cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Knowledge-based 3D segmentation of the brain in MR images for quantitative multiple sclerosis lesion tracking

Brain segmentation in magnetic resonance (MR) images is an important step in quantitative analysis applications, including the characterization of multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions over time. Our approach is based on a priori knowledge of the intensity and three-dimensional (3D) spatial relationships of structures in MR images of the head. Optimal thresholding and connected-components analysis are used to generate a starting point for segmentation. A 3D radial search is then performed to locate probable locations of the intra-cranial cavity (ICC). Missing portions of the ICC surface are interpolated in order to exclude connected structures. Partial volume effects and inter-slice intensity variations in the image are accounted for automatically. Several studies were conducted to validate the segmentation. Accuracy was tested by calculating the segmented volume and comparing to known volumes of a standard MR phantom. Reliability was tested by comparing calculated volumes of individual segmentation results from multiple images of the same subject. The segmentation results were also compared to manual tracings. The average error in volume measurements for the phantom was 1.5% and the average coefficient of variation of brain volume measurements of the same subject was 1.2%. Since the new algorithm requires minimal user interaction, variability introduced by manual tracing and interactive threshold or region selection was eliminated. Overall, the new algorithm was shown to produce a more accurate and reliable brain segmentation than existing manual and semi-automated techniques.
Enhancing video games in real time with biofeedback data

All video games have the ability to affect a player and the result can be seen in changes of his or her heart rate, perspiration, focus or concentration. This change is a large part of what draws a person to play a game in the first place but overtime players body starts to adjust to the stimuli in the game thus decreasing the interest. What if the game could continuously adjust to players biofeedback and keep the engagement and excitement levels high longer?
Inconsistency and rank preservation

Abstract Conditions for rank preservation in a positive reciprocal matrix that is inconsistent are provided. Three methods of deriving ratio estimates are examined: the eigenvalue, the logarithmic least squares, and the least squares methods. It is shown that only the principal eigenvector directly deals with the question of inconsistency and captures the rank order inherent in the inconsistent data.
Bioassay of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D in human plasma purified by partition, alkaline extraction, and high-pressure chromatography

Abstract A method is described which permits the assay of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D in 1 ml of normal human plasma. Samples are extracted with benzene or isopropyl ether. The organic phase is then back-extracted with 0.1 m Na2HPO4, pH 10.5. The final purification step involves high-pressure liquid chromatography on μPorosil with a solvent system of 13% isopropanol in hexane. Recovery through the entire purification procedure averages 76.8%, the purified extract is assayed for 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D by determining its effect on the resorption of fetal rat bones in vitro. 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin Da standards in the 4- to 25 pg/ml range gave responses which fitted a logarithmic dose-response curve with an average r2 of 0.986. Repeat assays with normal human plasma gave a coefficient of variation ( SD x ) between experiments of 16.1 ± 0.3%. Normal human serum contains 33.4 ± 6.4 pg/ml ( x ± SD ) 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D by this assay. Values averaging less than normal are found in plasmas of patients with renal failure and in patients with pseudohypoparathyroidism. Average values greater than normal were found in patients with hyperparathyroidism. 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D was not detectable in plasma of anephric patients.
High-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of human erythrocyte oxyterols as Δ4-3-ketone derivatives

Abstract Following oxidation by cholesterol oxidase human erythrocyte oxysterols were analyzed as the corresponding hydroxy- Δ 4 -3-ketones by HPLC with effluent monitoring at 235 nm. Variable amounts of epimeric cholest-5-ene-3s,7-diols, 3s-hydroxycholest-5-en-7-one, cholest-5-ene-3s,19-diol, cholest-5-ene-3s,20-diol, cholest-5-ene-3s,25-diol and cholest-5-ene-3s,26-diol were detected in erythrocyte membranes of patients with sickle cell anemia or sickle cell trait. Only 3s-hydroxycholest-5-en-7-one was detected in erythrocyte membranes of healthy donors.
Evolving Decision Trees for the Categorization of Software

Current manual techniques of static reverse engineering are inefficient at providing semantic program understanding. We have developed an automated method to categorize applications in order to quickly determine pertinent characteristics. Prior work in this area has had some success, but a major strength of our approach is that it produces heuristics that can be reused for quick analysis of new data. Our method relies on a genetic programming algorithm to evolve decision trees which can be used to categorize software. The terminals, or leaf nodes, within the trees each contain values based on selected features from one of several attributes: system calls, byte n-grams, opcode n-grams, cyclomatic complexity, and bonding. The evolved decision trees are reusable and achieve average accuracies above 95% when categorizing programs based on compiler origin and versions. Developing new decision trees simply requires more labeled datasets and potentially different feature selection algorithms for other attributes, depending on the data being classified.
Kinetic analysis of 'rapid onset' neurite formation in NG108-15 cells reveals a dual role for substratum-bound laminin.

