cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cross-optical-beam nonlinear photoacoustic microscopy

We present a photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) technique with an optical sectioning capability. By combining crossoptical- beam illumination with nonlinear PAM, an axial resolution of 8.7 μm was measured, demonstrating a fourfold improvement over the acoustically determined value. Compared to methods relying on high-frequency ultrasound transducers to improve the axial resolution, our approach offers a greater working distance and a higher signal-to-noise ratio.
$O(2)$ symmetric connections in an $SU(2)$ Yang-Mills theory

The general O(2) symmetric Yang-Mills equations are derived. An ansatz for O(2) symmetric merons is presented and it is shown that any connection in this ansatz will have SU(2) topological charge density which is a sum of delta functions at points in a plane with weights ± 1/2. It is shown that any connection in this ansatz will beC∞ away from these points.
A framework for measuring the complexity of mathematical concepts

Using an untyped theory of sets and partial functions formulated in first-order free-logic with equality and a description operator, we develop a framework for the practical computation of the complexity of mathematical concepts. This includes an elementary theory of definitions and precise formulations of the notions of the definition tree and definition dag of a presentation of a mathematical concept. These combinatorial structures, which are essentially equivalent representations of the conceptual dependencies determined by the development of a given concept from primitive notions by purely logical definitions, provide the data for complexity computations.
The Arcanobacterium pyogenes Collagen-Binding Protein, CbpA, Promotes Adhesion to Host Cells

Arcanobacterium pyogenes is an opportunistic pathogen associated with suppurative diseases in economically important food animals such as cattle, pigs, and turkeys. A. pyogenes adheres to host epithelial cells, and adhesion is promoted by the action of neuraminidase, which is expressed by this organism. However, a neuraminidase-deficient mutant of A. pyogenes only had a reduced ability to adhere to host epithelial cells, indicating that other factors are involved in adhesion. Far Western blotting revealed the presence of an approximately 120-kDa A. pyogenes cell wall protein that binds collagen type I. The 3.5-kb gene that encodes the 124.7-kDa CbpA protein was cloned, and sequence analysis indicated that CbpA contains a typical MSCRAMM protein domain structure. Recombinant, six-His-tagged CbpA (HIS-CbpA) was capable of binding collagen types I, II, and IV but not fibronectin. In addition, CbpA was involved in the ability of A. pyogenes to adhere to HeLa and 3T6 cells, as a cbpA knockout strain had 38.2 and 57.0% of wild-type adhesion, respectively. This defect could be complemented by providing cbpA on a multicopy plasmid. Furthermore, HIS-CbpA blocked A. pyogenes adhesion to HeLa or 3T6 cells in a dose-dependent manner. cbpA was only present in 48% of the A. pyogenes strains tested (n = 75), and introduction of plasmid-encoded cbpA into a naturally cbpA-deficient strain increased the ability of this strain to bind to HeLa and 3T6 cells 2.9- and 5.7-fold, respectively. These data indicate that CbpA, a collagen-binding protein of A. pyogenes, plays a role in the adhesion of this organism to host cells.
Pathology of small blood vessel disease in hypertension.

A pathogenic role for arterioles in hypertension has been postulated for many decades. Renal arterjolonecrosis, myointimal hyperplasia, and hyaline arteriolosclerosis are anatomic correlates of hypertension. The pathogenesis of these lesions is discussed as is contribution of these lesions to the perpetuation of hypertension. The importance of the extracellular matrix in the initiation and development of hyaline arteriolosclerosis is presented and correlated with the hemodynamic and pathophysiologic consequences of increased transmural pressure. The possibility of aiming therapy at arresting or ameliorating arteriolar disease is presented.
Preliminary investigation of an integrated aquaculture–wetland ecosystem using tertiary-treated municipal wastewater in Los Angeles County, California

