cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An investigation into the effect of input function shape and image acquisition interval on estimates of washin for dynamic cardiac SPECT

Dynamic cardiac SPECT and PET can be used to measure myocardial perfusion by estimating the kinetic rate constant describing the washin of radioactive-labelled tracers from the blood to the extravascular myocardial tissue. Because of differences in photon statistics and data acquisition techniques, protocols which produce optimal estimates of the washin for dynamic cardiac PET may give suboptimal estimates if applied in dynamic cardiac SPECT. Two important factors in the estimation of washin are the shape of the tracer input function and the image acquisition interval. This study uses computer simulations to investigate the effect of varying the tracer infusion length and image acquisition interval on the bias and variance of estimates of washin obtained with dynamic cardiac SPECT and -labelled teboroxime. Bias in parameter estimates can be introduced by aliasing, integration of the time-varying radioactivity by the detector, and detector motion. This bias can be reduced by decreasing the acquisition interval and using a longer-duration input function. However, this results in poor photon statistics, which generate large variance, and can also introduce bias in the estimates of the washin. Our studies indicate that better estimates of the washin are obtained by using an acquisition interval that is of sufficient duration to obtain adequate photon statistics even if this is at the expense of temporal resolution. The increase in bias caused by using a 10 or 20 s acquisition interval instead of a 5 s acquisition interval is minimal when compared with the reduction in variance. Variance in estimates is also reduced by using a sharp input function, resulting in higher peak counts during washin. It is also shown that the variance of estimates of the washin increases generally when faster kinetics are observed. This variance can, however, be reduced by using longer acquisition intervals.
The meaning of a nonspecific abdominal gas pattern

Rationale and Objectives. The radiology report is the primary means of communication between the radiologist and the referring physician. A lack of precision in this report may adversely affect patient care. We examined how radiologists would define “nonspecific abdominal gas pattern” and how referring physicians would perceive the meaning. Methods. A questionnaire was distributed to radiologists and referring physicians in Flint, Michigan. They were asked to categorize their definition or interpretation, respectively, of “nonspecific abdominal gas pattern” into “normal”; “either normal or abnormal”; or “abnormal, representing either mechanical obstruction or adynamic ileus.” Results. Thirty-three radiologists responded, 23 (69.7%) of whom used the term. One hundred fifty-seven referring physicians responded, 127 of whom assigned a specific definition to the term. Using a 2 × 3 chi-square test (df = 2), we found a statistically significant difference (p Conclusion. The term “nonspecific abdominal gas pattern” should be abandoned because it may signify a normal condition or a pathologic state. We found the definition to be dichotomous and asynchronous between radiologists and their referring physicians.
ATP hydrolysis is required for DEAD-box protein recycling but not for duplex unwinding.

DEAD-box proteins, the largest helicase family, catalyze ATP-dependent remodeling of RNA–protein complexes and the unwinding of RNA duplexes. Because DEAD-box proteins hydrolyze ATP in an RNA-dependent fashion, the energy provided by ATP hydrolysis is commonly assumed to drive the energetically unfavorable duplex unwinding. Here, we show efficient unwinding of stable duplexes by several DEAD-box proteins in the presence of the nonhydrolyzable ATP analog ADP-beryllium fluoride. Another ATP analog, ADP-aluminum fluoride, does not promote unwinding. The findings show that the energy from ATP hydrolysis is dispensable for strand separation. ATP binding, however, appears necessary. ATP hydrolysis is found to be required for fast enzyme release from the RNA and multiple substrate turnovers and thus for enzyme recycling.
210-Po and 239-Pu, 240-Pu in biological and water samples from the Bikini and Eniwetok atolls.

MEASUREMENTS of the radioactivity in water and biological samples from Bikini and Eniwetok lagoons indicate that although the samples were collected from the most plutonium-polluted waters of the world, the values of the naturally produced radionuclide, polonium-210 were usually greater than the values of plutonium-239 and 240, which are produced by nuclear detonations by factors as great as 100.
A mutant rho ATPase from Escherichia coli that is temperature-sensitive in the presence of RNA.

The Escherichia coli mutant rho-115 suppresses lac operon polarity conferred by the lacZ::IS1 insertion MS319. The ATPase activity of purified rho-115 protein was maximal at 40°C, in contrast to 45°C for rho+. At higher temperatures (50°C, 55°C), the fractions of activities at maximal temperature were consistently lower for rho-115 compared to rho+. The 30-minute time course of rho-115 ATP hydrolysis was linear at 37°C but at 45°C the linear kinetics of hydrolysis reached a plateau between 10 and 15 minutes. The 30-minute time courses for rho+ were linear at both 37°C and 45°C. The rho-115 and rho+ ATPase activities were equally heat-stable during preincubation at 45°C in buffer. Inclusion of ATP during preincubation protected these rho proteins from inactivation to the same extent. The presence of polyC during preincubation protected rho- activity but produced substantial inactivation of rho-115 ATPase. The presence of polyU during preincubation gave similar results. Concentrations of polyC between 625 ng/ml and 100 μg/ml yielded the same extent of rho-115 ATPase inactivation during preincubation at 45°C. Thermal inactivation of rho-115 ATPase by polyC was halted by shifting preincubation temperature from 45°C to 35°C, indicating that polyC-induced destabilization of rho-115 was irreversible.
Bear-inflicted human injury and fatality

