cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pyrolysis of Triethyl Phosphate

The pyrolytic decomposition of triethyl phosphate (TEP) has been studied at one atmosphere, from 706 to 854 K, in an isothermal quartz-lined, 4.5-cm-ID turbulent flow reactor with residence times between 15 and 85 ms. TEP was initially present at levels between 30 and 125 ppm, in N2. CO was used as an internal standard for mixing. Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry preceded by conversion to trimethylsilyl derivatives were used to measure TEP and its products in samples extracted through quartz sampling tubes. Ethene, ethanol, diethyl phosphate, monoethyl phosphate, and orthophosphoric acid were observed as products. A multistep decomposition mechanism has been proposed, involving parallel pathways producing ethanol and ethene. Overall uni-molecular rate parameters for TEP decomposition have been obtained. Wall reactions affect the ethanol-to-ethene ratio, and may also affect the TEP decomposition rate.
Quantification of cytokines involved in wound healing using surface plasmon resonance.

Sensing of three cytokines related to chronic wound healing, interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), with detection limits at or below 1 ng/mL in buffered saline solution and spiked cell culture medium (CCM) has been achieved. Fiber-optic surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors are coated with an antibody binding layer and antibodies specific to the cytokine of interest are covalently attached to this layer. To achieve such detection limits in a complex medium such as CCM, total protein content of 4 mg/mL, the use of a novel N-hydroxysuccinimide ester of 16-mercaptohexadecanoic acid (NHS-MHA) is necessary. A comparison of the detection limits for IL-6 using currently widely used CM-dextran and NHS-MHA shows an improvement by a factor of 3 using NHS-MHA. The detection limits for the monitoring of cytokines in spiked saline solutions and CCM were similar for TNF-α and slightly higher for IL-1 and IL-6. The detection of each cytokine in the presence of interfering age...
Amorphous transparent conductors for PV applications

Transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) with qualitatively better resistance to humidity than ZnO, the traditional Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 (CIGS) TCO, are needed to reduce the water-induced degradation of CIGS photovoltaics (PV). Amorphous In-Zn-O (a-IZO) is found both to act as a water vapor transport barrier and to be essentially inert in damp heat testing at 85°C, 85%RH (85/85). In particular, no significant reduction in conductivity or transparency was observed after 40 days at 85/85. In initial PV application testing, a-IZO-finished CIGS solar cells have demonstrated 16.4% efficiency, essentially equal to equivalent CIGS cells finished with Al-doped ZnO.
Über spektroskopische Untersuchungen mit Hilfe von α-Teilchen

Excitation of the molecules of various gaseous substances byα-particles from a polonium 210 source has been investigated, expecially with respect to the branching between dissociation andγ-de-exitation. The use of an alternative irradiation source is briefly discussed.
Palladin's Ig4 Mutation: Exploring the Link with Pancreatic Cancer

Palladin is a recently discovered protein that is expressed in human cells and plays a key role in cytoskeletal dynamics by directly binding and bundling filaments of actin. These processes provide an important function in cell motility and are made possible by the Ig3 and Ig4 domains of palladin. Since cancer survival is often dependent upon migration of cancerous cells to other parts of the body, palladin has been implicated as playing a critical role in cancer metastasis. In addition, a mutation from a conserved tryptophan to cysteine in palladin's Ig4 domain has recently been linked to a form of pancreatic cancer. This mutation is called “PaTu2,” and understanding how it affects palladin is the focus of this research project. We began by isolating the wild type and mutant Ig4 and Ig3-4 domains of palladin. Obtaining the PaTu2 mutant protein required a different approach due to the protein remaining insoluble within inclusion bodies in E. coli bacteria after cell lysis. This was amended by incorporating a maltose-binding protein tag to increase solubility so that the protein could undergo affinity purification. Next, we determined whether the mutation affected palladin's ability to bind and bundle actin filaments by conducting cosedimentation assays, with initial results showing no significant difference when compared to the wild-type. Future directions of the project include using nuclear magnetic resonance and circular dichroism spectroscopy to see if the mutation affects the structure and stability of palladin. Such analysis will provide the necessary data that lead towards a greater understanding the cause of metastatic pancreatic cancer.
Molecular Dipole Moments and Stark Effects. III. Dipole Moment Determinations

Dipole moments of eight molecules were determined by the Stark splittings of the rotational transitions in the microwave region. The molecules and their moments in Debye units are: As${\mathrm{F}}_{3}$, 2.815\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.025; C${\mathrm{H}}_{3}$I, 1.647\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.014; C${\mathrm{H}}_{3}$Cl, 1.869\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.010; C${\mathrm{H}}_{3}$Br, 1.797\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.015; C${\mathrm{H}}_{3}$C${\mathrm{F}}_{3}$, 2.321\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.034; P${\mathrm{F}}_{3}$, 1.025\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.009; ${\mathrm{N}}_{2}$O, 0.166\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.002; and ClCN, 2.802\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.020. In all cases Stark effects followed very closely theoretical expectations.
Health Information-Seeking in the Digital Age

