cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Criteria for consciousness in humans and other mammals

The standard behavioral index for human consciousness is the ability to report events with accuracy. While this method is routinely used for scientific and medical applications in humans, it is not easy to generalize to other species. Brain evidence may lend itself more easily to comparative testing. Human consciousness involves widespread, relatively fast low-amplitude interactions in the thalamocortical core of the brain, driven by current tasks and conditions. These features have also been found in other mammals, which suggests that consciousness is a major biological adaptation in mammals. We suggest more than a dozen additional properties of human consciousness that may be used to test comparative predictions. Such homologies are necessarily more remote in non-mammals, which do not share the thalamocortical complex. However, as we learn more we may be able to make deeper predictions that apply to some birds, reptiles, large-brained invertebrates, and perhaps other species.
Esophageal perception and noncardiac chest pain

Symptoms arising from the esophagus are produced generally in one of two ways: through stimulation of chemosensitive-nociceptors (eg, through excess esophageal exposure to refluxed gastric acid or the resulting inflammation arising in acid-damaged tissue) or through stimulation of mechanosensitive nociceptors (eg, through repeated deformation or distension of the esophageal wall resulting from peristaltic or lower esophageal sphincter dysfunction). These symptoms are usually attributed in most patients to such well recognized conditions as reflux esophagitis, achalasia,etc. that subsequently result in the delivery of specific and effective treatment.However, a subset of patients exists in which the etiology of "similar-sounding symptoms" remains obscure and their responses to standard specific treatments poor. Now recognized as among this group of patients are those with visceral hypersensitivity. Visceral hypersensitivity is not itself a disease but a definable aberrant sensory response (allodynia or hyper-algesia) to end-organ stimulation. Such an aberrant sensory response is neither specific for nor limited to the esophagus, and the etiopathogenesis for its development within this organ is unknown. Nonetheless, esophageal symptoms as a manifestation of visceral hypersensitivity are increasingly recognized and worthy of attention because they identify a disorder that responds to treatment aimed at the end organ's nociceptors or their neuroanatomic pathways within the CNS.
Cholinergic-dopaminergic interactions in radial-arm maze performance.

Although acetylcholine and dopamine are believed to play complementary roles in motor function, a comparable neurochemical interaction has not been established for cognitive function. The muscarinic receptor blocker scopolamine and the dopaminergic antagonist haloperidol have been found to impair choice accuracy of rats in the radial-arm maze. In the present study, low doses of these two drugs were administered intraperitoneally either alone or in combination to rats trained on a working memory task (food reward) in an eight-arm radial maze. Scopolamine, 0.125 mg/kg, produced a significant decrease in choice accuracy (i.e., arm entries until an error). Haloperidol, 0.0625 mg/kg, did not cause a significant decrease in accuracy, but there was a trend in that direction. The combination of haloperidol with scopolamine attenuated significantly the amnestic effect of scopolamine. These results suggest that, like motor behavior, cognitive function may be influenced by the balance between acetylcholine and dopamine.
DASHing YouTube: An analysis of using DASH in YouTube video service

Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (DASH) is a new streaming standard which adaptively streams video based on the link bandwidth between server and client. DASH encoded videos are chunked in small segments and each segment can have different representations. Switching between these representations enables adaptive streaming, which has the potential to reduce bandwidth consumption in cases where a video is not completely watched. In this paper, we present an analysis on the advantages and disadvantages of using DASH as YouTube's video streaming format. To perform this analysis, we make use of a YouTube video trace and analyze the potential reduction in bandwidth consumption by employing DASH in YouTube, based on user watching patterns. Results from our analysis show that by employing DASH with a segment interval of 2 seconds, we can obtain 95% reduction in bandwidth for low quality videos and up to 83% reduction for HD videos in cases where users do not watch videos completely, which is the case for ~ 42% of all video requests in our trace. Considering all videos requested in the trace the overall bandwidth reduction is 40% for low quality videos and 35% for HD videos.
Black diaspora feminism and writing: memories, storytelling, and the narrative world as sites of resistance

Abstract In this feminist anti-colonial cultural project, I will explore critical writings by Black diaspora women writers, to understand how language and the narrative world are used as a political tool to generate agency for the subjugated. I am interested in examining how Black diaspora women writers deploy storytelling, critical theorizing, and remembrance practices to comprehend, resist, transform, and heal from patriarchy, racism, colonization, and the history of slavery, to explore uncharted journeys. Writing, language, and the spoken words are creative, political, and intellectual weapons that Black diaspora women use to fight back against their assumed and constructed invisibility, powerlessness, and voicelessness. I argue that far from silent, Black diaspora women have spoken in tongue, drum and chant to create a reality that has yet to exist – a world of egalitarian possibilities.
An improved benzophenone procedure for the micro-determination of 5,5-diphenylhydantoin in blood.

