cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Problem in Friction

The following elementary. problem in mechanics has some pedagogical interest as well as physical interest. The author has asked various people to hazard a guess as to what the solution might be. In most cases the controversy aroused seemed to me to be of as much interest as the problem itself. For that reason the problem is stated as it originated in one of my classes in mechanics. The mathematical treatment is given first. A brief physical interpretation of the results is then given. The application mentioned at the end of the article was called to my attention by Prof. W. Mason. Problem: A rough horizontal floor moves in a direction perpendicular to a smooth vertical wall, disappearing under the base of the wall. The velocity of the floor is a constant, a. A particle is projected with an initial velocity vo along the line of intersection of the floor and the wall. Determine the distance traveled by the particle, and the time required to travel this distance. (Assume both wall and floor to be of infinite extent.) Solution: Choose a rectangular coordinate system (x, y, z) so that the line of intersection of the floor and wall coincides with the y-axis, and so that the vertical wall coincides with the (y, z) plane. Suppose the motion of the floor is in the direction of the positive x-axis. If [x(t), y(t), 0] are the coordinates of the particle p, the initial conditions may be expressed in the form x(0) =0, y(0) = 0, x'(0) =0, y'(0) =vo>0.
About the development operation and maintainment of the static auto-display of the lubricant surface in the 135 diesel engine's governor

This paper analyses and argues the problems brought by the lack of the auto-display in the diesel engine's governor. And it also introduces the auto- display's work principles, key technology, operation and maintainment.
Carbamazepine serum concentration in 140 epileptic children

Objective To monitor the serum concentration of carbamazepine in 140 epileptic children to determine the influence factors.Methods The serum concentration was measured by HPLC,and the results were analysed according to the clinical efficacy.Results Serum cencentration of 25 children was less than 4 mg·L-1,among which 10 were controllable and effective,7 were more than 12 mg·L-1 and one was not effective.The concentration of 108children was 4～12 mg·L-1,97 of which were controllable and effective.Conclusion Serum concentration is influenced by age,individual difference,drug interaction and other factors.Concentration monitoring is useful for the safe and effective use of antiepileptic drugs.
Cocaine self-administration: pharmacology and behavior.

I would like to stress several major points. The first is that CNS pharmacology is important in drug self-administration. In the case of cocaine, the necessary effect seems to be blockade of reuptake of DA rather than blockade of reuptake of NE or 5-HT or local anesthetic effects. An action of that DA on the D2 subtype of DA receptors appears to play an important role. The second point is that increased DA in synapses in the CNS is not sufficient to explain drug-maintained behavior. The schedule of reinforcement critically determines rates and patterns of drug-maintained behavior. Barrett (this volume) has presented convincing evidence that behavioral history, i.e., the sequential exposure to alternative behavioral conditions, can dramatically alter drug effects. What I hope to have made clear is that the simultaneous opportunity to engage in other behaviors can dramatically alter the reinforcing effects of drugs. Indeed, under appropriate conditions, a drug can function as both a positive and a negative reinforcer simultaneously in the same animal. The drug-choice studies I have described emphasize the dynamic nature of the interaction between behavioral and pharmacologic variables. The frequency of choosing to self-administer cocaine varied with the magnitude of the dose of cocaine (a pharmacologic variable) and the magnitude of an alternative positive reinforcer that was available (a behavioral variable). Increasing the magnitude of the alternative reinforcer decreased cocaine choice, but increasing the magnitude of the cocaine dose reestablished drug preference. In a sense, this is not a surprising result. The rhetoric of the times, however, would have it that drug self-administration, particularly cocaine self-administration, is somehow a different class of behavior that is not subject to the usual laws governing the behavior of organisms. As our understanding of drug self-administration evolves, however, that position will become increasingly untenable. These experimental findings challenge simple neurobiological assumptions about the determinants of drug self-administration. Clearly, a reinforcing effect, like any other behavioral effect of a drug, is not simply an immutable effect of a pharmacologic property of the drug. Given the pivotal role of reinforcing effects in drug abuse, this realization is critical to a comprehensive understanding of drug abuse. Any complete neurobiological model of drug abuse will have to account for these effects. Apparently, increasing the concentration of DA in synapses in the brain is not sufficient to account for drug-maintained behavior.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Constitutive relations that imply a generalized Mohr-Coulomb criterion

A class of constitutive equations are shown to imply a generalized Mohr-Coulomb criterion for impending flow. The stress is assumed to have an isotropic dependence upon a vector argument in equilibrium and this assumption leads to a constrained stress state which is of the type characterized by the Mohr-Coulomb criterion.
Three-dimensional dendritic needle network model for alloy solidification

