cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pavlov's physiology factory.

The author examines the forces and relations of production in Pavlov's laboratory at the Imperial Institute of Experimental Medicine during the first phase of its operation (1891-1904). As in any production site, the forces of production included its physical plant and technologies, its workforce (with its skills), and management's ideas about what constituted good products and how best to produce them. In Pavlov's laboratory, these included a physical plant adapted for physiological surgery and "chronic experiments," dog-technologies and experimental practices created in accordance with Pavlov's Bernardian vision of physiology, and a workforce dominated by physicians untrained in physiology who were seeking quick doctoral degrees. The relations of production featured an authoritarian structure and cooperative ethos that allowed Pavlov to use coworkers as extensions of his sensory reach, while enabling him constantly to monitor the work process, to control the "interpretive moments" in experiments, to inc...
Stable growth rates and temperature programming in flux growth

Abstract Theoretical and experimental evidence is presented to demonstrate that the maximum stable growth rate of crystals growing from slowly cooled solutions must decrease as the crystal size increases and the solute concentration decreases. Temperature programs derived for a constant linear growth rate are therefore unlikely to result in the growth of high-quality crystals. A cooling program based on the theoretical maximum stable growth rate is calculated, and it is shown that a constant cooling rate should give stable growth except in the early stage following spontaneous nucleation. Practical procedures are suggested for the growth of large crystals of good quality by slow cooling of high-temperature solutions.
Proposed Changes to the SI: A Glimpse into the Future

Recent proposals to fundamentally change the international system of units (SI) have generated considerable debate and are now being seriously considered by international committees. These proposals have a common theme—to exactly fix the values of a set of fundamental physical constants and to then base the SI units with respect to these invariant constants. This article will summarize the proposed changes and outline how national standards institutes would typically realize the SI units within the new system. The expected benefits and drawbacks of these changes will be summarized as they pertain to measurement science and fundamental constants. The official positions of different metrological communities as well as possible time schedules and the approval process that must be followed to implement such changes to the SI will be outlined.
Veteran Status and Marital Aggression: Does Military Service Make a Difference?

Previous research has demonstrated that rates of domestic violence are higher among couples where at least one person is on active duty. What is unclear is whether or not the propensity to engage in domestic violence remains after an individual has left the military and entered into veteran status. The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate whether or not veteran status will increase an individual’s tendency to engage in acts of domestic violence. Through the use of cultural spillover theory, the argument can be made that the effects of military resocialization will persist even after separation from active duty service, and that veteran status will contribute to domestic violence in a marriage. Analysis of the National Survey of Families and Households Wave I dataset allowed for a comparison of the rates of domestic violence among veterans and non-veterans to see if veterans are more likely to engage in domestic violence, net of combat exposure, relationship stressors and other statistical controls. The data reveal that male veterans are in fact less likely to engage in an episode of domestic violence as compared to civilians with no previous military experience; however, once other factors are accounted for, this relationship becomes nonsignificant.
Effect of mirror microroughness scattering on the Hubble Space Telescope point spread function

The effect of internal light scattering caused by the microroughness of the Hubble Space Telescope primary mirror was measured and compared with theoretical models. It was found that the effect was much smaller than predicted and would not be a problem even in the UV.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Limitations of science and adapting to Nature

Historically, science has pursued a premise that Nature can be understood fully, its future predicted precisely, and its behavior controlled at will. However, emerging knowledge indicates that the nature of Earth and biological systems transcends the limits of science, questioning the premise of knowing, prediction, and control. This knowledge has led to the recognition that, for civilized human survival, technological society has to adapt to the constraints of these systems. Simultaneously, spurred by explosive developments in the understanding of materials (non-biological and biological), applied scientific research pursues a contrary goal of controlling the material world, with the promise of spectacular economic growth and human well-being. If adaptation to Nature is so important, why does applied research pursue a contrary course? Adapting to Nature requires a recognition of the limitations of science, and espousal of human values. Although the concept of adapting to Nature is accepted by some, especially conservation ecologists, such an acceptance may not exist in other fields. Also, in a world dominated by democratic ideals of freedom and liberty, the discipline required for adapting to Nature may often be overridden by competition among various segments of society to exercise their respective rights. In extreme cases of catastrophic failure of Earth or biological systems, the imperative for adaptation may fall victim to instinct for survival. In essence, although adequate scientific know-how and technological competence exists to facilitate adaptation to Nature, choosing between that and the pursuit of controlling Nature entails human judgment. What that choice may be when humans have to survive under severe environmental stress cannot be predicted.
3-(4-Aminobutyn-1-yl)pyridines: binding at α4β2 nicotinic cholinergic receptors

