cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bioinspired Neural-Based Control of Flexible Fish-Like Propulsors

Controlling the motion of soft robotics systems can be a challenging task and researchers have turned to biology to shed light on this complex problem. In particular, researchers have used mathematical models of central pattern generators (CPGs) to control the periodic movement of robotic systems. A useful property of CPGs is that their output can be altered by sensory feedback. However, questions remain about how to acquire sensory feedback from a compliant structure, and how to use sensory feedback to produce desired performance. This chapter focuses on neural-based control of a flexible fish-like propulsor (fin) with spatially varying mechanical properties. We show how manipulation of the sensory feedback signal and architecture affect the entrainment state (i.e., the frequency and amplitude). Specifically, we explore how the location of the feedback signal and the sensory feedback topology affect the entrainment characteristics of the fin. Additionally, we show how the settings of the coupled system affect the resonance-entrainment characteristics of a fin. Our results offer a way in which to collect sensory information and use this information to modulate the entrainment state of a flexible fish-like propulsor.
Electrical Engineering Core Course Laboratory Creation for Non-STEM Majors

Practical laboratory exercises improve student understanding and motivation for learning abstract engineering concepts. The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the United States Naval Academy (USNA), a four-year undergraduate institution, is tasked with teaching all students a course in electrical circuits and power. The course aimed at non-STEM majors includes a weekly two hour laboratory period to assist in drawing out these abstract concepts. The instructors for an Electrical Engineering circuits and power course for non-STEM majors jointly developed and troubleshot a series of five real-world, laboratory experiments. These experiments are intended to demonstrate real world skills and applications of the abstract concepts covered during the class.
Evaluating the effect of membrane-ionomer combinations and supporting electrolytes on the performance of cobalt nanoparticle anodes in anion exchange membrane electrolyzers

Abstract In low temperature polymer electrolyte membrane electrolyzers, component choices and membrane electrode assembly (MEA) fabrication have pivotal roles in determining cell performance. In this work, cobalt anodes were used in combination with different ionomers, membranes, and supporting electrolytes to delineate their effect on MEA performance in anion exchange membrane (AEM) based electrolyzers. Changes to the ionomer type suppress or enhance catalyst redox and were found to alter the resulting exchange current densities and Tafel slopes. Changes in membrane conductivity account for large differences in performance and overpotential losses among the different MEAs, with higher conductivity minimizing ohmic losses. Within supporting electrolytes, lower concentration results in lower conductivity and lower MEA performance; the performance, however, is higher in potassium hydroxide than bicarbonate. These experiments address the influence of individual components and their integration on cell-level performance, to help develop a pathway to an electrolyte free system while providing a foundation for studying electrode composition and component incorporation into MEAs.
Efficient Inference via Universal LSH Kernel.

Large machine learning models achieve unprecedented performance on various tasks and have evolved as the go-to technique. However, deploying these compute and memory hungry models on resource constraint environments poses new challenges. In this work, we propose mathematically provable Representer Sketch, a concise set of count arrays that can approximate the inference procedure with simple hashing computations and aggregations. Representer Sketch builds upon the popular Representer Theorem from kernel literature, hence the name, providing a generic fundamental alternative to the problem of efficient inference that goes beyond the popular approach such as quantization, iterative pruning and knowledge distillation. A neural network function is transformed to its weighted kernel density representation, which can be very efficiently estimated with our sketching algorithm. Empirically, we show that Representer Sketch achieves up to 114x reduction in storage requirement and 59x reduction in computation complexity without any drop in accuracy.
Isonitrile derivatives of dimanganese decacarbonyl

The compound heptacarbonyltrimethylisonitriledimanganese has been prepared and investigated by variable temperature PMR spectroscopy. It has been shown that the isonitrile ligands are rapidly exchanged between the two metal atoms at approximately 100°C. Comparison of these results with those of the complex [(η5-C5H5)Fe(CO)(CNCH3)]2 shows that the activation barriers are very similar and suggests that geometrical variations may not be very important factors in determining the facility by which bridge-terminal coordination rearrangements occur.
The Cyanobacterial Heat-Shock Response and the Molecular Chaperones

The studies of the heat-shock response, other stress responses and protein folding have become intimately intertwined during the past few years. The heat-shock response, which was first described in Drosophila melanogaster over 30 years ago (Ritossa, 1962), entails the rapid and selective increased expression of a large class of proteins. Surprisingly, this heat-shock response was described in Escherichia coli long after the phenomenon had been described in numerous eucaryotic organisms. Since that time, work in E. coli has been a very fertile field for an understanding of this response at the genetic and molecular biological levels. However, the key experiments which led to a synthesis of many different disciplines were the analysis of the assembly of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) from chloroplasts. Research on the heat-shock proteins during the 1970s and 1980s demonstrated that such proteins were involved in protein-protein interactions. Research on the assembly of Rubisco in E. coli demonstrated the absolute requirement for specific heat-shock proteins and helped lead to the concept of molecular chaperones.
Initiation of ventricular tachycardia by reentry within the bundle branches: Implications for electrophysiologic testing of antiarrhythmic drugs

