cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
In vitro Transformation of Cord Blood Lymphocytes by Antigens

Newborn human lymphocytes respond vigorously to immunologically specific stimulation with homologous cells in mixed leukocyte cultures and to non-specific stimulants. Certain maternal infections can be transmitted to the human fetus and induce antibody production suggesting that the placental barrier is not impermeable to certain antigens. However, little is known about placental transfer of antigens in normal pregnancies. For this reason leukocyte culturews form radom cord blood samples were incubated with various antigens, and transformation was assayed by tritiated thymidine (TdR3H) uptake. Analysis of variance of the response of triplicate cultures revealed that a ratio of 3 : 1 or greater of uptake of TdR3H by stimulated to unstimulated cultures was borns tested that manifested such a significant (p < 0.01). The number of newborns tested that manifested such a significant in vitro response was 5/21 with streptolysin 0, 5/15 with Type I pneumococci, 4/17 with Group A type 12 streptococcal cell wall extract, 2/14 with E. coli, and 3/9 with S. enteritides endotoxin. Examinations of metaphases in cord blood cultures from male infants revealed that the could not have been due to the passage of maternal cells across the placenta. This 14–33% incidence of significant stimulation of cord blood lymphocytes by these common bacterial antigens is therefore either due to inborn cellular immunity or to transplacental transfer from the maternal circulation and prenatal sensitization of the fetus by these antigens. (Supported by : NIH Grant No. HD-04273.)
Pilomyxoid astrocytoma of the cerebellar vermis in an elderly patient

Background: Pilomyxoid astrocytoma (PMA) has recently been accepted as an aggressive variant of pilocytic astrocytoma with distinct histopathological features. PMAs have been frequently described in the pediatric population with a predilection for the hypothalamic/chiasmatic region. Case Description: A 72‑year‑old African American male presented with 6 months of memory loss, difficulty expressing himself, and a progressively worsening gait. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain demonstrated a heterogeneously enhancing cystic mass centered within the cerebellar vermis with mass effect on the fourth ventricle and ventriculomegaly. The patient underwent placement of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt followed by a surgical resection of the lesion, which after immunohistopathologic evaluation, was diagnosed as a World Health Organization grade II PMA. The patient refused further treatment of the lesion and expired 11 months after initial symptom presentation and 4 months after surgery. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first report of PMA of the cerebellar vermis in a previously unreported age group. This case report describes the natural history of this type of tumor in a patient who refused adjuvant therapy following surgical resection.
N-terminal domains of human DNA polymerase lambda promote primer realignment during translesion DNA synthesis.

Abstract The X-family DNA polymerases λ (Polλ) and β (Polβ) possess similar 5′-2-deoxyribose-5-phosphate lyase (dRPase) and polymerase domains. Besides these domains, Polλ also possesses a BRCA1 C-terminal (BRCT) domain and a proline-rich domain at its N terminus. However, it is unclear how these non-enzymatic domains contribute to the unique biological functions of Polλ. Here, we used primer extension assays and a newly developed high-throughput short oligonucleotide sequencing assay (HT-SOSA) to compare the efficiency of lesion bypass and fidelity of human Polβ, Polλ and two N-terminal deletion constructs of Polλ during the bypass of either an abasic site or an 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) lesion. We demonstrate that the BRCT domain of Polλ enhances the efficiency of abasic site bypass by approximately 1.6-fold. In contrast, deletion of the N-terminal domains of Polλ did not affect the efficiency of 8-oxodG bypass relative to nucleotide incorporations opposite undamaged dG. HT-SOSA analysis demonstrated that Polλ and Polβ preferentially generated −1 or −2 frameshift mutations when bypassing an abasic site and the single or double base deletion frequency was highly sequence dependent. Interestingly, the BRCT and proline-rich domains of Polλ cooperatively promoted the generation of −2 frameshift mutations when the abasic site was situated within a sequence context that was susceptible to homology-driven primer realignment. Furthermore, both N-terminal domains of Polλ increased the generation of −1 frameshift mutations during 8-oxodG bypass and influenced the frequency of substitution mutations produced by Polλ opposite the 8-oxodG lesion. Overall, our data support a model wherein the BRCT and proline-rich domains of Polλ act cooperatively to promote primer/template realignment between DNA strands of limited sequence homology. This function of the N-terminal domains may facilitate the role of Polλ as a gap-filling polymerase within the non-homologous end joining pathway.
Impacts of Riparian Forest Removal on Palauan Streams