The binding of a series pyridylbutynylamines 6 was examined at alpha4beta2 nACh receptors. Structural modifications, comparing 6 with pyridyl ethers 2, did not consistently result in parallel effects on receptor affinity, suggesting possible differences in their modes of binding. Furthermore, the binding of amine 6a seemed to be accounted for by the newer vector pharmacophore models.
Mechanosensitive behavior of bacterial cyclic nucleotide gated (bCNG) ion channels: Insights into the mechanism of channel gating in the mechanosensitive channel of small conductance superfamily

We have recently identified and characterized the bacterial cyclic nucleotide gated (bCNG) subfamily of the larger mechanosensitive channel of small conductance (MscS) superfamily of ion channels. The channel domain of bCNG channels exhibits significant sequence homology to the mechanosensitive subfamily of MscS in the regions that have previously been used as a hallmark for channels that gate in response to mechanical stress. However, we have previously demonstrated that three of these channels are unable to rescue Escherichiacoli from osmotic downshock. Here, we examine an additional nine bCNG homologues and further demonstrate that the full-length bCNG channels are unable to rescue E. coli from hypoosmotic stress. However, limited mechanosensation is restored upon removal of the cyclic nucleotide binding domain. This indicates that the C-terminal domain of the MscS superfamily can drive channel gating and further highlight the ability of a superfamily of ion channels to be gated by multiple stimuli.
“we must follow the Fore”: pig husbandry intensification and ritual diffusion among the Irakia Awa, Papua New Guinea

Pig husbandry intensification is part of the Irakia Awa response to problems engendered not by population growth, but by changes in the regional political economy under colonialism. Restructured political relations and expansion of the market economy have led to an acceleration of intergroup exchange activities and increased demands by affines and exchange partners for transactions in money and pigs, changes that threaten the prestige and economic well-being of Irakians. After careful consideration of possible remedial actions, Irakian clan members decided to adopt the more intensive pig husbandry and ritual practices of neighboring Fore peoples and to compete with each other in an effort to raise more pigs for exchange. Initial results show that while the village herd size was increased by 29 percent in 12 months, the several Irakian clans experienced varied degrees of success. Also, expansion of the village herd created new social problems that required additional adjustments in the community life-style. The responses of the Irakia Awa illustrate the complex social processes involved in the intensification of local production systems. [pig husbandry, production intensification, social change, Papua New Guinea]
Prevalence variations in psychotropic treatment of children

ABSTRACT This study was undertaken to clarify several aspects of the estimation of prevalence of three commonly use pediatric psychotropic agents, namely, methylphenidate, desipramine, and imipramine. The study aims are threefold: (1) to show the variability of drug prevalence by comparing estimates from three data sources; (2) to show the misleading impression that can be created by reporting drug prevalence estimates based on counts of prescriptions rather than persons; (3) to show the utility of gender-by-age–specific prevalence of drug use as a marker for diagnosis. Two data sources that yield population-based prescription estimates were available: 1991 Medicaid administrative claims data for prescriptions from a mid-Atlantic state and 1991 prescription records of the northwest region of Kaiser Permanente, a staff-model health maintenance organization (HMO). Another source of data consists of the 1991 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, which records medication information reported during physici...
The role of laparoscopy in the diagnosis and treatment of abdominal pain syndromes.

Background: Diagnostic laparoscopy plays a significant role in the evaluation of acute and chronic abdominal pain in the era of therapeutic laparoscopic surgery. Methods: We referred to our personal series of laparoscopy for both acute and chronic abdominal pain. This is a retrospective review of data accumulated prospectively between 1979 and the present. Results: In our series, 387 consecutive patients underwent laparoscopy because of abdominal pain. In a group of 121 patients with acute abdominal pain, a definitive diagnosis was made in 119 cases (98%). Two patients needed laparotomy to confirm the diagnosis; both had a disease process that did not require laparotomy to treat. A definitive therapeutic laparoscopic procedure was performed in 53 cases 944%). In 45 patients (38%), a diagnosis was made that did not require therapeutic laparoscopy or laparotomy to treat. In the remaining 21 patients (17.5%), exploratory laparotomy was needed to treat the condition. In a chronic abdominal pain group of 265 patients, the etiology was established laparoscopically in 201 cases (76%). A definitive therapeutic laparoscopic procedure was performed in 128 patients (48%). There was a normal laparoscopic examination in 64 patients (24%). There was one false negative laparoscopy that required laparotomy to treat 1 month later. Conclusions: Laparoscopy is an accurate modality for the diagnosis of both acute and chronic abdominal pain syndromes. These data support the use of laparoscopy as the primary invasive intervention in patients with acute and chronic abdominal pain.
Multi-sided macro-element spaces based on Clough--Tocher triangle splits with applications to hole filling

