cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Coordinated study of coherent radar backscatter and optical airglow depletions in the central Pacific

[1] Equatorial plasma depletions have well-known seasonality and solar-cycle behavior. Except for a few well-instrumented sectors, much of these data have come from satellite sounding and in situ observations. We present a climatology of optical airglow images and 50 MHz coherent backscatter from the Pacific sector from solar maximum (January 2002) to solar minimum (January 2009). In contrast to in situ observations, we find that depletion activity remains quite high into solar minimum. However, the depletions and associated backscatter appear later in the evening and backscatter persists longer at solar minimum. Furthermore, we present individual nights that illustrate the day-to-day variability of depletion formation and their relationship to coherent backscatter echoes. The echoes originate from the depleted regions early in the evening but disappear as the night progresses.
Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty: the second decade.

Abstract Over the last decade, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty has become a major therapeutic technique of myocardial revascularization. Advances in catheter design and operator experience have made angioplasty a viable alternative for many patients with both single- and multivessel disease who would otherwise require bypass surgery. Acute closure and restenosis remain the 2 principal limitations of angioplasty. Means of controlling these problems, including intracoronary stenting and antiplatelet and thrombolytic agents, are now being studied. Furthermore, controlled prospective randomized trials are underway to assess the value of angioplasty compared with coronary bypass surgery in the treatment of multivessel disease. These trials will help to establish the limits of coronary angioplasty and its relative advantages in terms of therapeutic results and costs.
Value Preferences and Ideological Structuring of Attitudes in American Public Opinion

In this study, we investigate four attitudinal structures (including liberal, conservative, and libertarian configurations) associated with two ideological dimensions among American voters and demonstrate that these attitudinal structures are related in expected ways to differential preferences for the values of freedom, order, and equality/caring. Liberals are inclined to trade freedom for equality/caring but not for order, whereas conservatives are their opposites—willing to trade freedom for order but not for equality/caring. In contrast, libertarians are generally less willing than others to trade freedom for either order or equality/caring (although they probably prefer order to equality/caring). The fourth ideological type is more willing than the others to relinquish freedom, preferring both order and equality/caring. Depending on how our results are interpreted, this fourth type may be characterized as either communitarian or humanitarian. These findings help close the gap between unidimensional conceptions and multidimensional evidence of ideological organization in political attitudes by demonstrating that value structure and attitudinal structure are strongly related in two ideological dimensions.
Volcanic aerosols and lunar eclipses.

The moon is visible during total lunar eclipses due to sunlight refracted into the earth's shadow by the atmosphere. Stratospheric aerosols can profoundly affect the brightness of the eclipsed moon. Observed brightnesses of 21 lunar eclipses during 1960-1982 are compared with theoretical calculations based on refraction by an aerosol-free atmosphere to yield globally averaged aerosol optical depths. Results indicate the global aerosol loading from the 1982 eruption of El Chichon is similar in magnitude to that from the 1963 Agung eruption.
Generation of a parainfluenza virus type 1 vaccine candidate by replacing the HN and F glycoproteins of the live-attenuated PIV3 cp45 vaccine virus with their PIV1 counterparts.

Parainfluenza virus type 1 (PIV1) is a major cause of croup in infants and young children, and a vaccine is needed to prevent the serious disease caused by this virus. In the present study, a live attenuated PIV1 vaccine candidate was generated by modification of the extensively-studied PIV3 cold-passaged (cp) cp45 vaccine candidate using the techniques of reverse genetics. The HN and F glycoproteins of the PIV3 cp45 candidate vaccine virus were replaced with those of PIV1. This created a live attenuated PIV1 vaccine candidate, termed rPIV3-1 cp45, which contained the attenuated background of the PIV3 cp45 vaccine virus together with the HN and F protective antigens of PIV1. Three of the 15 mutations of cp45 lie within the HN and F genes, and those in the F gene are attenuating. Thus, some attenuation might be lost by the HN and F glycoprotein replacement. To address this issue we also constructed a derivative of PIV3 cp45, designated rPIV3 cp45 (F(wt)HN(wt)), that possessed wild type PIV3 HN and F glycoproteins but retained the 12 other cp45 mutations. rPIV3 cp45 (F(wt)HN(wt)) replicated in the respiratory tract of hamsters to a level three- to four-fold higher than rPIV3 cp45, indicating that loss of the two attenuating mutations in the cp45 F gene effected a slight reduction in the overall attenuation of cp45 for hamsters. However, the chimeric rPIV3-1 cp45 virus was about 5-fold more restricted in replication in hamsters than rPIV3 cp45 and about 15- to 20-fold more restricted than rPIV3 cp45 (F(wt)HN(wt)). This suggests that two components contribute to the attenuation of the new chimeric rPIV3-1 cp45 PIV1 vaccine candidate: one being the 12 cp45 mutations, which provide most of the observed attenuation, and the other resulting from the introduction of the heterologous PIV1 HN and F proteins into PIV3 (i.e., a chimerization effect). rPIV3-1 cp45 was observed to be immunogenic and protective against challenge with wild type PIV1 in hamsters. This virus shows sufficient promise that it should be evaluated further as a candidate live attenuated vaccine strain for preventing severe lower respiratory tract PIV1 disease in infants and young children.
Everyday Expertise: Cognitive Demands in Diabetes Self-Management:

