cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Computing with Arrays of Coupled Oscillators

Over the past two years, several experimental results have shed new light on the question of cortical oscillations and their possible roles in neural information processing. In the labeling hypothesis, temporal characteristics such as the phases and/or frequencies of pools of oscillating neurons are used to transiently encode information, in particular to label various features of an object by synchronous activity of the corresponding feature extracting neurons. We propose that two dimensional arrays of weakly and locally coupled oscillators be considered as a new class of architectures, particularly well suited for low level sensory processing such as early vision. Using the coupled limit cycle approach, we investigate several computational properties of such architectures, how they intrinsically differ, for instance, from discrete spin systems, and the importance of two dimensional effects. We show that such arrays are characterized by a very enhanced sensitivity to external inputs and the ability to organize themselves into flexible “patchy” structures over extremely brief transients. Relevance for the neurophysiological data is discussed. Possible applications to early vision, motion analysis, figure ground separation, pattern recognition are demonstrated by coupling oscillator architectures with arrays of filters or other networks.
Radio frequency wireless power transfer to chip-scale apparatuses

This paper reports a design methodology for a tri-coil system that can wirelessly transfer power from a macro-scale probe to a chipscale apparatus over a long distance and with a high efficacy. Such systems can be employed for enabling the wireless charging and communication between implanted body sensors and smart phones as well as between hardware roots of trust and their interrogation probes. A design example has been offered and subsequently validated by an experimental testbed consisting of micro-fabricated coils on both sides of a Silicon substrate. As predicted by the analytical models, the measured power transfer efficacy (PTEF) of the designed system is as high as −27 dB at the resonance, confirming an orders-of-magnitude higher PTEF than that of prior WPT systems over a distance greater than 5 times the coil diameter.
Effects of pH on Chromium Adsorption in Groundwater

Abstract Samples of groundwater contaminated with chromium were passed through adsorption columns to determine the effects of pH on adsorption rate. The water, with contaminants other than chromium, was used to determine the most effective adsorbent to use as part of an overall abatement process. In this study, material from three separate adsorbent manufacturers were compared and it was found that a wide variation in capabilities exists. Equilibrium studies eliminated one of the four adsorbents initially under investigation and indicated the pH values for additional study. Dynamic studies at a pH varying from 3 to 8 were performed as part of a matrix with flow rate and adsorbent dosage. It was found that only two of the remaining adsorbents would reduce the chromium concentration lower than the EPA standard of 0.05 mg/l during dynamic studies. Although both adsorbents reduced the chromium to the desired level, one, a new fibrous material containing an anion exchange resin, performed best at the neutral pH of the water. The other material, activated carbon, also performed well but required a pH of approximately 6.4.
O-Benzyl Xanthate Esters under Ni/Photoredox Dual Catalysis: Selective Radical Generation and Csp3-Csp2 Cross-Coupling.

Alkyl xanthate esters are perhaps best known for their use in deoxygenation chemistry. However, their use in cross-coupling chemistry has not been productive, which is due, in part, to inadequate xanthate activation strategies. Herein, we report the use of O-benzyl xanthate esters, readily derived from alcohols, as radical pronucleophiles in Csp3–Csp2 cross-couplings under Ni/photoredox dual catalysis. Xanthate (C–O) cleavage is found to be reliant on photogenerated (sec-butyl) radical activators to form new carbon-centered radicals primed for nickel-catalyzed cross-couplings. Mechanistic experiments support the fact that the key radical components are formed independently, and relative rates are carefully orchestrated, such that no cross reactivity is observed.
Flow as a Metaphor for Changing Composition Practices

AbstractGiven that research in language and literacy studies proffers multilingual and translingual literacy studies as central to contemporary English studies, English studies can benefit from increased attention to hip-hop language practices. While some linguists have argued for closer analysis of hip-hop nation language (HHNL) because of its relevance to youth identities and promise for critical language pedagogies, I argue that the concept of flow within HHNL studies has been largely overlooked for its value to the rhetorical development of students in English studies. While some linguists have employed the concept of flow to discuss the global movement of Black English across the globe and its implications for English as a lingua franca, flow also highlights the manner and means that artists use to move between ideas, concepts and dispositions in their compositions and therefore becomes valuable to the way English teachers may teach, study and discuss with students the possibilities of language. Beca...
A DESIGN EXPERT SYSTEM FOR FUNCTIONALLY GRADIENT MATERIALS

Functionally Gradient Materials (FGM) is a novel material concept in which two different base materials, such as ceramics and metals, are compounded with gradually changing composition and microstructure so as to decrease the thermal stress induced by the high temperature difference within the thickness. In this paper, a design expert system for FGM is presented which encompasses the inverse design procedure. The system also incorporates a hierarchical optimization process which combines numerical optimization methods with heuristic controls. Besides, heuristic and theoretical approaches for estimating the effective material properties of the intermediate compositions are also explained. A design example for space plane applications is presented, and comparison with the experimental results of high temperature simulated environment is discussed.
Embracing a Civic Republican Tradition in Natural Resources Decision-Making

