cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tidal asymmetry and variability of bed shear stress and sediment bed flux at a site in San Francisco Bay, USA

The relationship between sediment bed flux and bed shear stress during a pair of field experiments in a partially stratified estuary is examined in this paper. Time series of flow velocity, vertical density profiles, and suspended sediment concentration were measured continuously throughout the water column and intensely within 1 meter of the bed. These time series were analyzed to determine bed shear stress, vertical turbulent sediment flux, and mass of sediment suspended in the water column. Resuspension, as inferred from near-bed measurements of vertical turbulent sediment flux, was flood dominant, in accordance with the flood-dominant bed shear stress. Bathymetry-induced residual flow, gravitational circulation, and ebb tide salinity stratification contributed to the flood dominance. In addition to this flow-induced asymmetry, the erodibility of the sediment appears to increase during the first 2 hours of flood tide. Tidal asymmetry in bed shear stress and erodibility help explain an estuarine turbidity maximum that is present during flood tide but absent during ebb tide. Because horizontal advection was insignificant during most of the observation periods, the change in bed mass can be estimated from changes in the total suspended sediment mass. The square wave shape of the bed mass time series indicates that suspended sediment rapidly deposited in an unconsolidated or concentrated benthic suspension layer at slack tides and instantly resuspended when the shear stress became sufficiently large during a subsequent tide. The variability of bed mass associated with the spring/neap cycle (about 60 mg/cm 2 ) is similar to that associated with the semidiurnal tidal cycle.
The Organism: A Holistic Approach to Biology Derived from Pathological Data in Man

foreword by Oliver Sacks Kurt Goldstein (1878-1965) was already an established neuropsychologist when he emigrated from Germany to the United States in the 1930s. This book, his magnum opus and widely regarded as a modern classic in psychology and biology, grew out of his dissatisfaction with traditional natural science techniques for analyzing living beings. It offers a broad introduction to the sources and ranges of application of the "holistic" or "organismic" research program that has since become a standard part of biological thought.Goldstein was especially concerned with the breakdown of organization and the failure of central controls that take place in catastrophic responses to situations such as physical or mental illness. But he was equally attuned to the amazing powers of the organism to readjust to such catastrophic losses, if only by withdrawal to a more limited range that it could manage by a redistribution of its reduced energies, thus reclaiming as much wholeness as new circumstances allowed.Goldstein's theses in The Organism have had an important impact on philosophical and psychological thought throughout the twentieth century, as evidenced in the work of Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Georges Canguilhem, Ernst Cassirer, and Ludwig Binswanger.
Eigenwaves and leaky waves on a lattice of small scatterers

Previously, the quantum mechanical Bloch waves in a cubic crystal were analyzed by a cavity or structure constant approach by J. Korringa, W. Kohn and N. Rostoker, et al. In the present report, the above method is reformulated to permit the analysis of electromagnetic Bloch waves in artificial dielectrics as well as electromagnetic surface waves and leaky waves on open periodic structures. The analysis, which is particularly appropriate for "small scatterers," proceeds as follows. It is shown that a "lossless" scatterer embedded in a "lossless" medium can be characterized by a Hermitian matrix R. The lattice structure is then characterized by a "structure constant" matrix \Gamma which is Hermitian in the eigenwave region and non-Hermitian in the leaky wave region. A dispersion relation is then obtained from the condition that the determinant of the matrix ( R-\Gamma ) vanishes.
Cotinine in human placenta predicts induction of gene expression in fetal tissues.

Maternal cigarette smoking during pregnancy is associated with increased risk of perinatal morbidity and mortality. However, the mechanisms underlying adverse birth outcomes following prenatal exposure to cigarette smoke remain unknown due, in part, to the absence or unreliability of information regarding maternal cigarette smoke exposure during pregnancy. Our goal was to determine if placental cotinine could be a reliable biomarker of fetal cigarette smoke exposure during pregnancy. Cotinine levels were determined in placentas from 47 women who reported smoking during pregnancy and from 10 women who denied cigarette smoke exposure. Cotinine levels were significantly higher in placentas from women reporting cigarette smoking (median = 27.2 ng/g) versus women who reported no smoke exposure (2.3 ng/g, P 7.5 ng/g and would be considered positive for cigarette smoke exposure. Data from quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction analyses demonstrated that in utero cigarette smoke exposure predicted by cotinine in placenta is associated with changes in the expression of xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes in fetal tissues. CYP1A1 mRNA in fetal lung and liver tissue and CYP1B1 mRNA in fetal lung tissue were significantly induced when cotinine was detected in placenta. These findings indicate that cotinine in placenta is a reliable biomarker for fetal exposure and response to maternal cigarette smoking during pregnancy.
Assessment of Multicollinearity The Haitovsky Test of the Determinant

