cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Gaphyl: An Evolutionary Algorithms Approach For The Study Of Natural Evolution

Gaphyl is an application of genetic algorithms (GA's) to phylogenetics, an approach used by biologists to investigate the evolutionary relationships among organisms. Typical phylogenetic software packages use heuristic search methods to navigate through a space of possible trees in an attempt to find the most plausible evolutionary hypotheses, as exhaustive search is not practical in this domain. Gaphyl substitutes an evolutionary search mechanism, with the result that on a complex problem from the literature (the major clades of the angiosperms), Gaphyl is able to find a more complete solution (more equally plausible hypotheses) in less time than the standard approach. Contributions of GA operators are investigated, as are some possibilities for hybrid systems.
Securing the PlanetLab Distributed Testbed: How to Manage Security in an Environment with No Firewalls, with All Users Having Root, and No Direct Physical Control of Any System

PlanetLab is a globally distributed network of hosts designed to support the deployment and evaluation of planetary scale applications. Support for planetary applications development poses several security challenges to the team maintaining PlanetLab. The planetary nature of PlanetLab mandates nodes distributed across the globe, far from the physical control of the team. The application development requirements force every user to have access to the equivalent of root on each machine, and use of firewalls is discouraged. If an account is compromised, PlanetLab administrators needed a way to track the actions of users on the nodes. If an entire node is compromised, then the administrators need a way to regain control despite the lack of physical access. Encryption was built into PlanetLab to ensure confidentiality and integrity of system downloads. A special reset packet, combined with keeping a boot CD in the machine, enables PlanetLab system administrators to remotely regain control of machines if they are compromised and return to the nodes into a safe known state. The Linux VServer implementation is used to provide root access to PlanetLab users for development purposes while isolating users from each other. A network abstraction layer provides accounting of traffic and allows safe access to raw sockets. These mechanisms have proven very useful in managing PlanetLab. After a compromise of large numbers of PlanetLab hosts, control of the PlanetLab network was regained in 10 minutes. The compromise spawned a review of PlanetLab security, which pointed out a number of flaws. The need for a central site for maintaining PlanetLab was cited as a key weakness. Future work includes distributing the functions of PlanetLab's central administrative database and improving integrity checks.
Doing Good and Doing Well: Prairie Wetlands, Private Property, and the Public Trust

In this article, we focus on a gift of land and its restoration. The land is a 300-acre lakeside family farm near Brookings, South Dakota. We gave this farm to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in 2012 to be taken from cropland and restored to prairie wetland—and at a time when high commodity prices are encouraging many farmers to do precisely the opposite, albeit not without challenge. Our intent is to explore a range of critical values—values apparent under conditions of conflict—as they have been playing out in this portion of the U.S. heartland. By going against the grain of contemporary agricultural practice, we have inserted ourselves into this conflict and have become strategically placed to contribute ethnographically to ongoing anthropological, philosophical, and environmental discussions of what nature is worth, to whom (in the past, present, and future), and why. In so doing, we follow in the footsteps of Lewis Henry Morgan and Aldo Leopold, both of whom pondered similar issues in similar places.
Toward a New Concept of Global Morality

The human community faces today the most serious challenges ever to have confronted the planet in the areas of health, environment, and security. Science and technology are essential for responding to these challenges. More is needed, however, because science is not equipped to deal adequately with the values dimensions and the political issues that accompany the challenges. For an adequate response, there must be cooperative effort by scientists and statespersons, informed for moral leadership by the religious wisdom that is available. The religious communities can provide this spiritual dimension, thereby fulfilling their traditional role, but it will require their coming to terms with the character of the scientific and technological base of contemporary culture. The paper lays the conceptual groundwork for understanding these issues.
Using a Treat-to-Target Management Strategy to Improve the Doctor–Patient Relationship in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Using a Treat-to-Target Management Strategy to Improve the Doctor–Patient Relationship in Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Perturbation Methods for Dirac Radial Equations

Two methods of calculating perturbation effects for the Dirac electron equation are discussed. The two radial functions enter symmetrically in the main contributions to the effects calculated. The first method is related to the method of the Riccati equation for ordinary second-order differential equations but differs from it through the use of the ratio of the two radial functions rather than that of the logarithmic derivative of one of them. The second method has some similarity to Milne's phase amplitude method. The methods described have been helpful in the two preceding papers.
Some Physical Properties of Compressed Gases. VI. The Fugacity of Carbon Dioxide

The Michels' compressibility data for carbon dioxide are smoothed and interpolated by graphical methods, and the fugacity is computed at certain integral pressures. The temperature range is from 0\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} to 150\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C, and the pressure range from 0 to the neighborhood of 3000 atmos. Along all isotherms, the fugacity at first drops below the pressure, the ratio $\frac{f}{p}$ decreasing with $p\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{a}$ phenomenon well known and explained by the attractive forces of the molecules. The minimum in $\frac{f}{p}$ is reached at or near 600 atmos. for all isotherms above critical. With further increase in pressure, the ratio $\frac{f}{p}$ increases, so that the fugacity eventually equals the pressure and thereafter exceeds it. At 50\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}, $f=p \mathrm{at} 2435$ atmos.; at 150\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}, $f=p \mathrm{at} 1675$ atmos.
Detailed profiling of anti-desmoglein autoantibodies identifies anti-Dsg1 reactivity as a key driver of disease activity and clinical expression in pemphigus vulgaris.