Public participation processes in agency decision-making are commonplace today and they consume substantial portions of agency budgets. But agencies often struggle to design processes that meaningfully engage the public. The lack of meaningful engagement is often excused as the fault of the other side. The agency faults the public for comments that lack specificity or that fail to account for the factual and legal constraints underlying the proposal, and the public faults the agency for ignoring its comments or failing to take them into account in making its final decision. Public frustrations with agency process often exacerbate public disenchantment with agency decisions.This paper offers a prescription for making public processes more meaningful in the context of policy decisions impacting natural resources. It begins by tracing the history of public participation in government action. It then reviews the arguments that support public participation, as well as several reasons that may counsel against it. Participation processes will surely endure, but a better appreciation of the challenges that participation processes present can help agencies tailor their processes to be more meaningful. The chapter then analyzes the theoretical foundations for public participation, concluding that the civic republican tradition offers the only viable approach for meaningfully engaging the public in natural resources decision-making. Various modes of participation are then evaluated in light of the civic republican model, with suggestions for modifying these processes to enhance their utility in engaging the pubic. Finally, the chapter discusses some of the ongoing problems with current public processes and suggests possible reforms.
A Case for Prodrugs

A prodrug is a bioreversible derivative of a molecule that has some barrier to its utility as an effective drug. The prodrug concept is illustrated by Scheme 1.
The importance of a good condition estimator in the URV and ULV algorithms

Publisher Summary The URV and ULV decompositions are promising alternatives to the singular value decomposition for determining the numerical rank k of an m x n matrix and approximating its fundamental numerical subspaces whenever k ≈ min (m, n). This chapter proves general a posteriori bounds for assessing the quality of the subspaces obtained by two-sided orthogonal decompositions (such as the ULV and URV decompositions). The chapter shows that the quality of the subspaces obtained by the URV or ULV algorithm depends on the quality of the condition estimator and not on a gap condition.
Cerebral embolism: local CBF and edema measured by CT scanning and Xes inhalation.

Serial CT scans were made in baboons after cerebral embolization during stable Xe inhalation for measuring local values for CBF and lambda (brain-blood partition or solubility coefficients), followed by iodine infusion for detecting blood-brain barrier (BBB) damage. Supplementary 133Xe CBF measurements were made at corresponding intervals. Persistent zones of zero flow surrounded by reduced flow were measured predominantly in subcortical regions, which showed gross and microscopic evidence of infarction at necropsy. Overylng cortex was relatively spared. Reduced lambda values attributed to edema appeared with in 3 to 5 minutes and progressed up to 60 minutes. Damage to BBB with visible transvascular seepage of iodine began to appear 1-11/2 hours after embolism. In chronic animals, lambda values were persistently reduced in areas showing histologic infarction. Contralateral hemispheric CBF increased for the first 15 minutes after embolism, followed by progressive reduction after 30 minutes (diaschisis).
Student Perceptions of and Attitudes toward Peer Review

The current study seeks to analyze university students’ perceptions of online peer assessment (PA) with regard to its effectiveness as a learning tool and as a contributing factor to motivation and...
Hierarchies—Construction of Large-Scale Systems

This chapter investigates the existence and construction of very large systems, named hierarchies of systems and their mappings properties. In particular, Section 5.1 looks at when linkages between state systems of different time moments could exist. Section 5.2 considers the mappings from hierarchies of systems into hierarchies of systems and related properties. Section 5.3 focuses on the special case of time systems.
Water transport, perception, and response in plants

Sufficient water availability in the environment is critical for plant survival. Perception of water by plants is necessary to balance water uptake and water loss and to control plant growth. Plant physiology and soil science research have contributed greatly to our understanding of how water moves through soil, is taken up by roots, and moves to leaves where it is lost to the atmosphere by transpiration. Water uptake from the soil is affected by soil texture itself and soil water content. Hydraulic resistances for water flow through soil can be a major limitation for plant water uptake. Changes in water supply and water loss affect water potential gradients inside plants. Likewise, growth creates water potential gradients. It is known that plants respond to changes in these gradients. Water flow and loss are controlled through stomata and regulation of hydraulic conductance via aquaporins. When water availability declines, water loss is limited through stomatal closure and by adjusting hydraulic conductance to maintain cell turgor. Plants also adapt to changes in water supply by growing their roots towards water and through refinements to their root system architecture. Mechanosensitive ion channels, aquaporins, proteins that sense the cell wall and cell membrane environment, and proteins that change conformation in response to osmotic or turgor changes could serve as putative sensors. Future research is required to better understand processes in the rhizosphere during soil drying and how plants respond to spatial differences in water availability. It remains to be investigated how changes in water availability and water loss affect different tissues and cells in plants and how these biophysical signals are translated into chemical signals that feed into signaling pathways like abscisic acid response or organ development.
Hegel's critique of liberalism and natural law: Reconstructing ethical life