Objective: To assess the relationship between decision making and successful diabetes self-management. Background: Patients with type II diabetes make routine but critical self-management decisions. Method: We conducted cognitive task analysis interviews with 18 patients to examine problem detection, functional relationships, problem-solving strategies, and types of knowledge used to make self-management decisions. We expected that these decision processes would be related to behavioral adherence and glycemic control. Results: Verbal reports displaying problem detection skills, knowledge of functional relationships, and effective problem-solving strategies were all related to better adherence. Problem detection skill was linked to greater glycemic control. Participants differed in declarative and applied knowledge. Conclusion: Diabetes self-management draws on the same cognitive skills found in experts from diverse professional domains. Considering diabetes self-management as a form of expertise may support adherence. Application: Human factors approaches that support professional expertise may be useful for the decision making of patients with diabetes and other chronic diseases.
Optical Investigation of the Effects of Ethanol/Gasoline Blends on Spark-Assisted HCCI

Spark assist (SA) has been demonstrated to extend the operating limits of homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) modes of engine operation. This experimental investigation focuses on the effects of 100% indolene and 70% indolene/30% ethanol blends on the ignition and combustion properties during SA HCCI operation. The spark assist effects are compared to baseline HCCI operation for each blend by varying spark timing at different fuel/air equivalence ratios ranging from ϕ = 0.4–0.5. High speed imaging is used to understand connections between spark initiated flame propagation and heat release rates. Ethanol generally improves engine performance with higher IMEPn and higher stability compared to 100% indolene. SA advances phasing within a range of ∼5 CAD at lower engine speeds (700 RPM) and ∼11 CAD at higher engine speeds (1200 RPM). SA does not affect heat release rates until immediately (within ∼5 CAD) prior to autoignition. Unlike previous SA HCCI studies of indolene fuel in the same engine, flames were not observed for all SA conditions.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Backfilling canals to restore wetlands: empirical results in coastal Louisiana

Wetland restoration is largely a developing science and engineering enterprise. Analyses of results are too few and constrained to observations over a few years. We report here on the effectiveness of one restoration technique used sparsely in coastal Louisiana for several decades. Canals have been dredged in coastal Louisiana wetlands since 1938 for oil and gas exploration and extraction. These canals are typically dredged to 2.5 m depth and are 20 to 40 m wide. Canal lengths vary from 100 m to several 1000s m in the case of outer continental shelf pipeline canals that cross the wetlands.
Is botulinum toxin injection of the pylorus during Ivor–Lewis esophagogastrectomy the optimal drainage strategy?

Background The optimal management of the pylorus during esophagogastrectomy is unknown. Pyloromyotomy and pyloroplasty cause early edema and risk long-term bile reflux; however, the lack of pyloric drainage might risk early aspiration. Methods We performed a retrospective study with a prospective database on patients with esophageal cancer or high-grade dysplasia who underwent Ivor–Lewis esophagogastrectomy. All had one surgeon and similar stomach tubularization, hand-sewn anastomoses, nasogastric tube duration, and postoperative prokinetic agents. Outcomes of postoperative gastric emptying, aspiration, and swallowing symptoms were compared. Results Between January 1997 and June 2008, there were 221 patients. Seventy-one patients had a pyloromyotomy, and gastric emptying judged on postoperative day 4 was delayed in 93% (52% had any morbidity and 14% had respiratory morbidity). Fifty-four patients had no drainage procedure, and gastric emptying was delayed in 96% (59% had any morbidity and 22% had respiratory morbidity). Twenty-eight patients underwent pyloroplasty, and 96% had delayed gastric emptying (50% had any morbidity and 32% had respiratory morbidity). Sixty-eight patients had botulinum toxin injection into the pylorus. Gastric emptying was delayed in only 59% ( P = .002, 44% had any morbidity and 13% had respiratory morbidity). Hospital length of stay ( P = .015) and operative times ( P = .037) were shorter in the botulinum toxin group. Follow-up (mean, 40 months) showed symptoms of biliary reflux to be lowest in the botulinum toxin group ( P = .024). Conclusion Injection of the pylorus with botulinum toxin at the time of esophagogastrectomy is safe and decreases operative time when compared with pyloroplasty or pyloromyotomy. In addition, it can improve early gastric emptying, decrease respiratory complications, shorten hospital stay, and reduce late bile reflux. A prospective multi-institutional randomized trial is needed.
The Social Genesis of Self-Regulation: The Case of Two Korean Adolescents Learning English as a Second Language

