cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
MEGAGAMETOPHYTE ORGANIZATION IN A POLYEMBRYONIC LINE OF LINUM USITATISSIMUM

A haploid-diploid twin-producing polyembryonic line "RA9 1" of Linum usitatissimum L., flax, known to produce twin embryos with a frequency in excess of 32% was employed to determine the cytological factors relating to the production of haploid embryos using light and transmission electron microscopy. Potentially polyembryonic flax megagametophytes contain at maturity either a conventional 3-celled egg apparatus (36% of megagametophytes), or contain supernumerary eggs forming either a 4- (50%) or 5-celled (14%) egg apparatus. In megagametophytes with supernumerary eggs, one egg cell appears to occupy the conventional position, whereas additional supernumerary eggs surmount the synergids and are smaller cells presumably derived from division of the true egg. Although supernumerary eggs appear similar in ultrastructure, they differ in location, size, and unlike typical egg cells, appear to have a complete, contiguous cell wall adjacent to the synergid. Such supernumerary cells are postulated as the origin of such haploid embryos, with the diploid member formed by conventional fertilization events with the micropylar egg.
Body Temperature Variation During Nesting Forays in Midland Painted Turtles, Chrysemys picta marginata, in Michigan

Abstract During terrestrial nesting forays, north-temperate freshwater turtles may experience a range of environmental temperatures that could cause overheating or constrain movement if temperatures are too high or low. Yet, we have very little understanding of how body temperature (Tb) varies in freshwater turtles during various nesting foray activities. We studied Tb variation in Chrysemys picta marginata from a small marsh in northern Michigan, 2003–2004. Three individuals left the marsh, nested, and returned to the marsh in a single day; whereas, 5 others remained on land for up to 3 days, mostly immobile under leaf litter. While on land, Tb of turtles and air temperature (Ta) showed parallel, diel oscillations. Mean Tb of mobile turtles exceeded prevailing Ta values but was similar to Tb recorded for those same individuals while aquatic 1 week before and after the nesting foray. Therefore, active nesting turtles on forays may have maintained suitable Tb values by use of sun or shade. During the nesti...
Charged with meaning: the structure and mechanism of phosphoprotein phosphatases

Abstract The new structural data obtained for PP1 and calcineurin—A resolve many of the outstanding questions about the catalytic nature of the Ser/Thr phosphatases. These enzymes may now be firmly classed as two-metal ion phosphatases. These data also provide a model for understanding a variety of phosphatases that share the two-metal-ion binding signature motif found in the Ser/Thr phosphatases. These enzymes are clearly important in the control of a variety of cellular functions and in a number of cases are important targets for therapeutic intervention. The structural data obtained for PP1 and calcineurin—A should certainly facilitate efforts to understand, and design inhibitors of, these proteins and related phosphatases.
Oxidation of ketone groups in transported biomass burning aerosol from the 2008 Northern California Lightning Series fires

Abstract Submicron particles were collected from June to September 2008 in La Jolla, California to investigate the composition and sources of atmospheric aerosol in an anthropogenically-influenced coastal site. Factor analysis of aerosol mass spectrometry (AMS) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy measurements revealed that the two largest sources of submicron organic mass (OM) at the sampling site were (1) fossil fuel combustion associated with ship and diesel truck emissions near the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and (2) aged smoke from large wildfires burning in central and northern California. During non-fire periods, fossil fuel combustion contributed up to 95% of FTIR OM, correlated to sulfur, and consisted mostly of alkane (86%) and carboxylic acid groups (9%). During fire periods, biomass burning contributed up to 74% of FTIR OM, consisted mostly of alkane (48%), ketone (25%), and carboxylic acid groups (17%), and correlated to AMS-derived factors resembling brush fire smoke, wood smoldering and flaming particles, and biogenic secondary organic aerosol. The two AMS-derived biomass burning factors were identified as oxygenated and hydrocarbon biomass burning aerosol on the basis of spectral similarities to smoldering and flaming smoke particles, respectively. In addition, the ratio of oxygenated to hydrocarbon biomass burning OM shows a clear diurnal trend with an afternoon peak, consistent with photochemical oxidation. Back trajectory analysis indicates that 2–4-day old forest fire emissions include substantial ketone groups, which have both lower O/C and lower m / z 44/OM fraction than carboxylic acid groups. Air masses with more than 4-day old emissions have higher carboxylic acid/ketone group ratios, showing that atmospheric processing of these ketone-containing organic aerosol particles results in increased m / z 44 and O/C. These observations may provide functionally-specific evidence for the type of chemical processing that is responsible for biomass burning particle composition in the atmosphere.
Processing in-route nearest neighbor queries: a comparison of alternative approaches

