cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Calorimetric study of the reactions of n-alkylphosphonic acids with metal oxide surfaces.

Abstract The reaction enthalpies for the solution-phase self-assembly of n-alkylphosphonic acids on the surfaces of TiO2 and ZrO2 have been determined using isothermal titration calorimetry at 298 K. The reaction enthalpies were negative (exothermic) for methyl- and n-octylphosphonic acids and positive (endothermic) for n-octadecylphosphonic acid with both metal oxides. The enthalpy/energy analysis showed that the net enthalpy of the formation of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) at solid–liquid interface can be presented as follows: Δ H r = − D − ( Δ H sol + Δ H dil ) − ( E S − E SAM ) , where D is the binding energy of the SAM molecules with the solid; Δ H sol and Δ H dil are the enthalpies of dissolution and dilution; E S and E SAM are the surface energies of bare solid and SAM, respectively. This equation predicted an increase (and the sign change) of the reaction enthalpy as the alkyl group in n-alkylphosphonic acid increased, which explained the experimental data. Using this equation, the binding energy ( D ) in the SAMs of n-octyl- and n-octadecylphosphonic acids were estimated: 55 ± 5 kJ / mol (for ZrO2) and 58 ± 7 kJ / mol (for TiO2).
Biodegradation of cell wall components of maize stover colonized by white-rot fungi and resulting impact on in-vitro digestibility

Treatment of crop residues with some species of white-rot fungi can enhance digestibility. This study was conducted to investigate changes in in-vitro dry matter disappearance (IVDMD) and degradation of cell wall constituents in maize (Zea maize L) stover treated with three white-rot fungi: Cyathus stercoreus, Phlebia brevispora and Phanerochaete chrysosporium. Solid fermentation of maize stover for 28 days at 27°C improved IVDMD from 409 g kg−1 (control) to 514 g kg−1 for P brevispora and 523 g kg−1 for C stercoreus. In contrast, growth of P chrysosporium reduced IVDMD from 409 to 298 g kg−1. All fungi degraded cell wall p-coumaric acid (PCA) and ferulic acid (FA), but P chrysosporium was the least effective in degrading PCA and FA. Conversely, P chrysosporium degraded lignin 1·6 times more effectively than C stercoreus and 1·4 times more than P brevispora, indicating that lignin degradation alone cannot account for the IVDMD enhancement and that degradation of PCA and FA may be important. Hemicelluloses were preferentially and highly utilized by all the fungi. Cellulose was extensively degraded only by P chrysosporium (69% lost after 28 days of incubation), while substrate colonized by the other two fungi retained more than 84% original cellulose. Incubation of C stercoreus and P brevispora decreased the concentrations of both xylose and arabinose, but increased glucose concentration, whereas P chrysosporium removed less xylose and decreased glucose concentration. Preferential removal of arabinose over xylose by the fungi caused an increase in the xylose to arabinose ratio of the treated residues. Enhanced digestibility may have resulted from cleavage of lignin-carbohydrate bonds. Results of this study suggest that digestibility enhancement of maize stover colonized by white-rot fungi is regulated by a complex combination of various factors, including the degradation of structural carbohydrates, cell wall phenolic acids and lignin.
Outgrowth of fibroblast cells from goat skin explants in three different culture media and the establishment of cell lines

Three different commercially available media, known to support human and porcine-specific fibroblast cultures, were tested for their growth potential on goat skin explants. Although outgrowth of fibroblasts was observed in all media tested, irrespective of breed, porcine-specific media exhibited higher rate of growth. Using this media, three fibroblast cell lines (GSF289, GSF737, and GSF2010) from ear skin explants of normal healthy dairy goats of Kiko and Saanen breed were successfully established in culture. Liquid nitrogen stocks of these frozen cells had a viability rate of 96.2% in in vitro cultures. These cells were morphologically indistinguishable from the cell stocks prior to freezing. Analysis of the growth of a fifth passage culture revealed an ‘S’ shaped growth curve with a population doubling time of 25 h. The cell lines were found negative for microbial, fungal, and mycoplasma contaminations. These goat skin fibroblast lines and the simple method of their isolation and freezing with high rate of viability will provide additional tools to study molecular mechanisms that regulate fibroblast function and for genetic manipulation of small ruminants.
Corridors to Global Justice

