cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Modeling of fatigue damage in a polymer matrix composite

In recent years, advanced polymer matrix composites (PMC) are increasingly used in high-speed transport airframe structures and aircraft engine components due to their light weight, high strength, and high stiffness properties. One critical issue for structural designers and material developers is the long term behavior of these PMC and their associated damage and failure mechanisms under fatigue loading. In this study, fatigue damage of a polymer matrix composite proposed for high temperature applications was characterized both at room and high temperatures. The objective of this research is to predict the damage development under specific load and temperature. A Monte Carlo technique was applied to simulate the nondeterministic transverse cracking based on the stress-life curves, a simple damage accumulation model and stress analysis model. The probability density function of transverse crack spacing was obtained and a theoretical model was proposed to predict this damage development in terms of crack densities versus number of cycles. It is shown that both the simulation and the theoretical model agree well with experimental results at various load levels and temperatures.
Primary Sedimentary Structures Produced By Turbidity Currents: ABSTRACT

Turbidity currents produce numerous primary sedimentary structures, depending on mechanism of particle movement and sediment load-current-bottom interaction. Because the sediment is responsible for the current, depositional loss of load systematically changes conditions and structures produced. Only a few sediment-current-bottom combinations are unique to turbidity currents; many combinations, hence sedimentary structures, also occur in other current-sediment systems. Two types of collective behavior in cohesionless sands are inferred to occur in turbidity currents: (1) high-velocity sheet flow, where grains, probably not in true suspension, shear over the bottom below and underneath the truly suspended load above, outrunning the latter; and (2) traction-carpet flow, in which the grain layer may become relatively passive with respect to underlying bottom, but is subjected to shear, with or without sand fallout, from the overlying current with suspended sediment. Drag relationships between turbidity currents and traction carpet have not been investigated in the laboratory, but probably could be. Bagnold's analysis indicates that drag may trigger an abrupt increase in current velocity. This possible "auto-acceleration" might explain the otherwise eni matic increase in current velocity without change in grain size, which the writer previously invoked in analysis of convoluted laminae. End_of_Article - Last_Page 545------------
Effect of light and temperature on photosynthesis, elongation rate and chlorophyll content of Nelumbo lutea (Willd.) Pers. seedlings

Abstract Petiolar photosynthetic carbon assimilation (PCA) rates, elongation rates, and chlorophyll (Chl) content were assessed in seedlings of Nelumbo lutea (Willd.) Pers. grown in aseptic liquid culture under variable photon flux density (30–910 μmol m−2s−1) and temperature (3–30°C) conditions. When plants were grown under standard conditions (23°C, 100 μmol m−2s−1 photon flux density) and exposed to short-term changes in light and temperature regimes, maximum PCA (approximately 650 μmol Cg−1 Chl a h−1) occurred at 20°C and a photon flux density of 500 μmol m−2s−1. Longer term growth experiments (10 day) conducted under a variety of temperature: illumination regimes demonstrated that at all temperatures PCA rates increased curvilinearly up to a photon flux density of 560 μmol m−2s−1, then decreased gradually as light intensity increased. At all photon flux densities, the highest seedling PCA was obtained at 20°C. Petiole elongation rates increased up to 560 μmol m−2s−1 and declined at higher photon flux densities. Overall elongation rates were greatest at 30°C, followed by 20°C and 10°C. Chlorophyll content decreased as photon flux density increased in seedlings grown at 30°C and 20°C, but at 10°C increased up to 350 μmol m−2s−1 and then declined at higher photon flux densities. The collective data suggest that PCA by elongating petioles, may contribute to seedling growth, even under relatively cool, dark conditions near the sediment-water interphase.
Restriction Enzyme Analysis of Plasmids from Haemophilus influenzae

Examination of Haemophilus influenzae strains isolated in New Orleans revealed ampicillin-resistant strains with plasmids of size classes not previously detected in North America. The molecular weight of plasmids in five ampicillin-resistant strains ranged from 0.8 x 10(6) daltons (0.8 Mdal) to 36 Mdal. The molecular weights of the plasmids were determined by sucrose gradient centrifugation, electron microscopy, and agarose gel electrophoresis. Plasmids of the previously detected 30-Mdal size class were found in three of the five ampicillin-resistant strains. Restriction enzyme analysis is consistent with a close relationship between these three 30-Mdal plasmids. Of the two remaining ampicillin-resistant strains, one contained a single plasmid of 36 Mdal and the other contained two plasmids of 0.8 and 2.3 Mdal.
Correlates of creative behaviour: the role of leadership and personal factors