AbstractWith their near-universal presence in patients and ease of clinical measurement, anti-desmoglein (Dsg) antibodies serve as primary candidates for creating prognostic tools in Pemphigus vulgaris (PV). Although the desmoglein compensation hypothesis postulates a clear relationship between anti-Dsg autoantibodies and clinical phenotype in PV, recent studies have questioned the fidelity of this hypothesis as a predictor of lesion morphology. Moreover, few studies address the association of anti-Dsg antibodies to other clinical parameters such as disease phase and age at onset. Using the largest patient repository to date in PV, we present a detailed analysis of anti-desmoglein antibody profiles across a comprehensive range of dynamic (disease phase, therapy, lesion morphology) and temporal (disease duration, age at sampling, age at onset) clinical parameters. Our data highlight the non-traditional but key role of anti-Dsg1 levels in tracking disease activity. We show that declining anti-Dsg1 levels ma...
The feeding of darwin's finches on Tribulus cistoides (L.) seeds

Abstract Food-handling skills of finches vary as a function of bill size. Geospiza magnirostris crush and shatter the woody mericarps of caltrop (Tribulus cistoides) to reach the seeds, whereas G. fortis (a smaller species) bite and tear at them. G. magnirostris accept and crack most of the mericarps picked up; fortis reject most mericarps but often feed on fragments. Energy rewards are greater for magnirostris than for fortis. Intraspecific variation in handling skills parallels interspecific variation. G. fortis individuals with large bills spend more time on mericarps and extract more seeds than do those with small bills, and they reject mericarps with a lower frequency. Those observed feeding on seeds from Tribulus mericarps were larger, particularly in bill size, than those not observed feeding on them.
Channel Hydraulics, Habitat Use, and Body Form of Juvenile Coho Salmon, Steelhead, and Cutthroat Trout in Streams

Abstract Habitat use by juvenile coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch, steelhead Salmo gairdneri, and the coastal subspecies of cutthroat trout Salmo clarki clarki in small streams in western Washington was influenced by hydraulic characteristics of different types of channel units. Coho salmon preferred pools with average velocities less than 20 cm/s; very few fish were found in riffles with high current velocities. Steelhead occurred in riffles and also utilized deep pools with relatively high velocities along the center of the channel. Cutthroat trout were intermediate between coho salmon and steelhead in their use of swiftly flowing habitats. Variation in body shape and fin size among the three species generally fit the predicted morphologies that would be favored in different locations within the channel. Coho salmon possessed a deep, laterally compressed body with large median and paired fins. These features are believed to facilitate rapid turns and quick but transient burst swimming. Steelhead possess...
Down-hole combustion method for gas production from methane hydrates

As global energy demands increase, there will be a critical need to employ fuels that have minimal environmental impacts. While hydrogen is considered the ultimate fuel for that purpose, hydrocarbon based fuels will be in use for a considerable time and will probably be the first major source of hydrogen for next generation power systems. The best fuel for this transition will be natural gas because of the high hydrogen to carbon ratio. Natural gas hydrates have the potential to meet the global energy needs for the foreseeable future. The amount of energy stored in natural gas hydrates is significantly more than that of all the other fossil fuels combined. However, most proposed techniques for recovering the natural gas from the hydrate require too much energy input, raise safety concerns or can only recover a fraction of the gas. This paper discusses the technical feasibility of a novel method of gas production in hydrate reservoirs. The method is an in-situ process that creates a point heat source in the hydrate formation. This method not only tremendously reduces the energy input, but also has the potential to sequester as much or more CO2 than would be produced from burning the natural gas produced, thus making this in-situ methane production technique carbon neutral. Calculations and simulations using FEMLAB™ show the method offers an energy efficient and environmental friendly way to produce natural gas from hydrate reservoirs. Preliminary results indicate that it is possible to have an energy efficiency of near 90% for land based reservoirs for hydrate loadings of 20%. The simulation results also suggest that alternatives to a point source can be employed which may improve the process efficiency.
Implementing appreciative sharing of knowledge in the US Army Command and General Staff College

