cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Statistical Estimation of the Switching Activity in Digital Circuitsy

Higher levels of integration have led to a generation of integrated circuits for which power dissipation and reliability are major design concerns. In CMOS circuits, both of these problems are directly related to the extent of circuit switching activity. The average number of transitions per second at a circuit node is a measure of switching activity that has been called the transition density. This paper presents a statistical simulation technique to estimate individual node transition densities. The strength of this approach is that the desired accuracy and confidence can be specified up-front by the user. Another key feature is the classification of nodes into two categories: regular- and low-density nodes. Regular-density nodes are certified with user-specified percentage error and confidence levels. Low-density nodes are certified with an absolute error, with the same confidence. This speeds convergence while sacrificing percentage accuracy only on nodes which contribute little to power dissipation and have few reliability problems.
Capacity Limits of Multiple Antenna Multicast

The multiple antenna multicast channel is considered, in which the transmitter, equipped with an antenna array, sends a common message to multiple receivers, each of which are assumed to have only a single antenna. The information theoretic capacity of this channel is studied, along with the rates achievable using lower complexity transmission schemes. The primary focus of the paper is on the scaling of the capacity and achievable rates as the number of antennas and/or users is taken to infinity.
Transvection Is Common Throughout the Drosophila Genome

Higher-order genome organization plays an important role in transcriptional regulation. In Drosophila, somatic pairing of homologous chromosomes can lead to transvection, by which the regulatory region of a gene can influence transcription in trans. We observe transvection between transgenes inserted at commonly used phiC31 integration sites in the Drosophila genome. When two transgenes that carry endogenous regulatory elements driving the expression of either LexA or GAL4 are inserted at the same integration site and paired, the enhancer of one transgene can drive or repress expression of the paired transgene. These transvection effects depend on compatibility between regulatory elements and are often restricted to a subset of cell types within a given expression pattern. We further show that activated UAS transgenes can also drive transcription in trans. We discuss the implication of these findings for (1) understanding the molecular mechanisms that underlie transvection and (2) the design of experiments that utilize site-specific integration.
Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?

When the late Freddie Mercury penned these words (1), perhaps he had in mind bringing innovative medicines and devices to patients more quickly.
Geographic trend in sexual size dimorphism and body size of Osteopilus septentrionalis (Cuban treefrog): implications for invasion of the southeastern United States

We collected Osteopilus septentrionalis from Central Florida for analysis of sexual size dimorphism and compared our data to published information from populations across the native and introduced range of the species. We found significant sexual size dimorphism (females larger), with the degree of dimorphism decreasing with increasing degrees north latitude, a trend largely driven by a pronounced decrease in female mean snout to vent length. Potential explanations for this trend include reduced growth rates, increased time to maturity, and reduced life expectancy, all of which may be tied to climatic variation. A trend of decreasing female mean size toward the northernmost extent of the current introduced range of this species may be indicative of diminished impacts and invasive success. Geographical variation in morphology and its associated implications should be evaluated when considering the potential impacts of invasive species.
Comparison of Traditional Inverters and Z-Source Inverter

In this paper, three different inverters-traditional PWM inverter, dc/dc boosted PWM inverter, and Z-source inverter were investigated and compared using fuel cell vehicle and photovoltaic domestic application as examples. Total switching device power, passive component requirement, and constant power speed ratio of each of these inverters were calculated. For purposes of comparison, an example of the total switching device power, requirement of passive components, and the constant power speed ratio of the different inverters for fuel cell vehicle powered by the same fuel cell and loaded by the same motor were conducted. The efficiencies of different systems for traction drive and photovoltaic residential application are also compared. The comparisons show that the Z-source inverter is very promising
Experience With 2-Chlorodeoxyadenosine in Previously Untreated Children With Newly Diagnosed Acute Myeloid Leukemia and Myelodysplastic Diseases

PURPOSE: To develop more effective chemotherapy regimens for childhood acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between June 1991 and December 1996, we administered the nucleoside analog 2-chlorodeoxyadenosine (2-CDA) to 73 children with primary AML and 20 children with secondary AML or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Patients received one or two 5-day courses of 2-CDA (8.9 mg/m2/d) given by continuous infusion. All patients then received one to three courses of daunomycin, cytarabine, and etoposide (DAV) remission induction therapy. RESULTS: Seventy-two patients with primary AML were assessable for response. Their rate of complete remission (CR) was 24% after one course of 2-CDA, 40% after two courses of 2-CDA, and 78% after DAV therapy. Of the 57 patients who entered CR, 11 subsequently underwent allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT), and 40 underwent autologous BMT. Twenty-nine patients remain in continuous CR after BMT. Two patients remain in CR after chemotherapy only. The 5-yea...
Closing the Gate: Race, Politics, and the Chinese Exclusion Act

