cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Politics of Education: Socio-Religious Transformation, Politicised Sikhism and Limited Nationalism at Khalsa College, c. 1880–1947

The Politics of Education elaborates on Sikh politics and socio-religious change in the last half-century of British rule in India and provides the institutional, political, and social background of the chequered history of Khalsa College, Amritsar. It looks at governmental interests within this same rubric, as colonial authorities perceived the college as a place where “useful and intelligent citizens and loyal subjects of the royal crown” were to be produced. Political matters played a substantial role at Khalsa College and the chapter shows how the institution’s management, staff, and students imagined its role among the Sikh community, Punjab, and India, thus elaborating on the crucial relationship between the community, the colonial state, and the idea of the nation.
The influence of institutional factors on patient–provider communication and interactions in the U.S. healthcare system

Communication and interactions between patients and healthcare providers are important components in the provision of healthcare services. In this study, we assessed the effects of institutional factors, defined as a usual source of care and the type of a usual source of care, on perceived patient–provider communication and interactions. We used individual-level data for adults (N = 89,725) from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey for the years 2001 to 2012 and employed multivariate logistic regressions to assess the relationship between institutional factors and four communication and interaction outcomes: provider listened to patient, provider explained so that patient understood, provider showed respect to patient, and provider spent enough time with patient. Adults who report having a usual source of care have significantly higher odds of reporting positively on their communication and interactions with their healthcare providers in comparison to adults who do not have a usual source of care. We also find that having an individual physician or nurse practitioner as a usual source of care further improves patient–provider communication and interaction in comparison to having an outpatient clinic, a hospital, an emergency department, or any other type of clinic as a usual source of care. Our study shows that having a usual source of care is an important component in patient–provider communication and interactions, beyond patients’ personal characteristics. We also show that having a physician (or any other individual practitioner) rather than a healthcare facility, such as an outpatient clinic, as a usual source of care further improves patient–provider communication and interactions.
Memory benefits from contrastive focus truly require focus: evidence from clefts and connectives

Across three experiments, we investigated how different markers of contrastive focus affect text encoding and retention. Prior work suggests that some contrastive focus markers (e.g. contrastive pi...
Elements of the Theory of Nested Named Sets

The goal of this paper is exploration of an important phenomenon called nesting, which plays a weighty role in many areas including mathematics and computer science. In mathematics, we can see nesting in algebraic and arithmetical expressions, in functions on rings of functions, in simplicial complexes, in various formulas, and other mathematical constructions. In computer science and technology, there are nested calls; nesting of several levels of subroutines; nesting in recursive calls; nested levels of parentheses in arithmetical expressions; nested blocks of imperative source code such as nested if-clauses, while-clauses or repeat-until clauses; nesting in information hiding; and nested data structures such as records, objects, classes, etc. Here we elaborate mathematical foundations for modeling and study of the systems with nesting as well as for measuring different attributes of nesting.
Circuit World: A Multiplayer VE for Researching Engineering Learning

Business travel leads to the consumption of large amounts of energy. Circuit World (CW), a Unity virtual environment, uses avatars and realistic simulations of electrical circuits to test the effectiveness of teaching complex engineering tasks without travel. To evaluate CW, a study compares how well participants learn to repair a circuit when trained face-to-face, via Zoom, and within CW wearing an HMD. After training and completion of a knowledge quiz, learners are given a circuit to repair by themselves using a non-immersive desktop version of CW. Participants repair it again two weeks later to test retention. Each study session involves three people: learner, trainer, and researcher. The learner and trainer control avatars and the researcher, invisible, observes over the learner’s shoulder. Collected data includes task performance logs from CW, knowledge quiz scores, and, based on video recordings, eye gaze tracking, behavioral coding, and measures of facial synchrony between trainer and learner.
Early Mobility Recognition for Intensive Care Unit Patients Using Accelerometers.

With the development of the Internet of Things(IoT) and Artificial Intelligence(AI) technologies, human activity recognition has enabled various applications, such as smart homes and assisted living. In this paper, we target a new healthcare application of human activity recognition, early mobility recognition for Intensive Care Unit(ICU) patients. Early mobility is essential for ICU patients who suffer from long-time immobilization. Our system includes accelerometer-based data collection from ICU patients and an AI model to recognize patients' early mobility. To improve the model accuracy and stability, we identify features that are insensitive to sensor orientations and propose a segment voting process that leverages a majority voting strategy to recognize each segment's activity. Our results show that our system improves model accuracy from 77.78\% to 81.86\% and reduces the model instability (standard deviation) from 16.69\% to 6.92\%, compared to the same AI model without our feature engineering and segment voting process.
Fundamental vibrational frequencies and spectroscopic constants for the methylperoxyl radical, CH3O2, and related isotopologues 13CH3OO, CH3 18O18O, and CD3OO

