Resonances of an Electric Dipole Impedance

A technique of using the driving-point impedance of an electric antenna in the ionosphere to diagnose the ionospheric plasma is presented. Specifically, the locations of the resonances in the driving-point impedance of a center-fed cylindrical electric dipole imbedded in the ionosphere are analyzed. The ionospheric model is a lossy, anisotropic, homogeneous neutral plasma containing various ionic constituents. It is found that there are zeros in the reactance at the upper and lower hybrid frequencies and poles at the electron and ion gyrofrequencies. These critical frequencies are independent of antenna length and orientation (parallel or perpendicular to the earth's magnetic field) to the first-order approximation. It is shown that pole-zero frequencies could be used to determine the earth's magnetic field strength, electron density, and ion masses and densities at any point in the ionosphere at which the impedance was measured. Consequently, this technique offers the possibility of measuring several ionospheric plasma characteristics with one instrument aboard rockets and satellites.
Studies of Political Character Factor Patterns of 24 U. S. Vice-Presidents

Summary Profiles of vice-presidential behavior and background in Barzman's Madmen and Geniuses, along with later and supplementary data, were evaluated on 13 characteristics and factor analyzed by an orthogonal varimax procedure. Solutions suggested the dimensions of activity-charisma, likability, and shrewdness-persistence. Factor scores and certain derived measures were computed for incumbents from Wheeler through Mondale, with several found related to other evidence of political success.
Effect of suggestion upon experimental pain response parameters.

The differential effects of permissive and non-permissive instructions upon pain threshold and pain tolerance were studied in 43 healthy human Ss, using cutaneous electrical stimulation. Non-permissive instructions resulted in very significant increases in both pain tolerance and pain sensitivity range, but no significant changes were observed for both pain threshold and detection threshold. Therefore, Gelfand's hypothesis, stating that pain threshold and pain tolerance have differential loadings of physiological and psychological components, was supported. It was also found that the left or non-dominant hand was consistently more sensitive to pain than the right hand. This result is consistent with Wolff's and Jarvik's suggestion that lateral dominance is important in pain perception.
Aqueous solvation and functionalization of weak-acid polyelectrolyte thin films

A combination of in situ and ex situ ellipsometric studies and infrared spectroscopy was used to evaluate the extent of solvation of a thin covalently assembled, hyperbranched poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) graft on a gold substrate. The results show that these thin films swell reversibly by up to 300% upon immersion in a pH 1.7 buffer and by more than 500% at pH 10.7. This change in thickness, which is centered at pH 4.3, results from acid-group ionization. Covalent modification of the PAA thin films can be used to control both the extent of film swelling and the pH range over which the films undergo protonation/deprotonation reactions. For example, partial fluoramidation of the PAA carboxyl groups raises the pH where ionization occurs to 6.7 and reduces the extent of swelling (compared to the dry film) to 130% and 150% at pH 1.7 and 10.7, respectively. Solvated poly(sodium acrylate) films also serve as polyvalent ion-exchange substrates for immobilization of polyvalent cations including dendrimers, poly-l-lys...
Circulating fibroblast-like cells in men with metastatic prostate cancer

BACKGROUND Metastatic prostate cancer is an incurable disease. During the development of this disease, prostate cancer cells enter the bloodstream as single cells or clusters of cells. Prostate fibroblasts, a cancer-promoting cell type in the prostate cancer microenvironment, could in theory incorporate into these migrating cell clusters or follow cancer cells into the bloodstream through holes in the tumor vasculature. Based on this idea, we hypothesized that fibroblast-like cells, defined here as cytokeratin 8/18/19−/DAPI+/CD45−/vimentin+ cells, are present in the blood of men with metastatic prostate cancer. METHODS Veridex's CellSearch® system was used to immunomagnetically capture EpCAM+ cells and clusters of cells heterogeneous for EpCAM expression from the blood of men with metastatic prostate cancer, localized cancer, and no known cancer, and immunostain them for the presence of cytokeratins 8/18/19, a nucleus, CD45, and vimentin. Fibroblast-like cells were then quantified. RESULTS Fibroblast-like cells were present in 58.3% of men with metastatic prostate cancer but not in any men with localized prostate cancer or no known cancer. The presence of these cells correlated with certain known indicators of poor prognosis: ≥5 circulating tumor cells, defined here as cytokeratin 8/18/19+/DAPI+/CD45− cells, per 7.5 ml of blood, and a relatively high serum prostate-specific antigen level of ≥20 ng/ml. CONCLUSIONS The presence of fibroblast-like cells in the blood may provide prognostic information as well as information about the biology of metastatic prostate cancer. Prostate 73: 176–181, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A microprocessor controlled dual parameter ADC system with a CAMAC interface

