cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Implementing heterogeneous military systems

As access to technology improves the capability of peer adversaries, the need for the US military to incorporate technology into complex systems will accelerate. Both the increased complexity of systems and the pace of change present challenges and are contradictory in the context of our current approaches to system development. This paper explores how they can approach heterogeneous implementations and capabilities to improve system complexity in a rapid and cost-effective manner. Reference implementations and development environments organize the Smart Phone world. Future military system of systems will be organized and controlled by reference implementations for Missions (Systems of Platforms), Platforms (Systems of Subsystems), and Subsystems (Systems of Components) and associated Development Environments. Both reference implementations and development environments are expected to be government controlled. Industry performers will build implementation based upon the reference implementations and will build Applications using the development tools to operate and manage the System constituents. DARPA's Contested Communications program is starting the process of creating the reference implementations and development environment for communication systems using this construct. The developments in this program are expected to expand and evolve to provide the reference implementations and development environments to support the entire range of System of Systems options.
Fusion of the complementary Discrete Cosine Features in the YIQ color space for face recognition

This paper presents a novel Discrete Cosine Features (DCF) method for face recognition. The DCF method works by fusing the complementary features derived from the Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) of the color component images in the YIQ color space. The novelty of the DCF method thus comes from both the multiple imaging (three component images) in the YIQ color space, and the multiple face encoding (different masking) in the DCT frequency domain. First, each color component image in the YIQ color space is transformed to the frequency domain via DCT, where three DCT frequency sets are derived by means of masking to encode the image at different representation levels (the reconstructed images display different details). Second, the three DCT frequency sets at the same representation level across the Y, I, and Q color component images are concatenated-the feature level fusion-to form an augmented pattern vector. Third, the complementary features from each of the three augmented pattern vectors (corresponding to the three different representation levels) are extracted using an Enhanced Fisher Model (EFM). Finally, the three similarity matrices generated using the complementary features are fused by means of the sum rule-the decision level fusion-to derive the final similarity matrix for face recognition. The effectiveness of the proposed DCF method is demonstrated using a complex grand challenge face recognition problem and a large scale database. In particular, the Face Recognition Grand Challenge (FRGC) and the Biometric Experimentation Environment (BEE) show that for the most challenging FRGC version 2 Experiment 4, which contains 12,776 training images, 16,028 controlled target images, and 8014 uncontrolled query images, the DCF method achieves the face verification rate (ROC III) of 81.34% at the false accept rate of 0.1%, compared to the FRGC baseline algorithm face verification rate of 11.86% at the same false accept rate.
Generating Context-Specific Functions with Intrinsically Disordered Domains

During animal development, Hox transcription factors specify many different tissues, including organs, appendages, and portions of structures that span the length of the animal, such as the nervous system, musculature, and ectoderm. Consequently, Hox proteins must sense the cellular identity and respond by instigating the appropriate gene regulatory program. To further complicate matters, Hox proteins interact with DNA via a homeodomain, which binds with high affinity yet notoriously low specificity. Using the Drosophila Hox protein Ultrabithorax (Ubx) as a model system, we have discovered that most of the Ubx sequences outside of the homeodomain are intrinsically disordered and regulate DNA binding. An intrinsically disordered region near the homeodomain modulates both DNA affinity and specificity. This region also mediates interactions with the Hox co-factor Extradenticle, and is alternatively spliced. Consequently, Extradenticle availability and alternative splicing may control DNA site selection. Ubx also must regulate genes in a position-specific manner within a single tissue. A second large intrinsically disordered domain modulates Ubx affinity and is required to bind transcription factors controlled by the WNT and TGFb/BMP cell signaling cascades. Since these signaling pathways subdivide Ubx-specified structures, this mechanism may control position-specific gene regulation within a field. Finally, once a Hox protein has bound DNA, it must select whether to activate or repress transcription. We find DNA binding by Ubx induces a conformational change, which increases the solvent exposure of the activation domain. We are currently investigating whether this conformational change allows DNA sequence to dictate the mode of transcription regulation. Using our carefully developed methods to generate and assay soluble, full-length Drosophila melanogaster Hox protein Ubx, we are identifying the mechanisms that drive context-specific Hox function in response to increasingly spatially restricted cues (tissue identity, location within a tissue, and DNA binding sequence).
An institutional model for the administration and support of multidisciplinary M&S graduate programs

To promote and support the growth of modeling & simulation graduate programs across a broad range of disciplines, Old Dominion University has created a new administrative structure. Under the auspices of the Vice Provost for Graduate Studies and Research, an Executive Committee functions to authorize and a Steering Committee develops and recommends proposals. These two committees have upper level administrators from all six colleges and key faculty engaged in teaching and conducting research in modeling & simulation. Rather than develop new masters and doctoral degrees, ODU has built a governance and administrative structure that supports new concentrations and certificates within existing graduate degree programs. This approach has met with approval from faculty, departments and college deans and minimized the time to develop and implement new M&S certificates and concentrations in several departments across the campus.
World War II Mobilization in Men's Work Lives: Continuity or Disruption for the Middle Class?

