cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Enhancing Engineering Computer-Aided Design Education Using Lectures Recorded on the PC

Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) is a course that is required during the third year in the mechanical engineering curriculum at Binghamton University. The primary objective of the course is to educate students in the procedures of computer-aided engineering design. The solid modeling and analysis program Pro/Engineer™ (PTC®) is used as the basis of this course. As a means to this objective, students must be trained to use the Pro/Engineer™ software. We created a series of video lectures using Camtasia Studio (TechSmith®) to accomplish the Pro/Engineer™ training. As the literature for the software says: “Camtasia Studio is a complete solution for quickly creating professional-looking videos of your PC desktop activity.” Thirteen videos were created for this course, which incorporated audio combined with PowerPoint™ slides. The video files (avi's) are distributed to students on five CD's. This article describes the structure of the course and how the videos are integrated into it. Also included is a brief o...
Inter-Industry Strategic R&D and Supplier-Demander Relationships

Abstract This paper investigates if the R&D of an industry changes due to the R&D of an industry's suppliers and/or demanders. Using an annual industry-level panel of manufacturing R&D in the United States, I find that regressing the R&D of an industry on the lagged values of another industry's R&D suggests R&D comovement between industries with a strong supplier-demander relationship. Variance decompositions indicate that the R&D of an industry has high forecasting power over the R&D variance of another industry if the two industries share a strong supplier-demander relationship.
Chronic d-Fenfluramine Treatment Reduces Fat Intake Independent of Macronutrient Preference

Abstract We investigated the effect of chronic dexfenfluramine (DFEN) treatment on macronutrient selection in a three-choice diet paradigm using Sprague–Dawley rats. Baseline macronutrient intakes were measured for several days before the initiation of treatment. In Experiment 1, daily intraperitoneal injections of DFEN (1.5 mg/kg) or saline were administered 60 min before dark onset for 12 consecutive days and 24 h macronutrient intakes were measured. DFEN significantly reduced absolute fat intake (kcal) by 30% and relative fat intake (% of total energy) by 14% in animals that received dexfenfluramine treatment compared to controls over the 12-day period. Absolute carbohydrate intake was increased 24% compared to controls, but this difference was not significant. These changes in food intake resulted in a 10% lower total energy intake. Upon discontinuation of the drug, fat intake of the DFEN-treated rats rebounded to control levels within 24 h. In Experiment 2, rats were assigned to carbohydrate- or fat-preferring groups based on the ratio of their average daily carbohydrate to fat intake (kcal). All animals then received DFEN. During DFEN treatment, fat-preferring rats reduced their daily fat intake from 62 to 53% of total energy. The low baseline fat intake of carbohydrate-preferring rats was reduced even further by DFEN (from 24 to 15% of total energy). These corresponding effects of DFEN on macronutrient selection in both fat- and carbohydrate-preferring rats indicate that chronic DFEN treatment selectively suppressed fat intake independent of the preferred macronutrient diet.
Chlorzoxazone metabolism by winter flounder liver microsomes: evidence for existence of a CYP2E1-like isoform in teleosts.

Abstract Winter flounder (Pleuronectes americanus) liver microsomes metabolized chlorzoxazone (CZX), a CYP2E1 (cytochrome P450 2E1)- specific substrate, to a single product, 6-OH CZX. The liver microsomal fraction had the highest level of activity, which varied among fish, ranging from 60 to 220 pmol/mg/min. CZX metabolism was linearly related to microsomal protein and dependent on NADPH. The optimal pH range for this activity was from 7.2 to 8.0. Maximal activity was found at 18–22°C (154 ± 62 pmol/mg/min) but was detectable at all temperatures tested. CZX 6-hydroxylation displayed first-order kinetics as shown by Lineweaver–Burk plots. The average apparentKm, 280 μM, was higher than that reported for human liver microsomes but similar to theKmdetermined for human CYP2E1 expressed invacciniavirus.Vmaxvalues ranged from 65 to 141 pmoles/mg/min. The CYP2E1-specific inhibitors, diethyldithiocarbamate (DDC) and aniline, significantly reduced 6-OH CZX production by 80 and 35%, respectively. 7,8-Benzoflavone and ethoxyresorufin, both CYP1A-specific inhibitors, did not significantly inhibit CZX metabolism nor did trioleandomycin (TAO) a CYP3A-specific inhibitor. Diethyldithiocarbamate (DDC), at 50 μM, had no significant effect on winter flounder liver microsomal ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase activity (EROD), a CYP1A-specific activity. 7,8-Benzoflavone, at 10 μM, inhibited EROD activity by 60%. This is the first report of CYP2E1 activity in teleost liver microsomes.
Genome instability and embryonic developmental defects in RMI1 deficient mice