Abstract The objective of this study was to determine the feasibility of using a designed integrated aquaculture–wetland ecosystem (AWE) for experimental food production and inorganic nitrogen removal from tertiary-treated wastewater. The AWE connected polyculture aquaculture ponds with in-pond aquatic plant systems (water hyacinths, Eichhornia crassipes, and Chinese water spinach, Ipomea aquatica), a solar energy aeration system, and an artificial wetland. Ponds were stocked with hybrid tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus×O. urolepis hornorum), common carp (Cyprinus carpio), mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis), and red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii), and were flushed weekly with new wastewater at 20%. Fish were fed a 32% protein floating ration at 1% fish body weight per day, and wheat bran was added at 1 mg l−1 when water conductivities exceeded 900 μmhos cm−1. Plants were allowed to grow until they reached approximately 50% of the pond surface area, then maintained at this area by manual harvesting. Pond water quality (temperature, conductivity, pH, oxygen) was monitored twice daily, and weekly water samples were taken for analyses of inorganic nitrogen (ammonia and nitrate-N) in the ponds, wetland, and wetland discharge waters (n=30). Tilapia harvest from three ponds was 1134.5 kg. Fish standing crop biomass increased from 0.16 to 0.21 at stocking to 1.50–2.00 kg m−3 at harvest. Tilapia grew from an average stocking weight of 21 to 362–404 g at harvest but had poor survival (48–64%) due to heavy bird predation. Total food conversion ratios ranged 0.9–1.2. Approximately 70% of the tilapia were marketed live at $2.20 kg−1. An estimated standing crop of 1.4 tons wet weight of Ipomea aquatica grew luxuriantly in one 200-m2 polyculture pond which could be harvested sustainably at 20 kg week−1. Water hyacinths removed approximately 90% of the ammonia and nitrate-N in wastewater, and the wetland removed an additional 7% (total removal was 97% of wastewater input concentrations). Overflow water exiting the wetland had less than 0.4 mg ammonia–nitrogen l−1 and no detectable nitrate–nitrogen. The experimental AWE accomplished aquatic food production and almost complete removal of inorganic nitrogen from wastewater, functioning as a `quartenary' wastewater treatment/food production ecosystem. However, more rigorous experimentation is required to optimize fish- and plant-carrying capacities, nutrient cycles, and testing for bioaccumulation of metals in order for the AWE to be socially and economically relevant. The concept of using tertiary-treated wastewater for aquatic food production may be attractive in the peri-urban areas of many meagcities like Los Angeles, both for fish markets and to stem the growing discharges of wastewaters that are causing coastal pollution.
Degradation, cytotoxicity, and biocompatibility of NIPAAm‐based thermosensitive, injectable, and bioresorbable polymer hydrogels

A thermosensitive, injectable, and bioresorbable polymer hydrogel, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-dimethyl-γ-butyrolactone acrylate-co-acrylic acid) [poly(NDBA)], was synthesized by radical copolymerization with 7.00 mol % dimethyl-γ-butyrolactone acrylate in tetrahydrofuran. The chemical composition was determined by acid titration in conjunction with (1) H NMR quantification. The molecular weight and polydispersity were determined by gel permeation chromatography in conjunction with static light scattering. The degradation properties of the polymer hydrogel were characterized using differential scanning calorimetry, percentage mass loss, cloud point test, and swelling ratio over time. It was found that the initial lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the polymer is between room temperature and body temperature and that it takes about 2 weeks for the LCST to surpass body temperature under physiological conditions. An indirect cytotoxicity test indicated that this copolymer has relatively low cytotoxicity as seen with 3T3 fibroblast cells. The in vivo-gelation and degradation study showed good agreement with in vitro-degradation findings, and no detrimental effects to adjacent tissues were observed after the complete dissolution of the polymer. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A:, 2011.
On the Time and Place of Crises

The time and place of occurrence of that social phenomenon which we call a crisis situation is the focal point in this study of a rehabilitation center. Special attention is given to the factors associated with the occurrence of such crises. The method of participant observation, as delineated by Becker and Geer, was used to gather both qualitative data on the social processes associated with individual crises and quantitative data on the number of crises recorded. The analysis of the quantitative data utilized a time-and-place analytical technique roughly analogous to that of early medical epidemiology. The overall aim is to present a partially "controlled" set of crisis situations and to analyze these in terms of three possible points of view. This kind of ex post facto analysis has admitted disadvantages, but as essentially exploratory research in an unusual setting, this type of approach does offer some advantages.
Simulations of coherent nonlinear neutrino flavor transformation in the core collapse supernova environment

We describe a set of codes developed under the auspices of the Terascale Supernova Initiative to simulate the coherent, nonlinear evolution of the neutrino and antineutrino fields in the core collapse supernova environment. Ours are the first simulations to include quantum entanglement of neutrino flavor evolution on different neutrino trajectories. We find that neutrinos and antineutrinos can undergo coherent, collective transformations of their flavors which could affect supernova dynamics and nucleosynthesis.
Discrete Finite-Element Simulation of Thermoelectric Phenomena in Spark Plasma Sintering

Realistic microstructures of compacted powders formed by spark plasma sintering or field-activated sintering technology were modeled using the discrete finite-element method. Two key thermoelectric characteristics were studied: (1) the effect of the electric current pattern, i.e., direct current (DC) and pulsed current, on temperature distributions in the compacted powders, and (2) the effect of compaction modes, i.e., isostatic compaction and uniaxial compaction, on conductivity. Simulations showed that, for the same electric power input, pulsed current offered faster heating and more uniform temperature distribution in the compact than did DC. Additionally, using uniaxial compaction, the effective conductivity of the compact in the compaction direction was higher than in the transverse direction, by as much as 20%. Experimental measurements confirmed the existence of anisotropy of conductivity in the compact.
Beyond Fast Mapping

Since the seminal 1957 studies of word learning by Roger Brown, most experimental studies of lexical acquisition have concerned fast mapping: the process through which a new lexical entry is established, and through which representations of the linguistic context of a newly heard word interact with representations of its nonlinguistic context to fix an initial partial meaning. Here I focus on the subsequent extended process through which the adult meaning is approximated. Two factors lead to an extended learning process; the size of the hypothesis space and the need, sometimes, for the creation of new semantic primitives. Sometimes lexical learning requires conceptual change. I sketch a learning mechanism through which this can be achieved. A case study of learning the meanings of verbal numerals illustrates the argument.
An Interactive Information Odometer and Applications