Abstract We present a three-dimensional (3D) formulation of the multiscale Dendritic Needle Network (DNN) model for dendritic microstructure growth. This approach is aimed at simulating quantitatively the solidification dynamics of complex hierarchical networks in spatially extended dendritic arrays, hence bridging the scale gap between phase-field simulations at the scale of a few dendrites and coarse-grained simulations on the larger scale of entire polycrystalline structures. In the DNN model, the dendritic network is represented by a network of branches that interact through the solutal diffusion field. The tip velocity V(t) and tip radius ρ(t) of each needle is determined by combining a standard solvability condition that fixes the product ρ2V and a solute flux conservation condition that fixes the product ρV2 in 2D and ρV in 3D as a function of a solutal flux intensity factor F (t). The latter measures the intensity of the solute flux in the dendrite tip region and can be calculated by contour (2D) or surface (3D) integration around the tip of each needle. We first present an extended formulation of the 2D DNN model where needles have a finite thickness and parabolic tips. This formulation remains valid for a larger range of tip Peclet number than the original thin needle formulation and is readily extended to 3D needles with paraboloidal tips. The 3D DNN model based on this thick-needle formulation is developed for both isothermal and directional solidification. Model predictions are validated by comparisons with known analytical solutions that describe the early transient and steady-state growth regimes. We exploit the power of the DNN model to characterize the competitive growth of well-developed secondary branches in 3D on the scale of the diffusion length. The results show that the length of active secondary branches increases as a power law of distance behind the tip with an exponent in good quantitative agreement with experimental measurements. Finally, we apply the model to simulate the three-dimensional directional solidification of an Al-7wt% Si alloy, which we directly compare to observed microstructures from microgravity experiments onboard the International Space Station. The predictions of selected microstructural features, such as dendrite arm spacings, show a good agreement with experiments. The computationally-efficient DNN model opens new avenues for investigating the dynamics of large dendritic arrays at length and time scales relevant to solidification experiments and processes.
Optimally pre-damped switched-inductor piezoelectric energy-harvesting charger

Wireless microsensors in factories, hospitals, cars, and so on process information that can save money, energy, and lives. Unfortunately, tiny batteries exhaust quickly, and replacing so many of them frequently is impractical. This is why recharging them with ambient energy is so appealing, especially when vibrations, for example, are abundant and steady. Still, tiny piezoelectric transducers draw so little power that they hardly damp motion. Luckily, pre-damping the transducer draws more power. This paper shows that symmetrical and asymmetrical pre-damping strategies draw the same power, but of the two, the proposed symmetrical case consumes less energy and therefore outputs more power. With this approach, the proposed system consumes 82% less power and generates 7.8× more output power.
Medical treatment of dystonia

Therapeutic strategies in dystonia have evolved considerably in the past few decades. Three major treatment modalities include oral medications, botulinum toxin injections and surgical therapies, particularly deep brain stimulation. Although there has been a tremendous interest in the later two modalities, there are relatively few recent reviews of oral treatment. We review the medical treatment of dystonia, focusing on three major neurotransmitter systems: cholinergic, GABAergic and dopaminergic. We also provide a practical guide to medication selection, therapeutic strategy and unmet needs.
Differential toxic effects of Ulva lactuca (Chlorophyta) on the herbivorous gastropods, Littorina littorea and L. obtusata (Mollusca).

Members of the genus Ulva are widespread and abundant in intertidal and shallow subtidal areas but there are conflicting data regarding susceptibility to herbivory. While some studies have documented that Ulva spp. were favored by a diversity of marine herbivores, other work has revealed herbivore deterrence. We investigated grazing and growth rates of the littorinid species, Littorina littorea and L. obtusata, when offered Fucus vesiculosus, Ascophyllum nodosum, Ulva lactuca and Chondrus crispus, highlighting distinctive vulnerabilities to toxic effects of U. lactuca. Ulva lactuca was the preferred food of L. littorea, while L. obtusata showed no grazing on this ephemeral algal species. In contrast, F. vesiculosus was highly preferred by L. obtusata. Although L. littorea demonstrated a grazing preference for U. lactuca, growth rate of this gastropod species was nearly 3X greater when fed F. vesiculosus, suggesting a non-lethal, negative effect of U. lactuca on L. littorea with long-term exposure. Mortality of L. obtusata ranged from zero to 100% when held in the presence of various Ulva densities for one week, and Ulva exudate depressed herbivory of this gastropod. We conclude that the water-soluble, toxic exudate produced by U. lactuca in response to herbivory had allelochemical properties, and may contain a cleavage product (acrylic acid) of dimethylsulfoniopropionate or reactive oxygen species (i.e., H2O2). Observed differences in susceptibility to Ulva toxicity by the littorinid species may be related to generalist vs. specialist feeding and habitat strategies. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Orbitalwise Coordination Number for Predicting Adsorption Properties of Metal Nanocatalysts.