The labor needs of World War II fueled a growing demand for both military and war industry personnel. This longitudinal study investigates mobilization into these competing activities and their work life effects among men from the middle class. Hazard estimates show significant differences in wartime activities across occupations, apart from other deferment criteria. By war's end, critical employment, in contrast to military service, is positively associated with supervisory responsibility for younger men and with occupation change. This empoloyment does not predict postwar career advancement up to the 1970s. By comparison, men who were officers had a “pipeline” to advancement after the war, whereas other service men fared worse than nonveterans.
Procatalytic ligand strain. Ionization and perturbation of 8-nitroxanthine at the urate oxidase active site

The binding of the inhibitor 8-nitroxanthine to urate oxidase has been investigated by Raman and UV-visible absorption spectroscopy. The absorption maximum of 8-nitroxanthine shifts from 380 to 400 nm upon binding to the enzyme, demonstrating that the electronic structure of the ligand is perturbed. It has been proposed that oxidation of the substrate urate by urate oxidase is facilitated by formation of the substrate dianion at the enzyme active site, and Raman spectra of urate oxidase-bound 8-nitroxanthine suggest that both the dianionic and monoanionic forms of the ligand are bound to the enzyme under conditions where in solution the monoanion is present exclusively. The C4-C5 stretching frequency appears as a relatively isolated vibrational mode in 8-nitroxanthine whose frequency shifts according to the protonation state of the purine ring. Identification of the C4-C5 stretching mode was confirmed using [4-(13)C]-8-nitroxanthine and ab initio calculation of the vibrational modes. Two peaks corresponding to the C4-C5 stretching mode were evident in spectra of enzyme-bound 8-nitroxanthine, at 1541 and 1486 cm(-)(1). The higher frequency peak was assigned to monoanionic 8-nitroxanthine, and the low-frequency peak was assigned to dianionic 8-nitroxanthine. The C4-C5 stretching frequency for free monoanionic 8-nitroxanthine was at 1545 cm(-)(1), indicating that the enzyme polarizes that bond when the ligand is bound. The C4-C5 stretching frequency in dianionic 8-nitroxanthine is also shifted by 4 cm(-)(1) to lower frequency upon binding. For 8-nitroxanthine free in solution, the C4-C5 stretching frequency shifts to lower frequency upon deprotonation, and the absorption maximum in the UV-visible spectrum shifts to higher wavelength. The spectral shifts observed upon binding of 8-nitroxanthine to urate oxidase are consistent with increased anionic character of the ligand, which is expected to promote catalysis in the reaction with the natural substrate urate. In the Raman spectra of 8-nitroxanthine bound to the F179A, F179Y, and K9M mutant proteins, the C4-C5 stretching frequency was not perturbed from its position for the unbound ligand. Both V(max) and V/K were decreased in the mutant enzymes, demonstrating a correlation between the interaction that perturbs the C4-C5 stretching frequency and the catalytic activity of the enzyme. It is suggested that hydrogen-bonding interactions that lead to precise positioning and deprotonation of the substrate are perturbed by the mutations.
Short Selling Behavior And Mad Money

We examine 1,234 buy recommendations from Jim Cramer’s Mad Money television show. Consistent with prior research, we report positive abnormal returns immediately after buy recommendations, followed by a reversal, indicative of an overpricing event. We also find a marked increase in short selling. Our results show a positive association between shorting and the buy recommendations even after controlling for factors shown in the literature to influence shorting. We do not find similar effects after sell recommendations. These results suggest that short sellers act to exploit short-term overpricing arising from behavioral biases of some investors.
Extraction of pragmatic and semantic salience from spontaneous spoken English

This paper computationalizes two linguistic concepts, contrast and focus, for the extraction of pragmatic and semantic salience from spontaneous speech. Contrast and focus have been widely investigated in modern linguistics, as categories that link intonation and information/discourse structure. This paper demonstrates the automatic tagging of contrast and focus for the purpose of robust spontaneous speech understanding in a tutorial dialogue system. In particular, we propose two new transcription tasks, and demonstrate automatic replication of human labels in both tasks. First, we define focus kernel to represent those words that contain novel information neither presupposed by the interlocutor nor contained in the precedent words of the utterance. We propose detecting the focus kernel based on a word dissimilarity measure, part-of-speech tagging, and prosodic measurements including duration, pitch, energy, and our proposed spectral balance cepstral coefficients. In order to measure the word dissimilarity, we test a linear combination of ontological and statistical dissimilarity measures previously published in the computational linguistics literature. Second, we propose identifying symmetric contrast, which consists of a set of words that are parallel or symmetric in linguistic structure but distinct or contrastive in meaning. The symmetric contrast identification is performed in a way similar to the focus kernel detection. The effectiveness of the proposed extraction of symmetric contrast and focus kernel has been tested on a Wizard-of-Oz corpus collected in the tutoring dialogue scenario. The corpus consists of 630 non-single word/phrase utterances, containing approximately 5700 words and 48 minutes of speech. The tests used speech waveforms together with manual orthographic transcriptions, and yielded an accuracy of 83.8% for focus kernel detection and 92.8% for symmetric contrast detection. Our tests also demonstrated that the spectral balance cepstral coefficients, the semantic dissimilarity measure, and part-of-speech played important roles in the symmetric contrast and focus kernel detections.
Analysis of an Automatic Steel-teeming Method Using Electromagnetic Induction Heating in Slide Gate System

