cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Biografiando mujeres: ¿qué es la diferencia?

espanolLa reciente “vuelta biografica” ha proporcionado una riqueza de nuevos temas y metodologias. Aqui se plantean dos preguntas: 1) ?cuales son los retos diferentes que enfrenta el biografo que desea investigar y escribir la vida de una mujer comparados con el que escribe la biografia de un hombre?, y 2) ?como han influido los nuevos temas y metodos en las recientes biografias de mujeres mexicanas? Para apreciar la influencia de esos, se revisan algunas biografias recientes de las vidas de mujeres mexicanas, incluyendo la que esta escribiendo la autora del articulo. Se encuentra que han influido de manera positiva en la busqueda de fuentes, la narrativa, el significado del contexto, y en el trato de los temas de genero, subjetividad, identidad, agencia y representacion. Estas biografias apuntan a rescatar a las mujeres olvidadas de la historia con tal de establecerlas como sujetos historicos y, asi, transformar la escritura de la historia en general EnglishThe recent “biographical turn” has provided a wealth of new themes and methodologies. This article raises two questions: 1) What are the different challenges faced by biographers wishing to research and write about the life of a woman as opposed to that of a man? and 2) How have the new issues and methodologies influenced recent biographies of Mexican women? In order to appreciate their influence, the article reviews recent biographies of Mexican women, including the one being written by its author. It concludes that they have had a positive influence on the search for sources, narrative, the importance of context and the treatment of issues such as gender, subjectivity, identity, agency and representation. These biographies seek to recover women forgotten by history and establish them as historical subjects, thereby generally transforming the writting of history
Solar Sacrifice: How an Arizona Church Lost Money by Going Solar—and Solutions for When Energy Incentives Fail to Serve the Needs of Nonprofits

By policy design, consumers are supposed to save money when they invest in solar energy. This paper presents a case study of what happens when a church goes solar and the finances go wrong. Following the installation of solar-photovoltaic panels, the Arizona church—in the Valley of the Sun, among the sunniest places in the country—decreased its energy consumption, but its electric bills went up. Through oral-history interviews of key stakeholders, the author investigates what happened, and what could be done to prevent other religious institutions and nonprofits from experiencing the church’s fate.
The Geography of Egypt's Islamist Insurgency

The end of the Cold War has not ushered in an era of global peace. Conflicts continue that often feature insurgent movements seeking to topple incumbent regimes. In the post-Cold War era, insurgent...
Wave Scattering by Obstacles in Joined Fluid-Solid Half Spaces

In recent years, attention has shifted from the ultrasonic NDE of bulk flaws to flaws in structural components that involve nearby surfaces. Very often it is convenient to exajnine the part in a water tank, locating the transmitting/receiving transducers in water. This paper is concerned with a theoretical study of a near surface flaw in an immersion tank experiment. The analytical problem to be studied is the scattering of ultrasound by an obstacle that is located near a solid-fluid (water) interface. The distance ‘d’ of the center of the flaw from the interface ranges from ‘a’ to ‘15a’ where ‘a’ is a typical radius of the flaw.
Hypothalamic lipophagy and energetic balance

Autophagy is a conserved cellular turnover process that degrades unwanted cytoplasmic material within lysosomes. Through “in bulk” degradation of cytoplasmic proteins and organelles, including lipid droplets, autophagy helps provide an alternative fuel source, in particular, when nutrients are scarce. Recent work demonstrates a role for autophagy in hypothalamic agouti-related peptide (AgRP) neurons in regulation of food intake and energy balance. The induction of autophagy in hypothalamic neurons during starvation mobilizes neuronal neutral lipids to generate neuron-intrinsic free fatty acids that serve to upregulate fasting-induced AgRP levels. Blocking autophagy in AgRP neurons in mice reduces fasting-induced food intake, and increases constitutive levels of anorexigenic hypothalamic proopiomelanocortin and its cleavage product α-melanocyte stimulating hormone. The energetic consequences of these molecular events are decreased body weight and reduced adiposity. The present article discusses this recent finding, as well as considers possible future directions that may help better understand how neuronal autophagy, and its possible reduction during aging, may affect whole body energy balance.
How to Cheat in Maya 2017: Tools and Techniques for Character Animation

This is not a book about Maya software with a few animation pointers thrown in here and there. This is a guide to Maya software written by professional animators. This book provides you with complete, set-by-step walkthroughs of essential animation techniques that increase your speed and efficiency while using Maya 2017 for character animation. From curves to constraints, this book covers all of the methods available in the latest version of Maya. Featuring gold-mine coverage this book teaches you new techniques for working with characters in animation tests and short films. Accompanied by a companion site, this is the one and only guide to get you up to speed. Key Features Complete step-by-step, walkthroughs of essential techniques every animator needs to know. Features interviews with leading experts and experienced animation leads. Companion web site including all exercise/example scene files and extras such as video tutorials and animation files. Interlude articles covering everything from Reference Video to Resumes.
Fuelling cancer cells

Cancer cells consume and utilize glucose at a higher rate than normal cells. However, some microenvironments limit the availability of nutrients and glucose. In 2018, researchers found that tumours depend on a variety of different nutrient sources, both locally and systemically, to overcome metabolic limitations and promote tumour progression and metastasis.
Dual energy head CT to maintain image quality while reducing dose in pediatric patients.