From a sociocultural perspective the concept of self-regulation is associated to voluntary control over higher and culturally organized mental functions such as, for example, focusing attention, planning a course of action, solving a problem, or deliberately remembering something. Thus, the ability to self-regulate is highly related to school success. The present article examines the ways by which two newly arrived immigrant Korean students, learning English as a second language while enrolled in a middle school in the United States, made use of old and new systems of signs (i.e., native and target languages) to (re)gain and maintain self-regulation in a new cultural and linguistic context. We conducted a microgenetic analysis of student–teacher and student–student interactions during two specific classroom writing practices that occurred regularly in the classroom. We found that the development (or activation) of self-regulation for the students was tightly intertwined with social and cultural contextual...
Trust contract of a service and its role in service selection for distributed software systems

The trust of a distributed software system is not just another quality of service (QoS) attribute, rather a measure of the confidence about its behavior under various operating conditions. As more and more distributed systems are designed by composing independently created and developed services, identifying the trust of these individual services becomes a prerequisite for creating any trustworthy distributed software system.
Fracture pattern and instability of thoracolumbar injuries

Spinal fractures are common in the thoracolumbar region. Assessment of fracture instability is often made from fracture patterns seen on plain radiographs or CT scans. The purpose of this in vitro study was to correlate three-dimensional flexibility to each fracture type, i.e., endplate, wedge, and brust. Ten fresh cadaveric human spine specimens (T11-L1) were incrementally impacted in a high-speed trauma apparatus until a fracture occurred. All fractures were produced by the same mechanism (axial compression/flexion load). The occurrence of a fracture was monitored by lateral radiographs of the specimen, whose canal was lined with 1.6-mm steel balls. After each impact, the specimen was studied for its flexibilily in flexion, extension, left and right lateral bindings, and left and right axial rotations. The flexibility was determined in response to the application of maximum pure moments of 7.5 Nm. Each moment was applied individually and in three load cycles. Parameters of neutral zone (NZ) and range of motion (ROM) were computed. Average flexion-extension ROM (and NZ) for intact, endplate, wedge, and burst fracture were respectively, 12.7° (1.3°), 13.9° (1.7°), 19.2° (3.2°), 22.0° (6.0°). The average lateral bending ROM (NZ) were 12.6° (1.2°), 13.6° (1.9°), 19.1° (3.7°), 27.2° (9.8°). The average axial rotation ROM (NZ) were 4.7° (0.4°), 6.1° (0.7°), 7.1° (1.0°), 12.9° (3.1°). The highest instability (fracture/intact motion) was seen in the axial rotation NZ in all three fracture types: 3.2, 5.4, and 14.7, respectively, for the endplate, wedge, and brust fractures. The average kinetic energy and force necessary to produce endplate, wedge, and burst fractures were 57, 84, 104 Nm, and 4.8, 6.5, 6.3 kN, respectively.
TH‐A‐BRD‐01: The Future of NIH Research Funding

The National Institute of Health (NIH) is the most important source for fundingmedical physics research in the US. Consequently it has a profound impact on careers in medical physics. Most medical physicists rely on NIH funding to support their research ideas and launch or maintain research projects. While innovative research ideas are a pre‐requisite to attract funding, it is also important to understand the mechanisms of grant application. For this year the NIH has made significant changes to its grant review and submission process. These changes were driven by three aims: 1. Engage the Best Reviewers Reviewing grant applications can be a huge burden for scientists. Consequently, new reviewers will be given additional flexibility regarding their tour of duty. Further, efforts will be undertaken to improve retention of standing review members. Studies will be conducted on the feasibility of using high‐bandwidth support for review meetings to provide greater flexibility and alternatives for in‐person meetings. 2. Improve the Quality and Transparency of Review A new criterion‐based scoring on a 1‐7 scale, using structured critiques, will be introduced. The reviewers will provide feedback through scores and critiques for each criterion in a structured summary statement. Streamlined applications will receive a preliminary score. Applications will be shortened significantly to for example a 12‐page research plan for an R01 application. 3. Ensure Balanced and Fair Reviews across Scientific Fields and Career Stages, and Reduce Administrative Burden To ensure that the largest number of high quality and meritorious applications receive funding earlier and to improve system efficiency, NIH is considering separate percentiling of new and resubmitted applications and permitting one amended application. NIH is establishing an Early Stage Investigator designation for which clustering of applications is considered. The same approach will be considered for clinical research applications. This educational session is divided into three presentations followed by a panel discussion with questions from the audience. It will address newcomers and established researchers. The presentations will cover the following topics: 1. “Overall strategies for successful NIH grant applications.” 2. “Imminent changes in the NIH grant submission and review.” 3. “Impact of the changes from an applicant's point of view.” Learning Objectives: 1. Understand the new NIH grant submission and review process 2. Understand the imminent changes in the NIH grant submission and review process
Neutral amino acid transport during the cell cycle of cultured human lymphocytes

