cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sociocultural Input Facilitates Children’s Developing Understanding of Extraordinary Minds

Three- to 5-year-old (N = 61) religiously schooled preschoolers received theory-of-mind (ToM) tasks about the mental states of ordinary humans and agents with exceptional perceptual or mental capacities. Consistent with an anthropomorphism hypothesis, children beginning to appreciate limitations of human minds (e.g., ignorance) attributed those limits to God. Only 5-year-olds differentiated between humans’ fallible minds and God’s less fallible mind. Unlike secularly schooled children, religiously schooled 4-year-olds did appreciate another agent’s less fallible mental abilities when instructed and reminded about those abilities. Among children who understood ordinary humans’ mental fallibilities, knowledge of God predicted attributions of correct epistemic states to extraordinary agents. Results suggest that, at a certain point in ToM development, sociocultural input can facilitate an appreciation for extraordinary minds.
DataDay!: Designing and Assessing a Research Data Workshop for Subject Librarians

BACKGROUND Many libraries have launched or adapted services to address the research data needs of campus faculty and students. At the University of Colorado Boulder (CU-Boulder), local demand for research data training emerged from a broader assessment of training needs for subject librarians. The findings from this assessment led to the development of a day-long workshop called DataDay! that aimed to expand and translate the skills of subject librarians into the context of research data support. DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM The DataDay ! workshop incorporated hands-on exercises with expert presentations, informal discussions, and print handouts. The workshop allowed participants to gain experience with activities like working with real data sets and developing materials for outreach about research data services. Several instruments were used to assess the workshop learning outcomes, which included changes in knowledge and comfort levels related to engaging in research data support. Assessment activities also measured how well participants applied concepts taught in the workshop to novel situations. NEXT STEPS Future research data training efforts for CU-Boulder librarians will be informed by the DataDay! workshop assessment results, and this workshop may provide a model for other institutions to use to train subject librarians to adapt to new roles in support of research data. There is also a need for the lessons learned from local training efforts like DataDay! to inform the development of resources to support the broader subject librarian community as their institutions launch and grow research data services. External Data or Supplements: Johnson, Andrew M.; Bresnahan, Megan M., 2015, “DataDay! Workshop Materials and Survey Responses”, http://dx.doi.org/10.7910/DVN/Z59C5Z , Harvard Dataverse.
Degradation study of dye-sensitized solar cells by electrochemical impedance and FTIR spectroscopy

Degradation in the performance of TiO2 based dye sensitized solar cells was studied by electrochemical impedance (EIS) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Degradation was carried out by aging the dye-sensitized solar cells in ambient conditions for 4500 hours. The current-voltage performance results, measured under solar simulator light show a 88% reduction in the short circuit current and 89% reduction in efficiency. Significant increase in the electron transfer resistance at TiO2/dye/electrolyte interfaces supports the fact that dye degradation and detachment from TiO2 surface governs the degradation process in DSSCs. FTIR analysis determines the cause of degradation in the DSSC performance to be the detachment of the dye molecules from the TiO2 surface promoted by the adsorption of H2O from the ambient. This was observed as an increase in the H2O absorption band between 3000 - 3600 cm-1, a decrease in the absorption band of SCN at 2100 cm-1, and TBA+ at 2974, 2929, and 2872 cm-1. The present work highlights the advantage of coupling electrochemical impedance and FTIR spectroscopy to evaluate changes in cell performance and to determine the cause of degradation on a molecular level.
Elemental contaminants in the livers and ingesta of four subpopulations of the American coot (Fulica americana): an herbivorous winter migrant in San Francisco Bay

Water birds with diets high in animal foods in the San Francisco Bay area are exposed to trace elements that are potentially health impairing. Water birds with herbivorous diets have been less thoroughly examined. The concentrations of trace elements in the livers and the esophageal contents of an herbivorous water bird, the American coot (Fulica americana) were measured to compare levels of contaminant exposure among different locations in the Bay system and with other water birds. A total of 39 coots were collected from four sites: Napa River and Mare Island Strait in the north, Berkeley in the middle, and Coyote Creek in the south. Livers of Berkeley samples differed significantly from those of Napa River and Mare Island Strait by their greater concentrations of As and B and lower concentrations of Cu, but they seemed to be within normal ranges for birds. Otherwise the concentrations of trace elements in the livers did not differ among sites. Ingesta samples from Berkeley differed from the other sites because they tended to be higher in Al, V, and Zn. In contrast to waterfowl, livers from the herbivorous coots in San Francisco Bay showed little exposure to Cd, Hg, Pb, or Se. Coot ingesta showed few samples with measurable levels of Cd, Hg, or Se and had low levels of Pb. The herbivorous diet of coots may shield them from exposure to such elements. However, high levels of V were present in coot livers and ingesta from all four sites, suggesting adaptation to this toxic element.
Near-Wake Flow Simulations for a Mid-Sized Rim Driven Wind Turbine

