cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sex Differences in Visual Attention to Erotic and Non-Erotic Stimuli

It has been suggested that sex differences in the processing of erotic material (e.g., memory, genital arousal, brain activation patterns) may also be reflected by differential attention to visual cues in erotic material. To test this hypothesis, we presented 20 heterosexual men and 20 heterosexual women with erotic and non-erotic images of heterosexual couples and tracked their eye movements during scene presentation. Results supported previous findings that erotic and non-erotic information was visually processed in a different manner by both men and women. Men looked at opposite sex figures significantly longer than did women, and women looked at same sex figures significantly longer than did men. Within-sex analyses suggested that men had a strong visual attention preference for opposite sex figures as compared to same sex figures, whereas women appeared to disperse their attention evenly between opposite and same sex figures. These differences, however, were not limited to erotic images but evidenced in non-erotic images as well. No significant sex differences were found for attention to the contextual region of the scenes. Results were interpreted as potentially supportive of recent studies showing a greater non-specificity of sexual arousal in women. This interpretation assumes there is an erotic valence to images of the sex to which one orients, even when the image is not explicitly erotic. It also assumes a relationship between visual attention and erotic valence.
Developing a University-Wide Instructional Design Blog for Information Sharing and Professional Development

As an interactive communications tool, work-related blogs can offer professionals a way to reflect on their practices and connect with other professionals around the world who have similar backgrounds and interests. Reflection helps practitioners make connections between various information streams, their work experiences, and interactions with clients. Reflection can also help connect educational research with applied practices. This essay focuses on the development and evolution of the Instructional Design Open Studio IDOS blog, which started in early 2006. The IDOS blog was designed as a professional and academic blog to serve the faculty community as a way to disseminate information about e-learning. The author discusses the steps that went into developing the blog, as well as a range of specific issues, including technological, organizational, policy-based, and design. In conclusion, the author shares insight into the overall experience and provides directions for the future.
Elastic and inelastic Stability of a Biological Structure

Abstract The theories of elastic and inelastic stabilities are used to describe the behaviour of the wheat plant under axial and lateral applied forces. A theoretical analysis of the structure of the plant and its stability is presented along with experimental data on the plant's elastic and visco-elastic parameters. The influence of the cross-sectional variation, wind forces and the irregular shape of the plant structure on the critical load and deformation shape are presented theoretically. Experimental data on critical loads, deformation curves and the type of buckling, i.e. elastic, elastic-plastic or plastic are included. The effect of maturity on the plant's elastic and visco-elastic parameters is discussed.
Lean Management in Academic Surgery

Background Lean is a management system designed to enhance productivity by eliminating waste. Surgical practice offers many opportunities for improving efficiency. Our objective was to determine whether systematic implementation of lean thinking in an academic otolaryngology operating room improves efficiency and profitability and preserves team morale and educational opportunities. Study Design In an 18-month prospective quasi-experimental study, a multidisciplinary task force systematically implemented lean thinking within an otolaryngology operating room of an academic health system. Operating room turnover time and turnaround time were measured during a baseline period; an observer-effect period in which workers were made aware that their efficiency was being measured but before implementing lean changes; and an intervention period after redesign principles had been used. The impact on teamwork, morale, and surgical resident education were measured during the baseline and intervention periods through validated surveys. A profit model was applied to estimate the financial implications of the study. Results There was no difference between the baseline and observer-effect periods of the study for turnover time (p = 0.98) or turnaround time (p = 0.20). During the intervention period, the mean turnover time and turnaround time were significantly shorter than during the baseline period (29 vs 38 minutes; p Conclusions Application of lean management techniques to a single operating room and surgical service improved operating room efficiency and morale, sustained resident education, and can provide considerable financial gains when scaled to an entire academic surgical suite.
Technological and other determinants of the international competitiveness of U.S. industries

The development of effective policies to strengthen the competitiveness of the domestic industries already under severe pressure from foreign products, as well as of those industries likely to face such increasing pressures in the years ahead, must be based on more precise diagnoses of the factors undermining their market shares not only in home markets but also abroad. This paper presents some of the emerging conclusions of an exploratory study, supported by the National Science Foundation, concerning the roles of technological innovations and other determinants of the international competitiveness of a small sample of domestic industries. Primary attention has been focused on the steel, tire, machine tool, and robot industries in order to sample different degrees of current and prospective import pressures in domestic markets. But some peripheral attention has also been given to a variety of other industrial sectors which have been experiencing similar pressures.
Colony formation in vitro by leukaemic cells in acute myelogenous leukaemia with phytohaemagglutinin as stimulating factor.