A new method (electromagnetic steel-teeming method) using electromagnetic induction heating in slide gate system was proposed to overcome the pollution of traditional nozzle sand on the molten steel and achieve 100% automatic steel teeming. By Joule heat, this new process is to melt part or the whole of a new ladle well-packing materials (i.e. Fe–C alloy particles with similar composition as the molten steel), which is the substitute for traditional nozzle sand. A numerical simulation method based on the integration of both electromagnetic and thermal analysis modules of ANSYS was employed to investigate the outside surface temperature change of the Fe–C alloy. In addition, the effects of the coil structural parameters (the distance between the molten steel and the coil, the length and the diameter of the coil) and electric current parameters (ampere-turns, frequency) on teeming time were investigated. Under the condition of the optimal parameters found according to simulation, the smoothly steel-teeming using induction heating was achieved. The safety of the steel shell under the action of electromagnetic induction heating with the optimal parameters was also checked via the distribution of temperature field on the shell.
An Efficient Method for Digital Simulation and Modeling of Linear Communication and Control Systems

The need for digital simulation or modeling of linear modulated communication and control systems frequently arises. This paper presents a method for accomplishing this task which has outstanding computational efficiency. It applies to those situations in which the input to the modulator or detector can be presented as a sum of sinusoids of arbitrary amplitudes, phases, and frequencies. Post modulator or post detector filtering is assumed to be accomplished by a linear stationary differential system. The method is considerably more efficient than conventional methods because the action of the modulator or detector is accounted for analytically and because an alternate expression for the transition matrix is employed which eliminates derivatives of the input signal from the integrand of the convolution of the transition matrix. The advantages accruing to these measures are demonstrated by two examples, one of which is frequently encountered in discrete phaselock loops and in identification of system parameters by sinusoidal response methods.
Determination of spin-exchange parameters between optically pumped rubidium and 83Kr.

The spin-exchange rates due to binary collisions and due to the formation of van der Waals molecules between $^{83}\mathrm{Kr}$ nuclei and optically pumped rubidium-metal vapor have been determined using a technique that relies on the simultaneous observation of frequency shifts of nuclear magnetic resonance lines of noble-gas atoms and corresponding frequency shifts of electron paramagnetic resonance lines of alkali-metal atoms. In contrast, earlier studies have relied on the observation of the spin-relaxation rate of either the alkali-metal atoms or the noble-gas atoms.
Quantitative analysis of the collagens in the bovine cornea.

Abstract Calf corneas were treated with pepsin at 4°C in acetic acid and 95% of the tissue was solubilized. The resulting preparation was separated into major collagen fractions by salting out at neutral pH and these fractions were sub-fractionated as necessary to provide a quantitative estimate of the different types of collagen in the tissue. The collagen types were identified by electophoretic analysis of the α-chains and cyanogen bromide peptides. The major component was type I collagen which comprised up to 94% of the solubilized preparation; type II and III collagen were not detected; a fraction which yielded type VI SLS aggregated comprised at least 6%. Gel electrophoretic and solubility studies on the latter fraction showed it is similar to the collagen fraction found by Burgeson et al. (1976) in placental membranes. Examination of the small, pepsin-resistant residue revealed two additional components which may indicate collagen α-chains different from any of the types identified in this study.
Children's media use in a Turkish town

Media use of upper‐grade elementary school children in a Turkish town was studied. Results indicated that children frequently used television and radio, while newspaper and movie exposure was quite low. Most children considered newspaper and radio “good,” but had mixed feelings toward television and movies. They attended to vast varieties of media content. Most parents approved of their children's radio listening but disapproved of their children's television viewing. Significant relationships existed among media access, use, perception, and parental reaction.
Modes of explanation in anthropological population theory: biological determinism vs. self-regulation in studies of population growth in third world countries.

