cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Masking of Speech and Auditory Localization

Evidence for improved speech intelligibility in the presence of noise, where speech and noise arise from spatially separate sources, is reviewed both for normal listeners and hearing-aid users. When ear or hearing-aid is single, or when either is fixed so that coincident head movements do not bring about changes conducive to auditory localization, improvement in speech intelligibility is not demonstrated. In general, hearing-aid users should have the opportunity to utilize any listening system that will favor the ability to localize sounds.ResumeUne meilleure intelligibilite de la parole dans un bruit (venant d'une source spatialement separee) est obtenue dans les cas ou l'entendant, normal ou demi-sourd, peut localiser les sons. Deux facteurs sont en cause: le mouvement de la těte, et l'audition binauriculaire. II nous faut done recommander tout systeme permettant cette localisation, soit par deux appareils de correction auditive, soit par un ou par deux, mais portes sur la těte.
The Division of Labor By Sex and Other Gender-Related Variables: an Exploratory Study:

This study tests a set of hypotheses regarding the relationship of varia tions in the division of labor by sex and the patterning of other gender- based phenomena across cultures. The sexual division of labor is found to be significantly associated with attitudes towards sex, customs for arrang ing marriages, male sex-typed behavior, and aggression training for boys. The division of labor is not related to the relative status of men and wom en or to the actual incidence of sexual behavior. The study also comments on the alternative ways in which cause-effect relationships among these variables can be conceptualized.
Electrostatic Formation of Quantum Dot/J-aggregate FRET Pairs in Solution

We report the formation and photonic properties of CdSe/ZnS quantum dot (QD)/J-aggregate donor−acceptor Forster resonant energy transfer (FRET) pairs that are electrostatically bound and dispersed in water. Assembly occurs when the positively charged dye, 1,1′,3,3′-tetraethyl-5,5′,6,6′-tetrachlorobenzimidazolocarbocyanine (TTBC), binds electrostatically to QDs that are coated with a negatively charged amphiphilic polymer. QD/J-aggregate FRET pairs display the broadband absorption in the visible and the ultraviolet (UV) part of the spectrum typical of quantum dots, along with the narrow emission linewidths characteristic of J-band emitters (∼12 nm full width at half-maximum). We use dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, and photoluminescence lifetimes to conclude that the size of the aggregates formed in the presence of QDs is between 1−6 nm. We find the FRET radius of the QD/J-aggregate to be 5.1 nm. We further demonstrate electrostatic binding as a ge...
Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol alters cerebral metabolism in a biphasic, dose-dependent mannier in rat brain

Abstract Δ 9 -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-induced alterations in limbic and neocortical function are associated with deficiencies in short-term memory and recall. The 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2DG) autoradiographic method was used to examine the effect of acute THC administration (0, 0.2, 0.5, 2.0, 10.0 mg/kg) on regional brain metabolism in limbic and cortical brain regions of male rats. THC altered 2DG uptake in a biphasic, dose-dependent manner in most limbic and cortical structures, however most diencephalic and brainstem structures examined were unaffected. The 0.2 mg/kg THC dose significantly increased 2DG uptake relative to vehicle treatment in ail cortical and selected limbic regions, whereas the 2.0 and 10.0 mg/kg THC doses decreased 2DG uptake in most of these regions. Certain limbic regions, particularly the hippocampus, are more sensitive to THC suggesting a selective regional action of the drug at lower doses. The incidence of enhanced metabolic activity in limbic and cortical regions is consistent with the occurrence of high density cannabinoid receptors in these regions.
SPINAL CORD TRANSECTION AND CCL-4-TOXICITY.

Typisch CCl4-verursachte Leberschaden wurden bei Ratten mit Ruckenmarkdurchtrennung und Korpertemperaturen von 35 bis 36°C beobachtet. Minimale histopathologische Veranderungen wurden bei gleich behandelten Ratten bei Zimmertemperatur beobachtet. Verlangerung der Beobachtungszeit an spinalisierten ausgekuhlten Ratten lasst aber auch bei Zimmertemperatur typische Leberverletzungen entstehen. Diese Ergebnisse deuten auf Veranderung des Leberstoffwechsels durch Hypothermie hin, und es ist daher anzunehmen, dass dies die Ursache ist, weshalb die Leber von Ratten mit Ruckenmarkschnitt gegen CCl4-Schaden relativ geschutzt ist.
Software quality, non-functional software requirements and IT-business alignment

`High quality' might seem an obvious requirement for any piece of software, but do the different stakeholder groups involved in its production and use conceptualize this requirement in the same way? Many existing models refine the broad concept of quality into a number of well-defined and measurable attributes related to the software product itself and the development process which produced it. But despite growing awareness of the importance of achieving cultural alignment between holders of different business and IT groups, little attempt has been made to empirically examine the requirements for software quality held by different groups involved in the development process. We conducted a survey of more than 300 current and recently graduated students of one of the leading Executive MBA programs in the United States, asking them to rate the importance of each of 13 widely-cited attributes related to software quality. The results showed business role-related differences in some specific areas and agreement in many others. The results suggest that a strong shared culture may be able to bridge the gulf created between holders of IT and business stakeholder roles.
Ultraviolet photobiology of Kilham rat virus and the absolute ultraviolet photosensitivities of other animal viruses: Influence of DNA strandedness, molecular weight, and host-cell repair☆