This essay considers the evolution of Hegel's political and legal theory with respect to the emergence of a classical liberal society and modern natural law. I argue that Hegel abandoned his early concerns which focused on a revival of the Greek polis and ethics over legality and refocused his efforts at reaching a modern form of ethical life predicated on the acceptance of classical liberal society and modern natural law. I try to argue that Hegel wanted to achieve a present-day communal ethics without abolishing the modern individual subject endowed with “rights”. However, I seek to draw attention to Hegel's criticism of empirical individualism and social atomism.
Heat-Integrated Columns

The rapid increase in energy prices in the 1970s spurred a flurry of activity in energy conservation programs in the chemical industry. Because distillation columns are major energy consumers in many chemical plants, more energy-efficient designs for distillation systems were actively studied.
Direct Conversion of Heat to Electricity Using First-Order Phase Transformations in Ferroelectrics

The discovery of alternate methods of producing energy that do not contribute to global climate change is a compelling problem of our time. This study develops a means of generating electricity from small temperature differences by exploiting a first-order ferroelectric phase transformation. The authors model the thermodynamics of energy conversion using the Landau free energy, and experimentally demonstrate the direct conversion of heat to electricity using single-crystal BaTiO${}_{3}$. A key role is played by the influence of electric field on transformation temperature, which has the effect of opening up a mixed-phase region in the temperature-entropy diagram.
Coronavirus disease 2019 treatment: A review of early and emerging options

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the cause of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has spread across the globe resulting in a pandemic. At the time of this review, COVID-19 has been diagnosed in more than 200 000 patients and associated with over 8000 deaths (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization). On behalf of the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists, we herein summarize the current evidence as of March 18, 2020 to provide guidance on potential COVID-19 treatment options. It is important to caution readers that new data emerges daily regarding clinical characteristics, treatment options, and outcomes for COVID-19. Optimized supportive care remains the mainstay of therapy, and the clinical efficacy for the subsequent agents is still under investigation. Antimicrobial stewardship programs, including infectious diseases pharmacists and physicians, are at the forefront of COVID-19 emergency preparedness. We encourage all readers to continue to assess clinical data as it emerges and share their experience within our community in a well-controlled, adequately powered fashion.
Sociodemographic Disparities in Pediatric Cochlear Implantation Access and Use: A Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVES Pediatric cochlear implantation (CI) is a multistep process, which exposes a healthcare system's potential weaknesses in ability to deliver timely care to deaf children. The current systematic review aims to determine the sociodemographic disparities that predict pediatric CI access and use among CI candidates and recipients across the world. We hypothesize that sociodemographic factors independently influence CI access and use within a given country. STUDY DESIGN Systematic review. METHODS A qualitative systematic review of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase databases was conducted for studies investigating the association of sociodemographic factors such as race, income, or insurance status with measures of pediatric CI access, such as age at CI or CI rate. RESULTS Out of 807 unique abstracts initially retrieved, 39 papers were included in the final qualitative systematic review. Twenty-seven thousand seven hundred and fifty-one CI-candidate children (6,623 CI recipients) were studied in 14 countries, with 21 studies conducted in the United States of America, published within the years of 1993 to 2020. CONCLUSION Some measures of CI access, such as age at CI and rates of CI, are consistently reported in the CI disparities literature while others such as access to rehabilitation services, willingness to undergo CI, and daily CI use are rarely measured. There are persistently reported disparities in a few key measures of CI access in a few populations, while there are some populations with a paucity of data. Future studies should delineate the nuances in the mechanisms of disparities by conducting multivariable analysis of representative sample data. Laryngoscope, 2021.
Dietary Alpha-Ketoglutarate Promotes Epithelial Metabolic Transition and Protects against DSS-Induced Colitis.

Scope As a natural compound in foods, alpha-ketoglutarate (aKG) is one of the key metabolites maintaining energy homeostasis. This study examines the beneficial effects of dietary aKG against the development of experimental colitis and further explores the underlying molecular mechanisms. Methods and results Eight-week-old male C57BL/6 mice receive drinking water with or without 1% aKG for 4 weeks. At week 3, colitis is induced by 2.5% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) for 7 days followed by 7 days recovery. Dietary aKG supplementation decreases DSS-induced body weight loss, gross bleeding, fecal consistency score, and disease activity index. In agreement, aKG supplementation restores DSS-associated colon shortening, ameliorated mucosal damage, and macrophage infiltration into colonic tissue, which are associated with suppressed gut inflammation and Wnt signaling, and improved epithelial structure. Consistently, aKG supplementation enhances M1 to M2 macrophage polarization and strengthens intestinal barrier function. Additionally, aKG supplementation elevates colonic aKG levels while decreasing 2-hydroxyglutarate levels, which increases oxidative instead of glycolytic metabolism. Conclusion aKG supplementation protects against epithelial damage and ameliorates DSS-induced colitis, which are associated with suppressed inflammation, Wnt signaling pathway, and glycolysis. Intake of foods enriched with aKG or aKG supplementation can be an alternative approach for the prevention or treatment of colitis that are common in Western societies.
Fingerprinting on Nitrocellulose and Polyvinylidene Difluoride Membranes

