cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Semen Production and Fertility of Dairy Bulls Ejaculated Either Once or Twice at Intervals of Either Four or Eight Days

Summary A group of 14 dairy bulls ejaculated once at 4-day intervals for 272 days averaged 5.7 billion motile spermatozoa per ejaculate. Another group of 16 bulls ejaculated once at 8-day intervals for 272 days averaged 7.0 billion motile spermatozoa per ejaculate. The average 60- to 90-day per cent nonreturns to more than 25,000 first services per group was 61.8 for the 4-day biills and 64.8 for the 8-day bulls, a difference that was not statistically significant, P During an 88-day period immediately following the 272-day period the 8-day interval bulls were ejaculated twice every eighth day and averaged 5.7 billion motile spermatozoa per ejaculate and 12.8 billion per 8-day period. The 4-day interval bulls, continued on the original interval between ejaculates, averaged 12.6 billion motile spermatozoa on an 8-day basis during this same period. The 60- to 90-day per cent nonreturns to first services was 65.2 for the 4-day bulls and 67.9 for the 8-day bulls. Again, the difference was not statistically significant, P It is concluded that one ejaculation every fourth day or two ejaculations every eighth day for periods as long as 1 year are not detrimental to semen production or fertility and that ejaculations at a rate of two per 8-day interval will yield about 60% more motile sperm than will ejaculations at the rate of one per 8-day interval.
The Conditional Impact of Blame Attribution on the Relationship Between Economic Adversity and Turnout

Previous research has found that those facing economic adversity are less likely to vote. This has serious implications for the nature of democratic accountability, since those who are less likely to vote in an economic downturn may also be the ones most likely to punish the incumbent party. In fact, some have used aggregated electoral data to justify such a claim (Radcliff 1994). However, such conclusions are premature. Once the intervening effects of blame attribution are taken into consideration, there are conditions under which economic adversity actually enhances turnout. Data from the American National Election Studies (1990-98) demonstrate that those facing economic adversity are more likely to vote when they blame the government for economic outcomes. These are the same people who have been shown in numerous economic voting studies to be much less supportive of the in-party. These findings suggest that economic adversity does not necessarily constrain democratic accountability and highlight the pe...
Model predictions of volume contractions in transition-metal alloys and implications for laves phase formation—II

A simple cellular model estimate of the site volume changes attending alloying of transition metals with each other, and with alkali and alkaline earth metals is made. Application is made to AB/sub 2/ (MgCu/sub 2/ and MgZn/sub 2/) Laves phases as well as the related AB/sub 5/ (CaCu/sub 5/ and AuBe/sub 5/) structures. Size factors and electron factors are considered as measures controlling the occurrence of Laves phases.
In-line holography of ultrafine chain aggregates

In-line holograms of iron oxide chain aggregate particles (diameter: 0.08 to 0.1 μm and length: 4 to 6 μm) were obtained using a divergent pulsed YAG laser and then optically reconstructed with a He-Ne laser. Although unable to resolve the actual particle dimensions, the reconstructed images are adaptable to image processing techniques. The fiber orientation distribution can be determined from these techniques.
Speech training for Japanese businessmen

Problems involved in teaching speech communication to Japanese students at the Japan‐America Institute of Management Science in Hawaii are described. These stem from a number of factors such as the nature of English language instruction offered in Japan, characteristic differences between the English and Japanese languages, and cross‐cultural differences between the American and the Japanese peoples.
Coherence in Three-Body Final States

The amplitude for a reaction leading to three free particles is studied in the context of nonrelativistic scattering theory with particular emphasis on the distribution of information about final-state interactions of a given pair. We show that contrary to the simple notions often read into the Faddeev equations, terms ending with the interaction of a given pair do not carry the major information about interactions of that pair. When a coherent combination of all terms contributing to the process is taken, a factor clearly carrying the features of a pair's final-state interactions appears multiplying the entire amplitude. This factor carries the elastic-scattering phase of the pair. It will dominate the variation of the amplitude with respect to final-state interactions of the pair if certain other terms vary slowly, and this seems plausible. Application of this result to triangle singularities shows that the coherent combination of terms with and without final rescattering changes the singularity qualitatively. The assignment of a final-state interaction factor onto the entire amplitude for each pair suggests a product-type final-state wave function for the process. The implications of this for overlapping resonances are discussed with particular reference to static models and the absence of the Peierls mechanism. The case of two particles interacting independently with a fixed center, for which the product wave function is exact, is discussed from the Faddeev viewpoint and shows that a multiple-scattering approach can be misleading.
Debugging DB2/CS client/server applications

The technology of running external programs on the server side of a relational database management system (RDBMS) has been developed in the past few years. Database 2 TM / Common Server (DB2 TM /CS) for UNIX TM -based platforms supports external programs (i.e., userdefined functions and stored procedures) that are written by the application developer in a third-generation language such as C or C+ +. The main difficulty in debugging these external programs is that they are executed under the control of DB2/CS, which is itself a large software system for which no source code is provided. It is therefore impractical for a debugger to penetrate through the layers of software of DB2/CS to locate and debug the external programs. It is also very difficult for the debugger to determine when an external program will be invoked by the database engine and in which process it will be rbn. In addition, in an environment where the DB2/CS server is shared between a large number of users, it is necessary to ensure that the debugger does not violate the security of the DB2/CS system. In this paper, we describe a set of extensions to a distributed debugger and DB2/CS to support the debugging of external programs. A prototype was implemented to show the feasibility of the proposed approach.
Histamine induces interleukin-6 expression in the human synovial sarcoma cell line (SW982) through the H1 receptor.