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the application of Thatchenkery's Appreciative Sharing of Knowledge (ASK) to a professional military college.Design/methodology/approach – ASK is a seven‐step research and intervention methodology grounded in the positive psychology discipline. ASK uncovers behaviors and processes already in existence that are highly valued by stakeholders, and then applies a disciplined organizational development structure to develop action plans for improvement that have strong stakeholder support, in order to effect transformation within the organization.Findings – The case study reports on a set of high‐payoff priorities that were nominated by students and faculty, and supported in principle and with resources by college leadership to transform the direction of the college towards a new vision of collaborative education.Research limitations/implications – The case study demonstrates that the ASK methodology can be very effective in traditional professional and educatio...
Effect of Multi-Forging Condition on Deformed Structure and Mechanical Properties of A 99.995 Percent High Purity Aluminum

A purity of 99.995% high purity aluminum was deformed by multi-forging with different conditions (forged by different forging passes with and without water cooling). The effect of multi-forging on macrostructure and mechanical property of the high purity aluminum was investigated. The results show that the deformation heat during the MDF process can obviously affect the recrystallization of the high purity aluminum. Recrystallization occurs in the easy deformation zone of the sample as forged by 3 passes at room temperature. While, when the sample are cooling by water for each pass, no recrystallization occurs in the whole sample as forged by 9 passes. When the high purity forged at room temperature, the structure difference between the easy deformation zone and stagnant zone can not be eliminated by increasing the forging pass to 9. While, the area of the recrystal grain extends with increment of the forging pass.
A Microbiologic Study of Diluted Sclerotherapy Solutions

BACKGROUND. As sclerotherapy has become more of an exact science it has become appropriate to dilute various sclerosing solutions to produce the least concentration of sclerosant producing effective endosclerosis of a given vessel diameter—the minimal sclerosant concentration. OBJECTIVE. In this setting it has become necessary to take into account various microbiologic considerations. Contamination of infusates is the most common cause of epidemic device-related bloodstream infections. With these considerations in mind, the following study was undertaken to determine the bacterial and fungal content of varied concentrations of four commonly employed sclerotherapy agents. METHODS. Dilutions were made of hypertonic saline 23.4% to 11.7% with both bacteriostatic water and 0.9% normal saline, Polidocanol 0.5% to 0.25% with bacteriostatic water, sodium tetradecyl sulfate 1.0% to 0.5% with bacteriostatic water, and polyiodide iodide 2% to 1% with bacteriostatic water under sterile conditions. Each sclerosant was analyzed for bacterial, fungal, and spore content at determined time intervals with standardized utilization indices for up to 3 months. RESULTS. At each sclerosant concentration for sodium chloride, polidocanol, sodium tetradechol sulfate, and polyiodide iodide at each study design time interval for sampling all bacterial and fungal cultures remained sterile. CONCLUSIONS. With appropriate aseptic techniques we may dilute sclerosing solutions to desired concentrations that will remain sterile for a period of at least 3 months under daily usage conditions.
Serial spatial filters in vision

Abstract Observers viewing two superimposed laser interference fringes of nearly equal spatial frequency see an illusory grating of low spatial frequency, even when the spatial frequency of the fringes exceeds the resolution limit. This grating is a product of nonlinear distortion within the visual system ( MacLeod, Williams and Makous (1992) Vision Research , 32 , 347–363]. By separately manipulating the spatial frequencies of the interference fringes and the distortion gratings, we decomposed the contrast sensitivity function into two serial components separated by the nonlinear process. Losses in the optics of the eye were avoided by use of laser interferometry. Spatial summation preceding the nonlinear stage was restricted to the light-collecting area of individual cones and was directly proportional to the diameters of cone inner segments at three retinal eccentricities; this suggests that light is trapped within cones at the level of their inner segments. Even 30° from the fovea, the nonlinear stage precedes the site where separate signals from individual cones are no longer maintained; this leads us to suggest that the nonlinear process lies within the retina. In addition, spatial antagonism precedes the nonlinear stage; this places the nonlinear process at a site following the outer segments of the cones. Dichoptic presentation of the interference fringes failed to produce illusory gratings; that is, the nonlinearities within the binocular pathway do not produce distortions like those produced by the monocular nonlinearity.
A major testicular cell protein specified by a mouse T/t complex gene

Abstract The technique of two-dimensional gel electrophoresis was used to identify a major testicular cell protein, p63/6.9, which is specified by a gene (p63) within the mouse T/t complex on chromosome 17. A wild-type gene causes the expression of one form of this protein, p63/6.9b. All lethal and semilethal t haplotypes derived from wild mice cause the expression of an apparently identical alternate allelic form of the p63/6.9 protein. This protein, p63/6.9a, represents the first t haplotype-specific molecule to be biochemically identified. A dominant haplotype ( T Hp ) acts as a null allele of the p63 gene; this unique behavior provides additional evidence for the interpretation of T Hp as a deletion within the T/t region of chromosome 17. Limited proteolysis of viable testicular cells causes selective cleavage of the p63/6.9 proteins, relative to other detergent-soluble testicular cell proteins known to be internal. This result strongly suggests that p63/6.9 proteins are located on the cell surface. Qualitative and quantitative estimates indicate that p63/6.9 is one of the most prominent proteins on the testicular cell surface. p63/6.9 is expressed in all other mouse cell types analyzed but at greatly reduced levels. Partial t haplotypes obtained from infrequent recombination events were used to map the p63 gene close to the dominant mutation T and separate from the lethal factors of t haplotypes. A 100% correlation was observed between the expression of p63/6.9a and the genetic presence of the tail interaction factor of t haplotypes. The significance of this correlation in terms of the evolution of t haplotypes among wild mice is discussed.
Optimal control for parabolic systems with competitive interactions

