cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Local fields in random dielectrics : distribution characteristics and the effects of microstructure

A generalized Onsager approach is developed for the calculation of local fields in random dielectrics. The distribution of local fields obtained is shown to display a double-peak character in general. This unexpected behavior is explained in terms of two types of local environment defined relative to the applied field. We find the characteristics of the local-field distribution to be sensitive to the microstructure of a random medium. Two types of random structures, characterized by uniform or percolative spatial correlations, were considered. The standard deviation of the distribution is shown to be directly proportional to the product of the polarizability and a parameter that measures the local anisotropy of the medium. The mean of the distribution is found to be bounded below by the Lorentz local-field value, with the fractional deviation, S, from the lower bound proportional to the variance ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\sigma}}}^{2}$. The same quantity S is identified as the correction factor to the Clausius-Mossotti relation. We demonstrate that the extended spatial correlation has a significant effect on the values of S. Implications of our results, for effective-medium theories and optical properties of random small-particle systems, are discussed.
A computer system for processing eye-movement records

A computer system using the LINC-8 computer was developed to process eye-movement records from two 16-mm cine film input sources : the Mackworth stand camera and the Mackworth wide-angle camera. Data reduction was accomplished by projecting the films onto an X-Y plotting table. An operator marked, using a cursor, either the eyespot, in the case of the stand camera, or the pupil and display center, in the case of the wide-angle camera, in order to digitize the locus of the gaze. This information was normalized and stored on magnetic tape as: ordinal fixation number, fixation duration, and fixation coordinates (X and Y). A software library was created to analyze the three eye-movement measures. One program calculates interfixation distance, fixation time, and dispersion of fixations about a point. A second program operates on data matrices to: calculate area covered by a fixation pattern, frequency of redundant fixations in a fixation pattern, and distribution of fixations over features of the visual display. Data are displayed on either scope or the Calcomp plotter.
Learning to Observe in a Geomorphological Context

ABSTRACT This three-lesson sequence, addressing the topic of slow geomorphological change caused by water movement, integrates a Web-based system called Goinquire into a series of activities aimed to help upper-elementary, diverse students improve their observation skills and content knowledge in geomorphology. During the inquiry-based lessons, students cooperatively formulated questions and read and wrote to improve their observation skills and their understanding of the processes of erosion, transportation, and deposition. At the end of the sequence, students who participated in the lessons were able to discuss how the slow movement of water transforms the landscape, describe some of the agents that affect the rate in which the land is eroded, and use appropriate vocabulary to discuss the topic.
EPA-0123 - Sex addiction: myth or reality?

Objective To determine whether hypersexual behavior can appropriately be characterized as an addiction, or rather, a symptom or manifestation of a coexisting Axis I or Axis II Disorder. Design and methods A literature review is being conducted to explore these opposing viewpoints. Articles published from the year 2000 to present relating to the topic of sex addiction/ hypersexuality/ sexual compulsivity/ impulsivity are reviewed. Results The concept of sexual addiction was introduced in the 1970's. Two schools of thought have. Proponents of sex ’addiction’ argue that the neurochemical changes associated with hypersexual behavior are quite similar to that of drug addiction. They argued that sex ’addicts’ can experience a psychological withdrawal as experienced by those addicted to drugs of abuse. Some proponents of sex addiction even advise a 12-step treatment program. Critics of sex addiction argue that increased sexual activity is a way of alleviating affective symptoms, or is reflective of the impulsivity, associated with concomitant Axis I or Axis II pathology. They postulate that treating the underlying psychiatric disorder would ameliorate hypersexual behavior. Discussion Despite standard, and even increasing use of the term ’sex addiction’ in media and popular culture, mental health professionals remain divided in regards to this subject. The proposed inclusion and subsequent rejection of hypersexual disorder in DSM-V highlights this existing debate. The notion of hypersexual behavior as an addiction warrants further exploration, especially since how it is defined may dictate treatment modality.
Characterizing short-term release and neovascularization potential of multi-protein growth supplement delivered via alginate hollow fiber devices

Multi-protein (10-250 kDa) endothelial cell growth supplement (ECGS) contains growth factors of varying sizes resulting in advanced release rates from diffusion-based drug delivery devices. As a result, the biochemical stimulus provided by ECGS for neovascularization in the critical initial stages of cell transplantation in artificial organs may differ from that for single growth factor delivery. In this study, both in vitro and in vivo studies were conducted with ECGS to correlate in vitro release of multiple angiogenic growth factors to vascularization potential in vivo. The short-term release of ECGS from calcium alginate gels supported in the lumen of polypropylene (PP) hollow fibers was investigated in vitro for up to 142 h. The overall time constant increased from 2, 2.2 and 6.3 h as the alginate concentration was increased from 1.5%, 2% and 3%, respectively. However, time constants for individual species ranged from 1.5 to 77 h. The in vivo bioactivity of released ECGS was assessed for up to 21 days using a Lewis rat model implanted with 1.5% calcium alginate gels supported in PP and polysulfone hollow fibers. For the ECGS-releasing PP hollow fiber system, a two-fold increase in neovascularization with respect to the control was observed for the period between 7 and 17 days post-implantation at the device-tissue interface (p<0.05).
Biophysical studies of the interactions between the viruses of tobacco mosaic and tomato bushy stunt and their rabbit antisera.