This review attempts to summarize credible scientific information, and to dispel myths, regarding bear attacks. Publications in the scientific literature were sought through a Medline search and by reviewing the bibliographies of related books and scientific articles. Personal experience and interviews with authorities were also used in preparation of this review, although only published articles or books are cited. This is a summary of case series reported or observed elsewhere. Bear-inflicted human injury and death is rare. Brown bear attacks tend to be severe and to occur suddenly, without provocation. Black bear attacks usually result in minor injuries and tend to be predacious. Polar bear attacks are exceedingly rare, and the ferocity of polar bears has probably been overemphasized. Bear-inflicted wounds should be treated as major trauma in accordance with advanced trauma life support guidelines. This information may be useful in counseling patients with regard to prevention of injury or death from bear attack.
HOPPING AND SWIMMING IN THE LEOPARD FROG, RANA PIPIENS : I. STEP CYCLES AND KINEMATICS

This study presents a model for the step cycle patterns used during both hopping and swimming by the leopard frog, Rana pipiens. The two behaviors are essentially similar in movement pattern and in the ways they are modified from quadrupedal gaits. In hopping, there is marked hind limb extension throughout stance. The swing begins with a suspension equivalent to the leap that occurs in a galloping or bounding quadruped. Following suspension, as the frog descends from the apex of its leap, the hind limbs remain posterior and in line with the spine while they flex. Near the end of flexion, there is a rapid downward rotation of the hindquarters to bring the hind feet underneath the body. This movement utilizes the planted forelimb as a pivot. A similar pattern of movement occurs in swimming; the stance (propulsion) phase involves extension at all hind limb joints. The swing (recovery) phase begins with the hind feet fully extended and includes a protracted gliding phase, equivalent to the suspension in the hop. The hind limb then recovers to its initial position during a flexion phase. Since there is no landing and the hind limbs remain lateral rather than ventral to the pelvis, less flexion occurs in the spine or the limb joints. In both behaviors, the extensor muscles of hip (M. semimembranosus), knee (M. cruralis), and ankle (M. plantaris longus) achieve their longest lengths, when they likely can produce near maximal force, at the beginning of extension. All three muscles shorten during extension, but, because they are multiple-joint muscles, the amount of shortening is relatively small (approximately 15%). Hopping and swimming in frogs are comparable asymmetrical gaits with the same relative contact intervals (25% of stride). The step cycles in both gaits are modified from quadrupedal locomotion in the same ways: by 1) loss of knee and ankle extension toward the ground prior to landing (or end of flexion in swimming), 2) loss of a yield phase on landing (or end of flexion in swimming), and 3) inclusion of extended suspensions in both gaits.
Management of multiple intestinal atresias and perforations with intraluminal stenting

Intraluminal stenting of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract in both multiple intestinal atresias and perforations was used in three patients. In the atresia patients (2), a piercing trocar was used to create continuity of the GI tract and as a guide to thread the intestine over the stent. All patients currently demonstrate normal growth and development on routine enteral feeds. None developed anastomotic leaks or strictures.
Frequency of imported fire ant stings in patients receiving immunotherapy

Background Imported fire ant (IFA) stings are an important cause of stinging insect hypersensitivity in endemic areas. IFA stings are difficult to avoid, and many studies have shown high field sting rates. No studies report the natural IFA sting rate that patients experience while receiving IFA immunotherapy. Objective To determine the frequency of IFA stings in patients receiving IFA immunotherapy compared with an aeroallergen immunotherapy control group. Methods Patients were surveyed by telephone to characterize the frequency of stings, reactions, and attitudes toward IFA avoidance. Results A total of 23 of 28 patients reported IFA stings during their IFA immunotherapy compared with 16 of 28 patients during their aeroallergen immunotherapy. More of the IFA immunotherapy–treated patients were stung than the aeroallergen immunotherapy patients, which is inconsistent with our hypothesis (χ 2 = 4.139, P P 2 = 9.124, P Conclusions Patients with IFA hypersensitivity treated with IFA immunotherapy do not experience a decreased frequency of stings resulting from attention to sting avoidance. IFA stings are frequent and difficult to avoid. Rush IFA immunotherapy is a good option for many patients to achieve protection quickly.
Learning to Design Organizations and Learning from Designing Them