Interdependence among explanatory variables is a common condition for sociological analyses. It may markedly affect the stability of estimates of parameters obtained from least-squares regression. Multicollinearity is viewed as a problem which poses two questions for the analyst: how severe is the multicollinearity and what is its effect on the analysis? The determinant of the correlation matrix of explanatory variables is a measure of the severity of multicollinearity. Haitovsky's chi-square statistic permits the assessment of the null hypothesis that the correlation matrix is singular. This paper demonstrates the need for this test through an examination of published correlation matrices. It is suggested that use of the Haitovsky test be routine in any analysis which attempts the estimation of parameters through regression analysis.
Effect of strain rate on the fracture behavior at 1366 K of the bcc iron base oxide dispersion strengthened alloy MA 956

The tensile behavior of the oxide dispersion strengthened iron-base alloy MA 956 was investigated as a function of strain-rate ranging from 3.3×10−2 to 8.3×10−8 s−1 at 1366 K. All tests were conducted in the longitudinal direction on specimens machined from bar stock. Because of the microstructure of this alloy, all specimens were either single crystals or bicrystals with the boundary parallel to the gage length. Testing revealed that the strength was rather insensitive to strain-rate, the tensile ductility decreased with decreasing strain-rate, and for strain-rates ≤8.3×10−5 s−1, the alloy fractured in brittle manner. Evidence of transgranular cracking perpendicular to the applied stress was observed at all strain-rates; failure at strain-rates ≤8.3×10−5 s−1 was due to cracks which grow by the joining together of cavities ahead of the running crack. This alloy appears to possess a critical stress intensity factor for rapid crack growth.
Ethidium bromide-mediated renaturation of denatured closed circular DNAs. The nature of denaturation-resistant fractions of bacteriophage PM2 closed circular DNA

Addition of the intercalating dye ethidium bromide (EtdBr) to a solution of alkali-denatured double-stranded closed circular PM2, PhiX174, or lambdab(2)b(5)c phage DNAs, under conditions such that the solution remains strongly alkaline, can result in the renaturation of up to 100% of the DNA upon neutralization of the solution. For a fixed time of incubation of the alkaline dye-containing solution before neutralization, there exists a minimum concentration of the dye below which no EtdBr-mediated renaturation is observed for each species of closed circular DNA examined. These minimum concentrations increase, for a given DNA, with increasing ionic strength and temperature. The kinetics of accumulation of forms renaturing upon neutralization of alkaline solutions, at fixed concentrations of dye and DNA, are dependent upon the molecular weight and superhelix density of the starting DNA. After extended periods of incubation at a fixed ionic strength and temperature, however, the profiles of percentage of DNA renatured as a function of ethidium concentration become very similar for all the closed circular DNAs tested and display a transition from an absence of dye-mediated renaturation to virtually 100% renaturation upon neutralization over a small range of dye concentration. Circular DNA containing one or more strand scissions remains strand-separated under all the conditions used to effect the renaturation of closed circular DNA. These findings indicate that configurations of closed circular DNA, in which at least some of the complementary bases are apposed, can be selectively stabilized and accumulate in the presence of ethidium in solutions containing 0.19 N hydroxide ion. The closed circular DNA of bacteriophage PM2 has properties distinct from those of the other DNAs of this study in that it has been shown to contain fractions which exist in the base-paired duplex form after neutralization of strongly alkaline solutions of this DNA incubated at ambient temperature, while no duplex DNA is observed after exposure to alkali and neutralization of solutions of closed circular DNA from other sources. (1,2) The fraction of denaturation-resistant PM2 DNA is shown in the present work to depend upon the temperature and time of incubation in alkali, but not upon the superhelix density of the starting DNA. PM2 closed circular DNA also behaves anomalously with respect to its kinetics of accumulation of forms renaturing upon neutralization of alkaline, EtdBr-containing solutions. Evidence is presented that the translocation of one of the strands of a closed circular molecule relative to the other, which is required for the molecule to exist in the denatured form at neutral pH, is a process to which PM2 DNA is less labile than the other closed circular DNAs of this study.
Shallow Velocity Structure at the Shagan River Test Site in Kazakhstan

— During 1997 and 1998, twelve chemical explosions were detonated in boreholes at the former Soviet nuclear test site near the Shagan River (STS) in Kazakhstan. The depths of these explosions ranged from 2.5 to 550 m, while the explosive yield varied from 2 to 25 tons. The purpose of these explosions was for closure of the unused boreholes at STS, and each explosion was recorded at local distances by a network of seismometers operated by Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Institute of Geophysics for the National Nuclear Center (NNC). Short-period, fundamental-mode Rayleigh waves (Rg) were generated by these explosions and recorded at the local stations, resultingly the waves exhibited normal dispersion between 0.2 and 3 seconds. Dispersion curves were generated for each propagation path using the Multiple Filter Analysis and Phase Match Filtering techniques. Tomographic maps of Rg group velocity were constructed and show a zone of relatively high velocities for the southwestern (SW) region of the test site and slow propagation for the northeastern (NE) region. For 0.5 sec Rg, the regions are separated by the 2.1 km/sec contour, as propagation in the SW is greater than 2.1 km/sec and less in the NE region. At 1.0 sec period, the 2.3 km/sec contour separates the two regions. Finally, for 1.5 and 2.0 sec, the separation between the two regions is less distinct as velocities in the NE section begin to approach the SW except for a low velocity region (<2.1 km/sec) near the center of the test site. Local geologic structure may explain the different regions as the SW region is composed predominantly of crystalline intrusive rocks, while the NE region consists of alluvium, tuff deposits, and Paleozoic sedimentary rocks. Low velocities are also observed along the Shagan River as it passes through the SW region of the test site for shorter period Rg (0.5–1.0 sec). Iterative, least-squares inversions of the Rg group velocity dispersion curves show shear-wave velocities for the southwestern section that are on average 0.4 km/sec higher than the NE region. At depths greater than 1.5 km the statistical difference between the models is no longer significant. The observed group velocities and different velocity structures correlate with P-wave complexity and with spatial patterns of magnitude residuals observed from nuclear explosions at STS, and may help to evaluate the mechanisms behind those observations.
Underwater Geotechnical Foundations