RMI1 forms an evolutionarily conserved complex with BLM/TOP3α/RMI2 (BTR complex) to prevent and resolve aberrant recombination products, thereby promoting genome stability. Most of our knowledge about RMI1 function has been obtained from biochemical studies in vitro. In contrast, the role of RMI1 in vivo remains unclear. Previous attempts to generate an Rmi1 knockout mouse line resulted in pre-implantation embryonic lethality, precluding the use of mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) and embryonic morphology to assess the role of RMI1 in vivo. Here, we report the generation of an Rmi1 deficient mouse line (hy/hy) that develops until 9.5 days post coitum (dpc) with marked defects in development. MEFs derived from Rmi1(hy/hy) are characterized by severely impaired cell proliferation, frequently having elevated DNA content, high numbers of micronuclei and an elevated percentage of partial condensed chromosomes. Our results demonstrate the importance of RMI1 in maintaining genome integrity and normal embryonic development.
Time-domain solutions of Oja's equations

Oja's equations describe a well-studied system for unsupervised Hebbian learning of principal components. This paper derives the explicit time-domain solution of Oja's equations for the single-neuron case. It also shows that, under a linear change of coordinates, these equations are a gradient system in the general multi-neuron case. This latter result leads to a new Lyapunov-like function for Oja's equations.
Pointwise RMS bias error estimates for design of experiments

Response surface approximations offer an effective way to solve complex problems. However limitations on computational expense pose restrictions to generate ample data and a simple model is typically used for approximation leaving the possibility of errors due to insufficient model known as bias errors. This paper presents a method to estimate pointwise RMS bias errors in response surface models. Prior to generation of data, RMS bias error estimates can be used to construct design of experiments (DOEs) to minimize the maximal RMS bias errors or compare different DOEs. It is demonstrated that for high dimensional design spaces, central composite design gives a reasonable trade-off between variance and bias errors under conventional assumption of quadratic model and cubic true function. The results indicate that compared to bounds on bias error, RMS estimates are less affected by increase in the dimensionality of the problem. Latin Hypercube Sampling (LHS), though very popular, may yield large unsampled regions which can be successfully detected by implementing an alternate criterion like maximum standard error or maximum RMS bias error in design space. We further demonstrate that poor LHS designs can be eliminated by using more than one DOE. With the help of a non-polynomial example problem, it is demonstrated that the proposed method is correctly able to identify the regions of high errors even when assumed true model is not accurate.
Magnetic-field dependence of valley splitting in Si quantum wells grown on tilted SiGe substrates

The valley splitting of the first few Landau levels is calculated as a function of the magnetic field for electrons confined in a strained silicon quantum well grown on a tilted SiGe substrate, using a parameterized tight-binding method. For a zero substrate tilt angle, the valley splitting slightly decreases with increasing magnetic field. In contrast, the valley splitting for a finite substrate tilt angle exhibits a strong and non-monotonous dependence on the magnetic field strength. The valley splitting of the first Landau level shows an exponential increase followed by a slow saturation as the magnetic field strength increases. The valley splitting of the second and third Landau levels shows an oscillatory behavior. The non-monotonous dependence is explained by the phase variation of the Landau level wave function along the washboard-like interface between the tilted quantum well and the buffer material. The phase variation is the direct consequence of the misorientation between the crystal axis and the confinement direction of the quantum well. This result suggests that the magnitude of the valley splitting can be tuned by controlling the Landau-level filling factor through the magnetic field and the doping concentration.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in orthodontic tooth movement: metalloproteinase activity and collagen synthesis by endothelial cells.

Abstract Orthodontic treatment is based on the biologic principle that prolonged pressure on teeth results in remodeling of periodontal structures, allowing for tooth movement. Periodontal remodeling is a complex process regulated in part by prostaglandins and adversely affected by the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. We investigated the effects of indomethacin on collagenase activity and procollagen synthesis in rat endothelial cell cultures. Cyclooxygenase inhibition resulted in exacerbation of IL-1β–mediated collagenase B (MMP-9) production and activity, as well as attenuation of type IV procollagen synthesis levels by endothelial cells in vitro. Hence, the use of over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs during tooth movement may result in aberrant remodeling of periodontal vasculature and other structures, ultimately affecting orthodontic treatment efficacy. Further studies are needed to establish novel pain relievers that do not interfere with orthodontic processes. (Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop 2000;118:203-9)
Chemistry of cyclopropylacylsilanes I. α-functionalized acylsilane reagents for the cyclopropanation of electrophilic alkenes

Abstract Two classes of α-functionalized acylsilane reagents have been developed to effect the cyclopropanation of electrophilic alkenes. The lithium enolate derivatives of the α-haloacylsilanes 14,15, and 17 react with a wide variety of electron-deficient olefins to afford cyclopropylacylsilanes in good yield. In the case of cyclopropanations of α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds using the α-chloro reagent 14, the predominant stereoisomers produced are generally the cyclopropanes in which the acylsilane moiety has a cis stereochemical relationship to the carbonyl group. The synthesis and chemistry of the acylsilane sulfur ylide derivative 33 is also described. This compound has proved particularly useful as a reagent for the cyclopropanation of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes. Efficient syntheses of 33 as well as the α-haloacylsilanes 14, 15, and 17 (in 2–4 steps from commercially available starting materials) are also reported.
Compositional Elements in the Art of Individuals with Alzheimer's-Type Dementia