The academic focus of organization studies has unfortunately drifted over the years from the issues that organizations pose for their members and their societies, and the issues that confront people who seek to improve organizations. However, studies of efforts to design organizations can help us to better understand organizations and may also help us to improve them. The papers in this special issue of Organization Science describe several specific efforts to design organizations, telling why people wanted to make changes and what happened when people sought to make them.
EAP Actuators for Biomimetic Technologies with Humanlike Robots as one of the Ultimate Challenges

Since the Stone Age, people have tried to reproduce the human appearance, functions, and intelligence using art and technology. Any aspect that represents our physical and intellectual being has been a subject of copying, mimicking and inspiration. Recent surges in technology advances led to the emergence of increasingly more realistic humanlike robots and simulations. Making such robots is part of the field of biologically inspired technologies - also known as biomimetics - and it involves developing engineered systems that exhibit the appearance and behavior of biological systems. Robots with selectable characteristics and personality that are customized to our needs and with self-learning capability may become our household appliance or even companion and they may be used to perform hard to do and complex tasks. In enabling this technology such elements as artificial intelligence, muscles, vision, skin and others are increasingly improved. In this paper, making humanlike robots will be described with focus on the use of artificial muscles as the enabling technology and the related challenges.
Schur functions, Good's identity, and hypergeometric series well poised in SU(n)

Abstract A simple direct proof is given of a fundamental identity involving Schur functions which contains as special cases the identity responsible for Good's proof of the Dyson conjecture and the summation theorem of Biedenharn and Louck that appears frequently in dealing with the explicit matrix elements which arise in the unitary groups. By using the Weyl character formula, a general identity is obtained which implies our result involving Schur functions when a root system of type A n − 1 is considered. As a further application of our general identity, explicit analogs of Good's identity are given, corresponding to the root systems of types B n , C n , and D n . In addition, methods to obtain q -analogs of all of these results are briefly described.
Geographic populations of the medfly may be differentiated by mitochondrial DNA variation

Restriction enzyme cleavage sites of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from the Mediterranean fruit fly were found to vary among introduced populations in the Neotropics. The survey included samples from 15 established natural populations and 5 laboratory cultures from Hawaii, Central America, South America and West Africa and samples from recent California infestations (1989, 1991). Based on restriction fragment length polymorphisms from 2 enzymes, Hawaii is an unlikely source for the 1989 and 1991 California infestations. Interpopulational variation in mtDNA demonstrates the potential for the technique to trace the process of colonization (geographic spread) by this insect.
Strong and weak-link behavior of single grain boundaries in melt textured bulk Ag doped YBa2Cu3O7−δ

Abstract Electrical characterizations of single isolated grain boundaries have been carried out in melt textured bulk Ag doped YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7−δ . Various measurements such as I − V characteristics and critical current as a function of applied field are reported for numerous single boundaries as well as ensembles of boundaries. Most of the single boundaries in Ag doped YBCO showed strong-link behavior in contrast to pure YBCO prepared by a similar method, which showed weak-link behavior. One possible explanation for strong-link behavior is the enhanced c -axis texture observed in the Ag doped samples.
Control of sorocarp size in the cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum

Abstract Factors that control the size of sorocarps in Dictyostelium discoideum were investigated. Artificially crowding large populations of myxamoebae of the wild type, NC-4(S2), prior to culmination did not increase the average size of the developing fruiting bodies compared to controls grown and permitted to fruit on the surface of conventional plate cultures. It was concluded that there exists a critical mass of cells above which complete intercellular integration cannot be maintained; loss of such integration within a cell population leads to the formation of two or more sorocarps. Because of this critical mass, sorocarps do not exceed a certain size even in the presence of an abnormally large number of myxamoebae. Certain petite mutants, derived from the wild type, develop only small sorocarps in both conventional plate cultures and artificially crowded populations. Other mutants form fruiting bodies similar to the wild type in such crowded populations although they remain petite in plate cultures of the usual type. By employing a method for measuring directly the size of the critical mass, it could be shown that the petites of the second group had a critical mass almost identical to that of the wild type; in contrast, the critical mass of the first group was reduced under all conditions. It was shown, therefore, that the size of the critical mass is under genetical control and may be altered by mutation. In crowded populations of myxamoebae the critical mass of the strain or mutant is responsible in limiting the size of the sorocarps. In sparse populations, on the other hand, the size of the aggregation territory and the density of the myxamoebae per unit area assume determining roles.
Incidence of thrombosis during central venous catheterization of newborns: a prospective study.

