cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Trolley Wire Lubrication Improved

Laboratory tests indicate that solid graphitic material for trolley wire lubrication is vastly superior to the graphite-grease now commonly used for that purpose. Tests under practical operating conditions now are being made on a 210-mile electrified portion of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, and Pacific Railroad. This paper discusses briefly the general problem of trolley wire lubrication, and presents results of tests on both graphite-grease and solid lubricant.
Ethanol decreases Glial-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (GDNF) protein release but not mRNA expression and increases GDNF-stimulated Shc phosphorylation in the developing cerebellum.

Background: Ethanol exposure during development leads to substantial neuronal loss in multiple regions of the brain. Although differentiating Purkinje cells of the cerebellum are particularly vulnerable to ethanol exposure, the mechanisms underlying ethanol-induced Purkinje cell loss have not been well defined. Our previous research indicated that exogenous Glial-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (GDNF) attenuated ethanol-induced Purkinje cell loss in cerebellar explant cultures, which suggests that ethanol, in turn, may decrease endogenous trophic factor-mediated survival mechanisms. Methods: The present experiments used an explant culture model of the developing rat cerebellum to test the hypothesis that ethanol decreases endogenous trophic support by limiting the availability of trophic factors, such as GDNF, or by altering the activation of key adapter proteins such as Shc (Src homology domain carboxy-terminal) that couple GDNF binding to multiple intracellular signaling pathways. GDNF mRNA and protein levels were measured by reverse northern blot analysis and sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay respectively, whereas Shc phosphorylation was measured by immunoprecipitation/western immunoblot analysis. Results: The developing cerebellum expresses both GDNF mRNA and protein in vitro. Ethanol exposure (68, 103, or 137 mM) had no effect on cerebellar levels of GDNF mRNA. However, ethanol (68 and 137 mM) decreased levels of GDNF protein released into culture medium. In addition, ethanol itself had no effect on Shc phosphorylation. However, in the presence of the highest dose of ethanol (137 mM) GDNF did stimulate Shc phosphorylation. Conclusions: Together, these results suggest that ethanol decreases GDNF-mediated trophic support of Purkinje cells in the developing cerebellum. However, GDNF in turn activates intracellular signaling pathways throughout the developing cerebellum as part of its Purkinje cell-selective neuroprotective response to ethanol exposure.
The management and assessment of risks from recombinant organisms

Abstract This paper describes the untraditional path followed to develop risk management policies for recombinant DNA research in the U.S.A. It deviated from the usual three stages of research, risk assessment and risk management through which a risk management policy commonly evolves. Almost immediately after the laboratory technique had been developed, restrictions were instituted; this step preceded the research and assessment stages. The paper also describes some of the technical and institutional factors that have influenced this policy.
On the Interplay of Parallelization, Program Performance, and Energy Consumption

This paper derives simple, yet fundamental formulas to describe the interplay between parallelism of an application, program performance, and energy consumption. Given the ratio of serial and parallel portions in an application and the number of processors, we derive optimal frequencies allocated to the serial and parallel regions in an application to either minimize the total energy consumption or minimize the energy-delay product. The impact of static power is revealed by considering the ratio between static and dynamic power and quantifying the advantages of adding to the architecture capability to turn off individual processors and save static energy. We further determine the conditions under which one can obtain both energy and speed improvement, as well as the amount of improvement. While the formulas we obtain use simplifying assumptions, they provide valuable theoretical insights into energy-aware processor resource management. Our results form a basis for several interesting research directions in the area of energy-aware multicore processor architectures.
Cracking in a Curved, Reinforced Concrete Box Girder Bridge

A study to monitor a multi-span reinforced concrete bridge was recently completed. The bridge is curved, with a non-prismatic three-cell box cross section. Extensive field testing was performed to evaluate the causes and effects of large shear cracks. Evaluation of the test results has shown that the distribution of strains in the bridge is significantly different from those assumed in design. This paper reports on the use of finite element analysis to assist in the evaluation of the behavior. Of prime interest has been the identification of the sources of the discrepancy between the test data and the design. This work shows that it is necessary to include concrete softening due to both shear and flexural cracking. The finite element model has also been used to demonstrate that the cracks were primarily the result of temperature differentials arising from the position of the sun during the normal daily cycle.
Integration of Chemical and Visual Sensors for Identifying an Odor Source in Near Shore Ocean Conditions

This paper develops new multiple sensor-based algorithms for identifying a chemical odor source in a near-shore and ocean environment via an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). Those algorithms implement two modules: source declaration and source verification, which are embedded in a subsumption architecture for chemical plume tracing (CPT). The source declaration module is based on chemical events detected by a chemical sensor, in combination with measured vehicle locations and fluid flow directions, while the source verification module uses a fuzzy color segmentation algorithm to process an image taken when the odor source is declared.
Patterning the gonad in 4-dimensions