Abstract : This report provides an overview and description of the design and construction of underwater geotechnical foundations and offers preliminary guidance based on past and current technology applications. Most of the state-of-the-art technology has been developed during 60 years of experience by the marine offshore industry solving complex foundation engineering challenges in the deep-ocean frontier, selected design firms and contractors, and, to a limited extent, local practice. Direct applications may or may not be made to site-specific underwater foundations in shallower rivers and inland waterways. However, most of the principles, techniques, and equipment are related. Case histories of selected in-the-wet (underwater) foundation projects are discussed for several types of structures: navigation, flood control, and dam structures; bridges; immersed tube tunnels and pipelines; offshore oil platform structures; and other underwater-founded structures. Three generalized underwater foundation types are described: improved-site, gravity-based, and pinned. Emphasis is placed on two of the most common pinned foundation types (piles and drilled shafts). Installation equipment and procedures are discussed, and differences between onshore and underwater foundation construction techniques are highlighted. Inspection and testing procedures are similar to those onshore, with the exception of pile load test frequency and methodologies. Underwater foundations constructed in-the-wet may allow a significantly beneficial alternative to the more expensive in-the-dry cofferdam construction, as experience is gained in applying this technology to the unique project needs of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Chiari I malformation, caudal regression syndrome, and Pierre Robin Syndrome: a previously unreported combination.

Case The authors report a child born with a constellation of findings including Chiari I malformation, Pierre Robin syndrome, and caudal regression syndrome. In addition, this child was found to have a fatty-infiltrated filum terminale and a low conus medullaris. Discussion and conclusion In isolation, the Chiari I malformation has been reported in patients with caudal regression and Pierre Robin syndrome. Speculation has been given to the possibility of a common insult to early mesodermal development and each of these pathological entities. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a single patient that possessed all three entities (i.e., Chiari I malformation, Pierre Robin syndrome, and caudal regression syndrome). Further case reports as this may shed light on the dysembryology that results in each of these diagnoses.
A comparison of metallographic cooling rate methods used in meteorites

Abstract The primary objective of this study was to test the postulate that cooling rates acquired from metal grains in chondrites are consistent with those from iron meteorites. Both types of metal occur in some Group IAB meteorites, which are mixtures of massive metal with well-developed Widmanstatten structures and chondritic inclusions with dispersed metal grains. The grains have textures and compositions similar to chondritic metal, including negligible P. The meteorites studied show little or no sign of shock reheating and textural evidence indicates that silicates and metal were mixed before Widmanstatten patterns formed during cooling. Cooling rates were obtained by comparing measured to modeled taenite grain or lamellae dimensions and central Ni contents. Modeling entails solving diffusion equations using experimental diffusion coefficients, phase relations, and bulk or local Ni and P contents, taking into account geometry, undercooling, and impingement. There is one set of parameters for grains and another, quite different set for Widmanstatten lamellae, including a factor of 30 difference in diffusion coefficients. Yet cooling rates obtained from Widmanstatten structures and metal grains in chondritic inclusions of the same meteorite are consistent; uncertainties in the best data are ±10° /Ma, equivalent to a factor of 1 ± 0.25. This agreement implies that the data and models are correct or contain fortuitously offsetting errors, which is quite unlikely. Cooling rates range from 40°/Ma to 70° /Ma in IAB meteorites that contain both grains and Widmanstatten structures. Rates based on grains in Ni-poor and Ni-rich meteorites lacking Widmanstatten patterns expand the range from 30°/Ma to perhaps 200°/Ma. Cooling rates correlate with Ni content; Ni-poor meteorites have slower rates than Ni-rich ones. Evidently, IAB meteorites were radially distributed over >30km in a body with a radius >50km. A comparison of the available Ar ages with cooling times inferred from the cooling rates suggests that the parent body cooled more slowly after the metallographic cooling rates were established.
Direct-write femtosecond laser ablation and DNA combing and imprinting for fabrication of a micro/nanofluidic device on an ethylene glycol dimethacrylate polymer