Abstract The authors asked residents (non-artists with and without Alzheimer's-type dementia) at a long-term care facility in Ohio to be pen-pals to students at a middle school in Chicago, in part, as motivation for art production. The pictures made by elderly participants were analyzed for compositional complexity and balance (symmetry vs. asymmetry). Individuals with dementia verbalized general preferences for more linear, symmetrical compositions. In the first study, asymmetry declined over sessions for individuals with dementia, but remained low across all sessions for those without dementia. Unfortunately, that effect did not reach significance in the parametric analyses. In the second study, participants at four different facilities were asked to create pictures related to upcoming seasonal events (e.g., Valentine's Day). Most compelling were the differences in compositional complexity across levels of cognitive functioning that were observed in both studies. Overall, low-functioning individuals wit...
Toward a phenomenological description of hydrogen-induced decohesion at particle/matrix interfaces

Abstract A phenomenological traction-separation law that describes the cohesion of an inclusion/matrix interface in the presence of hydrogen is suggested such that the associated reversible work of separation during fast decohesion is exactly equal to that predicted by the thermodynamic theory of Hirth and Rice (Metall. Trans. 11A (1980) 1501) and Rice and Wang (Mater. Sci. Eng. A 107 (1989) 23) in the corresponding limit. The law is used to study interfacial debonding around an elastic inclusion imbedded in an elastoplastically deforming matrix while transient hydrogen transport takes place in the matrix, the inclusion, and the opening interfacial channel. Interfacial separation is modeled through cohesive elements and is simulated incrementally within the updated Lagrangian formulation scheme used to model bulk material elastoplasticity. For material data pertaining to nickel-base alloy 690, the numerical results indicate that both hydrogen-induced reduction of interfacial cohesion and matrix-softening lead to a reduction of stress at which void nucleation commences relatively to case of a hydrogen-free material. On the other hand, there is a competitive effect on the void nucleation strain: while cohesion reduction decreases this strain, matrix softening increases it, and its final value depends on the outcome of this competition. Thus the suggested model of the hydrogen effect on cohesion, although calibrated in accordance with the fast-separation limit (small cohesion reduction) of the Hirth–Rice–Wang theory, does allow for internal material failure with a clear and substantial effect on the external macroscopic loads.
Competition, collusion, and chaos

Abstract In this paper, we present results which show that cartel formation can still be observed in a completely deterministic model where myopic firms compete through price in finite time. The firms are spatially differentiated and take turns with their neighboring firms in setting prices. Among the different possible dynamic scenarios, we focus attention on those where cooperative and competitive behavior continue to coexist throughout time. The continual interaction of cooperative and competitive behavior results in complex dynamic regimes. Because the set of prices which firms choose will be discrete, a formal equivalence is established between the model's dynamics and the theory of cellular automata.
The Influence of Flowing Water on the Resource Pursuit-Risk Avoidance Tradeoff in the Crayfish Orconectes virilis

The influence of hydrodynamics on chemically mediated behavioral tradeoffs has received little attention. We tested the hypothesis that individuals of the crayfish Orconectes virilis would be more sensitive to chemical cues in flowing water than in still water. Orconectes virilis is a good subject for this test, because it is found in both still water (e.g. ponds), and flowing water (e.g. rivers). A factorial design was used, with two stimulus treatments and two habitat types. Crayfish were exposed to either food cue or food þ alarm cue in either still water or flowing water in an artificial stream arena. Habitat use and activity were significantly influenced by stimulus treatment, with more time spent away from the stimulus source and less activity in the food þ alarm treatment than in the food treatment. Neither habitat type nor the interaction of stimulus treatment and habitat type had a significant effect on the response variables. Given the natural history of O. virilis, we suggest that selection has favored the ability to equally utilize chemical cues in both still and flowing water. We acknowledge that different flow conditions may influence chemical ecology in this species and caution against the view that tests in flowing waters necessarily provide a more accurate approximation of natural responses.
Medically unnecessary emergency medical services (EMS) transports among children ages 0 to 17 years.