Anthropological theories of population growth in underdeveloped countries are considered and it is argued that most studies have concentrated exclusively on either deterministic or self-regulatory factors in population growth without regard to their probable interaction. A research strategy is proposed in which self-regulatory factors, especially the decision-making activities of individual parents, provide a primary focus of study but with careful attention to deterministic factors which constrain and influence the decision process. [population, underdevelopment, biology and self-regulation in population theory]
Validation of a 3-D Finite Element Human Fingerpad Model Composed of Anatomically Accurate Tissue Layers

The mechanoreceptors distributed in the finger provide a perceptual interface with our physical world. Slowly adapting type I (SA-I) mechanoreceptors translate mechanical stimulation to neural response and inform our sense of touch. This paper sought to develop a 3-D finite element model of the fingertip to help better understand how the mechanics of the skin impact SA-I mechanoreceptor response. This 3-D model has anatomically accurate external geometry, is multi-layered with accurate skin layer thicknesses and utilizes linear elastic material properties. Its mesh is also of a higher resolution compared to previous models. The model was validated using a 50 mum line load to predict fingerpad surface deflection and using an aperiodic grating to predict edge effects in the neural response. While more rigorous testing remains, the ability of the model to match published data for this subset of tasks shows its capacity to predict biologically accurate responses.
A direct observation study of nighttime safety belt use in Indiana.

Abstract Introduction Nearly all direct observation studies of safety belt use are conducted exclusively during daylight hours. Recent work has suggested that safety belt use at night may differ from daytime belt use. Methods An observational study of nighttime safety belt use, utilizing specialized night vision equipment, was conducted in Indiana surrounding the Click It or Ticket 2006 safety belt mobilization activities. A pre- and a post-mobilization statewide direct observation survey was conducted at night coinciding with daytime safety belt use data collection conducted by the state of Indiana. Daytime and nighttime belt use rates were compared. Results The comparisons across the mobilization period revealed a significant increase during the day, but a significant decrease at night. Comparisons between daytime and nighttime belt use revealed no overall difference during the pre wave, but a significant difference during the post wave. Finally, many common daytime trends in belt use were also found at night, with the exception of the typical age and seating position effects. Discussion The mobilization activities had a positive effect on daytime belt use, but no effect on nighttime belt use, likely resulting in the differences between daytime and nighttime belt use observed during the post wave. Impact on Industry The findings of this study suggest that safety belt mobilizations implemented only during the day do not influence nighttime safety belt use. Changes to how these programs are implemented or additional programs specifically targeting belt use at night should be considered, along with continued monitoring of nighttime belt use.
Imaging absorbing structures within thick diffusing media

A linear and space invariant model for imaging absorbing structures within thick diffusing structures illuminated by coherent light is developed. Experimental, theoretical, and computer simulation results compare ordinary broad beam images with confocal and deconvolved-confocal images; the resolution is improved by factors of ~2 and 3, respectively.
Solid + liquid phase equilibria in the ternary alloy: sodium + potassium + rubidium

Thermal methods were used to determine solid + liquid phase equilibria for the ternary alloy: sodium + potassium + rubidium. The lowest temperature at which liquid can exist is 255 K, which is only 5 K lower than the Na + K cutectic.
In vitro hydroxylation of bentazon by microsomes from naphthalic anhydride-treated corn shoots.

In vitro metabolism of the herbicide bentazon was studied in microsomal membranes isolated from 6-day-old etiolated corn shoots. Microsomes isolated from shoots of nontreated seeds did not metabolize bentazon when assayed with NADPH or peroxides. However, microsomes isolated from shoots of seeds pretreated with naphthalic anhydride formed a single bentazon metabolite when provided with NADPH. The metabolite was identified as 6-hydroxybentazon, the major phase I metabolite produced in vivo. In vitro formation of this metabolite was strongly inhibited by carbon monoxide, nitrogen, and tetcyclacis (10 microM). The results suggest that aryl hydroxylation of bentazon in corn shoots is catalyzed by a cytochrome P-450 (E.C. 1.14.14.1) and that a seed pretreatment with naphthalic anhydride is necessary for recovery of activity in vitro.
Comparative effects of long-acting β2-agonists, leukotriene receptor antagonists, and a 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor on exercise-induced asthma

