cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Blind estimation of pharmacokinetic parameters in cardiac DCE-MRI

Methods Dual bolus dynamic cardiac MR data was obtained with low (0.004 mmol/kg) and higher (0.02 mmol/kg) doses of Gd-BOPTA. The images were registered spatially and myocardial voxels were identified manually to obtain a set of tissue activity curves (TACs). The TACs were clustered into 12 curves and input to the AMM method to estimate a parameterized AIF. The estimated AIF was scaled such that the average value of the final three data points was equivalent to the measured high-dose AIF. The extended Tofts-Kety model was used to calculate kinetic parameters pixel-wise in the myocardium using both the directly measured AIF from the low-concentration scan and the AMM estimated AIF. Results Figure 1 shows the estimated AIF is slightly lower and more dispersed in time with respect to the scaled low-concentration AIF. This dispersion may be due to dispersion as the CA travels from the LV blood pool to the myocardial tissue and/or flow effects. As seen in Fig 2, the blindly from 13th Annual SCMR Scientific Sessions Phoenix, AZ, USA. 21-24 January 2010
Generation of Squeezed Coherent States via a Free-Electron Laser

Spontaneous radiation from a magnetic wiggler or undulator as used in a free-electron laser is shown to be in a squeezed state for a low-density electron beam. It is pointed out that the problem is formally analogous to radiation from a Josephson junction.
Sebaceous carcinoma of the oral cavity: a case report and review of the literature

We report the clinical and pathologic features of an intraoral sebaceous carcinoma and review the literature. The intraoral buccal mucosal tumor from a 50-year-old man was a poorly differentiated carcinoma with sebaceous differentiation and expression of androgen receptor. Fordyce granules and a minor salivary gland with a duct were identified in vicinity to the tumor. We discuss the differential diagnosis and histogenesis. The patient underwent surgery and adjuvant radiation therapy.
Stable open-loop brachiation on a vertical wall

This paper presents a hybrid mechanical model for the Gibbot, a robot that dynamically locomotes along a vertical wall in a manner analogous to gibbons swinging between branches in the forest canopy. We focus on one particular gait, continuous-contact brachiation, which always has one handhold in contact with the wall. We use zero-cost, unstable solutions corresponding to horizontal brachiation, originally found by Gomes and Ruina, as templates to generate open-loop stable gaits in arbitrary directions. The first case considered is passive brachiation down a shallow slope, roughly corresponding to upside-down locomotion of the well-studied compass-gait biped. We then consider underactuated brachiation with a constant forcing term at the elbow to produce open-loop stable descending and ascending gaits.
The effect of electron-hole scattering on minority carrier transport in bipolar transistors

Abstract We have examined the role of constraints on carrier flow on electron-hole scattering of minority carriers. In a bipolar transistor, in which the flow of majority carrier current normal to the junction potential barriers is usually negligible, the effect of electron-hole scattering is less than would be inferred from measurements of transport in p-i-n diodes or in the Shockley-Haynes experiment. In addition, as a result of the momentum transferred fromthe minority carriers to the majority carriers, an electric field is developed which enhances the flow of minority carriers, particularly at high injection levels.
Transformational Leadership Effects at Different Levels of the Army

In this investigation of officers' transformational leadership behavior, we expand the array of subordinate outcomes investigated, assess differential effects of transformational and transactional ...
Possible role of striatal adenosine in the modulation of acute ethanol-induced motor incoordination in rats

Several reports from our laboratory have suggested the involvement of the brain adenosinergic system in ethanol-induced motor incoordination (EIMI). This study is an extension of the previous work and pertains to the evaluation of the role of the striatal adenosine in EIMI in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Using the motor incoordination induced by 1.5 g/kg of ethanol (ip) as a test response, the possible behavioral interactions between ethanol and adenosine agonists and antagonists in the striatum were investigated. Intrastriatal (IST) administration of adenosine A1-, A1 = A2-, and As-selective agonists, R(-)N6-(2-phenylisopropyl)adenosine (R-PIA), 5'-N-ethylcarboxamido-adenosine (NECA), and 5'-(N-cyclopropyl)-carboxamidoadenosine, respectively, significantly and dose-dependently accentuated EIMI when evaluated by rotorod test, suggesting the striatal adenosinergic modulation of EIMI. No significant change in normal motor coordination was noted, even when the highest IST doses of adenosine agonists were followed by saline instead of ethanol, suggesting that the observed behavioral interactions of these drugs were selective to ethanol. Hippocampus, which is known not to be involved in the normal motor functions, was selected as a control brain area because of the presence of high density of adenosine receptors, as well as the high levels of adenosine. Intrahippocampal NECA failed to alter EIMI, indicating the specific role of striatal and not hippocampal adenosinergic system in the modulation of EIMI. The potentiating effects of adenosine agonists N6-cyclohexyladenosine (CHA) and CGS-21680 on EIMI were blocked by adenosine A1- and A2-selective antagonists, 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine and 3,7-dimethyl-1-propargylxanthine, respectively, suggesting the participation of specific adenosine receptors in this functional interaction. A role for the adenosine A1 receptor in the striatal adenosinergic modulation of EIMI was favored based on the rank-order potency of adenosine agonists. IST pretreatment with pertussis toxin (PT), but not with PT beta-oligomer, nearly completely eliminated the accentuation of EIMI by CHA, further supporting the favored role of adenosine A1 receptors in EIMI. Histological and IST [3H]R-PIA distribution data confirmed that the observed behavioral effects were caused by exclusive striatal distribution of intrastriatally microinjected drugs. Data obtained suggested modulation of acute EIMI by striatal adenosine receptor-mediated mechanism(s) and the coupling of these adenosine receptor to the PT-sensitive Gi protein.
Current Status and Perspectives of Cysticercosis and Taeniasis in Japan