The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which barred practically all Chinese from American shores for ten years, was the first federal law that banned a group of immigrants solely on the basis of race or nationality. By changing America's traditional policy of open immigration, this landmark legislation set a precedent for future restrictions against Asian immigrants in the early 1900s and against Europeans in the 1920s. Tracing the origins of the Chinese Exclusion Act, Andrew Gyory presents a bold new interpretation of American politics during Reconstruction and the Gilded Age. Rather than directly confront such divisive problems as class conflict, economic depression, and rising unemployment, he contends, politicians sought a safe, nonideological solution to the nation's industrial crisis--and latched onto Chinese exclusion. Ignoring workers' demands for an end simply to imported contract labor, they claimed instead that working people would be better off if there were no Chinese immigrants. By playing the race card, Gyory argues, national politicians--not California, not organized labor, and not a general racist atmosphere--provided the motive force behind the era's most racist legislation. |Analyzes the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 from a national perspective. By playing the race card, national politicians--not California, not organized labor, and not a general racist atmosphere--were responsible for this law.
An O(N) iterative solution to the Poisson equation in low-level vision problems

In this paper, we present a novel iterative numerical solution to the Poisson equation whose solution is needed in a variety of low-level vision problems. Our algorithm is an O(N) (N being the number of discretization points) iterative technique and does not make any assumptions on the shape of the input domain unlike the polyhedral domain assumption in the proof of convergence of multigrid techniques. We present two major results namely, a generalized version of the capacitance matrix theorem and a theorem on O(N) convergence of the alternating direction implicit method (ADI) used in our algorithm. Using this generalized theorem, we express the linear system corresponding to the discretized Poisson equation as a Lyapunov and a capacitance matrix equation. The former is solved using the ADI method while the solution to the later is obtained using a modified bi-conjugate gradient algorithm. We demonstrate the algorithm performance on synthesized data for the surface reconstruction and the SFS problems. >
Mammalian Per-Arnt-Sim Proteins in Environmental Adaptation

The Per-Arnt-Sim (PAS) domain is conserved across the kingdoms of life and found in an ever-growing list of proteins. This domain can bind to and sense endogenous or xenobiotic small molecules such as molecular oxygen, cellular metabolites, or polyaromatic hydrocarbons. Members of this family are often found in pathways that regulate responses to environmental change; in mammals these include the hypoxia, circadian, and dioxin response pathways. These pathways function in development and throughout life to regulate cellular, organ, and whole-organism adaptive responses. Remarkably, in the case of the clock, this adaptation includes anticipation of environmental change. In this review, we summarize the roles of PAS domain–containing proteins in mammals. We provide structural evidence that functionally classifies both known and unknown biological roles. Finally, we discuss the role of PAS proteins in anticipation of and adaptation to environmental change.
Overview and construction of meshfree basis functions: From moving least squares to entropy approximants

In this paper, an overview of the construction of meshfree basis functions is presented, with particular emphasis on moving least-squares approximants, natural neighbour-based polygonal interpolants, and entropy approximants. The use of information-theoretic variational principles to derive approximation schemes is a recent development. In this setting, data approximation is viewed as an inductive inference problem, with the basis functions being synonymous with a discrete probability distribution and the polynomial reproducing conditions acting as the linear constraints. The maximization (minimization) of the Shannon–Jaynes entropy functional (relative entropy functional) is used to unify the construction of globally and locally supported convex approximation schemes. A JAVA applet is used to visualize the meshfree basis functions, and comparisons and links between different meshfree approximation schemes are presented. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Polyethylene glycol-superoxide dismutase inhibits lipid peroxidation in hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Hepatic injury after ischemia/reperfusion is attributed to thedevelopment of oxygen free radical (OFR)-mediated lipid peroxidation - aprocess that can be measured through its byproducts, specificallymalondialdehyde. The use of free radical scavengers can offer significantprotection against OFR-induced liver injury. We hypothesize that a new potentOFR scavenger, polyethylene glycol-superoxide dismutase (PEG-SOD), can inhibitOFR-mediated lipid peroxidation in hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury. Twelve male Sprague-Dawley rats (300-350 g) were subjected toocclusion of the left and middle hepatic arteries and portal veins for 90 min,followed by 120 min reperfusion. PEG-SOD (5000 units/kg) was given intravenouslybefore vascular occlusion and again immediately upon reperfusion to six rats. Normal saline was given to the remaining six rats to be used as a controlgroup. The right hepatic lobe (used as internal control) and left hepatic lobewere harvested separately and tissue malondialdehyde was measured. A marked increase in lipid peroxide was found in the normal salinegroup after 2 h reperfusion. Treatment with PEG-SOD prevented the rise in tissuemalondialdehyde. The mean difference in the malondialdehyde between the leftand right hepatic lobes were 13.20 ± 6.35 and 1.70 ± 3.65 nmol/g in thenormal saline (control) and PEG-SOD groups, respectively. This difference wasfound to be statistically significant (P < 0.005) usingStudent's t-test. PEG-SOD can effectively attenuate hepatic ischemia/reperfusioninjury by inhibiting OFR-mediated lipid peroxidation.
A flexible and effective XML storage and retrieval system