Arrays of microwells connected by nanoscale channels with sizes on the order of 10 nm can be created in an ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGMDA) polymer using the DNA combing and imprinting technique. Larger micro-scale channels which lead into the microwell/nanochannel arrays are needed to allow the arrays to be externally filled with desired reagents, molecules and cells. In this work, direct-write femtosecond laser ablation was employed as a post process to fabricate these microscale filling channels. Single pulse and multiple pulses overlap ablation was first conducted on an EGMDA polymer using a focused femtosecond laser beam. Scanning electron microscopy was employed to measure the ablated channel width. Single pulse ablation threshold fluence and incubation coefficient were found and were used to predict microchannel width. Finally, femtosecond laser ablation was used to fabricate filling channels on microwell/nanochannel arrays. Fluorescent flow testing was performed to verify fluid connectivity between the laser-ablated filling channels and the microwell/nanochannel array.
Green plants: A terrestrial sink for atmospheric CH3Br

Methyl bromide is reactively removed from air by the foliage of all 9 herbaceous, 18 deciduous, and 12 coniferous plants we have tested, in a process that appears enzymatic. Excised plant leaves yielded removal rates directly proportional to leaf surface area and first-order in CH3Br concentration from 10 ppmv to 500 pptv, the current limit of our experimental technique. Observed rate constants for different plants vary within a factor of about 100 with a lower value of 1×10−3 hr−1cm−2 in systems where the rate is not diffusion limited. This sink for atmospheric CH3Br could be significant in calculations of the global methyl bromide budget.
A comparative study of uncertainty propagation methods for black-box-type problems

A wide variety of uncertainty propagation methods exist in literature; however, there is a lack of good understanding of their relative merits. In this paper, a comparative study on the performances of several representative uncertainty propagation methods, including a few newly developed methods that have received growing attention, is performed. The full factorial numerical integration, the univariate dimension reduction method, and the polynomial chaos expansion method are implemented and applied to several test problems. They are tested under different settings of the performance nonlinearity, distribution types of input random variables, and the magnitude of input uncertainty. The performances of those methods are compared in moment estimation, tail probability calculation, and the probability density function construction, corresponding to a wide variety of scenarios of design under uncertainty, such as robust design, and reliability-based design optimization. The insights gained are expected to direct designers for choosing the most applicable uncertainty propagation technique in design under uncertainty.
Lipid Bilayer Mechanics in a Pipette with Glass-Bilayer Adhesion

Electrophysiology is a central tool for measuring how different driving forces (e.g., ligand concentration, transmembrane voltage, or lateral tension) cause a channel protein to gate. Upon formation of the high resistance seal between a lipid bilayer and a glass pipette, the so-called “giga-seal”, channel activity can be recorded electrically. In this article, we explore the implications of giga-seal formation on the mechanical state of a lipid bilayer patch. We use a mechanical model for the free energy of bilayer geometry in the presence of glass-bilayer adhesion to draw three potentially important conclusions. First, we use our adhesion model to derive an explicit relationship between applied pressure and patch shape that is consistent with the Laplace-Young Law, giving an alternative method of calculating patch tension under pressure. With knowledge of the adhesion constant, which we find to be in the range ~0.4–4 mN/m, and the pipette size, one can precisely calculate the patch tension as a function of pressure, without the difficultly of obtaining an optical measurement of the bilayer radius of curvature. Second, we use data from previous electrophysiological experiments to show that over a wide range of lipids, the resting tension on a electrophysiological patch is highly variable and can be 10–100 times higher than estimates of the tension in a typical cell membrane. This suggests that electrophysiological experiments may be systematically altering channel-gating characteristics and querying the channels under conditions that are not the same as their physiological counterparts. Third, we show that reversible adhesion leads to a predictable change in the population response of gating channels in a bilayer patch.
NMR Characterization of the Aliphatic β/β Pairing for Recognition of A·T/T·A Base Pairs in the Minor Groove of DNA

Polyamides containing N-methylimidazole (Im) and N-methylpyrrole (Py) amino acids can be combined in antiparallel side-by-side dimeric complexes for sequence-specific recognition in the minor groove of DNA. Because the curvature of four or five contiguous Im−Py rings does not perfectly match the canonical B-helix, β-alanine (β) residues have been inserted to reset the register. Complexes of three pyrrole−imidazole polyamides of sequence composition ImPyPy-X-PyPyPy-Dp, where X = Py, β, or glycine (G), bound to a 13 base pair DNA duplex containing a 9 base pair 5‘-TGTATATCA-3‘ match site were characterized by NMR. NMR titrations and NOESY data combined with restrained molecular modeling show that each polyamide adopts an extended antiparallel dimeric conformation with the ligands fully overlapped around a central Py/Py, G/G, or β/β pair. Conformational exchange is seen near the linker for the G-linked complex, but not with the β or Py linkers. In addition to providing the first direct structural evidence fo...
The first coordination polymers and hydrogen bonded networks containing octahedral Nb6 clusters and alkaline earth metal complexes.