Challenges and Paths to Global Justice. Edited By H. Richard Friman. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007. 185 pp., $69.95 (ISBN-10: 1-4039-7583-3). The twentieth annual conference of the Wisconsin Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies (WPICS) was held at Marquette University in 2004. Challenges and Paths to Global Justice presents a selection of papers from this conference. Edited by H. Richard Friman, the director of the Institute for Transnational Justice at Marquette University, this volume contributes to the growing literature on global justice and ethics and international relations. As with “equality,” “justice” is one of the most contested words in politics and philosophy. Efforts to conceive a comprehensive framework of “global justice” have drawn similar controversy (Caney 2005; Kuper 2005). In the introduction to Challenges and Paths to Global Justice , Friman provides a useful summary of three groupings of theoretical approaches to global justice: Rawls and Justice, Cosmopolitanism and Justice, and The English School and Justice. While the Rawlsian approach bounds the application of justice within the limits of domestic societies, the cosmopolitan perspective envisions connections and obligations of individuals worldwide, independent of specific societies or sovereign governments (Fisk 1993:48–67). The English School, on the other hand, explores whether common interests, values and laws have emerged within an “international society” of states pledged to uphold “substantive moral standards” and universal conceptualizations of justice (Boucher and Kelly 1998:80–101). Friman briefly assessed the eight subsequent contributions …
Pathogenesis of dialysis-induced hypoxemia.

Patients undergoing hemodialysis with acetate-containing dialysis solutions develop hypoxemia. To determine the cause of the hypoxemia, we studied and compared the ventilatory, gas-exchange and blood-gas responses in chronic renal failure patients undergoing hemodialysis with acetate and bicarbonate dialysis solutions. Seven stable chronic dialysis patients were dialyzed against acetate and bicarbonate solutions in a random order. Dialysis was carried out using a 1.5 m2 hollow fiber dialyzer at a blood flow rate of 200 ml/min and a dialysate flow rate of 500 ml/min. During acetate dialysis, PaO2 fell within 15 minutes from a mean control predialysis concentration of 84 = 6 (SEM) mmHg to a mean of 70 +/- 7.5 mmHg (P less than 0.05), and remained low throughout the study. PaO2 did not change significantly during bicarbonate dialysis. Total ventilation fell from a predialysis level of 7.2 +/- 0.7 L/min to 5.7 +/- 0.6 L/min within 15 minutes (P less than 0.05). PaCO2 was not significantly changed from predialysis levels with either acetate or bicarbonate dialysis. Measurement of blood concentration of CO2 and bicarbonate across the dialyzer indicated that the total CO2 loss (as CO2 and bicarbonate) through the dialyzer was 3 millimoles per minute or the equivalent of approximately 60 ml of CO2 per minute, i.e., about one third of the patient's metabolic production of CO2.
Stimulation of Spheroidal Cells - The Role of Cell Shape

The behavior of spheroidal cells in an applied uniform field is examined in order to gain insight into the role of cell shape in the electrical activity of biological cells. The responses of cells having different eccentricities but the same height in the direction of stimulation are compared. The effect of a change in the direction of stimulation is discussed. In the process of obtaining the results an approximate method for calculating biopotentials during extracellular stimulation is presented and justified.
Dimerization and Activation of the Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Protease

Abstract The quaternary state of the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) protease has been analyzed in relation to its catalytic activity. The dependence of specific activity upon enzyme concentration indicated that association of the 27-kDa subunits strongly increased activity. Size-exclusion chromatography identified the association as a monomer-dimer equilibrium. Isolation of monomeric and dimeric species from a size-exclusion column followed by immediate assay identified the dimer as the active form of the enzyme. Activation of the protease by antichaotropic cosolvents correlated with changes in the monomer-dimer equilibrium. Thus, dimerization of the enzyme was enhanced in solvents containing glycerol or the anions citrate or phosphate. These are substances previously identified as activators of HSV-1 protease (Hall, D. L., and Darke, P. L. (1995) J Biol Chem 270, 22697-22700). The relative potencies of these cosolvents as enzyme activators correlated with their efficiency in promoting dimerization. Under all solvent conditions examined, the dependence of specific activity upon enzyme concentration was consistent with a kinetic model in which only the dimer is active. Dissociation constants for the HSV-1 protease dimer determined with this model at 15°C, pH 7.5, were 964 and 225 nM in 20% glycerol with 0.2 and 0.5 M citrate present, respectively. The activation of the HSV-1 protease by antichaotropic cosolvents was hereby shown to be similar in nature to the activation of the other well characterized herpesvirus protease, that from human cytomegalovirus.
The Impact of Neuropsychological Functioning on Adherence to HAART in HIV-Infected Substance Abuse Patients

Abstract This study assessed the frequency of neuropsychological impairment and its relationship to adherence in a sample of HIV-infected injection drug users (IDUs) in treatment. One hundred eight participants recruited between September 2006 and October 2008 completed psychodiagnostic and neuropsychological assessments and monitored HAART adherence over a 2-week period via the use of Medication Event Monitoring System (MEMS) electronic pill caps and self-report. Assessment of concurrent functioning included clinician-rated scales of depression and substance use severity, and a battery of neuropsychological tests. Findings from individual neuropsychological tests were converted to Z scores relative to standard norms and averaged to form a composite score (NPZ). NPZ was generally poor (mean = −1.505, standard deviation = 1.120), with 76.9% of the sample being classified as highly impaired. Self-reported adherence was significantly higher than MEMS cap adherence. In contrast with previous studies, overall ...
Comparison between two methods of hydrostatic weighing without head submersion in morbidly obese females.

