cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Multifunction automated crawling system (MACS)

Nondestructive evaluation instruments and sensors are becoming smaller with enhanced computer controlled capability and increasingly use commercially available hardware and software. Further, robotic instruments are being developed to serve as mobility platforms allowing automation of the inspection process. This combination of miniaturized sensing and robotics technology enables hybrid miniature technology solutions for identified aircraft inspection needs. Integration of inspection and robotics technologies is benefited by the use of a standard computing platform. JPL investigated the application of telerobotic technology to inspection of aircraft structures using capabilities that were developed for use in space exploration. A miniature crawler that can travel on the surface of aircraft using suction cups for adherence was developed and is called multifunction automated crawling systems (MACS). MACS is an operational tool that can perform rapid large area inspection of aircraft, which has a relatively large platform to carry miniature inspection instruments payload. The capability of MACS and the trend towards autonomous inspection crawlers will be reviewed and discussed in this paper.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Race of Victim, Nonresponsive Bystanders, and Helping Behavior

Summary The effects of the presence of other bystanders, race of victim, and prejudice of the S on emergency helping were investigated. Ss (43 white female college students), either alone or in the face-to-face presence of nonresponsive bystanders, viewed an emergency involving a black or white female victim. It was hypothesized that white bystanders would succumb to conformity pressures not to intervene more readily for black than white victims. As predicted, Ss, especially those high in prejudice, in the presence of passive bystanders helped blacks more slowly than whites; high-and low-prejudice-scoring Ss believing themselves to be the only witnesses helped black and white victims equally quickly. Ss’ self-reports of severity of the victim's injury and heart-rate response, monitored by biotelemetry throughout the study, supported the view that the inhibition effect was due to susceptibility to normative pressures not to intervene.
Identification of genetic loci controlling the characteristics and severity of brain and spinal cord lesions in experimental allergic encephalomyelitis.

Experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) is the principal genetically determined animal model for multiple sclerosis (MS), the major inflammatory disease of the central nervous system (CNS). Although genetics clearly play a role in susceptibility to MS, attempts to identify the underlying genes have been disappointing. Considerable variation exists between MS patients with regard to the severity of clinical signs, mechanism of demyelination, and location of CNS lesions, confounding the interpretation of genetic data. A mouse-human synteny mapping approach may allow the identification of candidate susceptibility loci for MS based on the location of EAE susceptibility loci. To date, 16 regions of the mouse genome have been identified that control susceptibility or clinical signs of EAE. In this work, we examined the genetic control of histopathological lesions of EAE in an F2 intercross population generated from the EAE susceptible SJL/J and EAE resistant B10.S/DvTe mouse strains. Composite interval mapping was used to identify 10 quantitative trait loci (QTL), including seven newly identified loci controlling the distribution and severity of CNS lesions associated with murine EAE. QTL on chromosome 10 control lesions in the brain, whereas QTL on chromosomes 3, 7, and 12 control lesions in the spinal cord. Furthermore, sexually dimorphic QTL on chromosomes 2, 9, and 11 control CNS lesions in females, whereas QTL on chromosomes 10, 11, 12, 16, and 19 control lesions in males. Our results suggest that the severity and location of CNS lesions in EAE are genetically controlled, and that the genetic component controlling the character and severity of the lesions can be influenced by sex.
Female refugee networks: Rebuilding post-conflict identity ☆

Abstract The typical refugee has not only fled her native country and been evicted from her native social architecture, but also her sense of personhood has been displaced. She is faced with the daunting need to relocate self in a new cultural space. Re-establishing a life after the crisis often means resettlement in a new home country where smooth resettlement often hinges on the refugee's ability to rebuild her social network in the host culture. The purpose of this study is to describe the social architecture of female refugee identity. A multiple case study of seventeen (N = 17) female refugees, representing 135 relational ties, is used to explore the composition of refugee social networks from 14 different countries in order to understand intercultural identity from a socio-structural perspective. The study demonstrates that refugees occupy a relationally thin identity space; commonly that means a high-density, low-heterogeneity, small network that leaves very little flexibility for new identity formation. The mean network heterogeneity across all cases was 0.27, indicating a low presence of host nationals in the networks. Working from their stories of liminality and the search for communitas, the study provides insight into the variability within social architectures for refugee identity and the particular acculturation narratives represented within a socio-structural space of redefinition. The study furthers our understanding of the interconnections between structural properties and communicative properties of identity formation through the depiction of female refugee-immigrant ethno-graphs.
Reflexivity and Transformation Symbolism in the Navajo Peyote Meeting

Each of the above texts refers to the same human action: the turning back to fundamentals that enables us to rethink our fundamental assumptions, the modeling of our existence that allows its remodeling. This action, which is the defining characteristic of the human "self," lies at the heart of both psychological anthropology and critical or "reflexive" anthropology.2 This study examines this human property of reflexivity as it is manifest in the healing
Membrane heterogeneity: Manifestation of a curvature-induced microemulsion