HUMAN bone marrow contains cells which form leukocyte colonies of 50 or more cells. Each such colony arises from a single cell1, belonging predominantly to the myeloid series2,3, which is subject to regulation in vitro by humoral colony-stimulating factor generated by peripheral leukocytes4,5.
Synthesis and Metalation of a Ligand: An Interdisciplinary Laboratory Experiment for Second-Year Organic and Introductory Inorganic Chemistry Students

An interdisciplinary laboratory experiment involving second-year undergraduate organic chemistry and introductory inorganic chemistry undergraduate students is described. Organic chemistry students prepare a series of amine-bis(phenols) via a Mannich reaction, and characterize their products using melting point; FTIR; and 1H, 13C, DEPT-135, and HSQC NMR experiments. In the inorganic chemistry laboratory, students utilize these amine ligands to prepare a series of octahedral titanium complexes, and characterize the resultant complexes using FTIR, and 1H, 13C, DEPT-135, and HSQC NMR spectroscopy. Students are asked to revisit concepts such as the two- and three-dimensional representations of their target molecules and reaction mechanisms throughout both experiments. From these experiments, students gain an appreciation for the multidisciplinary nature of chemistry.
Increasing the efficiency of the retailer's image study

This study shows how the retailer can better identify determinants of patronage by upgrading the semantic differential. By using the concept of ideal points and consumer choice, along with anchoring the image of the retailer to an ideal business and/or to the firm's competitor's image, the retailer can better interpret the image profile of his business.
Hot electrons cathodes in high speed three-terminal devices: do they really make a difference?

Using a two-dimensional self-consistent ensemble Monte Carlo method, the effectiveness of the abrupt heterojunction, planar doped barrier, and doped homojunction as hot electron cathodes in realistic high speed semiconductor device structures is investigated. Both unipolar (vertical FET) and bipolar (heterojunction bipolar transistor) structures are examined, and results of device parameter optimization are given. Steady-state and transient device characteristics are compared, and low temperature (77 K) results are given. It is found that, when properly designed, hot electron cathodes can significantly improve device performance, especially at low temperatures. This potential has not always been realized in fabricated devices because of the complexity of the design. >
Effect on tumor homografts of treating hosts with antiproteolytic enzyme compounds.

SummaryTwo compounds, EACA and SBTI, known suppressors of certain proteolytic enzymes, were administered daily to mice that had been inoculated with a tumor that they normally reject. Nearly half of all the Strain A and C-57Bl mice treated with either agent developed large tumors within 12 days. No tumor growth was seen in any of the untreated control animals. Of the 18 mice given combined doses of both compounds, 15 developed sizable tumors. The tumors always reached a maximum size and then regressed. Therefore, it seems that proteolytic enzymes participate in the rejection of homotransplanted tumors, but that suppressing their effect merely attenuates the immune response, and other mechanisms eventually cause the demise of the tissue.
Online Discussion in a Hybrid Information Literacy Credit Course

This article discusses how an instruction librarian created an online learning community of adult learners in a hybrid, credit­bearing information literacy course. The Blackboard course management system was utilized for weekly course discussion on ethical issues involving the use of information to promote student engagement in the critical evaluation of information, collaboration with members of the online learning community, and construction of new learning through the synthesis of course curriculum with prior learning. Since the opening of California State University, Stanislaus in 1960 (California State University [CSU], Stanislaus, 2006a), instruction librarians have taught adult learners to recognize their need for information, retrieve information efficiently and effectively from a wide array of resources, critically evaluate information, and use information ethically and legally for course assignments or lifelong learning (Association of College and Research Libraries [ACRL], 2000). Due to the rapid advances in the technology used to deliver information, the library’s instructional program has evolved over the past decade to keep pace (Dupuis, 1999).
Space plasma physics from laboratory studies: what can be learned?

Summary form only given, as follows. Over the years, a research community has evolved that explores basic plasma phenomena in the laboratory with emphasis towards understanding space plasma physics. Topics explored cover a range of phenomena encompassing magnetic reconnection, Langmuir turbulence, Alfven wave propagation, plasma double layers, streaming instabilities, dusty plasmas, and shock formation, to name just a few. These experiments generally do not directly simulate astrophysical phenomena because of the disparate scales. Furthermore, the scaling of relevant dimensionless parameters is not always satisfactory, often reflecting the bias of the experimenter in emphasizing what s/he thinks is most relevant to the process under investigation. Rather, emphasis is typically placed on the micro-scale plasma processes with the goal of understanding similar phenomena that contribute to the observed macro-scale behavior (in the magnetosphere, solar corona, etc.). Moreover, understanding these processes over a range of plasma parameters broadens our understanding of basic plasma physics. At Auburn University, this approach is used to explore ion acoustic turbulence, streaming instabilities and lower hybrid cavitation, process all thought to be important in the macro-scale dynamics of the Earth's aurora. A survey of ongoing laboratory space plasma experiments will be attempted, and the problems and questions still facing the community will be addressed.
A Practical Algorithm for Planar Straight-line Grid Drawings of General Trees with Linear Area and Arbitrary Aspect Ratio