As XML becomes increasingly pervasive on the Web, it is necessary to provide a good solution to storing and retrieving huge amount of XML data that includes not only textual data, but also multimedia documents in XML format. Using the Sem-ODB, a multimedia database system, as the underlying repository, we show how the XML storage and retrieval issue can be tackled in a flexible and effective way. We present a prototype that effectively maps and stores XML data into a Sem-ODB through the use of a meta-schema-based approach. Our approach is flexible and effective because (1) users are given control over the resulting mapping scheme via the manipulation of the KnowledgeBase; (2) it greatly reduces the number of joins generated in the final Sem-SQL query when translating an XQuery query.
A Policy for Open-Loop Attenuation of Disturbance Effects Caused by Uncertain Ground Properties in Running

Outside of the laboratory, accurate models of ground impact dynamics are either difficult or impossible to obtain. Instead, a rigid ground model is often used in gait and controller design, which simplifies the system model and allows attention to remain focused on other aspects of running. In real-world terrain this simplification may overlook important dynamic effects. Immediately following a foot touchdown event, sensitivity to ground stiffness is at its highest and at the same time the accuracies of state estimates are at their lowest. Even if ground stiffness is known and state estimates are accurate, actuator bandwidth limitations make immediate compensation difficult. Taking inspiration from nature, we propose a novel solution to attenuate the effects of unexpected ground stiffness changes using a unified control system comprised of hardware passive dynamics and open-loop software control policies.
Strongyloides stercoralis in the Immunocompromised Population

Strongyloides stercoralis is an intestinal nematode of humans that infects tens of millions of people worldwide. S. stercoralis is unique among intestinal nematodes in its ability to complete its life cycle within the host through an asexual autoinfective cycle, allowing the infection to persist in the host indefinitely. Under some conditions associated with immunocompromise, this autoinfective cycle can become amplified into a potentially fatal hyperinfection syndrome, characterized by increased numbers of infective filariform larvae in stool and sputum and clinical manifestations of the increased parasite burden and migration, such as gastrointestinal bleeding and respiratory distress. S. stercoralis hyperinfection is often accompanied by sepsis or meningitis with enteric organisms. Glucocorticoid treatment and human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 infection are the two conditions most specifically associated with triggering hyperinfection, but cases have been reported in association with hematologic malignancy, malnutrition, and AIDS. Anthelmintic agents such as ivermectin have been used successfully in treating the hyperinfection syndrome as well as for primary and secondary prevention of hyperinfection in patients whose exposure history and underlying condition put them at increased risk.
Modulation of polymyxin B effects on mammalian urinary bladder

This report demonstrates that Ca2+, Mg2+, and protons alter the ability of polymyxin B (PX, a cationic antibiotic used clinically as a bactericidal agent) to increase the apical membrane conductance of the rabbit urinary bladder. Using electrophysiological methods, we determine that these alterations occur by two mechanisms. First, they blocked the PX-induced conductance in a rapid and reversible manner; second, they competed with PX for a membrane binding site. In addition, Ca2+ (but not Mg2+ or protons) altered the rate at which the induced conductance could be reversed. When solution pH was greater than 8.8, PX was not able to induce a conductance. This ability of high pH to inhibit the action of PX was due to a decrease in the number of positive charges on PX. Further studies demonstrated that for maximal activity, PX required its fatty acid tail. These data were used to develop a model describing the mechanism by which PX can induce a conductance in the apical membrane of the rabbit urinary bladder.
Scripting for Video Inspections

The purpose of this study was to enhance the reliability of deployed components for nuclear weapons by improving the quality and consistency of the final visual inspection before deployment of the weapon. Currently, most of these parts are subjected to manual visual inspection, a process subject to errors related to consistency and accuracy. Furthermore, there is no method for documentation of the inspection. Even state-of-the-art commercial visual inspection systems are inadequate because they require skilled engineers to artfully adjust camera parameters, lens settings, lighting, and processing for each new inspection, part or defect. In this project, we developed technology to automate much of the setup for visual inspection. We implemented graphical simulations and CAD models of the camera, positioning system and parts to be inspected. Using these tools, the system automatically generates camera locations and settings for the camera lens and illumination to produce optimal images for inspection. We refer to this combination of imaging parameters as a “script”. The “script” contains all the instructions necessary to perform the inspection when run on the actual inspection system. In addition, we developed a cataloging system to allow storage and retrieval of the video images gathered during an actual inspection of real parts. We developed several feature extraction algorithms that were able to detect defects in the actual parts but were unable to achieve comparable results using the CAD based parts. A version of this system has been implemented at the neutron generator facility as a key element of implementing the process-based quality manufacturing.
k-DPPs: Fixed-Size Determinantal Point Processes

