cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Maximum a posteriori image and seeing condition estimation from partially coherent two-dimensional light detection and ranging images

Recent developments in staring focal plane technology have spawned significant interest in the application of gated laser radar systems to battlefield remote sensing. Such environments are characterized by rapidly changing atmospheric seeing conditions and significant image distortion caused by long slant-range paths through the most dense regions of the atmosphere. Limited weight, space, and computational resources tend to prohibit the application of adaptive optic systems to mitigate atmospheric image distortion. We demonstrate and validate the use of a fast, iterative, maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimator to estimate both the original target scene and the ensemble-averaged atmospheric optical transfer function parameterized by Fried's seeing parameter. Wide-field-of-view sensor data is simulated to emulate images collected on an experimental test range. Simulated and experimental multiframe motion-compensated average images are deconvolved by the MAP estimator to produce most likely estimates of the truth image as well as the atmospheric seeing condition. For comparison, Fried's seeing parameter is estimated from experimentally collected images using a knife-edge response technique. The MAP estimator is found to yield seeing condition estimates within approximately 6% using simulated speckle images, and within approximately 8% of knife-edge derived truth for a limited set of experimentally collected image data.
Source location of acoustic emissions from atmospheric leakage using neural networks

The objective of this study is to evaluate a neural network monitoring system for continuous surveillance of the NASA Space Station Freedom, to detect and locate atmospheric leakage. The monitoring system uses surface mounted sensors to detect acoustic emission signals produced by the leak, which are then relayed to the neural network for source location determination. To date, acoustic emission leak location systems have achieved only limited success and are adversely affected by noise and complex geometries. For a monitoring system to be effective in locating atmospheric leakage it must have the ability to mask out noise, circumvent multipath interference, and process AE signals in real time. Neural networks seem ideally suited to the problem.© (1991) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Formalizing the structural semantics of domain-specific modeling languages

Model-based approaches to system design are now widespread and successful. These approaches make extensive use of model structure to describe systems using domain-specific abstractions, to specify and implement model transformations, and to analyze structural properties of models. In spite of its general importance the structural semantics of modeling languages are not well-understood. In this paper we develop the formal foundations for the structural semantics of domain-specific modeling languages (DSML), including the mechanisms by which metamodels specify the structural semantics of DSMLs. Additionally, we show how our formalization can complement existing tools, and how it yields algorithms for the analysis of DSMLs and model transformations.
Criminal Justice System Reform and Wrongful Conviction A Research Agenda

This article describes the nature and importance of wrongful conviction as a criminal justice policy issue, the development of an innocence movement to litigate on behalf of potential exonerees and...
Regulation of EphB1 expression by dopamine signaling.

Abstract The Eph family tyrosine kinase receptors and their ligands have been implicated in axon guidance and neuronal migration during development of the nervous system. In the current study, we aim to characterize the nature of changes in EphB1 receptor expression following increases or decreases in dopamine activity. Neonatal mice (P3) were injected with 6-hydroxydopamine and allowed 13 days to recover. These animals show a profound depletion of dopamine in all areas assayed, with a corresponding dose-dependent decrease in EphB1 expression. Day 3 pups were also injected either chronically (P3–P16) or acutely (P3 only) with cocaine to determine how enhancing dopamine signaling would affect EphB1 signal density. It was found that both treatments significantly increased expression of EphB1 in the cortex, striatum and substantia nigra. Finally, animals were treated prenatally (E15–E17) with cocaine and sacrificed on P7. These animals also showed an increase in EphB1 signal density, but only in the dopaminergic terminal areas in the cortex and striatum. These studies indicate that dopamine activity regulates developmental expression of the tyrosine kinase receptor EphB1.
Mental imagery in problem solving: an eye tracking study

Cognitive models and empirical studies of problem solving in visuo-spatial and causal domains suggest that problem solving tasks in such domains invoke cognitive processes involving mental animation and imagery. If these internal processes are externally manifested in the form of eye movements, such tasks present situations in which the trajectory of a user's visual attention can provide clues regarding his or her information needs to an Attentive User Interface [Vertegaal 2002]. In this paper, we briefly review research related to problem solving that involves mental imagery, and describe an experiment that looked for evidence and effects of an imagery strategy in problem solving. We eye-tracked 90 subjects solving two causal reasoning problems, one in which a diagram of the problem appeared on the stimulus display, and a second related problem that was posed on a blank display. Results indicated that 42% of the subjects employed mental imagery and visually scanned the display in a correspondingly systematic fashion. This suggests that information displays that respond to a user's visual attention trajectory, a kind of Attentive User Interface, are more likely to benefit this class of users.
RNA fractions in normal rat liver and Morris 5123D hepatoma.