To explain the appearance of heterogeneities in the plasma membrane, I propose a hypothesis which begins with the observation that fluctuations in the membrane curvature are coupled to the difference between compositions of one leaf and the other. Because of this coupling, the most easily excited fluctuations can occur at nonzero wave numbers. When the coupling is sufficiently strong, it is well-known that it leads to microphase separation and modulated phases. I note that when the coupling is less strong, the tendency toward modulation remains manifest in a liquid phase that exhibits a transient structure of a characteristic size, that is, it is a microemulsion. The characteristic size of the fluctuating domains is estimated to be on the order of 100 nm, and experiments to verify this hypothesis are proposed.
In situ x-ray investigation of stage transformations in potassium-graphite intercalation compounds

We have studied stage transformations and growth kinetics of potassium-graphite intercalation compounds by x-ray ($00l$) scans. The samples were prepared in situ in a high-temperature two-zone x-ray furnace. In the transition regions of stages 1 \ensuremath{\leftrightarrow} 2, 4 \ensuremath{\leftrightarrow} 5, and 6 \ensuremath{\leftrightarrow} 7, two distinct stages coexist and all Bragg reflections exhibit resolution-limited widths. This implies that the stage transformation is a direct process with no need of forming intermediate structures. The kinetics of the transformation indicate that the staging process is nucleation rather than diffusion controlled.
Buckling of periodic structures

Equations are developed for the buckling of a general lattice structure that has repetitive geometry. Equilibrium at a typical node is expressed using finite element techniques, and the only assumption is that the response is periodic. By basing the stiffness matrix on the exact solution of the beam column equation, accurate results are obtained for complex buckling behavior that would require a very large system of equations using conventional techniques. The present method requires the eigenvalues of only a 6x6 determinant. The results are used to study the buckling of isogrid cylinders, three-element truss columns and polygonal rings. Details of the analysis including expressions for all terms in the governing stability determinant are given.
Lateral mobility of the light-harvesting complex in chloroplast membranes controls excitation energy distribution in higher plants

Chloroplast thylakoid protein phosphorylation produces changes in light-harvesting properties and in membrane structure as revealed by freeze-fracture electron microscopy. Protein phosphorylation resulted in an increase in the 77 degrees K fluorescence signal at 735 nm relative to that at 685 nm. In addition, a decrease in connectivity between Photosystem II centers (PS II) and a dynamic quenching of the room temperature variable fluorescence was observed upon phosphorylation. Accompanying these fluorescence changes was a 23% decrease in the amount of stacked membranes. Microscopic analyses indicated that 8.0-nm particles fracturing on the P-face moved from the stacked into the unstacked regions upon phosphorylation. The movement of the 8.0-nm particles was accompanied by the appearance of chlorophyll b and 25 to 29 kD polypeptides in isolated stroma lamellae fractions. We conclude that phosphorylation of a population of the light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b protein complexes (LHC) in grana partitions causes the migration of these pigment proteins from the PS II-rich appressed membranes into the Photosystem I (PS I) enriched unstacked regions. This increases the absorptive cross section of PS I. In addition, we suggest that the mobile population of LHC functions to interconnect PS II centers in grana partitions; removal of this population of LHC upon phosphorylation limits PS II leads to PS II energy transfer and thereby favors spillover of energy from PS II to PS I.
Parametric study of the Noble’s action potential model for cardiac Purkinje fibers

Abstract The effect of parameter variation on repolarization processes in the Noble model (Hodjkin–Huxley type) for action potential (AP) generation in Purkinje cells is studied using a combination of computer simulation and nonlinear dynamic system theory including Hopf bifurcation analysis. Both the original Noble model and a simplified Noble model are used in this study. It is shown that these models have similar qualitative dynamic behavior in the presence of parameter variations. In particular, it is demonstrated that both normal and abnormal modes of cell performance can be obtained by varying the potassium and anion conductances. The abnormal mode (cardiac arrest) may play a significant role in disorganizing the electrical activities in the heart muscles. The existence of Hopf bifurcation with respect to variations in the anion conductance and fixed values of potassium conductances is studied in detail. The regions corresponding to spontaneous AP excitation, and various types of cardiac arrest in the ion-conductance parameter space of both full and simplified Noble models with and without external stimuli are mapped out using computer simulation.
Male—male aggression in the plethodontid salamander Desmognathus ochrophaeus

Aggressive encounters between pairs of male mountain dusky salamanders (Desmognathus ochrophaeus) were staged in the laboratory in the absence of any obvious limited resource. We observed aggressive interactions which sometimes escalated to biting. Physical injuries were inflicted during some aggressive encounters; however, the consequences of injury for future fitness are uncertain. Several behaviour patterns used in contests apparently functioned as threat displays, and these sometimes ended contests before they escalated to biting. We could detect no significant influences of three types of asymmetries among males in determining the winners and losers of contests (body size, recent mating experience and familiarity with the testing arena). Three cases of ‘homosexual’ courtship were observed. Both intermale aggression and intermale courtship may be interpreted as forms of competition for mates.
The impact of pharmaceutical innovation on longevity and medical expenditure in France, 2000–2009