We consider a two-dimensional parabolic system with general competitive interactions as a two-player game with conflicting objectives and with controls on the inhomogencous (source) terms. We show the existence of an optimal solution of the game as the saddle point of a suitable objective functional.
An endochronic damage model for three-dimensional ductile failure analysis of double-edge notched thick-tension specimens

AbstractA three-dimensional ductile damage model based on the endochronic plastic theory is developed and employed to characterize the failure process of double-edge notched thick-tension specimens. A ductile damage evolution equation is derived with a new intrinsic time-scale specifically defined to characterize damage evolution. Two damage failure criteria are proposed and employed to predict the failure loads and crack initiation sites which correspond well with those measured experimentally.
Fitness consequences of infection of Arabidopsis thaliana with its natural bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas viridiflava

Variation in plant resistance to pathogen infection is commonly observed in interactions between wild plants and their foliar pathogens. Models of host–pathogen interactions indicate that a large cost of infection is generally necessary to maintain this variation, yet there is limited evidence that foliar pathogens cause detectable fitness reductions in wild host plants. Most published work has focused on fungal pathogens. Pseudomonas viridiflava, a common bacterial pathogen of the annual weed Arabidopsis thaliana across its range, comprises two distinct genetic clades that cause disease symptoms of different severity. Here we measured the extent of infection of wild A. thaliana populations in the Midwest, USA, and examined the effect on seed production, in field and growth-chamber experiments, of experimental inoculation with isolates from the two clades. We found infection with P. viridiflava varied from 0 to 56% in Midwest A. thaliana populations, with the possibility of several leaves per plant infected later in the growing season. In the growth chambers, experimental inoculation reduced seed set by averages of 15 and 11% for clades A and B, respectively. In the field experiment, only clade A affected plant fitness significantly, reducing seed set by an average of 38%. Underlying these average effects we observed both negative and positive effects of infection, and variation in both fitness among plant genotypes and sensitivity to environmental conditions.
Thermal conductivity of arsenic single crystals from 2 to 300 K

Thermal conductivity of high-quality single crystals of arsenic has been measured along both the binary (${K}^{11}$) and trigonal (${K}^{33}$) directions between 2 and 300 K. A strong transverse magnetic field was used to separate the lattice (${K}_{L}$) and electronic (${K}_{E}$) thermal conductivity contributions. The lattice conductivity shows significant anisotropy with ${K}_{L}^{11}$ exceeding ${K}_{L}^{33}$ throughout the temperature range. Both lattice components show ${T}^{2}$ behavior below 5 K, but increase more rapidly than ${T}^{2}$ in the range $5lTl15$ K before reaching maxima in the range 18-25 K. At higher temperatures the lattice conductivity is limited by phonon-phonon umklapp scattering. Below 10 K the electronic thermal conductivity is very sensitive to residual impurities. For $Tg20$ K, ${K}_{E}$ is comparable for all samples and the carrier-phonon scattering is practically isotropic. Experimental values of the Lorenz ratio are significantly smaller than the Sommerfeld value, indicating that the carrier scattering is inelastic in the range 3-80 K.
Selection for and against vocal learning in birds and mammals

Vocal learning, the substrate for human language, is a rare trait found to date in only three distantly related groups of birds (parrots, hummingbirds, and song- birds) and four distantly related groups of mammals (humans, bats, cetaceans, and elephants). Brain pathways for vocal learning have been studied in the three bird groups and in humans, and they have a number of similarities. In addition, use of learned vocalizations is also similar among vocal learners. Together this suggests common selection pressures. Here I present hypotheses on what could have selected for or against vocal learning and associated brain pathways in birds and mammals. The brain pathways I suggest were selected from a pre-existing motor pathway. Se- lection for vocal learning behavior I suggest occurred by two factors: mating prefer- ence for varied vocalizations and a need for rapid adaptation to propagate sound in different environments. Selection against vocal learning I suggest occurred by preda- tion, where varied vocalizations makes an animal an easier target for predators. Once predator selection pressure is overcome, then, I suggest, learned vocalizations can be used for other functions, such as abstract communication.
Influence of mixed soft segments on microphase separation of polyurea elastomers