An organizational field study was conducted to test the relationship between subordinate openness to experience, supervisor charismatic leadership, and creative behaviour. Data were collected from 167 employee-supervisor pairs of a manufacturing company that produces advertising specialty products. Charismatic leadership related positively to subordinates' creative behaviour only for subordinates low in openness to experience and not for their high openness to experience counterparts. Implications for theory and practice are discussed. Copyright © 2010 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Une etude de terrain organisationnelle a ete menee afin d'evaluer le rapport entre l'attitude favorable des subalternes envers l'experience, la direction charismatique des responsables et le comportement creatif. Les donnees ont ete rassemblees aupres de 167 couples employe-responsable d'une compagnie manufacturiere de production des cadeaux publicitaires. L'etude montre que la direction charismatique est positivement reliee au comportement creatif des subalternes uniquement chez les subalternes peu favorables a l'experience et non chez les subalternes plus favorables a l'experience. Ses implications theoriques et pratiques sont examinees. Copyright © 2010 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Whatever can go wrong will: situational complexity and public order policing

Police response to public protest in the USA has been seen as stemming from both threats to the interests of political and financial elite as well as threats to the maintenance of public order. Indeed, many of the same features of protest events are used as indicators of both types of threat, leading to substantial uncertainty regarding the interpretation of threat at public gatherings. In this study, we draw on over 16,000 protest events identified from daily issues of the New York Times (NYT) from 1960 to 1995 to develop a more complete picture of public order policing. In doing so, we identify several dimensions of protest events that lead to more complicated and complex interactions between protestors and police. These features, including a diverse tactical repertoire, diverse protesting groups and event size, create crowd management difficulties that contribute to an overall more aggressive police response. Tactical diversity is an especially strong predictor of police action, while protest event siz...
Central Power and Light Company: A management ethics case

Abstract This case considers ethics and agency theory issues presented by an early extinguishment of debt. An electric utility company retired $50 million par of mortgage bonds employing a never-previously-exercised, unique, early retirement provision. This provision allowed the issuer to force early retirement of bonds selling at a premium at par value as opposed to the call price. The case presents the need for financial managers to consider nonfinancial factors in the process of making financial decisions. The case is based on actual class-action litigation brought by the bondholders. The case is directed to a master's level course, an executive development program, or an upper-division undergraduate course in management accounting.
Depleted soil carbon and nitrogen pools beneath impervious surfaces

Urban soils and vegetation contain large pools of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) and may sequester these elements at considerable rates; however, there have been no systematic studies of the composition of soils beneath the impervious surfaces that dominate urban areas. This has made it impossible to reliably estimate the net impact of urbanization on terrestrial C and N pools. In this study, we compared open area and impervious-covered soils in New York City and found that the C and N content of the soil (0-15 cm) under impervious surfaces was 66% and 95% lower, respectively. Analysis of extracellular enzyme activities in the soils suggests that recalcitrant compounds dominate the organic matter pool under impervious surfaces. If the differences between impervious-covered and open area soils represent a loss of C and N from urban ecosystems, the magnitude of these losses could offset sequestration in other parts of the urban landscape.
Hepatocyte nuclear factor‐3β limits cellular diversity in the developing respiratory epithelium and alters lung morphogenesis in vivo

Hepatocyte nuclear factor-3β (HNF-3β), a nuclear protein of the winged helix family of transcription factors, is known to play a critical role in the formation of the embryonic node, notochord, and foregut endoderm. HNF-3β influences the expression of a number of target genes in the respiratory epithelium, activating transcription of thyroid transcription factor-1, surfactant protein-B and clara cell secretory protein. In order to discern the role of HNF-3β in differentiation and gene expression in the lung, HNF-3β was expressed in developing respiratory epithelial cells of transgenic mice, under the control of the human surfactant protein C gene promoter. Pulmonary abnormalities were observed in the lungs of fetal mice bearing the HNF-3β transgene. Differentiation of distal respiratory epithelial cells was arrested in the early pseudoglandular stage. Branching morphogenesis and vasculogenesis were markedly disrupted in association with decreased E-cadherin and vascular endothelial growth factor expression. HNF-3β limits cellular diversity of developing respiratory epithelium and alters lung morphogenesis in vivo, suggesting that precise temporal–spatial regulation of HNF-3β expression is critical for respiratory epithelial cell differentiation and lung morphogenesis. Dev. Dyn. 1997;210: 305–314. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Anterior, posterior, left anterior oblique, and geometric mean views in gastric emptying studies using a glucose solution.

