cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Membrane Lipids can modulate guanylate cyclase activity of rat intestinal microvillus membranes

Abstract Studies of the temperature dependence (10–40°C) of guanylate cyclase in rat intestinal microvillus membranes reveal a change in energy of activation (slope of the Arrhenius plot) at 30 ± 1°C. The break point temperature corresponds to the lipid thermotropic transition in these membranes previously characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (range: 23–39°C); peak temperature, 31°C). The break point temperature for guanylate cyclase also corresponds to that of a number of other microvillus membrane enzymes and of D -glucosem transport. These activities are defined as ‘intrinsic’ membrane brane activities by this operational criterion. Treatment with the nonionic detergent Lubrol WX increased the guanylate cyclase activity 4- to 8-fold and removed the discontinuity in the Arrhenius plot.
Cigarette smoking, environmental tobacco smoke exposure and insulin sensitivity: the Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Study.

Abstract PURPOSE: To investigate whether active smoking and/or exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is associated with insulin sensitivity. METHODS: Insulin sensitivity and tobacco use history were measured in 1481 participants in the Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Study (IRAS). IRAS is a large mulitcenter epidemiologic study designed to explore the cross-sectional relationships among insulin resistance, cardiovascular disease risk factors and behaviors, and disease in African-American, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic white men and women, aged 40–69 years, selected to represent a broad range of glucose tolerance. Multiple linear regression models and linear contrasts were employed to describe the association between smoking history, as assessed via structured interview, and insulin sensitivity, as assessed by an insulin modified frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test (FSIGT) with minimal model analysis. RESULTS: Active smoking was not associated with insulin sensitivity. Exposure to ETS was associated with lower insulin sensitivity. Specifically, for all participants combined, levels of SI were lower, indicating reduced insulin sensitivity, for those exposed to ETS when compared to those who were not exposed (p = 0.019). This association persisted for female participants (p = 0.013) and exhibited the same trend for males but failed to achieve statistical significance (p = 0.264). CONCLUSIONS: Our study did not reveal an association between active smoking and insulin sensitivity, as has been shown previously. The association between ETS exposure and insulin sensitivity is a puzzling finding which deserves further investigation in the longitudinal data from IRAS as well as in other populations.
Latest folding game results: Protein A barely frustrates computationalists

The dark mystery of protein folding has been greatly illuminated by the last decade's work. This enlightenment has come from the simultaneous flowering of new theoretical approaches (1–3), powerful computational studies (4, 5), and a fresh wave of experiments using protein engineering (6) and ultrafast kinetics (7, 8). How a disordered chain molecule finds its organized, folded state is no longer a paradox, but a scientific problem requiring a close comparison of theories, computation and experiments. A beautiful experimental study of the mechanism of folding of the B domain of streptococcal protein A appears in this issue of PNAS (9). This study joins such landmarks as the elucidation of the folding mechanism of CI2 and barnase by the same group (10). So what's the news? The excitement comes because this protein has been the poster child of computational folders. It is attractive to computationalists because of its small size, 60 residues, at the extreme limit exhibiting cooperative protein-like thermodynamics. The protein also folds fast, so computer studies have the best chance of success. Numerous simulations were carried out (11–23) without extensive laboratory kinetic studies at the residue level to influence the work. It is thus interesting to see how well the computationalists have been able to predict the folding mechanism without much biasing data. Sato et al. (9) liken the comparison of simulations with their kinetic experiment to the biennial exercise Critical Assessment of Structure Prediction (CASP) (24). They, like most participants in CASP, refer to it as a competition, although the organizers decry that appellation. As the leader of a participating group, I can testify to CASP's painfulness, but, despite its undignified similarity to a sporting event, good science comes from CASP. Likewise, the present results do indeed provoke serious thought. When compared …
NIMS RD: A Rapidly Deployable Cable Based Robot

In this paper, we present NIMS RD, a rapidly deployable cable based robotic system developed for environmental monitoring applications. NIMS technology has been under continuous development resulting in several architectures including the NIMS RD system. This is an advance over previous systems in that its operation performance is improved, total system volume and mass is reduced, reliability is increased, and its deployment requires a smaller field team than for previous systems. The NIMS RD design will be described to highlight its new features and innovations. Also, NIMS RD field deployments will be discussed and some of the collected results displayed. Finally, future development directions for the NIMS RD system will also be discussed.
Credit-based flow control for ATM networks

Simulation, analysis, and experiments on switching hardware have shown that for a wide variety of traffic patterns, credit control is fair, uses links efficiently, minimizes delay, and guarantees no cell loss due to congestion. The credit-based mechanism proposed by the authors provides flow control tailored to ATM networks. >
Why should we care about ethical and policy challenges in congenital heart disease