Abstract Kilham rat virus (KRV), which contains single-stranded DNA, is inactivated by ultraviolet (UV) radiation at 254 nm with a mean lethal dose that produces only 0.34 thymine-containing dimers per virion. These data, along with published values for the UV inactivation of numerous other mammalian viruses and of coliphages, with allowance being made for the molecular weights of the genomes, are consistent with a scheme of “weighted sensitivities.” The weighted sensitivities fall into three distinct classes. Class I, the most sensitive, includes viruses that contain single-stranded DNA and do not exhibit host-cell repair. Class II includes coliphages that contain double-stranded DNA but are assayed in repair-deficient hosts and so are not subject to host-cell repair. Class III, the least sensitive to UV inactivation, includes mammalian viruses that contain double-stranded DNA and undergo host-cell repair in competent hosts. Several conclusions can be drawn from these comparisons made on the basis of absolute dosimetry.
Physicians at Work, Patients in Pain: Biomedical Practice and Patient Response in Mexico

Physicians at Work, Patients in Pain: Biomedical Practice and Patient Response in Mexico. Kaja Finkler. Boulder: Westview Press, 1991. 272 pp. $45.00 (cloth). ISBN 0–8133–1154–3.
Forced 2D Turbulence: Experimental Evidence of Simultaneous Inverse Energy and Forward Enstrophy Cascades

We have performed measurements on forced and decaying 2D turbulence in flowing soap films. Unlike previous experiments, turbulence was excited by grids (arrays of cylinders) lining the walls of the flow channel. The resulting turbulent steady state agrees with the ideas of an inverse energy cascade accompanied by a forward enstrophy cascade. Energy spectra agree, respectively, with ${k}^{\ensuremath{-}5/3}$ and ${k}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$ power laws. Downstream from the forcing section of the channel, the turbulence decays freely, and the energy spectrum scales only as ${k}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$. Our observations unite the results of several theories, and a number of simulations and experiments, into a single self-consistent set of measurements.
Experimental atherosclerosis in rabbits fed cholesterol-free diets: influence of chow components.

Summary It has been shown that addition of saturated fat to a semi-synthetic ration is atherogenic for rabbits, whereas addition of the same amount of fat to rabbit chow has no effect. To test the factor in the chow which may exert this "protective" action, we fed rabbits the following diets: (SS): semi-synthetic containing 14% hydrogenated coconut oil; (SS-PF): semi-synthetic containing 12% hydrogenated coconut oil (HCNO) and 2 % of the fat extracted from rabbit chow; (XP-HCNO): the fat-extracted chow residue plus 14 % HCNO; and (PC-HCNO): chow milled with additional 12 % HCNO. Another group of rabbits was fed the semi-synthetic diet augmented with 1 % lauric acid (SS-LA) to ascertain if the atherogenicity of free fatty acids would be evident in a semi-synthetic diet as it has been in rabbits fed cholesterol. One chow-fed group of rabbits (PC) served as control. After 6 months of feeding it was found that all the groups of rabbits fed diets containing HCNO had elevated liver cholesterol levels and elevated liver ester cholesterol. The groups fed the semi-synthetic diet (SS, SS-PF and SS-LA) had elevated serum cholesterol levels (200-250 mg/100 ml), elevated serum β -lipoprotein cholesterol levels and cho-lesterol/phospholipid ratios greater than 1.00. They all exhibited marked atherosclerosis. Group XP-HCNO had moderately elevated serum cholesterol levels (64 mg/ 100 ml as compared to 40 mg/100 ml in the normal rabbits), elevated serum ^-lipoprotein cholesterol and a C/PL of 1.21, but atheromata in this group were minimal. The group fed chow and 12% HCNO (PC-HCNO) exhibited no abnormalities in its serum lipid spectrum and no atheromata. The data suggest that the complete chow is required to overcome the effects of HCNO on serum lipids, but the extracted chow residue will inhibit aortic atherosclerosis, at least over a 6-month feeding period. The pattern of liver and serum lipids suggest that in animals fed HCNO there is an initial increase in liver cholesterol, followed by increases in serum total and β -lipoprotein cholesterol, and then by aortic plaque formation. Cholesterol biosynthesis from [l-14C]acetate was inhibited in most of the groups fed HCNO, eliminating in- creased cholesterogenesis as a mechanism for the moderate hypercholesteremia which we observed.
Finite-range solutions to the one-dimensional inverse scattering problem☆