Abstract Objective: The authors examined the sources of health information among first-year university students and whether the predictors of information-seeking varied by information source. Participants: First-year students in a required course at a midwestern public university were eligible to participate, and 82% (n = 1,060) completed the study. Methods: Students completed a survey questionnaire regarding information-seeking behaviors and Internet uses in domains including health. The authors used regression analyses to examine predictors of source-specific health information-seeking. Results: Young women are much more likely than young men to seek health information. The characteristics associated with looking online for health information are different than those for using other information sources, and students who look online for health information also report greater use of other information sources. Conclusions: Although the Internet is an important source of health information for students, hea...
Motion-adaptive quantization and reconstruction technique for distributed video coding

Distributed video coding is a new paradigm based on two information theoretical results by Slepian-Wolf and Wyner-Ziv. The architectures designed so far have invariably made use of the uniform scalar quantization schemes along with a few attempts to make the schemes more adaptive. Quantization is one of the major contributors to the large performance gap between conventional video coding standards and distributed video coding. In this paper, an attempt is made to improve the performance of the Wyner-Ziv video coding by making the quantization algorithm more adaptive to the motion content of the video sequence without significantly increasing the encoder complexity. The proposed method also exploits the temporal correlation to provide for online correlation noise classification. Hence, the improved reconstruction technique which uses the correlation noise information is more adaptive to the motion content. Simulation results show that the proposed motion-adaptive quantization and reconstruction technique achieves improved rate-distortion performance.
An extracellular stochastic model of early HIV infection and the formulation of optimal treatment policy

The problem of scheduling optimal treatment strategies for patients at the early stage of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is investigated. Unlike patients with an established HIV infection, complete eradication of the infection is still possible at this stage and treatment can further increase the probability of eradication. However, high dosages of drugs should be avoided, if possible, because of toxic side effects. Stochastic simulation is capable of determining the infection establishment probability at the early infection stage. Consequently, to obtain acceptable treatment strategies, an optimization problem was formulated, employing a stochastic model to predict the response of an average patient to treatment. Optimal treatment strategies for prompt and also a few days latency in treatment initiation were computed. These strategies were compared with constant treatment strategies and were shown to be more beneficial in silico, i.e., they either decreased the infection establishment probability or the dosage of the drugs.
Investigation into the standardization of 99Tc.

Abstract The standardization of 99 Tc by several primary methods was investigated. This was performed to support a new 99 Tc transfer standard that has been developed and will be disseminated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) as Standard Reference Material SRM 4288B. The standardization for the 99 Tc content of the solution was based on 4 πβ liquid scintillation (LS) measurements with 3 H-standard efficiency tracing (CIEMAT/NIST method). Confirmatory determinations were performed by 4 πβ (LS)- γ (NaI) live-timed anti-coincidence (LTAC) counting and an LS-based 4 πβ triple-to-double coincidence ratio (TDCR) method.
A mathematical treatment of the development of colonies of different kinds of social wasps

This article gives a general mathematical description of the development of a colony of social wasps. It also gives a mathematical derivation of the time when it is most suitable for a colony of wasps to begin to produce queens (instead of only workers). First, we consider the case when the wasps do not build special cells for the queen-eggs and then the case when they do. By comparison with observed data which are available in the literature the theory seems to give a very good description of what actually happens in a colony of social wasps. The theory can be used to check the validity of certain hypotheses trying to explain when and why a colony of wasps suddenly begins to produce queens.
Improved terahertz imaging with a sparse synthetic aperture array

Sparse arrays are highly attractive for implementing two-dimensional arrays, but come at the cost of degraded image quality. We demonstrate significantly improved performance by exploiting the coherent ultrawideband nature of singlecycle THz pulses. We compute two weighting factors to each time-delayed signal before final summation to form the reconstructed image. The first factor employs cross-correlation analysis to measure the degree of walk-off between timedelayed signals of neighboring elements. The second factor measures the spatial coherence of the time-delayed delayed signals. Synthetic aperture imaging experiments are performed with a THz time-domain system employing a mechanically scanned single transceiver element. Cross-sectional imaging of wire targets is performed with a onedimensional sparse array with an inter-element spacing of 1.36 mm (over four λ at 1 THz). The proposed image reconstruction technique improves image contrast by 15 dB, which is impressive considering the relatively few elements in the array. En-face imaging of a razor blade is also demonstrated with a 56 x 56 element two-dimensional array, showing reduced image artifacts with adaptive reconstruction. These encouraging results suggest that the proposed image reconstruction technique can be highly beneficial to the development of large area two-dimensional THz arrays.
Belief-Desire Reasoning as a Process of Selection.