Abstract Background: Exercise-induced asthma (EIA) is a common problem that can be controlled with long-acting β-agonists and leukotriene-modifying compounds. There is, however, limited information on the comparative effectiveness of the two classes of drugs, as well as the relative potencies of the antileukotriene agents. Objective: The purpose of the present study was to provide data on the above issues. Methods: We performed a random-order, blinded, double-dummy, placebo-controlled trial in 10 patients with EIA. Each subject received standard single doses of salmeterol, montelukast, zafirlukast, zileuton, and placebo on separate days. The participants performed 4 minutes of cycle ergometry while breathing frigid air 1, 4, 8, and 12 hours after administration of the test agents. The primary endpoint was the extent of the decrement in the FEV 1 10 minutes after exertion. Results: With placebo, symptomatic airway narrowing developed at all times (mean ± SE decrease in FEV 1 ranged between 21% ± 5% and 26% ± 5%). Salmeterol acted quickly and significantly blunted the obstructive response for 12 hours (ΔFEV 1 first hour: 8% ± 3%; ΔFEV 1 twelfth hour: 8% ± 3%; P P = .72 vs time). The leukotriene-modifying agents produced effects within 1 hour of ingestion. Like salmeterol, montelukast and zafirlukast also offered long-lasting protection, and there were no significant differences between them (montelukast ΔFEV 1 twelfth hour: 9% ± 4%; zafirlukast ΔFEV 1 twelfth hour: 11% ± 2%; P = .75) or the β 2 -agonist (montelukast vs salmeterol: P = .72; zafirlukast vs salmeterol: P = .48). Zileuton provided equivalent prophylaxis for the first 4 hours (ΔFEV 1 fourth hour: 11% ± 2%); however, by 8 hours, it was less efficacious than all of the other active compounds, and by 12 hours it did not differ from placebo (ΔFEV 1 twelfth hour: 19% ± 4%; P = .33). Conclusions: Single doses of the currently available leukotriene receptor antagonists provide prompt effective and persistent defense against EIA that equals that seen with a long-acting β 2 -agonist. The synthesis inhibitor zileuton affords a comparable magnitude of prophylaxis but has a considerably shorter duration of action. (J Allergy Clin Immunol 2000;106:500-6.)
Tools and technology for optical quantum information processing

Practical optical quantum information processing requires a suite of advanced quantum photonic technologies, including high-efficiency sources and detectors, and low-loss storage and interconnects. We report on our progress toward these goals.
Topical nitrogen mustard exposure causes systemic toxic effects in mice

Vesicating agents sulfur mustard (SM) and nitrogen mustard (NM) are reported to be easily absorbed by skin upon exposure causing severe cutaneous injury and blistering. Our studies show that topical exposure of NM (3.2mg) onto SKH-1 hairless mouse skin, not only caused skin injury, but also led to significant body weight loss and 40-80% mortality (120 h post-exposure), suggesting its systemic effects. Accordingly, further studies herein show that NM exposure initiated an increase in circulating white blood cells by 24h (neutrophils, eosinophils and basophils) and thereafter a decrease (neutrophils, lymphocytes and monocytes). NM exposure also reduced both white and red pulp areas of the spleen. In the small intestine, NM exposure caused loss of membrane integrity of the surface epithelium, abnormal structure of glands and degeneration of villi. NM exposure also resulted in the dilation of glomerular capillaries of kidneys, and an increase in blood urea nitrogen/creatinine ratio. Our results here with NM are consistent with earlier reports that exposure to higher SM levels can cause damage to the hematopoietic system, and kidney, spleen and gastrointestinal tract toxicity. These outcomes will add to our understanding of the toxic effects of topical vesicant exposure, which might be helpful towards developing effective countermeasures against injuries from acute topical exposures.
Dimensional stability of high-purity Invar 36

High performance requirements for the Imaging Science Subsystem/Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) instrument on the NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Cassini spacecraft impose very stringent demands for dimensional stability of metering rods in the camera's athermalizing system. Invar 36 was chosen as a baseline material because it possibly could meet these requirements through high purity control and appropriate thermomechanical processes. A powder metallurgy process appears to be the manufacturing method to ensure high purity and cleanliness of this material. Therefore, a powder metallurgy manufacturer was contacted and high purity (HP) Invar 36 was produced per JPL engineering requirements. Several heat treatments were established and heat treated HP Invar 36 samples were evaluated. Coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), thermal hysteresis and temporal stability test results are reported here. The test results indicate that JPL has succeeded in obtaining possibly the most dimensionally stable (lowest CTE plus lowest temporal change) Invar 36 material ever produced. CTE < 1 ppm/ degree(s)C are reported here along with temporal stability < 1 ppm/year. These dimensional stability properties will meet the requirements for metering rods on the NAC.
Teaching on the Web

Abstract Internet and World Wide Web (WWW, www or WEB) are evolving as an important and revolutionary improved communication technology in education at all levels. Use in several geology courses during the past academic year (1996–1997) has demonstrated its value in augmenting, and even replacing, traditional methodologies. A wealth of excellent, timely data available on the WEB, its ability to make learning more dynamic, exciting, and interesting for students, and its versatility are powerful arguments for expanded use in higher education.
The evolution of molecular hydrogen: a noteworthy potential therapy with clinical significance