Trees are usually drawn using planar straight-line drawings. [2] presented an algorithm for constructing a planar straight-line grid drawing of a degree-d (general) tree with area 0(eta) and any pre-specified aspect ratio in the range [eta-alpha,eta alpha], where 0 < alpha < 1 is any constant, in O(etalogeta) time. Unfortunately, the algorithm of [2] is not suitable for practical use. The main problem is that the constant hidden in the "Oh " notation for area is quite large (for binary trees was 3900). In this paper, we have made several improvements to the algorithm, which make it suitable for practical use. We have also conducted an experiment on this newer version of the algorithm for randomly-generated general trees with up to 50,000 nodes. Our experiment shows that it constructs area-efficient drawings in practice, with area at most 19 times the number of nodes.
STAR*CELL: a flexible manufacturing cell simulator

This paper discusses STARsCELL, a PC-based simulator for the design and evaluation of flexible manufacturing cell (FMC) flow line systems. As a design tool, STARsCELL aids in determining the ideal number of machines, number and assignment of operators, and the size of inter-workstation buffers. The menu-driven simulator also assists in evaluating the impact on cell performance of Just-in-Time (JIT) factors, changes in product mix and demands, and different user-specified job input sequences. The paper provides numerical results for a gear workcell example to illustrate the effects of various design variables on cell performance. A brief discussion of the development, applications, advantages, and limitations of STARsCELL is also presented.
High resolution 3D non contact morphometry

In previous work, tracking of isophase lines in a structured light pattern projected on the human face was used to acquire the 3-D coordinates of the face in real time (1/30th of a second) (see K. Cheung and M.D. Fox, Proc. IEEE EMBS 11th Ann. Conf., p.1655-6, June 1989). In the present work, the author automated tracing of an isophase line to achieve submillimeter 3-D resolution. In contrast to work previously reported, the results obtained here indicate that a fully automated high-resolution system for non-contact morphometry with submillimeter resolution is feasible using readily available hardware and software. Preliminary experimental results suggest that average resolution on the order of .5 mm can be readily obtained through this approach, which should be adequate for many important surgical procedures, including craniofacial and plastic surgical planning and following the healing of facial surgery and trauma. >
Detection of deception using fMRI: Better than chance, but well below perfection

Functional brain imaging has been considered a new and better technique for the detection of deception. The reasoning is that there is a neural locus or circuit for lying that is sensitive, specific, generalizable across individuals and measurement contexts, and robust to countermeasures. To determine the extent to which the group results predicted lying at the level of the individual, we reanalyzed data on 14 participants from a study that had previously identified regions involved in lying (thus satisfying the criterion for sensitivity). We assessed the efficacy of functionally determined brain regions based on the lie-truth contrast for N-1 participants to detect deception in the Nth individual. Results showed that no region could be used to correctly detect deception across all individuals. The best results were obtained for medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), correctly identifying 71% of participants as lying with no false alarms. Lowering the threshold for a response increased hits and false alarms. The results suggest that although brain imaging is a more direct index of cognition than the traditional polygraph, it is subject to many of the same caveats and thus neuroimaging does not appear to reveal processes that are necessarily unique to deception.
Chromatography in a Bed of Spheres

Abstract A computationally efficient method is presented for calculating the combined effects of intraparticle diffusion, interphase mass-transfer resistance, and fluid-phase axial dispersion for chromatography in a column of uniform regularly packed spheres. The method uses an extension of the generalized Sturm-Liouville theory of Ramkrishna and Amundson to adapt the Taylor-Gill-Subramanian dispersion analysis to two-phase systems. The primary utility of the analysis is to determine the importance of diffusional transients and to obtain asymptotic limiting behavior for very long columns. Simple closed-form solutions are given for this limiting condition. Our analysis suggests that the transients neglected in presently used lumped-parameter analyses are in fact often small, especially for small packing diameter and low flow rates. In addition, the Glueckauf and Coates approximation for internal diffusional resistance is found to be a valid asymptotic limit. However, conditions do arise in practice where t...
ESTIMATION OF TRAFFIC VOLUME ON RURAL LOCAL ROADS

Traffic volumes on local roads have not received much attention from highway planners and researchers, although local roads constitute the majority of road mileage in a state. In recent years the need for reliable estimates of vehicle-miles of travel on local roads has been recognized for the analysis of air quality and highway safety issues. To provide a better understanding of traffic volumes on local roads and to explore alternative methods for estimation, data from Georgia were analyzed by using different statistical procedures. The findings of this analysis are presented, along with the results of an attempt to develop a mathematical model for estimation of local road traffic volumes.
Evolutionary implications of hierarchical impacts of nonlethal injury on reproduction, including maternal effects