Determinantal point processes (DPPs) have recently been proposed as models for set selection problems where diversity is preferred. For example, they can be used to select diverse sets of sentences to form document summaries, or to find multiple non-overlapping human poses in an image. However, DPPs conflate the modeling of two distinct characteristics: the size of the set, and its content. For many realistic tasks, the size of the desired set is known up front; e.g., in search we may want to show the user exactly ten results. In these situations the effort spent by DPPs modeling set size is not only wasteful, but actually introduces unwanted bias into the modeling of content. Instead, we propose the k-DPP, a conditional DPP that models only sets of cardinality k. In exchange for this restriction, k-DPPs offer greater expressiveness and control over content, and simplified integration into applications like search. We derive algorithms for efficiently normalizing, sampling, and marginalizing k-DPPs, and propose an experts-style algorithm for learning combinations of k-DPPs. We demonstrate the usefulness of the model on an image search task, where k-DPPs significantly outperform MMR as judged by human annotators.
Standard Prestressed Concrete Beam Design

Equations are derived for the design for flexure of non-composite or composite prestressed concrete beams using standard cross-sectional shapes. Interaction diagrams showing the relationship between prestress force and bending moment are used in the derivation of the equations. An example is given of the design of a composite section.
Automatic transcription of tabla music

We consider the problem of automatic tabla transcription, specifically, the reconstruction of a score-like notation that represents timbral categories and rhythmic values. To that end, a computer-based representation for tabla is proposed that allows for encoding, analysis, and typesetting. A transcription system consisting of modules for onset detection, stroke timbre recognition, and rhythm detection was created. Performance was evaluated on a large database taken from three performers under different recording conditions, containing a total of 16,834 strokes. First, the time-domain signal was segmented using complex-domain thresholding that looked for sudden changes in amplitude and phase discontinuities. 98% of onsets were detected against a 1% false positive rate. Classification of strokes was performed using a maximum a posteriori (MAP) rule with a multivariate normal likelihood distribution (MVN), and using non-parametric techniques such as probabilistic neural networks (PNN), feed-forward neural networks (FFNN), and tree-based classifiers. Two evaluation protocols were used. The first used 10-fold cross validation. The recognition rate averaged over many experiments that contained 10-15 classes was 92% for the MVN, 94% for the FFNN and PNN, and 84% for the tree-based classifier. To test generalization, a more difficult independent evaluation was undertaken in which no test strokes came from the same recording as the training strokes. The average recognition rate over a wide variety of test conditions was 76% for the MVN, 83% for the FFNN, 76% for the PNN, and 66% for the tree-based classifier. To determine rhythmic values for strokes, stroke durations were expressed in terms of the beat period (seconds/beat), which was estimated by taking the auto-correlation of the onset detection function, as well as by a duration histogram method. Quantization of durations was done by rounding to a discrete grid constructed by duple and triple divisions of the beat. Accurate rhythmic notation was demonstrated for five tabla phrases containing a total of 552 rhythmic values. Preliminary results using the three modules in series to create a full transcription system yielded good results on the five examples. Finally we describe challenges and possible solutions for the development of a robust, fully automatic transcription system.
Self-actualization and locus of control as a function of institutionalization and non-institutionalization in the elderly

Adaptation to the aging process in the American Society would appear to represent a problem for at least a portion of the elderly population. This research represents a limited attempt to bring additional insights to bear on the adaptive portion of the aging process. Both groups of the elderly (institutionalized and non-institutionalized) indicate an externally oriented view of the social environment in which they exist. These results also provide some evidence in support of Hamilton's (1985) contention that institutionalized elderly individuals are less self-actualized than elderly persons living in the community.
Searching for Balance in the Aftermath of the 2006 Takings Initiatives

The partial regulatory takings movement seeks to compensate private landowners when regulations diminish their land values. This movement has grown in recent years, particularly at the state level. Scholars have focused thus far on the compensation and its effect on the regulations that governments enact or enforce. In addition to exploring these concerns, this Note argues that partial regulatory takings regimes threaten to constrain residents' ability to influence their communities' growth and character. The greatest impact could fall on low-income communities, many of which contain disproportionate levels of undesirable land uses and lack adequate financial resources to influence land use planning in the absence of regulatory solutions or alternative venues. To address these problems, state and local governments should implement what I call a "regulatory balances" regime, strengthening participatory planning venues and funding the resulting measures.
Role of Reward Sensitivity and Processing in Major Depressive and Bipolar Spectrum Disorders

Since Costello’s (1972) seminal Behavior Therapy article on loss of reinforcers or reinforcer effectiveness in depression, the role of reward sensitivity and processing in both depression and bipolar disorder has become a central area of investigation. In this article, we review the evidence for a model of reward sensitivity in mood disorders, with unipolar depression characterized by reward hyposensitivity and bipolar disorders by reward hypersensitivity. We address whether aberrant reward sensitivity and processing are correlates of, mood-independent traits of, vulnerabilities for, and/or predictors of the course of depression and bipolar spectrum disorders, covering evidence from self-report, behavioral, neurophysiological, and neural levels of analysis. We conclude that substantial evidence documents that blunted reward sensitivity and processing are involved in unipolar depression and heightened reward sensitivity and processing are characteristic of hypomania/mania. We further conclude that aberrant reward sensitivity has a trait component, but more research is needed to clearly demonstrate that reward hyposensitivity and hypersensitivity are vulnerabilities for depression and bipolar disorder, respectively. Moreover, additional research is needed to determine whether bipolar depression is similar to unipolar depression and characterized by reward hyposensitivity, or whether like bipolar hypomania/mania, it involves reward hypersensitivity.
Abstract 141: Epigenetic silencing of miR-122 in hepatocellular carcinoma