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to suggest some ideas concerning the obtention of finite range solutions to the so-called one-dimensional inverse scattering problem. A necessary condition on the ratio of the reflection and transmission coefficients is given for the corresponding potential to be cutoff on both sides.
Gastric gas and fluid emptying assessed by magnetic resonance imaging.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to characterize the volumes and rates of gastric emptying of both liquid and gas following the ingestion of beverages of varying carbonation and carbohydrate levels. Eight subjects drank 800 ml each of four test beverages in a counterbalanced order: water, a non-carbonated carbohydrate-electrolyte solution (NC), a lightly carbonated carbohydrate-electrolyte solution (PC), and a carbonated cola (CC). T2-weighted, echoplanar images (25–30 contiguous slices, 1 cm thick, 256 × 128 matrix, TE = 80, 40 cm FOV) of the abdomen were collected at minutes 3,110, 20, 30, 45, and 60 following beverage ingestion. Images were analyzed for gas and liquid volumes. Water and NC emptied the most rapidly, with half times of 21(3) and 31(3) min, respectively [mean (SE)]. PC emptied significantly slower [47 (6) min] and CC slower yet [107 (8) min]. The carbonation content of the beverage accounted for 84% of the variation in emptying time, whereas carbohydrate content did not account for any significant variation. The gastric gas volume of the CC was higher at 2 min post-ingestion compared with all other drinks; however, the rate of emptying of the gas was the same among all beverages. Significantly greater total gastric volumes (gas+liquid) were associated with the ingestion of CC, and accordingly produced a greater severity of gastric distress, as evaluated with a gastric distress inventory. The high gastric gas volumes (≈600 ml) after ingestion of CC suggested a potential source of error in body composition using standard hydrostatic weighing methods. This prediction was tested in nine additional subjects. Ingestion of 800 ml of CC prior to hydrostatic weighing resulted in a 0.7% underestimate of body density and thus an 11% overestimate of percentage body fat compared to measurements made before beverage consumption.
Inhibition Effect of Surfactants on CO2 Enclathration with Cyclopentane in an Unstirred Batch Reactor

The effect of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), cetyl trimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), and fatty alcohol EO/PO derivative (LS54) on unsteady-state CO2 absorption in the metastable region of CO2 hydrates and CO2 enclathration with cyclopentane (CP) was investigated in an unstirred batch reactor. These surfactants have no measurable effect on the mass transfer of CO2 across the gas−liquid interface into water. However, they retard CO2 enclathration, and this inhibition effect becomes significant at 200 ppm of SDS and 100 ppm of LS54 or CTAB. A layer of clathrate hydrates is visually observed if charging CO2 and CP sequentially. Even though this layer cannot be macroscopically detected when swapping the order of CO2 and CP charge, the existence of this layer can be inferred from the unchanged pressure profile. This layer prevents CO2 from contacting with water and thus delays CO2 enclathration. The habit of clathrate hydrates growing along the reactor wall without agitation is discussed based on the magnitude o...
Perceptions of academic health science research center personnel regarding informed consent processes and therapeutic misconception.

Introduction: Instrumentation exists to measure voluntariness and misunderstanding in informed consent processes. However, research personnel’s perspectives about using instrumentation to measure therapeutic misconceptions in research participants has not been reported. We designed a workshop to promote research personnel knowledge of emerging instrumentation and to study the perceptions of research personnel regarding such instruments.Methods and Findings: Two nationally recognized experts who have developed psychometric instruments to measure aspects of informed consent presented their recent findings to research personnel of the Medical University of South Carolina at a one-day workshop. Following the presentations, workshop attendees divided into two focus groups and shared their perceptions regarding the presentation content. Inductive thematic analysis detected themes related to informed consent processes including: investigator/provider role clarity; investigator transparency; therapeutic misconcep...
Direct Numerical Simulations of a Sheared Interface at Low Wind Speeds With Applications to Infrared Remote Sensing

The fluid mechanics associated with the interface between two fluids, and in particular air and water, is of obvious importance in interpreting and determining surface signatures in the radar, infrared (IR), and visible wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum. These dynamics also play an important role in the determination of the interfacial flux of heat, mass, and momentum at the air-sea interface. Here we present results of direct numerical simulations (DNS) of an undeformed interface subject to a constant shear and constant outgoing heat flux at three Reynolds numbers. Particular attention is payed to the surface temperature field and its relation to the velocity and vorticity fields. The importance of these results to current problems in IR remote sensing is discussed.
Strategies, scheduling effects, and the stability of intentions

This comment on Michael Bratman's ‘Planning and the Stability of Intention’ focuses on sources of the rational stability of intentions which are not related to the presence of reflectively overrideable non-deliberative habits of (non)reconsideration. It is true that intentions have a rational resistance to reconsideration, but this stability can be understood as a by-product of the scheduling of cognitive tasks. This scheduling effect is intrinsic to all actual systems, that is, systems whose reasoning is not instantaneous or otherwise costless. Additionally, rules governing practical reasoning, including rules governing reasoning with intentions, will not uniformly be subject to overrides resulting from reflective operations. Hence there is no basis for distinguishing human reasoners from artificial reasoners by reference to an alleged human capacity to reflectivity evaluate its own reasoning operations.
Tricuspid Valve Erosion from Swan-Ganz Catheters