Congenital heart disease (CHD) affects 1% of infants worldwide, and approximately 90% of children with serious CHD who have access to surgery survive to adulthood. Particularly as this population ages, there are unique ethical and policy challenges pertaining to this diverse population of children and adults, which also serve as a paradigm for other chronic diseases. A unique forum to discuss these issues occurred at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia on March 16 to 17, 2012, and was entitled "Ethics of the Heart: Ethical and Policy Challenges in Adult and Pediatric Congenital Heart Disease." The conference convened a multidisciplinary panel of nationally known experts in the fields of Pediatric Congenital Heart Disease, Adult Congenital Heart Disease, and Bioethics to identify and discuss the most important ethical issues in CHD through talks, panel discussions, and one-on-one interviews in six topic areas: genetic testing, transitions of care from pediatric to adult CHD, transplantation and mechanical circulatory support, research and development in CHD, the social and personal costs of success in treating CHD, and end-of-life considerations. This article is an introduction to the topics discussed.
Semi-supervised regression with temporal image sequences

We consider a semi-supervised regression setting where we have temporal sequences of partially labeled data, under the assumption that the labels should vary slowly along a sequence, but that nearby points in input space may have drastically different labels. The setting ismotivated by problems such as determining the time of the day or the level of air visibility given an image of a landscape, which is hard because the time or visibility label is related in a complex way with the pixel values. We propose a regression framework regularized with a graph Laplacian prior, where the graph is given by the sequential information. We show this outperforms graphs learned in an unsupervised way for detecting the rotation of MNIST digits and estimating the time of day an image is captured, and provides modest improvement in the challenging visibility problem.
Aggregate Labor Market Outcomes : The Roles of Choice and Chance

Commonly used frictional models of the labor market imply that changes in frictions have large effects on steady state employment and unemployment. We use a model that features both frictions and an operative labor supply margin to examine the robustness of this feature to the inclusion of an empirically reasonable labor supply channel. The response of unemployment to changes in frictions is similar in both models, but the labor supply response present in our model greatly attenuates the effects of frictions on steady state employment relative to the simplest matching model and two common extensions. We also find that the presence of empirically plausible frictions has virtually no impact on the response of aggregate employment to taxes. Keywords. Labor supply, labor market frictions, taxes. JEL classification. E24, J22, J64.
Situational Evidence Strategies for Causal Reasoning From Observational Field Notes

Sociological Methods & Research http://smr.sagepub.com/ Situational Evidence: Strategies for Causal Reasoning From Observational Field Notes Jack Katz Sociological Methods & Research published online 23 November 2014 DOI: 10.1177/0049124114554870 The online version of this article can be found at: http://smr.sagepub.com/content/early/2014/11/21/0049124114554870 Published by: http://www.sagepublications.com Additional services and information for Sociological Methods & Research can be found at: Email Alerts: http://smr.sagepub.com/cgi/alerts Subscriptions: http://smr.sagepub.com/subscriptions Reprints: http://www.sagepub.com/journalsReprints.nav Permissions: http://www.sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav >> OnlineFirst Version of Record - Nov 23, 2014 What is This? Downloaded from smr.sagepub.com by guest on November 24, 2014
Relationship of hamster ovum sperm penetration assay to seminal fluid analyses in the evaluation of infertile couples.

The males of 279 infertile couples were evaluated with hamster ovum sperm penetration assay (SPA) and seminal fluid analysis. The mean SPA score for the total population was 23.0% penetration with a range of 0-97%. Twenty five percent of the patients demonstrated scores within the abnormal range (0-10%), and 15% were in the “equivocal” range (11-14%). Comparing each individual with the total population using linear regression analysis, it was noted that sperm concentration, percent motility, and percent oval forms varied directly with the SPA, and the slopes of the relationships are positive and statistically significant (p 0.354). To determine whether the SPA could be utilized to establish appropriate normal parameters for various components of SFA, these were analyzed in 169 men who had SPAs of > 15%. Although most SFA values fell within the normal range for this group, there were se...
Combining experiment and theory to elucidate the role of supercritical water in sulfide decomposition

The cleavage of C-S linkages plays a key role in fuel processing and organic geochemistry. Water is known to affect these processes, and several hypotheses have been proposed, but the mechanism has been elusive. Here we use both experiment and theory to demonstrate that supercritical water reacts with intermediates formed during alkyl sulfide decomposition. During hexyl sulfide decomposition in supercritical water, pentane and CO + CO2 were detected in addition to the expected six carbon products. A multi-step reaction sequence for hexyl sulfide reacting with supercritical water is proposed which explains the surprising products, and quantum chemical calculations provide quantitative rates that support the proposed mechanism. The key sequence is cleavage of one C-S bond to form a thioaldehyde via radical reactions, followed by a pericyclic addition of water to the C[double bond, length as m-dash]S bond to form a geminal mercaptoalcohol. The mercaptoalcohol decomposes into an aldehyde and H2S either directly or via a water-catalyzed 6-membered ring transition state. The aldehyde quickly decomposes into CO plus pentane by radical reactions. The time is ripe for quantitative modelling of organosulfur reaction kinetics based on modern quantum chemistry.
On-Line Calibration and Power Optimization of RF Systems Using a Built-In Detector

