cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Working Day

SHE enters, deliberately, gravely, without affectation, circumspect in her motions (as she's been taught), not stamping too loud, nor dragging her legs after her, but advancing sedately, discreetly, glancing briefly at the empty rumpled bed, the cast-off nightclothes. She hesitates. No. Again. She enters. Deliberately and gravely, without affectation, not stamping too loud, nor dragging her legs after her, not marching as if leading a dance, nor keeping time with her head and hands, nor staring or turning her head either one way or the other, but advancing sedately and discreetly through the door, across the polished floor, past the empty rumpled bed and cast-off nightclothes (not glancing, that's better), to the tall curtains along the far wall. As she's been taught. Now, with a humble yet authoritative gesture, she draws the curtains open: Ah! the morning sunlight comes flooding in over the gleaming tiles as though (she thinks) flung from a bucket. She opens wide the glass doors behind the curtains (there is such a song of birds all about!) and gazes for a moment into the garden, quite prepared to let the sweet breath of morning blow in and excite her to the most generous and efficient accomplishments, but her mind is still locked on that image, at first pleasing, now troubling, of the light as it spilled into the room: as from a bucket. . . She sighs. She enters. With a bucket. She sets the bucket down, deliberately, gravely, and walks (circum spectly) across the room, over the polished tiles, past the empty rumpled bed (she doesn't glance at it), to draw open the tall curtains at the far wall. Buckets of light come flooding in (she is not thinking about this now) and the room, as she opens wide the glass doors, is sweetened by the fresh morning air blowing in from the garden. The sun is fully risen and the pink clouds of dawn are all gone out of the sky (the time lost: this is what she is thinking about), but the dew is still on every plant in the garden, and everything looks clean and bright. As will his room when she is done with it.
Effects of phosphodiesterase inhibitors on glucose utilization in isolated cardiac myocytes

The phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitor, enoximone, enhances the oxidation of fatty acids in cardiac myocytes. Since carbohydrate oxidation is tightly coupled and inversely related in cardiac tissue to fatty acid oxidation, this study was designed to investigate enoximone’s effects on glucose metabolism in the heart. To determine if enoximone alters this reciprocal relationship, the effects of enoximone on [U-14C]glucose and [2-14C]pyruvate oxidation were determined in isolated cardiac myocytes. The effect of PDE inhibitors was also examined on pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDH) activity, a key component of oxidative glucose metabolism. Two PDE inhibitors, enoximone and milrinone, decreased PDH activity by 69 and 64%, respectively at 0.5 mM. This inhibition of PDH activity by enoximone was completely reversed after removing enoximone from the myocyte medium. PDH activity was unaffected by agents which alter cyclic nucleotide signaling: cGMP, dibutyryl cyclic AMP, and AMP. The effect of enoximone on [2-14C]pyruvate oxidation was similar to that on PDH. Interestingly, the oxidation of glucose was decreased 35% by 0.5 mM enoximone. In isolated rat heart mitochondria (RHM), enoximone decreased PDH activity by 37%. These studies suggest that PDE inhibitors decrease carbohydrate utilization by inhibiting the PDH complex in the heart. The inhibition of PDH by PDE inhibitors appears unrelated to their effects on cAMP or cGMP. This inhibition of PDH by PDE inhibitors may occur, at least in part, secondary to stimulating fatty acid oxidation. (Mol Cell Biochem 180: 129–135, 1998)
The axostat. III. An improved form of the instrument, and its application to the establishment of spatial electrocardiographic indices in 102 normal subjects.

Abstract An electrocardiographic instrument, known as the axostat, is described which provides a simple method for rapid and accurate determination of the directions of mean QRS and T vectors in their frontal and sagittal projections without the need for planimetric evaluation of areas under electrocardiographic deflections. Such determinations were made in a group of 102 normal, youthful adults, and the orientation of the mean spatial QRS and T vectors was calculated from these data. The validity of several types of spatial electrocardiographic connections is discussed. Probably none of the associated frames of reference are accurate from the standpoint of strict geometric interpretation, but undoubtedly some of them will prove useful for the interpretation of electrocardiographic data. Other frames of reference should be discarded because they introduce certain incompatibilities. The Wilson tetrahedron is employed in this study because it introduces no such incompatibilities, the associated lead connections are simple and easily reproduced, and the frontal plane components of our spatial data are directly applicable to conventional extremity lead electrocardiography. The directions of mean QRS and T vectors in our group of normals display as much variability in the sagittal plane as they do in the frontal plane. However, the two sets of data are interrelated in a highly significant manner. Analysis of these relationships strongly suggests that three spatial electrocardiographic indices be firmly established and further investigated: (a) the locus of the mean spatial QRS vector, (b) the locus of the mean spatial T vector, and (c) the angle between the mean spatial QRS and T vectors. The primary virtue of these spatial indices appears to be reduced variability in the range of normal values. According to the standard deviations in our group of normals the scatter of the spatial electrocardiographic indices about their average values is reduced to almost one-half the scatter in the case of the corresponding planar indices. It is anticipated that this reduction in scatter will result in more precise criteria of normality and abnormality.
Inferring Cis-region Hierarchies from Patterns in Time-Course Gene Expression Data