A microscopic coordination number affects the macroscopic catalytic properties of metallic nanoparticles.
Forest Friends Demo: A Game-Exhibit to Promote Computer Science Concepts in Informal Spaces

Forest Friends is a strategic video game designed to introduce elements of computer science in an engaging and accessible way. The game includes artificial intelligence coding components that encourage participants to work with conditional statements. The research goal is to place the game in an informal learning environment to study the impact that it can have on young learners from diverse backgrounds.
Neurogenesis: remembering all or forgetting some.

Research over the last 20 years has begun to elucidate the importance of adult neurogenesis in cognition. Three studies recently asked what might be happening to memories formed before neurogenesis...
Intrathecal Drug Delivery Maintenance: Refill and Programming

Treatment of noncancer pain with intrathecal opioids in patients with chronic intractable pain has been an important breakthrough in the pain management field over the past four decades [1]. It has been increasingly used in patients with chronic intractable pain in whom conservative therapies have failed, or those who cannot tolerate side effects of oral opioid medications. Delivering opioids within the cerebrospinal fluid allows the administration of only a small amount of opioid to provide analgesia without the overt systemic side effects that may be experienced when the drugs are given orally or intravenously. A number of reviews have documented the safety and efficacy of intrathecal drug delivery (IDD) therapy in patients with chronic pain. IDD therapy for noncancer pain is effective, cost-neutral, and appropriate [1]. Although the overall safety of IDD systems has been documented, there have been case reports of adverse events. Most notably, respiratory depression with concomitant use of central nervous system depressant medications such as benzodiazepines has been implicated in IDD-related fatalities [1]. Potential problems also can occur during the pump refill, such as a pocket fill. Although respiratory depression is rare in patients who are opioid tolerant, missed refill dates may predispose the patient to an opioid-naive state in which a medication refill of morphine at the same concentration and dose may result in delayed respiratory depression [2]. (Early respiratory depression has not been reported with morphine.) A number of other important matters need particular care and attention during the refill and maintenance process to avoid likely complications. Proper physician training and understanding of the pharmacology and dosing of intrathecal medications is imperative to limit life-threatening complications including pocket fills and respiratory depression.
Introduction: What Should Public Health Students Be Taught About Religion and Spirituality?

This chapter introduces the volume’s Part III, which contains chapter-length portraits of how seven top schools of public health are addressing religious/spiritual (R/S) factors in their educational offerings. This chapter also reports findings from national surveys of public health graduate students (n = 980) and public health school leaders (e.g., deans, n = 24).The history of public health teaching about religious/spiritual factors can be traced back several decades, but only now, with the emergence of a large and rapidly expanding inter-disciplinary empirical research literature on R/S and health, does the topic appear poised and ready for widespread inclusion in public health education. Completed surveys about R/S and health were obtained from 980 public health graduate students from 24 US-based schools and colleges of public health. A majority (53%) believed that R/S-health topics received too little coverage in their public health education. Respondents who had received more frequent educational exposure to evidence about relations of R/S factors with disease and longevity were significantly more likely to believe that R/S factors should receive coverage in public health training that is similar to the coverage of other well-established health factors. Similarly, of 24 deans or dean-designated respondents to a public health school leader survey, a large majority (20/24) agreed that evidence about R/S-health relations should be included in public health education. Enunciation of formal professional competency lists would be premature. But many resources are available to academic public health educators who wish to start new efforts or refine existing ones, including the seven following chapters.
Lineages That Give Rise to Endoderm and Mesoderm in the Sea Urchin Embryo

Publisher Summary Many cell labeling studies have been performed on sea urchin embryos during the past century, and new data have both confirmed and improved on previous fate maps as novel lineage tracers have become available. This chapter reviews mechanisms of fate specification for a variety of cell types in sea urchin embryos. Recently, fate maps of 60-cell stage and mesenchyme blastula-stage embryos have provided new information about how tissue precursors are distributed along the animal–vegetal axis. Since these types of studies reveal where prospective cell and tissue types reside in unperturbed embryos, the fate maps provide new tools for experimentally examining how the endoderm and mesoderm are specified during development. The early cleavages of the sea urchin embryo are highly stereotyped and produce blastomeres that are easily distinguished by their size and location along the animal–vegetal axis. This predictability has allowed cells to be identified reliably and marked with lineage tracers to assess their fates in the embryo. It has been well established that the micromeres produce the skeletogenic, primary mesenchyme cells, and that the mesomeres give rise to the ectoderm.
Invariant Measures and the Variational Principle for Lozi Mappings

This article contains a proof of the existence of SBR measures for the family of maps of the plane known as Lozi maps: L(x, y) = (1-a׀x׀+y, bx). We also prove that the number of SBR measures is finite. Our approach also yields invariant measures for other classes of dynamical systems like piecewise expanding mappings of an interval with infinitely many pieces and Holder derivative. Although known to specialists from my 1983 dissertation (University of California, Berkeley), the results presented in this article have never been published. I am delighted that the article found its place in the current volume, as the ideas of several papers that Jim Yorke co-authored or inspired played an important role in my approach.
The Use of Atypical Antipsychotics in Pediatric Bipolar Disorder