Three novel coordination polymers built of octahedral niobium cyanochloride clusters [Nb6Cl12(CN)6] and alkaline earth metal complexes have been prepared by reaction of aqueous solutions of (Me4N)4Nb6Cl18 and KCN with solutions of alkaline earth metal salts and 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) (1:2 molar ratio) in H2O/EtOH. The structures of [Ca(phen)2(H2O)3]2[Nb6Cl12(CN)6]·(phen)(EtOH)1.6 (1), [Ca(phen)2(H2O)2]2[Nb6Cl12(CN)6]·(phen)2·4H2O (2), and [Ba(phen)2(H2O)]2[Nb6Cl12(CN)6] (3) were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The three compounds were found to crystallize in the monoclinic system (space group Pn) with a = 11.5499(6) A, b = 17.5305(8) A, c = 21.784(1) A, β = 100.877(1)° for 1; triclinic system (P1) with a = 12.609(4) A, b = 13.262(4) A, c = 16.645(5) A, α = 69.933(6)°, β = 68.607(6)°, γ = 63.522(5)° for 2; and a = 16.057(1) A, b = 16.063(1) A, c = 16.061(1) A, α = 86.830(1)°, β = 64.380(1)°, γ = 67.803(1)° for 3. Compounds 1 and 2 are built of cluster anions [Nb6Cl12(CN)6]4- trans-coor...
Effective Classroom Management An Air Traffic Control Analogy

Teachers address a wide range of student behavior by teaching expectations and routines and by responding proactively and constructively to misbehavior, while simultaneously holding all students, including those with emotional or behavioral disorders, to high academic standards. It can be a challenge for educators to effectively communicate their expectations to students and provide the structure that some will need in order to function in the classroom. Using the job of an air traffic controller as an analogy may help teachers clearly communicate the strategies they will employ in the instructional environment and help students with and without disabilities remain academically engaged in meaningful learning activities. Empirically supported critical features of effective classroom management include strategies that maximize structure and predictability and fit nicely within the analogy. This article describes these strategies.
Novel spectral similarity measure for high resolution urban scenes

Spectral similarity measures can differentiate subtle differences between spectral footprints extracted from remotely sensed images. Prior research on urban scenes examined low-to-medium resolution images where many details of an urban scene are lost. For high spatial resolution imagers, a number of problems arise in the analysis of urban scenes since virtually all objects are resolved. Issues of spatially varying scene illumination and unavailability of surface reflectance data prevent classical spectral similarity measures from being extensively applied. Commonly used measures have limitations from a feature space perspective such as favoring either spectral direction or spectral magnitude. In this paper, a novel spectral similarity measure based on Mahalanobis distance is proposed to take into account the unique properties of high resolution urban scenes. A simplified radiometric transfer model is also incorporated. The results confirm the advantage of the new spectral similarity measure when applied to complex urban images.
Computerized feature analysis of exine sculpture patterns

Abstract This study introduces computerized feature analysis of SEM micrographs of pollen exines to quantify sculpture patterns with tectal perforations of any size. The usefulness of measurements generated was tested in a variety of systematic applications. First, sculpture variation between similar exines of two Anisophylleaceae species was quantified. This analysis also demonstrated the need to modify the term scrobiculate to describe patters intermediate between the morphological categories punctate and microreticulate. Second, data from three Capparaceae species were used in a principal components analysis, permitting study of morphological variation within and among species. Finally, morphometric data used in the principal components analysis were converted to discrete character states using gap-coding. The resulting characters were then employed in a cladistic framework to study exine character evolution in a quantitative manner.
Highlights in basic autonomic neurosciences: Central adenosine A1 receptor — The key to a hypometabolic state and therapeutic hypothermia?

The positive outcome that hypothermia contributes to brain and cardiac protection following ischemia has stimulated research in the development of pharmacological approaches to induce a hypothermic/hypometabolic state. Here we review three papers to highlight the role of the adenosine 1 receptor (A1AR) as a potential mediator and physiological regulator of a hypothermic state in both hibernating and non-hibernating mammals. We would like to emphasize the importance of comparative studies between hibernating and non-hibernating species that could lead to important discoveries on the mechanisms inducing hibernation and how they might be translated to induce a clinically useful hypothermic state.
Stoichiometric effects on the optical properties of LiInSe2

We have measured the diffuse reflectance of LiInSe2 between 0.67 and 3.54 eV. The Kubelka–Munk theory was used to obtain the absorption coefficient from the data. The band gap in our samples is located at approximately 1.6 eV. The In and Se content of the samples was determined from atomic absorption measurements. We observed absorption peaks at 0.890 and 0.896 eV, which are correlated, respectively, to the selenium and indium deficiencies in our samples.
Radiosurgical Management of Brain Metastases

Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) should be considered in the comprehensive treatment paradigm for all patients with brain metastases. This technique has proven benefits for local tumor control in individuals with as many as 4 lesions, and when combined with structured radiographic follow-up, will likely preserve a better quality of life for appropriately selected patients. Institutions and physicians treating patients with brain metastases should have the capability of safely performing SRS and individual cases should be prospectively reviewed by multidisciplinary teams to provide the best comprehensive care.
Four dimensional matrix characterization of double oscillation via RH-conservative and RH-multiplicative matrices