Abstract 1. (1) RNA of rat liver and Morris 5123D hepatoma was investigated by the phenol fractionation technique, using sequential increase in temperature and pH. 2. (2) In hepatoma, RNA DNA was markedly reduced in whole tissue and cytoplasm while the value for the nuclear fraction was significantly increased. 3. (3) RNA fractions in cytoplasm which are extractable at pH 6.0, and indistinguishable from ribosomal RNA, were reduced in hepatoma. Similar fractions in the hepatoma nuclear preparations were elevated, indicating a shift in the distribution of these fractions in favor of the nucleus. The level of RNA extracted at 65° (pH 8.3) was unchanged. 4. (4) The highest 32P activities were associated with RNA fractions extracted at 65°. With liver, it was the fraction extracted at pH 8.3, while with hepatoma it was the pH 6.0 fraction. 5. (5) The rate of synthesis of all RNA fractions was found to be reduced in hepatoma.
Two fundamentally different types of submarine canyons along the continental margin of Equatorial Guinea

Abstract Most submarine canyons are erosive conduits cut deeply into the world’s continental shelves through which sediment is transported from areas of high coastal sediment supply onto large submarine fans. However, many submarine canyons in areas of low sediment supply do not have associated submarine fans and show significantly different morphologies and depositional processes from those of ‘classic’ canyons. Using three-dimensional seismic reflection and core data, this study contrasts these two types of submarine canyons and proposes a bipartite classification scheme. The continental margin of Equatorial Guinea, West Africa during the late Cretaceous was dominated by a classic, erosional, sand-rich, submarine canyon system. This system was abandoned during the Paleogene, but the relict topography was re-activated in the Miocene during tectonic uplift. A subsequent decrease in sediment supply resulted in a drastic transformation in canyon morphology and activity, initiating the ‘Benito’ canyon system. This non-typical canyon system is aggradational rather than erosional, does not indent the shelf edge and has no downslope sediment apron. Smooth, draping seismic reflections indicate that hemipelagic deposition is the chief depositional process aggrading the canyons. Intra-canyon lateral accretion deposits indicate that canyon concavity is maintained by thick (>150 m), dilute, turbidity currents. There is little evidence for erosion, mass-wasting, or sand-rich deposition in the Benito canyon system. When a canyon loses flow access, usually due to piracy, it is abandoned and eventually filled. During canyon abandonment, fluid escape causes the successive formation of ‘cross-canyon ridges’ and pockmark trains along buried canyon axes. Based on comparison of canyons in the study area, we recognize two main types of submarine canyons: ‘Type I’ canyons indent the shelf edge and are linked to areas of high coarse-grained sediment supply, generating erosive canyon morphologies, sand-rich fill, and large downslope submarine fans/aprons. ‘Type II’ canyons do not indent the shelf edge and exhibit smooth, highly aggradational morphologies, mud-rich fill, and a lack of downslope fans/aprons. Type I canyons are dominated by erosive, sandy turbidity currents and mass-wasting, whereas hemipelagic deposition and dilute, sluggish turbidity currents are the main depositional processes sculpting Type II canyons. This morphology-based classification scheme can be used to help predict depositional processes, grain size distributions, and petroleum prospectivity of any submarine canyon.
A simple proof of a completeness result for leads-to in the UNITY logic

Abstract Jutla, Knapp and Rao (in: Proc. 8th Ann. Symp. on Principles of Distributed Computing ) proved a completeness result for leads-to in UNITY, using their definition of leads-to by means of a predicate-transformer; the proof relies on theorems of temporal logic and μ-calculus. Sanders ( Formal Aspects of Computing 3 (1991) 189–205) defined leads-to in a version of the UNITY logic that incorporates initial conditions, and derived the completeness of temporal logic. The present paper contains a simple direct proof of the same result.
Vancomycin redistribution: Dosing recommendations following highflux hemodialysis

Vancomycin redistribution: Dosing recommendations following highflux hemodialysis. Although increased vancomycin clearance has been reported with highly permeable hemodialysis membranes (such as polysulfone), failure to consider post-dialysis redistribution could lead to unnecessary dosage supplementation. In protocol 1, twelve hemodialysis patients admitted for vascular access thrombectomy received 15 mg/kg of vancomycin as surgical prophylaxis. Post-operatively, patients underwent high-flux hemodialysis (HFHD) for two hours using a Fresenius™ F-80 polysulfone dialyzer (Q B = 417 ± 49, Q D = 800 ml/min). Vancomycin's intradialytic clearance increased 13-fold compared to the patient's endogenous clearance (120 ± 59 vs. 9 ± 8 ml/min, respectively) yet dialysate recovery indicated that only 17% of body stores were removed (179 ± 70 mg). Although serum vancomycin levels decreased 33% during HFHD, vancomycin levels increased in all patients following dialysis and the post-rebound values reached 87% of the pre-dialysis concentration. In protocol 2, eight outpatients receiving maintenance HFHD with a F-80 dialyzer (Kt/V = 1.29 ± 0.08) were given 20 mg/kg of vancomycin immediately following dialysis on Monday; pre- and post-levels were measured during the next three dialysis treatments. The predialysis serum vancomycin levels were >7.5 µg/ml (9.7 ± 1.0 µg/ml; range 8.0 to 11.0) in all patients the following Monday. Thus, vancomycin clearance is increased during HFHD, but redistribution post-HD minimizes changes in serum levels. We recommend a 20 mg/kg i.v. loading dose and subsequent doses of 15 mg/kg every seven days; to account for individual variability, weekly vancomycin levels should be drawn before dialysis.
Mesenchymal stem cells reside within the connective tissues of many organs

