cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Adaptive Coding in Visual Cortical Circuits

Understanding the rules by which brain networks represent incoming stimuli in population activity to influence the accuracy of behavioral responses remains one of the deepest mysteries in neuroscience. We have embarked on a set of projects to investigate the real-time operation of multiple neuronal networks and their capacity to undergo adaptive changes and plasticity. What are the fundamental units of network computation and the principles that govern their relationship with behavior? By employing state-of-the-art electrophysiological techniques we were able to record from large pools of cells in the non-human primate brain while animals performed a fixation task. We found that spatio-temporal correlations between neurons could act as an active ‘switch’ to control network performance in real time by modulating the communication between neurons. We believe that ‘cracking’ the mysteries of the population code will offer unique insight into a network-based mechanistic explanation of behavior and new therapeutic solutions to cure brain dysfunction.
Reliability of Yeast Unclumping Assay, a Model for Testing Potentially Clinically Useful Reagents

In the project titled Hierarchy of Anti-Clumping Salts in these proceedings, in 2525 separate trials by 45 independent investigators, a hierarchy of best to worst yeast unclumping agents was develo...
High-harmonic generation with plasmonics: feasible or unphysical?

High-harmonic generation (HHG) provides for efficient and coherent XUV generation for a wide range of spectroscopic applications, enabling attosecond spectroscopy, ultrafast photo-emission spectroscopy, or ultrahigh spatial resolution imaging [1]. Conventionally HHG is based on the use of high power amplified femtosecond laser pulses, special phase matching techniques, or intra-cavity field enhancement. As a compelling alternative, resonant plasmonic field enhancement in metallic nanostructures has been proposed to achieve the necessary peak intensity for HHG. Using nJ pulses from a Ti:S oscillator, XUV generation attributed to plasmon-enhanced HHG was reported in 2008 by the group of Seung-Woo Kim from KAIST in Daejeon, Korea, first in Ar [2] and later
Charge-coupled device based fluorescence detection in capillary electrophoresis

Abstract Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is currently one of the highest efficiency small volume separation methods available, and laser induced fluorescence (LIF) detection the most sensitive CE detection method. The design and characteristics of a unique charge-coupled device based CE/LIF system are described that acquires simultaneous fluorescence emission spectra from components separated by CE. The limit of detection for this multichannel detection system is below 10-13 M (less than 100 molecules) for sulforhodamine 101. The advantages of obtaining the wavelength resolved data as opposed to more conventional single channel data are outlined. Two methods for enhancing the ability to attach a fluorescent tag to low concentration peptide samples are presented, including the fabrication of a preconcentrator/reactor at the inlet tip of the capillary and the use of a UV laser with the fluorogenic derivatising agent fluorescamine.
Differential sex role socialization toward amplitude appropriation.

Abstract The term amplitude appropriation refers to the size of that portion of the environment a child envisions as appropriate for his or her activity and the degree of movement he or she perceives as possible in that environment. The purpose of this study was to compare the physical activity of role models to which boys and girls are exposed in elementary school textbooks grades one through six. Twenty-four textbooks were rated on the activity level of boys, girls, men, and women pictured in these books. An activity scale was devised to rank levels of physical activity. The results indicated that children are 13 times more likely to see a vigorously active man than a vigorously active woman and 3 times more likely to see a relatively active man than a relatively active woman. The ratio of vigorously active boys to girls was 3.5 to 1. It was found that socialization toward physical activity comprises a significant part of a larger socialization process which communicates to children the size of the envi...
DEVSML 2.0: the language and the stack

This paper presents a revised version of DEVSML stack. The earlier version introduced the concept of transparent simulators in a netcentric domain. This version of DEVSML 2.0 stack introduces the transparent modeling concept and how a platform independent DEVS Modeling Language based on Finite Deterministic DEVS can help achieve model interoperability. Further, the new stack opens up the DEVS framework [1] to customized Domain Specific Languages (DSLs) and facilitates DEVS adoption to a much wider audience. The paper describes the EBNF grammar for DEVSML language and a natural language DEVS DSL that is semantically anchored to the described language.
Electroelastic modeling and experimental validations of piezoelectric energy harvesting from broadband random vibrations of cantilevered bimorphs

We present electroelastic modeling, analytical and numerical solutions, and experimental validations of piezoelectric energy harvesting from broadband random vibrations. The modeling approach employed herein is based on a distributed-parameter electroelastic formulation to ensure that the effects of higher vibration modes are included, since broadband random vibrations, such as Gaussian white noise, might excite higher vibration modes. The goal is to predict the expected value of the power output and the mean-square shunted vibration response in terms of the given power spectral density (PSD) or time history of the random vibrational input. The analytical method is based on the PSD of random base excitation and distributed-parameter frequency response functions of the coupled voltage output and shunted vibration response. The first of the two numerical solution methods employs the Fourier series representation of the base acceleration history in an ordinary differential equation solver while the second method uses an Euler‐Maruyama scheme to directly solve the resulting electroelastic stochastic differential equations. The analytical and numerical simulations are compared with several experiments for a brass-reinforced PZT-5H bimorph under different random excitation levels. The simulations exhibit very good agreement with the experimental measurements for a range of resistive electrical boundary conditions and input PSD levels. It is also shown that lightly damped higher vibration modes can alter the expected power curve under broadband random excitation. Therefore, the distributed-parameter modeling and solutions presented herein can be used as a more accurate alternative to the existing single-degree-of-freedom solutions for broadband random vibration energy harvesting.
Can family caregiving substitute for nursing home care

