cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of liquid and solid culture media for the recovery and enrichment of Burkholderia cenocepacia from distilled water.

Burkholderia cepacia complex (BCC) presence has been the cause of recalls of both sterile and non-sterile pharmaceutical products since these opportunistic pathogens have been implicated to cause infections to susceptible individuals. BCC are ubiquitous in nature, but in pharmaceutical settings the most common source is contaminated water systems. Some strains of BCC, previously described as Pseudomonas cepacia, were not readily detected by standard culture methods. We have explored different strategies to recover and enrich Burkholderia cenocepacia previously cultured in distilled water for 40 days. Enrichment media of varied nutrient concentrations and composition were used, including modified Tryptic Soy Agar or Broth (TSA or TSB), Reasoner’s 2nd Agar or Broth (R2A or R2AB), Brain–Heart Infusion Broth (BHIB), Mueller–Hinton Broth (MHB), and Ashdown’s (ASH) medium. Of the various broth media tested, cell growth was significantly greater in TSB and R2AB than in BHIB, MHB, or ASH broth. TSB and R2AB were also compared for their recovery efficiency. Generally, there was no significant difference between the numbers of B. cenocepacia grown on 15 differently modified TSA and five modified R2A solid media. Overall, however, diluted TSA and TSB media, and R2A and R2AB showed better recovery efficiency than TSA and TSB for inocula containing small numbers of cells. All strains persisted in distilled water for 40 days. Broth media were more effective than solid media for recovery of B. cenocepacia from distilled water. These results may assist in improving detection assays with recovery and enrichment strategies to maximize recovery of these fastidious organisms.
Diflubenzuron affects gamma-thioGTP stimulated Ca2+ transport in vitro in intracellular vesicles from the integument of the newly molted American cockroach, Periplaneta americana L.

To study the mechanism of action of diflubenzuron (DFB) and other benzoylphenylureas, we have initially hypothesized that their action may be related to exocytosis: to test the hypothesis, we obtained an intracellular vesicle preparation from the homogenate of integument of newly molted American cockroachs (Periplaneta americana L.) in 10 mM MES buffer containing 250 mM sucrose (isotonic) and 2.5 mM MgSO4, at pH 6.6. By studying DFB's effect on various ion transporting activities, we demonstrated that calcium uptake in this intracellular particulate preparation was significantly inhibited by DFB at low concentrations (e.g., 10(-8) M). Such an inhibitory effect on DFB on Ca2+ uptake was eliminated by the addition of ionophores or membrane disruptors, as well as the sonication of vesicle preparation. On the other hand, oligomycin, protein phosphorylation modulators, Na+, and Li+ did not affect the calcium uptake. Among ionophores, agents disrupting H+ gradients (e.g. FCCP and NEM) totally eliminated 45Ca uptaking activity by vesicles as well as the inhibitory effect of DFB. Among calcium ion modulators, calmodulin inhibitors such as calmidazolium and trifluoperazine decreased the Ca2+-uptake, whereas membrane calcium channel blocker, verapamil, did not. ATP and gamma-S-GTP stimulated Ca2+ uptake. However, the former increased only the DFB insensitive portion and the latter largely the DFB sensitive part of Ca2+. Together these data support the hypothesis that the action site of DFB in this preparation is the GTP-dependent Ca2+ transport process which is coupled to vacuolar type intracellular vesicles in the integument cells.
An invariant imbedding algorithm for the solution of inhomogeneous linear two-point boundary value problems

Abstract An algorithm is developed for the numerical solution of inhomogeneous linear twopoint boundary value problems using the method of invariant imbedding. The method handles the case in which the standard Riccati equation of the imbedding method fails to have a solution over the entire interval of interest. Very general sets of boundary conditions are imposed. While the development is for scalar problems only, all steps generalize readily to the case of matrix equations. An efficient program implementing the algorithm has been written and several examples are solved by the method. Some of these are of such a nature that more standard integration schemes provide unsatisfactory results.
HSP70 Associates with Phosphatidylserine Membranes via the Peptide Binding Domain

The expression of heat shock proteins (hsp) is a natural response to an array of physiological, environmental and clinical stressors. These proteins participate in the repair and recovery from an insult and confer protection from subsequent stresses. The cytoprotective effect of hsp has been associated with their chaperone function within the cytosol. Recently, they have been found in the extracellular environment where they propagate the stress signal to avoid the dissemination of the insult. Hsp70, the major inducible form of the hsp family, does not contain any consensus secretory signal that predicts its export via the classical ER-Golgi secretory pathway. We have proposed that Hsp70 is exported by a novel mechanism that is initiated by the translocation of the protein into the plasma membrane. Furthermore, the protein is released associated with extracellular vesicles (ECV), which we speculate result in a robust activation of the immune system. We investigated the mechanism of Hsp70 insertion into membranes using liposomes. We observed that Hsp70 insertion into lipid membranes was spontaneous and specific for negatively charged lipids, such as phosphatidylserine. Using a proteomic approach, we determined that the C-terminus end of the molecule, which contains the peptide binding domain, is inserted into the lipid bilayer. The N-terminus of the molecule, containing the ATP binding site, is exposed to the external part of the liposome. These results resemble our initial studies characterizing channel activity of Hsp70 observed in artificial lipid membranes.Supported by NIH R01GM098455.
Glycan-based interactions involving vertebrate sialic-acid-recognizing proteins