Previous studies have noted the presence of mesenchymal stem cells located within the connective tissue matrices of avian skeletal muscle, dermis, and heart. In these studies, clonal analysis coupled with dexamethasone treatment revealed the presence of multiple populations of stem cells composed of both lineage-committed progenitor mesenchymal stem cells and lineage-uncommitted pluripotent mesenchymal stem cells. The present study was undertaken to assess the distribution of these stem cells in the connective tissues throughout various regions of the body. Day 11 chick embryos were divided into 26 separate regions. Heart, limb skeletal muscle, and limb dermis were included as control tissues. Cells were harvested enzymatically and grown using conditions optimal for the isolation, cryopreservation, and propagation of avian mesenchymal stem cells. Cell aliquots were plated, incubated with various concentrations of dexamethasone, and examined for differentiated phenotypes. Four recurring phenotypes appeared in dexamethasone-treated stem cells: skeletal muscle myotubes, fat cells, cartilage nodules, and bone nodules. These results suggest that progenitor mesenchymal stem cells and putative pluripotent mesenchymal stem cells with the potential to form at least four tissues of mesodermal origin have a widespread distribution throughout the body, being located within the connective tissue compartments of many organs and organ systems. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Temperature constraints on the Ginkgo flow of the Columbia River Basalt Group

This study provides the first quantitative estimate of heat loss for a Columbia River Basalt Group flow. A glass composition-based geothermometer was experimentally calibrated for a composition representative of the 500-km-long Ginkgo flow of the Columbia River Basalt Group to measure temperature change during transport. Melting experiments were conducted on a bulk sample at 1 atm between 1200 and 1050 °C. Natural glass was sampled from the margin of a feeder dike near Kahlotus, Washington, and from pillow basalt at distances of 120 km (Vantage, Washington), 350 km (Molalla, Oregon), and 370 km (Portland, Oregon). Ginkgo basalt was also sampled at its distal end at Yaquina Head, Oregon (500 km). Comparison of the glass MgO content, K 2 O in plagioclase, and measured crystallinities in the experimental charges and natural samples tightly constrains the minimum flow temperature to 1085 ± 5 °C. Glass and plagioclase compositions indicate an upper temperature of 1095 ± 5 °C; thus the maximum temperature decrease along the flow axis of the Ginkgo is 20 °C, suggesting cooling rates of 0.02–0.04 °C/km. These cooling rates, substantially lower than rates observed in active and historic flows, are inconsistent with turbulent flow models. Calculated melt temperatures and viscosities of 240–750 Pa ṁ s allow emplacement either as a fast laminar flow under an insulating crust or as a slower, inflated flow.
Causal modeling applied to psychonomic systems simulation

Psychometric principles in structural equation model building (e.g., LISREL) are applied to the psychonomic problems in simulating causal systems. A new approach is described (i.e., RAM) that permits the complete and concise description of causal logic by nomographic-diagrammatic representation. Several simple examples based on traditional data-analytic models are causally explicated. Relevant numerical algorithms for multivariable simulation in an on-line environment are described. As an illustration of complete structure-process modeling, a substantive example of “human ability systems” is presented. Finally, a broader view of both practical and theoretical applications is offered.
T-cell receptor peptide immunization leads to enhanced and chronic experimental allergic encephalomyelitis

Abstract It has previously been reported that synthetic peptides corresponding to sequences derived from T-cell receptor variable regions identified as dominant in the T-cell-mediated autoimmune disease experimental allergic encephalomyelitis in both the mouse and the rat can down-regulate disease in Lewis rats. In contrast to these results, we have found that immunization of Lewis rats with such peptides in complete Freund's adjuvant prior to induction of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis with myelin basic protein leads to responses ranging from profound disease enhancement to lack of disease. In some cases, enhanced disease was followed by a prolonged neurologic deficit that resembles multiple sclerosis more closely than does acute experimental allergic encephalomyelitis. These findings, on the one hand, support previous results showing T-cell receptor peptide-induced modulation of the disease experimental allergic encephalomyelitis and, on the other, indicate that such immunization is not a reliable method for inducing suppression of encephalitogenic effector cells.
On the methane oxidation activity of Sr2(MgMo)2O6-δ: a potential anode material for direct hydrocarbon solid oxide fuel cells