Abstract A nonpaced third ventricular depolarization (V 3 ) often occurs when, during ventricular pacing, single ventricular extrastimuli produce critical retrograde His-Purkinje conduction delay. V 3 has been attributed to macroreentry within the bundle branches. However, the relation of bundle branch reentry to other ventricular arrhythmias has been uncertain. In the three patients presented in this report, macroreentry over a bundle branch reentrant circuit consistently initiated ventricular tachycardia that utilized a different, probably microreentrant, circuit. In two of the three patients, ventricular tachycardia was induced by a second ventricular extrastimulus delivered just before the macroreentrant V 3 would have been expected, as well as by macroreentrant V 3 depolarizations resulting from single extrastimuli. This suggests that ventricular tachycardia induction depended not on bundle branch reentry itself, but on the occurrence of a closely coupled third ventricular complex, whether paced or reentrant. When, during single ventricular extrastimulus testing, ventricular tachycardia follows bundle branch macroreentry, modification or abolition of the bundle branch reentry by an antiarrhythmic drug may impair evaluation of the drug's effect on the ventricular tachycardia microreentry. This mechanism of ventricular tachycardia induction should be recognized in order to avoid selection of possible inappropriate antiarrhythmic therapy.
High resolution optical spectra of 120 white dwarfs

High quality optical spectra of 120 white dwarfs have been obtained to search for double degenerate systems, some of which might become type I supernovae. No systems with high amplitude velocity variations have been found. However several exceptionally cool DA white dwarfs have been found to show weak Helium absorption lines, and four stars have split H-alpha line cores indicative of binary systems.
A Method for Stress Determination in Plane Anisotropic Elastic Bodies

Using a fundamental solution to the appropriate field equations of linear anisotropic elasticity, a real variable integral formula of the Somigliana type is derived. The formula relates an elastic displace ment field to boundary traction and displacement vectors; all refer to an arbitrary equilibrated stress state present in an orthotropic body of arbitrary shape and connectivity. A fundamental relation between boundary traction and displacement is then derived which is a mechanism for determining (numerically in practice) that part of such boundary data not initially given from a knowledge of that part which is given. Once all boundary quantities are known, the field solution is given by the integral formula and its first derivatives. Finally, the body may be composite; i.e., it may contain inclusions or inhomogeneities which may be isotropic or rigid as special cases. Numerical techniques are indicated and several problems are solved for illustration.
Advantages of Low Capital Gains Tax Rates

Some policymakers think that a reduced rate for capital gains is an unjustified tax preference. However, capital gains are different than ordinary income and have been subject to special low rates since 1922. Nearly every country has reduced tax rates on individual long-term capital gains, with some countries imposing no tax at all. This bulletin describes why policymakers should keep capital gains taxes low, and it presents data on capital gains tax rates for the 34 nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
Kinematic Wave Flow Routing

Flow routing on planes, in channels, and in storm sewers using the kinematic wave theory is quite popular, especially for urban drainage design and planning. The small watershed sizes and the often fairly steeper prismatic conduits in an urban environment are well suited for application of the theory. Little or no stream-flow data are required to develop the kinematic wave routing method. In nonurban environments, the kinematic routing wave method, corrected for dynamic effects, is also becoming increasingly popular. Keywords: finite-difference scheme; flow routing; kinematic wave theory; numerical diffusion; numerical schemes; reservoir routing; sewer flow routing; stability
SUMOylation-disrupting WAS mutation converts WASp from a transcriptional activator to a repressor of NF-κB response genes in T cells

In Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS), immunodeficiency and autoimmunity often comanifest, yet how WAS mutations misregulate chromatin-signaling in Thelper (TH) cells favoring development of auto-inflammation over protective immunity is unclear. Previously, we identified an essential promoter-specific, coactivator role of nuclear-WASp in TH1 gene transcription. Here we identify small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO)ylation as a novel posttranslational modification of WASp, impairment of which converts nuclear-WASp from a transcriptional coactivator to a corepressor of nuclear factor (NF)-κB response genes in human (TH)1-differentiating cells. V75M, one of many disease-causing mutations occurring in SUMO*motif (72-ψψψψKDxxxxSY-83) of WASp, compromises WASp-SUMOylation, associates with COMMD1 to attenuate NF-κB signaling, and recruits histone deacetylases-6 (HDAC6) to p300-marked promoters of NF-κB response genes that pattern immunity but not inflammation. Consequently, proteins mediating adaptive immunity (IFNG, STAT1, TLR1) are deficient, whereas those mediating auto-inflammation (GM-CSF, TNFAIP2, IL-1β) are paradoxically increased in TH1 cells expressing SUMOylation-deficient WASp. Moreover, SUMOylation-deficient WASp favors ectopic development of the TH17-like phenotype (↑IL17A, IL21, IL22, IL23R, RORC, and CSF2) under TH1-skewing conditions, suggesting a role for WASp in modulating TH1/TH17 plasticity. Notably, pan-histone deacetylase inhibitors lift promoter-specific repression imposed by SUMOylation-deficient WASp and restore misregulated gene expression. Our findings uncovering a SUMOylation-based mechanism controlling WASp's dichotomous roles in transcription may have implications for personalized therapy for patients carrying mutations that perturb WASp-SUMOylation.
Impact of backpack load on ventilatory function among 9-12 year old Saudi girls