Previous research has shown that the single anterior view of the stomach overestimates the gastric half-emptying time of a solid meal compared to the geometric mean of the anterior and posterior views. Little research has been performed comparing the various views of gastric emptying of a glucose solution. After an overnight fast, 49 nondiabetic subjects were given a 450 ml solution containing 50 g of glucose and 200 Ci of technetium-99m sulfur colloid. Sequential 1-min anterior, posterior, and left anterior oblique views were obtained every 15 min. The mean percent solution remaining in the stomach for all three views differed from the geometric mean by 1.9% or less at all time points. Average gastric half-emptying times were: geometric mean, 62.7±3.3 min; anterior, 61.9±3.2 min; posterior, 63.5±3.5 min; and left anterior oblique, 61.6±3.3 min. These half-emptying times were not statistically different. For individual patients, differences between all three views and the geometric mean were not clinically important. Approximately 95% of all patients are expected to have gastric half-emptying times measured by any of the three single views within 17 min of the gastric half-emptying time obtained using the geometric mean. The imaging of gastric emptying using glucose solutions can be performed using a convenient single view which allows continuous dynamic imaging.
A NOTE ON EXPLAINING AWAY AND PARADOXICAL RESULTS IN MULTIDIMENSIONAL ITEM RESPONSE THEORY

Hooker and colleagues addressed a paradoxical situation that can arise in the application of multidimensional item response theory (MIRT) models to educational test data. We demonstrate that this MIRT paradox is an instance of the explaining-away phenomenon in Bayesian networks, and we attempt to enhance the understanding of MIRT models by placing the paradox in a broader statistical modeling perspective.
Spiny neurons lacking choline acetyltransferase immunoreactivity are major targets of cholinergic and catecholaminergic terminals in rat striatum

The ultrastructural substrate for functional interactions between intrinsic cholinergic neurons and catecholaminergic afferents to the caudate-putamen nucleus and nucleus accumbens septi (NAS) was investigated immunocytochemically. Single sections of glutaraldehyde-fixed rat brain were processed 1) for the immunoperoxidase labeling of a rat monoclonal antibody against the acetylcholine-synthesizing enzyme choline acetyltransferase (CAT) and 2) for the immunoautoradiographic localization of a rabbit polyclonal antiserum against the catecholamine-synthesizing enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase (TH). The ultrastructural morphology and cellular associations did not significantly differ in the caudate-putamen versus NAS. Immunoperoxidase reaction for CAT versus NAS. Immunoperoxidase reaction for CAT was seen in perikarya, dendrites, and terminals, whereas immunoautoradiography for TH was in terminals. The perikarya and dendrites immunolabeled for CAT were large, sparsely spiny, and postsynaptic mainly to unlabeled axon terminals. Only 2-3% of the CAT-labeled terminals (n = 136) and less than 1% of the TH-labeled terminals (n = 86) were apposed to, or formed synapses with, perikarya or dendrites immunoreactive for CAT. Most unlabeled and all labeled terminals formed symmetric synapses. In the same sample, 18% of the CAT and 16% of the TH-labeled terminals were directly apposed to each other. Unlabeled dendritic shafts received the major (40% for CAT versus 23% for TH) synaptic input from cholinergic terminals, while unlabeled spines received the major (47% for TH versus 23% for CAT) synaptic input from catecholaminergic terminals. Neither the unlabeled dendrites or spines received detectable convergent input from CAT and TH-labeled terminals. Thirteen percent of the CAT-labeled and 14% of TH-labeled terminals were in apposition to unlabeled terminals forming asymmetric, presumably excitatory, synapses with unlabeled dendritic spines. We conclude that in both the caudate-putamen and NAS cholinergic and catecholaminergic terminals 1) form symmetric, most likely inhibitory, synapses primarily with non-cholinergic neurons, 2) differentially synapse on shafts or spines of separate dendrites, and 3) have axonal appositions suggesting the possibility of presynaptic physiological interactions. These results support the hypothesis that the cholinergic-dopaminergic balance in striatal function may be mediated through inhibition of separate sets of spiny projection neurons with opposing excitatory and inhibitory functions.
Considerations for numerical modeling of the pulmonary circulation-a review with a focus on pulmonary hypertension

Both in academic research and in clinical settings, virtual simulation of the cardiovascular system can be used to rapidly assess complex multivariable interactions between blood vessels, blood flow, and the heart. Moreover, metrics that can only be predicted with computational simulations (e.g., mechanical wall stress, oscillatory shear index, etc.) can be used to assess disease progression, for presurgical planning, and for interventional outcomes. Because the pulmonary vasculature is susceptible to a wide range of pathologies that directly impact and are affected by the hemodynamics (e.g., pulmonary hypertension), the ability to develop numerical models of pulmonary blood flow can be invaluable to the clinical scientist. Pulmonary hypertension is a devastating disease that can directly benefit from computational hemodynamics when used for diagnosis and basic research. In the present work, we provide a clinical overview of pulmonary hypertension with a focus on the hemodynamics, current treatments, and their limitations. Even with a rich history in computational modeling of the human circulation, hemodynamics in the pulmonary vasculature remains largely unexplored. Thus, we review the tasks involved in developing a computational model of pulmonary blood flow, namely vasculature reconstruction, meshing, and boundary conditions. We also address how inconsistencies between models can result in drastically different flow solutions and suggest avenues for future research opportunities. In its current state, the interpretation of this modeling technology can be subjective in a research environment and impractical for clinical practice. Therefore, considerations must be taken into account to make modeling reliable and reproducible in a laboratory setting and amenable to the vascular clinic. Finally, we discuss relevant existing models and how they have been used to gain insight into cardiopulmonary physiology and pathology.
Obesity and survival in patients with heart failure and preserved systolic function: a U-shaped relationship.