We know that each individual has a unique fingerprint distinct from that of over 7.8 billion people in the world. This has brought dactyloscopy or fingerprint identification as a vital part of forensic evidence. The use of fingerprints for identification purposes has been known since finger impressions have been found on the clay surface of Babylonian legal contracts nearly 4000 years ago. When we observe the skin on the fingers and palms closely or with a microscope, we can find that it appears as grooves and ridges. An exclusive fingerprint is created by the patterns of these friction skin ridges. Observable fingerprints can be deposited on solid surfaces. It has been customary to use colored inks to deposit ink on documents. This chapter describes Kurien and coauthors’ work that showed the use of alkaline phosphatase to transfer prints from fingers or palm to nitrocellulose or polyvinylidene difluoride membranes. One can detect such prints with nitro blue tetrazolium/5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl phosphate.
Increasing author counts in neurosurgical journals from 1980 to 2020.

OBJECTIVE Scientific productivity, as assessed by publication volume, is a common metric by which the academic neurosurgical field assesses its members. The number of authors per peer-reviewed article has been observed to increase over time across a broad range of medical specialties. This study provides an update to this trend in the neurosurgical literature. METHODS All publications from January 1, 1980, to April 30, 2020, were queried from four neurosurgical journals: Neurosurgery, Journal of Neurosurgery (JNS), JNS: Pediatrics, and JNS: Spine. Publication information was acquired from the National Center for Biotechnology Information Entrez database and reconciled with the Scopus database. Publication type was limited to articles and excluded editorials, letters, and reviews. The number of authors and affiliation counts were determined based on structured abstract fields provided in the two databases. RESULTS Between January 1, 1980, and April 30, 2020, the overall increase in author count for the four neurosurgical journals was 0.12 to 0.18 authors per year (p < 0.001). For Neurosurgery, the mean (SD) author count increased from 2.81 (1.4) in 1980-1985 to 7.97 (4.92) in 2016-2020 (p < 0.001). For the JNS, the mean (SD) author count increased from 2.82 (1.04) in 1980-1985 to 7.6 (3.65) in 2016-2020 (p < 0.001). The percentage of articles with more than 10 authors increased from 0.2% to 22.3% in Neurosurgery and from 1.9% to 17.5% in JNS. Only 28% of the author count variation was explained by an increasing number of institutional or departmental affiliations. CONCLUSIONS Author counts for peer-reviewed articles in neurosurgical academic journals have increased significantly during the past 4 decades, with large increases in the numbers of articles with more than 10 authors in the past 5 years. A total of 28% of the variation in this increase can be explained by an increase in multiinstitutional or multidepartmental studies.
A numerical study of occupant responses and injuries in vehicular crashes into roadside barriers based on finite element simulations

Occupant responses and injuries are important considerations in the design and assessment of roadside safety devices such as barriers. Although incorporating occupant responses and injuries into the design of safety devices is highly recommended by the current safety regulations, there are limited studies that directly consider occupant responses and injuries. Crash test dummies are seldom equipped in the state-of-the-art crash testing of roadside barriers and thus occupant responses and injury risks are evaluated primarily based on vehicle responses. In the present work, occupant responses and injuries in automotive crash events were investigated by incorporating crash test dummies into the vehicle model that was used in the finite element (FE) simulations of roadside crashes. The FE models of a Ford F250 pickup truck and a Hybrid III 50th percentile crash test dummy were employed and a passive restraint system was developed in the FE model. The FE model was validated using existing experiments including a sled test and a full-frontal impact test. Simulations of the Ford F250 impacting a concrete barrier and a W-beam guardrail were conducted and the occupant responses were analyzed. Furthermore, occupant injuries were quantitatively estimated using occupant injury criteria based directly on dummy responses and compared to those based solely on vehicle responses. The correlations between vehicle responses and occupant injuries were studied. An FE model incorporated with a hybrid-III dummy was developed for roadside vehicular crash simulations.Occupant injury risks were evaluated for vehicular crashes into two roadside barrier systems.Barrier performance was assessed using occupant injury criteria based on vehicle responses and occupant responses.Correlations between injury criteria based on vehicle and occupant responses were studied.
NASA Open Rotor Noise Research

Owing to their inherent fuel burn efficiency advantage compared with the current generation high bypass ratio turbofan engines, there is resurgent interest in developing open rotor propulsion systems for powering the next generation commercial aircraft. However, to make open rotor systems truly competitive, they must be made to be acoustically acceptable too. To address this challenge, NASA in collaboration with industry is exploring the design space for low-noise open rotor propulsion systems. The focus is on the system level assessment of the open rotors compared with other candidate concepts like the ultra high bypass ratio cycle engines. To that end there is an extensive research effort at NASA focused on component testing and diagnostics of the open rotor acoustic performance as well as assessment and improvement of open rotor noise prediction tools. In this presentation and overview of the current NASA research on open rotor noise will be provided. Two NASA projects, the Environmentally Responsible Aviation Project and the Subsonic Fixed Wing Project, have been funding this research effort.
SU-E-T-780: Use Robustness Optimization (RO) Method to Improve the Planning Efficiency for Pencil Beam Scanning Cranial Spinal Irradiation