It has been reported that miRNAs potently influence cellular function through the regulation of extensive gene expression networks and most tumors are characterized by globally diminished miRNA expression. However, the potential mechanism of microRNA expression change in tumorigenesis remains to be further investigated. In this study, we focus on the epigenetic regulation of miRNA expression in hepatocellular carcinoma. We first performed miRNA microarray analysis in HepG2 cells, which reveals significant changes in miRNA expression profiling with 23 upregulated miRNAs and 15 downregulated miRNAs induced by the treatment with 5′aza-2′deoxycytidine (5′-aza, DNA methylation inhibitor) and 4-phenylbutyric acid (PBA, histone deaceltylation inhibitor). Interestingly, miR-122, the most abundant miRNA in the liver, is upregulated by 5′-aza and PBA, which is validated by qRT-PCR analysis in both HepG2 and Huh7 cells. In addition, miR-122 expression is increased by the overexpression of PPARγ or the treatment of PPARγ agonist (15-keto PGE2 or 15d-PGJ2).We then demonstrate that peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) and retinoid X receptor alpha (RXRα) bind to conserved DR-1 and DR-2 (peroxisome proliferator-activated response element) in the miR-122 promoter region and these bindings are significantly increased by 5′-aza and PBA with the biotinylated oligonicleotides precipitation assay. However, 5′-aza and PBA inhibit the binding of N-CoR (nuclear receptor corepressor) or SMRT (silencing mediator for retinoid and thyroid hormone receptor) to DR-1 or DR-2. And we found that 5′-aza and PBA inhibit PPARγ/N-CoR/SMRT protein complex formation in HepG2 cells with the immunoprecipitation assay. Furthermore, we observe that SUV39H1(H3K9 methyl transferase) protein is decreased by the co-treatment of 5′aza and PBA; and the suppression of endogenous SUV39H1 expression with SUV39H1siRNA increases miR-122 expression. Taken together, our results suggest that histone acethylation and demethylation lead to the release of PPAR-gamma from PPAR-gamma/N-CoR/SMRT protein complex to activate miR-122 transcription and to the inhibition SUV39H1 protein expression for the elimination of histone methylation to further facilitate miR-122 transcription. In conclusion, Epigenetic silencing is one of the most important mechanisms for diminished miR122 expression in hepatic carcinogenesis. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 141. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-141
Molecular genetics of T-cell antigen receptors.

The immunoglobulin paradigm has led to characterization of genetic controls of the T-cell antigen receptor and has correctly predicted mechanisms for generating diversity. With the isolation of the T-cell antigen-receptor molecule and the genes that encode it, a major step has been taken toward understanding and treating a wide range of immune-related diseases and lymphoid malignancies.
Effects of Chronic and Acute Intraocular Pressure Elevation on Scotopic and Photopic Contrast Sensitivity in Mice.

Purpose To compare the impact of intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation on scotopic and photopic contrast sensitivity in mice. Methods We chronically elevated the IOP of wild-type mice via injection of polystyrene beads or acutely via injection of highly cohesive sodium hyaluronate. Some eyes with chronically elevated IOP were treated with either topical brimonidine tartrate 0.1% or brinzolamide 1%. Scotopic and photopic contrast sensitivity was assessed at peak spatiotemporal frequencies at multiple time points, with an established optokinetic technique. Retinal ganglion cell (RGC) counts were determined with an antibody to class III beta-tubulin. Correlations among IOP level, RGC count, and scotopic or photopic contrast sensitivity were performed. Results Six weeks of IOP elevation caused a generalized reduction of photopic contrast sensitivity and a preferential reduction of scotopic contrast sensitivity at peak spatiotemporal frequencies. The administration of brinzolamide but not brimonidine caused a significant reduction in cumulative IOP, whereas brimonidine, but not brinzolamide, prevented RGC loss. Both brimonidine and brinzolamide prevented contrast sensitivity loss, but brimonidine did so at earlier time points and across a wider range of lighting conditions. Following either chronic or acute IOP elevation, scotopic contrast sensitivity was impacted most prominently by IOP level and not by RGC count, while photopic contrast sensitivity was impacted by a combination of factors. Conclusions It is possible that scotopic-specific retinal circuitry is altered preferentially by IOP elevation, and that changes in scotopic contrast sensitivity will assist with glaucoma detection. Brimonidine appears to prevent RGC loss via an IOP-independent mechanism.
Neonatal administration of L-cysteine does not produce long-term effects on neurotransmitter or neuropeptide systems in the rat striatum.