Abstract Forty-two newborns were studied prospectively to determine the incidence of thrombosis due to central venous catheterization. Following Broviac catheter placement, the catheter tip, distal superior vena cava, and right atrium were evaluated by weekly two-dimensional echocardiograms. The presence of thrombosis was examined in relation to birth weight, gestational age, age and weight at the time of catheter placement, antithrombin III levels, and platelet counts. Six newborns (14%) were noted to have a thrombus by echocardiographic examination after the catheter had been in place for a median duration of 7 weeks. The infants with thrombus formation had significantly lower birth weights (887 ± 231 v 1,409 ± 766 g; P = .003) and gestational ages (27 ± 2.4 v 30.3 ± 4.3 weeks; P = .018) than those without thrombus. Their weights (757 ± 203 v 1,832 ± 1,098 g; P = .000) and ages (2.75 ± 0.76 v 7.24 ± 7.8 weeks; P = .002) at the time of catheter placement were also lower; the antithrombin III levels were lower at the time of catheter placement (0.32 ± 0.08 v 0.6 ± 0.31 U/mL; P = .001), but were normal for gestational and postnatal age. The presence of thrombosis was not related to the sex of the baby, the platelet count, or the duration of catheterization.
Posterolateral Rotatory Instability of the Elbow: Our Approach

Lateral collateral ligament injuries can be difficult to diagnose and treat. They typically occur because of major trauma but can also be mistaken for more benign causes of elbow pain. In recent years, our understanding of elbow anatomy has allowed us to better diagnose and treat this complex problem.
The hybrid career: An exploratory study of career routes in R&D

Abstract This paper deals with an exploratory study of four career routes in the R&D lab. Data stem from interviews with selected employees in a number of different central R&D labs of large successful companies. Analysis points to the idea of a hybrid career as a useful way of thinking about the management of technical employees in R&D. This idea was tested on a number of representatives from technical organizations and revised according to their input.
Protein profile analysis of salt-responsive proteins in leaves and roots in two cultivars of creeping bentgrass differing in salinity tolerance

Knowledge of stress-responsive proteins is critical for further understanding the molecular mechanisms of stress tolerance. The objectives of this study were to establish a proteomic map for a perennial grass species, creeping bentgrass (A. stolonifera L.), and to identify differentially expressed, salt-responsive proteins in two cultivars differing in salinity tolerance. Plants of two cultivars (‘Penncross’ and ‘Penn-A4’) were irrigated daily with water (control) or NaCl solution to induce salinity stress in a growth chamber. Salinity stress was obtained by adding NaCl solution of 2, 4, 6, and 8 dS m−1 in the soil daily for 2-day intervals at each concentration, and then by watering soil with 10 dS m−1 solution daily for 28 days. For proteomic map, using two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE), approximately 420 and 300 protein spots were detected in leaves and roots, respectively. A total of 148 leaf protein spots and 40 root protein spots were excised from the 2-DE gels and subjected to mass spectrometry analysis. In total, 106 leaf protein spots and 24 root protein spots were successfully identified. Leaves had more salt-responsive proteins than roots in both cultivars. The superior salt tolerance in ‘Penn-A4’, indicated by shoot extension rate, relative water content, and cell membrane stability during the 28-day salinity stress could be mainly associated with its higher level of vacuolar H+-ATPase in roots and UDP-sulfoquinovose synthase, methionine synthase, and glucan exohydrolase in leaves, as well as increased accumulation of catalase and glutathione S-transferase in leaves. Our results suggest that salinity tolerance in creeping bentgrass could be in part controlled by an alteration of ion transport through vacuolar H+-ATPase in roots, maintenance of the functionality and integrity of thylakoid membranes, sustained polyamine biosynthesis, and by the activation of cell wall loosening proteins and antioxidant defense mechanisms.
Direct fermentation of cellodextrins to ethanol byCandida wickerhamii andC. Lusitaniae

Production of ethanol from cellodextrins, as large as cellohexose, byCandida lusitaniae andC. wickerhamii was studied.C. lusitaniae fermented only glucose and cellobiose, whereasC. wickerhamii efficiently fermented cellodextrins. Maximum ethanol yields of 29.2 g/liter from 54 g/liter cellodextrins were achieved byC. wickerhamii in 3–4 days.
Dihedral bounds for mesh generation in high dimensions

We show that any set of n points in IR has a Steiner Delaunay triangulation with O(ndd/2e) simplices, none of which has an obtuse dihedral angle. This result improves a naive bound of O(n). No bound depending only on n is possible if we require the maximum dihedral angle to measure at most 90◦−2 or the minimum dihedral to measure
Age-related decrease of protein kinase G activation in vascular smooth muscle cells.