Studies on molecular hydrogen have evolved tremendously from its humble beginnings and have continued to change throughout the years. Hydrogen is extremely unique since it has the capability to act at the cellular level. Hydrogen is qualified to cross the blood brain barrier, to enter the mitochondria, and even has the ability to translocate to the nucleus under certain conditions. Once in these ideal locations of the cell, previous studies have shown that hydrogen exerts antioxidant, anti-apoptotic, anti-inflammatory, and cytoprotective properties that are beneficial to the cell. Hydrogen is most commonly applied as a gas, water, saline, and can be applied in a variety of other mediums. There are also few side effects involving hydrogen, thus making hydrogen a perfect medical gas candidate for the convention of novel therapeutic strategies against cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, cancer, metabolic, and respiratory diseases and disorders. Although hydrogen appears to be faultless at times, there still are several deficiencies or snares that need to be investigated by future studies. This review article seeks to delve and comprehensively analyze the research and experiments that alludes to molecular hydrogen being a novel therapeutic treatment that medicine desperately needs.
Microstructure Characterization of a Decellularized Vocal Fold Scaffold for Laryngeal Tissue Engineering

Objectives/Hypothesis One potential treatment for vocal fold injury or neoplasia is to replace the entire vocal fold with a tissue-engineered scaffold. This scaffold should ideally have similar mechanical properties and extracellular matrix composition as the native vocal fold. As one approach toward this goal, we decellularized human vocal folds and characterized their mechanical properties and extracellular matrix microstructure. Study Design Basic science investigation. Methods Human vocal folds were dissected from the laryngeal framework and treated with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) to remove all cells. Mechanical properties were measured by indentation before and after SDS treatment. The extracellular matrix components of collagen, laminin, elastin, and hyaluronic acid were also characterized before and after decellularization using histology and immunofluorescence. Results After 4 days of SDS treatment, we obtained a scaffold that retained the original geometry of the vocal fold but was devoid of cells. The elastic modulus of the vocal folds did not change significantly before and after decellularization. Upon qualitative inspection, the decellularized vocal folds retained the original collagen, elastin, and laminin content and orientation but lost the original hyaluronic acid. Conclusions Vocal folds can be decellularized using SDS without adversely affecting its mechanical stiffness and fibrous extracellular matrix. This preliminary study demonstrates the potential of a decellularized scaffold to serve as a tissue-engineered construct for vocal fold replacement. Level of Evidence NA Laryngoscope, 124:E326–E331, 2014
Three-Dimensional Dynamics of a Rigid Body with Wheels on a Moving Base

AbstractFor reasons more related to functionality than safety, it is not uncommon for heavy mechanical and electrical equipment to be placed on wheels. Examples of such devices are medical carts, mechanical equipment in hospitals, electrical transformers, and recently, even supercomputers. Although wheels facilitate the operation of these devices, they also affect the response of these objects during earthquakes, but not necessarily in a beneficial way. While a wheel rolling favors the translational displacement of the body in the horizontal direction parallel to its plane over rocking, rocking is still possible along the plane perpendicular to the plane of the wheel. Moreover, because the plane of the wheel is in most cases free to rotate with respect to the body, it is not easy to identify the directions that favor rocking or displacement at any time. The problem becomes even more complicated, if one considers that one of the wheels, which can swivel, may be locked. Thus, in the most general case, a bod...
The moderating role of optimism on politics-outcomes relationships: A test of competing perspectives

Research to date has assumed that politics perceptions lead to uniformly negative outcomes. Recent studies, however, advocate examining theoretically relevant dispositional factors capable of differentially predicting politics perceptions—work outcome relationships. One individual difference factor possessing considerable scholarly merit in this regard is optimism. Building on recent research, the politics perceptions—optimism relationship was examined in a series of three studies. In particular, our objective was to determine whether optimism intensified or neutralized the potentially negative effects of perceived politics on job satisfaction and tension. Across samples, findings confirmed a moderating effect; notably, politics triggered increased stress and lower satisfaction for individuals with higher levels of optimism. In contrast, stress and satisfaction remained largely unaffected for less optimistic individuals reporting elevated levels of politics. These findings, which suggest that optimism may...
Drosophila neuroblast 7-3 cell lineage: A model system for studying programmed cell death, Notch/Numb signaling, and sequential specification of ganglion mother cell identity

Cell lineage studies provide an important foundation for experimental analysis in many systems. Drosophila neural precursors (neuroblasts) sequentially generate ganglion mother cells (GMCs), which generate neurons and/or glia, but the birth order, or cell lineage, of each neuroblast is poorly understood. The best-characterized neuroblast is NB7-3, in which GMC-1 makes the EW1 serotonergic interneuron and GW motoneuron; GMC-2 makes the EW2 serotonergic interneuron and a programmed cell death; and GMC-3 gives rise to the EW3 interneuron. However, the end of this lineage has not been determined. Here, we use positively marked genetic clones, bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) labeling, mutations that affect Notch signaling, and antibody markers to further define the end of the cell lineage of NB7-3. We provide evidence that GMC-3 directly differentiates into EW3 and that the sibling neuroblast undergoes programmed cell death. Our results confirm and extend previous work on the early portion of the NB7-3 lineage (Novotny et al. [2002] Development 129:1027–1036; Lundell et al. [2003] Development 130:4109 – 4121). J. Comp. Neurol. 481:240 –251, 2005. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. Indexing terms: cell lineage; neuroblast; programmed cell death; Notch; sanpodo; numb; serotonin; corazonin; NB7-3
Optical recognition of chemical graphics