Nearest neighbor query is one of the most important operations in spatial databases and their application domains, e.g., location-based services, advanced traveler information systems, etc. This paper addresses the problem of finding the in-route nearest neighbor (IRNN) for a query object tuple which consists of a given route with a destination and a current location on it. The IRNN is a facility instance via which the detour from the original route on the way to the destination is smallest. This paper addresses four alternative solution methods. Comparisons among them are presented using an experimental framework. Several experiments using real road map datasets are conducted to examine the behavior of the solutions in terms of three parameters affecting the performance. Our experiments show that the computation costs for all methods except the precomputed zone-based method increase with increases in the road map size and the query route length but decreases with increase in the facility density. The precomputed zone-based method shows the most efficiency when there are no updates on the road map.
Constraints on lithospheric thermal structure for the Indian Ocean from depth and heat flow data

Models for the thermal evolution of oceanic lithosphere are primarily constrained by variations in seafloor depth and heat flow with age. These models have been largely based on data from the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean basins. We construct seafloor age relations for the Indian Ocean which we combine with bathymetric, sediment isopach and heat flow data to derive curves for depth and heat flow versus age. Comparison of these curves with predictions from three thermal models shows that they are better fit by the shallower depths and higher heat flow for the GDH1 model, which is characterized by a thinner and hotter lithosphere than previous models.
Motion-compensated compressed-sensing reconstruction for dynamic MRI

Compressed-sensing reconstruction using motion estimation and compensation for dynamic MRI data is proposed. Reconstruction is driven from a residual in the k-space domain between the current-frame measurements and a corresponding motion-compensated prediction. Due to the periodicity commonly exhibited in dynamic MRI, a telescopic motion search through the entire group of pictures is used to determine the best match for the block-based motion estimation. Experimental comparisons demonstrate improved performance as compared to existing dynamic-MRI reconstructions, both those with and without motion compensation.
Oral Assessment of the Edentulous Elderly Patient

While the need for regular oral examinations increases in the aged, edentulous elderly persons generally see their dentists rarely, while most see their physicians relatively frequently. If these patients cannot be convinced to see a dentist, the physician should perform regular oral screening examinations. A technique is described for accomplishing this.
Phylogenetic relationships and genetic diversity among members of the Festuca-Lolium complex (Poaceae) based on ITS sequence data.

There have been few DNA sequencebased studies of phylogenetic relationships within theFestuca-Lolium complex. Here we infer the phylogeny of 31Festuca-Lolium taxa with a dataset of 116 ITS sequences. The results are consistent with previous studies that resolved two majorFestuca clades: one clade of fine fescues and another clade that containsLolium and associatedFestuca species. This study is unique in suggesting a third, basalFestuca clade, but support for the basal position of this group is low. Extensive sampling permitted investigation of the effects of lineage sorting and reticulate events on the evolution of the complex. Roughly half of the taxa show evidence of lineage sorting or reticulation, and the monophyly ofLolium has likely been obscured by reticulate events. Overall, polyploid species harbor higher levels of ITS sequence diversity than diploids; ITS sequence variants may provide clues to the identity of allopolyploid parents.
How it happened that a portion of a treatise entitled New Improvements of Planting and Gardening both Philosophical and Practical by Richard Bradley FRS, which dealt with blights of trees and plants, provided the first report of an environment that contained green sulphur photosynthetic bacteria

Richard Bradley proposed that biological agents caused infectious disease. He agreed that air could transmit disease, but it had to contain a living agent, either visible or microscopic. To dismiss the idea that air alone could cause disease he included evidence provided by Robert Balle about a toxic grotto near Lake Averna, close to Naples, whose fumes were lethal to animals and humans yet that lethality was not contagious and occurred quickly, not a characteristic of ‘pestilential fevers’. In this grotto the surface water was covered with a ‘green scum’, a layer of green sulphur photosynthetic bacteria that could live in that anoxic environment, which contained hydrogen sulphide and carbon dioxide gas and was accessible to visible light. This environment was a natural enrichment culture for these bacteria. It was the first time that the presence of these bacteria was disclosed in the scientific literature.
Carbon monoxide oxidation over three different oxidation states of copper: Metallic copper, copper (I) oxide, and copper (II) oxide - a surface science and kinetic study

Reaction rates and activation energies were measured for carbon monoxide oxidation over thin films of metallic copper, copper (I) oxide, and copper (II) oxide grown on graphite. The reactions were carried out in the temperature range 200-350°C at total pressures of 100 Torr. Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES) and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) were used to characterize the growth and oxidation states of the copper films before and after catalytic reactions. The stability of a given oxidation state of copper under reaction conditions was found to be a function of the oxidizing power of the CO/O2 partial pressure ratio: metallic copper, Cu2O, and CuO were stable at 97/3, 90/10, and 66/33 ratios, respectively. The rate of reaction at 300°C decreased with increasing copper oxidation state (Cu > Cu2O > CuO) and the activation energy increased with increasing copper oxidation state (Cu 9 < Cu2O 14 < CuO 17 kcal/mol). The kinetic parameters for CO oxidation over platinum foil was tested at a 66/33 CO/O2 ratio for comparison. The reaction rate over platinum was approximately equal to that over metallic copper at 300°C and had a larger activation energy (20 kcal/mol) than CuO. The possible mechanisms for CO oxidation over the different oxidation states of copper are discussed.
Age assessment of the Spitalfields cemetery population by rib phase analysis