Objectives: Estimate the prevalence of medically unnecessary Emergency Medical Services (EMS) transports among children. Methods: We linked EMS and emergency department (ED) billing records for all EMS-to-hospital transports of children originating in three counties in South Carolina between January 1, 2001 and March 31, 2003. EMS responses resulting in no transport, transports to destinations other than the ED, or multiple trips for the same child in a single day could not be linked to ED data and were excluded. Medically unnecessary transports were identified with an algorithm using pre-hospital impressions, ED diagnoses and ED procedures. After exclusions, 5,693 transports of children between 0 and 17 years were available for study. Results: Sixteen percent (16.4%) of all transports were medically unnecessary. Among children through age 12, upper respiratory and viral problems were the most common diagnoses associated with medically unnecessary transports; among older children, behavioral problems such as conduct disturbance or drug abuse were common. In multivariable analysis, the odds of an unnecessary transport were higher among younger children, non-white children, rural children, and children insured by Medicaid. Conclusions: The proportion of EMS transports which may be medically unnecessary is relatively modest compared to previous studies. However, many questions remain for future research. Further investigation should include examination of primary care availability and occurrence of unnecessary EMS use, existence of race-based disparities, and transports involving conduct disturbance and other behavioral conditions among children.
The IUE Spectrum of the “O VI Sequence” Planetary Nebula IC 2003

We present archival low- and high-dispersion, as well as new SWP high-dispersion, IUE data of the "O VI sequence" planetary nebula IC 2003 that has not been studied extensively in the UV. Contrary to earlier UV studies, IC 2003 shows a rich spectrum of stellar and nebular emission lines. Nearly 60 new emission line fluxes are presented for He II, C II, C II], C III, C III], N III], N IV], C IV, O III, O III], O IV], O V, O VI, O VII, O VIII, Si II, Si III], Si IV, [Ne IV], [Ne V], [Mg V], Al III, Fe II, and S VI. Electron densities from C III] and N III] diagnostics were determined as log Ne = 3.4 ± 0.1 and 3.3 ± 0.1, respectively, in good agreement with those from optical data. The presence of weak P Cygni profiles for O V λ1371 and for the C IV λ1549 doublet are discussed. Several Fe II Bowen fluorescence lines are detected in the UV spectrum. Emission lines of O VIII and O VII appear to be present but need confirmation.
The misdiagnosis of unilateral presentations of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Fifty-eight patients with definite amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) were investigated retrosectivley. Variables investigated included the age of onset of motor symptoms, the sex of the patient, the presenting signs and symptoms, and the initial clinical diagnosis. The patients were separated by mode of onset into five clinical categories: I. Conventional or Classical (31%); II Predominantly bulbar (19%); III. Pseudopolyneuritic (5.2%); IV. Paraparetic (13.8%); and V. Hemiparetic or Mills' Variant (31%) presentations. The average age of onset of symptoms was 55.3 years, with little difference among the clinical groups except for a later age of onset in the bulbar form. The initial diagnosis of ALS was correct in 95% of the patients with a predominantly bilateral mode of onset of symptoms (the conventional, bulbar, and paraparetic groups) but was correct in only 38% of patients with predominantly unilateral onset (hemiparetic) and pseudopolyneutric forms. We suggest that the clinician be aware of these atypical, unilateral forms of ALS in order that an accurate diagnosis may be made.
ERMS implementation: navigating the wilderness

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe important considerations for commercial ERMS implementers.Design/methodology/approach – The paper outlines six areas that are critical to successful ERMS implementation.Findings – The paper finds that, although each of the six areas is important to consider, prior to ERMS implementation, staffing and workflows require the most forethought.Originality/value – Early‐stage ERMS implementers, and those preparing for implementation, should find value in the suggestions described within the paper.
Stress–strain behavior of polyolefin blends

As part of a study on reuse of plastics as blends, the yield tensile strength, elongation at break, and the modulus of melt blends of low-density polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, and polypropylene have been studied over the entire ternary composition range. The modulus and strength are nearly monotonic functions of blend composition. The contribution of the pure components to these properties is roughly additive. The elongation at break is a more complex function of composition in that minima are observed near the center of the triangular composition diagram and on each of the three binary legs. The response is nearly symmetrical along two of the binary legs but is skewed toward high-density polyethylene for blends of high- and low-density polyethylene. The deterioration of elongation produced by blending is much less severe for polyolefins than observed for other blend systems. This, combined with the observed additivity of strength, make polyolefin blends mechanically superior to blends of other plastics found in wastes. This fact is interpreted in terms of compatibility and amorphous phase interactions which are likely for polyolefins. Modification of polyolefin blends by addition of a rubbery copolymer of ethylene and propylene produced large improvements in elongation at break for some compositions.
A simple, rapid, and sensitive method for estimation of DNA, RNA, and protein synthesis in carrot cell cultures.