Abstract Presented here is the design of a dual parameter ADC system which is controlled by a microprocessor and also interfaced to CAMAC. The system was designed to be mobile in that it may work wherever there is a CAMAC crate. In such cases where the CAMAC system is inoperative, the system may operate in a stand-alone mode.
Overview of convection and radiation in high temperature gas flows

Abstract A literature overview is presented of radiative and convective heat transfer in high temperature gas flows. The primary thrust is on fundamentals, but current technological applications of the complex phenomena involving, not only spectrally selective radiative transfer in common gases, but also turbulent chemically reacting flows, are discussed. The infrared radiation gas property models and methods for solving the radiative transfer equation are highlighted first. Then, convective and radiative heat transfer in channels and chemically reacting high temperature flows are reviewed. The nonlinear effects of turbulent fluctuations in radiative transfer, and the influence of radiation on thermal turbulence spectra are also considered. Critical issues which need to be addressed for a more complete understanding of the processes are raised, and topics requiring research attention are identified.
Digital image processing for clinicians, part I: Basics of image formation.

Image formation is the part of digital image processing that creates the interface between the clinician and the computer. Pixel depth, resolution, and the translation table used are all important factors affecting the final image.
On reversible abelian Hadamard difference sets

It is shown that there does not exist a reversible abelian Hadamard difference set in Z 2 2 x Z 9 2 or Z 4 2 x Z 3 2 . This settles the last two open cases for the existence of reversible (4N 2 ,2N 2 -N,N 2 -N)-abelian Hadamard difference sets with N <10.
ON A NEW CLASS OF LOAD BALANCING NETWORK PROTOCOLS

In this paper we study a new class of generic, parametrized, locally load-sensing (LLS) network-routing protocols over simple graphs, Y. These protocols are Y-"local" in the sense that they transmit packets only between Y-adjacent vertices and LLS since they base their "routing decisions" dynamically on queue-sizes of their neighbors and their relative distance to the destination. In the system each vertex has specific data-queues indexed by its respective Y-neighbors. The state of a vertex then consists of the collection of queue-sizes. The data-transmission protocols are formally specified in the framework of sequential dynamical systems, which allows us to categorize and classify our experiments. We will investigate the following scenario: for fixed Y we assume a single source/destination pair to be given and a system-update then consists of the collection of local protocol updates according to some fixed permutation of the Y-vertices. We then iterate the system-updates and thereby obtain the time evolution of the queue-sizes of the vertices. We will present and discuss results on the evolution of the load, i.e. the total number of packets in the network, the throughput, i.e. the rate at which packets arrive at the destination, and study the dependence of the queue-size dynamics on various other system parameters. In particular, we will analyze update schedule dependency and the impact of queue-capacity on system stability. We will show that our protocols can adapt and dynamically utilize new routes in a fixed network.
Listeria monocytogenes, but not Salmonella typhimurium, elicits a CD18-independent mechanism of neutrophil extravasation into the murine peritoneal cavity.

