cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Event propagation conditions in circuit delay computation

Accurate and efficient computation of delays is a central problem in computer-aided design of complex VLSI circuits. Delays are determined by events (signal transitions) propagated from the inputs of a circuit to its outputs, so precise characterization of event propagation is required for accurate delay computation. Although many different propagation conditions (PCs) have been proposed for delay computation, their properties and relationships have been far from clear. We present a systematic analysis of delay computation based on a series of waveform models that capture signal behavior rigorously at different levels of details. The most general model, called the exact of W0 model, specifies each event occurring in a circuit signal. A novel method is presented that generates approximate waveforms by progressively eliminating signal values from the exact model. For each waveform model, we drive the PCs that correctly capture the requirements under which an event propagates along a path. The waveform models and their PCs are shown to form a well-defined hierarchy, which provides a means to trade accuracy for computational effort. The relationships among the derived PCs and existing ones are analyzed in depth. It is proven that though many PCs, such as the popular floating mode condition, produce a correct upper bound on the circuit delay, they can fail to recognize event propagation in some instances. This analysis further enables us to derive new and useful PCs. We describe such a PC, called safe static. Experimental results demonstrate that safe static provides an excellent accuracy/efficiency tradeoff.
Carbon dioxide segregation in 1:4 and 1:9 CO2:H2O ices

Abstract The mid-infrared spectra of mixed vapor deposited ices of CO 2 and H 2 O were studied as a function of both deposition temperature and warming from 15 to 100 K. The spectra of ices deposited at 15 K show marked changes on warming beginning at 60 K. These changes are consistent with CO 2 segregating within the ice matrix into pure CO 2 domains. Ices deposited at 60 and 70 K show a greater degree of segregation, as high as 90% for 1:4 CO 2 :H 2 O ice mixtures deposited at 70 K. As the ice is warmed above 80 K, preferential sublimation of the segregated CO 2 is observed. The kinetics of the segregation process is also examined. The segregation of the CO 2 as the ice is warmed corresponds to temperatures at which the structure of the water ice matrix changes from the high density amorphous phase to the low density amorphous phase. We show how these microstructural changes in the ice have a profound effect on the photochemistry induced by ultraviolet irradiation. These experimental results provide a framework in which observations of CO 2 on the icy bodies of the outer Solar System can be considered.
Effects of Bifurcations on Aft-Fan Engine Nacelle Noise

Aft-fan engine nacelle noise is a significant factor in the increasingly important issue of aircraft community noise. The ability to predict such noise within complex duct geometries is a valuable tool in studying possible noise attenuation methods. A recent example of code development for such predictions is the ducted fan noise propagation and radiation code CDUCT-LaRC. This work focuses on predicting the effects of geometry changes (i.e. bifurcations, pylons) on aft fan noise propagation. Beginning with simplified geometries, calculations show that bifurcations lead to scattering of acoustic energy into higher order modes. In addition, when circumferential mode number and the number of bifurcations are properly commensurate, bifurcations increase the relative importance of the plane wave mode near the exhaust plane of the bypass duct. This is particularly evident when the bypass duct surfaces include acoustic treatment. Calculations involving more complex geometries further illustrate that bifurcations and pylons clearly affect modal content, in both propagation and radiation calculations. Additionally, results show that consideration of acoustic radiation results may provide further insight into acoustic treatment effectiveness for situations in which modal decomposition may not be straightforward. The ability of CDUCT-LaRC to handle complex (non-axisymmetric) multi-block geometries, as well as axially and circumferentially segmented liners, allows investigation into the effects of geometric elements (bifurcations, pylons).
Purification and partial characterization of the hemorrhagic factor from the venom of Crotalus adamanteus (eastern diamondback rattlesnake).

Abstract A proteinase from Crotalus adamanteus venom has been isolated to the stage of electrophoretic homogeneity by chromatography of the crude venom on CM-Sepharose, Phenyl-Sepharose, Ultrogel AcA 44 and DEAE-Sepharose. The proteinase accounts for 100% of the detectable hemorrhagic activity in the venom, and the name C. adamanteus proteinase H is suggested. Proteinase H is a single chain glycoprotein with a molecular weight of 85,700. Proteinase H is active on casein and hide powder azure, but does not digest benzoyl- l -arginine ethyl ester or benzoyl- l -tyrosine ethyl ester. Proteolytic and hemorrhagic activity were both abolished by treatment with EDTA and neither activity was restored by prolonged dialysis against Zn 2+ or Ca 2+ . However, both activities were retained after treatment with phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride. A minimal hemorrhagic response was elicited in mice by s.c. injection of 0.1 μg of proteinase H. The caseinolytic activity of proteinase H was not inhibited during incubation with human α 2 -macroglobulin, nor was the inhibitor inactivated by proteinase H.
PPARdelta and PGC1alpha act cooperatively to induce haem oxygenase-1 and enhance vascular endothelial cell resistance to stress.