The 2006 completion of the circum-island Compact Road on the island of Babeldaob in the Republic of Palau resulted in several deforested stream reaches with modified stream channels. To determine the impacts of deforestation and road construction, various ecosystem parameters were compared between road-impacted reaches, reforested savanna reaches, and forested reaches. Compared to adjacent forested reaches, road-impacted reaches received significantly more light (0.4 ± 0.1 vs. 87.8 ± 4.1 % light transmittance, respectively), were significantly warmer (25.7 ± 0.1 vs. 26.1 ± 0.1°C, respectively), and received higher nutrient and sediment loads, all of which were attributed to the removal of riparian vegetation and increased surface runoff from the road. These differences were believed to have shifted the benthic algal community in road-impacted reaches from diatoms to filamentous algae with significantly greater chl a biomass (10 x) and benthic algal ash free dry mass AFDM (3x) compared to adjacent forested reaches. Savanna-impacted and forested reaches had similar chl a, algal AFDM, and received similar amounts of light. Nutrient and sediment concentrations varied between the two reach types. Results from this study emphasize the need for the maintenance of riparian forests especially with predicted increases in population, development, and deforestation. Future studies are needed to determine effective riparian widths and riparian forest community structure to help resource managers and land owners protect and preserve the many ecosystem services that Palauan streams and watersheds provide.
Procedures for improving the mle for ordered binomial parameters

Abstract The problem is that of estimating the probabilities of m independent binomial random variables when their probabilities are known to be nondecreasing and the loss function is squared error. In the cases where the m.l.e. is inadmissible (essentially when the total number of trials is 7 or more) we present a method for modifying the m.l.e. to get a better estimator. The method requires a series of changes. At each step we alter the action taken by the m.l.e. on each of three, appropriately chosen, points in the sample space.
Decoupled boundary layer model of induction machines

A partially decomposed variable-order model of the double-cage induction machine is presented and validated. The model exhibits improved computational efficiency in simulating full machine behaviour including stator transients. A state variable transformation is used to separate the electrical steady-state from the transient part of flux linkage response. The transient flux-linkage response is next decomposed into fast and slow sub-systems which constitute the boundary layers of the overall model. The fast subsystem is then reduced by neglecting the heavily damped fast transients caused by the starting cage. Each of the two decoupled boundary layer equations may be computed using different time steps and even ignored during periods when the corresponding mode is not excited, thereby effectively reducing model order and greatly decreasing computational requirements while retaining simulation accuracy.
Abstract painting and integrationist linguistics

Roy Harris offers artists and the artworld an opportunity to renew and reexamine abstraction and modernism, freeing them from the fallacy of significant form, confusion about intentionality and the redundancy that comes from art that merely illustrates theory and visual culture. The author contrasts a view of art over time (art history) with a view of art at a particular time (visual cultural), and suggests that the new supercategory of media foreseen by Harris (2010) may be paralleled by the development of a new supercategory of art that is difficult to imagine today.
Rational use of drugs for cardiac arrest and after cardiac resuscitation

Abstract In addition to the development of several new mechanical and electrical techniques, advances in the treatment of cardiac arrest in the last 2 decades include the better use of established drugs and the appearance of a few new pharmacologic agents as well. Drugs are used for various purposes in all stages of cardiac resuscitation: in the prevention of cardiac arrest, in the emergency restoration of circulation of oxygenated blood, in the restoration of intrinsic cardiac rhythm and in the prevention of recurrent attacks of arrest. Reflex vagal standstill is prevented by intravenous administration of atropine and careful ventilation. Depressed cardiac rhythmicity and conduction are treated with sympathomimetic amines that arouse, maintain and accelerate cardiac pacemakers. Epinephrine or isoproterenol is given intravenously, usually in diluted solution. The rapid onset and offset of action of the drugs given in this way permit moment to moment control and make for safety and efficacy in their use. Recurrent ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation and premonitory ectopic ventricular activity are treated with depressant drugs (lidocaine or procainamide) given intravenously in repeated doses, again for rapid, controlled and effective action.
Scintillation decays in a trans-stilbene crystal

Scintillation decay times for nuclear radiations in a trans-stilbene crystal were measured using a transient digitizer [P. Harihar et al., Bull. Am. Phys. Soc. 36 (1991) 1680]. The results show [H. Chen et al., Bull. Am. Phys. Soc. 37 (1992) 1871; Bull. Am. Phys. Soc. Trans., to be published] that the decay time of the slow component increases with the specific energy loss (dE/dx), while the fast component is relatively insensitive to it.
The lipids of corn germ and endosperm

Mature kernels of an inbred corn were hand dissected into germ and endosperm fractions. Among various solvents tested, boiling, water-saturatedn-butanol extracted the most lipid from endosperm, and it was used as t h e extracting solvent for both germ and endosperm. The germ contained 78% of the total lipids and the endosperm 17%. The most striking differences in the fatty acid compositions of the triglycerides and polar lipids were higher levels of stearic and linolenic acids in the endosperm lipids. Although precautions were taken during extraction to inactivate lipases, immediately after harvest the free fatty acid level of the total lipids of the whole kernel was 6.5%. Ninety-five percent of the free fatty acids was in the endosperm fraction where the free fatty acids made up 36.5% of the total lipids. In germ, free fatty acids represented only 0.6% of the total lipids. The individual phospholipid and glycolipid classes of the endosperm and germ lipids were similar except for high levels of lyso compounds in the endosperm lipids. The higher levels of linolenic acid, free fatty acids and lyso lipids in endosperm may affect the keeping quality of the corn grain and of fractions milled from the endosperm.
Use-Case Centric Dashboard for Cloud Solutions