Abstract Light scattering procedures have been employed in the study of the interactions between the viruses of tobacco mosaic (TMV) and bushy stunt (BSV) and their rabbit antisera. These procedures are particularly suited to kinetic studies and to quantitative titrations of virus and of antiserum. The bushy stunt virus system in the region of antigen excess has also been studied by analytical centrifugation and by electron microscopy. The observed distributions of small complexes are consistent with the predictions of the Goldberg theory. In the zone of equivalence ( A G ∼ 1 ) the TMV-antibody complexes occur as loose bundles of from 7 to 14 virus rods. Complexes in the BSV-antibody system appear as loose spherical aggregates of 30 to 60 virus particles. The data for the antibody-combining properties of BSV illustrate the likely behavior of other small plant and animal viruses.
On the magnetic structure of MnAu2

Abstract The ambiguity associated with the powder neutron diffraction analysis implies that a helical magnetic- spin alignment reported for MnAu2, for example, is not the unique structure.
Contents of eleven trace elements in ureilite achondrites

Abstract We determined Ag, Bi, Cd, Co, Cs, Ga, In, Se, Te, Tl and Zn in the 6 ureilite achondrites by neutron activation analysis. All 11 elements are depleted below Cl levels and their characteristic abundance pattern differs substantially from those of chondritic groups. Thus ureilites do not represent a simple mixture of volatile-rich chondrites with achondritic material but perhaps cosmochemically-fractionated achondritic material and a late ‘distillate’ of mobile elements.
Counterion effects in the preparation of aldehyde–bisulfite adducts

Abstract The identification and development of an aldehyde–bisulfite adduct as an isolable starting material in the synthesis of the CETP inhibitor Evacetrapib are described. The physical properties of the sodium and potassium analogs are compared, and the extension of the scope of this study to include an investigation into the solid state properties of a range of sodium and potassium bisulfite adducts of commonly encountered aldehydes is discussed.
A 117mW 77GHz receiver in 65nm CMOS with ladder structured tunable VCO

A low power 77GHz receiver, suitable to be used in a FM-CW Automotive Radar has been designed using a 1P6M 65nm RFCMOS process. It has been implemented using a direct conversion architecture. The 77GHz signal generation block generates a FM-CW signal that pre-drives the external PA with a power level of −4.5dBm and also works as a Local Oscillator (LO) signal in the downconversion mixer. The ladder structured CPW differential transmission line used in the VCO core presents an inductance value of 83pH and a quality factor of 30 at 77GHz. By cutting the different ladders of the inductor, together with the implemented varactors, a tuning range of 15.8% is measured for the VCO, which is suitable to cover process variations. The front-end exhibits a maximum voltage gain of 15 dB over the baseband and presents a LNA noise figure of 7dB at 77GHz. The VCO measured phase noise is −109dBc/Hz at 10MHz. The achieved power consumption of the complete receiver is only 117mW from a 1.5V voltage supply, 43.5mW coming from the receiver block and 73.5mW from the signal generation block.
Comorbidities Among Ohio’s Nursing Home Residents With Diabetes

Objective To determine the magnitude of diabetes mellitus among Ohio nursing home residents and the comorbid conditions affecting residents with diabetes. Research Design, Method, and Settings In certified Ohio nursing homes during 1999, 161,723 residents were eligible for this study because they had been admitted for at least 1 day that year, had been assessed using the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare’s Minimum Data Set instrument, were 21 years old or older, and had a known sex and race. Eligible residents with diabetes were compared with those without diabetes with respect to comorbidity. Results The 25% of residents diagnosed with diabetes were younger, more often male, and more often black than residents without this disorder. Residents with diabetes were also more likely to have cardiovascular diseases; visual problems; foot conditions, including missing limbs; and kidney failure. Residents with diabetes were less likely to have oral problems than residents without diabetes. Conclusion The Minimum Data Set instrument identifies important comorbidities among nursing home residents with diabetes and allows their disease course to be followed longitudinally. Nursing home residents in Ohio, and presumably in other states, bear a heavy burden from diabetes and significant comorbidities.
Myocardial uptake of thallium 201 and technetium 99m-labeled sestamibi after ischemia and reperfusion: comparison by quantitative dual-tracer autoradiography in rabbits.