Objectives: To characterize the effects of regular Roselle ingestion on blood pressure and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in patients with established moderate essential hypertension. Methods: This non-randomized quasi-experimental study was conducted in Kafr El-Shaikh, Egypt, for 8 weeks, from September 2012 to November 2012. The effects of a 4-week period of regular Roselle ingestion followed by a 4-week recovery period on systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), pulse pressure (PP), and heart rates (HR) was studied in 2 equal, gender- and age-matched groups (n=50 each; average age - 50±5 years) of normotensive subjects, and patients with moderate essential hypertension. Electrocardiographic assessments of LVH were also made prior to, and at the end of both treatment and recovery periods. Results: Pulse pressure (PP) significantly fell from baseline values by 10.9% (normotensive group [NG]), 21.2% (hypertensive group [HG]); SBP by 10% (NG), 19.6% (HG); DBP by 9.5% (NG), 18.7% (HG), and HR by 14.6% (NG), 17.1% (HG) by the end of week 4 of treatment. Following treatment cessation, SBP, DBP, PP, and HR returned to pretreatment levels over 4 weeks. Before intervention, none of the normotensive subjects, but 14 hypertensive patients showed LVH. However, Roselle treatment was associated with regression of LVH in 10 patients with only 4 patients showing LVH after 4 weeks of treatment. This became 10 patients 4 weeks after ceasing treatment. Conclusion: These findings empirically suggest favorable cardiovascular effects of Roselle in patients with established moderate essential hypertension.
Analysis of refill curve shape in ultrasound contrast agent studies.

Contrast destruction and replenishment by Flash Echo Imaging (FEI) (also referred to as interval or intermittent imaging) has been qualitatively and quantitatively used for tissue blood refill measurements. Many features and capabilities of contrast refill in tissue blood flow and perfusion remain to be elucidated. To aid the development and full reliable utilization of the technique in medical practice, in this paper we undertake physical and mathematical modeling to evaluate different measures derivable from FEI and to provide a basis for the further study of sensitivity and stability of such measures for the detection and measurement of various flow properties and abnormalities. A phantom was developed and used to conduct a dynamic contrast study. Refill curves were investigated as a means of calculating the mean transit time (MTT) and investigating other information that can be determined from their shape. Exponential and error function fits and the area above these curves were used to estimate MTT. The bubble disruption zone was visually measured and theoretically modeled. Computer simulated refill curves based on the flow phantom for different velocity ranges were then computed and compared to the experimental refill curves. The simulated refill curves closely matched the experimental curves in both shape and MTT. The simulated refill curves matched the shape of the experimental results for different velocity ranges. Another simulation examined how a real circulatory system might influence refill. Different refill curve shapes were obtained for different vascular models.Models including the large arteries and veins showed a much faster initial slope than models where the large vessels were not included. Likewise, simulated “shunting” displayed a different slope than models without “shunting” and specific portions of the refill curve that could maximally distinguish shunting. This computer simulation could lead to some experimental hypotheses about differences between normal and cancerous blood flow.
Loss of Fhit expression in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and its potential clinical implication

Purpose: Abnormalities of FHIT , a candidate tumor suppressor gene, have frequently been found in multiple malignancies, including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). To define its role in HNSCC treated with surgery and postoperative radiotherapy (PORT), the Fhit protein expression status was investigated in 80 patients enrolled in a prospective Phase III clinical trial addressing the dose and fractionation regimen of PORT. Experimental Design: Immunohistochemical staining of HNSCC tissue sections for Fhit expression was performed. The Fhit expression status was correlated with the clinicopathological characteristics and clinical course. The median follow-up duration was 4.9 years. Results: Loss of Fhit expression was found in 52 of the 80 study patients (65%). There was not a significant association between Fhit expression and clinical characteristics. Patients whose tumor exhibited negative Fhit expression had a significantly worse 5-year overall survival duration [hazard ratio = 0.49; 95% confidence interval, 0.23–1.03; P = 0.05 (log-rank test)] than did those whose tumor exhibited positive Fhit expression. One third of the patients with a Fhit-negative tumor had distant metastasis during the follow-up period. Paradoxically, patients classified as high risk who had a Fhit-negative tumor experienced locoregional recurrence less often (18%) than did high-risk patients who had a Fhit-positive tumor (33%). Conclusions: Loss of Fhit expression is a poor prognostic indicator in patients with HNSCC. However, tumors lacking Fhit expression may be more sensitive to PORT and therefore more susceptible to locoregional control.
Community intervention and public policy in the prevention of antisocial behavior