We design a framework for solution validation and couple it with the ability for VM and elasticity management. We implement our design in the form of a "dashboard which captures all elements of a comprehensive cloud solution management framework. We illustrate the applicability of the dashboard with a cloud solution we have developed.
Induction of obesity by group housing in female Syrian hamsters

We examined the effects of group housing on body weight in adult female Syrian hamsters. Over a 10-week period, female hamsters housed in groups of 5 per cage increased their body weight by 61% compared with an 18% increase in body weight for female hamsters housed individually. The divergence in body weight between females housed in groups and females housed individually was evident as early as 2 weeks after the start of the experiment. At the end of the 10 weeks, group-housed females were significantly longer, had a higher percentage of body fat, and larger adrenal glands compared with these measures from individually housed hamsters. These results demonstrate that housing conditions can have a powerful effect on body weight and body composition in female Syrian hamsters. These effects are discussed in the context of social stress mediating obesity in Syrian hamsters, and offer the possibility for a socially based animal model of obesity.
Training a hierarchical classifier using inter document relationships

Text classifiers automatically classify documents into appropriate concepts for different applications. Most classification approaches use flat classifiers that treat each concept as independent, even when the concept space is hierarchically structured. In contrast, hierarchical text classification exploits the structural relationships between the concepts. In this article, we explore the effectiveness of hierarchical classification for a large concept hierarchy. Since the quality of the classification is dependent on the quality and quantity of the training data, we evaluate the use of documents selected from subconcepts to address the sparseness of training data for the top-level classifiers and the use of document relationships to identify the most representative training documents. By selecting training documents using structural and similarity relationships, we achieve a statistically significant improvement of 39.8% (from 54.576.2%) in the accuracy of the hierarchical classifier over that of the flat classifier for a large, three-level concept hierarchy. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Developments in nano-oscillators based upon spin-transfer point-contact devices

We review the current status of research on microwave nano-oscillators that utilize spin transfer devices with point-contact geometry, with an emphasis on the open questions that still prevent our full understanding of device properties. In particular, we examine those aspects that might affect irreproducibility of device performance. While there is a clear picture of the general principles that underlie the properties of the spin torque nano-oscillator, there are a number of details complicating the picture. We suggest that these details are potentially responsible for adversely affecting uniformity of performance from device to device. These details include (1) nonlinearities, (2) the Oersted field, (3) thermal and deterministic noise sources, and (4) non-uniformity of the spin accumulation. We suggest what role that these details might have in determining spin torque dynamics, and suggest particular avenues of investigation that might clarify whether or not these details are indeed responsible for device variability. This article is one of a series devoted to the subject of spin torque in this issue of the Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials.
Development and application of an interview coding system

This article describes a thirteen category coding system for intervieiw communication. Reliability figures for the system are presented and data from a study are reported which indicate the theoretical and pragmatic value of the categories.
Modeling of storm responses in conduit flow aquifers with reservoirs

Abstract In aquifers containing large voids, such as karst aquifers with caves or basaltic aquifers with lava tubes, hydrographs at wells or springs are used to analyze the structure and response of the hydrogeological system. Numerical modeling of hydrograph response is commonly based on either inverse techniques or postulated flow geometries. However, the range of mechanisms for generating hydrograph responses have not been fully investigated. Physical modeling of these complex non-Darcian systems permits better understanding of the storm responses that conduit systems may generate. Using a numerical model of conduit flow systems which incorporates turbulent flow, some of the mechanisms that can alter storm pulses were investigated by treating them as combinations of pipes that connect reservoirs. The results indicate that the response of a conduit-flow aquifer can range from what has been called ‘diffuse’ or ‘steady’ to ‘conduit’ or ‘flashy’, without employing a diffusive component. A full range of behavior can be the result of changes from phreatic to epiphreatic conditions in a conduit, changes in conduit geometry, or multiple springs draining the same system. The results provide a quantitative tool to assess spring and well hydrographs, and illustrate mechanisms that can generate observed responses, which have previously been qualitatively interpreted.
Molecular biological approaches to the accumulation and reduction of vanadium by ascidians