Abstract Protein kinase G-I (PKG-I) activation is essential for vascular relaxation; however, its quantitative analysis in intact cells has been difficult. To overcome this difficulty, a monoclonal antibody, VASP-16C2, was recently developed that detects phosphorylated serine residue 239 of vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP), a substrate of PKG-I. In this study, we used this antibody to examine (i) possible functional differences between the α and β isoforms of PKG-I, (ii) ability of cAMP to activate PKG-I, as compared to cGMP, the principal PKG-I-activating cyclic nucleotide, and (iii) time course and levels of PKG-I activation in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) of young and old rats. We created COS-7 cell clones that overexpressed PKG-Iα or PKG-Iβ, treated them with cAMP or cGMP, and analyzed their cell lysates for reactivity with VASP-16C2. The results showed that PKG-Iα phosphorylated VASP at a higher level than PKG-Iβ, and cAMP was slightly weaker than cGMP in PKG-I activation. VSMC of young rats responded to cAMP or cGMP stimulation in a dose-dependent manner with increasing levels of PKG-I activation. The response was detected within 10 min and continued for at least 24 h. In contrast, VSMC of old rats showed no PKG-I activation during the first hour of cAMP or cGMP stimulation and, at 24 h these cells showed only low-level PKG-I activation. We propose that the reduced PKG-I activation may explain why vascular relaxation is decreased in older individuals.
Is creativity a Darwinian process

Abstract: In 1960, the psychologist Donald Campbell advanced a Darwinian model of how new knowledge comes into being. This would later come to be known as “evolutionary epistemology”;. For some psychologists and historians of science interested in creativity in science and technology, the Darwinian perspective was irresistible. Thus, in 1988, the psychologist Dean Keith Simonton proposed a Darwinian model of the psychology of scientific discovery by refining Campbell's model. Recently, in 1999, Simonton has devoted an entire book to “Darwinian Perspectives on Creativity.”; In this article, I challenge the Darwinian perspective by examining three episodes taken from the histories of natural science, technology and art, respectively.
Designing polymer matrix composite panels for structural integrity in fire

This paper discusses the compressive load bearing capability of polymer matrix composite panels in fire, a combined thermal and mechanical loading condition. An example of such combined loading condition is that of panels in ship structures under transverse thermal gradients caused by fire. Investigation is focused on failure modes under transverse thermal gradients and compressive mechanical loads, i.e. buckling, deflection induced by the shift of the neutral axis, thermal distortion without mechanical loads. Thermal field and mechanical fields for these failure modes are presented and discussed in details for the purposes of design considerations. Design diagrams are constructed to design mechanical loads for given fire protection time, and on the opposite, to design fire protection time for given mechanical loads. Unlike panels made by the conventional ship building material steel, the design diagrams for the temperature dependent materials with transverse thermal gradients consist of multiple failure mechanisms.
A P(E)RM(I)T for BMP signaling.

In this issue, Xu et al. (2013) report their interesting discovery of a critical step for initiating BMP signal transduction that requires arginine methylation at the plasma membrane.
Magnetism and exchange coupling in iron pnictides

Using linear-response density-functional theory, we obtain the magnetic interactions in several iron pnictides. The ground state has been found to be non-collinear in FeSe, with a large continuum of nearly degenerate states lying very close to the magnetic 'striped' structure. The presence of non-collinearity also seems to be a generic feature of iron pnictides when the Fe moment is small. At small RFe − Se the system is itinerant: strong frustration gives rise to an excess of spin entropy, long ranged interactions create incommensurate orderings and strong biquadratic coupling violates the applicability of the Heisenberg model. There is a smooth transition to more localized behavior as RFe − Se increases: stable magnetic orbital order develops which favors long range AFM stripe ordering with strongly anisotropic in-plane exchange couplings. The stabilization of the stripe magnetic order is accompanied by the inversion of the exchange coupling.
A polarity-induced defect mechanism for conductivity and magnetism at polar–nonpolar oxide interfaces

The discovery of conductivity and magnetism at the polar–nonpolar interfaces of insulating nonmagnetic oxides such as LaAlO3 and SrTiO3 has raised prospects for attaining interfacial functionalities absent in the component materials. Yet, the microscopic origin of such emergent phenomena remains unclear, posing obstacles to design of improved functionalities. Here we present first principles calculations of electronic and defect properties of LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interfaces and reveal a unifying mechanism for the origins of both conductivity and magnetism. We demonstrate that the polar discontinuity across the interface triggers thermodynamically the spontaneous formation of certain defects that in turn cancel the polar field induced by the polar discontinuity. The ionization of the spontaneously formed surface oxygen vacancy defects leads to interface conductivity, whereas the unionized Ti-on-Al antisite defects lead to interface magnetism. The proposed mechanism suggests practical design principles for inducing and controlling both conductivity and magnetism at general polar–nonpolar interfaces. The interface between LaAlO3 and SrTiO3shows unusual phenomena such as a two-dimensional electron gas as well as magnetism. Here, Yu and Zunger show how the formation of defects contributes to the properties of this system.
Computational aspects of discrete-time optimal control

Our opinion is that a little-known technique called ''differential dynamicprogramming'' offers the potential of enormously expanding the scale of discrete-time optimal- control problems which are subject to numerical solution. Among the attractive features of this method are that no discretization of control or state space is used; the memory requirements grow as m^2 and the computational requirements as m^3, with m being the dimension of the control variable; the successive approximations converge globally under lenient smoothness assumptions; and the convergence is quadratic if certain convexity assumptions hold. The contribution of the present paper is to demonstrate the practical merit of differential dynamic programming by reporting computational solutions to problems having as many as forty control variables and no particularly convenient structure. Additionally, we give a more algorithmically oriented presentation of the method than hitherto available, extend the basic methodto the nonconvex case, and give a proof of global convergence.
Introduction to Two P2P Network Based Reputation Systems