As academic clinical science moves to community intervention to achieve impact on population prevalence of antisocial behavior disorders, exciting potential is tempered by realistic caution. Three kinds of efforts are noted. First, individual evidence-based therapies are being implemented at scale. Difficulties in high-fidelity implementation are noted, and the unlikelihood of population impact is highlighted. Second, communities are receiving new resources to support individuals, although connecting community resources to highest-risk individuals is difficult. Third, community factors are being targeted for change through policy reform, with mixed results. As the field moves in this direction, the importance of adhering to principles of scientific rigor and empirical evidence is emphasized, to keep scientist-practitioners from overstepping their bounds.
Effect of Bile and Fat on Gastric Motility under the Influence of Various Stimulants

This study was initiated to evaluate the effect on contractility of the longitudinal and circular muscles of the canine gastric body and antrum when micellar fat or bile was instilled in a Thiry loop of duodenum. These studies were performed while the animals were stimulated by food, acetylcholine, and 5-hydroxytryptophane (5-HTP). The latter two chemicals were infused for a 30-min. period. Micellar fat in the duodenum tended to decrease the frequency and amplitude of contractions only in those experiments using 5-HTP or the lower dose of acetylcholine (50 µg./kg./min.) as stimulants. This trend was not seen when bile alone or saline was placed in the duodenal loop. The data were evaluated by a motility index technic and analyzed by a paired comparison method.
Determination of the saturation magnetization, anisotropy field, mean field interaction, and switching field distribution for nanocrystalline hard magnets

Abstract For a uniaxial nanocrystalline magnetic material, the determination of the saturation magnetization, M s , requires measurements of the magnetization at fields which exceed the anisotropy field. For a typical RE–Tm compound, where RE=rare earth and Tm=transition metal, this may require fields above 7 T if the approach to saturation law is used. However for an isotropic material composed of a random distribution of non-interacting uniaxial grains, both M s and the anisotropy filed, H a , may be determined by fitting the Stoner–Wohlfarth (SW) model (Philos. Trans. Roy. Soc. 240 (1948) 599) to the reversible part of the demagnetization curve in the first quadrant. Furthermore, using the mean field interaction model of Callen, Liu and Cullen [2], a quantitative measure of the interaction strength for interacting particles may be determined. In conjunction with an analytical fit to the first quadrant demagnetization curve of the SW model, this allows M s , H a and the mean field interaction constant of a nanocrystalline magnet to be determined from measurements below 5 T. Furthermore, comparison of the model solution for the reversible magnetization with experimental data in the 2nd and 3rd quadrants allows the accurate determination of the switching field distribution. In many cases the hysteresis loop may be accurately described by a normal distribution of switching fields.
Germanium‐silicon as a flow path tracer: Application to the Rio Icacos watershed

[1] We use dissolved silicon together with its “geochemical twin” germanium for the first time as a hydrologic tracer to study water delivery to the stream during storm events in the Rio Icacos watershed, Puerto Rico. Ge and Si were measured on base flow, stormflow, springwater, and soil water samples. Compositions of all of these waters appear to reflect varying contributions from three components, which we attribute to solutes released from bedrock weathering (groundwater), from short-term soil-water interaction (quick soil water), and longer-term soil-water interaction (matrix soil water). Base flow stream waters have high Si and moderate Ge (Ge/Si ratio ∼0.29 μmol/mol), consistent with a predominantly bedrock weathering source as indicated by their similarity with water sampled from springs emerging from the saprolite-bedrock boundary on a hillslope landslide scar. During storm events there is a shift toward more dilute compositions (but higher Ge/Si ratios) similar to those measured on water samples from temporary depression storage and overland flow (quick soil water). Geochemical mass balance shows that 80%–90% of the stream chemistry can be explained by mixing groundwater with this quick soil water composition, which we infer to reflect new water traveling as shallow throughflow. Stream water δ18O values decrease to more negative values typical of precipitation supporting rapid delivery of rainwater to the stream channel during stormflow. The third component, with a Ge-rich composition characteristic of soil matrix water sampled by tension lysimeters, is required to explain higher stream water Ge/Si ratios measured during hydrograph recession. We infer from this an additional, slower, and less dominant pathway for delivery of soil water to the stream channel.
In situ conservation of crop genetic resources through maintenance of traditional farming systems

A strategy is suggested for in situ conservation of crop genetic resources whereby conservation efforts are linked to rural development projects in Third World countries. We describe development projects that emphasize preservation of traditional farming systems and succeed in sustaining production by relying on the maintenance of biological and genetic diversity in these systems. Basing agricultural development efforts on indigenous knowledge, technology, and social organization can provide important guidelines for the design of cropping systems that allow lowincome farmers to produce subsistence and cash crops without dependence on external inputs and seed supplies. By incorporating landraces and wild relatives of crops into these cropping systems, major achievements in the conservation of crop genetic resources can be obtained.
Evaluation of statistical fracture toughness parameters on the basis of crack arrest experiment

The crack diffusion theory addresses the origins of the observed scatter, in brittle fracture, of macroscopic fracture parameters under seemingly identical test conditions. An essential question of experimental evaluation of the nonconventional fracture parameters introduced there appears to be buried in the formalism. In this paper we report a pilot crack arrest experiment, in which a methodology of evaluating some of the new fracture parameters is demonstrated. Experimental observations are found to not disprove the theory.
Social Distance Strategies and Status Symbols: An Approach to the Study of Social Structure*

