cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
BULK AND EDGE EXCITATIONS IN A ν=1 QUANTUM HALL FERROMAGNET

In this article, we shall focus on the collective dynamics of the fermions in a ν=1 quantum Hall droplet. Specifically, we propose to look at the quantum Hall ferromagnet. In this system, the electron spins are ordered in the ground state due to the exchange part of the Coulomb interaction and the Pauli exclusion principle. The low energy excitations are ferromagnetic magnons. To provide a means for describing these magnons, we shall discuss a method of introducing collective coordinates in the Hilbert space of many-fermion systems. These collective coordinates are bosonic in nature. They map a part of the fermionic Hilbert space into a bosonic Hilbert space. Using this technique, we shall interpret the magnons as bosonic collective excitations in the Hilbert space of the many-electron Hall system. By considering a Hall droplet of finite extent, we shall also obtain the effective Lagrangian governing the spin collective excitations at the edge of the sample.
Ca 2+ entry at the plasma membrane and uptake by acidic stores is regulated by the activity of the V‐H + ‐ATPase in Toxoplasma gondii

Ca2+ is a universal intracellular signal that regulates many cellular functions. In Toxoplasma gondii, the controlled influx of extracellular and intracellular Ca2+ into the cytosol initiates a signaling cascade that promotes pathogenic processes like tissue destruction and dissemination. In this work, we studied the role of proton transport in cytosolic Ca2+ homeostasis and the initiation of Ca2+ signaling. We used a T. gondii mutant of the V-H+ -ATPase, a pump previously shown to transport protons to the extracellular medium, and to control intracellular pH and membrane potential and we show that proton gradients are important for maintaining resting cytosolic Ca2+ at physiological levels and for Ca2+ influx. Proton transport was also important for Ca2+ storage by acidic stores and, unexpectedly, the endoplasmic reticulum. Proton transport impacted the amount of polyphosphate (polyP), a phosphate polymer that binds Ca2+ and concentrates in acidocalcisomes. This was supported by the co-localization of the vacuolar transporter chaperone 4 (VTC4), the catalytic subunit of the VTC complex that synthesizes polyP, with the V-ATPase in acidocalcisomes. Our work shows that proton transport regulates plasma membrane Ca2+ transport and control acidocalcisome polyP and Ca2+ content, impacting Ca2+ signaling and downstream stimulation of motility and egress in T. gondii.
Exotic Matter in the Universe

Some unfamiliar forms of matter which may, nevertheless, play an important role in astrophysical phenomena are reviewed. These include cosmological fluids, explosive matter in stars, and special states achieved in huge neutron star magnetic fields.
Book Review: Belonging in Oceania: Movement, Place-making and Multiple Identifications. Vol. 3 of Pacific Perspectives: Studies of the European Society for Oceanists

Belonging in Oceania: Movement, Place-making and Multiple Identifications. Vol. 3 of Pacific Perspectives: Studies of the European Society for Oceanists Edited by Elfriede Hermann, Wolfgang Kempf, and Toon van Meijl New York: Berghahn, 2014, pp. 232
Stable Path of Interacting Crack Systems and Micromechanics of Damage

ABSTRACT Micromechanics of damage in brittle heterogeneous materials and composites requires analysis of a system of interacting cracks. The response path of a crack system typically exhibits bifurcations such that the states on each post-bifurcation branch can be stable yet only one branch can be reached in a stable manner. Recent results on thermodynamic criteria for stable states and stable response paths of inelastic structures are reviewed and formulated in terms of the incremental internal entropy of the system. The incremental entropy, which can be expressed in terms of second order work, is then calculated for various points on the response paths of some typical symmetric crack systems. It is shown that while the symmetric states may be stable, the path which leads to them is unstable and cannot occur in reality. Generally, nonsymmetry develops at the beginning of softening. The results show that it is insufficient to model distributed cracking only by means of crack systems and linear elastic fracture mechanics. Further aspects, such as material heterogeneity, residual stresses, and cohesive fracture zones for the microcracks, might have to be taken into account.
The War in Words: Reading the Dakota Conflict through the Captivity Literature

Review of: "The War in Words: Reading the Dakota Conflict through the Captivity Literature," by Kathryn Zabelle Derounian-Stodola.
Identification of Surface Residues Involved in Protein-Protein Interaction — A Support Vector Machine Approach

We describe a machine learning approach for sequence-based prediction of protein-protein interaction sites. . A support vector machine (SVM) classifier was trained to predict whether or not a surface residue is an interface residue (i.e., is located in the protein-protein interaction surface) based on the identity of the target residue and its 10 sequence neighbors. Separate classifiers were trained on proteins from two categories of complexes, antibody-antigen and protease-inhibitor. The effectiveness of each classifier was evaluated using leave-one-out (jack-knife) cross-validation. Interface and non-interface residues were classified with relatively high sensitivity (82.3% and 78.5%) and specificity (81.0% and 77.6%) for proteins in the antigen-antibody and protease inhibitor complexes, respectively. The correlation between predicted and actual labels was 0.430 and 0.462, indicating that the method performs substantially better than chance (zero correlation). Combined with recently developed methods for identification of surface residues from sequence information, this offers a promising approach to prediction of residues involved in protein-protein interaction from sequence information alone.
A linear system model of dynamic throughfall rates beneath forest canopies