Abstract Human learning may depend upon domain specialized mechanisms. A plausible example is rapid, early learning about the thoughts and feelings of other people. A major achievement in this domain, at about age four in the typically developing child, is the ability to solve problems in which the child attributes false beliefs to other people and predicts their actions. The main focus of theorizing has been why 3-year-olds fail, and only recently have there been any models of how success is achieved in false-belief tasks. Leslie and Polizzi (Inhibitory processing in the false-belief task: Two conjectures. Developmental Science, 1, 247–254, 1998) proposed two competing models of success, which are the focus of the current paper. The models assume that belief-desire reasoning is a process which selects a content for an agent’s belief and an action for the agent’s desire. In false belief tasks, the theory of mind mechanism (ToMM) provides plausible candidate belief contents, among which will be a ‘true-belief.’ A second process reviews these candidates and by default will select the true-belief content for attribution. To succeed in a false-belief task, the default content must be inhibited so that attention shifts to another candidate belief. In traditional false-belief tasks, the protagonist’s desire is to approach an object. Here we make use of tasks in which the protagonist has a desire to avoid an object, about which she has a false-belief. Children find such tasks much more difficult than traditional tasks. Our models explain the additional difficulty by assuming that predicting action from an avoidance desire also requires an inhibition. The two processing models differ in the way that belief and desire inhibitory processes combine to achieve successful action prediction. In six experiments we obtain evidence favoring one model, in which parallel inhibitory processes cancel out, over the other model, in which serial inhibitions force attention to a previously inhibited location. These results are discussed in terms of a set of simple proposals for the modus operandi of a domain specific learning mechanism. The learning mechanism is in part modular—the ToMM—and in part penetrable—the Selection Processor (SP). We show how ToMM–SP can account both for competence and for successful and unsuccessful performance on a wide range of belief-desire tasks across the preschool period. Together, ToMM and SP attend to and learn about mental states.
Professor Charles E. Metz Leaves Profound Legacy in ROC Methodology

Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) methodology was developed during World War II to evaluate new signal detection technology. Subsequently, it was used extensively in radar signal detection and psychophysical research. There have been renewed interests and an increasing number of applications in radiology and medical imaging in recent decades (1). Nowadays, with an explosion of computer-aided diagnosis, comparative effectiveness research, technology assessment, imaging biomarkers, and personalized medicine, ROC analysis continues to play important roles in informed medical decision making (2). This article series is one of twomemorial issues that will pay special tribute to Professor Charles E. Metz of the University of Chicago. As evident in both the editorial by Dr John Eng and the obituary by Dr Robert M. Nishikawa herein, Dr Metz has made significant contributions to the field of ROC analysis and was widely recognized as one of our founding giants in medical physics and diagnostic medicine. Dr Metz has left behind a rich body of ROC literature. For example, a PubMed search conducted on September 20, 2012, using the search string ‘‘Metz CE’’ yielded a staggering total of 150 articles, with his very first articles appearing in the late 1960s and early 1970s. According to the history of this journal, in 1994, the three leading academic radiology societies in the United States, along with their counterpart among radiology residents, severed a long relationship with Investigative Radiology and its publisher, J. B. Lippincott (now Lippincott-Raven), to found their own journal.Academic Radiology now serves as the official journal of the Association of University Radiologists, the Society of Chairs of Academic Radiology Departments, the Association of Program Directors in Radiology, and the American Association of Academic Chief Residents in
Elevated brain scyllo-inositol concentrations in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

in vivo1H MRS reveals reduced N-acetylaspartate (NAA) and elevated myo-inositol (mI) in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) and patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We are unaware of studies that have documented abnormal scyllo-inositol (sI) levels in patients with AD or patients with MCI, although a previous MRS study in older adults has indicated that sI is a peak of interest to measure in AD. Fifteen patients with mild AD, 26 patients with amnestic MCI, and 19 healthy older adults were recruited to this study. All underwent 1H MRS of the posterior cingulate gyrus of the brain using a 3 T MRI scanner. Increases in the sI/creatine (Cr) ratio were observed in patients with mild AD (P < 0.05). The mI/Cr ratio was raised in patients with mild AD (P < 0.01) and MCI (P < 0.05). Reduced NAA/Cr was detected in patients with mild AD (P < 0.05). The sI/Cr ratio correlated negatively (r = −0.60, P < 0.05) with a measure of clock drawing in patients with mild AD, indicating that impaired cognitive ability in AD is associated with higher concentrations of sI/Cr. In vivo measurement of sI/Cr in the posterior cingulate gyrus of patients with mild AD revealed increases compared with cognitively healthy older adults. Further research on the mechanisms of sI increase in AD is needed. Future studies on the longitudinal course of sI/Cr in MCI and AD appear warranted. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An improved method for extracting myeloperoxidase and determining its activity in the pancreas and lungs during pancreatitis