Abstract Longitudinal, disease-level data are used to analyze the impact of pharmaceutical innovation on longevity (mean age at death) and medical expenditure in France during the period 2000–2009. The estimates imply that pharmaceutical innovation increased mean age at death by 0.29 years (3.43 months) during this period—about one-fifth of the total increase in longevity. This estimate is smaller than those obtained in previous studies of Germany and the U.S., but the rate of adoption of new drugs was lower in France. Longevity is much more strongly related to the number of drugs than it is to the number of drug classes. Pharmaceutical innovation during 2000–2009 is estimated to have increased per capita pharmaceutical expenditure by $125 (26%) in 2009, but most (87%) of this increase was offset by a reduction in hospital expenditure. The baseline estimate of the cost per life-year gained from pharmaceutical innovation in France during 2000–2009 is about $8100. This estimate is fairly close to the mean of estimates obtained ($10,800) from U.S., German, and Australian studies.
Response to metabolic challenges in early lactation dairy cows during treatment with bovine somatotropin

Abstract Milk production is increased in lactating cows treated with bovine somatotropin (bST) because a greater portion of absorbed nutrients are partitioned for milk synthesis. This homeorhetic action may be caused by alterations in response of key tissues to homeostatic signals. To examine this theory, acute metabolic challenges were administered to 8 multiparous Holstein cows (61 ± 2 days postpartum) receiving daily subcutaneous injections of pituitary-derived bST (26.3 mg) or excipient during two 14-day treatment periods (crossover experimental design). Treatment with bST increased milk yield 12%. Feed intake did not change so that net energy balance decreased (+.5 vs. −4.3 Mcal/day). Plasma concentrations of nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) were chronically elevated in bST-treated cows, consistent with energy balance differences. However, baseline concentrations of glucose, insulin, and glucagon in plasma did not differ. On the last 3 days of treatment, individual metabolic challenges were administered via jugular cannulas: epinephrine (700 ng/kg BW), glucose (250 mg/kg BW), insulin (1.0 μg/kg BW), and glucagon (175 ng/kg BW). Plasma glucose was reduced after the insulin challenge to a lesser extent during bST treatment. In bST-treated cows, the increase in plasma NEFA in response to epinephrine was greater, and NEFA concentrations were lowered to a greater extent after insulin and glucose challenges. Glucose, insulin, and glucagon removal rates were not altered, nor was plasma glucose response to epinephrine or glucagon challenges. Treatment of lactating cows with bST primarily altered the response of adipose tissue to homeostatic signals which affect lipid metabolism.
Fluidity in the membranes of adult and neonatal human erythrocytes

Several antigens and receptors are mobile in the plane of the membrane of the intact neonatal human erythrocyte but not in the membrane of the normal adult cell. In this report, measurements of the fluorescence polarization of perylene dissolved in isolated erythrocyte membranes are reported, which are indistinguishable for the two kinds of cells. This result indicates that the viscosities of the membrane interiors of the two cells are the same. The observed mobility differences, therefore, cannot be attributed to different lipid viscosities in the two membranes.
Planetary science: Pluto's atmospheric surprise

Last year, for the first time in 14 years, an alignment of stars with Pluto created an opportunity to observe the atmosphere of this most remote of planets. Though tenuous, the atmosphere has, remarkably, expanded.
Potassium metabolism in rats with chronic renal insufficiency.

SummarySubtotally 5/6 nephrectomized rats and sham operated controls were fed a diet deficient in potassium. Subtotally nephrectomized animals had significantly less potassium in their muscles, and a lower serum potassium than control animals; there appeared to be no difference in serum CO2 content in the 2 groups; subtotally nephrectomized rats showed more focal necrosis and fibrosis of the myocardium than control animals on a low potassium diet.
Accurate power estimation of hardware co-processors using system level simulation

Managing power consumption in a System-On-Chip (SoC) design is becoming increasingly important. SoCs generally consist of various co-processors. Accurate power estimation of these co-processors at the highest possible abstraction level helps in performing early power-aware design tradeoffs. This paper presents a methodology to create abstract statistical power models for hardware co-processors and its utilization at system-level for power estimation. In our systemlevel design environment co-processors are realized as Finite State Machine with Datapath (FSMD) and co-simulated with simulation model of ARM processor. Our power modeling methodology comprises of a learning and utilization phase. In the learning phase, we obtain state specific combinational signal toggling statistics from the FSMD simulation and derive a regression based power model. Consequently, we utilize this power model of FSMD in the full-chip simulation for faster computation of power estimates based on the activities of the FSMD model. Through a number of experimental designs, we show that with a relatively short learning phase no more than 6% worst-case and 4% rms error is observed with respect to the RTL power estimation techniques.
Effects of Bloch lines and Bloch points on resonances of magnetic bubbles

Abstract Resonant spectra of 180° domain-wall oscillations in isolated magnetic bubbles are obtained with swept rf sinusoidal excitation and magnetooptic detection. The resonant frequencies are found to depend on the domain wall state. A quantitative micromagnetic theory involving contributions to the wall mass from already-present vertical Bloch lines with and without Bloch points explains the resonant frequencies, including their field dependence, and relates them to the wall states. It is found that for small in-plane fields, Bloch lines provide most of the effective wall mass. Moreover, if a Bloch point is present on a Bloch line, it tends to decrease the Bloch-line mass contribution.
Methodological issues in studies of premenstrual changes.