Resolving the co-regulation relationships between genes is a major step toward understanding the underlying topology and dynamics of gene networks. Although co-expression of genes does not directly imply their co-regulation, model-based approaches coupled with the availability of large-scale gene expression data can help associate expression patterns with features in their cis-regions. Inspired by studies of transcriptional regulation in sea-urchin, here we report on preliminary validation of the following simple model for transcriptional regulation in yeast: the same Cis-Regulatory Modules (CRMs) in the cis-regions of different genes give rise to very similar functional events in the time-course expression profiles of those genes. We use a modified version of a prior algorithm for decomposing time-course gene expression patterns into functional events. To capture and reason about shared CRMs we introduce an order relationship, or a Regulation Hierarchy on the genes. When tested on actual time-course gene expression data of yeast preliminary results indicate 50% – 71% matches, of high confidence, between our derived and known cis-region regulation hierarchies. This hierarchy structure yields practical predictions when used with other type of genomic data, e.g. location of TF-DNA interactions.
On Two Approaches to 3D Reconstruction in NMR Zeugmatography

In nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) zeugmatography, the primary data pertain to integrals of the unknown nuclear spin density f(x,y,z) over planes instead of 1ines in R3. Two “natural” approaches to reconstructing f from such data are: (1) By numerical implementation of the inverse Radon transform in three dimensions (the direct approach), and (2) by application, in two successive stages, of existing well-known algorithms for inverting the two-dimensional Radon transform (the two-stage approach). These two approaches are discussed and compared, both from a theoretical standpoint and through computer results obtained with real NMR data. For the cases studied to date the two methods appear to produce qualitatively similar results.
SO2XPS, an Expert System for the Damage Assessment of SO2 on Plants

Often-encountered Problems in the risk assessment of plants are associated with the lack of incomplete data of dose-respond relations to selected air pollutants. Data are either not available, or not directly applicable, or they do not exist. An expert systems prototype is described as a decision-support system for the environmental impact assessment in order to facilitate the applicability of dose-respond relations for cases in which they do not match the environmental properties of the site under discussion.
Newspaper Image Understanding

Understanding printed documents such as newspapers is a common intelligent activity of humans. Making a computer perform the task of analyzing a newspaper image and derive useful high-level representations requires the development and integration of techniques in several areas, including pattern recognition, computer vision, language understanding and artificial intelligence. We describe the organization and several components of a newspaper image undertanding system that begins with digitized images of newspaper pages and produces symbolic representations at several different levels. Such representations include: the visual sketch (connected components extracted from the background), physical layout (spatial extents of blocks corresponding to text, half-tones, graphics), logical layout (organization of story components), block primitives (e.g., recognized characters and words in text blocks, lines in graphics, faces in photographs, etc.), and semantic nets corresponding to photographic and textual blocks (individually, as well as grouped together as stories). We describe algorithms for deriving several of the representations and describe the interaction of different modules.
Kinematic Analysis of a Planar Tensegrity Mechanism with Pre-Stressed Springs

This paper presents the equilibrium analysis of a planar tensegrity mechanism. The device consists of a base and top platform that are connected in parallel by one connector leg (whose length can be controlled via a prismatic joint) and two spring elements whose linear spring constants and free lengths are known. The paper presents three cases: (1) the spring free lengths are both zero, (2) one of the spring free lengths is zero and the other is non-zero, and (3) both free lengths are non-zero. The purpose of the paper is to show the increase in complexity that results from non-zero free lengths. It is shown that 6 equilibrium configurations exist for case 1, 20 equilibrium configurations exist for case 2, and 62 configurations exist for case 3.
Values (Shalom H. Schwartz) – Achievement

The aspiration to be a high achiever is not unique to any one culture. Achievement, unlike some of the values in the Schwartz hierarchy, is considered truly pan-cultural. Keywords: Shalom H. Schwartz; Self And Identity; Universals
X-ray line from exciting dark matter