Abstract Aim The aim of this study was to use dual energy CT technology to maintain or improve image quality in pediatric head CT while simultaneously reducing radiation dose. Materials and methods In this retrospective study, helical head CTs performed using a standard head CT protocol were compared to studies performed with a dual energy (DE) protocol. Objective comparison was performed by measuring regions of interest in 11 areas of the brain. Subjective rating for image quality using a Likert scale, was performed by three radiologists. Radiation doses were evaluated using CT dose index and dose length product. Results Signal-to-noise ratio was, for the most part, not significantly different between the DE and conventional scans. Contrast-to-noise ratio was slightly lower for children over 6 year of age utilizing the dual energy protocol versus the standard protocol. Qualitatively, there was little difference in image quality in patients 6 years of age, infratentorial noise, sharpness and diagnostic acceptability, as well as supratentorial sharpness were all significantly improved by DE CT technique. Radiation exposure as measured by CTDI and DLP was modestly lower with the dual energy protocol in all study populations. Conclusion Dual energy CT can be used clinically in pediatric patients to maintain or improve image quality while reducing radiation dose.
Regulation of Brood-Care Behavior in the Dimorphic Castes of the Ant Pheidole morrisi (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): Effects of Caste Ratio, Colony Size, and Colony Needs

This study examines the social stimuli that regulate brood-care behavior in the two physical castes of the ant Pheidole morrisi. By increasing the proportion of major workers in a colony, brood-care behavior could be induced in individuals of this caste, which do not normally care for brood. Minor and major worker brood-care rates increased with the proportion of majors in the colony or as the need for brood care increased. Changes in colony size did not significantly affect the rate of either minor or major brood care. Major workers began to care for brood when the caste ratio reached a critical threshold but did not appear to be as efficient at rearing larvae as minor workers, which normally perform this task. After a perturbation that skewed the caste ratio toward majors, minor workers increased their rate of brood care, apparently to compensate for the inefficiency of brood care provided by majors. These results suggest that caste plasticity involves a social mechanism of ldquo;coupled compensation” that maintains the efficiency of labor by ensuring that tasks are completed.
Prevalence of atrial fibrillation and association with clinical, sociocultural, and ancestral correlates among Hispanic/Latinos: The Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos

Background Hispanics/Latinos represent the largest ethnic minority group in the United States. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia in the United States. Objective The purpose of this study was to provide data on the prevalence of AF and its correlates in a representative Hispanic/Latino population–based sample inclusive of all background groups. Methods Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos participants (n=16,415; 60% women; 59% age >45 years) were enrolled between March 2008 and June 2011, representing individuals of Cuban, Dominican, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Central American, and South American heritage. AF was defined by the 12-lead electrocardiogram and/or participant self-report of a physician diagnosis. Hispanic background–specific AF prevalence rates were determined. Weighted sequential logistic regression models were adjusted for demographic factors (age and sex) and clinical variables (diabetes, hypertension, body mass index, tobacco use, and estimated glomerular filtration rate). Results The overall weighted prevalence of AF was 1.0% (n=162), with the highest prevalence in Hispanics of Dominican and Puerto Rican backgrounds (1.9% and 2.5% respectively) and the lowest in those of Mexican background (0.3%). Diabetes, hypertension, renal disease, left ventricular hypertrophy determined by the electrocardiogram, alcohol use, and English language preference (greater acculturation) (P Conclusion In a diverse representative population of Hispanics/Latinos, overall AF prevalence was low and varied significantly across Hispanic/Latino background groups independent of clinical or demographic factors.
Receiver Techniques for Diffusion-Based Molecular Nano Communications Using an Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy-Based Multivariate Polynomial Approximation

Molecular communication (MC) nanonetworks, the interconnection of biological nanomachines (Bio-NMs), are envisaged to significantly expand the applications of nano-technology in the areas of the biomedical, material science, and electrical engineering. In this paper, we consider the scenario of a diffusion-based molecular communication (DMC) system that is a promising bio-inspired approach to implementing nanonetwork systems. Considering the limited computation capability, ultra-low energy assumption, and expensive information exchange cost among Bio-NMs, this paper proposes a pulse-based demodulation scheme in three biologically inspired techniques for the detection of the molecular pulses: 1) a multivariate polynomial approximation (MPA) scheme; 2) an adaptive fuzzy threshold-based detection (AFTD) scheme; and 3) an adaptive neuro-fuzzy-based MPA (ANF-MPA) scheme. These methods are suitable for binary ON- OFF keying (BOOK signaling), where the Rx Bio-NM adapts the 1/0-bit detection threshold based on the previously received bits that help to alleviate the inter-symbol interference (ISI) problem resulting from residual (tail) diffusion molecules arriving at the receiver due to past bit transmissions and reception noise. To evaluate the performance of DMC systems, the essential communication metrics in each detection scheme are identified, and the numerical results are obtained and validated by MATLAB simulation. Moreover, the complexity of the proposed schemes is calculated, and the performance evaluation in various noisy channel sources shows a promising improvement in the un-coded bit error rate (BER) performance compared with the threshold detection schemes in the literature. These results provide insights that may guide the implementation of future DMC nanonetworks.
High harmonic generation spectroscopy via orbital angular momentum