We introduce a novel technique which enables two players to maintain an estimate of the internal information cost of their conversation in an online fashion without revealing much extra information. We use this construction to obtain new results about communication complexity and information-theoretic privacy.As a first corollary, we prove a strong direct product theorem for communication complexity in terms of information complexity: If I bits of information are required for solving a single copy of f under μ with probability 2/3, then any protocol attempting to solve n independent copies of f under μn using o(n • I) communication, will succeed with probability 2-Ω(n). This is tight, as Braverman and Rao [BR11] previously showed that O(n • I) communication suffice to succeed with probability ~(2/3)n.We then show how the information odometer can be used to achieve the best possible information-theoretic privacy between two untrusted parties: If the players' goal is to compute a function f(x,y), and f admits a protocol with information cost is I and communication cost C, then our odometer can be used to produce a "robust" protocol which: (i) Assuming both players are honest, computes f with high probability, and (ii) Even if one party is malicious, then for any k∈N, the probability that the honest player reveals more than O(k • (I+log C)) bits of information to the other player is at most 2-Ω(k).Finally, we outline an approach which uses the odometer as a proxy for breaking state of the art interactive compression results: We show that our odometer allows to reduce interactive compression to the regime where I=O(log C), thereby opening a potential avenue for improving the compression result of [BBCR10] and to new direct sum and product theorems in communication complexity.
Pragmatismo y tecnología

Se me ha invitado a presentar un panorama de las obras recientes sobre «Pragmatismo y Tecnologia». Me centrare en unas pocas contribuciones filosoficas que enfocan desde un punto de vista pragmatico el tema de la comprension y del control de la tecnologia contemporanea basada en la ciencia. Otra limitacion del articulo consiste en que solo se centrara en contribuciones de filosofos norteamericanos. Por consiguiente, su utilidad, si la hay, se limita a las ensenanzas que en su caso pudieran extraerse al contrastar el pragmatismo decididamente a pie de calle de algunos filosofos norteamericanos con algunos estudios fundacionales algo mas abstractos y teoricos sobre las «altas tecnologias», como las llaman los filosofos europeos. Algunos de los filosofos europeos que propondria para esa contrastacion son Gilbert Hottois (especialmente su libro Le paradigma bioethique: Une ethique pour la technoscience, 1990),1 Hans Jonas (especialmente Das Prinzip Verantwortung, 1979)2 y Jose Sanmartin (especialmente Los nuevos redentores: Reflexiones sobre la ingenieria genetica, la sociobiologia y el mundo feliz que nos prometen, 1987).3 No resumire aqui la obra de estos autores. Los tres son bien conocidos en general (por supuesto, Jonas desarrollo la mayor parte de su filosofia en los ultimos anos en los EE.UU.) y cada uno de ellos resulta especialmente bien conocido en una cultura europea particular, francesa, alemana o espanola, respectivamente. No hare aqui comparaciones explicitas ni contrastes entre ellos. Lo que ofrecere es un resumen de algunas contribuciones claves norteamericanas, dejando la comparacion y la contrastacion a los lectores europeos. No obstante, en estas observaciones introductorias cabe decir que los tres, Hottois, Jonas y Sanrnartin, someten a las tecnologias recientes, y acaso mas especificamente a la ingenieria genetica, a criticas fundamentales, e incluso a criticas fundacionales. La critica de Jonas, el primero y mejor conocido de los tres, se vincula explicitamente a un nuevo imperativo categorico postkantiano, basado en nuestros temores a la reciente expansion de los poderes humanos gracias a la tecnologia, expansion que no tiene precedentes. Hottois llega incluso mas lejos, apelando a un impulso
Fixed word size implementation of lifting schemes

We present a reversible nonlinear discrete wavelet transform with predefined fixed wordsize based on lifting schemes. Restricting the dynamic range of the wavelet domain coefficients due to a fixed wordsize may result in overflow. We show how this overflow has to be handled in order to maintain reversibility of the transform. We also perform an analysis on how large a wordsize of the wavelet coefficients is needed to perform optimal lossless and lossy compressions of images. The scheme is advantageous to well-known integer-to-integer transforms since the wordsize of adders and multipliers can be predefined and does not increase steadily. This also results in significant gains in hardware implementations.
The influences of traps on the generation-recombination current in silicon diodes

Abstract The recombination current in the space charge region of an abrupt Si P - N junction is calculated under the assumption that the electrochemical potentials or quasi-Fermi levels for the majority carriers are constant throughout the bulk and space-charge regions, and that the Hall-Shockley-Read centers are distributed uniformly with respect to position in the space-charge region, but can be either a single, discrete level or a continuous and uniform distribution with respect to energy. The results for the single level show that the slope can have constant value over a wide range of applied forward bias. These values are mainly dependent on the trap level position and are nearly independent of the minority carrier lifetime at a given doping concentration. They are also dependent on the lower doping concentration. Furthermore, very good linearity in the characteristic curve can be obtained if we assume that the recombination centers are uniformly distributed in energy throughout the energy gap.
Hostile attribution bias in impulsive and premeditated aggression

