cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Impacts of Computer-Aided Manufacturing on Offshore Assembly and Future Manufacturing Locations

SANDERSON S. W., WILLIAMS G., BALLENGER T. and BERRY B. J. L. (1987) Impacts of computer-aided manufacturing on offshore assembly and future manufacturing locations, Reg. Studies 21, 131–142. Multinational firms are rethinking their strategies for manufacturing in the face of increased international competition and global markets. New technologies, such as computer-aided manufacturing and robotics, have the potential for altering location decisions, in particular co-production activities between developed and developing countries. This paper develops unit cost models for comparing manual offshore assembly in Mexico and Singapore with automated manufacturing in the United States. Results show that for the range of generally less-sophisticated products currently assembled there, Mexico retains its cost advantage for all volumes considered. However, for volumes exceeding 310,000 units per year, US flexible assembly begins to show lower unit costs than manual assembly in Singapore. SANDERSON S. W., WILLIAMS G...
Children's Self‐Reports of Characteristics of Their Asthma Episodes

Our purpose was to examine school-age children's self-reports of characteristics of their asthma episodes including the precipitating events, symptoms experienced during the episodes, and interventions used to resolve the episodes. Children's self-reports of their asthma episodes were assessed over a 6-week period for 42 children with persistent asthma who participated in a randomized, controlled clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of an asthma self-management program on adherence to recommended daily peak expiratory flow rate monitoring. Children were instructed to answer the following questions on the Asthma Report Form each time they experienced an asthma episode: 1) What were you doing; 2) How did you feel; and 3) What did you do to help your breathing? Of the children, 71% experienced at least one asthma episode during the 6 weeks. There were a total of 206 episodes. Physical activity (51%) was the most cited trigger, cough alone or combined with other symptoms (84%) was the predominant symptom, and rescue asthma medication (59%) was identified most often as the intervention used by the children to resolve the asthma episode. Children's self-reports provided valuable information about their asthma episodes. The finding that most of the children experienced at least one asthma episode during the 6-week period underscores the importance of family education on how to handle asthma episodes effectively at home. Because physical activity was cited most often as a trigger for asthma episodes, families should receive education on preventive steps for averting an asthma episode prior to the child engaging in physical activity.
Verification of object-oriented systems: domain-dependent and domain-independent approaches

Abstract This article investigates verification tests for an object-oriented accounting system. Those tests exploit the structure available from both the domain and application, and the structure of the knowledge representation (the nature of objects). The verification tests are implemented, in part, within a prototype object-oriented accounting system. Tests are included for objects and their instances. In addition, the system includes objects whose sole duty is to verify the system.
Causality, referring, and proper names

I argue that (a) the causal theory of proper names and (b) Kripke's chain of references thesis are logically independent of each other, and that the case for (a) is very weak. I observe that rejecting (a) we lose one powerful reason for treating proper names as rigid designators. I then consider reasons for subscribing to (b), and I argue that (b) is compatible with either a rigid or a non-rigid (descriptive) semantic treatment of proper names.
Uranium-series age estimates and paleoclimatic significance of Pleistocene tufas from the Lahontan basin, California and Nevada

An extended chronology of Lahontan basin lake levels based on uranium-series age estimates correlates with the global ice-volume record. Lake highstands occur at or shortly after times of maximum ice-sheet size. Moderate size lakes occur when the global ice volume is about 80% of its maximum. The data indicate that lake levels rise and fall relative to the proximity of the mean position of the jetstream. When the continental ice sheet is above some threshold size or shape, it appears that the large-scale circulation and climatic conditions are right for producing lakes of moderate to large size within the Lahontan basin.
The distributional kinetics of Ni2+ in the rat lung.

Abstract The kinetics of removal of Ni2+ from the airways of the rat lung was studied in vivo and ex vivo. The uptake of Ni2+ from the vasculature was investigated ex vivo. For ex vivo studies, the isolated, ventilated, and perfused lung (IVPL) was prepared using negative pressure ventilation and was perfused with Krebs-Henseleit buffer solution at 37°C. Rates of removal of Ni2+ from the airways were determined following intratracheal instillation of 1, 10, or 127 nmol 63NiCl2 in 100 μl of isotonic sucrose. The Ni2+ remaining in the lung was calculated from the 63Ni2+ activity which appeared in the perfusate. Ex vivo studies revealed a concentration dependent alteration in lung permeability which was not observed in vivo. Also, the rate of removal of Ni2+ from the airways was inhibited by the presence of Ca2+ and Mg2+ in the perfusate. Uptake of Ni2+ from the vasculature was studied in the IVPL supplied with NiCl2 at 0.01, 0.1, 1.0, and 10 μmol/min. The net rate of uptake of Ni2+ varied with the supply rate and did not appear to be saturable. A two-compartment model described the efflux of Ni2+ from the vasculature. These studies suggest that the airways of the mammalian lung are largely impermeable to inhaled Ni2+ in the presence of physiologic concentrations of divalent cations, while uptake from the vasculature is relatively rapid.
Characterisation of intrinsic and compensated defect microstructures in dilute III–V–N alloys