We present an experimental technique using orbital angular momentum (OAM) in a fundamental laser field to drive High Harmonic Generation (HHG). The mixing of beams with different OAM allows to generate two laser foci tightly spaced to study the phase and amplitude of HHG produced in diatomic nitrogen. Nitrogen is used as a well studied system to show the quality of OAM based HHG interferometry.
Judicial Ideology Emerges, At Last, In Second Amendment Cases

Americans seem increasingly divided along party lines when asked general questions of value regarding gun policy. Partisan divides are sometimes smaller for relatively specific policy questions, interestingly, but gaps can be found either way. One might also expect ideological divides when judges decide constitutional claims to gun rights. Those claims are not governed by any rigid and comprehensive doctrine. And yet, in an earlier study of federal circuit court cases decided from 2008 through early 2016, no ideological divide between judges was apparent. With more recent data, however, we cannot as easily suggest that judges are special in the struggle over gun policy. For 2016–2018, three different proxies for judge ideology are significant predictors of judge votes in civil gun rights cases. We estimate a 21-point gap between Republican and Democratic appointees in the probability of supporting a claim during that timeframe. Moreover, the gap appears to result primarily from Democratic appointees becoming less likely to support gun rights claims over time. The explanation for this shift does not appear to be new judges, however. On average, President Obama’s appointees do not seem to vote differently from other Democratic appointees. The best explanation for the change is not yet known. Possibilities include new judicial attitudes, new issues arising from post-Newtown firearms regulation, and a new political environment initiated by the 2016 presidential campaign. In any event, judicial review in gun rights cases is beginning to look more like larger disagreements in this country over concrete gun policy proposals—disagreements with which we are quite familiar.
Quality of Life–Focused Decision-Making for Prostate Cancer

Quality of life (QoL) outcomes have been reported in the literature and incorporated in decision-making in localized prostate cancer management for decades. Until recently, there was less emphasis on understanding the QoL effects of therapies for patients with advanced disease, possibly because there were fewer options for treatment. The purpose of this review is to summarize the key recent literature describing QoL outcomes for prostate cancer treatments in different disease settings. Recent data demonstrate that men who undergo local therapy for prostate cancer have worse early QoL related to therapy in sexual, urinary, and bowel function domains compared with men who choose observation, though the effects become less divergent over time. In patients receiving systemic therapy for advanced prostate cancer, more effective treatment typically delays deterioration of various aspects of QoL as assessed by patient-reported outcomes. While there are multiple management options for localized and advanced prostate cancer, different treatment modalities affect QoL in distinct ways. Particularly in settings that lack head-to-head efficacy data between treatment options, clinicians can incorporate adverse effect profiles and effects on patient-reported outcomes describing QoL to inform patients as they make treatment decisions for prostate cancer.
Statistical and Comparative Simulation Methods for High Speed Interfaces

The DOE/RSM/UPM (Design of Experiment/Response Surface Methodology/Unit per Million) method based on statistical approach is used commonly in the industry to estimate the solution space of these high speed interfaces [1] (e.g. PCI Express* 3.0/4.0/5.0, Intel® UltraPath Interconnect, DDR, SATA*, and USB*). This method can provide a good knowledge of each parameter’s effect, the worst corner of the channel, as well as the risk based on HVM (high-volume manufacturing) assumption (e.g. how many cases will be failed under one million cases). However, it requires time and computing resource to provide sufficient sampling points to fulfill the statistical analysis’ need. Otherwise the fitting quality will be decreased and the accuracy will not be good enough for risk analysis.Although the chip vendor usually provides a design guide (e.g. Intel provides a comprehensive “Platform Design Guide” for each platform with routing length information, layout rules, and trade-off tables for reference), not all the designs can meet these requirements at once. Moreover, not all the designers have enough time and resources to conduct the DOE/RSM/UPM simulation on all these channels which are classified as out-of-guideline (OOG). Therefore, having a quicker method with an acceptable accuracy is critical for these projects to be time-to-market (TTM). A comparative method, the Channel Quality Comparison (CQC), was introduced in 2011 [2] to meet this requirement.Even the CQC can provide a quick estimation, it cannot fit into all scenarios. Two alternative approaches, the Advanced CQC (A.CQC) [3] [4] and the Modified CQC (M.CQC) [5], are proposed in 2018 and 2019, respectively, to focus on “understanding the variation of the PCB/cable in the channel” and “mitigating the effect introduced by the transmitter and receiver equalization mechanism”. Both methods can be used to find a potential solution space quickly in the pre-layout stage.Nevertheless, sometimes it is required to understand the risk once a preliminary PCB layout is available. In this scenario, it is not easy to conduct simulation with sufficient confidence because it is difficult to include the all different corners’ effect of the PCB layout from a commercial layout tool directly. Therefore, having a new approach, Post-layout Channel Quality Comparison (P.CQC) [6], can be fitted into this scenario because it only requires to use a channel model based on a specific corner (e.g. typical corner).In this paper, the statistical (DOE/RSM/UPM) and these comparative/hybrid methods (A.CQC, M.CQC, and P.CQC) are used to demonstrate the pros and cons by using an example. A summary table is also provided for a quick comparison among all these methods.
Comparison of field plated and non-field plated Schottky barrier diodes in HVPE grown $\beta$ -Ga 2 O 3

