cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Development of the Berry Impact Recording Device sensing system: Hardware design and calibration

Bruising caused by the impact damage occurs frequently during mechanical harvest process for highbush blueberries. The overall goal of this study was to develop a miniature and low-cost sensor prototype to quantitatively measure the impact forces endured by blueberries during the mechanical harvest process, which could be used to reduce blueberry bruising through improved harvester design. The sensing system developed in this study had three essential components: the sensor, the interface box, and the computer software program. The round circuit board of sensor is less than one inch (19.4mm), including three accelerometers with +/-500g sensing range in each orthogonal axis, one eight-bit microcontroller, one 128KB memory chip, and other electronic components with low power consumption. The sensor board and rechargeable battery were cast into a one inch (25.4mm) sphere using silicone rubber. The interface box serves as the intermediate communication platform to connect the sensor and the computer. The PC-software retrieves data from the sensor via the I^2C communication and downloads data to a computer for further analysis via the RS232 communication. The sensor was calibrated using a centrifuge. The accuracy of the sensor output was 0.53% (2.60g maximum deviation) and -0.33% (-1.26g maximum deviation), with precision error of 0.63% (3.21g) in the output span. This miniature and low-cost sensor prototype provides the opportunity to understand how the berry (or other small fruits) interacts with different machine parts within the harvester and to identify critical control points that cause the most mechanical impacts, which was not achievable in the past.
Beet Pulp and Isolated Pectin Physicochemical Properties as Related to Freezing

Any potential effects of postharvest freezing storage of beets on physicochemical characteristics of isolated pectin and beet pulp were determined. Fresh beets were stored at -20°for up to 3 mo. At the end of storage, beets were thawed and shredded, and sucrose was extracted. Pectin was isolated using a combination of enzyme treatment and acid extraction. Yield, galacturonic acid content, methoxyl ester content, and molecular mass distributions of the isolated pectin were determined. Neutral and acidic sugar compositions in the nonstarchy polysaccharides (NSP) of the beet pulp were determined using enzyme hydrolysis and gas chromatography. Results showed that physicochemical characteristics of isolated pectin, and sugar composition of the NSP in the beet pulp were not notably influenced by the freeze/thaw cycle.
Repeated cardiac arrhythmia during ether anesthesia

Abstract A study is presented of a 6-year-old girl who repeatedly developed marked cardiac arrhythmia during ether anesthesia. Organic heart disease, sensitivity to supplementary agents, pheochromocytoma, hypoxia, and vagal hyperactivity were eliminated as underlying factors. Increased cardiac irritability under ether anesthesia appears to be the most probable cause of the disturbances noted.
Effects of short-term estrogen replacement on trkA mRNA levels in axotomized dorsal root ganglion neurons.

A population of adult dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons bind NGF with high affinity and express the trkA gene. In these cells, NGF regulates gene expression and function. Recently, a number of laboratories reported the presence of estrogen receptors in DRG neurons and profound effects of estrogen on DRG gene expression. Our laboratory, for example, has reported a significant and coordinate decrease in DRG trkA and β-preprotachykinin (β-PPT) mRNA levels following 90 days of daily estrogen injections to ovariectomized (OVX) rats. These data suggest, as has been suggested for medial septal cholinergic neurons, that estrogen may collaborate with NGF in the regulation of DRG neuronal gene expression and function. The current study examined further this potential collaboration in the DRG by determining the effect of short-term estrogen replacement in OVX rats on DRG trkA mRNA levels following sciatic nerve transection and the resulting removal of a vital source of NGF for those cells. In OVX rats, about 40% of lumbar DRG neurons contained trkA mRNA. Short-term estrogen replacement had no effect on the percentage of neurons containing trkA mRNA, but increased the mean trkA mRNA level in uninjured DRGs of OVX rats by 23%. Axotomy in OVX rats reduced the mean trkA mRNA level by 55% but did not significantly decrease the percentage of neurons containing the mRNA. Estrogen replacement, 7 days after axotomy, partially and significantly restored the mean trkA mRNA level. It was 49% greater than that of the untreated axotomized DRGs. It did not, however, significantly increase the percentage of DRG neurons containing trkA in axotomized DRGs. These observations show that short-term estrogen has an opposite effect on DRG neuronal trkA mRNA levels as compared to that of long-term estrogen demonstrated in our previous study. Moreover, the current data show that estrogen regulates trkA mRNA levels in the absence of target-derived NGF. These data suggest that estrogen may collaborate with NGF in the maintenance of normal adult DRG gene expression and function. Furthermore, these data suggest that loss of estrogen, such as that associated with menopause, may contribute to a decline in DRG neuronal function and an exacerbation of ongoing neuropathic processes.
Biliary lipid secretion in gallstone patients.