This mini-review describes recent epidemiological trends in cysticercosis and taeniasis in Japan. Some of the topics discussed herein were presented at the first symposium on "Current perspectives of Taenia asiatica researches", that was held in Osong in Chungbuk Province, South Korea, in October 2011 and organized by Prof. K. S. Eom, Chungbuk National University School of Medicine. To better understand the trends in the occurrence of cysticercosis and taeniasis in Japan, clinical cases reported in 2005 have been updated. In addition, the current status of Taenia asiatica infections successively occurring in Japan since 2010 is also discussed.
Guided analysis of hurricane trends using statistical processes integrated with interactive parallel coordinates

This paper demonstrates the promise of augmenting interactive multivariate representations with information from statistical processes in the domain of weather data analysis. Statistical regression, correlation analysis, and descriptive statistical calculations are integrated via graphical indicators into an enhanced parallel coordinates system, called the Multidimensional Data eXplorer (MDX). These statistical indicators, which highlight significant associations in the data, are complemented with interactive visual analysis capabilities. The resulting system allows a smooth, interactive, and highly visual workflow. The system's utility is demonstrated with an extensive hurricane climate study that was conducted by a hurricane expert. In the study, the expert used a new data set of environmental weather data, composed of 28 independent variables, to predict annual hurricane activity. MDX shows the Atlantic Meridional Mode increases the explained variance of hurricane seasonal activity by 7–15% and removes less significant variables used in earlier studies. The findings and feedback from the expert (1) validate the utility of the data set for hurricane prediction, and (2) indicate that the integration of statistical processes with interactive parallel coordinates, as implemented in MDX, addresses both deficiencies in traditional weather data analysis and exhibits some of the expected benefits of visual data analysis.
Studies of Foam Finished Cotton Fabrics Using FT-IR Photoacoustic Spectroscopy

Cotton fabrics were treated with dimethyloldihydroxyethyleneurea (DMDHEU) and methylated DMDHEU using conventional padding and a foam finishing tech nique. The finished fabrics were studied using Fourier transform infrared photoacoustic spectroscopy (FT-IR/PAS). Both finishing agents appeared to have a more homo geneous distribution in the foam finished fabrics than in the conventionally finished fabrics. This probably explains the observation that wrinkle recovery angle was generally higher for foam finished fabrics than for conventionally finished fabrics, since a more homogeneous distribution of the finishing agents allows more cotton cellulose to be crosslinked throughout the fabrics.
Analyzing Communication Acts in Small Groups With the Response Mode Model: A Training Guide

A coding manual developed from a communications skills training program offers a rating system for face-to-face talk processes derived from the response mode framework proposed by Goodman and Dooley (1976). It uses 22 mutually exclusive descriptive dimensions. The method expects careful response-by-response rating of audiotaped or written helper respons es. The units of analysis are verbal sentences or independent clauses. The manual is intended for use by relatively unsophisticated raters. Major sections of the manual correspond with six major response modalities. Within each major mode, a subcategory is defined and ex amples are offered. Examples are taken from helper talk.
Accounting for range uncertainties in the optimization of intensity modulated proton therapy.