Aims Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are members of the nuclear receptor superfamily of ligand-activated transcriptional regulators. PPARδ has an established role in metabolism, wound healing, and angiogenesis. However, little is known about its function in endothelial homeostasis. We investigated the role of PPARδ and its co-activator, PPARγ co-activator 1α (PGC1α), in vasculoprotection against oxidant-induced injury via induction of haem oxygenase-1. Methods and results En face confocal microscopy of murine aortas demonstrated that the PPARδ-selective ligand GW501516 induced endothelial haem oxygenase-1 expression. In vitro PPARδ ligands induced a significant increase in haem oxygenase-1 mRNA, protein, and enzyme activity, resulting in enhanced human endothelial cell protection against cellular stress induced by hydrogen peroxide or leptin. Moreover, adenoviral-mediated overexpression of haem oxygenase-1 increased PPARδ promoter activity and mRNA levels, amplifying the effect of PPARδ ligands through a positive feedback loop. Mutation of PPAR response element binding sites in the haem oxygenase-1 promoter/enhancer region revealed haem oxygenase-1 to be a direct PPARδ target gene. Inhibition of either haem oxygenase-1 or PPARδ abrogated PPARδ ligand-induced endothelial cytoprotection. Furthermore, siRNA depletion of PGC1α demonstrated that this co-regulator acts as an essential PPARδ transcriptional co-activator for haem oxygenase-1 induction by PPARδ ligands and its subsequent cytoprotective actions. Conclusion We have identified an important relationship between PPARδ, PGC1α, and haem oxygenase-1, demonstrating that haem oxygenase-1 induction plays an important role in cytoprotective actions of PPARδ ligands in vascular endothelium. In light of the protective effects of haem oxygenase-1 against atherogenesis, we suggest that PPARδ represents a potentially important therapeutic target in the vasculature.
Production and characterization of a protein concentrate from navy beans (Phaseolus vulgaris)

Abstract Different methods were evaluated for the production of a navy bean protein concentrate (NPC). Most of the concentrates prepared by isoelectric precipitation contained 80–83% protein. Salt fractionation of the navy bean flour resulted in low concentrate yields. The most satisfactory method for production of a NPC from dry bean flour was a modification of the isoelectric precipitation method of Fan & Sosulski (1974) in which the centrifugation speed was increased to 15 000 × g. This concentrate had a protein content of 83·9% and a starch content of 2·4%. The concentrate contained more soluble protein and less phytohemagglutinin than the flour from which it was produced. The major protein was a 7S protein with three subunits of about 45–48 k Da typical of vicilin. About 10% of the protein present was in the form of a 60 kDa fraction.
The reaction kinetics of fluoride and ammonia with acid and alkaline ferrimyoglobin in a crystalline state.

Differences between the reactivity of amorphous and crystalline myoglobin have been studied by the rapid-flow method combined with dual-wavelength spectrophotometry. The binding of ammonia to the hydroxide compound has a half-time of 55 ms. The reverse reaction has a half-time of 70 ms. At pH 7.0 the relative half-times of combination and dissociation with fluoride are 10 min for crystalline and 1.8 min for amorphous materials. Reactivity of the crystals to fluoride at pH 6.0 greatly increased as compared with pH 8.7. Half-time at pH 8.7 is 10 min, while at pH 6.0 the half-time is 2.5 s for the -crystalline material and 1.4 s for the amorphous material. The exchange of fluoride by azide at pH 6.0 is 3.1-fold faster in amorphous material than in crystalline material.
Optimal common due-date with limited completion time

Abstract T.C.E. Cheng [Computers Ops Res. 15, 91–96 (1988)] recently presented an interesting variation of the common due-date scheduling problem. He considered the situation where jobs that only marginally miss the common due-date are not penalized. His major conclusion, as given in Lemma 1, is a sufficient but not necessary requirement for optimality. We prove that alternate optima exist.
Near-optimal solution of generalized resource allocation problems with large capacities

We consider problems of allocating resources to activities where the allocation to each activity is restricted to a general set of admissible values, the objective function is additively-separable but not necessarily concave nor differentiable, and each activity uses at most one resource. We develop a simple algorithm, based on a nonsmooth convex relaxation, that generates a near-optimal solution whenever each allocation is a small fraction of resource capacity.
Quantitative assessment of intrathoracic airway collapse in infants and children with tracheobronchomalacia