In 1939 Agnew presented a series of conditions that characterized the oscillation of ordinary sequences using ordinary square conservative matrices and square multiplicative matrices. The goal of this paper is to present multidimensional analogues of Agnew’s results. To accomplish this goal we begin by presenting a notion for double oscillating sequences. Using this notion along with square RH-conservative matrices and square RH-multiplicative matrices, we will present a series of characterization of this sequence space, i.e. we will present several necessary and sufficient conditions that assure us that a square RH-multiplicative(square RH-conservative) be such that $$ P - \mathop {limsup}\limits_{(m,n) \to \infty ;(\alpha ,\beta ) \to \infty } \left| {\sigma _{m,n} - \sigma _{\alpha ,\beta } } \right| \leqslant P - \mathop {limsup}\limits_{(m,n) \to \infty ;(\alpha ,\beta ) \to \infty } \left| {s_{m,n} - s_{\alpha ,\beta } } \right| $$ for each double real bounded sequences {sk;l} where $$ \sigma _{m,n} = \sum\limits_{k,l = 1,1}^{\infty ,\infty } {a_{m,n,k,l,} s_{k,l} } . $$ In addition, other implications and variations are also presented.
Photonically controlled phased array null steering using wavelets

This paper presents a modified version of a true time delay, broadband nulling approach to beamforming for a linear antenna array. The approach begins with the well known Davies method of narrowband beamforming; alters it to include time delays via tunable lasers and high dispersion optical fiber; and finally modifies the Davies tree itself to resemble decomposition filters from wavelet theory. This last modification cuts the required number of tunable lasers for an N element array but also decreases the number of independent null.
Growth hormone, insulin‐like growth factor I, and motoneuron size

In this study we asked whether growth hormone (GH) and one of its key mediators, insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), influence spinal motoneuron size in conjunction with whole body size. We present evidence that GH has such a role, possibly without the mediation of IGF-I. Both lumbar motoneuron and body size were found to be increased relative to littermate controls in transgenic mice overexpressing GH, while body size, but not motoneuron size, was increased in mice overexpressing IGF-I. GH overexpression coordinately increased nucleolar, nuclear, and cell body size in lumbar spinal motoneurons, so that their normal size relationships were preserved in the transgenic mice. In addition, spinal cord and brain weights were significantly increased in both types of transgenic animal. We conclude that GH can regulate motoneuron, central nervous system, and body size in the same animal, and that IGF-I can mimic the effects of GH on at least two of these three parameters. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Neurobiol 32: 202–212, 1997.
The other side of TGF-β superfamily signal regulation: thinking outside the cell

Abstract The transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) superfamily of paracrine and autocrine signaling molecules regulates a vast array of developmental and homeostatic processes and is itself exquisitely regulated. The misregulation of these molecules often results in cancer and other diseases. Here, we focus on new research that explores how TGF-β superfamily signaling is controlled between the secreting cell and the target cell. Regulation can occur upon ligand secretion (in a latent protein complex) and in the creation of signaling gradients. Proteins in the extracellular milieu sequester ligand away from or facilitate ligand binding to receptor serine kinases. Ligands even positively regulate their own negative regulators. Studies of how TGF-β signaling is regulated extracellularly have broadened our understanding of TGF-β pathways, and could provide clues to our understanding and treatment of diseases resulting from misregulation of these pathways.
Foreword: The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act and the Constitution

341 THE BATTLE over what has now become the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act has raged for years. Proponents insisted it was a necessary effort to restore integrity to our federal election laws. Opponents condemned it as an unconstitutional infringement on the public’s right to discuss important issues of public policy. The new law has two main parts. The first part bans soft money to the political parties, so that unions and corporations can no longer contribute to political parties and wealthy individuals can no longer make six-figure contributions. The second part attacks the problem of sham issue advocacy, ads that waddle, quack, and smell like campaign ads, but that avoid campaign finance rules by the artifice of eschewing any of the so-called “magic words” of “express advocacy”—such as “vote for” or “elect.” The new law redefines the line distinguishing electioneering (which is subject to regulation), from genuine issue speech (which is not). Under the new 60-day bright-line standard, ads that mention a candidate and air immediately before an election are defined as campaign ads, subject to federal campaign finance laws. Swirling around the debate over these provisions were numerous empirical questions: How is soft money spent—on campaign ads or on party building? What candidates benefit most from the advertising bought with soft money? How do voters perceive sham issue ads—as education on issues or as electioneering? Who actually sponsors most of the sham issue ads—major institutional players or grassroots groups? How much genuine issue speech would the BCRA test cut out? The Brennan Center sought to answer these questions and many others in its study, Buying Time 2000: Television Advertising in the 2000 Federal Elections (2001), authored by Craig Holman and Luke McLoughlin, and funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts. We were gratified that so many of our findings made it into the Congressional Record. But throughout the debate, we were aware that the legislative battle was just the beginning. Ultimately, we knew, the Supreme Court would decide the fate of BCRA—and the result could depend on the answers to many of those same empirical questions. With that in mind, on November 9, 2001, we invited several legal scholars to participate in a panel discussion at the annual meeting of the Northeast Political Science Association. The topic was the constitutional framework for regulating issue advocacy and soft money, and the authors were encouraged to use our empirical data in their analysis. We are pleased to publish in The Election Law Journal the papers that emerged from that discussion.
Differential expression of muscle regulatory factor genes in normal and denervated adult rat hindlimb muscles

