cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Spontaneous squamous cysts and squamous epithelial plaques in the heart of cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis)

Summary Squamous cysts and squamous epithelial plaques were observed in a total of seventeen cynomolgus monkeys. Eleven monkeys had squamous cysts, three of them also revealed squamous plaques and six revealed squamous plaques exclusively. At necropsy, cysts were recognized as yellow-white nodules with a smooth surface, that were located superficially along the interventricular septum, on the surface of the left ventricle or the apex of the heart. Microscopically, cysts were lined by a flattened epithelium and filled with keratin. Occasionally the epithelium was multi-layered or replaced by a rim of foreign body-type multinucleated giant cells. All animals with squamous cysts came from Mauritius, while those with squamous plaques came from Mauritius, China and Vietnam. As discussed in man, squamous cysts and plaques in cynomolgus monkeys are considered to represent displaced foregut epithelium, that was sequestered in the dorsal mesocardium prior to closure of the pleuropericardial fold during early embryologic development.
Biotin uptake by basolateral membrane vesicles of human placenta: normal characteristics and role of ethanol.

AbstractThis study assessed the mechanism of uptake of biotin by the fetal-facing (basolateral) membrane of the term human placenta. Using membrane vesicles, we showed that most of the uptake was attributable to transfer of the vitamin into the vesicle and that the uptake was saturable, Na-dependent, carrier-mediated, and electroneutral. The rate of uptake was less than for biotin uptake by the maternal-facing (apical) membrane of the human placenta. Because ethanol inhibits biotin uptake by the apical membrane, the effect of ethanol on uptake by basolateral vesicles was investigated. With 10-hr exposure at a concentration of 2 and 3 mg/ml, but not 1 mg/ml, ethanol modestly inhibited biotin uptake. The mechanism of inhibition by alcohol is not known.
"Pause and plan" includes the liver: self-regulatory effort slows alcohol metabolism for those low in self-control.

Abstract During self-regulatory effort, a series of potentially energy-saving changes occur in the heart and immune system. The present study tested the possibility that one function of the liver, alcohol metabolism, also slows in the presence of self-regulatory effort. Young men ( N = 19) received a small dose of alcohol and performed either self-regulatory tasks or identical tasks without a self-regulatory component, counterbalanced across two sessions. There was no main effect of condition on alcohol metabolism; however, trait self-control moderated the effect of condition such that those with higher trait self-control metabolized alcohol at similar rates across conditions, whereas those with lower trait self-control experienced a slowing of alcohol metabolism in the high self-regulation condition compared with the low self-regulation condition. This finding adds changes in liver metabolism to the “pause and plan” profile of self-regulation and suggests that trait self-control reduces the effort associated with self-regulatory tasks.
Hereditary properties of hypergraphs

A hereditary property P^(^k^) is a class of k-graphs closed under isomorphism and taking induced sub-hypergraphs. Let P"n^(^k^) denote those k-graphs of P^(^k^) on vertex set {1,...,n}. We prove an asymptotic formula for log"2|P"n^(^k^)| in terms of a Turan-type function concerning forbidden induced sub-hypergraphs. This result complements several existing theorems for hereditary and monotone graph and hypergraph properties.
Serum ascorbic acid and other correlates of self-reported cataract among older Americans.

The purpose of this study was to examine the correlates of self-reported cataract among older Americans, and specifically, to determine whether serum ascorbic acid levels are associated with a decreased prevalence of cataract. A national probability survey of Americans, the Second National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES II), was conducted between 1976 and 1980. A total of 4001 participants were included between the ages of 60 and 74 years with data on serum ascorbic acid level and other variables of interest. A total of 252 women (12%) and 164 men (9%) reported a history of cataract. Serum ascorbic acid level was inversely associated with prevalence of cataract in multiple logistic regression analyses; each 1 mg/dl increase was independently associated with a 26% decrease in cataract (P = 0.03). Other independent correlates of cataract included increasing age, female sex, smoking, and diabetes mellitus (all P < 0.01). We identified four correlates of cataract among older Americans: serum ascorbic acid level, increasing age, smoking, and diabetes mellitus. Ascorbic acid, a water-soluble antioxidant found in high concentrations in the lens, may be of importance for the prevention of cataract among older Americans.
Advertising and monopoly power: The case of the electric utility industry

With respect to R-H's conclusion, the authors stand by their original hypothesis and results given in their paper. Furthermore, although 1974 is likely a transitional year, it is more comparable to 1977 than to 1967. Thus, R-H's results support, rather than contradict, the results of the C-C study.
Diesel Aftertreatment Modeling: A Systems Approach to NOx Control