Abstract Previous research has demonstrated an association between trait aggression and hostile attribution bias, or the tendency to interpret others’ actions as hostile, yet little research has been devoted to exploring its role in subtypes of aggression. We used hypothetical vignettes to explore hostile attribution bias in impulsive aggressors, premeditated aggressors, and non-aggressive controls. Contrary to our prediction that impulsive aggressors would be more prone to hostile attribution bias, we did not observe direct evidence of this; however, a bias was indirectly evident in the behavior of both types of aggressors. Although they did not specifically articulate feeling as though ambiguous acts were committed with hostile intent, their verbal and physical reactions indicated otherwise. Future research should focus on delineating the full sequence of social cognitions that occur during aggressive encounters in order to determine whether these reactions were produced by common or divergent motivations.
In vitro neutrophil-erythrocyte rosette formation mediated by a serum factor (IgG)

In vitro neutrophil-erythrocyte rosette (NER) formation occurred in the peripheral blood of an elderly man. This caused problems in cross-matching for blood transfusion initially but was resolved by performing crossmatches at 37 degrees C because this phenomenon was temperature-dependent. NER formation was independent of complement and of the type of anticoagulant used. NERs were induced using normal control cells with the patient's plasma, serum, and the IgG fraction of serum. The rosetting factor was adsorbed by heterologous group-specific erythrocytes, but not by leukocytes. No neutrophil antibodies were identified.
Light-controlled ion transport through spiropyran-modified nanoporous silica colloidal films

The transport of positively charged redox active species through spiropyran-modified nanopores in silica colloidal films was controlled using light. The silica colloidal films were comprised of 18 layers of face centered cubic (fcc)-packed 170 nm silica spheres. The surface of the films was first modified with amines, which were then used to attach the spiropyran moiety to the surface. The limiting current of a positively charged redox active species through the spiropyran-modified nanopore decreased after irradiation with UV light at pH 6.6. When the silica colloidal film was subsequently irradiated with visible light the initial limiting current was restored.
The effect of phenobarbital on the synthesis of microsomal phospholipid in female and male rats.

Abstract Treatment of animals with phenobarbital leads to an increase in the activity of enzymes associated with the hepatic microsomes and to an increase in hepatic microsomal protein and phospholipid. Conney and Gilman (1963) showed that puromycin and actinomycin prevented the increase in enzyme activity induced by phenobarbital and thus suggested that the barbiturate acted by increasing protein synthesis. This has recently been confirmed by the work of Kato et al., 1965 , Kato et al., 1965 who have found that pretreatment of rats with phenobarbital increased the incorporation (both in , vitro and in , vivo ) of C14-labeled amino acids into liver microsomes. Orrenius et , al. (1965) reported that 3–24 hours after a single injection of phenobarbital there is a two to sixfold increase in the incorporation of P32 into the microsomal phospholipids of fasted male rats. In contrast to their findings the results of the present study indicate that the increase in phospholipid after phenobarbital treatment is not necessarily associated with an increase in synthesis. Instead, it appears to be caused mainly by inhibition of catabolism of the phospholipid.
Emergencies caused by side effects of psychiatric medications

Psychiatric medications cause side effects in several organ systems that need emergency evaluation and treatment. Serious cardiovascular side effects include postural hypotension, cardiac conduction blockade, and SA mode dysfunction; serious neurological side effects include extrapyramidal reactions, seizures, delirium, catatonia, pseudotumor cerebri, ataxia, and glaucoma; serious genitourinary side effects include urinary retention, nephrotic syndrome, and priapism, and the serious hematological side effect of agranulocytosis. Also potentially fatal syndromes secondary to psychiatric drugs are the neuroleptic malignant syndrome, hyperandrenergic crisis, the serotonin syndrome, and lithium toxicity. Individual psychiatric drug classes most notorious for causing side effects with high morbidity and mortality are low potency neuroleptics, clozapine, tertiary tricyclics, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, and lithium.
Auditory feedback and memory for music performance: sound evidence for an encoding effect

Research on the effects of context and task on learning and memory has included approaches that emphasize processes during learning (e.g., Craik & Tulving, 1975) and approaches that emphasize a match of conditions during learning with conditions during a later test of memory (e.g., Morris, Bransford, & Franks, 1977; Proteau, 1992; Tulving & Thomson, 1973). We investigated the effects of auditory context on learning and retrieval in three experiments on memorized music performance (a form of serial recall). Auditory feedback (presence or absence) was manipulated while pianists learned musical pieces from notation and when they later played the pieces from memory. Auditory feedback during learning significantly improved later recall. However, auditory feedback at test did not significantly affect recall, nor was there an interaction between conditions at learning and test. Auditory feedback in music performance appears to be a contextual factor that affects learning but is relatively independent of retrieval conditions.
A new rapid technique for characterizing microstructures of films produced by ion beams in the transmission electron microscope