Informal care should be a substitute for nursing homes but empirical evidence often suggests the opposite. This may be because informal care receipt is positively correlated with unobserved negative health characteristics. We exploit variation in children's characteristics as instruments for informal care to provide Two-Stage Least Squares (TSLS) estimates of nursing home use among a sample of 6855 individuals from the 1993-2000 waves of the AHEAD survey. While OLS results suggest informal care is associated with greater future nursing home risk, TSLS estimates show that receipt of informal care statistically and substantially reduces the risk of nursing home entry. This finding has implications for Medicaid and private long-term care insurance markets.
Modeling recreation demand within a random utility framework

Abstract This paper develops a single site, single trip random utility model for describing recreation behavior. The model is applied to a 1981 survey of households in the Pennsylvania Monongahela River Basin. Hicksian benefit estimates derived from it are compared with those from a more conventional travel cost model estimated from the same survey.
Anticancer agent development: X-ray crystal structure and keto-enol tautomerism of dimethyl 1-hydroxy-6,7-methylenedioxy-4-(3′,4′,5′-trimethoxyphenyl-trans-3,4-dihydronaphthalene-2,3-dicarboxylate

Structural and conformational information obtained from the crystal structure and solution1H nmr investigations of the title compound are compared. The 4-aryltetralone, C24H24O10, crystallizes as a chloroform solvate in the monoclinic space group, P21/n, witha=12.519(4),b=17.938(6),c=12.534(9)A,β=111.90(5)°, and Dcalc=1.51 g cm−3 forZ=4. The data for this compound were collected at −150°C. Least-squares refinement of 2796 observed [Fo≥5σ(Fo)] reflections led to the final agreement index ofR=0.062. A threefold static disorder was observed for one of the carboxyl groups. The second carboxyl group participates in an intramolecular hydrogen bond and is thus ordered. The1H nmr spectrum revealed the title compound to exist as a keto-enol tautomeric mixture in solution. Vicinal hydrogen coupling constant analysis proved reliable in ascertaining B-ring stereochemistry of 2,3-disubstituted-4-aryltetralones.
A typology of pain coping strategies in pediatric patients with chronic abdominal pain

This study aimed to identify clinically meaningful profiles of pain coping strategies used by youth with chronic abdominal pain (CAP). Participants (n = 699) were pediatric patients (ages 8–18 years) and their parents. Patients completed the Pain Response Inventory (PRI) and measures of somatic and depressive symptoms, disability, pain severity and pain efficacy, and perceived competence. Parents rated their children’s pain severity and coping efficacy. Hierarchical cluster analysis based on the 13 PRI subscales identified pain coping profiles in Sample 1 (n = 311) that replicated in Sample 2 (n = 388). Evidence was found of external validity and distinctiveness of the profiles. The findings support a typology of pain coping that reflects the quality of patients’ pain mastery efforts and interpersonal relationships associated with pain coping. Results are discussed in relation to developmental processes, attachment styles, and treatment implications.
Liver transplantation and alcohol : who should get transplants ?

Medical selection criteria should be the same for all patients with end-stage liver disease and should aim for an acceptable outcome of the liver transplant procedure in matter of survival and quality of life, taking the scarce resources into account. The psychiatric selection criteria should aim at avoidance of recidivism of alcohol use in alcoholic patients. At least 6 mo of sobriety should be required. The patient must have a stable and supportive environment and should participate in an alcohol counseling program. A multicentered trial using uniform scoring criteria such as the Alcohol Prognosis Scale is needed to better define the selection of patients with alcoholic liver disease and long-term outcome of alcoholism after transplantation.
Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect in WMAP and its effect on cosmological parameters

We use multifrequency information in first year Wilkinson microwave anisotropy probe (WMAP) data to search for the Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) effect. WMAP has sufficiently broad frequency coverage to constrain the SZ effect without the addition of higher frequency data: the SZ power spectrum amplitude is expected to increase 50% from W to Q frequency band. This, in combination with the low noise in WMAP, allows us to strongly constrain the SZ contribution. We derive an optimal frequency combination of WMAP cross-spectra to extract the SZ effect in the presence of noise, cosmic microwave background (CMB), and radio point sources, which are marginalized over. We find that the SZ contribution is less than 2% (95% C.L.) at the first acoustic peak in W band. Under the assumption that the removed radio point sources are not correlated with the SZ effect this limit implies ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{8}l1.07$ at 95% C.L. We investigate the effect on the cosmological parameters of allowing an SZ component. We run Monte Carlo Markov chains with and without an SZ component and find that the addition of the SZ effect does not affect any of the cosmological conclusions. We conclude that the SZ effect does not contaminate the WMAP CMB or change cosmological parameters, refuting the recent claims that they may be corrupted.
Craving and startle modification during in vivo exposure to food cues.