Tracheobronchomalacia (TBM) is increasingly recognized in infants, children, and adults with acquired chronic lung diseases as the use of flexible bronchoscopy has become widely established in spontaneously breathing patients. However, the lack of a reliable method to quantify the severity of the airway collapse has made serial studies, evaluation of therapies, and comparisons between patients difficult. The purpose of this study was to describe a method of quantifying airway collapse in TBM. The degree of airway collapse was quantitated by measuring the ratio of the smallest to the largest airway area during a respiratory cycle. The videotape of flexible bronchoscopy was run through a video monitor and frozen at the appropriate times. The airway circumference was then traced onto plastic overlays and the area measured. The videotapes of seven infants and children with TBM and eight with normal airways were reviewed by investigators who did not know the diagnosis. Intra-observer variability was 2.2%, and inter-observer variability was 1.4%. The mean smallest/largest airway ratio was 0.34 ± 0.14 (SD) in the subjects with known TBM, compared with a ratio of 0.82 ± 0.08 (SD) in children with a normal airway (P < 0.0001). The range in the children with TBM was 0.22–0.61, whereas for the control children it was 0.73–0.93. In this series, there was no overlap in the ratios between affected and unaffected patients. In addition to the manual method of calculating airway area ratios, a computer-assisted method is described that could be adapted to real-time use. This way of analyzing the degree of airway collapse could be used to assess patients with TBM quantitatively and reproducibly. Pediatr Pulmonol. 1996; 21:241–245. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Types of hypnotically (un)susceptible individuals as a function of phenomenological experience: towards a typology of hypnotic types.

Abstract Subjects were 194 nursing students who experienced the HGSHS:A (Shor & Orne, 1962) in which was embedded a 2-minute sitting quietly interval subsequent to the eye catalepsy item, but prior to the “counting out” sequence. After the HGSHS:A, subjects completed the Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory (PCI) (Pekala, 1982, 1991c) in reference to the sitting quietly interval embedded in the hypnotic induction ceremony. Subjects were divided into low and high susceptible groups. K-means cluster analysis of the subjects' responses to the PCI revealed nine different cluster groups. These groups had different patterns of phenomenological experiences that cut across individual subjects' actual HGSHS:A scores. Implications of the above for (a) working with clients who may not score that high on standard behavioral measures of hypnotizability (such as the HGSHS:A), or (b) understanding how hypnosis “works,” are discussed.
Production of high transverse momentum leptons in hadronic collisions

Abstract The production mechanisms of high transverse momentum leptons are reviewed. It is shown that the existence or non-existence of the intermediate vector boson and heavy photon in the observed mass range can be established from single-particle spectra, and μe universality tested at high lepton-antilepton masses.
The usefulness of a 10% air-10% blood-80% saline mixture for contrast echocardiography: Doppler measurement of pulmonary artery systolic pressure

Abstract Objectives We assessed an air-blood-saline mixture for Doppler measurement of pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP) and the mechanism of enhancement of the Doppler signal by this mixture. Background Underestimation of PASP by Doppler echocardiography occurs with inadequate continuous wave (CW) signals of tricuspid regurgitation (TR). Methods We assessed in vitro the diameter and concentration of microbubbles of agitated air-saline mixture, air-blood-saline mixture and 10% air-10% plasma-80% saline mixture immediately, 5, 10 and 20 s after agitation. In 20 patients, PASP was estimated by Swan-Ganz catheter and CW Doppler of TR: 1) without contrast injection; 2) with intravenous injection of 10% air-90% saline; and 3) 10% blood-10% air-80% saline mixture. Results Compared to air-saline, addition of blood or plasma to the air-saline solution significantly increased the concentration of microbubbles (p Conclusions The combination of the patient’s own blood is a method of making a sterile solution of numerous small microbubbles for injection into the right-sided cardiac chambers. Clinically, the air-blood-saline mixture is easily prepared at bedside and is superior to the air-saline mixture in assessing PASP in patients with inadequate CW Doppler signals.
A fieldable modular biosensor for use in detection of foodborne pathogens

The development of a novel, impedance-based, fieldable biosensor system is described. The portable biosensor system uses a variety of disposable analyte-specific sensor modules, each of which can be used to quantitatively measure the presence of specific analytes. The response for each sensor is rapid, and stable readings can be obtained in less than 1 min. Initial efforts have extended the use of the blosensor system to the detection of the foodborne pathogens E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella spp. Potential applications are expected to be broad, Including possible class detection of environmental endocrine disrupters, detection of the foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenies, and quantitative assessment of biological warfare agents.
Mixed pH-Sensitive Polymeric Micelles for Combination Drug Delivery

To prepare mixed polymeric micelles that can carry two different drugs, doxorubicin (DOX) and 17-hydroxyethylamino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin (GDM-OH), for combination cancer chemotherapy. The pH-sensitive micelles were prepared from poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(aspartate hydrazide) block copolymers to which either DOX or GDM-OH is conjugated through acid-labile hydrazone bond (individual micelles). Mixed micelles were formed not only by simply mixing two different individual micelles in aqueous solutions (aqueous mixed micelles) but also by evaporating organic solvents from the organic/aqueous mixed solvents in which two block copolymers possessing different drugs were dissolved homogeneously (organic mixed micelles). Particle size measurements, pH-dependent drug release tests, cytotoxicity assays and western blot analysis were subsequently conducted. Individual and aqueous/organic mixed micelles showed clinically relevant particle size (<100 nm) and pH-dependent drug release patterns. Mixed polymer micelles suppress cancer cell growth effectively in a drug concentration, mixing method and schedule-dependent way. Combination chemotherapy using polymeric micelles seems to minimize a schedule-dependent change in combination drug efficacy in comparison to drug combination using DMSO formulations.
Excitons and many-electron effects in the optical response of carbon nanotubes and other one-dimensional nanostructures