This study shows that extravasation of neutrophils into the peritoneal cavities of mice in response to intraperitoneal (i.p.) inoculation of wild-type Listeria monocytogenes requires the participation of leukocyte adhesion molecules that are different from those involved in neutrophil recruitment in response to i.p. inoculation of Salmonella typhimurium. In the case of S. typhimurium, extensive neutrophil influx could be essentially abolished by treating mice with either anti-CD11b or anti-CD18 monoclonal antibodies, whereas the same monoclonal antibodies failed to prevent neutrophil accumulation in the peritoneal cavity in response to inoculation of L. monocytogenes. On the other hand, i.p. inoculation of a listeriolysin-negative strain of L. monocytogenes induced a CD11b-dependent neutrophil influx. The possibility that wild-type L. monocytogenes, by virtue of its ability to inhabit the cytosol of the cells it infects, induces the expression of endothelial cell adhesion molecules in the microvasculature of the peritoneal cavity to which neutrophils adhere via leukocyte adhesion molecules distinct from beta-2 integrins is discussed.
Implementing real-time systems using performance polymorphism

A novel model for complex real-time systems is proposed. In this model, several versions of a program fragment are provided to perform a particular action. These versions will differ only in their performance parameters such as the time required, the resources consumed, and the precision of the results. The authors describe an implementation of a technique called performance polymorphism, in which the process of selecting a version from this set may be automated. Performance polymorphism is a unified theory to express the choice among multiple versions in a way that is both natural and powerful. It allows the flexibility of adding new versions at any time, of adapting to unforeseen constraints, and of adapting to automatically generated variants of a procedure (as, for example, might come from a parallelizing compiler). A means to implement the theory of performance polymorphism that requires very low overheads at run time has been developed. >
Dipole induced transparency in cavity-waveguide drop-filter systems

We show that a waveguide which is opaque due to interaction with a drop-filter cavity can be made transparent when the cavity is also coupled to a dipole. A transparency condition is derived.
PARASITES AND THE EVOLUTION OF SELF-FERTILIZATION

Assuming all else is equal, an allele for selfing should spread when rare in an outcrossing population and rapidly reach fixation. Such an allele will not spread, however, if self-fertilization results in inbreeding depression so severe that the fitness of selfed offspring is less that half that of outcrossed offspring. Here we consider an ecological force that may also counter the spread of a selfing allele: coevolution with parasites. Computer simulations were conducted for four different genetic models governing the details of infection. Within each of these models, we varied both the level of selfing in the parasite and the level of male-gamete discounting in the host (i.e., the reduction in outcrossing fitness through male function due to the selfing allele). We then sought the equilibrium level of host selfing under the different conditions. The results show that, over a wide range of conditions, parasites can select for host reproductive strategies in which both selfed and outcrossed progeny are produced (mixed mating). In addition, mixed mating, where it exits, tends to be biased toward selfing.
Actinic imaging and evaluation of phase structures on EUV lithography masks

Actinic imaging and evaluation of phase structures on EUV lithography masks Iacopo Mochi 1 , Kenneth A. Goldberg 1 , Sungmin Huh 2 Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Samsung Electronics d We describe the implementation of a phase-retrieval algorithm to reconstruct phase and complex amplitude of structures on EUV lithography masks. Many native defects commonly found on EUV reticles are difficult to detect and review accurately because they have a strong phase component. Understanding the complex amplitude of mask features is essential for predictive modeling of defect printability and defect repair. Besides printing in a stepper, the most accurate way to characterize such defects is with actinic inspection, performed at the design, EUV wavelength. Phase defect and phase structures show a distinct through-focus behavior that enables qualitative evaluation of the object phase from two or more high-resolution intensity measurements. For the first time, phase of structures and defects on EUV masks were quantitatively reconstructed based on aerial image measurements, using a modified version of a phase-retrieval algorithm developed to test optical phase shifting reticles. I. Introduction Mask defects are one of the main issues of concern for extreme ultraviolet EUV lithography. The development of accurate defect inspection, imaging, and characterization capabilities is essential to understand mask and pattern quality and to evaluate repair efforts. Existing and emerging non- actinic defect review techniques can fail to assess the extent of defects on EUV blank and patterned masks [1] because of the strong wavelength dependence of the mask and defect optical properties in the EUV region. For this reason, with the exception of printing, actinic mask imaging appears to be the most reliable way to predict the effect that defects in the pattern or on the mask blank will have on the printed wafer. Email: IMochi@lbl.gov
Core Competencies for Research Training in the Clinical Pharmaceutical Sciences