Abstract The main methodological issues that should be considered in studies of premenstrual changes are discussed. They include: (1) the selection of well-defined groups of subjects who reflect the diversity of subtypes of premenstrual changes (PMC); (2) the confirmation of retrospective reports through daily monitoring of changes by ratings, or by objective procedures when possible; (3) the need to consider the diversity of premenstrual biological changes instead of comparing average levels, since there is a likelihood that different pathophysiological changes are connected with diverse behavioral and mood changes; (4) application of a multivariate, time-related approach to explore the pathophysiology of PMC; (5) the need to exclude placebo responders prior to the active drug phase in treatment trials and (6) the need for such trials to be double-blind, placebo-controlled and, if possible, of a cross-over design. Attention to such issues should lead to increased consistency of findings across studies and eventually to a better understanding of the pathophysiology of PMC and to a rational, effective treatment.
Cataract Extraction Following Penetrating Keratoplasty

Objective: To assess the safety of cataract extraction following penetrating keratoplasty for corneal graft survival and to evaluate visual and refractive outcomes in corneal graft patients undergoing cataract extraction. Methods: Retrospective chart review of 29 eyes of 24 patients with corneal grafts who underwent cataract extraction from January 1, 1993 to December 31, 2002, followed on the Cornea Service at Wills Eye Hospital. Results: The mean time from penetrating keratoplasty to cataract extraction was 8.4 years (range 2 months to 36 years). Following cataract extraction, the corneal grafts remained clear in all but 1 eye (3%), during an average follow-up time of 44.5 months (range 3–118 months). All of the remaining patients benefited from improved visual acuity, with 15 of 28 patients having a postoperative best-corrected visual acuity of 20/30 or better. Patients also benefited from decreased absolute spherical refractive error, with a preoperative mean value of 6.6 ± 3.4 D compared with 2.4 ± 1.6 D postoperatively, while cylindrical refractive error remained relatively stable at 3.2 ± 2.9 D preoperatively and 2.8 ± 2.4 postoperatively. The patient who developed graft failure had 3 episodes of preoperative endothelial rejection and a clear corneal graft at the time of cataract surgery. Conclusions: Cataract surgery following penetrating keratoplasty is a safe and effective procedure, with a low but definite risk of corneal graft failure. In patients with clear grafts and visually significant cataracts, cataract extraction alone is preferred over repeat penetrating keratoplasty and cataract extraction.
The Effects of Frequency Division on Speech Identification in Children

Identification and reaction time to frequency-divided speech were investigated in 50 elementary school children. Results demonstrated a decrease in mean corrected percentage scores as a function of...
The response of diphosphoinositide and triphosphoinositide to perturbations of the adenylate energy charge in cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Abstract In cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae uniformly labeled with 32P the levels of ATP, ADP, AMP, diphosphoinositide and triphosphoinositide were measured simultaneously after chromatographic separation. When a respiratory deficient mutant strain was removed from complete growth medium, there resulted an immediate and large drop in the levels of diphosphoinositide, triphosphoinositide, and ATP as well as the adenylate energy charge. Addition of glucose to starved cells in buffer resulted in a rapid increase in the concentrations of ATP, diphosphoinositide and triphosphoinositide. 2-Deoxyglucose caused a rapid decrease of the adenylate energy charge to intermediate values; again, the levels of diphosphoinositide and triphosphoinositide fell rapidly but not to the same extent as with simple starvation. The close association between the adenylate energy charge and the concentration of these polyphosphoinositides herein demonstrated is discussed in relation to the well known turnover of phosphomonoester groups of these lipids.
High-performance Liquid Chromatography/NMR Spectrometry/Mass Spectrometry:Further Advances in Hyphenated Technology

The earlier use of combined liquid chromatography/NMR spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC/NMR/MS) involved the use of a particle beam interface. This paper describes further developments of this hyphenated technology, in particular the incorporation of an electrospray interface into the LC/NMR/MS system. This improved LC/NMR/MS system was designed for the support of a combinatorial library program. The power of this technique is demonstrated in the successful structural elucidation of each compound in a mixture of commercially available peptides.
Frequent Contributors Within U.S. Newspaper Comment Forums: An Examination of Their Civility and Information Value