Previous studies by other investigators have shown that neonatal administration of high doses of L-cysteine produces within 6 hrs morphological damage to neurons in many areas of the brain including the striatum; the damage could be blocked by NMDA antagonist MK-801. These studies implicated a potential involvement of this amino acid in neurodegenerative processes including Parkinsonism. The present study attempted to elucidate whether L-cysteine produces long-term changes in neurotransmitter (dopamine; 5-hydroxytryptamine) or neuropeptide (Met5-enkephalin; dynorphin A (1-8); substance P) systems as a corollary to neonatal treatment with L-cysteine. L-cysteine (0.5 or 1 g/kg, s.c.) was administered to 4-day old rat pups and sacrificed 35 days later. The striatal levels of amines and neuropeptides were determined by HPLC and radioimmunoassay respectively. L-Cysteine treatment alone or after a pretreatment with MK-801 (1 mg/kg, s.c.) failed to produce any significant changes in the parameters studied. The results indicate that neonatal administration of L-cysteine does not appear to produce long-term effects on major neuroregulator systems of the striatum.
Hopfield Energy of Random Nets

The seminal papers of the early eighties (Hopfield 1982, Cohen and Grosberg 1983, Hopfield and Tank 1985) have created a large body of work on using neural networks to approximately solve intractable optimization problems (AArts and Korst 1989, Abe 1001, Aiyer et al. 1990, Gelenbe et al. 1993).
Health Insurance Literacy and Roles for Reference Librarian Involvement

ABSTRACTThe role of librarians in addressing health insurance information needs emerged following a request from President Barack Obama for librarians to assist the public with navigating the Affordable Care Act and the Health Insurance Marketplace. The goal of this article is to highlight a number of concrete ways reference work could be expanded, especially in public library settings, to support health insurance literacy concerns by offering illustrative examples and recommendations for authoritative health insurance information resources. Overall, this article contributes to the existing literature by offering practical recommendations that may be relevant to reference librarians supporting the health insurance information needs of their communities.
Numerical optimizations of hybrid-linked jet impingement heat transfer based on the genetic algorithm

The present paper considers hybrid-linked jet impingement, which involves both parallel linked jets and series linked jets. An optimization platform was established with the aid of computational fl...
Homomorphisms preserving neural ideals

Abstract The neural ideal of a binary code C ⊆ F 2 n is an ideal in F 2 [ x 1 , … , x n ] closely related to the vanishing ideal of C . The neural ideal, first introduced by Curto et al., provides an algebraic way to extract geometric properties of realizations of binary codes. In this paper we investigate homomorphisms between polynomial rings F 2 [ x 1 , … , x n ] which preserve all neural ideals. We show that all such homomorphisms can be decomposed into a composition of three basic types. Using this decomposition, we can interpret how these homomorphisms act on the underlying binary codes. We can also determine their effect on geometric realizations of these codes using sets in R d . We also describe how these homomorphisms affect a canonical generating set for neural ideals, yielding an efficient method for computing these generators in some cases.
How to Enhance Student Motivations by Borrowing from Ancient Tradition: Mayan and Babylonian Arithmetics

In the previous chapter, we showed how to use ideas from ancient Egypt when teaching math. In this chapter (and in the following chapter), we consider ideas from Mayan and Babylonian mathematics.
Modelling Protein-Micelle Systems in Implicit Water

The hydrophobic nature of membrane proteins requires their study in a membrane-mimicking environment that maintains their stability and function. This is typically accomplished using detergents above their critical micelle concentration (CMC). The ones most commonly used are dodecylphosphocholine (DPC) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Hundreds of membrane-active peptide and protein structures have been determined by solution NMR in these detergents. However, the structure of these protein-micelle complexes is not known in atomic detail. Atomistic simulations of detergent self-assembly are computationally expensive and involve long time scales. Here, we propose modeling detergent-protein complexes using an implicit water approach. The CHARMM36 force field is used to treat the surfactant and the protein in atomic detail and the EEF1 implicit solvation model is used for water. Solvation parameters for the surfactants are adjusted to reproduce experimental aggregation numbers and CMC values for the pure micelles. To validate the approach, additional molecular dynamics simulations were performed on small membrane-active peptides to confirm the stability of their experimentally determined structures in the micellar environment. This approach provides atomically detailed information on protein-surfactant complexes at a modest computational cost.
Experiments on Time Reversal Invariance in Low Energy Nuclear Physics

Since the famous experiment of Cronin, Fitch, Turlay, and Christenson(1) we know that CP invariance is violated somewhere in the weak decay process of the Ko L, though to be sure, the details are not clear. Unlike parity violation, which is maximal and ubiquitous in every weak interaction process, the phenomenon of CP violation is small and, so far, is found only in the neutral kaon system. This unhappy situation has stood through more than twenty years of improving, but fruitless, searches for evidence of a violation of time reversal invariance in other systems.
LIQUID SCINTILLATION COUNTING OF ALPHA EMITTING ISOTOPES