Two cases of histologically documented tricuspid valve ulcers caused by use of Swan-Ganz catheters are described. The implication of these clinically silent erosions is discussed.
Set-valued homology

Abstract We establish homology groups based on a class of set-valued mappings and prove they are isomorphic to the classical homology groups. Any set-valued mapping in this class induces homomorphisms between homology groups of two topological spaces. Set-valued homology can be used to study set-valued mappings between two spaces whose homology groups are already known. For instance, it follows a version of the Kakutani Fixed Point Theorem in the nonconvex and nonacyclic case. We can get some other properties of set-valued mappings. Besides, applying set-valued homology, we can get a result for ordinary single-valued mappings, which is analogous to the Vietoris Mapping Theorem.
Persistent extended-spectrum β-lactamase urinary tract infection.

To the Editor: Uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs) in otherwise healthy adults are usually treated empirically because the causative microbe is highly predictable: 80%–90% are caused by Escherichia coli. In addition, short courses of therapy (1 day or 3 days) are usually completed before laboratory results become available. In the past decade, reports of community-acquired, extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)–producing E. coli isolates have increased worldwide, but they are still uncommon in the United States (1), where reported cases are generally associated with hospitals. An early report of true community-acquired ESBL-producing E. coli infections in the United States was published in 2007 (2). We report a case of community-acquired lower UTI caused by ESBL-producing and multidrug resistant E. coli in an otherwise healthy college-aged woman who had no hospital exposure. Despite proper treatment, her infection persisted subclinically and symptoms recurred 2 months later.
The role of ovarian hormone-derived neurosteroids on the regulation of GABAA receptors in affective disorders

Rationale Neuroactive derivatives of steroid hormones, neurosteroids, can act on GABAA receptors (GABAARs) to potentiate the effects of GABA on these receptors. Neurosteroids become elevated to physiologically relevant levels under conditions characterized by increased steroid hormones. There is considerable evidence for plasticity of GABAARs associated with altered levels of neurosteroids which may counteract the fluctuations in the levels of these allosteric modulators.
Dasabuvir: a new direct antiviral agent for the treatment of hepatitis C

Introduction: Treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) has revolutionized the care of infected patients. Among these novel compounds are non-nucleoside analogs, which bind viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase resulting in a conformational change inhibiting RNA synthesis.Areas covered: Efficacy and tolerability of treatment regimens containing the non-nucleoside analog polymerase inhibitor dasabuvir (ABT-333).Expert opinion: Dasabuvir-containing regimens achieve high rates of sustained virologic response in HCV genotype 1a and 1b–infected patients when combined with other DAAs, namely paritaprevir (ABT-450), ritonavir and ombitasvir (ABT-267). In the populations studied, dasabuvir seems to be well tolerated and safe. The major limitations of this novel drug are its genotype-restricted activity, the necessity to include ribavirin for HCV genotype 1a and the emergence of resistance if not combined with other DDAs.
Keynote 3 (Banquet Talk) Digital space

The multicore trend is universal. Spanning embedded processors, desktop CPUs and DSPs, supercomputers and cloud computing, multicore processors offer a game-changing opportunity for improvements in power efficiency and processing performance. More than anything else, multicores have put on-chip interconnect front and center in terms of design attention, since it has a first order impact on multicore performance, power efficiency, and even ease of programming. This talk will provide the inside scoop on our experiences with onchip interconnect in university research with the 16-core Raw multicore processor, in a commercial environment with Tilera's 64-core Tile processor, and conclude with some startling predictions for future 1000 core processors.
Inotropes do not increase mortality in advanced heart failure

Inotrope use is one of the most controversial topics in the management of heart failure. While the heart failure community utilizes them and recognizes the state of inotrope dependency, retrospective analyses and registry data have overwhelmingly suggested high mortality, which is logically to be expected given the advanced disease states of those requiring their use. Currently, there is a relative paucity of randomized control trials due to the ethical dilemma of creating control groups by withholding inotropes from patients who require them. Nonetheless, results of such trials have been mixed. Many were also performed with agents no longer in use, on patients without an indication for inotropes, or at a time before automatic cardio-defibrillators were recommended for primary prevention. Thus, their results may not be generalizable to current clinical practice. In this review, we discuss current indications for inotrope use, specifically dobutamine and milrinone, depicting their mechanisms of action, delineating their patterns of use in clinical practice, defining the state of inotrope dependency, and ultimately examining the literature to ascertain whether evidence is sufficient to support the current view that these agents increase mortality in patients with heart failure. Our conclusion is that the evidence is insufficient to link inotropes and increased mortality in low output heart failure.
Joint radius-length distribution as a measure of anisotropic pore eccentricity: An experimental and analytical framework