Diagnosis of bipolar disorder in children and adolescents is increasing, and the early-onset form of bipolar disorder usually carries more morbidity than later-onset forms. Patient education and psychotherapeutic and psychosocial interventions should be used in conjunction with carefully planned medication regimens. Recent data support the use of atypical antipsychotics for manic or mixed states in children and adolescents. However, more information is needed about long-term treatment of mania, treatment of bipolar depression, and treatment of comorbid psychiatric conditions.
Treatment of Arteriovenous Malformations with Cyanoacrylate

Embolization of arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) with acrylates can play an important role in treating these complex lesions. Embolization can be performed with an acceptable safety profile when utilizing proper planning and technique. Heterogeneity among these lesions and treatment decisions and techniques vary dramatically between treating physicians and medical centers. Reported general complication rates vary from 1 to 16%, with permanent morbidity rates of 0.4–12.5% and mortality rates of 0.4–11% [1–21]. Within these reports, rates of ischemic complications range from 0.7 to12.5% [2, 7, 20, 22]. Reported hemorrhage rates range from 2 to 15% [2, 7, 14, 20, 22, 23]. These publications reflect large case series employing different embolic agents, including acrylates, and they reflect a mix of modern and discontinued techniques with higher rates of complication compared to current methods [3].
Increasing ER stress response in pemetrexed-resistant mesothelioma cells.

7577 Background: Clinically silent progression and extraordinary resistance to therapy dictate poor survival for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) patients. Current standard therapies such as an...
Hooking up mildly or wildly: Linguistic interventions for the negotiation of gay male desires

Abstract This article explores a specific linguistic intervention ("mild to wild”) that occurs in online communication on gay internet hook up sites. It argues that despite supposed knowledge as to what “mild to wild” means, we must look at this linguistic intervention within specific socio-cultural contexts. Without context, the actual uses and meanings of “mild to wild” might be misunderstood while our knowledge of sexual communities of practice risks falling squarely into stereotypes. For this community of practice, “mild to wild” creates a linguistic opportunity for men interested in having sex with other men to be able to define their desires and further explicate how their sexual interaction will take place while also negotiating expectations and assumptions of male-male sex within increasingly homonormative strictures. Data was gathered from over four years of ethnographic research and is presented from a cultural and anthropological linguistics perspective. The phrase “mild to wild” is used by these men in order to: (1) contest supposed concrete categorizations of sexuality and desire; (2) to create highly contextual intimacies and organizations of desire through online-linguistic interaction; and (3) to alleviate detrimental social effects attached to specific unsafe and variant sex practices. The author argues that this community of practice is an example of how new socialities develop within homonormativities designed to control queer sex and desire.
Nanocrystals in Molten Salts and Ionic Liquids: Experimental Observation of Ionic Correlations Extending beyond the Debye Length

The nature of the interface between the solute and the solvent in a colloidal solution has attracted attention for a long time. For example, the surface of colloidal nanocrystals (NCs) is specially designed to impart colloidal stability in a variety of polar and nonpolar solvents. This work focuses on a special type of colloids where the solvent is a molten inorganic salt or organic ionic liquid. The stability of such colloids is hard to rationalize because solvents with high density of mobile charges efficiently screen the electrostatic double-layer repulsion, and purely ionic molten salts represent an extreme case where the Debye length is only ∼1 A. We present a detailed investigation of NC dispersions in molten salts and ionic liquids using small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), atomic pair distribution function (PDF) analysis and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Our SAXS analysis confirms that a wide variety of NCs (Pt, CdSe/CdS, InP, InAs, ZrO2) can be uniformly dispersed in molten salts like AlCl3/NaCl/KCl (AlCl3/AlCl4-) and NaSCN/KSCN and in ionic liquids like 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium halides (BMIM+X-, where X = Cl, Br, I). By using a combination of PDF analysis and molecular modeling, we demonstrate that the NC surface induces a solvent restructuring with electrostatic correlations extending an order of magnitude beyond the Debye screening length. These strong oscillatory ion-ion correlations, which are not accounted by the traditional mechanisms of steric and electrostatic stabilization of colloids, offer additional insight into solvent-solute interactions and enable apparently "impossible" colloidal stabilization in highly ionized media.
Home waters run deep: leveraging place perception and trout conservation to promote climate change adaptation

ABSTRACTDesigning effective communications aimed at climate change adaptation has proven to be one of the most challenging problems that humans face. However, there exist strategies tied to communi...
Streaming from the Past: Magical Realism as Postmodern Fairy Tale