The urogenital ridge (which includes the gonad and attached mesonephros) has proved to be a unique system to analyze the role of vascularization in morphogenesis of an internal organ. During the period of vascularization, development of the testis and ovary diverge morphologically. Time-lapse imaging of the gonad provides novel insights into the mechanisms that incorporate vasculature into an organ at the stage when structural organization of the tissue is initiated. Moreover, the divergent development of the testis and ovary provides a basis of comparison to correlate vascular development with the sex specific morphological development of the tissue. We are currently incorporating different cellular markers in this analysis to simultaneously image the endothelium and other cells in the organ. As far as we know, this is the first system for imaging vascular development in an organ undergoing extensive epithelial morphogenesis (Coveney et al., 2008). We are optimistic that this work will lead to further insights into the interwoven processes of cell differentiation and paracrine signaling that transform a common bipotential primordium to the highly specialized testis or ovary.
Array-Based DNA Diagnostics: Let the Revolution Begin

Advances in the fabrication of DNA microarrays as well as transformations in detection chemistries have vastly increased the throughput for genotyping, DNA sequencing, and array-based copy number analysis (ABCNA). Rapid changes in technology are not only affecting research but also revolutionizing DNA diagnostics. Here we focus on the application of high-throughput ABCNA and genotyping. Targeted and genome-wide ABCNA has led to the discovery of extensive DNA copy number variation in the population and the delineation of many previously unrecognized submicroscopic chromosomal aberrations (genomic disorders). High-throughput single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping is being widely applied in genome-wide association studies (GWASs) with recent successes in identification of common variants that confer risk for common adult diseases. Future applications of high-throughput genotyping and array-based DNA sequencing technology will undoubtedly involve research and diagnostic analyses of rare mutations and perhaps ultimately enable full individual genome sequencing.
Interdigitated Back Contact Silicon Heterojunction (IBC-SHJ) Solar Cell

Interdigitated back contact silicon heterojunction (IBC-SHJ) solar cells have been developed. This structure has interdigitated p/n amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) films deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) on the backside of crystalline silicon (c-Si) wafers, with light irradiating the front surface. IBC-SHJ cells possess advantages over front junction a-Si:H/c-Si heterojunction cells due to minimized current losses in the illuminating side, and over traditional diffused back-junction cells due to low temperature processing combined with the potential of high voltages for the heterojunction. Current-voltage curves, spectral response and laser beam induced current maps have been used to characterize the IBC-SHJ cells. It was found that the IBC-SHJ cell has non-linear illumination level dependence that correlates with effective minority-carrier lifetime. As the performance of these cells is very sensitive to the quality of passivation on front surface, they are ideally suited as a diagnostic tool for detail characterization of surface passivation. Initial cell structures have achieved independently confirmed cell efficiencies of 11.8% under AM1.5 illumination. Device simulation shows an efficiency of higher than 20% can be expected after optimizing the IBC-SHJ cells.
Waveform analysis of laser Doppler signals from normal and diabetic feet

Cutaneous perfusion of the feet of normal volunteers and diabetic patients were measured by laser Doppler fluxmetry. A test paradigm was followed in which the feet were studied at room temperature, during cooling, and during rewarming after cooling. The data files were analyzed using sequential Fourier techniques on serial 20 second segments. Contour plots were generated from the resulting 120 Fourier spectra and compared between the diabetic patients and the normal volunteers. The use of contour plots was found to be helpful in differentiating the diabetic from normal foot plots during this type of stress testing. Significant portions of the power spectra were found in the low frequencies (0.1-0.2 Hz) but there was also a strong component corresponding to the cardiac cycle with at least one harmonic of that cycle observed at two times the heart rate. Diabetic patients exhibited reductions in cutaneous perfusion with cooling in both the low frequency and heart rate frequencies. Sequential spectral analyses arranged in contour plots provide significant information about cutaneous perfusion using laser Doppler fluxmetry and prove useful in evaluating other pathologies characterized by cutaneous perfusion abnormalities. >
Dispersion compensation for on-chip ultrafast signal processing

A strongly coupled, chirped Bragg grating with sinusoidally modulated sidewalls is proposed for on-chip dispersion compensation. The device bandwidth, magnitude and sign of dispersion may be engineered for specific dispersion compensation requirements.
Female and Male Sex Offenders A Comparison of Recidivism Patterns and Risk Factors

Few studies have empirically validated the assertion that female and male sex offenders are vastly different. Therefore, utilizing a matched sample of 780 female and male sex offenders in New York State, the current study explored differences and similarities of recidivism patterns and risk factors for the two offender groups. Results suggested that male sex offenders were significantly more likely than female sex offenders to be rearrested for both sexual and nonsexual offenses. However, limited differences in terms of risk factors between female and male sex offenders were found.
Electrogenerated chemiluminescence from osmium(II) polypyridine carbonyl chloride systems