Stringent North American emission regulations present several challenges for lean-burn diesel vehicles that offer significant fuel economy advantages over gasoline vehicles. This article presents a useful systems approach to developing robust models and combining them to analyze diesel aftertreatment (AT) technologies: (1) the diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) that oxidizes carbon monoxide (CO), unburned hydrocarbons (HCs), and nitric oxide (NO), and stores HCs and (2) the urea-based selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalyst that hydrolyzes aqueous urea to ammonia (NH3), which, in turn, reduces nitrogen oxides (NOx). The DOC and SCR models integrate information from multiple sourcesdetailed thermal balances, laboratory performance data, phenomenological descriptions of adsorption and desorption in the catalyst, and experience-based correlationsusing optimization and statistical tools. The DOC model predicts cumulative HC and CO tailpipe vehicle emissions as well as DOC NOx outlet composition (NO vs NO2)...
Small Body Rendezvous Mission Using Solar Electric Ion Propulsion: Low Cost Mission Approach and Technology Requirements

This paper shows that existing solar electric ion propulsion technology can deliver substantial payloads to important small bodies for an effective cost.
Decompression: a living laboratory in cyberspace

Decompression is a proposed cyberworld created by electronically collaging multiple stories and images of the contiguous worlds of technology, science and art. The developing Decompression centers around Ocean Landmark (1980), a collaborative art work that transformed 500 tons of an industrial coal waste product into a thriving underwater environment that is fished and feeds people. Decompression will image —for the first time— Ocean Landmark in its life-sustaining form. The technologically mediated images of this underwater oasis will be dynamic images visually related to sonograms, such as images of the fetus (a highly technologically mediated dynamic image) and side-scan sonar. As Ocean Landmark is a flourishing ecosystem, Decompression will develop into Living Laboratory, a thriving information-system in cyberspace. Modeled on virtual environments in which the user's perception and spatial position affects their experience of the space, Living Laboratory will be a dynamically changing art space with an architecture that combines technologically mediated images and virtual diverse perceptual displays. The realized Ocean Landmark, a model for ecological equilibrium in the invisible underwater world, is an interdisciplinary project that for two decades has resided in the domain of the imagination. By visualizing Ocean Landmark's invisible realm, Living Laboratory will elucidate and elaborate virtual perceptual models of different ways of experiencing information within a contemporaneous context. This Living Laboratory will grow, develop and evolve into a mature and provocative discursive community.
Below-knee residual limb shape change measurement and visualization☆☆☆

Abstract Objective: The ability to measure and visualize shape change (deformation) of a residual limb within and between prostheses is an important step toward improved prosthetic fit assessment. The objective was to develop measurement and visualization methods for below-knee residual limb soft tissue shape change after donning and loading a prosthesis to detect small shape changes (30mm or less). Design: Spiral X-ray computed tomography imaging was utilized to acquire 3D volumetric data of the below-knee residual limb and prosthesis in situ from poor- and a good-fitting prostheses without and with a load. A new sum projection depth-shaded cylindrical mapping technique to measure and visualize small changes in shape was developed. From the volumetric data, the relative displacement of small lead markers placed on the residual limb's skin surface were measured using multiplanar reconstruction images and cylindrical maps. Displacement measurements averaging 15mm or less were obtained. Results: The precision and accuracy was 1mm and 2mm, respectively, when measuring the shape change or deformation of the skin surface from the sum projection cylindrical maps. The skin surface deformation was at least 7mm or greater when comparing marker locations between scans with the prostheses in situ. Conclusion: These new image-based measurement and visualization methods provide a feasible means for measuring and displaying lower extremity residual limb shape change within and between different prostheses with and without loading.
Integrating Technology Traits and Producer Heterogeneity: A Mixed-Multinomial Model of Genetically Modified Corn Adoption

This article proposes a model of technology adoption that integrates demand for individual traits of new technologies with the potential for heterogeneity based on farm and farmer characteristics. The model is applied to recent genetically modified corn adoption data from Minnesota and Wisconsin farmers, using a mixed-multinomial logit (MMNL) model to estimate the effects of traits and farm and farmer characteristics on adoption outcomes. This approach allows explicit recovery of estimates of farmers’ shadow prices for individual technology traits. Results show the importance of producer and regional heterogeneity in preferences for seed traits.
Pinnatanine and oxypinnatanine, novel amino acid amides from Staphylea pinnata L.

Two novel amino acids amides, pinnatanine and oxypinnatanine, have been isolated from Staphylea pinnata L. Their respective structures have been established as N5-(2-hydroxymethylbutadienyl)-l-allo-γ-hydroxyglutamine and N5-(3-hydroxymethyl-2,5-dihydro-2-furyl)-l-allo-γ-hydroxyglutamine by spectral methods and chemical degradation.
Effects of exercise on vasodilatory capacity in endurance- and resistance-trained men