OBJECTIVES This study was undertaken to examine the cause of variation in determined values of myeloperoxidase activity from sequestered neutrophils in pancreas and lungs during pancreatitis and to develop a reproducible method for the extraction and measurement of myeloperoxidase in these tissues. METHODS We measured myeloperoxidase in pancreatic and lung homogenates at different steps and evaluated the extent of inhibitory activity by measuring enzyme activity in the presence of homogenates from normal lungs and pancreata. To remove inhibitory activity from the homogenates, different methods like heat inactivation, inclusion of catalase inhibitor, and membranous pellet washing were evaluated. RESULTS Significant myeloperoxidase inhibitory activity was observed in pancreatic and lung homogenates, which could be effectively removed by the newly developed protocol. In extracts, myeloperoxidase activity can be determined by a spectrophotometric method, which is not only reproducible but is also adaptable for use in a plate reader or an autoanalyzer. Using this method, we studied the pattern of neutrophil sequestration over time in both pancreatic and lung tissue during caerulein-induced pancreatitis. CONCLUSIONS Myeloperoxidase inhibition in the pancreas and lungs contributes to the variation observed in measurement of the enzyme.
Association of Wilms' tumor and intracranial hemorrhage due to arteriovenous malformation

A high incidence of congenital malformations associated with Wilms' tumor has been recognized lately. Aniridia, hemihypertrophy, and urinary tract anomalies are among the most frequently reported. Anomalies of the central nervous system associated with Wilms' tumor are rare. We report a previously healthy 4-year-old girl who presented with an intracranial hemorrhage secondary to a ruptured arteriovenous malformation. A routine abdominal examination revealed a large right-sided Wilms' tumor. The question generated by the coexistence of these two uncommon disorders in one individual is whether there is a genetic or other relationship between them, or whether this is merely a coincidental occurrence. The question at this point is unanswered and must await demonstration of additional, similar cases.
Fusion frequency as a function of number and phase of binocular stimuli

The relation of fusion hertz to the number of pulses in a train was explored under three conditions: monoptically, dichoptically inphase, and dichoptically antiphase. All three conditions show an increase in fusion hertz as the number of pulses in the stimulating train increases. Over the range of pulse numbers investigated, fusion hertz varies principally with the number of pulses delivered to one eye regardless of the stimulating condition of the other eye.
Nonlinear Differential Equations

This chapter explicitly discusses nonlinear systems of ODE using linear approximation methods. Each system has equilibrium points associated with it and an related linear system of ODE governed by the linear dynamics determined by the Jacobian at the given equilibrium. The overall system is then understood by piecing together the individual linear approximate systems. New MatLab tools are developed to generate the various phase plane plots required to understand what the trajectories are doing.
The role of lymphadenectomy in the management of renal cell carcinoma

The role of lymphadenectomy in the management of renal cell carcinoma has been established in staging but is less well defined as a therapeutic maneuver. Level one evidence suggests no survival benefit or increased complication rate with lymphadenectomy when performed concurrently with radical nephrectomy. However, several retrospective studies have identified a survival benefit when patients with increased risk of micrometastatic lymph node disease undergo lymphadenectomy. We perform a selective review of the literature and present the historical basis, risk assessment, use and development of nodal templates, and therapeutic benefits associated with the use of lymphadenectomy in the management of renal cell carcinoma.
Genetic and environmental modification of the mechanical properties of wood

Wood is one of the nation's leading raw materials and is used for a wide variety of products, either directly as wood, or as derived materials in pulp and paper. Wood is a biological material and evolved to provide mechanical support and water transport to the early plants that conquered the land. Wood is a tissue that results from the differentiation and programmed cell death of cells that derive from a tissue known as the vascular cambium. The vascular cambium is a thin cylinder of undifferentiated tissue in plant stems and roots that gives rise to several different cell types. Cells that differentiate on the internal side of the cambium form xylem, a tissue composed in major part, of long thin cells that die leaving a network of interconnected cell walls that serve to transport water and to provide mechanical support for the woody plant. The shape and chemical composition of the cells in xylem are well suited for these functions. The structure of cells in xylem determines the mechanical properties of the wood because of the strength derived from the reinforced matrix of the wall. The hydrophobic phenolic surface of the inside of the cell walls is essential to maintain surface tension upon which water transport is based and to resist decay caused by microorganisms. The properties of wood derived from the function of xylem also determine its structural and chemical properties as wood and paper products. Therefore, the physical and chemical properties of wood and paper products also depend on the morphology and composition of the cells from which they are derived. Wood (xylem cell walls) is an anisotropic material, a composite of lignocellulose. It is a matrix of cellulose microfibrils, complexed with hemicelluloses, (carbohydrate polymers which contain sugars other than glucose, both pentoses and hexoses), embedded together in a phenolic matrix of lignin. The high tensile strength of wood in the longitudinal direction, is due to the structure of cellulose and the orientation of the cellulose microfibrils. Lignin provides the embedding matrix that imparts compressive strength and flexibility. The water conducting cells in xylem, the tracheids, are long thin cells, which become the fibers of paper when the lignin is removed from wood during the papermaking process. The length of the tracheids and the thickness of the walls have important effects on the properties of paper that is produced. The past two decades have marked a revolutionary period in biological sciences due to the development of gene splicing techniques. These methods have led to the directed engineering of organisms to develop new industrial products. The technology has been used to produce a wide variety of new pharmaceuticals and transgenic plants and animals. This technology is now also being applied to forest trees.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Decoding first-spike latency: A likelihood approach