A comprehensive analysis of the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) absorption and Raman scattering data on impurity modes is reported for the technologically important dilute ternary GaAs 1-x N x , and GaP 1-x N x (x x > 0.015), the formations of nonradiative complex microstructures involving N and/or intrinsic defects are energetically favourable. The impurity modes for such complex centres were predicted and the possibility of observing them by optical spectroscopy was evaluated.
The Beginning and End of an Emperor: A Counterrepresentation of the State

The Chinese Peasant Gazette' of June 6, 1982 reported the arrest in Hunan of a man with a peculiar destiny: He was to be the next emperor of China. His claim was not unique in that other emperors have appeared from time to time in both the mainland of China and Taiwan.2 However, this emperor was perhaps unusual in the extent to which he was able to gather and keep a following before coming to the attention of the authorities. Even more striking was that this story occurred not in an economic backwater of Hunan Province, but in its heartland-the area south of Lake Dongting and the area embraced by the rivers Zi and Xiang. The sphere of his activities, in fact, circumscribes the very area that figured so prominently in Mao's 1927 "Report on an Investigation of the Peasant Movement in Hunan," a document that transformed revolutionary practice in China. Indeed, the main scene of these more recent events lies not more than 100 kilometers from the birthplace of Mao Zedong. We may well ask, "how did this man's imperial pretensions acquire such a
PAIS: Parallelism-aware interconnect scheduling in multicores

Multicore processors have the potential to deliver scalable performance by distributing computation across multiple cores. However, the communication cost of parallel application thread execution may significantly limit the performance achievable due to latency and contention on shared resources in the on-chip network of multicores experienced by packets from critical threads. We present PAIS, Parallelism-Aware Interconnect Scheduling, that bolsters performance and energy efficiency of parallel applications. PAIS dynamically detects thread execution progress based on communication latency and scheduling, and it accelerates communication for slowly executing threads by prioritizing packets from those threads with flow control and priority-based arbitration.
Explicit formula for thin film disk noise based on zig-zag domain transitions

The relationship between zig-zags and disk noise is studied. Explicit formulas are introduced that express the signal and noise in terms of the statistical distribution of sawteeth. An informal derivation for the averaged signal and some intuitive explanations for the random noise are given. The equation provides a basis for studying film disk noise and facilitates the evaluation of media noise. >
Cardiovascular molecular imaging

The recent introduction of novel gene therapies for treatment of cardiac and noncardiac diseases has caused a remarkable need for noninvasive imaging approaches to evaluate and track the progress of these therapies. In the past we have relied on the evaluation of the physiological consequences of therapeutic interventions. With advances in targeted molecular imaging we now have the ability to evaluate early molecular effects of these therapies. The development of dedicated high resolution small animal imaging systems and the establishment of transgenic animal models has enhanced our understanding of cardiovascular disease and has expedited the development of new gene therapies. Noninvasive targeted molecular imaging will allow us to directly track biochemical processes and signaling events that precede the pathophysiological changes. The examples of targeted molecular imaging outlined in this seminar provide some insight into the bright and growing future of cardiovascular molecular imaging. The success of this new field rests on the development of targeted biological markers of molecular and physiological processes, development of new instruments with improved sensitivity and resolution, and the establishment of multidisciplinary teams of experimental and clinical investigators with a wide range of expertise. Molecular imaging already plays a critical role in the experimental laboratory. We expect that, in the near future, targeted molecular imaging will be routinely used in clinical cardiovascular nuclear medicine laboratories in conjunction with existing imaging modalities for both diagnostic and prognostic purposes, as well as for evaluation of new genetic based therapeutic strategies.
Equity in water and sanitation: developing an index to measure progressive realization of the human right.

Abstract We developed an index to measure progressive realization for the human right to water and sanitation. While in this study we demonstrate its application to the non-discrimination and equality component for water, the conceptual approach of the index can be used for all the different components of the human right. The index was composed of one structural, one process, and two outcome indicators and is bound between −1 and 1, where negative values indicate regression and positive values indicate progressive realization. For individual structural and process indicators, only discrete values such as −1, −0.5, 0, 0.5, and 1 were allowed. For the outcome indicators, any value between −1 and 1 was possible, and a State's progress was evaluated using rates of change . To create an index that would allow for fair comparisons between States and across time, these rates of change were compared to benchmarked rates , which reflect the maximum rates a State can achieve. Using this approach, we calculated the index score for 56 States in 2010 for which adequate data were available and demonstrated that these index scores were not dependent on factors such as achieved level of coverage or gross national income. The proposed index differs from existing measures of inequality as it measures rate of change and not level of achievement, and thus addresses the principle of progressive realization that is fundamental to human rights.
An assessment of body appreciation and its relationship to sexual function in women