Abstract Using a duodenal perfusion technique, the hourly output of bile acids, phospholipid, and cholesterol was measured during three meals and an overnight fast in seven Caucasians with radiolucent gallstones, and in seven healthy controls without gallstones, matched for age, sex, and weight. Before the perfusion, bile-acid pool size was determined by isotope dilution. There was an inverse relationship between the size and recycling-rate of the bile-acid pool, so that bile-acid secretion-rate remained constant over a wide range of pool sizes. The total daily output of all three biliary lipids was similar in gallstone patients and controls. Hourly measurements showed a linear relationship between bile acid and cholesterol output, but a sigmoid relationship between bile acid and phospholipid output. As a result, bile was consistently lithogenic at low bile-acid outputs. Secretion of lithogenic bile occurred with equal frequency in gallstone patients and controls, especially during overnight fasting, and seemed to be physiological.
It takes a little lawsuit: The flowering garden of Bollywood exoticism in the age of its technological reproducibility

The Hindi film song ‘Thoda resham lagta hai’ [It takes a little silk] written by the music director Bappi Lahiri for the film Jyoti (1981) was a long forgotten tune before being rediscovered in 2002 by American music producer DJ Quik. Based around an unauthorized 35-second sample of the recording, the Truth Hurts song ‘Addictive’ famously inspired Bappi Lahiri to sue Quik's associate Dr Dre (executive producer of the song), Aftermath Records, and Universal Music (Aftermath's parent company and distributor) for $500 million. Beyond Lahiri's claims of cultural imperialism, obscenity, and outright theft, DJ Quik's rearrangement of the song was, in turn, adopted by music producers, including Lahiri himself, in a wide variety of international genres. This paper tracks the use and reuse of the melody in Indian, American, and Jamaican contexts, focusing on the song's remediation for new audiences. Yet even as this well-traveled tune evokes different historical and local meanings, it evokes an eroticized Other in...
Discontinuities in narratives

This paper is concerned with heuristics for segmenting narratives into units that form the basic elements of discourse representations and the constrain the application of focusing algorithms. The following classes of discontinuities are identified: figure-groud, space, time, perspective, and topic. It is suggested that rhetorical relations between narrative units are macro labels that stand for frequently occurring clusters of discontinuities. Heuristics for identifying discontinuities are presented and illustrated in an extended example.
Unraveling a hotspot for TCR recognition on HLA-A2 : Evidence against the existence of peptide-independent TCR binding determinants

T cell receptor (TCR) recognition of peptide takes place in the context of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecule, which accounts for approximately two-thirds of the peptide/MHC buried surface. Using the class I MHC HLA-A2 and a large panel of mutants, we have previously shown that surface mutations that disrupt TCR recognition vary with the identity of the peptide. The single exception is Lys66 on the HLA-A2 alpha1 helix, which when mutated to alanine disrupts recognition for 93% of over 250 different T cell clones or lines, independent of which peptide is bound. Thus, Lys66 could serve as a peptide-independent TCR binding determinant. Here, we have examined the role of Lys66 in TCR recognition of HLA-A2 in detail. The structure of a peptide/HLA-A2 molecule with the K66A mutation indicates that although the mutation induces no major structural changes, it results in the exposure of a negatively charged glutamate (Glu63) underneath Lys66. Concurrent replacement of Glu63 with glutamine restores TCR binding and function for T cells specific for five different peptides presented by HLA-A2. Thus, the positive charge on Lys66 does not serve to guide all TCRs onto the HLA-A2 molecule in a manner required for productive signaling. Furthermore, electrostatic calculations indicate that Lys66 does not contribute to the stability of two TCR-peptide/HLA-A2 complexes. Our findings are consistent with the notion that each TCR arrives at a unique solution of how to bind a peptide/MHC, most strongly influenced by the chemical and structural features of the bound peptide. This would not rule out an intrinsic affinity of TCRs for MHC molecules achieved through multiple weak interactions, but for HLA-A2 the collective mutational data place limits on the role of any single MHC amino acid side-chain in driving TCR binding in a peptide-independent fashion.
Comment on "Tests for Eightfold-Way Octets in the Baryon Spectrum"

It is pointed out that the phenomenon of multiplet mixing, when there are a number of relatively closelying resonances with the same values of the internal quantum numbers, renders inappropriate the use of the Gell-Mann-Okubo mass formula in attempting to judge the validity of the $\mathrm{SU}(3)$ symmetry scheme.
Exchange narrowing in electron paramagnetic resonance of ruby

Abstract Previous theories of exchange narrowing of electron paramagnetic resonance spectra are re-examined. In the case of strong exchange interactions the diagonal matrix elements of the dipolar and fine structure interactions are time independent and symmetrization and narrowing of the electron resonance spectra result from a reordering of the magnetic energy levels by the strong exchange interaction. Lineshape calculations are given for concentrated ruby (10 mole % Cr2O3) and reasonable agreement with experiment is obtained.
Conjunction benefits and costs reveal decision priming for first-order and second-order features