Owing to their reduced dimensionality, the behavior of quasi-one-dimensional systems is often strongly influenced by electron-electron interactions. We discuss some recent work on using theory and computation to understand and predict the electronic structure and the linear optical response of several one-dimensional (1D) nanostructures. The calculations are carried out employing a first-principles interacting-electron Green's function approach. It is shown that exciton states in the semiconducting carbon nanotubes have binding energies that are orders of magnitude larger than bulk semiconductors and hence they dominate the optical spectrum at all temperature, and that strongly bound excitons can exist even in metallic carbon nanotubes. In addition to the optically active (bright) exciton states, theory predicts a number of optically inactive or very weak oscillator strength (dark) exciton states. These findings demonstrate the importance of an exciton picture in interpreting optical experiments and in the possible applications of the carbon nanotubes. Our studies show that many-electron interaction (self-energy and excitonic) effects are equally dominant in the electronic structure and optical response of other potentially useful quasi-1D nanostructures such as the BN nanotubes, Si nanowires, and graphene nanoribbons.
A Comparison of Numerical and Physical Modeling of Stable Atmospheric Flow and Dispersion around a Cubical Building

Our objective is to examine the potential application of a κ-e model (TEMPEST) for simulating flow-field and dispersion patterns around a cubical building under stably stratified approach flow. The results of these numerical simulations are compared with available measurements from towing-tank experiments on dispersion around a cube. The modeled and measured flow and concentration patterns are compared in order to ascertain the effects of changes in the stratification, which is characterized by the Froude number Fr = U/NH (where U is the approach-flow wind speed, N is the Brunt-Vaisala frequency, and H is the building height-large Fr implies weak stability and vice versa). Both the model and experimental results suggest that the flow structure is independent of stratification when Fr ⩾ 6. The model predicts a moderate increase in the length Lc of the lee-side “cavity” (recirculation region) as the Froude number is decreased from 6 to 3 (moderate stratification), then a sharp decrease in Lc as Fr is further decreased to 1 (very strong stratification). The measured results, however, show Lc to be constant as Fr is decreased to 3, then a sharp decrease as Fr is further decreased to 1. The agreement between the measured and model-predicted concentration field when a source was located within the recirculating cavity behind the building was fair under weakly stratified conditions (Fr ⩾ 3), but poor under strongly stratified conditions (Fr = 1). These simulations show that, in strongly stratified conditions, mean advection plays a more important role than does turbulent diffusion because the turbulence is very weak in such flows. And because the Froude number will rarely be less than about 3 in the nighttime stable boundary layer, these results suggest that stratification will rarely be a significant factor influencing the flow structure in the near-vicinity of a building.
Exact multiplicity results and bifurcation for nonhomogeneous elliptic problems

Abstract In this paper we consider the following problem: (⋆) { − Δ u ( x ) + u ( x ) = λ ( f ( x , u ) + h ( x ) ) in R N , u ∈ H 1 ( R N ) , u > 0 in R N , where λ > 0 is a parameter. We assume lim | x | → ∞ f ( x , u ) = f ( u ) uniformly on any compact subset of [ 0 , ∞ ) , but we do not require f ( x , u ) ≥ f ( u ) for all x ∈ R N . We prove that there exists + ∞ > λ ∗ > 0 such that (⋆) has exactly two positive solutions for λ ∈ ( 0 , λ ∗ ) , no solution for λ > λ ∗ , a unique positive solution u ∗ for λ = λ ∗ , and ( λ ∗ , u ∗ ) is a bifurcation point in C 2 , α ( R N ) ∩ W 2 , 2 ( R N ) .
TTL Based Packet Marking for IP Traceback

Distributed denial of service attacks continue to pose major threats to the Internet. In order to traceback attack sources (i.e., IP addresses), a well studied approach is probabilistic packet marking (PPM), where each intermediate router of a packet marks it with a certain probability, enabling a victim host to traceback the attack source. In a recent study, we showed how attackers can take advantage of probabilistic nature of packet markings in existing PPM schemes to create spoofed marks, hence compromising traceback. In this paper, we propose a new PPM scheme called TTL-based PPM (TPM) scheme, where each packet is marked with a probability inversely proportional to the distance traversed by the packet so far. Thus, packets that have to traverse longer distances are marked with higher probability, compared to those that have to traverse shorter distances. This ensures that a packet is marked with much higher probability by intermediate routers than by traditional mechanisms, hence reducing the effectiveness of spoofed packets reaching victims. Using formal analysis and simulations using real Internet topology maps, we show how our TPM scheme can effectively trace DDoS attackers even in presence of spoofing when compared to existing schemes.
Optical density of the human lens