Neutral amino acid (isoleucine, leucine, and valine) transport was monitored in synchronous populations of WIL-2 cells, a diploid human lymphoblastoid B cell line. Cells were synchronized by either the double thymidine block technique or by density-dependent arrest in G1. Cells synchronized by these methods showed up to a 66% decrease in amino acid transport upon progressing from the early S phase through the G2 and M phases with a concomitant increase in transport during the G1 phase. The lowest activities of amino acid transport in synchronized cells were observed during the G2 and M phases.
The use of finite extension strain energy release rates in fracture of interfacial cracks

Abstract The existing solutions for interfacial cracks in bimaterial media obtained from the contact model and oscillatory model were compared. The oscillatory near tip stress field was found to agree very well with that of the contact model except for the extremely small contact zone. Using the oscillatory solution. Mode I and Mode II “strain energy release rates” for finite crack extensions were obtained in terms of the stress intensity factors and the assumed crack extension Aa. Finite elements in conjunction with the crack closure method were used to calculate these “strain energy release rates” from which accurate stress intensity factors were obtained. An alternative and efficient method based on crack surface displacement ratio was also introduced to obtain stress intensity factors. Non-oscillatory (Δα-independent) Mode I and Mode II “strain energy release rates” were proposed to provide an alternate measure of fracture mode mixity or to be used as a fracture criterion for interfacial cracks.
Characterization of a reptilian epithelioid skin cell line derived from the green sea turtle, Chelonia mydas.

A continuous line of epithelioid cells was established from explant skin tissues of the green sea turtle,Chelonia mydas. These cells, designated GTS, have been subcultured more than 60 times in commercially available mammalian cell culture medium supplemented with 5% bovine calf serum. Of those temperatures tested, optimal growth was achieved at 30°C although replication occurred between 16 and 37°C. These cells may be held as monolayers at 8°C or stored frozen in growth medium containing 10% dimethylsulfoxide at −70 or −196°C. The modal number of 55 chromosomes per cell is in agreement with the heterogametic female diploid number of this species. The GTS line represents the first established culture of normal epithelioid skin cells to be reported for a poikilothermic species.
When Rebels Meet Radicals: Industry--University Alliances and Innovation Across Five sectors

Despite the widespread use of strategic alliances in practice and their conceptual significance for theories of organizations, empirical research has led to a variety of conflicting findings about ...
Amorphous silica solubilities—III. Activity coefficient relations and predictions of solubility behavior in salt solutions, 0–350°C

Abstract Activity coefficients of amorphous silica in added salt solutions, obtained from solubility measurements, were calculated on the basis of concentration (molarity) and composition (molality). The logarithm of the activity coefficients based on concentration when plotted against molarity of added salt, as previous observations would dictate, yielded straight line relations even to 6 M. The use of composition units produced instead curves at the highest molalities and caused divergences in behavior from the single straight lines for 1-1 salts of a common cation. Introduction of the activity of water also caused divergences in behavior. Thus, it might appear that amorphous silica is fully hydrated at 25°C as a solid in equilibrium with solution. Lack of densities of aqueous sodium nitrate necessitated using units of molality in interpretations at high temperatures. Nevertheless, approximately straight line behavior of log activity coefficient vs m was still observed to reasonably high molalities, and allowed a simple equation to describe activity coefficient behavior as a function of both molality of sodium nitrate and temperature. The simplicity of the relation, with some assumptions, might be used to predict solubility of amorphous silica at high temperatures in other added aqueous salt solutions.
What's all the FOSS?: How Freedom and Openness Are Changing the Face of Our Educational Landscape

Philosophical, financial, practical, and pedagogical considerations have prompted educators to take a serious look at Free and Open Source Software FOSS as an alternative to proprietary software. To better understand the overall concept of FOSS, this article provides a brief history of FOSS as well as a summary of its definition, philosophy, and major areas of research, including strengths and limitations, diffusion in education and educational uses as well as a look at the opportunities, issues, and challenges associated with FOSS. In conclusion, the authors speculate how FOSS, along with advances in E-Learning and other emerging technologies, will positively shape our educational future.
Blood pressure in the unanesthetized rat. II. Spontaneous variations and effect of heat.