A relatively high free stream wind velocity is required for conventional horizontal axis wind turbines to generate power. This requirement significantly limits the area of land for viable onshore wind farm locations. To expand a potential for wind power generation onshore, new wind turbine designs capable of wind energy harvesting at low wind speeds are in development. The aerodynamic characteristics of such wind turbines are notably different from industrial standards. The optimal wind farm layout for such turbines is also unknown. Accurate and reliable simulations of a flow around and behind new wind turbine designs are required. The current paper investigates the performance of a mid-sized Rim Driven Wind Turbine (U.S. Patent 7399162) developed by Keuka Energy LLC.
Information Theoretic Deformable Registration Using Local Image Information

We present a deformable registration algorithm for multi-modality images based on information theoretic similarity measures at the scale of individual image voxels. We derive analytical expressions for the mutual information, the joint entropy, and the sum of marginal entropies of two images over a small neighborhood in terms of image gradients. Using these expressions, we formulate image registration algorithms maximizing local similarity over the whole image domain in an energy minimization framework. This strategy produces highly elastic image alignment as the registration is driven by voxel similarities between the images, the algorithms are easily implementable using the closed-form expressions for the derivative of the optimization function with respect to the deformation, and avoid estimation of joint and marginal probability densities governing the image intensities essential to conventional information theoretic image registration methods.
Thermal structure and kinematics of mid-oceanic ridge axis, some implications to basaltic volcanism

Based on studies of ophiolitic complexes, a characterization of basaltic magmas at midocean ridges is proposed. A thin molten region about 3 km wide probably exists at the top of the magma chamber; primitive material enters the uppermost part of the chamber from below, and fractionated material is removed by the upward extrusion of dikes and settling of crystals to form a mush which probably fills the bulk of the chamber. The roof of the magma chamber is probably cooler than the melting temperature of primitive basalt. Secondary melts and the volume of the uppermost molten region are considered. Weaknesses along the line of dike intrusion and limited plating of material onto the roof of the chamber may restrict dike intrusion to the exceeding narrow zone inferred from ophiolitic complexes.
Preservice Teachers' Sources of Decisions in Teaching Secondary Mathematics.

Five preservice teachers' perceived sources of teaching decisions were studied as the teachers proceeded through a course on methods of teaching secondary mathematics and through student teaching. They were interviewed before and after lessons they taught during the methods course and student teaching. The sources cited most often included the content of the methods course, school textbooks, suggestions made during teaching episodes in the methods course, past teachers' performances, and cooperating teachers' performances. Suggestions from cooperating teachers were cited more often than suggestions from the university supervisor. Limitations and suggestions for further research are discussed.
Control strategies for lighting and ventilation in offices: effects on energy and occupants

Participants (N=126) spent a day in a full-scale office laboratory, completing questionnaires and standard office tasks. Some participants experienced typical constant lighting and ventilation conditions, whereas others were given personal control over the dimming of lighting in their workstation and over the flow rate of air from a ceiling-based nozzle in their workstations. Half of the participants, some with personal control and some without, were exposed to environmental changes typical of demand—response load shedding in the afternoon: workstation illuminance was reduced by 2% per minute, and ambient air temperature increased by ∼1.5°C over a 2.5 hour period. Results showed that personal environmental control improved environmental satisfaction. Personal control over lighting led to an average energy reduction of around 10% compared to a typical fixed system; participants with personal control also reduced flow rate compared to the constant condition. Use of each control type averaged two—three contr...
A network approach for specially structured linear programs arising in 0-1 quadratic optimization

Reformulation techniques are commonly used to transform 0-1 quadratic problems into equivalent, mixed 0-1 linear programs. A classical strategy is to replace each quadratic term with a continuous variable and to enforce, for each such product, four linear inequalities that ensure the continuous variable equals the associated product. By employing a transformation of variables, we show how such inequalities give rise to a network structure, so that the continuous relaxations can be readily solved. This work unifies and extends related results for the vertex packing problem and relatives, and roof duality.
Low-voltage analog IC design in CMOS technology

In this brief, various problems confronting analog designers due to low supply voltage requirements are investigated. Some of the limiting factors are determined, and new solutions for low voltage design are proposed and demonstrated in two different circuits, namely a linear four quadrant analog multiplier and a rail-to-rail constant-g/sub m/ input stage. The circuits were fabricated in a p-well 2 /spl mu/m CMOS process available through MOSIS.
Efficient RMSD measures for the comparison of two molecular ensembles

Quantitative measures are presented for comparing the conformations of two molecular ensembles. The measures are based on Kabsch's formula for the root-mean-square deviation (RMSD) and the covariance matrix of atomic positions of isotropically distributed ensembles (IDE). By using a Taylor series expansion, it is shown that the RMSD can be expressed solely in terms of the IDE matrices. A fast approximate method is introduced for the pairwise RMSD determination whose computational cost scales linearly with the number of structures. A similarity measure for two structural ensembles that is based on the trace metric of the differences of powers of the IDE matrices is presented. The measures are illustrated for conformational ensembles generated by a molecular dynamics computer simulation of a partially folded A-state analog of ubiquitin.
Atrial Septal Defect Associated with Skeletal Anomalies (Holt-Oram Syndrome)