Accurate paleodemographic reconstruction depends in large part on the ability to estimate age at death from the skeleton. Thus, it is important to evaluate the reliability of standards utilized for this assessment. The rib phase technique has proven to be one of the most consistently reliable means of determining age in modern human adults. A recent study also demonstrated that this method can be applied to Neandertals because they exhibit the same pattern of age-related change. However, the efficacy of the rib phases in aging archaeological populations of anatomically modern humans has not been systematically examined. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to determine if ribs from the 16th to 18th century Spitalfields cemetery population (with church records of age at death) manifest a morphological aging pattern similar to that found in the recent specimens upon which the rib phase standards are based. Age was assessed on a sample of 87 individuals using only the sternal ends of the ribs without access to the rest of the skeleton or records of age and sex. Results indicated that Spitalfields ribs exhibit essentially the same aging patterns found in the ribs of modern Whites. Overall, the demographic profile generated from the ribs produced a good approximation of this sample in both range and distribution. Error was in the direction of underaging, and results for males were better than for females. The present findings indicate that the rib can be considered a reliable site for age estimation in archaeological populations. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Some observations on catheter care.

FOR YEARS urologists have been dedicated to the elimination of the catheter as a means of urinary drainage. Their success in removing this urinary prosthesis is epitomized in CREEVY’S remarkable achievement of 0.6 per cent mortality in a series of 1000 cases of prostatectomy [l]. DEBENHAM and WARD in Great Britain [2] have gone so far as to attempt prostatectomy suns catheter although their mortality and infection figures are no improvement on those of others for the same procedure with catheter drainage. It is somewhat embarrassing then for an urologist to have to come to the defense of the urinary catheter when he and his predecessors have worked so hard to effect its safe removal from patients. However, because misleading charges have been cast at the catheter in the recent past [3], one whose practice involves the temporary use of this device is moved to defend the proper care of the catheter and to castigate those whose abuse has given it a poor reputation. This paper is divided into three parts. The first deals with single catheterization: the second is concerned with the problem of the indwelling catheter, and finally the closed drainage system of catheter care employed on the Urology Service at the University of Washington Hospital will be discussed. Single diagnostic catheterization. Clean-voided midstream specimens should be used for diagnostic urine cultures wherever feasible [4]. SANFORD’S revival of the colony count originally suggested by MARPLE [5] as a means of differentiating contaminants from pathogens has been most useful. However, there are situations in which diagnostic or therapeutic catheterization is unavoidable and PRYLES et ~2. [6] and JACKSON and GRIEBLE [7] suggest that the incidence of infection during a carefully carried out catheterization, while definite, is very low. This is also borne out by the series of 200 single catheterizations carried out in a local institution by TURCK et al. [8] in which no contamination resulted. In this respect it may be well to cite the work of PRYLES [6] who followed closely a group of children subsequent to catheterization. All were free from urinary tract infection within a period of 4-6 months following catheterization. Thus, while organisms were introduced into the urine of the children during catherization and in apparently significant quantities, long-term infection was not a complication. While properly collected clean-voided specimens may be used in most instances for making the diagnosis of bacteriuria in children, catheterization, when properly done, should not be withheld for fear of producing urinary tract infection. While all physicians should be alert to the
An Image-Based Three-Dimensional Digitizer for Pre-Decorating Thermoformed Parts

Thermoformed plastic parts are pervasive in modern products. Decorating these thermoformed parts is a critical step in their manufacture. For parts with significant relief, decorating the part after it is formed can be prohibitively expensive. Prior to thermoforming, the plastic which is in flat sheets or rolls can easily be fed through a printer. However, during thermoforming the plastic flows and stretches to conform to the shape of the mold distorting the original decoration. This paper describes an device called the Image-Based Three-Dimensional Digitizer(IB3D) which measures the plastic deformation using vision techniques. Knowing the deformation allows us to pre-distort the graphic printed on the flat sheets such that as the plastic flows into the thermoforming mold the decoration undistorts.
Medical Management of HIV—Hepatitis C Virus Coinfection in Injection Drug Users