Abstract Undifferentiated neural hybrid NG108-15 cells plated on laminin-coated, polylysine-treated plastic Petri dishes in minimal serumfree media formed long neurites within 1–4 h post-plating. Morphologic features and pharmacologic responses of these ‘rapid onset’ neurites were strikingly similar to those of neuronal growth cones. Cycloheximide (1–10 μg/ml) and forskolin (10 −7 to 10 −6 M) accelerated the initial formation of laminin-stimulated neurites, but did not cause rapid onset neurites to emerge upon Petri dishes coated with polylysine alone. Quantitative study of the substratum-dependent effect of cycloheximide showed that it was (a) additive even with maximally effective amounts of laminin, (b) independent of the magnitude of the laminin-stimulated baseline rate and (c) not limited by an inherent ceiling in the rate at which neurites could form. The methylation inhibitor 5′-deoxy-5′-methyl thioadenosine (MTA) (3 × 10 −4 to 3 × 10 −3 M) did stimulate neurites to form on polylysine. MTA- and laminin-stimulated neurites were similar in their susceptibility to calmodulin antagonists and the phorbol ester 12- O -tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate (TPA). However, formation of MTA-stimulated neurites was not accelerated by cycloheximide. A simple two-compartment kinetic model of ‘rapid onset’ neurite formation is proposed: compartment A is common to both laminin- and MTA-stimulated neurites. Compartment B is affected by cycloheximide, and its access to the neurite formation machinery contained in compartment A is gated according to the nature of the substratum. In addition to its direct effects, laminin controls the relative dominance of the two kinetic compartments via modulating the effectiveness of other signals acting upon an endogenously active compartment B.
Nucleation of a 60° glide dislocation in two-dimensional or three-dimensional growth of epilayers

The nucleation of a 60° glide dislocation in epitaxial thin films is analyzed. Nucleation from either a free surface or from a threading dislocation is considered. In this work, the presence of either infinitely long steps in a two-dimensional film or finite size steps in a two-dimensional or a three-dimensional film is proposed to reduce the activation energy associated with dislocation nucleation. The activation energy is reduced below 40 kT, a value predicted by standard nucleation theory for favorable nucleation, if the step is partially eliminated upon nucleation of a dislocation. However, when the coherency stress is small due to smaller lattice mismatch parameter, the activation energy can not be reduced below 40 kT. In addition, the activation energy is found to be a function of the size of the step but not that of the epilayer. Bowing of a threading dislocation by nucleation of kinks and propagation of the kinks along the dislocation is also analyzed using small angle approximation of the bow out. The activation energy associated with the bow out is again found to be independent of the size of the epilayer thickness. The critical size of the epilayer can be defined if the coherency strain energy remaining in the film is released in the form of thermal energy that helps to overcome the activation energy for nucleation of a dislocation.
Evaluating the effectiveness of biometric access control systems

This paper describes the contribution by the National Safe Skies Alliance (Safe Skies) in operational testing of biometric access control systems under the guidance of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Safe Skies has been conducting operational tests of biometric access control systems on behalf of the TSA for approximately four years. The majority of this testing has occurred at the McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) in Knoxville, Tennessee. Twelve separate biometric devices - eight fingerprint, facial, iris, hand geometry, and fingerprint and iris, have been tested to date. Tests were conducted at a TYS administrative door and different airports to evaluate the access control device under normal, abnormal, and attempt-to-defeat conditions.
Implosion of Longitudinally Off-Centered Cylindrical Volumes in a Confining Environment

A comprehensive experimental/numerical study on the implosion of longitudinally off-centered cylindrical implodable volumes was conducted within a tubular confining space. In particular, the aim of this study was to examine the changes in the implosion mechanics and in the nature of pressure waves, arising from the longitudinally off-centered location of the implodable volume. Experiments were conducted with 31.8 mm outer diameter, cylindrical aluminum 6061-T6 implodable volumes placed concentrically within the confining tube. Three longitudinal offset locations were chosen within the confining tube, such that distance from the center of the implodable volume to the center of confining tube is equal to: (a) zero, (b) 3/7 of the half-length of confining tube (L), and (c) 5 L/7. Pressure transducers mounted on the inner surface of the confining tube were used to capture the pressure waves released during the implosion event. Computational simulations were performed using a coupled Eulerian–Lagrangian scheme to explicitly model the implosion process of the tubes along with the resulting compressible fluid flow. The experiments revealed that the longitudinal asymmetric placement of the implodable volume enhances the strength of hammer pressure waves generated during the implosion process. The off-centered location of the implodable volume causes a pressure imbalance in the entire length of the confining tube. Hence, the water particle velocity shifts toward the implodable volume producing high pressure region at the end-plate near the implodable volume, while the other end-plate experiences significantly longer cavitation due to low pressure. This far end-plate cavitation duration is also found to increase with increasing longitudinal offset, even though the total combined cavitation duration at both the end-plates is approximately same for all offset locations. With high correlation observed between the experiments and simulations, computation models were further used to correlate the longitudinal offset and the signature of pressure waves at various interpolated locations. Simulations show that there is increase in both the peak pressure and the impulse of the hammer wave with increasing longitudinal offset of the implodable volume. Simulations also show that the collapse rate of the implodable volume decreases with the increasing longitudinal offset.
The Calderone Prize in Public Health a legacy of legends.