Treatment plans optimized for intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT) may be sensitive to range variations. The dose distribution may deteriorate substantially when the actual range of a pencil beam does not match the assumed range. We present two treatment planning concepts for IMPT which incorporate range uncertainties into the optimization. The first method is a probabilistic approach. The range of a pencil beam is assumed to be a random variable, which makes the delivered dose and the value of the objective function a random variable too. We then propose to optimize the expectation value of the objective function. The second approach is a robust formulation that applies methods developed in the field of robust linear programming. This approach optimizes the worst case dose distribution that may occur, assuming that the ranges of the pencil beams may vary within some interval. Both methods yield treatment plans that are considerably less sensitive to range variations compared to conventional treatment plans optimized without accounting for range uncertainties. In addition, both approaches—although conceptually different—yield very similar results on a qualitative level.
Effect of multi-walled carbon nanotube surface modification on bioactivity in the C57BL/6 mouse model

AbstractThe current study tests the hypothesis that multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) with different surface chemistries exhibit different bioactivity profiles in vivo. In addition, the study examined the potential contribution of the NLRP3 inflammasome in MWCNT-induced lung pathology. Unmodified (BMWCNT) and MWCNT that were surface functionalised with -COOH (FMWCNT), were instilled into C57BL/6 mice. The mice were then examined for biomarkers of inflammation and injury, as well as examined histologically for development of pulmonary disease as a function of dose and time. Biomarkers for pulmonary inflammation included cytokines, mediators and the presence of inflammatory cells (IL-1β, IL-18, IL-33, cathepsin B and neutrophils) and markers of injury (albumin and lactate dehydrogenase). The results show that surface modification by the addition of the -COOH group to the MWCNT, significantly reduced the bioactivity and pathogenicity. The results of this study also suggest that in vivo pathogenicity of t...
Measuring Indoor Mobile Wireless Link Quality

This paper investigates methods for link quality measurement of an indoor, time-varying wireless link. Link quality estimates are used for a number of higher-layer functions, including rate adaptation, routing, and topology control. The objective is to rapidly and efficiently estimate the current reliability of an RF link in terms of its packet success probability in the presence of a time-varying channel. We compare various approaches to estimating the current packet success rate (PSR), including packet counting and several methods employing physical layer signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) measurements. Among the SNR-based estimators, we consider those using a simple moving average, an exponential moving average, and a Yule-Walker predictor of the current SNR. The analysis shows that the SNR-based estimators are more efficient than packet counting methods in terms of the number of measurements needed, are more accurate when link quality variability increases, and are more flexible in terms of predicting the PSR for various bit rates and packet sizes. An important requirement, however, of the SNR-based estimators is a priori knowledge of the SNR-PSR relationship, which is environment- and radio-dependent. An efficient methodology for obtaining this mapping is presented.
Temporal accuracy analysis of phase change convection simulations using the JFNK‐SIMPLE algorithm

The incompressible Navier–Stokes and energy conservation equations with phase change effects are applied to two benchmark problems: (1) non-dimensional freezing with convection; and (2) pure gallium melting. Using a Jacobian-free Newton–Krylov (JFNK) fully implicit solution method preconditioned with the SIMPLE (Numerical Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow. Hemisphere: New York, 1980) algorithm using centred discretization in space and three-level discretization in time converges with second-order accuracy for these problems. In the case of non-dimensional freezing, the temporal accuracy is sensitive to the choice of velocity attenuation parameter. By comparing to solutions with first-order backward Euler discretization in time, it is shown that the second-order accuracy in time is required to resolve the fine-scale convection structure during early gallium melting. Qualitative discrepancies develop over time for both the first-order temporal discretized simulation using the JFNK-SIMPLE algorithm that converges the nonlinearities and a SIMPLE-based algorithm that converges to a more common mass balance condition. The discrepancies in the JFNK-SIMPLE simulations using only first-order rather than second-order accurate temporal discretization for a given time step size appear to be offset in time. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Digital optical tomography system for dynamic breast imaging

Diffuse optical tomography has shown promising results as a tool for breast cancer screening and monitoring response to chemotherapy. Dynamic imaging of the transient response of the breast to an external stimulus, such as pressure or a respiratory maneuver, can provide additional information that can be used to detect tumors. We present a new digital continuous-wave optical tomography system designed to simultaneously image both breasts at fast frame rates and with a large number of sources and detectors. The system uses a master-slave digital signal processor-based detection architecture to achieve a dynamic range of 160 dB and a frame rate of 1.7 Hz with 32 sources, 64 detectors, and 4 wavelengths per breast. Included is a preliminary study of one healthy patient and two breast cancer patients showing the ability to identify an invasive carcinoma based on the hemodynamic response to a breath hold.
Beyond Anti-Muslim Sentiment Opposing the Ground Zero Mosque as a Means to Pursuing a Stronger America

Americans' opposition toward building an Islamic community center at Ground Zero has been attributed solely to a general anti- Muslim sentiment. We hypothesized that some Americans' negative reaction was also due to their motivation to symbolically pursue a positive U.S. group identity, which had suffered from a concurrent economic and political downturn. Indeed, when participants perceived that the United States was suffering from lowered international status, those who identified strongly with the country, as evidenced especially by a high respect or deference for group symbols, reported a stronger opposition to the "Ground Zero mosque" than participants who identified weakly with the country did. Furthermore, participants who identified strongly with the country also showed a greater preference for buildings that were symbolically congruent than for buildings that were symbolically incongruent with the significance of Ground Zero, and they represented Ground Zero with a larger symbolic size. These findings suggest that identifying group members' underlying motivations provides unusual insights for understanding intergroup conflict.
Identifying psychosocial stressors of well-being and factors related to substance use among Latino day laborers.