Abstract Rationale and objectives. Food craving and reactivity to food cues are related to food intake. Research has shown that both startle magnitude and prepulse inhibition of startle may be useful indices of cue reactivity and drug craving. The goal of this study was to assess the utility of these paradigms for the study of food craving in food-deprived participants. Methods. Twenty-nine non-smoking, food-deprived undergraduate participants were exposed to a counterbalanced series of food, cigarette, and neutral cues. During each 4.5-min cue, nine startle probes (102-dB white noise) were presented, and a prepulse (20-ms noise 8 dB above background) preceded 2/3 of the probes by 60 or 120 ms. Subjects were divided into those high and low in food-craving on the basis of subjective craving to food cues. Responses to food cues were compared to smoking cues to control for attention and arousal. Results. Both probe-alone startle magnitude and percent prepulse inhibition were significantly reduced during the food cue compared to the smoking cue among high food cravers, but not low food cravers. These processes seemed to be independent, as cue-induced changes in prepulse inhibition were uncorrelated with cue effects on probe-alone startle magnitude. Conclusions. Both probe-alone startle magnitude and prepulse inhibition are sensitive to cue-induced craving for food, but appear to assess separate processes. Startle methodologies may prove useful in understanding basic processes that regulate food intake.
Unsteady supersonic flow around delta wings with symmetric and asymmetric flaps oscillation

A parametric study is presented to investigate the effect of reduced frequency of the leading-edge flaps on the locally-conical, unsteady, supersonic flow around a delta wing. This study covers symmetric and antisymmetric forced oscillation of the leading-edge flaps. The effects of the freestream Mach number and angle of attack are also presented. The problem is solved using time-accurate integration of the unsteady, compressible, thin-layer Navier-Stokes equations and the unsteady, linearized, Navier-displacement equations. The delta wing is of aspect ratio of 1.5 and its leading-edge flaps are hinged at 65 percent of the local-half span length. The reduced frequency is varied between 2 pi and pi/2. Two supersonic flow conditions have been investigated; the first is for a freestream Mach number of 2.4 and an angle of attack of 19 deg and the second is for a freestream Mach number of 1.5 and an angle attack of 15 deg.
Cortical reorganization following fertilization of sea urchin eggs: sensitivity to cytochalasin B.

A transient sensitivity to cytochalasin B was detected in freshly fertilized sea urchin eggs. Large membrane-limited protrusions formed when cytochalasin B was added between 1 and 6 min postinsemination. When cytochalasin B was removed from the cultures, eggs continued to develop with protrusions remaining, and cleavage furrows formed through many of the protrusions. Electron microscopy showed that cytochalasin B disrupted the microfilamentous structures that formed in the egg cortex after fertilization. Protrusions also appeared when eggs were activated by the Ca 2+ ionophore A23187 followed by cytochalasin B addition. Protrusions did not appear when cytochalasin B was added at any time prior to fertilization, during insemination, or after the 6-min period postinsemination. Mechanical compression or incubation in a cortical isolation medium were effective as treatments enhance the cytochalasin B-sensitive response. These results suggest a time frame for postfertilization changes in the cortex of the zygote.
Radioactivity and rights: clashes at Bikini Atoll.

Cash can never compensate people for a half century of exile and the destruction of a lifestyle and culture.
Aligning Library Strategy and Structure With the Campus Academic Plan: A Case Study

ABSTRACT Colleges and universities’ missions are typically comprised of educating students, training professionals, engaging in scholarship and research, promoting creative activity, improving healthcare, and providing public service. Academic libraries exist to support these core functions, yet most academic libraries are organized based on library functions rather than the primary missions of their college or university. This article describes one academic library's attempt to align library strategy and structure with its university's academic plan.
Acute Toxicity and Sublethal Effects of Fenpyroximate to Amblyseius swirskii (Acari: Phytoseiidae)

ABSTRACT Knowledge about the effects of pesticides on biological control agents is required in order to successfully implement integrated pest management programs. The predatory mite Amblyseius swirskii Athias-Henriot has been used to control thrips, whiteflies, and broad mites in vegetable production; however, effects of fenpyroximate, an acaricide and insecticide used in vegetable crops, on A. swirskii have not been evaluated. The effect of four residual concentrations of fenpyroximate on A. swirskii females was measured under laboratory conditions including its effect on their fecundity and larval survival. Fresh residues of fenpyroximate were significantly toxic to adult females and larvae. Mortality increased and fecundity decreased as the concentration (0.026–0.208 ml/50 ml of water) and time after treatment (24–120 h) increased. Fifty percent of the larvae survived on the two lower concentrations (0.026 and 0.052 ml/50 ml of water) after 120 h.
Decision analysis of retrievable inferior vena cava filters in patients without pulmonary embolism.