Background Myocardial scintigraphy with99mTc-labeled sestamibi (99mTc-sestamibi) or201Tl is used to assess regional perfusion in acute coronary syndromes associated with metabolic or functional abnormalities, such as acute coronary thrombosis with reperfusion and ischemia at rest. However, the initial uptake of these agents may be affected by a recent ischemic insult because the myocardial retention of these tracers depends on cellular metabolism.
BIPOLAR INCOMPATIBILITY IN THE HYMENOMYCETE POLYPORUS PALUSTRIS

A B S T R A C T The basic features of bipolar incompatibility in the hymenomycete, Polyporus palustris (Berk. and Curt.), have been investigated by a comparison of compatible and incompatible interactions leading to the formation of dikaryons and common-factor heterokaryons, respectively. Nuclear migration is severely restricted and nuclear pairing and conjugate nuclear division fail to occur in the interaction of incompatible homokaryons. It is suggested that the single incompatibility factor of P. palustris combines the functions of the two incompatibility factors of tetrapolar species. BIPOLAR and tetrapolar incompatibility are patterns of physiological heterothallism (sensu Whitehouse, 1949a) which determine mating competence in many higher basidiomycetes. Tetrapolar incompatibility was first described by Kniep (1920, 1922), and bipolar incompatibility was described several years later by Brunswik (1923, 1924). Continued and intensive research, especially during the past 15 years, has provided a considerably more detailed understanding of the genetic basis and phenotypic expressions of tetraploar incompatibility (Raper, 1966). During this same period the analysis of bipolar incompatibility has been essentially ignored, with the result that little is known either of its nature or of its relationship with the tetrapolar system. This neglect of the bipolar system is surprising, since it would appear to be a less complex system than tetrapolarity and is known to be widespread among the higher basidiomycetes. At least 15 genera of the Agaricales comprise both bipolar and tetrapolar species, and it is estimated that nearly 40 % of all heterothallic species of the hymenomycetes and gasteromycetes may be bipolar, as are all of the saprophytic heterobasidiomycetes (Whitehouse, 1949a, b). Furthermore, an understanding of the details of the
Toward an animal model of depression : A study of separation behavior in dogs

Abstract Six dogs were raised in an experimental setting by the author who was their sole consistent object. The animals were ranked daily in an approach-avoidance test and their temperament characterized in approach-avoidance terms. Eleven independent observers scored the animals on object seeking, object avoiding and aggressive behavior in each of three conditions (1) a pre-separation period in which the animals' relationship with the author was undisturbed (2) a separation condition in which the animals had no contact with the author and (3) a reunion period. Body weight and gross motor activity were also measured. Separation was associated with increases in object seeking for animals of the approach temperament and increases in object avoidance and aggressive behavior for animals of the avoidance temperament. Activity was significantly decreased in those animals for whom reliable data was obtained. Reunion was associated with further deviations from pre-separation behavior patterns. These results tentatively indicate that models of separation and depression can be constructed in experimental animals.
Accelerating Data Movement Leveraging End-System and Network Parallelism

Data volumes produced by simulation, experimental and observational science is rapidly increasing. This data needs to be moved from its source to another resource for analysis, visualization and archival purposes. The destination resource could be either local or remote. The data intensive science is critically dependent upon the high-performance parallel file and storage end systems to read/write and high-speed networks to move their enormous data between local and remote computing and storage facilities. 100 Gigabit per second networks such as DOE's Advanced Network Initiative (ANI), Internet2's 100G network represent a major step forward in wide area network performance. Effective utilization of these networks requires substantial and pervasive parallelism, at the file system, end system, and network levels. Additional obstacles such as heterogeneity and time-varying conditions of network and end system arise that, if not adequately addressed, will render high performance storage and network systems extremely under-performed. In this paper, we propose a data movement system that dynamically and adaptively adjusts end systems and networks parallelisms in response to changing conditions of end systems and networks to sustain high-throughput for data transfers. We evaluate our system in multiple settings and show that (1) in a homogeneous configuration, the design can achieve better throughput for light and medium workload than GridFTP and achieve comparable throughput for heavy workload, (2) and in a heterogeneous configuration, the design can achieve several factors higher throughput for all workloads than GridFTP.
The Aerodynamic Attributes and Flight Trajectories of a Tail Fin-Stabilized Projectile

Combined with low-speed wind tunnel experiments, this study adopted computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and the MATLAB/Simulink control software to analyze the aerodynamic attributes of a tail fin-stabilized projectile and subsequently simulate its flight trajectory with four degrees of freedom under a flight condition (M) of 0.6 and an angle of attack (α) between-60° and 60°. Comparing the CFD calculation results with the revised experiment data using the Karman-Tsien Rule showed that the aerodynamic coefficients CD, CL, and CM were similar within an angle of attack between-30° and 30°. The projectile further demonstrated excellent aerodynamic attributes within an angle of attack between-60° and 60°, maintaining stable flight. Furthermore, comparing the four-degrees-of-freedom simulation results with data from the firing table showed that the maximum height difference of trajectories at varying angles of elevation (mil) ranged from 3.07% to 4.68%, and the difference in the firing range distance ranged from 0.15% to 5.72%. To reduce the costs of field testing, this study establishes a method to design aerodynamic systems, analyze and compare flow fields, and simulate flight trajectories.
Fearfulness Moderates the Link between Childhood Social Withdrawal and Adolescent Reward Response