Abstract The spectroscopy, electrochemistry and electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) of four osmium(II) phenanthroline carbonyl chloride complexes are reported. Three of these compounds also contain diphosphine chelating ligands. ECL is generated in acetonitrile solutions with tri- n -propylamine (TPrA) as an oxidative–reductive coreactant. ECL efficiencies ( ϕ ecl = photons emitted per redox event) between 0.011 and 0.13 were obtained in air saturated and deoxygenated solutions with Ru(bpy) 3 2+ (bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine) as a relative standard ( ϕ ecl = 1). The ECL intensity peaks at a potential corresponding to oxidation of both TPrA and the osmium systems, while ECL spectra (obtained using absorption filters) are similar to photoluminescence spectra, indicating that emission is from the excited states of the osmium complexes.
Structural interaction fingerprint (SIFt): a novel method for analyzing three-dimensional protein-ligand binding interactions.

Representing and understanding the three-dimensional (3D) structural information of protein−ligand complexes is a critical step in the rational drug discovery process. Traditional analysis methods are proving inadequate and inefficient in dealing with the massive amount of structural information being generated from X-ray crystallography, NMR, and in silico approaches such as structure-based docking experiments. Here, we present SIFt (structural interaction fingerprint), a novel method for representing and analyzing 3D protein−ligand binding interactions. Key to this approach is the generation of an interaction fingerprint that translates 3D structural binding information from a protein−ligand complex into a one-dimensional binary string. Each fingerprint represents the “structural interaction profile” of the complex that can be used to organize, analyze, and visualize the rich amount of information encoded in ligand−receptor complexes and also to assist database mining. We have applied SIFt to tackle thr...
The turbo decoding algorithm and its phase trajectories

This paper analyzes phase trajectories and fixed points of the turbo decoding algorithm as a function of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). By exploiting the large length of turbo codes, the turbo decoding algorithm is treated as a single-parameter dynamical system, parameterized (approximately) by the SNR. This parameterization, along "with" extensive simulations at practical SNRs and asymptotic analysis as SNR goes to zero and infinity, is used to subdivide the entire SNR range into three regions with the "waterfall region" in the middle. The turbo decoding algorithm has distinctive phase trajectories and convergence properties in these three SNR regions. This paper also investigates existence and properties of fixed points in these SNR regions. The main fixed points of the turbo decoding algorithm are classified into two categories. In a wide range of SNRs (corresponding to bit-error rates less than 10/sup -1/), the decoding algorithm has "unequivocal" fixed points which correspond to mostly correct decisions on the information bits. Within this range, toward the lower values of SNR, there is another fixed point which corresponds to many erroneous decision on the information bits. Fixed points of this type are referred to as "indecisive" fixed points. It turns out that the indecisive fixed points bifurcate and disappear for SNRs in the waterfall region. This paper associates the qualitative transition of phase trajectories in the waterfall region to the bifurcation of indecisive fixed points. These bifurcations also explain empirically observed quasi-periodic and periodic phase trajectories of the turbo decoding algorithm.
Repetitive Yawning Associated With Cardiac Tamponade

Yawning occurs frequently in daily life and is often attributed to boredom and fatigue. Rarely, it may be a symptom of serious underlying medical illness, primarily involving the central nervous system. We report a case of acute cardiac tamponade resulting from a large, malignant pericardial effusion. The patient manifested striking repetitive yawning that resolved immediately after pericardial drainage. An association between repetitive yawning and acute cardiac tamponade has not been previously described.
Effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on quadriceps function in individuals with experimental knee pain

Knee joint pain (KJP) is a cardinal symptom in knee pathologies, and quadriceps inhibition is commonly observed among KJP patients. Previously, KJP independently reduced quadriceps strength and activation. However, it remains unknown how disinhibitory transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) will affect inhibited quadriceps motor function. This study aimed at examining changes in quadriceps maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) and central activation ratio (CAR) before and after sensory TENS following experimental knee pain. Thirty healthy participants were assigned to either the TENS or placebo groups. All participants underwent three separate data collection sessions consisting of two saline infusions and one no infusion control in a crossover design. TENS or placebo treatment was administered to each group for 20 min. Quadriceps MVC and CAR were measured at baseline, infusion, treatment, and post-treatment. Perceived knee pain intensity was measured on a 100-mm visual analogue scale. Post-hoc analysis revealed that hypertonic saline infusion significantly reduced the quadriceps MVC and CAR compared with control sessions (P < 0.05). Sensory TENS, however, significantly restored inhibited quadriceps motor function compared with placebo treatment (P < 0.05). There was a negative correlation between changes in MVC and knee pain (r = 0.33, P < 0.001), and CAR and knee pain (r = 0.62, P < 0.001), respectively.
A comparison of dosing accuracy: visually impaired and sighted people using insulin pens.