(1963). Social Distance Strategies and Status Symbols: An Approach to the Study of Social Structure. The Sociological Quarterly: Vol. 4, No. 4, pp. 311-324.
Ownership or Leasing of CT Scanners by Nonradiologist Physicians: A Rapidly Growing Trend That Raises Concern About Self-Referral

Purpose The aim of this study was to examine recent nationwide trends in the ownership or leasing of computed tomographic (CT) scanners in private offices by nonradiologist physicians. Methods and Materials The Medicare Part B fee-for-service data sets for 2001 though 2006 were used to identify all CT scans performed in nonhospital, private-office settings. Ownership or leasing of CT scans was determined by tabulating all global and technical-component-only claims. Professional-component claims were excluded. The specialty of the owner or lessee was determined using Medicare's physician specialty codes. Procedure volume trends and growth rates among all nonradiologist physicians as a group were compared with those among radiologists. Individual specialty volume trends and growth rates were also studied. Results From 2001 to 2006, Medicare private-office CT scan volume in facilities owned by radiologists increased by 85%. CT scan volume in facilities owned or leased by nonradiologist physicians as a group increased by 263%. The nonradiologic specialties with the largest volumes in 2006 were primary care (192,255 scans), internal medicine subspecialties other than cardiology and medical oncology (184,991 scans), urology (125,850 scans), cardiology (104,739 scans), and medical oncology (61,976 scans). Excluding CT scans performed in independent diagnostic testing facilities (for which physician ownership cannot be determined), nonradiologists' private-office CT market share rose from 16% in 2001 to 28% in 2006. Conclusions The majority of Medicare private-office CT scans are done in facilities owned by radiologists. However, nonradiologist physicians are acquiring or leasing CT scanners in increasing numbers, and the growth trend is much more rapid among them than it is among radiologists (85% among radiologists from 2001 to 2006, compared with 263% among nonradiologists). As a result, nonradiologists' market share has increased considerably. At a time when both cost containment and reduction in radiation exposure are urgent priorities, the self-referral opportunities resulting from this trend should be of concern to payers and policymakers.
THE PALEOBIOLOGY AND ONTOGENY OF CINCINNATICRINUS VARIBRACHIALUS WARN AND STRIMPLE, 1977 FROM THE MIDDLE ORDOVICIAN (SHERMANIAN) WALCOTT-RUST QUARRY OF NEW YORK

Abstract The lichenocrinid holdfast of Cincinnaticrinus varibrachialus Warn and Strimple, 1977 was attached to a variety of hard objects, i.e., crinoid stems, twig-shaped and flat bryozoans, brachiopods, bivalves, cephalopod shells, trilobites, and phosphate nodules, throughout life. This represents an adaptation to a soft substrate and most individuals are found in carbonate or carbonate-clay muds that were deposited in moderately deep and quiet water. Evidence from living and fossil crinoids suggests that the cincinnaticrinid column either required little nourishment from the crown or it may even have been metabolically self sustaining. The food-gathering system mainly needs to supply the energy needs of the crown with little or no contribution to the stem. Very likely, this applies to many crinoids. Consequently, it is appropriate to analyze the food gathering system with respect to the crown volume as a size parameter. The aboral cup grows slowly compared to the arms. Brachs and ramulars show little s...
[Me2NN]Co(η6-toluene): OO, NN, and ON Bond Cleavage Provides β-Diketiminato Cobalt μ-Oxo and Imido Complexes

The synthesis and structure of a novel β-diketiminato Co(I) arene adduct [Me2NN]Co(η6-toluene) (2) are described, that serves as a synthon to the reactive, “naked” 12-electron [Me2NN]Co fragment via loss of toluene in its reactions with dioxygen, organoazides, and a nitrosobenzene. Exposure of 2 to dioxygen in ether leads to {[Me2NN]Co}2(μ-O)2 (3), a rare example of a cobalt−oxo complex thermally stable at room temperature. The X-ray structure of 3 reveals a short Co−Co separation of 2.716(4) A and exhibits positional disorder for the bridging oxo groups; the predominant configuration contains oxygen atoms in square-planar sites with short Co−O distances (1.784(3) and 1.793(4) A). Reaction of 2 with organoazides N3R (R = 3,5-Me2C6H3 (Ar) or 1-adamantyl (Ad)) results in the formation of imido complexes whose structure depends on the nature of the azido substituent. The synthesis and structures of both {Me2NN]Co}2(μ-NAr)2 (4) with arylimido groups in tetrahedral bridging sites or the three-coordinate, 16-el...
ENFLURANE-INDUCED BURST DISCHARGE OF HIPPOCAMPAL CA1 NEURONES IS BLOCKED BY THE NMDA RECEPTOR ANTAGONIST APV