Abstract First-spike latency at the level of auditory cortex appears to correlate well with sound source direction. However, an unsettled issue with latency as a neural code is the apparent lack of temporal marking for the onset of the stimulus. One possible resolution is that relative ensemble latencies could be decoded rather than absolute latencies. How an ensemble timing referent might inform a theoretical ideal observer remains largely unexplored. A likelihood approach is derived for decoding sound direction from a sample population of cortical neurons in cat auditory cortex based on relative first-spike latencies, and is evaluated using Fisher information.
Novel cytoskeletal elements in mammalian eggs are composed of a unique arrangement of intermediate filaments

Abstract Mammalian eggs and embryos contain a major network of specialized cytoskeletal components known as ‘sheets’ that have not been identified in any other cell type. Although eggs from at least seven different mammalian species have been shown to contain these cytoskeletal structures, embedment-free electron microscopic analysis of these eggs revealed that two basic forms of cytoskeletal sheets exist, a solid, planar type of sheet typical of hamster and rat eggs and a fibrous sheet typical of mouse, porcine, bovine, canine, and human eggs. In this study we have investigated the structural composition of the fibrous type of sheet in mouse eggs by employing biochemical approaches as well as two forms of ultrastructural analyses including: (1) analysis of thick, resin-embedded specimens using an intermediate voltage electron microscope (IVEM); (2) analysis of replicas from quick-frozen, deep-etched specimens. Our results indicate that the sheets of mouse eggs and preimplantation embryos are composed of cylindrical bundles of 10–11 nm filaments, with each of these filaments held in register by periodically arranged crossbridges spaced 23–25 nm apart. This sheet substructure of filaments and crossbridges is covered by a particulate material which can be removed by non-ionic detergent. Immunoelectron microscopic analysis of mouse eggs demonstrates that sheets bind antibodies to keratin and to a small extent, actin, but do not bind antibodies to vimentin or tubulin. Confirmation that keratin exists in these eggs was obtained by electrophoretic separation and one- and two-dimensional Western blot analysis demonstrating the existence of keratin types 5, 6, 8, 16, and type Z. The low abundancy of keratin type 8 compared to other keratin types explains the difficulties other investigators have had identifying intermediate filaments in mammalian embryos since most investigators have used antibodies directed specifically against keratin type 8 or its pair keratin type 18. Examination of compacted mouse embryos reveals that the filamentous framework of sheets disassembled and established close contact with the basolateral plasma membrane and the nucleus. However, sheets at the apical plasma membrane of blastomeres attach to the membrane but remain intact. Based on our biochemical and ultrastructural data, the fibrous sheets of mouse eggs appear to be cytoskeletal structures comparable to the solid, planar sheets of the Syrian hamster egg and probably serve similar function(s) in eggs and embryos of several mammalian species.
"Just the Facts, Ma'am": Teaching Social Studies in the Era of Standards and High-Stakes Testing

The authors discuss the impact of standards and testing on curriculum and instruction. They begin with a brief history of the growth and development of academic standards and high-stakes testing. Next, they review relevant research on the impact highstakes testing has had on curriculum and instruction and discuss ways that highstakes testing has influenced student-teacher relationships. They also discuss specific problems faced by social studies teachers in the era of academic standards and high-stakes testing.
String-inspired gravity with interacting point particles

We reformulate two-dimensional string-inspired gravity with point particles as a gauge theory of the extended Poincar{acute e} group. A nonminimal gauge coupling is necessary for the equivalence of the two descriptions. The classical one-particle problem is analyzed completely. In addition, we obtain the many-particle effective action after eliminating the gravity degrees of freedom. We investigate properties of this effective action, and show how to recover the geometrical description. Quantization of the gauge-theoretic model is carried out and the explicit one-particle solution is found. However, we show that the formulation leads to a quantum-mechanical inconsistency in the two-particle case. Possible cures are discussed. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society.}
The mechanical hypothesis of excitation—contraction (EC) coupling in skeletal muscle

The mechanism of transmission in skeletal muscle EC coupling is still an open question. There is some indirect evidence in favour of the mechanical coupling hypothesis, deriving mostly from consideration of the structure of the Ca2+ release channel protein. A new functional approach is proposed, that consists in comparing the properties of the complete system — EC coupling in a skeletal muscle fibre — with those of the EC coupling molecules in bilayers. In this approach, those properties of the whole system that are not traceable to its constitutive molecules, are ascribed to the physiological interaction, and are expected to yield new information on the nature of this interaction.
Design of log-scale D-C meters

IN MANY quantities, such as money, equal increments are of equal value regardless of the total amount. In other quantities, the increment is evaluated in relation to the total amount. Physical sensation is one example. According to the Weber-Fechner law, a stimulus which increases in geometric progression produces a sensation which increases in arithmetic progression. This means that the magnitude of the stimulus determines the importance of its increment. For instance, an increment of one foot-candle added to illumination of five foot-candles would noticeably increase visibility. Yet, one foot-candle added to 100 foot-candles would not be perceptible. The eye is equally sensitive to equal percentage differences. A light meter should, therefore, give an equal per cent of reading accuracy at each scale point. An instrument having this distribution has a logarithmic scale. Sound is evaluated on a logarithmic basis expressed in the familiar decibel units.
Optimization of metabolite production in fed-batch cultures : Use of sufficiency and characteristics of singular arc and properties of adjoint vector in numerical computation