Sr2(MgMo)2O6−δ and materials of nominal compositions with increased and decreased Mo content were synthesized and their stability and catalytic activity towards CH4 oxidation characterized under solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) anode conditions. Sr2(MgMo)2O6−δ was synthesized as a double perovskite. Materials with increased Mo content formed a mixture of the double perovskite Sr2MgMoO6−δ and the single perovskite SrMoO3, after synthesis in H2, with the amount of SrMoO3 increasing with increasing Mo content. SrMoO3 is unstable in air and slowly oxidized to the scheelite-structured impurity SrMoO4. All compositions decomposed to Mo, MgO and SrO in dry 20% CH4/N2 at temperatures ≥ 850 °C. CH4 reaction rates were catalytically limited with measured rates significantly lower than for La0.75Sr0.25Cr0.5Mn0.5O3-δ. Rates increased by 1–2 orders of magnitude when 2 wt-% of Pt was added to the surface.
Practical protection for personal storage in the cloud

We present a storage management framework for Web 2.0 services that places users back in control of their data. Current Web services complicate data management due to data lock-in and lack usable protection mechanisms, which makes cross-service sharing risky. Our framework allows multiple Web services shared access to a single copy of data that resides on a personal storage repository, which the user acquires from a cloud storage provider. Access control is based on hierarchically, filtered views, which simplify cross-cutting policies, and enable least privilege management. We also integrate a powerbox [16], which allows applications to request additional authority at run time thereby enabling applications running under a least privilege regime to provide useful open and save as dialogs.
Characterization of thermotropism in primary roots of maize: Dependence on temperature and temperature gradient, and interaction with gravitropism

Thermotropism in primary roots of Zea mays L. was studied with respect to gradient strength (degrees C cm-1), temperature of exposure within a gradient, pre-treatment temperature, and gravitropic stimulation. The magnitude of the response decreased with gradient strength. Maximum thermotropism was independent of gradient strength and pre-treatment temperature. The range of temperature for positive and negative thermotropism did not change with pre-treatment temperature. However, the exact range of temperatures for positive and negative thermotropism varied with gradient strengths. In general, temperatures of exposure lower than 25 degrees C resulted in positive tropic responses while temperatures of exposure of 39 degrees C or more resulted in negative tropic responses. Thermotropism was shown to modify and reverse the normal gravitropic curvature of a horizontal root when thermal gradients were applied opposite the 1 g vector. It is concluded that root thermotropism is a consequence of thermal sensing and that the curvature of the primary root results from the interaction of the thermal and gravitational sensing systems.
Capturing academic grey literature—Starting at home

L'article rapporte les resultats d'une enquete sur la litterature grise produite a Portland State University (PSU) ainsi que sur la creation eventuelle d'un acces bibliographique a ce corps de documents, a l'heure ou l'on envisage de cataloguer tout le Web. La bibliotheque de PSU integre desormais dans sa politique de developpement des collections des criteres relatifs a la selection et l'acquisition de la litterature grise.
Probing the folding intermediate of Rd-apocyt b562 by protein engineering and infrared T-jump

Small proteins often fold in an apparent two-state manner with the absence of detectable early-folding intermediates. Recently, using native-state hydrogen exchange, intermediates that exist after the rate-limiting transition state have been identified for several proteins. However, little is known about the folding kinetics from these post-transition intermediates to their corresponding native states. Herein, we have used protein engineering and a laser-induced temperature-jump (T-jump) technique to investigate this issue and have applied it to Rd-apocyt b562, a four-helix bundle protein. Previously, it has been shown that Rd-apocyt b562 folds via an on-pathway hidden intermediate, which has only the N-terminal helix unfolded. In the present study, a double mutation (V16G/I17A) in the N-terminal helix of Rd-apocyt b562 was made to further increase the relative population of this intermediate state at high temperature by selectively destabilizing the native state. In the circular dichroism thermal melting experiment, this mutant showed apparent two-state folding behavior. However, in the T-jump experiment, two kinetic phases were observed. Therefore, these results are in agreement with the idea that a folding intermediate is populated on the folding pathway of Rd-apocyt b562. Moreover, it was found that the exponential growth rate of the native state from this intermediate state is roughly (25 μsec)−1 at 65°C.
Eight steps to building a business‐to‐business relationship

Many manufacturers of high‐involvement products who sell to other businesses know that relationship building is important to the success of the firm. However, these same companies may not know how to go about building a relationship with a client, or they may have tried and failed to build relationships with customers in the past. This paper provides an eight‐step, expanded process of business‐to‐business relationship building. The process begins inside the organization and ends outside the organization with a commitment between buyer and seller to maintain a relationship over time. The process includes such activities as determining the congruence between the vendor’s culture and strategy; activating a service‐oriented culture that emphasizes internal, external and interactive marketing; bonding socially with the customer; and adding value to the relationship. Examples from focus group interviews conducted with mainframe computer buyers are provided.
Using a fuzzy classification approach to assess e-commerce Web sites: An empirical investigation