This paper develops a technique, using a built-in detector, for measuring the specifications of RF subsystems and fine-tuning them with a feedback control algorithm. At the same time, optimum power consumption points can be chosen from different biasing schemes. The detector has small area overhead with low frequency output. The sampled output waveform is analyzed using an FFT. The low frequency measurements are directly used to calculate the circuit specifications, without requiring learning steps. The technique was used to measure the performance parameters of a 940 MHz to 40 MHz down conversion mixer in a RF receiver front-end test chip, fabricated in a commercial 0.18$\mu$m CMOS process. The tuning algorithm was implemented in the Labview environment, and tuning knobs on board were used for biasing and control optimization. Results show that the approach can provide accurate calibration of specifications and power for real RF chips.
Contrast echocardiographic findings in an infant with right coronary artery to right ventricular fistula

The microcavitation effect produced by the injection of saline, blood, on green dye into the vascular system during echocandiognaphic examination has been used to aid in the definition of intracardiac structures, to detect valvular regurgitation, and to identify and localize intrapulmonary and intracardiac shunting. Contrast echocandiognaphy provides a sensitive technique for shunt detection and localization which, when used during cardiac catheterization, may avert the need for multiple angiograms on aid in their selection. We describe the clinical, echocandiographic, and angiognaphic findings in an infant with a night coronary artery fistula where contrast echocandiognaphy localized the shunt to the night ventnicle.
High-dose intravenous methotrexate followed by autologous stem cell transplantation as a potentially effective therapy for neurolymphomatosis.

BACKGROUND Neurolymphomatosis (NL) is a rare neurologic manifestation of systemic lymphoma characterized by lymphomatous infiltration of the peripheral nervous system. The diagnosis of NL is difficult and requires a multidisciplinary approach for obtaining an adequate biopsy specimen of the suspected nerve. The prognosis of patients with NL has been poor because adequate penetration of chemotherapy into the nervous system is difficult. METHODS The authors presented the case of a 37-year-old man who was treated for Ann Arbor Stage IVB diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. The patient developed disease recurrence in the sciatic nerve without systemic involvement. RESULTS The patient achieved a clinical response after receipt of high-dose intravenous methotrexate followed by high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplant. CONCLUSIONS The authors reported this case to highlight the effectiveness of this regimen in a rare and fatal disorder. In the current study they also reviewed the literature regarding the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of NL. Cancer 2004. © 2004 American Cancer Society.
Manning’s equation and two-dimensional flow analogs

summary Two-dimensional (2D) flow models based on the well-known governing 2D flow equations are applied to floodplain analysis purposes. These 2D models numerically solve the governing flow equations simultaneously or explicitly on a discretization of the floodplain using grid tiles or similar tile cell geometry, called ‘‘elements”. By use of automated information systems such as digital terrain modeling, digital elevation models, and GIS, large-scale topographic floodplain maps can be readily discretized into thousands of elements that densely cover the floodplain in an edge-to-edge form. However, the assumed principal flow directions of the flow model analog, as applied across an array of elements, typically do not align with the floodplain flow streamlines. This paper examines the mathematical underpinnings of a four-direction flow analog using an array of square elements with respect to floodplain flow streamlines that are not in alignment with the analog’s principal flow directions. It is determined that application of Manning’s equation to estimate the friction slope terms of the governing flow equations, in directions that are not coincident with the flow streamlines, may introduce a bias in modeling results, in the form of slight underestimation of flow depths. It is also determined that the maximum theoretical bias, occurs when a single square element is rotated by about 13, and not 45 as would be intuitively thought. The bias as a function of rotation angle for an array of square elements follows approximately the bias for a single square element. For both the theoretical single square element and an array of square elements, the bias as a function of alignment angle follows a relatively constant value from about 5 to about 85, centered at about 45. This bias was first noted about a decade prior to the present paper, and the magnitude of this bias was estimated then to be about 20% at about 10 misalignment. An adjustment of Manning’s n is investigated based on a considered steady state uniform flow problem, but the magnitude of the adjustment (about 20%) is on the order of the magnitude of the accepted ranges of friction factors. For usual cases where random streamline trajectory variability within the floodplain flow is greater than a few degrees from perfect alignment, the apparent bias appears to be implicitly included in the Manning’s n values. It can be concluded that the array of square elements may be applied over the digital terrain model without respect to topographic flow directions.
Longitudinal changes in zinc transport kinetics, metallothionein, and zinc transporter expression in a blood-brain barrier model in response to a moderately excessive zinc environment