The article presents information about the Frank A. Calderone Prize in Public Health and also notes several winners of the award since 1992. The international award is named for Dr. Frank A. Calderone, a pioneer in public health who considered public health a cornerstone of civilization. The article notes the first recipient was former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop. Topics include the organizations and agencies represented on the selection committee and the achievements of the 2011 recipient Harvey Fineberg, president of the Institute of Medicine (IOM).
Nurses' role in communication and patient safety.

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION is critical during the countless interactions that occur among healthcare workers on a daily basis. Staff must know how to communicate effectively and work collaboratively in teams so that appropriate information is shared in a timely manner. When effective communication is a
The colorimetric determination of γ-glutamyl transpeptidase with a synthetic substrate

Abstract A new procedure for the colorimetric assay of γ-glutamyl transpeptidase activity in mammalian tissues using a synthetic chromogenic substrate, N -( dl -γ-glutamyl)-aniline, has been developed. The method is based on the measurement of aniline liberated by the enzymic cleavage of the substrate. The kinetics of the enzymic reaction with rat kidney homogenate are described and evidence is presented that the kidney enzyme which accomplishes the liberation of aniline from this substrate is γ-glutamyl transpeptidase. A study of the distribution of activity in the organs of six mammals indicated that enzymic activity was highest in the kidney in all species.
Equation of state for pure fluids and mixtures based on a truncated virial expansion

An accurate, yet simple, equation of state was developed for pure fluids ranging from nonpolar to H2O and their mixtures. The equation consists of a virial expansion truncated after the fourth virial coefficient and a closed-form term approximating higher coefficients. For nonpolar or weakly polar compounds, the equation is generalized using critical temperature, critical pressure, and acentric factor. Despite its simplicity, the equation represents the P-V-T and saturation properties of pure fluids with a very good accuracy, which is comparable to that of multiparameter, generalized BWR-type equations. For mixture calculations, mixing rules were formulated based on the rigorously known composition dependence of virial coefficients. The equation represents vapor-liquid, gas-gas and liquid-liquid equilibria, as well as volumetric properties of mixtures containing nonpolar components and/or water. Binary parameters can be generalized for series of mixtures containing a common component.
Circular dichroism of mammalian cytochrome c1

Abstract The circular dichroic behavior of cardiac cytochrome c 1 was examined between 190 and 600 nm. Both oxidized and reduced forms show a major positive Soret ellipticity band. In the visible region, the reduced cytochrome exhibits a split CD profile which becomes indistinct upon oxidation. These CD spectra are completely different from those of the mammalian cytochrome c despite the resemblance of the absorption spectra and the identity of the prosthetic group (mesoheme) of these two cytochromes.
Effect of anatomic urethral length on the correlation between the Q-tip test and descent at point Aa of the POP-Q system.

The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of anatomic urethral length on the relationship between descent at point Aa of the pelvic organ prolapse quantification (POP-Q) system and the Q-tip straining angle. The records of 323 patients who were evaluated for urinary incontinence were reviewed. Prolapse staging was performed using the POP-Q system. Urethrovesical junction hypermobility defined as a maximal straining angle ≥30° was assessed with the Q-tip test. Urethral length was measured with a urethral profilometer. A substantial correlation was found between descent at point Aa and the straining Q-tip angle (r = 0.65, p < 0.0001). There was no correlation between the anatomic urethral length and straining Q-tip angle (r = −0.01, p = 0.8). Urethral length does not affect the straining Q-tip angle. Point Aa is a strong predictor of an abnormal straining Q-tip angle in women with stage I anterior vaginal wall prolapse or greater.
Two-dimensional electron-positron momentum measurement at a copper single-crystal surface.

We report the first two-dimensional momentum measurements of annihilating positron-electron pairs at a solid surface. Positrons of 18 keV or 740 eV impinged on a clean Cu(121) surface. The 740-eV spectrum was resolved into two components, one associated with energetic positronium emission displaced from zero momentum and a second centered on zero momentum with distinct asymmetry for the directions parallel and perpendicular to the surface. The 18-keV spectrum was dominated by positron Bloch-state annihilation.
Derivatives of anthrarufin, chrysazin and quinizarin as colorimetric reagents for boron

Abstract The spectrophotometric characteristics of the color reactions of six new reagents for boron are presented. These are derivatives of the dihydroxyanthraquinones, anthrarufin, chrysazin, and quinizarin, with amino, nitro, cyano, or halogen substituents. The spectral absorption characteristics of these reagents and their borate complexes are much more favorable for the colorimetric determination of boron than is the case with quinalizarin, which is commonly used for this purpose. With the exception of one of the six, all are more sensitive than quinalizarin. Two of them, tribromoanthrarufin and dicyanoquinizarin, are especially sensitive (spectrophotometric sensitivity: 0.0010 μg/cm 2 ).
Shock waves in mixtures - A re-examination