Fed-batch fermentation for maximization of metabolite production at a final time is normally a singular control problem. The singular optimal feed rate strategy is dependent on the relative positio...
Clinical features, epidemiology, and therapy of lymphangioleiomyomatosis

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a multisystem disease of women, characterized by proliferation of abnormal smooth muscle-like LAM cells, leading to the formation of lung cysts, fluid-filled cystic structures in the axial lymphatics (eg, lymphangioleiomyomas), and renal angiomyolipomas. LAM is caused by mutations of the TSC1 or TSC2 genes, which encode, respectively, hamartin and tuberin, two proteins with a major role in control of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway. LAM occurs sporadically or in association with tuberous sclerosis complex, an autosomal-dominant syndrome characterized by widespread hamartomatous lesions. LAM may present with progressive dyspnea, recurrent pneumothorax, or chylothorax. Pulmonary function tests show reduced flow rates (forced expiratory volume in the first second) and diffusion capacity. Exercise testing may reveal gas exchange abnormalities, ventilatory limitation, and hypoxemia. The severity and progression of disease may be assessed by lung histology scores, quantification of computed tomography, pulmonary function testing, 6-minute walk tests, cardiopulmonary exercise testing, and measurement of serum vascular endothelial growth factor D levels. Sirolimus and everolimus, two mTOR inhibitors, are effective in stabilizing lung function and reducing the size of chylous effusions, lymphangioleiomyo-mas, and angiomyolipomas. However, inhibition of mTOR complex 1 increases autophagy, possibly enhancing LAM cell survival. Inhibition of autophagy with hydroxychloroquine, in combination with sirolimus, has been proposed as a possible treatment for LAM. Deficiency of tuberin results in increased RhoA GTPase activity and cell survival, an effect that is mediated through mTOR complex 2 signaling. Because sirolimus and everolimus only affect the activity of mTOR complex 1, therapies targeting RhoA GTPases with simvastatin, which inhibits Rho GTPases and promotes apoptosis, are being investigated. As in the case of cancer, LAM may be best treated with multiple drugs targeting signaling pathways considered important in the pathogenesis of disease.
Model structures and properties of the electron density distribution for low quartz at pressure: a study of the SiO bond

Abstract The crystal structure, the electron density distribution and the topological properties of the distribution for low quartz were modeled at pressure, using first principles calculations. The geometry optimized nonequivalent SiO bond lengths and the SiOSi angles of the model structures match those observed at pressure to within a few percent. As the bond lengths and angles decrease with compression, the electron density distribution at the bond critical points, ρ ( r c ), along the bonds increases slightly whereas the bonded radii of both Si and O decrease with the radius of the oxide anion compressing about twice as fast as that of the Si cation. The magnitudes of the net charges on both Si and O obtained in a virial partitioning of the electron density distribution also decrease slightly. The significance of secondary bond critical points and bond paths displayed between the oxide anions of adjacent silicate tetrahedra at pressures of 2.5 GPa and greater is discussed. The nature of these interactions is not clear, particularly since they are also exhibited by procrystal representations of the electron density distributions. As the ρ ( r c ) values observed for the SiO bonds in silicate minerals with four-coordinate Si are substantially greater than those reported for bonded interactions close to the closed shell ionic limit but less than those close to the shared covalent limit, the bond is indicated to be more intermediate in character than either ionic or covalent, despite claims to the contrary. Negative values of the Laplacian, ∇ 2 ρ ( r c ), for MO bonds of first- and second-row M-atoms are not always typical of predominantly covalent bonds.
Induction of Dothistroma blight symptoms with dothistromin

Dothistroma blight of Pinus radiata and other pine species, caused by Dothistroma pini , is characterized by red bands through necrotic lesions. The red color in these lesions is due to the accumulation of dothistromin, a difuranoanthraquinone, during the infection process. This compound is the product of the pathogen and was obtained from culture extracts. Evidence is presented supporting the hypothesis that dothistromin plays a significant role in pathogenesis and should be considered a toxin. Typical necrotic and red-band symptoms were induced by introducing 10 to 100 ng of dothistromin in acetone into puncture wounds in pine needles. Lesion length and ethylene production were used to assess dothistromin-induced injury. Natural lesions contained 1 to 10 μg of dothistromin, i.e. substantially greater amounts than those required for induction of artificial lesions. Cited histological studies of natural lesions demonstrated that host tissue was killed in advance of the pathogen—suggesting toxic action. Symptoms of artificially induced lesions developed within hours and, in some cases, continued to expand during a 72 h test period. When acetone alone was introduced into similar puncture wounds, only small necrotic flecks developed. Development of both natural and artificially-induced lesions was favored by high light intensity. The capability to induce lesions artificially with dothistromin may prove useful in the search for resistance and in the clarification of resistance mechanisms.
Simulated Convective Lines with Parallel Stratiform Precipitation. Part II: Governing Dynamics and Associated Sensitivities