[1] This paper describes a black box, linear system model to predict time-varying throughfall rates using only data of time-varying rainfall and storm total throughfall. For two forest stands in the Pacific Northwest the model predicted throughfall with mean efficiency of 0.84 when calibrated individually to 48 rainstorms and mean efficiency of 0.82 when calibrated to all storms simultaneously. The median of mean hydraulic residence times of precipitation in the canopy averaged across all storms ranged from 8 to 30 min by location within the two stands (overall median 12 min). Model predictions and performance were approximately equivalent for transfer functions based on either published equations describing storage and drip or of the form of exponential or gamma distributions. The model was insensitive to characteristics of rainstorms, so that calibrated models of water transfer through canopies were similar for storms of all sizes and intensities.
Spherically Symmetric Static States of Wave Dark Matter

In this paper, we present two observations about static spherically symmetric solutions of the Einstein-Klein-Gordon equations. The first is a comment extending the well-known result of the existence of static states (i.e. standing wave solutions) of the Einstein-Klein-Gordon equations. The second more important observation shows that, in the low field limit, the mass profiles of these static states lie along hyperbolas of constant $\Upsilon$, the fundamental constant of the Einstein-Klein-Gordon equations.
A Compact Resistively Stabilized Excimer Laser for Injection- and Mode-Locking Applications

A miniature, resistively-stabilized excimer laser has been developed. The laser has 86 separately stabilized discharges within a length of only 27.6 cm, which allows for a total cavity length of only 33 cm. Presently, with a 2.5-mm electrode separation, we have obtained over 1 mJ per pulse energy in XeC1 and the laser has been operated over 70 Hz without gas flow. Pulse lengths as long as 40 ns full-width at half-maximum intensity and over 80 ns total lasing time has been observed. The beam divergence is measured at three times the diffraction limit. This laser is expected to be uniquely suited for injection-locking and mode-locking applications.
Service-Learning: International Teachers' Perspectives

In this study, we explored the knowledge and perceptions of service-learning held by a diverse group of international teachers. Through focus group interviews, we found that the majority of participants desired to implement service-learning in their countries, and they supported the idea of mandatory service-learning. Findings also highlight an interesting correlation with teachers from autocratic types of government systems opposing mandatory service-learning.
Fractional Calculus: An Introduction For Physicists, by Richard Herrmann. Scope: review. Level: specialist

Fractional Calculus: An Introduction For Physicists, by Richard Herrmann, Singapore, World Scientific Publishing, 2011, 276 pp., £53.00, $85.00 (hardback), ISBN 978-9814340243. Scope: review. Level...
Compressive sensing on a CMOS separable transform image sensor

This paper discusses the application of a computational image sensor, capable of performing separable 2-D transforms on images in the analog domain, to compressive sensing. Instead of sensing and transmitting raw pixel data, this image sensor first projects the image onto a separable 2-D basis set. The inner products computed in these projections are computed in the analog domain using a computational focal-plane and a computational analog vector-matrix multiplier. Since this operation is performed in the analog domain, components such as the analog-to-digital converters can be taxed less when a only subset of correlations are performed. Compressed sensing theory prescribes the use of a pseudo-random, incomplete basis set, allowing for sampling at less than the Nyquist rate. This can reduce power consumption or increase frame rate.
Adsorption of poly(acrylic acid) on titania (anatase) and zirconia colloids

Abstract The adsorption of the weak polyelectrolyte, poly(acrylic acid) (PAA), of two molecular weights (Mw on titania (anatase) and zirconia was investigated as a function of pH over the range 3–10 and in the presence of added electrolyte. The plateau adsorption decreased with increasing pH and for the PAA with low Mw approached zero above the isoelectric points of the surfaces, which were both near 6.5. No desorption occurred upon dilution without change of pH. Desorption of the polyelectrolyte adsorbed at pH 3.3 by increasing the pH indicated that the PAA with low Mw was reversibly desorbed but the PAA with high Mw was only partially desorbed by this procedure. An increase in ionic strength increased both the plateau adsorption and the surface affinity parameter, with calcium ion having a greater effect than sodium ion.
Significance of the Phase of Optical Transfer Functions

A proper assessment of image quality in terms of optical transfer functions requires that the phase angle, as well as the absolute value of the OTF be taken into account. This paper discusses one procedure for accounting for phase in image-quality evaluation.
Properties of polyphenylene films deposited electrochemically in an HF‐benzene system