Accurate spectroscopic and geometric constants for CH3O2, and its isotopologues 13CH3OO, CH3 18O18O and CD3OO, are predicted. Employing coupled cluster theory with single, double, and perturbative triple excitations [CCSD(T)], we obtain optimized equilibrium geometries using Dunning's cc-pVTZ basis set. A Taylor expansion of the potential energy surface, including all third-order and semidiagonal fourth-order terms in a basis of normal coordinates, yields anharmonic vibrational frequencies and vibrationally-averaged properties including the effects of anharmonicity. We detail the strong influence of Fermi resonances on the problematic ν6 vibrational mode of CD3OO, arriving at a value of 993 cm−1; two previous experimental measurements of this mode appear to have been incorrectly assigned. Our computed energies for the low intensity ν11 transition are in excellent agreement with experimental measurements performed for CH3 18O18O and CD3OO, inspiring confidence that our results will serve as a guide for exp...
Modeling the Processing of Natural Fiber Composites Made Using Liquid Composite Molding

Natural fi bers are being used increasingly to substitute artifi cial glass and carbon fi bers in polymer composites. Liquid Composite Molding (LCM) processes are an important set of “liquid molding” technologies to manufacture net-shaped composites parts that involve fi lling a dry, fi ber-packed mold with a thermosetting resin. However, not much is known about the fl ow of resins, bio-resins and test liquids through a preform made from natural fi bers. The swelling of natural fi bers due to liquid absorption adds a new dimension to the conventional mold-fi lling simulation in LCM conducted to optimize mold-design. Unlike the glass or carbon fi ber mats, the swelling of natural fi bers causes the permeability and porosity of the LCM fi ber mats to reduce with time during the mold-fi lling process. This chapter presents some recent developments in the science of LCM fl ow-modeling with natural fi bers used as reinforcements. Some studies on measuring the permeability of naturalfi ber preforms using the conventional LCM fl ow model using organic and inorganic test liquids are presented fi rst. Later some recent attempts to include the swelling and absorption into the LCM fl ow physics are also discussed where some analytical solutions for simple 1-D fl ows under constant pressure and constant fl ow-rate conditions are discussed. Some recent approaches to numerically simulate the LCM mold-fi lling type processes in swelling, natural-fi ber based materials are presented.
Correlation of Sprouty1 and Jagged1 With Aggressive Prostate Cancer Cells With Different Sensitivities to Androgen Deprivation

Prostate cancer is a heterogeneous disease and thus, it is important to understand whether among the heterogeneous collection of cell types, androgen-deprivation insensitive cells exist prior to hormonal manipulation. We established several LNCaP subclones with distinct insensitivities to androgen deprivation from a parental LNCaP cell line. In the resulting clones, the sensitivity to androgen-deprivation negatively correlated with their PSA expression levels. In two of these clones, an androgen insensitive clone, LNCaP-cl1, and an androgen sensitive clone, LNCaP-cl5, the DNA copy number differed significantly, indicating that these clones contain genetically distinct cells. LNCaP-cl1 had higher PSA expression but lower invasiveness and tumor growth potential than LNCaP-cl5. The expression levels of two genes that are known to be regulated by miR-21, an androgen-regulated microRNA, Sprouty1 (SPRY1) and Jagged1 (JAG1) were significantly lower in LNCaP-cl1 than in LNCaP-cl5. Knocking down SPRY1 in LNCaP cells enhanced PSA expression and cell proliferation. JAG1 administration in LNCaP cells enhanced cell invasion and JAG1 knockdown in PC3 cells suppressed cell invasion and tumor formation. These results indicated that the expression differences in SPRY1 and JAG1 may contribute to the phenotypic differences between the LNCaP-cl1 and LNCaP-cl5 clones. In tissue samples, SPRY1 expression levels were significantly lower in prostate cancer patients with PSA recurrence after surgical treatment (P = 0.0076) and JAG1 expression levels were significantly higher in Gleason sum (GS) 8–9 disease than in GS 5–6 (P = 0.0121). In summary a random population of LNCaP cells comprises a heterogeneous group of cells with different androgen-deprivation sensitivities and potential for invasiveness.
Tandem photodetectors containing silicon nanowires with selective spectral absorption

We fabricate a vertically stacked photodetector device containing silicon nanowire photodetectors formed above a silicon substrate that also contains a photodetector. The substrate photodetector converts light not absorbed by the nanowires to photocurrent.
Ultrafast optically heterodyne detected transient grating spectroscopy using diffractive optics

Optical heterodyne detection (OHD) is a well-established method for achieving both amplification and linearization of optical signals generated from nonlinear experiments by coherently mixing a large reference field with a signal field of interest. Since the heterodyne signal is the interference term between the signal and reference fields, it is necessary to keep their relative phase difference, /spl Delta//spl phi/, constant. We have implemented OHD in a transient grating (TG) experiment to achieve passive stabilization of /spl Delta//spl phi/ without the need for either active feedback loops or unusual mechanical stability. This stability arises from the geometric symmetry of the the TG phase matching condition coupled with the optical arrangement, which eliminates phase noise arising from small fluctuations of the optics.
Game-The Zu Zitter Game: A Course-Long Tool for Teaching Operations Management