Purpose: We evaluate the feasibility of using robustness optimization (RO) function to improve the planning efficiency of pencil beam scanning (PBS) craniospinal irradiation (CSI) with gradient matching technique. Methods: A CSI patient was planned with 2 lateral brain fields and 4 posterior fields to cover the entire spine to maximal field of 24 cm × 20 cm on a compact PBS gantry, ProteusONE. CSI plans were generated using traditional volumetric gradient dose optimization (VGDO) and robustness optimization (RO) method respectively. In traditional VGDO, besides the sectioned spine target volumes, gradient volume (GV) were generated as 4 equally spaced structures e.g. 80%, 60%, 40%, and 20% of prescription dose. In RO method, only sectioned spine target volumes with an overlap of 4cm were created. In the robustness optimization settings, 5mm uncertainty in superior and inferior direction was defined for auto gradient optimization. Dosimetric metrics of conformity number (CN), homogeneity index (HI), and maximal cord doses were compared in Raystation version 4.6.100.6. Results: In VGDO method, total 16 GV structures and five 100% dose level target structures were contoured compared to total 5 target structures in RO method which saves 30 min in contour. With the same PTV coverage (95% volume receive 30.6Gy prescription dose), maximum cord dose is 32.64Gy in VGDO and 31.94Gy in RO. HI is 1.03 and 1.04 for VGDO and RO respectively. CN is 0.93 and 0.94 for VGDO and RO respectively. Conclusions: The dosimetric comparison demonstrated both methods are equivalent in terms of plan quality. With robust optimization for CSI gradient matching, it efficiently reduces the amount of planning target contour structure by factor of 4 and thus improves the planning efficiency especially for 4 or more gradient junction area.
Genetic Modification Of Protein Quality In Plants

Publisher Summary This chapter reveals the use of genetic modification to improve the protein quality of a plant. A realistic assessment of the prospects of increasing the protein quality of any crop plant depends on an understanding of the genetic control of protein structure. The information contained in a gene is a linear codescript consisting of a unique sequence of trinucleotide codons—DNA. The information is transcribed into a complementary sequence of trinucleotide codons of RNA (the messenger RNA) that is translated in turn into the amino acid sequence of a particular protein. The 20 amino acids that are the usual components of protein are coded by trinucleotide codons. As there are 4 nucleotide components of DNA, there are 64 (4 3 ) possible codons. Serious attention should be given to the identification and utilization of mutant genes that raise the concentration of the limiting amino acids in both cereals and legumes that are important sources of protein for humans and livestock. The improvement of the nutritional quality of traditional foods has many advantages, particularly in developing nations where it may be difficult to reach large segments of the population with nutritional supplements. From theoretical considerations involving the genetic control of protein synthesis, it is probable that the most probable avenue to important changes in amino acid composition involves changing the relative proportions of metabolically inert storage proteins that have quite different amino acid compositions. The supply of readily available plant protein may also be increased by the selection of strains lacking or low in toxic substances that must be destroyed or extracted before the seed proteins of cotton and many species of the Cruciferae can be utilized.
Organic quantum chemistry—XXV : A theoretical study of the electronic spectra of some α-diketones and unsaturated ketones

Abstract The electronic spectrum of acetophenone has been calculated by a VESCF modification of the Pariser-Parr-Pople method, and also the spectrum for the molecule when the CO group is twisted 30° from the plane of the aromatic ring. It is suggested that the relationship commonly used to predict the extinction coefficient of the lowest energy π → π* transition for such a system gives values for the angle of twist which are consistently too large. The electronic spectrum of 2,3-butanedione has been calculated as a function of the dihedral angle between the CO groups by the same method. The effect of including in the configuration interaction treatment only singly-excited configurations, singly-excited plus doubly-excited configurations, and singly-excited plus doubly-excited plus triply-excited configurations was investigated. The electronic spectra of some β,γ-unsaturated carbonyl compounds have also been studied.
PROTECTION OF OFFSHORE STRUCTURES AGAINST UNDERSCOUR

The results of several investigations of underscour, which can significantly alter the soil-structure foundation system and subsequently, endanger offshore structures, are summarized in this paper. Reproduction at model scale of an unusual pattern of scour signified by a general lowering of the sea bed under and around the whole structure, and as observed by divers, has led to improved understanding of the phenomenon. Theoretical studies predicting this type of erosion, which contrasts with the usual bridge-pier type, are cited. Conclusions based on these investigations indicate that the flow through the permeable seabed from high pressure zones under wave crests to low pressure zones under the troughs assists the local velocity in rapidly eroding the seabed and that the use of reverse filters will minimize or prevent this erosion. The author states that model tests, special severe erosion studies, and experience with offshore installations show how effective and economical protection can be obtained.
The Synthesis of Ribonuclease A