C^r macro-element spaces are constructed on polygonal domains with an arbitrary number of sides. The spaces consist of polynomial supersplines defined on triangulations which have been partially refined with Clough-Tocher splits. In addition to giving dimension formulae, minimal determining sets, and nodal bases, we derive error bounds for the corresponding Hermite interpolation operators. A number of examples are presented to show how the spaces can be used to fill n-sided holes.
EVALUATION OF THE SYSTEM-WIDE EFFECTS OF ONLINE ESTIMATION METHODS ON FEEDBACK-BASED COORDINATED RAMP METERING STRATEGY

Abstract The critical density of a freeway link is subject to changes over time owing to such circumstances as environmental conditions (snow, rain, etc.) and traffic incidents. The critical density affects the performance of some ramp metering strategies that make use of it as a threshold value for control action; therefore, it is imperative to trace the real value of the critical density. The focus of this paper is to evaluate the effects of the novel online critical density estimation methods proposed by Ozbay et al. (2006) on the performance of the two new feedback-based coordinated ramp metering strategies, namely C-MIXCROS and D-MIXCROS (Kachroo and Ozbay 2003), which explicitly consider ramp queues using microscopic simulation models on an 11-mile corridor of I-295 in South Jersey under various demand conditions.
Military Applications Of Coherent Infrared Radar

Electro-optical and radar technologies are being merged in the form of coherent infrared radars. In this paper we discuss the potential military applications of these devices. We begin by reviewing the factors favoring coherent infrared radars over alternatives such as conventional radars or electro-optical sensors. These include increased resolution, adequate weather penetration, and signature stability. Next we outline the military applications of existing sensors and indicate those applications where coherent infrared radars offer the potential of improved performance. Finally, the state-of-the-art in coherent infrared radar technology is indicated by a brief summary of several current development programs.
When a Fear Appeal Isn't Just a Fear Appeal: The Effects of Graphic Anti-tobacco Messages

The current study experimentally tested two types of message attributes commonly used in anti-tobacco television ads—content that focuses on a health threat about tobacco use (fear), and content that contains disgust-related images (disgust)—for how they impact viewers' cognitive processing of the message. The results suggest that the impact of disgust content in anti-tobacco television ads on cognitive resources available for encoding the messages and on recognition memory varies according to whether or not the message is a fear appeal. The presence of disgust-related images led to slower secondary task reaction times (STRTs) and better audio recognition for low fear messages. The presence of disgust related images did not significantly affect STRTs and led to worse audio recognition for high fear messages. These results are interpreted in light of Lang's Limited Capacity Model of Motivated Message Processing, and recommendations about message construction are offered to health campaign designers.
The C3 Framework: Evaluating Classroom Response System Interactions in University Classrooms

The larger the classroom, the more likely is it that communications consist of a one-way flow from the instructor to students. Classroom Response Systems (CRSs) are frequently hailed as technologies capable of improving communications by opening the space for dialogic engagement; yet, a causal relationship is not documented in the literature. The data reported on here stem from a mixed methodology study and provide insights into motivations for CRS use and enacted CRS use across disciplines, as well as student and instructor perceptions of the tool’s effects on teaching and learning. From these data emerged a framework of interaction (the C3 Framework) that situates CRS use from both the instructors’ and learners’ perspectives. The framework consists of an interdependent relationship between Concerns, Centeredness, and Control of discourse. Although this study took place in university classrooms, the C3 Framework presented here applies across educational settings.
Marital satisfaction and topographical assessment of marital interaction: A longitudinal analysis of newlywed couples.

Despite numerous tests of social learning hypotheses relating to marriage, important questions remain concerning how best to quantify behavior displayed in marital interaction. In the present study, 60 newlywed couples reported their marital satisfaction, engaged in a 15-minute problem-solving discussion, and reported their marital satisfaction again 6 and 12 months later. The interactions were microanalytically coded, the codes were assigned a numeric value, and each spouse's cumulative point totals were plotted as a function of time in the interaction. This was done separately for all 60 couples. Graphs were divided into groups based on the topography of the graphically represented interactions. These groups differed cross-sectionally and longitudinally in their level of marital satisfaction. Couples tended to have lower satisfaction scores when their initial interactions were characterized with behavioral parity between the spouses at the beginning of a discussion, changing to asymmetrical patterns of behavior later in the conversation. This method was found to be more predictive of marital satisfaction than were standard methods of assessing dyadic interaction (i.e., base rates of behavior and sequential analysis). Implications of these data for understanding how interactions relate to the course of newlywed marriage are discussed.
On the Assignment of Anomeric Configuration

One of the diversities of carbohydrate structure lies in their ability to form different anomers from the monosaccharide unit. Unfortunately, the question of assignment of anomers has not been dealt with properly or accurately in most organic and biochemical textbooks and reference books. In this article, the question of assignment of anomers is examined from several different standpoints and an easy solution for this tricky problem is suggested.
Toxicity of Chloride Under Winter Low-Flow Conditions in an Urban Watershed in Central Missouri, USA