Abstract A new technique that is suitable for studying the microstructures produced by ion-beam-processing techniques is outlined in this paper. The technique uses a thin plastic film on a transmission electron microscopy (TEM) grid as the substrate on which a film of the desired material is sputtered. The film can be used directly for TEM study of sputtered films or can be implanted with the desired element(s) and then characterized using TEM. Two examples of application of this technique are presented. 1. (i) Sputter deposition of aluminum in an oxygen atmosphere results in an amorphous oxide film. 2. (ii) Nitrogen (N2+) ion implantation in pure iron at high current densities (100 μA cm−2) results in the formation of γ′-Fe4N and ϵ-Fe2N1−x at a dose of 4 × 1016N2+cm−2 at an accelerating voltage of 20kV. Radiation damage occurs at lower doses of nitrogen ion implantation and at all doses of argon (Ar+) ion implantation up to 2.2 × 1016Ar+cm−2.
A theory of the Mallwo-Ivey law for defect absorption and its correlation to the Stokes shift in emission

Abstract A Mollwo-Ivey power-law relation between host-crystal lattice parameter and absorption-band energy of defects in ionic solids implies a linear relation between defect radius and interionic separation. The Ivey exponent represents a generalized compressibility and is correlated to Stokes shifts as an approximate measure of relaxation.
Silicon nitride-stainless steel braze joining with an active filler metal

Hot-pressed Si3N4 was brazed to 410-stainless steel using a Ag-Cu-Ti alloy foil in a vacuum. The occurrence of cracking due to processing was examined by systematically varying the brazing temperature and time between 840 and 900 °C and 6 and 60 min, respectively. Cracks were found in Si3N4 parallel to the bonding interface when the braze joints were processed at the lower temperatures (for all processing times at 840 °C and for times of 6 and 12 min at 860 °C). A reaction layer was observed to develop in the filler metal adjacent to Si3N4, rich in Ti and containing some Si. The thickness of this layer depended on brazing temperature and time. Microcracks were found in the reaction layer normal to the bonding interface in the joints processed at higher brazing temperatures (880 °C for 60 min and at 900 °C for 30 and 60 min). The low temperature cracks occurred, apparently, as a result of the incomplete relaxation of thermal stresses due to the presence of a hard continuous titanium strip in the filler metal; the high temperature microcracks seemed to be affected by the increase in thickness of the reaction layer and by the precipitation of intermetallic compounds. The compressive shear strength of the braze joints were evaluated and correlated with the cracking behaviour and microstructure changes in the joint. A strong braze joint was obtained when the reaction layer was relatively thin and no cracks were present in either the reaction layer or the Si3N4.
Incomplete k -ary n -cube and its derivatives

Incomplete or pruned k-ary n-cube, n ≥ 3, is derived as follows. All links of dimension n - 1 are left in place and links of the remaining n- 1 dimensions are removed, except for one, which is chosen periodically from the remaining dimensions along the intact dimension n - 1. This leads to a node degree of 4 instead of the original 2n and results in regular networks that are Cayley graphs, provided that n - 1 divides k. For n = 3 (n = 5), the preceding restriction is not problematic, as it only requires that k be even (a multiple of 4). In other cases, changes to the basis network to be pruned, or to the pruning algorithm, can mitigate the problem. Incomplete k-ary n-cube maintains a number of desirable topological properties of its unpruned counterpart despite having fewer links. It is maximally connected, has diameter and fault diameter very close to those of k-ary n-cube, and an average internode distance that is only slightly greater. Hence, the cost/performance tradeoffs offered by our pruning scheme can in fact lead to useful, and practically realizable, parallel architectures. We study pruned k-ary n-cubes in general and offer some additional results for the special case n = 3.
Arrays for partitioned matrix algorithms: tradeoffs between cell storage and cell bandwidth

A graph-based partitioning method for designing systolic arrays for matrix computations is extended to apply it to processing elements with a small local memory. The introduction of this memory produces a reduction in the cell communication bandwidth and facilitates the use of pipelining within cells. As a consequence, efficient arrays can be designed using the extended method combined with technological parameters that define the ratio between processor speed and communication bandwidth. The extended partitioning method also allows evaluating tradeoffs between linear and two-dimensional arrays. We illustrate the method using a cube-shaped canonical algorithm, which is communication and computation intensive, and triangularization by Givens' rotations.
Numerical models of force-free black-hole magnetospheres

On a developpe des modeles numeriques pour les magnetospheres de trous noirs, stationnaires, a symetrie axiale, sans force, bases sur la theorie de Blandford et Znajek, reformulee et etendue par Macdonald et Thorne. La structure d'une magnetosphere de ce type est determinee par une «fonction d'ecoulement» scalaire, unique verifiant une «equation d'ecoulement» non lineaire, aux derivees partielles du second ordre, sur une region limitee par l'horizon du trou noir, le disque d'accretion et une limite exterieure au-dela de laquelle la condition de force nulle n'est plus respectee
Holographic detection of the orbital angular momentum of light with plasmonic photodiodes

Sub-wavelength structures can be used to convert between light and plasmon polaritons. Genevet et al. design holographic plasmonic interfaces that couple vortex light beams to surface plasmons, allowing them to detect the orbital angular momentum of the beam with a simple silicon photodiode.
Density-dependent polyphenism and geographic variation in size among two populations of lubber grasshoppers (Romalea microptera).