Nonlethal injury is pervasive in metazoans, but surprisingly little is known about its impact upon reproductive allocation. The impact of injury on reproduction has been explored in some detail in lizards and salamanders, which have tails that are adapted for fat storage but are also injured or lost during predatory and social encounters. We synthesize diverse insights from these studies and propose new hypotheses using graphical models which highlight three distinct, hierarchical effects of injury on reproduction: reproductive inhibition, reduction in propagule number and diminished per-propagule investment (PPI), a maternal effect. Previous studies, which involved experimentally amputating the whole tail, have provided evidence of the first two effects, although there is little evidence of reduced PPI. We assayed these effects in free-ranging Desmognathus salamanders exhibiting naturally occurring injury. Whereas earlier studies found that tail injury prohibits reproduction (precipitating functional conflict), we found that females missing 80% of their tails, including the smallest mature individuals, still reproduce. We also detected a negative correlation between magnitude of injury and PPI, a continuous maternal effect. Continuous (graded) effects of injury on PPI have not been reported previously; neither discrete nor continuous maternal effects due to injury have been previously demonstrated in free-ranging vertebrates. The dearth of evidence for such effects may be due to the design of experimental manipulations that use all-or-nothing treatments. Future studies employing quantitative field data, or more realistic experimental treatments that mimic the continuous distribution of injury are likely to detect maternal effects arising from nonlethal injury. Although our comparative and empirical findings derive from studies of lizards and salamanders, we discuss how they apply in principle to all metazoans. Studies of these effects in nonvertebrate model systems are sorely needed. © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2005, 86, 309–331.
Hutcheson on Natural Religion

Recent scholars have examined the important role of English Deism in the formation of a modern naturalistic approach to the study of human religiosity. Despite the volume of important studies of various aspects of his thought, the role of Francis Hutcheson (1694–1746) in this development has been overlooked. The aim of this paper is to show how Hutcheson develops his own account of the origins of religion, consonant with his more well-known theories in aesthetics and moral philosophy, that diverges sharply from the then-prevailing Deist views. Hutcheson pioneers a psychological account of religion that anticipates the work of nineteenth- and twentieth-century scholars in important ways. At the same time, Hutcheson incorporates his account of the origins of religion into an overall vision of human flourishing.
An automatic weighting scheme for collaborative filtering

Collaborative filtering identifies information interest of a particular user based on the information provided by other similar users. The memory-based approaches for collaborative filtering (e.g., Pearson correlation coefficient approach) identify the similarity between two users by comparing their ratings on a set of items. In these approaches, different items are weighted either equally or by some predefined functions. The impact of rating discrepancies among different users has not been taken into consideration. For example, an item that is highly favored by most users should have a smaller impact on the user-similarity than an item for which different types of users tend to give different ratings. Even though simple weighting methods such as variance weighting try to address this problem, empirical studies have shown that they are ineffective in improving the performance of collaborative filtering. In this paper, we present an optimization algorithm to automatically compute the weights for different items based on their ratings from training users. More specifically, the new weighting scheme will create a clustered distribution for user vectors in the item space by bringing users of similar interests closer and separating users of different interests more distant. Empirical studies over two datasets have shown that our new weighting scheme substantially improves the performance of the Pearson correlation coefficient method for collaborative filtering.
The DAF2-2 mutation, a dominant inhibitor of the STE4 step in the alpha-factor signaling pathway of Saccharomyces cerevisiae MAT alpha cells

A dominant mutation (DAF2-2) resulting in resistance to the mating pheromone alpha-factor in Saccharomyces cerevisiae MATa cells was identified and characterized genetically. Whereas wild-type cells induce a high level of the FUS1 mRNA from a low baseline on exposure to alpha-factor, DAF2-2 cells were constitutive producers of an intermediate level of FUS1 RNA; the level was increased only modestly by alpha-factor. FUS1 constitutivity required STE4, STE5 and STE18, but did not require STE2, the alpha-factor receptor gene. DAF2-2 suppressed the alpha-factor supersensitivity of a STE2 C-terminal truncation, and suppressed lethality due to scg1 mutations. Thus DAF2-2 may act by uncoupling the signaling pathway from alpha-factor binding at some point in the pathway between Scg1 inactivation and the action of Ste4, Ste5 and Ste18; this uncoupling might occur at the expense of partial constitutive activation of the pathway. DAF2-2 suppressed the unconditional cell-cycle arrest phenotype of a dominant "constitutive signaling" allele of STE4 (STE4Hpl), although the constitutive FUS1 phenotype of DAF2-2 was suppressed by ste4 null mutations; therefore DAF2-2 may directly affect the performance of the STE4 step.
Leonardo, a Drosophila 14-3-3 Protein Involved in Learning, Regulates Presynaptic Function