Abstract This study compared two methods of hydrostatic weighing without head submersion to conventional hydrostatic weighing in morbidly obese females. We concluded that hydrostatic weighing without head submersion is a valid alternative to conventional hydrostatic weighing especially when subjects are apprehensive in the water. The use of anthropometric head measures (HWNS-A) did not significantly improve the accuracy of the body composition assessment; therefore, elimination of these time consuming measurements in favor of the direct correction of head above Db is recommended.
Ontogenetic variation in habitat associations for four flatfish species in the Gulf of Maine‐Georges Bank region

Multivariate ordination techniques were used to examine how size classes of four flatfish species, American plaice Hippoglossoides platessoides, winter flounder Pseudopleuronectes americanus, yellowtail flounder Limanda ferruginea and fourspot flounder Paralichthys oblongus, are related to bottom depth, bottom temperature, substratum grain size and temporal factors using a 35 year time series from autumn and spring in the Gulf of Maine-Georges Bank region. Depth had the most explanatory value during both seasons in most cases, with fish size generally increasing with depth. One exception was yellowtail flounder in the spring for which a temporal factor explained the most variance, reflecting an increase in size over the time series due to changes in fishing pressure. Temperature was secondarily important for yellowtail flounder in the autumn and for fourspot flounder in both seasons. Substratum type was secondarily important for winter and yellowtail flounders in the spring with smaller fish associated with larger substratum types. Seasonal associations with depth, temperature and substratum are related to seasonal spawning migrations, thermal preferences and other ecological factors.
Progress and Prospects in the Evaluation of Career Assistance

Reviews of research on the evaluation of career assistance from 1970 to 2014 (N = 23) are examined for common conclusions and recommendations. Conclusions are tempered based upon the small numbers of studies included. Recommendations for strengthening research using integrated treatment chains and incorporating epidemiologically based statistics (i.e., risk ratio, odds ratio, and population attributable fraction) are described. A shift in prevailing research paradigm from an emphasis on the individual to an emphasis on the community would supplement evaluations based upon individual outcomes and make a more compelling case to policy makers and funders who could support future evaluative research and provision of career assistance.
L-type calcium channels and GSK-3 regulate the activity of NF-ATc4 in hippocampal neurons

The molecular basis of learning and memory has been the object of several recent advances, which have focused attention on calcium-regulated pathways controlling transcription. One of the molecules implicated by pharmacological, biochemical and genetic approaches is the calcium/calmodulin-regulated phosphatase, calcineurin. In lymphocytes, calcineurin responds to specific calcium signals and regulates expression of several immediate early genes by controlling the nuclear import of the NF-ATc family of transcription factors. Here we show that NF-ATc4/NF-AT3 in hippocampal neurons can rapidly translocate from cytoplasm to nucleus and activate NF-AT-dependent transcription in response to electrical activity or potassium depolarization. The calcineurin-mediated translocation is critically dependent on calcium entry through L-type voltage-gated calcium channels. GSK-3 can phosphorylate NF-ATc4, promoting its export from the nucleus and antagonizing NF-ATc4-dependent transcription. Furthermore, we show that induction of the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor type 1 is controlled by the calcium/calcineurin/NF-ATc pathway. This provides a new perspective on the function of calcineurin in the central nervous system and indicates that NF-AT-mediated gene expression may be involved in the induction of hippocampal synaptic plasticity and memory formation.
A Systemic View of Implementing Data Literacy in Educator Preparation

Data-driven decision making has become increasingly important in education. Policymakers require educators to use data to inform practice. Although the policy emphasis is growing, what has not increased is attention to building human capacity around data use. Educators need to gain data literacy skills to inform practice. Although some professional development opportunities exist for current educators, fewer formal courses and opportunities for data literacy development in schools of education have been developed and implemented. This article explores issues around the growing need for data-driven decision making in programs in schools of education. The issues are complex and the actors needed to bring about change are multiple. A systems perspective to explore course and programmatic implementation is presented.
Effects of row spacing and plant populations on yields and tuber-size of potatoes

Field studies were conducted over a period of three years to compare effects of two row spacings and two plant populations on yields, tuber size, and quality of Norland, Red Pontiac and Kennebec potatoes. The two row spacings were the standard 38 inch rows and a “bed system” where three rows spaced 19 inches apart occupy a relatively flat topped bed that is straddled by tractors and implements. Distance between beds was 38 inches. The two plant populations were planted at 12,900 and 19,300 hills per acre. Results did not indicate any advantage of the bed system of planting over the conventional spacing. The higher population generally resulted in slightly higher total yields and a greater number of small tubers.
Terrestrial paleoenvironmental reconstructions indicate transient peak warming during the early Eocene climatic optimum