Objective. To identify and apply core competencies for training students enrolled in the clinical pharmaceutical scientist PhD training program at the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy. Design. Faculty members reached consensus on the required core competencies for the program and mapped them to curricular and experiential requirements. Assessment. A rubric was created based on core competencies spanning 8 major categories of proficiency, and competencies of clinical versus traditional PhD training were delineated. A retrospective evaluation of the written comprehensive examinations of 12 former students was conducted using the rubric. Students scored above satisfactory in 11 out of 14 comprehensive examination metrics, with a mean score greater than 3.8 on a 5-point scale. Conclusions. The core competencies identified will provide an essential foundation for informed decision-making and assessment of PhD training in the clinical pharmaceutical sciences.
Receptor-induced degradation of atrial natriuretic peptide by a rabbit carotid artery smooth muscle cell

We have used a smooth muscle cell line isolated from rabbit carotid artery (RCA) as a model system with which to study the expression of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) receptors and, in addition, the receptor-mediated degradation of ANP. RCA cells bind rat alpha ANP-(1-28) reversibly at 37 C, apparently to a single class of high affinity (Kd approximately equal to 50 pM) binding sites (approximately equal to 20,000 sites per cell). Binding of rat alpha ANP-(1-28) elicits rapid accumulation of intracellular cGMP. However, the concentrations of rat alpha ANP-(1-28) and related peptides, abbreviated at the N- and C-terminals, required to stimulate cGMP synthesis are substantially greater than those required for binding. Analysis by HPLC of 125I-labeled rat alpha ANP-(1-28) bound to RCA cells at 37 C illustrates the rapid and continuous degradation of the radioiodinated rat alpha ANP-(1-28) to two radiolabeled products, one of which, 125I-labeled tyrosine is the major radiolabeled component that dissociates from the cells. Measurement of rat alpha ANP-(1-28) interaction with RCA cells by radioligand binding techniques therefore subsumes several processes. One of these processes is the rapid and continuous degradation of specifically bound ANP by these cells and perhaps also other target cells that respond to ANP.
Bias Field Free Spin Torque Driven Microwave High-Q Oscillator

This paper presents a novel design for a bias-field free spin torque driven high-Q oscillator over a wide range of microwave frequencies. All the analysis presented in this paper are the results of micromagnetic simulation with inclusion of spin momentum transfer. The bias field free is realized in a spin torque driven microwave oscillator by the utlization of material perpendicular anisotropy.
Phylogenetic relationships, morphological incongruence, and geographic speciation in the fontinalaceae (Bryophyta).

Nuclear ribosomal DNA (internal transcribed spacer region) and chloroplast DNA (trnL-trnF region) were sequenced from 40 samples representing all three genera (Brachelyma, Dichelyma, and Fontinalis) and 18 species of the aquatic moss family, Fontinalaceae. Phylogenetic reconstructions recovered from separate and combined analyses were used to test the hypotheses that Fontinalis and Dichelyma are monophyletic (Brachelyma is monotypic), that groups of species within Fontinalis based on leaf morphology (keeled, concave, plane) form monophyletic groups, and that species delineation based on morphological characters within Fontinalis are congruent with nr- and cpDNA gene trees. Using Brachelyma subulata to root the tree, both Dichelyma and Fontinalis are monophyletic and patristically divergent (each united by >15 synapomorphic mutations). Groups of species within Fontinalis defined by leaf morphology are polyphyletic and it is clear that leaf morphology is labile in the genus. As defined morphologically, species of Fontinalis are nonmonophyletic for both nr- and cpDNA sequences and populations of some morphological taxa are separated in widely divergent clades. Molecular evidence suggests that at least some morphospecies are artificial, defined by convergent leaf forms. The weight of the evidence indicates that F. antipyretica is positively paraphyletic, with European populations more closely related to (i.e., share a more recent common ancestor with) European endemic species than to North American populations that are morphologically conspecific. North American populations are more closely related to North American endemic species.
Informational acquisition and cognitive models

Life forms must organize information into cognitive models reflecting the outside environment, and in a complex and changing environment a life form must constantly select and organize this mass of information to avoid slipping into a chaotic cognitive state. The task of developing and maintaining adaptive cognitive models can be understood through two processes, crucial to regulating the interconnections between environmental elements. The inclusion and exclusion of information follows a process designated by P and the process by which cognitive models change is designated by K. Higher order concepts are created by reducing the interconnections between elements to a minimal number to avoid cognitive chaos. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity 9:31–37, 2004
Completeness of Adverse Drug Experience Reporting by Manufacturers to the FDA