The exciting dark matter (XDM) model was proposed as a mechanism to efficiently convert the kinetic energy (in sufficiently hot environments) of dark matter into $\mathrm{e}+\mathrm{e}\ensuremath{-}$ pairs. The standard scenario invokes a doublet of nearly degenerate dark matter (DM) states and a dark force to mediate a large upscattering cross section between the two. For heavy ($\ensuremath{\sim}\mathrm{TeV}$) DM, the kinetic energy of weakly interacting massive particles in large (galaxy-sized or larger) halos is capable of producing low-energy positrons. For lighter dark matter, this is kinematically impossible, and the unique observable signature becomes an x-ray line, arising from $\ensuremath{\chi}\ensuremath{\chi}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\chi}}^{*}{\ensuremath{\chi}}^{*}$, followed by ${\ensuremath{\chi}}^{*}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\chi}\ensuremath{\gamma}$. This variant of XDM is distinctive from other DM x-ray scenarios in that its signatures tend to be most present in more massive, hotter environments, such as clusters, rather than nearby dwarfs, and has different dependencies from decaying models. We find that it is capable of explaining the recently reported s-ray line at 3.56 keV. For very long lifetimes of the excited state, primordial decays can explain the signal without the presence of upscattering. Thermal models freeze out as in the normal XDM setup, via annihilations to the light boson $\ensuremath{\phi}$. For suitable masses, the annihilation $\ensuremath{\chi}\ensuremath{\chi}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\phi}\ensuremath{\phi}$ followed by $\ensuremath{\phi}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\mathrm{SM}$ can explain the reported gamma-ray signature from the Galactic center. Direct detection is discussed, including the possibility of explaining DAMA via the ``luminous'' dark matter approach. Quite generally, the proximity of the 3.56 keV line to the energy scale of DAMA motivates a reexamination of electromagnetic explanations. Other signals, including lepton jets and the modification of cores of dwarf galaxies are also considered.
Gender Comparisons of Mathematics Attitudes and Affect: A Meta-Analysis

This article reports the complex results of meta-analyses of gender differences in attitudes and affect specific to mathematics. Overall, effect sizes were small and were similar in size to gender differences in mathematics performance. When differences exist, the pattern is for females to hold more negative attitudes. Gender differences in self-confidence and general mathematics attitudes are larger among high school and college students than among younger students. Effect sizes for mathematics anxiety differ depending upon the sample (highly selected or general). One exception to the general pattern is in stereotyping mathematics as a male domain, where males hold much more stereotyped attitudes (d = -.90). While affect and attitudes toward mathematics are not the only influences on the development of gender differences in mathematics performance, they are important, and both male and female affect and attitudes should be considered in conjunction with other social and political influences as explanations.
Letting Go of Binary Thinking and Too-Big-To-Fail: Preserving a Continuum Approach to Systemic Risk

This Article highlights differences between principle and practical implementation of prudential regulation and resolution rules pertaining to financial institutions. In principle, even though general prudential regulatory rules reflect a gradual risk-based continuum approach, their implementation with respect to large systemically important institutions has often been through regulatory forbearance. Particularly when confronted with lobbying pressure from very large banks, regulators have opted for inaction. In ironic contrast, statutory and regulatory resolution rules over time have increasingly restricted regulators’ options, often apparently leaving regulators to make a binary choice between letting the entity fail and providing a major government rescue or “bailout.” In reality, however, regulators have adopted a range of government strategic responses to imminent or actual large private business failures. Resolution authority is binary in principle, but actually implemented along a private-public continuum. Despite Dodd-Frank’s attempt to limit this “reality,” regulators are likely to continue to exercise their resolution authority in a more flexible manner along this continuum than might otherwise appear from formal and statutory rules.Such a continuum-based approach is important for both regulation and resolution. On the regulation side, this approach suggests better implementation of the risk-based principles already in place and assurance that new enhanced prudential regulatory rules will be properly implemented. On the resolution side, it means understanding that resolution authority reflects government policy with respect to allocating large financial entity failure risks. Rather than pretend to rid the system of bailouts, regulators should acknowledge the range of existing and potential government responses to risk allocation, and work toward developing an equitable and transparent process and substantive criteria for making allocative choices in the case of systemically important financial institution failures.
Timing of molecular events in meiosis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: stable heteroduplex DNA is formed late in meiotic prophase.

Abstract To better understand the means by which chromosomes pair and recombine during meiosis, we have determined the time of appearance of heteroduplex DNA relative to the times of appearance of double-strand DNA breaks and of mature recombined molecules. Site-specific double-strand breaks appeared early in meiosis and were formed and repaired with a timing consistent with a role for breaks as initiators of recombination. Heteroduplex-containing molecules appeared about 1 h after double-strand breaks and were followed shortly by crossover products and the first meiotic nuclear division. We conclude that parental chromosomes are stably joined in heteroduplex-containing structures late in meiotic prophase and that these structures are rapidly resolved to yield mature crossover products. If the chromosome pairing and synapsis observed earlier in meiotic prophase is mediated by formation of biparental DNA structures, these structures most likely either contain regions of non-Watson-Crick base pairs or contain regions of heteroduplex DNA that either are very short or dissociate during DNA purification. Two loci were examined in this study: the normal ARG4 locus, and an artificial locus consisting of an arg4-containing plasmid inserted at MAT. Remarkably, sequences in the ARG4 promoter that suffered double-strand cleavage at the normal ARG4 locus were not cut at significant levels when present at MAT::arg4. These results indicate that the formation of double-strand breaks during meiosis does not simply involve the specific recognition and cleavage of a short nucleotide sequence.
The spectrum of GI strongyloidiasis: an endoscopic-pathologic study