Free-standing polyphenylene films, prepared by the electrochemical oxidation of benzene in an HF-benzene, two-phase system, were investigated. From electron microscope pictures, x-ray diffraction patterns, and infrared (IR) spectra of polyphenylene films and commercial polyphenylene powder it is concluded that the films, which are largely para linked, contain in addition a substantial amount of meta and possibly ortho linkages and are amorphous in nature. Doping with AsF5 increases the electrical conductivity of the otherwise insulating films to 10−4−10−2ohm−1cm−1; doped films are relatively stable in air. The lower conductivity of doped films with respect to reported values for chemically synthesized poly-p-phenylene appears to be the result of the amorphous nature of the films.
Nosocomial Superinfections with Gram-Negative Pathogens and Quinolone Resistance after Treatment with Ciprofloxacin vs Ofloxacin

Pharmacodynamic differences and even subtle differences in spectrum of activity may have important consequences not just for efficacy but also on rates of superinfections. At our hospital, fluoroquinolone use is restricted and requires approval by the Infectious Diseases Service. Ciprofloxacin was the predominant quinolone in use until January 1996, when ofloxacin was added to the formulary. Recommendations to preferentially use ofloxacin for non-pseudomonal infections were made. The formulary shift provided us an opportunity to compare clinical outcomes of treatment with ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin. We focused on the occurrence of nosocomial superinfections and antibiotic resistance among Gram-negative pathogens (GNP).
A latent growth curve analysis of alcohol-use specific parenting and adolescent alcohol use.

This study investigates how changes in alcohol use-specific parenting were associated with adolescent drinking trajectories. Three waves of data from a longitudinal study investigating adolescent substance use were used. The community sample (N=378) was aged 10-13 at the first wave of assessment. Our findings show that over time, parents are less likely to discipline their adolescents' drinking, more likely to grant their adolescent permission to drink, and less likely to communicate the consequences of alcohol use. Moreover, these changes are associated with escalation in adolescent alcohol use. Parental efficacy at preventing alcohol use declined, but did not relate to changes in adolescent drinking. Language: en
Current And Emerging Materials For LWIR External Windows

Several long wavelength infrared (LWIR) transparent external window materials are compared with respect to their IR bandpass, rain erosion and thermal shock resistance. The materials of interest include: ZnSe, ZnS, multispectral ZnS, calcium lanthanum sulfide (CLS), Ge, GaAs and GaP. Relevant thermal and mechanical property data are presented. The current state of development and size capabilities of each material are also discussed.
Investigation of chemical exchange at intermediate exchange rates using a combination of chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) and spin‐locking methods (CESTrho)

Proton exchange imaging is important as it allows for visualization and quantification of the distribution of specific metabolites with conventional MRI. Current exchange mediated MRI methods suffer from poor contrast as well as confounding factors that influence exchange rates. In this study we developed a new method to measure proton exchange which combines chemical exchange saturation transfer and T1ρ magnetization preparation methods (CESTrho). We demonstrated that this new CESTrho sequence can detect proton exchange in the slow to intermediate exchange regimes. It has a linear dependence on proton concentration which allows it to be used to quantitatively measure changes in metabolite concentration. Additionally, the magnetization scheme of this new method can be customized to make it insensitive to changes in exchange rate while retaining its dependency on solute concentration. Finally, we showed the feasibility of using CESTrho in vivo. This sequence is able to detect proton exchange at intermediate exchange rates and is unaffected by the confounding factors that influence proton exchange rates thus making it ideal for the measurement of metabolites with exchangeable protons in this exchange regime. Magn Reson Med, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Use of Humor With Older Adults Aging in Place

As more older adults seek ways to remain in their homes during their “golden years,” humor has proven to be a worthwhile intervention that reduces stress and provides a hopeful, playful, and optimistic environment. Development of creative and supportive housing situations for older adults combined with the use of modern technology (e.g., the Internet and computer devices used in the home), aid in bringing humor to the older adult. This article addresses some of the challenges that older adults face and the way that the use of humor can assist them to meet these challenges.
Process-induced stress and microcrack nucleation in GaAs wafers

Breakage of GaAs wafers during device fabrication leads to reduced yield and decreased quality control. Historically, wafer breakage that is not attributable to human or equipment errors has been assumed to be due to poor quality wafers. We present evidence that the probability of breakage during sub-micron GaAs device fabrication is a function of dielectric film edge stress, and not necessarily dependent on the magnitude of a critical flaw in the as-received wafer. X-ray residual stress measurements, x-ray topographic imaging, and three-point bend fracture measurements are used to determine the nature and origin of wafer breakage during those fabrication steps which induce large mechanical or thermal stresses. Our data show that the processing sequences that most influence wafer breakage are SiN passivation deposition and rapid thermal annealing implant activation. These processes are primarily responsible for large residual stresses developed in the near-surface layers of the GaAs substrate. For microelectronic applications, the existence of high film edge stresses nucleates microcracks, which further reduces fracture strength. The combined effects of high residual stress and low fracture strength make SiN passivated wafers more fragile (as compared to SiON passivated wafers), and therefore more likely to break during device processing.
Crack-tip fields in a viscoplastic material