Abstract A simple, rapid, and sensitive method for the measurement of DNA, RNA, and protein synthesis in cell samples is presented. The method measures the amount of isotope incorporated into these macromolecules after cell collection on filter paper and washing with a methanol:chloroform:water mixture. Samples as low as 50 μg in size can be prepared in less than 30 sec for measurement of radioactivity.
New Thermally Remendable Highly Cross-Linked Polymeric Materials

Two new remendable highly cross-linked polymers, 2ME4F and 2MEP4F, were prepared without solvent. Solid-state NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) was used to study the thermal reversibility of Diels−Alder (DA) cross-linking, and it was found that DA connections and disconnections of both polymers are thermally reversible. Differential scanning calorimeter and dynamical mechanical analysis were applied to study thermal and mechanical properties of these materials, and it is found that the glass transition temperature (Tg) of 2ME4F is about 30−40 °C and that of 2MEP4F is about 80 °C. A qualitative study of the healing efficiency of 2MEP4F showed that cracks can be healed effectively with a simple thermal healing procedure. This process can be repeated to heal cracks multiple times.
An investigation of the failure envelope of granular/discontinuous-columnar sea ice

Abstract The three-dimensional failure envelope for granular/discontinuous-columnar sea ice has been investigated over a range of nominal strain rates from 9 × 10−6 s−1 to 4.4 × 10−4 s−1 by using confined compression tests. Both the applied load and side-confining load were measured. The tests were performed on samples cut from a solid block of ice in the Beaufort Sea which structurally was granular with some banding of discontinuous-columnar ice to a depth of 1.2 m. The results indicate the overall shape and size of the failure envelope of this ice, and show that although the shape is independent of loading rate, the size increases with loading rate. An analytical expression is derived which mathematically describes the failure envelope in three-dimensional space.
Cefazolin as empiric therapy in hemodialysis-related infections: Efficacy and blood concentrations

Concern about the increasing incidence of vancomycin-resistant organisms has tempered the enthusiasm for indiscriminate vancomycin use. Cefazolin has an antibacterial activity profile similar to vancomycin against most pathogens encountered in the hemodialysis (HD) population. We evaluated the clinical efficacy and serum concentrations that were achieved during empiric cefazolin use. Fifteen consecutive HD patients (five, conventional HD; five, high-efficiency HD; and five, high-flux HD) with suspected or documented infections warranting antibiotic intervention, including access-related, respiratory tract, urinary tract, or wound infections, were enrolled. Each patient received intravenous cefazolin (20 mg/kg actual body weight rounded to the nearest 500-mg increment [range, 1 to 2 g]) after each dialysis treatment for at least three doses. Cefazolin concentrations were obtained before and immediately after the next three consecutive dialysis treatments. Thirteen patients were evaluated for efficacy and all 15 were evaluated for toxicity and cefazolin blood concentrations. All patients showed at least a short-term (3-week) clinical resolution of infection with cefazolin treatment. No central nervous system toxicities were noted and no other adverse events were expressed by the patients during the course of cefazolin treatment. Predialysis cefazolin concentrations, as determined by high-performance liquid chromatography, were 70.2 +/- 42.7 (conventional HD), 45.6 +/- 18.9 (high-efficiency HD), and 41.6 +/- 23.9 mg/L (high-flux HD) over the three dialysis sessions. Cefazolin at doses of approximately 20 mg/kg administered post-HD appears to be a safe and effective empiric therapy and yields predialysis cefazolin concentrations of 2.5 times or greater than those considered to be the minimum inhibitory concentration breakpoint (16 mg/L) for susceptible organisms. These data support the broader use of cefazolin for empiric treatment in the HD population, allowing vancomycin to be reserved for confirmed resistant organisms.
Performance of advanced turbocharger alloys and coatings at 850–950 °C in air with water vapor

Abstract Turbochargers for transportation and power generation systems are of significant interest to improve efficiency and reduce specific emissions. As exhaust temperatures continue to increase, the oxidation resistance and mechanical properties of candidate Ni-base and TiAl alloys were investigated at 850–950 °C in wet air to simulate exhaust gas. Room temperature tensile properties were measured after exposures showing some loss in ductility and strength after 500–1000 1-h thermal cycles. At 950 °C, Ti–49Al–2Nb–1Cr was more severely attacked suggesting Ni-base alloys are needed at this and higher temperatures. Selected Ni-base alloys also were aluminized via chemical vapor deposition or a low-cost slurry process and the as-deposited chemistry and microstructure are shown. Initial coating oxidation results at 950 °C in wet air are reported.
The role of factual coherence in discourse comprehension

The present set of studies investigated the effects of breakdowns in referential and factual coherence on text comprehension. Breakdowns in referential coherence produced by distant antecedent information hindered reading times of texts but not text memory; those produced by absent antecedent information hindered both. Breakdowns in factual coherence hindered reading times of texts and hindered text memory when the comprehension goal of readers was an integrative one, requiring readers to update old knowledge with new information, but not when the comprehension goal was to accurately recall the texts. Recall results for the more integrative task suggested that “new” factually inconsistent information is particularly salient and memorable to subjects, whereas memory for “old” factually inconsistent knowledge is hindered. The present studies also revealed that the processing of factually inconsistent information hindered other information in passages. Results are discussed in terms of possible constructive ...
A MAPK Cascade Downstream of ERECTA Receptor-Like Protein Kinase Regulates Arabidopsis Inflorescence Architecture by Promoting Localized Cell Proliferation