In this work, we present an experimental design and analytical framework to measure the nonparametric joint radius-length (R-L) distribution of an ensemble of parallel, finite cylindrical pores, and more generally, the eccentricity distribution of anisotropic pores. Employing a novel 3D double pulsed-field gradient acquisition scheme, we first obtain both the marginal radius and length distributions of a population of cylindrical pores and then use these to constrain and stabilize the estimate of the joint radius-length distribution. Using the marginal distributions as constraints allows the joint R-L distribution to be reconstructed from an underdetermined system (i.e., more variables than equations), which requires a relatively small and feasible number of MR acquisitions. Three simulated representative joint R-L distribution phantoms corrupted by different noise levels were reconstructed to demonstrate the process, using this new framework. As expected, the broader the peaks in the joint distribution, the less stable and more sensitive to noise the estimation of the marginal distributions. Nevertheless, the reconstruction of the joint distribution is remarkably robust to increases in noise level; we attribute this characteristic to the use of the marginal distributions as constraints. Axons are known to exhibit local compartment eccentricity variations upon injury; the extent of the variations depends on the severity of the injury. Nonparametric estimation of the eccentricity distribution of injured axonal tissue is of particular interest since generally one cannot assume a parametric distribution a priori. Reconstructing the eccentricity distribution may provide vital information about changes resulting from injury or that occurred during development.
Effect of transurethral resection on coagulation in carcinoma of prostate

Eleven patients with cancer of the prostate and 10 patients with benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) had thirteen parameters of coagulation evaluated before and after transurethral resection (TUR). Changes in fibrinogen and fibrin split products in both groups suggested potential incipient disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). It is concluded that prostatic cancer patients are no more susceptible to DIC than patients with BPH.
The effect of drugs on diatom valve morphogenesis

The effects of various drugs on cell wall (valve) morphogenesis was investigated in three species of diatoms (Pinnularia spp., Surirella robusta, andHantzschia amphioxys) using light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Treatment ofSurirella with the microtubule (MT) disrupting agent colchicine during early valve formation results in a characteristic malformation of the valve, whereby part of the normally circumferential raphe canal forms as an abnormal protruding lip on the valve surface, located up to ∼ 20 μm from the edge of the valve. The position of this malformed lip coincides with the location of a microtubule center (MC) at the time of colchicine addition, suggesting that the MC may play a direct role in positioning the tip of the raphe canal during valve formation. The migration of this MC to the tip of the cell during early valve morphogenesis is reversibly inhibited by the metabolic inhibitor 2-4-dinitrophenol (DNP). The effect of colchicine onPinnularia valve formation is less severe, causing occasional malformation of the raphe, but little if any lateral displacement. InHantzschia, colchicine has no effect on the positioning of the raphe, but prolonged exposure causes fusion of the raphe canal with the valve face. Cochicine treatment also results in the absence of the normal curvature at the central interruption in the raphe, as well as abnormal pore formation in this central area. Addition of cytochalasin D during early valve formation inHantzschia causes the raphe canal to form in the center of the valve face, suggesting that the normal translocation of the raphe canal to the valve edge is actindependent. Comparison of valves from control and cytochalasintreatmentHantzschia suggest that the pore spacing within the valve is determined by the position relative to the raphe, and does not depend on whether to pores form on the side (mantle) or the face of the mature valve.
Processes for the elimination of fogging on KDP crystals prior to and during use in laser systems

The rate of surface fogging on KDP crystals has been associated with several parameters in the diamond turning and subsequent cleaning process. Fogging can also occur during use because of environmental degradation. We have determined that reaction of the KDP surfaces with additives in the diamond turning oil has been a major factor in fogging and have found a replacement oil that eliminates this effect. We have also developed an antireflective silicone-sol coating that also reduces surface environmental deterioration during use by a factor of four.
Cell Junction and Cyclic AMP: I. Upregulation of Junctional Membrane Permeability and Junctional Membrane Particles by Administration of Cyclic Nucleotide or Phosphodiesterase Inhibitor

Mammalian cells in culture were exposed to cyclic AMP, dibutyrul cyclic AMP, the phosphodiesterase inhibitor caffeine, or a combination of the last two, while junctional molecular transfer was probed with the series of microinjected, fluorescentlabelled linear molecules Glu, Glu-Glu, Glu-Glu-Glu, and Leu-Leu-Leu-Glu-Glu. The junctional permeability for these molecules increased with each of the agents, most markedly with the dibutyryl cyclic AMP-caffeine combination, as the intracellular cyclic nucleotide concentration rose. The junctional permeability effect developed over several hours. When probed with molecules close to the limit of cell-to-cell channel permeation (the most sensitive setting), the effect was detectable both, as an increase in the (relative) junctional transit rate and as an increase in the number of transferring cell interfaces in the test populations. The number of transferring cell interfaces reached a maximum by 4 hr, when the junctional transit rate, hence the junctional permeability, was still rising. Nonjunctional membrane permeability for the probe molecules, as determined by intracellular fluorescence loss, was not significantly changed (nor was there significant nonjunctional cell-to-cell transfer of molecules before or after the treatments). The rise in junctional permeability was associated with an increase in the number of gap junctional membrane particles, as determined by freeze-fracture electron microscopy: the average size of the particle clusters increased, and the frequency of the clusters increased, particularly that of the smaller (and presumably newer) clusters. This effect was blocked by treatments with the protein synthesis inhibitors cycloheximide or puromycin. These agents caused particle diminution (diminution of cluster frequency but not of average cluster size), with or without cyclic nucleotide. The junctional effects may represent a cyclic AMP-promoted proliferation of cell-to-cell channels. Some physiological implications, in particular, implications for hormone-regulated tissues, are discussed.
International coordination and validation of analytical methods.