Abstract An integral representation for the particle velocity in terms of a Green’s function and certain linear combinations of the inelastic strain rates has been used in this paper, both for a numerical method to compute full field solutions and to develop unequivocal asymptotic expressions for the fields near a stationary crack tip. Specific results have been obtained for a solid whose constitutive behavior is represented by the Bodner-Partom model. It is shown that the leading term of the near-tip particle velocity is of order r ½, and the higher-order terms are of the forms r log r and r . Expressions have been derived for the angular variations and for the multiplying timedependent intensity factors. The r log r term is absent for the Mode III case. Two questions have been addressed in further detail: the dependence of the intensity factors on time and the importance of the higher-order terms. The numerical results show a stress intensity factor which decays with time. At a small distance from the crack tip the numerically computed normalized opening stress τ 22 ( x 1 ,0,1)/ τ 22 ( X 1 ,0,0) has been compared with a one-term asymptotic representation, i.e. with K 1 ( t )/ K 1 (0). The two curves diverge at very small values of time. The inclusion of a second term in the asymptotic expression for the stress gives very good agreement over a larger time range.
In vitro investigation of gallstone shadowing with ultrasound tomography.

A phantom was constructed to simulate the in vivo situation of gallstone detection. Gallstone specimens from 37 patients were scanned. All gallstones cast acoustic shadows, regardless of the specific properties of the stones. Experimental evidence concerning factors that affect the detection of acoustic shadows from gallstones is discussed.
Intramolecular isotope effects for benzylic hydroxylation of isomeric xylenes and 4,4'-dimethylbiphenyl by cytochrome P450: relationship between distance of methyl groups and masking of the intrinsic isotope effect.

Intramolecular isotope effects associated with the benzylic hydroxylation of a series of selectively deuterated isomeric xylenes and 4,4‘-dimethylbiphenyl as catalyzed by various rat liver microsomal preparations and CYP2B1 were determined. Substrate analogs in which each methyl group contained either one (d2 substrates) or two (d4 substrates) deuterium atoms were used to determine the intrinsic isotope effect for the reaction. Specific values of the individual primary (P) and secondary isotope effects (S) were determined. P ranged from a low of 5.32 ± 0.48 to a high of 7.57 ± 0.42 depending upon the specific cytochrome P450 preparation used for catalysis. S had an average value of 1.03. The d3 substrates allowed exploration of the effect of distance on the magnitude of the observed isotope effect. The results indicate that the distance of 6.62 A that separates the carbon atoms of the para methyl groups of p-xylene is insufficient to suppress (mask) the intrinsic isotope effect for benzylic hydroxylation ...
Extracellular Ca2+ modulation of triethyltin neurotoxicity in area CA1 of the rat hippocampal slice

Abstract The present study examined the possible role of extracellular Ca 2+ in triethyltin (TET) neurotoxicity in area CA1 of the rat hippocampal slice. Slices were exposed to 20 μ m -TET-Br for 30 min in an environment of normal or no extracellular Ca 2+ , and were then monitored for 4 hr post-exposure. In a normal Ca 2+ environment, TET exposure suppressed population excitatory post-synaptic potentials (EPSPs) by 95 min post-exposure, and no recovery was observed following washout of TET. This direct effect of TET on neurotransmission occurred without changes in the conductive properties of the presynaptic Schaffer collaterals; the amplitude of population afferent fibre volley potentials remained stable. In a Ca 2+ -free environment, however, the same TET exposure led to rapid tissue death following the onset of TET exposure. Thus, extracellular Ca 2+ decreased the apparent neurotoxicity of TET observed in a Ca 2+ -free environment. The results suggest that extracellular Ca 2+ modulates TET neurotoxicity, manifested as suppression of synaptic potentials, in area CA1 of the hippocampal slice. However, the mechanisms underlying TET-induced suppression of evoked synaptic potentials in a normal Ca 2+ environment and tissue death in a Ca 2+ -free environment remain to be elucidated.
The Unintended Reformation: How a Religious Revolution Secularized Society. By Brad S. Gregory. (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2012. Pp. 574. $39.95.)

In the introduction to this provocative book, the author considers the unintended consequences of the Protestant Reformation. He argues that these consequences were quite different from what the or...
Accuracy, precision, and cost-effectiveness of conventional dung density and fecal DNA based survey methods to estimate Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) population size and structure