This project evaluated the completeness of manufacturer adverse drug experience (ADE) reports on computerized fields on the FDA-1639 form for which completion is not required for data entry, (eg, age, sex, ADE onset date). The completion rate of such fields was determined for domestic, spontaneous, health professional-submitted ADE reports during 1986–1989. This project was limited to 20 manufacturers submitting the largest number of reports. Completion rates were computed for total reports and 15-day reports. A completion rate was defined for each field for each manufacturer as the number of times the field was filled in divided by the total number of reports.In general, the completion rate was higher for 15-day reports than total reports. Because there were manufacturers with ≥90% completion rates, other manufacturers should concentrate on improving their completion rates. Consideration should be given to 15-day reports; they are used by FDA in the signaling of monitored adverse reactions.
Beyond Translation... Cultural Fit

Reaching non-English-speaking families, the economically disadvantaged, and those who are disproportionately represented in disease and injury statistics is challenging. This article describes the process of making a questionnaire developed in English, culturally appropriate for low-income, monolingual, Mexican and Mexican American mothers. The questionnaire, guided by the Health Belief Model, assesses maternal childhood injury health beliefs and was originally used with a 96% African American, English-speaking sample in the Eastern United States. Two research assistants from the target population worked with the non-Hispanic, bilingual investigator to redesign the questionnaire’s language and presentation and to collect data. Sixty monolingual Latina mothers participated in the study to determine the internal consistency of the 42-item Spanish language Maternal Childhood Injury Health Belief Questionnaire (MCIHB). Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranged from .76 (Benefits subscale) to .90 (Consequences subs...
A MODFET-based optoelectronic integrated circuit receiver for optical interconnects

The design, fabrication, and characterization of a 0.85- mu m sensitive photoreceiver is described. The monolithically integrated optoelectronic receiver is based on pseudomorphic InGaAs on GaAs modulation-doped field-effect transistors (MODFETs) and metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) photodetectors. High-performance quarter-micrometer MODFETs with f/sub t/'s of approximately 70 GHz are utilized in a two-stage transimpedance amplifier. An asymmetric and a symmetric amplifier design are compared. The symmetric design is found to provide the desired zero DC offset voltage for a variety of supply voltages. Excess MSM-detector dark current and low-frequency internal gain are greatly reduced through the use of a silicon passivation layer and/or AlGaAs cap layer. Receiver transimpedances between 100 and 5000 Omega are obtained by varying the bias on an active feedback resistor. The parasitic capacitances of this common-gate feedback FET are studied. A transimpedance amplifier bandwidth as high as 14 GHz and an overall photoreceiver bandwidth of 11 GHz are measured. >
Human Nerve Stimulation Thresholds and Selectivity Using a Multi-contact Nerve Cuff Electrode

Testing of the recruitment properties and selective activation capabilities of a multi-contact spiral nerve cuff electrode was performed intraoperatively in 21 human subjects. The study was conducted in two phases. An exploratory phase with ten subjects gave a preliminary overview of the data and data collection process and a systematic phase with eleven subjects provided detailed recruitment properties. The mean stimulation threshold of 25 plusmn 17 nC was not significantly different than previous studies in animal models but much lower than muscle electrodes. The selectivity, defined as the percent of total activation of the first muscle recruited before another muscle reached threshold, ranged from 27% to 97% with a mean of 55%. In each case, the muscle that was selectively activated was the first muscle to branch distal to the cuff location. This study serves as a preliminary evaluation of nerve cuff electrodes in humans prior to chronic implant in subjects with high tetraplegia
Solvent Effects on the Secondary Structures of Proteins

We examined the effect of solvation on the conformational preferences (e.g., α-helix versus β-sheet) of tripeptides using ab initio quantum mechanics (Hartree−Fock 6-31G**) with solvation in the Poisson−Boltzmann continuum solvent approximation. We find that aqueous solvent preferentially stabilizes the α-helix conformation over β-sheet conformations by 3.5 kcal/mol for Ala, 2.4 kcal/mol for Gly, and 2.0 kcal/mol for Pro. We determined the torsional potential surfaces of the tripeptides, Gly-Ala-Gly, Gly-Gly-Gly, and Gly-Pro-Gly using both aqueous solvent and nonpolar solvent conditions. These results were used to determine force-field torsional parameters for the protein main chains.
The measurement and effects of friction and wear in artificial hip joints.