The basis for the hyperexcitability and seizure activity associated with enflurane anaesthesia was investigated using extracellular and intracellular recording in rat hippocampal brain slices. Enflurane produced seizure-like burst discharges in CA1 pyramidal neurones, accompanied by depressed field potential amplitudes and a reduced threshold for synaptically evoked population spikes. However, threshold for action potentials evoked by intracellular current injection did not change, nor did action potential amplitude, duration or spike frequency accommodation in single neurones. Enflurane 2.0 vol% hyperpolarized CA1 neurones (3.1 (SD 1.3)mV), decreased membrane conductance (12 (6)% below control), and depressed EPSP amplitudes (34% of control) (P
Ethical considerations in neuroimaging and its impact on decision-making for neonates

Neuroimaging can now provide information about structure and function. Despite new and improved neuroimaging technologies applicable to the newborn, predictions about later cognition, learning, social and emotional behavior, and neuromuscular capabilities, based on images of a fetus inside or a newborn outside the womb, are fraught with difficulties that go beyond technical ones. The interpretation of neuroimages may be necessary but it is not sufficient for decision-making related to the withholding or withdrawing of medical support for neonates. As the explanatory reach of neuroimaging increases, there will still need to be consideration of ethical issues as they relate to the best interests of the neonate and the neonate's parents, the quality of life of the neonate and non-beneficial treatment. Once this is appreciated, the boundary between the technical and the ethical will be less often disputed.
The effect of large magnetic fields and the g-factor difference on the triplet population in photosynthetic reaction centers

Abstract The triplet population in reduced photosynthetic reaction centers is found to increase on application of large magnetic fields (1.5–14 KG) We conclude that the triplet is formed by charge recombination of spin-correlated radical ions with different g -factors. An appropriate theory for the field dependence gives the value δ g = 0.001.
How Real is the Concern that Seed Patents Will Turn Farmers into Inadvertent Infringers

The fear that farmers could be found liable for patent infringement based on the inadvertent presence of patented genetically modified plants on the farmer’s fields has led to calls for limitations on the scope and enforceability of patents. These “reforms” would be especially problematic for agricultural biotechnology companies like Monsanto, but the repercussions could be more widespread, impacting a host of important cutting-edge technologies like synthetic biology and nanotechnology. Although stories of farmers being sued by Monsanto after their fields where inadvertently contaminated by genetic drift are widely circulated, inadvertent infringement based upon genetic drift or the presence of trace amounts of contaminating patented seed in a farmer’s field does not appear to have ever resulted in a lawsuit by Monsanto. The situation, however, might become more complicated in the not too distant future as advances in technology and developments in the market render it increasingly likely that infringement lawsuits will be filed in cases where it is more difficult to prove that a farmer has taken overt action unambiguously establishing the intentional use of patented technology, or even knowledge that a patented plant is growing in the farmer’s field. When faced with a case in which the equities tilt more favorably in favor of an accused farmer, courts should strive to maintain a balance between the desire to protect potentially “innocent” infringers and the need to maintain a vibrant patent system to foster further innovation in this important area of technology.
Radiation therapy for chest recurrences following induction chemotherapy in small cell lung cancer.

Abstract Once small cell lung cancer fails induction chemotherapy, second line drugs are usually ineffective, accounting for mostly partial responses in the order of 0–20% and a median survival of 6–10 weeks. A review of patients with relapsed small cell lung cancer was carried out at the University of Maryland. Of 51 such patients, 44 received thoracic irradiation at the time of relapse. Excluding 8 patients who received insufficient treatment, the series consists of 36 patients (27 with limited and 9 with extensive disease) and represents the largest experience with relapsed small cell lung cancer subjected to radiation alone. Total radiation doses were 60 Gy in 11, 45–55 Gy in 14, and 38–42 Gy in the remaining 11 patients. No second line chemotherapy was given simultaneously with radiation at time of relapse and it was only given subsequently during the course of the disease to four patients. Responses to radiation were seen in 28 (77%) with 9 (25%) complete and 19 (52%) partial. The median survival was 16–40 weeks varying with disease extent, response, and total dose. Subsequent failures occurred in chest (34%) and distant sites (66%). A dose-response curve was attempted; the higher doses achieved as much as 75% local control. A poor response to induction chemotherapy did not predict a poor radiation response at time of relapse. Nearly 2/3 of patients who had not responded to induction chemotherapy responded to radiation at the time of relapse. The post-recurrence survival after radiation therapy was as long as or longer than the recurrence-free interval after induction chemotherapy, and this clearly demonstrates the value of radiation in achieving excellent palliation and good quality of life in these patients. Thoracic irradiation is recommended as a therapeutic alternative for locally recurrent small cell lung cancer after induction chemotherapy.
Conformational stability from variable temperature FT-IR spectra of krypton solutions, r0 structural parameters, vibrational assignment, and ab initio calculations of 4-fluoro-1-butene.