Objectification theory posits internalization of an observer's gaze may negatively impact women's feelings about their bodies, which may subsequently affect their sexual function. Subjective body image and body size (i.e., body mass index [BMI]) have mixed relationships to women's sexuality, but assessment of positive body image as a sign of resistance to objectification has not been researched. This study explored relations between body appreciation and sexual function in women and assessed whether body size impacted this relationship. Cross-sectional data were collected online from 247 women, ages 18 to 58. Body appreciation scores were modestly negatively correlated with BMI, while BMI was not related to sexual function scores. After controlling for sexual orientation, partner status, and age, body appreciation predicted the arousal, orgasm, and satisfaction aspects of sexual function. Practitioners' encouragement of body appreciation may improve sexual function in a way that encouraging a reduction in body size may not.
Abnormal hematopoieses in 2 of 3 siblings with mongolism

In a family with 3 siblings who had mongolism, 2 of them presented as newborninfants with thrombocytopenia and marked aberrations in the regulation of both erythropoiesis and leukopoiesis. Karyotypes of each of these children revealed a 15/21 translocation. At postmortem examination, one infant had widespread infiltrates of cells such as may be seen in chronic myelocytic leukemia. It is postulated that the regulation of the development of a wide variety of cellular elements in blood is affected in these children.
Empirical evaluation of neck muscle fatigue generated by healthcare related exertions

Abstract In this study, the effect of healthcare related physical and psychosocially stressful exertions on neuromuscular fatigue of the neck muscles was investigated. Eighteen healthy individuals (16 male, 2 female) performed force exertions commonly used during bed-to-stretcher patient transfer tasks under both the presence and absence of psychosocially stressful conditions. Surface electromyography (SEMG) data from two neck muscles and subjective workload ratings using the NASA Task Load Index (TLX) were collected. The SEMG data was processed and analyzed using discrete wavelet transform (DWT) to quantify development of neuromuscular fatigue. The power of the lower fatigue frequency band (12–23 Hz) was found to be significantly higher during physical exertions performed under psychosocially stressful conditions than physical exertion alone, indicating a faster fatigue development. Significantly higher NASA TLX workload scores for mental demand, temporal demand, and frustration were observed during combined physical and psychosocial exertions. The results of this study suggest that, in addition to the actual physical work, overall psychosocial stress in the work environment should be considered when designing work-rest schedules during long work shifts to reduce incidences of highly prevalent work-related neck musculoskeletal disorders among healthcare workers.
Religion and roll call voting in Idaho: the 1990 abortion controversy.

This document is the seventh chapter in a book which provides a framework for considering the "new" politics of abortion in the US (created when the Supreme Court gave states more leeway in regulating access to abortion) and the second of four chapters in a section devoted to an exploration of conflict in a variety of institutional settings. This chapter analyzes the legislative behavior of politicians in Idaho during a 1990 abortion controversy caused by the passage and veto of bill H625 which would have created the most restrictive abortion law in the US. In this study the unit of analysis was the individual legislator and the dependent variable was the vote. Independent variables were the legislators gender party affiliation and religion and the legislative districts religious composition. After an introduction the chapter describes the Bill and its legislative journey from its introduction on February 9th to its veto on March 31st. The literature on legislative decision-making is reviewed to explain that this vote can be categorized as an "abnormal" decision based on factors which differ from the norm. It was found that 41/46 members of the Mormon church 21/59 Protestants and 10/20 Catholics voted for H625. The pro-choice position was supported by 65% of the female and 36% of the male legislators and by 26/39 Democrats but only 27/86 Republicans. In the subsequent 1990 election the primary sponsor and author of the Senate version of the bill and the Senate Majority Leader were defeated by pro-choice women. The sponsor won reelection in 1992 after promising not to pursue abortion legislation. Anti-abortion groups have indicated that they will again seek legislation to restrict abortion rights if a pro-life governor is elected in the state.
A 13C and 6Li NMR study of the lithiation of some silyl ethers in hydrocarbon solvents by t-butyllithium

Abstract Methoxytrimethylsilane and methoxymethyltrimethylsilane are metallated at the silyl methyl position by t-butyllithium in cyclopentane in a facile and high yield reaction to give the corresponding α-lithio silanes. Under these conditions, competition from substitution reactions at the silicon center is virtually non-existent. At low temperatures a transient, methoxytrimethylsilane coordinated t-butyllithium dimer is observed and characterized by 13 C and 6 Li NMR. Under similar conditions, trimethylchlorosilane and tetramethylsilane show no signs of interaction or reaction with the alkyllithium reagent.
Reporting on Marginal Lands for Bioenergy Feedstock Production: a Modest Proposal