A blood-brain barrier (BBB) model composed of porcine brain capillary endothelial cells (BCEC) was exposed to a moderately excessive zinc environment (50 µmol Zn/L) in cell culture and longitudinal measurements were made of zinc transport kinetics, ZnT-1 (SLC30A1) expression, and changes in the protein concentration of metallothionein (MT), ZnT-1, ZnT-2 (SLC30A2), and Zip1 (SLC39A1). Zinc release by cells of the BBB model was significantly increased after 12–24 h of exposure, but decreased back to control levels after 48–96 h, as indicated by transport across the BBB from both the ablumenal (brain) and lumenal (blood) directions. Expression of ZnT-1, the zinc export protein, increased 169% within 12 h, but was no longer different from controls after 24 h. Likewise, ZnT-1 protein content increased transiently after 12 h of exposure but returned to control levels by 24 h. Capacity for zinc uptake and retention increased from both the lumenal and ablumenal directions within 12–24 h of exposure and remained elevated. MT and ZnT-2 were elevated within 12 h and remained elevated throughout the study. Zip1 was unchanged by the treatment. The BBB’s response to a moderately high zinc environment was dynamic and involved multiple mechanisms. The initial response was to increase the cell’s capacity to sequester zinc with additional MT and increase zinc export with the ZnT-1 protein. But, the longer term strategy involved increasing ZnT-2 transporters, presumably to sequester zinc into intracellular vesicles as a mechanism to protect the brain and maintain brain zinc homeostasis.
Enhancement through extension: the extension interpreter

The ability to extend programs dynamically has clear advantages. However, providing efficient yet sufficiently flexible support for such capabilities system-wide presents significant challenges. We describe a design and implementation of an extension mechanism that depends heavily on interpretive techniques, including call arbitration, dynamic linking, and multilanguage extensions. We discuss these mechanisms in the context of our Extension Interpreter, which embodies our ideas and provides a framework for discussing the efficiency and generality of the implementation. Our current implementation runs under BSD UNIX 4.2 and 4.3 on VAXes and SUN workstations. Extensions can be written in both C and in Icon, demonstrating our ability to address problems both of compiled and interpreted languages.
Bibliographic dimensions in information contol

The materials of a library, exemplified by books, have traditionally been viewed as presenting two aspects involving two distinct problems: their description and control as unique items and their treatment as sources of information on various subjects. But this view has tended to overlook a third fundamental aspect: that of the works which are embodied in the materials and in turn embody the information. The paper discusses the meaning of this aspect and its implications in the control of information.
The Role of the Nation-State: Evolution of STAR TV in China and India

The purpose of this study is to examine the role of the nation-state by analyzing the evolution of STAR TV’s in India and China. STAR TV, the first pan-Asian satellite television, represents the global force; while the governments in India and China represent the local forces faced with challenges brought about by globalization. This study found that the nation-states in China and India still were forces that had to be dealt with. In China, the state continued to exercise tight control over foreign broadcasters in almost every aspect – be it content or distribution. In India, the global force seemed to have greater leverage in counteracting the state, but only in areas where the state was willing to compromise, such as allowing entertainment channels to be fully owned by foreign broadcasters. In areas where the government thought needed protection to ensure national security and identity, the state still exercised autonomy to formulate and implement policies restricting the global force.
Quaternary incision rates and drainage evolution of the Uncompahgre and Gunnison Rivers, western Colorado, as calibrated by the Lava Creek B ash

ABSTRACT The Quaternary erosional history of western Colorado is documented in terraces of the Colorado, Gunnison, and Uncompahgre Rivers that contain the Lava Creek B ash (0.64 Ma). This paper reports an important new ash locality that dates ca. 100-m-high river gravels associated with the paleo-confluence of the Gunnison and Uncompahgre Rivers upstream from Grand Junction. Provenance analysis reveals paleo-Gunnison River gravels (containing granite and gneiss clasts) and paleo-Uncompahgre River gravels (containing Uncompahgre Group quartzite and San Juan volcanic field rocks). The paleo-Uncompahgre River gravels are 3 m directly beneath Lava Creek B ash, and the areal distribution of terraces indicates that this area was the paleo-confluence between the Gunnison and Uncompahgre Rivers. This confluence has shifted 11 km to the east since 0.64 Ma due to events related to stream piracy and drainage reorganization. Gunnison terrace straths near the paleo-confluence are estimated to be 106 m above the modern strath, giving an estimated incision rate of 165 m/Ma. Because of excellent age and geologic control, this is one of the best incision-rate data points in the upper Colorado River system. It is similar to previously reported regional rates, but is substantially lower than upstream incision rates in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison River. This dated Gunnison River terrace anchors the projection of Lava Creek B-bearing Grand Mesa pediment surfaces (e.g., Petrie Mesa) to regional base level and helps constrain a regional reconstruction of the 0.64-Ma profile of the paleo-Gunnison River. This reconstruction shows dramatic differences in incision rate in the Gunnison River system since 0.64 Ma, and that a transient knickpoint migrated past Sawmill Mesa prior to 0.64 Ma. This incision data point has important implications for evaluating major Quaternary changes in the configuration of this part of the Rocky Mountain drainage system. It also provides evidence for a young, disequilibrium drainage system that is responding to base-level changes downstream driven by a stream capture event, which in turn may have been driven by tectonic or climatic perturbations.
Neurochemical and Endocrine Responses to Immune Activation: the Role of Cytokines