$\beta$ -Gallium oxide (Ga 2 O 3 ) has seen tremendous activity recently for power device and RF applications due to its high Baliga's figure of merit (BFoM) and Johnston Figure of Merit (JFoM), both of which rely on its high critical field strength (6–8 MV/cm). Schottky diode devices are widely used in power electronics circuits in addition to power transistors. High breakdown voltage and high current rating Schottky diodes have been reported by several groups. In this work, we report an improved field plate design for Ga 2 O 3 Schottky diodes with atomic layer deposited SiO 2 . Non-field plate diodes show an area dependence for the breakdown voltages, while no such dependence is seen for field plated devices. Pt/Au diodes with field plates show a breakdown voltage of ~ 1.1 kV which is comparable to other reports.
Maneuver Optimization for Synthetic Aperture based DOA estimation of GNSS Jammers

GNSS denial via jamming is a low skilled attack which can be performed by nearly anyone using tools which are readily available through the online marketplace. Methods of jammer mitigation such as beamforming or other active methodologies require an estimation of the location of the jamming signal source. There is interest in developing systems which can be used to identify and locate the sources of broadcast signals, either for the purposes of augmenting mitigation or for the purposes of taking direct action to eliminate the sources of jamming signals. One way that such localization systems might be deployed is on rotor-wing aircraft which may be utilized to perform synthetic aperture direction of arrival (SA-DOA). In this contribution we propose a methodology for identifying circular maneuver trajectories which minimize the estimation error of performing SA-DOA using such a platform.
Comparative epidemiology of gliosarcoma and glioblastoma and the impact of Race on overall survival: A systematic literature review.

Abstract Objective Gliosarcoma (GSM) is a rare subtype of glioblastoma (GBM) that accounts for approximately four percent of high-grade gliomas. There is scarce epidemiological data on patients with GSM as a distinct subgroup of GBM. Methods A systematic literature review was performed of peer-reviewed databases using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines to evaluate the impact of race and ethnicity on survival in patients with GSM compared to patients with GBM. Results Following initial abstract screening, a total of 138 articles pertaining to GSM and 275 pertaining to GBM met criteria for full-text review, with 5 and 27 articles included in the final analysis for GSM and GBM, respectively. The majority of patients in both cohorts were non-Hispanic Whites, representing 85.6 % of total GSM patients and 87.7 % of GBM patients analyzed. Two GSM studies stratified survival by race, with one reporting the longest median survival for the Hispanic population of 10.6 months and the shortest median survival for the Asian population of 9 months. Among the GBM studies analyzed, the majority of studies reported shorter survival and higher risk of mortality among White Non-Hispanics compared to non-White patients; and of the 15 studies which reported data for the Asian population, 12 studies reported this race category to have the longest survival compared to all other races studied. Younger age, female sex, MGMT promoter methylation status, and adjuvant chemoradiation therapy were associated with improved survival in both GSM and GBM cohorts, although these were not further stratified by race. Conclusion GSM portends a similarly poor prognosis to other GBM subtypes; however, few studies exist which have examined factors associated with differences in survival between these histologic variants. This review of the literature suggests there is a possible association between race and survival for patients with GBM, however data supporting this conclusion for patients with GSM is lacking. These findings suggest that GSM is a distinct disease from other GBM subtypes, with epidemiologic differences that should be further explored.
Chicken dance (off): competing cultural diplomacy in the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest

Cultural diplomacy is often described as one tool in a nation’s diplomatic toolbox. But the term ‘cultural diplomacy’ encompasses many different activities. Which of these are pursued, why, and wit...
A Survey on Industrial Internet With ISA100 Wireless