Deicers such as sodium chloride and calcium chloride are used to treat snow and ice on road surfaces and have been identified as potential stressors on aquatic life. Hinkson Creek is an urban stream on the Missouri 303(d) list of impaired waters and is classified as impaired due to urban non-point source pollution. A 7-day toxicity test using Ceriodaphnia dubia was conducted to assess the toxicity of stream water during snowmelt at seven sites within the Hinkson Creek watershed. Chloride concentrations at two sites (Site 6, 1252 mg Cl/L; Site 4, 301 mg Cl/L) exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency chronic criterion (230 mg Cl/L). Survival (30 %) and total reproduction (6.9 young/adult) of C. dubia at Site 6 was significantly lower than survival (100 %) and total reproduction (30.4 young/adult) at Site 1 (reference site). Results indicate that chloride concentrations are elevated above water-quality criteria and that chloride may be a significant chemical stressor for macroinvertebrate communities during winter low-flow conditions in the Hinkson Creek watershed.
Empirical likelihood inference for the accelerated failure time model

Accelerated failure time (AFT) models are useful regression tools for studying the association between a survival time and covariates. Semiparametric inference procedures have been proposed in an extensive literature. Among these, use of an estimating equation which is monotone in the regression parameter and has some excellent properties was proposed by Fygenson and Ritov (1994). However, there is a serious under-coverage problem for small sample sizes. In this paper, we derive the limiting distribution of the empirical log-likelihood ratio for the regression parameter on the basis of the monotone estimating equations. Furthermore, the empirical likelihood (EL) confidence intervals/regions for the regression parameter are obtained. We conduct a simulation study in order to compare the proposed EL method with the normal approximation method. The simulation results suggest that the empirical likelihood based method outperforms the normal approximation based method in terms of coverage probability. Thus, the proposed EL method overcomes the under-coverage problem of the normal approximation method.
Nanoholes with Defects Fabricated by Focused Ion Beam Milling

Subwavelength nanohole arrays have been thoroughly studied for years. However, investigations on nanoholes with defects are seldom reported. Here, we study the optical properties of nanohole arrays with different defects which are fabricated by focused ion beam lithography. Finite difference time domain simulations are also performed to verify the experimental results. Our approach may find extensive applications in sensing and optical waveguiding.
Agents that stimulate phosphoinositide turnover also elevate cAMP in SK-N-SH human neuroblastoma cells.

Abstract Stimulation of m1 and of m3 muscarinic receptors has previously been shown to increase intracellular cAMP levels in a variety of cells. Although the mechanism underlying this response is not fully understood, it has been hypothesized to be secondary to the IP 3 -mediated rise in intracellular calcium. In order to determine whether other means of elevating intracellular calcium also raise cAMP levels, we stimulated SK-N-SH human neuroblastoma cells with bradykinin or with maitoxin. Both of these agents stimulated phospholipase C, stimulated inositol phosphate release and elevated cAMP levels, thus demonstrating that this cAMP response is not unique to muscarinic receptor stimulation.
Use of coherent arrays for optical astronomy in space

We discuss the feasibility of a coherent optical telescope array, operated as a free-flying satellite, and capable of observing faint astronomical sources with very high angular resolution. In many ways, the coherent optical telescope array is directly analogous to the large radio astronomy arrays and very long baseline interferometers. A prototype instrument is discussed in detail, comprising four mirrors on a 10-meter baseline. This instrument could operate from the UV to the near-IR with one-dimensional resolution of 0.006 arc sec in the visible and achieve a faint object limit of about +25m in the visual. The field of view would be about 3 arc sec. In this article, we identify the principal technical problems associated with telescope arrays for astronomical observing and address certain of them. There is a long list of astronomical objects which could profitably be studied with milli-arc-sec resolution. Certainly one would include Seyfert nuclei, quasars, globular clusters, x-ray binaries, recent novae, binary stars, individual stars, asteroids, and planetary satellites. The ability to quickly produce an image, and to go to very faint objects, ensures that nearly all areas of astronomy will benefit from such an instrument.© (1979) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Actuators Using Piezoelectric Stacks and Displacement Enhancers