Abstract Non-invasive DNA-based capture–mark–recapture (CMR) methods have been developed to estimate population size and other parameters and have the advantage that samples can be collected without the need to see or disturb the animals. There are, however, few comparisons of DNA-based CMR estimates of animal population size with estimates from non-genetic methods. We compared the results of a dung-density based survey of an Asian elephant ( Elephas maximus ) population with a simultaneous fecal DNA-based CMR survey of the same population. We found 545 dung-piles along 116 line transects, converted dung-pile density to elephant density using rates of defecation and dung disappearance, and derived a population estimate of 141 (95% CI = [95, 208]) elephants. We collected 267 fecal samples during three CMR sampling sessions: 215 (81%) yielded sufficient genotypic information for analysis and gave an estimated population size of 132 (95% CI = [120,149]) elephants, closely matching the estimate produced by the dung-density method but with greater precision. The DNA-based method also provided information on population structure. We conclude that DNA-based CMR methods provide more precise abundance estimates, and more data about population structure and dynamics, than dung density-based methods. Fecal DNA-based CMR methods also require less time in the field and can be used when dung density methods are impracticable. Finally, fecal DNA based CMR methods are now cheaper than dung density based methods when line transect survey costs are approximately equal to CMR survey costs and dung decay rate monitoring costs are greater than laboratory costs (which will usually be the case).
ETHICS MATTER: THE MORALITY AND JUSTICE PRINCIPLES OF ELECTED CITY OFFICIALS AND THEIR IMPACT ON URBAN ISSUES

This is the author's accepted manuscript. The published version is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9906.2011.00583.x
Immunogenicity and protective efficacy of novel Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens.

Abstract With tuberculosis continuing to be a major cause of global morbidity and mortality, a new vaccine is urgently needed. Tuberculosis subunit vaccines have been shown to induce robust immune responses in humans and are a potentially safer alternative to BCG for use in HIV-endemic areas. In this study, we investigated the protective efficacy of 16 different novel Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens using an aerogenic mouse model of pulmonary tuberculosis. These antigens were tested as subunit vaccines formulated in dimethyl dioctadecyl ammonium bromide (DDA) – D(+) with trehalose 6,6 dibenenate (TDB) (DDA/TDB) adjuvant administered alone as monovalent vaccines or in combination. Six of these antigens (Rv1626, Rv1735, Rv1789, Rv2032, Rv2220, and Rv3478) were shown to consistently and significantly reduce bacterial burdens in the lungs of mice relative to nonvaccinated controls. Three of these six (Rv1789, Rv2220, and Rv3478) induced levels of protective immunity that were essentially equivalent to protection induced by the highly immunogenic antigen 85B (>0.5 log 10 CFU reduction in the lungs relative to naive mice). Importantly, when these three antigens were combined, protection essentially equivalent to that mediated by BCG was observed. When either Rv1626 or Rv2032 were combined with the highly protective E6-85 fusion protein (antigen 85B fused to ESAT-6), the protection observed was equivalent to BCG-induced protection at one and three months post-aerosol infection and was significantly greater than the protection observed when E6-85 was administered alone at 3 months post-infection. Using multiparameter flow cytometry, monofunctional IFNγ CD4T cells and different multifunctional CD4T cell subsets capable of secreting multiple cytokines (IFNγ, TNFα and/or IL-2) were shown to be induced by the three most protective antigens with splenocyte CD4T cell frequencies significantly greater than observed in naive controls. The identification of these highly immunogenic TB antigens and antigen combinations should allow for improved immunization strategies against tuberculosis.
Austin Stoneman: The Birth of a Nation's American tragic hero

For both artistic and personal reasons, D.W. Griffith was drawn to melodrama, and his most influential work, The Birth of a Nation, is, in almost every way, a fully realized melodramatic work. As is typical of this style, the story is presented as a clearly delineated struggle between, on the one side, the good and right and, on the other, the wicked and wrong. In the end, of course, the former triumphs over the latter. With but one exception, all of the film's characters fit neatly into one category or the other. Only Austin Stoneman, arguably Birth's most important figure, seems to defy easy characterization. While he is arrogant, scowling, dismissive of others, and specified to be wrong on the issue of race, he is also principled, forthright, and a loving father. The purpose of this study is to show that Stoneman has the essential characteristics of a tragic Greek hero, albeit one with the good fortune to live in nineteenth-century America rather than ancient Thebes.
2001 Division 35 Presidential Address: Context Matters: Understanding Tokenism Processes and Their Impact on Women's Work:

Awarded for your spectacular contributions to feminist psychology, Division 35 presents to you the Carolyn Wood Sherif Award. A prodigious researcher and theorist, you break down the artificial distinctions between basic and applied work and between erudition and accessibility. In your scholarship you have raised to the forefront neglected variables such as ethnicity, social class, and disability. Your creativity, courage, warmth, and generosity of spirit make you an inspiration to scholars across a spectrum of disciplines, many of whom you have mentored, nurtured, and helped. Nor does your indefatigable advocacy stop at the campus gates. With humor, wisdom, and abundant determination, you have used the tools of our discipline to create community and to advance the cause of social justice. It is with gratitude that we honor you and your work, Michelle Fine.While the power of her absence can't yet find words, this paper is dedicated, of course, to our friend, colleague, the fountain of energy, commitment, ...
Quantum stabilization of the Skyrme soliton

We point out that the putative Skyrme soliton in a simple chiral model of pions (without the Skyrme term) can be stabilized against collapse by quantum fluctuations. This leads to a reasonable "zeroth order" description of the nucleon in terms of the single (pion decay) constant ${F}_{\ensuremath{\pi}}$.
Second-order 'fear' conditioning in humans: persistence of CR2 following extinction of CR1.