Peer-to-peer (P2P) network is an important information sharing architecture. The original design of P2P networks assumes peers in the networks altruistically contribute their resources to others. However, most peers are unwilling to cooperate with each other without incentives and it leads to a so called "free-riding" behavior. Issues such as "hotspot" and "tragedy of the digital commons" are coming along with serious free-riding problems. Eventually, the prevalence of free riders will downgrade the performance of entire system and make it vulnerable. One way to encourage resource sharing is through service differentiation based on peer's contributions to the communities. This paper presents two reputation systems for P2P networks. One of them uses fuzzy logic method which uses requester's reputation and provider's inbound bandwidth as input information to create incentives for sharing and to avoid over-loading problems for primary file providers. The other one utilizes the clustering effect of virtual communities for reputation management. Reputation sharing in systems is implemented by decentralized selective polling which determines a peeri¦s global contribution. The use of selective polling can significantly decrease overheads for reputation sharing. I illustrate the structures and algorithms for these two methods separately and I try to compare system performances for both methods.
Diversity in the HRD Curriculum: Concluding Thoughts and Next Steps:

Summarizing this issue reinforces the need to continue the discourse on diversity in the HRD curriculum. For example, one area not covered in this collection, but important to the dialogue is evaluation of diversity education. These articles represent a thoughtful beginning, providing ideas to prompt additional conversations, action plans, and next steps in the process.
Metabolisable energy and amino acid digestibility of high-oil maize, low-phytate maize and low-phytate soybean meal for White Pekin ducks.

1. Two experiments were conducted to determine the metabolisable energy and amino acid digestibilities of high-oil maize (HOM), low-phytate maize (LPM) and low-phytate soybean meal (LPSBM) as compared with normal maize (NM) and normal soybean meal (NSBM) using male White Pekin ducks. 2. In the first experiment, the TMEN (kJ/g) value of HOM (16·58) was higher than that of NM (16·05), but that of LPM (16·11) did not differ from those of HOM or NM. The true digestibility coefficients for methionine (0·874, 0·871 or 0·876), lysine (0·805, 0·816 or 0·813) and tryptophan (0·946, 0·959 or 0·960) did not differ among NM, LPM and HOM, respectively. The average true digestibility coefficients for all amino acids in NM, LPM or HOM (0·886, 0·890 or 0·900, respectively) did not differ among the three ingredients. 3. In the second experiment, the TMEN value of LPSBM (12·39) was approximately 8% higher than that of NSBM (11·46). The true digestibility coefficients for most amino acids were higher for LPSBM than for NSBM...
A QUANTITATIVE COMPARISON OF CHLOROPHYLL BILAYERS FORMED WITH AND WITHOUT SOLVENT

Bimolecular lipid membranes are formed from solutions containing lecithin and chlorophyll-a (chl-a) in various molar ratios. Both the Mueller-Ruding technique as well as the solvent free, Montal-Mueller technique are used to form bilayers. In both methods, increasing the chl concentration produces greater photosensitivity. The photocurrent/area is about an order of magnitude higher in bilayers formed with the solvent free method, under similar conditions. From the quantum yield calculations, it appears that the higher photocurrent/area obtained with the Montal-Mueller membranes cannot be explained solely due to the greater concentration of pigment molecules in the solvent free system. The possible role of chl—chl interactions are considered.
Buckle-controlled seismogenic faulting in peninsular India

As intraplate earthquakes are often not associated with major known faults their location as well as their timing is unpredictable. In peninsular India the larger (MX5:0) events occur mainly on reverse faults in a series of belts B400 km apart which are aligned roughly normal to the azimuth of convergence between the Indian and Eurasian plates. The location of the belts is controlled largely by the buckling wavelength of the lithosphere, and the seismogenic faults do not generate folding and sometimes result from it. There is consequently no need to postulate the creation of regularly spaced normal faults in an antecedent extensional phase, and the deformation is consistent with a plate-driving force such as gravity glide which is unlikely to reverse its polarity and which creates structures that are influenced by plate geometry at the leading edge. The thesis is potentially of value to seismic hazard mitigation as it identifies the zones that are most at risk. r 2004 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Rapid isolation of high-affinity protein binding peptides using bacterial display