Background Studies document better survival in heart failure patients with decreased left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) and higher body mass index (BMI; kg/m 2 ) compared to those with a lower BMI. However, it is unknown if this “obesity paradox” applies to heart failure patients with preserved EF or if it extends to the very obese (BMI >35). Methods We determined all-cause mortality for 1,236 consecutive patients with a prior diagnosis of heart failure and a preserved EF (≥50%). Results Obesity (BMI>30) was noted in 542 patients (44%). The mean age was 71 ± 12 years, but this varied depending on BMI. One-year all-cause mortality decreased with increasing BMI, except at BMI >45 where mortality began to increase (55% if BMI 45, P 45 ( P Conclusions Low BMI is associated with increased mortality in patients with heart failure and preserved systolic function. However, with a BMI of >45, mortality increased, raising the possibility of a U-shaped relationship between BMI and survival.
Pre-Steady-State Kinetic Analysis of Enzyme-Monitored Turnover during Cystathionine β-Synthase-Catalyzed H2S Generation

Cystathionine β-synthase (CBS) catalyzes the first step in the transsulfuration pathway in mammals, i.e., the condensation of serine and homocysteine to produce cystathionine and water. Recently, we have reported a steady-state kinetic analysis of the three hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S)-generating reactions that are catalyzed by human and yeast CBS [Singh, S., et al. (2009) J. Biol. Chem. 284, 22457-22466]. In the study presented here, we report a pre-steady-state kinetic analysis of intermediates in the H(2)S-generating reactions catalyzed by yeast CBS (yCBS). Because yCBS does not have a heme cofactor, in contrast to human CBS, it is easier to observe reaction intermediates with yCBS. The most efficient route for H(2)S generation by yCBS is the β-replacement of the cysteine thiol with homocysteine. In this reaction, yCBS first reacts with cysteine to release H(2)S and forms an aminoacrylate intermediate (k(obs) of 1.61 ± 0.04 mM(-1) s(-1) at low cysteine concentrations and 2.8 ± 0.1 mM(-1) s(-1) at high cysteine concentrations, at 20 °C), which has an absorption maximum at 465 nm. Homocysteine binds to the E·aminoacrylate intermediate with a bimolecular rate constant of 142 mM(-1) s(-1) and rapidly condenses to form the enzyme-bound external aldimine of cystathionine. The reactions could be partially rate limited by release of the products, cystathionine and H(2)S.
Determination of cell culture medium components with overlapping near-IR absorbance peaks

A noninvasive method to measure levels of important tissue culture nutrients and metabolic by-products would provide the potential for computer control of the growth process, decreasing the amount of human attention necessary while improving efficiency and repeatability of experiments by precise maintenance of important parameters without contaminating the culture environment. Our approach to meeting this need is the development of optical sensor that extract chemical information based on the absorbance of near-IR radiation. Near-IR spectroscopy of the 2.0-2.5 micrometers region was used to collect absorbance data of aqueous mixtures containing glucose, lactate, ammonia, glutamate, and glutamine, as well as cell culture media samples from a three-day growth period. Multivariate calibration was used with these data to prove that complicated spectra can yield reasonable prediction errors. Calibration models using different combinations of spectra from aqueous mixtures and culture media were built and evaluated for glucose, ammonia, and lactate. Prediction errors of 2 percent, 8 percent, and 15 percent were obtained for glucose, lactate, and ammonia, respectively.
Is Nursing's Image a Deterrent to Recruiting Men Into the Profession? Male High School Students Respond

The extremely small number of men choosing the nursing profession as a career, coupled with the continuing shortage of nurses, prompted an investigation of male high school students' opinions about nursing. Kohler and Edwards' Career Questionnaire was administered to 126 male high school students representing grades 9-12 from three area public schools. Findings show that although the majority of subjects have a positive perception of nurses and nursing, the vast majority are not planning on entering the profession. Analysis of subjects' beliefs about nurses' financial status offers a possible explanation.
Electron radiation damage near the threshold energy in aluminum

Foils of high-purity aluminum, both with and without preinjection of about 10 at. ppm helium, were electron irradiated in the electron microscope operating at voltages in the range 150 to 200 kV. I...
Specific High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic Assay for Nitroglycerin in Dosage Forms

A specific assay for nitroglycerin in dosage forms using high-performance liquid chromatography was developed. Sublingual nitroglycerin tablets are dissolved in 25 ml of water and injected directly into the chromatograph. Chromatographic conditions are: mobile phase, 60% methanol in water; flow rate, 2 ml/min; column, microparticulate reversed phase; and detection, 200 nm. The glyceryl mononitrate and dinitrate degradation products of nitroglycerin are separated from nitroglycerin and can be identified by altering the mobile phase composition of methanol.
The Chinese Revolution in Historical Perspective