Abstract Two groups of subjects were given pairings of a slide of a triangle (CS 1 ) with an aversive loud noise (US). After first-order conditioning a different figure (CS 2 + ) was paired with CS 1 , whilst a third figure acted as a non-paired control (CS 2 0 ). Conditioned second-order skin conductance responses (SCRs) were established to CS 2 + for all subjects who had undergone first-order conditioning. Following second-order conditioning, SCRs to CS 1 were extinguished and CS 2 + was subsequently tested for retention of its SCR evoking properties. For the group of subjects who believed they had an avoidance response available during the second-order conditioning phase, CR 2 failed to survive extinction of CR 1 . However, for the group of subjects who had no perceived control over US presentation, extinction of cr 1 did not eliminate CR 2 . This latter finding is consistent with associative analyses of second-order conditioning in animals and has clinical implications for the treatment of fear-related problems.
Organization of personal knowledge: Convergent validity of implications grids and repertory grids as measures of system structure

Abstract Constructivism is distinguished by its emphasis on personal knowledge systems, which have been studied extensively by personal construct psychologists. However, the heavy reliance of investigators on repertory grid (rep grid) technique has been criticized, in part because alternative implication grid (imp grid) procedures offer a theoretically clearer measurement of the relationship among personal constructs in the system. We report the first study of the convergence of the two methods in assessing system structure at three levels: (a) the molar level, or the overall structure or relatedness of constructs in the system; (b) the molecular level, or the average degree of the connectedness of each individual construct to the system as a whole; and (c) the atomistic level, or the degree of relationship between specific pairs of constructs. We administered a rep grid and an imp grid to 36 college students and found support for the convergence of the two measures at all levels. These results reinforce ...
Ebolavirus VP35 is a multifunctional virulence factor

Ebola virus (EBOV) is a member of the filoviridae family that causes severe hemorrhagic fever during sporadic outbreaks, and no approved treatments are currently available. The multifunctional EBOV VP35 protein facilitates immune evasion by antagonizing antiviral signaling pathways and is important for viral RNA synthesis. In order to elucidate regulatory mechanisms and to develop countermeasures, we recently solved the structures of the Zaire and Reston EBOV VP35 interferon inhibitory domain (IID) in the free form and of the Zaire EBOV VP35 IID bound to dsRNA. Together with biochemical, cell biological, and virological studies, our structural work revealed that distinct regions within EBOV VP35 IID contribute to virulence through host immune evasion and viral RNA synthesis. Here we summarize our recent structural and functional studies and discuss the potential of multifunctional Ebola VP35 as a therapeutic target.
Error-model-based robot calibration using a modified CPC model

Abstract Selection of a proper robot kinematic model is a critical step in error-model-based robot calibration. The Denavit-Hartenberg (DH) model exhibits singularities in calibration of robots having consecutive parallel joint axes. The complete and parametrically continuous (CPC) modeling technique is one of the more versatile alternative modeling conventions designated to fit the needs of manipulator calibration. No modeling convention is, however, perfect. One “user-unfriendly” aspect of the CPC model is a condition handling technique needed, when constructing the error model, to avoid model singularities due to the adoption of the direction vectors of the joint axes as link parameters. This paper presents a modification to the CPC model which brings the model closer to the DH model. Rather than using the direction vectors of joint axes, the modified CPC (MCPC) model employs angular parameters to acommodate the required rotations for each link transformation. This modification results in a much simplified error model. The model, like the CPC model, is capable of completely describing the geometry and motion of the manipulator in a reference coordinate frame. Its error model possesses a minimum number of parameters to span the entire geometric error space and it can be made singularity-free by proper selection of the tool axis. This paper presents a calibration study of the PUMA robot using the MCPC model. A moving stereo camera system was employed for end-effector pose measurements. The MCPC error model was then used for kinematic identification. Results on the PUMA arm show that the MCPC performs well for robot calibration. The well-defined structure and user friendliness of the MCPC model may facilitate the implementation of robot calibration techniques on the factory floor.
Practically Speaking: The Perils of a Single Language Policy

(1984). Practically Speaking: The Perils of a Single Language Policy. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas: Vol. 57, No. 7, pp. 318-322.
Spouses who placed partners in care homes experienced emotional reactions to separation and made efforts to maintain their relationship