A protected linear polypeptide of 124 amino acid residues with the sequence of bovine pancreatic ribonuclease A was synthesized by the solid phase method. The polypeptide was removed from the solid support and purified, and the four disulfide bonds were closed by air oxidation of the reduced form. The synthetic enzyme was fractionated by gel filtration and ion exchange chromatography, and the material that eluted at the same position as natural reduced-reoxidized RNase A was isolated. The product was further purified by incubation with trypsin and removal of the enzymically degraded components. A fractional precipitation with (NH4)2·SO4 gave a purified synthetic RNase A with a specific activity of 78%. The synthetic RNase A was indistinguishable from natural bovine pancreatic RNase A by gel filtration on Sephadex G-75, by chromatography on carboxymethylcellulose, and by electrophoresis. Amino acid analyses, peptide maps of tryptic digests, and the Michaelis constant agreed well with those of the natural enzyme. The synthetic enzyme showed the high substrate specificity to be expected of RNase A. It was highly active against yeast RNA and 2', 3'-cyclic cytidine phosphate and was completely inactive toward DNA, 2', 3'-cyclic guanosine phosphate, and the dinucleotides 5'-(3'-guanylyl)-cytidylic acid and 5'-(3'-adenylyl)-adenylic acid. During the synthesis, samples were removed after 99 and 104 residues had been coupled and the corresponding polypeptides, des-(21-25)S-protein and S-protein, were isolated. They were then reduced and reoxidized in the presence of natural or synthetic S-peptide to give RNase S and des-(21-25)RNase S. The specific activities of the two products were approximately equal, thus indicating that the five NH2-terminal residues of S-protein are not required for the protein to oxidize and fold in the presence of S-peptide to give an active enzyme.
Cellular immunity to Rous sarcoma in tumor-bearing chickens.

Summary Chickens carrying primary sarcomas induced by Schmidt-Ruppin Rous virus were studied for possible cellular immunity against the tumor-specific transplantation antigens of those tumors by use of the colony inhibition test. The thymus cells of 7 out of 8 tested chickens were found to reduce significantly the colony formation of Rous sarcoma cells while they had no similar effect on other types of tumors tested in paralle. It was further shown that thymus cells which had been frozen, stored in liquid nitrogen for 3 months, and subsequently thawed kept their specific colony-inhibiting activity. The implications of these findings are discussed.
On the Sparse Bayesian Learning of Linear Models

AbstractThis work is a re-examination of the sparse Bayesian learning (SBL) of linear regression models of Tipping (2001) in a high-dimensional setting with a sparse signal. We show that in general the SBL estimator does not recover the sparsity structure of the signal. To remedy this, we propose a hard-thresholded version of the SBL estimator that achieves, for orthogonal design matrices, the non-asymptotic estimation error rate of , where n is the sample size, p the number of regressors, σ is the regression model standard deviation, and s the number of non-zero regression coefficients. We also establish that with high-probability the estimator recovers the sparsity structure of the signal. In our simulations we found that the performance of thresholded SBL depends on the strength of the signal. With a weak signal thresholded SBL performs poorly compared to lasso (Tibshirani (1996)), but outperforms lasso when the signal is strong.
Interconnecting WiFi Devices with IEEE 802.15.4 Devices without Using a Gateway

In many wireless sensing and control application deployments, there is often a gateway device to bridge between the low power IEEE 802.15.4 network and the Internet. The bridge has at least two interfaces. One interface communicates with the 802.15.4 wireless. The other interface either communicates with WiFi or wired network. When a user wants to send a command to the wireless controller, lets say at a smart home, the user may use a smartphone and send command over WiFi to the gateway, often through a cloud service provider. Then gateway shuttles the message from the wired or WiFi chip to the 802.15.4 chip. Then the gateway transmits the messages over the 802.15.4 chip into the 802.15.4 network. In this work, we design a novel modulation technique that runs on the WiFi devices (e.g., Smartphone) and demodulation technique that runs on 802.15.4 devices (e.g., A wireless controller in a smart home) to enable WiFi devices to directly communicate with 802.15.4 devices without any gateway. The key idea is to utilize crosstalk between 802.11 and 802.15.4 channels as the medium for communication. We implemented the proposed technique on multiple platforms and are able to successfully achieve a data rate of 2 bytes per second with less than 10% bit error rate in uncontrolled environments.
p21-activated kinase signaling in breast cancer

The p21-activated kinases signal through a number of cellular pathways fundamental to growth, differentiation and apoptosis. A wealth of information has accumulated at an impressive pace in the recent past, both with regard to previously identified targets for p21-activated kinases that regulate the actin cytoskeleton and cellular stress pathways and with regard to newly identified targets and their role in cancer. Emerging data also provide new clues towards a previously unappreciated link between these various cellular processes. The present review attempts to provide a quick tutorial to the reader about the evolving significance of p21-activated kinases and small GTPases in breast cancer, using information from mouse models, tissue culture studies, and human materials.
Anomalous emission effect and the possibility of γ-ray lasers