All cells in nature are covered by a dense and complex array of carbohydrates. Given their prominence on cell surfaces, it is not surprising that these glycans mediate and/or modulate many cellular interactions. Proteins that bind sialic acid, a sugar that is found on the surface of the cell and on secreted proteins in vertebrates, are involved in a broad range of biological processes, including intercellular adhesion, signalling and microbial attachment. Studying the roles of such proteins in vertebrates has improved our understanding of normal physiology, disease and human evolution.
The effects of preoperative rofecoxib, metoclopramide, dexamethasone, and ondansetron on postoperative pain and nausea in patients undergoing elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy

No trial to date has evaluated the combined effect of preoperative Rofecoxib, Metoclopramide, Dexamethasone, and Ondansetron on postoperative pain and nausea in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). A prospective randomized double-blinded placebo-controlled trial was conducted on patients undergoing elective LC. The patients in the intervention group received Rofecoxib 25 mg PO. Additionally the study group received Metoclopramide 10 mg and Dexamethasone 4 mg; and Ondansetron 4 mg intravenously. Pain and nausea were rated preoperatively, on arrival at the postanesthesia care unit (PACU), at points until discharge, and at 24 hours. 97 patients were in the control group, and 108 received intervention. The intervention group had a smaller proportion of men (10% vs. 23%; p < 0.015). There were differences in: length of stay (LOS) until discharge criteria met (12.88 vs. 9.85 hours, p = 0.0006), pain rating on arrival to floor (3.55 vs. 2.48, p = 0.003); highest pain rating (4.38 vs. 3.56, p = 0.032), highest nausea rating (2.99 vs. 1.47, p = 0.001), worst nausea since discharge (2.58 vs. 1.26, p = 0.005), and the use of postoperative anti-emetics in women (64% vs. 37.1%, p = 0.001). The use of this preoperative regimen resulted in decreased LOS, maximum pain, and nausea ratings. Patients in the intervention group required less postoperative anti-emetics.
Toward a physician payment policy: Evidence from the Economic Stabilization Program

Concern over the rising cost of medical care has focused policy attention on methods of paying physicians. Unfortunately, limits placed on fees paid by public medical care financing programs, Medicare and Medicaid, adversely affect those programs' primary objective: making office-based physicians' services available to the poor and the elderly at affordable prices. This suggests that a second policy instrument, controls on physicians' private charges, may be needed. The Economic Stabilization Program (ESP) provides the only recent U.S. experience with a system which constrained both physicians' private charges and public payments. Using Medicare and Medicaid claims data for a large sample of California physicians, we simulate what physicians' private charges and supplies of services to Medicare assignment and Medicaid patients would have been in the absence of ESP. The simulations suggest that without ESP, private charges would have been higher and the quantities of services provided to poor and elderly patients lower than were actually observed. We believe, therefore, that the ESP experience supports the argument that controls over both public and private fees are needed in order to simultaneously contain costs of and maintain access to physicians' services by Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.
Improving conformal tumour heating by adaptively removing control points from waveform diversity beamforming calculations: A simulation study

Waveform diversity is a phased array beamforming strategy that determines an optimal sequence of excitation signals to maximise power at specified tumour control points while simultaneously minimising power delivered to sensitive normal tissues. Waveform diversity is combined with mode scanning, a deterministic excitation signal synthesis algorithm, and an adaptive control point removal algorithm in an effort to achieve higher, more uniform tumour temperatures. Simulations were evaluated for a 1444 element spherical section ultrasound phased array that delivers therapeutic heat to a 3 cm spherical tumour model located 12 cm from the array. By selectively deleting tumour control points, the tumour volume heated above 42°C increased from 2.28 cm3 to 11.22 cm3. At the expense of a slight increase in the normal tissue volume heated above the target temperature of 42°C, the size of the tumour volume heated above 42°C after tumour points were deleted was almost five times larger than the size of the original he...
Dimethyldisilyne: a fleetingly observed species incorporating a triple bond?

Abstract We have investigated the singlet potential energy surface of Si 2 (CH 3 ) 2 using ab initio self-consistent-field (SCF) methods and configuration interaction for energy comparisons. At the SCF level we find the global minimum to be silylidene, while the twist structure is also a minimum. Linear, dibridged and trans structures are found to be transition states and lie higher in energy. Our results indicate, however, that higher levels of theory are necessary for a quantitative description of the energy hypersurface. Specifically, the trans structure is stabilized greatly when the effects of electron correlation are included. The trans structure, incorporating an Si-Si bond order of roughly 2.5, is the most logical candidate for the species observed in the laboratory by West and co-workers.
CAUSALITY IN NONRELATIVISTIC QUANTUM SCATTERING.