We present a detailed survey of the literature on the ISA100 Wireless industrial Internet standard (also known as ISA100.11a or IEC 62734). ISA100 Wireless is the IEEE 802.15.4-compatible wireless networking standard “Wireless Systems for Industrial Automation: Process Control and Related Applications”. It features technologies such as 6LoWPAN, which renders it ideal for industrial Internet edge applications. The survey focuses on the state of the art research results in the frame of ISA100 Wireless from a holistic point of view, including aspects like communication optimization, routing mechanisms, real-time control, energy management and security. Additionally, we present a set of reference works on the related deployments around the globe (experimental testbeds and real-terrain installations), as well as of the comparison to and co-existence with another highly relevant industrial standard, WirelessHART. We conclude by discussing a set of open research challenges.
Strainoptronics: A New Degree of Freedom for 2D Material Device Engineering

Here we introduce ‘streinoptronics’ - the local strain engineering of 2D materials for novel optoelectronic components. We exemplary demonstrate heterogeneously integrating 2D materials in photonic circuits thus realizing a photodetector featuring a strong photoresponse (responsivity 0.5 A W-1) operating at 1,550 nm in silicon photonics.
Current computational methods for enzyme design

Computational enzyme design has made great strides over the last five years. Traditional methods of enzyme design require synthesis and evaluation of many mutations. Computational enzyme design has...
A Historical Snapshot of Latinx Student Activism from the 1960s to 1990s: A University Archival Analysis:

The activism efforts of Latinx students from the 1960s to 1990s at Michigan State University preceded the current resources available to Latinxs on campus today. Guided by transformational resistan...
KVCG: a heterogeneous key-value store for skewed workloads

We present KVCG, a novel heterogeneous key-value store whose primary objective is to serve client requests targeting frequently accessed (hot) keys at sub-millisecond latency and requests targeting less frequently accessed (cold) keys with high throughput. To accomplish this goal, KVCG deploys an architecture where requests on hot keys are routed to a software cache operated by CPU threads, while the remainder are offloaded to a data repository optimized for execution on modern GPU devices. Cold/hot partitioning is done at runtime through a model trained with the incoming workload. Against a state-of-the-art competitor, we obtain up to 34x improvement in latency.
Ultra-high fuel utilization in polymer electrolyte fuel cells part I: An experimental study

In this study, a high fuel utilization approach for polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFC) is proposed and studied experimentally. This approach uses an ultra-low hydrogen stoichiometry supply (i.e....
Potential Socioeconomic Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Neural Development, Mental Health, and K-12 Educational Achievement

The Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic can affect more than a child’s biological health. Lack of in-person schooling and increased stress can affect neurodevelopment, mental health, and later li...
An accurate method for the determination of urinary estriol in pregnancy

Abstract With two modifications, a method previously described for plasma estriol determinations may be applied to urine. Purification is accomplished by solvent extractions, and accuracy is achieved by means of internal radioactive standards. The specificity of this technique was demonstrated by comparing results with those obtained by the same procedure but with the addition of purification by paper chromatography.
Modeling Cross-Cultural Performance on the Visual Oddity Task

Cognitive simulation offers a means of more closely examining the reasons for behavior found in psychological studies. This paper describes a computational model of the visual oddity task, in which individuals are shown six images and asked to pick the one that doesn't belong. We show that the model can match performance by participants from two cultures: Americans and the Munduruku. We use ablation experiments on the model to provide evidence as to what factors might help explain differences in performance by the members of the two cultures.
Multi-jittered sampling

Abstract Jittered sampling patterns perform better than random sampling patterns because they limit the degree of clumping that can occur. Clumping can still be present in one-dimensional projections of jittered patterns, however. We present a simple method to reduce the clumping of the X-axis and Y-axis projections by imposing an additional N -rooks constraint on the jittered sampling pattern. The resulting sampling pattern can reduce the number of rays necessary for a satisfactory image when ray-tracing.
An optical down-converter for phase detection

Summary form only given. Commercial off-the-shelf optoelectronic components can easily be implemented for remoting microwave signals great distances providing essential microwave functionality while also offering less weight, smaller size, less prime power, and fewer components at the remote location. A two-channel down-converting optical system capable of detecting the relative phase of incoming microwave signals can be used in direction finding applications as well as in modulation and demodulation of complex microwave communication signals. This is, to our knowledge, the first ever two-channel optically down-converting phase detection system. The system configuration uses cascaded modulators, optical amplification, balanced detection, and low noise preamplifiers to obtain a noise figure of 8.5-14 dB over the operating frequency range 2-18 GHz.
The Enumeration of Fully Commutative Elements of Coxeter Groups

A Coxeter group element w is fully commutative if any reduced expression for w can be obtained from any other via the interchange of commuting generators. For example, in the symmetric group of degree n, the number of fully commutative elements is the nth Catalan number. The Coxeter groups with finitely many fully commutative elements can be arranged into seven infinite families A_n, B_n, D_n, E_n, F_n, H_n and I_2(m). For each family, we provide explicit generating functions for the number of fully commutative elements and the number of fully commutative involutions; in each case, the generating function is algebraic.
Biochemical and molecular impacts of lactoferrin on small intestinal growth and development during early life.

Postnatal modeling of the intestinal epithelium has long-term impacts on the healthy development of infants and relies largely on nutrient composition of the diet. Lactoferrin (Lf) is among the var...
Ca2+ feedback on "quantal" Ca2+ release involving ryanodine receptors.