. 1. Density-dependent phase polyphenism occurs when changes in density during the juvenile stages result in a developmental shift from one phenotype to another. Density-dependent phase polyphenism is common among locusts (Orthoptera: Acrididae). 2. Previously, we demonstrated a longitudinal geographic cline in adult body size (western populations = small adults; eastern populations = large adults) in the eastern lubber grasshopper (Romalea microptera) in south Florida. As lubbers are confamilial with locusts, we hypothesised that the longitudinal size cline was partly due to density-dependent phase polyphenism. 3. We tested the effect of density, population, and density×population interaction on life-history traits (pronotum length, mass, cumulative development time, growth rate) of, and proportion surviving to, each of the five instars and the adult stage in a 2 × 3 factorial laboratory experiment with two lubber populations, each reared from hatchling to adult at three different densities. 4. The effect of density on life history and survival was independent of the effects of population on life history and survival. Higher densities led to larger adult sizes (pronotum, mass) and lower survivorship. The western population had smaller adult masses, fewer cumulative days to the adult stage, and higher survivorship than the eastern population. 5. Our data suggest that lubber grasshoppers exhibit density-dependent phase polyphenism initiated by the physical presence of conspecifics. However, the plastic response of adult size to density observed in the laboratory is not consistent with the relationship between phenotypes and adult density in the field. Genetic differences between populations observed in the laboratory could contribute to size and life-history differences among lubber populations in the field.
Longitudinal analysis of the impact of a level 1 trauma center designation at a university hospital.

Abstract Background: There have been no quantitative, longitudinal studies on the effect of Level 1 Trauma Center (TC) designation on a facility. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of such designation. Study Design: In September 1990, a 416-bed core affiliate hospital of the state medical school system was state-designated as the Level 1 TC for 6 counties. Data collected from five concurrent 1-year periods after TC designation included case number and acuity of condition, length of hospital and ICU stays, preventable death rates, financial coverage, and neurosurgery and orthopaedic volume. No registry data were available before TC designation. Results: While the yearly number of cases remained stable, the overall severity of cases increased coincident with a 50% reduction in overtriage. The need for ICU services increased over 50%. Mean Injury Severity Score increased from 11.0 in year 1 to 13.8 in year 5. There was a 25% to 30% increase in severe neurosurgery injuries and in major orthopaedic trauma. There was no change in the "self-pay" financial category (12% to 16%) or the ratio of blunt to penetrating trauma (90:10). Conclusions: With Level 1 TC designation in a noninner city setting, planners can expect a shift to more severely injured patients, but should not expect an increase in nonpaying patients. Increases in severe injuries will continue to place strain on the ICU. Impact on neurosurgeons and orthopaedic surgeons mandates their support in TC planning.
SELECTIVE GROWTH HORMONE AND CYCLIC AMP STIMULATING ACTIVITY IS PRESENT IN A HUMAN PANCREATIC ISLET CELL TUMOR

A pancreatic tumor was surgically removed from an acromegalic woman and placed into cell culture medium. Growth hormone (GH) releasing activity was observed by testing the tumor cell medium in primary cultures of rat anterior pituitary cells. This tumor cell medium also markedly increased rat cytosolic cyclic AMP (cAMP) accumulation for up to 4 hours. Somatostatin antagonized the enhanced GH release and cAMP content while neither prolactin nor LH secretion was affected by the tumor medium, suggesting an inherent specificity of the material for GH release.
Selenium accumulation in plants--phytotechnological applications and ecological implications.

Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element for many organisms including humans, yet toxic at higher levels. Both Se deficiency and toxicity are problems worldwide. Since plants readily accumulate and volatilize Se, they may be used both as a source of dietary Se and for removing excess Se from the environment. Plant species differ in their capacity to metabolize and accumulate Se, from non-Se accumulators ( 1,000 mg Se/kg DW). Here we review plant mechanisms of Se metabolism in these various plant types. We also summarize results from genetic engineering that have led to enhanced plant Se accumulation, volatilization, and/or tolerance, including field studies. Before using Se-accumulating plants at a large scale we need to evaluate the ecological implications. Research so far indicates that plant Se accumulation significantly affects the plant's ecological interactions below and above ground. Selenium canprotect plants from fungal pathogens and from a variety of invertebrate and vertebrate herbivores, due to both deterrence and toxicity. However, specialist (Se-tolerant herbivores), detritivores and endophytes appear to utilize Se hyperaccumulator plants as a resource. These findings are relevant for managing phytoremediation of Se and similar elements.
Cyber-T web server: differential analysis of high-throughput data