Heating is commonly used in indirect determinations of blood pressure in the rat. Its effect on arterial pressure is determined at short sequential intervals by a method which permits rapid measurements. Spontaneous variations in the rat9s blood pressure are noted and analyzed. A plan is suggested which minimizes the effect of these variations by setting up criteria of significance of blood pressure change as between control and experimental periods.
Long-Term Memory for Speech in 2 to 4-Week-Old Infants*

Long-term auditory memory in 2–4-week-old infants was examined using speech stimuli, a longitudinal design with controls within and among groups, and behavioral indices of recognition. Fifteen infants (mean age = 14 days) divided into two experimental groups and one control group participated in the study. Mothers in both experimental groups repeated a training word to their infants 60 times per day for 13 days. Tests for recognition of the training word and the infant's first name were conducted when the infants were approximately 22, 25, 28, and 29 days of age. The average delay between training word exposure and recognition testing was 14 hours for the first three test sessions and 42 hours for the final test session. Control infants received comparable test exposure but no training word repetitions. By one month of age, experimental infants demonstrated recognition of their training word following both 14- and 42-hour delay intervals, but name recognition did not occur. Control infants failed to recognize any of the stimuli presented. The results imply a capacity for auditory long-term memory among 1-month-old infants.
Responding to economic change in remote, rural regions: federal installations in Idaho and Washington

Abstract The federal government's massive spending on nuclear weapons materials and research generated tens of thousands of jobs and pumped billions of dollars into a small number of regions during the 1940s and 1950s. This concentration of financial and physical resources caused the almost overnight formation of small urban centers in what formerly had been remote, rural areas, and made the economies of the regions that surround the two physically largest sites at Hanford and INEEL heavily dependent on nuclear-related government funding. With the end of the Cold War and global agreement to reduce nuclear arsenals, most of these facilities have been made obsolete. More than 10,000 jobs have been recently eliminated and thousands more were lost at private companies providing support services to these facilities and the displaced workers and their families. Further reductions will likely occur within the next 7–10 years. Our research looked at how local leaders in the still largely rural regions surrounding these two Department of Energy (DOE) sites responded to these economic changes, how have the communities reacted to the likelihood that these facilities would never again be a significant economic engine for the region, and what actions are being taken to reduce the impact of significant DOE cutbacks expected in the future? The results raise critical questions regarding the long-term economic future of the two regions and whether a more aggressive multi-faceted effort is required to stave off a long-term decline.
Microvascular dysfunction in postischemic skeletal muscle.

In recent years, considerable research efforts have been directed at elucidating the mechanisms underlying the pathophysiologic alterations associated with reperfusion (reoxygenation) of ischemic (hypoxic) skeletal muscle. This intensive effort has led to the accumulation of a large body of evidence supporting the concept that reactive oxygen metabolites, generated at the onset of reperfusion, initiate the formation and release of proinflammatory agents, which subsequently attract and activate granulocytes. The activated neutrophils adhere to the microvascular endothelium, extravasate, and release cytotoxic oxidants and hydrolytic enzymes. As a consequence of these pathologic events, vascular permeability and transcapillary fluid filtration are increased and the no-reflow phenomenon (ie, some capillaries fail to reperfuse upon reinstitution of blood flow) becomes apparent. These microvascular alterations may be of considerable functional importance since the marked accumulation of fluid in the interstitia...
Model-Based Design and Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulation of Engine Lean Operation

This paper presents model-based design and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation of engine lean operation. The functionalities of the homogeneous combustion subsystem in engine Electronic Control Unit (ECU) in dSPACE Automotive Simulation Models (ASM) are first analyzed. To control the gasoline engine in lean operation without the drop of output torque, the combustion subsystem in engine ECU is modified by introducing two control loops, torque modifier and fuel multiplier. The performance of these two controllers is evaluated by HIL simulation using a dSPACE HIL simulator. The HIL simulation models, including vehicle plant model and softECUs in HIL simulator and engine lean control model in hardware engine ECU are modeled using model-based design. With HIL simulation, the designed engine control strategies can be immediately tested to evaluate the overall vehicle performance. The HIL simulation results show that the designed lean combustion control strategy can reduce fuel consumption and is able to meet the torque requirement at lean engine operating conditions.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Generation of large gas-phase silver cluster ions by laser desorption/ionization of silver-containing salts

Abstract This work is the first to demonstrate the direct generation of large silver cluster ions through laser desorption/ionization of silver-containing salts without the assistance of a molecular beam. Both positively and negatively charged silver clusters up to 100-mer have been produced using this approach. It was observed that the silver cluster distributions produced by this method are similar to those produced using the beam-based approaches, namely there are two special features in the mass spectra. The first is that the cluster intensity distribution displays an odd–even alternation pattern. The second is a steep decrease of ion intensities after some clusters called `magic numbers'.
O(n) algorithms for discrete n-point approximation by quasi-convex functions

This article considers the problem of approximating a function defined on a finite set of (n + 1) points by quasi-convex functions defined there and constructs linear time (O(n)) algorithms for computation of optimal solutions.
Coal solvolysis in a series of model compound systems