Abstract Background The aim of this study was a detailed endoscopic-pathologic assessment of patients with various forms of GI strongyloidiasis. Methods Six patients with a diagnosis of GI strongyloidiasis who underwent endoscopic evaluation during a 3-year period (January 1998-January 2001) were included. Published information was reviewed in detail, focusing on the endoscopic features and the diagnostic approach to this parasitosis. Observations Strongyloidiasis has a broad range of endoscopic features. In the duodenum, the findings included edema, brown discoloration of the mucosa, erythematous spots, subepithelial hemorrhages, and megaduodenum. In the colon, the findings included loss of vascular pattern, edema, aphthous ulcers, erosions, serpiginous ulcerations, and xanthoma-like lesions, and, in the stomach, thickened folds and mucosal erosions. A histopathologic diagnosis of strongyloidiasis was made in all cases. Conclusions Strongyloidiasis can involve any segment of the GI tract. EGD with procurement of biopsy specimens from the duodenum was the most accurate method of diagnosis in this case series.
Stability analysis of two coupled Lorenz lasers and the coupling-induced periodic →chaotic transition

A linear stability analysis of two Lorenz lasers coupled by their electric fields has been performed, and it is shown that the bad cavity condition becomes a function of coupling and that a good cavity instability may occur if the injected fields are inverted before injection. In addition, it is shown that the symmetrically coupled Lorenz system is isomorphic to the original Lorenz system with new parameters. The stability analysis also predicts a lowering of the second laser threshold with coupling for both the chaotic and self-pulsing regimes. Numerical integration of the equations is in agreement with these predictions and has revealed a coupling induced transition from self-pulsing to chaotic behavior. The classification of the behavior of the coupled system in the parameter space of the coupling constants has been investigated and shows that the results of symmetric coupling allow enough of a margin for an experimental test of the theory. This would allow experimentalists to observe the actual Lorenz instability at excitations as low as 4-5 times above threshold.
Biomedical Optical Imaging

Preface 1. Confocal Microscopy 2. Spectral Optical Imaging in Biology and Medicine 3. Multi-photon Microscopy in Neuroscience 4. mRNA Imaging in Living Cells for Biomedical Research 5. Building New Fluorescent Probes 6. Imaging Membrane Potential with Voltage-Sensitive Dyes 7. Biomedical Imaging using Optical Coherence Tomography 8. Two-Photon Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy 9. Nanoscopy: The Future of Optical Microscopy 10. Fluorescence Imaging in Medical Diagnostics 11. Light Scattering Spectroscopic Techniques for Examining Cellular Structure, Organization and Dynamics 12. Fluorescence and Spectroscopic Markers of Cervical Neoplasia 13. Quantitative Absorption and Scattering Spectra in Thick Tissues using Broadband Diffuse Optical Spectroscopy 14. Detection of Brain Activity by Near-Infrared Light 15. In-Vivo Optical Imaging of Molecular Function using NIR Fluorescent Probes
An efficient implementation of BEM for two- and three-dimensional multi-region elastoplastic analyses

Abstract Boundary element methods (BEM) have been implemented for solving multi-region elastoplastic problems with the maximum efficiency. A new form of Newton–Raphson algorithm in nonlinear BEM is established in which the formation of the right hand side terms in each iteration is accurately represented. In this new algorithm, only the equations related to the yielded nodes need Gaussian elimination, at each load step. This advantage combined with the sub-region technique now makes BEM a viable tool for multi-region elastoplastic analyses. A combined analytical and numerical integration of boundary and volume integrals have been performed for both two- and three-dimensional analyses. Whenever the geometry of the volume cells meets the straight line or flat surface requirements, the analytical integration is faster and more accurate than numerical integration. The numerical results using the above formulation have been presented for some two- and three-dimensional practical problems commonly encountered in structural and geotechnical engineering and compared with other available solutions.
Acoustic fault injection tool (AFIT)