Growing bioenergy feedstocks can provide a long-term sustainable production system for marginal land resources and is essential for minimizing food vs. fuel competition for prime croplands. However, the term “marginal” is too often used in research reports without being defined. We here suggest that clearly specifying the biophysical factors and agroeconomic context contributing to marginality will greatly enhance the utility and comparability of published research.
1545 PRIMARY HEMATURIA (PH): PREDICTIVE VALUE OF PERIPHERAL LYMPHOCYTE MARKERS, SERUM IMMUNOGLOBULINS AND RENAL HISTOPATHOLOGY

P.H. has been reported as having a good prognosis except in some cases of IgA mesangial deposition (MGN-A) with focal segmental sclerosis and proliferation (FSS) which may progress to ESRD. HLA, lymphocytes bearing surface IgA (SIgA), serum immunoglobulins (Ig) and renal histopathology were evaluated in patients with P.H. persisting > 6 months. HLA-A, B and C were determined in 49 patients (29 MGN-A and 20 MGN-non A) and in 524 controls. In P.H. patients the frequency of Bw35 was 43% (similar in MGN-A and MGN-non A) and 23% in controls (p<0.01). Dr7 was present in 8/22 MGN-A (36%) but only in 19/109 (17%) control subjects. SIgA was elevated in 41/42 (98%) patients but only in 3/52 (6%) controls (p <0.001). Mean serum IgA and IgM levels were higher in P.H. patients compared to controls. Of 10 Bw35 patients with MGN-A, 9 had FSS (3 of the 9 evolving to ESRD) compared to 8/19 withoug Bw35 (p <0.01). It is concluded that 1) HLA-Bw35 is present and SIgA elevated more frequently in patients than in controls, and may be useful in separating P.H. from other hematurias, 2) a positive correlation of these findings with FSS and/or progression to ESRD exists only in MGN-A patients, 3) Dr7 seems increased in MGN-A patients, and 4) some P.H. patients require renal biopsy for better assessment of prognosis.
Abhinavagupta’s Erotic Mysticism: The Reconciliation of Spirit and Flesh

This article focuses on the erotic aspects of a particular mystical worldview, the "erotic mysticism" of Abhinavagupta, the Hindu Tantric sage of Kashmir (ca. 975-1025 CE). In particular, I concentrate on Abhinavagupta's intertwining of consciousness and sexuality, as one example of his interpretative capacities. A master of multiple traditions, discourses, and methodologies3?ranging from the most analytical to the most poetic, and including Vyakarana,4 Nyaya-Vaisesika,5 Buddhist logic, hermeneutics, Saiva and Sakta mythology, symbolism, and religious imaginaire* Tantric and yogic ritual, theology, and aesthetics?Abhinavagupta applied his visionary capacities to numerous problematics, seamlessly blending diverse epistemic fields,7 creatively synthesizing different aspects of Being,8 and continually reconnecting polarities?One and Many, Purity and Power (see Sanderson 1985), Self and Other (see Dupuche 2001)?in his nondualistic vision of reality. Out of this vast array of problematics to which Abhinavagupta devoted himself, I will focus on consciousness and sexuality. I focus on these precisely because of the lack of attention that sexuality often gets in academic discussions of the seemingly abstract notion of consciousness. For Abhinavagupta, these two "polarities" are reconnected in his form of Tantra that I will refer to as "erotic mysticism." This term was used?for the first time in Hindu Studies as far as I am aware?by Edward C. Dimock, Jr., in his classic work The Place of the Hidden Moon: Erotic Mysticism in the Vaisiiava-sahajiya Cult of Bengal (1989 [1966]). Dimock (1989: 3, 15, and passim) shows that the Vaisnava-sahajiyas attempted to
Effects of eye-movement desensitization versus no treatment on repeated measures of fear of spiders

Multiple measures of fear of spiders were acquired during in vivo tests once before and several times after 7 subjects were exposed to an experimental rendition of eye-movement desensitization. The pre- and posttreatment measures were compared with corresponding measures acquired from 7 other subjects once before and several times after a concurrent no-treatment interval. There was no evidence from the in vivo tests that eye-movement desensitization affected fear of spiders.
“Secondary stem lengthening” in the palm Iriartea deltoidea (Arecaceae) provides an efficient and novel method for height growth in a tree form