Actuators are used to drive all active mechanisms including machines, robots, and manipulators to name a few. The actuators are responsible for moving, manipulating, displacing, pushing and executing any action that is needed by the mechanism. There are many types and principles of actuation that are responsible for these movements ranging from electromagnetic, electroactive, thermo-mechanic, piezoelectric, electrostrictive etc. Actuators are readily available from commercial producers but there is a great need for reducing their size, increasing their efficiency and reducing their weight. Studies at JPL’s Non Destructive Evaluation and Advanced Actuators (NDEAA) Laboratory have been focused on the use of piezoelectric stacks and novel designs taking advantage of piezoelectric’s potential to provide high torque/force density actuation and high electromechanical conversion efficiency. The actuators/motors that have been developed and reviewed in this paper are operated by various horn configurations as well as the use of pre-stress flexures that make them thermally stable and increases their coupling efficiency. The use of monolithic designs that pre-stress the piezoelectric stack eliminates the use of compression stress bolt. These designs enable the embedding of developed solid-state motors/actuators in any structure with the only macroscopically moving parts are the rotor or the linear translator. Finite element modeling and design tools were used to determine the requirements and operation parameters and the results were used to simulate, design and fabricate novel actuators/motors. The developed actuators and performance will be described and discussed in this paper.
Biomechanical regulation of mesenchymal cell function.

Purpose of reviewCells of mesenchymal origin are strongly influenced by their biomechanical environment. They also help to shape tissue architecture and reciprocally influence tissue mechanical environments through their capacity to deposit, remodel, and resorb extracellular matrix and to promote ti
Relaxation method for facilitated transport

Abstract When facilitated transport involves a multiplicity of reactions, permeants and integral constraints, the numerical methods used to compute the steady state behaviour can pose problems of non-convergence. For such a system, relaxing the system from its initial state would be an efficient way of obtaining information on the steady state performance. Further benefits of this approach follow from the fact that relaxation methods provide the transient flux of permeant across the membrane as well as the time required, t s , to achieve the steady state. The influence of different parameters, such as the Damkohler number, the ratio of the time scales of forward and backward reactions and the ratio of the diffusion coefficient of the carrier to that of the permeant, on t s is examined for the special case in which a single reaction of the type A↑ + B ⇌ P takes place in the film. Finally, the steady state flux of the permeant, computed assuming B and P to be ions of different diffusivities, is compared with that obtained when the two diffusivities are taken equal to an average value. This comparison provides some information about how the diffusional potential generated in the former case affects the average diffusivity.
Controls on the chemical variability of peat types in a domed peat deposit, Baram River area, Sarawak, Malaysia

Pyrolysis GC/FT-IR/FID and pyrolysis GC/MS studies have been conducted on peat samples from the margin and central portions of a tropical domed peat deposit in the Baram River area, Sarawak, Malaysia, in order to determine the chemical variability of peat types found within the deposit. In an effort to “unmix” the chemical variability of the samples, an EXTENDED QMODEL program was utilized which produced a series of 4 end members. These end members, composed of various proportions of each of the 49 pyrolysis products monitored in this study, are combined in various proportions to reproduce the composition of each of the 32 samples. Comparison of the chemical data with previous petrographic and megascopic analysis reveals parallel trends between the input from the end members and the makeup and degree of degradation of each of the peat types. From this analysis, it can be concluded that the 4 end members produced in this analysis represent input from (a) guaiacyl lignins, (b) lignin biodegradation products, (c) cellulosic derived products, and (d) syringyl lignins. The inputs from the 4 end members can be traced to the type of plants and the degree of degradation. In addition, comparison of the spatial distribution of the 4 end members reveals that the samples in the central portion of the deposit have much more chemical variability than the highly degraded samples on the margin of the deposit.
Benjamin Franklin: American spymaster or British mole?

(1989). Benjamin Franklin: American spymaster or British mole? International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence: Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 45-53.
Viscoelastic Properties of Kenaf Bast Fiber in Relation to Stem Age

Natural fibers traditionally used for cordage are proving valuable for advanced industrial applications due in part to beneficial physical and chemical properties, but also because they are a renewable and biodegradable resource. Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L., Malvaceae) produces high yields of lignocellulosic bast fibers in the bark layer, and is a promising crop for supplying emerging fiber markets. Bast fibers are bundles of cells that undergo extensive cell-wall thickening during maturation. Bundle maturity is therefore an important determinant of the fibers' mechanical properties and ultimately contributes to their quality in specific applications. Fiber bundles in stem sections of progressive age were analyzed by epifluorescence microscopy, and viscoelastic properties determined by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis. Early-forming primary fibers were larger than later-forming secondary fibers, but cell-wall thickening contributed most to elastic and viscous response of the fiber.
Cerebral cell volume regulation during hypernatremia in developing rats.