The effect of histamine on inositol phosphate generation and interleukin-6 (IL-6) release from the synovial sarcoma cell line SW982 was investigated. SW982 cells express functional H1 and H2 receptors. The H1 receptor antagonist [3H]-mepyramine binds to membranes from SW982 cells with high affinity and the binding was potently blocked by H1 antagonists. Histamine potently stimulated phosphoinositide (PI) hydrolysis and Ca2+ mobilization with EC50 of 4.0 ± 0.8 μM and 1.3 ± 0.6 μM respectively and these activities were blocked by the H1 selective antagonist mepyramine. Histamine (EC50 = 1.8 ± 1.1 μM) stimulated the release of IL-6 that was attenuated by selective H1 antagonists. The PKC inhibitor, GF1090203X, blocked the histamine stimulated IL-6 release. The H2 selective antagonist, cimetidine, had no significant effect on histamine-induced PI turnover, Ca2+ mobilization and IL-6 release. We conclude that histamine stimulates IL-6 release from SW982 cells by binding to the H1 receptor and this is coupled to the PI/PKC signal transduction pathway. Development of an H1 antagonist that inhibits the release of IL-6 from synoviocytes may be beneficial for the treatment of inflammatory joint disease.
Line-scanning particle image velocimetry: an optical approach for quantifying a wide range of blood flow speeds in live animals.

Background The ability to measure blood velocities is critical for studying vascular development, physiology, and pathology. A key challenge is to quantify a wide range of blood velocities in vessels deep within living specimens with concurrent diffraction-limited resolution imaging of vascular cells. Two-photon laser scanning microscopy (TPLSM) has shown tremendous promise in analyzing blood velocities hundreds of micrometers deep in animals with cellular resolution. However, current analysis of TPLSM-based data is limited to the lower range of blood velocities and is not adequate to study faster velocities in many normal or disease conditions. Methodology/principal findings We developed line-scanning particle image velocimetry (LS-PIV), which used TPLSM data to quantify peak blood velocities up to 84 mm/s in live mice harboring brain arteriovenous malformation, a disease characterized by high flow. With this method, we were able to accurately detect the elevated blood velocities and exaggerated pulsatility along the abnormal vascular network in these animals. LS-PIV robustly analyzed noisy data from vessels as deep as 850 µm below the brain surface. In addition to analyzing in vivo data, we validated the accuracy of LS-PIV up to 800 mm/s using simulations with known velocity and noise parameters. Conclusions/significance To our knowledge, these blood velocity measurements are the fastest recorded with TPLSM. Partnered with transgenic mice carrying cell-specific fluorescent reporters, LS-PIV will also enable the direct in vivo correlation of cellular, biochemical, and hemodynamic parameters in high flow vascular development and diseases such as atherogenesis, arteriogenesis, and vascular anomalies.
Security in the Ajanta mobile agent system

A mobile agent is an object which can autonomously migrate in a distributed system to perform tasks on behalf of its creator. Security issues in regard to the protection of host resources, as well as the agent themselves, raise significant obstacles in practical applications of the agent paradigm. This article describes the security architecture of Ajanta, a Java-based system for mobile agent programming. This architecture provides mechanisms to protect server resources from malicious agents, agent data from tampering by malicious servers and communication channels during its travel, and protection of name service data and the global namespace. We present here a proxy based mechanism for secure access to server resources by agents. Using Java's class loader model and thread group mechanism, isolated execution domains are created for agents at a server. An agent can contain three kinds of protected objects: read-only objects whose tampering can be detected, encrypted objects for specific servers, and a secure append-only log of objects. A generic authentication protocol is used for all client–server interactions when protection is required. Using this mechanism, the security model of Ajanta enforces protection of namespaces, and secure execution of control primitives such as agent recall or abort. Ajanta also supports communication between agents using RMI, which can be controlled if required by the servers' security policies. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Scaling laws for Shor's algorithm with a banded quantum Fourier transform