Spatiotemporal-specific cell proliferation and cell differentiation are critical to the formation of normal tissues, organs, and organisms. The highly coordinated cell differentiation and proliferation events illustrate the importance of cell–cell communication during growth and development. In Arabidopsis thaliana, ERECTA (ER), a receptor-like protein kinase, plays important roles in promoting localized cell proliferation, which determines inflorescence architecture, organ shape, and size. However, the downstream signaling components remain unidentified. Here, we report a mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK; or MPK) cascade that functions downstream of ER in regulating localized cell proliferation. Similar to an er mutant, loss of function of MPK3/MPK6 or their upstream MAPK kinases (MAPKKs; or MKKs), MKK4/MKK5, resulted in shortened pedicels and clustered inflorescences. Epistasis analysis demonstrated that the gain of function of MKK4 and MKK5 transgenes could rescue the loss-of-function er mutant phenotype at both morphological and cellular levels, suggesting that the MPK3/MPK6 cascade functions downstream of the ER receptor. Furthermore, YODA (YDA), a MAPKK kinase, was shown to be upstream of MKK4/MKK5 and downstream of ER in regulating inflorescence architecture based on both gain- and loss-of-function data. Taken together, these results suggest that the YDA-MKK4/MKK5-MPK3/MPK6 cascade functions downstream of the ER receptor in regulating localized cell proliferation, which further shapes the morphology of plant organs.
An approach to sequential grouping in cochannel speech

Model-based methods for sequential organization in cochannel speech require pretrained speaker models and often prior knowledge of participating speakers. We propose an unsupervised approach to sequential organization of cochannel speech. Based on cepstral features, we first cluster voiced speech into two speaker groups by maximizing the ratio of between- and within-group distances penalized by within-group concurrent pitches. To group unvoiced speech, we employ an onset/offset based analysis to generate time-frequency segments. Unvoiced segments are then labeled by the complementary portions of segregated voiced speech. Our method does not require any pretrained model and is computationally simple. Evaluations and comparisons show that the proposed method outperforms a model-based method in terms of speech segregation.
Healthy family functioning: What family therapists, priests, and ministers say

This study compared the concepts of healthy family functioning as perceived by family therapists, Roman Catholic priests, and Southern Baptist ministers. The therapists emphasized the importance of individuation and flexibility. In contrast, the ministers placed greater emphasis on family togetherness rather than individuation, and both the ministers and the priests placed greater emphasis on structure and authority rather than flexibility. The implication of these and other findings are discussed.
Social and ecological regulation of a decision-making circuit.

Ecological context, sensory inputs, and the internal physiological state are all factors that need to be integrated for an animal to make appropriate behavioral decisions. However, these factors ha...
Heterologous hybridization to a complementary DNA microarray reveals the effect of thermal acclimation in the endothermic bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis).

The temperature stress that pelagic fishes experience can induce physiological and behavioural changes that leave a signature in gene expression profiles. We used a functional genomics approach to identify genes that were up- or down-regulated following thermal stress in the Pacific bluefin tuna. Following the acclimation period, 113, 81 and 196 genes were found to be differentially expressed between the control (20 °C) and cold (15°) treatment groups, in ventricle, red muscle and white muscle, respectively. The genes whose expression levels were responsive to thermal acclimation varied according to muscle fibre type, perhaps reflecting the tissue-specific degrees of endothermy characteristic of this species.
Human-vision-based selection of image processing algorithms for planetary exploration

Independent and automatic image processing is a fundamental objective of the computer vision community. Understanding the role of the eye movement scan path in human vision is an important step toward the achievement of this objective. This top-down model of higher human vision is a new approach to bottom-up image processing algorithms and provides an important new metric and tool in computer vision. We have demonstrated that a small and manageable collection of image processing algorithms, experimentally selected and then combined together can serve in a task such as predicting human eye fixations identifying geological features. Thus, automatic picture analysis based upon human vision could be an essential element in planetary exploration.
Clinical and occult testicular leukemia in long-term survivors of acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Twenty-nine of 60 boys with acute lymphoblastic leukemia survivd for more than 30 months and were potential candidates for discontinuation of therapy. Six patients developed overt cliical testicular leukemia: one at 34 months from diagnosis while receiving therapy and five at three to 17 months after therapy was stopped. Elective wedge biopsy of the testes has become part of the evaluation pior to discontinuation of therapy since 1977. Six of 18 boys had microscopic evidence of leukemic infiltration of the testes: four with diffuse involvement and two with focal clusters of leukemic cell. Testicular biopsy is recommended at the time of discontinuation of therapy and perphas early in thecourse of the disease, although a negative biopsy does not exclude some focal lesions. The eventual outcome of those with occult testicular leukemia remains to be determined.
“History as Revelation” in the Theology of the Social Gospel

Historical studies of the American social gospel have concentrated on the social and economic viewpoint of the movement. Such a focus is understandable since the fundamental premise of the social gospel was the belief that social change should be controlled and directed through the rational application of religious ideals. Scholarly interest in the movement has thus naturally gravitated towards questions of practical import: how the social gospel galvanized the churches to social action; how it challenged dominant political assumptions; how it contributed to the success of the progressive movement; how it helped to promote cooperative social ideals and a limited type of Christian socialism; and how it struggled with the problem of finding a realistic political philosophy.
Gesture-based interaction and communication: automated classification of hand gesture contours