The mix of quantitative and qualitative material covered in most introductory operations management OM courses proves particularly challenging for many business majors and MBA students as well as for their instructors. Additionally, students with less work experience may struggle to see how topics such as process design and layout, capacity planning, quality management and control, inventory management, process improvement, and lean principles are integrated in a "big picture" way when applied in practice. In this paper, I describe the Zu Zitter Game, which places student teams in charge of all aspects of a production process and encourages them to actively integrate new material as the course progresses. It culminates in a fun, hands-on experiential learning "game day" event that brings the concepts taught in the course together and illustrates how they must be managed cohesively. Students' feedback has been very positive; in particular, they rate it very highly for improving their "big picture" understanding of OM topics. Teaching Note: Interested Instructors please see the Instructor Materials page for access to the restricted materials. To maintain the integrity and usefulness of cases published in ITE, unapproved distribution of the case teaching notes and other restricted materials to any other party is prohibited.
Getting One’s Way in Policy Debates: Influence Tactics Used in Group Decision‐Making Settings

This study moves beyond traditional approaches to public administration and public policy decision making to consider how interpersonal influence tactics affect policy decisions in group decision-making settings. Decision makers reported their own use of interpersonal influence tactics to achieve policy objectives, as well as those used against them. Responses were compared to individual decisions made over the course of policy-formulation meetings. The results indicate that the most popular techniques were inspirational appeals and rational persuasion. The most effective techniques for influencing participants varied according to the type of decision to be made: During the visioning process, coalition tactics and inspirational appeals proved most effective; for more concrete decisions about current issues, rational persuasion, inspirational appeals, and consultation influenced decisions.
Designing LDPC Codes without small trapping sets by using Tanner Graph Covers

We present a method for lowering the error floor of low-density parity check (LDPC) codes. It is based on Tanner graph covers that do not have trapping sets from the original code. The advantages of the method are that it is universal, as it can be applied to any LDPC code/channel model/decoding algorithm and it improves performance at the expense of increasing the code length, without losing the code regularity, without changing the decoding algorithm, and, under certain conditions, without lowering the code rate. We illustrate the method by modifying Tanner, MacKay and Margulis codes to improve performance on the binary symmetric channel (BSC) under the Gallager B decoding algorithm.
A simple, rapid, and highly informative PCR-based procedure for prenatal diagnosis and carrier screening of phenylketonuria

The polymorphic information content (PIC) and the degree of heterozygosity of several polymorphic systems within the phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) gene were determined in 85 European Caucasian and 19 Chinese phenylketonuria (PKU) kindreds. The first system examined, a short tandem repeat (STR), had a PIC of 80 and 73 per cent in these Caucasian and Chinese samples, respectively. The degree of heterozygosity actually observed for this system was 81 and 64 per cent in the Caucasian and Chinese PKU families, respectively. Through the addition of a second polymorphism based on a variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR), the PIC was increased to 90 per cent in Caucasians, but only to 75 per cent in Chinese. The degree of heterozygosity observed for this combination was 94 per cent in European PKU families and 67 per cent in Chinese PKU families. The further addition of an Xmnl RFLP increased both the PIC and the level of heterozygosity in Caucasians to 95 per cent, but did not change either of these measures in Chinese. The combined use of these three polymorphisms significantly increases the informativity of prenatal diagnostic and carrier screening procedures in both Caucasian and Chinese PKU kindreds. Furthermore, since each of these polymorphisms can be studied by PCR-based methods, these new tests can be performed more quickly and easily than previous Southern-based procedures.
Cytoprotective properties of a fullerene derivative against copper

To delineate the complexity of the response of cells to nanoparticles we have performed a study on HT-29 human colon carcinoma cells exposed first to a fullerene derivative C60(OH)20 and then to physiological copper ions. Our cell viability, proliferation, and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production assays clearly indicated that C60(OH)20 suppressed cell damage as well as ROS production induced by copper, probably through neutralization of the metal ions by C60(OH)20 in the extracellular space, as well as by adsorption and uptake of the nanoparticles surface-modified by the biomolecular species in the cell medium. This double-exposure study provides new data on the effects of nanoparticles on cell metabolism and may aid the treatment of oxidant-mediated diseases using nanomedicine.
Comparison of the (p, xn) Cross Sections from 238U, 235U and 232Th Targets Irradiated with 200 MeV Protons

We have measured absolute cross sections for (P,xn) reactions (x ranges from 0 to 8) from 238U, 235U, and 232Th targets irradiated with 200 MeV protons at the Brookhaven AGS Linac injector. Chemical yields were determined by using 239Np and 233Pa as tracers. Yield patterns obtained in this work can be compared to the experimental results and theoretical calculations from earlier work and they are consistent within the framework of intranuclear cascade followed by neutron evaporation and fission competition.
Twitter as a social actor