Across two experiments, decision priming was examined for conjunctions composed of first-order or first- and second-order stimulus features. Observers indicated the presence or absence of one or two features in a Gabor stimulus. When a pair of stimulus features differed in their speed of discrimination, responses indicating the presence of a conjunction were faster than those for the single feature for which discrimination was slowest (conjunction benefits). Also, responses indicating the absence of a conjunction were delayed if one of the features was present (conjunction costs). These results show that first- and second-order features can prime decisions about the presence of a conjunction and suggest that the two kinds of signals can be combined at a decision stage after the discrimination of stimulus properties has begun for each system.
Frequency-Shaping with Spatial Compensators

Practical realizations of adaptive structures should be designed and implemented to maximize performance, robustness and efficiency. A method of frequency-shaping the compensation of an adaptive structure is developed for increased performance, system robustness and efficiency. Robustness is defined as reduced coupling to out-of-bandwidth modes, where model fidelity frequently suffers, and to in-bandwidth modes that are considered not important for control. This method utilizes an open-loop metric of system coupling, through Hankel singular values of the controllability and oberservability Gramians, to determine the optimum transducer placements and sizes. The design metric is maximized with genetic algorithms. This optimum design process is computationally efficient. Results demonstrate that optimizing the design metric with genetic algorithms yields better performance and efficiency when compared to previous optimization methods and forms a basic method of “loop-shaping” by spatial design.
Can marine anoxic events draw down the trace element inventory of seawater

The trace element inventory of seawater is likely to have varied in the past owing to changes in the proportion of oxic-suboxic versus anoxic marine facies. Because only ∼0.3% of the modern global seafloor is subject to benthic anoxia, removal of redox- sensitive trace elements from seawater is largely mediated by oxic-suboxic facies. This results in higher concentrations and longer residence times for such elements in seawater compared with strongly anoxic paleoseas such as those of the Late Devonian. Reservoir modeling of Mo in Late Devonian seawater suggests that its concentration could have been reduced to ∼30%–50% of the present-day value. Chemostratigraphic data from Upper Devonian black shales of the Central Appalachian Basin provide empirical evidence of such depletion: sedimentary Mo concentrations decline within the Cleveland Shale despite intensified benthic anoxia, as proxied by degree of pyritization. Mo may have been depleted in penecontemporaneous seawater as a consequence of elevated burial fluxes associated with black shale deposition at time scales of 105 to >106 yr.
Feeding Response to Mercaptoacetate in Osborne‐Mendel and S5B/PL Rats

SINGER, LORI K, DAVID A YORK, GEORGE A BRAY. Feeding response to mercaptoacetate in Osborne-Mendel and S5B/PL Rats. The purpose of this experiment was to determine if Osborne-Mendel (OM) rats, which are susceptible to dietary-induced obesity, and S5B/PL (S5B) rats, which are resistant to dietary-induced obesity, differ in their feeding responses to mercaptoacetate (MA), which blocks fatty acid oxidation, or 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2DG), which blocks glucose utilization. 2DG (100 mg/kg or 200 mg/ kg) increased food intake in both strains of rats on a high-fat diet (56% energy from fat). Mercaptoacetate (600 umol/kg) increased food intake in OM but not S5B rats on a high-fat diet. When maintained on a low-fat diet (10% energy from fat), MA (400 umol/kg or 600 umol/kg) stimulated food intake in OM rats, whereas S5B rats increased food intake only after the highest dose of MA (600 umol/kg). MA stimulated carbohydrate and protein intake in OM rats maintained on a macro-nutrient selection diet, whereas S5B rats maintained on this diet did not significantly increase intake of any mac-ronutrient after MA. These results demonstrate that OM and S5B rats have a similar food intake response to 2DG but a dissimilar response to MA. The variable response to MA in these strains may be due to a difference in peripheral or central signaling systems related to fatty acid oxidation or a difference in metabolic environments between the strains, which in turn affects the feeding response to MA. These studies suggest that a difference in control of fatty acid oxidation may account for the difference in susceptibility to obesity when eating a high-fat diet.
549 FAMILIAL FETAL ALCOHOL SYNDBOME INCIDENCE IN BLACKS AND HISPANICS

In a previous study we noted a higher incidence of fetal alcohol syndrome (F7AS) in blacks, vs. Hispanics. We new compared the incidence of familial FAS and alcohol-related effects (ARE) in black, (group I) and Hispanic (group II) patients, ranging in age from 1 day to 20 years. The average age of mothers at first visit was slightly higher in group II (31 vs. 28.6 in group I). The amount of alcohol abused during pregnancy (≥ 3 oz of absolute alcohol/day), average duration of alcohol abuse and socio-economic background (on public assistance, unwed mothers) were similar in both groups. Group I comprised 16 families with 39 children, 16 females and 23 males. Eleven families had 2 afflicted children, 4 families had 3 and one family had 5 afflicted children. FAS was diagnosed in 25 patients and ARE in 14. Group II comprised 7 families with 17 children, 10 females and 7 males. Five families had 2 afflicted children, one family had 3 and 1 family 4 afflicted children. FAS was found in 13 patients and ARE in 4. Though our clinic population is 65% Hispanic, familial FAS was significantly more frequent in blacks (P < .01). We conclude that for yet unexplained reasons single and multiple cases of FAS are more frequent in black than in Hispanic families.
The Effects of Parental Loss on the Psychosocial Wellbeing of AIDS-Orphaned Children Living in AIDS-Impacted Communities: Does Gender Matter?