Day labor is largely comprised of young Latino immigrant men, many of who are undocumented, and thus vulnerable to a myriad of workers’ rights abuses. The difficult work and life conditions of this marginalized population may place them at heightened risk for mental health problems and substance use and abuse. However, factors related to Latino day laborers’ well-being and substance misuse are largely unknown. This article utilizes ethnographic and focus group methodology to elucidate participant identified factors associated to well-being and substance use and abuse. This study has implications for informing public health and social service programming as it provides thick description regarding the context and circumstances associated to increased vulnerability to substance abuse and lack of well-being among this hard-to-reach population of Latino immigrants.
Assessment of spirituality and implications for service planning

Assessing the role that religious or spiritual concerns play in the lives of people with severe mental disorders is crucial if clinicians are to determine whether those concerns can be successfully incorporated into service planning.
Gonococcal invasion of epithelial cells driven by P.IA, a bacterial ion channel with GTP binding properties.

The neisserial porin P.I is a GTP binding protein that forms a voltage-gated channel that translocates into mammalian cell membranes and modulates host cell signaling events. Here, we report that P.I confers invasion of the bacterial pathogen Neisseria gonorrhoeae into Chang epithelial cells and that this event is controlled by GTP, as well as other phosphorus-containing compounds. Bacterial invasion was observed only for strains carrying the P.IA subtype of porin, which is typically associated with the development of disseminated neisserial disease, and did not require opacity outer membrane proteins, previously recognized as gonococcal invasins. Allelic replacement studies showed that bacterial invasiveness cotransferred with the P.IA (por1A) gene. Mutation of the P.I-associated protein Rmp did not alter the invasive properties. Cross-linking of labeled GTP to the porin revealed more efficient GTP binding to the P.IA than P.IB porin subtype. GTP binding was inhibited by an excess of unlabeled GTP, ATP, and GDP, as well as inorganic phosphate, but not by UTP or beta-glycerophosphate, fully in line with the respective invasion-inhibitory activities observed for these compounds. The P.IA-mediated cellular invasion may explain the more invasive behavior of P.IA strains in the natural infection and may broaden the basis for the development of a P.I-based gonococcal vaccine.
The effect of non-stoichiometry in Ag3SBr

Abstract The fast ion conductor Ag 3 SBr is extremely difficult to prepare in stoichiometric proportion. Decomposition of the material at elevated temperatures precludes the creation of single crystals by the Bridgman method. Polycrystalline samples have previously been synthesized using the techniques of solid state reaction, crystallization from the melt, and precipitation from aqueous solution. However, subsequent X-ray diffraction or calorimetric measurements almost invariably suggest the presence of small quantities of unreacted AgBr. We investigate the effect of non-stoichiometry on the electrical properties of Ag 3 SBr. The transition temperature separating the superionic and covalent phases is not influenced by significant departure from stoichiometry. However, the magnitude of ionic conductivity in the superionic phase appears to be quite sensitive to the presence of unreacted AgBr.
Pre-Access Creation Evaluation—Is Vein Mapping Enough?

The changing demographic of the hemodialysis population in the United States is posing significant challenge for selection and creation of an optimal vascular access. An arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is by far the most reliable access provided it matures and functions successfully. System-wide changes implemented by Fistula First Breakthrough Initiative and Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative guidelines have increased the awareness and incidence of AVF in the prevalent dialysis population; however, achieving the current goal of 68% AVF rate continues to remain elusive. The present article reviews the evidence in literature in support of and against using vessel mapping alone as a strategy to improve AVF rate. The current strategy of evaluating the vessels before an access is created seems to be inadequate. A patient-centered approach for an optimal vascular access needs to be considered to improve the AVF rate.
Estimation of tip-sample interaction in tapping mode AFM using a neural-network approach

In Atomic Force Microscopy, the tip-sample interaction force contains information about the sample topology, material properties and tip geometry. However, quantitative measurement of the time-varying tip-sample interaction forcing function is challenging in the tapping mode because of the combined dynamic complexities of the cantilever and nonlinear complexity of the tip-sample force. In this paper, an initial investigation of a neural-network approach to tip-sample interaction force estimation is studied. The tipsample interaction is treated as an unknown position-dependent force on the cantilever. A modified radial basis function neural-network is used in a dynamic observer framework to approximate the unknown forcing function. Design of the observer gains is discussed and simulations are used to demonstrate plausibility of the approach. Accuracy of the force model is evaluated for several different tip-sample distances and materials and future direction are discussed.
Buffered ED Logic Circuits