Abstract About 90 years ago, Henze discovered high levels of vanadium in the blood (coelomic) cells of an ascidian collected from the Bay of Naples. His discovery attracted the interdisciplinary attention of chemists, physiologists, and biochemists. Two decades ago, we quantified the vanadium levels in several ascidian tissues definitively using neutron-activation analysis and revealed that some species in the family Ascidiidae accumulate vanadium at concentrations in excess of 350 mM, corresponding to about 107 times that found in seawater. Vanadium accumulated is reduced to the +3 oxidation state via the +4 oxidation state and stored in vacuoles of vanadocytes (vanadium-containing blood cells) where high levels of protons and sulfate are also contained. To investigate this unusual phenomenon, we isolated several proteins and genes that are expressed in vanadocytes. To date, three types of vanadium-binding protein, designated as Vanabins, have been isolated, with molecular masses of 12.5, 15, and 16 kDa, along with the cDNAs encoding these proteins. In addition, four types of enzyme related to the pentose phosphate pathway that produces NADPH were revealed to be located in vanadocytes. The pentose phosphate pathway participates in the reduction of V(V) to V(IV). The cDNA for each of the vacuolar-type H+ATPase (VATPase) A, B, C, and D subunits, which are located on the vacuolar membranes of vanadocytes, has been isolated and analyzed. VATPase generates a proton-motive force, and is thought to provide the energy for vanadium accumulation. To clarify the entire mechanism involved in the accumulation and reduction, much more genes and proteins expressed in the blood cells need to be systematically identified. Thus, we have performed an expressed sequence tag (EST) analysis of blood cells and have established the functional assay system to elucidate the functions of genes and proteins obtained from ascidian blood cells.
Primate red cell enzymes: glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase.

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (E. C.: 1.1.1.49) phenotypes and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (E. C.: 1.1.1.44) phenotypes were determined by starch-gel electrophoresis of red cell hemolysates of Galago crassicaudatus subspp., Propithecus verreauxi, Lemur spp., Hapalemur griseus, and Macaca mulatta. A single glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) phenotype was found in each species. A single 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6PGD) phenotype was found in Lemur spp., Hapalemur griseus, and Galago crassicaudatus argentatus. In a group of six Propithecus verreauxi, three 6PGD phenotypes, PGD A, PGD AB, and PGD B, were found. Three phenotypes, PGD A, PGD AB, and PGD B, were found in 38 G. c. crassicaudatus. The three phenotypes in each species are apparently the products of two codominant autosomal alleles, PGDA and PGDB. The frequency of PGDA in G. c. crassicaudatus is 0.263. A population of 260 free-ranging macaques displays a polymorphism at the 6PGD locus. Three phenotypes, PGD A, PGD AB, and PGD B, were found. These also appear to be controlled by two codominant autosomal alleles, PGDA and PGDB the frequency of PGDA = 0.913. Additional analysis of three well-defined troops within the macaque population indicated that there are no significant differences between the troops or within the population at the 6PGD locus.
SIMILARITY OF THE INTRAOCULAR PRESSURE RESPONSE TO DIFFERENT CORTICOSTEROID ESTERS WHEN COMPLIANCE IS CONTROLLED

Fifty-four subjects with initial intraocular pressures under 20 mm Hg received a different commercial corticosteroid ester of prednisolone or dexamethasone in each eye for three to six weeks. Compliance was controlled. The intraocular pressure responses of the two eyes of a subject were similar. It was concluded that the absorptions of all four corticosteroids were in excess of the minimum amounts needed to maximally elevate pressure. Subjects complained that prednisolone acetate was irritating. Corticosteroid-induced uveitis developed in 3% (3) of the eyes.
Receiver and transmitter designs for optical interconnects

Fundamental design issues are discussed relevant to the free-space optical interconnection of silicon-integrated circuits. Such systems require spatial light modulators integrated onto the surface of very large scale integrated devices, and detection circuits which allow recovery of the optically transmitted signal. Transmitter and receiver designs are discussed for free-space optical interconnects, and the design of a differential detection circuit is examined which allows recovery of binary data from a transmitter under condition of low modulation efficiency. Results from a custom fabricated CMOS differential receiving circuit are given which demonstrate the feasibility of low modulation differential detection.
Shadow Casting Out Of Plane (SCOOP) Candidates for Human and Vehicle Detection in Aerial Imagery

In this paper, we propose a method for detecting humans and vehicles in imagery taken from a UAV. This is a challenging problem due to a limited number of pixels on target, which makes it more difficult to distinguish objects from background clutter, and results in much larger search space. We propose a method for constraining the search based on a number of geometric constraints obtained from the metadata. Specifically, we obtain the orientation of ground plane normal, the orientation of shadows cast by out of plane objects in the scene, and the relationship between object heights and the size of their corresponding shadows. We use the aforementioned information in a geometry-based shadow, and ground-plane normal blob detector, which provides an initial estimation for locations of shadow casting out of plane (SCOOP) objects in the scene. These SCOOP candidate locations are then classified as either human or clutter using a combination of wavelet features and a Support Vector Machine. To detect vehicles, we similarly find potential vehicle candidates by combining SCOOP and inverted-SCOOP candidates and then classify them using wavelet features and SVM. Our method works on a single frame, and unlike motion detection based methods, it bypasses the entire pipeline of registration, motion detection, and tracking. This method allows for detection of stationary and slowly moving humans and vehicles while avoiding the search across the entire image, allowing accurate and fast localization. We show impressive results on sequences from VIVID and CLIF datasets and provide comparative analysis.
Deep brain stimulation for epilepsy