Abstract This paper describes the influence of mixed poly(tetramethylene oxide) (PTMO) soft segments on microphase separation and morphology, hydrogen bonding, and polymer transitions for a series of alternating polyurea copolymers prepared from a single modified diphenylmethane diisocyanate. The fraction of two PTMO soft segments [with molecular weight = 1000 and 250 g/mol] was systematically varied and incorporated during bulk polymerization. ATR-FTIR spectroscopy confirmed that the intended polymers were synthesized and was used to determine the state of the local hydrogen bonding in these copolymers. Systematic changes in hard domain microstructure as a function of soft segment composition were clearly observed in AFM tapping mode phase images: the polyureas become progressively disordered with increasing content of the shorter PTMO. This was confirmed in a quantitative fashion using small-angle X-ray scattering. Results from dynamic mechanical analysis experiments reveal rather significant changes in dynamic segmental relaxations and storage moduli at 25 °C for this series of polyureas, which are in keeping with the findings from other experiments.
Three-dimensional imaging with the Argus sensor array

The Argus project uses an array of computers and cameras as a means of investigating telepresence and real-time three-dimensional imaging. In this paper we will briefly discuss telepresence from an information flow and visualization perspective. The paper also includes a detailed description of the Argus hardware and a software layer developed to manage the imaging and computational resources. MPEG-2 and feature extraction will be described as parallel compression systems for the Argus camera array.
Modelling of binding free energy of targeted nanocarriers to cell surface

We have developed a numerical model based on Metropolis Monte Carlo and the weighted histogram analysis method that enables the calculation of the absolute binding free energy between functionalized nanocarriers (NC) and endothelial cell (EC) surfaces. The binding affinities are calculated according to the free energy landscapes. The model predictions quantitatively agree with the analogous measurements of specific antibody coated NCs (100 nm in diameter) to intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) expressing EC surface in in vitro cell culture experiments. The model also enables an investigation of the effects of a broad range of parameters that include antibody surface coverage of NC, glycocalyx in both in vivo and in vitro conditions, shear flow and NC size. Using our model we explore the effects of shear flow and reproduce the shear-enhanced binding observed in equilibrium measurements in collagen-coated tube. Furthermore, our results indicate that the bond stiffness, representing the specific antibody–antigen interaction, significantly impacts the binding affinities. The predictive success of our computational protocol represents a sound quantitative approach for model driven design and optimization of functionalized NC in targeted vascular drug delivery.
Characterization of enzymatically prepared biosurfactants

Various fatty monoesters of sugars and sugar alcohols were prepared enzymatically in organic solvent. Water produced during esterification was removed by refluxing through a dessicant under reduced pressure. Surface properties of these esters such as surface and interfacial tensions and their ability to stabilize emulsions at 30°C were evaluated: oleate esters of glucose, fructose, and sorbitol show similar behavior in reduction of surface and interfacial tensions, and values for the critical micelle concentration are about 8·10−5 M. It was also observed with sorbitol esters that the shorter the alkyl chain, the higher the critical micelle concentration. Generally, emulsions prepared with the emulsifier dissolved in the water or in the oil phase lead to oil-in-water or water-in-oil emulsions, respectively. Sorbitol monolaurate significantly increased the stability of oil-in-water emulsions, with only 5% separation of the phases after 48h at 30°C, compared to 10% for chemically prepared sorbitan monolaurate under the same conditions. Sorbitol monoerucate was very efficient in stabilizing water-in-oil emulsions, with only 1% separation of the phases.
Differential autoshaping to common and distinctive elements of positive and negative discriminative stimuli.

Abstract The learning by hungry pigeons of a discrimination between two successively presented compound visual stimuli was investigated using a two-key autoshaping procedure. Common and distinctive stimulus elements were simultaneously presented on separate keys and either followed by food delivery, S+, or not, S−. The subjects acquired both between-trial and within-trial discriminations. On S+ trials, pigeons pecked the distinctive stimulus more than the common stimulus; before responding ceased on S− trials, they pecked the common stimulus more than the distinctive one. Mastery of the within-display discrimination during S+ trials preceded mastery of the between-trials discrimination. These findings extend the Jenkins-Sainsbury analysis of discriminations based upon a single distinguishing feature to discriminations in which common and distinctive elements are associated with both the positive and negative discriminative stimuli. The similarity of these findings to other effects found in autoshaping—approach to signals that forecast reinforcement and withdrawal from signals that forecast nonreinforcement—is also discussed.
Vascular effects of procaine amide in the dog. Predominance of the inhibitory effect on ganglionic transmission.