The structure of normal shock waves in binary mixtures is analyzed, using Monte Carlo direct simulation, and compared with previous experimental data. Previous work by Erwin et al. used a collision method based directly on the intermolecular potential function; the present work extends this approach to binary mixtures, obtaining heteromolecular collision cross sections from the corresponding potentials. Results are presented for helium-argon mixtures, with conditions corresponding to the experiments of Harnett and Muntz (1972).
Organizational implications of CAM

Abstract The new competitive conditions of the 1980's have thrown American and European manufacturing into a turmoil. Computerized process technology can help ease the problems through increasing productivity, quality and flexibility. However, its benefits will not be realized unless manufacturing managers attend to the technology's strategic and organizational implications. Issues in specifying the connections between computerized processes and strategic objectives are discussed. A conceptual framework is proposed which identifies some of these connections. Determining the appropriate work organization and compatible systems and procedures are also discussed. Recommendations are made for dealing with these issues.
Imaging with RHESSI

The Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) is a NASA SMall EXplorer (SMEX) mission to study the acceleration and transport of high-energy electrons and nuclei in solar flares. This is done using high spatial (2.3 arcsec) and high spectral (~1 keV) resolution imaging spectroscopy of X-rays and gamma rays between 3 keV and 17 MeV. Such an energy range includes ~10-30MK thermal emission, non-thermal hard X-ray bremsstrahlung from accelerated electrons, and gamma-ray lines from accelerated nuclei. RHESSI's imaging is based on a set of rotating modulation collimators. Each of the nine subcollimators uses a pair of widely separated (1.55m) grids, mounted on a rotating spacecraft. Each grid in turn consists of a large number of parallel, equispaced, X-ray-opaque slats. A corresponding set of nine high-resolution cooled germanium detectors determines the energy and arrival time of each detected photon. As the spacecraft rotates at ~15 rpm, the grid pairs time-modulate the detected X-ray flux in a manner sensitive to the morphology and location of the X-ray source(s). Post-analysis then reconstructs the image from the set of time-modulated light curves. This paper reviews the RHESSI imaging instrumentation, data analysis approach, imaging concept and early indications of in-flight performance.
Ion-beam-induced atomic mixing at the SiO2/Si interface

Abstract The width of the cascade mixing layer was determined by measuring the broadening of the SiO2/Si interface due to Ar+ ion bombardment. A series of SiO2 films were thermally grown on (100) Si wafers in dry oxygen and the film thicknesses measured by ellipsometry. The films were sputtered by an Ar+ ion beam and the light emitted by the excited Si atoms as well as the 30Si+ and 16O+ secondary ions were monitored as a function of time. If cascade mixing is absent, the monitored signals will be expected to fall the moment the sputtered surface reaches the SiO2/Si interface due to the lack of oxygen atoms in Si. However, in the presence of cascade mixing, the signals will fall before the sputtered surface reaches the interface since mixing caused by the beam-front at the interface effectively depletes the number of oxygen atoms in the SiO2. A plot of the SiO2 film thickness versus time elapsed before the signal begins to fall produces a straight line with the intercept indicating full-width, W, of the mixing layer. For 19 keV Ar+ bombardment at 60° incidence, W=101±25 A ; and for 7 keV Ar+ bombardment at 45° incidence, W=87±20 A .
Inverse Boundary Problems in Two Dimensions

In this paper we survey some of the recent progress on inverse boundary problems in two dimensions. The common theme is the use of inverse scattering for a ∂ ∂ type system in two dimensions.
Solidification/Stabilization of Lead with the Aid of Bagasse as an Additive to Portland Cement

Solidification/stabilization (S/S) of hazardous waste is a widely used technology; therefore, it is crucial to evaluate its effectiveness and make attempts to improve the technique. A better matrix for S/S of hazardous waste was designed that is effective and economically feasible. This was accomplished by adding bagasse (byproduct of milling or diffusing sugar cane) to the waste/cement matrix. Lead nitrate was used as the model heavy metal waste with a 10 or 15% lead by weight to cement loading. Samples were cured for 7, 14, and 28 days at 24°C. Samples containing bagasse typically resulted in TCLP (modified) extract lead concentrations of approximately 0.5 mg/l of lead for all samples, while samples containing no bagasse had lead extract concentrations of approximately 5 mg/l for 10% samples and 45 mg/l for 15%. Results indicate that using bagasse as an additive to cement effectively improved the S/S of lead.
Modeling and prediction of driver behavior by foot gesture analysis