A new formulation of the causality condition, in terms of the total wave function at a finite distance from the scatterer, is given. This condition is employed to derive all known analytic properties of the scattering amplitude in both variables (energy and scattering angle or momentum transfer) for a scatterer of finite radius. It is shown that all the assumptions are valid in the particular case of scattering by a local potential. The relations between causality, Wigner's inequality, and completeness are discussed.
Navigating redesign and market desirability implications when considering increased product variety

Current engineering change and market analysis tools provide discipline-specific feedback about the ramifications associated with offering increased product variety for an existing product. Engineering change tools provide ways to calculate and manage the risks associated with change propagation due to product modification, while strides in market research enable the modelling of consumer preferences for individual respondents. Yet, outcomes from these tools have not been adequately combined to explore the trade-off between engineering rework and consumer acceptance of the modified product. This work integrates the Change Prediction Method (CPM) and discrete choice analysis to simultaneously consider the engineering and business-side ramifications of offering increased variety by adding new product options. Outputs from the CPM are used to create a tradeoff plot between estimated market share gains and product cost when redesign effort is considered. This approach is applied to a gas grill problem to demo...
New observations from Cassini and Ulysses of Jovian VLF radio emissions

[1] Simultaneous observations of Jupiter's so-called reradiated VLF radio emission by the Cassini and Ulysses spacecraft confirm that the emission is radiated into all directions in a pulse or strobe light-like fashion. These observations rule out a source that corotates with the planet. Observations of the same VLF emission component during the Cassini distant flyby of Jupiter in early 2001 strongly suggest that the emission, which originates fairly close to the planet, is modified by the magnetosheath so that the magnetosheath acts as a leaky wave guide of VLF radiation.
Peripheral vascular and cardiac effects of nitrous oxide in the bovine.

Peripheral vascular and myocardial effects of increasing concentrations of nitrous oxide ( 0 to 70 per cent ) in oxygen were determined in 15 unanaesthetized calves before and after replacement of their natural heart ( NH ) with a pneumatically driven artificial heart (AH). Nitrous oxide produced concentration-related decreases in arterial and mixed venous pH and increases in minute ventilation and arterial and mixed venous carbon dioxide tensions in both NH and AH calves. Nitrous oxide resulted in significant increases in cardiac output, stroke volume and mean aortic, pulmonary artery and right atrial pressures in NH and AH calves, but did not significantly change systemic vascular resistance in either group of animals. Heart rate was increased in NH calves but was fixed in AH calves. Elevations in heart rate and cardiac output at nitrous oxide concentrations greater than 30 per cent and aortic pressure at 70 per cent nitrous oxide were significantly greater in NH than AH animals ( P < 0.05 ). These data demonstrate that nitrous oxide stimulates the cardiovascular system in spontaneously breathing mammals and that the changes result from improved venous return and an increase in myocardial chronotropy. Our findings also suggest that cardiovascular stimulation during nitrous oxide breathing may be related to increased concentrations of arterial and/or venous carbon dioxide.
Evaluating a Community Mental Health Center Program for Children

Mental health professionals are increasingly investing time and effort in the evaluation of their services. The present study describes one such evaluative effort undertaken by a children's Community Mental Health Center located in an inner cily neighborhood. Program results indicated that about two-thirds of children evidenced betler functioning following treatment. When presenting problems were categorized into distinct diagnostic entities, therapist ratings indicated that greater improvements were found with anxiety and situational problems, as compared to acting-out difficulties. Improvement was generally nor associated with demographic variables. On a follow-up consumer satisfaction questionnaire, children's parents reported being satisfied with the services provided at the Mental Healrh Center.
INTERRELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DENSIFICATION, CRYSTALLIZATION, AND CHEMICAL EVOLUTION IN SOL-GEL TITANIA THIN-FILMS

The mechanisms contributing to densification during non-isothermal heat treatments in sol-gel titania films have been studied. At low temperatures, shrinkage is attributed to condensation reactions between hydroxyls located primarily within the oxide skeleton. At higher temperatures, densification is due to both continued condensation between surface hydroxyls and structural relaxation. Shrinkage stops when films attain a level of crystallinity corresponding to the percolation threshold. At conventional rates, densification is delayed by faster heating; however, at very fast heating rates provided by rapid thermal annealing (8000°C/min), condensation is highly arrested and densification is faster. Similarly, the onset of crystallization increases with conventional heating rates, but crosses over to a lower temperature with rapid thermal annealing.
Practical problems in protracted diarrhoea.