Abstract The use of the anomalous emission effect in constructing gamma-ray lasers is discussed.
Numerical Modeling of Mass Transfer in the Supercritical Antisolvent Process

Abstract A mathematical model for mass transfer between a droplet of organic solvent and a compressed antisolvent is presented. The model, which allows for two-way mass transfer both into the droplet and into the bulk antisolvent, is applicable to the supercritical antisolvent (SAS) method of particle formation. In this process, solute particles are formed by precipitation from an organic solution upon contacting with a supercritical fluid antisolvent which is miscible with the organic solvent, but immiscible with the solute. The mass transfer behavior of the droplets is thought to be a key factor affecting particle morphology. In this work, conditions that are supercritical with respect to the pure antisolvent, but subcritical with respect to the solvent–antisolvent mixture, are considered, meaning that two phases are always present. Radial profiles of composition and density as a function of time, both inside and outside the droplet, are generated by numerical solution of the governing equations. The radius of the droplet as a function of time is also determined. Calculations with toluene as the organic solvent and carbon dioxide as the compressed antisolvent show that the initial interfacial flux is always into the droplet, causing droplet swelling. Trends in the extent of droplet swelling as a function of operating conditions correlate with trends in the initial interfacial flux, which shows a non-monotonic pressure and temperature dependence and is especially sensitive near the critical locus of the mixture. At the mixture critical point, droplet lifetime diverges. Away from the critical point, the lifetime decreases as the pressure is increased, but shows a non-monotonic temperature dependence. However, the time required for a droplet to reach saturation at its center does not correlate with droplet lifetime, so that droplets with short lifetimes are not necessarily the fastest to reach saturation.
Post-transcriptional regulation of luteinizing hormone receptor mRNA in the ovary by a novel mRNA-binding protein.

Luteinizing hormone (LH) receptor mRNA is post-transcriptionally regulated. An ovarian cytosolic LH receptor mRNA-binding protein (LRBP) identified in our laboratory binds to a polypyrimidine-rich bipartite sequence in the coding region of LH receptor mRNA. The present studies show a role for LRBP in the regulation of LH receptor mRNA. We demonstrated that increased LH receptor mRNA degradation occurs during hormone-induced LH receptor down-regulation. Furthermore, increased degradation of LH receptor mRNA was seen when partially purified LRBP was included in anin vitro mRNA decay reaction. The LH receptor mRNA binding activity of LRBP measured by RNA electrophoretic mobility shift analysis showed an inverse relationship to LH receptor mRNA levels during different physiological states. These results suggest that LRBP is a physiological regulator of LHR mRNA expression in the ovary and provides a novel mechanism for the regulation of LH receptor expression in the ovary.
Preparation and properties of tetragonal tungsten oxyfluoride bronzes

Reaction of tungsten(VI) oxide and tungsten metal in the presence of dilute solutions of hydrofluoric acid under hydrothermal conditions has resulted in the formation of a series of tetragonal oxyfluoride bronzes having the composition WO3−χFχ (0.03 ⩽ x ⩽ 0.09). These compounds are isostructural with the tetragonal bronze Na0.10WO3. The material appears to exhibit metallic conductivity.
Ferrier, Common Sense and Consciousness

James Frederick Ferrier developed his philosophy from a common sense background. However, his rejection of common sense philosophy in particular and Enlightenment philosophy in general results in the development of a system of idealism. In his series of lectures ‘An Introduction to the Philosophy of Consciousness - Parts I to VII’, which appeared in Blackwoods Magazine (1838–39), he outlines the problem with modern philosophy and argues that philosophy should follow a new direction. In his view, the most peculiar and interesting aspect of humanity is consciousness. He contends that the attempt to develop a ‘science of man’ is impossible because it transforms a person into an object of study and thereby fails to capture the most distinctive aspect of humanity, namely, consciousness. According to Ferrier, philosophy should be an extension of consciousness itself; it is: ‘consciousness sublimed’. This paper will outline the central arguments in ‘An Introduction to the Philosophy of Consciousness’ and show th...
A transactivation mutant of satellite phage P4.

Abstract A mutant of satellite phage P4, δ6, was isolated as a thermosensitive mutant on the basis of its plaque-forming ability on Escherichia coli C(P2+). Complementation tests show that this mutant defines a new P4 gene, called δ. Unlike P4 wild type, P4 δ6 depends on the gene A function of its P2 helper at all temperatures, whether the helper is supplied as a prophage or as a coinfecting phage. The P2 gene A product is required both for P2 DNA replication and for P2 late gene expression (Lindahl, G. (1970) Virology 42, 522–533). P2 DNA replication is critical for growth of P4 δ6, since host mutations which block P2 DNA replication prevent production of P4 δ6 progeny, whereas they allow P4+ to multiply. The δ6 mutation makes P4 unable to activate P2 late mRNA synthesis from nonreplicating P2 phage. Thus, P4 δ6 is defective in transactivation.
Vesicles in expanded endoplasmic reticulum cisternae structures that resemble mycoplasma-like bodies.