Optic disk reflectance was measured from 27 normal observers with their physiological lenses (aged 21-74 yr) and from two pseudophakic observers (aged 69 and 70 yr) with use of a Utrecht fundus reflection densitometer. Psychophysical heterochromatic flicker photometric luminance matches (10 degrees field) were obtained on the same group of the observers. A four-parameter model incorporating lens density, hemoglobin absorption, optic disk reflectance, and superficial stray light was used to fit the reflectometric data. A model incorporating lens density and the Judd revised spectral luminous-efficiency function was used to fit the psychophysical data. The lens-density spectrum used the two-factor aging model of Pokorny, et al. [Appl. Opt. 26, 1437 (1987)]. The lens density for each normal observer was estimated through a least-squares fitting procedure yielding an estimated lens age. For the reflectometric data the observer's chronological age agreed with estimated lens age with a correlation coefficient of 0.92. The reflectometric regression line underestimated chronological age by approximately 5 yr. The mean reflectance of the optic disk was 0.047 with standard error of the mean of 0.0044. Data from the pseudophakic observers were well described when corneal density was used to replace lens density. The lens density was also estimated from the psychophysical data. The observer's chronological age agreed with psychophysically estimated lens age with a correlation coefficient of 0.92. It was concluded that the in vivo lens density can be estimated from the reflectance spectrum measured off the optic disk. The reflectance spectrum of the optic disk was inferred to be close to spectrally neutral.
Susceptibilities of Mycoplasma hominis, M. pneumoniae, and Ureaplasma urealyticum to GAR-936, Dalfopristin, Dirithromycin, Evernimicin, Gatifloxacin, Linezolid, Moxifloxacin, Quinupristin-Dalfopristin, and Telithromycin Compared to Their Susceptibilities to Reference Macrolides, Tetracyclines, and Quinolones

The susceptibilities of Mycoplasma hominis, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, and Ureaplasma urealyticum to eight new antimicrobial agents were determined by agar dilution. M. pneumoniae was susceptible to the new glycylcycline GAR-936 at 0.12 μg/ml and evernimicin at 4 μg/ml, but it was resistant to linezolid. It was most susceptible to dirithromycin, quinupristin-dalfopristin, telithromycin, reference macrolides, and josamycin. M. hominis was susceptible to linezolid, evernimicin, and GAR-936. It was resistant to macrolides and the ketolide telithromycin but susceptible to quinupristin-dalfopristin and josamycin. U. urealyticum was susceptible to evernimicin (8 to 16 μg/ml) and resistant to linezolid. It was less susceptible to GAR-936 (4.0 μg/ml) than to tetracycline (0.5 μg/ml). Telithromycin and quinupristin-dalfopristin were the most active agents against ureaplasmas (0.06 μg/ml). The new quinolone gatifloxacin was active against M. pneumoniae and M. hominis at 0.12 to 0.25 μg/ml and active against ureaplasmas at 1.0 μg/ml. The MICs of macrolides were markedly affected by pH, with an 8- to 32-fold increase in the susceptibility of M. pneumoniae as the pH increased from 6.9 to 7.8. A similar increase in susceptibility with increasing pH was also observed with ureaplasmas. Tetracyclines showed a fourfold increase of activity as the pH decreased 1 U, whereas GAR-936 showed a fourfold decrease in activity with a decrease in pH.
SIMULATION OF DIRECT INJECTION GASOLINE SPRAYS USING MULTI-LEVEL DYNAMIC MESH REFINEMENT

Accurate engine spray simulation often requires the use of a fine mesh which, in turn, will need extensive computer time. An adaptive mesh refinement scheme has been developed to improve the computational efficiency. This study further enhances the accuracy of spray modeling by implementing multi-level mesh refinement to simulate transient engine sprays. The solid-cone and hollow-cone sprays under direct-injection gasoline engine conditions were simulated. Predicted spray characteristics of using different mesh densities with various refinement levels were compared. Results show that the present mesh refinement scheme can accurately predict spray structures with reduced computer times. A significant computational speed-up was achieved by using a relatively coarse mesh with multi-level refinement while maintaining a good level of accuracy.
Aneurysms of the mesenteric artery

Abstract Two cases of aneurysm of the superior mesenteric artery, both of which were associated with other aneurysms, are reported. The examination of the patients and the physician's awareness of this particular condition are emphasized as tools of diagnosis. The definitive diagnosis is made with the aid of aortography. Surgical excision is indicated because of potentially fatal outcome of rupture. The causes of these aneurysms are varied but classifiable pathologically.
A 3D Graphical Method for Interactively Determining the Vertical Convexity of Designs to be Molded

The Center for 3D Visualization Hardcopy (C3VH) was initiated in 1995 as a web-accessible facility to create 3D physical models. By making such prototyping hardware easy to access and the geometry files easy to check and correct, we have been able to drive the model-making process into the less traditional manufacturing area of scientific visualization. But, there have been requests for many copies of a single model. As “rapid” prototyping is actually quite slow and unsuitable for mass production, these requests have required us to enter the world of molding for mass production. As part of this, we have needed to quickly determine how feasible it is to mold a particular model. This paper shows an interactive OpenGL method that we developed for determining the optimal orientation for a model’s parting line. By using a novel OpenGL stencil buffer technique, the user can reorient the model on the screen, and see from the colors in the display how vertically convex it is in that orientation, and in what parts of the model it is not vertically convex.
OpenRuleBench: an analysis of the performance of rule engines