Withdrawal from peers during childhood may reflect disruptions in reward functioning that heighten vulnerability to affective disorders during adolescence. The association between socially withdrawn behavior and reward functioning may depend on traits that influence this withdrawal, such as fearfulness or unsociability. In a study of 129 boys, we evaluated how boys’ fearfulness and sociability at age 5 and social withdrawal at school at ages 6 to 10 and during a summer camp at age 9/10 were associated with their neural response to reward at age 20. Greater social withdrawal during childhood was associated with heightened striatal and mPFC activation when anticipating rewards at age 20. Fearfulness moderated this effect to indicate that social withdrawal was associated with heightened reward-related response in the striatum for boys high on fearfulness. Altered striatal response associated with social withdrawal and fearfulness predicted greater likelihood to have a lifetime history of depression and social phobia at age 20. These findings add greater specificity to previous findings that children high in traits related to fear of novelty show altered reward responses, by identifying fearfulness (but not low levels of sociability) as a potential underlying mechanism that contributes to reward alterations in withdrawn children.
Ecologically relevant spatial memory use modulates hippocampal neurogenesis

The adult hippocampus in birds and mammals undergoes neurogenesis and the resulting new neurons appear to integrate structurally and functionally into the existing neural architecture. However, the factors underlying the regulation of new neuron production is still under scrutiny. In recent years, the concept that spatial memory affects adult hippocampal neurogenesis has gained acceptance, although results attempting to causally link memory use to neurogenesis remain inconclusive, possibly owing to confounds of motor activity, task difficulty or training for the task. Here, we show that ecologically relevant, spatial memory-based experiences of food caching and retrieving directly affect hippocampal neurogenesis in mountain chickadees (Poecile gambeli). We found that restricting memory experiences in captivity caused significantly lower rates of neurogenesis, as determined by doublecortin expression, compared with captive individuals provided with such experiences. However, neurogenesis rates in both groups of captive birds were still greatly lower than those in free-ranging conspecifics. These findings show that ecologically relevant spatial memory experiences can directly modulate neurogenesis, separate from other confounds that may also independently affect neurogenesis.
The PROMETHEUS Bundled Payment Experiment: Slow Start Shows Problems In Implementing New Payment Models

Fee-for-service payment is blamed for many of the problems observed in the US health care system. One of the leading alternative payment models proposed in the Affordable Care Act of 2010 is bundled payment, which provides payment for all of the care a patient needs over the course of a defined clinical episode, instead of paying for each discrete service. We evaluated the initial “road test” of PROMETHEUS Payment, one of several bundled payment pilot projects. The project has faced substantial implementation challenges, and none of the three pilot sites had executed contracts or made bundled payments as of May 2011. The pilots have taken longer to set up than expected, primarily because of the complexity of the payment model and the fact that it builds on the existing fee-for-service payment system and other complexities of health care. Participants continue to see promise and value in the bundled payment model, but the pilot results suggest that the desired benefits of this and other payment reforms may...
A mechanism for the coordination and regulation of ciliary movement as revealed by microdissection and cytological studies of ciliated cells of mollusks

Systems of fiber-like structures traverse ciliated cells and epithelia in a way to suggest conduction paths for stimuli for coordinating and regulating ciliary movement, and results of microdissection support such an interpretation. Some fibers of the systems in epithelia of the gill terminate on the nuclear membrane, some between nuclei in the basal cytoplasm. The observed double refringency of the fibrillar apparatus places it in the category of irritable and contractile substance. Bipolar cells and nerve-like fibers lie immediately below and parallel with ciliated epithelia of the gill, but direct connections of these fibers with the intracellular system, although suspected, was not demonstrated. Ciliated epithelia of the gill are syncytial in character in the direction of the beat of cilia. Interciliary structures occur in the cuticular portion of ciliated epithelia which are interpreted to function in taking up strains in the gelled cytoplasm caused by the beat of cilia. Cilia occur in pairs in epithelia of the gill, and members of pairs are fused at their distal ends. Each cilium, as seen in dark-field illumination, pierces its basal body, and the fiber that is a continuation of the cilium divides immediately below the basal body into two; one diverging to the right, one to the left. Each cilium is composed of many delicate fibrillae.
Phase-noise analysis of MEMS-based circuits and phase shifters

The effect of Brownian, acceleration, acoustic, and power-supply noise on MEMS based circuits has been calculated for MEMS.-based circuits (phase shifters, delay circuits). The calculations are done for capacitive shunt MEMS switches and metal-to-metal contact series MEMS switches. It is found that these effects result in both an amplitude and phase noise, with the phase noise being around 100/spl times/ larger than the amplitude noise. The phase noise due to Brownian motion is negligible for MEMS switches with k /spl sime/ 1.0 N/m, g/sub 0/ > 2 /spl mu/m, Q > 0.5, and f/sub 0/ /spl sime/ 50 kHz. The effect of acceleration and acoustic noise is negligible for a total acceleration noise of 10 g or less and a total acoustic noise of 74-dB sound pressure level. The power-supply noise depends on the bias conditions of the MEMS element, but is negligible for MEMS switches with a bias voltage of 0 V and a total noise voltage of 0.1 V or less. It is also found that metal-to-metal contact series switches result in much less phase noise than standard capacitive shunt switches. The phase noise increases rapidly for low spring-constant bridges (k = 0.24 N/m), low-height bridges, and bridges with a large mechanical damping (Q < 0.3). Also, varactor-based designs result in 30-40 dB more phase noise than switch-based circuits. This paper proves that microwave passive circuits built using MEMS switches (with a proper mechanical design) can be used in most commercial and military applications without any phase-noise penalty.
Uma nota sobre filosofia política, relações internacionais e filosofia da história