The accurate classification of hand gestures is crucial in the development of novel hand gesture-based systems designed for human-computer interaction (HCI) and for human alternative and augmentative communication (HAAC). A complete vision-based system, consisting of hand gesture acquisition, segmentation, filtering, representation and classification, is developed to robustly classify hand gestures. The algorithms in the subsystems are formulated or selected to optimality classify hand gestures. The gray-scale image of a hand gesture is segmented using a histogram thresholding algorithm. A morphological filtering approach is designed to effectively remove background and object noise in the segmented image. The contour of a gesture is represented by a localized contour sequence whose samples are the perpendicular distances between the contour pixels and the chord connecting the end-points of a window centered on the contour pixels. Gesture similarity is determined by measuring the similarity between the localized contour sequences of the gestures. Linear alignment and nonlinear alignment are developed to measure the similarity between the localized contour sequences. Experiments and evaluations on a subset of American Sign Language (ASL) hand gestures show that, by using nonlinear alignment, no gestures are misclassified by the system. Additionally, it is also estimated that real-time gesture classification is possible through the use of a high-speed PC, high-speed digital signal processing chips and code optimization.
Some upper-air observations made in the Pacific

For many years the Navy has made upper-air observations at their various air-stations but observations at sea were few and far between, chiefly because of the great amount of work required to launch and land a single airplane on a carrier. Commanding Officers were loath to burden their crews with the additional work required to shift airplanes all over the flight-deck, for the launching and recovery of one airplane was practically as much work as 75 airplanes. In recent years with the increased interest in weather-information in the Fleet and the support of various admirals in command, the ship aerological units have been able to obtain a few consistent dally soundings. With the aim of bringing some of this information out into the light of day before it gets too deeply buried in the files, I have prepared a composite picture of some of the observations made in the Pacific.
Lecanora anakeestiicola (Lecanorales): an unusual new fruticose species from Great Smoky Mountains National Park in eastern North America

Abstract The sterile asexually reproducing lichen Lecanora anakeestiicola is described as new to science from the southern Appalachian Mountains. This species is known from two populations that occur on shaded outcrops of the Anakeesta Formation at high elevations. It can be recognized by its dimorphic thallus with flaccid, ecorticate pseudopodetia and by the production of usnic acid in addition to zeorin. It is similar to Lecanora phryganitis, a narrow endemic of the Pacific Coast, which differs in the production of xanthones and in having tangled pseudopodetia that are stiff and hard due to the presence of a well developed cortex. It is also superficially similar to Leprocaulon americanum and L. quisquiliare, which are allopatric species that differ in having erect pseudopodetia with a stiff central cord.
Are Leptons, Quarks or Both Highly Relativistic Bound States of a Minimally Interacting Fermion and Scalar?

The possibility that leptons, quarks or both might be highly relativistic bound states of a spin-0 and spin-1/2 constituent bound by minimal electrodynamics is discussed in the context of the two-body, bound-state Bethe–Salpeter equation. For most interactions, strongly bound solutions exist only when the coupling constant is on the order of or greater than unity. However, for the bound-state system discussed here, in the strong-binding limit there exist two classes of boundary conditions that could yield solutions with coupling constants on the order of the fine structure constant. In both classes only bound states with spin 1/2 can exist, thus providing a possible explanation for the absence of higher spin leptons and quarks. Also, a mechanism for the suppression of the decay μ → e + γ exists.
Assessment of the role of activator protein-1 on transcription of the mouse steroidogenic acute regulatory protein gene

cAMP-dependent mechanisms regulate the steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) protein even though its promoter lacks a consensus cAMP response-element (CRE, TGACGTCA). Transcriptional regulation of the StAR gene has been demonstrated to involve combinations of DNA sequences that provide recognition motifs for sequence-specific transcription factors. We recently identified and characterized three canonical 5′-CRE half-sites within the cAMP-responsive region (−151/−1 bp) of the mouse StAR gene. Among these CRE elements, the CRE2 half-site is analogous (TGACTGA) to an activator protein-1 (AP-1) sequence [TGA(C/G)TCA]; therefore, the role of the AP-1 transcription factor was explored in StAR gene transcription. Mutation in the AP-1 element demonstrated an approximately 50% decrease in StAR reporter activity. Using EMSA, oligonucleotide probes containing an AP-1 binding site were found to specifically bind to nuclear proteins obtained from mouse MA-10 Leydig and Y-1 adrenocortical tumor cells. The integrity of ...
Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Proteins in Fungi: Hypoxic Transcription Factors Linked to Pathogenesis