Dana Del George, “Streaming from the Past: Magical Realism as Postmodern Fairy Tale” Dana Del George proposes that magical realism is a postmodern variety of the fairy tale, related to both the modern literary fairy tale and the premodern fairy tale of oral tradition. “Streaming from the Past: Magical Realism as Postmodern Fairy Tale” gathers key scholarly statements to illustrate the critical confusion around both forms and demonstrates, with examples from representative fairy tales and magical realist short stories, the strong family resemblance between the two. Both forms are popular but resist precise definitions. Both offer unflinching depictions of cruel and ugly realities but do not shy away from sincere portrayals of hope and justice. The chapter concludes with a discussion of several of George Saunders’s magical realist stories, which are shown to be postmodern fairy tales.
Role of Organizational Capacity in Enabling Population Health Impact for Health Promotion Programs

Objective: To examine how organizational capacity of Area Agencies on Aging, a type of community-based social service agency, influenced their ability to achieve population-level impact through the...
An Overview of the Laboratory's Role in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a multi-faceted disease for a clinical laboratory with diagnosis data and treatment spread across many different laboratory sections. Encompassing results from hematology, chemistry, molecular, and coagulation sections with treatment from the transfusion medicine/Blood Bank section of the laboratory, clinicians are able to accurately diagnosis and treat TTP.
Acanthamoeba Keratitis, Pathology, Diagnosis and Treatment

Acanthamoeba keratitis is an unusual corneal infection that is recently increasing in frequency and is often contracted by contact lens wearers, someone who experienced recent eye trauma, or someone exposed to contaminated waters. Acanthamoeba survive in air, soil, dust, and water. Therefore, eye trauma and poor contact lens hygiene practices lead to the entrapment of debris and thus infection. Acanthamoeba keratitis results in severe eye pain, inflammation, and defects of the epithelium and stroma that can potentially result in vision loss if not diagnosed early and treated promptly. The disease can be diagnosed using corneal scrape/biopsy, polymerase chain reactions, impression cytology, or in vivo confocal microscopy. Once diagnosed, it is usually treated with an antimicrobial combination therapy of biguanide and aromatic diadine eye drops for several months. Advanced stages of the disease result in vision loss and the need for corneal transplants. Avoiding the risk factors and diagnosing the disease early are the most effective ways to combat Acanthamoeba keratitis.
Black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae) of central and northeastern Washington, United States of America, with cytogenetic emphasis on the Simulium arcticum complex

We made 28 collections of black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae) at 24 locations in central and northeastern Washington state, United States of America, and identified 10 species in three genera, including Simulium arcticum Malloch, which we studied cytogenetically. We analysed 745 larvae of S. arcticum cytogenetically from nine of the 11 sites where it occurred; five sites had small sample sizes. For the collections with large sample sizes, the distribution of S. arcticum may have a geographic pattern. Larvae in western tributaries of the Columbia River have the sex-linked IIL-2 inversion and heterozygotes for the IS-1 autosomal polymorphism in abundance but lack the IIL-21 sex-linked inversion, whereas larvae in eastern tributaries of the Columbia River possess the IIL-21 inversion but lack IIL-2 and the IS-1 inversions. A cytotype new to science, S. arcticum IIL-81, occurs in some larvae at the Methow River in the eastern Cascades region. All females, regardless of location, possess enhanced (Ce Ce) centromere bands in their IIL-chromosomes, whereas all males possess the enhanced, thin (Ce Ct) centromere band dimorphism. The Methow River had nine types of chromosomally identified males in 2019 and eight types in 2020.
Air in the Balance: Rewriting the Clean Air Act’s New Source Review Program

One of the most significant Clean Air Act battles of the last fifteen years is almost over. In December 2002, in response to industry criticisms of the permitting process, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published changes to the federal regulations on New Source Review (NSR)—a core program of the Clean Air Act. In June 2005, after nearly three years of litigation, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit announced its ruling on challenges to those reforms. In the meantime, Virginia has been moving forward with its own plans to incorporate some of the federal changes into the state NSR program. The state process should be completed before the end of the calendar year. These milestones mean that for the first time since Congress amended the Clean Air Act in 1990, Virginia’s electricity providers, manufacturers, regulators and clean air advocates live in a dramatically new regulatory landscape.
Tumor angiogenesis, antiangiogenic therapy and anti-antiangiogenesis response

Tumor growth and metastasis require new blood vessel formation, i.e. angiogenesis. Antiangiogenic therapy is emerging as a novel and potentially promising anti-cancer approach. A variety of strategies targeting tumor angiogenesis have been developed and tested in preclinical and clinical settings. The overall efficacy of antiangiogenic therapy, however, is yet to be improved. In this regard, how tumors respond to antiangiogenic therapy needs to be further investigated. Recent research suggests that tumor cells could counteract the effects of anti-endothelial inhibitors, i.e. they are not only angiogenic but also anti-antiangiogenic. The anti-antiangiogenic phenotype of tumor cells might be genetically driven. Specifically, oncogenic alterations acquired in tumor cells could provide surviving signals to endothelial cells and confer a resistance to endothelial targeting therapies. When using an anti-endothelial treatment, simultaneously suppressing the anti-antiangiogenic property of tumor cells might be essential. Based on this consideration, combination of direct and indirect antiangiogenic therapies might represent a useful strategy to achieve effective inhibition of tumor angiogenesis.
Mechanoreception at the cell membrane: More than the integrins