Logic circuits based on the enhancement-depletion inverter are simple in design and efficient in area and power. However, when the output is loaded with another stage, the maximum output voltage, V OH, limited to a value equal to the Schottky gate diode turn-on voltage, and the minimum output voltage, V OL, is often greater than the threshold voltage of the enhancement transistor of the following stage. As a result, the noise margins are often comparable to the threshold voltage, so if the latter changes, the noise margins could become unacceptably small.
Red Cell Choline and Affective Disease

It is fascinating, from a historical point of view, to trace the progression of the clinical significance which has been attributed throughout the past 50 years to the role of acetylcholine (ACh) in a variety of centrally mediated disease states. The identity and involvement of ACh in neurotransmitter function have been known to investigators for over five decades. Nevertheless, a concrete understanding of the contribution of ACh to various central nervous system mediated disease states has been persistently elusive over this time span, although indirect evidence has accumulated which has implicated that activation of cholinergic mechanisms may generally be responsible for induction of behavioral suppression and reduction in affect (Rowntree et al., 1950; Pfeiffer and Jenney, 1957; Van Andel, 1959; Gershon and Shaw, 1961; Bowers et al., 1964;Collard et al., 1965; Modestin et al., 1973; Tamminga et al., 1976). Only recently, with the development of a number of other neurotransmitter-related hypotheses for psychiatric disease states, has there also been a serious attempt to implicate ACh in certain types of affective and neurologic disorders. Specifically, Janowsky and his coinvestigators, within the past several years, have been instrumental in directly promoting the concept that ACh may, indeed, play an important role in the etiology of affective disorders (Janowsky et al., 1972; 1974; See also Davis and Janowsky, and Janowsky et al., this book).
Spinal Muscular Atrophies

Spinal muscular atrophies (SMAs) are hereditary degenerative disorders of lower motor neurons associated with progressive muscle weakness and atrophy. Proximal 5q SMA is caused by decreased levels of the survival of motor neuron (SMN) protein and is the most common genetic cause of infant mortality. Its inheritance pattern is autosomal recessive, resulting from mutations involving the SMN1 gene on chromosome 5q13. Unlike other autosomal recessive diseases, the SMN gene has a unique structure (an inverted duplication) that presents potential therapeutic targets. Although there is currently no effective treatment of SMA, the field of translational research in this disorder is active and clinical trials are ongoing. Advances in the multidisciplinary supportive care of children with SMA also offer hope for improved life expectancy and quality of life.
The importance of a surface organic layer in simulating permafrost thermal and carbon dynamics

Abstract. Permafrost-affected soils contain twice as much carbon as currently exists in the atmosphere. Studies show that warming of the perennially frozen ground could initiate significant release of the frozen soil carbon into the atmosphere. Initializing the frozen permafrost carbon with the observed soil carbon distribution from the Northern Circumpolar Soil Carbon Database reduces the uncertainty associated with the modeling of the permafrost carbon feedback. To improve permafrost thermal and carbon dynamics we implemented a dynamic surface organic layer with vertical carbon redistribution, and introduced dynamic root growth controlled by active layer thickness, which improved soil carbon exchange between frozen and thawed pools. These changes increased the initial amount of simulated frozen carbon from 313 to 560 Gt C, consistent with observed frozen carbon stocks, and increased the spatial correlation of the simulated and observed distribution of frozen carbon from 0.12 to 0.63.
SRAM design in nano-scale CMOS technologies (Invited)

SRAM scaling has become increasingly challenging in meeting both power and density requirements. Critical circuit technologies along with key process advancement are discussed in enabling SRAM scaling to continue to follow Moore's law well into the future.
Beyond the endoplasmic reticulum: atypical GRP78 in cell viability, signalling and therapeutic targeting

GRP78 (glucose-regulated protein of 78 kDa) is traditionally regarded as a major ER (endoplasmic reticulum) chaperone facilitating protein folding and assembly, protein quality control, Ca 2+ binding and regulating ER stress signalling. It is a potent anti-apoptotic protein and plays a critical role in tumour cell survival, tumour progression and angiogenesis, metastasis and resistance to therapy. Recent evidence shows that GRP78 can also exist outside the ER. The finding that GRP78 is present on the surface of cancer but not normal cells in vivo represents a paradigm shift on how GRP78 controls cell homoeostasis and provides an opportunity for cancer-specific targeting. Cell-surface GRP78 has emerged as an important regulator of tumour cell signalling and viability as it forms complexes with a rapidly expanding repertoire of cell-surface protein partners, regulating proliferation, PI3K (phosphoinositide 3-kinase)/Akt signalling and cell viability. Evidence is also emerging that GRP78 serves as a receptor for viral entry into host cells. Additionally, a novel cytosolic form of GRP78 has been discovered prominently in leukaemia cells. These, coupled with reports of nucleus- and mitochondria-localized forms of GRP78, point to the previously unanticipated role of GRP78 beyond the ER that may be critical for cell viability and therapeutic targeting.
The Dynamic Lot-Size Model with Stochastic Lead Times

