cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Existence of solutions for nonlinear singular boundary value problems

Existence of solutions to the two-point boundary value problem (p(t)y')' = q(t)f(t, y,p(t)y'), y(l) = 0, limt→0+ p(t)y'(t) = 0 is established under a variety of conditions. Here p(0) = 0 is allowed, and q is not assumed to be continuous at 0, so the problem may be doubly singular. In addition, the Dirichlet problem for this differential equation is investigated
Ion Channel Engineering: Perspectives and Strategies

Ion channels facilitate the passive movement of ions down an electrochemical gradient and across lipid bilayers in cells. This phenomenon is essential for life and underlies many critical homeostatic processes in cells. Ion channels are diverse and differ with respect to how they open and close (gating) and to their ionic conductance/selectivity (permeation). Fundamental understanding of ion channel structure-function mechanisms, their physiological roles, how their dysfunction leads to disease, their utility as biosensors, and development of novel molecules to modulate their activity are important and active research frontiers. In this review, we focus on ion channel engineering approaches that have been applied to investigate these aspects of ion channel function, with a major emphasis on voltage-gated ion channels.
All work or all play? Consumption, leisure, and ethics under globalization in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

In Zoya Akhtar's movie Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011), three friends embark on a road trip that is in fact a journey toward globalization. While the trip is meant to partly cure Arjun, a stock trader, of his workaholism and is ostensibly a critique of India's adoption of Western corporate culture and consumerism, Akhtar's slick framing of Europe glamorizes a late-capitalist ideology by catering to a scopophilia of Westernized leisure that that ideology makes possible. She promotes images of travel and the pleasures associated with the Mediterranean (including carnivalesque festivals and uninhibited Western women). Immersing themselves in this romanticized Europe, the men set aside the ethical demands of their individual histories. The movie serves to highlight a new value system in Hindi cinema, a shift away from traditional norms to ones that align fluidly with the signs of a consumerist utopia in a multinationalized world.
First, Do No Harm: Ideas for Mitigating Negative Community Impacts of Short-Term Study Abroad

This article presents the results from a research project on the host community impact of college students participating in university-sponsored international experiences. It finds that little reliable data is available on the impact that our students have on host communities. The article concludes that nondamaging international experiences require a substantial amount of planning, experienced group facilitation, and solid debriefing of students and community members. We recommend that geographers with a critical perspective and extensive foreign expertise should help guide the development of these experiences and urge their universities to screen study abroad for unintended negative outcomes on local communities.
The communication industry in economic integration: The case of West Germany

Abstract National economies can be viewed as networks of interdependent relations among the firms, industries and sectors that make up the total economic system. Within this economic system. The communication industry plays a central role by providing message and media products and services, i.e. the linking and coordinating infrastructure. Some limited research has been conducted on the nature and importance of the communication industry in the total economic network of a nation. The study reported here, however, represents the first application of currently existing network analysis techniques to this problem on a large-scale basis. The data used for this study represent the interorganizational relationships among 365 West German firms, with a 1970-based stock value of $333,000 or more. Interorganizational linkages are a function of (1) direction of ownership, and (2) magnitude of ownership (percentage of stock owned weighted by the value of the owned firm). The data analysis reveals that there are a number of dominating industrial groups, including a communication industry. The inter-firm relationships of the communication industry have been mapped and measured. The analysis demonstrates that there is relatively little dominance in and widespread integration with other major economic clusters of the economy. These findings are considered as being preliminary since only publically reported data were available, i.e. privately controlled firms are not included in the analysis. A number of measures for connectedness and integrativeness are presented that suggest themselves in addition to the technique of network analysis per se as potential alternative measures. Media scholars as well as economists may want to utilize network analysis as a method to study various forms of economic concentration and ownership in national industries.
SULFUR AND METHYL BALANCES IN A MAN WITH HEPATIC METHIONINE ADENOSYLTRANSFERASE (MAT) DEFICIENCY

SULFUR AND METHYL BALANCES IN A MAN WITH HEPATIC METHIONINE ADENOSYLTRANSFERASE (MAT) DEFICIENCY
Respiratory infections in patients with cystic fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis remains one of the most frequent and serious genetic disorders in children. Great strides have been made in understanding the defects in cystic fibrosis. In addition, aggressive treatment has led to improved survival so that many individuals with cystic fibrosis now live into adulthood. However, respiratory infections in children with cystic fibrosis continue to be the leading cause of hospitalization, morbidity, and mortality. This article reviews the risk factors for acquiring respiratory pathogens in children with cystic fibrosis, the types of organisms that cause infection, and treatment options.
Quantitative visualization of entrapped phase dissolution within a horizontal flowing fracture