Background: In the United States, 18% of people with diagnosed diabetes have visual impairment. Insulin pens are widely used by both blind and sighted people. However, major manufacturers include a disclaimer in the instructions warning against use by visually impaired people, without giving a rationale. Published studies neither support nor refute the disclaimer. Method: The purpose of this study was to compare accuracy of dosing with insulin pens between visually impaired and sighted people. Inclusion criteria were self-reported diabetes and inability (visually impaired group) or ability (sighted group) to read regular print. The sole exclusion criterion was inability to pass a brief test of decisional capacity. Each participant received standardized instructions for insulin pen use, either in recorded (visually impaired group) or in printed (sighted group) format, and delivered 10 systematically varied doses into an injection ball, which was weighed on a precision laboratory balance. Results: No significant correlation with accuracy of insulin dosing was found for any of the analyzed variables: visual status, age, gender, years of having diabetes mellitus (DM), or treatment of DM with or without insulin. Conclusions: This study provided preliminary evidence of the safety of use of insulin pens by visually impaired people and raised questions about the validity of the disclaimer. Further study of the safety of use of insulin pens by blind people is needed. Inclusion of people with disabilities in research on technology intended for patient use would ensure that people with disabilities can benefit from new technology.
Electrophysiological analysis of cortical mechanisms of selective attention to high and low spatial frequencies

Objectives: This study investigated whether short-latency (,100 ms) event-related potential (ERP) components were modulated during attention to spatial frequency (SF) cues. Methods: Sinusoidally modulated checkerboard stimuli having high (5 cycles per degree (cpd)) or low (0.8 cpd) SF content were presented in random order at intervals of 400‐650 ms. Subjects attended to either the high or low SF stimuli, with the task of detecting targets of slightly higher or lower SF, respectively, than the above standards. ERPs were recorded from 42 scalp sites during task performance and spatio-temporal analyses were carried out on sensory-evoked and attention-related components. Results: Attended high SF stimuli elicited an early negative difference potential (ND120) starting at about 100 ms, whereas attended low SF stimuli elicited a positivity (PD130) in the same latency range. The neural sources of both effects were estimated with dipole modeling to lie in dorsal, extrastriate occipital areas. Earlier evoked components evoked at 60‐100 ms that were modeled with striate and extrastriate cortical sources were not affected by attention to SF. Starting at 150 ms, attended stimuli of both SFs elicited a broad selection negativity (SN) that was localized to ventral extrastriate visual cortex. The SN was larger over the left/right cerebral hemisphere for attended stimuli of high/low SF. Conclusions: These results support the view that attention to SF does not involve a mechanism of amplitude modulation of early-evoked components prior to 100 ms. Attention to high and low SF information involves qualitatively different and hemispherically specialized neural processing operations. q 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Molecular Basis of pH and Ca2+ Regulation of Aquaporin Water Permeability

Aquaporins facilitate the diffusion of water across cell membranes. We previously showed that acid pH or low Ca2+ increase the water permeability of bovine AQP0 expressed in Xenopus oocytes. We now show that external histidines in loops A and C mediate the pH dependence. Furthermore, the position of histidines in different members of the aquaporin family can “tune” the pH sensitivity toward alkaline or acid pH ranges. In bovine AQP0, replacement of His40 in loop A by Cys, while keeping His122 in loop C, shifted the pH sensitivity from acid to alkaline. In the killifish AQP0 homologue, MIPfun, with His at position 39 in loop A, alkaline rather than acid pH increased water permeability. Moving His39 to His40 in MIPfun, to mimic bovine AQP0 loop A, shifted the pH sensitivity back to the acid range. pH regulation was also found in two other members of the aquaporin family. Alkaline pH increased the water permeability of AQP4 that contains His at position 129 in loop C. Acid and alkaline pH sensitivity was induced in AQP1 by adding histidines 48 (in loop A) and 130 (in loop C). We conclude that external histidines in loops A and C that span the outer vestibule contribute to pH sensitivity. In addition, we show that when AQP0 (bovine or killifish) and a crippled calmodulin mutant were coexpressed, Ca2+ sensitivity was lost but pH sensitivity was maintained. These results demonstrate that Ca2+ and pH modulation are separable and arise from processes on opposite sides of the membrane.
Evidence of Dynamic Changes in Brain Processing from Imaging Techniques: Implications for Interventions for Developmental Disabilities

There is great interest in emerging literacy skills due to evidence that such skills identified in the preschool period are predictive of reading at school age. Further, there is evidence that interventions applied early in the reading acquisition process have more positive outcomes than those applied after poor reading performance has been identified as delayed. To better understand the development of emergent and conventional reading skills, more research is needed to expand the evidence of how brain processing changes are related reading skill development and to changes due to intervention. This chapter reviews research on the critical emergent literacy skills that underlie the development of early reading skills, and links between brain processing of one of these critical emergent skills (speech processing) in infants, children and adults to language and reading skills. The chapter concludes with a dynamic model of brain activity as it relates to the acquisition of reading-related skills and to the impact of educational interventions.
Intensifiers: Detective Quantum Efficiency, Efficiency Contrast Transfer Function and the Signal-to-noise Ratio