Optimal solutions for the dynamic lot-sizing problem with deterministic demands but stochastic lead times are "lumpy." If lead time distributions are arbitrary except that they are independent of order size and do not allow orders to cross in time, then each order in an optimal solution will exactly satisfy a consecutive sequence of demands, a natural extension of the classic results by Wagner and Whitin. If, on the other hand, orders can cross in time, then optimal solutions are still "lumpy" in the sense that each order will satisfy a set, not necessarily consecutive, of the demands. An example shows how this characterization can be used to find a solution to a problem where interdependence of lead times is critical. This characterization of optimal solutions facilitates dynamic programming approaches to this problem.
Metabolic Flux in Yeast Cells with Oscillatory Controlled Glycolysis

In yeast cells with oscillating glycolysis the fluctuations in metabolite concentrations are rather small compared with the total glycolytic flux. Glucose is consumed in a pulsatory manner, indicating highly efficient control at one of the first enzymatic steps. Cycling fluctuations in the apparent equilibriums constant of aldolase demonstrate this step being a retarding one and are indicative of different flow rales in the lower and in the upper part of the glycolytic sequence. Alternating phases of inhibition and activation at phosphofructokinase and glyceraldehydphosphatdehydrogenase, two steps interconnected by the retarding aldolase step and further connected by feedback in the ATP/ADP system, are considered as being the source of the observed oscillations.
A tamper-resistant framework for unambiguous detection of attacks in user space using process monitors

Replication and redundancy techniques rely on the assumption that a majority of components are always safe and voting is used to resolve any ambiguities. This assumption may be unreasonable in the context of attacks and intrusions. An intruder could compromise any number of the available copies of a service resulting in a false sense of security. The kernel based approaches have proven to be quite effective but they cause performance impacts if any code changes are in the critical path. We provide an alternate user space mechanism consisting of process monitors by which such user space daemons can be unambiguously monitored without causing serious performance impacts. A framework that claims to provide such a feature must itself be tamper-resistant to attacks. We theoretically analyze and compare some relevant schemes and show their fallibility. We propose our own framework that is based on some simple principles of graph theory and well-founded concepts in topological fault tolerance, and show that it can not only unambiguously detect any such attacks on the services but is also very hard to subvert. We also present some preliminary results as a proof of concept.
Improving the State of Health Programming by Using Diffusion Theory

Year by year, the gaps between what is known about behavior change and what is actually practiced in social programs grow larger, especially for community-based programs intended to help minority populations, the poor, and those living in inner-city and rural areas. Internationally, such gaps between the state of knowledge and the state of practice lead to disparities in health, education, and development among societal groups, demographic sub-populations, communities, and countries. Data about disparities are used as evidence of inequality. Here, I discuss uses of certain diffusion of innovation theory-based concepts to systematically redress problems of inequality and disparity by reducing the differences between evidence and practice in social programs that are implemented by intermediaries (practitioners) and communicated by them to needy populations. The emphasis here is on the integrated application of knowledge about innovation attributes, opinion leadership, and clustering from diffusion theory to achieve the objective of more extensive and more rapid diffusion of especially effective programs. A set of implementation steps are offered for researchers, funders of international health programs, and the intermediaries who implement health programs.
Incorporation of feed-network modeling into the time-domain finite element analysis of antennas

In this paper, a numerical approach to incorporating a feed-network modeling into the TDFEM analysis of antennas is described. In this approach, a feed network is considered as a multi-port linear passive system, which is connected to the source and the antennas solely through several ports. Based on an appropriate numerical method, a simplified circuit model for this system can be established and analyzed (or optimized) using a circuit simulation method. Based on such analysis, a reduced-order model can be developed, which captures the important characteristics of the original feed network. This reduced-order model, in the form of a pre-calculated reduced-order admittance matrix, is then hybridized with the TDFEM through a feed port and a time convolution to provide excitation to the antennas as well as to receive the reflected fields from the antennas and feed back into the feed network. In this paper, the formulation for this proposed method is given in the following section. Two simple radiation examples are presented to validate this formulation.
Supply Network Dynamics and Delays; Performance, Synchronization, Stability

Recent research results in operations research specifically emphasize the critical role of delays in the functionality of supply networks. Delays arise due to the time needed for material deliveries, information flow and human perception towards adjusting to new decisions. Delays contaminate decision-making and lead to poor performance, synchronization problems and fluctuations in inventory levels resulting in major economical losses. This paper surveys continuous time deterministic mathematical models developed at system-level for supply network dynamics along with standard delay models pertaining to material deliveries, information flows and human perception. Next, the analogy between such delay models arising in supply networks and other real-life applications is pointed out. It is foreseen that complexity of the problem requires multi-disciplinary research bridging operations research, business, systems and control engineering, and mathematics. The paper concludes with an illustrative example and discussions of specific challenges anticipated in future research.
Checkpoint/rollback in a distributed system using coarse-grained dataflow