Abstract A series of 23 model donor solvents was used to rank their efficacy for the dissolution of Western Kentucky No. 9 14 coal. The transfer of hydrogen from the solvent to the coal fragments, as measured by coal conversion, was examined at three levels of available hydrogen. The hydrogen donors are ranked according to their ability to convert coal to THF-solubles. Aromatic analogs of the model donors showed little ability to convert coal to THF-solubles. Factors which influence hydrogen donation include the presence of heteroatoms or substituents both internal and external to the aromatic or hydroaromatic rings, the degree of hydrogenation, the aromaticity or non-aromaticity of the hydroaromatics, and the presence of five-membered rings. A relation between heats of formation and hydrogen donor ability is shown for hydroaromatics within two ring or three ring homologous series. A model hydrogen acceptor, benzophenone, is also used to rank model donors. No correlation exists in the ranking of hydrogen donors by the model acceptor used in this work and in other experimental studies and that obtained by conversion of Western Kentucky coal at typical liquefaction conditions.
Poster: making the case for intrinsic personal physical unclonable functions (IP-PUFs)

Physical Unclonable Functions (PUFs) are physical systems whose responses to input stimuli (i.e., challenges) are easy to measure but difficult to clone. The unclonability property is due to the accepted hardness of replicating the multitude of uncontrollable manufacturing characteristics and makes PUFs useful in solving problems such as authentication, software protection/licensing, and certified execution.In this abstract, we claim that any multi-core computer is usable as a timing-PUF and can be measured via simple benchmarking tools (i.e., no specialized hardware required). We investigate several characterstics of standard off-the-shelf computers and present initial experimental results justifying our claim. Additionally, we argue that PUFs which are intrinsically involved in computations over sensitive data are preferable to peripheral device PUFs -- especially for intellectual property protection and continuous device authentication.
Optimization of the Second Order Logarithmic Machining Economics Problem by Extended Geometric Programming Part I—Unconstrained

Abstract An algorithm is presented for solution of the machining economics problem with a Quadratic Posylognomial (QPL) objective function and single term posynomial constraints, meeting certain sufficient conditions. The algorithm applies to minimum cost or maximum productivity when the tool-life equation is a single term QPL and the removal rate is a single-term posynomial. A peripheral end-milling example, using the same tool-life equation and cost parameters as Part I, with the addition of experimentally derived constraints, is solved to illustrate the computational aspects of the algorithm. The QPL and posynomial (Taylor) formulations of the constrained machining problem are compared using the same experimental tool-life data. The QPL formulation is based on a quadratic logarithmic model whereas the posynomial formulation is based on a linear logarithmic tool-life model. An optimum without active constraints is possible using the QPL formulation in several independent machining variables, such as fee...
Role of Intrinsic Helicity Within N-Terminal Flanking Sequences on Huntingtin Aggregation Mechanisms

Huntington's disease (HD) is associated with CAG repeats within exon 1 that lead to polyglutamine (polyQ) expansions in the protein huntingtin (htt). Aberrant splicing of htt transcripts generates N-terminal fragments in a polyQ length dependent manner that span exon 1 of htt. These N-terminal fragments can be trafficked into the nucleus and form neuronal nuclear inclusions. Within exon 1 of htt the polyQ region is flanked by a N-terminal 17-residue amphipathic stretch (N17) and a C-terminal proline-rich stretch. Modulation of these flanking sequences has profound effects on HD progression. Specifically, post-translational modifications and single / double point mutations within N17 can modulate the intrinsic helicity of N17, as well as aggregation in vitro and HD phenotypes in animal models. However, the role of helicity within N17 on the modulation of polyQ aggregation remains unresolved. Here, we focus on understanding the synergy between the intrinsic helicity within N17 and polyQ length on htt aggregation mechanisms. Through the use of atomistic Monte Carlo simulations utilizing the ABSINTH implicit solvation model, we examine the monomeric properties of N17 permutants with varying degrees of intrinsic helicity as a function of polyQ length. Results suggest that the degree of coupling between N17 constructs and polyQ is dependent on the intrinsic helicity within N17 constructs. A comparative analysis of N17 constructs in cis with a range of polyQ lengths will be combined with biophysical experiments to understand how monomeric properties of N17 modulate the solubility and mechanism of polyQ aggregation.
Comparison and reliability of techniques for measuring leakage and marginal penetration

A new method for assessment of leakage and marginal penetration was developed. The new electrochemical technique employs zero resistance ammetry, and rapid quantitative results can be obtained over a long period of time. The purpose of the study was to compare the reliability of this method of assessment of leakage versus the autoradiographic and dye penetration techniques. The electrochemical data showed that there is a very sharp increase in the penetration during the first 10 days and that maximum leakage occurred on days 11 to 14 of immersion, after which electric flow remained constant. The correlation of the electric readings with the evaluations obtained with the dye penetration and autoradiographic technique was r = 0.46 and r = 0.52, respectively. The correlation was especially correct at the two extreme ends of the electric score ranges.
Most Networks in Wagner's Model Are Cycling