On September 18, 1997, Honeywell Technology Center (HTC) successfully completed a three-week flight test of its rotor acoustic monitoring system (RAMS) at Patuxent River Flight Test Center. This flight test was the culmination of an ambitious 38-month proof-of-concept effort directed at demonstrating the feasibility of detecting crack propagation in helicopter rotor components. The program was funded as part of the U.S. Navy's Air Vehicle Diagnostic Systems (AVDS) program. Reductions in Navy maintenance budgets and available personnel have dictated the need to transition from time-based to 'condition-based' maintenance. Achieving this will require new enabling diagnostic technologies. The application of acoustic emission for the early detection of helicopter rotor head dynamic component faults has proven the feasibility of the technology. The flight-test results demonstrated that stress-wave acoustic emission technology can detect signals equivalent to small fatigue cracks in rotor head components and can do so across the rotating articulated rotor head joints and in the presence of other background acoustic noise generated during flight operation. During the RAMS flight test, 12 test flights were flown from which 25 Gbyte of digital acoustic data and about 15 hours of analog flight data recorder (FDR) data were collected from the eight on-rotor acoustic sensors. The focus of this paper is to describe the CH-46 flight-test configuration and present design details about a new innovative machinery diagnostic technology called acoustic fault injection. This technology involves the injection of acoustic sound into machinery to assess health and characterize operational status. The paper will also address the development of the Acoustic Fault Injection Tool (AFIT), which was successfully demonstrated during the CH-46 flight tests.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Video characteristics of mobile videos on Android devices: Initial results

In this paper, we describe an Android-based video parser application that analyzes video characteristics, frame sizes, and encoding parameters on mobile devices and allows for anonymous submission of the gathered values to our server. Based on several anonymous submissions, we evaluate video sequences that were stored on Android devices with respect to their frame size and frame quantization statistics. We find a broad variation in overall sequence characteristics, which in turn results in large traffic characteristic deviations among sequences, but little intra-sequence variation. We observe little long-range dependency in the submitted sequences' traffic, but high levels for the quantization scale factors of the individual sequences' frames. Furthermore, we find that the evaluated video encodings exhibit characteristics of rate-controlled video encoding.
Similar steady and unsteady flows of inelastic fluid over axisymmetric bodies

Abstract The similarity of steady and unsteady laminar boundary layers of power-law non-Newtonian fluid over axisymmetric bodies is studied, with the curvature effect of a thin body considered. Conditions for the existence of similar flow are first established and families of such flow are subsequently obtained. It is found that both body shape and free-stream velocity in general depend upon the flow index n . In spite of this dependence, there are many cases which are physically realistic. Results for several examples of steady and unsteady flows are presented.
Viscowave – a new solution for viscoelastic wave propagation of layered structures subjected to an impact load

The forward models frequently adopted for use in the dynamic backcalculation of the falling weight deflectometer (FWD) data are based on the solutions that utilise discrete transforms. In this paper, a new computational algorithm, namely ViscoWave, has been developed and implemented for modelling the pavement dynamics under the FWD impact load. The primary advantage of the proposed solution over some of the existing solutions is that it uses continuous integral transforms (Laplace and Hankel transforms) that are more appropriate for the FWD time histories whose signal characteristics are transient, non-periodic and truncated. Sample runs of the ViscoWave and the validation efforts presented in this paper showed that the proposed algorithm is capable of modelling the dynamics of a layered structure with elastic or viscoelastic material with or without a halfspace, indicating the potential of ViscoWave as a forward model for dynamic backcalculation of flexible pavement properties.
Model-Based Design of a Dynamic Voltage Scaling Controller Based on Online Gradient Estimation Using SimEvents

This paper demonstrates SimEventstrade, a model-based design and simulation tool, and its application in assisting power awareness micro-controller design. A dynamic voltage scaling (DVS) controller based on online gradient estimation is proposed. Simulation models are built in SimEvents, which proves the effectiveness of the control scheme
The Monte Carlo trajectory integral method

Abstract We present a new method for calculating distribution functions in semiconductors that is ideally suited for calculating full 2-dimensional distribution functions. This method, the Monte Carlo trajectory integral, is well suited for calculating the time evolution of a distribution function in the presence of complicated scattering mechanisms, which include scattering with acoustic and optical phonons, inter-valley scattering, Bragg reflections, and even electron-electron scattering. This method uses many of the techniques developed for Monte Carlo methods. However, unlike conventional Monte Carlo methods, the Monte Carlo trajectory integral has very good control over the variance of the calculated distribution function. Also, since the Monte Carlo trajectory integral needs information on the distribution function only from previous times, it is well suited to simulations that include electron-electron scattering where the distribution function must be known before the scattering rate can be calculated.
Who Would Be Left Behind by Enhanced Private School Choice

Abstract Debate over school choice is central to many discussions of public elementary and secondary educational reform. The debate has largely focused on conceptual arguments rather than careful empirical research that attempts to sort out competing claims. An important unresolved issue is the question of “cream skimming”: Who will move and who will be left behind as a result of enhanced school choice? This paper uses data from the National Educational Longitudinal Survey (NELS:88) to estimate a model of public–private school choice which is used to simulate who would likely leave public schools as a result of enhanced private school choice. Building upon the work of K. Train et al. (1987, The Review of Economics and Statistics, 69, 383–391), we employ a probit model with latent explanatory variables to account for the unobserved attitudes of parents and their children regarding education. The model allows us to consider such latent interests in education, as well as the academic and socioeconomic characteristics of those students who would likely switch to private schools. Our findings indicate that concerns about “bright flight” or academic cream skimming in response to increased school choice appear to be overstated. However, we estimate that there would be substantially more economic and racial segregation of students, as movers tend to be white and have higher incomes than those who are left behind.
Fusion of multifocus images to maximize image information