Este artigo tem como objeto explorar de que modo os recursos con- ceituais oferecidos pela filosofia politica moderna, pela interpretacao da historia do direito internacional desenvolvida por Carl Schmitt, assim como pela filosofia da historia de Kant nos facultam um entendimento mais preciso e profundo dos constrangimentos logico-conceituais que enquadram a dinâmica evolutiva das relacoes internacionais. A primeira parte do texto procura reconstituir o modo como a atencao a peculiar geometria do espaco terrestre – seu carater esferico – constitui um ponto focal no tratamento dado por Hobbes, Pufendorf e Kant aos temas das relacoes tanto entre individuos humanos, quanto entre as comunidades politicamente organizadas. Nessa parte o texto chama atencao para o fato de que as teorias contratualistas nao podem facilmente estender o modelo de solucao de conflitos contido na ideia de contrato social as relacoes internacionais. A segunda parte trata de reconstituir, resumidamente, a analise que Schmitt faz do modo como foram progressivamente normatizadas as relacoes internacionais ao tempo do chamado jus publicum europaeum, notadamente do modo como o mais deslavado cinismo politico fez com que avancasse, progressiva e paradoxalmente, a regulamentacao da politica interestatal e a constituicao de um verdadeiro direito das gentes. Na terceira parte, o artigo sugere que a filosofia da historia, notadamente na versao kantiana, pode, de algum modo, conciliar a abordagem normativista das relacoes internacionais com a analise positiva, ou, como Schmitt certamente preferiria, existencial das relacoes politicas entre os Estados.
Solution-Processed Zinc Oxide Transistors for Low-Cost Electronics Applications

Transparent conductive oxides are promising candidates for realization of transparent electronics for display applications. The use of solution-processing techniques allows for a dramatic reduction in cost per unit area of electronic functionality. As a result, there is tremendous interest in the use of solution-processed transparent conductive oxides for realization of low-cost transparent electronic systems. Zinc oxide is processable out of solution using a variety of routes, including the use of nanoparticles, nanowires, and chemical bath deposition. By optimizing the deposition processes, it is possible to realize solution-processed transparent semiconductor films offering performance that is comparable to or better than amorphous silicon, while offering the advantages of transparency. Here, techniques for fabrication of solution-processed ZnO-based transistors are reviewed, and the outlook for such technologies is discussed.
Optical imaging of visually evoked responses in prosimian primates reveals conserved features of the middle temporal visual area

Optical imaging of intrinsic cortical responses to visual stimuli was used to characterize the organization of the middle temporal visual area (MT) of a prosimian primate, the bush baby (Otolemur garnetti). Stimulation with moving gratings revealed a patchwork of oval-like domains in MT. These orientation domains could, in turn, be subdivided into zones selective to directional movements that were mainly orthogonal to the preferred orientation. Similar, but not identical, zones were activated by movements of random dots in the preferred direction. Orientation domains shifted in preference systematically either around a center to form pinwheels or as gradual linear shifts. Stimuli presented in different portions of the visual field demonstrated a global representation of visual space in MT. As optical imaging has revealed similar features in MT of New World monkeys, MT appears to have retained these basic features of organization for at least the 60 million years since the divergence of prosimian and simian primates.
Structure/function relationships of adipose phospholipase A2 containing a cys-his-his catalytic triad.

Adipose phospholipase A2 (AdPLA or Group XVI PLA2) plays an important role in the onset of obesity by suppressing adipose tissue lipolysis. As a consequence, AdPLA-deficient mice are resistant to obesity induced by a high fat diet or leptin deficiency. It has been proposed that AdPLA mediates its antilipolytic effects by catalyzing the release of arachidonic acid. Based on sequence homology, AdPLA is part of a small family of acyltransferases and phospholipases related to lecithin:retinol acyltransferase (LRAT). To better understand the enzymatic mechanism of AdPLA and LRAT-related proteins, we solved the crystal structure of AdPLA. Our model indicates that AdPLA bears structural similarity to proteins from the NlpC/P60 family of cysteine proteases, having its secondary structure elements configured in a circular permutation of the classic papain fold. Using both structural and biochemical evidence, we demonstrate that the enzymatic activity of AdPLA is mediated by a distinctive Cys-His-His catalytic triad and that the C-terminal transmembrane domain of AdPLA is required for the interfacial catalysis. Analysis of the enzymatic activity of AdPLA toward synthetic and natural substrates indicates that AdPLA displays PLA1 in addition to PLA2 activity. Thus, our results provide insight into the enzymatic mechanism and biochemical properties of AdPLA and LRAT-related proteins and lead us to propose an alternate mechanism for AdPLA in promoting adipose tissue lipolysis that is not contingent on the release of arachidonic acid and that is compatible with its combined PLA1/A2 activity.
An Objective Method for Combining Multiple Subjective Data Sets