Abstract Purpose The aims of this study are to examine the effects of parental loss on the psychosocial wellbeing of AIDS orphaned children in communities heavily affected by HIV/AIDS, and to ascertain whether boys and girls are affected differently. Methods Baseline data from a total of 1410 adolescents (average age 12.7 years) who had lost one or both parents to HIV/AIDS were utilized. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between gender and the effects of parental loss on children's psychosocial wellbeing. Results Findings indicate that both boys and girls reported high levels of sadness, isolation, being scared and worried following parental loss. Controlling for socio-demographic characteristics, parental loss affect boys and girls differently. Specifically, orphaned girls were more likely than boys to report taking on additional household responsibilities such as taking care of a surviving parent (OR = 1.3, 95% CI = 1.0–1.7, p Conclusion Study findings suggest that in communities affected by HIV/AIDS, parental loss has significant negative effects including socioeconomic and psychological distress on children -especially girls. Therefore, programs and policies that support AIDS-orphaned children in sub-Saharan Africa should work to address the psychological wellbeing of orphaned children over and above the material support they currently provide. Special attention should be paid to the girl-orphaned child, to enable them to carry out their caregiving roles without adverse impact on their own wellbeing.
Septal aneurysm and right ventricular obstruction: a case report.

A 32-year-old man with a history of ven tricular septal defect presented with systolic and diastolic murmurs and vectocardiogra phic evidence of right ventricular hyper trophy. Echocardiography demonstrated a prominent systolic bulging of the inter- ventricular septum into the right ventricle. Left ventricular angiograms indicated that the ultrasonic abnormality was based on an aneurysm of the membranous septum which produced a 35 mm Hg gradient within the right ventricle. After plication of this aneu rysm, murmur and abnormal septal protru sion were not recorded.
A Tight Upper Bound on the Benefits of Replica Control Protocols

We present an upper bound on the performance provided by a protocol guaranteeing mutually exclusive access to a replicated resource in a network subject to component failure and subsequent partitioning. The bound is presented in terms of the performance of a single resource in the same network. The bound is tight and is the first such bound known to us. Since mutual exclusion is one of the requirements for maintaining the consistency of a database object, this bound provides an upper limit on the availability provided by any database consistency control protocol, including those employing dynamic data relocation and replication. We show that if a well-placed single copy provides availability A for 0 ? A ? 1, then no scheme can achieve availability greater than ?A in the same network. We show this bound to be the best possible for any network with availability greater than 0.25. We also prove that the problem of calculating A is #P-complete and describe a method for approximating the optimal location for a single copy which adjusts dynamically to current network characteristics. The bound presented here is most useful for high availabilities, which tend to be obtainable with modern networks and their constituent sites and links.
Complexes with sulfur and selenium donors—X chromium(III) piperidyldithiocarbamates☆

Abstract I.r. (4000-200 cm −1 ), electronic and ESR spectroscopy have been used to characterize tris-(piperidyldithiocarbamoto)chromium(III) chelates. The properties of the complexes were compared to those of the corresponding diethyl derivative. The compounds have g-values of about 1·98 and the zero-field splitting parameters are small. The effective spin-orbit coupling constants for Cr(III), oscillator strengths of electronic transitions, and nephelauxetic parameters for the complexes are all indicative of appreciable metal-ligand covalency. The slightly different properties of the 2-methylpiperidyldithiocarbamate complex have been attributed to the steric requirements of the 2-methyl substituent.
Multilevel verification of MOS circuits

The ideas behind Silica Pithecus, a program for verifying synchronous digital MOS VLSI circuits, are described. Silica Pithecus accepts the schematic of an MOS VLSI circuit, declarations of the logical relationships between the input signals, and a specification of the intended digital behavior of the circuit. If the circuit fails to meet its specification, Silica Pithecus returns to the designer the reason it fails to do so. Unlike previous verification systems, which used digital models of MOS components, Silica Pithecus employs a realistic electrical model. It operates hierarchically, interactively, and incrementally. The key idea is to generate and use constraints for verification. Constraints are predicates that restrict the input signals a circuit accepts. Employing explicit constraints has many benefits. First, they enable hierarchical verification, which allows large circuits to be verified. Second, errors can be pinpointed and explained to the designer. Third, all constraints (at the electrical level) can be algorithmically and automatically generated. >
Identification and regulation of the glnL operator-promoter of the complex glnALG operon of Escherichia coli.

We sequenced the 274-nucleotide intercistronic glnA-glnL region of Escherichia coli to localize regulatory regions postulated from genetic evidence. The transcriptional start of glnLp, identified by S1 nuclease mapping, preceded the structural gene by 32 bases. NR1, the glnG gene product and a repressor of glnLp, protected from DNase digestion a region of DNA between -12 and +15 from the transcriptional start. A mutation rendering glnLp insensitive to NRI was within the protected region in a-TGCA- sequence found in all nitrogen-regulated operons, providing evidence for involvement of this sequence in interactions with NRI. We also observed in the intercistronic region a potential rho-independent terminator preceding glnLp and a sequence previously found in other intercistronic regions. Images
Predicting NCLEX-RN success with the HESI Exit Exam: eighth validity study.