Background Retrievable filters are increasingly implanted for prophylaxis in patients without pulmonary embolism (PE) but who may be at transient risk. These devices are often not removed after the risk of PE has diminished. This study employs decision analysis to weigh the risks and benefits of retrievable filter use as a function of the filter's time in situ. Methods Medical literature on patients with inferior vena cava (IVC) filters and a transient risk of PE were reviewed. Weights reflecting relative severity were assigned to each adverse event. The risk score was defined as weight × occurrence rate and combines the frequency and severity for each type of adverse event. The value function in the decision model combines the following risks: (1) risk in situ; (2) risk of removal, and (3) relative risk without filters. A decreasing net risk score represents a net expected benefit, and an increasing net risk score indicates the expected harm outweighs the expected benefit. Results The net risk score reaches its minimum between day 29 and 54 postimplantation. This is consistent with an increasing net risk associated with continued use of retrievable IVC filters in patients with transient, reversible risk of PE. The results were insensitive to reasonable variations in the assessed weights and adverse event occurrence rates. Conclusions For patients with retrievable IVC filters in whom the transient risk of PE has passed, quantitative decision analysis suggests the benefit/risk profile begins to favor filter removal between 29 and 54 days after implantation.
Robotically assisted intraoperative ultrasound with application to ablative therapy of liver cancer

Management of primary and metastatic tumors of the liver remains a significant challenge to the health care community worldwide. There has been an increasing interest in minimally invasive ablative approaches that typically require precise placement of the tissue ablator within the volumetric center of the tumor, in order to achieve adequate destruction. Standard clinical technique involves manual free hand ultrasonography (US) in conjunction with free hand positioning of the tissue ablator. Several investigational systems exist that simultaneously track a transcutaneous ultrasound (TCUS) probe and an ablator and provide visual overlay of the two on a computer screen, and some of those systems also register the TCUS images with pre-operative CT and/or MRI. Unfortunately, existing TCUS systems suffer from many limitations. TCUS fails to identify nearly half of all treatable liver lesions, whereas intraoperative or laparoscopic US provides excellent tissue differentiation. Furthermore, freehand manipulation of the US probe critically lacks the level of control, accuracy, and stability required for guiding liver ablation. Volumetric reconstruction from sparse and irregular 2D image data is suboptimal. Variable pressure from the sonographer's hand also causes anatomic deformation. Finally, maintaining optimal scanning position with respect to the target lesion is critical, but virtually impossible to achieve with freehand guidance. In response to these limitations, we propose the use of a fully encoded dexterous robotic arm to manipulate the US probe during surgery.
Calculation of the contact angle of mercury on plane solid oxides

Abstract Aside from its intrinsic interest, the contact angle for mercury on solid oxides is required for the interpretation of the intrusion pressure for mercury into porous oxide structures. The calculation presented is based on the model structureless mercury liquid brought into contact with specific surfaces of an FCC lattice composed of oxide ions. The pairwise interaction energy is calculated with the Kirkwood—Muller equation, and the lattice sums are based on the work of Steele as developed for physical adsorption. The results are compared with established advancing contact angles used in mercury porosimetry.
Alteration of Adenosine Triphosphate and Other Nudeotides After Sublethal Oxidant Injury to Rat Type II Alveolar Epithelial Cells

The alveolar epithelial cells of the lower respiratory tract are continuously exposed to injurious agents, including oxygen radicals. The type II alveolar epithelial cell is critically important to the normal function of the lung, because it is responsible for synthesis of surfactant and other essential duties. The present investigation measured the level of intracellular nucleotides and adenosine over time after exposure of type II cells to sublethal concentrations of physiologically relevant oxidants, hydrogen peroxide and hypochlorous acid (HOCl). Initially, it was determined that 250 microM HOCl or 250 microM hydrogen peroxide could each cause sublethal injury to the type II cells after exposure of up to 1 and 2 hours, respectively. After exposure to 250 microM hydrogen peroxide, the intracellular levels of adenosine, adenosine diphosphate, and adenosine triphosphate all initially increased in the first 1 to 15 minutes, but subsequently decreased significantly, ultimately reaching close to 40% below control levels. The level of adenosine monophosphate remained significantly elevated throughout the exposure until returning to control levels after 2 hours. Similar results occurred after the type II cells were exposed to 250 microM HOCl. This study demonstrates that adenosine triphosphate and other cellular nucleotides and nucleosides were decreased in type II cells before lethal injury and subsequent cell death.
Fischer–Tropsch Synthesis: Effect of Reducing Agent for Aqueous-Phase Synthesis Over Ru Nanoparticle and Supported Ru Catalysts