We propose Twitter acts as an independent social actor.Significant interaction found between Twitter usage intensity and relationship type.Light Twitter users follow exchange relationship norms.Light Twitter users prefer brand with exchange relationship-oriented messages. The consumer-brand relationship literature indicates that consumers follow certain norms in their relationships with brands, and adherence or violation of those norms affects their brand evaluations. However, whether consumers use similar principles to guide their interactions with brands in computer-mediated communication (CMC) environments such as social networking sites remains unknown. To address this question, this study tests how consumers evaluate brands on Twitter depending on their own Twitter usage intensity. Based on social response theory, it is argued that a CMC context (as represented by Twitter) acts as an independent social actor and people follow offline interpersonal relationship rules in their interactions with brands on Twitter. Through a 2 (relationship type: exchange vs. communal)i?2 (Twitter usage intensity: light vs. heavy) experiment, it is found that light Twitter users follow exchange relationship norms and evaluate a brand with exchange relationship-oriented messages more favorably than communal relationship-oriented messages. Heavy users, however, do not show such differences.
Potential approaches to evaluating the cardiovascular system using NMR

The current status and some of the future possibilities for nuclear magnetic resonance imaging of the cardiovascular system have been described. With many of these possibilities there is overlap with existing techniques. For example, functional analysis of the left ventricle can be obtained using either echocardiography or radionuclide techniques. With current instrumentation and current costs, these conventional techniques could frequently provide a more cost-effective approach for morphologic and functional assessment of the cardiovascular system. Nevertheless, because of the excellent resolution, the inherent contrast, the sensitivity to blood motion, the three-dimensional nature, and the lack of ionizing radiation, the cardiovascular morphologic imaging capabilities of NMR may provide justification for such applications. However, for NMR to achieve its most important status as a cardiovascular imaging technique, some of its unique possibilities will need to be developed. These include the ability to reproducibly depict the proximal coronary arteries, to define regional myocardial blood flow distribution, to evaluate regional high energy phosphate or other metabolic activity; and to characterize myocardial disease using proton T1 and T2 alterations.
A Bloodless Guerrilla Warfare: Why U.S. White Leftists Renounced Violence Against People During the 1970s

Between 1968 and the late 1970s, a significant number of U.S. white leftist groups escalated their protest to armed struggle. After experimenting briefly with violence, they opted for low-intensity armed propaganda that targeted property and avoided hurting people. By contrast, European leftist groups and anti-colonial organizations in the U.S. made extensive use of antipersonnel violence. Why did U.S. leftists eschew attacks against civilians? Scholarship does not explain this case, as it focuses either on the internal dynamics of a single group or on structural variables. Conversely, this article addresses this question through a historical reconstruction and a multilevel analysis. The research identifies the critique and ensuing de-solidarization by the radical milieu as the main factor accounting for the restraint of violence. This article demonstrates that the radical milieu censored and isolated armed groups as soon as they escalated and began to endanger human lives. Therefore, in order to safeguar...
Recent advances in the application of capillary electrophoresis to neuroscience

With fast separation times (seconds to minutes), minimal sample requirements (nanoliters to femtoliters), and excellent mass detection limits (femtomole to zeptomole), capillary electrophoresis (CE) is ideally suited for in vitro and in vivo sampling of neurological samples with a high degree of spatial resolution. Advances in extracellular fluid analysis employing improved microdialysis and push-pull perfusion sampling methodologies has enabled the resolution of neurotransmitters present in limited amounts using CE. Great progress has been made to resolve complex neuropeptides, amino acids, and biogenic amines in tissue and cell cultures. Finally, owing largely to the small volume sampling abilities of CE, investigations of single nerve cells, both invertebrate and mammalian, have been accomplished. These applications of CE to the advancement of neuroscience are presented.
A Comparative Study of the Aerodynamics and Hydrodynamics of a Tunnel Boat Hull

edge of the hull and L is the total length. Also in this figure, the net resultant of these two curves is shown, a quantity related to the lift distribution due to pressure forces on the hull. The net resultant was found by subtracting the pressure distribution on the top deck from that of the bottom deck. The maximum absolute error in these measurements was ±11%. The final phase of the aerodynamic investigation was a flow visualization study of the airstream on the upper deck. These experiments were performed by observing the motion of pieces of fine thread taped to the deck in strategic locations. Some typical results are shown in Fig. 3. Results of the Hydrodynamic Study Measurements of the total hydrodynamic drag force for fixed trim angle and waterline were conducted in the small tow-tank facility of the U.S. Naval Academy. For a more detailed discussion of this facility see Ref. 3. The total hydrodynamic drag coefficient based on wetted area CT was then computed for each of these measurements. The residual drag coefficient CR was subsequently calculated using the suggestion of Refs. 4 and 5. That is, CR = CT — CF
New insights on the structure of algaenan from Botryoccocus braunii race a and its hexane insoluble botryals based on multidimensional NMR spectroscopy and electrospray-mass spectrometry techniques

Through solution state NMR spectroscopy and quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (Q-TOF MS) studies of the hexane insoluble botryal extract of the algae Botryococcus braunii race A, coupled with high-resolution magic-angle-spinning (HR-MAS) NMR spectroscopy of the algaenan from this alga, it has been possible to advance the structural understanding of this geochemically important biopolymer. It was found that the hexane insoluble botryals in this study constitute a mixture of low molecular weight unsaturated aliphatic aldehydes and unsaturated hydrocarbons with an average chain length of about 40 carbons. Exact assignments were provided for many of the structural units present and describe the average constitution of the mixture as a whole. Reticulation of the low molecular weight chains via acetal and ester links explains the primary make up of algaenan. In this study, it is concluded that the algaenan results from the reticulation of low molecular weight hexane insoluble botryal species rather than the polyaldehyde as previously observed in studies of algae at alternate stages of their growth cycle.
ARTERIAL BLOOD GASES AFTER ATROPINE SULPHATE IN HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS

Abstract The effects of atropine 0.6 mg. intravenously administered to ten healthy volunteers in recumbent position, on arterial pH, P a CO 2 , and P a O 2 were determined; there were no significant alterations of blood gas values after atropine administration. There seems to be no contraindication to the use of atropine sulphate for premedication in terms of its effect upon arterial blood-gases, in patients with normal cardiorespiratory function.
Vortex-induced Vibration of Bridge Decks: Volterra Series-Based Model

AbstractA brief overview of vortex-induced vibration (VIV) of bridge decks is presented, highlighting special VIV features concerning bridge decks. A popular VIV model (Van der Pol–type model) for bridge decks is examined in detail. Alternatively, a truncated Volterra series–based nonlinear oscillator is introduced to model the VIV system. Typical features of VIV such as the limit cycle oscillation (LCO), frequency shift, hysteresis, and beat phenomenon are parsimoniously and accurately captured in the proposed nonlinear model. As a functional expansion of a nonlinear system, the Volterra series is convenient for estimating the linear and nonlinear contributions to VIV. It is demonstrated that the relative contribution of nonlinear effects in VIV is around 50% of the total response for a range of bridge cross sections. The efficacy of the Volterra series as a reduced-order model (ROM) in capturing aerodynamic nonlinearities eliminates the need for reliance on conventional phenomenological models as it pro...
Phosphorylation and Methylation of Proteasomal Proteins of the Haloarcheon Haloferax volcanii

Proteasomes are composed of 20S core particles (CPs) of <path id="x1D6FC" d="M545 106q-67 -118 -134 -118q-24 0 -40 37.5t-30 129.5h-2q-47 -72 -103 -119.5t-108 -47.5q-47 0 -76 45.5t-29 119.5q0 113 85 204t174 91q47 0 70 -33.5t43 -119.5h3q32 47 80 140l55 13l10 -9q-47 -80 -138 -201q17 -99 27.5 -136t22.5 -37q23 0 69 61zM333 204 q-14 98 -31 149.5t-50 51.5q-49 0 -94 -70t-45 -164q0 -55 15.5 -86t40.5 -31q70 0 164 150z" /> - and <path id="x1D6FD" d="M558 587q0 -32 -14 -61t-40 -53.5t-48.5 -41t-54.5 -36.5q144 -51 144 -174q0 -55 -43.5 -108t-104.5 -87q-77 -42 -131 -42q-31 0 -54 20t-31 47l11 18q48 -29 108 -29q79 0 119.5 43t40.5 109t-44.5 107.5t-119.5 50.5l22 47q34 1 65 21q96 61 96 157q0 42 -24 67.5 t-62 25.5q-24 0 -43.5 -9t-35 -29.5t-27 -44t-22.5 -63t-19.5 -75.5t-18.5 -91q-57 -294 -68 -380q-26 -190 -35 -200q-26 -31 -97 -37l-4 26q19 9 48 170l77 413q23 121 52.5 187.5t83.5 114.5q70 62 148 62q51 0 88.5 -34t37.5 -91z" /> -type subunits that associate with regulatory particle AAA ATPases such as the proteasome-activating nucleotidase (PAN) complexes of archaea. In this study, the roles and additional sites of post-translational modification of proteasomes were investigated using the archaeon Haloferax volcanii as a model. Indicative of phosphorylation, phosphatase-sensitive isoforms of and were detected by 2-DE immunoblot. To map these and other potential sites of post-translational modification, proteasomes were purified and analyzed by tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). Using this approach, several phosphosites were mapped including Thr147, 2 Thr13/Ser14 and PAN-A Ser340. Multiple methylation sites were also mapped to , thus, revealing a new type of proteasomal modification. Probing the biological role of and PAN-A phosphorylation by site-directed mutagenesis revealed dominant negative phenotypes for cell viability and/or pigmentation for variants including Thr147Ala, Thr158Ala and Ser58Ala. An H. volcanii Rio1p Ser/Thr kinase homolog was purified and shown to catalyze autophosphorylation and phosphotransfer to . The variants in Thr and Ser residues that displayed dominant negative phenotypes were significantly reduced in their ability to accept phosphoryl groups from Rio1p, thus, providing an important link between cell physiology and proteasomal phosphorylation.
On Use of the Variable Connectivity Index 1χf in QSAR: Toxicity of Aliphatic Ethers

The number of non-hydrogen atoms in a molecule, N, appears as a very good molecular descriptor for the toxicity of aliphatic ethers, despite the fact that it does not differentiate among isomers. T...
Day‐to‐day variability of the E layer