News organizations’ online commenting tools have been touted as a boon for the deliberative process, yet only to the extent that they are used by a diverse group of participants who are civil and who provide information that enriches dialogue. The researchers in this study analyzed the degree to which posts in newspaper forums originated from frequent contributors and the civil and informational characteristics of those contributions. A content analysis of comments (N = 2,237) within forums adjacent to opinion articles on websites of 15 U.S. newspaper dailies was conducted to assess their civility (uncivil character attacks and uncivil language) and informational attributes. Frequent contributors—people who post often on a forum in a short period—were less likely to be civil and informational.
The Impact of Cloud Feedbacks on Arctic Climate under Greenhouse Forcing

Abstract The simulation of Arctic cloud cover and the sensitivity of Arctic climate to cloud changes are investigated using an atmosphere–mixed-layer ocean GCM (GENESIS2). The model is run with and without changes in three-dimensional cloud fraction under 2 × CO2 radiative forcing. This model was chosen in part because of its relatively successful representation of modern Arctic cloud cover, a trait attributable to the parameterized treatment of mixed-phase microphysics. Simulated modern Arctic cloud fraction is insensitive to model biases in surface boundary conditions (SSTs and sea ice distribution), but the modeled Arctic climate is sensitive to high-frequency cloud variability. When forced with increased CO2 the model generally simulates more (less) vertically integrated cloudiness in high (low) latitudes. In the simulation without cloud feedbacks, cloud fraction is fixed at its modern control value at all grid points and all levels while CO2 is doubled. Compared with this fixed-cloud experiment, the ...
A Sensitive Sandwich ELISA for the Detection of Trace Amounts of Cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.) Nut in Foods

Trace amounts of cashew nut protein can provoke severe allergic reactions in sensitive patients. Consequently, commercial food processors and regulatory agencies must be vigilant to prevent cashew nut cross-contamination among foods and ensure proper labeling. Toward this end, we have developed a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent (ELISA) to detect the predominant cashew protein fraction (anacardein or cashew major protein, CMP) that can be extracted in aqueous buffer from food matrixes. Protein G-purified goat antiwhole cashew extract IgG and rabbit anti-CMP IgG were used as capture and secondary antibodies, respectively. Immunoadsorption against several nut and seed proteins significantly minimized the inherent cross-reactivity of these reagents. Food samples spiked with cashew flour and CMP were extracted and tested in a sandwich ELISA where standard curves were based on reactivity with CMP. The assay was optimized to detect as little as 20 ng/mL (0.02 ppm) of CMP and was successfully used to quantify CMP, and thus cashew, in various food matrixes.
Stereotactic Radiosurgery Options for Small Metastasis Brain Tumors with High Resolution Geometric Setup

Purpose/Objective(s): With the development of molecular imaging technique, it is possible to define early stage tumors while their volume is very small. Therefore, there is an increasing need to understand the effectiveness of current Stereotactic Radiosurgery equipments in treating very small targets. In this study, we compared and evaluated treatment options for the highest physical resolution Stereotactic Radiosurgery equipments from 2.5mm Moduleaf Linac based IMRT (Moduleaf), Nomos MIMiC ARC tomotherapy with 4mm beak (Nomos) and Leksell Gamma Knife C Model with 4mm helmet size (GK). Materials/Methods: An isolated target with the size less than 50mm was identified and treatment plans were developed for Moduleaf, Nomos and GK respectively. First, the target was identified in the GK Treatment Planning System (TPS) and transferred to Nomos Covus 8.1 TPS and X-Knife RT TPS. Prescription was 50% isodose line covering the target in GK TPS, and the plugging pattern web engine was employed to generate a more conformal plan. The 2.5mm Moduleaf plan was computed using Xknife RT TPS with a twelve-field setup. For Nomos TPS, the arc length was set to 340 degrees. Comparisons of all 3 treatment plans was carried out using dose-volume histogram (DVH), target-volume ratio (TVR), which is defined as the ratio of volume that receives a dose higher than or equal to the minimum tumor dose and the tumor volume, maximum dose to the prescription dose ratio (MDPD), ratio PITV (PIV/TV), radiation conformity index (TVPIV/TV), and a combined conformity index (TVPIV /(TV×PIV)), where PIV is the prescription isodose surface volume, TV is target volume, and TVPIV is the intersection of TV and the PIV. Results: With normal treatment planning efforts, plan evaluation parameters from GK TPS, Nomos TPS and XKnife RT TPS are 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 for TVR, 2.0, 1.05, 1.05 for MPPD, 2.3, 1.5, 2.0 for PITV, 1.0, 1.0, 1.0 for TVPIV/TV, and 0.43, 0.67 and 0.5 for (TVPIV /(TV×PIV)), which is the inverse of the TVR for both plans from Nomos Covus 8.1 TPS and XKnife RT TPS because the prescription dose surface covered the target volume. Conclusions: For targets smaller than 50mm, the Gamma Knife treatment plan gave the best target volume ratio. Both Nomos arc Tomotherapy and X-Knife LINAC based IMRT gave better dose homogeneity. In addition to improvements in localization accuracy, smaller sizes of Nomos MLC and better IMRT planning algorithms for 2.5mm Moduleaf are needed to improve the plan comformality for very small targets.
Robust algorithm for neural network training