The leonardo gene encodes a conserved member of the 14-3-3 protein family, which plays a role in Drosophila learning. Immunological localization of the protein shows that it is expressed at synaptic connections and enriched in presynaptic boutons of the neuromuscular junction (NMJ). Null leonardo mutants die as mature embryos. Electrophysiological assays of the mutant NMJ demonstrate that basal synaptic transmission is reduced by 30% and that transmission amplitude, fidelity, and fatigue resistance properties are reduced at elevated stimulation frequencies and in low external [Ca2+]. Moreover, transmission augmentation and post-tetanic potentiation (PTP) are disrupted in the mutant. These results suggest that Leonardo plays a role in the regulation of synaptic vesicle dynamics, a function which may underlie synaptic modulation properties enabling learning.
Thermodynamics of proton ionization in dilute aqueous solution

Abstract A calorimetric study has been made of proton ionization in dilute aqueous solution from cycloalkanecarboxylic acids at 10, 25, and 40°. Values of ΔS° are calculated by combining the resulting ΔH° values with ΔG° values obtained from the literature or determined by calorimetric measurements. Values of ΔC°p were calculated from the variation of the ΔH° values with temperature. The trends in ΔS° and ΔC°p are compared to the corresponding values for straight chain aliphatic carboxylic acids.
Neogene marine transgressions, palaeogeography and biogeographic transitions on the Thai-Malay Peninsula

Aim The aim of this review is to contribute to our understanding of the origination of the Sundaic and Indochinese biotas in Southeast Asia. Numerous unsolved problems surround the origination of the differences between these biotas and the determinants of the breadth and current position of the transition between them. Location Literature reviews show that phytogeographical and zoogeographical transitions between the Sundaic and Indochinese subregions lie on the Thai–Malay peninsula just north of the Isthmus of Kra. A second, more widely recognized botanical transition lies 500 km further south at the Kangar–Pattani line near the Thai–Malay border. Results The phytogeographical transition involves 575 genera of plants, and a change from wet seasonal evergreen dipterocarp rain forest to moist mixed deciduous forest. The zoogeographical transition is best characterized for forest birds, and more than half the species present in this region have species boundaries north of the Isthmus of Kra, at 11–13� N latitude. Although the phytogeographical transition is climate-related today, and the avifaunal transition is viewed as being associated with the vegetation change, there is no obvious present day geological, physiographical or environmental feature to account for the origination of the provincial biotas. Similarly, known Neogene palaeoenvironmental changes on the tectonically stable peninsula, including those associated with periods of lower sea levels and the emergence of Sundaland, fail to account for either the origination of the provincial differences or the current position of the transition. Main conclusions Contrary to earlier palaeogeographical reconstructions, it is suggested that Neogene marine transgressions flooded the peninsula in two areas and created circumstances leading to the biogeographical patterns of the present day. The Vail global eustatic curve, supported by the oxygen isotope record, indicates that sea levels were c. 100 m above the present-day level during the early/middle Miocene (24–13 Ma) and again during the early Pliocene (5.5–4.5 Ma). Present topography suggests such high sea stands would have created 30–100-km wide seaways north and south of the Nakhon si Thammarat Range in the central peninsula (southern Thailand). Geological, palaeontological and phylogenetic evidence for such hypothetical seaways is scant (there have been no focussed searches) but does not preclude their occurrence. The role of such Neogene highstands in explaining present day biogeographical patterns in Southeast Asia and elsewhere requires assessment.
Teaching NeuroImages: Perfusion imaging of cerebral hyperperfusion syndrome following revascularization

A 69-year-old man developed acute-onset confusion and hypertension with systolic pressures in the 160s 1 day after carotid endarterectomy for right facial droop from left hemispheric lacunar infarcts. CT perfusion (figure, A-D) demonstrated findings consistent with cerebral hyperperfusion syndrome (CHS) following revascularization. CHS is caused by loss of autoregulation, hypertension, and ischemia-reperfusion injury resulting in increased regional blood flow and vascular congestion.(1) CHS following revascularization may present as ipsilateral headache, focal seizure, or neurologic deficit. Nonperfusion imaging may show intraparenchymal hemorrhage or edema. Labetalol and clonidine are used for aggressive blood pressure control until cerebral autoregulation is restored.(2.)
Institutional Repositories and Research Data Curation in a Distributed Environment