Most experimentation dealing with analytical methodology in the physical and biological sciences has been conducted within a single laboratory. Method validation by other laboratories was considered not only unnecessary but also detrimental because, in the words of one commentator, ‘the results are too variable’. Within the last two decades, however, largely as a result of the requirements of international environmental and food standards programmes, it has become increasingly apparent that a collaborative interlaboratory study is the only way to estimate the variability characteristics of methods of analysis as performed by the typical population of laboratories using the methods. To obtain a common basis for measuring the statistical characteristics of analytical methods, representatives of almost two dozen international organizations meeting in Geneva, in May 1987, approved by consensus a protocol for the design and interpretation of data from collaborative studies of chemical methods of analysis.
Lessons from development: A role for asymmetric stem cell division in cancer

Asymmetric stem cell division has emerged as a major regulatory mechanism for physiologic control of stem cell numbers. Reinvigoration of the cancer stem cell theory suggests that tumorigenesis may be regulated by maintaining the balance between asymmetric and symmetric cell division. Therefore, mutations affecting this balance could result in aberrant expansion of stem cells. Although a number of molecules have been implicated in regulation of asymmetric stem cell division, here, we highlight known tumor suppressors with established roles in this process. While a subset of these tumor suppressors were originally defined in developmental contexts, recent investigations reveal they are also lost or mutated in human cancers. Mutations in tumor suppressors involved in asymmetric stem cell division provide mechanisms by which cancer stem cells can hyperproliferate and offer an intriguing new focus for understanding cancer biology. Our discussion of this emerging research area derives insight from a frontier area of basic science and links these discoveries to human tumorigenesis. This highlights an important new focus for understanding the mechanism underlying expansion of cancer stem cells in driving tumorigenesis.
Spectroscopic and morphological studies of highly conducting ion-implanted rigid-rod and ladder polymers

The spectroscopic (UV-visible, IR, XPS, and Raman) characterization and morphological studies of 84 Kr + -implanted conducting rigid-rod poly(p-phenylenebenzobis(thiazole)) (PBZT) and poly(p-phenylenebenzobis(oxazole)) (PBO), pseudo-ladder poly(p-2,5-dihydroryphenylene)benzobis(thiazole)) (DPBT) and ladder poly(benzimidazobenzophenanthroline) (BBL) polymers at a dose of 4×10 16 ions/cm 2 and an energy of 200 keV. are reported. All showed similar optical properties after implantation, namely, broad metallic absorption
Silica-stabilized aluminas resistant to vanadium attack under severe high-temperature conditions

Silica stabilization of alumina by direct reaction of alkoxysilanes with the dehydrated surface of a 500/sup 0/C calcined silica-alumina cogel (5 wt% SiO/sub 2/ content) leads to a vanadium-tolerant support when exposed to severe high-temperature conditions. Vanadium present in heavy petroleum feedstocks is known to attack many conventional heterogeneous catalyst supports under regeneration conditions when coke deposits are removed under oxidizing conditions. The authors have found that it is the dispersed, vanadium oxide surface structure which causes the facile loss in surface area of conventional ..gamma..-alumina supports, with, or without, steam present under high-temperature conditions. The only supports which are stable to loss of surface area by a dispersed, vanadium oxide surface structure are (i) a silica-stabilized, transitional alumina which has been produced by reaction of the dehydrated, terminating hydroxyl structure of a boehmite-like, high-alumina content silica-alumina with tetraalkoxysilane, and (ii) a silica-stabilized alumina produced by reaction of boehmite itself with tetraalkoxysilane. A two-step preparation procedure was employed to prepare a bulk and surface, silica-stabilized alumina.
Reactor optimisation problems for reversible exothermic reactions

Optimization of tubular reactors in which the desired reaction is exothermic and reversible is considered. For the cases where there are no side reactions and there is no decay of catalyst various types of temperature control are investigated. The remaining cases considered are a) stable catalyst, irreversible decay of product and b) decaying catalyst, stable product. In each of these cases perfect indirect temperature control is treated. Particular attention is given to devising numerical methods which take advantage of the structure of the problem in question and to convenient representation of data. On considere les moyens d'augmenter le plus possible le rendement des reacteurs tubulaires dans lesquels la raection desiree est exothermique et reversible. Lorsqu'il n'y a pas de reaction secondaire ni d'affaiblissement du catalyseur, on a etudie divers moyens pour regler la temperature. On a egalement considere les cas suivants: a) catalyseur stable et desintegration irreversible du produit, b) catalyseur en voie d'affaiblissement et produit stable. Dans chaque cas, on traite du reglage parfait et indirect de la temperature. On a pre'te une attention speciale a la mise au point de methodes numeriques qui beneficient de la structure du probleme en question, ainsi qu'a une representation appropriee des resultats obtenus.
Effect of multi-layer thermal insulation thickness and location on the hypervelocity impact response of dual-wall structures