Vesicles resembling mycoplasma-like bodies were observed by electron microscopy in healthy, virus-indexed, and heat-treated, phloem parenchyma cells and immature sieve tube elements ofPrunus persica Batsch. The vesicles contain ribosomes and fibrils, are unit membrane bound, and range from 0.2–0.4 μm in diameter and up to 0.7 μm long. Cross and longitudinal serial sections show that the vesicles arise by the invaginations of endoplasmic reticulum into expanded endoplasmic reticulum cisternae and are actually a normal part of cellular differentiation. It is suggested that conclusions on mycoplasmalike body associations with “yellows-diseases” be based on demonstration of MLB in mature rather than immature sieve tube elements and phloem parenchyma cells.
From “Am I an American?” to “I Am an American!” Cynthia Weber on Citizenship, Identity, and Security

Cynthia Weber's “I Am an American” multi-media video art installations (Weber 2007) are remarkable achievements. These works capture the conflicted tensions of the Bush (43) era during which many citizens asked themselves in the shadows of Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo, or post-Katrina New Orleans, “Am I an American?” While her focus is upon the contestable character of American nationality, Weber's narrative depicts how civic identity is expressed diversely during severe crises by its multicultural citizenry. At least since the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993, many pundits have set “Americanism” against “Terrorism” in the United States to discover “threatening others,” but Weber's innovative interventions artistically reexamine the moral nuances that complicated such searches for, or defenses against, “unsafe citizens” (Weber 2008). Her artwork—whether as digital prints or video installations—is aimed at the world as well as US audiences, but her portraits are decisive. They reexamine the limits of America: the borderlands where “Americans” per se rapidly can fade or even disappear under pressures from nation-states pushing against “the outside” along the many invisible dividing lines that conventional maps fail to trace. In the American Southwest or along the Canadian-American border, the barriers can be physically obvious; but liminal zones of inside/outside are in any space. Consequently, Weber ranges far and wide, probing many sites with her art and unsettling the comfortable zones that give national identity such intensity. There always are deeper dynamics of national soulcraft and citizenship training in play with the many divergent ways that raw force and harsh law can be reconstructed in art exhibitions (Luke 1992). Indeed, museums have served for decades as mechanisms for “imagining community” and “inventing tradition” (Anderson 1991), especially in the diverse, multicultural society of the United States of America. As these tendencies crystallize in Weber's project, she deftly leverages the …
Adrenergic Induction of Delayed Afterdepolarizations in Ventricular Myocardial Cells: β Induction and α Modulation

Adrenergic Afterdepolarizations in Ventricular Cells.Introduction: The purpose of these studies was to expose canine multicellular ventricular endocardial preparations and disaggregated myocytes to adrenergic agonists and antagonists, and to investigate the generation of delayed afterdepolarizations and triggered action potentials. Methods and Results: We used multicellular preparations and disaggregated myocytes from canine ventricles. The threshold concentration for induction of delayed afterdepolarizations in isolated myocytes for norepinephrine was between 1 × 10−8 M and 5 × 10−5 M, with 50% of the cells showing delayed afterdepolarizations at 4.3 × 10−8 M. Higher concentrations of epinephrine are required with 50% of the cells responding to 8.3 × 10−8 M. The threshold concentrations for induction of delayed afterdepolarizations in myocardial cells of multicellular preparations were an order of magnitude higher. Delayed afterdepolarizations could not be induced in Purkinje fibers with concentrations up to 10−4 M with norepinephrine. Adrenergic delayed afterdepolarizations were inhibited promptly by reduction of pO2 in superfusate that was equilibrated with N2 (95%) in place of O2. The amplitudes of adrenergic delayed afterdepolarizations and the propensity to triggered action potentials were inversely related to cycle length down to the shortest cycle length tested (330 msec). Adrenergic delayed afterdepolarizations were induced by isoproterenol but not by α-adrenergic agonists (methoxamine or phenylephrine). They were inhibited by a β antagonist (propranolol) but not by α antagonists (prazosin or yohimbine). Delayed afterdepolarizations induced by isoproterenol were inhibited by α agonists (methoxamine or phenylephrine). The α-adrenergic inhibitory effects on β-adrenergic delayed afterdepolarizations could be reversed by prazosin, but not by yohimbine. Conclusions: We conclude the natural catecholamines norepinephrine and epinephrine generate delayed afterdepolarizations in myocardial cells, but not in Purkinje cells, by activating β receptors, but activation of α1 receptors inhibits adrenergic delayed afterdepolarizations. Individual myocytes exhibit widely varying sensitivities for induction of adrenergic delayed afterdepolarizations, but some cells respond to concentrations similar to those that may exist in vivo. Therefore, sympathetic activation in vivo may generate delayed afterdepolarizations, triggered action potentials, and arrhythmias.