The Semantic Web initiative has led to an upsurge of the interest in rules as a general and powerful way of processing, combining, and analyzing semantic information. Since several of the technologies underlying rule-based systems are already quite mature, it is important to understand how such systems might perform on the Web scale. OpenRuleBench is a suite of benchmarks for analyzing the performance and scalability of different rule engines. Currently the study spans five different technologies and eleven systems, but OpenRuleBench is an open community resource, and contributions from the community are welcome. In this paper, we describe the tested systems and technologies, the methodology used in testing, and analyze the results.
Nano-fEM: protein localization using photo-activated localization microscopy and electron microscopy.

Mapping the distribution of proteins is essential for understanding the function of proteins in a cell. Fluorescence microscopy is extensively used for protein localization, but subcellular context is often absent in fluorescence images. Immuno-electron microscopy, on the other hand, can localize proteins, but the technique is limited by a lack of compatible antibodies, poor preservation of morphology and because most antigens are not exposed to the specimen surface. Correlative approaches can acquire the fluorescence image from a whole cell first, either from immuno-fluorescence or genetically tagged proteins. The sample is then fixed and embedded for electron microscopy, and the images are correlated 1-3. However, the low-resolution fluorescence image and the lack of fiducial markers preclude the precise localization of proteins. Alternatively, fluorescence imaging can be done after preserving the specimen in plastic. In this approach, the block is sectioned, and fluorescence images and electron micrographs of the same section are correlated 4-7. However, the diffraction limit of light in the correlated image obscures the locations of individual molecules, and the fluorescence often extends beyond the boundary of the cell. Nano-resolution fluorescence electron microscopy (nano-fEM) is designed to localize proteins at nano-scale by imaging the same sections using photo-activated localization microscopy (PALM) and electron microscopy. PALM overcomes the diffraction limit by imaging individual fluorescent proteins and subsequently mapping the centroid of each fluorescent spot 8-10. We outline the nano-fEM technique in five steps. First, the sample is fixed and embedded using conditions that preserve the fluorescence of tagged proteins. Second, the resin blocks are sectioned into ultrathin segments (70-80 nm) that are mounted on a cover glass. Third, fluorescence is imaged in these sections using the Zeiss PALM microscope. Fourth, electron dense structures are imaged in these same sections using a scanning electron microscope. Fifth, the fluorescence and electron micrographs are aligned using gold particles as fiducial markers. In summary, the subcellular localization of fluorescently tagged proteins can be determined at nanometer resolution in approximately one week.
Information Dissemination Control for Cooperative Active Safety Applications in Vehicular Ad-Hoc Networks

Vehicular Ad-Hoc networks (VANETs) play a critical role in enabling highway active safety applications such as collision warning and vehicle tracking. The most pressing challenge in enabling such applications is to maximize the amount of disseminated vehicle state information while avoiding network congestion. In this paper, we explore the structure of VANET tracking problem and propose an adaptive rate control algorithm based on network condition and tracking error. Proposed algorithm uses a closed-loop control concept and accounts for the lossy channel. This algorithm is shown to achieve better tracking performance than existing solutions. We first analyze the algorithm behavior in small scale Matlab simulations with bounded dynamical systems and then evaluate its performance using OPNET simulations with realistic vehicle trajectories from a microscopic traffic simulator (SHIFT).
Gender and sexuality I Intersectional anxieties

This review considers how recent geographies of sexualities have attended to intersectionality. It documents the unevenness in attention across gender, race, class, age, (dis)ability and religion. ...
Formulation and efficacy of liposome-encapsulated antibiotics for therapy of intracellular Mycobacterium avium infection.

Mycobacterium avium is an intracellular pathogen that can invade and multiply within macrophages of the reticuloendothelial system. Current therapy is not highly effective. Particulate drug carriers that are targeted to the reticuloendothelial system may provide a means to deliver antibiotics more efficiently to M. avium-infected cells. We investigated the formulation of the antibiotics ciprofloxacin and azithromycin in liposomes and tested their antibacterial activities in vitro against M. avium residing within J774, a murine macrophage-like cell line. A conventional passive-entrapment method yielded an encapsulation efficiency of 9% for ciprofloxacin and because of aggregation mediated by the cationic drug, was useful only with liposomes containing 90% efficiency, regardless of the content of negatively charged lipids, by a remote-loading technique that utilized both pH and potential gradients to drive drug into preformed liposomes. Both the cellular accumulation and the antimycobacterial activity of ciprofloxacin increased in proportion to the liposome negative charge; the maximal enhancement of potency was 43-fold in liposomes of distearoylphosphatidylglycerol-cholesterol (DSPG-Chol) (10:5). Azithromycin liposomes were prepared as a freeze-dried preparation to avoid chemical instability during storage, and drug could be incorporated at 33 mol% (with respect to phospholipid). Azithromycin also showed enhanced antimycobacterial effect in liposomes, and the potency increased in parallel to the moles percent of negatively charged lipids; azithromycin in DSPG-Chol (10:5) liposomes inhibited intracellular M. avium growth 41-fold more effectively than did free azithromycin. Thus, ciprofloxacin or azithromycin encapsulated in stable liposomes having substantial negative surface charge is superior to nonencapsulated drug in inhibition of M.avium growth within cultured macrophages and may provide more effective therapy of M.avium infections.
Facilitators and barriers to effective scale-up of an evidence-based multilevel HIV prevention intervention