Understanding driver behavior is an essential component in human-centric Intelligent Driver Assistance Systems. Specifically, driver foot behavior is an important factor in controlling the vehicle, though there have been very few research studies on analyzing foot behavior. While embedded pedal sensors may reveal some information about driver foot behavior, using vision-based foot behavior analysis has additional advantages. The foot movement before and after a pedal press can provide valuable information for better semantic understanding of driver behaviors, states, and styles. They can also be used to gain a time advantage in predicting a pedal press before it actually happens, which is very important for providing proper assistance to driver in time critical (e.g. safety related) situations. In this paper, we propose and develop a new vision based framework for driver foot behavior analysis using optical flow based foot tracking and a Hidden Markov Model (HMM) based technique to characterize the temporal foot behavior. In our experiment with a real-world driving testbed, we also use our trained HMM foot behavior model for prediction of brake and acceleration pedal presses. The experimental results over different subjects provided high accuracy (~94% on average) for both foot behavior state inference and pedal press prediction. By 133ms before the actual press, ~74% of the pedal presses were predicted correctly. This shows the promise of applying this approach for real-world driver assistance systems.
Synthesis of the chromophore of rubrolone

Abstract A synthesis of 2, the chromophore of nibrolone (1), is described. The key constructive step is the regiospecific cycloaddition 10 + 11a → 12a.
Evolution of Fish-Shaped Reptiles (reptilia: Ichthyopterygia) in Their Physical Environments and Constraints

▪ Abstract Ichthyosaurs were a group of Mesozoic marine reptiles that evolved fish-shaped body outlines. They are unique in several anatomical characters, including the possession of enormous eyeballs sometimes exceeding 25 cm and an enlarged manus with sometimes up to 20 bones in a single digit, or 10 digits per manus. They are also unique in that their biology has been studied from the perspective of physical constraints, which allowed estimation of such characteristics as optimal cruising speed, visual sensitivity, and even possible basal metabolic rate ranges. These functional inferences, although based on physical principles, obviously contain errors arising from the limitations of fossilized data, but are necessarily stronger than the commonly made inferences based on superficial correlations among quantities without mechanical or optical explanations for why such correlations exist.
Implicit adaptive mesh refinement for 2D reduced resistive magnetohydrodynamics

An implicit structured adaptive mesh refinement (SAMR) solver for 2D reduced magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) is described. The time-implicit discretization is able to step over fast normal modes, while the spatial adaptivity resolves thin, dynamically evolving features. A Jacobian-free Newton-Krylov method is used for the nonlinear solver engine. For preconditioning, we have extended the optimal ''physics-based'' approach developed in [L. Chacon, D.A. Knoll, J.M. Finn, An implicit, nonlinear reduced resistive MHD solver, J. Comput. Phys. 178 (2002) 15-36] (which employed multigrid solver technology in the preconditioner for scalability) to SAMR grids using the well-known Fast Adaptive Composite grid (FAC) method [S. McCormick, Multilevel Adaptive Methods for Partial Differential Equations, SIAM, Philadelphia, PA, 1989]. A grid convergence study demonstrates that the solver performance is independent of the number of grid levels and only depends on the finest resolution considered, and that it scales well with grid refinement. The study of error generation and propagation in our SAMR implementation demonstrates that high-order (cubic) interpolation during regridding, combined with a robustly damping second-order temporal scheme such as BDF2, is required to minimize impact of grid errors at coarse-fine interfaces on the overall error of the computation for this MHD application. We also demonstrate that our implementation features the desired property that the overall numerical error is dependent only on the finest resolution level considered, and not on the base-grid resolution or on the number of refinement levels present during the simulation. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the tool on several challenging problems.
Estrogens and the hypothalamus: nuclear receptor and RNA polymerase activation.

AbstractTo further the understanding of estrogen action in the central nervous system, we have developed a procedure for quantitation of nuclear estrogen receptor (RnE) in adult rat brain. Crude chromatin is separated from soluble and membranous fractions by centrifugation of brain homogenate through 1.2 M sucrose pads. Incubation of the pellet with [3H] estradiol at elevated temperature and precipitation of receptor-steroid complexes with protamine sulfate allows measurement of RnE. The yield of DNA by this procedure is 70–80% and the amount of RnE measured is linear with respect to the amount of DNA added. Using this procedure, we have measured hypothalamic RnE in the ovariectomized adult rat as a function of time after injection of 5 ug estradiol and found a peak RnE accumulation of about 30 fmol/hypothalamus at 1 h. By 12 h, the levels of RnE return to control (uninjected) values.We have also measured the time course of estradiol induced activation of hypothalamic endogenous nuclear RNA polymerases I ...
Particle motion in a liquid film rimming the inside of a partially filled rotating cylinder