Skeletal muscle represents an excellent model system in which to examine regulatory mechanisms that modulate gene expression in the mature adult organism. Individual muscle fibers can be categorized as fast- or slow-twitch based upon several physiological and molecular criteria, including metabolic enzyme activity and contractile protein isoforms. Each property can be influenced by a variety of factors such as changes in motor neuron activity or alterations in hormone levels, although the molecular pathways by which environmental factors affect gene expression remain largely unknown. As a first step in identifying potential regulators of fiber-type diversity, the expression patterns of four basic/helix-loop-helix muscle regulatory factors (MRFs), referred to as MyoD, myogenin, Myf-5, and MRF4, were examined in normal adult rat muscles which differed in their phenotypic properties. As expected, all four MRFs were expressed at detectable levels in the muscles studied. However, different muscles accumulated different proportions and combinations of MRF transcripts. For example, myogenin expression was maximally detected in slow-twitch muscles whereas MyoD transcripts were found predominantly in muscles exhibiting a fast-twitch phenotype. Induced phenotypic changes in two fast-twitch muscles via denervation lead to a large and rapid increase in transcript levels of all four MRFs as early as 24 hr following denervation, with myogenin transcripts approaching 150-200-fold higher levels than innervated contralateral muscles within 7 days. These results suggest that myogenin, as well as the other three MRFs, may be involved in both the initial establishment as well as maintenance of fiber-type diversity in the developing organism.
The sensitivity of albino rats to lights of different wavelength: a behavioral assessment.

Abstract Preference thresholds for light vs. darkness and for one illumination over another, and equal-aversion contours for “white” vs. “colored” light were determined for several wavelengths in a spatial preference task. Aversion thresholds and equal-aversion points were fitted by curves of relative scotopic intensity. The magnitude of aversion difference limens relative to illumination at 1 ft-c. were similar to Weber ratios obtained by Campbell and Messing (1969) for equally aversive “white” lights. The results support the conclusion that rats can make fine illuminance discriminations within the photopic range with rod vision. Possible mechanisms were discussed.
Prosocial Behavior on the Net

Volunteers and charitable organizations contribute significantly to community welfare through their prosocial behavior: that is, discretionary behavior such as assisting, comforting, sharing, and cooperating intended to help worthy beneficiaries. This essay focuses on prosocial behavior on the Internet. It describes how offline charitable organizations are using the Net to become more efficient and effective. It also considers entirely new models of Net-based volunteer behavior directed at creating socially beneficial information goods and services. After exploring the scope and diversity of online prosocial behavior, the essay focuses on ways to encourage this kind of behavior through appropriate task and social structures, motivational signals, and trust indicators. It concludes by asking how local offline communities ultimately could be diminished or strengthened as prosocial behavior increases online.
The state and the market in Rawls

This essay attempts to interpret John Rawls's concept of the state in hisTheory of Justice. His concept is not an analysis of the existing monopoly capitalist state. Such an analysis can be found in, for example,The Fiscal Crisis of the State by James O'Connor. Rawls's concept is, by contrast, not one of the actual state but of an idealized state. Ideals, though, touch reality at some point. At what point does Rawls's concept of the state touch reality?
R-matrix analysis of the beta +/--delayed alpha spectra from the decay of 8Li and 8B.

The general question of the analysis of beta-delayed particle emission is discussed. It is emphasized that neither an integrated Fermi function nor a beta branching ratio is, in general, rigorously defined for beta decay to a specific level (resonance). As an example, spectra of breakup \ensuremath{\alpha} particles observed following $^{8}\mathrm{Li}$(${\ensuremath{\beta}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$${)}^{8}$Be and $^{8}\mathrm{B}$(${\ensuremath{\beta}}^{+}$${)}^{8}$Be are analyzed by the many-level one-channel approximation of R-matrix theory. In addition, the L=2 \ensuremath{\alpha}-\ensuremath{\alpha} elastic scattering phase shifts are analyzed up to ${E}_{\ensuremath{\alpha}}$=34 MeV. It is found that satisfactory fits are obtained without introducing intruder states below 26-MeV excitation. Gamow-Teller matrix elements are extracted for decay to the 3.0-MeV first-excited state of $^{8}\mathrm{Be}$ and for the doublet near 16 MeV. The width and location of the $^{8}\mathrm{Be}$ 3.0-MeV state are also obtained. The results are compared to shell-model predictions.
Reliability and validity of goniometric iPhone applications for the assessment of active shoulder external rotation