The mechanism of the vasodilator effect of procaine amide in dogs was investigated in isolated gracilis muscle and hindpaw perfused at constant flows with arterial blood. Inhibition of sympathetic ganglionic transmission contributed predominantly to the vasodilatation in muscle that accompanied intravenous administration of procaine amide (20 mg/kg). In contrast, comparable amounts of procaine amide administered locally had no detectable effects on resistance vessels; in both muscle and paw, no decreases in base-line perfusion pressures and no inhibition of constrictor responses to phenylephrine, angiotensin, and 5-hydroxytryptamine occurred. Also, procaine amide had no detectable effects on constrictor responses to stimulation of sympathetic postganglionic nerves. Procaine amide reduced the reflex vasoconstrictor response to carotid hypotension, but this reduction was comparable to the inhibition of sympathetic ganglionic transmission. The absence of direct inhibitory effects on baroreceptors and central reflex pathways was supported by the failure of intracarotid administration of procaine amide to alter detectably in gracilis muscle base-line perfusion pressures and reflex constrictor responses to carotid hypotension. Procaine amide reduced reflex responses to carotid chemoreceptor stimulation with nicotine but not those to stimulation with cyanide, suggesting a direct selective inhibitory action on the carotid body but not on the central pathways of the reflex. We conclude that the vasodilator effect of procaine amide results from inhibition of ganglionic transmission. A similar hexamethoniumlike effect may account for the inhibition of carotid chemoreceptor stimulation by nicotine.
Measurement of brittleness temperature of neoprene by proton magnetic resonance: Effect of plasticizers

Proton magnetic resonance (PMR) line widths, δH, have been determined as a function of temperature for a number of neoprene (polychloroprene) samples. The measurements were made on raw neoprenes (type W, WRT, and GNA) and on neoprenes with plasticizers in both the unvulcanized and vulcanized states. An excellent correlation of the temperature of line narrowing with brittleness temperature found by mechanical tests is reported. The results indicate that PMR may be of value in studying plasticizer properties and in measuring glass temperatures in a manner dependent only on molecular motions rather than on the nature of a mechanical test or on sample statistics.
Organizational Processes and the Development of Managers: Some Hypotheses

In recent years complex organizations of all kinds, but particularly industrial bureaucracies, have given widespread attention to an elusive phantom called "management develepment." The importance of the subject cannot be gainsaid, for as one leading manpower expert has put it: "Whether a company is well run or not depends on the policies it follows in developing executives." Yet as far as running the firm is concerned one of our most distinguished contemporary industrial sociologists has stated: "In the area of managing managers we have minimal knowledge and a great deal of speculation." This paper attempts to fill some of the lacunae in sociological knowledge of managers, managing, and management, fields certainly not unplowed by sociologists but, equally, areas in which we require more empirical work to assess existing sociological theory. The paper attempts an inductive contribution to the development of theory in industrial sociology by relating one empirical study to some of the best known and most ...
Relationships between Providers and Users of Market Research: The Dynamics of Trust within and between Organizations:

The authors investigate the role of trust between knowledge users and knowledge providers. The kind of knowledge of special concern is formal market research. Users include marketing and nonmarketi...
A Preliminary Examination of Zeta Potential and Deep Bed Filtration Activity

Over the past 20 years, researchers have attempted to develop a general correlation for predicting filtration activity within a deep bed filter, with limited success. The zeta potential had been used previously in filtration work to explain the observed macroscopic behavior through complex, theoretical analyses. This work demonstrates a possible novel use of the zeta potential as a predictive tool, broadening the application by using it as a qualitative macroscopic device. Through examination of the zeta potential difference between the media and the particles, this method provides a preliminary indicator of the filter performance without requiring complicated models and excessive experimentation. Results of zeta potential measurements for Berea sandstone, kaolinite clay, halloysite clay and illite clay are presented. These measurements are then used to plan and conduct proof-of-concept filtration experiments on the sandstone media with indigenous kaolinite clay and injected illite clay.
The national operational environment model (NOEM)

The National Operational Environment Model (NOEM) is a strategic analysis/assessment tool that provides insight into the complex state space (as a system) that is today's modern operational environment. The NOEM supports baseline forecasts by generating plausible futures based on the current state. It supports what-if analysis by forecasting ramifications of potential "Blue" actions on the environment. The NOEM also supports sensitivity analysis by identifying possible pressure (leverage) points in support of the Commander that resolves forecasted instabilities, and by ranking sensitivities in a list for each leverage point and response. The NOEM can be used to assist Decision Makers, Analysts and Researchers with understanding the inter-workings of a region or nation state, the consequences of implementing specific policies, and the ability to plug in new operational environment theories/models as they mature. The NOEM is built upon an open-source, license-free set of capabilities, and aims to provide support for pluggable modules that make up a given model. The NOEM currently has an extensive number of modules (e.g. economic, security & social well-being pieces such as critical infrastructure) completed along with a number of tools to exercise them. The focus this year is on modeling the social and behavioral aspects of a populace within their environment, primarily the formation of various interest groups, their beliefs, their requirements, their grievances, their affinities, and the likelihood of a wide range of their actions, depending on their perceived level of security and happiness. As such, several research efforts are currently underway to model human behavior from a group perspective, in the pursuit of eventual integration and balance of populace needs/demands within their respective operational environment and the capacity to meet those demands. In this paper we will provide an overview of the NOEM, the need for and a description of its main components. We will also provide a detailed discussion of the model and sample use cases.
Lack of specificity shown by P2Y6 receptor antibodies