E-commerce Web site assessment helps determine whether a corporation's Web site is effectively designed to meet its business needs and whether the investment in Web sites is well justified. Due to the complexity of commercial Web sites that may include hundreds of Web pages for many big corporations, there may inevitably exist uncertainties when human assessors express their subjective judgments in assessing e-commerce Web sites. Fuzzy set theory is widely used to model uncertain and imprecise information in applications. Prior studies in e-commerce Web site assessment identified some key factors to assess commercial Web sites by using a numeric assessment scale that may not be effective and efficient in modeling uncertainty. This study intends to propose an e-commerce Web site assessment framework using a fuzzy classification approach. Based on this framework, a Web-based e-commerce assessment system was designed and developed, which can provide online assessment services to corporations on evaluating their commercial Web sites. An empirical investigation into assessing commercial Web sites of the top 120 Fortune Corporations of the USA was conducted using the developed online assessment system to demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed framework. Research findings and implications are discussed.
Rabies virus receptors

Abstract The attachment of the spike glycoprotein of rabies virus to a cell surface constituent that is largely restricted to neurons may help explain the neurotropism of this virus. Rabies virus has been localized to regions containing a high density of ACh receptors at neuromuscular junctions and on cultured embryonic myotubes. Recently, a statistically significant amino acid sequence homology was found between a segment of the rabies glycoprotein and the entire sequence of long snake venom curare-mimetic neurotoxins. Because of this similarity, the homologous region of the viral glycoprotein may function as a recognition site for the ACh receptor. While direct binding of the rabies virus glycoprotein to the ACh receptor could contribute to the neurotropism of the virus, the ability of rabies virus to infect a variety of cell types in vitro including many which lack ACh receptors, indicates the virus glycoprotein can attach to other host cell surface components.
Stress as a function of irregular feeding of food deprived rats

Abstract Rats exposed to irregular meal durations and irregular inter-meal intervals during protracted food deprivation; ate less food, lost more weight and exhibited more glandular-stomach lesions and deaths than rats receiving regular periods of feeding and fasting. Complete privation of food produced lesions primarily confined to the rumen of the stomach. Severity of deprivation per se, as defined by amount of weight lost, does not appear to account for the greater incidence in glandular-stomach lesions and death produced by protracted exposure to irregular as opposed to regular feeding. It is suggested that the irregular feeding schedules produce their deleterious effects via the unpredictability of feeding and fasting periods.
Mechanism of Transcriptional Silencing in Yeast

Transcriptional silencing is a phenomenon in which the transcription of a gene by RNA polymerase II or III is repressed or not, dependent only on the gene's chromosomal location. Two prevailing models exist for silencing: (1) steric hindrance in silenced chromatin inhibits the binding of upstream activator proteins or polymerase or (2) silencing primarily blocks steps downstream of transcription preinitiation complex formation. Here, we test these models quantitatively for the case of SIR2-dependent silencing in budding yeast, using foreign and endogenous reporter proteins, at transgenic and endogenous loci. Our results contradict both models and show instead that transcriptional silencing at several URA3 transgenes, and at the naturally silenced endogenous HMRa and HMLalpha mating type genes, acts downstream of gene activator protein binding to strongly reduce the occupancy of TFIIB, RNA polymerase II, and TFIIE at the silenced promoters.
Impacts of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program on Neighborhood Housing Turnover:

Although the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program has grown into the largest subsidized housing program in the United States, we have limited understanding of how these units affect the neighborhoods in which they are located. This article examines impacts of the LIHTC program on neighborhood stability in the cities of Charlotte and Cleveland. We examine housing turnover before and after the introduction of LIHTC developments into the neighborhood, based on housing sales data from 1996 to 2007. Location data on LIHTC units are merged with parcel-level sales data from Mecklenburg and Cuyahoga Counties. We estimate an extended Cox hazard model with the difference-in-difference specification to determine whether LIHTC units are causing increased turnover of neighborhood housing. We also explore impacts on neighborhood stability from LIHTC developments citywide and in neighborhoods stratified by income. We find significant impacts on the stability of LIHTC developments in both cities. Particularly, i...
Spectral Measurements of Surface Suspended Matter in an Oxbow Lake in the Lower Mississippi Valley

ABSTRACT An 18-month study on Lake Chicot, Arkansas, has shown that spectral reflectance can be used to estimate the concentration of suspended solids in the surface water. Wavelengths between 700 and 900 nm give the best estimate of the concentration of suspended solids. This study shows that it should be possible to estimate the concentration of suspended solids in the surface water of Lake Chicot using remote sensing technology. Thus Landsat images, aerial photography, or sensors mounted directly over the water surface transmitting data could give a reservoir manager valuable data about suspended solids concentration that would be useful in making decisions on the management of water inflow to a lake or reservoir to control water quality.
The Digital Dollhouse Context and Social Norms in The Sims Online

This article investigates the relationships between norms and the rich visual environment of the multiplayer game The Sims Online (TSO). Literature suggests that people exhibit normative behavior i...
Inward rectification of the IRK1 K+ channel reconstituted in lipid bilayers