Publisher Summary This chapter examines the detective quantum efficiency, the efficiency contrast transfer function, and the signal-to-noise ratio of the intensifiers. Intensifiers are sensor and display devices that are not only responsive to the signal intensity of radiation from objects, but also provide information on location and movement. Equations are derived relating intensifier detective quantum efficiency, an efficiency contrast transfer function and signal-to-noise ratio. The transfer function is defined as the ratio of output-to-input contrast, with contrast defined as the ratio of signal to the sum of contributions from r.m.s. noise in the signal, background and environment. For low light level tubes, under optimum conditions, the contrast reduces simply to the signal-to-noise ratio. There are numerous factors that influence the relationship between the output signal and the input irradiance, one of which is the steady-state current of the tube upon which the video signal rides. The output signal-to-noise ratio and contrast are also elaborated.
F-BOX proteins in cancer cachexia and muscle wasting: Emerging regulators and therapeutic opportunities

Cancer cachexia is a debilitating metabolic syndrome accounting for fatigue, an impairment of normal activities, loss of muscle mass associated with body weight loss eventually leading to death in majority of patients with advanced disease. Cachexia patients undergoing skeletal muscle atrophy show consistent activation of the SCF ubiquitin ligase (F-BOX) family member Atrogin-1 (also known as MAFBx/FBXO32) alongside the activation of the muscle ring finger protein1 (MuRF1). Other lesser known F-BOX family members are also emerging as key players supporting muscle wasting pathways. Recent work highlights a spectrum of different cancer signaling mechanisms impacting F-BOX family members that feed forward muscle atrophy related genes during cachexia. These novel players provide unique opportunities to block cachexia induced skeletal muscle atrophy by therapeutically targeting the SCF protein ligases. Conversely, strategies that induce the production of proteins may be helpful to counter the effects of these F-BOX proteins. Through this review, we bring forward some novel targets that promote atrogin-1 signaling in cachexia and muscle wasting and highlight newer therapeutic opportunities that can help in the better management of patients with this devastating and fatal disorder.
Crystal structure of a substrate-engaged SecY protein-translocation channel

The crystal structure of a substrate-engaged SecY channel and the SecA ATPase, which provides molecular insight into the process of protein translocation across membranes. The general secretory (Sec) pathway of bacteria, which relies on the SecY protein translocation channel, is responsible for ferrying proteins across the bacterial cell membrane. The mechanism of protein insertion into the channel has been unclear due to the lack of high-resolution structures of the active channel. Tom Rapoport and colleagues report the crystal structure of a substrate-engaged SecY channel and the SecA ATPase, which provides an important molecular insight into the process of post-translational translocation in bacteria. Hydrophobic signal sequences target secretory polypeptides to a protein-conducting channel formed by a heterotrimeric membrane protein complex, the prokaryotic SecY or eukaryotic Sec61 complex. How signal sequences are recognized is poorly understood, particularly because they are diverse in sequence and length. Structures of the inactive channel show that the largest subunit, SecY or Sec61α, consists of two halves that form an hourglass-shaped pore with a constriction in the middle of the membrane and a lateral gate that faces lipid1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10. The cytoplasmic funnel is empty, while the extracellular funnel is filled with a plug domain. In bacteria, the SecY channel associates with the translating ribosome in co-translational translocation, and with the SecA ATPase in post-translational translocation11. How a translocating polypeptide inserts into the channel is uncertain, as cryo-electron microscopy structures of the active channel have a relatively low resolution (~10 A) or are of insufficient quality6,7,8. Here we report a crystal structure of the active channel, assembled from SecY complex, the SecA ATPase, and a segment of a secretory protein fused into SecA. The translocating protein segment inserts into the channel as a loop, displacing the plug domain. The hydrophobic core of the signal sequence forms a helix that sits in a groove outside the lateral gate, while the following polypeptide segment intercalates into the gate. The carboxy (C)-terminal section of the polypeptide loop is located in the channel, surrounded by residues of the pore ring. Thus, during translocation, the hydrophobic segments of signal sequences, and probably bilayer-spanning domains of nascent membrane proteins, exit the lateral gate and dock at a specific site that faces the lipid phase.
Response of Virgin vs. Mated and Sterile vs. Fertile Female Boll Weevils to Male-Baited Traps

In field cage and isolated field tests the response of virgin female boll weevils, Anthonomus grandis Boheman, to male-baited traps was from 2 to 9 times greater than that of mated females. Females that had mated as long as 1 wk prior to release were still not as responsive as were virgins. The interval after the last mating may be important in determining whether or not a mated female will remate. Response of mated females is also influenced by male density. The fact that some mated native females will respond to males a second time should be beneficial to a boll weevil eradication program. In field cage tests the response of sterile female boll weevils to male-baited traps was approximately the same as that of fertile females. If eradication of the boll weevil is attempted, the release of sterile females along with the sterile males may contribute to premature sperm depletion of the sterile males, unless an effective pheromone trapping system is devised to remove these females from the field after release.
On the Reversibility of Hydrogen-Storage Reactions in Ca(BH4)2: Characterization via Experiment and Theory