Abstract The practical aspects of liquid scintillation counting as a routine analytical method are considered. A cross check between liquid scintillation counting, low geometry alpha counting and calorimetry is reported. Special applications are described.
Delineating a Wildlife Corridor in an Agricultural Mosaic: Effects of Landscape and Conservation Pattern

In conservation the establishment of links between major habitats is commonly used to reduce the effect of habitat fragmentation and loss. There is no common model of a corridor, as it largely depends on the particular spatial configuration of land types and the way it is used. Geospatial information on land management practices provide the information required for corridor building programs. This paper aims to delineate a wildlife corridor between the Bardia National Park in Nepal and Katerniyaghat Wildlife Sanctuary in India. Data obtained from maps, a questionnaire and vegetation survey were integrated and used to quantify land cover and land use patterns. It proved difficult to delineate the boundary of corridors in a landscape consisting of diverse land types, when each is managed differently. Instead of delineating forest areas as a corridor, the integrated conservation of all land parcels, including private and settlement areas, provided the best approach. This makes the corridor a basic unit of management, and makes it convenient to deal with all issues in an integrated and holistic way.
Analysis of genetic variation of hemagglutinin and three internal genes of influenza B virus isolated in Zhejiang province from 1999 to 2012

Objective To explore the characteristics of the genetic variation of hemagglutinin (HA) and three internal genes coding for the nucleoprotein (NP),matrix protein (M) and nonstructural protein (NS) of influenza B virus.Methods A total of 31 strains of influenza B virus were isolated in Zhejiang province from 1999 to 2012,and then were amplified and sequenced the genes of HA1,NP,M and NS.The phylogenetic tree was constructed,the nucleotide substitution rate of the above individual gene was estimated and the variation sites of amino acids were analyzed.Results The 31 isolated strains of influenza B virus were divided into two distinct lineages Victoria and Yamagata in the phylogenetic tree of HA1 gene,represented by B/Victoria/2/87 and B/Yamagata/16/88.Phylogenetic analysis of the NP gene showed that the NP gene of Victoria-like influenza B strains which were isolated after 2010 was highly homologous with Yamagata-like isolates,and thereby they were found to be on the same branch of the phylogenetic tree of the NP gene.Nucleotide substitution rates of HA1,NP,M and NS genes were estimated to be 2.29 × 10-3,1.39 × 10-3,1.78 × 10-3,1.30 × 10-3/site per year,respectively.Variations of amino acid of HA1 domain of Victoria-like isolates mainly included K48E,L58P,N75 K,K80R,K129N/S,N165 K,S172P,S197N/D and A202V; while those in Yamagata-like isolates were R48K,S1501,N166Y,N203S,G230D and D233N.Determined amino acid sequences of NP of Victoria-like influenza B isolates were similar to Yamagata-like isolates after 2010 and variations happened on four characteristic amino acid sites,naming A60D,L233V,N513S and V5341,compared with previous Victoria-like influenza B isolates.Conclusion Significant variation was found among influenza B strains isolated in Zhejiang province from 1999 to 2012.The surface HA1 gene evolved more rapidly than internal genes.Gene reassortment and gene mutation were the main evolutionary mechanism of influenza B virus. Key words: Influenza B virus; Hemagglutinin glycoproteins,influenza virus; Genetic variation
Over-gratified, under-gratified, or just right? Applying the gratification discrepancy approach to investigate recurrent Facebook use

Abstract The near constant use of social networking sites (SNSs) raises questions about what drives repeated returns to the same SNS, often multiple times a day. This study explores recurrent use of SNSs, in particular Facebook, through the lens of a gratification discrepancy approach. The gap between gratifications sought from Facebook use and gratifications obtained from it may be one mechanism driving frequent returns to Facebook. Using an activity-triggered experience sampling method, we collected data about gratifications at the beginning and at the end of Facebook sessions, as well as behavioral data about the length, number, and intervals between Facebook sessions over a weeklong period. The findings link repeated Facebook use to both gratification discrepancy and strength of habit. First, as evidenced by a curvilinear relationship between gratification discrepancies and time lag between Facebook sessions, feeling both extremely under-gratified and over-gratified were associated with more frequent returns to Facebook. Second, Facebook session duration was positively associated with gratification satisfaction. Finally, the strength of habit and gratification satisfaction predicted the number of Facebook sessions per day.
Sex Education: Piagetian Stages and Children's Perceptions of Sexuality

Three Piagetian cognitive developmental stages, preoperational (two - seven years), concrete operational (six - 11 years), and formal operational (12+ years), provide a framework for examining how ...
Structural Basis for Selectivity in Flavin-Dependent Monooxygenase-Catalyzed Oxidative Dearomatization

Biocatalytic reactions embody many features of ideal chemical transformations, including the potential for impeccable selectivity, high catalytic efficiency, mild reaction conditions, and the use o...
Indelible Plantation Imprints in Trans-American Poetics