In this paper we study a model of gene networks introduced by Andreas Wagner in the 1990s that has been used extensively to study the evolution of mutational robustness. We investigate a range of model features and parameters and evaluate the extent to which they influence the probability that a random gene network will produce a fixed point steady state expression pattern. There are many different types of models used in the literature, (discrete/continuous, sparse/dense, small/large network) and we attempt to put some order into this diversity, motivated by the fact that many properties are qualitatively the same in all the models. Our main result is that random networks in all models give rise to cyclic behavior more often than fixed points. And although periodic orbits seem to dominate network dynamics, they are usually considered unstable and not allowed to survive in previous evolutionary studies. Defining stability as the probability of fixed points, we show that the stability distribution of these networks is highly robust to changes in its parameters. We also find sparser networks to be more stable, which may help to explain why they seem to be favored by evolution. We have unified several disconnected previous studies of this class of models under the framework of stability, in a way that had not been systematically explored before.
Interaction of group I cations with iota, kappa and lambda carrageenans studied by multinuclear n.m.r.

Abstract Results are reported for 23 Na, 39 K, 87 Rb and 133 Cs n.m.r. on kappa and iota carrageenans over a range of temperatures. Results for 23 Na and 39 K n.m.r. for lambda carrageenan are also given over the same range of temperatures. A variety of behaviour is observed which, in general, does not correlate with the rheological behaviour in these systems. It is concluded that non-specific ion interactions are of importance in determining rheological behaviour.
The long terminal repeat of an endogenous retrovirus induces alternative splicing and encodes an additional carboxy-terminal sequence in the human leptin receptor.

The evolution of mammalian protein structure and regulation, specifically transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulation, may include among its tools the use of abundant retroviral long terminal repeats (LTRs). In particular, LTRs may be turned into switches for alternative splicing. This type of regulatory pathway is illustrated by the alternative splicing in the human leptin receptor (OBR). The human leptin receptor is involved in the control of important biological processes including energy expenditure, production of sex hormones, and activation of hemopoietic cells. OBRa and OBRb are the two major, alternatively spliced forms of the leptin receptor, called the ``short form'' and the ``long form,'' respectively. We report that the OBRa short form is the result of a double splicing event which occurs within the LTR of the endogenous retrovirus HERV-K. Working as a switch of alternative splicing, this LTR also encodes the terminal 67 amino acid residues in OBRa. We suggest the possibility of transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulation of OBR expression by steroids that bind the LTR.
Granuloma formation and fibrosis in sarcoidosis

Abstract Sarcoidosis, a multisystem disorder, was previously defined by the presence of noncaseating epithelioid cell granuloma in affected organs following the exclusion of other known etiologic agents. 1 Because of new immunologic data accumulated in the past 10 years, 2,8 new criteria have been suggested for definition of sarcoidosis. 4 Sarcoidosis should now be defined as a chronic, multisystem disorder characterized by an accumulation of inflammatory and immune effector cells, 5,6 noncaseating granuloma, and derangement of normal tissue architecture in affected organs. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), done in conjunction with fiberoptic bronchoscopy, was widely used in the early 1970s—a technique to recover for analysis of protein and cell contents from human lungs. 7 Numerous studies 8–47 about immunocompetent cells recovered by BAL from the lower respiratory tract of patients with Sarcoidosis have provided a better understanding of the immunologic events that take place at an important site of the disease—the respiratory tract. Although many organs can be affected by sarcoidosis, the lungs are most commonly involved (90%) and are the site of the disease that results in the highest morbidity and mortality, 48 mostly because of severe functional impairment that occurs in the interstitial fibrosis stage of advanced disease. Therefore, this review will focus on pulmonary Sarcoidosis because this is a major site of involvement. 20 Inflammation in the alveolar walls and air spaces, an initial host response to the disease process, causes an acute phase of mural and intraluminal alveolitis. 49 Following perhaps the consequences of prolonged or smoldering inflammation, adjacent portions of the interstitium and vasculature can be involved by granulomas. At this step, the disease-host interaction may proceed in either of two ways: spontaneous regression or progress to fibrosis and scarring that replaces the normal lung tissue with fibroblasts and a collagenous matrix produced by these cells.
The prediction of the structure of technetium (V) complexes using density-functional techniques

Abstract Electronic structure calculations using the local-density functional method were shown to accurately reproduce the geometry of five oxo-Tc(V)-based radiopharmaceuticals containing a variety of donor ligands. Calculations were performed using the DGauss program on a Cray C90 supercomputer, requiring approximately 40 CPU h for each molecule. The predicted bond lenghts were within ±0.04 A of the crystallograpic coordinates, and bond angles within ±4 degrees. Root mean square (RMS) deviations between the predicted and crystallographic coordinates were less than 0.06, and visual inspection demonstrated nearly perfectly superimposible structures.
Characterization of the FcγRIIA promoter and 5´UTR sequences in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