Several million people inject drugs of abuse and, as a result, are coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV). The treatment of this coinfected drug-abusing population is fraught with many problems such that clinicians and other health care providers have to determine whether patients should be treated first for drug addiction, for HIV/AIDS, or for HCV infection or simultaneously treated. These proceedings present the incidence and prevalence of coinfections with HIV and HCV in high-risk populations and discuss the underlying pathophysiology of coinfections and the problems and strategies of managing the treatment of coinfections among people who also inject illicit drugs. In addition, the expert panel recommended further research to determine the best possible treatment regimens applicable to injection drug users coinfected with HIV and HCV.
Consumptive Behavior, Promotional Preferences, And Shopping Patterns Of Hispanic Americans: An Empirical Perspective

Hispanic Americans are becoming a substantial purchasing force in the United States, thus creating as many opportunities as challenges for marketers in many companies. Although the literature is rich with studies of this sub-culture, new information is always welcome due to the extensive changes that this segment of society is experiencing, from population growth, increasing purchasing power and income, to shifting demographics, diversity, and acculturation. This study is designed to enhance understanding about Hispanic Americans via a survey of a random sample of 120 Hispanic American adult individuals in the Inland Empire area of Southern California. The data collected was analyzed and in this paper, the findings are reported and discussed as well as some marketing tactics recommended. At the strategic marketing level, the authors recommend the application of a theoretical marketing framework, one that matches the nature of the Hispanics’ market and its dynamics, to develop winning strategies and guidelines for marketers who are interested in this vital market segment.
Progress on color night vision: visible/IR fusion, perception and search, and low-light CCD imaging

We report progress on our development of a color night vision capability, using biological models of opponent-color processing to fuse low-light visible and thermal IR imagery, and render it in realtime in natural colors. Preliminary results of human perceptual testing are described for a visual search task, the detection of embedded small low-contrast targets in natural night scenes. The advantages of color fusion over two alterative grayscale fusion products is demonstrated in the form of consistent, rapid detection across a variety of low- contrast (+/- 15% or less) visible and IR conditions. We also describe advances in our development of a low-light CCD camera, capable of imaging in the visible through near- infrared in starlight at 30 frames/sec with wide intrascene dynamic range, and the locally adaptive dynamic range compression of this imagery. Example CCD imagery is shown under controlled illumination conditions, from full moon down to overcast starlight. By combining the low-light CCD visible imager with a microbolometer array LWIR imager, a portable image processor, and a color LCD on a chip, we can realize a compact design for a color fusion night vision scope.
HDM2 ERKs PCNA

In this issue, a study by Groehler and Lannigan (2010. J. Cell Biol. doi:10.1083/jcb.201002124) sheds light on the regulation of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) turnover and how it is counteracted by the small chromatin-bound kinase ERK8 (extracellular signal-regulated kinase 8). Importantly, inactivation of ERK8 results in genome instability and is associated with cell transformation.
Numerical study of bubble growth and wall heat transfer during flow boiling in a microchannel

Abstract A numerical study has been performed to analyze the wall heat transfer mechanisms during growth of a vapor bubble inside a microchannel. The microchannel is of 200 μm square cross section and a vapor bubble begins to grow at one of the walls, with liquid coming in through the channel inlet. The complete Navier–Stokes equations along with continuity and energy equations are solved using the SIMPLER method. The liquid vapor interface is captured using the level set technique. Experiments have been conducted to validate the numerical model. The bubble growth rate and shapes show good agreement between numerical and experimental results. The numerical results show that the wall heat transfer increases with wall superheat but stays almost unaffected by the liquid flow rate. The liquid vapor surface tension value has little influence on bubble growth and wall heat transfer. However, the bubble with the lowest contact angle resulted in the highest wall heat transfer.
Effects of bio-joint models on compliant exoskeleton design

This paper presents a method taking advantage of medically available MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) data to derive the kinematics of a knee joint. The bio-joint model is applied to the design of a compliant sensing mechanism with two examples. The first investigates the effect of materials and characteristic geometry of the compliant mechanism on the knee joint, while the second (utilizing the bio joint model as boundary conditions to measure the knee joint rotation and internal forces involved) provides a better understanding on the interaction between the human knee and compliant sensing mechanism. The results potentially help establish a new topic of accommodating human bio-joint variations and nature degrees-of-freedom movements in the design of an exoskeleton.
Phase diagram of two-dimensional fast-rotating ultracold fermionic atoms near unitarity

By analyzing vortex lattices, re-entrant Cooper pairing, and Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) states in a single theoretical framework, we explore how vortices and spin textures join to protect superconductivity against large magnetic fields. We use a rapidly rotating ultracold gas of fermionic atoms near unitarity as a model system amenable to experimental exploration and discover a hierarchy of spin-polarized and FFLO phases in which a metal or a band insulator of unpaired particles coexists with a spatially modulated superfluid hosting a vortex lattice. Quantum fluctuations can transform these phases into strongly correlated 'vortex-liquid' metals and insulators, respectively. We argue that vortex lattices significantly enhance the stability of FFLO states and discuss prospects for observing these states in cold-atom experiments.
Modeling and Experiments of Underfill Flow in Large Dies With Non-Uniform Bump Patterns