"Instead of applying Western concepts of historical analysis to China, [Schrecker] seeks to understand modern history, both of China and of the West, through Chinese historiographical categories. The reader will appreciate not only the Chinese historiographical tradition but also the way this tradition enriches one's understanding of world history. An ambitious, much needed study." Akira Iriye, Harvard University, Past President, American Historical Association "John Schrecker has written a historical narrative certain to be of great value to students of politics and society. It is at once lively and engaging and theoretically sophisticated. By adopting a Chinese perspective and applying it not only to China itself but also to the interventions of the West, Schrecker opens the way for a new comparative history." Michael Walzer The Institute for Advanced Study Princeton
Microwave permeability measurement of unsaturated hexaferrites of Y-type

We have investigated the zero field permeability behavior of Y-type hexaferrites. The measured permeability from 0.045 to 10 GHz was theoretically explained in term of zero magnetic field multi-domain and domain wall resonance. The basal plane anisotropy field, H/sub /spl phi///sup A/, domain wall thickness /spl delta/ and length L of the domain wall were estimated from resonance and permeability data.
Multiple antenna design method for mobile platform diversity systems

Antenna diversity is one of the most popular and simple methods for mitigating shadowing and fading associated with rich multipath radio environments [1]. It can also be applied to Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) systems to improve spectral efficiency. Although it is straightforward to design a multiple antenna diversity system for a fixed environment, the implementation on a mobile environment is not as easy. There are two issues when we design an antenna diversity system for mobile platform: First, it poses a large computational problem when considering mobile platform, antennas, and surrounding environments together. Second, it requires a complex process to find the optimum diversity configuration (using minimum number of antennas) and achieving maximum performance.
Improving Implementation Through Framing Smarter Statutes

Statutory design is the source of many problems encountered in implementation, yet policy scholars have not made much headway in providing coherent and consistent advice for framing smarter statutes. There is a great deal of disagreement about how much discretion statutes should leave to implementers, and four distinct and conflicting schools of thought have emerged. This article advises that none of the perspectives is always correct and patterns for allocating discretion should take into account the implementation context. Contexts vary from statute to statute and may change for different policy elements within particular policies. The core elements in policy content are identified and linked in a scheme that is more comprehensive and relevant to policy results than previous work. The article also provides a ‘value-added’ conception of implementation in which the extent of discretion exercised by implementers is measured by changes they make in the core elements of policy.
FPGA based implementation of decoder for array low-density parity-check codes

Low density parity check (LDPC) codes have received much attention for their excellent performance, and the inherent parallelism involved in decoding them. We consider a type of structured binary LDPC codes, known as array LDPC codes, which have low encoding complexity and good performance, for implementation on a Xilinx field programmable gate array (FPGA) device.
Development of a web-based, specialty specific portfolio.

Background: This article illustrates the creation of a specialty specific portfolio that can be used by several different residency programs to document resident competence during a given rotation.Methods: Three different disciplines (anesthesiology, surgery and medicine) worked together to create a critical care medicine portfolio. We began by reviewing the curriculum requirements for critical care medicine and organized these requirements into the six ACGME core competencies. We then developed learner led exercises in each core competency that were specific to critical care. Each exercise includes assessment of resident knowledge and application, an evaluation of the exercise, a learner self-assessment of skill, and a review of performance by a faculty member. Portfolio entries are highlighted in a multi-disciplinary weekly conference and posted on a critical care web site at our University.Conclusions: Creation of specialty specific portfolio reduces redundancy between disciplines, allows for increased...
Isolation of the exoelectrogenic denitrifying bacterium Comamonas denitrificans based on dilution to extinction

The anode biofilm in a microbial fuel cell (MFC) is composed of diverse populations of bacteria, many of whose capacities for electricity generation are unknown. To identify functional populations in these exoelectrogenic communities, a culture-dependent approach based on dilution to extinction was combined with culture-independent community analysis. We analyzed the diversity and dynamics of microbial communities in single-chamber air-cathode MFCs with different anode surfaces using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis based on the 16S rRNA gene. Phylogenetic analyses showed that the bacteria enriched in all reactors belonged primarily to five phylogenetic groups: Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, α-Proteobacteria, β-Proteobacteria, and γ-Proteobacteria. Dilution-to-extinction experiments further demonstrated that Comamonas denitrificans and Clostridium aminobutyricum were dominant members of the community. A pure culture isolated from an anode biofilm after dilution to extinction was identified as C. denitrificans DX-4 based on 16S rRNA sequence and physiological and biochemical characterizations. Strain DX-4 was unable to respire using hydrous Fe(III) oxide but produced 35 mW/m2 using acetate as the electron donor in an MFC. Power generation by the facultative C. denitrificans depends on oxygen and MFC configuration, suggesting that a switch of metabolic pathway occurs for extracellular electron transfer by this denitrifying bacterium.
Aristotle on the Analogy Between Action and Nature