Both heavier- and lighter-than-liquid particles will float on liquid-air surfaces. Capillary forces cause the particles to cluster in typical situations identified here. This kind of clustering causes particles to segregate into islands and bands of high concentrations in thin liquid films rimming the inside of a slowly rotating cylinder partially filled with liquid. A second regime of particle segregation, driven by secondary motions induced by off-center gas bubbles in a more rapidly rotating cylinder at higher filling levels, is identified. A third regime of segregation of bidisperse suspensions is found in which two layers of heavier-than-liquid particles that stratify when there is no rotation, segregate into alternate bands of particles when there is rotation * . I. Capillary forces The deformation of the air-liquid interface due to floating light particles or due to trapped heavy small particles gives rise to capillary forces on the particles. These forces may be qualitatively understood from simple arguments. Two kinds of forces act on particles: forces due to gravity and forces due to the action of contact angles. These two kinds of forces are at play in the vertical force balance but require a somewhat more elaborate explanation for horizontal force balance. The effects of gravity are usually paramount for heavier-than-liquid floating particles in which one particle will fall into the depression of the second. A heavier-than-liquid particle will fall down a downward sloping meniscus while an upward buoyant particle will rise. Capillary forces cause particles to cluster as shown in figure 1.
Compressive cooperative obstacle mapping in mobile networks

In this paper we consider a mobile cooperative network that is tasked with building an obstacle map in an environment. We propose a framework that allows the robots to build the obstacle map non-invasively and with a small number of wireless channel measurements. By extending our previous work on sparse obstacle mapping, we show how the nodes can exploit the sparse representation of the map in order to build it with minimal sensing. The proposed work allows the robots to efficiently map an area before entering it. We propose two approaches based on random and coordinated wireless measurements. Our simulation and experimental results show the superior performance of the proposed framework.
Donor site competition is involved in the regulation of alternative splicing of the rat beta-tropomyosin pre-mRNA

The rat b-tropomyosin ( b-TM) gene encodes both skeletal muscle b-TM mRNA and nonmuscle TM-1 mRNA via alternative RNA splicing. This gene contains eleven exons: exons 1‐5, 8, and 9 are common to both mRNAs; exons 6 and 11 are used in fibroblasts as well as in smooth muscle, whereas exons 7 and 10 are used in skeletal muscle. Previously we demonstrated that utilization of the 39 splice site of exon 7 is blocked in nonmuscle cells. In this study, we use both in vitro and in vivo methods to investigate the regulation of the 59 splice site of exon 7 in nonmuscle cells. The 59 splice site of exon 7 is used efficiently in the absence of flanking sequences, but its utilization is suppressed almost completely when the upstream exon 6 and intron 6 are present. The suppression of the 59 splice site of exon 7 does not result from the sequences at the 39 end of intron 6 that block the use of the 39 splice site of exon 7. However, mutating two conserved nucleotides GU at the 59 splice site of exon 6 results in the efficient use of the 59 splice site of exon 7. In addition, a mutation that changes the 59 splice site of exon 7 to the consensus U1 snRNA binding site strongly stimulates the splicing of exon 7 to the downstream common exon 8. Collectively, these studies demonstrate that 59 splice site competition is responsible, in part, for the suppression of exon 7 usage in nonmuscle cells.
Built-In Strain in Polysilicon: Measurement and Application to Sensor Fabrication

The built-in strain in deposited polysilicon films depends on film morphology. The strain may be compressive or tensile. Its magnitude and uniformity may be measured by using surface micro machining with test structures which require a single photomask level and use Euler buckling. Anneal cycles may be used to convert compressive strain to tensile or zero strain. Deposition and anneal cycles may be optimized to produce fine grained polysilicon with isotropic mechanical behavior. Strain field control can improve yield by reducing surface sticking. This mechanical stiffening is used in, for instance, pressure transducer construction. Built-in and applied axial strain are used to change the resonant frequencies of clamped-clamped beams in a vacuum envelope where quality factors up to 300,000 have been measured.
An Experimental Approach to Evaluate the Critical Damage

An experimental study has been carried out to determine the critical damage parameter based on the concept of entropy flow. The fatigue damage is either a cumulative process that progresses toward a maximum tolerable damage, or is an irreversible progression of cyclic plastic strain energy that reaches its critical value at the onset of fracture. In the present study, irreversible heat dissipation in terms of entropy is utilized to experimentally determine the degradation of different specimens subjected to low cyclic bending fatigue. An experimental correlation between entropy and damage is proposed. It is shown that the cyclic energy dissipation in the form of thermodynamic entropy can be effectively utilized to determine the critical damage value.
A Finite State Analysis of Time-Triggered CAN (TTCAN) Protocol Using Spin

The paper presents a case study of the use of model checking for the analysis of an industrial protocol, a time triggered version of the CAN protocol (TTCAN). Our analysis of this protocol was carried out using the model checker Spin. The original CAN protocol can easily be modeled in Spin, but specifying TTCAN requires the provision of explicitly using time in the modeling language. With a view to express time triggered properties we use a discrete time version of Spin (DT-Spin). This extension allows one to quantify discrete time elapse between events by specifying the time slice in which they occur. Using DT-Spin we have been able to model TTCAN, and subsequently, verify a few of its time-triggered properties. This experience shows that it is possible to largely model TDMA-based protocols using discrete time
An index structure for efficient reverse nearest neighbor queries