With 11.6 wt % H2, Ca(BH4)2 is a promising hydrogen-storage candidate material provided the issue of reversibility can be addressed. We investigate theoretically and experimentally the structure and reversibility of Ca(BH4)2 in (de)hydrogenation reactions, including an intermediate CaB12H12 phase. From our first-principles calculations, we predict several polymorphs of CaB12H12 that compete in energy in dehydrogenation (within 1 kJ/mol-H2), indicating no long-range ordered state is likely. Our experimental microchemical analysis and structural characterization of the dehydrogenated Ca(BH4)2 show that the intermediate phase is amorphous-like. Theoretically determined X-ray diffraction patterns for all coexisting Ca(BH4)2, CaH2, and CaB12H12 polymorphic phases reproduce the observed diffraction peaks. The calculated reaction formation enthalpies versus H-content reveal limited reversibility, as CaB12H12 is energetically very favorable. Our results suggest the (de)hydrogenation process for Ca(BH4)2 via CaB12...
Image Interpretation for Soft-Copy Displays of Digitally Derived Images

The effects of manipulating image noise and image blur were determined on an information extraction task using soft-copy displays. The participants in this study were 15 military photointerpreters ...
A Correlation of Rapid Cardy Meter Sap Test and ICP Spectrometry of Dry Tissue for Measuring Potassium (K+) Concentrations in Pak Choi (Brassica Rapa Chinensis Group)

ABSTRACTNutritional status of vegetable crops is often monitored by analysis of dried plant tissues, which is costly and often time consuming. Two greenhouse trials were conducted, at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Magoon facilities, to evaluate the portable cardy ion meter (CIM) in determining potassium (K+) status in fresh petiole sap of pak choi as compared with standard laboratory methods. In the first greenhouse trial, three algae species (Gracilaria salicornia, Kappaphycus alvarezii, and Eucheuma denticulatum) were used to apply five rates of K+ (0, 84, 168,252, and 336 kg.ha−1). The pak choi was directly seeded into 4 L pots and was grown in peat moss. In the second greenhouse trial, K+ was provided through Eucheuma denticulatum and potassium nitrate (KNO3) at five rates (0,112, 168, 224, 280, and 336 kg.ha−1) in peat moss and soil media. At harvest, K+ concentrations in fresh petiole sap were analyzed immediately with CIM and the dried samples were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma spectr...
Hierarchical optimization of digital cmos circuits for power, performance and reliability

Power consumption and soft-error tolerance have become major constraints in the design of deep-sub-micron (DSM) complimentary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) circuits. With continued technology scaling, the impact of these parameters is expected to gain in significance. Furthermore, the design complexity continues to increase rapidly due to the tremendous increase in number of components (gates/transistors) on an integrated circuit (IC) every technology generation. This research describes an efficient and general computer-aided-design (CAD) framework for the optimization of critical circuit characteristics such as power consumption and soft-error tolerance under delay constraints with supply/threshold voltages and/or gate sizes as variables. A general technique called Delay-Assignment-Variation (DAV) based optimization was formulated for the delay-constrained optimization of directed acyclic graphs. Exact mathematical conditions on the supply and threshold voltages of circuit modules were developed that lead to minimum overall dynamic and static power consumption of the circuit under delay constraints. A DAV search based method was used to obtain the optimal supply and threshold voltages that minimized power consumption. To handle the complexity of design of reliable, low-power circuits at the gate level, a hierarchical application of DAV based optimization was explored. The effectiveness of the hierarchical approach in reducing circuit power and unreliability, while being highly efficient is demonstrated. The usage of the technique for improving upon already optimized designs is described. An accurate and efficient model for analyzing the soft-error tolerance of CMOS circuits is also developed.
Factor Xa Control of the Extrinsic Pathway: A Different View of the Regulation of Coagulation.