Significant reductions in infant morbidity and mortality are achievable through oral rehydration breastfeeding public health measures and immunization. However after an acute attack 20% of patients in developing countries suffer from protracted diarrhea of infancy (PDI) defined as the passage of 4 or more loose stools daily for >2 weeks associated with weight loss or reduced weight gain. Possible causes are many e.g. enteral infections such as salmonella or measles congenital transport defects such as bile acid malabsorption and more continue to be identified. Some such as cows milk protein intolerance seem to vary regionally. In post gastroenteritis diarrhea there is evidence of vicious circles e.g. malnutrition leading to specific deficiencies leading to immune deficiencies leading to infection and malnutrition among other loops. Management should consist of nutritional assessment through anthropomorphic measurements examination of stool specimens if possible and nutritional repletion that strikes a balance between the nutritional needs of the patient and dangers of feeding to the limits of tolerance (unbalancing of the fluid and electrolyte balance). Generally the use of a nasal-gastric tube is helpful and the addition of parenteral feeding is generally effective although it is often not available in developing countries. Supplemental nutritional preparations should be non-antigenic with constituents readily available. Examples include comminuted chicken and modular feeds derived from locally available foods. The value of continued breastfeeding is underlined.
Component-specific effects of physostigmine on the cat visual evoked potential

Pattern visual evoked potentials (VEPs) were recorded from the pial surface of the cat primary visual cortex prior to and following the intravenous administration of physostigmine, an agent which blocks the enzyme responsible for the breakdown of synaptically released acetylcholine. The control VEP was composed of a small initial positive deflection (P1), a subsequent large negative wave (N1) and a second large positive wave (P2). Following physostigmine, the amplitude of P1-N1 was diminished whereas that of N1-P2 increased. These effects were long lasting and were blocked by prior treatment with scopolamine, a result consistent with mediation by a muscarinic cholinergic pathway. Waveform subtraction revealed that the physostigmine-sensitive component had a slow, negative polarity waveform while the physostigmine-insensitive component was also slow, but positive in polarity. The fundamental nature of these components remains to be assessed. Nevertheless, the results indicate that waveforms of different polarity combine algebraically to yield the conventional VEP.
“You Think It Was a Fight?”: Co-Constructing (the Struggle for) Meaning, Face, and Family in Everyday Narrative Activity

(1995). “You Think It Was a Fight?”: Co-Constructing (the Struggle for) Meaning, Face, and Family in Everyday Narrative Activity. Research on Language and Social Interaction: Vol. 28, No. 3, pp. 283-317.
Studies on the mechanism of action of the aromatase inhibitor, 4-hydroxyandrostenedione.

Abstract [1β-3H], [1α,2α-3H] and [1β, 2β-3H] 4-Hydroxyandrostenedione (4-OH-A) were synthesized to study the mechanism of inhibition of aro-matase by 4-OH-A. Incubations of [1β-3H] and [1β,2β-3H] 4-OH-A with placental microsomes in the presence of NADPH showed very little loss of tritium, with aromatization of 4-OH-A ranging from 0.3 to 0.6 percent. No loss of tritium was observed in the absence of NADPH. The extent of covalent binding of 4-OH-A to microsomal proteins was higher with incubations in the absence of NADPH than with those in the presence of NADPH. These results are discussed in light of what has been proposed for the mechanism of androgen aromatization.
Preacquisition REM sleep deprivation inhibits the formation of conditioned feeding suppression in rats

Forty male Wistar rats were divided into control and REM sleep-deprived groups to test the effects of REM deprivation on the acquisition of conditioned feeding suppression. Contrary to a theory that states that “prepared” learning is REM independent, we found that REM deprivation prevents the acquisition of conditioned feeding suppression.
The role of planning in learning a new programming language

Abstract This paper reports on a protocol analysis of experienced programmers beginning to program in an unknown programming language. The data show that programmers have greatest difficulty with and spend by far the largest portion of their time engaged in planning activities. Many of the subjects produced working solutions to the problem they were given, using plans coming from their previous experience with other languages. Such plans failed to take good advantage of the features of the new language. From our data we present a model of planning in a new language which shows planning to be mostly a depth-first process which uses a top-down strategy of adopting plans which have proven successful in other languages, as well as a bottom-up strategy of searching for features in the new language which may suggest an appropriate plan.
Identification of a Novel Retinoid by Small Molecule Screening with Zebrafish Embryos

Small molecules have played an important role in delineating molecular pathways involved in embryonic development and disease pathology. The need for novel small molecule modulators of biological processes has driven a number of targeted screens on large diverse libraries. However, due to the specific focus of such screens, the majority of the bioactive potential of these libraries remains unharnessed. In order to identify a higher proportion of compounds with interesting biological activities, we screened a diverse synthetic library for compounds that perturb the development of any of the multiple organs in zebrafish embryos. We identified small molecules that affect the development of a variety of structures such as heart, vasculature, brain, and body-axis. We utilized the previously known role of retinoic acid in anterior-posterior (A–P) patterning to identify the target of DTAB, a compound that caused A–P axis shortening in the zebrafish embryo. We show that DTAB is a retinoid with selective activity towards retinoic acid receptors γ and β. Thus, conducting zebrafish developmental screens using small molecules will not only enable the identification of compounds with diverse biological activities in a large chemical library but may also facilitate the identification of the target pathways of these biologically active molecules.
Effects of manipulation of water and nitrogen regime on the water relations of the desert shrub Larrea tridentata