Variable temperature (−115 to −155 °C) studies of the infrared spectra (3200−400 cm-1) of 4-fluoro-1-butene, CH2CHCH2CH2F, dissolved in liquid krypton have been carried out. The infrared spectra of the gas and solid as well as the Raman spectra of the gas, liquid, and solid have also been recorded from 3200 to 100 cm-1. From these data, an enthalpy difference of 72 ± 5 cm-1 (0.86 ± 0.06 kJ·mol-1) has been determined between the most stable skew−gauche II conformer (the first designation refers to the position of the CH2F group relative to the double bond, and the second designation refers to the relative positions of the fluorine atom to the C−C(C) bond) and the second most stable skew−trans form. The third most stable conformer is the skew−gauche I with an enthalpy difference of 100 ± 7 cm-1 (1.20 ± 0.08 kJ·mol-1) to the most stable form. Larger enthalpy values of 251 ± 12 cm-1 (3.00 ± 0.14 kJ·mol-1) and 268 ± 17 cm-1 (3.21 ± 0.20 kJ·mol-1) were obtained for the cis−trans and cis−gauche conformers, respe...
Exactly soluble hierarchical clustering model: inverse cascades, self-similarity, and scaling.

We show how clustering as a general hierarchical dynamical process proceeds via a sequence of inverse cascades to produce self-similar scaling, as an intermediate asymptotic, which then truncates at the largest spatial scales. We show how this model can provide a general explanation for the behavior of several models that has been described as ``self-organized critical,'' including forest-fire, sandpile, and slider-block models.
Generalized methods of synthesis of kinetic structure of reaction mixtures

Abstract Generalized methods of synthesizing a consistent kinetic structure are developed for reaction mixtures with many irreversible first-order reactions. The methods require a minimal amount of experimental work and the application of the methods leads, in quite a straightforward manner, to a consistent kinetic structure. The methods involve the use of rules developed for the sequential orientation of various lumps, the use of a continuously fed batch reactor and that of modified frequency response and Laplace transformation methods for forming a network of reaction paths connecting all the lumps, properly oriented and identified. The synthesis methods are applied to a model available in the literature for the catalytic cracking of gas oil. Results show that the modified frequency response and Laplace transformation methods are effective, even when they are subjected to ± 70% Gaussian white noise in the experimental data. It is also shown that these methods are effective for very stiff kinetic systems. Combination of these two methods yields information on the number of independent reactions between two known lumps. Use of these methods for other purposes is discussed.
USING A CASE STUDY APPROACH TO TEACH ETHICS IN GERONTOLOGY

An ethical framework provides students with a tool for assessing and analyzing professional decisions so that they can make consistent decisions and take responsibility for them. The use of a case study approach for teaching ethics in gerontology is presented based on the author's experience in teaching a graduate level course on advanced policy issues. The article also focuses on the development of case study materials.
Hereditarily Lindelöf products and Luzin sets

Abstract It is shown that the nonexistence of a Luzin set is equivalent to a (supposedly ZFC) statement by M.E. Rudin which gives conditions under which ccc and hereditary Lindelofness are equivalent for products of (totally) ordered spaces. By slightly modifying these conditions, a (perhaps strongest) true result is obtained.
Data on total and spectral solar irradiance: reply to comments.

The letter is a response to Frohlich's (1983) comments on an earlier paper (Mecherikunnel et al., 1983) containing a brief survey of the available data on the solar constant and its spectral distribution. The sources of the initial data used in the above study are mentioned, and comments are made on the accuracy of the measurements. Reasons are given for using NASA/ASTM data in the computations.
The impact of TMI upon the public acceptance of nuclear power

Abstract This paper discusses long-term trends in public attitudes toward nuclear power, focusing on the extent to which the accident at Three Mile Island appears to have affected public acceptance of nuclear energy. Public attitudes towards other energy production options also are considered, particularly in terms of changes that may be related to TMI. Finally, the relationships between attitudes toward nuclear power and perceptions of broader energy, environmental and social issues are examined. The data used in this analysis are from national surveys conducted by major national opinion research organizations from the early 1970s through 1981. There is considerable evidence that TMI has had a significant impact on public acceptance of nuclear power, in the direction of increasing opposition to and decreasing support for construction of new nuclear power plants. TMI appears to have increased the rates of decline in support and rise in opposition to local construction of nuclear power plants, although a trend of decreasing public acceptance of such local construction had been in evidence since the mid-1970s, prior to TMI. In spite of this decline in public acceptance of new construction, there is substantial support for both completing nuclear power plants currently under construction and for the continued operation of existing plants.
Rapid bacteriophage sedimentation in the presence of polyethylene glycol and its application to large-scale virus purification.