Abstract A micro-modification of the benzophenone procedure proposed by Wallace for the determination of 5,5-diphenylhydantoin in blood is described which does not require specialised glassware and avoids the interference caused by chloroform. In the new procedure 5,5-diphenylhydantoin is extracted from blood with 1,2-dichloroethane, returned to alkali, washed with n-heptane, and oxidised with permanganate in small teflon lined screw capped test tubes containing a layer of n-heptane. The absorbance of the oxidation product (benzophenone) is measured spectrophotometrically on an expanded scale using semi micro cuvettes. The method requires 100–200 μl sample and has a detection threshold of less than 0.1 mg/100 ml.
Incorporating Linguistic Post-Processing Into Whole-Book Recognition

We describe a technique of linguistic post-processing of whole-book recognition results. Whole-book recognition is a technique that improves recognition of book images using fully automatic cross-entropy-based model adaptation. In previous published works, word recognition was performed on individual words separately, without awaring passage-level information such as word-occurrence frequencies. Therefore, some rare words in real texts may appear much more often in recognition results; vice versa. Differences between word frequencies in recognition results and in prior knowledge may indicate recognition errors on a long passage. In this paper, we propose a post-processing technique to enhance whole-book recognition results by minimizing differences between word frequencies in recognition results and prior word frequencies. This technique works better when operating on longer passages, and it drives the character error rate down 20% from 1.24% to 0.98% in a 90-page experiment.
201Tl-labelled TlCl dosimetry revisited.

Summary A review of the literature pertaining to the human dosimetry of 201Tl-labelled thallous chloride provides a spectrum of organ absorbed doses associated with this radiopharmaceutical. A more recent article details human quantitative studies up to 216 h postadministration. This multiorgan radiopharmacological study, however, reports the kidney dosimetry to be significantly lower than previous values; 0.0647 mGy MBq-1 (0.238 rad mCi-1) compared to 0.326 mGy MBq-1 (1.2 rad mCi-1). Because of the latter discrepancy the dosimetry was recalculated using the reported pharmacodynamic data. This recalculation resulted in a kidney radiation dose comparable to previously published reports of 0.514 mGy MBq-1 (1.89 rad mCi-1). Also, revised absorbed doses to the various segments of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) were significantly higher.
Conditioning light differentially desensitizes rod phototransduction mediated by native and 9-demethyl analog visual pigment.

Light adaptation in rod photoreceptors is thought to involve down-regulation of the signaling activity of photoactivated rhodopsin (R*). However, electrophysiological evidence in support of this notion has come largely from studies of truncated, perfused rod outer segments and of rods genetically engineered to perturb known steps in R* deactivation. To test this hypothesis within intact native rods, we examined the effect of a fixed conditioning flash on rods prepared to contain 9-demethyl rhodopsin (9dR) in addition to residual rhodopsin. 9dR, an opsin-based photopigment containing 11- cis 9-demethylretinal as its chromophore, exhibits a blue-shifted excitation spectrum and sluggish deactivation kinetics, properties that distinguish the signaling activities of photoactivated 9dR (9dR*) from those of R*. Saturating photocurrent responses mediated preferentially by R* and 9dR* were obtained with test flash stimulation at 640 and 440 nm, respectively, under dark-adapted conditions (unconditioned response) and at a fixed time after a 640-nm conditioning flash of fixed high intensity. At each test wavelength, the decrease in photocurrent saturation period induced by the conditioning flash was analyzed to determine ψ, the sensitivity of the conditioned response relative that of the unconditioned response; ψ 640 /ψ 440 , the ratio of relative sensitivities, was then obtained. Data obtained from 12 rods yielded ψ 640 /ψ 440 = 0.60 ± 0.13 (mean ± SD). As common pools of transducin and other downstream components mediate transduction initiated by both R* and 9dR*, the finding that ψ 640 440 provides direct evidence for the down-regulation specifically of R*'s signaling activity during rod light adaptation.
Coherent vibrational quantum beats as a probe of Langmuir-Blodgett monolayers.

We combine frequency- and femtosecond time-domain measurements of vibrational coherences for spectroscopic characterization of surface monolayer films, utilizing 3-wave mixing as the surface-select...
Patient Counseling for Unintentional Injury Prevention

Injury prevention counseling (IPC) by health care providers is one strategy to reduce injury risk by encouraging people to modify their environment or their personal behaviors to protect themselves or their loved ones. National surveys indicate that few patients are receiving IPC. The evidence of IPC being effective at increasing safety practices is inconsistent. This may be explained partially because counseling recommendations for some injury issues may involve more effort, cost, or inconvenience by the patient. IPC that is based on behavior change theories is more likely to be effective. Physicians and other health care providers can play a critical role in efforts to prevent injuries, but barriers for delivering IPC need to be overcome.
CONNECTIVE TISSUE RESPONSES TO ALTERED COLLAGEN AND BONE IMPLANTS.