Water and nitrogen regimes of Larrea tridentata shrubs growing in the field were manipulated during an annual cycle. Patterns of leaf water status, leaf water relations characteristics, and stomatal behavior were followed concurrently. Large variations in leaf water status in both irrigated and nonirrigated individuals were observed. Predawn and midday leaf water potentials of nonirrigated shrubs were lowest except when measurements had been preceded by significant rainfall. Despite the large seasonal variation in leaf water status, reasonably constant, high levels of turgor were maintained. Pressure-volume curve analysis suggested that changes in the bulk leaf osmotic potential at full turgor were small and that nearly all of the turgor adjustment was due to tissue elastic adjustment. The increase in tissue elasticity with increasing water deficit manifested itself as a decrease in the relative water content at zero turgor and as a decrease in the tissue bulk elastic modulus. Because of large hydration-induced displacement in the osmotic potential and relative water content at zero turgor, it was necessary to use shoots in their natural state of hydration for pressure-volume curve determinations. Large diurnal and seasonal differences in maximum stomatal conductance were observed, but could not easily be attributed to variations in leaf water potential or leaf water relations characteristics such as the turgor loss point. The single factor which seemed to account for most of the diurnal and seasonal differences in maximum stomatal conductance between individual shrubs was an index of soil/root/ shoot hydraulic resistance. Daily maximum stomatal conductance was found to decrease with increasing soil/root/ shoot hydraulic resistance. This pattern was most consistent if the hydraulic resistance calculation was based on an estimate of total canopy transpiration rather than the more commonly used transpiration per unit leaf area. The reasons for this are discussed. It is suggested that while stomatal aperture necessarily represents a major physical resistance controlling transpiration, plant hydraulic resistance may represent the functional resistance through its effects on stomatal aperture.
A Rapid Screen Test for In Vitro Susceptibility of Clinical Herpes Simplex Virus Isolates

A rapid screening test for antiviral susceptibility to acyclovir and foscarnet was evaluated in 320 herpes simplex virus (HSV) isolates from 197 patients. Of the isolates tested (16% HSV-1, 84% HSV-2), 60% were resistant in vitro to acyclovir and 5% were resistant to foscarnet using the plaque reduction assay. The rapid screening test, requiring only 3 days to yield a preliminary susceptibility result, was highly associated with the results of the plaque reduction assay for acyclovir and foscarnet (P < or = .001 for each) and with the clinical response to antiviral therapy (P < .001, P = .001, respectively).
Warriors and the State in Early Modern India

This essay argues for reconsideration and greater scholarly attention to the insights of Prof. Dirk Kolff as expressed in his 1989 book, Naukar, Rajput and Sepoy and in later writings. Kolff described a fluid, pervasive military labor market in late Mughal and early colonial North India that made vast numbers of armed, largely peasant soldiers available to military contractors, rulers, and rebels alike. His formulation permits us to see that armed Indian peasants in this period had considerable agency and independence within a society that was riven with con flict. Such a reconsideration underscores the magnitude of the changes wrought in Indian society by violent British conquest, pacification and disarmament in rural society — especially after the failed 1857 revolt. L'article plaide pour une reconsideration et une reevaluation des idees du professeur Dirk Kolff, telles qu'elles sont presentees dans son ouvrage paru en 1989, Naukar, Rajput et Sepoy , et dans ses publications ulterieures. Kolff decrit un marche du travail militaire flexible et omnipresent en Inde Mogole et en Inde Septentrionale au debut de l'ere coloniale, et qui a rendu disponible aux courtiers militaires, aux dirigeants et aux rebelles un grand nombre de soldats d'origine paysanne. Son expose nous permet de voir comment, pendant cette periode, les paysans indiens armes avaient une importance et une independance considerables dans une societe fendue par les con flits armes. Une telle reconsideration souligne l'importance des changements dans la societe indienne, declenches par la soumission violente, la paci fication et le desarmement par les Anglais — surtout apres l'echec de la revolte de 1857.
Investigation on impact strength and on dynamic mechanical properties of polypropylene

In the applications, where a good impact strength is required, a polymer, to be considered satisfactory, must feature a high toughness in the widest range of testing conditions (temperature, deformation rate, anisotropy, stress concentration (1, 2).
Bayesian model comparison by Markov chain simulation: Illustration using stock market data

Abstract The paper illustrates the computation of marginal likelihoods and Bayes factors when Markov Chain Monte Carlo has been used to produce draws from a model’s posterior distribution. The method is based on Raftery (1996) and does not require that Gibbs sampling is used or conditional posterior distributions are available in closed form. Models used include a normal finite mixture, a GARCH and a Student t -model as alternative models for the Standard and Poor’s stock returns.
Are gap junction channels a therapeutic target and if so what properties are best exploited