The two systems for artificial hip joints in use at present are metal-on-metal and metal-on-plastic. There are many variables affecting friction and wear, which include diameter, sphericity, relative geometry of the components, and surface roughness. Tests in a simulating machine incorporated cyclic load and motion. Frictional torque of metal-on-plastic joints increased with diameter; Charnley 22 mm diameter producing lowest friction. For metal-on-metal the contact situation produced variable results, but friction was higher than for the plastic joints. Reciprocating friction machine tests suggested that high molecular weight polyethylene and AP4 polyester gave low friction and wear. Vitallium gave at least three times the friction of the plastic using γ-globulin solution as lubricant; but wear appeared to be much less.
Lifestyle modification in colorectal cancer patients: an integrative oncology approach

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is predominantly a disease of economically developed countries, with many lifestyle-related risk factors proposed that contribute to a higher incidence. These risk factors include obesity, especially visceral fat, lack of physical activity, high consumption of red and processed meat, alcohol and a low intake of dietary fiber. Many population-based studies suggest that a combination of these lifestyle-related risk factors not only increases the incidence of CRC, but also contributes to an increased risk of CRC recurrence after the initial diagnosis. In this article we have reviewed various scientific studies that link lifestyle risk factors with CRC and we propose lifestyle modification as an adjunct intervention to surgery and chemotherapy in patients with early stage and locally advanced CRC.
Islamic reception of Greek astronomy

Research in Islamic science over the last half century or so has clearly established that such old myths as Islamic science being a preservation of Greek science, or that science was always in conflict with religion in Islamic civilization as it was in Europe, or that the European scientific Renaissance was independent of outside influences –a European phenomenon par excellence– are now all subjects of great dispute if not altogether dead. In what follows I will illustrate the evidence that has put such myths into question with only few examples, since time and space do not allow me to elaborate more.
A Study of Web Services Performance Prediction: A Client's Perspective

The Web service (WS) paradigm is an emerging approach to building Web applications, in which software designers typically build new WSs by leveraging existing, third-party WSs. Understanding performance characteristics of third party WSs is critical to the overall system performance. Although such performance evaluation can be done through testing of third party WSs, it is quite an expensive process. This is especially the case when testing at high workloads, because performance degradations are likely to occur, which may render the WS under testing unusable during the testsi¦ duration. Avoiding testing at high workloads by applying standard extrapolation approaches from data collected at low workloads (e.g., using regression analysis) results in a lack of accuracy. To address this challenge, in this paper, we propose a framework that utilizes the benefits of queueing models to guide the extrapolation process, while achieving accuracy in both regimes iV low and high workloads. Our extensive experiments show that our approach gives accurate results as compared to standard techniques (i.e., use of regression analysis alone).
Measurement of low levels of molybdenum in the environment by using aquatic insects

Starting at high altitudes and extending down the valley, near and below a molybdenum mine, aquatic insects and water samples were collected for atomic absorption spectrophotometric analysis of molybdenum. Eight stations were sampled in the East River - Upper Gunnison Rive drainage, Gunnison County, Colorado. Five water samples were collected at each station by using resin column extraction of ions. No molybdenum was found above the detectable level of 1 ..mu..g/L in any of the water samples, even after concentrating the ions in the water 40 times. The geographical profile of insect-molybdenum in this area starts very low at Gothic, increases at all stations around the molybdenum lode, peaks at SR-2, and then decreases as the riverine system flows farther away from the main ore body. The plotting of the insect molybdenum concentrations on a continuum graph correlated with a known lode of molybdenum. Molybdenum-insect data sets should be collected above, near, and below other suspected molybdenum lodes to prove the feasibility of using aquatic insects to prospect for molybdenum. (JMT)
Political turmoil and financial market behaviour in reforming market-oriented economies: the case of Poland