We investigate the performance of a streamlined version of Shor's algorithm in which the quantum Fourier transform is replaced by a banded version that, for each qubit, retains only coupling to its $b$ nearest neighbors. Defining the performance $P(n,b)$ of the $n$-qubit algorithm for bandwidth $b$ as the ratio of the success rates of Shor's algorithm equipped with the banded and the full-bandwidth ($b=n\ensuremath{-}1$) versions of the quantum Fourier transform, our numerical simulations show that $P(n,b)\ensuremath{\approx}\mathrm{exp}[\ensuremath{-}{\ensuremath{\varphi}}_{\mathrm{max}}^{2}(n,b)/100]$ for $nl{n}_{t}(b)$ (nonexponential regime) and $P(n,b)\ensuremath{\approx}{2}^{\ensuremath{-}{\ensuremath{\xi}}_{b}(n\ensuremath{-}8)}$ for $ng{n}_{t}(b)$ (exponential regime), where ${n}_{t}(b)$, the location of the transition, is approximately given by ${n}_{t}(b)\ensuremath{\approx}b+5.9+\sqrt{7.7(b+2)\ensuremath{-}47}$ for $b\ensuremath{\gtrsim}8$, ${\ensuremath{\varphi}}_{\mathrm{max}}(n,b)=2\ensuremath{\pi}[{2}^{\ensuremath{-}b\ensuremath{-}1}(n\ensuremath{-}b\ensuremath{-}2)+{2}^{\ensuremath{-}n}]$, and ${\ensuremath{\xi}}_{b}\ensuremath{\approx}1.1\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{2}^{\ensuremath{-}2b}$. Analytically we obtain $P(n,b)\ensuremath{\approx}\mathrm{exp}[\ensuremath{-}{\ensuremath{\varphi}}_{\mathrm{max}}^{2}(n,b)/64]$ for $nl{n}_{t}(b)$ and $P(n,b)\ensuremath{\approx}{2}^{\ensuremath{-}{\ensuremath{\xi}}_{b}^{(a)}n}$ for $ng{n}_{t}(b)$, where ${\ensuremath{\xi}}_{b}^{(a)}\ensuremath{\approx}\frac{{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{2}}{12\mathrm{ln}(2)}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{2}^{\ensuremath{-}2b}\ensuremath{\approx}1.19\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{2}^{\ensuremath{-}2b}$. Thus, our analytical results predict the ${\ensuremath{\varphi}}_{\mathrm{max}}^{2}$ scaling ($nl{n}_{t}$) and the ${2}^{\ensuremath{-}2b}$ scaling ($ng{n}_{t}$) of the data perfectly. In addition, in the large-$n$ regime, the prefactor in ${\ensuremath{\xi}}_{b}^{(a)}$ is close to the results of our numerical simulations, and in the low-$n$ regime, the numerical scaling factor in our analytical result is within a factor 2 of its numerical value. As an example we show that $b=8$ is sufficient for factoring RSA-2048 with a 95$%$ success rate.
Calculation of the distribution of scalar glueball strength

In an earlier work we introduced a covariant model of quarkonium-glueball mixing and calculated the wave functions of the various mixed scalar-isoscalar $\mathrm{s}\mathrm{t}\mathrm{a}\mathrm{t}\mathrm{e}\mathrm{s}: {f}_{0}(980),$ ${f}_{0}(1370),$ ${f}_{0}(1500),$ and ${f}_{0}(1770).$ In the present work we introduce the widths of these states and describe glueball mixing with the ${f}_{0}(400\char21{}1200)$ resonance using a perturbative scheme. Part of our motivation lies in the recent work of Narison who used QCD sum-rule techniques to study the distribution of glueball strength among scalar, pseudoscalar, and tensor mesons. We find little change of our previous results with little strength in the energy region below the ${f}_{0}(980)$ resonance. Our result is in contrast to the result of the QCD sum-rule analysis that suggests that there is a good deal of glueball strength in the region near or below 1 GeV.
Null test for null correctors: error analysis

An optical test has been devised to test and qualify null correctors that are used for measuring highly aspheric primary mirrors. The technique employs a rotationally symmetric computer- generated hologram (CGH) that tests the null corrector directly by synthesizing a wavefront that would be returned by a perfect primary mirror. A description of the test and summary of the error analysis are given. The error analysis includes hologram errors from pattern distortion, substrate flatness, and etch depth variations. It also includes the effects of errors in the wavelength and data analysis errors. This resulting analysis shows +/- 78 ppm accuracy for measuring the conic constant of null correctors built for measuring 3.5 -m f/1.75 primary mirrors.
Relationships between annulate lamellae and filament bundles in oocytes of the zebrafish, Brachydanio rerio

Bundles of filaments have been observed in the vitellogenic oocyte of the zebrafish, Brachydanio rerio; and these filaments illustrate a close spatial and structural relationship to annulate lamellae. The filaments range from 6–8 nm in diameter, and the annulate lamellae may cap both rounded ends of the bundle as well as extend parallel to the surface of the filament bundles. The ends of the filaments can be observed to exhibit an apparent termination in close relation to pore margins of the annulate lamellae, the membrane of the interpore regions of the annulate lamellae, as well as many nearby polyribosomes. The possible functional significance of this unique relationship is discussed in reference to a recent hypothesis regarding the function of annulate lamellae.
Abstract 5498: Changes in expression of DNA repair genes in human leukemia cells treated with laromustine

Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA The anticancer prodrug laromustine induces cytotoxic DNA damage and has had clinical success against acute myelogenous leukemia and glioblastoma multiforme. The causative DNA damage is principally a G-C interstrand crosslink preceded by 2-chloroethylation of guanine O6 by a subspecies of laromustine generated in situ upon base-catalyzed activation. Another cogenerated electrophile, methylisocyanate, contributes synergistically with the DNA alkylating activity towards cytotoxicity. Given this synergism, DNA repair enzymes are considered likely targets of methylisocyanate, which can carbamoylate amines and sulfhydryls. The inhibition of O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (AGT) and DNA polymerase beta by laroumustine's carbamoylating activity, observed in vitro, may contribute to cytotoxicity. To further investigate the relationship between laromustine and DNA repair, drug-induced changes in the transcription of 88 DNA repair genes were measured in cultured human promyelocytic (HL-60) cells using quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase PCR. Cells were treated with laromustine or vehicle for six hours before harvesting mRNA for analysis. The expression of a subset of the tested genes emerged as significantly different in cells treated with laromustine as compared to control cells. Included among those genes with significantly increased expression were: NTHL1 (17 fold), PARP1 (8 fold), and AGT (5 fold). Included among those genes with significantly decreased expression were: PARP2 (-5 fold) and MSH6 (-74 fold). Increased expression of NTHL1, which encodes for an N-glycosylase that can remove damaged guanine bases, may reduce the effectiveness of laromustine's alkylation of guanine O6. A strong negative correlation between the level of AGT activity in patient samples and the efficacy of laromustine has already been established. Some of the gene products identified in this study, such as NTHL1, may emerge as possible cotherapeutic targets or markers for clinical screening. Citation Format: Kristen N. Robinson, Kathryn A. Coe, Justin E. Owumi, Kevin P. Rice. Changes in expression of DNA repair genes in human leukemia cells treated with laromustine. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 5498. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-5498
The optimal projection equations for reduced-order, discrete-time state estimation for linear systems with multiplicative white noise

The optimal projection equations obtained in (2,3) for reduced-order, discrete-time state estimation are generalized to include the effects of state- and measurement-dependent noise to provide a model of parameter uncertainty. In contrast to the single matrix Riccati equation arising in the full-order (Kalman filter) case, the optimal steady-state reduced-order discrete-time estimator is characterized by three matrix equations (one modified Riccati equation and two modified Lyapunov equations) coupled by both an oblique projection and stochastic effects.
Multi-scale Alignment and Positioning System – MAPS

Abstract In this article we describe the design of a universal ultra-precision positioning platform to be used in the development of many different nano-manufacturing processes. The system incorporates the concept of employing different interchangeable manufacturing and characterization tools with one ultra-precision positioning system. A multi-linear-motor-driven XY planar stage floating on a thin film of air is used to traverse a substrate through a 10 mm × 10 mm travel range with an XY linear position resolution of less than 1 nm and an angular resolution about the Z axis of 0.05 μrad over a range of about a degree (determined by plane mirror interferometer optics). A piezoelectric transducer (PZT) driven tripod positioning system is used to align each manufacturing and characterization tool with the substrate through a travel range of 40 μm along the Z axis and 245 μrad of rotation about the X and Y axes. The mechanical design, an overview of the system error analysis, preliminary component performance results, and the results of the first micro-imprint fabricated with the machine are presented.
Differentially-Private Mining of Moderately-Frequent High-Confidence Association Rules

Association rule mining allows discovering of patterns in large data repositories, and benefits diverse application domains such as healthcare, marketing, social studies, etc. However, mining datasets that contain data about individuals may cause significant privacy breaches, and disclose sensitive information about one's health status, political orientation or alternative lifestyle. Recent research addressed the privacy threats that arise when mining sensitive data, and several techniques allow data mining with differential privacy guarantees. However, existing methods only discover rules that have very large support, i.e., occur in a large fraction of the dataset transactions (typically, more than 50%). This is a serious limitation, as numerous high-quality rules do not reach such high frequencies (e.g., rules about rare diseases, or luxury merchandise).In this paper, we propose a method that focuses on mining high-quality association rules with moderate and low frequencies. We employ a novel technique for rule extraction that combines the exponential mechanism of differential privacy with reservoir sampling. The proposed algorithm allows us to directly mine association rules, without the need to compute noisy supports for large numbers of itemsets. We provide a privacy analysis of the proposed method, and we perform an extensive experimental evaluation which shows that our technique is able to sample low- and moderate-support rules with high precision.
Identification and Localization of Myxococcus xanthus Porins and Lipoproteins