This paper presents numerical modeling and experimental results for the problem of underfill flow in a large die with a non-uniform bump pattern in a flip-chip packaging configuration. Two different 2-D flow models coupled with the volume-of-fluid (VOF) method are applied to track the underfill flow front during the simulation of flip-chip encapsulation. The first model employs the modified Washburn model and uses a time-dependent inlet velocity to account for the flow resistance across the gap direction in the presence of bump interconnects. The second model introduces a momentum source term in the Stokes equation to represent the gapwise resistance. Rheological properties, surface tension, and dynamic contact angles for an underfill material are experimentally determined. Simulation results based on the two models are compared with in-situ flow visualization conducted using bumped quartz dies. The comparison demonstrates the applicability of each model for simulating the underfill encapsulation process.
Inability of Five-Month-Old Infants to Retrieve a Contiguous Object: A Failure of Conceptual Understanding or of Control of Action?

Infants of 5 to 6 months of age can retrieve a free-standing object, but fail to retrieve the same object from atop a slightly larger object. The accepted explanation has been that the infants do not understand that an object continues to exist independently when placed upon another. Predictions based on that explanation were tested against the hypothesis that infants' problem consists of lack of precision in visually guided reaching and lack of ability to inhibit reflexive reactions to touch. Twelve infants each at 5 and 7 months of age were tested on 16 trials. More 5-month-olds succeeded, in less time, and with fewer touches to an edge of the base, on trials more forgiving of an imprecise reach than on less forgiving trials. Success in retrieving objects close in size and fully contiguous with their bases was seen even at 5 months when the demands on skill in reaching were reduced. It is proposed that when 5-month-old infants fail to retrieve one object placed upon another, it is not because of a lack of conceptual understanding, but because they lack the skill to reach to the top object without accidentally touching an edge of the base en route.
Efficient realizations of the discrete and continuous wavelet transforms: from single chip implementations to mappings on SIMD array computers

This paper presents a wide range of algorithms and architectures for computing the 1D and 2D discrete wavelet transform (DWT) and the 1D and 2D continuous wavelet transform (CWT). The algorithms and architectures presented are independent of the size and nature of the wavelet function. New on-line algorithms are proposed for the DWT and the CWT that require significantly small storage. The proposed systolic array and the parallel filter architectures implement these on-line algorithms and are optimal both with respect to area and time (under the word-serial model). Moreover, these architectures are very regular and support single chip implementations in VLSI. The proposed SIMD architectures implement the existing pyramid and a'trous algorithms and are optimal with respect to time. >
The effect of dietary and physical activity pattern on metabolic profile in individuals with schizophrenia: a cross-sectional study

Abstract Objective With the rate of obesity on the rise worldwide, individuals with schizophrenia represent a particularly vulnerable population. The aim of this study was to assess the metabolic profile of individuals with schizophrenia in relation to dietary and physical activity habits compared with healthy controls. Methods Dietary and physical activity habits of 130 individuals with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were compared with 250 body mass index–, age-, and sex-matched and racially matched controls from the 2005-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys using a 24-hour diet recall and a self-report physical activity questionnaire. Results Individuals with schizophrenia had significantly higher levels of glycosylated hemoglobin and insulin compared with matched controls. In addition, these individuals had an increased waist circumference and diastolic blood pressure than did the comparison group. Daily energy intake was not different between groups; however, individuals with schizophrenia consumed significantly greater amounts of sugar and fat. Individuals with schizophrenia reported engaging in moderate physical activity less frequently compared with the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys group, but there was no difference in reported vigorous physical activity. Conclusions These findings suggest that the dietary and physical activity habits of individuals with schizophrenia contribute to an adverse metabolic profile. Increased opportunities for physical activity and access to healthy foods for individuals with schizophrenia may ease the burden of disease.
Learning to make better strategic decisions

Abstract Strategic settings are often complex and agents who lack deep reasoning ability may initially fail to make optimal decisions. This paper experimentally investigates how the decision making quality of an agent's opponent impacts learning-by-doing (LBD) and learning-by-observing (LBO) in a 2-player strategic game. Specifically, does LBD become more effective when agents face an opponent who exhibits optimal decision making? Similarly, does LBO become more effective when agents observe an opponent who exhibits optimal decision making? I consider an experimental design that enables me to measure strategic decision making quality, and control the decision making quality of an agent's opponent. The results suggest that LBD is more effective when facing an optimal decision making opponent. Whereas, LBO is, at most, marginally more effective when observing an optimal decision making opponent. The results also suggest that LBD is at least as effective as LBO at improving decision making in the 2-player game considered.
A decade bandwidth, low voltage, medium power Class B push-pull Si/SiGe HBT power amplifier employing through-wafer vias