Neural networks have been proven to be very successful in many cases where other traditional techniques failed to give satisfactory results. Despite their popularity, several problems exist. Even with the adequate network architecture, frustrating problems of correct choice of initial weights for given architecture remain. The proposed method uses combination of approaches used in genetic algorithms and gradient methods. Genetic algorithm is used in search for an adequate weight set for a complex error surface. Once it is done, the algorithm automatically shifts to gradient type of method. The proposed algorithm does not explicitly calculate gradients like in error back propagation. It rather estimates the gradient from the set of random feed forward calculations. The proposed approach automatically searches for the adequate initial weight set. This robustness with respect to initial weight set is achieved through introduction of randomness in neuron weight space. Results are confirmed through experimental data and given in the form of tables and graphs.
June Helm (1924–2004)

"There are no snakes. There are no scorpions." This was an often heard phrase that gave June wry comfort as winter closed in during our first field season spent together in the Canadian subarctic in 1959. It was so cold we had to put our chamber pots on the wood stove to thaw each morning before we could empty them. We also were plagued by mice. June took comfort in the fact that we only had to shake mouse droppings out of our moccasins when we got dressed (Helm and Lurie 1961). June Helm, professor emerita at the University of Iowa who was best known for her studies among the northern Athapaskan speakers, collectively called Dene, died on February 5, 2004, in Iowa City. Two excellent biographies detail her scholarly achievements, professional activities, and many awards (Armstrong 1989:148151; Ono and Helm 2002:273-276), but I want to write of June herself as an anthropologist, colleague, teacher, and friend.
Hume's First Principle, His Missing Shade, and His Distinctions of Reason

Hume's First Principle, "all our simple ideas in their first appearance are deriv'd from simple impressions, which are correspondent to them, and which they exactly represent," is not only the fundamental principle of his theory of mind; it is also his criterion of significance.1 Given that all ideas can ultimately be traced to preceding simple impressions which they exactly resemble, to understand an idea, Hume claims, we must examine its corresponding impression (or, if the idea is complex, analyze it into its simple components and examine their corresponding impressions). To show that some putative idea is a fiction, we need only show that we lack the corresponding impression(s). Hume employs the Principle as his criterion of significance when he argues that we have no idea of necessary connection (as a quality of bodies), of substance, or of the (simple) self, among other things. Quick work could be made of both Hume's psychology and these attacks on our ideas if a counterexample to his Principle could be found. Curiously and infamously, after arguing on behalf of the Principle, emphasizing its importance, and even challenging us to find a counterexample, he introduces "one contradictory phaenomenon, which may prove, that 'tis not absolutely impossible for ideas to go before their correspondent impressions" (T 5).2 He
The pistol that injured the cowboy: Difficulty with inanimate subject–verb integration is reduced by structural separation

Previous work has suggested that the difficulty normally associated with processing an object-extracted relative clause (ORC) compared to a subject-extracted relative clause (SRC) is increased when the head noun phrase (NP1) is animate and the embedded noun phrase (NP2) is inanimate, compared to the reverse animacy configuration. Two eye-tracking experiments were conducted to determine whether the apparent effects of NP animacy on the ORC–SRC asymmetry reflect distinct processes of interpretation that operate at NP2 and NP1. Experiment 1 revealed a localized difficulty interpreting the embedded action verb when the preceding NP2 was inanimate as compared to animate, but this difficulty in subject–verb integration did not extend to the broader region of words in the RC and matrix verb where difficulty was observed in processing ORCs as compared to SRCs. Experiment 2 demonstrated that the difficulty associated with integrating an inanimate NP with an action verb is reduced when the two appear in separate clauses, as in the case of an SRC.
Dynamics of methane ebullition from a peat monolith revealed from a dynamic flux chamber system

Methane (CH4) ebullition in northern peatlands is poorly quantified in part due to its high spatiotemporal variability. In this study, a dynamic flux chamber (DFC) system was used to continuously measure CH4 fluxes from a monolith of near-surface Sphagnum peat at the laboratory scale to understand the complex behavior of CH4 ebullition. Coincident transmission ground penetrating radar measurements of gas content were also acquired at three depths within the monolith. A graphical method was developed to separate diffusion, steady ebullition, and episodic ebullition fluxes from the total CH4 flux recorded and to identify the timing and CH4 content of individual ebullition events. The results show that the application of the DFC had minimal disturbance on air-peat CH4 exchange and estimated ebullition fluxes were not sensitive to the uncertainties associated with the graphical model. Steady and episodic ebullition fluxes were estimated to be averagely 36 ± 24% and 38 ± 24% of the total fluxes over the study period, respectively. The coupling between episodic CH4 ebullition and gas content within the three layers supports the existence of a threshold gas content regulating CH4 ebullition. However, the threshold at which active ebullition commenced varied between peat layers with a larger threshold (0.14 m3 m−3) observed in the deeper layers, suggesting that the peat physical structure controls gas bubble dynamics in peat. Temperature variation (23°C to 27°C) was likely only responsible for small episodic ebullition events from the upper peat layer, while large ebullition events from the deeper layers were most likely triggered by drops in atmospheric pressure.
Stasheff polytopes and the coordinate ring of the cluster \mathcal X -variety of type A_n