The Reverse Nearest Neighbor (RNN) problem is to find all points in a given data set whose nearest neighbor is a given query point. Just like the Nearest Neighbor (NN) queries, the RNN queries appear in many practical situations such as marketing and resource management. Thus, efficient methods for the RNN queries in databases are required. The paper introduces a new index structure, the Rdnn-tree, that answers both RNN and NN queries efficiently. A single index structure is employed for a dynamic database, in contrast to the use of multiple indexes in previous work. This leads to significant savings in dynamically maintaining the index structure. The Rdnn-tree outperforms existing methods in various aspects. Experiments on both synthetic and real world data show that our index structure outperforms previous methods by a significant margin (more than 90% in terms of number of leaf nodes accessed) in RNN queries. It also shows improvement in NN queries over standard techniques. Furthermore, performance in insertion and deletion is significantly enhanced by the ability to combine multiple queries (NN and RNN) in one traversal of the tree. These facts make our index structure extremely preferable in both static and dynamic cases.
An efficient programmable 10 gigabit Ethernet network interface card

This paper explores the hardware and software mechanisms necessary for an efficient programmable 10 Gigabit Ethernet network interface card. Network interface processing requires support for the following characteristics: a large volume of frame data, frequently accessed frame metadata, and high frame rate processing. This paper proposes three mechanisms to improve programmable network interface efficiency. First, a partitioned memory organization enables low-latency access to control data and high-bandwidth access to frame contents from a high-capacity memory. Second, a distributed task-queue mechanism enables parallelization of frame processing across many low-frequency cores, while using software to maintain total frame ordering. Finally, the addition of two new atomic read-modify-write instructions reduces frame ordering overheads by 50%. Combining these hardware and software mechanisms enables a network interface card to saturate a full-duplex 10 Gb/s Ethernet link by utilizing 6 processor cores and 4 banks of on-chip SRAM operating at 166 MHz, along with external 500 MHz GDDR SDRAM.
Serendipity: Translational research, high quality care, and the children’s hospital

Abstract The word "serendipity" was coined by Horace Walpole, Earl of Orford, in a letter he wrote in January 1754. He defined serendipity as the making of "….discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things which [you] were not in quest of….you must observe that no discovery of a thing you are looking for comes under this description." I would like to make the case that a children's hospital can be a superb setting in which to attempt this feat—to generate Serendipity. I would also like to convince you that this attribute is absolutely essential to providing the very best care for children.
Parallel-optical interconnects and their applications

Research and development on parallel-optical interconnects has continued for over a decade. A review is given of the applications of parallel optics, existing 12/spl times/2.5-Gbit/s parallel optics, recent 12/spl times/10-Gbit/s parallel optics, and next-generation optical interconnects.
Bank Loan Officers' Perceptions of the Characteristics of Men, Women and Successful Entrepreneurs.

Much anecdotal evidence suggests that women, compared to similarly situated men, have great difficulty securing financing for entrepreneurial endeavors. In addition, a mounting body of evidence illustrates how women in managerial roles are perceived in terms of sex stereotypes rather than in terms of their accomplishments. The present study extends this line of research to investigate whether female entrepreneurs are also viewed in terms of sex stereotypes. One hundred and six bank loan officers evaluated either men, women, or successful entrepreneurs on scales assessing nine attributes of successful entrepreneurs. The nine entrepreneurial qualities were leadership, autonomy, propensity to take risks, readiness for change, endurance, lack of emotionalism, low need for support, low conformity, and persuasiveness. It was hypothesized that sex stereotypes influenced perceptions that women, compared to men, did not possess the characteristics necessary for successful entrepreneurship. Results confirmed the hypothesis that characteristics attributed to successful entrepreneurs were more commonly ascribed to men than to women. On the dimensions of leadership, autonomy, risk taking, readiness for change, endurance, lack of emotionalism and low need for support, bank loan officers rated women as significantly less like successful entrepreneurs compared to men. While gender differences on the remaining three dimensions failed to reach statistical significance, women were never rated as closer to successful entrepreneurs than were men. These results are consistent with anecdotal evidence of the difficulties female entrepreneurs encounter in securing working capital. The results are also consistent with past research examining commonly held sex stereotypes of male and female managers and executives. These findings raise questions regarding the degree to which loan officers are influenced by sex stereotypes in considering loan applications from male and female aspiring entrepreneurs. From a bank's perspective, it may be important to train loan officers to avoid falling back on sex stereotypes in evaluating proposals for new businesses. Similarly, it may be important to alert female entrepreneurs to the need to dispel traditional sex stereotypes in the context of loan application interviews.
Affirmative Action After Grutter and Gratz