The influence of luminal and cytoplasmic Ca2+ on the ability of ryanodine-sensitive stores to undergo multiple partial (“quantal”) releases has been assessed. Increased luminal Ca2+ levels do indeed modulate sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ release by lowering the threshold agonist concentration required to elicit release, but the decrease in luminal Ca2+ that accompanies a partial release is not sufficient by itself to terminate release. Similarly, an increase in cytoplasmic Ca2+ lowers the threshold agonist concentration required to elicit release; thus, the bulk cytoplasmic Ca2+ levels attained during a release would only stimulate further release, not terminate it before it reached completion. Very high cytoplasmic Ca2+ levels (1–3 mm) also triggered release but were unable to terminate release before reaching completion. Thus, even the high local cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration that might accompany release would also not terminate release. It is concluded that Ca2+ feedback can modulate release through ryanodine receptors but that it does not account for the properties of quantal release. The low affinity inhibitor tetracaine induces a decrease in the extent of release that cannot be explained solely by heterogeneous caffeine sensitivity of the stores. The results are interpreted in terms of a scheme that includes (i) heterogeneous sensitivity of stores, conferred in part by differences in luminal Ca2+ content and (ii) adaptive behavior on the part of individual ryanodine receptors.
Automatic Identification of Participants in Haptic Systems

Biometric systems identify of users based on behavioral or physiological characteristics. This paper explores the feasibility of automatically identifying participants in haptic systems. Such a biometric system would lead to important and interesting applications such as continuous authentication in tele-operation. In order to test this feasibility, we designed a haptic system in which position, velocity, force and torque data from the tool was continuously measured and stored. Using this system, users navigated a simple maze where the user generates a continuous path from start to finish. Subsequently, several algorithms were developed to extract characteristic biometric features from the measured data. A 78.8% probability of verification was observed for data from trained users. Overall, the paper suggests the possibility of extracting identity information in a real world haptic system
Host modification of Sindbis virus sialic acid content influences alternative complement pathway activation and virus clearance.

Previous studies have shown that Sindbis virus, an enveloped alphavirus of the togavirus group, activates the alternative complement pathway in the absence of detectable antiviral immunoglobulin. The present studies examined the role of the host-determined sialic acid content of Sindbis virus on activation of the alternative complement pathway. Purified Sindbis virus grown in baby hamster kidney (BHK-SV) and in mosquito (MOSQ-SV) cells yielded virus with 10.2 and less than 2.0 nmol sialic acid/mg viral protein, respectively. Sindbis virus deficient in sialic acid (2.0 nmol sialic/mg) was also produced by treating the BHK-SV with neuraminidase (NANase-SV). When MOSQ-SV or NANase-SV was incubated in either C4DGPS or C2DHS, each consumed significantly more C3 than did BHK-SV, indicating that the ability of Sindbis virus to activate the alternative pathway is inversely related to its sialic acid content. Studies in vivo showed that virus deficient in sialic acid (MOSQ-SV) was cleared from the blood of mice much more efficiently than was virus rich in sialic acid (BHK-SV), after i.v. inoculation. Furthermore, when animals were depleted of C3 through C9 by cobra venom factor (CoVF) treatment, no differences in the clearance of high and low sialic acid-containing viruses were observed. Thus both the activation in vitro and complement-dependent clearance in vivo are significantly affected by the host-determined sialic acid content of Sindbis virus.
System fault protection design for the Cassini spacecraft

Fault protection can include a wide range of topics, ranging from fault prevention to autonomous fault detection and recovery. This paper will address a portion of the autonomous fault detection and recovery implemented on board the Cassini spacecraft. Specifically, the topic is system level fault protection design, as opposed to subsystem fault protection design. The design of system fault protection for the Cassini spacecraft will be described at a high level in order to define the guiding principles of the design. This will include examining driving requirements, high level design trades, and major architectural elements, including practical details of their design. Finally, a detailed design description will be given of two Cassini fault protection responses which are likely to be used on most other spacecraft.
Review: Bridging research and practice: relational interventions for maltreated children

BACKGROUND: Research has consistently demonstrated the deleterious consequences of child maltreatment, not only during childhood but also across the life course. In particular, maltreatment negatively affects child attachment, with high percentages of maltreated children developing insecure or disorganized attachments with their primary caregiver. Therefore, interventions informed by attachment theory are important to prevent enduring relational difficulties. SCOPE: One such intervention, child-parent psychotherapy, has been shown to be efficacious in a number of randomized controlled trials. This article provides an overview of the evidence base for this intervention and the translation of this research into practice, particularly in community settings. CONCLUSION: Increasingly, it is imperative that such evidence-based models of intervention be translated into community settings so that the most vulnerable children and families can benefit from them. Language: en
Influence of leaf trichomes on predatory mite (Typhlodromus pyri) abundance in grape varieties.