 Premise of the study: Although traditionally assumed that all height growth in trees occurs at apical meristems, sequential measurement of internode lengths in the palm Iriartea deltoidea suggested that stems were lengthening long after the differentiation of tissues and far below the apical meristem. This observation is diffi cult to reconcile with the fact that neither the waterconducting vessels nor the sugar-transporting sieve tube cells are capable of lengthening after differentiation. However, the vascular bundles in palms form a spiral within the stem and could theoretically lengthen if the spiral “ straightened ” .  Methods: We marked stretches of internodes on small and medium-sized palms and measured their lengths over 2 years. Additionally, we collected material from small palms with short internodes and large palms with long internodes and made cross sections to determine the angle of vascular bundles within stems.  Key results: We found that stems lengthened (up to 12% over 2 years) below the apical meristem in small and medium-sized palms and that the spiral angle in vascular bundles of small palms was signifi cantly larger than at the base of large palms indicating a straightening of the spiral.  Conclusions: These results represent the fi rst determination of “ secondary lengthening ” in tree stems as well as the most effi cient method for height growth in terms of carbon investment. Likewise, elongation of stems allows palms to exhibit plasticity in height growth rates for more rapid growth when short-lived canopy gaps are present than they would have with apical growth alone.
Assessment of His-Purkinje reserve: What is the mechanism of block?

Case presentation A 62-year-old woman presented to an outside hospital with the chief complaint of fatigue and chest pain. Pacemaker implantation was recommended, but the patient decided to leave the hospital against medical advice. Tracings and reports from this evaluation were not available, and she left with a discharge diagnosis of bradycardia. The patient stated that her fatigue resolved after 2 days and specifically denied any history of syncope or presyncope. Her past medical
Online auctions enabling the secondary computer market

The Internet is enabling new forms of commerce and novel markets. One example is the secondary computer market, facilitating exchange between quality sensitive sellers, oftentimes businesses, and price sensitive buyers. As this market does not have a viable physical counterpart with reference prices, it is developing via online auctions. One question of interest in the evolution of this market is the determinants of prices. Using a dataset of 2,000 laptop auctions in a seven-month period, this research provides support for accepted auction theory while raising questions that deserve further explanation. The negative relationship between supply and auction price supports standard supply and demand theory, while higher prices for better features is consistent with vertical differentiation. Even within accepted theory this research broadens the understanding of auction behavior. There is clear support for the "price decline anomaly" where prices in sequential auctions decline, violating the "law of one price." One result that deserves further attention is that midweek auctions realize higher prices. A second is that price changes over time are not monotonic. Future research should replicate and explain these results, as well as extend them to other auction settings. As the secondary computer market evolves it will impact the primary computer market.
Keck Observations of Solar System Objects: Perspectives for Extremely Large Telescopes

From differential tracking techniques, required for appulse observations of KBOs with Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics (LGSAO), to developing methods for collecting spectra at the precise moment of a predicted impact, each Solar System observation conducted on a large telescope presents a unique set of challenges. We present operational details and some key science results from our science program, adaptive optics observations of main belt asteroids and near earth objects; as well as the technical and operational details of several Keck Solar System observations conducted by other teams: the impact of Shoemaker-Levy 9 on Jupiter, volcanoes on Io, the Deep Impact mission to Comet 9P/Tempel 1, and recent observations of Pluto’s moons Nix and Hydra. For each of these observations, we draw from our Keck experience to predict what challenges may lie ahead when similar observations are conducted on next generation telescopes.
Determinants of open source software project success: A longitudinal study

In this paper, we investigate open source software (OSS) success using longitudinal data on OSS projects. We find that restrictive OSS licenses have an adverse impact on OSS success. On further analysis, restrictive OSS license is found to be negatively associated with developer interest, but is positively associated with the interest of non-developer users and project administrators. We also show that developer and non-developer interest in the OSS project and the project activity levels in any time period significantly affect the project success measures in subsequent time period. The implications of our findings for OSS research and practice are discussed.
The career and family choices of women: A dynamic analysis of labor force participation, schooling, marriage, and fertility decisions

Abstract This paper formulates and estimates a discrete time, discrete choice dynamic labor supply model in which marriage, fertility, and education are choice variables. The dynamics of these choices are captured by various forms of state and duration dependence. Uncertainty comes from the imperfect control women have over births and from a choice-specific random shock to utility each period. Women choose different career and family life-cycle paths because of these uncertainties and also because they have different tastes. The structural parameters of the model are estimated using maximum likelihood estimation techniques with data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth.
Comparative Policy Brief: Status of Intellectual Disabilities in the Republic of Haiti

An estimated 800,000 persons have disabilities in Haiti, but there are no data that refer specifically to those with intellectual disabilities. Traditional fears and stigma about disability are widespread. While the constitution supports the idea that people with disabilities should have autonomy and education, there are no laws to mandate implementation, nor is there a comprehensive strategy in place to promote social inclusion. Children with intellectual disabilities share the challenges faced by all children in Haiti where primary school enrollment covers just two-thirds of all school-aged children, rural areas lack any schools, and families are too poor to pay for uniforms or books or to release their children from work in order to attend school. For various social and economic reasons, most children with disabilities do not receive specialized education or social rehabilitation services, and some with more severe levels of disability may reside in institutions. In the absence of any welfare benefits, or laws mandating education or vocational training, adults with intellectual disabilities rely on their families or, if they cannot provide care, asylums or nursing homes. Against a background of economic and political instability, three key issues related to Haitians with intellectual disabilities are wider access to education; provision of specialized teaching for children and life-skills training for adults; and co-coordinated efforts to raise awareness and encourage more positive attitudes.
Pollution, profits, and stakeholders: The constraining effect of economic performance on CEO concern with stakeholder expectations