FcγRIIA is a candidate gene involved in the predisposition to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The presence of low binding alleles in patients with SLE is not sufficient to explain the lower phagocytic capacity observed in SLE patients. We considered the possibility that nucleotide polymorphisms in the FcγRIIA promoter that cause alterations in receptor expression might be present in SLE patients. In the present study, a 2.0 kb region of the human FcγRIIA 5´UTR from 20 normal donors and 53 SLE patients was examined. The results demonstrate that the sequence of the human FcγRIIA 5´ region differs from the published sequence. Two novel SNPs have been identified in the distal region of the FcγRIIA promoter. The polymorphisms are present in both disease-free and SLE donors and do not associate with quantitative changes in FcγRIIa phagocytic function.
Forecasting the 2012 American National Elections

This symposium presents 13 articles forecasting the 2012 US national elections. Included in this collection are the eight national and one state presidential vote forecasting models published in PS: Political Science & Politics during the 2008 elections along with three additional forecasts and one article offering a composite of the forecasts. Although the focus remains on the presidential contest, as in past years, several articles extend their scope to cover the congressional elections as well.
A stakeholder approach to student learning assessment

Stakeholder theory has focused on the stakeholders of the organisation. That approach to stakeholder analysis may not address important processes in the organisation. This paper develops and discusses a two-level model of stakeholder analysis. This model determines the stakeholders and their salience for both the organisation and a process within the organisation. These two are then compared to ensure that stakeholder interests are addressed within important organisational processes. Student learning assessment is an important process in higher education; as such it is examined here from the perspective of the two-level model.
Photometric intensity and polarization measurements of the solar corona.

Use of a satellite photometric observatory (SPO) to measure the solar corona from Miahuatlan, Mexico during the Mar. 7, 1970, total eclipse of the sun. The SPO is equipped with a 24-in. Cassegrainian telescope, a four-channel photoelectric photometer, a Wollaston prism, and a rotating half-wave plate. Simultaneous measurements were made of the two orthogonal components of coronal light in the B and R bands of the UBVRI system. A 1-minute arc aperture was scanned from the lunar disk center out to five solar radii in a series of spirals of gradually increasing radius. For the first time, simultaneous multicolor intensity, degree, and angle of polarization profiles are computed from photoelectric measurements. Comparison of the variations of the measurements for each spiral scan yield a detailed picture of the intensity and polarization features in the K corona.
Sensitivity of maximum sprinting speed to characteristic parameters of the muscle force–velocity relationship

An accumulation of evidence suggests that the force-velocity relationship (FVR) of skeletal muscle plays a major role in limiting maximum human sprinting speed. However, most of the theories on this limiting role have been non-specific as to how the FVR limits speed. The FVR is characterized by three parameters that each have a different effect on its shape, and could thus limit sprinting speed in different ways: the maximum shortening velocity V(max), the shape parameter A(R), and the eccentric plateau C(ecc). In this study, we sought to determine how specifically the FVR limits sprinting speed using forward dynamics simulations of human locomotion to examine the sensitivity of maximum speed to these three FVR parameters. Simulations were generated by optimizing the model's muscle excitations to maximize the average horizontal speed. The simulation's speed, temporal stride parameters, joint angles, GRF, and muscle activity in general compared well to data from human subjects sprinting at maximum effort. Simulations were then repeated with incremental and isolated adjustments in V(max), A(R), and C(ecc) across a physiological range. The range of speeds (5.22-6.91 m s⁻¹) was most sensitive when V(max) was varied, but the fastest speed of 7.17 m s⁻¹ was attained when A(R) was set to its maximum value, which corresponded to all muscles having entirely fast-twitch fibers. This result was explained by the muscle shortening velocities, which tended to be moderate and within the range where A(R) had its greatest effect on the shape of the FVR. Speed was less sensitive to adjustments in C(ecc), with a range of 6.23-6.70 m s⁻¹. Increases in speed with parameter changes were due to increases in stride length more so than stride frequency. The results suggest that the shape parameter A(R), which primarily determines the amount of muscle force that can be produced at moderate shortening velocities, plays a major role in limiting the maximum sprinting speed. Analysis of muscle force sensitivity indicated support for previous theories on the time to generate support forces in stance (Weyand et al., 2000, Journal of Applied Physiology, 89, 1991-1999) and energy management of the leg in swing (Chapman & Caldwell, 1983, Journal of Biomechanics 16, 79-83) as important factors in limiting maximum speed. However, the ability of the knee flexors to slow the rotational velocity of the leg in preparation for footstrike did not appear to play a major role in limiting speed.
Effects of foster care placement on biological children in the home

This project used questionnaires to investigate the effects of foster care on biological children in the foster home setting. In southeast Iowa, 52 foster parents and 51 biological children voluntarily responded. Approximately 77% of the foster parents were concerned about the effects of foster care on their biological children—in particular, that biological children felt left out of the family unit. The majority of the foster parents stated that sharing of parental attention should be discussed with biological children before beginning, and both parents and children felt that pretraining sessions for biological children would help their adjustment to foster care.