To determine vasodilatory responsiveness we measured forearm blood flow (FBF) following reactive hyperemia (RH), prior to and following a bout of maximal aerobic exercise in endurance- (n=14) and resistance-trained men (n=10). Both groups were similar in height, body mass, and percentage body fat. Using strain-gauge plethysmography, resting FBF was higher in the resistance-trained group [4.82 (0.84) vs 3.33 (1.17) ml min−1 100 ml−1 of tissue; P<0.05]. However, the resistance-trained group had a 17%–29% lower pre-exercise FBF response to RH for the first 45 s (P<0.05). Following the maximal exercise bout there were no group differences in FBF. Post-exercise FBF was higher compared to pre-exercise values in both the endurance- (P<0.001) and resistance- (P<0.01) trained groups. Endurance-trained men appear to have a greater peak vasodilatory capacity compared to resistance-trained men, and acute maximal exercise increased the vasodilatory capacity in both groups. Acute exercise also equalized the peak vasodilatory response between the endurance- and resistance-trained groups, suggesting the potential for flow-mediated vasodilatation was similar for both groups.
Invisible and slow: small business and the “civic-ness” of Russia's regions, 1991–2009

This article suggests that incremental small business development across Russia's regions has been associated with greater “civic-ness” as defined by civil society activism, diversity, and independence of regional press and media, greater transparency in regional and municipal policy deliberations, and greater dispersion of power among governors, mayors, legislatures, and courts. A retrospective analysis of regional variation over the period 1991–2009 allows for a theoretically informed inquiry into the mutuality of property rights, entrepreneurship, norms of citizenship, and liberal democracy. While Russia has become more authoritarian at least since the mid 2000s, the variation in governance across regions remained significant, creating a promising basis for exploring the reasons for this variation. Might democratization viewed comparatively across regions be associated with the extent of liberalization of regional economies and specifically with the extent of small business development?
Pemphigus vulgaris: Results of treatment with gold as a steroid-sparing agent in a series of thirteen patients

Between 1974 and 1981, thirteen patients with pemphigus vulgaris were treated with prednisone supplemented by gold salts. Therapy resulted in excellent responses in eleven of the thirteen, with complete remission in seven. At a mean follow-up of 48.8 months, five patients still had complete remission and required no further treatment. Treatment of pemphigus vulgaris initially with prednisone followed by gold compounds is recommended as an important modality with relatively low morbidity and may permit lower effective doses of corticosteroids to be employed, occasionally even permitting their complete withdrawal.
Physical disability and the experience of chronic pain

Abstract Dudgeon BJ, Gerrard BC, Jensen MP, Rhodes LA, Tyler EJ. Physical disability and the experience of chronic pain. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2002;83:229-35. Objectives: To obtain an insider's view about disability-related pain to help rehabilitation clinicians understand the experience and to show how people with disability manage daily living and encounters with other people. Design: Qualitative methods by using open-ended interviews and thematic analysis. Setting: Rehabilitation research program. Participants: Nine adults with chronic physical disability and pain were recruited from study groups. The 9 included people with spinal cord injury, acquired amputation, or cerebral palsy. Intervention: Interview protocol. Main Outcome Measure: Phenomenologic analysis of interviews based on codewords derived from interview topics and themes. Results: Study participants described pain as a part of daily living that influenced many lifestyle decisions. They characterized pain as plural, meaning that it has multiple locations, distinctive descriptions, and different implications. They also were concerned about pain being a mystery, having unclear causes and consequences. Typically they described pain as a personal venture, with little or dissatisfying communication about pain with family, friends, or health care providers. Conclusions: Understanding pain associated with physical disability can help guide rehabilitation practitioners in their pain assessments, interventions, and related research. Our findings suggest that some people with disability-related pain may benefit from reassurance and specific planning for expected and unexpected pain episodes. © 2002 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
From Peasant to Worker: Migration, Masculinity, and the Making of Mexican Workers in the US

This article examines Mexican migration to the US during the Bracero Program, the unofficial name for the series of US-Mexico agreements that brought Mexican men to work in US agricultural fields from 1942 to 1964. Juxtaposing Mexican and US states' goals for the Program to migrants' understandings of their journeys, the article shows how this migration disrupted men's subjectivities, even as it simultaneously provided the mechanisms to resecure gender and class subjectivities and claims in crucial way. Revealed, ultimately, is what was forged in the wake of this migration: a new kind of historical actor, transnationally gendered and classed.
X-Ray Scattering from Gold Labeled Supported Membranes

X-ray scattering is a promising tool with which to characterize systems of solid-supported membranes. There are many different scattering techniques used in the characterization, but all suffer from a necessarily low electron density contrast between the membrane and the water medium in which it must exist. Labeling membranes with a high-contrast scatterer such as gold is a promising avenue to solve this problem. In this work, silicon-supported membranes of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) were prepared by both standard Langmuir-Blodgett deposition and fusion of vesicles onto the substrate surface. Membranes are characterized using specular x-ray reflectometry, and modeled to fit physical systems. One percent by count 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-phosphoethanolamine (DPPE) with a gold tag attached was then added to both systems. Gold labeled membranes were then characterized and modeled. The effect of gold labeling is shown to characteristically change the membrane density profile in addition to enhancing density contrast between the membrane and the water medium.
Concordance between two methods of assaying the plasma effects on chicken erythrocyte metabolism.