P2Y6 receptor in bladder smooth muscle responds to UDP by increasing muscle tone and augmenting bladder contractions. The exact cellular location of the receptor is however unknown. Three commercially available antibodies to P2Y6 receptor gave clean bands on Western blot which were eliminated by specific peptide competition. Two of the three also immunostained bladder smooth muscle cells while leaving adjacent interstitial cells of Cajal unstained. However, attempts to validate the specificity of these antibodies by performing the same assays on bladders from P2Y6 knockout mice were unsuccessful. In Western blots, all three antibodies bound similar proteins in both wild type and P2Y6 knockout tissue. Immunostaining of knockout tissue sections also showed no difference in staining patterns or intensity. We conclude that rigorous controls are required when using commercial reagents to this G-protein coupled receptor and perhaps to other members of the P2Y receptor family.
Laser-activated membrane introduction mass spectrometry for high-throughput evaluation of bulk heterogeneous catalysts.

Laser-activated membrane introduction mass spectrometry (LAMIMS), a high-throughput screening method, evaluates heterogeneous catalysts under realistic reactor conditions. It is a precise, versatile system requiring no moving parts. The catalyst array is supported on carbon paper overlaid upon a silicone rubber membrane configured in a variation of membrane introduction mass spectrometry as introduced by Cooks. The carbon paper serves as a heat-dissipating gas diffusion layer that permits laser heating of catalyst samples far above the decomposition temperature of the polymer membrane that separates the array from the mass spectrometer vacuum chamber. A computer-controlled CO2 bar code writing laser is used for fine-tune heating of the catalyst spots above the base temperature of the LAMIMS reactor. The detailed design and performance of LAMIMS is demonstrated on arrays of “real world” bulk water−gas shift catalysts using natural and isotopically labeled reactor feed streams. A bulk catalyst array spot ca...
A multi-fpga 10x-real-time high-speed search engine for a 5000-word vocabulary speech recognizer

Today's best quality speech recognition systems are implemented in software. These systems fully occupy the resources of a high-end server to deliver results at real-time speed: each hour of audio requires a significant fraction of an hour of computation for recognition. This is profoundly limiting for applications that require extreme recognition speed, for example, high-volume tasks such as video indexing (e.g., YouTube), or high-speed tasks such as triage of homeland security intelligence. We describe the architecture and implementation of one critical component -- the backend search stage -- of a high-speed, large-vocabulary recognizer. Implemented on a multi-FPGA Berkeley Emulation Engine 2 (BEE2) platform, we handle a standard 5000-word Wall Street Journal speech benchmark. Our backend search engine can decode on average 10 times faster than real-time running at 100 MHz, i.e, 10x faster than real-time, with negligible degradation in accuracy, running at a clock rate ~ 30x slower than a conventional server. To the best of our knowledge, this is both the most complex, and the fastest recognizer ever to be realized in a hardware form.
Absence of regional brain volume change in schizophrenia associated with short-term atypical antipsychotic treatment

The first aim of this pilot study was to determine if longitudinal change in caudate volume could be detected in chronic schizophrenic patients after 12 weeks of atypical antipsychotic treatment. A sub-aim of the first aim was to determine if similar results could be obtained from an operator-assisted segmentation tool for volumetric imaging (ITK-SNAP) and voxel-based morphometry (VBM) methods in the caudate. The second aim was to determine if frontal and temporal lobe grey matter, white matter, ventricular and sulcal cerebrospinal fluid volume change could be detected after 12 weeks of atypical antipsychotic treatment with VBM. Ten chronic schizophrenic inpatients, with illness duration averaging 10.6 years, underwent two MRI scans. The first scan was obtained after a mean of 39.4 days of antipsychotic withdrawal. The second MRI was obtained following twelve weeks of atypical antipsychotic treatment. Caudate volume change was first measured with ITK-SNAP. Then the location of grey matter volume change in the caudate was identified with VBM. Finally, the location of frontal and temporal lobe grey matter, white matter, ventricular and sulcal cerebrospinal fluid volume changes were identified with VBM. No longitudinal change in caudate volume or grey matter volume was observed after brief periods of atypical antipsychotic treatment. ITK-SNAP and VBM methods showed very similar results in the caudate. No statistically significant change was identified in the volume of frontal or temporal lobe grey matter, white matter, and lateral, third, or fourth ventricular cerebrospinal fluid. Although the results do not directly show that brief periods of atypical antipsychotic treatment are associated with basal ganglia and cortical volume change, there is much evidence to suggest that such an association exists.
Reducing cross-sensitivity of TiO2-(B) nanowires to humidity using ultraviolet illumination for trace explosive detection