Abstract Cell volume regulation is a vital biological function in all species. Maintenance of cerebral cell size in the face of osmotic stress is especially important because the brain is contained in the non-compliant skull. The developmental aspects of this adaptive process are not known. Therefore, we evaluated cerebral cell volume regulation during hypernatremia in pre-weaning and adult rats. Hypernatremia was induced by injections of 1 M NaCl for 48 h. Brain water, electrolyte, and organic osmolyte contents were measured in hypernatremic and sham injected littermate control rats at the following ages: 12, 18 and 20 days and adults. In normonatremic rats, there was a steady decline in brain water content during development that was paralleled by a gradual fall in the cerebral levels of Na+, K+, and all organic osmolytes. The change in brain water content correlated most closely with the decrease in cerebral taurine content. In the face of equivalent elevations in serum Na+ concentration, there was comparable brain cell shrinkage and similar increases in total cerebral electrolyte and organic osmolyte content in rats at all 4 ages studied. Taurine was the predominant organic osmolyte prior to weaning, constituting 16–49% of the increment in nonperturbing solute content in hypernatremic animals between 12–20 days of age; in contrast, taurine contributed only 10% to the cerebral organic osmolyte pool in adult rats. We conclude that the capacity of brain cells to accumulate inorganic electrolytes and organic osmolytes during adaptation to hypernatremia is adequately expressed in developing rats, aged 12 days and older. Moreover, we speculate that the immature animal behaves as if it has an elevated ‘set point’ to protect the higher brain water content that is present earlier in development.
Effect of LSD on acquisition, maintenance, extinction and differentiation of conditioned responses

Abstract Three experiments were conducted to compare the effects of LSD (30 nmol/kg) on the acquisition, maintenance, extinction and differentiation of the rabbit's classically conditioned nictitating membrane response. LSD significantly enhanced the acquisition of conditioned responses to tone and light conditioned stimuli as compared with vehicle injected controls (Experiments 1 and 2), but had no detectable effect on differential conditioning in Experiment 3. The conditioned responses acquired under LSD in Experiments 1 and 2 exhibited some unusual features in that: (1) they were more rapidly extinguished under continued injections of LSD; (2) they demonstrated a significant decrement when animals were switched from LSD to vehicle during maintenance; and (3) they were virtually eliminated when animals were switched from LSD to vehicle during extinction. In contrast, conditioned responses acquired under saline injections in Experiments 1 and 2 were not affected when animals were switched to LSD injections during either maintenance or extinction. These results of Experiments 1 and 2 were interpreted as indicating that LSD produces an asymmetrical state-dependent learning.
A Top-Down Concept Selection Integrating Analytical and Optimization Approaches

This paper proposes a top-down approach for product concept selection. The proposed approach integrates an analytical approach to define an acceptable part specification range (part range), and an optimization approach to find optimum tolerances of part specifications. In the analytical part of the procedure, an inverse of design matrix is used to identify a part range. In the optimization part of the procedure, a product cost is defined as a function of part specification tolerances, and optimization algorithm is used to find optimum part specification tolerances that minimize the cost of the concept. The concept with the minimum cost is selected as the optimum concept. The usefulness of the proposed approach is demonstrated using an illustrative example.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Managerial Leadership Styles in Problem-Solving Conferences II

The article presents an overview of a study which focused on effective managerial leadership in conference groups which were held within a bureaucratic organization and dealt with a decision-task n...
Anxiolytic effects of 5-HT1A receptors and anxiogenic effects of 5-HT2C receptors in the amygdala of mice

The aim of the present study is to test a hypothesis that 5-HT(1A) and 5-HT(2C) receptors in the amygdala play an important role in the regulation of anxiety behaviors. We examined alterations in anxiety-like behaviors after manipulation of the expression of 5-HT(1A) and 5-HT(2C) receptors in the amygdala using recombinant adenovirus approaches. Recombinant adenoviruses containing a 5-HT(1A) promoter-controlled 5-HT(1A) antisense sequence or a 5-HT(2C) promoter-controlled 5-HT(2C) sense sequence were injected into the amygdala. Elevated plus-maze (EPM) and open field tests were conducted to determine anxiety-like behavior and locomotor activity. Reductions in the expression of 5-HT(1A) receptors in the amygdala significantly attenuated the time spent in the open arms of EPM and time spent in the center of an open field. Reduction in the percent of time spent in the open arms of EPM is negatively correlated with the density of 5-HT(1A) receptors in the central amygdala. On the other hand, increased expression of 5-HT(2C) receptors reduced the time spent in the open arms of EPM and time spent in the center of an open field. The reductions in the time spent and distance traveled in the open arms of EPM were correlated to the density of 5-HT(2C) receptors in the basolateral nucleus of amygdala. These data suggest that amygdaloid 5-HT(1A) receptors produce anxiolytic and 5-HT(2C) receptors produce anxiogenic effects. Together, the present results demonstrate the important role of the amygdaloid 5-HT(1A) and 5-HT(2C) receptors in the regulation of anxiety-like behaviors. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled 'Anxiety and Depression'.
Facilitation of active avoidance behavior by reinforcing septal stimulation in the rat

Abstract Rats with chronically implanted electrodes in the septal area were trained to bar press for brain stimulation. Following this, experimental animals were stimulated noncontingently with reinforcing stimulation while learning an active avoidance task. Results showed a significantly greater improvement of stimulated over nonstimulated animals in avoidance learning and intertrial activity. It was hypothesized that septal stimulation reduces the motivational level and thus permits the animals to perform adaptively in the active avoidance situation. The prediction was made that if this level could be reduced by procedural modifications, the facilitatory effects of stimulation would be reversed.
Reducing risk in basin scale CO2 sequestration: a framework for integrated monitoring design.