The activation of factor X by Tissue Factor(TF):VIIa on a membrane surface is one of the principal events in the initiation of coagulation. We have previously shown and presently confirm that reactions initiated by TF:VIIa do not typically result in the complete activation of substrate, but rather some intermediate level of fX activation. Excess phospholipid has complex effects on the TF:VIIa reaction, resulting in either inhibition, due to substrate depletion, or acceleration, by virtue of binding fXa. This complexity results in unavoidable ambiguities in interpretation of all previous reports. To tease apart these complexities, we have used benzamidine-sepharose that only binds fXa and not fX. We now show that the reaction product, fXa, can impede, and in fact, completely inhibit TF:VIIa activity. We monitored progress curves of fX activation by TF:VIIa in the presence and absence of benzamidine beads, which specifically partition the reaction product away from the TF:VIIa complexes. In the presence of these benzamidine beads, the activation rate of fX increased by 60% confirming that removal of fXa enhances tissue factor activity. Moreover, binding studies of fXa to TF-phospholipid surfaces indicate that the surface occupancy by fXa regulates TF:VIIa activity. Surface occupancy was evaluated by Total Internal Reflectance (on macroscopic lipid bilayers) and Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (phospholipid vesicles). Our measurements of the off-rate of fXa (0.06–0.08 /s) are similar to some literature values, but differ by up to 500-fold from others. Stochastic simulations of TF:VIIa kinetics on phospholipid surfaces confirm that product leaving rates strongly regulate the observed experimental kinetics. Our approach indicates that current models of coagulation need to be altered to accommodate product surface occupancy. Indeed, if fXa occupancy is ignored, as is generally the case, the models simply cannot reflect reality.
Bumble Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) of Montana

Montana supports a diverse assemblage of bumble bees (Bombus Latreille) due to its size, landscape diversity, and location at the junction of known geographic ranges of North American species. We compiled the first inventory of Bombus species in Montana, using records from 25 natural history collections and labs engaged in bee research, collected over the past 125 years, as well as specimens collected specifically for this project during the summer of 2015. Over 12,000 records are included, with 28 species of Bombus now confirmed in the state. Based on information from nearby regions, four additional species are predicted to occur in Montana. Of the 28 species, Bombus bimaculatus Cresson and Bombus borealis Kirby are new state records. The presence of B. borealis was previously predicted, but the presence of B. bimaculatus in Montana represents a substantial extension of its previously reported range. Four additional “eastern” bumble bee species are recorded from the state, and three species pairs thought to replace one another from the eastern to western United States are now known to be sympatric in Montana. Additionally, our data are consistent with reported declines in populations of Bombus occidentalis Greene and Bombus suckleyi Greene, highlighting a need for targeted surveys of these two species in Montana.
Bioengineering Human Lung Grafts on Porcine Matrix

Objective:Bioengineering of viable, functional, and implantable human lung grafts on porcine matrix.Summary Background Data:Implantable bioartificial organ grafts could revolutionize transplant surgery. To date, several milestones toward that goal have been achieved in rodent models. To make bioengi
Implementation of an evidence-based biobehavioral treatment for cancer patients

One aim of dissemination and implementation (DI) research is to study the translation of evidence-based treatments (EBTs) from the research environments of their development and testing to broader communities where they are needed. There are few behavioral medicine DI studies and none in cancer survivorship. A determinant model (Setting, Therapist, Education, imPlementation, and Sustainability (STEPS)) was used to conceptualize DI of mental health treatment and frame a longitudinal study of implementation of a behavioral medicine EBT—a biobehavioral intervention (BBI) for cancer patients. Using effective dissemination strategies, therapists were trained in the BBI and followed to determine if implementation occurred. Participants (N = 108) were psychologists, social workers, and other oncology mental health providers from diverse settings to whom the BBI had been disseminated. BBI trainers then provided 6 months of support for implementation (e.g., monthly conference calls). Therapists reported number of patients treated, with or without the BBI, at 2, 4, and 6 months; use of support strategies was tracked. Generalized linear mixed models show that the proportion of patients treated with BBI ranged from 58 to 68%, with a 2% increase across follow-ups. Therapist and setting characteristics did not predict usage. Implementation of a behavioral medicine EBT provides a “real-world” demonstration of a BBI moved from the research setting to diverse communities. As the first study in cancer, it is an encouraging example of training and supporting mental health providers to deliver evidence-based psychological treatment and finding their success in doing so.
Exploring the Pair Programming Process: Characteristics of Effective Collaboration

Pair programming is a collaboration paradigm that has been increasingly adopted in computer science education. Research has established that pair programming can hold benefits for students' learning and attitudes, but comparatively little is known about the ways in which the collaborative process benefits students' CS learning. This paper examines the collaboration process, comparing important outcomes with how students' dialogue and problem-solving approaches unfolded. The results show that the collaboration is more effective when both partners make substantive dialogue contributions, express uncertainty, and resolve it. In particular, driver dialogue expressivity is associated with improved outcomes. The findings provide insight into the ways in which pair programming dialogue benefits student learning during CS problem solving.
Membrane-Bound Enzymes from Mycobacterium phlei; Malate Vitamin K Reductase

It is widely recognized that the enzymes of the living cell operate within the framework of a highly organized structure or by intracellular compartmentalization. A large number of cellular enzymes are located in membranes and referred to as membrane-bound enzymes. Included in this category are the enzymes located in the plasma membrane, mitochondria, and microsomes, as well as those found in bacteria and plant membranes. In fact, this definition can be extended to those proteins which catalyze the physical translocation of substrates and are responsible for transmembrane transport of solutes against a concentration gradient. The existence of membrane-bound enzymes has been known for many years, but not much attention has been given to them for detailed studies since either their structural organization or functions are lost on isolation. However, in the last 10 years, it has become clear that many membrane-bound enzymes require the lipid components of membranes for activity and that the previous difficulties in solubilization of these membrane components were due to the failure to recognize the lipid requirements. Nevertheless, it should be emphasized that enzyme complexes which require physical and spatial orientation to one another must remain intact for enzymatic activity.
Skepticism and Critique in Arendt and Cavell