The Bayesian regularization method for high-throughput differential analysis, described in Baldi and Long (A Bayesian framework for the analysis of microarray expression data: regularized t-test and statistical inferences of gene changes. Bioinformatics 2001: 17: 509-519) and implemented in the Cyber-T web server, is one of the most widely validated. Cyber-T implements a t-test using a Bayesian framework to compute a regularized variance of the measurements associated with each probe under each condition. This regularized estimate is derived by flexibly combining the empirical measurements with a prior, or background, derived from pooling measurements associated with probes in the same neighborhood. This approach flexibly addresses problems associated with low replication levels and technology biases, not only for DNA microarrays, but also for other technologies, such as protein arrays, quantitative mass spectrometry and next-generation sequencing (RNA-seq). Here we present an update to the Cyber-T web server, incorporating several useful new additions and improvements. Several preprocessing data normalization options including logarithmic and (Variance Stabilizing Normalization) VSN transforms are included. To augment two-sample t-tests, a one-way analysis of variance is implemented. Several methods for multiple tests correction, including standard frequentist methods and a probabilistic mixture model treatment, are available. Diagnostic plots allow visual assessment of the results. The web server provides comprehensive documentation and example data sets. The Cyber-T web server, with R source code and data sets, is publicly available at http://cybert.ics.uci.edu/.
Antibodies to oxaliplatin, a chemotherapeutic, are found in plasma of healthy blood donors.

BACKGROUND: Oxaliplatin is one of the platinum chemotherapeutics that includes cisplatin and carboplatin. Antibodies to all three drugs have caused immune hemolytic anemia (IHA). In an investigation of oxaliplatin-induced IHA, the negative plasma control agglutinated oxaliplatin-coated red blood cells (RBCs). Previous preparations of this control had not agglutinated oxaliplatin- or cisplatin-coated RBCs. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Drug-coated RBCs, prepared by incubating 1/10th volume of RBCs with 1 mg/mL drug in phosphate-buffered saline for 1 hour at 37°C, were incubated with plasma from random blood donors and patients. Plasma was treated with dithiothreitol to determine the immunoglobulin class. Hapten inhibition was performed by incubating plasma with solutions of oxaliplatin or cisplatin. RESULTS: Nineteen of 121 (16%) donors' plasma samples agglutinated oxaliplatin-coated RBCs; 7 of 102 (7%) donors' plasma samples agglutinated cisplatin-coated RBCs. Two of 50 (4%) patients' samples agglutinated oxaliplatin-coated RBCs. The agglutinin was immunoglobulin M and inhibited by oxaliplatin and cisplatin. CONCLUSION: An agglutinin reactive with oxaliplatin-coated RBCs was found in 16% of donors' and 4% of patients' samples. Inhibition by oxaliplatin and cisplatin indicates the antibody may be directed to platinum. The presence of this antibody in healthy individuals may be related to the increasing environmental presence of platinum in air and soil as a byproduct of automobile catalytic converters and pharmaceuticals in our water and food chain. This antibody in individuals without IHA suggests that testing untreated and enzyme-treated RBCs in the presence of a solution of drug may be the best method to investigate IHA caused by drugs in the platinum family.
Reduced folate carrier transports thiamine monophosphate: an alternative route for thiamine delivery into mammalian cells.

Although the reduced folate carrier RFC1 and the thiamine transporters THTR-1 and THTR-2 share ∼40% of their identity in protein sequence, RFC1 does not transport thiamine and THTR-1 and THTR-2 do not transport folates. In the present study, we demonstrate that transport of thiamine monophosphate (TMP), an important thiamine metabolite present in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid, is mediated by RFC1 in L1210 murine leukemia cells. Transport of TMP was augmented by a factor of five in cells (R16) that overexpress RFC1 and was markedly inhibited by methotrexate, an RFC1 substrate, but not by thiamine. At a near-physiological concentration (50 nM), TMP influx mediated by RFC1 in wild-type L1210 cells was ∼50% of thiamine influx mediated by thiamine transporter(s). Within 1 min, the majority of TMP transported into R16 cells was hydrolyzed to thiamine with a component metabolized to thiamine pyrophosphate, the active enzyme cofactor. These data suggest that RFC1 may be one of the alternative transport routes available for TMP in some tissues when THTR-1 is mutated in the autosomal recessive disorder thiamine-responsive megaloblastic anemia.
Endless minds most beautiful