Abstract This article is the second of two describing convective lines with parallel stratiform (PS) precipitation. The PS mode appears to be the preferred organizational structure in environments with line-parallel vertical wind shear. This paper presents a detailed analysis of the processes that lead to the development of the PS structure within line-parallel shear, and the positive and negative feedbacks associated with the mature PS structure. As well, the particular importance of line-perpendicular and line-parallel wind shear, line-end effects, inertial stability, and patterns of convective initiation are investigated through a battery of sensitivity tests. Convective lines with PS precipitation develop in environments with both significant line-perpendicular and line-parallel vertical wind shear. Although the studied environments are initially supportive of supercells, the merging of outflows soon renders a predominant linear forcing and the characteristic PS structure. The systems’ linearity in th...
Inductive storage for quasi-steady MPD thrusters

Experiments in which a quasi-steady MPD thruster is driven by a large inductor demonstrate the feasibility of using inductive energy storage to couple an intermittent high power plasma thruster to a lower power steady state supply, such as a thermionic converter. Switching between inductor charging and MPD thrusting phases of the current cycle occurs smoothly, with the voltage spike generated during switching sufficient to initiate the arc discharge in the thruster without an auxiliary starting circuit. Further, the current waveforms delivered by the inductor are of a shape suitable for the quasi-steady thrusting process, and they agree with analytical estimates, indicating that the interaction between the thruster impedance and the inductive source is dynamically stable.
Slow-wave electron cyclotron maser.

The basic physics of a slow-wave electron cyclotron maser (ECM) operating in the Cherenkov regime is considered. This device has the advantage over fast-wave ECM's in that it can be operated with direct axial injection of the electron beam, thus allowing for better control over beam quality and a potentially more compact design. The nonlinear evolution and saturation of the instability are studied using computer simulation. It is shown that high efficiency is attainable and, furthermore, that beam momentum spread is better tolerated in the Doppler-shift-dominated regime than is the case for a fast-wave ECM.
Reactions of hafnocene stannyl complexes with stannanes: implications for the mechanism of the metal-catalyzed dehydropolymerization of secondary stannanes

Abstract Reactions of the hydrostannyl complexes CpCp ∗ Hf(SnHMes 2 )Cl ( 2 ), [Me 2 C(C 5 H 4 ) 2 ]Hf(SnHMes 2 )NMe 2 ( 3 ) and CpCp ∗ Hf(SnHMes 2 )OMe ( 4 ) with Ph 2 SnH 2 or n Bu 2 SnH 2 afforded poly- and oligostannanes of varying molecular weights. The reaction of 2 with 1.2 equiv. of Ph 2 SnH 2 produced the oligostannyl complexes CpCp ∗ Hf(SnPh 2 SnHMes 2 )Cl ( 6 , 68%), CpCp ∗ Hf(SnPh 2 SnHPh 2 )Cl ( 7 , 15%), and CpCp ∗ Hf(SnPh 2 SnPh 2 SnHPh 2 )Cl ( 8 , 7%), which may be intermediates in the dehydropolymerization process. Compounds 7 and 8 were observed in higher yields in the reaction of CpCp ∗ Hf(H)Cl ( 1 ) with 2 equiv. of Ph 2 SnH 2 . Possible mechanisms for the formation of 6 , 7 , and 8 are discussed. Two trialkylstannyl complexes, CpCp ∗ Hf(SnMe 3 )Cl ( 11 ) and CpCp ∗ Hf(Sn n Bu 3 )Cl ( 12 ), were synthesized in good yields from the reaction of 1 with R 3 SnH (R=Me, n Bu). When a solution of 11 was heated to 100 °C for 1 h, CpCp ∗ Hf(SnMe 2 SnMe 3 )Cl ( 13 ) and CpCp ∗ Hf(SnMe 2 SnMe 2 SnMe 3 )Cl ( 14 ) were formed, probably via Me 2 Sn insertion into Hf–Sn bonds. Based on the known influence of catalyst structure on the molecular weight of polystannanes, and the observations reported herein, it is proposed that the Sn–Sn bond-forming mechanism may involve R 2 Sn insertions into M–Sn bonds.
Electron transport systems and mitochondrial DNA in trypanosomatidae: A review