In Physics 2.8 Aristotle argues for his natural teleology by arguing for the goal-directed character of nature (or biology). The argument that he develops with the most care is directed against those natural philosophers, like Empedocles, who maintain that the results of natural processes which benefit organisms, such as teeth, come to be through chance (198b16–199a8). Aristotle counters by arguing that because the beneficial results of natural processes occur regularly, ‘always or for the most part’, they cannot be the outcome of chance, which would yield beneficial results only irregularly. Thus such results must come to be only for the sake of some end. This argument against chance has received the most attention from scholars, but Physics 2.8 contains another argument for the goal-directed character of nature, which has received relatively little attention because it does not seem to offer much argument for natural teleology. The argument depends upon an analogy between action and nature, and it simply maintains that since human action (of which art is an example) and nature are analogous, and since action is goal-directed, so too is nature. The argument is of interest, despite its neglect, because it seems to prove nothing to us and yet Aristotle puts it forward confidently as advancing his view about the goal-directed character of nature. The argument from analogy should claim our attention because it provides important evidence for the basic spring behind Aristotle's natural teleology. The fact that Aristotle takes for granted the strength of the analogy with human action in his argument for the goal-directedness of nature suggests that he holds human-like goal-directedness to be a condition of intelligibility that must be met by any intelligible process of coming to be, whether human or natural.
Current pathophysiological concepts in cerebral small vessel disease.

The association between cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) – in the form of white matter lesions, infarctions, and hemorrhages – with vascular cognitive impairment (VCI), has mostly been deduced from observational studies. Pathological conditions affecting the small vessels of the brain and leading to SVD have suggested plausible molecular mechanisms involved in vascular damage and their impact on brain function. However, much still needs to be clarified in understanding the pathophysiology of VCI, the role of neurodegenerative processes such as Alzheimer’s disease, and the impact of aging itself. In addition, both genetic predispositions and environmental exposures may potentiate the development of SVD and interact with normal aging to impact cognitive function and require further study. Advances in technology, in the analysis of genetic and epigenetic data, neuroimaging such as magnetic resonance imaging, and new biomarkers will help to clarify the complex factors leading to SVD and the expression of VCI.
Calculation of the atomic radius from shielding considerations

Abstract A simple empty core Thomas Fermi pseudopotential is used to calculate the value of the radius of the atom in the simple and transition metals. In a given atom the extent of the atomic core is taken equal to the distance from the nucleus at which the outermost node in the wave function of an s valence electron occurs. It is found that this parameter is simply related to the depth of the potential well for s electrons obtained by the model potential authors for the simple and transition metals.
Performance Analysis of a Pre-BLAST-DFE Technique for MISO Channels With Decentralized Receivers

The performance of a pre-Bell Laboratories Layered Space-Time Architecture (BLAST)-decision feedback equalization (DFE) technique with Tomlinson-Harashima precoding and decentralized receivers, operating over multiple-input single-output (MISO) frequency-selective fading channels, is evaluated. First, we derive the probability of symbol error for Tomlinson-Harashima precoding operating over single-input single-output channels with intersymbol interference. We then generalize this result to MISO frequency-selective fading channels with decentralized receivers by using the QR decomposition technique. The effect of optimal ordering of the decentralized receivers, which minimizes the total transmit energy, is investigated. We obtain a closed-form expression for the probability density function of the squared diagonal elements of the upper right triangular matrix belonging to the optimal QR decomposition when two transmit antennas and two receivers are used. We also provide simulations to corroborate the analytical results.
When choice is demotivating: Can one desire too much of a good thing?

Current psychological theory and research affirm the positive affective and motivational consequences of having personal choice. These findings have led to the popular notion that the more choice, the better--that the human ability to manage, and the human desire for, choice is unlimited. Findings from 3 experimental studies starkly challenge this implicit assumption that having more choices is necessarily more intrinsically motivating than having fewer. These experiments, which were conducted in both field and laboratory settings, show that people are more likely to purchase gourmet jams or chocolates or to undertake optional class essay assignments when offered a limited array of 6 choices rather than a more extensive array of 24 or 30 choices. Moreover, participants actually reported greater subsequent satisfaction with their selections and wrote better essays when their original set of options had been limited. Implications for future research are discussed.
Do Rats Show a Mozart Effect