Major changes in climate and ecology occurred during the early Eocene climatic optimum, sometime between 52 and 50 Ma. Recent work suggests that the timing and duration of the event are characterized by different responses in the marine and terrestrial realms, and that traditional causal mechanisms may not adequately explain such differences. We applied high-resolution paleopedology, geochemical analysis, and phytolith biostratigraphy techniques to paleosol suites within the well-described Wind River Formation of western Wyoming, USA. This multiproxy record indicates a short (<1 m.y.) peak period of carbon isotopic enrichment (up to 2‰ higher) and elevated pCO2, high temperatures (up to 8 °C higher), increased precipitation (up to 500 mm yr –1 higher), and shifts in fl oral composition (up to 10%). Terrestrial climatic and ecological changes of this kind during the early Eocene climatic optimum are consistent with changes in contemporaneous records that have been ascribed to high atmospheric pCO2, but a transient peak interval suggests that the cause of high atmospheric pCO2 during the early Eocene was likely not increased volcanism or decreased silicate weathering, which operate on longer timescales. Instead, terrestrial records from across western North America agree that early Eocene climatic optimum changes may have been caused by other sources, such as a combination of increased ventilation of oceanic carbon and increased petroleum generation in sedimentary basins. The climatic and environmental changes exhibited by this and other North American terrestrial records also defi ne a pattern of regional response that is relevant for understanding the impacts of global climate change events.
Influence of low-earth orbit exposure on the mechanical properties of silicon carbide

The influence of the Low-Earth orbit (LEO) environment on the mechanical strength of silicon carbide (SiC) was evaluated on two flight experiments as part of the Materials on the International Space Station Experiment (MISSE). SiC samples for modulus of rupture (MOR) and equibiaxial flexural strength (EFS) testing were flown on the Optical and Reflector Materials experiments (ORMatE) as part of MISSE-6 (launched on STS-123, March 2008; returned on STS-128, September 2009) and MISSE-7 (launched on STS-129, November 2009; returned on STS- 134, June 2011). Two different SiC vendors provided material for each flight experiment. The goal of the experiments was to measure mechanical properties of the flight samples and compare them to an equal number of similar samples in control and traveler sample sets. Complete characterization of the strength of brittle materials typically requires many more test specimens than could be reasonably accommodated on the ORMatE sample tray and statistical models based on few samples include large uncertainties. Understanding the results of the mechanical tests of MISSE samples required comparison to results from a statistically valid number of samples. Prior testing by The Aerospace Corporation of material supplied by the same four vendors was used to evaluate the MISSE results, including flight and control samples. The results showed that exposure to LEO over the durations covered by MISSE 6 and 7 (approximately 18 and 20 months, respectively) did not alter the mechanical strength of the silicon carbide for any of the vendors’ materials.
Paradigm shift in materials processing ; the intelligent processing revolution

During the last several decades, the importance of materials processing in the control of microstructure and materials properties has been recognized and, accordingly, the materials engineering community has dedicated much effort to studying the physics of the process. These endeavors have provided an understanding of the phenomena which are relevant. However, a paradigm shift is taking place in that the physics oriented approach to materials processing is being replaced by a control oriented approach. What is needed today is the ability to control the process and, thus, the trajectory of the controllable variables in a temporal space. Such a knowledge based approach to materials processing which requires understanding, sensors, and controls is the revolution taking place in the materials engineering field. The essence is a process which can learn and develop "intelligence" as it progresses. This address will present and discuss the basis and the need for a knowledge based approach to materials processing. Furthermore, specific industrial examples will be given to illustrate implementation of intelligent processing. Finally, the challenges ahead and the impediments we face as a community will also be addressed. Article published online by EDP Sciences and available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/jp4:19937173 1110 JOURNAL DE PHYSIQUE IV
O(log(n)) Parallel Time Finite Field Inversion

Let p be prime and assume that GF(p n ) is given via an irreducible nth degree GF(p) polynomial. We exhibit a boolean circuit of size n O(1) and depth O(log(n)) such that for any x e GF(p n ) the circuit produces x −1. The circuit is based upon an interesting connection between finite field computations and the eigenvalues of certain matrices. The issue of circuit uniformity is also considered.
Meg: Megacluster Analytic Strategy for Multistage Hierarchical Grouping with Relocations and Replications

An analytic and computer strategy is introduced and demonstrated for multistage Euclidean grouping (MEG). The procedure sequentially produces first-stage clusters for independent data blocks; second-stage, higher order clusters based on a full similarity matrix for fist-stage clusters; and third-stage clusters that allow case migration to relocate prior misassignments and to optimize within-cluster homogeneity. The process is facilitated by special SAS computer codes and, in addition to conventional SAS cluster output, produces special fusion statistics, plots of all fusion statistics, and indices of homogeneity within clusters and within profile variables. The program also reports replication rates for final clusters.
Small changes in the regulation of one Arabidopsis profilin isovariant, PRF1, alter seedling development.