International recommendations for subjective video quality assessment (e.g., ITU-R BT.500-11) include specifications for how to perform many different types of subjective tests. In addition to displaying the video sequences in different ways, subjective tests also have different rating scales, different words associated with these scales, and many other test variables that change from one laboratory to another (e.g., viewer expertise and criticality, cultural differences, physical test environments). Thus, it is very difficult to directly compare or combine results from two or more subjective experiments. The ability to compare and combine results from multiple subjective experiments would greatly benefit developers and users of video technology since standardized subjective data bases could be expanded upon to include new source material and past measurement results could be related to newer measurement results. This paper presents a subjective method and an objective method for combining multiple subjective data sets. The subjective method utilizes a large meta-test with selected video clips from each subjective data set. The objective method utilizes the functional relationships between objective video quality metrics (extracted from the video sequences) and corresponding subjective mean opinion scores (MOSs). The objective mapping algorithm, called the iterated nested least-squares algorithm (INLSA), relates two or more independent data sets that are themselves correlated with some common intermediate variables (i.e, the objective video quality metrics). We demonstrate that the objective method can be used as an effective substitute for the expensive and time consuming subjective meta-test.
Helpful and Unhelpful Parts of the Superior Petrosal Triangle

Background The root of zygoma–head of malleus line may guide to the internal auditory canal, but few anatomic studies address its accuracy. Hypotheses The precision of measurements is excellent, the “superior petrosal triangle” components (foramen spinosum, root of zygoma, and head of malleus) have a consistent relationship and accurately guide to Bill’s bar, and distances correlate with pneumatization. Methods Forty-one bequeathed adult human cranial base specimens (82 temporal bones) were dissected in a surgical manner. Results Measurements had excellent repeatability. The root of zygoma–head of malleus reference line always projected onto or posterior to Bill’s bar, but distances measured had wide ranges. No measurement correlated with pneumatization. Conclusion The root of zygoma–head of malleus line extends onto or posterior to Bill’s bar. Measurement guides to the head of the malleus are not predictable.
Vibrational Energy Mediates Charge Separation in Organic Photovoltaic Materials

Charge separation and charge trapping following photoinduced electron transfer from the conjugated polymer, poly (2-methoxy-5-ethylhexyloxy-1,4-phenylenecyanovinylene (CN-MEH-PPV), to the electron accepting functionalized fullerene, [6,6]-phenyl C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM), is directly measured using ultrafast vibrational spectroscopy. Our group previously demonstrated that the vibrational frequency of the carbonyl (C=O) stretch of PCBM is sensitive to the location of the molecules relative to the interfaces formed between PCBM clusters and CN-MEH-PPV. The correlation between the carbonyl frequency and the proximity of PCBM molecules to the interfaces enables the time evolution of the frequency of the bleach peak to be interpreted in terms of dissociation of charge transfer states into charge separated states. Temperature-dependent measurements of the rate of this charge separation process indicate that excess vibrational energy in “hot” charge transfer states resulting from the electron transfer reaction enables electrons to escape their Coulombic potentials at the interfaces on ultrafast timescales. Furthermore, temperature-dependent measurements on longer timescales indicate that after the initial charge separation reaction, electrons enter shallow trap states that, on the basis of the radial variation of vibrational frequencies, lie in the interior of PCBM clusters. The vibrational spectra suggest that these interior regions have higher intermolecular order in comparison to the interfaces.
The use of PCR to Probe Calcium Channel Diversity

Voltage-dependent calcium channels are a diverse set of proteins that can be classified into at least 3 classes based on their electrophysiological and pharmacological behavior. Our studies have focused on the dihydropyridine-sensitive L-type class, which has two isoforms that have been cloned and expressed. In this report we describe the development of a polymerase chain reaction (PCR, Cetus) to probe for the expression of L-type calcium channel isoforms. We describe the optimization of the PCR reaction in terms of the following: methods for producing the template cDNA, concentration of primers, and magnesium concentration. In addition, we discuss our efforts to understand the factors involved in the design of oligonucleotides for PCR primers. These studies led to the following conclusions: 1) that primers should be less than 30 base pairs in length, 2) that the addition of extraneous polylinker sequences on the 5' end of the primer has no effect, 3) that the primer should not be located in regions where secondary structure may exist, and 4) that non-degenerate primers can be used to amplify homologous gene family members. We also present methods for subcloning PCR fragments, which allow the product of a single reaction to be subcloned and sequenced. We illustrate the use of all these techniques with RNA from mouse ovary, where we have discovered the expression of the cardiac isoform of the dihydropyridine-sensitive L-type calcium channel, and the expression of a novel sequence that we postulate to be an isoform of L-type calcium channels.
Inverting enantioselectivity by directed evolution of hydantoinase for improved production of l -methionine