Broadly speaking, the lack of a framework for organizing, preserving, and making research data available for the long term has resulted in valuable datasets becoming lost or discarded. The approach of the Distributed Data Curation Center of the Purdue University Libraries has been to integrate librarians and the principles of library and archival sciences with domain sciences, computer and information sciences, and information technology to address the challenges of managing collections of research data and to learn how to better support interdisciplinary research through data curation. One piece of infrastructure that supports these activities is a “distributed institutional repository” that includes electronic documents, digitized archival collections, and research datasets housed in multiple systems that are connected together using Web Services and other middle-ware. Concurrently, roles for librarians and institutional repositories in data curation are being explored.
On static and dynamic partitioning behavior of large-scale networks

In this paper, we analyze the problem of network disconnection in the context of large-scale P2P networks and understand how both static and dynamic patterns of node failure affect the resilience of such graphs. We start by applying classical results from random graph theory to show that a large variety of deterministic and random P2P graphs almost surely (i.e., with probability 1-o(1)) remain connected under random failure if and only if they have no isolated nodes. This simple, yet powerful, result subsequently allows us to derive in closed-form the probability that a P2P network develops isolated nodes, and therefore partitions, under both types of node failure. We finish the paper by demonstrating that our models match simulations very well and that dynamic P2P systems are extremely resilient under node churn as long as the neighbor replacement delay is much smaller than the average user lifetime
A miR-aculous Advance for a Rare Heart Disorder

Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a relatively rare disorder characterized by acute reduction in the mechanical performance of the heart in mothers in the final month of pregnancy or within the first 5 weeks after delivery. Although the exact etiology of PPCM is not known, there is growing evidence that abnormal processing of the pregnancy-related hormone, prolactin, into a proapoptotic 16-kD isoform could play a causal role in PPCM. Supporting this hypothesis are small studies demonstrating that inhibition of prolactin with the drug bromocriptine can attenuate or even reverse PPCM in certain individuals. However, because of prolactin’s essential role in nursing, bromocriptine is contraindicated in mothers who develop PPCM but wish to breast-feed their infants. In a new study, Halkein et al. report a direct mechanistic link between expression of a microRNA (miRNA) called miR-146a and PPCM that provides new insights into this disease and potential new therapeutic options. The authors first identified miRNAs that were up-regulated by the 16-kD prolactin isoform in cultured human endothelial cells. They next demonstrated that miR-146a can be loaded into exosomes by human endothelial cells and that these exosomes can be absorbed by rat cardiomyocytes. The delivery of miR-146a to mouse cardiomyocytes caused metabolic changes through altered expression of several downstream genes. The authors further demonstrated that blocking miR-146a activity with antisense miRNAs attenuated the decrease in cardiac performance in a genetic mouse model of PPCM, but without impairing prolactin function (the ability of the mice to nurse). Last, the authors found that miR-146a was elevated in the plasma of patients with PPCM and was reduced in those who had favorable responses to bromocriptine treatment. Although preliminary, these results lay the foundation for a new way to diagnose and treat patients with PPCM that avoids the deleterious effects of bromocriptine treatment on nursing mothers. Patients with PPCM could be screened for elevated concentrations of miR-146a and then could be treated with miRNAs that antagonize miR-146a. This new approach would allow nursing mothers with PPCM to continue to nurse while receiving a potentially life-saving therapy. J. Halkein et al ., MicroRNA-146a is a therapeutic target and biomarker for peripartum cardiomyopathy. J. Clin. Invest. 123 , 2143–2154 (2013). [[Full Text]][1] [1]: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/64365
Effect of electric currents on gingival cyclic nucleotides in vivo

Electric currents have been shown to affect a variety of tissues. The objective of this investigation was to determine whether the application of minute electric currents, non-invasively, to cat gingival tissues would alter the immunohistochemical staining pattern of gingival cells for cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP, substances associated with cell stimulation. Three groups of 4 cats each were treated with an electric device delivering 15 ± 2 μamperes d. c. current to the gingiva near one maxillary canine for 1, 3 and 7 days, respectively. Horizontal sections of each maxilla were stained immunohistochemically for either cyclic AMP or cyclic GMP and intensely stained cells near the cathode and anode were counted. Near the cathode the number of gingival cells intensely stained for cyclic nucleotides was doubled by days 1 and 7 but not at day 3. Near the anode larger increases for both cyclic nucleotides were observed at all time periods. Changes were observed in the cellular staining patterns for cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP as a result of the electric stimulation suggesting activation of nuclear protein kinases. These results demonstrate that the stimulation of gingival cells by electric currents involves cyclic nucleotide fluctuations similar to those observed following the application of hormones and drugs.
Transcripts of Tragedy and Truths: An Analysis of Rwanda's Genocide Trial Documents