Profilin (PRF) is a low-molecular-weight actin binding protein encoded by a diverse gene family in plants. Arabidopsis PRF1 transcripts are moderately well expressed in all vegetative organs. A regulatory mutant in PRF1, prf1-1, was isolated from a library of T-DNA insertions. The insertion disrupted the promoter region of PRF1 100 bp upstream from the transcriptional start site. Although steady state levels of PRF1 transcripts appeared normal in mature prf1-1 plants, the levels in young seedlings were only one-half those observed in wild type. Reactions with a PRF1 isovariant–specific monoclonal antiserum and general anti-profilin antisera demonstrated that PRF1 protein levels also were one-half those found in wild-type seedlings, although total profilin levels were unaffected. Mutant seedlings no longer could downregulate PRF1 levels in the light, as did wild type. Consistent with their molecular phenotypes, young mutant seedlings displayed several morphological phenotypes but developed into apparently normal adult plants. Their initial germination rate and development were slow, and they produced excessive numbers of root hairs. Mutant seedlings had abnormally raised cotyledons, elongated hypocotyls, and elongated cells in the hypocotyl, typical of phenotypes associated with some defects in light and circadian responses. A wild-type PRF1 transgene fully complements the hypocotyl phenotypes in the prf1-1 mutant. The ability of profilin to regulate actin polymerization and participate directly in signal transduction pathways is discussed in light of the prf1-1 phenotypes.
Cardiolipin: characterization of distinct oxidized molecular species

Cardiolipin (CL) is a phospholipid predominantly found in the mitochondrial inner membrane and is associated structurally with individual complexes of the electron transport chain (ETC). Because the ETC is the major mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS)-generating site, the proximity to the ETC and bisallylic methylenes of the PUFA chains of CL make it a likely target of ROS in the mitochondrial inner membrane. Oxidized cellular CL products, uniquely derived from ROS-induced autoxidation, could serve as biomarkers for the presence of the ROS and could help in the understanding of the mechanism of oxidative stress. Because major CL species have four unsaturated acyl chains, whereas other phospholipids usually have only one in the sn-2 position, characterization of oxidized CL is highly challenging. In the current study, we exposed CL, under aerobic conditions, to singlet oxygen (1O2), the radical initiator 2,2′-azobis(2-methylpropionamidine) dihydrochloride, or room air, and the oxidized CL species were characterized by HPLC-tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). Our reverse-phase ion-pair HPLC-MS/MS method can characterize the major and minor oxidized CL species by detecting distinctive fragment ions associated with specific oxidized species. The HPLC-MS/MS results show that monohydroperoxides and bis monohydroperoxides were generated under all three conditions. However, significant amounts of CL dihydroperoxides were produced only by 1O2-mediated oxidation. These products were barely detectable from radical oxidation either in a liposome bilayer or in thin film. These observations are only possible due to the chromatographic separation of the different oxidized species.
Implicit and Explicit Attitudes Toward Cigarette Smoking: the Effects of Context and Motivation

Two studies examined the effects of context and motivational state on two implicit measures of attitudes toward smoking (priming [Fazio, Jackson, Dunton, & Williams, 1996] and the Implicit Association Test [IAT; Greenwald, McGhee, & Schwartz, 1998]) as well as on explicit attitudes among nonsmokers and smokers. The priming measure was sensitive to changes in the salience of different aspects of smoking and to changes in motivational state (nicotine deprivation). There were only modest relations between explicit and implicit attitudes, and the two implicit measures were generally uncorrelated. These results have implications for the complexity and ambivalence of attitudes toward smoking held by smokers and for interventions that seek to change their attitudes and smoking behavior.
Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis and Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis

The continuing spread of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) is one of the most urgent and difficult challenges facing global TB control. Patients who are infected with strains resistant to isoniazid and rifampicin, called multidrug-resistant (MDR) TB, are practically incurable by standard first-line treatment. In 2012, there were approximately 450,000 new cases and 170,000 deaths because of MDR-TB. Extensively drug-resistant (XDR) TB refers to MDR-TB strains that are resistant to fluoroquinolones and second-line injectable drugs. The main causes of the spread of resistant TB are weak medical systems, amplification of resistance patterns through incorrect treatment, and transmission in communities and facilities. Although patients harboring MDR and XDR strains present a formidable challenge for treatment, cure is often possible with early identification of resistance and use of a properly designed regimen. Community-based programs can improve treatment outcomes by allowing patients to be treated in their homes and addressing socioeconomic barriers to adherence.
Photochemical Manipulation of Divalent Cation Levels