This study examined the constraining effect of economic performance on the relationship between CEO stakeholder orientations and four pollution performance categories. Economic performance was found to moderate the relationship for two of the four categories. Additionally economic performance was found to consistently interact with some CEO stakeholder orientations and not others. Overall the results suggest that CEO concern with stakeholder expectations is in large part moderate by the economic performance of the firm.
New Concepts in the Immunology of Sickle Cell Disease

Background Our objective is to review the role of adhesion molecules, cytokines, and inflammation in the abnormal adherence of sickle red blood cells to vascular endothelia in the pathogenesis of vascular complication in patients with sickle cell anemia. Data sources The MEDLINE database was used to review the hematologic, immunologic, and allergy literature in English with respect to the adhesion molecules involved in sickle hematopoiesis and vascular complications. Study selection Studies selected for review were those that identified the adhesion molecules involved in reticulocyteendothelial adhesion and the influence that cytokines, infections, and atopy have upon the expression of these molecules. Results In sickle cell disease, a constant low level of inflammation caused by abnormal adhesion of sickle erythrocytes to endothelial cells in the microvasculature produces low-level tissue ischemia. Allergic and infectious inflammations are likely to lead to increased sickle erythrocyte trapping in the microvascular endothelia which progresses to vessel obstruction, end organ ischemic damage, and dysfunction. Conclusion The identification of underlying immune defects that predispose patients to infections and inflammation needs to be emphasized. Anti-inflammatory medications, anti-adhesion molecule monoclonal antibodies, and adhesion molecule binding-site analogs may have a future in the treatment of the acute vascular complications of sickle cell disease.
Saliency-driven dynamic configuration of HMAX for energy-efficient multi-object recognition

Object recognition is one of the most important tasks in computer vision due to its wide variety of applications from small hand-held devices to surveillance systems in large public facilities. Even though biologically inspired approaches have been recently revealed to take another significant step forward to reduce its large power consumption, it still consumes relatively large amounts of energy because of the immense amount of data and computations. Typically in such biologically inspired - often called neuromorphic - object recognition implementations, visual saliency feeds feature extraction to limit the amount of computations effectively by picking a pre-determined size of patches around salient locations of an image. In this work, we explore the design space of HMAX for neuromorphic feature-extraction and classification along with the trade-off between energy consumption and classification accuracy. In addition, a novel method to further reduce energy consumption is proposed by leveraging effort-level of HMAX according to the findings of visual saliency in an efficient manner. Experiments revealed that our dynamic configuration achieved 70.57% of energy reduction with only 1.05% of accuracy loss for accuracy-critical applications. For energy-critical applications, a proposed configurations trades off 5.07% accuracy to gain 91.72% reduction in energy consumption.
Effect of oxide field on hot‐carrier‐induced degradation of metal‐oxide‐semiconductor field‐effect transistors

While the substrate current is a useful tool for extrapolating metal‐oxide‐semiconductor field‐effect transistor lifetime from accelerated stressing data, the substrate current can vary significantly during a constant‐voltage stress test. We have studied device degradation using a constant‐field method. The critical electron energy for device degradation is found to be 3–6 eV, depending on the oxide electric field. These values are 50% higher than those reported elsewhere.
Gas—solid diffusion and equilibrium parameters by tracer pulse chromatography

Abstract Gas adsorption on solid zeolitic adsorbents is the basis of many gas separation processes (e.g. pressure swing adsorption). The accurate design of these units requires gas—solid diffusion and equilibrium data over a wide range of temperature and pressure. Perturbation chromatography has been proven to be a very convenient experimental technique that can be used for the determination of these parameters. Although various types of perturbations can be used, our laboratory has found that the tracer pulse technique, in which a pulse of radioactive adsorbate is injected into the chromatographic system, results in a simpler and more straightforward analysis procedure. In this paper this rather unusual technique will be described in detail, and diffusion coefficients and equilibrium constants obtained for the ethane—silicalite system will be presented.
A computation offloading scheme on handheld devices

In this paper, we present a computation offloading scheme on handheld devices. This scheme partitions an ordinary program into a client-server distributed program, such that the client code runs on the handheld device and the server code runs on the server. Our partition analysis and program transformation guarantee correct distributed execution under all possible execution contexts. We give a polynomial time algorithm to find the optimal program partition for given program input data. We use an option-clustering approach to handle different program partitions for different program execution options. Experimental results show significant improvement of performance and energy consumption on an HP IPAQ handheld device through computation offloading.
TRPC channels as signal transducers.