We report a 0.5-5 GHz, 2 V class B push-pull power amplifier in a through-wafer via Si/SiGe HBT process. The amplifier utilized a small, low loss, broadband balun and a coupled spiral inductor transformer. Power added efficiencies greater than 40% from 1 GHz to 4 GHz and greater than 30% from 0.5 to 5 GHz have been achieved. Small signal gain of greater than 13 dB and maximum output power of 22 dBm were realized from 0.5 GHz to 4 GHz with a 2 V supply voltage.
Hypercalcemia, Renal Failure, and Skull Lytic Lesions: Follicular Lymphoma Masquerading as Multiple Myeloma

The findings of hypercalcemia, skull lytic lesions, and renal failure are usually characteristic for multiple myeloma. We herein describe an interesting case of B-cell follicular lymphoma that presented with many features mimicking multiple myeloma.
CORDIC Implementation of Space Vector Modulation

Space vector modulation (SVM) is commonly used in motor drives. In order to reduce the calculation time in SVM a coordinate rotation digital computer (CORDIC) algorithm is used to generate trigonometric functions. The algorithm is implemented using a microcontroller. It was experimentally shown to be able to generate the desired waveforms at several frequencies.
Implementing a 2-Gbs 1024-bit ½-rate low-density parity-check code decoder in three-dimensional integrated circuits

A 1024-bit, 1/2-rate fully parallel low-density parity-check (LDPC) code decoder has been designed and implemented using a three-dimensional (3D) 0.18 mum fully depleted silicon-on-insulator (FDSOI) CMOS technology based on wafer bonding. The 3D-IC decoder was implemented with about 8M transistors, placed on three tiers, each with one active layer and three metal layers, using 6.9 mm by 7.0 mm of die area. It was simulated to have a 2 Gbps throughput, and consume only 260 mW. This first large-scale 3D application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) with fine-grain (5mum) vertical interconnects is made possible by jointly developing a complete automated 3D design flow from a commercial 2-D design flow combined with the needed 3D-design tools. The 3D implementation is estimated to offer more than 10 xpower-delay-area product improvement over its corresponding 2D implementation. The work demonstrated the benefits of fine-grain 3D integration for interconnect-heavy very-large-scale digital ASIC implementation.
Variation in the type I interferon gene cluster on 9p21 influences susceptibility to asthma and atopy

A genome-wide screen for asthma and atopy susceptibility alleles conducted in the Hutterites, a founder population of European descent, reported evidence of linkage with a short tandem repeat polymorphism (STRP) within the type I interferon (IFN) gene cluster on chromosome 9p21. The goal of this study was to identify variation within the IFN gene cluster that influences susceptibility to asthma and atopic phenotypes. We screened approximately 25 kb of sequence, including the flanking sequence of all 15 functional genes and the single coding exon in 12, in Hutterites representing different IFNA-STRP genotypes. We identified 78 polymorphisms, and genotyped 40 of these (in 14 genes) in a large Hutterite pedigree. Modest associations (0.003<P<0.05) with asthma, bronchial hyper-responsiveness (BHR), and atopy were observed with individual variants or genes, spanning the entire 400 kb region. However, pairwise combinations of haplotypes between genes showed highly significant associations with different phenotypes (P<10(-5)) that were localized to specific pairs of genes or regions of this cluster. These results suggest that variation in multiple genes in the type I IFN cluster on 9p22 contribute to asthma and atopy susceptibility, and that not all genes contribute equally to all phenotypes.
Plato's Introduction of Forms: Phaedo 64–66: enter the Forms

In every dialogue apart from the Parmenides in which the Theory of Forms puts in an appearance, the main topic is something else. In the Phaedo it is immortality: the Forms are used in three arguments for the immortality of the soul. But they make a separate entrance before that. 64C: AN EXISTENTIAL ADMISSION Socrates defends his readiness to die beginning with the question (64c2) “do we think there is such a thing as death?” (ἡγούμeθά τι τὸν θάνατον eἰναι;). He immediately says what death is (c4–5): “the release of the soul from the body” or the “coming-to-be in separation” of soul and body (c5–8). He now argues that the philosopher, whom he portrays as ascetic, is engaging in separating his soul from his body (64c–69e). Socrates' question at 64c2 concerns an existential claim to which Simmias' assent commits him. It is, once again, a topic-fixer: Simmias is only conceding that people sometimes die; he is not committed by his concession to the Theory of Forms. It is a clear implication of 105d9, d13–14, etc., that there is a Form for death. But it is only in retrospect that we can say: in 64c, Simmias had already acknowledged the existence of the Form, Death; that is like saying that someone who has acknowledged the existence of the number 13 has committed himself to the existence of a prime number, or to the existence of a positive root of the equation “845 + 1183 x ⊟ 96 x 2 = 0.”
Preoperative Considerations in Patients With Pulmonary Hypertension: Your Patient Needs Surgical Clearance

Patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) are at increased morbidity and mortality risk when facing the need to undergo surgical interventions. The most common complications include those...
Histologic sectioning produces TUNEL reactivity. A potential cause of false-positive staining.