This special topic section contains three chapters dealing with different aspects of the application of caged compounds in cellular physiology. The general approach employed in the photo-activated release of caged compounds is illustrated in the following scheme: where a protected or chemically modified moiety is cleaved by light to release the previously caged substance. Most applications of this approach since the introduction of caged cAMP, caged A TP, caged ADP, and caged Pi have also employed the 2-nitrobenzyl chromophore illustrated in this scheme. Currently the photo­ chemical release of caged substrates has been applied to cAMP, A TP, ADP, Pi> GTP, GTP...,. S, cGMP, and neurotransmitters including carbachol, glycine, glutamine, gaba, Ca2+, Mg2+, H+, BAPTA, phenylephrine, and so on. Over the last decade, several informative reviews have appeared on various aspects of this field including synthetic and mechanistic aspects (5), applications in cellular physiology (1, 3,4, 7), and applications to studies of active transport mechanisms (2). The increasing application of this approach, using a variety of caged molecules in different physiologic systems, has been encouraged by other parallel technical advances. These include the patch-clamp methodology where electrical measurements can be made at the single cell or even single­ channel level. This approach can now be combined with the enhanced kinetic resolution of the photorelease technique to produce rapid concentration changes in the micro-environment of a channel without mixing delays or solution-changing complications. The advances made in imaging and measur-
Alternate electrical tests for extracting mechanical parameters of MEMS accelerometer sensors

Recent advances in thin film micromachining techniques have spurred a new generation of smart systems incorporating microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). Extracting the mechanical properties of MEMS devices has always been a challenge in terms of test time and test cost due to difficulties associated with accurate characterization of thin films. This paper describes a novel technique for diagnosing the mechanical parameters of a cantilever-beam accelerometer using purely electrical test stimulus. The beam is stimulated with an optimized test stimulus, generated by a gradient-based search method. The response measurements made on the MEMS device are mapped to the mechanical properties of the beam using a regression-based mapping technique. Using this method, the mechanical parameters associated with the beam can be estimated within an accuracy of 5% of their actual values. In addition, the test approach is amenable to a compact built-in test solution.
Techno-Kabbalah: The Performative Language of Magick and the Production of Occult Knowledge

The X-Files, a “highly disseminated media golem” analogous to the medieval Kabbalah, signals the increasing presence in the media and the internet of occultism. Kabbalistic occultism traces a relationship between writing as an act, magic, and performance.
Learning capacity and sample complexity on expert networks

A major development in knowledge-based neural networks is the integration of symbolic expert rule-based knowledge into neural networks, resulting in so-called rule-based neural (or connectionist) networks. An expert network here refers to a particular construct in which the uncertainty management model of symbolic expert systems is mapped into the activation function of the neural network. This paper addresses a yet-to-be-answered question: Why can expert networks generalize more effectively from a finite number of training instances than multilayered perceptrons? It formally shows that expert networks reduce generalization dimensionality and require relatively small sample sizes for correct generalization.
A simple local-control approximation algorithm for multicommodity flow

In this paper, we describe a very simple (1+/spl epsi/)-approximation algorithm for the multicommodity flow problem. The algorithm runs in time that is polynomial in N (the number of nodes in the network) and /spl epsiv//sup -1/ (the closeness of the approximation to optimal). The algorithm is remarkable in that it is much simpler than all known polynomial time flow algorithms (including algorithms for the special case of one-commodity flow). In particular, the algorithm does not rely on augmenting paths, shortest paths, min-cost paths, or similar techniques to push flow through a network. In fact, no explicit attempt is ever made to push flow towards a sink during the algorithm. Because the algorithm is so simple, it can be applied to a variety of problems for which centralized decision making and flow planning is not possible. For example, the algorithm can be easily implemented with local control in a distributed network and it can be made tolerant to link failures. In addition, the algorithm appears to perform well in practice. Initial experiments using the DIMACS generator of test problems indicate that the algorithm performs as well as or better than previously known algorithms, at least for certain test problems. >
Soft Questions, Hard Answers: Jacob Bernoulli's Probability in Historical Context

Summary On the 300th anniversary of the publication of Jacob Bernoulli's Ars Conjectandi, the book is revisited in historical context and seen in a new light. Bernoulli's announced goal of extending the application of probability from games to civil life was frustrated by the a priori difficulty of specifying equally likely cases. The great approximation theorem Bernoulli proved and suggested could lead to empirical applications was impractical for all but unrealistically large sample sizes, but it was immensely influential in the development of the mathematics of probability.
Signal processing in the context of chaotic signals

Signals generated by chaotic systems represent a potentially rich class of signals both for detecting and characterizing physical phenomena and in synthesizing new classes of signals for communications, remote sensing, and a variety of other signal processing applications. Since classical techniques for signal analysis do not exploit the particular structure of chaotic signals there is both a significant challenge and an opportunity in exploring new classes of algorithms matched to chaotic signals. The authors outline a variety of signal processing issues associated with the analysis and synthesis of chaotic signals. In addition two examples are described in detail, illustrating some possible ways in which the characteristics of chaotic signals and systems can be exploited. One example is a binary signaling scheme using chaotic signals. The second example is the use of synchronized chaotic systems for signal masking and recovery. >
A Sex-Based Examination of Violence and Aggression Perceptions among Adolescents: An Interactive Qualitative Analysis