The “Mozart effect” is an increase in spatial reasoning scores after listening to a Mozart piano sonata. Both the production and interpretation of the effect are controversial. Many studies have failed to replicate the original effect. Other studies have explained a Mozart effect as being caused by changes in arousal or differences in preferences of the listener. F. H. Rauscher, K. D. Robinson, and J. J. Jens (1998) reported that rats learned to complete a T-maze more quickly if they had been exposed in utero and reared hearing a Mozart piano sonata. They concluded that the result indicated a direct effect of the music on brain development and contradicted competing accounts of arousal or preference. This article is an analysis of the experiment by Rauscher et al. The in utero exposure would have been ineffective because rats are born deaf. A comparison of human and rat audiograms, in the context of the frequencies produced by a piano, suggests that adult rats are deaf to most notes in the sonata. The successful performance of the Mozart group may be explained by the incomplete use of random assignment of subjects to groups and by experimenter effects in the construction of groups. The results of Rauscher et al. (1998) do not provide strong support for the existence of the Mozart effect.
Local and Global Structures Preserving Projection

In this paper, we propose Local and Global Structures Preserving Projection (LGSPP), which is to find a small set of projection directions so as to properly preserve the local and global structures for a given set of data. Specifically, for each point in the dataset, its local neighborhood is extracted as well as a set of sampled points far away from this point, which characterize the global structure. The embedding minimizes the distances of the points in each local neighborhood while dispersing them far apart from their corresponding remote points. In this way, the local-global relationships between data points are well kept.
Basal Ganglia Output and Cognition: Evidence from Anatomical, Behavioral, and Clinical Studies

Abstract The traditional view that the basal ganglia are simply involved in the control of movement has been challenged in recent years. Three lines of evidence indicate that the basal ganglia also are involved in nonmotor operations. First, the results of anatomical studies clearly indicate that the basal ganglia participate in multiple circuits or ‘loops’ with cognitive areas of the cerebral cortex. Second, the activity of neurons within selected portions of the basal ganglia is more related to cognitive or sensory operations than to motor functions. Finally, in some instances basal ganglia lesions cause primarily cognitive or sensory disturbances without gross motor impairments. In this report, we briefly review some of these data and present a new anatomical framework for understanding the basal ganglia contributions to nonmotor function.
Road detection in panchromatic SPOT satellite images

The goal of this study is to detect the main road network in high resolution, panchromatic SPOT satellite images. We describe an automatic procedure for road detection which has the following advantages over the previous approaches: 1) it does not require manual initialization; 2) it is able to detect some of the secondary roads in addition to the main highways; and 3) the detection time is small (/spl sim/3 min) even on large images.
The influence of glyceryl guaiacolate ether on the osmotic fragility of erythrocytes in rats.

Abstract The muscle-relaxants, mephenesin and glyceryl guaiacolate ether (GGE) have hemolytic effect in vivo and in vitro (1,2). In this regard mephenesin seems to be 20 times more potent than GGE (2). Mephenesin is not favored in anesthetic practice on account of its potent hemolytic effect, which has been blamed for fatalities (3) and for the occurrence of thrombophlebitis (4). The intravascular hemolysis caused by the intravenous administration of GGE was found to be more closely related to the concentrations of its solutions rather than the total dose and the rate of injection (2). The concentration of GGE necessary to produce intravascular hemolysis in horses was estimated to be 10 to 12.5% (5,6). The possible mechanism by which GGE induces intravascular hemolysis is completely unknown. The purpose of this investigation was to find out the effect of GGE-administration on the osmotic fragility of erythrocytes. This is because the increased osmotic fragility of the red cells is one of the factors which seems to be involved in the intravascular hemolysis leading to hemolytic anemia (7).
Analytic Redundancy for On-Line Fault Diagnosis in a Nuclear Reactor

A computer-aided diagnostic technique has been applied to on-line signal validation in an operating nuclear reactor. To avoid installation of additional redundant sensors for the sole purpose of fault isolation, a real-time model of nuclear instrumentation and the thermal-hydraulic process in the primary coolant loop was developed and experimentally validated. The model provides analytically redundant information sufficient for isolation of failed sensors as well as for detection of abnormal plant operation and component malfunctioning. Nomenclature B =bias for sensor calibration b = error bound for measurement C = specific heat F = mass flow rate of primary coolant H = measurement matrix K = product of heat transfer coefficient and area £ = number of measurements M = thermal mass m = measurement p = parity vector Q = power or rate of energy flow S = scale factor for measurement T = temperature t = time V = projection matrix v = sensor output in volts w = weighting coefficient (0 < w < 1) x = true value of a measured variable e = measurement noise 77 = parameter associated with heat transfer £ = shim blade position r = time constant X = fraction of neutron power
Porting a Network Cryptographic Service to the RMC2000: A Case Study in Embedded Software Development

This paper describes our experience porting a transport-layer cryptography service to an embedded microcontroller. We describe some key development issues and techniques involved in porting networked software to a connected, limited resource device such as the Rabbit RMC2000 we chose for this case study. We examine the effectiveness of a few proposed porting strategies by examining important program and run-time characteristics.
Optimization and Lagrange Multipliers: Non-C1 Constraints and "Minimal" Constraint Qualifications