When an image of a 3-D scene is captured, only scene parts at the focus plane appear sharp. Scene parts in front of or behind the focus plane appear blurred. In order to create an image where all scene parts appear sharp, it is necessary to capture images of the scene at different focus levels and fuse the images. In this paper, first registration of multifocus images is discussed and then an algorithm to fuse the registered images is described. The algorithm divides the image domain into uniform blocks and for each block identifies the image with the highest contrast. The images selected in this manner are then locally blended to create an image that has overall maximum contrast. Examples demonstrating registration and fusion of multifocus images are given and discussed.
Intermediate Spanish: A Grammar and Workbook by WILKIE, IRENE, & CARMEN ARNAIZ

The article reviews the book "Intermediate Spanish: A Grammar and Workbook," by Carmen Arnaiz and Irene Wilkie.
Differentiation of Mouse Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs) into Nucleus Pulposus-Like Cells In Vitro

A large percentage of the population may be expected to experience painful symptoms or disability associated with intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration – a condition characterized by diminished integrity of tissue components. Great interest exists in the use of autologous or allogeneic cells delivered to the degenerated IVD to promote matrix regeneration. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), derived from a patient’s own somatic cells, have demonstrated their capacity to differentiate into various cell types although their potential to differentiate into an IVD cell has not yet been demonstrated. The overall objective of this study was to assess the possibility of generating iPSC-derived nucleus pulposus (NP) cells in a mouse model, a cell population that is entirely derived from notochord. This study employed magnetic activated cell sorting (MACS) to isolate a CD24+ iPSC subpopulation. Notochordal cell-related gene expression was analyzed in this CD24+ cell fraction via real time RT-PCR. CD24+ iPSCs were then cultured in a laminin-rich culture system for up to 28 days, and the mouse NP phenotype was assessed by immunostaining. This study also focused on producing a more conducive environment for NP differentiation of mouse iPSCs with addition of low oxygen tension and notochordal cell conditioned medium (NCCM) to the culture platform. iPSCs were evaluated for an ability to adopt an NP-like phenotype through a combination of immunostaining and biochemical assays. Results demonstrated that a CD24+ fraction of mouse iPSCs could be retrieved and differentiated into a population that could synthesize matrix components similar to that in native NP. Likewise, the addition of a hypoxic environment and NCCM induced a similar phenotypic result. In conclusion, this study suggests that mouse iPSCs have the potential to differentiate into NP-like cells and suggests the possibility that they may be used as a novel cell source for cellular therapy in the IVD.
An assessment of uncertainties in fatigue analyses of steel jacket offshore platforms

In recent years as structures are constructed in deeper water depths and harsher environments, dynamic effects have become more pronounced and the resulting fatigue failure of structural members has increased. Current fatigue analyses emphasize the standard local stress, S−N curve, Palmgren-Miner rule procedure. This paper confirms the findings of previous investigations related to the uncertainties associated with the method mentioned above and, in addition, investigates the effect of flow dependent hydrodynamic force coefficients upon the member fatigue lives. A doubling of the fatigue life based on CM=2 is observed for the inertia dominant cases.
Experience with brain biopsy in acquired immune deficiency syndrome related focal lesions of the central nervous system

Involvement of the central nervous system (CNS) in patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is an increasing clinical problem. The most common brain complications are toxoplasmosis (50-70 per cent), primary CNS lymphoma (20-30 per cent) and progressive multifocal leucoencephalopathy (10-20 per cent). Almost two-thirds of these conditions can be treated, early diagnosis and therapy leading to survival with a good quality of life. Although clinical and neuroradiological criteria alone may have high predictive value, they are not sufficient to distinguish the broad spectrum of diseases reliably. Consequently, biopsy appears necessary for definite diagnosis in some cases. The potential role and timing of brain biopsy have been assessed. Twenty-four of 50 human immunodeficiency virus-seropositive patients with focal cerebral lesions were considered for biopsy between October 1991 and December 1992. Twelve underwent brain biopsy, seven stereotactic and five ultrasonographically guided. A diagnosis was achieved in 11 patients: six primary lymphoma, three progressive multifocal leucoencephalopathy, and one mycotic and one tuberculous abscess. Both techniques proved to be safe and reliable, with a 92 per cent diagnostic rate. These data confirm the usefulness of biopsy in patients with AIDS with its wide range of associated cerebral lesions that require different aggressive treatments. On the basis of this preliminary experience and reports in the literature, it is considered that brain biopsy is indicated for patients with focal enhancing cerebral mass lesions seen on computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging who do not respond to an appropriate trial of empirical antitoxoplasmosis therapy and for those showing rapid clinical deterioration in whom imaging and serology do not suggest toxoplasmosis.
Repair of congenital atresia of the colon in a foal