Non-glandular leaf trichomes positively influence the abundance of many phytoseiid mites. We characterized the influence of grape leaf trichomes (domatia, hairs, and bristles) on Typhlodromus pyri Scheuten abundance over two years in a common garden planting of many grape varieties and 2 years of sampling in a commercial vineyard. In general, a lack of trichomes was associated with much lower predator numbers and in the case of Dechaunac, a cultivar with almost no trichomes, very few T. pyri were found. Phytoseiid abundance was best predicted by a model where domatia and hair had an additive effect (r2 = 0.815). Over two years of sampling at a commercial vineyard there were T. pyri present on all of the 5 cultivars except Dechaunac. At the same time, European red mite prey were present on Dechaunac alone. These results suggest that on grape cultivars lacking leaf trichomes, T. pyri likely will not attain sufficient densities to provide biological control of European red mite, despite presence of the mite food source. The relationship between leaf trichomes and phytoseiid abundance that is observed at the scale of single vines in a garden planting appears to also be manifest at the scale of a commercial vineyard. Because persistence of predatory mites in or nearby the habitats of prey mites is important for effective mite biological control, leaf trichomes, through their influence on phytoseiid persistence, may be critical for successful mite biological control in some systems.
Condensation processes in astrophysical environments: The composition and structure of cometary grains

We review the results of our recent experimental studies of astrophysical dust analogs. We discuss the condensation of amorphous silicates from mixed metal vapors, including evidence that such condensates form with metastable eutectic compositions. We consider the spectral evolution of amorphous magnesium silicate condensates as a function of time and temperature. Magnesium silicate smokes anneal readily at temperatures of ~1000-1100 K. In contrast we find that iron silicates require much higher temperatures (~1300 K) to bring about similar changes on the same timescale (days to months). We first apply these results to ISO observations of crystalline magnesium silicate grains around high-mass-outflow AGB stars in order to demonstrate their general utility in a rather simple environment. Finally, we apply these experimental results to infrared observations of comets and protostars in order to derive some interesting conclusions regarding large-scale nebular dynamics, the natural production of organic molecules in protostellar nebulae and the use of crystalline magnesium silicates as a relative indicator of a comet's formation age.
Starting a Book Repair Program From Scratch: The Book Repair Program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Rasmuson Library

Rasmuson Library at the University of Alaska Fairbanks is the premier research library in the interior region of Alaska. Despite collections of historical significance, book repair has been performed by student employees with little to no training, which has resulted in the generous use of transparent adhesive tape. This resulted in more damage to the books than if nothing had been done at all. In 2012, a book repair program was established. With little training, less money, and few tools, the burgeoning book repair program was still able to save the library considerable amounts of money by repairing books that might otherwise have been thrown away and repurchased.
Fate of a Highly Strained Hydrocarbon in Aqueous Soil Environment

Quadricyclane, a highly strained hydrocarbon, is currently being evaluated by the U.S. Air Force as a possible high-performance aviation fuel. It is therefore important to discover how it would interact with the environment in the event of a spill. The reactions of quadricyclane were investigated in water, 50/50 wt % water/2-propanol and pure 2-propanol, and in abiotic aqueous soil environments consisting of four different naturally occurring soils. The reaction products were exo-5-norbornen-2-ol and nortricyclyl alcohol. The reactions in the three solvent systems were pseudo-first-order in quadricyclane. Second-order rate constants were determined from plots of the pseudo-first-order rate constants versus [H+] and were found to be 26.0 L mol-1 min-1 in water, 0.195 L mol-1min-1 in 50/50 water/2-propanol, and 0.099 L mol-1min-1 in 2-propanol, all at 25 °C. The soil experiments were run for periods of up to 9 months. The most important factor affecting the reactivity of quadricyclane in the soils was pH, w...
Effect of Certain Vacuum Treatments on Flavor and Physical Characteristics of Fluid Milk

Summary Milks with garlic, silage, feed, and cooked flavors were treated under various conditions in a two-stage vacuum treatment unit with and without added steam. Vacua at four levels in the first chamber, with a constant rate of steam injection, reduced intensity of the off-flavors to a significant degree in most cases when judged by expert and consumer flavor panels. The additive effect of steam injection was not significant, except for garlic flavor as judged by the expert panel. Composition of the milk was controlled by maintaining a suitable temperature differential between the inlet of the milk to the equipment and discharge from it. Temperature at the discharge was regulated by controlling pressure (and thus boiling point) in the second chamber. A slight increase in homogenization index was noted, but this was judged to be of little practical importance.
Perflubron emulsion prevents PMN activation and improves myocardial functional recovery after cold ischemia and reperfusion.