An experiment was conducted to demonstrate the utility of quantitative fracture flow visualization techniques in the study of entrapped fluid phase (air) dissolution into a flowing phase (water) within a horizontal, transparent, analog rough-walled fracture. The fracture aperture field and phase occupancy were measured using light transmission techniques and then combined to calculate bulk water-phase saturation within the fracture as a function of time. Fracture relative permeability as a function of water-phase saturation showed a smooth power law behavior during dissolution. Periodic step pulses of clear water within the dyed water inflow yielded dye concentration fields that demonstrate channeling induced by the entrapped air phase. Clusters of the entrapped air-phase exhibited three types of dissolution behavior: general shrinkage, interfacial recession along cluster appendages, and cluster splitting. Locations for the advance of the wetting phase (water) into a nonwetting entrapped air cluster on its dissolution are not always correlated with either zones of high mass transfer rate (as inferred from gradients in the pulsed dye concentration fields) or with narrow apertures where the wetting phase has been thought to most easily invade. These results suggest that within an individual cluster of the entrapped phase, fluid pressure is at equilibrium and that the path of cluster shrinkage may be controlled primarily by capillary forces resulting from the full three-dimensional curvature that minimizes surface energy of the phase interface.
A Potential Role of Progestin-Induced Laminin-5/α6-Integrin Signaling in the Formation of Side Branches in the Mammary Gland

Mammary organoids from adult mice produce tubules, analogous to mammary ducts in vivo, in response to hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) when cultured in collagen gels. The combination of HGF plus progestin (R5020) causes reduced tubule number and length. We hypothesized that the inhibitory effect on tubulogenesis was due to progestin-mediated alteration of HGF/c-Met signaling. Using molecular inhibitors and short hairpin RNA, it was determined that HGF activation of Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate (Rac1) was required for the formation of cytoplasmic extensions, the first step of tubulogenesis, and that Rac1 activity was Src kinase (Src) and focal adhesion kinase (FAK) dependent. The highly novel finding was that R5020 reduced tubulogenesis by up-regulating and increasing extracellular laminin and α6-integrin ligation to reduce activation of the Src, focal adhesion kinase, and Rac1 pathway. Receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand, another progesterone-induced paracrine factor, did not replicate this effect of R5020. The inhibitory effect of R5020 on tubulogenesis was likely mediated through progesterone receptor (PR) isoform A (PRA), because PRA is the predominant PR isoform expressed in the organoids, and the progestin-induced effect was prevented by the PR antagonist RU486. These results provide a plausible mechanism that explains progestin/PRA-mediated blunting of HGF-induced tubulogenesis in vitro and is proposed to be relevant to progesterone/PRA-induced side-branching in vivo during pregnancy.
Chain scission of butyl rubber by nitrogen dioxide in absence and presence of air

The chain scission reaction suffered by butyl rubber due to NO2 (0.01-1 mm Hg) has been studied in the presence and absence of air. It has also been studied as a function of temperature (25–65°C) at constant NO2 pressure, again in absence and presence of 1 atm of air. Reaction mechanisms which are in good agreement with the experimental results have been formulated. The synergistic action of O2 and NO2 has been pointed out.
Optimization of integrated alkaline–extrusion pretreatment of barley straw for sugar production by enzymatic hydrolysis

Abstract In this work, an integrated one-step alkaline–extrusion process was tested as pretreatment for sugar production from barley straw (BS) biomass. The influence of extrusion temperature ( T ) and the ratio NaOH/BS dry matter (w/w) ( R ) into the extruder on pretreatment effectiveness was investigated in a twin-screw extruder at bench scale. A 2 3 factorial design of experiments was used to analyze the effect of process conditions [ T : 50–100 °C; R : 2.5–7.5% (w/w)] on composition and enzymatic digestibility of pretreated substrate (extrudate). The optimum conditions for a maximum glucan to glucose conversion were determined to be R = 6% and T = 68 °C. At these conditions, glucan yield reached close to 90% of theoretical, while xylan conversion was 71% of theoretical. These values are 5 and 9 times higher than that of the untreated material, which supports the great potential of this one-step combined pre-treatment technology for sugar production from lignocellulosic substrates. The absence of sugar degradation products is a relevant advantage over other traditional methods for a biomass to ethanol production process since inhibitory effect of such product on sugar fermentation would be prevented.
Dynamic FtsA and FtsZ localization and outer membrane alterations during polar growth and cell division in Agrobacterium tumefaciens