A case of atrial septal defect, associated with a hypoplastic right thumb (Holt-Oram syndrome) and polydactyly of the right hand and both feet, is described. Involvement of the lower limbs in this syndrome has been reported only once before in the literature, and polydactyly has not been previously described as part of the Holt-Oram syndrome. The variability of expression of extracardiac anomalies associated with congenital heart disease, and the need for careful cardiac evaluation of patients showing such anomalies, are emphasized.
Selected-ion flow tube temperature-dependent measurements for the reactions of O2+ with N atoms and N2+ with O atoms

The temperature variation of rate constants has been measured for the gas phase reactions of the oxycation O2+ with N atoms and of N2+ with O atoms from 120 to 400 K using a variable temperature-selected ion flow tube. Measured room temperature rate constants, 0.75 × 10−10 cm3 s−1 (±30%) for O2+ with N and 1.4 × 10−10 cm3 s−1 (±30%) for N2+ with O, are in agreement with previously reported values. A temperature dependence of T−0.7(±0.3) is observed for the O2+ + N reaction; however, the N2+ + O reaction is found to be independent of temperature. Calculations at varying levels of theory were used in tandem with experiments to evaluate likely pathways in potential energy surfaces for the reactions of concern.
The biosystematic relations between a thelytokous and an arrhenotokous form ofAphytis mytilaspidis (Le Baron) [Hymenoptera: aphelinidae] I. The Reproductive relations

The reproductive relations and the probability of hybridization between an arrhenotokous and a thelytokous form ofA. mytilaspidis were investigated so as to determine the significance of thelytoky in biosystematic studies and its value as a taxonomic character. Gene markers were utilized to detect and follow the various phases of the introgressive process between the arrhenotokous and thelytokous forms. The two forms show only a partiel sexual isolation, the major barrier is prezygotic, arrhenotokous males are much less efficient in recognizing the thelytokous female and copulating with them. A thelytokous female, once inseminated, will utilize the sperm as efficiently as the arrhenotokous female. Viable and fertile hybrids are produced and when conditions are favorable and a suitable host is present the introgressive process will result in a hybrid swarm. The hybrids acquire traits carried by both ancestral stocks.
Playing the Game: Recalling Dialectical Tensions for Black Men in Oppressive Organizational Structures

This article considers the following question: What are the specific dialectical tensions that Black men encounter in oppressive organizational structures? In order to address this question, the authors conducted a textual analysis of three texts that explain, with great depth and clarity, the dialectical tensions experienced by Black men in organizational structures. Based on the analysis, the authors suggest that classic and contemporary literary works inform a collective critical memory base of distinct communicative experiences for non-dominant group members.
Religious affiliation and successful aging among transgender older adults: Findings from the Trans MetLife Survey.

Religion may enhance successful aging by reducing stress, improving well-being, and augmenting social engagement. However, there is a paucity of research specific to religious affiliation in the elusive transgender-identified population. This exploratory study describes the demographic profile and religious affiliation of 289 transgender adults age 51 and older. Results indicate that the majority of transgender older adults (73.4%) are aging successfully, even though many are disabled or chronically ill. Transgender older adults affiliate with a wide range of religious and spiritual practices with a greater participation in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender-affirming religions than the normative sex and gender population.
The selectivity of isoprinosine, NPT 15392, avridine and cyclophosphamide on multiple immune responses in rats

Abstract Multiple concomitant immune responses were assessed in individual rats following treatment with the immunoenhancing drugs, isoprinosine (5 or 50 mg/kg), NPT 15392 (0.1 or 1.0 mg/kg) and avridine (1 or 25 mg/kg), or the immunosuppressant, cyclophosphamide (75 mg/kg). Immune responses assessed in each rat were specific antibody synthesis, delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH), natural killer cell (NKC) cytoxicity and production of three immunoregulatory cytokines, interleukin 1 (IL1), interleukin 2 (IL2) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Spleen and thymus weights and numbers of splenocytes and resident peritoneal cells were also recorded. Rats treated with isoprinosine had dose-related, significant increases in spleen weights and DTH reactions. Rats treated with NPT 15392 had significantly enhanced DTH reactions at the 0.1 mg/kg dose and significantly enhanced NKC cytotoxicity at the 1.0 mg/kg dose. Rats treated with avridine had significantly augmented DTH reactions, KNC cytotoxicity, and IL1 and IL2 production at the 1.0 mg/kg dose. Rats treated with the 25 mg/kg dose of avridine had significantly increased spleen weights, DTH reactions and NKC cytotoxicity. The effect of avridine treatment on DTH reactions and IL1 and IL2 production was inverse to the dose administered, while the NKC response was directly related to the dose. Thymus weights, antibody production and PGE2 synthesis were not significantly altered in rats treated with isoprinosine, NPT 15392 or avridine. Cyclophosphamide-treated rats had significantly reduced spleen and thymus weights, antibody synthesis, DTH reactions, NKC cytotoxicity and IL2 production, but IL1 and PGE2 synthesis were significantly elevated. It can be concluded that isoprinosine, NPT 15392 and avridine act as general immunostimulants in the rat, with avridine having the greatest effect under these experimental conditions. It also appears that these drugs are differentially immunoselective in the rat and this effect is at least partially related to the dose administered. These results could be of significance in the selective therapeutic manipulation of different arms of the immune system. Also, enhanced production of PGE2 following cyclophosphamide treatment may contribute to the immunosuppressive effects of this drug.
Electromyographic and Electrogoniometric Study of Stair-Climbing Using the EZ-Step and Quad-Step Devices