Abstract Since 1963, much research has increased the knowledge of the electron-transport system in Trypanosomatidae. It is now justifiable to suppose that all cyanide-sensitive insect trypanosomatids and midgut forms of trypanosomes have a cytochrome system localized in mitochondria similar to that of Crithidia fasciculata : cytochromes a + a 3 , b, C 555 , coenzyme Q 9 , and cytochrome oxidase o . This system is probably also present in cyanide-sensitive blood trypanosomes (e.g., Trypanosoma cruzi and T. lewisi ) and Leishmania species. Inhibition of formation and function of this mitochondrial system may provide a means for preventing the development of the pathogens in vertebrates. Characterization of the electron transport system in bloodstream cyanide-insensitive trypanosomes still remains vague. Detailed biochemical studies are needed with pure morphological forms, particularly the slender and stumpy forms. The particulate l -α-glycerophosphate oxidase system should be further characterized; the soluble l -α-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase awaits attention. Formation and function of the cytochrome system in Trypanosomatidae is an attractive target for drugs. The future development of effective trypanocides is bound up with rigorous biochemical studies.
DYNAMIC RESPONSE ANALYSIS. I. QUALITATIVE ESTIMATION OF STOCKSTATUS RELATIVE TO MAXIMUM NETPRODUCTIVITY LEVEL FROMOBSERVED DYNAMICS

A qualitative determination of whether a population is above or below its MNPL can be carried out under circumstances where the value of the MNPL itself, and other details of the production curve, cannot be estimated. This qualitative assessment may often be sufficient for management decisions. The method proceeds by locally approximating the production curve, in the neighborhood of the present population density, from data on population sizes and harvests, and then determining whether this represents the ascending or descending arm of the curve. When the harvests are small, or when the harvests are a constant fraction of the production, the population-size data need only be relative. With adequate quantities of data, this assessment method can accommodate random measurement error and random perturbations in the dynamics of the population system.
Vitamin B-6 deficiency vs folate deficiency: comparison of responses to methionine loading in rats.

The plasma homocysteine response to mcthi- onine loading was assessed in vitamin B-6- and folate-deficient rats. Rats fed vitamin B-6-or folate-deficient diets for 4 wk were administered a gastric gavage of methioninc (100 mg/kg body wt)� Subsequent plasma analyses revealed a peak post-methio- nine load increase in plasma homocysteine concentration of > 300 smolfL in the vitamin B-6-deficient rats. Folate-dcficient rats exhibited no significant changes in plasma homocysteinc af- ter the load. These disparate responses can be explained by the observed increase in hepatic S-adcnosylmcthioninc (SAM) con- centration because of the load. In vitamin B-6 deficiency, in- creased SAM inhibits homocysteine remethylation, which, in conjunction with the impaired homocysteine catabolism due to the deficiency and the increased synthesis of homocysteine due to the methioninc load, leads to a large elevation of homocysteine in the blood. In folate deficiency, increased SAM activates homo- cysteine catabolism, which compensates for the increased syn- thesis of homocysteine due to the load and thus no change in blood homocysteine is observed. These results have significant bearing on the interpretation of both positive and negative re- sponses to methioninc loading in humans. Am J Clin Nutr 1994;59:1033-9.
The "feel" of rotary controls: friction and inertia

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of friction and inertia levels on the “feel” of rotary controls. Detection thresholds for changes in friction and inertia were determined and found to be about 10 to 20 per cent of the initial values. Preference ratings obtained for various combinations of friction and inertia increased as a function of inertia level and decreased as a function of friction level. Preferences for viscous friction were greater than for stick-slip friction. Psychophysical evaluations such as these are related to customer acceptance factors and provide a useful supplement to purely functional design criteria.
Co-evolving data driven models and test data sets with the application to forecast chaotic time series

Several approaches have been introduced for modeling and prediction of nonlinear dynamics which have chaotic characteristics. Among these methods, data driven approaches such as Auto Regressive (AR) models, Nonlinear Auto Regressive (NAR) models, Radial Basis Function (RBF) networks, and Multi Layered Perceptron (MLP) neural networks have proven themselves to be powerful approaches in modeling and prediction of chaotic dynamics. However, the structure of these models should be known before the training phase, which is a very complicated problem. In this research, we introduce a co-evolutionary approach for modeling and system identification of chaotic dynamics. The proposed algorithm is composed of two co-evolving populations: candidate data driven models, and test data sets which either extract new information from the nonlinear chaotic system or elicit desirable behavior from it. The fitness of candidate models is their ability to explain behavior of the target chaotic system observed in response to tests carried out so far by predicting the future values of these data sets; the fitness of candidate test data sets is their ability to make the models disagree in their predictions. To check the performance of this algorithm, three case studies are considered. First, we apply this method to approximate a static function which has complicated behavior near zero. Then, we use this algorithm to predict two bench mark time series in chaos literature: Sunspot Number (SSN) and Mackey-Glass (MG) time series. Simulation results depict the power of proposed method in modeling and predicting complicated nonlinear systems.
A NEW SPECIES OF EGNATIOIDES (ORTHOPTERA: ACRIDIDAE) FROM AFGHANISTAN

A new species of Egnatioides (Orthoptera: Acrididae) is described, E . lizae , from Paktia Province, Afghanistan.
'Like me': a foundation for social cognition.

Infants represent the acts of others and their own acts in commensurate terms. They can recognize cross-modal equivalences between acts they see others perform and their own felt bodily movements. This recognition of self‐other equivalences in action gives rise to interpreting others as having similar psychological states such as perceptions and emotions. The ‘like me’ nature of others is the starting point for social cognition, not its culmination.