Gap junction channel selectivity, open probability, and recruitment are properties that affect the transit of solutes from cell to cell. Selectivity is the property of an open channel that acts as a discriminator, allowing the passage of specific solutes while denying transit to others. Open probability is another parameter that can affect the efficiency of cell to cell transit. Channel recruitment is another facilitating mechanism able to affect transit. Rapid alterations in any of these properties suggests that dynamic effects are possible for gap junction channel mediated cell to cell coupling. Suspect modulators presumably capable of effecting dynamic change would be the kinases. The properties of gap junction channels in the context of selectivity, open probability and recruitment are discussed here along with the ability of kinases to affect them. These processes and their regulation are also targets for regulating cell-to-cell communication through therapeutics. Clearly these same properties are ones that disease states might also opportunistically alter to affect physiological processes.
Battered Women Who Kill The Impact of Expert Testimony and Empathy Induction in the Courtroom

Mock jurors (N = 312) viewed a simulated trial involving a woman, charged with the murder of her abusive husband, entering a plea of not guilty by reason of self-defense. Expert testimony was varied using battered woman syndrome, social agency framework, or no expert testimony. Within expert testimony conditions, jurors were presented with opening and closing statements either including or not including instructions aimed at inducing empathy. Results indicate differences in gender and expert testimony for ratings of guilt as well as differences in gender, expert testimony, and empathy induction for perceptions of the defendant.
“Them Damn Pictures”: Americanization and the Comic Strip in the Progressive Era

As William Tweed noted over a century ago, the cartoon, with its combination of graphic and text, can be a dangerous political weapon. Indeed, the Tammany Hall boss's career was destroyed when he was arrested for kidnapping in 1875 — an arrest made by a police officer who recognized Tweed from a newspaper cartoon. Likewise, when comic strips first appeared in the American sensation papers of the 1890s, they too were seen as having important, and potentially threatening, political and social ramifications. Journalists such as Oswald Villard condemned newspaper baron William Randolph Hearst for using the comic strip as a cheap ploy to boost circulation, claiming that it compromised journalistic integrity. Meanwhile, genteel reformers waged their own war against comic strips, worried that the slapstick action and irreverent content would erode middle-class American values and “foster a spirit of disrespect and insubordination… by their glorification of cheeky, iconoclastic urchins.”
Image restoration by complexity regularization via dynamic programming

The restoration of an image modeled by piecewise-constant polygonal patches from its blurred (bandlimited) and noise corrupted version is considered. Under this model, the line-integral projections of the data image are piecewise linear signals, blurred and corrupted by noise. The break points and the associated amplitude parameters of each projection are estimated by minimizing the 1-D stochastic complexity of the projection using a recently proposed dynamic programming technique. The final image is reconstructed by convolution backprojection. >
Generation of Multiple Beam Patterns Using a Mechanically Reconfigurable Smart Reflector Antenna System

In this research, a novel computational design and operation methodology for a reconfigurable dual offset contour beam reflector antenna (DCBRA) using a mechanically adjustable subreflector is presented. The subreflector is made with a thin flexible material such that it deforms by movement of a set of linear point actuators attached on its back surface. The deformable subreflector allows the electromagnetic field illuminating the main reflector to be changed leading to a different far-field radiation pattern. For the analysis, the Finite Element Method (FEM) is applied to calculate the deformed shape of the subreflector from a given configuration and movement of actuators and Physical Optics (PO) is utilized to calculate radiation patterns for both the main reflector and the subreflector. Finally a unified computation tool is developed which employs optimization techniques to synergistically combine the PO routine and the FEM code. The overall goal of the combination is to find the optimal actuation values of the actuators needed to generate a specific far-field radiation pattern related to a desired geographical footprint. Simulation results on the generation of contour beams for four different geographic regions—CONUS, Australia, Brazil, and Afghanistan—are presented.
AREA-Time Efficient Addition in Charge Based Technology

Using the model developed by Mead and Conway for charge based technology, a methodology for the production of area-time efficient adders which imbeds the buffering required to drive large loads caused by the carry-lookahead tree has been developed. This methodology can be used to produce an 0(logN) time and 0(NlogN) area layout. Additionally, an algorithm was written to produce minimal silicon area layouts for a given time bound. This algorithm involves optimization at both the cellular level and the layout level in an iterative fashion to allow the relevant technological parameters to play a role in the cellular design phase. Results of the algorithm including examples and an area-time curve for a 48 bit adder using typical 5 micron NMOS [MeCo80] are displayed.
Biaxial warm forming behavior of aluminum sheet alloys

Abstract In the present investigation, biaxial warm forming behavior in the temperature range 200–350 °C is investigated for three automotive aluminum sheet alloys: Al 5754, Al 5182 containing 1% Mn (Al 5182+Mn) and Al 6111-T4. While the formability for all the three alloys improves at elevated temperatures, the strain hardened alloys Al 5754 and Al 5182+Mn show considerably greater improvement than the precipitation hardened alloy Al 6111-T4. Even without the precipitation treatment, the formability of alloy 6111 could not be improved. Formability was studied by forming rectangular parts at a rapid rate ( d e/ d t∼1 s −1 ) using internally heated punch and die in both isothermal and non-isothermal conditions. Temperature effect on drawing of the sheet was found to have a large effect on formability. Setting die temperature slightly higher than punch temperature was favorable in promoting formability. Forming limit diagram (FLD) under warm forming conditions was also determined, which showed results that are consistent with the evaluation of part depth. It is confirmed by post-forming tensile test results that rapid warm forming in the above-mentioned temperature range does not create a significant loss in yield strength. After a simulated paint-baking treatment (177 °C for 30 min) the sheet retains strength level in the part similar to current stamped parts.
Phloem-mobile messenger RNAs and root development