[1] Noontime day-to-day variability of ionosonde and incoherent scatter radar (ISR) measurements of the E layer are analyzed for two time periods: 9-27 March 1999 and 4 October-4 November 2002. E layer variability is found to be between 5 and 7% at midlatitudes for these periods. Polar latitudes demonstrate variability ranging from ∼7 to 50%, resulting primarily from a combination of photochemical and auroral processes. In order to understand the relative importance of the various sources that drive the variability in the E layer, a one-dimensional time-dependent photochemical model of the Earth's upper atmosphere is developed. The model is able to reproduce E layer electron density and variability for both time periods at a number of mid- and low-latitude stations. It is shown that E layer variability is dominated by variations in the incident solar flux for mid- and low-latitude stations, while auroral ionization processes are estimated to contribute roughly 30% of the total variability observed at polar stations. Changes in the solar declination over the time periods studied are responsible for a secondary source of E layer variability at midlatitudes and for a primary source at high latitudes. Day-to-day changes in neutral atmosphere species (including observed NO densities) contribute the least to overall E layer variations, except at low latitudes, where their contribution to variability is comparable to variability induced by changes in solar declination.
Gas Liquid Transport By Acoustic Levitation Of Single Drops In A Horizontal Wind Tunnel

We have built what we believe is the first instrument which acoustically levitates liquid drops surrounded by a continuously flowing gas stream. Drops 0.2 to 2.0mm in diameter have been levitated for periods of time up to hours in the working section of a horizontal wind tunnel. Air speeds of 25-300 cm/sec, corresponding to Reynolds numbers from 3 to 250, do not blow the drop out of the trap. Evaporation data from neat liquids indicate that the sound field has negligible effect on drop evaporation. We have observed phase separation in the evaporation of two partially miscible liquids. We have also seen evaporation stopped by the formation of a surface monolayer. Laser fluorescence from room temperature solutions is being investigated as a means of monitoring the transport of trace species between the gas and liquid phases.
Fatal misconception: The struggle to control world population

Fatal misconception: The struggle to control world population, by Matthew Connelly, Cambridge, MA and London, The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2008, xiv+521 pp., US$35.00 (hardcover),...
Computer Mediated Transactions

Every now and then a set of technologies becomes available that sets off a period of “combinatorial innovation.” Think of standardized mechanical parts in the 1800s, the gasoline engine in the early 1900s, electronics in the 1920s, integrated circuits in the 1970s, and the internet in the last decade or so. The component parts of these technologies can be combined and recombined by innovators to create new devices and applications. Since these innovators are working in parallel with similar components, it is common to see simultaneous invention. There are many well-known examples, such as the electric light, the airplane, the automobile, and the telephone. Many scholars have described such periods of innovation, using terms such as “recombinant growth,” “general purpose technologies,” “cumulative synthesis” and “clusters of innovation.” The internet and the web are wonderful examples of combinatorial innovation. In the last 15 years we have seen a huge proliferation of web applications, all built from a basic set of component technologies. The internet itself was a rather unlikely innovation; I like to describe it as a “lab experiment that got loose.” Since the internet arose from the research community rather than the private sector, it had no obvious business model. Other public computer networks, such as AOL, CompuServe, and Minitel, generally used a subscription models, but were centrally controlled and offered little scope for innovation at the user level. The internet won out over these alternatives, precisely because it offered a flexible set of component technologies which encouraged combinatorial innovation.
Imaging Trans-Cellular Neurexin-Neuroligin Interactions by Enzymatic Probe Ligation

Neurexin and neuroligin are transmembrane adhesion proteins that play an important role in organizing the neuronal synaptic cleft. Our lab previously reported a method for imaging the trans-synaptic binding of neurexin and neuroligin called BLINC (Biotin Labeling of INtercellular Contacts). In BLINC, biotin ligase (BirA) is fused to one protein while its 15-amino acid acceptor peptide substrate (AP) is fused to the binding partner. When the two fusion proteins interact across cellular junctions, BirA catalyzes the site-specific biotinylation of AP, which can be read out by staining with streptavidin-fluorophore conjugates. Here, we report that BLINC in neurons cannot be reproduced using the reporter constructs and labeling protocol previously described. We uncover the technical reasons for the lack of reproducibilty and then re-design the BLINC reporters and labeling protocol to achieve neurexin-neuroligin BLINC imaging in neuron cultures. In addition, we introduce a new method, based on lipoic acid ligase instead of biotin ligase, to image trans-cellular neurexin-neuroligin interactions in human embryonic kidney cells and in neuron cultures. This method, called ID-PRIME for Interaction-Dependent PRobe Incorporation Mediated by Enzymes, is more robust than BLINC due to higher surface expression of lipoic acid ligase fusion constructs, gives stronger and more localized labeling, and is more versatile than BLINC in terms of signal readout. ID-PRIME expands the toolkit of methods available to study trans-cellular protein-protein interactions in living systems.
Prognostic Factors for Sexual Dysfunction among Endometrial Cancer Patients Treated with Simple Hysterectomy and Adjuvant Intravaginal Radiation Therapy