Abstract Traditional perforation-resistant wall design for long-duration spacecraft consists of a “bumper” that is placed a small distance away from the main “pressure wall” of a spacecraft compartment or module. This concept has been studied extensively as a means of reducing the perforation threat of hypervelocity projectiles such as meteoroids and orbital debris. If a dual-wall system is employed on an earth-orbiting spacecraft, then a blanket of multi-layer insulation (MLI) will typically be included within the dual-wall system for thermal protection purposes. This paper presents the results of an experimental study in which aluminum dual-wall structures were tested under a variety of high-speed impact conditions to study the effect of MLI thickness and location on perforation resistance. The results presented consist of test-by-test comparisons of the damage sustained by similar dual-wall systems with blanket MLI of various thicknesses and at various locations within the dual-wall systems under similar impact loading conditions. The analyses performed revealed that the placement of the MLI had a significant effect on the ballistic limit of the dual-wall structures considered while reducing the thickness of the MLI by as much as 1 3 did not.
Influence of glycerol on the molecular mobility, oxygen permeability and microstructure of amorphous zein films

Abstract The effects of glycerol on molecular mobility, oxygen diffusion and microstructure in amorphous zein matrix were studied using phosphorescence and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Films containing various amounts of glycerol (0, 5, 10, 20 and 30 wt%) were cast from solutions of 0.5% (w/v) zein in 70% ethanol/water (v/v). Erythrosin B (Ery B) phosphorescence was used to monitor the molecular mobility of these matrices over the temperature range from 0 to 100 °C. Analysis of Ery B emission peak frequency and bandwidth and intensity decay provided information about thermally-activated modes of molecular mobility in the matrices. Dipolar relaxation around the triplet state of Ery B was weakened and the extent of relaxation was decreased at low concentration glycerol (≤10%), indicating a role as antiplasticizer. The rate of non-radiative decay from the Ery B triplet state indicated that glycerol only performed as a plasticizer and increased the local mobility of the zein matrix at and above ∼20 wt %, while in films with glycerol at ≤20 wt % the local mobility remained nearly constant or only slightly increased compared with pure zein. Though transitioning from antiplasticizer to plasticizer at higher content, glycerol dramatically suppressed the oxygen permeability of the film in the whole concentration range tested. AFM images indicated that glycerol induced aggregation of zein complexes. These results indicate how the addition of glycerol to zein films could affect the physical properties, structure and thus functional properties in ways that influence their eventual use.
Bearing Stabilization and Tracking for an AUV with an Acoustic Line Array

Passive underwater detection and tracking sonar systems using autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) have many important applications. Because of imperfections in vehicle control, it is common for an AUV to undergo significant yaw and pitch oscillations. As a result, it is important to compensate for the vehicle motion when generating true bearing estimates while using a rigidly attached acoustic line array. This paper describes full beam interpolation tracker and bearing stabilization algorithms that were implemented to address these issues on an intelligent AUV sonar sensor and tested during a subsequent sea trial with the goal of providing target bearing estimates to a target track estimation algorithm. These beam tracking and bearing stabilization algorithms can also be applied to the case of a flexible towed array with some additional modifications. Initial results indicate that this is an effective method of measuring stabilized true target bearings.
High capacity optical packet switch based on a Waveguide Grating Router operated over multiple FSRs

An optical wavelength-selective packet switch based on a wavelength grating router operated on multiple free spectral ranges to achieve increased port count and switching capacity is described and demonstrated experimentally.
Discover: keyword search in relational databases

DISCOVER operates on relational databases and facilitates information discovery on them by allowing its user to issue keyword queries without any knowledge of the database schema or of SQL. DISCOVER returns qualified joining networks of tuples, that is, sets of tuples that are associated because they join on their primary and foreign keys and collectively contain all the keywords of the query. DISCOVER proceeds in two steps. First the Candidate Network Generator generates all candidate networks of relations, that is, join expressions that generate the joining networks of tuples. Then the Plan Generator builds plans for the efficient evaluation of the set of candidate networks, exploiting the opportunities to reuse common subexpressions of the candidate networks. We prove that DISCOVER finds without redundancy all relevant candidate networks, whose size can be data bound, by exploiting the structure of the schema. We prove that the selection of the optimal execution plan (way to reuse common subexpressions) is NP-complete. We provide a greedy algorithm and we show that it provides near-optimal plan execution time cost. Our experimentation also provides hints on tuning the greedy algorithm.
Surface complexation and precipitate geometry for aqueous Zn(II) sorption on ferrihydrite: II. XANES analysis and simulation