Myxococcus xanthus DK1622 contains inner (IM) and outer membranes (OM) separated by a peptidoglycan layer. Integral membrane, β-barrel proteins are found exclusively in the OM where they form pores allowing the passage of nutrients, waste products and signals. One porin, Oar, is required for intercellular communication of the C-signal. An oar mutant produces CsgA but is unable to ripple or stimulate csgA mutants to develop suggesting that it is the channel for C-signaling. Six prediction programs were evaluated for their ability to identify β-barrel proteins. No program was reliable unless the predicted proteins were first parsed using Signal P, Lipo P and TMHMM, after which TMBETA-SVM and TMBETADISC-RBF identified β-barrel proteins most accurately. 228 β-barrel proteins were predicted from among 7331 protein coding regions, representing 3.1% of total genes. Sucrose density gradients were used to separate vegetative cell IM and OM fractions, and LC-MS/MS of OM proteins identified 54 β-barrel proteins. Another class of membrane proteins, the lipoproteins, are anchored in the membrane via a lipid moiety at the N-terminus. 44 OM proteins identified by LC-MS/MS were predicted lipoproteins. Lipoproteins are distributed between the IM, OM and ECM according to an N-terminal sorting sequence that varies among species. Sequence analysis revealed conservation of alanine at the +7 position of mature ECM lipoproteins, lysine at the +2 position of IM lipoproteins, and no noticable conservation within the OM lipoproteins. Site directed mutagenesis and immuno transmission electron microscopy showed that alanine at the +7 position is essential for sorting of the lipoprotein FibA into the ECM. FibA appears at normal levels in the ECM even when a +2 lysine is added to the signal sequence. These results suggest that ECM proteins have a unique method of secretion. It is now possible to target lipoproteins to specific IM, OM and ECM locations by manipulating the amino acid sequence near the +1 cysteine processing site.
Comparison of Tests for Detecting Leaks in the Low-Pressure System of Anesthesia Gas Machines

Small leaks in the low-pressure system (LPS) of the anesthesia gas machine can cause hypoxia or patient awareness. We sought to determine the relative sensitivities of the various tests recommended for detecting LPS leaks before anesthesia. Special adapters were fashioned to create leaks of six different sizes in the LPS that were equivalent to the following: a single 25-, 22-, 20-, or 15-gauge needle, two 15-gauge needles, or a 2.5-mm endotracheal tube connector. With each leak condition, five different leak tests were performed on three each of the following machines: Ohmeda Modulus I, Ohmeda Modulus II-Plus, and North American Drager Narkomed (2A, 3 and 4), for a total of 54 leaks to be detected for each leak test (3 x 3 x 6). The number of leaks detected with each test was compared by Fisher's exact test, P < 0.05 being considered significant. Only the negative pressure leak test detected all 54 leaks, a significant difference from the positive pressure test, which detected the least number of leaks, 28 (P < 0.05). Some leak tests are more suitable for specific anesthesia machines. Adoption of the negative pressure test as a universal LPS leak test may prevent the risks associated with using the wrong test for the particular anesthesia machine: hypoxic gas or patient awareness.
Radiosensitization of Primary Human Glioblastoma Stem-like Cells with Low-Dose AKT Inhibition

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most frequent and lethal brain cancer. The lack of early detection methods, the presence of rapidly growing tumor cells and the high levels of recurrence due to chemo- and radio-resistance make this cancer an extremely difficult disease to treat. Emerging studies have focused on inhibiting AKT activation; here we demonstrate that in primary GBM tumor samples, full-dose inhibition of AKT activity leads to differential responses among samples in the context of cell death and self- renewal, reinforcing the notion that GBM is a heterogeneous disease. In contrast, low-dose AKT inhibition when combined with fractionation of radiation doses leads to a significant apoptosis-mediated cell death of primary patient-derived GBM cells. Therefore, low-dose targeted therapies might be better for radiosensitization of primary GBM cells and further allow for reducing the clinical toxicities often associated with targeting the AKT/PI3K/mTOR pathway. This work emphasizes the discrepancies between cell lines and primary tumors in drug testing, and indicates that there are salient differences between patients, highlighting the need for personalized medicine in treating high-grade glioma.
Optimization of Material Removal Efficiency in Low Pressure CMP

In chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) the material removal efficiency (MRE) can be defined as the fraction of the total pressure distributed on the abrasives, and it depends on the interplay between the direct contact of the pad-to-wafer, and the contact of the abrasives with the wafer. The MRE can be increased by minimizing pad-wafer direct contact, as this is not likely to help material removal, significantly. The objective of this work is to investigate parameters that control MRE. This may be especially important for low-pressure CMP used in the polishing of (ultra-low-k) ULK dielectric materials. The optimization of CMP parameters to maximize the MRE is described by modeling the contact interactions between pad, abrasives and wafer. A relationship for optimal abrasive concentration is presented for the external load values that mark the transition from pure pad-wafer-abrasive contact to mixed contact (combination of pad-wafer-abrasive and pad-wafer contacts) and for given pad porosity and pad surface parameters.
Chaotic mixing in the enhanced mixing simulator

The mixing performance of an experimental device-the enhanced mixing simulator (EMS)-is studied in this paper. In this device, the Couette flow is perturbed laterally, so that uniform and quick mixing can be achieved. Numerical simulation of the mixing in EMS flows is performed, which shows good agreement with the experimental results. Spline interpolation and advanced integration techniques are used in particle tracking, so that accurate results are obtained at low costs. Poincare sections are used to study the long-term mixing behavior. The uniformity of the simulated mixture is evaluated using statistical approaches-the variation coefficient and the Kolmogorov test. The Kolmogorov test is adequately implemented for our purpose and incorporated with efficient sorting algorithms. The mixing rate is determined from the time evolution of uniformity during mixing. It is also shown that although the Lyapunov exponent can identify chaos, it does not measure the mixing rate. Optimal design of the EMS is discussed.
A spectral CT technique using balanced K-edge filter set