In this article I compare and contrast Hannah Arendt’s and Stanley Cavell’s understandings of critique, focusing in each case upon the role played in it by skepticism. Both writers are decisively influenced by the later Heidegger’s thought that thinking as such is, first, the necessary turn to a practice adequate to our situation and, second, something that we shun. They also share the desire to take up this Heideggerian thought in Kantian terms: what is at stake is critical thinking. It is here, however, that they part ways, with Arendt insisting that critique is as incompatible with skepticism as it is with dogmatism, and Cavell insisting that skepticism is the central moment within critique. Arendt’s attempt to ban skepticism from critique forces her into the contradictory position of at once denying and affirming the role of dogma in critical thinking. Cavell, in contrast, is able to shed light consistently upon the question of how citizens might best respond to the new – a task, ironically, that is a...
Comparing the Incidence of Index Level Fusion Following Minimally Invasive Versus Open Lumbar Microdiscectomy

Study Design:Retrospective cohort study.Objectives:To determine the incidence of index level fusion following open or minimally invasive lumbar microdiscectomy.Methods:We conducted a retrospective ...
Chronic administration of amphetamines disturbs development of neural progenitor cells in young adult nonhuman primates.

Abstract The detrimental effects of amphetamines on developmental stages of NPCs are limited to rodent brain and it is not known if these effects occur in nonhuman primates which are the focus of the current investigation. Young adult rhesus macaques either experienced MDMA only, a combination of amphetamines (MDMA, MDA and methamphetamine) or no amphetamines (controls) and hippocampal tissue was processed for immunohistochemical analysis.Quantitative stereological analysis showed that intermittent exposure to MDMA or the three amphetamines over 9.6 months causes >80% decrease in the number of Ki-67 cells (actively dividing NPCs) and >50% decrease in the number of NeuroD1 cells (NPCs that have attained a neuronal phenotype). Co-labeling analysis revealed distinct, actively dividing hippocampal NPCs in the subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus that were in transition from stem-like radial glia-like cells (type-1) to immature transiently amplifying neuroblasts (type-2a, type-2b, and type-3).MDMA-alone and the combination reduced the number of dividing type-1 and type-3 NPCs and cells that were not NPCs. These data indicate that amphetamines interfere with the division and migration of NPCs. Notably, the reduction in the number of NPCs and immature neurons were not associated with changes in cell death (via apoptosis) or granule cell neuron numbers, indicating that amphetamines selectively affected the generation and maturation of newly born granule cell neurons. In sum, our findings suggest that alterations in the cellular composition in the dentate gyrus during chronic exposure to amphetamines can effect neuroplasticity in the hippocampus and influence functional properties of hippocampal neurons.
An optical fiber extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometer based displacement sensor with centimeter measurement range

A low-cost and robust extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometer (EFPI) based optical fiber displacement sensor with a wide measurement range, up to cm level, is reported in this paper. A gold-coated reflective mirror fixed inside the metal shell of the sensor, together with the endface of a single mode fiber form a Fabry-Perot cavity. The optical fiber is supported and oriented by a fiber ceramic ferrule, and the sensor is packaged and protected by a metal shell. A triangle geometry based displacement transfer mechanism is employed in the constructed sensor which makes the sensor capable of measuring wide-range displacement, and this triangle geometry based structure allows the measurement range of the sensor to be flexibly adjusted. When the measurement handgrip of the sensor experiences a displacement, the cavity length will change due to the triangle geometry design. By tracking the change in the reflection spectrum, the displacement can be determined. The experimental results show that a displacement measurement sensitivity of 42.68 nm/μm (change in EFPI cavity length/displacement magnitude) over a measurement range of 2.0 cm was achieved by the constructed prototype sensor. The present wide-range displacement sensor with low cost, high robustness has a great potential in the chemical-oil industry, the construction industry.
New Vistas: Multi-Agent Hybrid Systems

Nonlinear control is very much a growing endeavor, with many new results and techniques being introduced. In the summary sections of each of the preceding chapters we have given the reader a sense of the excitement surrounding each of the new directions. In this chapter, we talk about another area of tremendous recent excitement: hybrid systems. The growth of this area is almost directly attributable to advances in computation, communication, and new methods of distributed sensing and actuation, which makes it critical to have methods for designing and analyzing systems which involve interaction between software and electro-mechanical systems. In this chapter, we give a sense of the research agenda in two areas where this activity is especially current: embedded control and multi-agent distributed control systems.