A prototype system for encoding chemical structure diagrams from scanned printed documents is described. The system distinguishes a structure diagram from other printed material on a page image using size and spacing characteristics. It distinguishes line graphics from symbols in an intermediate vectorization stage. Line information is mapped into a connection diagram that represents atomic bonds. Atomic symbols are identified by means of chemical drawing conventions and optical character recognition. The final coded output interfaces to conventional chemistry software for database storage and retrieval, publishing, and modeling. >
LANGUAGE INPUT AND LANGUAGE GROWTH

This report is concerned with the sources of language development in the child. We have found a substantial relation between naturally occurring variations in children's language environments and their language skills, both at the earliest stages of language development and later, at 5 and 6 years of age. Our studies show that children's language development is related to the speech they hear at home and the speech they hear at school. Although much more work remains to be done, it is clear that differences in language input within the normal range are causally related to the growth of children's vocabularies and their syntactic skills.
Induction of melanoma in murine macrophage inflammatory protein 2 transgenic mice heterozygous for inhibitor of kinase/alternate reading frame

The molecular and genetic events that contribute to the genesis and progression of cutaneous malignant melanoma are poorly understood, attributable in large part to the different genetic alterations accompanying tumorigenesis. Inhibitor of kinase 4a (INK4a) is often inactivated in families with hereditary melanoma. Loss of INK4a/alternate reading frame (ARF) in mice is associated with increased incidence of other tumors such as lymphoma and fibrosarcoma. However, the incidence of melanoma in INK4a/ARF-deficient mice is very low. Our previous studies have revealed that the CXC chemokine, CXCL1, is overexpressed in human malignant melanoma cells and is linked to transformation of immortalized murine melanocytes. To study the direct role of CXCL1 on the genesis of primary melanoma lesions, transgenic mouse lines were established that express the murine homologue of CXCL1, murine macrophage inflammatory protein 2 (MIP-2), under the transcriptional control of the tyrosinase promoter/enhancer (Tyr-MIP-2) in the mice that were deficient or not deficient for INK4a/ARF. Strong MIP-2 immunoreactivity was associated with pigmented melanocytes in the hyperproliferative hair follicles in the Tyr-MIP-2 transgenic mice, and the level of MIP-2 expression was similar in both INK4a/ARF heterozygous or wild-type mice. After treatment of mice with 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene, cutaneous melanomas formed in 12% (17/145) of the Tyr-MIP-2 transgene-positive mice, whereas only 2% (3/146) of the Tyr-MIP-2 transgene-negative mice developed melanoma. When melanocytes cultured from MIP-2 transgenic mice null for INK4a/ARF were transplanted into nude mice, melanoma formation occurred in 83% (10/12) of the cases with a latency period of 3 months. However, no melanoma lesions arose in nude mice injected with INK4a/ARF -/- melanocytes, which did not express the MIP-2 transgene. Our results demonstrate that constitutive expression of MIP-2 in INK4a/ARF-deficient melanocytes facilitates formation of malignant melanoma.
Mining Positive and Negative Co-regulation Patterns from Microarray Data

Currently, pattern-based and tendency-based models are very popular for clustering co-regulated genes. In this paper, we propose another novel model, namely g-Cluster. The proposed model has the following advantages: (1) find positive and negative co-regulated genes in a shot, (2) get away from the restriction of magnitude transformation relationship among genes, and (3) guarantee quality of clusters and significance of regulations using a novel similarity measurement gCode and two user-specified thresholds, called wave constraint threshold and regulation threshold respectively. We also design a novel tree-based clustering algorithm, FBTD, combined with efficient pruning rules to identify all maximal g-Clusters. The extensive experiments on real and synthetic datasets show that (1) our algorithm can effectively and efficiently find an amount of co-regulated gene clusters missed by previous models, which are potentially of high biological significance, and (2) our algorithm is superior to the existing approaches.
On the behaviour of a two-dimensional Heisenberg antiferromagnet at very low temperatures

We present an analytical formula for the ratio of the physical spin correlation length of a two-dimensional Heisenberg antiferromagnet on a square lattice, and the one which is actually computed in numerical simulations. This latter correlation length is deduced from the second moment of the structure factor at the antiferromagnetic momentum Q. We show that the ratio is very close to one, in agreement with a previously obtained numerical result based on the 1/N expansion.
LiquidHaskell: experience with refinement types in the real world