Environmental humidity is an important factor that can influence the sensing performance of a metal oxide. TiO2-(B) in the form of nanowires has been demonstrated to be a promising material for the detection of explosive gases such as 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT). However, the elimination of cross-sensitivity of the explosive detectors based on TiO2-(B) toward environmental humidity is still a major challenge. It was found that the cross-sensitivity could be effectively modulated when the thin film of TiO2-(B) nanowires was exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light during the detection of explosives under operating conditions. Such a modulation of sensing responses of TiO2-(B) nanowires to explosives by UV light was attributed to a photocatalytic effect, with which the water adsorbed on the TiO2-(B) nanowire surface was split and therefore the sensor response performance was less affected. It was revealed that the cross-sensitivity could be suppressed up to 51% when exposed to UV light of 365 nm wavelength with an intensity of 40 mW cm−2. This finding proves that the reduction of cross-sensitivity to humidity through UV irradiation is an effective approach that can improve the performance of a sensor based on TiO2-(B) nanowires for the detection of explosive gas.
Factors that influence choice of major: why some students never consider economics

Purpose – In the fall of 1996, Walstad suggested that the economics profession needed to obtain the students' perspective on the choice of major. The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors that influence the choice of major.Design/methodology/approach – To recruit majors and to address Walstad's concern, economics and non‐economics majors were surveyed to determine which factors they consider important when choosing a major and to better understand why some students never consider economics.Findings – The results suggest that interest in the subject, expected marketability, performance in major classes, and the approachability and teaching reputation of the faculty are influential to the choice of major.Originality/value – The results may help the profession address enrollment issues, including the disproportionate number of women in the major.
Continuous Detection of Cerebral Vasodilatation and Vasoconstriction Using Intracranial Pulse Morphological Template Matching

Although accurate and continuous assessment of cerebral vasculature status is highly desirable for managing cerebral vascular diseases, no such method exists for current clinical practice. The present work introduces a novel method for real-time detection of cerebral vasodilatation and vasoconstriction using pulse morphological template matching. Templates consisting of morphological metrics of cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV) pulse, measured at middle cerebral artery using Transcranial Doppler, are obtained by applying a morphological clustering and analysis of intracranial pulse algorithm to the data collected during induced vasodilatation and vasoconstriction in a controlled setting. These templates were then employed to define a vasodilatation index (VDI) and a vasoconstriction index (VCI) for any inquiry data segment as the percentage of the metrics demonstrating a trend consistent with those obtained from the training dataset. The validation of the proposed method on a dataset of CBFV signals of 27 healthy subjects, collected with a similar protocol as that of training dataset, during hyperventilation (and CO2 rebreathing tests) shows a sensitivity of 92% (and 82%) for detection of vasodilatation (and vasoconstriction) and the specificity of 90% (and 92%), respectively. Moreover, the proposed method of detection of vasodilatation (vasoconstriction) is capable of rejecting all the cases associated with vasoconstriction (vasodilatation) and outperforms other two conventional techniques by at least 7% for vasodilatation and 19% for vasoconstriction.
LEARNING AND RECOGNITION OF HUMAN ACTIONS USING OPTIMAL CONTROL PRIMITIVES

We propose a unified approach for recognition and learning of human actions, based on an optimal control model of human motion. In this model, the goals and preferences of the agent engaged in a particular action are encapsulated as a cost function or performance criterion, that is optimized to yield the details of the movement. The cost function is a compact, intuitive and flexible representation of the action. A parameterized form of the cost function is considered, wherein the structure reflects the goals of the actions, and the parameters determine the relative weighting of different terms. We show how the cost function parameters can be estimated from data by solving a nonlinear least squares problem. The parameter estimation method is tested on motion capture data for two different reaching actions and six different subjects. We show that the problem of action recognition in the context of this representation is similar to that of mode estimation in a hybrid system and can be solved using a particle filter if a receding horizon formulation of the optimal controller is adopted. We use the proposed approach to recognize different reaching actions from the 3D hand trajectory of subjects.
Cosmic Gamma-Ray Burst Detected with an Instrument on Board the OGO-5 Satellite

Gamma-ray bursts of cosmic origin have recently been detected by instruments on the Vela satellites. We now confirm the detection of the June 30, 1971 event with an instrument on board the OGO-5 satellite. The intensity of this burst is calculated to be approximately 100-200 photons per sq cm/sec for photons of energy greater than 150 keV with an upper limit of 50 photons per sq cm/sec for the intensity above 5 MeV. An upper limit of one-third of the intensity of the June 30, 1971 event is set for 10 other events studied.