Growth and cell division in rod-shaped bacteria have been primarily studied in species that grow predominantly by peptidoglycan (PG) synthesis along the length of the cell. Rhizobiales species, however, predominantly grow by PG synthesis at a single pole. Here we characterize the dynamic localization of several Agrobacterium tumefaciens components during the cell cycle. First, the lipophilic dye FM 4-64 predominantly stains the outer membranes of old poles versus growing poles. In cells about to divide, however, both poles are equally labeled with FM 4-64, but the constriction site is not. Second, the cell-division protein FtsA alternates from unipolar foci in the shortest cells to unipolar and midcell localization in cells of intermediate length, to strictly midcell localization in the longest cells undergoing septation. Third, the cell division protein FtsZ localizes in a cell-cycle pattern similar to, but more complex than, FtsA. Finally, because PG synthesis is spatially and temporally regulated during the cell cycle, we treated cells with sublethal concentrations of carbenicillin (Cb) to assess the role of penicillin-binding proteins in growth and cell division. Cb-treated cells formed midcell circumferential bulges, suggesting that interrupted PG synthesis destabilizes the septum. Midcell bulges contained bands or foci of FtsA-GFP and FtsZ-GFP and no FM 4-64 label, as in untreated cells. There were no abnormal morphologies at the growth poles in Cb-treated cells, suggesting unipolar growth uses Cb-insensitive PG synthesis enzymes.
A Note on the Convexity of C↦h(detC)

Recently, Lehmich et al. (Math. Mech. Solids 19, 369–375, 2014) obtained necessary and sufficient conditions for the function C↦h(detC) to be convex on strictly positive-definite, symmetric n×n matrices C. In this note an alternate proof of their result is provided.
Getting Beyond the Plateau: Bridging the Gap Between Rehabilitation and Community-Based Exercise

Rehabilitation specialists have a unique opportunity to serve as the drivers of change in promoting the use of exercise facilities by people with newly acquired disabilities. Identifying programs that are effective and sustainable for extending recovery in a community-based exercise facility after rehabilitation may reduce the risk of secondary health complications and optimize health and function. This article describes an approach for closing the gap between inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation and the use of community-based exercise facilities by people with disabilities. Extending recovery from rehabilitation to community-based exercise requires a transitional setting (eg, hospital-based fitness facilities and specialized fitness centers and programs for people with disabilities) that provides greater support and supervision in teaching individuals with disabilities (and, when necessary, their caregivers) how to exercise safely and effectively and access the programs, equipment, and services available in these facilities. With the shortened amount of rehabilitation time that many patients are given after acquiring a disability or being treated for a new health condition, community-based exercise facilities and the fitness professionals who are employed in them must become part of the rehabilitation continuum and obtain additional training to better serve the needs of people with newly acquired disabilities who are leaving rehabilitation.
The master's voice: Television censorship and the O.R.T.F.☆

Abstract During the first decade of its postwar existence, French television suffered only minimal control by the governments of the Fourth Republic, which focused their surveillance primarily on radio. The Algerian crisis provoked greater censorship. De Gaulle was the first to recognize the potential of television as a tool to attain his political objectives for the newly created Fifth Republic. He exploited it for every major issue facing his presidency. Under his presidency the R.T.F. became the O.R.T.F. and was officially acknowledged as a government monopoly. During the 1960s, strict measures of control and secret censorship were established. The events of May 1968 eventually resulted in the end of De Gaulle's presidency and the liberalization of French television from draconian surveillance. The respite was brief, however. By the spring of 1972 criticism of the O.R.T.F. was beginning to come from all quarters. With the death of Pompidou in 1974 the O.R.T.F. was dismantled.
Stability of a novel cationic bleach activator in aqueous solution

The hydrolytic stability of a novel cationic bleach activator, N-[4-(triethylammoniomethyl)benzoyl]capro-lactam chloride, in aqueous solution has been investigated. After treatment with a bleach system, the whiteness of cotton fabric was measured. Assessment of the available oxygen was used to assess the stability of the bleach activator in solution with respect to time, using a method which minimised the effect of hydrogen peroxide on total available oxygen. Whereas the N-[4-(triethylammoniomethyl)benz-oyl]caprolactam chloride in solid form was found to be stable, in aqueous solution it was relatively easily hydrolysed. The effect of pH on its stability in solution was assessed. A good correlation was found between change in available oxygen on storage and bleaching performance.
Initial results from the repaired solar maximum mission and future prospects

Goals of the recently repaired Solar Maximum Mission Observatory are outlined, including continued emphasis on diagnosing impulsive phase of flares, studies of prominence and coronal plasmas, solar cycle variations of flares, the corona and solar irradiance, and comets. Some preliminary observations taken after the repair are shown, particularly of the X13 flare of April 1984.
Regulation of myocardial βARK1 expression in catecholamine-induced cardiac hypertrophy in transgenic mice overexpressing α1B-adrenergic receptors

AbstractOBJECTIVESUsing a transgenic mouse model of myocardial-targeted overexpression of the wild-type α1Badrenergic receptor (AR) (Tgα43), we studied the role of the βAR kinase (βARK1) in the evo...
Mumps of the heart. Clinical and pathologic features.