The effect of the reducing agent on the performance of a ruthenium nanoparticle catalyst was investigated during aqueous-phase Fischer–Tropsch synthesis using a 1 L stirred tank reactor in the batch mode of operation. For the purpose of comparison, the activity and selectivity of NaY zeolite supported Ru catalyst were also studied. NaBH4 and hydrogen were used as reducing agents in this study, and hydrogen reduced catalysts exhibited higher activities than the NaBH4 reduced catalysts, because of higher extent of reduction and a relatively lower tendency toward agglomeration of Ru particles. The Ru nanoparticle catalyst displayed higher activities than the NaY zeolite supported Ru catalyst for both reducing agents. NaBH4 reduced catalysts are less active and the carbon dioxide selectivity is higher than the hydrogen reduced catalysts. Nevertheless, the activity of the supported Ru catalyst (Ru/NaY) was 75 % of that of the Ru nanoparticle catalyst, and has the benefit of easy wax/catalyst slurry separation by filtration. The hydrogen reduced supported Ru catalyst exhibited superior selectivity towards hydrocarbons (higher C5+ selectivity and lower selectivity to methane) than all other catalysts tested.
Markov random field based phase demodulation of interferometric images

We present a novel method to solve the sign ambiguity for phase demodulation from a single interferometric image that possibly contains closed fringes. The problem is formulated in a Markov random field (MRF) energy minimization framework with the assumption of phase gradient orientation continuity. The binary pairwise objective function is non-submodular and therefore its minimization is an NP-hard problem, for which we devise a multigrid hierarchy of quadratic pseudoboolean optimization problems that can be improved iteratively to approximate the optimal solution. We name the method MSARI algorithm, for Markov based sign ambiguity resolution in interferometry. Compared with traditional path-following phase demodulation methods, the new approach does not require any heuristic scanning strategy, is not subject to the propagation of error, and the extension to three dimensional fringe patterns is straightforward. A set of experiments with synthetic data and real prelens tear film interferometric images of the human eye demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed algorithm as compared with existing state-of-the-art phase demodulation methods.
Effects of diverse intracellular thiol delivery agents on glutathione peroxidase activity, the ratio of reduced/oxidized glutathione, and ornithine decarboxylase induction in isolated mouse epidermal cells treated with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate.

Since the enhancement of the activity of the natural glutathione (GSH)-dependent antioxidant protective system of the epidermal cells appears to inhibit the oxidative challenge presumably linked to skin tumor promotion by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), we have compared the effectiveness of diverse intraceliular thiol delivery agents as inhibitors of the effects of TPA on GSH metabolism and ornithine decarboxylase (ODC; L-ornithine carboxy-lyase, EC 4.1.1.17) induction in isolated mouse epidermal cells. Here we report that, at a 2-mM concentration, the monoethyl and monomethyl esters of GSH, N-acetyl-L-cysteine, and L-2-oxothiazolidine-4-carboxylate are all significantly more effective than GSH in inhibiting the sharp decline in the intracellular ratio of reduced GSH/oxidized glutathione (GSSG), the prolonged decrease in GSH peroxidase (GSH:H2O2 oxidoreductase, EC 1.11.1.9) activity, and the induction of ODC activity caused by 1 μM TPA. Moreover, diethyldithiocarbamate prevents totally the initial drop in the GSH/GSSG ratio of TPA-treated cells and is the most potent inhibitor of TPA-decreased GSH peroxidase activity in relation with its remarkable 98% inhibition of TPA-induced ODC activity, suggesting that the potential antitumor-promoting activity of this compound in mouse skin may be far superior to that previously demonstrated by GSH in the initiation-promotion protocol.
Monthly Update: Pulmonary-Allergy, Dermatological, Gastrointestinal & Arthritis: Neuroinflammatory mechanisms in Alzheimer's disease: new opportunities for drug discovery

(1996). Monthly Update: Pulmonary-Allergy, Dermatological, Gastrointestinal & Arthritis: Neuroinflammatory mechanisms in Alzheimer's disease: new opportunities for drug discovery. Expert Opinion on Investigational Drugs: Vol. 5, No. 4, pp. 449-455.
Factors influencing the search for information about genetically modified food products

A recent application of biotechnology to food is genetic modification. Genetically modified (GM) plants, animals and processed foods have been introduced to the international marketplace in the 1990s. As scientific and technological progress in modern biotechnology continues at a breakthrough pace, the consumers are presented with different types and levels of information that is potentially relevant for making choices. Findings from studies of consumer attitudes and awareness towards GM products have varied greatly. Many studies, however, have indicated that public opinions about GM products are not fully formed and the task of informing the public is far from over. This study expands on previous research by examining the factors that influence the search for information about GM products. Utilizing the theory of consumer behaviour and information search, we analyse consumers’ information search patterns about GM products. Specifically, we estimate the probability that consumers search for information actively, passively or do not search for information at all, and the factors influencing this search. An ordered probit model is formulated to measure the factors, both economic and behavioural, that influence in-formation search by consumers for GM products. Variables representing the informational attitudes and behaviour related to GM products have the greatest impact on the probability of searching for information about GM products. With the exception of age, demographic factors are not significant. The results point to information search, not, for the genetically modified characteristic, but instead for the absence of the characteristic.
A rapid method for immune complex detection: peg insolubilization combined with laser nephelometry.