A cell receives mechanical cues from its surrounding microenvironment and transduces this mechanical information into a biochemical signal within the cell, ultimately resulting in physiological change. Several molecules within the plasma membrane have been identified that are capable of receiving and translating a mechanical signal. Although integrins are most often discussed as the cell's primary method of mechanoreception at the cell membrane, several non-integrin mechanoreceptors have emerged over the last decade. Specifically, multiple G-protein coupled receptors, the glycocalyx, ion channels, lipid rafts and receptor tyrosine kinases have been found to translate mechanical stimuli from the environment into cellular change. This review will discuss these non-integrin mechanoreceptors associated with the plasma membrane, and their impact on cell physiology.
How far have we come? Information sharing, interagency collaboration, and trust within the law enforcement community

After the 9/11 attacks, the law enforcement and intelligence communities adopted the rhetoric and goals of enhanced information sharing and interagency collaboration, particularly within the context of fusion centers. Although the 9/11 terrorist attacks benchmarked a turning point within the domestic law enforcement community, there has been little research investigating what changes have occurred over the past decade. Drawing on data collected from 49 interviews with individuals working with four state fusion centers and the federal government, this article concludes that there have been many positive strides with respect to information sharing and interagency collaboration; however, interpersonal relationships and trust lie at the core of true change.
Bulk Loading into an OODB: A Performance Study

Object-oriented database (OODB) users bring with them large quantities of legacy data (megabytes and even gigabIn addition, scientific OODB users continually generate new data. All this data must be loaded into the OODB. Every relational database system has a load utility , but most OODBs do not. The process of loading data into an OODB is complicated by inter-object references, or relationships, in the data. These relationships are expressed in the OODB as object identifiers, which are not known at the time the load data is generated; they may contain cycles; and there may be implicit system-maintained inverse relationships that must also be stored. W e introduce seven algorithms for loading data into an OODB that examine different techniques for dealing with circular and inverse relationships. W e present a performance study based on both an analytic model and an implementation of all seven algorithms on top of the Shore object repository . Our study demonstrates that it is ortant to choose a load algorithm carefully; in some cases the best algorithm achieved an improvement of one to two orders of magnitude over the naive algorithm
Automatic 3D Mesh Generation for a Domain with Multiple Materials

This paper describes an approach to construct unstructured tetrahedral and hexahedral meshes for a domain with multiple materials. In earlier works, we developed an octree-based isocontouring method to construct unstructured 3D meshes for a single-material domain. Based on this methodology, we introduce the notion of material change edge and use it to identify the interface between two or several materials. We then mesh each material region with conforming boundaries. Two kinds of surfaces, the boundary surface and the interface between two different material regions, are distinguished and meshed. Both material change edges and interior edges are analyzed to construct tetrahedral meshes, and interior grid points are analyzed for hexahedral mesh construction. Finally the edge-contraction and smoothing method is used to improve the quality of tetrahedral meshes, and a combination of pillowing, geometric flow and optimization techniques is used for hexahedral mesh quality improvement. The shrink set is defined automatically as the boundary of each material region. Several application results in different research fields are shown.
Alu elements and the human genome

Alu insertional elements, the most abundant class of SINEs in humans are dimeric sequences approximately 300 bp in length derived from the 7SL RNA gene. These sequences contain a bipartite RNA pol III promoter, a central poly A tract, a 3' poly A tail, numerous CpG islands and are bracketed by short direct repeats. An estimated 500,000 to 1 x 10(6) units are dispersed throughout the human haploid genome primarily in AT rich neighborhoods located within larger GC dense chromosomal regions via a mechanism known as retroposition. Retroposition activity of Alu elements is determined by both internal and flanking regulatory elements as well as distant genes affecting transcription or transcript stability. Alu elements impact the organization and expression of the human genome at many levels including the processes of recombination, transcription and translation. Twelve subfamilies of Alu are defined by distinct patterns of diagnostic base substitutions. Subfamilies may be classified as young, intermediate or old reflecting the time since the start of retroposition by their members. Some insertions of the youngest subfamilies are not yet fixed in the human species and represent polymorphic loci. Alus are excellent molecular markers for a variety of reasons. They aid in tracing the complex pattern of duplication and rearrangements that occurred during the evolution of primate genome. Unlike other mutations, Alu sequences are rarely lost completely once retroposed, have a defined ancestral state and are free from homoplasy since independent and identical insertions are highly unlikely. Because of these characteristics, Alus are literally molecular fossils. Polymorphic Alu loci are especially useful in studies of human genetic diversity and in pedigree and forensic analysis.
The Challenge of Developmental Instruction

Problems of Developmental Instruction: A Theoretical and Experimental Psychological Study, by V.V. Davydov, is the first book in a series entitled Perspectives in Non-Classical Psychology, the edit...
URINE CYTOLOGY: Is it Still the Gold Standard for Screening?