Injection of CO2 into geological structures is a key technology for sequestering CO2 emissions captured from the combustion of fossil fuels. Current projects inject volumes on the order of megatonnes per year. However, injection volumes must be increased by several orders of magnitude for material reductions in ambient concentrations. A number of questions surrounding safety and security of injection have been raised about the large scale deployment of geological CO2 sequestration. They are site specific and require an effective monitoring strategy to mitigate risks of concern to stakeholders. This paper presents a model-based framework for monitoring design that can provide a quantitative understanding of the trade-offs between operational decisions of cost, footprint size, and uncertainty in monitoring strategies. Potential risks and challenges of monitoring large scale CO2 injection are discussed, and research areas needed to address uncertainties are identified. Lack of clear guidance surrounding moni...
An economic Fabry-Perot wavelength reference

Precision radial velocity (PRV) measurements are key in studying exoplanets, and so are wavelength calibrators in PRV instruments. ThAr lamps offer an affordable but somewhat limited solution for the visible passband. Laser frequency combs are ideal calibrators, except the (still) narrow wavelength coverage and large price tag. White light Fabry-Perot (FP) calibrators offer frequency-comb like properties in a more affordable and less complicated package 1 . Using a commercial solid FP etalon and off-the shelf components we have constructed an economic FP calibrator suitable for observatories on a smaller budget.
Neutron reflectivity study of glassy polymer brushes in density fluctuating supercritical carbon dioxide

By using in situ neutron reflectivity, we measured the swelling behavior of two types of polymer brushes, deuterated polystyrene with a trichlorosilane end group and deuterated polystyrene-block-poly(4-vinylpyridine) block copolymer, in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2). The measurements were conducted in the pressure range of 0.1–20 MPa at 36 °C. The pressure dependence of the brush height clearly showed an anomalous peak at the density fluctuation ridge (pressure = 8.2 MPa) that defined the maximum long-range density fluctuation amplitude in the pressure–temperature phase diagram of carbon dioxide (CO2). The density profile of the brush, which could be approximated by a simple step function, and the magnitude of the brush height both indicated that the solvent quality of scCO2 for the deuterated polystyrene brushes was still poor even at the density fluctuation ridge. In addition, atomic force microscopy images for the frozen polystyrene brush prepared by the rapid drying of CO2 showed a phase-separated structure, as predicted from the numerical calculations of Grest and Murat, as a function of the variable Nσ, where N is the polymerization index and σ is the grafting density. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 3282–3289, 2004
Inhibition of Candida albicans growth by brominated furanones

Candida albicans is the most virulent Candida species of medical importance, which presents a great threat to immunocompromised individuals such as HIV patients. Currently, there are only four classes of antifungal agents available for treating fungal infections: azoles, polyenes, pyrimidines, and echinocandins. The fast spread of multidrug resistant C. albicans strains has increased the demand for new antifungal drugs. In this study, we demonstrate the antifungal activity of brominated furanones on C. albicans. Studying the structure and activity of this class of furanones reveals that the exocyclic vinyl bromide conjugated with the carbonyl group is the most important structural element for fungal inhibition. Furthermore, gene expression analysis using DNA microarrays showed that 3 μg/mL of 4-bromo-5Z-(bromomethylene)-3-butylfuran-2-one (BF1) upregulated 32 C. albicans genes with functions of stress response, NADPH dehydrogenation, and small-molecule transport, and repressed 21 genes involved mainly in cell-wall maintenance. Interestingly, only a small overlap is observed between the gene expression changes caused by the representative brominated furanone (BF1) in this study and other antifungal drugs reported in literature. This result suggests that brominated furanones and other antifungal drugs may target different fungal proteins or genes. The existence of such new targets provides an opportunity for developing new agents to control fungal pathogens which are resistant to currently available drugs.
The Fandom Pairing Name: Blends and the Phonology-Orthography Interface

In English, blending is a highly predictable and productive naming process. However, no systematic morphological template for blends has yet been proposed. Using data from Internet fandom pairing names (FPNs), I describe the phonological and orthographic constraints that shape blended words, such as preference for complex onsets, maintenance of stress placement, and phonological and orthographic overlap. Outputs are compared with lexical neighbors to evaluate their phonotactic acceptability and orthographic transparency. This model of blending describes the interaction of many layers of representation, and also shows the effect of the Internet as a text-based speech community participating in linguistic decision-making.
Effects of resonances on halo formation in high-intensity storage rings.