Background In cardiopulmonary bypass, extracorporeal circulation activates neutrophils, which contribute to ischemia reperfusion injury and postoperative myocardial dysfunction. Perfluorocarbons (PFCs) are compounds that dissolve oxygen and have anti-inflammatory and neutrophil-stabilizing properties. We hypothesized that perflubron emulsion (PFE), a PFC, would attenuate neutrophil activation during simulated extracorporeal circulation (SECC) and would preserve myocardial functional recovery during reperfusion after cold ischemia. Methods In a SECC, diluted blood was circulated for 120 min and subsequently used to reperfuse isolated rat hearts after 2 h of cold (12°C) ischemia. Three groups were studied: noncirculated control; SECC/no additive; and SECC/PFE added. In control and SECC/no additive groups, whole blood was diluted 1:1 with plasmalyte. SECC/PFE blood was diluted 1:1 with plasmalyte and PFE (0.075 mL/mL diluted whole blood). Blood counts and neutrophil activation experiments were performed before and after 120 min of SECC. Reperfusion was accomplished using a modified Langendorff preparation. Left ventricular developed pressure, dP / dt , and coronary flow were measured at 10, 15, and 20 min of reperfusion. Results After 120 min SECC, neutrophil activation was significantly reduced in the SECC/PFE group compared to the SECC/no additive group (38.1 ± 2.3% versus 51.7 ± 1.0%, P dP / dt were significantly impaired in the cold ischemic hearts reperfused with SECC/no additive blood ( P Conclusions SECC-induced neutrophil activation was attenuated with Perflubron treatment. In addition, the progressive impairment in myocardial functional recovery after cold ischemia was significantly improved with treatment. PFE has clinical potential to limit neutrophil-mediated reperfusion injury following cold ischemia.
Comparison of phytoplankton concentrations and cell volume measurements from the continental shelf off Cape Cod, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

Phytoplankton composition and concentrations varied at stations across the shelf with maximum phytoplankton volumes not necessarily related to maximum concentration values. The shelf phytoplankton off Cape Cod, Massachusetts was composed of two major size classes: the ultraplankton (cells less than 10 microns in size), and net phytoplankton. Cell concentrations decreased along transects seaward, to increase near the shelf margin. Higher cell volume values coincided with increased cell counts east of Cape Cod, but were lower southward, increasing in the mid-shelf region, to decrease along the shelf margin. The shelf ultraplankton component typically represented over 90% of the standing crop, but less than 1% of its phytovolume. Associations are made between cell volumes and concentration combinations and different phytoplankton assemblages.
Chronic Postthoracotomy Pain and Health-Related Quality of Life

Background Pain after thoracotomy is common. The objective of this study was to assess whether pain 3 months postthoracotomy negatively impacts quality of life. Methods One hundred ten patients were prospectively assessed using the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form Health Survey before and 3 months after elective thoracotomy. Pain and medication use were evaluated by questionnaire. Patients experiencing pain at 3 months were compared with patients who did not have postthoracotomy pain. Results Seventy-five patients (68%) had pain 3 months postthoracotomy; 12 patients (11%) rated their average pain greater than 3 (out of 10). Eighteen (16%) patients required opioid analgesics. The pain group reported lower SF-36 scores in physical functioning (p = 0.049), bodily pain (p = 0.0002), and vitality (p = 0.044). There were no other significant differences in any SF-36 scale between the pain and non-pain groups. Conclusions Pain is commonly reported at 3 months after elective thoracotomy but is generally mild, shows improvement with time, and does not usually require opioid analgesics. Patients who experience postthoracotomy pain at 3 months are at risk for significantly decreased physical functioning and vitality, but are not at risk for significantly decreased social, emotional, or mental health functioning compared with patients who do not experience postthoracotomy pain at 3 months.
Visual Recovery After a Year of Craniopharyngioma-Related Amaurosis: Report of a Nine-Year-Old Child and a Review of Pathophysiologic Mechanisms

Abstract Background: The probability of visual recovery in tumor-related optic neuropathy usually correlates with the severity and duration of optic pathway compromise. Recovery of visual acuity to normal levels is unexpected after profound loss of vision extending for a period of weeks and months. Methods: A 9-year-old girl who had neurosurgical resection of a craniopharyngioma compressing the optic chiasm and optic tract was followed up serially with neuroimaging and clinical examinations over a 6-year period. Results: Within 3 months of the diagnosis of craniopharyngioma, the girl's vision was reduced to no-light-perception blindness when she viewed with the more involved eye. The blindness correlated with an amaurotic (ie, >3.6 log unit) relative afferent pupillary defect and an absence of any response when tested with visual field perimetry. After more than a year of total blindness and cessation of all neurosurgical and radiation therapy, visual acuity recovered to a normal level (20/25), the afferent pupillary defect improved, and sensitivity in a portion of the temporal hemivisual field was restored. In the follow-up that has extended for 5 years from the time of recovery, stability of the restored vision has been documented. Conclusion: Children who have tumor-related loss of vision due to damage to the anterior visual pathways may be capable of recovery after intervals of blindness that would be considered irreversible in adults. The mechanism of the recovery in our patient may have been decompression-related restoration of axoplasmic flow, followed by gradual remyelination of visual fibers, which allowed reorganization of connections to the lateral geniculate nucleus to optimize synaptic transmission. (J AAPOS 1999;3:366-71)