Summary A foal with congenital atresia of the left dorsal colon was repaired surgically. After the successful repair, a search of the literature was conducted to determine the factors necessary for a repair and for the possible inheritance factor. Theories of etiology, development, and repair in animals and man are reported. No successful repair in the foal has been previously reported.
Current Limiting Gap Arresters - Some Fundamental Considerations

Current limiting gap arresters can be designed to operate successfully against switching surges and sustained overvoltages, but the current drawn by the arrester and the energy dissipated is a function of the circuit impedance as well as the system voltage and arrester design. Arresters designed to operate against sustained overvoltages may produce sufficient discharge voltage during operation to exceed arrester sparkover voltage and thus not provide the protection expected. A test method is suggested to determine the maximum voltage that an arrester may produce under normal operating conditions.
Optimization of an Extraction Procedure for the Accurate Determination of Total Tin in Eighteen Geological Survey of Japan Rock Reference Materials

A fusion-extraction procedure for the determination of total tin in rocks and sediments by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) was reexamined and modified to obtain the optimum accuracy and precision. Several variations based on increases in the sample weight or extraction ratio were compared based on the determination of tin in 18 Geological Survey of Japan (GSJ) reference materials. The most accurate and precise procedure was found to be an 8:1 extraction of a 0.5g rock sample fused with lithium metaborate and dissolved in 7.5% hydrochloric acid, using a 4% solution of trioctylphosphine oxide in methyl isobutyl ketone (TOPO-MIBK). Rocks containing <1μg/g total tin require a 0.5g sample size for the utmost accuracy. Utilizing these modifications, tin concentrations were found to be within 0.1μg/g for all of the GSJ reference standards with the exception of the rhyolites. Values are reported for the total tin content of three new GSJ reference materials, namely, JLk-1, JLs-1, and JDo-1.
Evaluation of Cell Viability and Functionality in Vessel-like Bioprintable Cell-Laden Tubular Channels

Organ printing is a novel concept recently introduced in developing artificial three-dimensional organs to bridge the gap between transplantation needs and organ shortage. One of the major challenges is inclusion of blood-vessellike channels between layers to support cell viability, postprinting functionality in terms of nutrient transport, and waste removal. In this research, we developed a novel and effective method to print tubular channels encapsulating cells in alginate to mimic the natural vascular system. An experimental investigation into the influence on cartilage progenitor cell (CPCs) survival, and the function of printing parameters during and after the printing process were presented. CPC functionality was evaluated by checking tissue-specific genetic marker expression and extracellular matrix production. Our results demonstrated the capability of direct fabrication of cell-laden tubular channels by our newly designed coaxial nozzle assembly and revealed that the bioprinting process could induce quantifiable cell death due to changes in dispensing pressure, coaxial nozzle geometry, and biomaterial concentration. Cells were able to recover during incubation, as well as to undergo differentiation with high-level cartilage-associated gene expression. These findings may not only help optimize our system but also can be applied to biomanufacturing of 3D functional cellular tissue engineering constructs for various organ systems.
Rydberg—valence mixing in atoms and molecules

Abstract Interactions of Rydberg electronic configurations with excited intravalency configurations have a large influence on atomic spectra as well as molecular electronic spectra. The 1134 A resonance transition of the nitrogen atom is used to illustrate the progress which has been achieved in treating these effects in atoms. In addition, the first-order theory of oscillator strengths (FOTOS) is shown to be an approximation to the non-closed shell many-electron theory (NCMET) of Sinanoǧlu as applied to oscillator strengths.
Back to the past: The BEV/creole connection revisited

This article compares the marking of past temporal reference in Black English Vernacular (BEV) and Trinidadian English (TE), with particular attention to the alternation of O and {ed}. The comparison reveals similarities in the patterns of variation according to verb type and phonological conditioning which suggest that past marking in contemporary BEV preserves traces of an earlier process of shift from a creole pattern to one approximating the Standard English pattern. Further examination of the TE data reveals that the use of {ed} is highly constrained in cases where habitual or characteristic past meaning is conveyed; in such cases, the use of O is near categorical. These findings may have implications for BEV which future research can clarify. The article also considers the case of stressed remote BIN in BEV and argues that it may have arisen as the result of reanalysis of an earlier creole anterior bin under the influence of unstressed (continuative perfect) bin, derived from English have + been. This provides further support for the view that, though early BEV may not have been a fully fledged creole, it arose through a process of restructuring in which a creole substrate played a significant role. Finally, the article notes that past marking is only one aspect of the overall organization of the BEV tense/mood/aspect system, which shares other features in common with creole varieties, including resultative done and combinatory possibilities among auxiliaries. Future research on these aspects of the BEV verb complex can shed more light on the BEV/creole connection.
Behavior of high temperature liquid surfaces in contact with plasma