Materials/Methods: Twelve gynecologic cancer patients who were treated by pelvic radiotherapy with or without concurrent chemotherapy were enrolled in this study. Plasma markers of oxidative stress such as glutathione (GSH), oxidized glutathione (GSSG) and total antioxidant capacity, and plasma endotoxin levels were measured weekly during treatment. Subjective symptoms were assessed using EORTC-QLQ-c30 at the baseline and 5 week of radiotherapy.
Reamer Irrigator Aspirator: A New Technique for Bone Graft Harvesting from the Intramedullary Canal

The reamer irrigator aspirator is a new technique to harvest bone graft from the intramedullary canal of the femur or the tibia. The device allows harvest of large volumes of canellous bone. This article describes the technique in detail and refers to tips and tricks in the use of it. Possible side effects are discussed as well.
Defect dependence of positron lifetimes in oxide superconductors

First principles calculations of the positron lifetimes are used to interpret experimental lifetime data for Ba{sub 1-x}K{sub x}BiO{sub 3}. The observed lifetimes are found to be very sensitive to the presence of defects in the sample. The temperature dependence of the lifetime and the change in lifetime with sample aging are both attributed to defects. The qualitative differences between metal vacancy defects and oxygen vacancy defects in metal oxides are also discussed. 6 refs., 2 figs.
Rotational spectra of weakly interacting Bose-Einstein condensates

We study the spectrum of rotating Bose-Einstein condensates in the limit of weak repulsive interactions and present analytical and numerical results for energies and wave functions. While the low-lying states are of collective nature, the high-lying states are dominated by single-particle excitations and can be accurately approximated by simple polynomial expressions. In the limit that the number of particles is large compared to the number of excited quanta, the single-particle states become excellent approximations to the eigenstates, and a rather simple ordering scheme is obtained.
Effects of chronic ethanol administration on poly-phosphoinositide metabolism in the mouse brain : variance with age

Using a procedure in which poly-phosphoinositides (poly-PI) in C57B1 mouse brain were labeled with [32P]Pi or [32P]ATP, the effects of chronic ethanol administration and age on metabolism of these anionic phospholipids were examined. Within 4 h after intracerebral injection, both labeled precursors were effectively incorporated into membrane phospholipids with high proportions of labeling among phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate. With few exceptions, the phospholipid labeling patterns in different brain regions, e.g. cortex, hippocampus and hypothalamus, were similar. However, when the brain homogenate was subjected to differential and sucrose-Ficoll gradient centrifugation, different phospholipid labeling patterns were observed in the subcellular membrane fractions. Young adult mice given an ethanol (5% w/v) liquid diet for 2 months showed an increase in the levels of labeled phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate, phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate and phosphatidylserine in the cortex and hippocampus as compared to the pair-fed controls, but these changes were not observed in the hypothalamus. In another study, 12- and 26-month-old mice were administered either an ethanol (8 g/kg in two doses daily) or a control diet by gavage for 3 weeks. The 12-month-old group given the ethanol diet showed an increase in labeled poly-PI which was found largely in the synaptosomal fraction. Surprisingly, the 26-month-old mice given the same ethanol paradigm showed a decrease in labeled poly-PI. Consistent with our previous observations, the 26-month-old mice showed a higher proportion of labeled poly-PI in the synaptosomal fraction as compared to the younger age group. Taken together, these results suggest that chronic ethanol administration could result in an increase in biosynthesis of poly-PI in adult mice but aged mice showed a different response to the effect of ethanol.
THE EMPLOYMENT OF A STUDENT FLOW COMPUTER SIMULATION MODEL IN EVALUATING THE FEASIBILITY OF AN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

The article presents the development of a computer simulation model that was used in evaluating the feasibility of proposed curricular changes in a school of education. A discussion of the educational setting and the changes proposed is followed by a presentation of the simulation model. Each component of the model is examined and related to the proposed educational system. Present limitations of the model and future directions are probed. An appendix focuses specifically on construction of the Fortran computer program used in the simulation.
Stimulation of Prostaglandin Accumulation by Luteinizing Hormone-Releasing Hormone (LHRH) and LHRH Analogs in Rat Granulosa Cells in Vitro*

LHRH and LHRH agonists have been reported to exhibit somewhat paradoxical antireproductive effects. The current studies were undertaken to examine the actions of these substances on one parameter of ovarian function which is required for ovulation, i.e. prostaglandin production. Granulosa cells were obtained from immature rats 48 h after injection of 20 IU PMSG and incubated for up to 5 h in vitro. LHRH, [D-Ala6, des-Gly-NH210]LHRH-ethylamide (Analog I) and [D-Leu6, des-Gly-NH210]LHRH-ethylamide (Analog II) were observed to stimulate prostaglandin accumulation by granulosa cells. Analog I, for example, at 100 ng/ml increased PGE from 0.19 ± 0.06 in the control to 7.7 ± 2.01 ng/2 × 106 cells (n = 7; P < 0.01) after 5 h. TRH, on the other hand, had no effect on prostaglandin accumulation. When added with LH or FSH, the stimulation by maximal concentrations of Analog I and the gonadotropins appeared additive. Although the stimulation of prostaglandin accumulation by LH appears to be mediated by cAMP, no effe...
If Looks Could Kill: The Impact of Different Rhetorical Styles on Persuasive Geocommunication