Since the scale-up of HIV/AIDS prevention evidence-based interventions (EBIs) has not been simple, it is important to examine processes that occur in the translation of the EBIs into practice that affect successful implementation. The goal of this paper is to examine facilitators and barriers to effective implementation that arose among 72 community-based organizations as they moved into practice a multilevel HIV prevention intervention EBI, the Mpowerment Project, for young gay and bisexual men. CBOs that were implementing the Mpowerment Project participated in this study and were assessed at baseline, and 6-months, 1 year, and 2 years post-baseline. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted separately with individuals at each CBO. Study data came from 647 semi-structured interviews and extensive notes and commentaries from technical assistance providers. Framework Analysis guided the analytic process. Barriers and facilitators to implementation was the overarching thematic framework used across all the cases in our analysis. Thirteen themes emerged regarding factors that influence the successful implementation of the MP. These were organized into three overarching themes: HIV Prevention System Factors, Community Factors, and Intervention Factors. The entire HIV Prevention System, including coordinators, supervisors, executive directors, funders, and national HIV prevention policies, all influenced implementation success. Other Prevention System Factors that affected the effective translation of the EBI into practice include Knowledge About Intervention, Belief in the Efficacy of the Intervention, Desire to Change Existing Prevention Approach, Planning for Intervention Before Implementation, Accountability, Appropriateness of Individuals for Coordinator Positions, Evaluation of Intervention, and Organizational Stability. Community Factors included Geography and Sociopolitical Climate. Intervention Factors included Intervention Characteristics and Adaptation Issues. The entire ecological system in which an EBI occurs affects implementation. It is imperative to focus capacity-building efforts on getting individuals at different levels of the HIV Prevention System into alignment regarding understanding and believing in the program’s goals and methods. For a Prevention Support System to be maximally useful, it must address facilitators or barriers to implementation, address the right people, and use modalities to convey information that are acceptable for users of the system.
Systemic and ophthalmic manifestations of West Nile virus infection

The first cases in the USA of infection with the mosquito vector-borne West Nile virus (WNV) – an enveloped, single-stranded RNA – occurred in 1999 in New York. Since then, it has moved westward and now affects people in nearly every state, with most annual cases appearing in late summer. Suspected infection can be confirmed by ELISA and reverse transcriptase PCR. The incubation period of WNV prior to the onset of symptoms can be as long as 2 weeks. Three clinical categories of infection have been defined: asymptomatic, West Nile fever (WNF) and West Nile meningoencephalitis. The most common symptoms of WNF are flu-like and include fever, headache, myalgia, malaise, diarrhea, vomiting and fatigue. In less than 1% of cases, individuals develop severe, potentially fatal neurologic disease that has been variously classified as West Nile meningitis, West Nile encephalitis and West Nile poliomyelitis (acute flaccid paralysis). The most commonly reported ocular features of WNV infection are multifocal, bilatera...
Single-exposure surface profilometry using partitioned aperture wavefront imaging

We demonstrate a technique for instantaneous measurements of surface topography based on the combination of a partitioned aperture wavefront imager with a lamp-based reflection microscope using standard objectives. The technique can operate at video rate over large fields of view, and provides nanometer axial resolution and submicrometer lateral resolution. We discuss performance characteristics of this technique, which we experimentally compare with scanning white light interferometry.
Prädiktives Wissen aus hermeneutischer Sicht

Eine uber die Ruckbesinnung auf die Leiblichkeit des Menschen hinausgehende Beobachtung legt die Hinwendung zum Subjekt nahe. Unter dem Stichwort der Reflexiven Modernisierung wurde in Verbindung mit der Pradiktiven Gendiagnostik auf Tendenzen der Entgrenzung des Krankheitsbegriffs, der Entzeitlichung von Krankheit und auf das hiermit verbundene Fehlen wohlbegrundeter Leitlinien im Umgang mit den Wissens- und Nichtwissensbestanden in der Biomedizin aufmerksam gemacht. Die handlungstheoretischen Unsicherheiten erfahren angesichts der psychologischen und sozialen Ambivalenzen des Wissens sowie der ungewissen Folgenabschatzung eine Steigerung.
Computable queries for relational data bases