The Common Spaceborne Multicomputer Operating System (COSMOS) is a spacecraft operating system for distributed memory multiprocessors, designed to meet the on-board computing requirements of long-life interplanetary missions. One of the main features of COSMOS is software-implemented fault-tolerance, including 2-way voting, 3-way voting, and check point/rollback. This paper describes the COSMOS distributed checkpoint/rollback approach, which exploits the fact that a COSMOS application program is based on a coarse-grained dataflow programming paradigm and therefore most of the state of a distributed application program is contained in the data tokens. Furthermore, all computers maintain a consistent view of this dynamic state, which facilitates the implementation of a coordinated checkpoint. >
Intellectual property protection in the countries of Africa

This paper examines the state of intellectual property rights and their protection and exploitation in African countries. Listed are the coverage of intellectual property laws, the subject matter of protection and the scope of rights conferred. It is show that African legislation is generally comparable to that in developed countries with regard to terms of protection, compulsory licensing, subject matter and government and public interest use. A comparison is made between developed countries and African members of GATT in regard to fields excluded from protection. The results of surveys of some individual African countries give the extent of registration of patents and technology transfer to these countries. Finally, the possible impact of new legislation, especially in the context of the TRIPS negotiations of the Uruguay round, is considered.
A novel approach for dielectric constant measurement using microwave oscillators

In this paper, planar microwave oscillators are used to measure the dielectric constant of organic liquids for the first time. Dielectric constant of an unknown material is calculated based on the change in oscillation frequency caused by the material-under-test (MUT). A split-ring resonator (SRR) is chosen as the sensing element due its small area and high confinement of electric fields which makes it sensitive to permittivity changes of the MUT above the SRR. A C-band microwave oscillator prototype is fabricated on RT/Duroid 5880 substrate and calibrated using ethanol and methanol as reference materials. The dielectric constant of small quantities (&#60; 20µL) of acetic acid, xylene, isobutanol and ethyl acetate are extracted from measurement of oscillation frequency shift and show good agreement with previously reported values.
An Islands-of-Fitness Compact Genetic Algorithm Approach to Improving Learning Time in Swarms of Flapping-Wing Micro Air Vehicles

Insect-Scale Flapping-Wing Micro-Air Vehicles (FW-MAVs) may be particularly sensitive to degradation of pose and position control caused by ongoing or pre-existing damage to the airframes. Previous work demonstrated that in-flight recovery of sufficient pose and position control precision via use of an adaptive oscillator component inside traditional SISO controllers. This work will replace previously used oscillator learning algorithms with a hyperplane sampling Evolutionary Algorithm (EA) that employs cross-vehicle islands-of-fitness. It will be demonstrated that this strategy allows swarms of vehicles to cooperatively, and more quickly, find and correct for simulate manufacturing errors that appear in all vehicles – even in the presence of randomized vehicle specific errors that are not common to all vehicles in the swarm. The paper will present specific simulation results demonstrating efficacy of this scheme and discussion of future applications of islands-of-fitness methods in this problem domain.
Impulse Problems and Drug Addiction: Cause and Effect Relationships

The aim of this paper is to explore some of the important interrelationships of drug use/dependency and impulse problems. Over the past fifteen years mental health professionals and citizens alike have been inundated by accounts in the mass media and in the scientific literature that link drug use/dependency with criminality, violence, brutality, and other forms of antisocial behavior. Not infrequently, the characterizations and accounts of such cases blur the links between the drugs and the disturbed behavior, and the consequent suggested or implied relationship between the two is overdrawn, stereotyped, and/or unspecified. This discussion attempts to specify some of the relationships between impulse problems and drugs, placing a particular emphasis on problems with aggression. Drawing upon clinical examples, I will attempt to show how the specific psychopharmacologic actions of the three main classes of drugs upon which individuals become dependent--stimulants, sedatives/hypnotics, and opiates--interact with personality and other emotional factors, and how this interaction may affect behavior.
More on Direct Final Rulemaking: Streamlining, Not Corner-Cutting