Numerical calculations for the Spallation Neutron Source accumulator ring indicate that lattice resonances excited by the space-charge potential can increase a mismatch significantly by deforming the beam distribution in phase space. Hence increased mismatch leads to enhanced envelope oscillations that are driving the 2:1 parametric resonance leading to halo formation, even for initially matched beams. We have observed this behavior for the 2{nu}{sub x}-2{nu}{sub y}=0 resonance and for the 4{nu}{sub y}=23 resonance. This mechanism for halo formation peculiar to rings through resonance driven mismatch is very sensitive to the tunes, which emphasizes the importance of a careful choice of operating point in tune space. (c) 1999 The American Physical Society.
Proving the correctness of concurrent robot software

Component-based software has been proposed as a methodology for improving software reuse and has increasingly been adopted by robot software developers. At the same time, robot systems typically have real-time performance requirements and performance gains can often be obtained by multi-threading. It is challenging, however, to create correct multi-threaded software, especially when standard mutual exclusion primitives, such as mutexes and semaphores, are eschewed in favor of more efficient, lock-free mechanisms. It is even more difficult to find these errors, as they can remain dormant for years until triggered by just the “right” conditions. Our approach, therefore, is to apply Formal Methods to reason about the correctness of these mechanisms. As a first step, we adopted a recently-developed program logic called History for Local Rely/Guarantee (HLRG) and applied it to prove the correctness (after first finding and fixing an error) of one such mechanism in the open source cisst software package. This strategy is not specific to cisst and can be applied to other packages.
Molecular Self-Assembly of “Nanowires” and “Nanospools” Using Active Transport

Mastering supramolecular self-assembly to a similar degree as nature has achieved on a subcellular scale is critical for the efficient fabrication of complex nanoscopic and mesoscopic structures. We demonstrate that active, molecular-scale transport powered by biomolecular motors can be utilized to drive the self-assembly of mesoscopic structures that would not form in the absence of active transport. In the presented example, functionalized microtubules transported by surface-immobilized kinesin motors cross-link via biotin/streptavidin bonds and form extended linear and circular mesoscopic structures, which move in the presence of ATP. The self-assembled structures are oriented, exhibit large internal strains, and are metastable while the biomolecular motors are active. The integration of molecular motors into the self-assembly process overcomes the trade-off between stability and complexity in thermally activated molecular self-assembly.
Reinforcement-test intervals in paired-associate learning

Abstract Learning in paired-associate items was studied in relation to the lengths of the intervals between the reinforcements (Rs) and the test trials (Ts) on each item, in order to gather data on the roles of these intervals and of the Ts and Rs themselves in learning. The sequence of events for an item can be depicted as follows (where I denotes an intervening trial on another item): Some items had T 1 omitted entirely. The most salient aspects of the results were (a) the inclusion of T 1 enhanced performance on T 2 , (b) on items with T 1 omitted, as the R 1 –R 2 interval increased, the probability of being correct on T 2 ( P ( C 2 )) first increased and then declined, and (c) with the R 1 –R 2 interval length fixed, as T 1 moved from just after R 1 to just before R 2 , P ( C 2 ) rose and then fell. The nonmonotonicity of these results made it impossible to fit these data with any simple variant of stimulus sampling theory or extant Markov models with long- and short-term memory stores. A new model, with its main innovative feature the postulation of multiple short-term memory states, each with unique properties, is proposed; its fit to the data was quite satisfactory.
Study Habits, Skills, and Attitudes: The Third Pillar Supporting Collegiate Academic Performance

Study habit, skill, and attitude inventories and constructs were found to rival standardized tests and previous grades as predictors of academic performance, yielding substantial incremental validity in predicting academic performance. This meta-analysis (N = 72,431, k = 344) examines the construct validity and predictive validity of 10 study skill constructs for college students. We found that study skill inventories and constructs are largely independent of both high school grades and scores on standardized admissions tests but moderately related to various personality constructs; these results are inconsistent with previous theories. Study motivation and study skills exhibit the strongest relationships with both grade point average and grades in individual classes. Academic specific anxiety was found to be an important negative predictor of performance. In addition, significant variation in the validity of specific inventories is shown. Scores on traditional study habit and attitude inventories are the most predictive of performance, whereas scores on inventories based on the popular depth-of-processing perspective are shown to be least predictive of the examined criteria. Overall, study habit and skill measures improve prediction of academic performance more than any other noncognitive individual difference variable examined to date and should be regarded as the third pillar of academic success.