IN THE previous communication, studies were reported describing the distribution of a plasma antibody among chronic schizophrenics, normal volunteers, and chronically hospitalized psychiatric patients with diagnoses other than schizophrenia.1 The plasma antibody had been previously shown to stimulate aerobic glycolysis of chicken erythrocytes through a mechanism associated with complement-linked immune lysis.2 By the biochemical assays used, it was not possible to distinguish schizophrenics from the other chronically hospitalized patients studied. The plasmas of normal volunteers tended to have a slightly lesser effect on chicken erythrocytes than did the plasmas of the other two groups. To interpret these findings and relate them to earlier reports of FROHMAN et a1.,3~4 it seemed desirable to compare the results obtained using our bioassay methods with those obtained in simultaneous studies by Frohman and his colleagues at the Lafayette Clinic. Collaborative studies were therefore undertaken with the Lafayette Clinic (L.C.) group. The two groups, using independent methods, tested simultaneously the plasmas of the same subjects to determine whether the rank order of results obtained by the method for estimating the terminal ratio of lactate to pyruvate (L/P) corresponded to the ranked results obtained using our method for measuring net lactate accumulation (AL). These studies were done in two parts. The first was conducted at the Northville State Hospital (Northville, Michigan) and the second at the Rockland State Hospital (Orangeburg, New York). The patients and volunteers used in the first part had been studied previously by FROHMAN and co-workers.374
Going, Going, Gone? The Apparent Demise of the Accruals Anomaly

Consistent with public statements made by sophisticated practitioners, we document that the hedge returns to Sloan's (Sloan, R. G. 1996. Do stock prices fully reflect information in accruals and cash flows about future earnings? Accounting Rev.71(3) 289--315) accruals anomaly appear to have decayed in U.S. stock markets to the point that they are, on average, no longer reliably positive. We explore some potential reasons why this has happened. Our empirical analyses suggest that the anomaly's demise stems in part from an increase in the amount of capital invested by hedge funds into exploiting it, as measured by hedge fund assets under management and trading volume in extreme accrual firms. A decline in the size of the accrual mispricing signal, as measured by the magnitude of extreme decile accruals and the relative persistence of cash flows and accruals, may also play a (weaker) role. This paper was accepted by Stefan Reichelstein, accounting.
Surface viscosities of mixed unimolecular films

Abstract Variations of the surface viscosities with surface pressure of binary mixed monolayers of stearic acid with octadecanol and with arachidic acid were measured. A torsional surface viscometer was employed together with a horizontal-type film balance and a surface trough which was maintained at 25.00°C. The observed fluidities indicated that homogeneous surface solutions were formed throughout the entire composition ranges of both mixtures. The long-chain fatty acid mixtures appeared to give nearly perfect monolayer solutions, whereas complex intermolecular interactions occurred in the acid + alcohol solutions.
Detection of chromosomal aberrations by a whole-genome microsatellite screen.

Chromosomal aberrations are a common cause of multiple anomaly syndromes that include developmental and growth retardation. Current microscopic techniques are useful for the detection of such aberrations but have a limit of resolution that is above the threshold for phenotypic effect. We hypothesized that a genomewide microsatellite screen could detect chromosomal aberrations that were not detected by standard cytogenetic techniques in a portion of these individuals. To test this hypothesis, we performed a genomewide microsatellite screen of patients, by use of a currently available genetic-marker panel that was originally designed for meiotic mapping of Mendelian traits. We genotyped ∼400 markers on 17 pairs of parents and their children who had normal karyotypes. By using this approach, we detected and confirmed two cases of segmental aneusomy among 11 children with multiple congenital anomalies. These data demonstrate that a genomewide microsatellite scan can be used to detect chromosomal aberrations that are not detected by microscopic techniques.
The intelligence of rapists

IQs of rapists were compared to IQs of nonrapist prisoners convicted of violent crimes and nonrapist prisoners convicted of nonviolent crimes. Subjects were 136 male convicted felons in the Kentucky State Penitentiary. Determination of violent vs. nonviolent crimes other than rape was made upon consultation with a Kentucky Commonwealth Attorney. The results revealed significantly lower IQs for rapists compared to nonrapists convicted of violent crimes and compared to heterogeneous nonrapist convicts. The present research supports the findings of Karacan and co-workers, indicating a general tendency for rapists to have lower IQs than other convicted prisoners.
Reduced order modeling of passive and quasi-active dendrites for nervous system simulation

Accurate neuron models at the level of the single cell are composed of dendrites described by a large number of compartments. The network-level simulation of complex nervous systems requires highly compact yet accurate single neuron models. We present a systematic, numerically efficient and stable model order reduction approach to reduce the complexity of large dendrites by orders of magnitude. The resulting reduced dendrite models match the impedances of the full model within the frequency range of biological signals and reproduce the original action potential output waveforms.
X-ray structures, photophysical characterization, and computational analysis of geometrically constrained copper(I)--phenanthroline complexes.