X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy (XANES) analysis of sorption complexes has the advantages of high sensitivity (10- to 20-fold greater than extended X-ray absorption fine structure [EXAFS] analysis) and relative ease and speed of data collection (because of the short k-space range). It is thus a potentially powerful tool for characterization of environmentally significant surface complexes and precipitates at very low surface coverages. However, quantitative analysis has been limited largely to “fingerprint” comparison with model spectra because of the difficulty of obtaining accurate multiple-scattering amplitudes for small clusters with high confidence. In the present work, calculations of the XANES for 50- to 200-atom clusters of structure from Zn model compounds using the full multiple-scattering code Feff 8.0 accurately replicate experimental spectra and display features characteristic of specific first-neighbor anion coordination geometry and second-neighbor cation geometry and number. Analogous calculations of the XANES for small molecular clusters indicative of precipitation and sorption geometries for aqueous Zn on ferrihydrite, and suggested by EXAFS analysis, are in good agreement with observed spectral trends with sample composition, with Zn-oxygen coordination and with changes in second-neighbor cation coordination as a function of sorption coverage. Empirical analysis of experimental XANES features further verifies the validity of the calculations. The findings agree well with a complete EXAFS analysis previously reported for the same sample set, namely, that octahedrally coordinated aqueous Zn2+ species sorb as a tetrahedral complex on ferrihydrite with varying local geometry depending on sorption density. At significantly higher densities but below those at which Zn hydroxide is expected to precipitate, a mainly octahedral coordinated Zn2+ precipitate is observed. An analysis of the multiple scattering paths contributing to the XANES demonstrates the importance of scattering paths involving the anion sublattice. We also describe the specific advantages of complementary quantitative XANES and EXAFS analysis and estimate limits on the extent of structural information obtainable from XANES analysis.
BlueSNP: R package for highly scalable genome-wide association studies using Hadoop clusters.

Summary: Computational workloads for genome-wide association studies (GWAS) are growing in scale and complexity outpacing the capabilities of single-threaded software designed for personal computers. The BlueSNP R package implements GWAS statistical tests in the R programming language and executes the calculations across computer clusters configured with Apache Hadoop, a de facto standard framework for distributed data processing using the MapReduce formalism. BlueSNP makes computationally intensive analyses, such as estimating empirical p-values via data permutation, and searching for expression quantitative trait loci over thousands of genes, feasible for large genotype–phenotype datasets. Availability and implementation: http://github.com/ibmbioinformatics/bluesnp
Multiscale observations of snow accumulation and peak snowpack following widespread, insect-induced lodgepole pine mortality

Seasonal snowpack in forested lands is the primary source of fresh water in western North America, where mountain pine beetle (MPB) infestation has resulted in rapid and extensive tree die-off. Forests significantly influence the amount and spatial distribution of peak seasonal snowpack, but the impacts of large-scale tree mortality on the processes controlling peak snowpack are not well understood. We evaluate the effects of widespread tree mortality on winter snow accumulation and peak seasonal snowpack across multiple spatial scales and several levels of MPB impact in the Central Rocky Mountains. Observations for winters 2010 and 2011 include continuous snow depths in 20 plots, distributed snow surveys at peak accumulation and climate observations above and below canopy including precipitation, temperature, humidity, wind and shortwave radiation. Stable water isotopes were observed for fresh snowfall and for snowpack. Plot-scale snowfall observations showed 20% lower interception (p < 0.05) in grey-phase stands (needles lost) than in unimpacted stands. However, distributed snow surveys found no differences in peak seasonal snow water equivalent between unimpacted and grey-phase stands. Water isotopes of snowpack from MPB-killed stands indicated kinetic fractionation; enriched values demonstrated higher winter snowpack sublimation in MPB-killed forest. Following MPB infestation, reduced canopy sublimation of intercepted snow appeared to be compensated by increased snowpack sublimation, consistent with observations of higher snowpack insolation. Consequently, the effects of widespread tree mortality on peak seasonal snowpack, which is crucial for downstream water resources, will be influenced by compensation for lower interception by higher snowpack sublimation. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Simulation of a multiple operating room surgical suite

Outpatient surgery scheduling involves the coordination of several activities in an uncertain environment. Due to the very customized nature of surgical procedures there is significant uncertainty in the duration of activities related to the intake process, surgical procedure, and recovery process. Furthermore, there are multiple criteria which must be traded off when considering how to schedule surgical procedures including patient waiting, operating room (OR) team waiting, OR idling, and overtime for the surgical suite. Uncertainty combined with the need to tradeoff many criteria makes scheduling a complex task for OR managers. In this article we present a simulation model for a multiple OR surgical suite, describe some of the scheduling challenges, and illustrate how the model can be used as a decisions aid to improve strategic and operational decision making relating to the delivery of surgical services. All results presented are based on real data collected at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.