This paper examines empirically how political turmoil in a developing country undergoing extensive reforms affects the behaviour of the foreign exchange market. We develop a simple time-series model and apply it to the Polish foreign exchange market in order to test the following hypotheses: the first hypothesis is that the conditional variance of the Polish currency (zloty) is time-varying and the second hypothesis is that political turmoil has an adverse impact on the exchange market volatility by affecting directly the conditional variance of the zloty. Weekly data from the Polish free foreign exchange market support the two hypotheses. The results of this paper may represent valuable information for other reforming countries as well as researchers studying the financial price formation in a developing country experiencing extensive reforms.
Parasite-Mediated Upregulation of NK Cell-Derived Gamma Interferon Protects against Severe Highly Pathogenic H5N1 Influenza Virus Infection

Outbreaks of influenza A viruses are associated with significant human morbidity worldwide. Given the increasing resistance to the available influenza drugs, new therapies for the treatment of influenza virus infection are needed. An alternative approach is to identify products that enhance a protective immune response. In these studies, we demonstrate that infecting mice with the Th1-inducing parasite Toxoplasma gondii prior to highly pathogenic avian H5N1 influenza virus infection led to decreased lung viral titers and enhanced survival. A noninfectious fraction of T. gondii soluble antigens (STAg) elicited an immune response similar to that elicited by live parasites, and administration of STAg 2 days after H5N1 influenza virus infection enhanced survival, lowered viral titers, and reduced clinical disease. STAg administration protected H5N1 virus-infected mice lacking lymphocytes, suggesting that while the adaptive immune response was not required for enhanced survival, it was necessary for STAg-mediated viral clearance. Mechanistically, we found that administration of STAg led to increased production of gamma interferon (IFN-γ) from natural killer (NK) cells, which were both necessary and sufficient for survival. Further, administration of exogenous IFN-γ alone enhanced survival from H5N1 influenza virus infection, although not to the same level as STAg treatment. These studies demonstrate that a noninfectious T. gondii extract enhances the protective immune response against severe H5N1 influenza virus infections even when a single dose is administered 2 days postinfection.
Talking to Learn: Why Biology Students Should Be Talking in Classrooms and How to Make It Happen

Student Talk is key to student learning. In addition, the teaching strategies needed to promote student talk are highly accessible to all biology instructors and are applicable to classroom settings of any size. Whether your teaching philosophy is more aligned with a traditional lecture approach or a more active-learning approach, Student Talk is easily integrated into the classroom in as little as 5 min. Together, these ideas suggest that with relatively minimal effort, instructors can promote Student Talk as a regular and expected part of undergraduate biology learning and have a significant impact on student learning.
An unusual current sheet in an ICME: Possible association with C/2006 P1 (McNaught)

[1] On December 15, 2006, a strong ICME crossed the twin STEREO spacecraft while they were still close together in near-Earth space. In the midst of this traversal, a strong current sheet was observed in the magnetic records, whose properties are inconsistent with our present understanding of the magnetic structure of an interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME). A possible cause of this current sheet is the extended dust trail of C/2006 P 1 (McNaught), whose orbital plane the ICME traversed close to the Sun. If this association is correct, then charged dust can produce twists in the interplanetary magnetic field that can persist for an AU or longer. Further, as a result of this electromagnetic interaction, small dust particles can be carried out of the solar system.
White Privilege, Color Blindness, and Services to Battered Women:

White privilege is a system of benefits, advantages, and opportunities experienced by White persons in our society simply because of their skin color. In this article, the authors present the results of a descriptive, exploratory study of White privilege in battered women's shelters in the Deep South. Based on a qualitative analysis, the authors show how White privilege is intricately connected to executive directors' claims of color blindness, the othering of women of color, and viewing White as the norm. The authors conclude the article with implications for service provision to battered women and directions for future research.
Modes of caldesmon binding to actin: sites of caldesmon contact and modulation of interactions by phosphorylation