Using directed evolution, we have improved the hydantoinase process for production of L-methionine (L-met) in Escherichia coli. This was accomplished by inverting the enantioselectivity and increasing the total activity of a key enzyme in a whole-cell catalyst. The selectivity of all known hydantoinases for D-5-(2-methylthioethyl)hydantoin (D-MTEH) over the L-enantiomer leads to the accumulation of intermediates and reduced productivity for the L-amino acid. We used random mutagenesis, saturation mutagenesis, and screening to convert the D-selective hydantoinase from Arthrobacter sp. DSM 9771 into an L-selective enzyme and increased its total activity fivefold. Whole E. coli cells expressing the evolved L-hydantoinase, an L-N-carbamoylase, and a hydantoin racemase produced 91 mM L-met from 100 mM D,L-MTEH in less than 2 h. The improved hydantoinase increased productivity fivefold for >90% conversion of the substrate. The accumulation of the unwanted intermediate D-carbamoyl-methionine was reduced fourfold compared to cells with the wild-type pathway. Highly D-selective hydantoinase mutants were also discovered. Enantioselective enzymes rapidly optimized by directed evolution and introduced into multienzyme pathways may lead to improved whole-cell catalysts for efficient production of chiral compounds.
Diversity and Incivility: Toward an Action-Oriented Approach

Some individuals experience incivility at work based on others’ perceptions of whether they are different from the norm. Incivility, the often-unintentional violation of social norms, can occur as ...
Variable quality of service in CDMA systems by statistical power control

The low bandwidth and high error rates of the wireless channel make joint source-channel coding desirable for optimizing resource usage. The authors argue that a mechanism for providing variable quality of service (QOS) is essential for joint source-channel coding, and show that its implementation by way of power control is a natural choice for CDMA. Present-day power control techniques focus on controlling interference. The authors present a power control algorithm which simultaneously minimizes interference and provides variable QOS contracts for different traffic types in a CDMA system. The algorithm accommodates different QOS requirements by assigning different power levels to each traffic type, and can add or drop connections dynamically while ensuring that QOS specifications are satisfied. Both the uplink and downlink are analyzed, and the scheme is statistically formulated to handle variable-rate traffic.
A technique for suboptimal feedback control of nonlinear systems

A simple easily implemented method is developed for obtaining a suboptimal control law for the optimization problem associated with minimizing a quadratic cost functional for nonlinear systems. The suboptimal control law is derived using a Taylor's series representation for the feedback gain matrix after modeling the nonlinear system by a linear system at each instant of time. The resultant control law is of feedback form and is nonlinear in state. The suboptimal control is obtained without using iterative techniques or any true optimal solutions. A second-order numerical example illustrates the effectiveness of the method and gives a comparison to the results of previous methods.
Sample-based planning for continuous action Markov Decision Processes

In this paper, we present a new algorithm that integrates recent advances in solving continuous bandit problems with sample-based rollout methods for planning in Markov Decision Processes (MDPs). Our algorithm, Hierarchical Optimistic Optimization applied to Trees (HOOT) addresses planning in continuous-action MDPs. Empirical results are given that show that the performance of our algorithm meets or exceeds that of a similar discrete action planner by eliminating the problem of manual discretization of the action space.
Improvements in care in acute pancreatitis by the adoption of an acute pancreatitis algorithm.

No abstract available. Image: Mortality rate and length of stay for acute pancreatitis.
Loss of membrane-dependent factor Va cleavage: a mechanistic interpretation of the pathology of protein CVermont

Clinical manifestations of arterial and venous thrombosis in a family with protein C deficiency was associated with two mutations in the light chain of protein C: Glu20-->Ala and Val34-->Met. Further studies showed that the mutation Glu20-->Ala which eliminated a gamma-carboxylation site was exclusively responsible for the anticoagulant defect of activated protein C (APC). Membrane-bound human factor Va is inactivated by APC after two sequential cleavages of the heavy chain at Arg506 and Arg306. Human factor Va inactivation by human recombinant APC (rAPC) and a mutant molecule with an alanine instead of a glutamic acid at position 20 (rAPC(gamma 20A)) was investigated in the presence and absence of phospholipid vesicles. During a 2-hour incubation period of the cofactor with either rAPC or rAPC(gamma 20A). In the absence of a membrane surface, factor Va is cleaved quantitatively at Arg506 and retains approximately 60% of its initial cofactor activity. After a 2-hour incubation period with rAPC membrane-bound factor Va has no cofactor activity, whereas in the presence of a membrane surface and rAPC(gamma 20A) factor Va retains 60% of its initial cofactor activity. The completed loss in factor Va cofactor activity upon incubation of the membrane-bound cofactor with phospholipid vesicles and rAPC is associated with cleavages at Arg506 and Arg306, whereas membrane-bound factor Va cleavage at Arg306 by rAPC(gamma 20A) is impaired, resulting in a cofactor that is cleaved at Arg506. Slow cleavage at Arg306 occurs when membrane-bound factor Va is incubated with rAPC(gamma 20A) and only small amounts of fragments of M(r) = 45,000 and 30,000 are noticed. Our data show that the genetic defect which leads to the absence of a gamma-carboxylation site at Glu20 impairs membrane binding of human APC, which in turn is required for cleavage of factor Va at Arg306 and inactivation of the cofactor. The consequence of impaired membrane-dependent cleavage at Arg306 is manifested in vivo by venous and arterial thrombosis.
Growth and Pinning Properties of Superconducting Nanostructured $\hbox{FeSe}_{0.5}\hbox{Te}_{0.5}$ Thin Films on Amorphous Substrates