AbstractThis study analyses the impact that different rhetorical styles have on reader trust in, fondness for and memory of maps showing the same exact data. Previous research has identified four unique rhetorical styles used on maps meant to persuade an audience. Four maps of a hypothetical nuclear meltdown in the USA using embellished radiation data were produced, each following the design guidelines of one of the four rhetorical styles. An online survey was created testing: (1) map readers’ inclination to believe the data being shown on the four maps; (2) the impact the representations had on personal views regarding nuclear power; (3) map reader trust in the maps; (4) fondness for the maps; and (5) memorability of the maps (i.e. how likely a map would be recalled). The results indicate that different map rhetorical styles result in different levels of opinion change, trust in the data and confidence in answering questions about the data. Designing convincing arguments with maps requires more than lyin...
Hanging valleys in fluvial systems: Controls on occurrence and implications for landscape evolution

[1] We document and characterize hanging valleys in a fluvially eroded landscape in eastern Taiwan. Our conceptual model for the initiation of hanging valleys builds on a recently proposed model of bedrock incision in which erosion actually becomes less efficient on very steep channel gradients. If a pulse of incision in the main stem outpaces the tributary response, the gradients at tributary mouths may therefore pass a threshold value beyond which erosional efficiency declines, giving rise to a mismatch between trunk and tributary erosion rates. This mismatch is expected at junctions with small tributaries, where a step function decrease in drainage area also leads to sharp contrasts in water and sediment flux between trunk and tributary channels. The occurrence of hanging valleys in actively uplifting fluvial landscapes such as the Central Range of Taiwan suggests that the most common parameterizations of bedrock erosion, which typically assume a monotonic positive correlation between channel gradient and incision rate, may be violated in very steep channels. In addition, hanging valleys could greatly increase the response time of landscapes to tectonic perturbations since catchments above these tributary mouths will be insulated from these perturbations until a new suite of processes (e.g., weathering and rock mass failure) wear through the hanging valley lip. The results of this study underscore the need for a more complete understanding of bedrock erosion processes and the incorporation of process transitions and threshold conditions into landscape evolution models.
Development of a versatile enrichment analysis tool reveals associations between the maternal brain and mental health disorders, including autism

Background A recent study of lateral septum (LS) suggested a large number of autism-related genes with altered expression in the postpartum state. However, formally testing the findings for enrichment of autism-associated genes proved to be problematic with existing software. Many gene-disease association databases have been curated which are not currently incorporated in popular, full-featured enrichment tools, and the use of custom gene lists in these programs can be difficult to perform and interpret. As a simple alternative, we have developed the Modular Single-set Enrichment Test (MSET), a minimal tool that enables one to easily evaluate expression data for enrichment of any conceivable gene list of interest.
Brain-gut connections in functional GI disorders: anatomic and physiologic relationships.

Abstract Understanding the neural regulation of gut function and sensation makes it easier to understand the interrelatedness of emotionality, symptom-attentive behavior or hypervigilance, gut function and pain. The gut and the brain are highly integrated and communicate in a bidirectional fashion largely through the ANS and HPA axis. Within the CNS, the locus of gut control is chiefly within the limbic system, a region of the mammalian brain responsible for both the internal and external homeostasis of the organism. The limbic system also plays a central role in emotionality, which is a nonverbal system that facilitates survival and threat avoidance, social interaction and learning. The generation of emotion and associated physiologic changes are the work of the limbic system and, from a neuroanatomic perspective, the ‘mind-body interaction’ may largely arise in this region. Finally, the limbic system is also involved in the ‘top down’ modulation of visceral pain transmission as well as visceral perception. A better understanding of the interactions of the CNS, ENS and enteric immune system will significantly improve our understanding of ‘functional’ disorders and allow for a more pathophysiologic definition of categories of patients currently lumped under the broad umbrella of FGID.
Necessary Conditions for the CAPM

Abstract The general restrictions on all economic primitives (i.e., (a) endowments, (b) preferences, and (c) asset return distributions) that yield the CAPM under the expected utility paradigm are provided. These results are then used to derive the class of restrictions on preferences and the distribution of asset returns alone that provides the CAPM. We also show that the conditions that provide the CAPM and derived preferences over mean and variance are equivalent. Consequently, this paper also resolves the question of when mean–variance maximization is consistent with expected utility maximization.Journal of Economic LiteratureClassification Numbers: G12, G11, D50.
Multisensory systems integration for high-performance motor control in flies.

Engineered tracking systems ‘fuse’ data from disparate sensor platforms, such as radar and video, to synthesize information that is more reliable than any single input. The mammalian brain registers visual and auditory inputs to directionally localize an interesting environmental feature. For a fly, sensory perception is challenged by the extreme performance demands of high speed flight. Yet even a fruit fly can robustly track a fragmented odor plume through varying visual environments, outperforming any human engineered robot. Flies integrate disparate modalities, such as vision and olfaction, which are neither related by spatiotemporal spectra nor processed by registered neural tissue maps. Thus, the fly is motivating new conceptual frameworks for how low-level multisensory circuits and functional algorithms produce high-performance motor control.