The study of the TRPC cation channels as signal transducers in sensory neurons is in its infancy. Mechanoreceptors that monitor arterial pressure are prime candidates for the involvement of TRPC channels as either primary mechanical transducers or as modulators of the transduction process. Their activity patterns can be regulated by growth factors such as BDNF and by a variety of ligands that activate Gq-coupled receptors, mechanisms that have been shown in heterologous expression systems to activate TRPC channels. We investigated the distribution of TRPC1 and TRPC3–7 in nodose sensory neurons and in their peripheral axons that terminate as mechanosensitive receptors in the aortic arch of the rat. Using immunocytochemical techniques we identified these six TRPC proteins in the soma of the nodose neurons but only TRPC1 and TRPC3–5 were found to distribute to the peripheral axons and the mechanosensory terminals. TRPC1 and TRPC3 extended into the low threshold complex sensory endings with very strong labeling. In contrast, TRPC4 and TRPC5 were found primarily in major branches of the receptor but immunoreactivity was weak in the region where mechanotransduction is presumed to occur. Terminals arising from unmyelinated fibers also expressed TRPC1 and TRPC3–5 but not all fibers expressed all of the channels suggesting that specific TRPC protein may be aligned with previously described subclasses of the unmyelinated C-fibers.
The Stargazin C Terminus Encodes an Intrinsic and Transferable Membrane Sorting Signal

Abstract Activity-dependent plasticity of α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid receptors is regulated by their auxiliary subunit, stargazin. Association with stargazin enhances α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid receptor surface expression and modifies the receptor's biophysical properties. Fusing the cytoplasmic C terminus of stargazin to the C-terminal domains of either GluR1 or the gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor permits efficient trafficking from the endoplasmic reticulum and sorting to the basolateral membrane without altering other properties of either receptor.
Ultrastructural study of the human spiral ganglion.

Electron microscopic study of the human spiral ganglion was conducted on 17 ears from 12 individuals aged 9 months to 92 years. Two types of neurons, large and small, with distinct cytological characteristics were found. Both types of neurons were myelinated and unmyelinated; however, a majority of the population was unmyelinated (94%). The distribution of myelinated neurons varied greatly among individuals, though a slight increase in their population was noted in aged individuals, the highest count being 28% in a specimen from an individual 75 years old. The small neurons constituted 6% of the population, and their cytoplasms were highly filamentous in both myelinated and unmyelinated types. The findings of this study provide no evidence as to the functional significance of the myelination of spiral ganglion cells.ZusammenfassungElektronenmikroskopische Untersuchungen des menschlichen Ganglion spirale wurden in 17 Ohren von 12 Individuen im Alter von 9 Monaten bis zu 92 Jahren durchgefuhrt. Zwei Arten v...
Analysis of Stimulated Raman Scattering of a Giant Laser Pulse

When a Raman active material is placed inside the optical Fabry-Perot cavity resonator of a giant pulse (“Q-switched”) laser, the high-power laser light pulse induces gain in the Raman material at frequencies shifted from the giant pulse frequency by well-known Raman frequencies. If this gain is large enough to overcome cavity losses, a strong buildup of coherent light at the shifted frequency(s) may ensue; the process is analogous to stimulated fluorescence and is an example of stimulated Raman scattering. We calculate here the Raman output power as a function of time and its spectral content when the Raman material is in the laser cavity. From the resulting expressions (which contain no undetermined parameters) we calculate the properties of the light generated by nitrobenzene inside a giant pulse ruby laser and find that the results agree with (as yet incomplete) observations that have been made on that system.
Crystal size distribution analysis of plagioclase in experimentally decompressed hydrous rhyodacite magma

article i nfo This study presents crystal size distributions (CSD) of plagioclase forming during decompression experiments of hydrous rhyodacite magma. Samples were annealed at 130 MPa, subjected to continuous decompression at either 2 MPa h −1 or 0.5 MPa h −1 , and then quenched along their respective decompression paths at ~20 MPa intervals. Samples display concave-up curved CSD plots which result from a combination of two crystal populations: those which formed during the anneal period and those which formed during decompression. The CSDs also display a decrease in crystal number density at 3-7 μm, a size range that is easily resolvable with the imaging strategy employed. The downturn at small sizes is presumably due to insufficient compensation for the intersection probability effect in converting 2D measurements to 3D size distributions. Crystal nucleation and growth rates derived from CSDs using standard assumptions are compared with values obtained using 2D measurements of bulk crystal populations (batch methods). CSD-calculated nucleation rates are substantially low relative to the batch values; in fact, CSD-derived volumetric nucleation rates may underestimate actual nucleation rates by up to two orders of magnitude. In contrast, growth rates from CSDs are consistently higher than batch rates. Although plagioclase growth rates are relatively constant during decompression at a given rate, the average growth rate in the rapidly decompressed series is approximately five times faster than the crystal growth rate in the slowly decompressed series. Because crystal growth rate depends on decompression rate, CSDs are incapable of revealing decompression timescales or magma ascent rates without independent knowledge of crystal growth rate. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Failure analysis of automobile bimetal bearings