Abstract Bacteriophages may be readily concentrated from crude lysates of infected bacteria after addition of polyethylene glycol (PEG). A general procedure is presented which can be used for lysate volumes of 17 liters or more with nearly quantitative recovery of infectivity over a wide range of phage titers (105 to 1013 PFU/ml). All the bacteriophages tested (λ, T4, T7, P22, fd, φX174, R17) are efficiently removed from solution by simple settling at concentrations of PEG 6000 between 2% and 10%. Bacteriophage pellets are redissolved in a small amount of buffer, allowing 100-fold concentration of the original lysate. While lower molecular weight polyethylene glycols are much less effective for concentrating bacteriophages than the PEG 6000 used, the efficiency is relatively insensitive to changes in pH and ionic strength. Asymmetric particles (tobacco mosaic virus and bacteriophage fd) are especially susceptible to PEG, and they can be purified from more symmetrical particles at low PEG 6000 concentrations (2% or less). Although the exact mechanism by which bacteriophages can be concentrated with PEG is unknown, a phase partition rather than a normal precipitation reaction seems to be involved, since the fraction of infective phages removed from solution by a fixed concentration of PEG is nearly invariant to changes in bacteriophage concentration over as much as a 108-fold range. Extension of this method to concentration and purification of other viruses and nucleic acids, as well as some preliminary mechanistic studies, are discussed.
A Syntactic Time-Series Model for Parsing Fluent and Disfluent Speech

This paper describes an incremental approach to parsing transcribed spontaneous speech containing disfluencies with a Hierarchical Hidden Markov Model (HHMM). This model makes use of the right-corner transform, which has been shown to increase non-incremental parsing accuracy on transcribed spontaneous speech (Miller and Schuler, 2008), using trees transformed in this manner to train the HHMM parser. Not only do the representations used in this model align with structure in speech repairs, but as an HMM-like time-series model, it can be directly integrated into conventional speech recognition systems run on continuous streams of audio. A system implementing this model is evaluated on the standard task of parsing the Switchboard corpus, and achieves an improvement over the standard baseline probabilistic CYK parser.
Nonparametric methods with applications to hedonic models

Current real estate statistical valuation involves the estimation of parameters within a posited specification. Suchparametric estimation requires judgment concerning model (1) variables; and (2) functional form. In contrast,nonparametric regression estimation requires attention to (1) but permits greatly reduced attention to (2). Parametric estimators functionally model the parameters and variables affectingE(y¦x) while nonparametric estimators directly modelpdf(y, x) and henceE(y¦x).
Sensitivity of ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) growth to urban ozone concentrations.

Although the sensitivity of growth and yield to ground-level ozone (O3) has been determined for a variety of agronomic crops and trees, little information is available for weedy species. Common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.) is recognized both as a common agricultural weed and the principle source of pollen for Fall (late August to November) allergies in North America. To quantify the extent to which ambient O3 limits growth and reproduction, ragweed was grown from germination to floral initiation at control [carbon filtered (CF), 15.8 nL O3 L–1 air] and treatment levels (63.5 nL O3 L–1 air) of tropospheric O3. This 8-h treatment average is similar to the average 1-h O3 peak values from May through September in urban areas of Washington D.C. and Baltimore, MD. By 48 d after sowing, during floral initiation, no significant differences in total plant or floral biomass were observed as a function of O3 concentration, relative to the CF control. Analysis of leaf area ratio, relative growth rate and net assimilation rate at approximately 10-d intervals during early vegetative growth also did not demonstrate any significant effect of O3. Data from this experiment indicate that ragweed is insensitive to O3 levels up to four times that of the CF control, and suggests that O3 levels associated with urban environments may not limit the growth or reproductive development of ragweed.
RNA synthesis in avian erythroid cells.

Abstract In nucleated erythroid cells, as in other vertebrate cells, less than 2% of the newly made RNA enters the cytoplasm. Posttranscriptional selection is therefore likely to play an important role in differential gene expression. The work reported here defines the relative roles of transcription, nuclear-cytoplasmic flow, and mRNA turnover in determining the distance of polysomal mRNAs in avian erythroid cells. Cells were preincubated with glucosamine to reduce endogenous pools of UTP and were then labeled with [ 3 H]uridine. The specific activity of the UTP pools during the incubation was measured after high-pressure liquid chromatography, and the absolute rates of synthesis of nuclear and cytoplasmic RNA were determined. Under the labeling conditions described, the UTP pool reached a specific activity of 600 dpm/pmole within 5 min and remained between 600 and 800 dpm/pmole for 60 min. The total rate RNA synthesis was 0.9 fg/min/cell. The rate of synthesis of cytoplasmic RNA was 1.7% of the total. Comparison of these figures with published data for L cells indicates that these terminally differentiated, postmitotic cells are much more restricted in transcription than L cells, but similar in the efficiency of converting nuclear transcripts to cytoplasmic RNA. The rate of appearance and size distribution of polysomal RNAs were also determined. About 45% of the newly synthesized poly(A) + polysomal RNA has a sedimentation coefficient of approximately 9 S and was identified as globin mRNA by hybridization to recombinant plasmid DNA containing chicken β-globin mRNA sequence. Each species of globin mRNA is calculated to arrive on polysomes at about 1 molecule per minute per cell and each species of nonglobulin mRNA at about 0.02 molecules per minute per cell. These differences in the rates of appearance do not suffice to explain the 200-fold difference in the concentrations of individual globin and nonglobin poly(A) + mRNA species determined in hybridization experiments. The nonglobin poly(A) + mRNAs in these cells must therefore either be less stable than the globin mRNA or have accumulated for a shorter time than the globin mRNA.