The ϵ-amino groups of reconstituted collagen were treated in a variety of ways and the collagen implanted subcutaneously in rats. After two weeks the implants were removed and examined histologically. A giant cell response was seen around the collagens treated with 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene, p-nitrobenzoylchloride or carbobenzoxychloride, but not with the other reagents. Parallel experiments with autogenous bone, treated with the same methods, were carried out. A mild giant cell response was found in the untreated bone, but was enchanced only in bone treated with the same three reagents. It would appear that the giant cell response was greatly increased when the attached benzene ring had nitro groups in the para position, and also when there was an ester linkage in the attached radicle. It is unlikely that this reaction was immunological in character. The giant cells have many of the properties of osteoclasts. It is suggested that it is the nature of the organic matrix of bone that determines if osteoclasis shall occur.
Tissues as receptors of photoperiodic monochromatic light and the regulation of serotonin metabolism

Abstract Photoperiods are recognized to induce a variety of physiological events in organisms, in particular, several daily or circadian rhythms. Hormones are secreted in daily rhythm patterns and provide regulation of other rhythmic physiological events. Serotonin is understood by several investigators to be a hormone that is produced in response to photoperiods, and its pattern of secretion is circadian in output, e.g. under long term tissue culture conditions (previous study). This study shows that monochromatic lights in photoperiods cause circadian outputs of serotonin. Yellow light (578 nm) produced the serotonin secretion pattern most nearly similar to white (control) light. The highest levels of serotonin were seen in the early evening which was maintained throughout the night. Each end of the visible spectrum produced the least overall amount of serotonin in time and the middle of the spectrum the greatest amount. Notable exceptions to this general trend were the effects of ultra violet and viole...
Visible glow induced by spacecraft-environment interaction

Illumination was found recently in the ram direction of the Shuttle Orbiter arising from interaction with the ambient surrounding atmosphere. We have examined a similar optical glow by analyzing photometric data taken by the Visible Airglow Experiment on board the Atmosphere Explorer Satellites. Analysis at six different wavelengths from the ultraviolet to the near infrared suggests that the glow has a diffuse band or continuum spectrum which peaks in the red and probably in the infrared.
A Smooth Perceptron Algorithm

The perceptron algorithm, introduced in the late 1950s in the machine learning community, is a simple greedy algorithm for finding a solution to a finite set of linear inequalities. The algorithm's main advantages are its simplicity and noise tolerance. The algorithm's main disadvantage is its slow convergence rate. We propose a modified version of the perceptron algorithm that retains the algorithm's original simplicity but has a substantially improved convergence rate.
Remarks on Sternberg's “Factor Theories of Intelligence are All Right Almost”:

articulated notion of "component" than was available from Sternberg's earlier writings. His research over the past several years has enabled him to refine, and at the same time extend, this concept. But in addition, Sternberg has recognized more fully the possible contributions of factor analysis to the study of intelligence and mental abilities. My discussion concerns not only Sternberg's article published here, but also the book he published earlier on a componential theory of intelligence (Sternberg, 1977), because in order to be quite concrete in showing how componential analysis and factor analysis can be used conjointly, I use certain data and results reported in that book. Also, I feel it may be useful to make certain comments on points of view expressed there about factor analysis. At the same time, I want to test my own understanding of componential analysis, for which I have high hopes if it can be more generally accepted, applied, and integrated with factoranalytic methodology.
Isotopic evidence for the incorporation of methane-derived carbon into foraminifera from modern methane seeps, Hydrate Ridge, Northeast Pacific

The presence of modern methane seeps at Hydrate Ridge, offshore Oregon, provide an opportunity to study the influence of methane seeps on the ecology and geochemistry of living foraminifera. A series of cores were collected from the southern summit of Hydrate Ridge in 2002. Samples were preserved and stained to determine the δ13C composition of three species of live (stained) and dead benthic foraminifera: Uvigerina peregrina, Cibicidoides mckannai, and Globobulimina auriculata. Specimens were examined under light and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and exhibit no evidence of diagenesis or authigenic carbonate precipitation. Individual living foraminifera from seep sites recorded δ13C values from −0.4‰ to −21.2‰, indicating the isotopic influence of high methane concentrations. Average δ13C values (calculated from single specimens) range from −1.28 to −5.64‰ at seep sites, and −0.81 to −0.85‰ at a control (off seep) site. Two distinct seep environments, distinguished by the presence of microbial mats or clam fields, were studied to determine environmental influences on δ13C values. Individual foraminifera from microbial mat sites exhibited more depleted δ13C values than those from clam field sites. We interpret these differences as an effect of food source and/or symbiotic microbes on foraminiferal carbon isotopic values, acting to magnify the negative δ13C values recorded via the DIC pool. No statistical difference was found between δ13C values of live vs. dead specimens. This suggests that authigenic carbonate precipitation did not play a dominant role in the observed isotopic compositions. However, a few dead specimens with extremely negative δ13C composition (<-12‰) do indicate potential evidence for an authigenic influence on the recorded δ13C composition.
The Use of Ultrasound in Guiding Musculoskeletal Interventional Procedures