A series of three geometrically constrained C2-symmetric Cu(I) mono-phenanthroline complexes were characterized by X-ray structural analysis, and their photophysical properties were investigated by absorption and emission spectroscopy. Visible light excitation yielded metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) excited states with luminescence lifetimes up to 155 ns. Ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy provided further insights into the excited-state dynamics and suggests for all three complexes the formation of a phenanthroline radical anion. In agreement with electrochemical measurements, the data further indicate that coordinative rearrangements are involved in nonradiative deactivation of the excited states. According to time-dependent density functional theory calculations (B3LYP/6-31G**), the major MLCT transitions are polarized along the C2 axis of the complex and originate predominantly from the copper dxz orbital. The computational analysis identifies an excited-state manifold with a number of...
GreenColo: A novel incentive mechanism for minimizing carbon footprint in colocation data center

As an integral part of our digital economy, data centers are growing rapidly, devouring a formidable amount of energy and leaving a huge carbon footprint. While owner-operated data centers (e.g., Google) can implement various power management techniques to reduce energy consumption, colocation data centers, which offer a "halfway" solution to users who do not want to build their own data centers or completely resort to public clouds, suffer from "split incentive" that creates a barrier for greenness: colocation operator desires greenness but does not have control over tenants' servers; tenants who own the servers may not be willing to manage their servers for greenness unless they are properly incentivized. In this paper, we aim at minimizing the carbon footprint of a colocation data center while satisfying the colocation operator's long-term budget constraint. To break the split-incentive barrier and satisfy the budget constraint, we develop a dynamic incentive framework, called GreenColo, in which tenants can voluntarily submit energy reduction bids along with their desired payment and, if accepted, will be financially rewarded for energy reduction. GreenColo can be implemented online based on the currently available information (e.g., tenants' bids and current carbon efficiency) and dynamically select winning bids to minimize carbon footprint. We demonstrate the effectiveness of GreenColo both analytically and empirically. Our trace-based simulation results show that GreenColo can reduce carbon footprint by 18%, while the colocation operator does not incur any additional cost (compared to the no-incentive baseline case) and tenants may save up to 25% of their colocation costs.
Prefrontal projections to the medial nuclei of the dorsal thalamus in the rabbit

Retrograde transport of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) from the mediodorsal (MD), ventromedial (VM), ventroposterior (VP) and intralaminar (IL) nuclei of the dorsal thalamus revealed a topographical pattern of efferents from the frontal cortex. MD injections labeled the midline and insular regions of the prefrontal cortex (Pfc), including the anterior limbic, and most ventral part of the precentral agranular Pfc, as well as the agranular insular cortex. VM injections labeled only the most dorsomedial part of the granular insular cortex, whereas IL and VP injections labeled the dorsal precentral agranular Pfc and a strip of cortex that extended laterally across the superior aspect of the forceps minor. The IL injections also labeled cells that extended ventrally into the granular and agranular insular areas.
Compressive and ultrasonic properties of polyester/fly ash composites

The addition of hollow fillers having appropriate mechanical properties can decrease the density of the resulting composite, called syntactic foams, while concurrently improving its mechanical properties. In this study, hollow fly ash particles, called cenospheres, are used as fillers in polyester matrix material. Cenospheres are a waste by-product of coal combustion and, as such, are available at very low cost. In this study, the composites were synthesized by settling cenospheres in a glass tube filled with liquid polyester resin and subsequently curing the resin. This process resulted in a functionally graded structure containing a gradient in the cenosphere volume fraction along the sample height. Uniform radial sections were cut from each composite and were characterized to observe the relationship between cenosphere volume fraction and compressive properties of the composite. The composite was also tested using ultrasonic non-destructive evaluation method. Results show that the modulus of the composites increases with increasing cenosphere volume fraction. The modulus of composites containing more than 4.9 vol% cenosphere was found to be higher than the matrix resin. In general, the modulus of composites increased from 1.33 to 2.1 GPa for composites containing from 4.9–29.5 vol% cenospheres. The specific strength of the composite was found to be as high as 2.03 MPa/(kg/m3) compared to 0.96 MPa/(kg/m3) for the neat resin. Numerous defects present in fly ash particles caused a reduction in the strength of the composite. However, the reduction in the strength was found to be only up to 22%. Increase of over 110% in the specific modulus and only a slight decrease in the strength indicates the possibility of significant saving of weight in the structures using polyester/fly ash syntactic foams.
Molecular mechanisms of oncogene-induced inflammation and inflammation-sustained oncogene activation in gastrointestinal tumors: An underappreciated symbiotic relationship