Inwardly rectifying potassium (K+) channels (IRK1) were incorporated into lipid bilayers to test the relative contributions of various mechanisms to inward rectification. IRK1 channels were expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes and oocyte membrane vesicles containing the channels were fused with lipid bilayers. The major properties of the IRK1 channel were similar whether measured in the oocyte membrane or lipid bilayer; the single channel conductance was 21 pS in 140 mM symmetrical [K+] and varied as a square root of external [K+]. Importantly, IRK1 channels display voltage-dependent inward rectification in the absence of divalent ions or charged regulators such as spermine, indicating that they possess an intrinsic rectification mechanism. Although rectification was significantly increased by either Mg2+ or spermine added to the cytoplasmic face of the channel, their effects could not be explained by simple block of the open pore. The Hille and Schwartz (1978) model, originally proposed to explain inward rectification by singly charged blocking particles, cannot be used to explain rectification by multiply charged blocking particles. As an alternative, we propose that in addition to a slow gating mechanism producing long lasting open and closed states, there is a distinct, intrinsic fast gating process amplified by cytoplasmic Mg2+ and/or polyamine binding to the channel.
Purification and Characterization of the Glutenin Subunits of Triticum tauschii, Progenitor of the D Genome in Hexaploid Bread Wheat

ABSTRACT N-terminal amino acid sequences and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) molecular weights have been determined for high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-purified high molecular weight (HMW) and low molecular weight (LMW) glutenin subunits (GS) of Triticum tauschii ssp. strangulata, contributor of the D genome to hexaploid bread wheat. The use of three different extraction procedures resulted in similar glutenin preparations. On the basis of N-terminal sequences, the same types of glutenin subunits that have been reported in bread and durum wheats (HMW-GS of both the x and y types and LMW-GS of the LMW-s, LMW-m, α-, and γ-types) were found in T. tauschii. However, the HMW-GS in T. tauschii were in greater proportion relative to LMW-GS when compared to reported values for a bread and durum wheat. Our results support the likelihood that differences in the proportions of the various subunits contributed by the A, B, and D genomes, rather than qualitative diffe...
Exact simulation-based inference: A survey, with additions

Barnard (1963), Birnbaum (1974), and others have proposed exact inference procedures based on simulation. This article surveys existing results in this general area and fills several important holes, addressing philosophical problems and the matter of determining a simulation size. Applications to multiple comparisons, sequential analysis, and statistical consulting are discussed.
Nonequilibrium Josephson-like effects in wide mesoscopic SNS junctions

Abstract Mesoscopic superconducting–normal-metal–superconducting (SNS) junctions with a large separation between the superconducting electrodes (i.e. wide junctions) exhibit nonequilibrium supercurrents, even at temperatures for which the equilibrium Josephson effect is exponentially small. The second harmonic of the Josephson frequency dominates these currents, as observed in recent experiments. A simple description of these effects, in the spirit of the resistively shunted junction model, is suggested here. It is used to calculate dc I – V characteristics, and to examine the effects of various types of noise and of external microwave radiation (Shapiro steps). It is found that the nonequilibrium supercurrents are excited when the junction is driven by a dc bias or an ac bias, or even by external noise. In the case of junctions which are also long in the direction perpendicular to the current flow, thermodynamic phase fluctuations (thermal noise) alone can drive the quasiparticles out of local equilibrium. The magnetic flux is then predicted to be trapped in units of Φ 0 / 2 = h c / 4 e .
Linking endothelial dysfunction with endothelial cell activation

The thin layer of cells that lines the interior of blood vessels, known as the endothelium, plays a complex role in vascular biology. The endothelium mediates blood vessel tone, hemostasis, neutrophil recruitment, hormone trafficking, and fluid filtration. Endothelial dysfunction, as defined by a lack of NO, has been linked to a variety of disease states, including atherosclerosis, diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia. Indeed, restoration of endothelial function is one of the earliest recognizable benefits of statin therapy. In 1995, James Liao and colleagues published a study in the JCI demonstrating that NO is a vascular protective factor that limits endothelial activation and prevents leukocyte adhesion to the vessel wall.
There is no ''I'' in nature: The influence of self-awareness on connectedness to nature $

Abstract Environmentalists and ecopsychologists claim that focusing on “I” leads people to feel less connected to nature. The present study empirically tests this argument by manipulating participants’ objective self-awareness (OSA). Heightened OSA has been shown to increase participants’ self-focus, but also increase the impact of individuals’ attitudes and personality characteristics. Integrating these effects, we predicted that individuals lacking pro-environmental internal characteristics (nonenvironmentalists and those high on exploitativeness) would show decreased connection to nature in response to heightened OSA, while individuals with pro-environmental internal characteristics would not. For these individuals, their pro-environmental internal characteristics should counteract the effects of OSA on connection to nature. Two studies provide empirical support for this hypothesis. Implications of this research for pro-environmental actions are discussed.
Estimate of the depolarization of transversely polarized electrons emitted from thin sources

Die Depolarisation transversal polarisierter Elektronen im radioaktiven Praparat wird unter vereinfachenden Annahmen abgeschatzt. Dabei stellt sich heraus, das der Beitrag der Vielfachstreuung praktisch vernachlassigbar ist, wahrend die Einzelstreuung zu einer relativen Depolarisation fuhrt, die bei bestimmter Zusammensetzung und Dimension der Quelle die Grosenordnung von 10% haben kann.
Emergent excitations in a geometrically frustrated magnet