Smooth muscle caldesmon binds actin and inhibits actomyosin ATPase activity. Phosphorylation of caldesmon by extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) reverses this inhibitory effect and weakens actin binding. To better understand this function, we have examined the phosphorylation-dependent contact sites of caldesmon on actin by low dose electron microscopy and three-dimensional reconstruction of actin filaments decorated with a C-terminal fragment, hH32K, of human caldesmon containing the principal actin-binding domains. Helical reconstruction of negatively stained filaments demonstrated that hH32K is located on the inner portion of actin subdomain 1, traversing its upper surface toward the C-terminal segment of actin, and forms a bridge to the neighboring actin monomer of the adjacent long pitch helical strand by connecting to its subdomain 3. Such lateral binding was supported by cross-linking experiments using a mutant isoform, which was capable of cross-linking actin subunits. Upon ERK phosphorylation, however, the mutant no longer cross-linked actin to polymers. Three-dimensional reconstruction of ERK-phosphorylated hH32K indeed indicated loss of the interstrand connectivity. These results, together with fluorescence quenching data, are consistent with a phosphorylation-dependent conformational change that moves the C-terminal end segment of caldesmon near the phosphorylation site but not the upstream region around Cys(595), away from F-actin, thus neutralizing its inhibitory effect on actomyosin interactions. The binding pattern of hH32K suggests a mechanism by which unphosphorylated, but not ERK-phosphorylated, caldesmon could stabilize actin filaments and resist F-actin severing or depolymerization in both smooth muscle and nonmuscle cells.
Commentary: 1982 Was AAPL's Year of Living Dangerously

In 1982, the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law (AAPL) was a growing and ambitious professional organization. Its membership was a small but vigorous group united by the desire to develop the emerging psychiatric subspecialty of forensic psychiatry within the larger context of psychiatry. The organization was 13 years old. It was devoted to the goal of uplifting the practice of forensic psychiatry in the United States through continuing education and specialty training. AAPL was well positioned to achieve its goal. Its leaders were fairly single-minded and many were strategically placed within the hierarchy of the American Psychiatric Association. Subspecialty recognition within psychiatry and medicine appeared attainable. Then came the United States v. Hinckley case. Every aspect of the case was controversial: the facts of the case itself, the use of the insanity defense, the contradictory psychiatric testimony and, finally, the verdict. Forensic psychiatry was put on the defensive, and at the height of the controversy the former President of the American Psychiatric Association and the nation's most prominent Professor of Law and Psychiatry delivered a simple luncheon speech. As is evident from this article and from this edition of the Journal , now, some 25 years later, we are still talking about what he had to say.
In situ X-ray-based imaging of nano materials

Functional nanomaterials are heterogeneous and understanding their behavior during synthesis and operation requires high resolution diagnostic imaging tools that can be used in situ . Over the past decade, huge progress has been made in the development of X-ray based imaging, including full field and scanning microscopy and their analogs in coherent diffractive imaging. Currently, spatial resolution of about 10 nm and time resolution of sub-seconds are achievable. For catalysis, X-ray imaging allows tracking of particle chemistry under reaction conditions. In energy storage, in situ X-ray imaging of electrode particles is providing important insight into degradation processes. Recently, both spatial and temporal resolutions are improving to a few nm and milliseconds and these developments will open up unprecedented opportunities.
Modeling Citizenship: Jewish and Asian American Writing. By Cathy J. Schlund-Vials

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Temple University Press, 2011. 224 pp. hardcover, $68.50; softcover, $24.95
Characterization of type-II spontaneous parametric down-conversion in domain-engineered PPLN

We characterize spontaneous parametric downconversion in a domain-engineered, type-II periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) crystal using seeded emission and single-photon techniques. Using continuous-wave (CW) pumping at 775 nm wavelength, the signal and idler are at 1532.5 nm and 1567.5 nm, respectively. The domain-engineered crystal simultaneously phasematches signal and idler pairs: [H(1532.5 nm), V(1567.5 nm)] and [V(1532.5 nm), H(1567.5 nm)]. We observe the tuning curves of these processes through difference-frequency generation and through CW fiberassisted, single-photon spectroscopy. These measurements indicate good matching in amplitude and bandwidth of the two processes and that the crystal can in principle be used effectively to generate polarization-entangled photon pairs.