○ Objective.-To determine if the DNA strand breaks caused by tissue sectioning result in terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick end-labeling (TUNEL) reactivity. Methods.-The incidence and location of TUNEL-positive nuclei were determined in 5- and 15-μm sections of human stomach. Five- and 15-μm sections of tonsil were stained as a positive control. Results.-In 5-μm gastric sections, 69% of nuclei were labeled; in 15-μm sections, only 30% were labeled. In the latter sections, almost all labeled nuclei were located at the cut surface of sections. Labeled nuclei did not have apoptotic morphology. Apototic bodies and tingible body macrophages were labeled throughout 15-μm sections of tonsil. Conclusions.-Tissue sectioning creates TUNEL reactivity. The morphologic findings on routine stains should be considered the gold standard for the detection of apoptosis on tissue sections.
Fitness Costs of Plant Disease Resistance

Disease is a major agent of evolution by natural selection because infection by a parasite reduces the fitness of its host. Plant populations have evolved many different mechanisms of resistance in response to disease, but, curiously, resistant genotypes rarely supplant susceptible genotypes. Instead, many plant populations are polymorphic at resistance gene loci, meaning that both resistant and susceptible genotypes coexist within a population. The maintenance of polymorphism can be explained if host resistance to disease is most beneficial when most plants are susceptible, and if resistance reduces a plant's fitness in the absence of the parasite. Fitness costs of disease resistance and pathogen virulence are critically important to the maintenance of polymorphism and the direction of host–pathogen coevolution. Costs in conjuncture with host and pathogen life history traits can drive populations towards an ever-escalating coevolutionary ‘arms-race’ or can maintain polymorphism through frequency-dependent selection. Fitness costs of disease resistance may arise in several ways: physiological and metabolic costs of defence against parasites, developmental traits which allow plants to escape disease but are suboptimal for seed production, and trade-offs between resistance and responses to other microbes. Fitness costs can have important evolutionary consequences in both natural plant populations and in agricultural contexts. Key Concepts Fitness costs of resistance are necessary for the long-term maintenance of polymorphism, but their presence alone does not guarantee stable polymorphism. Host and pathogen life-history traits and epidemiology interact with fitness costs of resistance to maintain polymorphism. When polymorphism is stable, the magnitude of costs determines the frequency of host resistance and pathogen virulence. Plants defend themselves in multiple ways and these carry different types of costs. Traits that reduce disease exposure by changing plant growth and phenology tend to be costly. Fitness costs of resistance can be constitutive or induced. Resistance to one type of pathogen can come at the cost of increased susceptibility to another type of pathogen. Costs of resistance and virulence play a role in coevolutionary dynamics in natural populations. In agricultural populations, costs of resistance and virulence can affect resistance breeding and the durability of resistance. Keywords: coevolution; frequency-dependent selection; plant disease; plant breeding; fungi; disease resistance; polymorphism; fitness
Improving Real Estate and Other Business Courses through Targeted Student Assessment

Executive Summary. This article discusses the need for student and employer assessment instruments designed to assist real estate faculty to improve their individual course through targeting select...
Induction of heat shock response leads to apoptosis in endothelial cells previously exposed to endotoxin

The homeostatic response of complex eukaryotes to the challenge of environmental stress includes the induction of several programs of gene expression; among them are those for the acute phase genes and those for the heat shock genes. In some systems, the heat shock response, which is often elicited by more severe stimuli, preempts the acute phase response, which is seen in response to less severe challenges, as well as constitutive gene expression. Nevertheless, each response appears to provide a natural selective advantage for survival of the organism in a toxic environment. However, when cultured porcine endothelial cells were exposed first to a nonlethal level of bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS), an inducer of the acute phase response, and then, simultaneously to standard stimuli, which normally elicit a salutary heat shock response, the cells died manifesting a pattern of DNA fragmentation (nucleolysis) characteristic of programmed cell death (apoptosis). The treatment of LPS-exposed cells with cycloheximide to block protein synthesis reproduced the lethal apoptosis that had been elicited by the induction of heat shock gene expression. Therefore, the preemption of other programs of stress gene expression by the prioritized expression of heat shock genes is associated with apoptosis.
Variegated Cutworm: Consumption of Sugarbeet Foliage and Development on Sugarbeet