Inflammation plays an integral part in tumor initiation. Specifically, patients with colitis, pancreatitis, or hepatitis have an increased susceptibility to cancer. The activation, mutation, and overexpression of oncogenes have been well documented in cell proliferation and transformation. Recently, oncogenes were found to also regulate the inflammatory milieu in tumors. Similarly, the inflammatory milieu can promote oncogene activation. In this review, we summarize advances of the symbiotic relationship oncogene activation and inflammation in gastrointestinal tumors such as colorectal, hepatic, and pancreatic tumors. NF-κB and STAT3 are the two most common pathways that are deregulated via these oncogenes. Understanding these interactions may yield effective therapeutic strategies for tumor prevention and treatment.
An application of network' theory to the solution of implicit Navier-Stokes difference equations

Abstract Many natural implicit discretizations of the Navier-Stokes equations can, with the proper identifications, be regarded as systems defining flows on associated networks. In this paper we describe a method which, through the introduction of a different set of network variables, significantly reduces the size of the original system. The method avoids the need to compute pressures, and produces velocities that are exactly discrete divergence free. We illustrate the technique by applying it to the implicit finite difference equations of Krzhivitski and Ladyzhenskaya and an implicit MAC-like finite difference system.
α-Synuclein Misfolding: Single Molecule AFM Force Spectroscopy Study

Abstract Protein misfolding and aggregation are the very first and critical steps in development of various neurodegenerative disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, induced by misfolding of α-synuclein. Thus, elucidating properties of proteins in misfolded states and understanding the mechanisms of their assembly into the disease prone aggregates are critical for the development of rational approaches to prevent protein misfolding-mediated pathologies. To accomplish this goal and as a first step to elucidate the mechanism of α-synuclein misfolding, we applied single-molecule force spectroscopy capable of detecting protein misfolding. We immobilized α-synuclein molecules at their C-termini at the atomic force microscope tips and substrate surfaces, and measured the interaction between the proteins by probing the microscope tip at various locations on the surface. Using this approach, we detected α-synuclein misfolded states by enhanced interprotein interaction. We used a dynamics force spectroscopy approach to measure such an important characteristic of dimers of misfolded α-synuclein as their lifetimes. We found that the dimer lifetimes are in the range of seconds and these values are much higher than the characteristics for the dynamics of the protein in monomeric state. These data show that compared to highly dynamic monomeric forms, α-synuclein dimers are much more stable and thus can serve as stable nuclei for the formation of multimeric and aggregated forms of α-synuclein. Importantly, two different lifetimes were observed for the dimers, suggesting that aggregation can follow different pathways that may lead to different aggregated morphologies of α-synuclein.
Design sensitivity analysis for nonlinear thermal systems

Abstract The Lagrange multiplier method and convolution theory are used to formulate design sensitivities for nonlinear transient thermal systems. Variations of a general design functional are expressed in explicit form with respect to variations in structural shape and the conventional design quantities, i.e., material properties, applied loads, prescribed boundary conditions and initial conditions. The design functional depends on these explicit quantities and the implicit repsonse fields: temperature, temperature gradient, heat flux vector and reaction surface flux. A finite element implementation of the methodology illustrates the formulation.
Modeling of InP metal organic chemical vapor deposition

The growth of InP by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) in a horizontal reactor is being modeled with a commercially available computational fluid dynamics modeling code. The mathematical treatment of the MOCVD process has four primary areas of concern: (1) transport phenomena, (2) chemistry, (3) boundary conditions, and (4) numerical solution methods. The transport processes involved in CVD are described by conservation of total mass, momentum, energy, and atomic species. Momentum conservation is described by a generalized form of the Navier-Stokes equation for a Newtonian fluid and laminar flow. The effect of Soret diffusion on the transport of particular chemical species and on the predicted deposition rate is examined. Both gas-phase and surface chemical reactions are employed in the model. Boundary conditions are specified at the inlet and walls of the reactor for temperature, fluid flow, and chemical species. The coupled set of equations described above is solved by a finite difference method over a nonuniform rectilinear grid in both two and three dimensions. The results of the 2-D computational model is presented for gravity levels of zero- and one-g. The predicted growth rates at one-g are compared to measured growth rates on fused silica substrates.
Convergence properties of the CDMA multidimensional adaptive linear receiver

In this paper we find the theoretical slowest convergence mode for the Multidimensional Adaptive Linear Receiver (MALR) with a received signal consisting of additive white Gaussian noise, multi-access interference, and spatially diverse multitone interference. This convergence mode is used in a decaying exponential that approximates the MSE transient which is directly related to the net effective interference suppression capability of the MALR. We show here that the slowest mode of convergence is related to the AWGN variance.
The numerical solution of coupled differential equations arising from the Schrödinger equation

Abstract Several step-by-step methods for the numerical solution of coupled differential equations are given and compared under realistic circumstances. A variant of the Numerov method is found to be the most efficient. A novel method that consists of approximating the solutions by sets of Airy functions is investigated.
A Structural-Based Constitutive Model for Valvular Tissues Under Generalized Deformation