In this work, we propose a novel spectral computed tomography (CT) approach that combines a conventional CT scanner with a Ross spectrometer to obtain quasi-monoenergetic measurements. The Ross spectrometer, which is a generalization of a Ross filter pair, is a set of balanced K-edge filters whose thicknesses are such that the transmitted spectra through any two filters are nearly identical except in the energy band between their respective K-edges. The proposed approach is based on these specially designed filters, which are used to synthesize a set of quasi-monoenergetic sinograms whose reconstruction yields energy-dependent attenuation coefficient (μ E ) images. In this way, we are able to collect data using conventional CT data acquisition electronics, then to synthesize spectral CT datasets with highly stable, rate-independent energy bin boundaries. This approach avoids the chromatic distortion due to event pile-up which can cause difficulties with single photon spectrometry-based methods. To validate our Ross Spectrometer CT concept, we performed phantom studies and acquired data with a balanced filter set consisting of thin foils of silver, tin, cerium, dysprosium and tungsten. For each energy bin, a synthesized quasi-monoenergetic CT image was reconstructed using the filtered back projection (FBP) algorithm operating on the logarithmic ratio of corresponding energy-resolved intensity and blank sinogram pairs. The reconstructed attenuation coefficients showed satisfactorily good agreement with NIST reference values of μ E for water. The proposed spectral CT technique is potentially feasible and holds promise to provide a more accurate and cost-effective alternative to single-photon counting spectral CT techniques.
Physical-Layer Detection of Hardware Keyloggers

This work examines the general problem of detecting the presence of hardware keyloggers HKLs, and specifically focuses on HKLs that are self-powered and take measures, such as passively tapping the keyboard line, to avoid detection. The work is inspired by the observer effect, which maintains that the act of observation impacts the observed. First, a model for HKLs is proposed, and experimentally validated, that explains how attaching a HKL necessarily affects the electrical characteristics of the system it is attached to. The model then motivates the selection of features that can be used for detection. A comparison framework is put forth that is sensitive enough to identify the minute changes in these features caused by HKLs. Experimental work carried out on a custom keylogger designed to conceal its presence, at the expense of reliability, shows that it is possible to detect stealthy and evasive keyloggers by observing as few as five keystrokes. Optimal attack strategies are devised to evade detection by the proposed approach and countermeasures evaluated that show detection is still possible. Environmental effects on detection performance are also examined and accounted for.
Extensive and selective mutation of a rearranged VH5 gene in human B cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia

B cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the malignant, monoclonal equivalent of a human CD5+ B cell. Previous studies have shown that the VH and VL genes rearranged and/or expressed in CLL have few and apparently random mutations. However, in this study, we have found that the rearranged VH251 gene, one of the three-membered VH5 family, has extensive and selective mutations in B-CLL cells. Somatic mutation at the nucleotide level is 6.03% in B-CLLs whereas the somatic mutation levels are much lower in CD5+ and CD5- cord B cells, adult peripheral blood B cells, and Epstein-Barr virus-transformed CD5+ B cell lines (0.45, 0.93, and 1.92%, respectively). Complementary determining region 1 (CDR1) mutation in CLLs is particularly prevalent, and interchanges in CDRs often lead to acquisition of charge. Analysis of somatic mutations and mutations to charged residues demonstrated that the mutations in CLLs are highly selected.
Glucose effect on respiration: Possible mechanism for capacitation in guinea pig spermatozoa

Guinea pig sperm respiration was determined in minimal capacitation medium (MCM) with different energy sources. The ZO2 observed for spermatozoa suspended in media containing pyruvate and lactate was 35.7 +/- 5.9, pyruvate alone, 27.9 +/- 3.8 and D-glucose alone 3.4 +/- 1.1. When D-glucose was added to spermatozoa rapidly respiring in media containing pyruvate as the only exogenous energy source, an immediate suppression in respiration was observed. Further reduction was caused by continued addition of D-glucose. Fructose and mannose also produced a suppression in respiratory rate. However, lactose, fucose, sucrose, L-glucose, and galactose did not alter the respiratory rate. The suppression of respiration by metabolizable sugars is paralleled by a suppression of acrosome reaction in guinea pig spermatozoa. The possibility that suppression of respiration is the mechanism for retardation of capacitation and the subsequent acrosome reaction by D-glucose and other metabolizable sugars is suggested.
Mitochondrial buffering of calcium in the heart: potential mechanism for linking cyclic energetic cost with energy supply?