There has been an increase in the use of ultrasound (US) to help guide interventional procedures involving the musculoskeletal system. To perform these procedures safely and accurately, two steps must occur. First, the appropriate structure must be localized using diagnostic US imaging. Second, a needle must be guided under constant visualization toward the targeted tissue. Although US imaging can help place the needle and, hence, therapeutic medication more accurately, there is still debate about whether or not image-guided procedures result in improved outcomes. This article discusses the advantages and disadvantages of performing US-guided injections and describes injection principles and techniques. Studies examining the efficacy of US-guided procedures are reviewed.
Discordant effects of a chronic physiological increase in plasma FFA on insulin signaling in healthy subjects with or without a family history of type 2 diabetes

Muscle insulin resistance develops when plasma free fatty acids (FFAs) are acutely increased to supraphysiological levels (∼1,500–4,000 μmol/l). However, plasma FFA levels >1,000 μmol/l are rarely ...
Recovering from Distributable Thread Failures with Assured Timeliness in Real-Time Distributed Systems

We consider the problem of recovering from failures of distributable threads with assured timeliness. When a node hosting a portion of a distributable thread fails, it causes orphans - i.e., thread segments that are disconnected from the thread's root. We consider a termination model for recovering from such failures, where the orphans must be detected and aborted, and failure-exception notification must be delivered to the farthest, contiguous surviving thread segment for resuming thread execution. We present a realtime scheduling algorithm called AUA, and a distributable thread integrity protocol called TP-TR. We show that AUA and TP-TR bound the orphan cleanup and recovery time, thereby bounding thread starvation durations, and maximize the total thread accrued timeliness utility. We implement AUA and TP-TR in a real-time middleware that supports distributable threads. Our experimental studies with the implementation validate the algorithm/protocol's time-bounded recovery property and confirm their effectiveness
Investigating Lag Phase and Invasion Potential of Vitex rotundifolia: A Coastal Dune Exotic

ABSTRACT Murren, C.J.; Purvis, K.G.; Glasgow, D.; Messervy, J.; Penrod, M., and Strand, A.E., 2014. Investigating lag phase and invasion potential of Vitex rotundifolia: a coastal dune exotic. After initial establishment in nonnative environments, exotic species are often found in low numbers for long periods of time. After a lag phase, a transition to an exponential growth phase is characteristic. A broad question remains: Can we identify factors that contribute to the lag phase or assess the potential for additional invasion? Our approach employed a case study of V. rotundifolia (beach vitex), a nonnative dune plant introduced in the late 1980s to North and South Carolina. We performed manipulative and observational experiments on the sexual and asexual reproductive ecology, mating system, seed ecology, and pollination ecology to assess the possibility of additional invasion potential and to gain an understanding of potential among population variation and among site ecological variation that could cont...
Impact of closed cycle ASE accumulation on optical network performance

Effects of ASE noise accumulation in closed optical cycles on the performance of optical networks are presented. Results demonstrate that the accumulated noise can significantly degrade system performance which can be effectively controlled by using optical attenuators.
State of the journal of applied physiology: 2011.

Greetings to the Journal of Applied Physiology readership. This editorial will be the last report submitted by our current editorial team, which began their service on July 1st of 2005 and will terminate June 30, 2011. I will concentrate on the scope, quality, and impact of the Journal of Applied
Severe Tinea Barbae Due to Trichophyton verrucosum Infection in Dairy Farmers

Trichophyton verrucosum infection, which is acquired from the hide of dairy cattle, is the cause of tinea barbae, a severe pustular eruption on the face and neck. We present the cases of five patients, three of whom had severe pustular tinea barbae and two of whom had eruptions of the forearms. All five patients were dairy farmers. On physical examination, all five patients were afebrile and did not appear toxic. Peripheral leukocyte counts of the three patients with pustular tinea barbae were normal. Gram stain and bacterial cultures of the draining pustules were negative in all three cases. Potassium hydroxide preparation showed hyphae, and cultures yielded T. verrucosum in all three cases. Four patients received therapy with fluconazole, and one received therapy with griseofulvin; in all cases, the lesions healed. T. verrucosum can cause pustular tinea barbae in farmers that may be mistaken for a Staphylococcus aureus infection by clinicians, including infectious disease experts. The answer to a simple question, "Are you a dairy farmer?", may suggest the diagnosis of T. verrucosum in the proper clinical setting.
Reciprocal Phosphorylation of Yeast Glycerol-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenases in Adaptation to Distinct Types of Stress