In this study I examine the critical factors and themes that are identified as salient influencers of overt and relational aggression among youth. Sex differences and similarities associated with such adolescent perceptions are assessed. Forty-eight ethnically diverse youth between the ages of 14 and 16 years participated in sex-specific focus groups and individual interviews. Sex-Specific Systems Influence Diagrams (SID), models of influences and outcomes, were created using the Interactive Qualitative Analysis methods (Northcutt & McCoy, 2004). Study findings suggest that the critical influences on violent and aggressive behavior, peer relationships, popularity, and emotions, are sex-specific. By examining and understanding such influences, school health professionals may be better able to create a safe and healthy school environment and improve the effectiveness of violence prevention programs. Key Words: Youth Violence, Violence Prevention, Adolescent Development, Interactive Qualitative Analysis, and Adolescent Sex Differences
A "Zoom-in" Scanning Array for Wireless Communications

A small supergain circular array with electronic scanning and "zoom-in" features has been proposed. The array utilizes the orthogonal modes existing in the array systems as bases for beamforming. A mode-decomposition network is proposed that separates the different modes into different circuit ports and matches them individually. Consequentially the modes can be combined to achiever higher gain and directivity than a single antenna with very little increase in the occupied space. The modes can also be combined in a certain fashion to allow electronic scanning. The beamwidth and the gain of the radiation pattern can be controlled according to the order of the modes
Accuracy of the AVHRR vegetation index as a predictor of biomass, primary productivity and net CO2 flux

The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) or ‘greenness index’, based on the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) aboard the NOAA-7 satellite, has been widely interpreted as a measure of regional to global vegetation patterns. This study provides the first rigorous, quantitative evaluation of global relationships between the NDVI and geographically representative vegetation data-bases, including field metabolic measurements and carbon-balance results from global simulation models. Geographic reliability of the NDVI is judged by comparing NDVI values for different surface types with a general global trend and by statistical analysis of relationships to biomass amounts, net and gross primary productivity, and actual evapotranspiration. NDVI data appear to be relatively reliable predictors of primary productivity except in areas of complex terrain, for seasonal values at high latitudes, and in extreme deserts. The strength of the NDVI-productivity relationship seems comparable to that of earlier climate-based productivity models. Little consistent relationship was found, across different vegetation types, between NDVI and biomass amounts or net biospheric CO2 flux.
Current Status of Computer-Assisted NDAS:

The Center for Drugs and Biologics (CDB)-FDA is currently involved in a number of experiments involving computer-assisted new drug applications (NDAs). These experiments vary from an electronic mai...
Symmetry breaking in self-assembled monolayers on solid surfaces. II. Anisotropic substrate elasticity

On a solid surface a monolayer mixture may separate into two phases. The phases can self-assemble into a variety of patterns, with the feature size on the scale of 1‐100 nm. This paper studies how the elastic anisotropy of the substrate affects the patterns. The substrate is taken to be of cubic crystal symmetry, although the method developed can be readily extended to treat substrates of any other crystalline symmetry. The surface stress differs from one phase to the other, and the difference refines the phases to reduce the elastic energy. The phase boundary energy tends to coarsen the phases. The two competing effects set the phase sizes and the phase patterns. The anisotropy of the substrate elasticity breaks the symmetry of the system. We formulate a phase field model on the basis of this physical picture. The numerical simulation shows that stripes tend to orient along the two compliant directions of the substrate, forming a tweedlike pattern. A square lattice of dots can also be obtained when the anisotropy is weak and the average concentration sufficiently deviates from half filling. We interpret these findings in terms of free energy minimization.
Haptic rendering involving an elastic tube for assembly simulations

While there is considerable research on automatic assembly and virtual assembly of rigid parts, much less research is focused on assembly tasks involving deformable parts such as tubes, wires or deformable tools, etc. In this paper, we present a novel approach for simulating the behavior of the elastic tube via haptics during virtual assembly and modeling contact forces with high-fidelity and high rendering update rate by using the physical beam-bending model. The contact force is modeled based on different types of contact states with the effects of deformation and friction taken into account. Compliant motion is also simulated accordingly. We further test the virtual assembly method by implementing a specific assembly task and shows how such a virtual assembly environment can be used to conduct feasibility analysis of assembly motion plans to facilitate real-world automatic assembly
TYPES IN FUNCTIONAL UNIFICATION GRAMMARS

Functional Unification Grammars (FUGs) are popular for natural language applications because the formalism uses very few primitives and is uniform and expressive. In our work on text generation, we have found that it also has annoying limitations: it is not suited for the expression of simple, yet very common, taxonomic relations and it does not allow the specification of completeness conditions. We have implemented an extension of traditional functional unification. This extension addresses these limitations while preserving the desirable properties of FUGs. It is based on the notions of typed features and typed constituents. We show the advantages of this extension in the context of a grammar used for text generation.
Signaling properties and functions of two distinct cardiomyocyte protease-activated receptors.