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study was to compare lower extremity muscle activity and range of motion (ROM) during stair-climbing using the EZ-Step and Quad-Step assistive devices in comparison to standard stair-climbing. Twenty-nine volunteers between the age of 65 and 88 years participated. Electromyographic (EMG) activity was recorded from the rectus femoris, biceps femoris, gluteus maximus, and gastrocnemius muscles. Electrogoniometers recorded hip and knee ROM. There was significantly less EMG activity with both the EZ-Step and Quad-Step than with standard stairs. The EZ-Step and Quad-Step required less hip ROM for stair ascent and less knee ROM for both ascent and descent as compared to standard stairs. The EZ-Step and Quad-Step devices require less muscle activity and less hip and knee ROM in elderly participants than standard stair-climbing without any assistive device. These assistive devices may be useful, when stair-climbing, for individuals who have lower extremity weakness or limited lower ext...
Unravelling our realities: Nepali students as researchers and activists

This paper is based on a participatory research project with four Nepali high school students. This study provides analyses and perspectives of the “insiders”, unlike most research on higher education, which is produced through the government. These student testimonies not only expose some of the deep inequalities in educational quality and access based on race, class, caste and gender, but also shed light on the reasons why increasing numbers of students seek educational opportunities beyond Nepal's boundaries. The paper also sheds light on how these student researchers negotiate their role as “researcher” and “activist” as they produce new forms of knowledge and reach new levels of consciousness within the confines of their specific contexts. It further examines the politics of conducting participatory research, a methodology often defined as “a democratic practice of research” (as mentioned by Hall in 1992) and an “empowering educational intervention” (as mentioned by Cammarota in 2005), in a society s...
Impairment of olfactory recognition after closed head injury.

To investigate the effects of closed head injury (CHI) on olfactory identification, we administered a test of olfactory naming and forced choice recognition to 52 CHI patients who had no evidence of anosmia. The Olfactory Identification Test consisted of ‘scratch and sniff’ labels of familiar nonirritant odorants. In comparison with a normal control group (n = 19) of similar age, olfactory naming and recognition were impaired in the CHI series, particularly in patients with moderate or severe head injury. The presence of a haematoma or contusion in the frontal/temporal region was also related to impaired olfactory recognition. We suggest that nonmissile head injury can produce at least a partial impairment of olfactory recognition despite relatively preserved olfactory detection.
A Computationally Efficient Dynamic Model for the Simulation of the Stewart Platform

This paper presents an implementation of a novel dynamic formulation on multibody systems involving closed loops. The formulation allows the treatment of time, appearing within the equations of motion, as a variable in much the same manner as having been done by the finite element community on the spatial coordinates. As a consequence, the resulting equations appear together in a single all-encompassing set of algebraic equations which may be solved simultaneously, yielding the system state for all times within the time interval considered. The approach conceivably allows the problem to be parallelized over both space and time, resulting in a far greater level of coarse grain parallelization. As the Stewart Platform is a heavily constrained system with its spatial domain being much smaller than the temporal domain of simulation, it will serve as a perfect example to test the implication of this method. Simulation results obtained from traditional dynamic techniques will be used for verification purposes.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Energy-loss scaling in Ar + D2 collisions.

The Ar+D/sub 2/ collision is studied in an energy range from 0.750 to 3.00 keV. At small angles the collision is primarily electronically elastic, but electronically inelastic processes are found to increase in importance with increasing scattering angle and become dominant. The electronically elastic results are compared to the predictions of Sigmund's scaling law, which suggests that the reduced energy loss f depends only on the reduced scattering angle tau = Etheta. At sufficiently small values of theta the data do obey this scaling, but at larger values of theta, which fall outside the postulates of Sigmund's theorem, they do not. However, a generalization of the usual definition of f is presented which does retain the scaling property even at the larger values of theta. We also find that there is an interesting and systematic development of f(tau) in the sequence of collision systems He+D/sub 2/, Ne+D/sub 2/, Ar+D/sub 2/, in which vibrorotational excitation manifests itself at smaller and smaller values of tau as heavier rare-gas projectiles are used.
Resolving Precursor Deligation, Surface Species Evolution, and Nanoparticle Nucleation during Palladium Atomic Layer Deposition