Many patients who suffer from medically refractory epilepsy are not candidates for resective brain surgery. Success of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in relieving a significant number of symptoms of various movement disorders paved the way for investigations into this modality for epilepsy. Open-label and small blinded trials have provided promising evidence for the use of DBS in refractory seizures, and the first randomized control trial of DBS of the anterior thalamic nucleus is currently underway. There are multiple potential targets, because many neural regions have been implicated in seizure propagation. Thus, it is difficult as yet to make any definitive judgments about the efficacy of DBS for seizure control. Future study is necessary to identify a patient population for whom this technique would be indicated, the most efficacious target, and optimal stimulation parameters.
Prospective versus clinical diagnosis and therapy of acute neonatal hyperammonaemia in two sisters with carbamyl phosphate synthetase deficiency

Two female siblings were treated for acute neonatal hyperammonaemia due to complete carbamyl phosphate synthetase I deficiency. The first child was detected clinically at 65 hours of age and therapy started at 79 hours. The second child was followed from birth and therapy started at 5 hours of age. The extrapolated rate of increase of blood ammonia, in the first hours of life before therapy started, was 19 µmol L−1 h−1 in both babies. Peak blood ammonia level was 2235 µmol/L in the first (clinically detected) child and 271 µmol/L in the second (prospectively followed) child. The second child became symptomatic at 3 hours of age when blood ammonia level was as low as 90 µmol/L, whereas blood ammonia levels above 100 µmol/L caused no symptoms during recovery. The child detected clinically required haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis to treat the hyperammonaemia. In the prospectively treated child, early therapy with intravenous sodium benzoate and sodium phenylacetate slowed the rate of increase in blood ammonia level, but this therapy did not prevent the need for peritoneal dialysis.
Understanding the behavioral-methodology/language-processing interface.

The stated goal of this Special Issue (namely, addressing a key issue for the study of language and the brain in the next century) would seem to call for some type of linkage of behavioral research issues with brain research issues. Thus, dealing with concerns such as the contribution of the right hemisphere to language processing; the nature of the integration of LH and RH language information into a final ‘‘percept’’ during comprehension; the true underlying role of Broca’s area in language processing; or, linking human genetic description to potential language and/or language–brain functions, would be critical and obviously meritorious goals for new millennium research. However, while research on the brain–behavior link is of obvious and central importance, a far more fundamental issue requires resolution before behavior–brain relationships can be fruitfully examined. Simply put, we need to understand, precisely, how our behavioral methodologies reflect on, and interact with, the language processes we are attempting to study and define. While this issue may not appear at first blush to be as ‘‘new-age’’ as, for example, providing brain imaging maps of putative language functions, it is ever-current and arguably far more fundamental. The reason is simple: our behavioral research forms the basis upon which we define and select the inventory of language functions and properties we take to constitute comprehension and production. Our entire behavioral classification and description of language functions is thus dependent on knowing how well the methods by which we examine such putative functions
Software tools for planning: DSS and AI/expert systems

Important new tools are now available to planning professionals and their information systems support staff. These new tools create both opportunities and hazards—including the hazard of overlooking an opportunity for competitive advantage. The problem is that, while changes in price and performance are happening so fast that rapid obsolescence of equipment and software is inevitable, the costs of frequent replacement must be weighted against the cost of missed opportunities.
The jurisprudence of the insanity defense

The jurisprudence of the insanity defense. Michael L. Perlin (Carolina Academic Press, Durham, North Carolina, 1994), 457 pages, $49.95.
Near-Infrared Properties of Galaxy Clusters: Luminosity as a Binding Mass Predictor and the State of Cluster Baryons

We explore the near-infrared properties of galaxies within 27 galaxy clusters using data from the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS). For a subsample of 13 clusters with available X-ray imaging data, we examine the properties of both the galaxies and the intracluster medium. We show that the K-band luminosity is correlated with cluster mass, providing a binding mass estimate accurate to 45%. The mass-to-light ratio in our ensemble increases by a factor of ~2 over the cluster mass range (1014-1015 M☉). We examine the total baryon fraction, showing that it is an increasing function of cluster mass. Using the mass-to-light ratio of massive clusters, we find that ΩM = 0.19 ± 0.03; using the total baryon fraction we find that ΩM = 0.28 ± 0.03, in good agreement with recent cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy constraints. Differences between these two estimates suggest that the K-band mass-to-light ratio in massive clusters may be lower than that in the universe by as much as ~30%. We examine the stellar mass fraction, the intracluster medium (ICM) mass to stellar mass ratio, and the cluster iron mass fraction. The stellar mass fraction decreases by a factor of 1.8 from low- to high-mass clusters, and the ICM to stellar mass ratio increases from 5.9 to 10.4 over the same mass range. Together, these measurements suggest a decrease of star formation efficiency with increasing cluster mass and provide constraints on models of the thermodynamic history of the intracluster medium. The cluster iron mass to total mass ratio is constant and high, suggesting that some efficient and uniform enrichment process may have taken place before the bulk of stars in cluster galaxies formed.
Synthesis, Characterization, and Reactivity of Dicationic Dihydrogen Complexes of Osmium and Ruthenium