Numerous signal molecules move through the phloem to regulate development, including proteins, secondary metabolites, small RNAs and full-length transcripts. Several full-length mRNAs have been identified that move long distances in a shootward or rootward direction through the plant vasculature to modulate both floral and vegetative processes of growth. Here we discuss two recently discovered examples of long-distance transport of full-length mRNAs into roots and the potential target genes and pathways for these mobile signals. In both cases, the mobile RNAs regulate root growth. Previously, RNA movement assays demonstrated that transcripts of StBEL5, a transcription factor from the three-amino-loop-extension superclass, move through the phloem to stolon tips to enhance tuber formation in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.). StBEL5 mRNA originates in the leaf and its movement to stolons is induced by a short-day photoperiod. Movement of StBEL5 RNA to roots correlated with increased growth and the accumulation of several transcripts associated with hormone metabolism, including GA2-oxidase1, YUCCA1a and -c, several Aux/IAA types, and PIN1, -2, and -4 was observed. In another example, heterografting techniques were used to identify phloem-mobile Aux/IAA transcripts in Arabidopsis. Movement assays confirmed that these Aux/IAA transcripts are transported into the root system where they suppress lateral root formation. Phloem transport of both StBEL5 and Aux/IAA RNAs are linked to hormone metabolism and both target auxin synthesis genes or auxin signaling processes. The mechanisms of transport for these mobile RNAs, the impact they have on controlling root growth, and a potential transcriptional connection between the BEL1/KNOX complex and Aux/IAA genes are discussed.
An Artificial Lateral Line System Using IPMC Sensor Arrays

Most fish and aquatic amphibians use the lateral line system, consisting of arrays of hair-like neuromasts, as an important sensory organ for prey/predator detection, communication, and navigation. In this paper a novel bio-inspired artificial lateral line system is proposed for underwater robots and vehicles by exploiting the inherent sensing capability of ionic polymer–metal composites (IPMCs). Analogous to its biological counterpart, the IPMC-based lateral line processes the sensor signals through a neural network. The effectiveness of the proposed lateral line is validated experimentally in the localization of a dipole source (vibrating sphere) underwater. In particular, as a proof of concept, a prototype with body length (BL) of 10 cm, comprising six millimeter-scale IPMC sensors, is constructed and tested. Experimental results have shown that the IPMC-based lateral line can localize the source from 1–2 BLs away, with a maximum localization error of 0.3 cm, when the data for training the neural netwo...
Mutations in the Cytoplasmic Tail of Herpes Simplex Virus 1 gH Reduce the Fusogenicity of gB in Transfected Cells

Mutations within the cytoplasmic tail (cytotail) of herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) gH were previously observed to suppress the syncytial phenotype of gB cytoplasmic domain mutant A855V in infected cells. Here, we examined the effects of gH cytotail mutations on virus-free cell-cell fusion in transfected cells to exclude the contributions of viral proteins other than gD, gH/gL, and gB. We show that a truncation at residue 832 coupled with the point mutation V831A within the cytotail of gH reduces fusion regardless of whether the wild type (WT) or a syn gB allele is present. We hypothesize that the gH cytotail mutations either reduce activation of gB by gH/gL or suppress the fusogenicity of gB through another, as yet unknown mechanism. The gB cytodomain and the gH cytotail do not interact in vitro, suggesting that mutations in the gH cytotail may instead affect the function of the gH/gL ectodomain. Nevertheless, we cannot exclude the possibility that the gB cytodomain and the gH cytotail interact in the context of full-length membrane-anchored proteins. The observed fusion suppression in transfected cells is less prominent than what was seen in infected cells, and we propose that gH cytotail mutations may additionally suppress syncytium formation in cells infected with syn HSV-1 by acting on other viral proteins, reinforcing the idea that fusion of HSV-infected cells is a complex phenomenon. Although fusion suppression by the gH cytotail mutant in transfected cells was evident when syncytia were visualized and counted, it was not detected by the luciferase assay, highlighting the differences between the two assays.
9C-4 Novel Method for Design and Fabrication of Single Piston Transducers for Extended Depth of Field