This article will examine the state of race-conscious admissions program at institutions of higher education after Grutter and Gratz. Part one first briefly reviews the Court's affirmative action jurisprudence prior to Grutter and Gratz, examining the Bakke decision, the Supreme Court affirmative action decisions between Bakke and Grutter, and the recent split in lower court decisions on the continuing viability of race-conscious admissions. Part two will then examine the Grutter and Gratz decisions themselves. Part three will then discuss the big picture of race-conscious admissions programs. Section A will analyze the general parameters established in Grutter and Gratz in terms of what is clearly permitted and clearly prohibited under the decisions. Part B will then discuss three lingering questions after the decisions: when might permissible goals for a critical mass become impermissible quotas, how much weight can be given to race as a factor in admissions, and to what extent can schools treat classes of underrepresented minorities differently. Finally, part four of the article will briefly examine the most curious, and potentially one of the most significant aspects of Grutter: the Court's requirement that race-conscious admissions have a logical endpoint to be constitutional and the Court's expectation that race-conscious admissions will no longer be necessary in twenty-five years. The actual meaning of this twenty-five year sunset discussion, made at the very end of the opinion, is less than clear, with Justice Ginsburg suggesting it expressed only a hope by the Court while Justice Thomas interpreted it as making race-conscious admissions unconstitutional in twenty-five years. This article will argue that the truth falls somewhere between the two, and that the Court's discussion is best seen not as a sunset on the constitutionality of race-conscious admissions, but rather as a sunset on the precedential value of Grutter itself.
Optical Properties of Amorphous Semiconductors

The sharp structure observed in the fundamental optical spectra of crystals, both vibrational and electronic, can be classified and interpreted by symmetry arguments based explicitly on the existence of long-range order. Indeed, this is one of the few properties of crystals which cannot be accounted for on the basis of short-range order alone: If the long-range order is destroyed, the sharp structural detail, which is typical for crystals, disappears. However, the broad features of the spectra are similar if the short-range order is similar.
Ash transformation by co-firing of coal with high ratios of woody biomass and effect on slagging propensity

Abstract The co-firing of coal with biomass is a promising method for reducing net CO2 emissions from existing coal-fired power plants, as well as for the utilization of forest resources. This present study examined the effect of the co-firing of coal with woody biomass on the produced combustion ash and slagging propensity under different conditions representative of the wall furnace region of pulverized-coal boilers. The slagging tests were conducted in a drop-tube furnace by inserting a water–air-cooled deposition probe to the point where the inner furnace temperature was 1300 °C. Bituminous coal was mixed with up to 70% (energy basis) of four different Japanese woody biomasses, namely; sakura wood (Prunus spp.), sugi (Cryptomeria japonica), nara (Japanese oak), and bark of sugi respectively. For comparison purposes, pure coal firing was also performed. The collected combustion ashes and ash deposits were characterized by computer-controlled scanning electron microscopy analysis while the slagging propensity was evaluated by determining the ratio of the deposited ash to the fuel ash, the so-called ash deposition ratio. The results showed no increase in the ash deposition ratio or significant change in the properties of the ash for co-firing using up to 50% of the low-ash (0.4 wt%) biomasses (sugi and sakura). In contrast, there was significant change in the properties of the ash and an increase in the ash deposition ratio with increasing biomass ratio for co-firing using the high-ash (>1.0 wt%) biomasses (nara and bark of sugi). The significant transformation of ash with regard to its morphology and chemical composition, together with the formation of eutectic calcium mineral mixtures in the deposit layer enhanced the slagging propensity during the co-firing process, particularly when using the high-ash biomasses. The use of a low-ash biomass was found to be suitable for preventing severe slagging during the co-firing process.
Thromboplastin activities of human arterial and venous tissues.

SummaryDeterminations were made of thromboplastin activities of the various layers of the human aorta, pulmonary artery, and inferior vena cava. The activity measurements were performed at 30°C by a modification of Astrup's procedure. Thromboplastin values of the vascular samples were expressed in percentages of average activity of the grey matter of human brain tissue, using the double logarithmic plot for the calculation. The mean activities found for the intima, media, and adventitia of normal aortic samples were, respectively, 3.4, 2.8, and 1.8% of human brain tissue (grey matter). Moderately lower values were observed for fibrous-lipid arteriosclerotic tissue portions, and extremely low thromboplastin activities were recorded for ulcerated tissue areas. The layers of the inferior vena cava usually showed activities of the same order of magnitude as those found for the aorta (intima, 3.5; media, 3.0), whereas significantly lower thromboplastin values were recorded for the intima (1.2) and media (1.4) ...
Numerical Simulation of Ice Shapes from a Bimodal Large Droplet Icing Cloud

†† The NASA ice accretion code LEWICE was used to simulate ice shapes generated from a bimodal large droplet icing cloud. An experimental effort was recently undertaken to simulate an icing cloud containing Super-cooled Large Droplets (SLD) in the Icing Research Tunnel (IRT) at the NASA Glenn Research Center. A spray sequencing method was used to reproduce the bimodal droplet distribution normally found in SLD clouds in nature. The numerical results are compared to ice shape tracings obtained from the experiments. Results indicate that agreement between code results and experiments is as good as or better than variations in the experiments resulting from differing methods for simulation of the natural icing cloud.