Increasingly, Elsevier's HESI Exit Exam (E 2 ) is being used to assess students' readiness for the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). Seven previously conducted validity studies indicate that the E 2 is 96.36%–99.16% accurate in predicting NCLEX-RN success. Findings of this eighth validity study, which also investigated the predictive accuracy of repeat testing with parallel versions of the E 2 , indicated that the E 2 is highly accurate (94.93%–98.32%) in predicting NCLEX-RN success for the initial testing and 2 retests. Of the 66 participating nursing programs, deans and directors from 43 (65.15%) of the programs reported implementing a policy that used E 2 scores as a benchmark for remediation. A score of 850 was the most common E 2 benchmark designated by faculties, and students who failed to achieve the faculty-designated E 2 benchmark score were required to retest with a parallel version of the E 2 . Remediation resources used to assist students in achieving faculty-designated E 2 benchmark scores varied widely, with many programs employing multiple remediation methods.
Lead, blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease in men.

Abstract Animal studies have demonstrated that relatively low doses of lead can produce modest elevations in blood pressure. During the past 10 y, many epidemiologic studies have examined the relationship between low-level lead exposure and blood pressure in humans. These studies were reviewed in a consensus conference, which concluded that the evidence supported the existence of a causal association; however, no formal meta-analysis has been conducted. Epidemiologic studies of blood lead and systolic blood pressure in males were analyzed in the present meta-analysis. A highly significant and moderately consistent association was found, i.e., decrease of blood lead from 10 mg/dl to 5 mg/dl associated with a decrease of 1.25 mm Hg (95% CI = 0.87–1.63 mm Hg). The association was robust to deletion of the most significant study or the addition of eight additional studies showing no effect. Given the strong animal data, which also implicate a mechanism (disturbance of calcium messenger system regulation of bl...
A Possible Solution to the Paradox of Voter Turnout

The paradox of voter turnout is a major empirical puzzle that has been unresolved in rational choice theory. Why do rational actors contribute to the public good of electoral outcomes, especially since the likelihood that their vote will be decisive is nearly zero? I propose a possible solution to this paradox based on the stochastic learning model rather than the subjective expected utility maximization model. In the stochastic learning model, actors are conceived to be backward-looking adaptive learners, rather than forward-looking utility maximizers, and use the past correlations between their choices and collective action outcomes as a guide for their decision whether or not to vote. The stochastic learning model of calculus of voting can solve the paradox because now p ≅ .500 instead of p ≅ 0. The analyses of the 1972-74-76 panels of the American National Election Study largely support the hypotheses derived from the stochastic learning model.
Short Paper: Thor - The Hybrid Online Repository

Mobile environments create significant challenges for secure credential repositories. We examine these challenges with respect to existing repository practices and produce a set of requirements that a repository must meet in order to cope with the harshness of a mobile environment. We also present Thor (The hybrid online repository), a system that fulfills these requirements. Thor leverages preexisting local and remote repositories and enhances their usability and security through virtual organization, credential identifier obfuscation, and password management
VINBLASTINE-INDUCED FORMATION OF TUBULIN POLYMERS IS ELECTROSTATICALLY REGULATED AND NUCLEATED

Vinblastine promotes tubulin polymerization as measured by turbidity at 400 nm. Unlike microtubule assembly, this mode of polymerization does not require GTP and, in fact, GTP inhibits polymerization, as do other G nucleotides in the potency order: GtetraP≥ GTP > GDP > GMP > no nucleotide. Inhibition is not nucleoside-specific as ATP, ADP, and CTP also inhibit, and inorganic oligophosphates are as inhibitory as nucleotides in the order tetraphosphate ≈ triphosphate > pyrophosphate ≥ phosphate. Inhibition of polymerization is a rough function of the number of anionic charges and can be mimicked by suramin or tartrate. It is not due to sequestration of magnesium or to debinding of vinblastine. The anion-induced decrease in turbidity generation is reflected in the amount of tubulin that is pelletable, but even in the absence of turbidity significant pelletable tubulin persists which can be assessed by 90° light scattering. Formation of this polymer is less sensitive to anions. Shearing of GTP-inhibited and vinblastine-induced samples promotes turbidity and addition of seeds made from vinblastine polymers leads to rapid increases in turbidity in a concentration-dependent manner. Adjustment of the vinblastine concentration permits the demonstration of a latent period for polymerization that can be shortened by polymer seeds. Vinblastine-induced polymerization shows a critical concentration, and, in the presence of GTP, two distinct critical concentrations can be identified. We conclude that charge–charge interactions play a significant role in the formation of vinblastine-induced polymers, and that their formation is a two-step process resembling a nucleation/elongation mechanism.
A Thermal Stage for Nanoscale Structure Studies with the Scanning Force Microscope