Abstract A rapid simple method is described for the detection of immune complexes. The PEG-induced insolubilization of aggregated IgG and bovine serum albumin : anti-bovine serum albumin (BSA : anti-BSA) complexes produces a turbidity which increases with PEG concentration, is quantitated by means of light scatter and measured by laser nephelometry. Monomeric and heat-aggregated IgG from 0.5 μg to 32 μg per reaction tube were tested for light scatter in borate buffer and in 1–5% PEG. Monomeric IgG produced no light scatter in borate and less than 0.4% light scatter in all concentrations of PEG. Aggregated IgG in borate generated no light scatter. However, 1 μg aggregated IgG or more gave enhanced light scatter in PEG. This light scatter increased with the amount of aggregated IgG and with PEG concentration. BSA : anti-BSA complexes were prepared at antigen : antibody ratios from 4 to 16 times antigen excess. The resulting soluble complexes of different sizes were tested in borate buffer and 2%, 2.5% and 3% PEG. Complexes in buffer produced little light scatter, but PEG greatly enhanced their light scatter. The degree of enhancement by PEG increased linearly with complex concentration. Both antigen and antibody were demonstrated in the PEG-insolubilized complexes. Preliminary experiments with human serum have demonstrated 1.3% RLS in 60% of sera with elevated rheumatoid factor titers.
OBJECT-ORIENTED GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM DATA MODEL FOR TRANSIT TRIP-PLANNING SYSTEMS

Efficiency is essential to Internet transit trip-planning systems. High-quality data models of transit networks hold the key to efficiency of data querying and network analysis. Because of the schedule control and dynamic nature of the transit network, highway-based generic network models cannot be directly implemented by transit systems. In the process of developing an Internet transit trip-planning system, an object-oriented geographic information system data model, which handles the dynamic nature of transit systems, was developed. In this data model, the entire transit network and its components are modeled as space-time entities (objects) that have start times, end times, and spans of lifetime. A time map object controls the creation and destruction of these objects. Therefore, in the process of network search, only active components of the system (i.e., with transit services available) are built into the network topology. This has greatly reduced data redundancy and enhanced network search efficiency. The data model showed good performance when it was implemented in an online trip-planning service for Waukesha Metro Transit, Wisconsin.
Case Study: Distance Learning at the SBC Center for Learning

This case study presents what distance learning is and how it can be used as an alternative delivery solution for training. Distance learning definitions, characteristics, and design qualities are discussed. Specific examples and characteristics of the SBC Center for Learning's distance learning use are provided and can be related with how other companies, such as Arthur Andersen, Eastman Kodak, Microsoft, Netscape, and the Rochester Institute of Technology are using distance learning as an instructional delivery solution. Finally, the future technologies and applications of distance learning at the SBC Center for Learning and in general are discussed.
Primary Amine Confinement at the Interface of Grafted Calixarenes and Silica

A general approach for functional group confinement is demonstrated for primary amines and relies on the formation of a pocket in the shape of an inverted wedge at the interface between grafted mon...
Brightness Comparisons When One Eye is Stimulated Intermittently and the Other Eye Steadily

(1952). Brightness Comparisons When One Eye is Stimulated Intermittently and the Other Eye Steadily. The Journal of Psychology: Vol. 34, No. 2, pp. 165-167.
Non-Rigid Multi-Modal Image Registration Using Cross-Cumulative Residual Entropy

In this paper we present a new approach for the non-rigid registration of multi-modality images. Our approach is based on an information theoretic measure called the cumulative residual entropy (CRE), which is a measure of entropy defined using cumulative distributions. Cross-CRE between two images to be registered is defined and maximized over the space of smooth and unknown non-rigid transformations. For efficient and robust computation of the non-rigid deformations, a tri-cubic B-spline based representation of the deformation function is used. The key strengths of combining CCRE with the tri-cubic B-spline representation in addressing the non-rigid registration problem are that, not only do we achieve the robustness due to the nature of the CCRE measure, we also achieve computational efficiency in estimating the non-rigid registration. The salient features of our algorithm are: (i) it accommodates images to be registered of varying contrast+brightness, (ii) faster convergence speed compared to other information theory-based measures used for non-rigid registration in literature, (iii) analytic computation of the gradient of CCRE with respect to the non-rigid registration parameters to achieve efficient and accurate registration, (iv) it is well suited for situations where the source and the target images have field of views with large non-overlapping regions. We demonstrate these strengths via experiments on synthesized and real image data.
KA-98 Real Time Reconnaissance System

This paper describes a day/night real time reconnaissance system developed around a CW gallium arsenide laser. The system was designed to be compatible with RF-4 and RPV environment and mission profiles. This system has been flight tested and typical imagery is included.
Venus and Mars