The synthesis of highly dispersed palladium nanoparticles on TiO2 surfaces from palladium hexafluoroacetylacetonate (Pd(hfac)2) was investigated using in situ infrared (IR) spectroscopy, in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), and in situ pair distribution function (PDF) measurements under practical atomic layer deposition conditions. Residual surface chlorine was found to directly participate in the transformation of organometallic compounds to nanoparticles. Deligation of the Pd(hfac)2, evolution of the surface species, and nucleation of the Pd nanoparticles were precisely resolved. This knowledge can help direct the future design of advanced heterogeneous catalysts from organometallic compounds.
Nucleation of bubbles in liquid helium

We give a brief survey of experiments that have been performed to study the nucleation of bubbles in liquid helium at negative pressures.
Green line observations of the March 1970 coronal enhancements

Monochromatic observations of a double coronal enhancement were obtained on 3 March and 17 March 1970. These data are used, along with the assumption of cylindrical symmetry, to calculate the emittance of the Fexiv 5303 A lines as a function of height. These estimates are then used to find the electron density and the density of ions in the 2P3/2 level of the ground state as a function of height above the limb.
Simulation motion effect on single axis compensatory tracking

An experiment that examined how changes in a motion platform drive filter affect pilot-vehicle performance and opinion was conducted on the NASA Ames Vertical Motion Simulator. Pilots controlled a simplified helicopter model in the vertical or the directional axis and tracked a randomly moving target aircraft in the presence of a random disturbance. With both tasks, variations from full motion to fixed-base conditions were made in the high-pass drive filter gain and natural frequency. The results indicate that vertical motion did not affect the open-loop pilot-vehicle target-tracking crossover frequency, but target-tracking phase margins improved with increased filter gain or decreased natural frequency. Vertical disturbance-rejection crossover frequency increased with decreasing filter natural frequency, while disturbance rejection phase margins improved with increasing filter gain. Vertical tracking errors increased significantly when all vertical motion was removed. No significant differences were measured among the directional configurations, which indicates that pure yaw motion cues may not be as important as previously thought in flight simulation.
Time resolved infrared absorption studies of geminate recombination and vibrational relaxation in OClO photochemistry

Ultrafast time-resolved infrared absorption studies of aqueous chlorine dioxide (OClO) photochemistry are reported. Following photoexcitation at 401 nm, the evolution in optical density at frequencies between 1000 to 1100 cm−1 is monitored to investigate vibrational energy deposition and relaxation along the asymmetric-stretch coordinate following the reformation of ground-state OClO via geminate recombination of the primary photofragments. The measured kinetics are compared to two proposed models for the vibrational-relaxation dynamics along the asymmetric-stretch coordinate. This comparison demonstrates that the perturbation model derived from molecular dynamics studies is capable of qualitatively reproducing the observed kinetics, where the collisional model employed in previous UV-pump, visible probe experiments demonstrates poor agreement with experiment. The ability of the perturbation model to reproduce the optical-density evolution observed in these studies demonstrates that for aqueous OClO, frequency dependence of the solvent–solute coupling is important in defining the level-dependent vibrational relaxation rates along the asymmetric-stretch coordinate. The absence of optical-density evolution corresponding to the population of higher vibrational levels (n>8) along the asymmetric-stretch coordinate suggests that following geminate recombination, energy is initially deposited into a local Cl–O stretch, with the relaxation of vibrational energy from this coordinate providing for delayed vibrational excitation of the asymmetric- and symmetric-stretch coordinates relative to geminate recombination, as previously observed.
Ratcheting and economic reform in the USSR

Abstract Ratcheting is a property of a dynamic incentive scheme that makes the future welfare of a subordinate in the hierarchy a decreasing function of current performance. This paper explores one possible explanation for the failure ofrecent reforms in the USSR to eliminate ratcheting by showing that, in the context of Soviet economic reforms, ratcheting can persist in optimal incentives even if commitment is possible. Soviet attempts to limit discretion have stressed stable linear policy instruments. In the absence of markets, ratcheting emerges as a means of counteracting this linearity and achieving a coordinated allocation of resources administratively.
Reductive metabolism of the carcinogen 4-(5-nitro-2-furyl)thiazole to 1-(4-thiazolyl)-3-cyano-1-propanone by rat liver subcellular fractions

Abstract The reductive metabolism of 4-(5-nitro-2-furyl)thiazole (NFT), a rat mammary gland and forestomach carcinogen, was examined in vitro using rat liver tissues. NFT was reduced by rat liver cytosol or microsomes on anaerobic incubation with NADPH. The stoichiometry of microsomal reduction revealed that about 3 moles of NADPH were used per mole of NFT. Gas chromatographic analysis of the reaction mixture showed a major peak with a retention time of about 4.0 min in contrast to NFT with a retention time of about 6.5 min. Catalytic hydrogenation of NFT with palladium and activated carbon yielded a product with a retention time of 4.0 min. The component corresponding with the above metabolite was isolated from chemically reduced NFT and identified as 1-(4-thiazolyl)-3-cyano-l-propanone. The metabolite derived from enzymatic reduction had chromatographic and spectral properties and a mass spectral fragmentation pattern similar to those obtained chemically. These data establish that the enzymatically derived product is identical to that obtained by chemical reduction and that it corresponds to 1(4thiazolyl)3cyano1propanone.
Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy for the characterization of atherosclerotic plaques.