Abstract This paper presents the failure analysis of automobile bimetal bearings (α+β type brass) which failed during storage before final assembly. The exposed surfaces/defective areas of the material were examined in a scanning electron microscope. Optical microscopy was also carried out to characterize the basic microstructure of the bimetal. Detailed electron and optical microscopic studies have conclusively demonstrated that the failure was due to the mechanism of stress corrosion cracking.
Bacterial Actin and Tubulin Homologs in Cell Growth and Division

In contrast to the elaborate cytoskeletal machines harbored by eukaryotic cells, such as mitotic spindles, cytoskeletal structures detectable by typical negative stain electron microscopy are generally absent from bacterial cells. As a result, for decades it was thought that bacteria lacked cytoskeletal machines. Revolutions in genomics and fluorescence microscopy have confirmed the existence not only of smaller-scale cytoskeletal structures in bacteria, but also of widespread functional homologs of eukaryotic cytoskeletal proteins. The presence of actin, tubulin, and intermediate filament homologs in these relatively simple cells suggests that primitive cytoskeletons first arose in bacteria. In bacteria such as Escherichia coli, homologs of tubulin and actin directly interact with each other and are crucial for coordinating cell growth and division. The function and direct interactions between these proteins will be the focus of this review.
Ion gels by self-assembly of a triblock copolymer in an ionic liquid.

We report a new way of developing ion gels through the self-assembly of a triblock copolymer in a room-temperature ionic liquid. Transparent ion gels were achieved by gelation of a poly(styrene-block-ethylene oxide-block-styrene) (SOS) triblock copolymer in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([BMIM][PF6]) with as low as 5 wt % SOS triblock copolymer. The gelation behavior, ionic conductivity, rheological properties, and microstructure of the ion gels were investigated. The ionic conductivity of the ion gels is only modestly affected by the triblock copolymer network. Its temperature dependence nearly tracks that of the bulk ionic liquid viscosity. The ion gels are thermally stable up to at least 100 °C and possess significant mechanical strength. The results presented here suggest that triblock copolymer gelation is a promising way to develop highly conductive ion gels and provides many advantages in terms of variety and processing.
The effect of feeding tall fescue seed infected by Acremonium coenophialum on pregnancy and parturition in female rats

1. Female Sprague-Dawley rats (Rattus norvegicus) were randomly assigned to various dietary treatments containing: (1) 100% Purina rodent chow, ad libitum; (2) same as 1, but restricted to daily intake of 7; (3) 50% rodent chow (w/w) and 50% endophyte-free tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) seed; (4) same as 3, but restricted to intake of 5; (5) 50% rodent chow, 25% endophyte-free tall fescue seed and 25% endophyte-infected (Acremonium coenophialum) tall fescue seed; (6) 50% rodent chow, 12.5% endophyte-free and 37.5% endophyte-infected tall fescue seed; and (7) 50% rodent chow and 50% endophyte infected tall fescue seed. 2. Average daily feed intakes and average daily weight gains decreased with higher levels of endophyte infected seed. 3. Frequency of litter production was affected by all endophyte-infected containing diets. 4. Conception was reduced only in dietary treatment (7). 5. Litter weights, number of pups per litter and weight per pup were proportionally reduced as higher levels of infected seed were incorporated in the ingested diets.
Globalization, risk-taking and violence: too much too soon in the late Roman Republic and pre-Renaissance Italian cities

Past research has found that globalization and political violence have been linked in both modern and less modern times. Normally, groups that have been disadvantaged or displaced by globalization are seen as responsible for these outbreaks of violence. In the case of the Late Republic of Rome and medieval Italy before the Renaissance, violence was actually prompted by major increases in wealth among those who benefited when control of the political system became much more valuable. The increased value raised the stakes of political control and underlay the resulting higher levels of violence.
Combinations of agents which induce ATP energized mitochondrial volume changes

The ATP energized mitochondrial volume change phenomena employing the antibiotic and antitumor agent showdomycin has visualized the interaction with mitochondria of a respiratory inhibitor antimycin and an uncoupling agent 2, 4-dinitrophenol. These studies have been extended to other well known agents which interact with mitochondria. Dicoumarol, carbonyl cyanide p-trinuoromethoxyphenylhydrazone and heat treatment mimicked 2, 4-dinitrophenol. N-Ethylmaleimide resembled showdomycin. Valinomycin behaved like gramicidin. Our previous concept of a strategically located pivotal mitochondrial thiol group rationalized the behavior of all the above agents and hence this concept is of general significance.