Sterol regulatory element binding proteins (SREBPs) are membrane-bound transcription factors whose proteolytic activation is controlled by the cellular sterol concentration. Mammalian SREBPs are activated in cholesterol-depleted cells and serve to regulate cellular lipid homeostasis. Recent work demonstrates that SREBP is functionally conserved in fungi. While the ability to respond to sterols is conserved, fungal SREBPs are hypoxic transcription factors required for adaptation to a low-oxygen environment. In the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, oxygen regulates the SREBP homolog Sre1 by independently controlling both its proteolytic activation and its degradation. SREBP is also required for adaptation to hypoxia in the human pathogens Cryptococcus neoformans and Aspergillus fumigatus. In these organisms, SREBP is required for virulence and resistance to antifungal drugs, making the SREBP pathway a potential target for antifungal therapy.
Renin-angiotensin-system modulators and the incidence of atrial fibrillation following hospitalization for coronary artery disease

Aims Previous studies have suggested that upstream medical therapy to modulate the renin-angiotensin axis may facilitate left atrial remodelling and thereby prevent new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) on new-onset AF in a large cohort of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods and results This was a population-based study of 28 620 patients, from community-dwelling Medicare beneficiaries who had been hospitalized for acute myocardial infarction or coronary revascularization (1995–2004). All patients, 65 years and older, had a mean follow-up period of upto 3.8 ± 3.0 years. Patients with a history of AF before and during hospitalization were excluded. We compared the incidence of new-onset AF between patients who were ( N = 10 918) and were not ( N = 17 702) prescribed ACEI and/or ARB within 1 month of hospital discharge following cardiac event. New-onset AF within 5 and 10 years was 39.1 and 61.1%, respectively, in patients who received ACEI/ARB, compared 34.9 and 53.6% in patients who did not receive them [unadjusted hazard ratio (HR): 1.16; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.11, 1.21]. Multivariable analysis adjusting for patient- and hospital-related characteristics indicated that ACEI/ARB use independently had no impact on the risk of developing new-onset AF compared with non-users (adjusted HR: 0.99; 95% CI: 0.94, 1.04). Adjustment for propensity-score and health-seeking behaviours yielded nearly identical results. Conclusion Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor/ARB therapy initiated within 1 month after hospital discharge is not associated with a reduction in the risk of new-onset AF after myocardial infarction or coronary revascularization.
Design of a Quadramanual Robot for Single-Nostril Skull Base Surgery

Innovations in the field of continuum robotics are enabling increasingly thin and dexterous slave robots in surgical telemanipulation systems. Actuation of these robots is a challenge, because many degrees of freedom must be controlled simultaneously in a compact and unobtrusive package in the operating room. While significant progress in designing these actuation units has been made for both larger, non-medical continuum robots, and for certain types of surgical continuum robots, the design of clinically-relevant actuation units for concentric tube robots is a comparatively understudied area of research. To address this, in this paper we present the design of a robot intended to deliver four concentric tube manipulators simultaneously through a single nostril. We present the considerations that motivated the design and the prototype we have constructed to meet these needs.
When less is heard than meets the ear: Change deafness in a telephone conversation

During a conversation, we hear the sound of the talker as well as the intended message. Traditional models of speech perception posit that acoustic details of a talker's voice are not encoded with the message whereas more recent models propose that talker identity is automatically encoded. When shadowing speech, listeners often fail to detect a change in talker identity. The present study was designed to investigate whether talker changes would be detected when listeners are actively engaged in a normal conversation, and visual information about the speaker is absent. Participants were called on the phone, and during the conversation the experimenter was surreptitiously replaced by another talker. Participants rarely noticed the change. However, when explicitly monitoring for a change, detection increased. Voice memory tests suggested that participants remembered only coarse information about both voices, rather than fine details. This suggests that although listeners are capable of change detection, voice information is not continuously monitored at a fine-grain level of acoustic representation during natural conversation and is not automatically encoded. Conversational expectations may shape the way we direct attention to voice characteristics and perceive differences in voice.
Patterns of intra‐ and interspecific association in leaf‐mining insects on three oak host species

. 1. We determined mortality and distributional patterns of leaf miners on three oak host species (Quercus falcata, Q.nigra and Q.hemisphaerica) in northern Florida, U.S.A. 2. Patterns of intra- and interspecific occurrence within leaves, and mortality of five most abundant leaf miner species were analysed as a test of competition. 3. Miners co-occurred on leaves more often that expected by chance (P<0.05) in six of ten possible species combinations and log-linear model analysis showed no negative higher-order interactions. 4. All five miner species had highly clumped distributions between leaves (P<0.01). 5. Leaf miner survival was less than expected for four of five species when co-occurring on leaves with conspecifics than when mining with heterospecifics or alone (P<0.05). 6. We conclude that interspecific competition is unapparent within this leaf miner guild and that intraspecific competition occurs in four of the five major leaf miner species. We discuss leaf miner selection of common leaves, perhaps based on chemical/physical leaf characters, as a cause of intra- and interspecific aggregation.