Mean weight of larvae of Peridroma saucia (Hubner) increased from 0.47±0.17 mg at instar 2 to a maximum of 869.14±216.04 mg at instar 6 when fed sugarbeet foliage; mean pupal weight was 0.278±0.048 g. Mean larval length increased from 0.242±0.036 cm to a maximum of 3.46±0.320 cm during these instars. Mean total development time for instars 2–6 was 27.49 days. Larval consumption increased in proportion to larval weight and length. Total foliage consumption during instars 4–6 was 3.09±1.66, 18.72±7.34, and 109.04±17.44 cm2. Foliage consumption and days to completion of larval development can be estimated from larval weight. The formula, No. insects/plant = % defoliation × total leaf area/plant / consumption × no. days feeding × 100 can be used to estimate the number of variegated cutworms necessary to inflict economic damage.
Child welfare caseworkers' perspectives on the challenges of addressing mental health problems in early childhood

Although nearly half of child maltreatment victims are under the age of five and at high risk for developing serious emotional or behavioral problems, few young children involved in the child welfare system receive treatment. As the first point of service contact, child welfare caseworkers can play a key role in quickly identifying children with mental health problems and linking them to services. This study examines caseworkers' perspectives on the challenges of addressing mental health problems in early childhood. Based on five focus groups conducted with 50 caseworkers from an urban, public child welfare agency, results suggest that although workers acknowledge the importance of early intervention, difficulty identifying mental health needs in early childhood and workplace barriers impede linkage to services. Given the lasting impacts of early experiences on children's development, it is imperative that these challenges be addressed. Implications for systematic mental health screening and caseworker training are discussed.
Observation on the treatment of tuberculous pleurisy pleural effusion with combination of Chinese traditional and Western Medicine

Objective To investigate the tuberculous pleural effusion of Chinese and Western medicine combined with rapid therapy.Methods A total of 106 tuberculous pleurisy pleural effusion patients in 2010 January to 2012 December the new Temple hospital department of internal medicine outpatient treatment of patients,were randomly divided into 2 groups,treatment group were treated with combination of traditional Chinese and Western medicine treatment,the control group with conventional quadruple therapy.Results The total effective rate of treatment group was 96.3%,77.3% in the control group,the 2 groups,the difference was significant(P 0.05).Conclusion The combination of traditional Chinese and Western medicine has good effect on tuberculous pleurisy pleural effusion,is worthy of attention.
Sensorless speed control of symmetrical triple-star nine-phase Interior Permanent Magnet machines

This paper presents a sensor-less method to control triple-star nine-phase Interior Permanent Magnet (IPM) machines based on a decoupled machine model. The decoupled model removes the control complexity of the drive caused by the coupling inductance terms between different sets of three-phase windings of the triple-star machine. The rotor position is estimated using high frequency voltage injections into the stator fifth sequence circuit of the machine which is non torque producing. The control strategy which seeks to minimize stator copper loss (equivalently, the peak phase current) is set forth and tested by simulations using the full order coupled model of the machine. It is further validated with experimental results.
High pressure FAST of nanocrystalline barium titanate

Abstract This work studies the microstructural evolution of nanocrystalline ( 3 ), and presents high pressure in field-assisted sintering (FAST) as a robust methodology to obtain >100 nm BaTiO 3 compacts. Using FAST, two commercial ~50 nm powders were consolidated into compacts of varying densities and grain sizes. Microstructural inhomogeneities were investigated for each case, and an interpretation is developed using a modified Monte Carlo Potts (MCP) simulation. Two recurrent microstructural inhomogeneities are highlighted, heterogeneous grain growth and low-density regions, both ubiqutously present in all samples to varying degrees. In the worst cases, HGG presents an area coverage of 52%. Because HGG is sporadic but homogenous throughout a sample, the catalyst (e.g., the local segregation of species) must be, correspondingly, distributed in a homogenous manner. MCP demonstrates that in such a case, a large distance between nucleating abnormal grains is required—otherwise abnormal grains prematurely impinge on each other, and their size is not distinguishable from that of normal grains. Compacts sintered with a pressure of 300 MPa and temperatures of 900 °C, were 99.5% dense and had a grain size of 90±24 nm. These are unprecedented results for commercial BaTiO 3 powders or any starting powder of 50 nm particle size—other authors have used 16 nm lab-produced powder to obtain similar results.
Applications and General Conclusions

The work presented in this series of lectures covers a spectrum of ideas and techniques that are part of a technology for imaging — a technology that has been expanding and growing over the past several years. It was only a short while ago that ultrasonic imaging was confined to a few institutions and the instrumentation consisted of variations of the system made up of a sound beam in the form of a pencil-like probe that was scanned either by hand or with the aid of mechanical levers. Many images were recorded from a storage tube with two levels of brightness — black and white. Research workers and clinicians have developed a great skill in the use of these instruments and a vast amount of information has been recorded by a careful, systematic exploration and correlation with known features. One prime example of the technique has been described by Dr. F. Weill1 and his co-authors in Besancon, France.