Atherosclerotic plaque composition has been associated with plaque instability and rupture. This study investigates the use of fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) for mapping plaque composition and assessing features of vulnerability. Measurements were conducted in atherosclerotic human aortic samples using an endoscopic FLIM system (spatial resolution of 35 µm; temporal resolution 200 ps) developed in our lab which allows mapping in one measurement the composition within a volume of 4 mm diameter x 250 µm depth. Each pixel in the image represents a corresponding fluorescence lifetime value; images are formed through a flexible 0.6 mm side-viewing imaging bundle which allows for further intravascular applications. Based on previously recorded spectra of human atherosclerotic plaque, fluorescence emission was collected through two filters: f1: 377/50 and f2: 460/60 (center wavelength/bandwidth), which together provides the greatest discrimination between intrinsic fluorophores related to plaque vulnerability. We have imaged nine aortas and lifetime images were retrieved using a Laguerre expansion deconvolution technique and correlated with histopathology. Early results demonstrate discrimination using fluorescence lifetime between early, lipid-rich, and collagen-rich lesions which are consistent with previously reported time-resolved atherosclerotic plaque measurements.
Variegated cutworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) foliage consumption and larval development on alfalfa.

The consumption of alfalfa by Peridoma saucia (Hubner) and the insect’s development on alfalfa was studied in the laboratory. Larvae exhibited either six or seven molts. Larvae with six molts required 35.6 ± 7.1 (mean ± SD) days for development and consumed 352.6 ± 67.5 mg of foliage. Development and consumption by larvae with seven molts were 32.8 ± 3.7 days and 442.2 ± 57.9 mg of foliage, respectively. Larval and adult dry weights indicated that larvae exhibiting seven molts probably were representative of wild individuals. Consequently, data from these larvae were used to develop an alfalfa-consumption model for the variegated cutworm.
Whose Dream Is It Anyway

I start with two basic lines of response to Cartesian skepticism about the ‘external world’: in the first, which is characteristic of Analytic philosophers to this day, the focus is on the meaning of ‘know’—what it ‘refers’ to, its ‘semantics’ and its ‘pragmatics’; in the second, which characterizes Continental responses to Descartes, the focus is on the philosophizing or meditating subject, and its relation to its body and world. I argue that the first approach is hopeless: if the Cartesian worry that I could be dreaming right now so much as makes sense, the proposal that—under some theory of knowledge (or of ‘knowledge’)—my belief that I am sitting in front of the computer right now may still be (or truly count as) a piece of knowledge, would rightfully seem to the skeptic to be playing with words and missing the point. I then argue that the practice of Ordinary Language Philosophy, which has mostly been linked to the first line of response to Cartesian skepticism, may be seen as actually belonging with the second line of response; and I show how a form of what may be called “Existentialist Ordinary Language Philosophy” can be used to reveal the nonsensicality of the Cartesian skeptical worry. My argument takes its cue from Thompson Clarke’s insight—an insight that Clarke himself has not pursued far or accurately enough—that our concept of Dream is not a concept of the “standard type.”
Developing oxygen isotope proxies from archaeological sources for the study of Late Holocene human–climate interactions in coastal southwest Florida

Abstract Oxygen isotopes (δ 18 O) derived from archaeological Mercenaria campechiensis shells and Ariopsis felis otoliths potentially provide low-latitude paleoclimate data for studying Late Holocene human–climate interactions in coastal southwest Florida. Specimens analyzed come from the Pineland site complex. Deposits record abrupt and subtle environmental changes appearing to have been climate-related and to have impacted the sedentary human residents. One archaeological shell-otolith set dates to 2nd/3rd century A.D. within the Roman Optimum (RO) climatic episode. A second set dates to 13th/14th century A.D. within the Little Ice Age (LIA). A modern shell-otolith set was analyzed for comparison. δ 18 O ARAGONITE of modern and LIA shells suggest similar seasonal conditions. RO shell is ∼1‰ more positive during summer, suggesting higher estuarine salinity than in modern and LIA times. Modern and LIA otoliths also have similar δ 18 O ARAGONITE . Estimated Winter temperatures are within measured instrument records. Summer temperatures are overestimated reflecting Summer migration into less-saline water. Estimated Summer temperatures for RO otolith are similar to today's, suggesting elevated estuarine salinity and diminished rainy season, consistent with similar aged zooarchaeological assemblages. Comparisons of two taxa aid in interpreting archaeological δ 18 O data; however, early results are mixed with expected profiles for RO specimens and unexpected profiles for LIA specimens.
A Quantitative Structure−Property Relationship Study of Lithium Cation Basicities