We define Stasheff polytopes in the spaces of tropical points of cluster $$\mathcal A $$ -varieties. We study the supports of products of elements of canonical bases for cluster $$\mathcal X $$ -varieties. We prove that, for the cluster $$\mathcal X $$ -variety of type $$A_n$$ , such supports are Stasheff polytopes.
Optimization of ultrasonic rail-defect inspection for improving railway transportation safety and efficiency

Broken rails are the most frequent cause of freight-train derailments in the United States. Consequently, reducing their occurrence is a high priority for the rail industry and the U.S. Federal Railroad Administration. Current practice is to periodically inspect rails to detect defects using nondestructive technology such as ultrasonic inspection. Determining the optimal rail inspection frequency is critical to efficient use of infrastructure management resources and maximizing the beneficial impact on safety. Minimization of derailment risk, costs of inspection vehicle operation, rail defect repair, and corresponding train delay are all affected by rail inspection frequency. However, no prior research has incorporated all of these factors into a single integrated framework. The objective of this paper is to develop an analytical model to address the trade-offs among various factors related to rail defect inspection frequency, so as to maximize railroad safety and efficiency. The analysis shows that the optimal inspection frequency will vary with traffic density, rail age, inspection technology reliability, and other factors. The optimization model provides a tool that can be used to aid development of better-informed, more effective infrastructure management and accident prevention policies and practices.
Wave-Vortex Interaction in Rotating Shallow Water. Part 1. One Space Dimension

Using a physical space (i.e. non-modal) approach, we investigate interactions between fast inertio-gravity (IG) waves and slow balanced flows in a shallow rotating fluid. Specifically, we consider a train of IG waves impinging on a steady, exactly balanced vortex. For simplicity, the one-dimensional problem is studied first; the limitations of one-dimensionality are offset by the ability to define balance in an exact way. An asymptotic analysis of the problem in the small-amplitude limit is performed to demonstrate the existence of interactions. It is shown that these interactions are not confined to the modification of the wave field by the vortex but, more importantly, that the waves are able to alter in a non-trivial way the potential vorticity associated with that vortex. Interestingly, in this one-dimensional problem, once the waves have traversed the vortex region and have propagated away, the vortex exactly recovers its initial shape and thus bears no signature of the interaction. Furthermore, we prove this last result in the case of arbitrary vortex and wave amplitudes. Numerical integrations of the full one-dimensional shallow-water equations in strongly nonlinear regimes are also performed: they confirm that time-dependent interactions exist and increase with wave amplitude, while at the final state the vortex bears no sign of the interaction. In addition, they reveal that cyclonic vortices interact more strongly with the wave field than anticyclonic ones.
Ctip2-, Satb2-, Prox1-, and GAD65-Expressing Neurons in Rat Cultures: Preponderance of Single- and Double-Positive Cells, and Cell Type-Specific Expression of Neuron-Specific Gene Family Members, Nsg-1 (NEEP21) and Nsg-2 (P19)

The brain consists of many distinct neuronal cell types, but which cell types are present in widely used primary cultures of embryonic rodent brain is often not known. We characterized how abundantly four cell type markers (Ctip2, Satb2, Prox1, GAD65) were represented in cultured rat neurons, how easily neurons expressing different markers can be transfected with commonly used plasmids, and whether neuronal-enriched endosomal proteins Nsg-1 (NEEP21) and Nsg-2 (P19) are ubiquitously expressed in all types of cultured neurons. We found that cultured neurons stably maintain cell type identities that are reflective of cell types in vivo. This includes neurons maintaining simultaneous expression of two transcription factors, such as Ctip2+/Satb2+ or Prox1+/Ctip2+ double-positive cells, which have also been described in vivo. Secondly, we established the superior efficiency of CAG promoters for both Lipofectamine-mediated transfection as well as for electroporation. Thirdly, we discovered that Nsg-1 and Nsg-2 were not expressed equally in all neurons: whereas high levels of both Nsg-1 and Nsg-2 were found in Satb2-, Ctip2-, and GAD65-positive neurons, Prox1-positive neurons in hippocampal cultures expressed low levels of both. Our findings thus highlight the importance of identifying neuronal cell types for doing cell biology in cultured neurons: Keeping track of neuronal cell type might uncover effects in assays that might otherwise be masked by the mixture of responsive and non-responsive neurons in the dish.
Ploidy and the Predictability of Evolution in Fisher's Geometric Model