One of the most significant aspects of Rwanda's recovery from the 1994 genocide has been the gacaca court system, which was established to handle the overwhelming number of genocide-related trials and to arrive at the truth of what happened. Unfortunately, a large gap exists in scholarly understanding of the exchanges in gacaca trials and how the emerging narratives shape the country and its citizens going forward. This article helps address that gap through a Fantasy Theme Analysis of gacaca trial transcripts. That analysis uncovers two competing rhetorical visions constructed by Rwandans to explain the genocide—one providing a macro, top-down vision of the genocide and another providing a micro, bottom-up vision of the crimes and impact of genocide. Important differences and agreements between the two visions are discussed, along with suggestions for future research.
Dynamic Grain State Estimation for High-Density TDMR: Progress and Future Directions

Dynamic grain state estimation (DGSE) algorithms for 2-D magnetic recording (TDMR) employ probabilistic message-passing algorithms that jointly estimate magnetic grain configurations and coded data bits, in order to iteratively assist channel decoding. At high densities (e.g., between 1 and 3 magnetic grains per coded bit), occasionally, a bit will not be written on any grain, and hence will effectively be overwritten (or erased) by bits on surrounding grains. DGSE enables the detection of overwritten bits so that their log-likelihood ratios are assigned small magnitudes, effectively making them erasures, which are easily filled in by linear channel codes. Past papers employing Bahl-Cocke-Jelinek-Raviv-based detectors on a simple four-rectangular-grain model have shown that the DGSE is surprisingly resilient to mismatch between the detector’s assumed grain model and the actual model generating the data. This paper presents a novel DGSE–TDMR detector based on the generalized belief propagation (GBP) algorithm. The new detector employs a random discretized-nuclei Voronoi grain model. Simulation results show that the GBP-based TDMR turbo-detector accurately detects the overwritten bits and that it achieves low decoded bit error rates at densities as high as 0.4966 user bits per grain.
Semantic Parsing via Paraphrasing

A central challenge in semantic parsing is handling the myriad ways in which knowledge base predicates can be expressed. Traditionally, semantic parsers are trained primarily from text paired with knowledge base information. Our goal is to exploit the much larger amounts of raw text not tied to any knowledge base. In this paper, we turn semantic parsing on its head. Given an input utterance, we first use a simple method to deterministically generate a set of candidate logical forms with a canonical realization in natural language for each. Then, we use a paraphrase model to choose the realization that best paraphrases the input, and output the corresponding logical form. We present two simple paraphrase models, an association model and a vector space model, and train them jointly from question-answer pairs. Our system PARASEMPRE improves stateof-the-art accuracies on two recently released question-answering datasets.
Enhanced Motion Control of Powertrain Using a Combination of Active and Passive Mounts

Vibration control of a realistic coupled powertrain and frame system is analytically and computationally studied using a combination of active and passive mounts. Actuators are placed in the powertrain paths for active control, and passive mounts are employed such that the powertrain roll motion is dominant using the torque roll axis motion decoupling concept. To facilitate this study, a new 24 degree of freedom mathematical model for a coupled powertrain and frame is developed with versatility where passive only, active only, or combined active and passive powertrain paths can be selected. Active control forces are defined as constant, real valued amplitudes to counteract the dominate powertrain roll motion. Alternate path models are then quantitatively compared based on the global powertrain motion magnitudes. It is found that superior vibration control is achieved with combined paths, provided all powertrain paths are aligned with the torque roll axis coordinates. Additionally, successful control is dependent on which paths are selected as a combination of active and passive mounts, dictated by the interaction between active control forces and the passive system dynamics.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
EVEN/ODD ANALYSIS OF SHORELINE CHANGES ADJACENT TO FLORIDA'S TIDAL INLETS

Measured shoreline changes up- and downdrift of several tidal inlets on the eastern coast of Florida are decomposed into even and odd components. The odd component of shoreline change is compared to both analytical and numerical predictions of shoreline response to a shore-normal littoral barrier. A best-fit iterative scheme is used for application of the analytical solution. The numerical solution improves upon the analytical approach by accounting for refraction, diffraction, and wave energy dissipation on the ebb tidal shoal. Predicted and measured changes agree reasonably well for several cases, and future refinements and improved long-term wave data are expected to allow more accurate prediction of smaller-scale features.
Failed fertilization in vitro: second day micromanipulation of oocytes versus reinsemination