Eukaryotic cells have evolved mechanisms for ensuring growth and survival in the face of stress caused by a fluctuating environment. Saccharomyces cerevisiae has two homologous glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenases, Gpd1 and Gpd2, that are required to endure various stresses, including hyperosmotic shock and hypoxia. These enzymes are only partially redundant, and their unique functions were attributed previously to differential transcriptional regulation and localization. We find that Gpd1 and Gpd2 are negatively regulated through phosphorylation by distinct kinases under reciprocal conditions. Gpd2 is phosphorylated by the AMP-activated protein kinase Snf1 to curtail glycerol production when nutrients are limiting. Gpd1, in contrast, is a target of TORC2-dependent kinases Ypk1 and Ypk2. Inactivation of Ypk1 by hyperosmotic shock results in dephosphorylation and activation of Gpd1, accelerating recovery through increased glycerol production. Gpd1 dephosphorylation acts synergistically with its transcriptional upregulation, enabling long-term growth at high osmolarity. Phosphorylation of Gpd1 and Gpd2 by distinct kinases thereby enables rapid adaptation to specific stress conditions. Introduction of phosphorylation motifs targeted by distinct kinases provides a general mechanism for functional specialization of duplicated genes during evolution.
The Effect of Military Service on Wealth Accumulation

This study examines the association between serving active military duty and wealth accumulation. It was expected that those who served active duty would be more likely to accumulate less wealth th...
“Raising Him . . . to Pull His Own Weight”: Boys’ Household Work in Single-Mother Households

In this study, the authors examine boys’ household work in low- and moderate-income single-mother families. Through describing the work that boys do, why they do this work, and the meaning that they and their mothers give to this work, they add to the understanding of housework as an arena for gender role reproduction or interruption. Their data reveal that adolescent boys did a significant amount of work and took pride in their competence. Mothers grounded their expectations of boys’ household contributions in life experience. They both needed their sons’ day-to-day contributions and wanted their sons to grow into men who were competent around the house and good partners. In demanding household work from their sons, these single mothers themselves work to undermine the traditional gendered division of such labor.
Rock Physics Modeling of Organic-Rich Shales With Different Maturity Levels

Summary In this study, we develop rock physics models to simulate the elastic properties of organic-rich shales with different maturity levels. The modeling results of immature and mature shales match well with the measured data from the Bakken shale samples (Vernik and Liu, 1997). It also suggests that higher maturity level and higher total organic carbon (TOC) both yield lower Vp/Vs ratio and stronger anisotropy. When TOC is high, we find that the elastic responses of organic-rich shales are mainly determined by maturity level. However, when TOC is low, TOC mainly controls the elastic properties of organic-rich shales.
Statistics 101 for Radiologists

Diagnostic tests have wide clinical applications, including screening, diagnosis, measuring treatment effect, and determining prognosis. Interpreting diagnostic test results requires an understanding of key statistical concepts used to evaluate test efficacy. This review explains descriptive statistics and discusses probability, including mutually exclusive and independent events and conditional probability. In the inferential statistics section, a statistical perspective on study design is provided, together with an explanation of how to select appropriate statistical tests. Key concepts in recruiting study samples are discussed, including representativeness and random sampling. Variable types are defined, including predictor, outcome, and covariate variables, and the relationship of these variables to one another. In the hypothesis testing section, we explain how to determine if observed differences between groups are likely to be due to chance. We explain type I and II errors, statistical significance, and study power, followed by an explanation of effect sizes and how confidence intervals can be used to generalize observed effect sizes to the larger population. Statistical tests are explained in four categories: t tests and analysis of variance, proportion analysis tests, nonparametric tests, and regression techniques. We discuss sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, receiver operating characteristic analysis, and likelihood ratios. Measures of reliability and agreement, including κ statistics, intraclass correlation coefficients, and Bland-Altman graphs and analysis, are introduced.
Comparison of bacterial communities in faeces of beef cattle fed diets containing corn and wet distillers' grain with solubles.

Aim: The mammalian intestinal microflora has been shown to impact host physiology. In cattle, intestinal bacteria are also associated with faecal contamination of environmental sources and human illness via foodborne pathogens. Use of wet distillers’ grains with solubles (WDGS) in cattle feed creates a gastrointestinal environment where some bacterial species are enriched. Here, we examine if a diet containing 40% WDGS results in fundamentally different microbial community structures. Methods and Results: The 20 002 16S r-RNA gene sequences from 20 beef cattle were analysed using Sanger sequencing methods. At the genus level, Prevotella (Gram negative) and Anaerobacter (Gram positive) were the most frequently occurring bacteria in our beef cattle faecal samples. Diet-associated differences in prevalence were noted for Prevotella but not Anaerobacter. Conclusions: Diet affects community structure. Faecal communities of co
First Names and Political Change in Modern Turkey