This chapter reviews the experimental evidence that activation of the immune system, e.g., following infection or challenge (for example, with viruses), alters the metabolism of certain neurotransmitters in the brain, most notably serotonin, and the catecholamine, norepinephrine, and the amino acid tryptophan, as well as activating the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. There may be causal relationships between the noradrenergic activation and the HPA axis, and the neurochemical changes are implicated in the behavioral responses, in particular the sickness behaviors associated with injuries and infections. Nevertheless, there are many gaps in our knowledge, and we do not yet have a detailed understanding of the relationships between the immune activation and the brain responses.
Prediction of labor for pregnant women using high-resolution mass spectrometry data

High-resolution MALDI-TOF (matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight) mass spectrometry has shown promise as a screening tool for detecting discriminatory protein patterns. The major computational obstacle in analyzing MALDI-TOF data is a large number of mass/charge peaks (a.k.a. features, data points). With the number of data points easily going beyond one million for a single sample, efficient feature selection is critical for unequivocal protein pattern discovery. To tackle this problem, we have developed a multi-step strategy for data preprocessing and afterwards feature selection. The preprocessing is composed of binning, baseline correction, and normalization. For the preprocessed data, we propose a new feature subset selection method that is a hybrid filter/wrapper approach. Based on the two feature subsets for each feature, high and low correlated subsets, a feature is assigned a weight which indicates the extent of feature importance. Our scheme is applied to the analysis of labor dataset to predict delivery time of pregnant women. To validate the performance of the proposed algorithm, experiments are performed in comparison with other feature selection and classification methods. We show that our proposed approach outperforms other algorithms.
Comparison of mineral and cholesterol composition of different commercial goat milk products manufactured in USA.

Abstract Concentrations of 12 major and trace minerals and cholesterol in commercial goat fluid milk, evaporated, powdered, yogurt, and cheese products manufactured in the US were evaluated for compositional differences. Minerals were determined by an Inductively Coupled Argon Plasma Emission Spectroscopy (ICAP), while cholesterol was analyzed using colorimetric and gas chromatographic (GC) methods. Mean total solids content (%) of fluid milk, evaporated milk, powdered milk, yogurt, plain soft and Monterey Jack cheeses were: 11.3, 20.9, 94.1, 11.5, 32.5, and 57.7, respectively. Mean calcium and phosphorus contents (ppm, dry basis) of the corresponding products were: 103, 125; 440, 393; 7715, 7471; 161, 144; 691, 1105; 3492, 3067, respectively. The respective iron and zinc contents (ppm) of the corresponding products were: 0.062, 0.349; 1.518, 1.635; 3.33, 30.21, 0.117, 0.338; 7.16, 3.64; 8.86, 3.81. The levels of potassium (K) in cheeses were lowest among all the products including fluid goat milk, suggesting that a significant amount of K was lost during cheese manufacturing processes. Levels of all trace minerals were higher in yogurt and cheeses than in fluid milk. The levels of trace minerals in cheeses were greater than those in yogurt products. Iron and aluminum contents of certain goat milk products were considerably higher than normal, possibly due to contamination of minerals from manufacturing utensils and product metal cans. Sulphur contents of fermented products were significantly greater than those of fluid milk, which may be accountable for the microbial synthesis of sulfur containing proteins during the manufacturing processes of the products. Cholesterol contents (mg/100 g, wet basis) of fluid, evaporated, powdered goat milk and Monterey Jack cheese determined by GC method were: 11.0, 24.9, 119.5 and 91.7, respectively. Cholesterol contents of the goat milk products analyzed by colorimetric method were substantially greater than those by GC method.
Chronic venous leg ulcer treatment: Future research needs