The AGU Chapman Conference, Venus and Mars: Atmospheres, Ionospheres and Solar Wind Interactions, was held June 4–8 in Balatonfured, Hungary. The meeting was coorganized by J. G. Luhmann and M. Tatrallyay and sponsored by AGU and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. About 85 participants attended some 72 oral and poster presentations. Topics included atmosphere evolution, present atmospheres, exospheres and ionospheres, solar wind interactions, and past and future missions. The international and multidisciplinary makeup of the audience provided the basis for a wide range of discussions and brought out a number of remaining controversies and questions to be answered by future research.
DEVELOPMENTS OF THE LOCAL APPROXIMATION FOR DISORDERED SYSTEMS

The local approximation (LA) for the electronic structure of disordered systems, proposed by Butler and Kohn, is further developed. Analysis of the moments of the density of states and numerical application to the model of Velicky et al. allow comparison with the coherent potential approximation (CPA). The results of the two approximations differ substantially, the LA showing considerable structure where the CPA shows none. A preliminary discussion of this discrepancy is presented. The possibilities of using the LA for quantitative calculations of realistic alloy models are briefly discussed.
Clinical Pharmacogenomics: Opportunities and Challenges at Point of Care

One of the major barriers to implementing clinical pharmacogenomics has been the efficient integration of rapid turnaround-time genetic testing into routine clinical practice. To address this specific challenge, both point-of-care and preemptive pharmacogenomic testing programs, initially centered on cardiovascular pharmacogenomics, have recently been deployed. Early results indicate that these strategies are feasible and probably beneficial clinically; however, despite these exciting advances toward implementing clinical pharmacogenomics, challenges to widespread adoption remain. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2013); 93 1, 33–35. doi:10.1038/clpt.2012.196
Teaching Program Evaluation: Using a Systems Approach:

Increasing numbers of individuals are being asked to teach courses in program evaluation. Students in program evaluation courses are trying to piece together activities presented to them in order to create their own “big picture” of the seemingly fragmented and chaotic process of evaluation. The abundance of program evaluation approaches and content-specific models exacerbates the problem by only organizing and conveying conceptual and factual knowledge while seeming to render key aspects of program evaluation practice invisible to students. This article describes a program evaluation model that was developed over three semesters of teaching an introductory graduate-level course in program evaluation. The framework utilizes a systems approach that emphasizes its sequenced methodology and the significance of monitoring one’s work by providing a series of feedback loops in an ongoing revision process.
Benzodiazepine site agonists differentially alter acetylcholine release in rat amygdala.

Background Agonist binding at the benzodiazepine site of γ-aminobutric acid type A receptors diminishes anxiety and insomnia by actions in the amygdala. The neurochemical effects of benzodiazepine-site agonists remain incompletely understood. Cholinergic neurotransmission modulates amygdala function, and in this study we tested the hypothesis that benzodiazepine-site agonists alter acetylcholine (ACh) release in the amygdala.
Interactions of climate, fire, and management in future forests of the Pacific Northwest

Abstract A longer, hotter, and drier fire season is projected for the Pacific Northwest under future climate scenarios, and the area burned by wildfires is projected to increase as a result. Fuel treatments are an important management tool in the drier forests of this region where they have been shown to modify fire behavior and fire effects, yet we know relatively little about how treatments will interact with changing climate and expanding human populations to influence fire regimes and ecosystem services over larger area and longer time periods. As a step toward addressing this knowledge gap, this paper synthesizes the recent literature on climate, fire, and forest management in the Pacific Northwest to summarize projected changes and assess how forest management can aid in adapting to future fire regimes and reducing their negative impacts. Increased wildfire under future climates has the potential to affect many ecosystem services, including wildlife habitat, carbon sequestration, and water and air quality. Fuel treatments in dry forest types can reduce fire severity and size, and strategically-placed treatments can help to protect both property and natural resources from wildfire. Although increased rates of burning are projected to reduce carbon stocks across the region, research to date suggests that fuel treatments are unlikely to result in significant increases in carbon storage. Prescribed burning combined with thinning has been demonstrated to be effective at reducing fire severity across a variety of dry forest types, but there is uncertainty about whether changing climate and increasing human encroachment into the wildland–urban interface will limit the use of prescribed fire in the future. Most fire research has focused on the dry forest types, and much less is known about the ecological impacts of increased wildfire activity in the moist forests and the potential for adapting to these changes through forest management. To address these knowledge gaps, future research efforts should build on the Pacific Northwest’s legacy of integrated regional assessments to incorporate broad-scale climatic drivers with processes operating at the stand and landscape levels, including vegetation succession, fire spread, treatment effects, and the expansion of human populations into wildland areas. An important outcome of this type of research would be the identification of localized “hot spots” that are most sensitive to future changes, and are where limited resources for fire management should be concentrated.
Speed of Processing, Working Memory, and Language Impairment in Children

Purpose Children with language impairment (LI) often perform below the level of typically developing peers on measures of both processing speed and working memory. This study examined the relations...
Alteration of the chemotactic response of NIH/3T3 cells to PDGF by growth factors, transformation, and tumor promoters