One of the few predictable opportunities for the exercise of free will that comes the way of most human beings is the bestowal of names upon their children. To be sure, local or national custom may legally restrict or otherwise limit the scope of that freedom in some cases; but by and large, there is normally some choice to be made, and the beneficiary of the choice, the child, is inevitably powerless to influence it.
Examining Research–Practice Partnerships in Policing Evaluations

Using survey findings conducted among policing scholars with evaluations in the Evidence-Based Policing Matrix, we examine research-practitioner partnerships from the researcher perspective. The use of the Matrix offers the ability to compare researcher responses with information already collected on various attributes of each evaluation, and we find several relationships between the partnership and evaluation characteristics. Responses suggest that researchers are doing the majority of initiation of these evaluations, and the majority of evaluation products are scholarly in nature. Additionally, funding is central to the initiation of research, indicating that research-practitioner partnerships are likely lopsided, generated often from researchers rather than their policing counterparts. If partner- ships are to increase the use of research in policing, more attention should focus on follow-through and the continu- ance of their relationship, as well as offering the department practical recommendations in addition to research outcomes.
Demonstration of resonant fluorescence in Mo vii induced by Mo xii for possible lasing near 600 Å

We present data of experiments on the resonant photopumping of Mo vii by Mo xii as a method of generating a coherent vacuum UV source near 600 A. The experiment is based on a scheme in which the 4p6–4p56s transition in Mo vii is resonantly photopumped by the 4p 2P3/2–5s2S1/2 transition in Mo xii. Results of the laser-produced plasma experiments show the successful enhancement of the population of the Mo vii 4p56s upper lasing level when Mo vii is pumped by an adjacent Mo xii plasma. No enhancement was seen in a control experiment in which the Mo vii plasma was irradiated by a Zr x plasma. Finally, estimates of the relative population densities between the 5s and the 6p levels are given to show that the experimental conditions are close to those needed to produce a population inversion.
Can freezing cause floods on Mars

[1] Floodwaters on Mars likely originated from aquifers confined below a cryosphere. We use an analytical solution to examine freezing-induced pressurization as a mechanism for releasing groundwater. The results suggest that freezing of an aquifer of global extent under the optimal conditions, i.e., perfectly confined and with low compressibility and high permeability relative to the terrestrial analogs, can release enough floodwaters to carve an individual outflow channel, but not to explain the large total flood volume required to form the all of the outflow channels. It can also produce discharges comparable to those required for carving the outflow channels by repeated floods.
Humor Functions Within Crime Scene Investigations: Group Dynamics, Stress, and the Negotiation of Emotions:

Humor plays a significant role in the personal interactions of our everyday lives. Studies of workplace humor are far reaching, discussing the multiple important functions humor plays at work. Of p...
Uni-moment method of solving antenna and scattering problems

It has been shown by this investigator and numerous others [6], [7], [8] that exterior boundary value problems involving localized inhomogeneous media are most conveniently solved using finite difference or finite element techniques together with integral equations or harmonic expansions, which satisfy the radiation conditions. The methods result in large matrices that are partly full and partly sparse; and methods to solve them, such as iteration or banded matrix methods are not very satisfactory. The unimoment method alleviates the difficulties by decoupling exterior problems from the interior boundary value problems. This is done by solving the interior problem many times so that N linearly independent solutions are generated. The continuity conditions are then enforced by a linear combination of the N independent solutions, which may be done by solving much smaller matrices. Methods of generating solutions of the interior problems are discussed.
The impact of diversity upon common mode failures

Recent models for the failure behaviour of systems involving redundancy and diversity have shown that common mode failures can be accounted for in terms of the variability of the failure probability of components over operational environments. Whenever such variability is present, we can expect that the overall system reliability will be less than we could have expected if the components could have been assumed to fail independently. We generalise a model of hardware redundancy due to Hughes [Hughes 1987], and show that with forced diversity, this unwelcome result no longer applies: in fact it becomes theoretically possible to do better than would be the case under independence of failures.
Dangerous Places: Crime and Residential Environment

This research investigates how the characteristics of residential areas in the city affect where crimes occur. Using data for city blocks in Cleveland and San Diego, the analysis tests three major hypotheses relating crime to (1) household composition, (2) features of the residential environment, and (3) the interaction of the social composition and the features of the residential environment. The results support the major hypotheses and show that a substantial portion of the variance in crime depends on the opportunities provided by the social and physical differentiation of the city.
Model of a confined spherical cell in uniform and heterogeneous applied electric fields