See related article, pages 172–182 The kinetics of mitochondrial Ca2+ cycling and its precise role in controlling local Ca2+ fluxes in intact cardiac myocytes has not been fully elucidated. In the case of cardiac excitation–contraction (E-C) coupling in normal cardiac atrial cells, it has been established that cytosolic Ca2+ ([Ca2+]c) increases peripherally within the cell and propagates to the center.1 What is less clear has been the understanding of the time scale dynamics of the Ca2+ fluxes within the mitochondria. To began to address whether beat-to-beat changes in [Ca2+]c alter mitochondrial Ca2+ loading, Maack and colleagues2 use a novel technique to monitor, simultaneously, Ca2+ concentrations in the cytoplasm and mitochondrial matrix. Additionally, the authors’ probe the effect that mitochondrial Ca2+ efflux, due to elevated Na+, could have on mitochondrial Ca2+ buffering and bioenergetics. It is well recognized that the energetic cost of mechanical/contractile work plus ion handling associated with E-C coupling is very high and is supported by the large mitochondrial volume fraction of the cardiac myocyte. The link between regulation of ATP production and intracellular calcium fluxes has been suggested by studies that have demonstrated that the transport of Ca2+ into the mitochondrial matrix can activate several enzymes of the TCA cycle. It is well-known that mitochondria sequester Ca2+ ([Ca2+]m) under conditions that increase [Ca2+]c concentrations in many different cell types.3–5 Changes in [Ca2+]m can have effects on energy production rates, amplitude, and temporal profiles of [Ca2+]c as well as its well …
A novel environmentally friendly and biocompatible curing agent for lead-free electronics

In order to accommodate environmental considerations, the environmentally friendly and biocompatible materials become increasingly important and attract a lot of research interest in recent years, while application of biocompatible materials are still in its infancy. In this paper, the biochemical building blocks, amino acid is used as a novel environmentally benign and biologically compatible curing agent in epoxy system. Amino acids have both amine and carboxylic functional groups, both of which could participate in the reaction with epoxy. The curing capability of amino acid with epoxy is evaluated by measuring the heat flow and glass transition temperature using differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). In-situ Fourier transfer infrared (FTIR) spectra are used to determine the curing mechanism of amino acid with epoxy. The reaction of amino acid and epoxy is due to the lone pair electrons of the primary amine which provides high reactivity in curing the epoxy resin. The thermal stability of the cured epoxy was investigated by measuring the weight change with various temperatures. Novel lead-free, environmentally and biologically friendly electronic materials are developed for next generation nano bioelectronic packaging applications.
Cognitive Mechanisms in Human Creativity: Is Variation Blind or Sighted?

It is argued that the cognitive mechanisms in human creativity are, for the most part, sighted rather than blind. The article opens with a review of attempts to apply evolutionary ideas to psychology. It continues with an argument that blind-variation ideas seem to apply well in some areas of psychology, but that the psychology of human creativity is not one of these areas. An alternative sighted-variation framework is then proposed. It is argued, nevertheless, that the blind-variation system of biological evolution itself shows emergent creative properties, even though this system does not serve as an appropriate model for human creativity.
Inverse Mass Matrix Factorization Using Momentum Equations of a Rigid Multibody System

4. This paper redefines in the above equation for tree configured rigid multibody systems. It holds that the operator acts on a matrix array instead of elements of a particular type of matrix. This subtle difference simplifies the proofs of key equations used for the said factorization. This paper also chooses a parent-first body indexing scheme for system configuration definition, whereas Ref. 1 chose a child-first scheme. The new definitions clarify the proof of key identities used in Ref. 1. The objective here is to factor the inverse system mass matrix of a tree system based on the momentum equations of the system and the revised definition of . The resulting factors are found to be identical to those in Ref. 1-4 and they define an order algorithm that solves not only generalized accelerations from force equations but also generalized rates from momentum equations.
Upregulation of NRG-1 and VAMP-1 in human brain aggregates exposed to clozapine

Growing genetic evidence has implicated a role for neuregulin-1 (NRG-1) in schizophrenia pathogenesis as well as alterations in SNAP receptor (SNARE) proteins at both gene and protein levels in post-mortem investigations. In relation to a potential therapeutic mechanism for atypical antipsychotic medications, clozapine has been shown to increase both NRG-1 levels and synaptic markers in rodents. As evidence continues to mount for a potential restoration in connectivity by antipsychotic medications being a mode of efficacy we chose to examine the effects of the atypical antipsychotic clozapine and the typical antipsychotic haloperidol on NRG-1 and SNARE protein transcripts in human brain aggregates exposed to plasma levels chronically for a period of three weeks. At the end of this exposure period we performed quantitative real-time PCR to investigate the mRNA levels of NRG-1, VAMP-1 and SNAP-25. Overall we found that clozapine had the ability to upregulate NRG-1 (+3.58 fold change) and VAMP-1 (+1.92) while SNAP-25 remained unchanged. Changes for haloperidol exposed aggregates were below our cut-off of +1.5. Overall the results of our investigation lend further support to atypical antipsychotic medications having the potential to increase levels of neurotrophic and synaptic markers such as NRG-1 and VAMP-1, the former being a strong candidate susceptibility gene for schizophrenia. In the absence of frank neuronal loss in schizophrenia, restoration of neuronal and synaptic functions by atypical antipsychotics in the brains of schizophrenics maybe a key mechanism of therapeutic efficacy by re-establishing normal connectivity and functioning.
Appearance of catechol amines during development of Rana pipiens.