(2001) J Clin Nurs 10, 406. Sandberg J, Lundh U, Nolan MR. . Placing a spouse in a care home: the importance of keeping. . May; . : . –16 . [OpenUrl][1][CrossRef][2][PubMed][3][Web of Science][4] QUESTION: What are the experiences of family carers after placing a spouse in a care home? Grounded theory. A municipality in southern Sweden. 12 spouses {8 wives and 4 husbands}* who had placed a partner in a care home within the past 6–12 months. In semistructured interviews, participants were asked about their experiences after admitting a spouse to a care home. Interviews were audiotaped and transcribed. Constant comparison was used to elaborate on the themes derived from a previous set of interviews, particularly the processes of separation and continuity in maintaining relationships (“keeping”). The process of separation included 4 elements: pretending, dawning, putting on a brave face, and seeking solace . Pretending involved the carers convincing themselves that their spouse's admission to a care home was simply a trial separation and was not permanent. Dawning referred to the growing awareness that the placement was permanent. Subverting their feelings and needs led the carers to putting on a brave face … [1]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DJournal%2Bof%2Bclinical%2Bnursing%26rft.stitle%253DJ%2BClin%2BNurs%26rft.aulast%253DSandberg%26rft.auinit1%253DJ.%26rft.volume%253D10%26rft.issue%253D3%26rft.spage%253D406%26rft.epage%253D416%26rft.atitle%253DPlacing%2Ba%2Bspouse%2Bin%2Ba%2Bcare%2Bhome%253A%2Bthe%2Bimportance%2Bof%2Bkeeping.%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1046%252Fj.1365-2702.2001.00497.x%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F11820551%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [2]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=10.1046/j.1365-2702.2001.00497.x&link_type=DOI [3]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=11820551&link_type=MED&atom=%2Febnurs%2F5%2F1%2F32.1.atom [4]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=000168979800013&link_type=ISI
Continuum fluids with a discontinuity in the pressure

A class of one-dimensional continuum fluid models is defined in which classical particles interact through translationally invariant, strongly tempered manybody potentials meeting conditions sufficient to ensure a proper thermodynamic limit. However, an exact analysis demonstrates that for certain ranges of parameter values the pressure versus density isotherms arediscontinuous. The basic models also entail discontinuous temperature versus configurational entropy isobars but extended models are described which exhibit either type of anomaly alone and various unobserved but thermodynamically allowed, anomalous types of first-order transitions.
Rebuilding immunity in cancer patients

Abstract Rebuilding and maintaining immunity are paramount to the success of cancer immunotherapy and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. If immune surveillance indeed can protect from cancer, the very manifestation of malignancy means that the disease has prevailed over immunity. Yet, often, tumor-specific T cells can be found in cancer patients irrespective of vaccination. Interestingly, patients suffering from malignancy often harbor unexpectedly high levels of immature CD14+HLA-DR− monocytes, although the abundance of CD4+ cells, CD8+ cells and CD4+CD25high cells may be normal. It is plausible that in cancer such cells suppress T cell function, analogous to CD14+HLA-DR− cells in sepsis and major trauma, in addition to their likely failure to re-present tumor-associated antigens once dendritic cells have initiated the T cell response. Recent evidence indicates that tumor-borne adenosine, lactate and hypoxia in the tumor environment may modulate tumor-specific immunity to a significant extent, but their effects on myeloid cell function are unclear. Thus, understanding and controlling these factors may appreciably impact the success of rebuilding and maintaining immunity in cancer patients.
Prenatal programming of adult blood pressure: role of maternal corticosteroids

Both maternal glucocorticoid administration and maternal dietary protein or food restriction in pregnancy cause fewer nephrons and hypertension in the adult offspring. The purpose of these studies ...
Anisotropic Formation and Distribution of Stacking Faults in II–VI Semiconductor Nanorods

Nanocrystals of cadmium selenide exhibit a form of polytypism with stable forms in both the wurtzite and zinc blende crystal structures. As a result, wurtzite nanorods of cadmium selenide tend to f...
Dynamic mechanical analysis of polymers in the liquid state: Use of a perforated shim stock support

This report summarizes some initial results on the use of a perforated brass shim stock support to extend the useful range of dynamic mechanical testing well over 100 degrees above the traditional limiting polymer softening points of Tg or Tm. Weak secondary relaxations were observed above Tg in both polyisobutylene (PIB) and polystyrene (PS) homopolymer, copolymer, and blend systems and above Tm in gutta percha (trans-polyisoprene). The DuPont 981 Dynamic Mechanical Analyzer (DMA)–990 Thermal Analyzer system was used to characterize these weak liquid state processes. The DMA instrument deforms the specimen in flexure, thus minimizing the shear component present in some other techniques. Specimen-coating weights are typically in the range 20–40 mg. The perforations are particularly useful for polymers having low inherent adhesion to metals or systems which are very brittle in the glassy state, e.g., low MW PS's and many methacrylates.
Missiles, Marks, and the Middle Level Student:

Poor grades can be especially devastating to middle level students, says this writer, who offers some alternatives to the traditional, uniform marking system which are, he feels, more appropriate for these youngsters.
Isotropic and anisotropic proton chemical shielding surface of water