The prevalence and costs of chronic venous ulcer care in the US are increasing. The Johns Hopkins University Evidence-Based Practice Center recently completed a systematic review of the comparative effectiveness of advanced wound dressings, antibiotics, and surgical management of chronic venous ulcers. Of 10,066 citations identified in the literature search, only 66 (0.06%) met our liberal inclusion criteria for providing evidence on the effectiveness of interventions for chronic venous ulcers. Based on review of those studies, members of our team and a panel of informed stakeholders identified important research gaps and methodological deficiencies and prioritized specific future research needs. Based on that review, we provide the results of our assessment of future research needs for chronic venous ulcer care. Advanced wound dressings were considered to have the highest priority for future research, followed by venous surgery and antibiotics. An imperative from our assessment is that future research evaluating interventions for chronic venous ulcers meet quality standards. In a time of increasing cost pressure, the wound care community needs to develop high-quality evidence to justify the use of present and future therapeutic modalities.
Consciousness and the Quest for Sentient Robots

Existing technology allows us to build robots that mimic human cognition quite successfully, but would this make these robots conscious? Would these robots really feel something and experience their existence in the world in the style of the human conscious experience? Most probably not. In order to create true conscious and sentient robots we must first consider carefully what consciousness really is; what exactly would constitute the phenomenal conscious experience. This leads to the investigation of the explanatory gap and the hard problem of consciousness and also the problem of qualia. This investigation leads to the essential requirements for conscious artifacts and these are: 1.) The realization of a perception process with qualia and percept location externalization, 2.) The realization of the introspection of the mental content, 3.) The reporting allowed by seamless integration of the various modules and 4.) A grounded self-concept with the equivalent of a somatosensory system. Cognitive architectures that are based on perception/response feedback loops and associative sub-symbolic/symbolic neural processing would seem to satisfy these requirements.
Identification of trap locations in AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors by varying photon flux during sub-bandgap optical pumping

By varying the photon flux during sub-bandgap optical pumping, the locations of traps associated with sub-bandgap laser pumping in AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) were identified. Fixed photon flux of sub-bandgap optical pumping was previously employed to determine the activation energies of traps in AlGaN/GaN HEMT; traps with activation energies of 0.73 eV, both 0.73 and 1.91 eV or all three trap states detected for the 671, 532, or 477 nm laser illumination, respectively. However, by illuminating the HEMTs with lower photon fluxes from 532 or 447 nm lasers, the traps with 0.73 eV were absent, and only the traps associated with higher activation energies were activated by the laser light. This indicated that the traps related to the activation energies of 1.91 and 2.35 eV are likely located at the surface of the HEMTs. Photon flux dependent gate-lag measurements were also conducted. Laser illumination of 671 nm did not affect the drain current during the gate lag measurement, implyin...
Failure Criteria of Composite Materials Under Static and Dynamic Loading

To facilitate and accelerate the process of introducing, evaluating and adopting new material systems, it is important to develop/establish comprehensive and effective procedures of characterization, modeling and failure prediction of structural laminates based on the properties of the constituent materials, e.g., fibers, matrix, and the single ply or lamina. A new failure theory, the Northwestern (NU-Daniel) theory, has been proposed for predicting lamina yielding and failure under multi-axial states of stress including strain rate effects. It is primarily applicable to matrix-dominated interfiber/interlaminar failures. It is based on micromechanical failure mechanisms but is expressed in terms of easily measured macroscopic lamina stiffness and strength properties. It is presented in the form of a master failure envelope incorporating strain rate effects. The theory was further adapted and extended to the prediction of in situ first ply yielding and failure (FPY and FPF) and progressive failure of multi-directional laminates under static and dynamic loadings. The significance of this theory is that it allows for rapid screening of new composite materials without very extensive testing and offers easily implemented design tools.
A teach approach: visual mapping of chromosome translocation

No abstract available. (Published: 2 February 2016) Citation: Med Educ Online 2016, 21: 30816 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/meo.v21.30816
Design of a low-noise, radiation-hardened charge preamplifier

A high-performance, low-noise charge preamplifier integrated circuit has been designed and tested for the Superconducting Super Collider. The amplifier is fabricated in a new dielectrically-isolated (DI), radiation-hardened, VHF BIFET IC process technology. This process provides NPN, PNP, and P-channel JFET (junction FET) devices which are radiation-hardened, tested to 3 Mrad of total gamma-ray exposure and 3 /spl times/ 10/sup 14//cm/sup 2/ neutron dosage, and provide high-frequency performance. The new charge preamplifier provides improved performance with an output rise time of 65 ns, input inferred noise of 28.6 /spl mu/V, or 3575 electrons, and power dissipation less than 33.7 mW. The circuit design is discussed with attention given to the design characteristics that are needed to specifically accommodate low noise with the new radiation-hardened process. >
Strategies for the prevention of continuous positive airway pressure failure