We have constructed an inexpensive sample mounting stage for studies of temperature dependent processes in a surface force microscope (SFM). The stage is constructed from a Peltier thermoelectric heater secured to a standard SFM mounting stage with silver paint. The sample temperature can be varied from room temperature to about 100°C thus making it possible to use the SFM to observe thermally activated processes at lateral spatial resolutions of 10-20 nm. Approximately 10 minutes is required to reach thermal equilibrium following a 5°C temperature change. The lateral magnification must be calibrated at each temperature. We illustrate the capabilities of the stage with images of polystyrene spheres just below their glass transition temperature of 100°C.
A* decoding of block codes

The A* algorithm is applied to maximum-likelihood soft-decision decoding of binary linear block codes. This paper gives a tutorial on the A* algorithm, compares the decoding complexity with that of exhaustive search and Viterbi decoding algorithms, and presents performance curves obtained for several codes.
ADAPTATION AND INTEGRATION FOR MULTINATIONAL PROJECT BASED ORGANIZATIONS

AbstractTo succeed internationally, multinational, project-based organizations in the architectural, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry need to both adapt to local environments and integrate knowledge and processes across the organizations. However, the temporary nature, uniqueness, and complexity of international projects create many pressures for project managers. On the one hand, the project manager’s primary responsibility is meeting project objectives, focusing on the performance of the project and adaptation to the local environment, which can differ from the organization’s home market. On the other hand, they are employed by a larger organization that has long-term strategic goals and wishes to gain a competitive advantage by having team members integrate their expertise with the rest of the organization. Thus, this research aims to explore the dual challenges of local adaptation and organizational integration responses at the project level and how these responses relate to project perfor...
Identifying graph-structured activation patterns in networks

We consider the problem of identifying an activation pattern in a complex, large-scale network that is embedded in very noisy measurements. This problem is relevant to several applications, such as identifying traces of a biochemical spread by a sensor network, expression levels of genes, and anomalous activity or congestion in the Internet. Extracting such patterns is a challenging task specially if the network is large (pattern is very high-dimensional) and the noise is so excessive that it masks the activity at any single node. However, typically there are statistical dependencies in the network activation process that can be leveraged to fuse the measurements of multiple nodes and enable reliable extraction of high-dimensional noisy patterns. In this paper, we analyze an estimator based on the graph Laplacian eigenbasis, and establish the limits of mean square error recovery of noisy patterns arising from a probabilistic (Gaussian or Ising) model based on an arbitrary graph structure. We consider both deterministic and probabilistic network evolution models, and our results indicate that by leveraging the network interaction structure, it is possible to consistently recover high-dimensional patterns even when the noise variance increases with network size.
Cranial neural crest deletion of VEGFa causes cleft palate with aberrant vascular and bone development.

Cleft palate is among the most common craniofacial congenital anomalies. Up to 30 % of patients with cleft palate also have associated cardiac and vascular defects. VEGFa, a critical growth factor involved in multiple developmental processes including angiogenesis and ossification, is also required for palate development. Conditional deletion of VEGFa in cranial neural crest (CNC) cells using Wnt1-Cre (VEGFaCKO) resulted in cleft palate in mice. The phenotype included reduced proliferation of cells within the palatal shelves, abnormal palatal shelf elongation and elevation, and the inability to undergo fusion. Vascularization of the VEGFaCKO palatal shelves was greatly reduced, suggesting a non-cell autonomous role of VEGFa signaling from the CNC-derived cells to the endothelium during vessel formation. Defective vascular development was coupled with deficient intramembranous ossification of maxillary and palatal mesenchyme. In vitro assessment of CNC-derived palatal mesenchymal cells from VEGFaCKO mice demonstrated normal ossification after BMP2 stimulation, suggesting that inadequate expression of Bmp2 in VEGFaCKO mice was, in part, responsible for reduced ossification. Taken together, these data demonstrate that VEGFa produced in the CNC-derived mesenchyme drives proliferation, vascularization, and ossification, all of which are critical for palate development.
Structure, Stability and Electronic Properties of Nanodiamonds

Diamond nanoparticles, or nanodiamonds, have the most disparate origins. They are found in crude oil at concentrations up to thousands of parts per million, in meteorites, interstellar dust, and protoplanetary nebulae, as well as in certain sediment layers on Earth. They can also be produced in the laboratory by chemical vapor deposition or by detonating high explosive materials. Here we sum- marize what is known about nanodiamond sources; we then describe the atomic and electronic structure, and stability of diamond nanoparticles, highlighting the role of theory and computations in understanding and predicting their properties. Possible technological applications of thin films composed of nanodiamonds, ranging from micro-resonators to substrates for drug delivery, are briefly discussed.
Corporate payout smoothing: A variance decomposition approach