A robust bacterial display methodology was developed that allows the rapid isolation of peptides that bind to arbitrarily selected targets with high affinity. To demonstrate the utility of this approach, a large library (5 x 10(10) clones) was constructed composed of random 15-mer peptide insertions constrained within a flexible, surface exposed loop of the Escherichia coli outer membrane protein A (OmpA). The library was screened for binding to five unrelated proteins, including targets previously used in phage display selections: human serum albumin, anti-T7 epitope mAb, human C-reactive protein, HIV-1 GP120 and streptavidin. Two to four rounds of enrichment (2-4 days) were sufficient to enrich peptide ligands having high affinity for each of the target proteins. Strong amino acid consensus sequences were apparent for each of the targets tested, with up to seven consensus residues. Isolated peptide ligands remained functional when expressed as insertional fusions within a monomeric fluorescent protein. This bacterial display methodology provides an efficient process for identifying peptide affinity reagents and should be useful in a variety of molecular recognition applications.
Perchlorate and the Thyroid Gland

The resurgence of the clinical use of perchlorate as a means of controlling amiodarone-induced thyroid dysfunction has suggested a need for a more careful examination of the actions of this antithyroid anion. To accomplish this, it is essential to understand the chemical, biochemical, and
A Case of Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Nasal Cavity Treated with Conversion to Sirolimus in a Patient with Kidney Transplantation

Conversion of immunosuppressants to sirolimus, an inhibitor of mammalian target of rapamycin, is a useful treatment option for prevention of the adverse events of immunosuppressants such as calcineurin inhibitor in renal transplantation recipients. In addition, sirolimus has been improving the quality of life and increasing the survival of patients with renal transplantation by decreasing immunosuppression-related malignancies, particularly skin cancer. However, complete remission of skin squamous cell carcinoma after renal transplantation only by conversion to sirolimus has not been well reported, although its preventive effect on skin cancer is well known. We report on a 72-year-old male with squamous cell carcinoma in his nasal cavity consequent to renal transplantation, which was treated completely with the conversion of cyclosporine to sirolimus without surgical removal or chemotherapy.
Solid-State Optical Cooler Developments

Optical cooling of solids was first demonstrated in 1995. Since that time our efforts have concentrated on using this phenomenon to produce a viable optical cryocooler. A bench-top, solid-state optical cooler was demonstrated recently with 54 °C of cooling from room temperature and a heat lift of 25 mW when it was pumped with 1.6 watts of laser light. Based on the bench-top cooler results a compact, rugged, self-contained system with laser-diode pumping is being constructed as a prototype for research and commercial applications. Recent results, designs and plans for future work are discussed. In addition to prototype work, our efforts have continued on producing additional optical materials which demonstrate optical cooling and will improve the efficiency and useful temperature range of optical coolers. New materials with promising results are discussed.
Logic and Linguistics

The paths of logic and linguistics, long divergent, were reunited in 1957. The publication in that year of Chomsky’s Syntactic Structures ushered in a new and exciting era in linguistics. I Equipped with methods adequate to deal with the creative aspects of language, methods bequeathed to them by logicians, modern linguists attacked with zest problems whose outlines had been perceived by their forerunners centuries ago.2 In particular, the problem of logical form, the problem of accounting structurally for logical consequence relations among the sentences of a natural language, was soon restored to its place as one of the central problems of linguistics. With the restoration came new demands. Hitherto, grammarians could rest content with taxonomic descriptions of sentence structure; thereafter, they would be obliged to supply theoretical explanations.
Laparoscopic partial hepatectomy

Objective: To review the literature that addresses carrying out laparoscopic partial hepatectomy Methodology: A review and analysis of the English-speaking literature addressing laparoscopic partial hepatectomy. Results: Laparoscopic partial hepatectomy is carried out in limited numbers and mostly on small tumours requiring wedge or segmental resections. No prospective trials have been carried out comparing laparoscopic techniques to open surgery, but case control comparisons suggest that this technique is safe and associated with shortened hospital stay and decreased incisional pain. Major hepatectomies have been carried out laparoscopically, but in very limited numbers and published experience is not sufficient to formally address this operation. Conclusions: Laparoscopic minor partial hepatectomy appears to be safe and of some benefit to patients if carried out by surgeons experienced in both laparoscopic and hepatic surgery. The ultimate utility of this novel surgical technique will have to be determined by future randomized prospective trials.
Statistical Analysis of MUX-Based Physical Unclonable Functions