The dicationic complexes [Os(H2)(PR3)2(bpy)(CO)]2+ [PR3 = PPh3, PMePh2 (2a,b)], [Os(H2)(PPh3)2(phen)(CO)]2+ (2c), and [Ru(H2)(PPh3)2(bpy)(CO)]2+ (4) (bpy = 2,2‘-bipyridine; phen = 1,10-phenanthroline) have been prepared by the protonation of the corresponding monocationic hydrides using an excess of trifluoromethanesulfonic acid. The presence of a bound dihydrogen ligand is indicated by short T1 minimum values consistent with H−H distances of 0.92−1.04 A. For the partially deuterated derivatives, JHD values of 25.1−31.0 Hz were observed. The dicationic complexes are strong acids, indicating that the bound H2 is substantially activated toward heterolytic cleavage. The H2 ligand is tightly bound to the metal center and does not undergo exchange with D2 over the course of several weeks. The complex [Os(H2)(PPh3)2(bpy)(CO)]2+ (2a) has been shown to be very stable in solution at room temperature. In contrast, the ruthenium analogue, [Ru(H2)(PPh3)2(bpy)(CO)]2+ (4), decomposes in solution at room temperature but...
Experimental study of smart segmented trim panels for aircraft interior noise control

Abstract A smart trim panel used as a secondary source for active noise control in aircraft is developed and tested. The smart trim panel is a rectangular segment of aircraft trim panel which is suspended by a flexible support. This support converts the stiff trim panel into flexibly mounted pistons which can be driven by light-weight and low-profile force actuators. The smart trim panel has many advantages as an acoustic source over traditional loudspeakers: it is of lower profile, lower mass, and requires only a simple modification of materials already installed on aircraft. The static and dynamic properties of a smart trim panel are studied, verifying that when subjected to low-frequency (
Routine and Timely Sub-Piconewton Force Stability and Precision for Biological Applications of Atomic Force Microscopy

Force drift is a significant, yet unresolved, problem in atomic force microscopy (AFM). We show that the primary source of force drift for a popular class of cantilevers is their gold coating, even though they are coated on both sides to minimize drift. Drift of the zero-force position of the cantilever was reduced from 900 nm for gold-coated cantilevers to 70 nm (N = 10; rms) for uncoated cantilevers over the first 2 h after wetting the tip; a majority of these uncoated cantilevers (60%) showed significantly less drift (12 nm, rms). Removing the gold also led to ∼10-fold reduction in reflected light, yet short-term (0.1–10 s) force precision improved. Moreover, improved force precision did not require extended settling; most of the cantilevers tested (9 out of 15) achieved sub-pN force precision (0.54 ± 0.02 pN) over a broad bandwidth (0.01–10 Hz) just 30 min after loading. Finally, this precision was maintained while stretching DNA. Hence, removing gold enables both routine and timely access to sub-pN f...
Optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier as an alternative to Ti:sapphire regenerative amplifiers

We demonstrated a high-pulse energy, femtosecond-pulse source based on optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification. We successfully amplified 1-µm broadband oscillator pulses to 31 mJ and recompressed them to 310-fs pulse duration, at a 10-Hz repetition rate. The gain in our system is 6 × 107, achieved by the single passing of only 40 mm of gain material pumped by a commercial Q-switched Nd:YAG laser. This relatively simple system replaces a more complex Ti:sapphire regenerative-amplifier-based chirped-pulse amplification system. Numerous features in design and performance of optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifiers make them a preferred alternative to regenerative amplifiers based on Ti:sapphire in the front end of high-peak-power lasers.
The Attractiveness of Telephone Counseling: An Empirical Investigation of Client Perceptions.

Telephone counseling clients reported that convenience, accessibility, control, and inhibition were the most attractive attributes of receiving counseling (not crisis intervention) via telephone. The results mirror many opinions in the literature. Of the 186 counseling clients who responded to the survey, 96% would be willing to seek telephone counseling again compared with 63.1% who reported being willing to seek face-to-face counseling. More than half (58%) of the respondents who had experienced both telephone and face-to-face counseling preferred telephone counseling.
Weathering of Glacial Tills in Indiana I. Clay Minerals

X-ray diffraction data indicate that profiles developed on Wisconsin, Illinoian, and Kansan tills in Indiana differ from each other with respect to the stages attained in clay-mineral alteration. The post-Wisconsin weathering profile is distinctly different from the buried profiles on Illinoian and Kansan tills, but the differences are not quite so great between the weathering profiles developed during the Sangamon age on Illinoian tills and those of Yarmouth age on Kansan tills. Hydration and ionic exchanges produce major changes in clay-mineral alteration, but oxidation, hydrolysis, polymerization, and recrystallization also play significant roles. The final alteration products of clay minerals are determined by the composition of the original clay and the duration of alteration.
Neoliberalism not globalization: why we need to build the Left