Traditional focused transducers use multiple elements with individual delays, or a single element and lens to achieve focusing. These approaches involve significant cost, or acoustic losses respectively, and are not well suited to low-cost applications, for example disposable transducers. In contrast, zone plate transducers use the diffraction pattern formed by a variable excitation over the surface of a single element to achieve focusing. Although this results in an inexpensive focused transducer, the focusing performance degrades with broadband excitation, and contrast is limited. Additionally it is difficult to produce diffraction patterns with an extended focal zone. We have developed a successive projection algorithm to optimize the transducer pattern to overcome these limitations and meet desired focusing properties at several frequencies and ranges simultaneously. Within diffraction limits, this technique is shown to significantly outperform conventional zone plate transducers, in some cases reducing sidelobes by as much as 20 dB. Furthermore we show that the necessary transducer patterns can be produced using off-the-shelf PCB technology, and that within the limitations of our fabrication process, we are able to experimentally validate our algorithm.
Transversus abdominis plane block for postoperative analgesia after cesarean delivery

Objective: The transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block is the ultrasound-guided placement of a peripheral nerve block in the abdominal wall for pain control. Our objective was to compare postoperative adjunctive oral narcotic use in women who underwent cesarean delivery and received the TAP block vs. those who received neuraxial narcotics. We hypothesize a decrease in narcotic use in women who received the TAP block. Methods: Retrospective cohort study of women who received a TAP block for postoperative analgesia after cesarean compared to women who did not. The primary outcome was the total number of oral narcotic tablets administered between 24 and 48 h after surgery. An independent t-test and an analysis of covariance were employed to determine significant differences (P < 0.05) between the cohorts and to adjust for confounders. Results: The TAP block cohort utilized 30% less oral narcotic analgesia than the control cohort (3.8 ± 0.5 tablets, P < 0.001). After adjusting for confounders and the presence...
Primitive and Modern Economics: Derivatives, Liquidity, Value, Panic and Crises, A Uniformitarian View

This paper investigates aspects of economics in the context of complex society and the nature of investment devices in cross-cultural comparison, placing special attention on the new global issues of money, hedge fund contracts, derivatives and other risk-spreading concepts and practices. The function of these are compared to the behavior of the inventors and practitioners in other cultures. Similarities are noted with religious formulators and the process of conversion and the operation of the market and credit paralleled with the concept of Mana. This work provides a context for understanding contemporary human economic behavior. Novel structures of symbolic worth are associated with individual presentation and performance. Clearly concepts of value and credit have been changing in modern financial culture. Indeed, they have been expressing forms that have traditionally been associated with primitive economics. An understanding of the current financial and social losses resulting from the subprime collapse is presented along with a means to counter it.
A case-based approach to knowledge acquisition for domain-specific sentence analysis

This paper describes a case-based approach to knowledge acquisition for natural language systems that simultaneously learns part of speech, word sense, and concept activation knowledge for all open class words in a corpus. The parser begins with a lexicon of function words and creates a case base of context-sensitive word definitions during a humansupervised training phase. Then, given an unknown word and the context in which it occurs, the parser retrieves definitions from the case base to infer the word's syntactic and semantic features. By encoding context as part of a definition, the meaning of a word can change dynamically in response to surrounding phrases without the need for explicit lexical disambiguation heuristics. Moreover, the approach acquires all three classes of knowledge using the same case representation and requires relatively little training and no hand-coded knowledge acquisition heuristics. We evaluate it in experiments that explore two of many practical applications of the technique and conclude that the case-based method provides a promising approach to automated dictionary construction and knowledge acquisition for sentence analysis in limited domains. In addition, we present a novel case retrieval algorithm that uses decision trees to improve the performance of a k-nearest neighbor similarity metric.
Analysing the relationship between maternal weight gain and birthweight: exploration of four statistical issues

Summary. Four statistical issues concerning the analysis of birthweight and maternal weight gain during pregnancy are discussed: (1) Part-whole correlation is described (e.g. the correlation between total maternal weight gain and her infant's birthweight). (2) The choice between a ratio or two separate explanatory variables is explored (e.g. body mass index or using maternal weight and height separately). (3) Two statistical properties (bias and power) when a binary variable replaces a continuous variable are discussed (e.g. consequences of using low birthweight instead of reported birthweight). (4) A model selection procedure is presented to provide a way to select a useful subset of variables from a large number of available explanatory variables to model an outcome variable (e.g. birthweight). These issues are illustrated with a set of 4017 births from Moffitt Hospital at the University of California, San Francisco. Furthermore, these four issues arise in a number of applications of statistical methods to data collected to study the epidemiology of newborn infants.
Register packing for cyclic reduction: a case study

We generalize a method for avoiding GPU shared communication when dealing with a downsweep pattern. We apply this generalization to Cyclic Reduction, a tridiagonal solver with this pattern. Previously, Cyclic Reduction suffered poor performance when compared to other tridiagonal solvers on the GPU due to performance issues stemming from shared-memory bandwidth bottlenecks and step-efficiency. We address this problem by applying our down-sweep shared-memory communication-reducing methodology. Our re-mapping also allows Cyclic Reduction to solve larger systems directly in a virtual block. By using our generalized mapping, we improve Cyclic Reduction's performance on a GPU by a factor of 3-4.5x over the original CR implementation, making it 1.5-3x faster than other GPU tridiagonal solvers.