Progress in neonatal intensive care is closely linked to improvements in the management of respiratory failure in preterm infants. Current modalities of respiratory support range from the more benign continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) to various modes of mechanical ventilation. Data from recent randomized control trials suggest that the use of nasal (n)CPAP as the initial mode of respiratory support in critically ill very low birth weight infants is associated with a lower incidence of chronic lung disease. The practice of early initiation of nasal-prong CPAP in all spontaneously breathing infants at Columbia University has resulted in very low rates of chronic lung disease for decades. Many institutions have attempted to replicate the practices and results at Columbia University. However, success rates with nCPAP are highly variable, which may in part be attributable to how well it is utilized. With recent renewed interest in non-invasive respiratory support, particularly bubble nCPAP, it is essential to evaluate strategies for the prevention of CPAP failure. This review discusses strategies that address these issues and shares the practical aspects for replicating success with bubble nCPAP. In addition, it reviews desirable features, major components, and physiological consequences of various bubble CPAP systems along with clinical experience of CPAP use.
The risky road to Mars--response.

It is true that low-energy lithium, beryllium, and boron are produced in interactions between energetic protons and other ions with target carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen nuclei. As Viola describes, these nuclear fragments are low in energy and can have linear energy transfers of hundreds of keV/µm in
“From Minimalist Representation to Excessive Interpretation: Contextualizing 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days.”

This article examines the Romanian and American reception of Cristian Mungiu’s 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007), arguing that the film’s representational minimalism indirectly caused an excess of interpretation across cultural contexts. This over-interpretation was possible because the film’s aesthetic minimalism encouraged viewers to decode the story through the lens of their own cultural and political predispositions. The historical and social background against which American viewers consumed this story of an illegal abortion during communism shaped its meaning (and perceptions about its political relevance), plugging an art-house Romanian film into the larger national debate over reproductive rights in the contemporary United States. Thus, in its transition from the domestic to the global marketplace, 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days was transformed from an act of amoral probing of Romanian individual and collective memory about communism, into a film about the controversial nature of particular indivi...
Evaluation of Monensin Transport to Shallow Groundwater after Irrigation with Dairy Lagoon Water.

Animal waste products from concentrated animal feeding operations are a significant source of antibiotics to the environment. Monensin, an ionophore antibiotic commonly used to increase feed efficiency in livestock, is known to have varied toxicological effects on nontarget species. The current study builds on prior studies evaluating the impact of dairy management on groundwater quality by examining the transport of monensin in an agricultural field with coarse-textured soils during irrigation with lagoon wastewater. The dairy is located in California’s San Joaquin Valley, where groundwater can be encountered <5 m below the surface. Groundwater samples were collected from a network of monitoring wells installed throughout the dairy and adjacent to irrigated fields before and after an irrigation event, which allowed for measurement of monensin potentially reaching the shallow groundwater as a direct result of irrigation with lagoon water. Monensin was extracted from water samples via hydrophilic–lipophilic balance solid-phase extraction and quantified with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Irrigation water was found to contain up to 1.6 μg L⁻¹ monensin, but monensin was only detected in monitoring wells surrounding the waste storage lagoon. Water chemistry changes in the wells bordering the irrigated field suggest that up to 7% of irrigation water reached groundwater within days of irrigation. The study suggests that contamination of groundwater with monensin can occur primarily by compromised waste storage systems and that rapid transport of monensin to groundwater is not likely to occur from a single irrigation event.
Tuning the Optical and Electronic Properties of 4,8-Disubstituted Benzobisoxazoles via Alkyne Substitution

In an effort to design new electron-deficient building blocks for the synthesis of conjugated materials, a series of new trans-benzobisoxazoles bearing halogen or alkynyl substituents at the 4,8-positions was synthesized. Additionally, the impact of these modifications on the optical and electronic properties was investigated. Theoretical calculations predicted that the incorporation of various alkynes can be used to tune the energy levels and band gaps of these small molecules. The targeted 4,8-disubstituted benzobisoxazoles were easily prepared in good yields using a two-step reaction sequence: Lewis acid catalyzed orthoester cyclization followed by Sonogashira cross-coupling. The experimentally determined HOMO values for these 4,8-disubstituted benzobisoxazoles ranged from −4.97 to −6.20 eV and showed reasonable correlation to the theoretically predicted values, with a percent deviation that ranged from 2.4–12.8%. However, the deviation between actual and predicted HOMO values was reduced to less than ...
Comparative spectroscopy of basic fuchsin, Schiff reagent, and a formalin-Schiff derivative in relation to dye structure and staining.