Some years ago I edited a special issue of a journal, and subsequently a book,1 on sociology’s most influential books. At the time I learned that the most influential books were not those that emer...
To have life, and have it abundantly! Health and well-being in biblical perspective

Epidemiological studies researching the impact of participation in religious activities on the overall health and well-being of individuals suggest that having faith and practicing religion is good since they represent expense free, non-medical coping mechanisms accessible to everyone. Faith and religion, thus, can serve for a large number of people as potential reservoirs for cultivating well-being and maintaining health, thereby cutting health-care costs significantly. This begs the question if such pragmatic instrumentalization does do justice to faith and religion in the first place. The article investigates this question taking the Christian biblical tradition as an example by, first, identifying texts speaking of 'health' across different Bible versions (I), second, by sketching related concepts of 'health' (II) and, finally, by assessing the actual extent to which biblical tradition supports the quest for health and well-being (III).
Phylogenetic Novelties and Geographic Anomalies among Tropical Verongida

Exploring marine sponges from shallow tropical reefs of the Caribbean and western Central Pacific, as part of large biodiversity (Moorea Biocode Project) and evolutionary (Porifera Tree of Life) research projects, we encountered 13 skeleton-less specimens, initially divided in two morphological groups, which had patterns of coloration and oxidation typical of taxa of the order Verongida (Demospongiae). The first group of samples inhabited open and cryptic habitats of shallow (15-20 m) Caribbean reefs at Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama. The second group inhabited schiophilous (e.g., inner coral framework and crevices) habitats on shallow reefs (0.5-20 m deep) in Moorea Island, French Polynesia. We applied an integrative approach by combining analyses of external morphology, histological observations, 18S rDNA, and mtCOI to determine the identity and the relationships of these unknown taxa within the order Verongida. Molecular analyses revealed that none of the species studied belonged to Hexadella (Ianthellidae, Verongida), the only fibreless genus of the Order Verongida currently recognized. The species from the Caribbean locality of Bocas del Toro (Panama) belong to the family Ianthellidae and is closely related to the Pacific genera Ianthella and Anomoianthella, both with well-developed fiber reticulations. We suggest the erection of a new generic denomination to include this novel eurypylous, fibreless ianthellid. The species collected in Moorea were all diplodal verongid taxa, with high affinities to a clade containing Pseudoceratina, Verongula, and Aiolochroia, a Pacific and two Caribbean genera, respectively. These unknown species represented at least three different taxa distinguished by DNA sequence analysis and morphological characteristics. Two new genera and a new species of Pseudoceratina are here proposed to accommodate these novel biological discoveries. The evolutionary and ecological meaning of having or lacking a fiber skeleton within Verongida is challenged under the evidence of the existence of fibreless genera within various verongid clades. Furthermore, the discovery of a fibreless Peudoceratina suggests that the possession of a spongin-chitin fiber reticulation is an "ecological" plastic trait that might be lost under certain conditions, such us growing within another organism's skeletal framework. These results raise new questions about the ecological and evolutionary significance of the development of a fiber skeleton and of sponges' adaptability to various environmental conditions.
Brief Report: The Association Between Peer Victimization, Prosocial Support, and Treatment Adherence in Children and Adolescents with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between peer victimization, prosocial support, and treatment adherence in children and adolescents with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). METHOD: Thirty-eight children diagnosed with IBD, between the ages of 7-19 years, and their parents were recruited from an outpatient Gastroenterology Clinic. Each child completed the Social Experience Questionnaire. The child, parent, and treating physician completed a one-item measure of child medication adherence. RESULTS: Child reported positive social interactions moderated the relationship between child reported peer victimization and self-reported medication adherence (t = -2.09; p = .045). These relationships held when parent report of child adherence was substituted for child reported adherence in this model (t = -2.37; p = .024). CONCLUSIONS: The findings from this pilot study suggest that prosocial support may buffer children with IBD from experiencing the more negative effects of peer victimization on treatment adherence and highlight the importance of social interactions in youth with IBD. Implications for treatment are discussed.
Semi-Analytical Dynamic Analysis of Spiral-Grooved Mechanical Gas Face Seals

A novel semi-analytical formulation is presented for the linearized dynamic analysis of spiral-grooved mechanical gas face seals. The linearized rotordynamic properties of the gas film are numerically computed and then represented analytically by a constitutive model consisting of a cosine modified Prony series. The cosine modification enables the Prony series to characterize the gas film properties of face seals in applications with large compressibility numbers. The gas film correspondence principle is then employed to couple the constitutive model to the dynamics of the mechanical face seal. Closed-form solutions are presented for the transient natural response to initial velocity conditions, the steady-state response to rotor runout and initial stator misalignment, the transmissibility ratios, and the stability threshold. Results from the closed-form solutions are all within a few percent of the results from a full nonlinear numerical simulation. @DOI: 10.1115/1.1510876#
THEOLOGICAL ETHICS, THE CHURCHES, AND GLOBAL POLITICS