Passive in nature, heart valves react to the inertial forces exerted by blood flow. Pressure differences operate on the valve leaflets to initiate rapid opening and closure of the valve. In the closed position, the coapted leaflets are exposed to significant transvalvular pressure. In contrast, relatively small pressure gradients are required to initiate an opening or closure event. To facilitate efficient cycling, valve leaflets must demonstrate a high degree of compliance relative to the applied inertial loads while in transition. Functionally the leaflet is required to exhibit diverse properties under varied states and modes of deformation.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Safety and patient experience with transtympanic electrocochleography

Objectives/Hypothesis: Transtympanic electrocochleography (t-ECOG) is a sensitive diagnostic instrument used for Meniere's disease. It is sensitive by virtue of the recording electrode's position on the promontory of the cochlea where the signals are generated. There is concern about the invasive nature of t-ECOG in comparison to extratympanic recording techniques. The purpose of this study was to examine the safety issues, complications, and patient experience with t-ECOG. Study Design: Observational study utilizing retrospective chart review and patient survey. Methods: The medical records of 205 patients who underwent t-ECOG were reviewed for complications. Complications included persistent tympanic membrane perforation, hearing loss, otitis media, otitis externa, ear canal injury, hemotympanum, and pain. An additional 36 patients undergoing t-ECOG were surveyed on subjective measures such as pain during topical anesthesia of the tympanic membrane, during transtympanic placement of the needle electrode, and during the test procedure and overall experience with t-ECOG. Results: There was one case of a nonhealed, persistent perforation in the setting of acute otitis media directly as a result of t-ECOG. Two patients developed otitis media, and three patients had ear pain for up to 5 days. All 36 patients felt the procedure to be tolerable with minimal discomfort. Conclusions: Transtympanic electrocochleography may be performed with good patient acceptance and infrequent complications.
Enabling large-scale scientific workflows on petascale resources using MPI master/worker

Computational scientists often need to execute large, loosely-coupled parallel applications such as workflows and bags of tasks in order to do their research. These applications are typically composed of many, short-running, serial tasks, which frequently demand large amounts of computation and storage. In order to produce results in a reasonable amount of time, scientists would like to execute these applications using petascale resources. In the past this has been a challenge because petascale systems are not designed to execute such workloads efficiently. In this paper we describe a new approach to executing large, fine-grained workflows on distributed petascale systems. Our solution involves partitioning the workflow into independent subgraphs, and then submitting each subgraph as a self-contained MPI job to the available resources (often remote). We describe how the partitioning and job management has been implemented in the Pegasus Workflow Management System. We also explain how this approach provides an end-to-end solution for challenges related to system architecture, queue policies and priorities, and application reuse and development. Finally, we describe how the system is being used to enable the execution of a very large seismic hazard analysis application on XSEDE resources.
Digital System Design: State Machine Versus Microprocessor Controller

This paper considers the use of a microprocessor as a controller for digital systems. It is suggested that the microprocessor controller can be considered as a state machine with each state being defined in terms of possible machine instructions. The strengths and weaknesses of this device are discussed. A design procedure is proposed that allows comparison of a conventional state machine design to microprocessor design of a digital system that contains a sequential controller.
Preverbal infant response to spatiotemporal events : evidence of differential chunking abilities

Abstract The ability of 5-month-old infants to respond to recursive rule structures was investigated by observing infants' visual anticipatory responses to elements of a structured or unstructured sequence of stimuli which appeared in four spatial positions. Recursive sequences were constructed by using specific organizational rules, and response accuracy was analyzed within sequences. Response accuracy was related to sequential structure in the following ways: (a) Infants demonstrated poor response accuracy at serial positions that corresponded to high-level rules and better accuracy at serial positions that corresponded to low-level rules; (b) when response accuracy was plotted across serial positions, only protocols from infants given structured sequences showed the expected functions. Results support a differential chunking hypothesis of infant processing abilities and underscore the importance of structural invariance in the environment.
The influence of continuous vs. pulsed laser excitation on single quantum dot photophysics

The impact of pulsed versus continuous wave (cw) laser excitation on the photophysical properties of single quantum dots (QDs) has been investigated in an experiment in which all macroscopic variables are identical except the nature of laser excitation. Pulsed excitation exaggerates the effects of photobleaching, results in a lower probability of long ON fluorescence blinking events, and leads to shorter fluorescence lifetimes with respect to cw excitation at the same wavelength and average intensity. Spectral wandering, biexciton quantum yields, and power law exponents that describe fluorescence blinking are largely insensitive to the nature of laser excitation. These results explicitly illustrate important similarities and differences in fluorescence dynamics between pulsed and cw excitation, enabling more meaningful comparisons between literature reports and aiding in the design of new experiments to mitigate possible influences of high photon flux on QDs.
Prologue: Recent Advances in Phonological Theory and Treatment: Part II

Each of the articles in this forum considers how phonology interacts with other aspects of language and language learning. The contributors show that this interaction plays a major role in a child's learning of language, whether through typical routes, as evidenced by the normally developing child, or through clinical intervention. These interactions are apparent in both typical and atypical language learning, with the development of the lexicon being closely tied to the development of phonological representations (or URs). The correctness of these URs, as determined from morphophonemic alternations, plays a major role in accounting for children's production patterns and determining what a child "knows" about the target sound system. Finally, the interaction between morphosyntax and phonology can be observed in language learning even when it occurs as a result of clinical intervention. It is hoped that this clinical forum will be informative and enlightening for researchers and clinical professionals.
Desensitization of the NMDA receptor complex by glycinergic ligands in cerebellar granule cell cultures.