Ultraviolet (UV) absorption (200-330 nm) for 0.5 mg/ml aqueous solutions of basic fuchsia unadjusted and those adjusted to pH 0, 1.5, 8.5, and 11 were determined as well as spectra in the visible range (400-675 nm) for solutions with pH 1.9, 2.8, 3.9, 4.7, 5.5, 5.9, 6.5, 7.5, 9.3, 10.4, and 11. The UV absorbance of degassed Schiff reagent containing 1 or 0.5 mg dye/ml, and that of this reagent adjusted to pH 1.5, 2.3, 3.1, 4.5, 6.0, 7.1, and 8.4 were obtained for comparison. The progressive reaction of formalin with degassed Schiff reagent, followed spectrometrically for 2.5 hr, required 2 hr to reach completion. The degassed Schiff reagent contained only traces of-SO3H as judged from its minimal absorbance between 280 and 295 nm. The UV absorption of this reagent and basic fuchsin in 1 N HCl were found to be identical. The absorbance is that of basic fuchsin reduced by the addition of Cl− or SO3H− to the central methane carbon and H to the amino groups, therefore the leuco structure of basic fuchsin so r...
How to Improve Anesthesia and Analgesia in Small Mammals

The routine use of cardiovascular and respiratory monitor devices is essential for a good outcome in small mammal anesthesia. Physiologic differences between species and variation between individual animals should be considered when choosing an anesthetic protocol. The development of new pain assessment tools (eg, mouse grimace scale) can help recognize and alleviate pain.
Integrated Aerodynamic-stealth Design Based on Grid Computing

A common computing model of genetic algorithm is proposed for integrated aerodynamic-stealth design.According to this model based on P2P computing,the distributed computational resources are pooled into a high performance-computing environment and providing uniform resource service and visible user using interface。 The multi-objective optimization grid (MOOG) is put forward to resolve the integrated aerodynamic-stealth design in aircraft design and discussed in detail are the grid system architecture and the improved multi-objective genetic algorithm. Finally,the integrated aerodynamic-stealth design results of optimizing show that the MOOG has reduced the computation time and has good parallel acceleration.
Clinical Analysis of 5 Cases with Neurosyphilis

Objective:To investigate the syphilis infection damages the nervous system caused by the clinical features,enhance the understanding of neurosyphilis.Methods:A total of 5 patients with neurosyphilis were selected.Their clinical features,serological changes,image data were retrospectively analysed Results:5 cases of syphilis serologic test,cerebrospinal fluid syphilis check all positive,5 cases head mri inspection exist specific change(4 cases of coronal visible hippocampal anomalous signals),clinical features lack of specificity.Conclusions:Neurosyphilis occurs in middle-aged men,syphilis,systemic symptoms may be obvious,its various clinical manifestations,misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis,clinical recognition of the clinical characteristics of patients with special emphasis on cerebrospinal fluid and imaging results to identify,for patients with neurosyphilis diagnosis has important practical significance.
Dipole Effects on Ion Transport Demonstrated in Aprotic Solvents

Dipole interactions play a significant role in biological systems, influencing key functions such as protein folding and selective transport of ions through channels, among many others. Possible importance of the presence of dipoles in systems of synthetic nanopores has not yet been explored. Here, we report experiments and modeling of ionic current through nanopores in polymer films as well as glass nanopipettes. In order to probe importance of dipoles for ionic transport, experiments were performed with aprotic solvents characterized with dipole moments between 5D and 1.7D. LiClO4 was used as the electrolyte due to its high solubility in a wide range of solvents. The conical nanopores used in the experiments rectify the curent with the direction and degree being very sensitive to the surface properties of the pore walls. Current-voltage curves in aprotic solvents with high dipole moments provided evidence that the solvent and possible cation adsorption caused formation of an effectively positive surface potential, which was further confirmed by scanning ion conductance microscopy. Continuum modeling of ion current using models developed for biological systems confirmed that presence of dipoles on pore walls can indeed modify local ionic concentrations and the recorded current.
The Shining Sea: David Porter and the Epic Voyage of the U.S.S. Essex during the War of 1812. By George C. Daughan. (New York, NY: Basic Books, 2013. Pp. xxi, 339. $29.99.)

Its bicentennial moved scholars and publishers to produce a number of histories of the War of 1812. George Daughan's account of David Porter's Pacific cruise was worth the wait.Porter's victory ove...
Problems in the clinical estimation of rigidity (hypertonia)

This paper is concerned entirely with problems involving the clinical estimation of rigidity, specifically in patients who have Parkinson's disease or are suspected of having this condition. By clinical estimation is meant the various manipulations and techniques used by the neurologist in the standard neurological examination and some speCial tests particularly designated to measure rigidity. It does not concern any of the techniques involving apparatus for measuring resistance of muscles passively or any of the computer or electronic equipment reported in other sections of this volume for the quantitative measurement of this state.
Visible supercontinuum generation in a low DGD graded index multimode fiber

We demonstrate over two octaves supercontinuum generation in a graded index multimode fiber using a picosecond microchip laser at 1064 nm. Enhanced visible supercontinuum is obtained in a tunable fashion based on initial launching conditions.