Predicting adaptive evolutionary trajectories is a primary goal of evolutionary biology. One can differentiate between forward and backward predictability, where forward predictability measures the likelihood of the same adaptive trajectory occurring in independent evolutions and backward predictability measures the likelihood of a particular adaptive path given the knowledge of starting and final states. Recent studies have attempted to measure both forward and backward predictability using experimental evolution in asexual haploid microorganisms. Similar experiments in diploid organisms have not been conducted. Here we simulate adaptive walks using Fisher's Geometric Model in haploids and diploids and find that adaptive walks in diploids are less forward- and more backward-predictable than adaptive walks in haploids. We argue that the difference is due to the ability of diploids in our simulations to generate transiently stable polymorphisms and to allow adaptive mutations of larger phenotypic effect. As stable polymorphisms can be generated in both haploid and diploid natural populations through a number of mechanisms, we argue that inferences based on experiments in which adaptive walks proceed through succession of monomorphic states might miss many of the key features of adaptation.
Genetic Data in Toxic Tort Litigation

There are major data gaps and uncertainties about the health risks of most potentially toxic substances. When the question in a toxic tort case is whether a particular toxic substance caused injury in a specific individual, the data gaps and uncertainties are even greater. Most disease conditions have multiple potential etiologies, and there is usually no direct evidence of which possible cause produced the disease in a specific individual. Moreover, each person is unique in his or her susceptibility to toxic agents, further complicating the inquiry into what caused illness in that individual. Yet, it is precisely into this black hole of ignorance and uncertainty that judges and juries must venture to resolve whether a particular exposure caused an individual plaintiff’s illness. Not surprisingly,
CD86-dependent FoxP3+ regulatory T cells promote resolution of disease after influenza virus infection (IRC4P.492)

Influenza A virus (IAV) infection in the respiratory tract triggers a robust immune response, resulting in both virus clearance and lung inflammation and injury. After virus clearance, resolution of lung disease occurs during a distinct recovery period. The costimulatory molecule CD86 can modulate T cell activity during the initiation and effector stages of the host response to IAV infection, but the role of CD86 during recovery is unknown. We found that antibody-mediated CD86 blockade after virus clearance led to a delay in recovery, characterized by increased numbers of lung neutrophils and innate cytokines in the bronchial alveolar lavage fluid (BAL), but no change in conventional IAV-specific T cell responses. However, CD86 blockade led to decreased numbers of FoxP3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs), and adoptive transfer of Tregs into α-CD86 treated mice rescued the effect of the blockade, supporting a role for Tregs in promoting recovery after virus clearance. Direct depletion of Tregs late after infection using DEREG mice mimicked the CD86 blockade phenotype, confirming a role for Tregs during recovery after virus clearance. Finally, we identified neutrophils as a target of Treg suppression, since neutrophil depletion in Treg-depleted DEREG mice reduced excess BAL cytokines. These results show that CD86-dependent Tregs contribute to the resolution of disease after IAV infection, in part by suppressing neutrophil-driven cytokine release into the airways.
Merging technology and clinical research for optimized post-surgical rehabilitation of lung cancer patients

Background: The 21 st century has ushered in an age of wireless communication and technological breakthroughs providing researchers with opportunities and challenges as they incorporate this technology into their research. This paper presents the challenges our team encountered introducing new technologies and how they were overcome for an intervention for post-thoracotomy non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Methods: Our intervention incorporated the Nintendo Wii Fit Plus virtual-reality walking and balance exercise into a home-based rehabilitation program. The intervention is novel and innovative in that the intervention provides light-intensity exercise post-thoracotomy for NSCLC patients immediately after return to home from the hospital. The intervention overcomes the barriers of conventional exercise programs that require travel, conventional exercise equipment, and begin months after surgery. Results: When translating new technology to research, researchers need to consider a number of factors that need to be addressed. Institutional Review Boards may need further explanation as to why the technology is safe, potential participants may need to have unfounded concerns explained before enrolling, and the research team needs a plan for introducing the technology to participants with a vast range of skill sets and environments in which they will be using technology. In our study, we addressed each of these factors using varying approaches as we translated how the Wii would be used in a home-based exercise intervention by a highly vulnerable, post-thoracotomy NSCLC population. Conclusions: While technology brings with it multiple barriers for successful implementation, our team showed that with proper planning and teamwork, researchers can navigate these issues bringing the full benefit of technology to even the most vulnerable of patient populations.
Orbital-Angular-Momentum-based Image Sensor using High Resolution Photoacoustic Tomography

A remote contactless image sensing scheme via OAM-based photoacoustic tomography is presented using frequency-domain sparsity-constrained image reconstruction algorithm with MIMO signal processing for biomedical diagnosis and early cancer therapy.
Extracellular matrix in the CNS: Dynamic structure and clinical correlations

The extracellular matrix (ECM) occupies the space between neurons and glial cells and accounts for 10%–20% of the total volume of the brain. During CNS development, the ECM provides a microenvironment that regulates cell migration, axonal guidance, and synaptogenesis; in the adult CNS, it contributes to maintenance of synaptic stability and regulates repair following injury, in part by restricting aberrant remodeling. The ECM molecules may be arranged diffusely, forming an ECM matrix, or condense to create specific compartments in the extracellular space; these include perineuronal nets (PNNs), perisynaptic nets, and the basement membrane contributing to the blood–brain barrier (BBB).