Physical unclonable functions (PUFs) can store secret keys in integrated circuits (ICs) by exploiting the uncontrollable randomness due to manufacturing process variations. These PUFs can be used for authentication of devices and for key generation in security applications. This paper presents a rigorous statistical analysis of various types of multiplexer-based (MUX-based) PUFs including the original MUX PUF, the feed-forward MUX PUFs, the modified feed-forward MUX PUFs, and multiplexer-demultiplexer (MUX/DeMUX) PUF. The modified feed-forward MUX PUF structure is a new structure that is introduced in this paper. Three types of feed-forward PUFs are analyzed in this paper. These include feed-forward overlap, feed-forward cascade and feed-forward separate. The performance analysis quantifies interchip and intrachip variations as a function of the number of stages, the process variation variance, the environmental noise variance, and the arbiter skew for different PUFs. Three other metrics of performance are also introduced and analyzed in this paper, which include reliability, uniqueness, and randomness. A PUF is more reliable if it has less intrachip variation. A PUF is more unique if the interchip variation is closer to 50%. A PUF is more random if its response bit is 0 or 1 with equal probability. Our statistical analysis shows that the intrachip variation is less dependent on the number of stages, N, if N is greater than ten. However, the interchip variation is dependent on N if N is less than 100. It is shown that the feed-forward PUFs have higher intrachip variation than MUX PUFs; however, the modified feed-forward PUFs have significantly lower intrachip variation than the feed-forward PUFs. It is shown that the modified feed-forward cascade MUX PUF has the best uniqueness and randomness, while the original MUX PUF has the best reliability. The analysis presented in this paper can be used by the designer to choose an appropriate PUF based on the application's requirement. This eliminates the need for fabrication and testing of many PUFs for selecting an appropriate PUF.
A model of wound healing in chronically radiation-damaged rat skin

The aim of this investigation was to develop a model for studying the chronic effects of radiation on wound healing in the rat. Six months after rats received a single radiation exposure of 20 Gy, a random-pattern dorsal skin flap was elevated. Two weeks after the flap was elevated, irradiated animals showed diminished scar formation and wound breaking strength, as compared with controls (P < 0.05). The effect of hyperbaric oxygen treatment was investigated in some rats who received 20 sessions at 2.4 atmospheres absolute for 90 min daily, 5 days per week, prior to flap elevation and 10 sessions after creation of the flap. Treated animals showed a trend toward improvements in wound breaking strength and scar formation (P = 0.06). A reproducible model of chronic radiation damage in the rat was established. Further studies involving investigations at times more that 2 weeks post-wounding are needed.
Shrub Cover on the North Slope of Alaska: a circa 2000 Baseline Map

Abstract In situ observations show increases in shrub cover in different arctic regions in recent decades and have been cited to explain the increases in arctic vegetation productivity revealed by satellite remote sensing. A widespread increase in shrub cover, particularly tall shrub cover, is likely to profoundly alter the tundra biome because of its influence on biogeochemical cycling and feedbacks to climate. To monitor changes in shrub cover, aid field studies, and inform ecosystem models, we mapped shrub cover across the North Slope of Alaska. First, images from the IKONOS and SPOT satellite sensors were used to detect tall (>1 m) and short shrub presence at high resolution (<5 m grid cells) in different parts of the domain. The resulting maps were then used to train a Random Forest regression algorithm that mapped total and tall shrub cover, expressed as a percent of the total surface area, at 30 m resolution from a mosaic of Landsat scenes. The final shrub cover maps correspond well with field meas...
Further evidence that object-based correspondence effects are primarily modulated by object location not by grasping affordance

Tipper, Paul and Hayes found object-based correspondence effects for door-handle stimuli for shape judgments but not colour. They reasoned that a grasping affordance is activated when judging dimensions related to a grasping action (shape), but not for other dimensions (colour). Cho and Proctor, however, found the effect with respect to handle position when the bases of the door handles were centred (so handles were positioned left or right; the base-centred condition) but not when the handles were centred (the object-centred condition), suggesting that the effect is driven by object location, not grasping affordance. We conducted an independent replication of Cho and Proctor's design, but with behavioural and event-related potential measures. Participants made shape judgments in Experiment 1 and colour judgments in Experiment 2 on the same door-handle objects. Correspondence effects on response time and errors were obtained in both experiments for the base-centred condition but not the object-centred con...
Robust Controller Design for Active Vibration Control

A novel frequency-domain technique, having its roots in Quantitative Feedback Theory (QFT), has been developed to design controllers for active vibration control (AVC). The advantages are a plant-based design according to performance specifications, and the ability to include structured uncertainties in the critical plant parameters like passive bearing stiffness or damping. In this paper, we describe the background theory of single-input, single-output (SISO) and multi-input, multi-output (MIMO) QFT design, followed by development of the theory adapted for AVC. Application examples are considered next, outlining the design method for both cases. Simulation results for the systems studied are presented showing the effectiveness of the technique in attenuating vibration.Copyright © 1993 by ASME
Specified precision polynomial root isolation is in NC

Given a polynomial p(z) od degree n with integer coefficients, whose absolute values are bounded above by 2/sup m/, and a specified integer mu , it is shown that the problem of determining all roots of p with error less than 2/sup - mu / is in the parallel complexity class NC. To do this, an algorithm that runs on at most POLY(n+m+ mu ) processors with a parallel time complexity of O(log/sup 3/(n+m+ mu )) is constructed. This algorithm extends the algorithm of M. Ben-Or et al. (SIAM J. Comput., vol.17, p.1081-92, 1988) by removing the severe restriction that all the roots of p(z) should be real. >