"Indelible Plantation Imprints in Trans-American Poetics" is a book review of Elizabeth Christine Russ's The Plantation in the Postslavery Imagination (New York, Oxford University Press, 2009), 212 pp.
Evaluating a concentrating solar power plant as an extended-duration peaking resource

Abstract We explore the ability of a concentrating solar power (CSP) plant with thermal energy storage (TES) to provide peaking capacity. We focus on future power systems, wherein net load patterns may be significantly different than they are today (e.g., due to higher renewable-energy penetrations). We examine 28 locations in the southwestern United States over an 18-year period. The hourly operation of the CSP plants are simulated to determine their potential to provide energy during an eight-hour peak-load window for each day up to 365 days per year. Our result shows that for the large majority of locations and years, CSP plants with certain configurations (i.e., in terms of solar field and TES sizes) can provide nearly 100% peak-load capacity. We examine also the amount of supplemental energy (e.g., by using natural gas as a supplemental thermal-energy source) that would be required to ensure that a CSP plant could serve the eight highest-load hours of every day of the year. We find that in most cases, a CSP plant supplemented with natural gas would require less than 5% of the fuel that is used by a natural-gas fired power plant providing the same level of reliable capacity. A series of sensitivity analyses show that these results are robust to the number of peak-load hours and days that are considered and the configuration of the CSP plant.
Does tranexamic acid improve intra-operative visualisation in endoscopic ear surgery? A double-blind, randomised, controlled trial.

ObjectiveTo assess the effect of tranexamic acid on intra-operative bleeding and surgical field visualisation.MethodsFifty patients undergoing various endoscopic ear surgical procedures, including endoscopic tympanoplasty, endoscopic atticotomy or mastoidectomy, endoscopic ossiculoplasty, and endoscopic stapedotomy, were randomly assigned to: a study group that received tranexamic acid or a control group which received normal saline. The intra-operative bleeding and operative field visualisation was graded using the Das and Mitra endoscopic ear surgery bleeding and field visibility score, which was separately analysed for the external auditory canal and the middle ear.ResultsThe Das and Mitra score was better (p < 0.05) in the group that received tranexamic acid as a haemostat when working in the external auditory canal; with respect to the middle ear, no statistically significant difference was found between the two agents. Mean values for mean arterial pressure, heart rate and surgical time were comparable in both groups, with no statistically significant differences.ConclusionTranexamic acid appears to be an effective haemostat in endoscopic ear surgery, thus improving surgical field visualisation, especially during manipulation of the external auditory canal soft tissues.
High-Efficiency AlGaN Tunnel Junction Deep Ultraviolet LEDs Operating at 265 nm

Tunnel-injected deep ultraviolet LEDs using a ∼2.5 nm GaN tunnel junction, with emission peak at 265 nm have been demonstrated with a maximum external quantum efficiency reaching ∼8% and wall plug efficiency reaching ∼4.5%.
Interactions of approach motivation and self-regulation in relation to obesity in children.

Motivation and self-regulation are two psychological systems that have been shown to be related to childhood obesity. This study evaluated independent and interactive associations of approach-oriented motivation (i.e., drive and reward responsiveness) and self-regulation (i.e., self-control and behavioral regulation) in relation to age- and sex-adjusted body mass index-z scores (BMI-z) in children. Children (55% female; Mage = 12.5 years ± .93) completed questionnaires assessing motivation and self-regulation, and anthropometric measurements were taken by research staff cross-sectionally. Regressions revealed no independent associations of approach motivation or self-regulation and BMI-z. There were interactions between the drive facet of approach motivation, which assesses motivation to follow goals, and self-regulation in relation to BMI-z. Children with lower motivation to follow goals and lower self-regulation had higher BMI-z, and children with lower motivation to follow goals and higher self-regulation had lower BMI-z. Children with higher motivation to follow goals had similar BMI-z at all levels of self-regulation. For children with low motivation to follow goals, self-regulation may be an important buffer of high BMI-z. Level V: cross-sectional descriptive study.
Laparoscopic repair of interparietal abdominal wall hernias

Interparietal hernias are rare abdominal defects where intraabdominal contents protrude between layers of the abdominal wall. There is limited experience using laparoscopic technique for repairing substantially large interparietal hernias. Computed tomography scans of both cases herein demonstrated intact external oblique, but the internal oblique and transversus abdominis were widely detached from the linea semilunaris. Our experience demonstrates the largest interparietal hernias treated entirely with laparoscopic repair, which successfully resolved symptoms and abdominal wall irregularity, as well as allowed discharge on the first postoperative day without complication.
Children's conception of personality traits. Commentary

Research on children's understanding of traits has been embedded in an incomplete view of children's social cognitive abilities and in only a relatively implicit understanding of what trait terms are. This article draws on the philosophical literature on dispositional concepts and on recent work in social cognition to pose new questions about the development of trait terms. Following a brief critique of previous studies, two conceptions of trait are presented - behavioural regularities and causal mechanisms - and ways of distinguishing them are suggested