A quantitative structure−property relationship (QSPR) study of the gas-phase lithium cation basicity of a diverse set of 205 compounds provided a general six-parameter QSPR model (R2 = 0.801; R2cv = 0.785; F = 133.11; s2 = 8.78) using the CODESSA PRO program. Theoretical molecular descriptors, such as the minimum net atomic charge, highest occupied molecular orbital energy, total point-charge component of the molecular dipole, etc., logically explain the reaction equilibrium and electrostatic interaction between a lithium cation and a base.
Influence of Vesicular-arbuscular Mycorrhizas on the Uptake of Phosphorus-32 by Liriodendron tulipifera and Liquidambar styraciflua

ECTOTROPHIC mycorrhizas are capable of enhancing the uptake of nutrients by the host plant, and they have been shown to absorb and accumulate more ions than non-mycorrhizal roots1–3. It has also been shown that the fungus sheath can absorb ions and release a fraction of them to the host plant1. There is much less evidence, however, that nutrient uptake and ion accumulation are enhanced by the endotrophic vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizas where there is no fungus sheath but only an extensive external and internal hyphal development4. Plants with vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizas contain more nutrients than the non-mycorrhizal control plants5–7. Soil in which mycorrhizal plants have grown contains less phosphorus than soil in which non-mycorrhizal control plants have grown6,8. This evidence indicates that vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizas may function in a manner similar to the ectotrophic type by increasing the absorption of ions by the host plants.
TOXIC SUBSTANCES PRODUCED BY PNEUMOCOCCUS

1. The filtered blood serum of rabbits infected with pneumococci is not toxic. 2. Extracts of pneumococci prepared by keeping emulsions of the bacteria in salt solution at 37° C. for varying periods of time may be toxic, and when injected intravenously into guinea pigs, may produce a train of symptoms followed by acute death resembling that seen in acute anaphylaxis. Such extracts, however, are not uniformly toxic and it has been impossible to discover the exact conditions under which such extracts become toxic. 3. When the centrifugalized peritoneal washings of guinea pigs infected with pneumococci are injected into the circulation of normal guinea pigs, these animals very frequently exhibit symptoms like those seen in acute anaphylaxis, and a considerable proportion of the animals die acutely. 4. When pneumococci are dissolved in dilute solutions of bile salts and the solution resulting is injected intravenously into rabbits and guinea pigs, these animals show with great constancy the same symptoms that are seen in acute anaphylaxis. The solution of pneumococci in bile may occur in ten minutes at 37° C. or in half an hour on ice. This is considered evidence that the toxicity of the solution does not result from digestion of the bacterial protein, but is due to substances preformed in the bacterial cells and set free on their solution. The toxicity of the solution is diminished or destroyed by heating to 55° C. or over.
Validation of EGSITE2, a mixed integer program for deducing objective site models from experimental binding data

EGSITE2 represents a substantial advance in a long series of methods for calculating receptor site models given only specific binding data. Compared to our most recently reported technique, EGSITE [Schnitker et al. J. Comput.-Aided Mol. Des. 1997, 11, 93-110] the user no longer has to simplify the structures of the molecules in the training set by clustering the atoms into a few superatoms. The only remaining source of subjectivity is the user's choice of compounds for the training set, which can be surprisingly few in number. Then EGSITE2 automatically produces typically several different models that explain the observed binding without outliers. The models are remarkably simple but have substantial predictive power for any sort of test compound, with an estimation of the uncertainty of the prediction. Validation of the method is reported for four standard test cases: triazines and pyrimidines binding to dihydrofolate reductase, steroids binding to corticosteroid-binding globulin and to testosterone-binding globulin, and peptides binding to angiotensin-converting enzyme.
Edge states in graphene quantum dots: Fractional quantum Hall effect analogies and differences at zero magnetic field

We investigate the way that the degenerate manifold of midgap edge states in quasicircular graphene quantum dots with zigzag boundaries supports, under free-magnetic-field conditions, strongly correlated many-body behavior analogous to the fractional quantum Hall effect (FQHE), familiar from the case of semiconductor heterostructures in high-magnetic fields. Systematic exact-diagonalization (EXD) numerical studies are presented for $5\ensuremath{\le}N\ensuremath{\le}8$ fully spin-polarized electrons and for total angular momenta in the range of $N(N\ensuremath{-}1)/2\ensuremath{\le}L\ensuremath{\le}150$. We present a derivation of a rotating-electron-molecule (REM) type wave function based on the methodology introduced earlier [C. Yannouleas and U. Landman, Phys. Rev. B 66, 115315 (2002)] in the context of the FQHE in two-dimensional semiconductor quantum dots. The EXD wave functions are compared with FQHE trial functions of the Laughlin, compact composite fermion, and the derived REM types. It is found that a variational extension of the REM offers a better description for all fractional fillings compared with that of the Laughlin functions (including total energies and overlaps), a fact that reflects the strong azimuthal localization of the edge electrons. In contrast with the multiring arrangements of electrons in circular semiconductor quantum dots, the graphene REMs exhibit in all instances a single $(0,N)$ polygonal-ring molecular (crystalline) structure, with all the electrons localized on the edge. Disruptions in the zigzag boundary condition along the circular edge act effectively as impurities that pin the electron molecule, yielding single-particle densities with broken rotational symmetry that portray directly the azimuthal localization of the edge electrons.
NITROGENOUS COMPONENTS OF PHOSPHOLIPIDS EXTRACTED FROM PENICILLIUM CHRYSOGENUM.