Abstract In this paper, we apply a variance decomposition methodology to quantify the smoothness of corporate payouts. We find that firms use debt and investment to smooth a large fraction of shocks to net income to keep payouts less variable. Specifically, our empirical results show that firms keep the growth of payouts relatively small and stable over time. Furthermore, our findings support theoretical work that demonstrates that the dynamics of investment and debt policy should be jointly modeled with payout policy.
Banks, development, and tax

Abstract The modern agenda for tax reform in developing countries prescribes a broader tax base, with increased reliance on income taxes. To be feasible, governments must be able to broadly monitor receipts of income, a challenge in countries with opaque financial systems. The present work considers the financial sector – specifically the banking sector – as a boon for tax revenue. Historically we find that larger banking sectors are associated with more tax revenue. To better understand this relationship we set up theoretical models of it, with a role for public good preferences, population size, the tax rate on deposits, the opportunity cost of cash spending, and money velocity. In these models, governments can raise more tax by making banking more attractive, via infrastructure that raises deposit velocity or by lowering the marginal tax rate.
Modulation of aortic protein phosphatase activity by polylysine.

The Ca2+-regulatory mechanism for contraction of smooth muscle involves phosphorylation of the 20,000-Da myosin light chains. In the fully relaxed muscle the intracellular concentration of Ca2+ is low ( 10-6M). Subsequently, formation of the Ca2+-calmodulin complex results in activation of myosin light-chain kinase and phosphorylation of the regulatory light chains. In this form, actin-myosin interaction is activated resulting in hydrolysis of ATP and cross-bridge cycling. The physiological correlate of these biochemical events is contraction of the smooth muscle cell (see (1–4) for reviews). Although recent studies suggest that cross bridges ma...
TLR4 Deters Perfusion Recovery and Upregulates Toll-like Receptor 2 (TLR2) in Ischemic Skeletal Muscle and Endothelial Cells

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play an important role in regulating muscle regeneration and angiogenesis in response to ischemia. TLR2 knockout mice exhibit pronounced skeletal muscle necrosis and abnormal vessel architecture after femoral artery ligation, suggesting that TLR2 signaling is protective during ischemia. TLR4, an important receptor in inflammatory signaling, has been shown to regulate TLR2 expression in other systems. We hypothesize that a similar relationship between TLR4 and TLR2 may exist in hindlimb ischemia in which TLR4 upregulates TLR2, a mediator of angiogenesis and perfusion recovery. We examined the expression of TLR2 in unstimulated and in TLR-agonist treated endothelial cells (ECs). TLR2 expression (low in control ECs) was upregulated by lipopolysaccharide, the danger signal high mobility group box-1, and hypoxia in a TLR4-dependent manner. Endothelial tube formation on Matrigel as well as EC permeability was assessed as in vitro measures of angiogenesis. Time-lapse imaging demonstrated that ECs lacking TLR4 formed more tubes, whereas TLR2 knockdown ECs exhibited attenuated tube formation. TLR2 also mediated EC permeability, an initial step during angiogenesis, in response to high-mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) that is released by cells during hypoxic injury. In vivo, ischemia-induced upregulation of TLR2 required intact TLR4 signaling that mediated systemic inflammation, as measured by local and systemic IL-6 levels. Similar to our in vitro findings, vascular density and limb perfusion were both enhanced in the absence of TLR4 signaling, but not if TLR2 was deleted. These findings indicate that TLR2, in the absence of TLR4, improves angiogenesis and perfusion recovery in response to ischemia.
The metabolic, stress axis, and hematology response of zilpaterol hydrochloride supplemented beef heifers when exposed to a dual corticotropin-releasing hormone and vasopressin challenge,,

The objective of this study was to determine the metabolic, stress, and hematology response of beef heifers supplemented with zilpaterol hydrochloride (ZH) when exposed to an endocrine stress challenge. Heifers ( = 20; 556 ± 7 kg BW) were randomized into 2 treatment groups: 1) control (CON), no ZH supplementation, and 2) zilpaterol (ZIL), supplemented with ZH at 8.33 mg/kg (DM basis). The ZIL group was supplemented ZH for 20 d, with a 3-d withdrawal period. On d 24, heifers received an intravenous bolus of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH; 0.3 µg/kg BW) and arginine vasopressin (VP; 1.0 µg/kg BW) to activate the stress axis. Blood samples were collected at 30-min intervals for serum and 60-min intervals for plasma and whole blood, from -2 to 8 h relative to the challenge at 0 h (1000 h). Samples were analyzed for glucose, insulin, NEFA, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), cortisol, epinephrine, norepinephrine, and complete blood cell counts. Following the challenge, cattle were harvested over a 3-d period. Liver, LM, and biceps femoris (BF) samples were collected and analyzed for glucose, lactate, and glycolytic potential (GP). There was a treatment ( ≤ 0.001) effect for vaginal temperature (VT), with ZIL having a 0.1°C decrease in VT when compared with CON. A treatment × time effect ( = 0.002) was observed for NEFA. A treatment effect was observed for BUN; ZIL had decreased BUN concentrations compared with CON ( < 0.001) prior to the challenge; however, no treatment × time effect was observed. There was also a treatment effect for cortisol ( ≤ 0.01) and epinephrine ( = 0.003); ZIL had decreased cortisol and epinephrine during the CRH/VP challenge when compared with CON. There was a time effect for total white blood cells, lymphocytes, and monocytes; each variable increased ( ≤ 0.01) 2 h postchallenge. Additionally, neutrophil counts decreased ( ≤ 0.01) in response to CRH/VP challenge in both treatment groups. Glucose concentrations within the LM were greater ( = 0.03) in CON when compared with ZIL. Lactate concentrations and GP within the BF were greater in CON ( = 0.05) when compared with ZIL. These data suggest there are some variations observed between treatments in terms of response to the CRH/VP challenge; however, in the environmental conditions of this trial, none of the variations observed suggest that the supplementation of ZH detrimentally alters the ability of cattle to effectively respond to stressful stimuli.
Doctoral Dissertations on International Students Published in 2015