Objective To compare routine reinsemination with 2nd day micromanipulation in patients with poor day 1 fertilization. Design A retrospective review of patient records. Setting The Mount Sinai Medical Center Assisted Reproductive Technologies Program. Participants Patients undergoing IVF-ET who had poor fertilization ( Main Outcome Measures Fertilization rate, cleavage rate, number of embryo transfers, and pregnancy rate. Results Fertilization rate and cleavage rate were significantly higher in group II patients. Pregnancies per transfer were similar between groups I (3/21, 14.3%) and II (0/9, 0%). Second day fertilization was possible in 9 of 12 group II patients, and fertilization rate was higher than day 1 in all nine, however, only 50% achieved cleavage, and none achieved pregnancy. Conclusions Although micromanipulating oocytes that fail to fertilize may identify occult male factor infertility, may help the clinician plan future cycles, and may result in fertilization and even transfer of embryos in some cycles, there were no pregnancies in our series, and, for now, the clinical efficacy of this procedure remains in question.
Intrinsic plasma rotation and Reynolds stress at the plasma edge in the HSX stellarator

Using multi-tipped Langmuir probes in the edge of the HSX stellarator, the radial electric field and parallel flows are found to deviate from the values calculated by the neoclassical transport code PENTA for the optimized quasi-helically symmetric (QHS) configuration. To understand whether Reynolds stress might explain the discrepancy, fluctuating floating potential measurements are made at two locations in the torus corresponding to the low field and high field sides of the device. The measurements at the two locations show clear evidence of a gradient in the Reynolds stress. However, the resulting flow due to the gradient in the stress is found to be large and in opposite directions for the two locations. This makes an estimation of the flux surface average using a small number of measurement locations impractical from an experimental perspective. These results neither confirm nor rule out whether Reynolds stress plays an important role for the QHS configuration. Measurements made in configurations with the quasi-symmetry degraded show even larger flows and greater deviations from the neoclassically calculated velocity profiles than the QHS configuration while the fluctuation magnitudes are reduced. Therefore, for these configurations in particular, the Reynolds stress is most likely not responsible for the additional momentum.
The Role of Family Income Dynamics in Predicting Trajectories of Internalizing and Externalizing Problems.

Economic disparities in children’s behavioral functioning have been observed in prior research. Yet, studies have ignored important perspectives from developmental psychopathology and have not delineated how aspects of income dynamics (i.e., cumulative family income versus income volatility) differentially relate to behavior problems. To address these limitations, the current study examined how both cumulative income and income volatility predict trajectories of children’s internalizing and externalizing problems from kindergarten through fifth grade in a nationally representative sample of 10,900 children (51.4 % male). Results showed four distinct trajectories of internalizing problems and five distinct externalizing trajectories. Family income dynamics were related to trajectory group membership. Specifically, increased cumulative income decreased risk of membership in mid-increasing and mid-stable internalizing groups, and children whose families experienced multiple waves of income loss were 2.4 times as likely to be in the mid-increasing group instead of the low-stable group. With respect to externalizing, higher cumulative income increased the likelihood of belonging in the group exhibiting stably low externalizing problems. Experiencing income loss increased the risk of belonging in the trajectory group exhibiting chronically high externalizing behaviors. These results enhance our knowledge of the role of family income in the development of behavior problems.
The NOSA-ITACA code for the safety assessment of ancient constructions

The present paper describes the main features of the finite element code NOSA-ITACA for the static and dynamic analysis of masonry buildings of historical interest. The code, which models masonry as a nonlinear elastic material with zero tensile strength and bounded compressive strength, is aimed at assessing the static safety and seismic vulnerability of masonry constructions in light of Italian regulations, as well as modelling possible strengthening interventions.The NOSA-ITACA code has been used to study the "Voltone", a large vaulted masonry structure located beneath the "Piazza della Repubblica" square in Livorno. The structure has been analysed in the presence of permanent and accidental loads, calculated on the basis of current Italian regulations. This case study has provided the opportunity to validate the NOSA-ITACA code and highlighted the key role played by numerical tools in assessing the safety of ancient masonry constructions.
Jean Cocteau (1889–1963)

Cocteau’s Orpheus is a restatement of the ancient myth which imbued so many cultures with a sense of mystery and awe. In Cocteau’s nimble fingers, however, the tragic Greek tale became a humorous and disturbing drama, focusing not on an ideal loving couple but on an ‘infernal menage’. The play, replete with puns and witticisms, introduces viewers and readers into a magical and mysterious world of cleverly manipulated symbols and images.
A simple and efficient approach to the N-amination of oxazolidinones using monochloroamine

Abstract Chiral nonracemic N -amino cyclic carbamates (ACCs) are important auxiliaries for certain asymmetric transformations. In the past they have been synthesized from oxazolidinones using methods that require the preparation and use of non-atom economical aminating agents that can be difficult to prepare, and often strong bases. In what follows we describe a mild and operationally simple method for the direct N -amination of oxazolidinones that use NH 2 Cl derived from commercial bleach.