PREVIOUS work carried out on the lipids of Penicillium chrysogenum1,2 has implicated the phospholipids as important metabolic constituents of the mould. Subsequent analysis of these phospholipids on silicic acid impregnated paper indicated the presence of a number of compounds having RF values similar to those obtained by Marinetti et al.3 for phospholipids isolated from rat liver and heart tissue. Silberman and Gaby4 have identified the majority of nitrogenous compounds present in the aqueous fraction of the acid hydrolysate of phospholipids extracted from the Gram-negative bacillus Pseudomonas aeruginosa by two-dimensional chromatography as choline, leucine, valine or methionine, ethanolamine, alanine, threonine, lysine, glycine, glutamic acid, serine, cysteine and aspartic acid.
Identification of hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine-degrading microorganisms via 15N-stable isotope probing.

This study reported the application of 15N-stable isotope probing (SIP) to identify active hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX)-utilizing microorganisms in groundwater microcosms. Fifteen 16S rRNA gene sequences were derived from the 15N-DNA fraction (contributed from active microorganisms capable of using RDX as a nitrogen source) of microcosms receiving cheese whey. The 16S rRNA gene sequences belonged to Actinobacteria (two clones), α-Proteobacteria (seven clones), and γ-Proteobacteria (six clones). Except for five sequences with high similarity to two known RDX degraders (Enterobacter cloacae and Pseudomonas fluorescens I-C), our results suggested that phylogenetically diverse microorganisms were capable of using RDX as a nitrogen source. Six sequences of the xplA gene (a known RDX-degrading catabolic gene) were detected from the 15N-DNA fraction. The xplA gene sequences were 96−99% similar to the xplA gene of Rhodococcus sp. DN22 (a known RDX utilizer), suggesting that other RDX utilizers mi...
Mass transfer through horizontal liquid films in wavy motion

The effect of standing waves of controlled amplitude and frequency on the steady state rate of mass transfer through thin horizontal liquid layers is studied experimentally. The variables studied are the film thickness, the amplitude and frequency of the waves, and the spacing between the probes generating the waves. A bulk motion of complicated pattern known as drift is caused by the finite amplitude of the waves. The rate of mass transfer in the absence of imposed vibration is two to three times greater than that expected by molecular diffusion alone. Vibration increases the rate up to an order of magnitude or more, depending on the hydrodynamic conditions. The data at low frequencies are correlated by an expression of the form (i-io)/idiff = KAf3/4h1/2L−1/2.
Comparison of three different methods for target detection and tracking

We introduce a biologically based method for motion detection and track initiation. The model consists of five hexagonally packed layers of single compartment neurons. The model mimics some of the processing in the retina and has localized interactions between cells in each layer. To evaluate the gain from using a biological model versus a more conventional approach we have compared the performance of three methods: simple intensity thresholding, the biologically inspired model, and an algorithm involving a truncated sequential probability ratio test. These methods were tested with a large number of real and simulated astronomical data and with a standard set of 50 images using targets at various SNRs. We discuss the importance of various aspects of the biological model for the overall performance on a target detection task.
A Finite Element-based Heuristic Estimation of Local Preform Permeability for Resin Transfer Molding

Uniformity of fabrics significantly affects the resin flow behavior in the resin transfer molding (RTM) process. Due to fabric defects or improper fiber preform preparation/loading, non-uniformity in fabric structure frequently occurs in RTM processing and creates local permeability variations. Such variations often lead to unbalanced resin flow patterns and thus result in defects of finished composite parts. In RTM process modeling, an accurate estimation of the whole field permeability profile of the fiber preform is critical for predicting resin flow pattern correctly. In this article, a finite element-based heuristic computing method is introduced for estimating the in situ whole-field isotropic permeability profile of the preform using a steady flow of gas. Compared with conventional approaches, this method is effective in measuring local permeability variations and applicable to molds with complex 2-D geometries, as well as diverse injection strategies. Several case studies were presented with experimental designs and numerical computations to illustrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the method.
Design and implementation of an on-line microprocessor-based police complaint logging and retrieval system

Abstract This paper describes the result of a research effort at the State University of New York at Buffalo to design and implement an on-line microprocessor-based police complaint logging and retrieval system. The system replaces the previous manual system, a coded optical scan card. The system was designed using human factor principles to suit the users. Its implementation has led to a considerable reduction in time and effort in data entry.