Abstract The appearance and accumulation of dopamine, noradrenaline, and adrenaline in whole embryos and in isolated neural crests was followed during the development of Rana pipiens. Catechol amines were found to emerge during development in the same order as they have been shown to appear during adrenaline synthesis in adult tissues. Dopamine and noradrenaline appeared at stages 15 and 16 (Shumway), respectively, in both whole embryos and neural crests. Adrenaline emerged at stage 17+ in whole embryos, but was not found even at stage 20+ in neural crest material. Actual synthesis of individual catechol amine was estimated from the accumulation of each compound at the several stages. Dopamine and noradrenaline were found in stages 20− ectodermmesenchyme.
Output-Feedback Adaptive Control for Parabolic PDEs with Spatially Varying Coefficients

All of the existing results in adaptive control for parabolic PDEs rely on full state measurement. For the first time, we consider a problem of output feedback stabilization of distributed parameter systems with unknown reaction, advection, and diffusion parameters. Both sensing and actuation are performed at the boundary and the unknown parameters are allowed to be spatially varying. First we construct a special transformation of the original system into the PDE analog of "observer canonical form," with unknown parameters multiplying the measured output. We then use the so-called swapping method for parameter estimation. Input and output filters are implemented so that a dynamic parameterization of the problem is converted into a static parameterization where a gradient estimation algorithm is used. The control gain is computed through the numerical solution of an ordinary integro-differential equation. The results are illustrated by simulations
Properties of melt-grown single crystals of “YB68”

Abstract Single crystals of yttrium boride YBn with n = 61 ± 3 were grown from the melt. Precision density and lattice parameter measurements indicate a congruent melting point at n = 61.7 and a stoichiometric composition at n = 68. Measurements of elastic constants, acoustic attenuation, electrical resistivity and optical absorption are presented. High resolution transmission electron microscopy reveals a complex crystal structure similar to that found by using X-rays. A comparison of the properties of YBn with those of β-boron show that there are many similarities.
Selection of interdependent choice of 2 complementary resources

In modeling resource choice, resources are commonly categorized as essential, complementary, or substitutable. Most models concerning nonsubstitutable resources have represented each resource as a set of identical options. In reality, nonsubstitutable resources often vary in quality. Biting insects require a bloodmeal host and an oviposition site for reproduction, and expected offspring yield from different hosts and sites varies dramatically. Because both of these resources are necessary, selection may exist for interdependent choice, or bloodfeeding decisions that depend on egglaying site distribution, and vice versa. For example, insects may be selected to feed on hosts near high-quality sites or to lay eggs in sites near high-quality hosts. These decisions may be influenced by resource distribution; some areas may have clusters of high-quality hosts or sites, but the co-occurrence of both resources may be uncommon. In this study, we demonstrate the selective advantage of interdependent choice in heterogeneous environments. A 2-patch model demonstrates that interdependent choice is advantageous when resource quality varies greatly, as threshold acceptable bloodmeal host quality differed most from in a completely random environment when oviposition site quality was highly variable, and with high movement costs. A dynamic state variable model extended this result, demonstrating that spatial correlation in quality between resources is sufficient to select for interdependent choice, and autocorrelation increases the effect of between-resource correlation on behavior. This model also demonstrates that the relationship between the resources influences optimal behavior; highly complementary resources are more likely to select for populations that exhibit interdependent choice.
Prostaglandin E2 Is a Positive Regulator of Adrenocorticotropin Receptors, 3β-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase, and 17α-Hydroxylase Expression in Bovine Adrenocortical Cells*

The maintenance of optimal steroidogenesis in adrenocortical cells primarily depends on the chronic action of cAMP. Herein we examine the effects of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) on the differentiated functions of bovine adrenocortical (BAC) cells in primary culture. PGE2 (10 microM) treatment for 3 h stimulated steroidogenesis and cAMP production by over 100-fold. In addition, the cAMP antagonist Rp-cAMP (1 mM) inhibited PGE2 stimulation of steroidogenesis by 60%. This observation suggests that the cAMP second messenger system is responsible for much of the PGE2-activated steroid hormone synthesis. Chronic treatment of BAC cells with PGE2 caused induction of 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and steroid 17 alpha-hydroxylase cytochrome P-450 expression as determined by the examination of enzyme activity, enzyme levels by immunoblotting, and specific messenger RNA (mRNA) levels by Northern analysis. The positive effects of PGE2 on expression of 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and 17 alpha-hydroxylase cytochrome P-450 were similar to the effects seen after ACTH treatment of BAC cells. In addition, treatment of BAC cells with PGE2 for 3 days caused a 3-fold induction of ACTH receptors as determined by increased cell binding of [125I]ACTH. Finally, we determined that BAC cells produced PGE2 and that the level of synthesis increased 10-fold after treatment with the hormone angiotensin II. Taken together these data indicate that PGE2 is a positive regulator of BAC cell differentiation acting on ACTH receptors, steroid metabolizing enzymes, and steroidogenesis. The ability of BAC cells to produce PGE2 leaves open the possibility for paracrine and autocrine regulation within the adrenal.