Urine cytology remains the gold standard for bladder cancer screening. It is the test against which all others are compared when evaluating potential bladder tumor markers. The answer to whether urine cytology possess the optimal combination of sensitivity and specificity to retain consideration as the best screening device depends on the goals of the clinical practice. Urine cytology has excellent specificity with few false-positive cases. Its overall sensitivity is poor, but this drawback is explained for the most part by poor criteria for identifying well-differentiated, low-grade TCC. The natural history of such lesions is the occurrence of multiple superficial recurrences in 70% to 80% of patients, with only a minority (10% to 15%) progressing to muscle invasive or metastatic disease. Because patients with low-grade TCC are at low risk for progression, they are monitored primarily for the development of a subsequent tumor. One might argue that the detection of new low-grade lesions is of secondary importance to the early detection of disease progression. The performance characteristics of urine cytology in this regard are much improved. Urine cytology often results in the identification of high-grade malignant cells even before a cystoscopically distinguishable gross lesion is present. Routinely diagnosing grade I TCC may be clinically irrelevant. Ancillary techniques to improve the sensitivity of urine cytology have been insufficiently additive to have much clinical value. Several promising bladder tumor markers have been investigated as potential screening tools and are summarized in Table 3. BTA, nuclear matrix proteins, and fibrin/fibrinogen degradation products share lower specificities than urine cytology and may have high rates of false positivity. Telomerase is highly sensitive and highly specific but is not readily available as a point-of-service test. Hyaluronidase and hyaluronic acid are promising prognostic markers, but hyaluronidase does not detect grade I TCC. Early results from studies of this marker await verification. Combining some of these new markers may optimize their performance status, allowing the advantages of one test to correct the shortcomings of another. Likewise, their combination with urine cytology may prove beneficial. Although adding urine cytology has not increased the sensitivity of some point-of-service tests, few studies have addressed the effect on specificity. Until an obvious winner is declared in the race to find a bladder tumor marker, urine cytology will remain the gold standard screening method because of its comfortable familiarity.
Evaluating a Demand Driven Technique for Call Graph Construction

With the increasing importance of just-in-time or dynamic compilation and the use of program analysis as part of software development environments, there is a need for techniques for demand driven construction of a call graph. We have developed a technique for demand driven call graph construction which handles dynamic calls due to polymorphism in object-oriented languages. Our demand driven technique has the same accuracy as the corresponding exhaustive technique. The reduction in the graph construction time depends upon the ratio of the cardinality of the set of influencing nodes and the total number of nodes in the entire program.This paper presents a detailed experimental evaluation of the benefits of the demand driven technique over the exhaustive one. We consider a number of scenarios, including resolving a single call site, resolving all call sites in a method, resolving all call sites within all methods in a class and computing reaching definitions of all actual parameters inside a method. We compare the analysis time, the number of methods analyzed and the number of nodes in the working set for the demand driven and exhaustive analyses.We use SPECJVM programs as benchmarks for our experiments. Our experiments show for the larger SPECJVM programs, javac, mpegaudio and jack, demand driven analysis on the average takes nearly an order of magnitude less time than exhaustive analysis.
A knowledge base controlled signal processing and scoring system for the exercise ECG

A knowledge-based-controlled signal-processing and scoring system has been developed for processing exercise ECG studies. All of the processes from recording the analog ECG signal through calculation of the final scores are controlled by knowledge contained in two separate knowledge bases. Comparisons of differing processing and scoring methods are controlled by the user through editing of available knowledge bases. The system has been designed not only for evaluation of coronary artery disease (using accepted predefined scoring rules programmed into the computer) but also for research purposes, where user-defined rules may be entered and evaluated against current methods. The knowledge base contains knowledge regarding both measurements relating to specific segments of the ECG waveform and methods to score the information recorded during the exercise and recovery phases of a test. The authors also tested the system algorithms using different waveforms and various levels of noise. The average measurement error was smaller than the error measured by vision. For example, the average error of the J-point amplitude was about 0.1 mm. >
Comparison of central corneal thickness: ultrasound pachymetry versus slit-lamp optical coherence tomography, specular microscopy, and Orbscan.