Cells exposed to electric fields are often confined to a small volume within a solid tissue or within or near a device. Here we report on an approach to describing the frequency and time domain electrical responses of a spatially confined spherical cell by using a transport lattice system model. Two cases are considered: (1) a uniform applied field created by parallel plane electrodes, and (2) a heterogeneous applied field created by a planar electrode and a sharp microelectrode. Here fixed conductivities and dielectric permittivities of the extra- and intracellular media and of the membrane are used to create local transport models that are interconnected to create the system model. Consistent with traditional analytical solutions for spherical cells in an electrolyte of infinite extent, in the frequency domain the field amplification, Gm (f) is large at low frequencies, f<1 MHz. Gm (f) gradually decreases above 1 MHz and reaches a lower plateau at about 300 MHz, with the cell becoming almost ‘‘electrically invisible’’. In the time domain the application of a field pulse can result in altered localized transmembrane voltage changes due to a single microelectrode. The transport lattice approach provides modular, multiscale modeling capability that here ranges from cell membranes (5 nm scale) to the cell confinement volume (¨40 Am scale). D 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Yoctoliter Thermometry for Single‐Molecule Investigations: A Generic Bead‐on‐a‐Tip Temperature‐Control Module

A new temperature-jump (T-jump) strategy avoids photo-damage of individual molecules by focusing a low-intensity laser on a black microparticle at the tip of a capillary. The black particle produces an efficient photothermal effect that enables a wide selection of lasers with powers in the milliwatt range to achieve a T-jump of 65 °C within milliseconds. To measure the temperature in situ in single-molecule experiments, the temperature-dependent mechanical unfolding of a single DNA hairpin molecule was monitored by optical tweezers within a yoctoliter volume. Using this bead-on-a-tip module and the robust single-molecule thermometer, full thermodynamic landscapes for the unfolding of this DNA hairpin were retrieved. These approaches are likely to provide powerful tools for the microanalytical investigation of dynamic processes with a combination of T-jump and single-molecule techniques.
Turning language socialization ontological: Material things and the semiotics of scaling time in Peruvian Aymara boyhood

Abstract This article develops an approach to semiotically mediated processes of socialization that can make sense of the agency that non-humans – especially material things – wield in socialization. The empirical focus is the densely material game of marbles, as played among indigenous Southern Peruvian boys. I show how an account of the identities at stake in marbles – i.e., human-ness and masculinity – requires an analysis of the “disordering” or “parasitical” (Serres, 1982) agency of the marbles playing field. Doing so reveals a graduated series of qualitative changes – i.e., a trajectory of identification (Wortham, 2005) – across which boys appear more fully human and masculine.
Effects of Serratia marcescens on the F1 Generation of Laboratory-Reared Heliothis virescens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Abstract The effects of the bacterium Serratia marcescens (Bizio) was investigated on the F1 generation of laboratory-reared Heliothis virescens (F.). There was no difference in adult male or female longevity (i.e., parental generation) for individuals inoculated with S. marcescens as larvae (Serratia treatment) and those that were free of the bacterium (control treatment). However, the number of eggs laid and the prevalence of eclosion of eggs from Serratia treatment adults were reduced relative to control treatment adults. A very low number of F1 Serratia treatment eggs exhibited signs of infection, but a higher prevalence of mortality was observed for F1 larvae (n = 2,888) for the Serratia (3.5–4.6%) than for the control (1.1–1.5%) treatment. No S. marcescens was isolated from dead control larvae; whereas, 48–54% of dead F1 larvae for the Serratia treatment were positive for the bacterium. However, there was no significant difference in larval weights between treatments. There were also no differences ...
Cystic pancreatic neoplasms.

Cystic pancreatic neoplasms are uncommon, but are being seen more frequently due to the widespread use of cross-sectional imaging. In this article, we will address the clinical and imaging features of the more commonly seen neoplasms. Points of differentiation between these neoplasms, the use of cyst fluid analysis and an approach to the incidentally discovered cystic mass will be addressed.
Release of Acetylcholine from the In Vitro Cat Carotid Body

Fidone and his colleagues (1976), using pyrolysis gas chromatography/mass fragmentometry, have measured the amount of acetylcholine (ACh) contained in the carotid bodies of cats. Hellstrom (1977) used similar techniques in rats. Indeed, a substantial amount of data suggests that ACh is synthesized and stored in the carotid body, and plays a significant role in the excitation of the carotid body in response to hypoxia (Eyzaguirre et al, 1983; Fidone and Gonzalez, 1986, for reviews).
Abstract 305: Myeloid Cell-Specific VEGF-A Deletion Inhibits Experimental Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms

Mural macrophage infiltration and angiogenesis are histopathological hallmarks of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). Macrophages produce angiogenic cytokine VEGF-A in many pathologic settings. It is not known whether VEGF-A produced by macrophages plays a role in aneurysm disease. In this study, we generated myeloid cell-specific VEGF-A conditional knockout (CKO) mice using the Cre/LoxP technology, and evaluated the influences of myeloid VEGF-A ablation on the formation and progression of aneurysm disease. AAAs were created in 10-12 week old male CKO and wild type (WT) mice via intra-aortic porcine pancreatic elastase (PPE) infusion and assessed by serial ultrasound measurements of aortic diameters followed by histology at sacrifice. Following PPE infusion, aneurysmal degeneration was significantly blunted in CKO mice. Histologically, medial elastin fragmentation, macrophage density, and mural angiogenesis were significantly diminished in the aortae of CKO mice compared to those in WT mice. Additionally, myeloid VEGF-A deletion caused marked reduction in peritoneal CD115-positive or F4/80-positive macrophages following thioglycollate injection. In conclusion, targeted deletion of VEGF-A in myeloid cells suppresses aneurysm initiation and progression in association with reduced mural macrophage accumulation and angiogenesis. ![][1] [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif
An Accountancy Standard for Monetary Authorities

By any exacting standard of transparency, most monetary authorities (hereafter MAs) are losers. Indeed, most MAs fail to make timely, full and fair disclosures of their financial positions. This allows them to operate under a thick shroud of secrecy. The ensuing confusion and ambiguity renders MAs’ finances impenetrable, even to the most experienced and skilled analysts.
Interpreting Specifications Found on Digital Integrated-Circuit Data Sheets

In order to perform the experiments in this manual, it will be necessary to read and interpret the data sheets of various integrated circuits. This appendix provides sufficient information for students to wire and use most common integrated-circuit packages and all the packages used in this book. The appendix also discusses several specifications which are important from a design standpoint but need not be understood before performing the experiments. (Indeed, several of the experiments were designed to teach these concepts. For instance, a timing diagram will be more meaningful after the student has completed Experiments 2 and 3.) Thus, this appendix should be reread after completing Experiments 1 through 5.
Measuring European Identity Among EU Member State Publics

Almost everyone agrees that a shared identity across the European Union a) is difficult to measure, b) is likely crucial to support for the EU and for new integration initiatives, and c) varies considerably in presence or strength across different EU member states. Identity, in other words, is both problematic and important. It is somewhat surprising, then, that there has been comparatively little systematic research into the components of European identity across the EU. This paper adds to the existing literature by investigating what features of the EU citizens are likely to have in mind when they say they feel “European”. Using Eurobarometer data from all 27 member states, I show that identity does indeed vary in strength across different member states. More importantly, however, I demonstrate both that the components of EU identity vary considerably from one member state to the next and that focusing on measures of these components can help us better understand the connection between European identity and support for the EU.
Metabolic predictors of hypertension.

Abstract Hypertensive subjects have increased cardiovascular risk factors including dyslipidemia and increased rates of diabetes and hypertension. Insulin resistance is increased in hypertensive subjects, especially lean subjects. Increased insulin resistance in hypertensive subjects may partially mediate the more atherogenic pattern of cardiovascular risk factors in diabetic subjects. Hypertensive subjects are also at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes possibly by increasing insulin resistance. Hypertensive subjects at particularly high risk of developing type 2 diabetes (i.e. obese or with a family history of type 2 diabetes) should avoid beta-blockers and thiazides.
Tissue classification of large-scale multi-site MR data using fuzzy k-nearest neighbor method

This paper describes enhancements to automate classification of brain tissues for multi-site degenerative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data analysis. Processing of large collections of MR images is a key research technique to advance our understanding of the human brain. Previous studies have developed a robust multi-modal tool for automated tissue classification of large-scale data based on expectation maximization (EM) method initialized by group-wise prior probability distributions. This work aims to augment the EM-based classification using a non-parametric fuzzy k-Nearest Neighbor (k-NN) classifier that can model the unique anatomical states of each subject in the study of degenerative diseases. The presented method is applicable to multi-center heterogeneous data analysis and is quantitatively validated on a set of 18 synthetic multi-modal MR datasets having six different levels of noise and three degrees of bias-field provided with known ground truth. Dice index and average Hausdorff distance are used to compare the accuracy and robustness of the proposed method to a state-of-the-art classification method implemented based on EM algorithm. Both evaluation measurements show that presented enhancements produce superior results as compared to the EM only classification.
Innate Immunity: Recognizing and Responding to Foreign Invaders—No Training Needed

Specialized sensors, recognizing nonself and stress determinants expressed during infection, are used to activate immune responses. Components, identified as “innate” for early and “adaptive” for delayed responding, act together in mediating defense. Adaptive immunity depends on receptors that are products of rearranged genes expressed on T and B cells. In contrast, innate receptors are diverse and broadly expressed products of germ-line genes. These first-line sensors stimulate activation of innate soluble and cellular components. Because innate responses also contribute to induction and conditioning of adaptive immunity, critical mechanistic connect the two. Innate mediators include interferons, cytokines with potent antiviral effects, and natural killer cells mediating antiviral and immunoregulatory functions through cytokine production and cell killing. Understanding of the individual and interactive roles played by the components of immunity is developing rapidly.