Several discourses about theology, church, and politics are occurring among Christian theologians in the United States. One influential strand centers on the communitarian theology of Stanley Hauerwas, who calls on Christians to witness faithfully against liberalism in general and war in particular. Jeffrey Stout, in his widely discussed Democracy and Tradition (2004), responds that religious people ought precisely to endorse those democratic and liberal American traditions that join religious and secular counterparts to battle injustice. Hauerwas, Stout, and many of their interlocutors envision liberal U.S. culture as the context of Christian social ethics. The ensuing debate rarely incorporates Catholic scholars, feminist scholars, scholars of color, or international and liberationist voices. Their inclusion could enhance an understanding of the role of the church in society, and support a common morality in the face of global pluralism. More importantly, it could broaden the scope of discourse on religion and politics to envision global Christian social ethics.
Clock frequency and latency in synchronous digital systems

The tradeoffs in the design of synchronous digital systems between clock frequency and latency in terms of the circuit characteristics of a pipelined data path are described. A design paradigm relating latency and clock frequency as a function of the level of pipelining is developed for studying the performance of a synchronous system. This perspective permits the development of design equations for constrained and unconstrained design problems which describe these performance parameters in terms of the delays of the logic, interconnect, registers, clock skew, and the number of logic states. These results provide an approach to the design of those synchronous digital systems in which latency and clock frequency are of primary importance. From the behavioral specifications for the proposed system, the designer can use these results to select the best logic architecture and the best available device technology to determine if the performance specifications can be satisfied, and, if so, what design options are available for optimization of other system attributes, such as area. >
Computational workflow for analysis of gain and loss of genes in distantly related genomes.

Background Early evolution of animals led to profound changes in body plan organization, symmetry and the rise of tissue complexity including formation of muscular and nervous systems. This process was associated with massive restructuring of animal genomes as well as deletion, acquisition and rapid differentiation of genes from a common metazoan ancestor. Here, we present a simple but efficient workflow for elucidation of gene gain and gene loss within major branches of the animal kingdom.
Sparse precision matrix estimation via lasso penalized D-trace loss

We introduce a constrained empirical loss minimization framework for estimating high-dimensional sparse precision matrices and propose a new loss function, called the D-trace loss, for that purpose. A novel sparse precision matrix estimator is defined as the minimizer of the lasso penalized D-trace loss under a positive-definiteness constraint. Under a new irrepresentability condition, the lasso penalized D-trace estimator is shown to have the sparse recovery property. Examples demonstrate that the new condition can hold in situations where the irrepresentability condition for the lasso penalized Gaussian likelihood estimator fails. We establish rates of convergence for the new estimator in the elementwise maximum, Frobenius and operator norms. We develop a very efficient algorithm based on alternating direction methods for computing the proposed estimator. Simulated and real data are used to demonstrate the computational efficiency of our algorithm and the finite-sample performance of the new estimator. The lasso penalized D-trace estimator is found to compare favourably with the lasso penalized Gaussian likelihood estimator.
Adequate and Precise Evaluation of Quality Models in Software Engineering Studies

Many statistical techniques have been proposed and introduced to predict fault-proneness of program modules in software engineering. Choosing the "best" candidate among many available models involves performance assessment and detailed comparison. But these comparisons are not simple due to varying performance measures and the related verification and validation cost implications. Therefore, a methodology for precise definition and evaluation of the predictive models is still needed. We believe the procedure we outline here, if followed, has a potential to enhance the statistical validity of future experiments.
Investigation of a diamond window failure mechanism

A theoretical model for the failure of diamond windows in high power gyrotrons is presented. We tentatively conclude that graphitization of the diamond, as a result of the long pulse operation, is unlikely to cause the diamond window failure. It has been found that diamond windows perform adequately for some time before rapid, destructive failure occurs. This would suggest a failure mechanism that is cumulative for each successive microwave pulse, with the individual contributions being small and non-destructive. We therefore speculate that the RF power is absorbed in thin, graphitic regions adjacent to the grain boundaries in the polycrystalline diamond window. For a sufficiently high temperature increase, the diamond adjacent to the grain boundaries will be converted into graphite. This in turn accelerates the RF power absorption, and ultimately leads to mechanical failure of the window. The failure mechanism proposed is based on a chemical transformation at the grain boundaries.
A Note on the Use of V and U Statistics in Nonparametric Models of Regression

We establish the \(\sqrt{n}\) asymptotic equivalence of V and U statistics when the statistic’s kernel depends on n. Combined with a lemma of B. Lee this result provides conditions under which U statistics projections and V statistics are \(\sqrt{n}\) asymptotically equivalent. The use of this equivalence in nonparametric regression models is illustrated with several examples; the estimation of conditional variances, skewness, kurtosis and the construction of a nonparametric R-squared measure.