The erosion rate of liquid lithium samples exposed to plasma bombardment has been studied in PISCES-B. The temperature dependence of the erosion yield from liquid samples exhibits an enhancement beyond that expected from a combination of physical sputtering and evaporation. The enhancement is observed during either deuterium or helium plasma exposure and is observed to depend linearly on the incident ion flux. The onset of the enhanced erosion coincides with a decrease in the ejection energy of particles from the sample, indicating that the enhancement is due to an increase in evaporation from the sample. The implications of these results on the implementation of a liquid plasma-facing component are discussed.
The effect of calcium on gallbladder absorption

The absorption of water and electrolytes is an important physiologic function of the gallbladder which is altered during gallstone formation. Extracellular calcium and calcium channel antagonists are known to affect intestinal absorption, yet their effect on gallbladder absorption is less well defined. We, therefore, tested the hypothesis that changes in extracellular calcium or in calcium channels would alter gallbladder absorption. New Zealand white rabbit gallbladders were removed, filled with a modified Krebs buffer (Ca2+ = 0.7 mM), and suspended in an oxygenated bath of the same buffer. Water absorption was determined gravimetrically by obtaining serial gallbladder weights at 10-min intervals. After a 40-min control period, the serosal bathing solution was changed to one of four experimental solutions (n = 6 for each group): Ca2+ = 0.25, 0.7, or 1.2 mM or Ca2+ = 0.7 mM plus 0.1 mM verapamil. Absorption was determined during an 80-min experimental period with results expressed as the percentage change in gallbladder absorption compared to that of the control period. The 0.25, 0.7, and 1.2 mM Ca2+ groups did not show a significant change in absorption rate from their respective control rates. However, the verapamil group did demonstrate a significant (P less than 0.05) decrease in absorption rate of -69 +/- 8% by the end of the experimental period. These data demonstrate that verapamil inhibits gallbladder absorption while changes in serosal calcium concentration have no effect. We conclude that calcium channels and intracellular calcium may play an important role in modulating gallbladder absorption.
Elinore F. McCance-Katz on Stan Einstein's “Drug User Treatment Failure Blindness?”

This article–poem is a compelling read about which I have but a few comments.Dr. Einstein is right in making the point that we, as treatment providers, do not look at our own failures in provision ...
The EPR spectra of copper transferrin complexes at 2–4 GHZ

Abstract The EPR spectra of copper-transferrin-bicarbonate complexes at 2–4 GHz show unusually well-resolved nitrogen superhyperfine splittings. Only one nitrogen ligand at each copper-binding site of the protein is revealed.
Low VOC, low viscosity UV cationic radiation-cured ink-jet ink system

Ink-jet inks need to be very low in viscosity to transport the ink through the jet nozzle as well as for drop formation and integrity. The objective of this project was to demonstrate UV-cured systems for ink-jet inks and coatings with zero volatile organic compounds and very low viscosity. Cycloaliphatic epoxy systems were selected as binders of choice for this project due to their low viscosity and ability to be cured using UV-cationic photoinitiators. UV-curable coatings and inks with zero VOC and less than 10 cPs viscosities were formulated using exempt solvent acetone and vinyl cyclohexene diepoxide. UV-curable inks with up to 10% black dye were formulated. Rapid cure was achieved through the use of aryl sulfonium salts of hexafluorophosphoric acid. The presence of dye inhibited the reaction, but adequate cure of dyed formulations was achieved by increasing the concentration of the photoinitiator.
Northern Hemisphere Modes of Variability and the Timing of Spring in Western North America

Spatial and temporal patterns of variability in spring onset are identified across western North America using a spring index (SI) model based on weather station minimum and maximum temperatures (Tmin and Tmax, respectively). Principal componentanalysisshowsthattwosignificantand independent patternsexplain roughly half of the total variance in the timing of spring onset from 1920 to 2005. However, these patterns of spring onset do not appear to be linear responses to the primary modes of variability in the Northern Hemisphere: the Pacific‐North American pattern (PNA) and the northern annular mode (NAM). Instead, over the period when reanalysis data and the spring index model overlap (1950‐2005), the patterns of spring onset are local responses to the state of both the PNA and NAM, which together modulate the onset date of spring by 10‐20 days on interannual time scales. They do so by controlling the number and intensity of warm days. There is also a regionwide trend in spring advancement of about 21.5 days decade 21 from 1950 to 2005. Trends in the NAM and PNA can only explain about one-third (20.5 day decade 21 ) of this trend.