Extended-basis-set ab initio calculations have been carried out to obtain the hydrogen chemical shielding tensor for water as a function of the internal geometrical coordinates. The results of the calculations show that the isotropic shielding and the anisotropy are most dependent on the oxygen-hydrogen bond length, and that the variation with the bond length is nearly linear. The anisotropy shows a significantly greater dependence on stretching the OH bond of the other hydrogen than does the isotropic shielding. Furthermore, we find that the deformation of water's structure that occurs in ice Ih is associated with a decrease in anisotropy instead of the expected increase.
Development of a physically-based model for transport of Cryptosporidium parvum in overland flow

Surface runoff from animal production facilities contains numerous microbial pathogens which pose a direct health hazard to both humans and animals. In order to preserve safe water resources and sustainable agriculture by reducing runoff-mediated contamination of agricultural watersheds, microbial transport processes need to be properly understood and quantified. Cryptosporidium parvum is a protozoan parasite responsible for the largest outbreak of waterborne disease ever recorded in US history. Infected mammals can pass as many as 10 billion Cryptosporidium oocysts per gram of faeces, hence only a few infected animals can potentially contaminate a large watershed. Little information is available on the environmental or physicochemical factors governing the transport of microbial pathogen in surface and near-surface runoff, in particular the zoonotic pathogen Cryptosporidium. The objective of this study is to develop a physically-based model for simulating transport of C. parvum oocysts in overland flow, and to compare the model results with experimental observations. Transport of oocysts in overland flow can be simulated mathematically by including terms for the concentration of the oocysts in the liquid phase (in suspension or free-floating) and the solid phase (adsorbed to the fine solid particles like clay and silt). Oocysts adsorption and decay processes are considered. These processes are solved using numerical techniques to predict spatial and temporal changes in oocyst concentrations in solid and liquid phases. The model results are also compared with experimental results to validate the model. The model output reproduced the recovery kinetics satisfactorily, but under-predicted the total recovery in a few cases when multiple peaks were observed during experiments. Similarly, the calibrated model produced a good agreement between observed and modeled total oocysts recovery. With future modification, this model may provide a promising tool for developing effective management practices for controlling microbial pathogens in surface runoff.
Knowledge Is Power: How Conceptual Knowledge Transforms Visual Cognition

In this review, we synthesize the existing literature demonstrating the dynamic interplay between conceptual knowledge and visual perceptual processing. We consider two theoretical frameworks that demonstrate interactions between processes and brain areas traditionally considered perceptual or conceptual. Specifically, we discuss categorical perception, in which visual objects are represented according to category membership, and highlight studies showing that category knowledge can penetrate early stages of visual analysis. We next discuss the embodied account of conceptual knowledge, which holds that concepts are instantiated in the same neural regions required for specific types of perception and action, and discuss the limitations of this framework. We additionally consider studies showing that gaining abstract semantic knowledge about objects and faces leads to behavioral and electrophysiological changes that are indicative of more efficient stimulus processing. Finally, we consider the role that perceiver goals and motivation may play in shaping the interaction between conceptual and perceptual processing. We hope to demonstrate how pervasive such interactions between motivation, conceptual knowledge, and perceptual processing are in our understanding of the visual environment, and to demonstrate the need for future research aimed at understanding how such interactions arise in the brain.
Evidence for direct-access and inferential retrieval in question-answering

A popular but implicit distinction between direct-access retrieval and inference was put to explicit experimental test. “Direct-access” and “inferential” questions were constructed and their properties examined in several converging operations. Responses to the questions in a four-alternative multiple-choice test were externalized and rated on a direct-access/inference scale. Reaction times to verify singly presented answers were taken for similar questions. The data empirically validated widely used assumptions about direct and inferential retrieval and yielded some information for each: (1) Inference takes longer than direct-access. (2) When direct-access fails, inference is attempted whether or not the question lends itself to inferential processing. (3) Semantic versus phonetic distractors require an additional 500 milliseconds to reject for inferential questions.
Modeling and calibrating CCD cameras for illumination insensitive machine vision

Changes in measured image irradiance have many physical causes and are the primary cue for several visual processes such as edge detection and shape from shading. Using physical models for CCD image sensors and material reflectance, we quantify the variation in digitized pixel values that is due to sensor noise and reflectance variation. This analysis forms the basis of algorithms for sensor characterization and calibration and for scene description. Specifically, algorithms are developed for estimating the parameters of sensor noise and for calibrating a camera to remove the effects of fixed pattern nonuniformity and spatial variation in dark current. While these techniques have many potential uses, we describe in particular how they can be used to estimate a measure of scene variation. This measure is independent of image irradiance and can be used to identify a surface from a single sensor band over a range of situations. Experimental results obtained using these algorithms are presented.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Detection of Edges from Nonuniform Fourier Data

Edge detection is important in a variety of applications. While there are many algorithms available for detecting edges from pixelated images or equispaced Fourier data, much less attention has been given to determining edges from nonuniform Fourier data. There are applications in sensing (e.g. MRI) where the data is given in this way, however. This paper introduces a method for determining the locations of jump discontinuities, or edges, in a one-dimensional periodic piecewise-smooth function from nonuniform Fourier coefficients. The technique employs the use of Fourier frames. Numerical examples are provided.