Abstract The concept of “reasonable” queries on relational data bases is investigated. We provide an abstract characterization of the class of queries which are computable, and define the completeness of a query language as the property of being precisely powerful enough to express the queries in this class. This definition is then compared with other proposals for measuring the power of query languages. Our main result is the completeness of a simple programming language which can be thought of as consisting of the relational algebra augmented with the power of iteration.
Particle dynamics and mixing in a viscously decaying shear layer

We study the mixing of fluid in a viscously decaying row of point vortices. To this end, we employ a simplified model based on Stuart's (1967) one-parameter family of solutions to the steady Euler equations. Our approach relates the free parameter to a vortex core size, which grows in time according to the exact solution of the Navier-Stokes equations for an isolated vortex. In this way, we approach an exact solution for small values of t/Re. We investigate how the growing core size leads to a shrinking of the cat's eye and hence to fluid leaking out of the trapped region into the free streams. In particular, we observe that particles initially located close to each other in neighbouring intervals along the streamwise direction escape from the cat's eye near opposite ends. The size of these intervals scales with the inverse square root of the Reynolds number. We furthermore examine the particle escape times and observe a self-similar blow-up for the particles near the border between two adjacent intervals. This can be explained on the basis of a simple stagnation-point flow. An investigation of interface generation shows that viscosity leads to an additional factor proportional to time in the growth rates. Numerical simulations confirm the above results and give a detailed picture of the underlying mixing processes.
The Internet Backplane Protocol: A Study in Resource Sharing

In this work we present the Internet Backplane Protocol (IBP), a middleware created to allow the sharing of storage resources, implemented as part of the network fabric. IBP allows an application to control intermediate data staging operations explicitly. As IBP follows a very simple philosophy, very similar to the Internet Protocol, and the resulting semantic might be too weak for some applications, we introduce the exNode, a data structure that aggregates storage allocations on the Internet.
HRC Is a Direct Transcriptional Target of MEF2 during Cardiac, Skeletal, and Arterial Smooth Muscle Development In Vivo

The HRC gene encodes the histidine-rich calcium-binding protein, which is found in the lumen of the junctional sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) of cardiac and skeletal muscle and within calciosomes of arterial smooth muscle. The expression of HRC in cardiac, skeletal, and smooth muscle raises the possibility of a common transcriptional mechanism governing its expression in all three muscle cell types. In this study, we identified a transcriptional enhancer from the HRC gene that is sufficient to direct the expression of lacZ in the expression pattern of endogenous HRC in transgenic mice. The HRC enhancer contains a small, highly conserved sequence that is required for expression in all three muscle lineages. Within this conserved region is a consensus site for myocyte enhancer factor 2 (MEF2) proteins that we show is bound efficiently by MEF2 and is required for transgene expression in all three muscle lineages in vivo. Furthermore, the entire HRC enhancer sequence lacks any discernible CArG motifs, the binding site for serum response factor (SRF), and we show that the enhancer is not activated by SRF. Thus, these studies identify the HRC enhancer as the first MEF2-dependent, CArG-independent transcriptional target in smooth muscle and represent the first analysis of the transcriptional regulation of an SR gene in vivo.
The microRNA World: Small Is Mighty

A new paradigm of RNA-directed gene expression regulation has emerged recently, profound in scope but arresting in the apparent simplicity of its core mechanism. Cells express numerous small ( approximately 22 nucleotide) RNAs that act as specificity determinants to direct destruction or translational repression of their mRNA targets. These small RNAs arise from processing of double-stranded RNA by the Dicer nuclease and incorporate with proteins that belong to the Argonaute family. Small RNAs might also target and silence homologous DNA sequences. The immense potential of small RNAs as controllers of gene networks is just beginning to unfold.
Aquaplanets, Climate Sensitivity, and Low Clouds

Abstract Cloud effects have repeatedly been pointed out as the leading source of uncertainty in projections of future climate, yet clouds remain poorly understood and simulated in climate models. Aquaplanets provide a simplified framework for comparing and understanding cloud effects, and how they are partitioned as a function of regime, in large-scale models. This work uses two climate models to demonstrate that aquaplanets can successfully predict a climate model’s sensitivity to an idealized climate change. For both models, aquaplanet climate sensitivity is similar to that of the realistic configuration. Tropical low clouds appear to play a leading role in determining the sensitivity. Regions of large-scale subsidence, which cover much of the tropics, are most directly responsible for the differences between the models. Although cloud effects and climate sensitivity are similar for aquaplanets and realistic configurations, the aquaplanets lack persistent stratocumulus in the tropical atmosphere. This, ...
New control system of the shunt active power filter

The paper presents the control system of shunt active power filter (APF) with predictive reference current calculation and model based predictive current control. The novel estimator and predictor of grid EMF is proposed for AC voltage sensorless operation of APF. Proposed control system provides control of APF current with high precision and dynamics limited only by filter circuit parameters. There are presented experimental results achieved for 50 kVA APF and simulation results for design of the 2 MVA APF.