Background Central corneal thickness (CCT) can be measured by using contact and non-contact methods. Ultrasound pachymetry (US pachymetry) is a contact method for measuring CCT and is perhaps the most commonly used method. However, non-contact methods like scanning slit topography (Orbscan II), slit-lamp optical coherence tomography (SL-OCT), and specular microscopy are also used. Not many studies have correlated the measurement of CCT with all four modalities. The purpose of this study was to compare and correlate the CCT measurements obtained by US pachymetry with SL-OCT, specular microscopy, and Orbscan.
Abstract 309: Vasovasorum Volume Can Be Measured by Contrast-Enhanced 3D Carotid Duplex Ultrasound: Concept and Design of a Novel Method for Predicting Stroke Risk in Patients With Carotid Artery Stenosis

Introduction: Stroke remains a leading cause of death and disability. The reliance on the occurrence of symptoms and degree of stenosis for selecting patients with carotid stenosis for intervention is not ideal because it is often seen that patients with severe stenosis remain asymptomatic while many patients with moderate stenosis experience stroke. Furthermore, the majority of patients are asymptomatic until they experience stroke. It is known that intimal neovascularization flourishes as atherosclerotic disease progresses; however no technique in current use adequately correlates neovascularization to stroke risk. Objective: With seed grant support from the Society for Vascular Surgery Foundation we are executing a study based on our hypothesis that Vasovasorum Volume (VVV) measured using CE-3DCDU as a valid tool for mapping stroke risk. Method: We are recruiting symptomatic and asymptomatic patients adjudged to have >50% and >70% stenosis respectively on routine duplex ultrasound. Vasovasorum volume is measured using CE-3DCDU in patients who are eligible for carotid endarterectomy. Plaque removed during surgery is marked, decalcified and immunostained with CD34. Thereafter, VVV is measured in the excised plaque using 3D reconstruction histometry. We then evaluate the reliability and accuracy of CE-3DCDU in relation to the histopathology and compare VVV in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. Results: The preliminary study included six patients and the results show that VVV measurement in carotid ultrasound and histopathology is feasible and reproducible (Figures 1 and 2). Conclusion: Vasovasorum volume is a promising predictor of stroke risk. By identifying patients who are truly at high risk for stroke, VVV measured by CE-3DCDU will aid precise patient selection for intervention, thus prevent stroke, save lives, limit disability and expend health care resources in an informed manner. The next phase of this project involves the establishment of efficacy and a population based multi-center clinical trial to generate evidence required to incorporate VVV measured using CE-3DCDU into clinical practice.
Notochord to endoderm signaling is required for pancreas development

The role of the notochord in inducing and patterning adjacent neural and mesodermal tissues is well established. We provide evidence that the notochord is also required for one of the earliest known steps in the development of the pancreas, an endodermally derived organ. At a developmental stage in chick embryos when the notochord touches the endoderm, removal of notochord eliminates subsequent expression of several markers of dorsal pancreas bud development, including insulin, glucagon and carboxypeptidase A. Pancreatic gene expression can be initiated and maintained in prepancreatic chick endoderm grown in vitro with notochord. Non-pancreatic endoderm, however, does not express pancreatic genes when recombined with the same notochord. The results suggest that the notochord provides a permissive signal to endoderm to specify pancreatic fate in a stepwise manner.
Cutting Edge: Critical Role for C5aRs in the Development of Septic Lymphopenia in Mice

In the early stages of sepsis, lymphocytes undergo apoptosis, resulting in lymphopenia and immunosuppression. The trigger for septic lymphopenia is unknown. Using the polymicrobial model of murine sepsis, we investigated the role of C5a receptors in septic lymphopenia. In wild-type mice, cecal ligation and puncture resulted in splenocyte apoptosis and significant lymphopenia after 3 d, which was not observed in C5aR1 −/− or C5aR2 −/− mice. Our data show that mouse neutrophils exposed to recombinant mouse C5a cause release of histones in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner. Histone levels in spleen were significantly elevated following cecal ligation and puncture but were reduced by the absence of C5aR1. Histones induced significant lymphocyte apoptosis in vitro. Ab-mediated neutralization of histones prevented the development of lymphopenia in sepsis. Together, these results describe a new pathway of septic lymphopenia involving complement and extracellular histones. Targeting of this pathway may have therapeutic benefit for patients with sepsis or other serious illness.
Coal Agglomeration with Microbubbles

Abstract Coal cleaning by selective agglomeration of an aqueous suspension of coal particles was demonstrated on a laboratory scale by employing a colloidal dispersion of microscopic gas bubbles as an agglomerant. The microbubbles were produced by saturating water with gas under pressure and then releasing the pressure as the water was agitated. The formation and stabilization of microbubbles was facilitated by employing a small amount of i-octane. Agglomeration was carried out in a closed system using a high shear rate and with no additional air present. The resulting agglomerates Boated readily since they consisted of a mixture of coal particles and microbubbles. Therefore, the agglomerates were recovered by allowing the treated material to separate into distinct layers under quiescent conditions. The upper product layer held most of the coal with greatly diminished ash content while the bottom layer was composed largely of ash-forming mineral matter. The effects of various process parameters were studi...