The marriage of evolution and development to produce the new discipline ‘evo-devo’ in biology is situated in the general history of evolutionary biology, and its significance for developmental cognitive science is discussed. The discovery and description of the highly conserved, robust and ‘evolvable’ mechanisms that organize the vertebrate body plan and fundamental physiology have direct implications for what we should investigate in the evolution of behavior and cognition. There is a grandeur in this view of life . . . from so simple a beginning, endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved. (Charles Darwin, The origin of species , 1859) Evolution itself evolves, as evolving organisms come to carry the history of successful solutions to the recurring challenges of life on earth in their genomes and in their epigenetic expectations of the structures the environment will support and inform. Our understanding of evolution has also evolved, very rapidly of late. The title of this essay is a double-reference, not only to the often-quoted last sentence of The origin of species but also to Carrol’s recent book Endless forms most beautiful: the new science of evo devo (2005), one exemplar of a current outpouring of both scholarly and popular works on the unexpected wealth of understanding that has arisen about the current structure of organisms, their development, and their evolution when the three domains are closely compared (just a few: Wilkins, 2001; Gould, 2002; West-Eberhard, 2003; Kirschner & Gerhart, 2005). ‘Evo-devo’ as a discipline so far has primarily concerned itself with the evolution of fundamental body form, physiological processes and their genomic specification in basic vertebrate and invertebrate radiations, with some consideration as to types of mechanisms that emerge when nervous systems elaborate themselves. This essay will have two parts, the first a bit of didactic scolding about the necessity for developmental scientists to keep themselves informed of progress in evolutionary biology, including a brief outline of the history of evolutionary biology. The second part is an exhortation to begin including this new view of evolution into developmental science, with some specific suggestions. I will contend that a good majority of psychologists, cognitive scientists, biomedical researchers, and even biologists do not understand the implications of current work in the evolution of development and employ instead an outmoded gene/ environment conceptual scheme that ill suits what we now know is out there. I will borrow from Gerhart and Kirschner’s several expositions of the kinds of organization in organisms that are ‘evolvable’ (1997, 2005) and suggest how their concepts might be imported into developmental science.
Pulmonary Delivery of Liposomal Drugs

AbstractThis overview will discuss our studies of liposomes aerosols to treat diseases of the lung and will entail (i) formulation and characterization of liposome aerosols, including dry liposome powder aerosols, (ii) modulation of the pharmacokinetic profile of liposomal drugs delivered by aerosol or intratracheal instillation, (iii) liposome-alveolar macrophage interactions in vitro and in vivo, and (iv) safety of liposome aerosols in vivo in mice, sheep and healthy human volunteers. Water-soluble agents can be retained in liposomes during aerosolization with air-pressure nebulizers within certain limitations of liposome composition, size, and operating conditions. Dry powder liposome aerosols have been formulated and deliver water-soluble encapsulated substances efficiently. Pharmacokinetic profiles of liposomal drugs delivered via intratracheal instillation exhibit typical slow release plasma profiles indicating that the carrier is the rate-limiting barrier for release. Accordingly, pulmonary mean re...
A STRUCTURAL MECHANICS APPROACH FOR THE ANALYSIS OF CARBON NANOTUBES

Abstract This paper presents a structural mechanics approach to modeling the deformation of carbon nanotubes. Fundamental to the proposed concept is the notion that a carbon nanotube is a geometrical frame-like structure and the primary bonds between two nearest-neighboring atoms act like load-bearing beam members, whereas an individual atom acts as the joint of the related load-bearing beam members. By establishing a linkage between structural mechanics and molecular mechanics, the sectional property parameters of these beam members are obtained. The accuracy and stability of the present method is verified by its application to graphite. Computations of the elastic deformation of single-walled carbon nanotubes reveal that the Young’s moduli of carbon nanotubes vary with the tube diameter and are affected by their helicity. With increasing tube diameter, the Young’s moduli of both armchair and zigzag carbon nanotubes increase monotonically and approach the Young’s modulus of graphite. These findings are in good agreement with the existing theoretical and experimental results.
A Trustworthy QoS Unicast Routing Scheme Based on Population Adaptive Based Immune Algorithm

In this paper, a trustworthy QoS unicast routing scheme based on trustworthy network is proposed. First, a cognitive network model is designed, referring to the intelligence of artificial immune system. Then, trustworthiness of each node is evaluated by deploying sliding window mechanism and analyzing the behavior record of each node. Finally, a population adaptive based immune of trustworthy QoS unicast routing algorithm is proposed, referring to the adaptive process of antibody identifying antigen. We verify the effectiveness of our scheme by using large-scale computer emulation experiments and compare it to existing classical algorithms. The results show that the proposed algorithm is both feasible and effective for providing users with better QoS, etc.
Learning friendship: The “indispensable basis of a good society”

Aristotle believed that perfect friendship based in goodness is rare because few people seek to be good. Colleges and universities can prove him wrong by helping students understand the ways and whys of being a true friend.
Manufacturing Automation and Discrete Event Dynamic Systems

Manufacturing and production systems represent a relatively new class of dynamic systems which cannot be easily modeled by the familiar tools of differential equations. the evolutions of the system are governed by the occurence of discrete events, such as, the arrival of a part, or the completion of an operation. The "state" of the system changes only at such discrete instants of time based on complex logical conditions or rules of operation. The interesting and challenging aspect of the analysis of such systems are the dynamics resulting from interactions of the states and events of the system. In this talk, we shall on the one hand outline the needs and opportunities in this important engineering area, and on the other hand, provide some glimpses into possible conceptual and theoretical advances that are waiting to be made.