Constrained optimization problems are central to economics, and Lagrange multipliers — when they exist — play a basic role in solving them, in theory and in practice. Examples are well known of optimization problems for which multipliers do not exist. So it is important to know what requirements constraint functions must satisfy to be “Lagrange regular,” i.e. to guarantee existence of multipliers for broad classes of maximand or minimand functions. We relax the requirements in three directions: 1 We reduce the smoothness requirements on constraints. This allows weaker and more uniform hypotheses for mixed inequality and equality constraints, permitting, for example, just differentiability at the optimum and continuity in a neighborhood. (We allow much weaker hypotheses, as well.) Beyond smoothness, other requirements have long been imposed on constraint functions, to avoid simple examples lacking multipliers. We examine two types of such “constraint qualifications”. 2 We provide new, relaxed constraint qualifications of both Jacobian and path types.
Complex Fractionated Atrial Electrograms in Catheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation: Dead and Buried?

> Are you gonna curse the darkness or light a candle? > > —Terry Hayes, I Am Pilgrim: A Thriller 1 Since the early days of atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation, it has been clear that patients with the persistent form respond poorly with pulmonary vein (PV) isolation.2 Despite increasing experience with PV isolation and improvement in technology, the long-term efficacy of a PV-only approach in patients with long-standing arrhythmia is only ≈24%.3 Patients with persistent AF are afflicted with a greater degree of structural and electric remodeling than those with the paroxysmal form.4 Further, the structural changes are diffuse, which may help explain the multitude of target sites (left atrial [LA] appendage, coronary sinus, right atrium, among others) that may be involved in perpetuating the arrhythmia. Given a wide array of possible sources that vary from patient to patient, electrophysiologists have sought to identify electrograms that may be important in maintaining AF, irrespective of the location. The assumption is that complex, fractionated atrial electrograms (CFAE) may be markers of driver sites.5 The results have been mixed, with some studies concluding that CFAE ablation is incremental and others reporting no benefit. A prior meta-analysis concluded that CFAE ablation was associated with an improvement in outcomes in patients with persistent AF.6 Article see p 1017 In this issue of the Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology , Providencia et al present another meta-analysis that examines the impact of CFAE ablation in patients with both persistent and paroxysmal AF.7 A total of 13 studies were included, 9 of which were randomized controlled trials. Among the 1415 patients (number of participants per study, 35–318), 815 underwent PV+CFAE ablation and 600 underwent PV isolation only. CFAEs were defined by an automated algorithm in 6 studies and on the basis …
The Developmental Benefits of Parent-Child Interaction: Perspectives of Filipino Mothers of Children With and Without Disabilities

ABSTRACTIn this article, the authors explored mothers’ descriptions of the benefits of interacting with their infants and toddlers with and without diagnosed disabilities. Interview data from 40 Filipino mothers, 20 mothers of children with a diagnosed disability, and 20 mothers of typically developing children were analyzed. Using qualitative methods, the authors identified several themes of child benefits that emerged from the data: (1) develop child’s competence, (2) develop child’s confidence, (3) strengthen child’s bonds with his or her mother and other caregivers, (4) promote the development and expression of child’s unique personality, and (5) support child’s moral and spiritual growth. These themes are described and illustrated for children with and without disabilities, and similarities and differences are noted. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.
A Distributed Blackboard Approach Based Upon a Boundary Node Concept

An architecture for distributed decision making and command / control, which is based on an extrapolation of the Blackboard architectural style, is presented. The proposed architecture utilizes boundary rules as connection / coordination points between multiple blackboards, allowing a distributed knowledge base to span multiple physical systems, while minimizing data duplication and data replication communications. When a boundary node is asserted, this is replicated to all other blackboards containing this node. Network state update information is, thus, limited to updating boundary node status and updates regarding system status (i.e., a system being detected by other systems as offline or back online, etc.). This paper provides an overview of the proposed architecture and its implementation. It describes several possible implementation scenarios for the proposed concept and compares its performance, under a theoretical scenario, to other distributed command / control approaches. Through this work, the efficacy of the proposed technique is demonstrated, from a communications requirement reduction perspective.
Hanging Fire, or A New Ontology for Poynton

This essay discovers the etymological history of James’s frequently used phrase, “hanging fire.” James employed the phrase idiosyncratically, such that he consistently, if implicitly, compares characters to malfunctioning firearms. I follow the consequences of such unorthodox characterization in The Spoils of Poynton . If when Fleda “hangs fire” she becomes a gun, then the novel’s apparent ontological division between persons and things no longer holds. Instead, Poynton introduces persons who are sometimes things. The figural world of the novel echoes this unconventional ontology, proposing amalgamations of bodies and houses that open up new referents for James’s characters.