Frustrated systems are ubiquitous1,2,3, and they are interesting because their behaviour is difficult to predict; frustration can lead to macroscopic degeneracies and qualitatively new states of matter. Magnetic systems offer good examples in the form of spin lattices, where all interactions between spins cannot be simultaneously satisfied4. Here we report how unusual composite spin degrees of freedom can emerge from frustrated magnetic interactions in the cubic spinel ZnCr2O4. Upon cooling, groups of six spins self-organize into weakly interacting antiferromagnetic loops, whose directors—the unique direction along which the spins are aligned, parallel or antiparallel—govern all low-temperature dynamics. The experimental evidence comes from a measurement of the magnetic form factor by inelastic neutron scattering; the data show that neutrons scatter from hexagonal spin clusters rather than individual spins. The hexagon directors are, to a first approximation, decoupled from each other, and hence their reorientations embody the long-sought local zero energy modes for the pyrochlore lattice.
Rules for an expert fixturing system on a CAD screen using flexible fixtures

The object of this research is to develop rules for an expert system which will aid in the automatic layout of flexible fixture models on a CAD/CAM system for given applications through an interactive process. The rules are developed and implemented in PROLOG adopting the general sets of fixturing coordinates developed based on the 3∶2∶1-clamping concept and the geometric information such as shape and size of the workpiece to be fixtured. Surface milling is used to demonstrate the principle of the rules and applied to regular polyhedral shapes. Input to the program consists of parameters describing the workpiece to be fixtured which will initiate a search through the databases of rules and fixturing coordinates. Appropriate fixturing rules will be matched and fired to create a datafile containing fixturing points in cartesian coordinates and the list of modular fixture components to be used as an input source to the CAD system.
Human resource performance metrics: methods and processes that demonstrate you care

Purpose – The purpose of the present analysis is to show that HR systems are not always designed in ways that consider the well‐being of employees. In particular, performance metric methods seem to be designed with organizational goals in mind while focusing less on what employees need and desire.Design/methodology/approach – A literature review and multiple case‐study method was utilized.Findings – The analysis showed that performance metrics should be revaluated by executives and HR professionals if they seek to develop socially responsible organizational cultures which care about the well‐being of employees.Originality/value – The paper exposes the fact that performance appraisal techniques can be rooted in methodologies that ignore or deemphasize the value of employee well‐being. The analysis provides a context in which all HR practices can be questioned in relation to meeting the standards of a social justice agenda in the area of corporate social responsibility.
Nonlinear dynamics of a convection loop: a quantitative comparison of experiment with theory

Abstract The flow in a loop of fluid, heated at constant flux over the bottom half and cooled at constant temperature over the top half, is shown to be qualitatively and quantitatively described by the nonlinear dynamics of the Lorenz model over a wide range of parameters encompassing three different chaotic flow regimes. The boundaries of the five flow regimes are determined experimentally and compared with a scaling relationship which relates the physical parameters of the loop and working fluid to the parameters of the Lorenz model. The characteristics of the three chaotic flow regimes are also discussed.
Madness or Mental Illness? Revisiting Historians of Psychiatry

Is madness medical disease, problems in living, or social labeling of deviance? Does the word merely refer to behavior peculiar enough to be disturbing? Are the mad mad because of mental, physical, or environmental vulnerabilities? No one knows the answers to these questions because there is no scientific validation for any theory or specific causes of madness. Nonetheless, a view of madness as medical/bodily disease has been receiving concrete and rhetorical support from the government mental health bureaucracy, Big Pharma, mental health lobby groups, the organized profession of psychiatry, hundreds of thousands of providers of mental health services and countless books and articles. This article explores the role that medicalized language and its use by seven noted historians of psychiatry (Norman Dain, Albert Deutsch, Gerald Grob, Roy Porter, Charles Rosenberg, Andrew Scull, and Edward Shorter) might have played in shaping the contemporary view of madness as mental illness. The evidence we uncover suggests that historical “facts” about madness, much as psychiatric “facts” supporting the disease model, are shaped by belief, bias, error or ambiguous rhetoric rather than the facts of the matter.
Developing an architecture validation suite: application to the PowerPC architecture

This paper describes the efforts made and the results of creating an Architecture Validation Suite for the PowerPC architecture. Although many functional test suites are available for multiple architectures, little has been published on how these suites are developed and how their quality should be measured. This work provides some insights for approaching the difficult problem of building a high quality functional test suite for a given architecture. By defining a set of generic coverage models that combine program-based, specification-based and sequential bug-driven models, it establishes the groundwork for the development of architecture validation suites for any architecture.
Vav1-Mediated Scaffolding Interactions Stabilize SLP-76 Microclusters and Contribute to Antigen-Dependent T Cell Responses

The guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) Vav1 synergizes with the adaptor protein SLP-76 (Src homology 2 domain--containing leukocyte phosphoprotein of 76 kD) to support T cell development and activation. In response to ligation of the T cell receptor (TCR), SLP-76 is assembled into microclusters that provide an essential platform for the signaling events that drive T cell activation. We found that Vav1 selectively entered SLP-76 microclusters, rather than TCR microclusters, influencing their stability and function. The carboxyl terminus of Vav1, which consists of Src homology domains, was both necessary and sufficient for the entry of Vav1 into SLP-76 microclusters; however, this fragment of Vav1 was insufficient to stabilize the microclusters, and it potently suppressed T cell activation. This indicated that the amino terminus of Vav1, which has the GEF domain, also contributed to the integrity of SLP-76 microclusters and thereby to T cell activation. These microcluster-stabilizing functions were independent of the GEF activity in the amino terminus of Vav1 and were unaffected if the GEF function of Vav1 was either inactivated or constitutively activated by mutation. In contrast, Vav1 deletion mutants lacking either the calponin homology domain or the catalytic core of the GEF exhibited mild scaffolding defects, but they differentially affected TCR-dependent calcium ion (Ca²+) responses. We conclude that multiple GEF-independent scaffolding functions distributed throughout the amino terminus of Vav1 contribute to the activation of T cells by acting synergistically to increase the stability and function of SLP-76 microclusters.
Classroom L2 vocabulary acquisition: investigating the role of pedagogical tasks and form-focused instruction

Framed under a cognitive approach to task-based L2 learning, this study used a pedagogical approach to investigate the effects of three vocabulary lessons (one traditional and two task-based) on acquisition of basic meanings, forms and morphological aspects of Spanish words. Quantitative analysis performed on the data suggests that the type of pedagogical approach had no impact on immediate retrieval (after treatment) of targeted word forms, but it had an impact on long-term retrieval (one week) of targeted forms. In particular, task-based lessons seemed to be more effective than the Presentation, Practice and Production (PPP) lesson. The analysis also suggests that a task-based lesson with an explicit focus-on-forms component was more effective than a task-based lesson that did not incorporate this component in promoting acquisition of word morphological aspects. The results also indicate that the explicit focus on forms component may be more effective when placed at the end of the lesson, when meaning has been acquired. Results are explained in terms of qualitative differences in amounts of focus on form and meaning, type of form-focused instruction provided, and opportunities for on-line targeted output retrieval. The findings of this study provide evidence for the value of a proactive (Doughty and Williams, 1998a) form-focused approach to Task-Based L2 vocabulary learning, especially structure-based production tasks (Ellis, 2003). Overall, they suggest an important role of pedagogical tasks in teaching L2 vocabulary.
Undersmoothed Kernel Entropy Estimators

We develop a ldquoplug-inrdquo kernel estimator for the differential entropy that is consistent even if the kernel width tends to zero as quickly as 1/N, where N is the number of independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) samples. Thus, accurate density estimates are not required for accurate kernel entropy estimates; in fact, it is a good idea when estimating entropy to sacrifice some accuracy in the quality of the corresponding density estimate.
Response of Aegilops species to drought stress during reproductive stages of development

Drought stress is an important abiotic factor limiting wheat yield. Thirty-one accessions of Aegilops species belonging to five species were screened to identify species/accessions tolerant to drought stress and to measure traits associated with the tolerance. Plants were grown at full irrigation, 25/19 � C day/night temperature and an 18h photoperiod. At anthesis (Feekes 10.5.1), drought stress was imposed by withholding water for 16 days. Controls were continuously irrigated. Drought stress decreased chlorophyll content, grain number, individual grain weight and grain yield by 31, 25, 68 and 76% compared with the control. Aegilops geniculata Roth had greater tolerance to drought stress for yield (48% decline from control) compared with other species (>73% decline from control). The tolerance was associated with higher grain number spike -1 and heavier grains. A. geniculata, GenBank accession number TA 10437, was highly tolerant to drought stress with <20% yield decline and a drought stress susceptibility index (DSI) <0.5, whereas TA 1802, TA 2061, TA 1814, TA 1819 were identified as moderately tolerant to drought stress (20-40% yield decline and DSI <1.0). Our results suggest a presence of genetic variability among Aegilops species that can be utilised in breeding wheat for tolerance to drought stress at reproductive stages.
Does Local Resuspension Maintain the Benthic Nepheloid Layer in Southeastern Lake Michigan

Time-series observations of water temperature, water transparency, and current velocity at four stations in southeastern Lake Michigan show that the benthic nepheloid layer is probably not maintained by the local resuspension of bottom sediment. Local resuspension may occasionally occur in the deep parts of the lake, but it seems likely that vertical mixing and offshore advection of sediment-laden water maintain the benthic nepheloid layer during most of the year. Although sediment trap data have been interpreted as indicating that local resuspension does occur, it is more likely that the increased sediment fluxes observed near the bottom are due to vertical redistribution of material already in suspension.