ABSTRACTPurpose/hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability and validity of two smartphone applications: (1) GetMyROM – inclinometery-based and (2) DrGoniometry – photo-based in the measurement of active shoulder external rotation (ER) as compared to standard goniometry (SG). Participants: Ninety-four Texas Woman's University Doctor of Physical Therapy students from the School of Physical Therapy – Houston campus, were recruited to participate in this study. Materials/methods: Two iPhone applications were compared to SG using both novice and experienced raters. Active shoulder ER range of motion was measured over two time periods in random order by blinded novice and experienced raters. Results: Intra-rater reliability using novice raters for the two applications ranged from an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.79 to 0.81 with SG at 0.82. Inter-rater reliability (novice/expert) for the two applications ranged from an ICC of 0.92 to 0.94 with SG at 0.91. Concurrent va...
Regular factors and eigenvalues of regular graphs

Abstract In 1985, Bollobas, Saito and Wormald characterized all triples ( t , d , k ) such that every t -edge-connected d -regular graph has a k -factor. An interesting research question is to ask when a t -edge-connected d -regular graph has a k -factor, if the triple ( t , d , k ) does not satisfy the characterization. The problem was solved by Niessen and Randerath in 1998 in terms of a condition involving the number of vertices of the graph. In this paper, we continue the investigation of the problem from a spectral perspective. We prove that, for a t -edge-connected d -regular graph G with ( t , d , k ) violating the characterization of Bollobas et al., if a certain eigenvalue, whichever depends on ( t , d , k ) , is not too large (also depends on ( t , d , k ) ), then G still has a k -factor. We also provide sufficient eigenvalue conditions for a t -edge-connected d -regular graph to be k -critical and factor-critical, respectively. Our results extend the characterization of Bollobas, Saito and Wormald, the results of Cioaba, Gregory and Haemers, the results of O and Cioaba, and the results of Lu.
Grain boundary ionic conductivity of yttrium stabilized zirconia as a function of silica content and grain size

Abstract Impedance spectroscopy at temperatures from 350 to 700 °C and analytical electron microscopy were used to characterize grain boundary conductivity and grain boundary segregation of SiO 2 in 8 mol% yttrium stabilized zirconia (Y-CSZ). Colloidal silica in the amount of 1–10 wt.% (2.5–25 vol.%) was added as an intergranular phase. Various grain sizes were produced by sintering or annealing at temperatures of 1350–1600 °C for times from 0.1 to 100 h. The addition of intergranular SiO 2 led to decreased grain size (due to grain boundary pinning), increased grain boundary volume, and reduced total ionic conductivity. An increase in grain boundary width, from approximately 4 to 8 nm, was correlated with higher temperature anneal treatments and greater amounts of SiO 2 . High temperature anneals of samples with silica reduced the grain boundary volume fraction by increasing the grain size and restored much of the total conductivity lost by adding silica. The grain boundary specific conductivity and the total ionic conductivity were not significantly affected by SiO 2 additions less than 5 wt.% when samples of a similar grain size were compared. This led to the conclusion that limited use of intergranular additives to create superplastic Y-CSZ should not degrade the ionic conductivity for a specific engineered grain size.
Gene expression patterns in the developing murine placenta.

Objective:Successful placental development is crucial for optimal growth, maturation, and survival of the embryo/fetus. To examine genetic aspects of placental development, use investigated gene expression patterns in the murine placenta at embryonic day 10.5 (E10.5), E12.5, E15.5, and E17.5.Methods:By use of the Affymetrix MU74A array (Affymetrix, Santa Clara, CA), we measured expression levels for 12,473 probe sets. Using pairwise analysis we selected 622 probe sets, corresponding to 599 genes, that were up- or down-regulated by more than fourfold between time points E10.5 and E12.5, E12.5 and E15.5, E15.5 and E17.5. We analyzed and functionally annotated those genes regulated during development.Results:In comparing E10.5 to E12.5 we found that angiogenesis and fatty acid metabolism and transport related genes were up-regulated at E10.5, while genes involved in hormonal control and ribosomal proteins were up-regulated at E12.5. When comparing E12.5 to E15.5 we noted that genes involved in the cell cycle...
Interdependence of oil prices and stock market indices: A copula approach

article i nfo Article history: In this paper we study the relationship between the oil price and stock market index of various countries between 1982 and 2007. We exclude oil and gas stock companies from the stock indices to remove the obvious direct linkage. Oil price series are converted into local currency to account for possible exchange rate effects. The method of copula is used to model the general dependence between stock returns and oil price returns. Our findings suggest a weak dependence between oil prices and stock indices for most cases, which are consistent with the results from previous studies. Exceptions are for the stock index returns of large oil consuming and producing countries (United States and Canada), which are shown to have a relatively strong dependence with the oil price series. The introduction of Euro in 1999 altered considerably dependence between oil prices and stock returns.
Rapid development of giant fusiform cerebral aneurysms in angiographically normal vessels

Several reports have mentioned formation of new saccular aneurysms in previously normal-appearing vessels, but de novo fusiform aneurysms have not been reported. We describe three children who initially presented with giant fusiform aneurysms involving the cervical and petrous portions of the internal carotid artery and were treated with balloon occlusion. Between 2 and 6 years later, they were found to have new giant fusiform aneurysms in the vertebrobasilar system.