The purpose of this section is to share recent doctoral dissertations with the Journal of International Students readers. This section includes 100 doctoral dissertations related to the issues and challenges of international students in the United States and Canada. The complete versions of these selected dissertations are available in the ProQuest, Michigan-based electronic publisher.
Isolated ventricular myocytes from copper-deficient rat hearts exhibit enhanced contractile function.

Dietary copper deficiency leads to cardiac hypertrophy, cardiac fibrosis, derangement of myofibrils, and impaired cardiac contractile and electrophysiological function. The purpose of this study wa...
An Examination of Determinants of Software Testing and Project Management Effort

ABSTRACTSoftware estimation research has primarily focused on software effort involved in direct software development. As more and more organizations buy instead of building software, more effort is spent on software testing and project management. In this empirical study, the effect of program duration, computer platform, and software development tool (SDT) on program testing effort and project management effort is studied. The study results point to program duration and software tool as significant determinants of testing and management effort. Computer platform, however, does not have an effect on testing and management effort. Furthermore, the mean testing effort for third generation (3G) development environment was significantly higher than the mean testing effort for fourth generation (4G) environments that used IDE. In addition, the management effort for 4G environment projects without the use of IDE was lower than nonprogramming report generation projects.
Flame retardant materials for maritime and naval applications

Abstract: Naval ships and maritime vessels employ both non-combustible and combustible materials and components. One recent trend is the use of fibre reinforced plastics (FRP). Materials technology, in some limited sense, is driving the next generation of light weight and fast moving naval and maritime vessels. The use of plastics and polymer composites in maritime and naval vessels also raises the issue of the inherent vulnerability of plastics to common fire threats found in maritime operations. This chapter will review potential fire threats, fire safety regulations, relevant fire test methods, and approaches to material flame retardancy and fire protection. This chapter also provides flammability data for several conventional and advanced polymer composite materials including flame spread, smoke generation, heat release rates, fire resistance, and structural integrity.
A Comment on "Discovery and Characterization of AMPA Receptor Modulators Selective for TARP-γ8".

We would like to make the readers of JPET aware of literature precedents for the very exciting work recently published by [Maher et al. (2016)][1] (“Discovery and Characterization of AMPA Receptor Modulators Selective for TARP- γ 8”) in JPET . In this article, [Maher et al. (2016)][1] describe
To the Editor: Blood pressure targets.

to the editor : In their review,[1][1] Thomas et al noted that the benefits of intensive blood pressure lowering seen in the SPRINT study[2][2] were not observed in the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes-Blood pressure (ACCORD BP) trial[3][3] or in the Secondary Prevention of Small
Differential white matter involvement associated with distinct visuospatial deficits after right hemisphere stroke.

Visuospatial attention depends on the integration of multiple processes, and people with right hemisphere lesions after a stroke may exhibit severe or no visuospatial deficits. The anatomy of core components of visuospatial attention is an area of intense interest. Here we examine the relationship between the disruption of core components of attention and lesion distribution in a heterogeneous group (N = 70) of patients with right hemisphere strokes regardless of the presence of clinical neglect. Deficits of lateralized spatial orienting, measured as the difference in reaction times for responding to visual targets in the contralesional or ipsilesional visual field, and deficits in re-orienting attention, as measured by the difference in reaction times for invalidly versus validly cued targets, were measured using a computerized spatial orienting task. Both measures were related through logistic regression and a novel ridge regression method to anatomical damage measured with magnetic resonance imaging. While many regions were common to both deficit maps, a deficit in lateralized spatial orienting was more associated with lesions in the white matter underlying the posterior parietal cortex, and middle and inferior frontal gyri. A deficit in re-orienting of attention toward unattended locations was associated with lesions in the white matter of the posterior parietal cortex, insular cortex and less so with white matter involvement of the anterior frontal lobe. An hodological analysis also supports this partial dissociation between the white matter tracts that are damaged in lateralized spatial biases versus impaired re-orienting. Our results underscore that the integrity of fronto-parietal white matter tracts is crucial for visuospatial attention and that different attention components are mediated by partially distinct neuronal substrates.