Haskell has many delightful features. Perhaps the one most beloved by its users is its type system that allows developers to specify and verify a variety of program properties at compile time. However, many properties, typically those that depend on relationships between program values are impossible, or at the very least, cumbersome to encode within the existing type system. Many such properties can be verified using a combination of Refinement Types and external SMT solvers. We describe the refinement type checker liquidHaskell, which we have used to specify and verify a variety of properties of over 10,000 lines of Haskell code from various popular libraries, including containers, hscolour, bytestring, text, vector-algorithms and xmonad. First, we present a high-level overview of liquidHaskell, through a tour of its features. Second, we present a qualitative discussion of the kinds of properties that can be checked -- ranging from generic application independent criteria like totality and termination, to application specific concerns like memory safety and data structure correctness invariants. Finally, we present a quantitative evaluation of the approach, with a view towards measuring the efficiency and programmer effort required for verification, and discuss the limitations of the approach.
Deposit insurance reform: a functional approach*

Abstract The current system of deposit insurance has a basic structural problem because there is a mismatch between the deposits insured by the FDIC and the “opaque” and illiquid bank loans used to collateralize those insured deposits. There may have been, at one time, synergy created by using insured deposits as the primary source to finance the commercial lensing activities of banks, but we see no evidence that such benefits, if any, exist in today's financial system. There are, however, significant costs for maintining the current institutional structure. We conclude that an efficient solution is for commercial lending to be financed by standard instruments such as debt, preferred stock, and equity, and that deposit with U.S. Treasury bills or their equivalent.
euGenes: a eukaryote genome information system

euGenes is a genome information system and database that provides a common summary of eukaryote genes and genomes, at http://iubio.bio.indiana.edu/eugenes/. Seven popular genomes are included: human, mouse, fruitfly, Caenorhabditis elegans worm, Saccharomyces yeast, Arabidopsis mustard weed and zebrafish, with more planned. This information, automatically extracted and updated from several source databases, offers features not readily available through other genome databases to bioscientists looking for gene relationships across organisms. The database describes 150 000 known, predicted and orphan genes, using consistent gene names along with their homologies and associations with a standard vocabulary of molecular functions, cell locations and biological processes. Usable whole-genome maps including features, chromosome locations and molecular data integration are available, as are options to retrieve sequences from these genomes. Search and retrieval methods for these data are easy to use and efficient, allowing one to ask combined questions of sequence features, protein functions and other gene attributes, and fetch results in reports, computable tabular outputs or bulk database forms. These summarized data are useful for integration in other projects, such as gene expression databases. euGenes provides an extensible, flexible genome information system for many organisms.
Extracellular stimuli specifically regulate localized levels of individual neuronal mRNAs.

Subcellular regulation of protein synthesis requires the correct localization of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) within the cell. In this study, we investigate whether the axonal localization of neuronal mRNAs is regulated by extracellular stimuli. By profiling axonal levels of 50 mRNAs detected in regenerating adult sensory axons, we show that neurotrophins can increase and decrease levels of axonal mRNAs. Neurotrophins (nerve growth factor, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and neurotrophin-3) regulate axonal mRNA levels and use distinct downstream signals to localize individual mRNAs. However, myelin-associated glycoprotein and semaphorin 3A regulate axonal levels of different mRNAs and elicit the opposite effect on axonal mRNA levels from those observed with neurotrophins. The axonal mRNAs accumulate at or are depleted from points of ligand stimulation along the axons. The translation product of a chimeric green fluorescent protein–β-actin mRNA showed similar accumulation or depletion adjacent to stimuli that increase or decrease axonal levels of endogenous β-actin mRNA. Thus, extracellular ligands can regulate protein generation within subcellular regions by specifically altering the localized levels of particular mRNAs.
Reliability of Cu Interconnects with Ta Implant

In this study, a novel method is explored for improving the electromigration lifetime of Cu wires, using a blanket Ta implantation into both the oxide and Cu on the surface of a wafer. For the highest implant dose, the electromigration lifetime is improved by over 5X using this method, with a minimal increase in wire resistance. An increase in lifetime is achieved, even for an average surface concentration of Ta on the order of 0.1 atm%. The line-to-line leakage at high voltages (> 5 V) increases with the Ta implant, with higher leakage at higher Ta concentrations. The lifetime for time dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) is significantly degraded for high Ta doses, but not for lower Ta doses, suggesting that there may be a window for improving electromigration lifetime while maintaining high dielectric reliability.
CONSTRUCTION OF AN OXYGEN CHAMBER FOR THE TREATMENT OF PNEUMONIA

1. The construction of an oxygen chamber is given. This chamber can be quickly filled with oxygen to any concentration up to 65 per cent and maintained at the desired concentration for an indefinite time. 2. The construction of ventilating system, cooling device, carbon dioxide remover, automatic oxygen analyzer, and filling and maintenance devices is given. 3. The chamber is designed so that pneumonia patients with anoxemia may be placed in it and breathe an atmosphere containing 40 to 60 per cent of oxygen. 4. The chamber is easy of ingress and egress, is economical in cost of operation, and comfortably accomodates patient and attendants so that adequate nursing and medical attention can be given at all times.