FeSe0.5Te0.5 thin films were deposited by a pulsed laser deposition technique on amorphous substrates, e.g., for demonstration, glass substrates were used. Various interlayers were introduced to enhance the superconducting properties. Detailed microstructural characterizations including X-ray diffraction and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy were conducted to verify the film quality. The results indicated the highly textured FeSe0.5Te0.5 film along (00l) direction on the glass substrate with good crystallinity. The transport properties were measured by a physical property measurement system. The superconducting critical transition temperature (Tc) is around 6 K. The critical current densities (Jc) were measured by the vibrating sample magnetometer in the physical property measurement system at 2 K under magnetic field up to 1 T. The growth of high-quality superconducting FeSe0.5Te0.5 thin film demonstrates a low cost method for processing future Fe-based superconductor-coated conductors.
Animal Model for Peripheral Nerve Grafting

We propose an animal model from which it is possible to follow nerve-muscle unit recovery after a nerve graft easily, consistently, and relatively inexpensively. The model is also compatible with subsequent histologic or histochemical analysis. We document the recovery of a group of animals after nerve grafting to demonstrate the flexibility of the model.
Identification of virulence determinants in influenza viruses.

To date there is no rapid method to screen for highly pathogenic avian influenza strains that may be indicators of future pandemics. We report here the first development of an oligonucleotide-based spectroscopic assay to rapidly and sensitively detect a N66S mutation in the gene coding for the PB1-F2 protein associated with increased virulence in highly pathogenic pandemic influenza viruses. 5′-Thiolated ssDNA oligonucleotides were employed as probes to capture RNA isolated from six influenza viruses, three having N66S mutations, two without the N66S mutation, and one deletion mutant not encoding the PB1-F2 protein. Hybridization was detected without amplification or labeling using the intrinsic surfaced-enhanced Raman spectrum of the DNA-RNA complex. Multivariate analysis identified target RNA binding from noncomplementary sequences with 100% sensitivity, 100% selectivity, and 100% correct classification in the test data set. These results establish that optical-based diagnostic methods are able to direc...
On modeling of phase transformations in ferroelectric materials

This paper represents an effort to model phase transformations in ferroelectric materials induced by the combined influence of electric fields and thermo-mechanical loading. The implications of thermodynamics principles for the stability of phases exhibited by a ferroelectric material and for the corresponding phase transformations are studied. Some of the theoretical predictions concerned with the dependence of the ferroelectric-paraelectric phase transformation temperature on the applied electric fields and stresses are in qualitative agreement with experimental observation. A ferroelectric material is capable of exhibiting more than one phase for given stresses, applied electric fields and temperature, a transformation among these phases can occur only if it does not result in an increase of the Gibbs energy of the system. In studying polarization reversal, it is found that the difference of the Gibbs energy between the electric twins, i.e. the two ferroelectric phases which share the same polar axis, coincides formally with thedriving traction introduced by Abeyaratne and Knowles [6] in modeling phase transformations induced by thermomechanical loading. An expression for the generalized driving traction, acting on a surface of discontinuity within a continuum in the presence of electromagnetic fields, is presented in this paper.
Gust Characterization and Generation for Wind Tunnel Testing of Micro Aerial Vehicles

The small scale of micro aerial vehicles (MAVs) provide the somewhat unique capability of full scale Reynolds numbers testing in a wind tunnel. However, that same small scale tends to create interactions under real world flight conditions, atmospheric gusts for example, that lead to a desire to test under more complex flows than the standard uniform flow found in most wind tunnels. Generation of lateral, vertical and longitudinal disturbances in a tunnel yields additional information about many aircraft parameters including control response issues. Furthermore, the ability to characterize the entire flowfield in the test section makes it possible to determine how a free flying model reacts to gusts found in nature. An analytical model for both discrete gusts and a continuous spectrum of gusts is examined. Then, methods for generating gusts in agreement with that model are investigated. Previously used methods are reviewed and a gust generation apparatus is designed. Expected turbulence and gust characteristics of this apparatus are compared with atmospheric data. Additional applications of this apparatus including wind turbines, the study of insect and bird flight, and aerodynamic studies related to the automotive industry are presented.