Abstract Glutamate neurotoxicity was examined in cultured cerebellar granule neurons following both prolonged (20–24 h) and brief (45 min) exposure to compounds acting at strychnine-insensitive glycine receptors. Glutamate neurotoxicity was reduced in a concentration-dependent fashion by brief exposure to the glycine partial agonists 1-aminocyclopropanecar☐ylic acid (ACPC) and(±)-3-amino-1-hydroxy-2-pyrrolidone (HA-966) and the competitive antagonist, 7-chlorokynurenic acid (7-CK) with a rank order efficacy: 7-CK > HA-966 > ACPC. Neither d -cycloserine ( d -CS) nor glycine affected neurotoxicity produced by maximum glutamate concentrations, while glycine but not d -CS augmented the effects of submaximum glutamate concentrations. Prolonged exposure of cultures to either full (glycine) or partial agonists (ACPC, d -CS, HA-966) abolished the neuroprotective effects of ACPC and significantly diminished the neuroprotective effects of HA-966. In contrast, the neuroprotective effects of 7-CK were only marginally reduced by prolonged exposure to glycinergic ligands, while the neuroprotection afforded by compounds acting at other loci on the NMDA receptor complex (e.g. 2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoate (APV) and dizocilpine (MK-801)) were unaltered. These effects may represent homologous desensitization of the NMDA receptor complex at its strychnine-insensitive glycine receptor induced by prolonged exposure to glycinergic agonists and partial agonists. Nonetheless, levels of the NMDA receptor subunit ζ1 mRNA were unaffected by prolonged exposure to ACPC, indicating the apparent desensitization could involve a post-translational modification of the NMDA receptor complex.
DNA fragments carrying genes for tRNATyrI.

The duplicated genes coding for tRNATyrI have been isolated using site-specific nucleases and gel electrophoresis. An unduplicated sequence of 4–120 base pairs separates the two genes. Specific DNA fragments can be obtained in sizes appropriate for both functional and structural analysis of the tRNATyrI region.
Maternal choline modifies fetal liver copper, gene expression, DNA methylation, and neonatal growth in the tx-j mouse model of Wilson disease.

Maternal diet can affect fetal gene expression through epigenetic mechanisms. Wilson disease (WD), which is caused by autosomal recessive mutations in ATP7B encoding a biliary copper transporter, is characterized by excessive hepatic copper accumulation, but variability in disease severity. We tested the hypothesis that gestational supply of dietary methyl groups modifies fetal DNA methylation and expression of genes involved in methionine and lipid metabolism that are impaired prior to hepatic steatosis in the toxic milk (tx-j) mouse model of WD. Female C3H control and tx-j mice were fed control (choline 8 mmol/Kg of diet) or choline-supplemented (choline 36 mmol/Kg of diet) diets for 2 weeks throughout mating and pregnancy to gestation day 17. A second group of C3H females, half of which were used to cross foster tx-j pups, received the same diet treatments that extended during lactation to 21 d postpartum. Compared with C3H, fetal tx-j livers had significantly lower copper concentrations and significantly lower transcript levels of Cyclin D1 and genes related to methionine and lipid metabolism. Maternal choline supplementation prevented the transcriptional deficits in fetal tx-j liver for multiple genes related to cell growth and metabolism. Global DNA methylation was increased by 17% in tx-j fetal livers after maternal choline treatment (P < 0.05). Maternal dietary choline rescued the lower body weight of 21 d tx-j mice. Our results suggest that WD pathogenesis is modified by maternal in utero factors, including dietary choline.
The Evolution of an Observed Cold Front. Part II: Mesoscale Dynamics

Abstract A detailed analysis is made of a three-dimensional numerical simulation of the evolution of an observed moist frontal system over a 48 h period. The simulated front undergoes an initial period of frontogenetic growth, characterized by an alignment of vertical vorticity and horizontal convergence near the surface. The front then evolves to a mature, quasi-steady state as the line of maximum convergence moves ahead of the maximum vorticity. This phase shift is shown to be the result of a negative feedback mechanism which inhibits further vorticity growth while reducing the amount of viscous damping required to achieve a steady state. The influence of viscosity and surface drag upon this mechanism is also assessed. When moisture is included in the numerical solution, the squall line which develops along the front exhibits a dual updraft structure with low-level convergence near the nose of the front and midlevel convergence located 100 km to the rear at a height of 3 km. This configuration is very s...