Abstract —Previous studies have established that cardiomyocytes express protease-activated receptor (PAR)-1, a high-affinity receptor for thrombin, which is also activated by the tethered-ligand domain sequence (SFLLRN) and which promotes inositol trisphosphate accumulation, stimulates extracellular signal–regulated protein kinase, and modulates contractile function. A single previous report identified PAR-1 as a hypertrophic stimulus, but there have been no subsequent investigations of the mechanism. This study reveals the coexpression of PAR-1 and PAR-2 (a second PAR, which is activated by trypsin/tryptase but not thrombin) by Northern blot analysis and compares their signaling properties in neonatal rat ventricular cardiomyocytes. SFLLRN and SLIGRL (an agonist peptide for PAR-2) promote inositol trisphosphate accumulation, stimulate mitogen-activated protein kinases (extracellular signal–regulated protein kinase and p38-mitogen-activated protein kinase), elevate calcium concentration, and increase spontaneous automaticity. SFLLRN (but not SLIGRL) also activates c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase and AKT. In keeping with their linkage to pathways that have been associated with growth and/or survival, SFLLRN and SLIGRL both induce hypertrophy. However, PAR agonists promote cell elongation, a morphology that is distinct from the uniform increase in cell dimension induced by α1-adrenergic receptor activation. These studies provide novel evidence that cardiomyocytes coexpress 2 functional PARs, which link to a common set of signals that culminate in changes in contractile function and hypertrophic growth. PAR actions may assume clinical importance in the border zone surrounding an infarction, where local proteolysis of PARs by serine proteases generated during inflammatory or thrombogenic pathways would elevate calcium concentration (setting the stage for arrhythmias), promote hypertrophic growth, and/or influence cardiomyocyte survival.
Extracting Static Pressure From Velocimetry in Vortical Flows

The problem of extracting static pressure fields on and away from flow boundaries in complex flows, is considered. Given the correct velocity field in steady incompressible flow, an assumption of constant or known stagnation pressure allows finding the static pressure. This gives an upper bound on static pressure, and is in fact close to the real answer. The technique developed here is to start with the measured, ensemble-averaged 3-component velocity field in a periodic flow. The static pressure field computed from this velocity field in incompressible flow can be used along with the velocity field as the starting guess of a solution in a Navier-Stokes solver. The method is applied to the bottom surface near the sharp edge of a rotating rotor blade in the reverse flow domain encountered at high advance ratio in a wind tunnel. The drop in stagnation pressure along given streamlines even through the sharp-edge vortex, is shown to be very small, so that the effect on the static pressure estimate is minor. The pressure field successfully explains some features that could not otherwise be explained.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Cullen’s Research at Johns Hopkins Hospital

From available evidence, Thomas Cullen remained unaware of the active role Robert Meyer played in resolving Cullen’s differences with Professor Friedrich von Recklinghausen. However, Cullen may have relieved von Recklinghausen’s embarrassment with his discussion of the origin of the glands in his case of adeno-myoma of the round ligament: “While admitting the probability of the glands in our case being due to remains of the Wolffian body, we cannot, from their striking resemblance to those of the uterine mucosa, and from the fact that their stroma resembles that of the mucosa, refrain from suggesting the possibility that they may be due to an abnormal embryonic deposit of a portion of Muller’s duct.”1 Heartened by the “peace offering” he received from Strassburg, von Recklinghausen and Cullen would continue their professional exchange for a decade. Cullen returned to the daily routine of the pathology laboratory of analyzing gynecologic surgical specimens. He focused his attention on completing a study of uterine cancer.2 Notwithstanding all the work he would do on adenomyomas, Cullen’s real interest lay in the pathology and early detection of uterine cancer.
Deep Brain Stimulation for Movement Disorders of Basal Ganglia Origin: Restoring Function or Functionality?

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is highly effective for both hypo- and hyperkinetic movement disorders of basal ganglia origin. The clinical use of DBS is, in part, empiric, based on the experience with prior surgical ablative therapies for these disorders, and, in part, driven by scientific discoveries made decades ago. In this review, we consider anatomical and functional concepts of the basal ganglia relevant to our understanding of DBS mechanisms, as well as our current understanding of the pathophysiology of two of the most commonly DBS-treated conditions, Parkinson’s disease and dystonia. Finally, we discuss the proposed mechanism(s) of action of DBS in restoring function in patients with movement disorders. The signs and symptoms of the various disorders appear to result from signature disordered activity in the basal ganglia output, which disrupts the activity in thalamocortical and brainstem networks. The available evidence suggests that the effects of DBS are strongly dependent on targeting sensorimotor portions of specific nodes of the basal ganglia-thalamocortical motor circuit, that is, the subthalamic nucleus and the internal segment of the globus pallidus. There is little evidence to suggest that DBS in patients with movement disorders restores normal basal ganglia functions (e.g., their role in movement or reinforcement learning). Instead, it appears that high-frequency DBS replaces the abnormal basal ganglia output with a more tolerable pattern, which helps to restore the functionality of downstream networks.