Abstract The platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) is a potent chemoattractant for cells that respond to PDGF as a mitogen. The chemotactic response of these cells to PDGF is inversely related to their rate of proliferation, with quiescent cells exhibiting a 25-fold greater chemotactic response than exponentially growing cells. Factors that stimulate the growth of quiescent cells (EGF, FGF, PDGF, and serum) decrease the cells' migratory response to PDGF but not to fibronectin, suggesting that the decreased migration is not due to a general paralysis of cell motility. Transformed lines of NIH/3T3 cells lose their ability to respond to PDGF as a chemoattractant but can still migrate in response to fibronectin. Similarly, after treatment of 3T3 cells with the tumorpromoter phorbol myristate acetate, which induces a transformation-like phenotype, the cells no longer respond to PDGF as a chemoattractant but retain their migratory response to fibronectin. Thus it appears that the growth state of the cells can alter their migratory response to PDGF. These data suggest that growth factors, transformation, and tumor promoters specifically alter the cells' ability to respond to the PDGF-mediated chemotactic signal. It appears that both transformation and tumor promoters accomplish this by altering PDGF-binding to the cell surface.
Thermal Transport Network Model for High-Porosity Materials: Application to Nanoporous Aerogels

Nanoporous thin films have received attention in the microelectronics field for their application as next-generation low-k inner-layer dielectric (ILD) materials due dielectric constants approaching 1.4. In addition, emerging applications as thermal insulation for microsystems aim to exploit the materials’ unique thermal properties in sensor and component products. However, its thermal properties can vary greatly depending on fabrication processes and material morphology. In addition, a variety of transport phenomena are present and delineation among them is difficult. In this work, we examine heat transport in aerogel, one of the most common embodiments of nanoporous materials, to identify the main modes of energy transport. We employ a modified diffusion-limited cluster aggregation (DLCA) technique to simulate aerogel’s highly porous, amorphous solid structure. Network models then simulate heat transport through the structure to extract effective thermal conductivity. The models are verified by comparing calculated bulk data to published aerogel literature. Preliminary models yield thermal conductivity on the order of 0.010 W/m*K, which is consistent with published data for aerogel films. These values vary inversely with porosity of the aerogel following an inverse power law often used to fit aerogel experimental data. This methodology is most useful for examining the sensitivity of thermal conductivity to salient structural features such as porosity, pore size distribution, solid thermal properties, average branch width, and sub-continuum phenomena. The results of this study can be used as a predictive tool in optimizing aerogel fabrication process to yield morphologies that best-suit the requirements of the application.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Theoretical study of PO and PO

The diatomic systems, PO and PO− are studied, using numerical Hartree-Fock (NHF) and coupled-cluster calculations. The latter employs a hybrid NHF and Slater orbital basis set. Highly accurate CCSD methods predict bond lengths accurate to <0.004 A and frequencies to ∼60 cm−1. In addition the electron affinity of PO is computed to be 0.89 eV compared to an experimental value of 1.09±0.01. Comparisons are made with SCF and MBPT(2) results for PO+ using conventional basis sets.
Hair Cycling and Wound Healing: To Pluck or Not to Pluck?

The incidence of nonhealing wounds (diabetic foot, pressure, venous, and arterial ulcers) is reaching epidemic proportions, underscoring the need for new treatment modalities. Understanding hair follicle biology and its potential to accelerate wound healing may offer new treatment strategies. In this issue, Ansell et al. show that wounds on anagen skin heal faster than those on telogen skin, suggesting that hair cycle stages may influence healing outcome.
Rapid hydropyrolysis of softening coal particles—A modeling study. Part I: Model formulation and parameter values

A mathematical model is developed for rapid hydropyrolysis of softening coal particles. It aims to represent previously measured effects of pressure and particle size on product yields. The model includes a global chemical reaction scheme combined with diffusional transport of hydrogen dependent on the transient physical properties of the coal.
Hierarchical time-oriented approaches to missing data inference

In practice clinical data are nearly always incomplete. When confronted with such data, a physician or investigator must make inferences about missing information. Possible strategies for inference include (1) interpolation, (2) extrapolation, (3) repeating the nearest value, (4) repeating the previous value, (5) patient-specific mean values, (6) patient-specific linear regression over time, (7) disease-specific mean values, (8) normal values, and (9) linear regression of correlated co-recorded variables. This study analyzes these strategies in a time-oriented data bank of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, demonstrating that more accurate inferences of missing data are obtained when (1) strategies are tailored to the characteristics of the individual variable, (2) time-oriented strategies (e.g., interpolation) rather than non-time-oriented strategies (e.g., disease mean) are incorporated, (3) a ranked set of strategies is incorporated in a hierarchical stepwise fashion, and (4) the degree to which missing data are "nonrandomly" missing is assessed to allow estimation of bias. Interpolation is the best single technique with these data while linear regression of correlated co-recorded variables is a relatively weak technique. Inferences made by these hierarchical time-oriented approaches show significantly smaller mean differences from the actual values than do results from typical statistical package strategies.