'Direct final rulemaking' allows an administrative agency to expedite its issuance of noncontroversial regulations. To use this technique, the agency publishes a rule and invites members of the public to object to it. If no one files a significant adverse comment, the rule can become law without further effort on the agency's part. A recent article by Professor Lars Noah (summarized in issue #15 of this abstracts series) criticizes this technique as unlawful and undesirable. The present paper is a rebuttal to Noah's critique. It suggests that agencies may need to improve their implementation of direct final rulemaking, but they need not abandon the technique itself. Indeed, a properly handled direct final rulemaking can honor all of the values underlying the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). For this reason, the doctrine of substantial compliance supports the legality of the device. Moreover, the "good cause" exemption of the APA provides additional legal support. The paper concludes that, at a time when agencies are under pressure to streamline their operations, due in part to the "ossification" of the rulemaking process, agencies should continue to take advantage of direct final rulemaking.
CIGARETTE-SMOKING AND NONFATAL MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION: RATE RATIO IN RELATION TO AGE, SEX AND PREDISPOSING CONDITIONS

The relationship of cigarette-smoking and nonfatal myocardial infarction (AMI) was evaluated using the case-control approach. Overall, the association was present for smokers of one and two packs per day, the standardized rate-ratio estimates being 1.5 and 1.7, respectively. The association was strongest in those who had a low risk score for AMI and particularly strong for people in the earliest (fifth) decade of age. People with diabetes and/or angina manifested no association between cigarette-smoking and AMI.
Power Law Size-Distributed Heterogeneity Explains Colloid Retention on Soda Lime Glass in the Presence of Energy Barriers

This article concerns reading the nanoscale heterogeneity thought responsible for colloid retention on surfaces in the presence of energy barriers (unfavorable attachment conditions). We back out this heterogeneity on glass surfaces by comparing mechanistic simulations incorporating discrete heterogeneity with colloid deposition experiments performed across a comprehensive set of experimental conditions. Original data is presented for attachment to soda lime glass for three colloid sizes (0.25, 1.1, and 1.95 μm microspheres) under a variety of ionic strengths and fluid velocities in an impinging jet system. A comparison of mechanistic particle trajectory simulations incorporating discrete surface heterogeneity represented by nanoscale zones of positive charge (heterodomains) indicates that a power law size distribution of heterodomains ranging in size from 120 to 60 nm in radius was able to explain the observed retention for all conditions examined. In contrast, uniform and random placement of single-size...
“This Isn’t Just Another Gay Group”: Privileging Heterosexuality in a Mixed-Sexuality LGBTQ Advocacy Group

This paper examines how members of a southeastern LGBTQ advocacy group privileged heterosexuality through group interactions. Based on twelve months of fieldwork, we analyze how LGBTQ members and their heterosexual allies traded power for (heterosexual) patronage by (1) heterosexualizing their group, (2) sanctifying allies, and (3) privileging parenthood. In so doing, all the members, regardless of their intentions, ultimately reproduced societal patterns of sexual inequality within the context of their group. In conclusion, we draw out implications for understanding (1) the ways LGBTQ people and their heterosexual allies negotiate heterosexual privilege, (2) the ways they construct the meaning and status of heterosexual allies, and (3) some ways dominant groups’ affiliation with subordinate groups may inadvertently facilitate processes of inequality reproduction.
Bradykinin as a mediator of human pain.

SummaryIn man, the polypeptides brady-kinin and kallidin, but not eledoisin, produce pain on intraperitoneal injection. None of these substances produces pain when injected subcutaneously or intramuscularly in higher concentrations. Therefore, none of these polypeptides can be considered as a universal mediator of pain.
Numerical Simulations of Cool Flame Propagation Limits and Speeds at Elevated Pressures

The propagation speeds and flammability limits of cool flames are numerically simulated at elevated pressures and with nitrogen dilution for dimethyl ether mixtures. The results showed that there are three different flame regimes, hot flame, double flame, and cool flame. Cool flames exist on both fuel lean and fuel rich sides, and thus dramatically extend the lean and rich flammability limits of hot flames. Pressure and dilution have a significant impact on the flame speed, flammable limit, and structure of cool flames. On the fuel lean side, the cool flame propagation speed decreases significantly with pressure. However, the cool flame speed on the fuel rich side is much less affected by the pressure. At a lower pressure, the transition from hot flame to cool flame is an extinction transition at the hot flame flammability limit. However, at high pressure, due to the increase of fuel reactivity and the decrease of flame speed of cool flames, it is found that there is a direct transition between cool flame and hot flame without an extinction limit. A K-shaped flammability diagram including both cool flames and hot flames is obtained. Moreover, it is also found that the increase nitrogen dilution in oxidizer dramatically narrows the flammable region of hot flame but extends the flammable region of cool flames. The present study demonstrates that cool flame dynamics needs to be appropriately included for modeling high pressure and near limit combustion of gasoline, diesel, and jet fuels in advanced engines.
A Multi-option Curriculum Model

To offset the shortage of laboratory professionals, especially in medical technology, education programs must focus on attracing greater numbers of students to the field. This article describes a multi-option curriculum model developed to facilitate matriculation of nontraditional students into clinical laboratory science programs. This model was designed to attract fulltime and part-time students, which would increase enrollment.