The clinical and pathologic findings of a patient who died from diffuse myocardial disease 8 months after an attack of mumps is presented. His illness was complicated by myocarditis, meningoencephalitis, pancreatitis, and orchitis. A study of past reports discloses that electrocardiographic evidence of myocardial involvement in mumps is common, that clinical evidence of myocardial involvement is unusual, and that death from myocardial involvement is extremely rare.
Enhancement of axial resolution in fluorescence microscopy by standing-wave excitation

THE use of fluorescence microscopy for investigating the three-dimensional structure of cells and tissue is of growing importance in cell biology, biophysics and biomedicine. Three-dimensional data are obtained by recording a series of images of the specimen as it is stepped through the focal plane of the microscope1–3. Whether by direct imaging or by confocal scanning4,5, diffraction effects and noise generally limit axial resolution to about 0.5 μm. Here we describe a fluorescence microscope in which axial resolution is increased to better than 0.05 μm by using the principle of standing-wave excitation of fluorescence. Standing waves formed by interference in laser illumination create an excitation field with closely spaced nodes and antinodes, allowing optical sectioning of the specimen at very high resolution. We use this technique to obtain images of actin fibres and filaments in fixed cells, actin single filaments in vitro and myosin II in a living cell.
Development and evaluation of a placebo for studies of operant behavioral intervention

Abstract The role of credible placebo conditions in operant intervention research is reviewed. Three studies are presented which were designed to help develop such a placebo condition and then to evaluate its credibility. The results of the studies underscore the necessity for evaluating a placebo condition before employing it in the actual intervention study. Data are offered suggesting that a credible placebo for behavioral treatment of hyperactive children can be developed for use in teacher consultation studies. The data also suggest, however, that credibility ratings are influenced by the manner in which the evaluations are undertaken. The nature of the concept of credibility is also briefly discussed.
Distributed Diffusion-Based Mesh Algorithm for Distributed Mesh Construction in Wireless Ad Hoc and Sensor Networks

Reliable mesh communications in dense wireless ad hoc networks require the creation of both self organizing mesh structures and mesh routing protocols to accomplish efficient and reliable communications with the added infrastructure redundancy. To date, much of the research in the area has focused on communication protocol design. The investigations often are based on a mesh network structure already fully formed and some times fixed to the underlying physical node topology. Therefore, there is a need for a platform to build mesh networks with structural flexibility and to provide management functions to network- and application-level protocols. In this paper, we propose the distributed diffusion-based mesh (DDM) algorithm for distributed mesh construction that instructs distributed nodes on how to make the desired connections with their neighbors. We accomplish this by introducing the concept of connection rule, which defines allowed connections at each mesh node, combined with a token signal that initiates and controls the structure and boundaries of the resulting mesh. We argue that slight changes in mesh network structure greatly affect network performance and show how the combined use of rule and token signal offers control over the resulting mesh structure. This methodology can be used for cross-layer optimization to achieve a network topology suitable for different network applications. As compared with existing protocols, our algorithm also provides a large reduction in communication overhead.
Propulsion System for Research VTOL Transports

In anticipation of an eventual VTOL requirement for civil aviation, NASA has been conducting studies directed toward determining and developing the technology required for a commercial VTOL transport. The commercial transport configurations of such a VTOL transport are briefly reviewed, the propulsion system specifications and components developed by the engine study contractor are presented and described, and methods for using the lift-propulsion system for aircraft attitude control are discussed.
Plane strain elastic-ideally plastic crack fields for mode I quasistatic growth at large-scale yielding—II. Global analytical solutions for finite geometries

Abstract T his paper continues the effort begun in drugan and chen [J. Mech. Phys. Solids 37, 1 (1989)] (Part I) to extend the theoretical foundations for understanding and quantitatively describing stable plane strain tensile crack growth to large-scale yielding and general yielding situations in ductile materials. We first confirm the veracity and physical appropriateness of Part I's infinite series (in distance, r, from the crack tip) global representation of the growing crack stress field in extensions of “centered fan” plastic regions in isotropic, incompressible elastic-ideally plastic Prandtl-Reuss-Mises material. This is accomplished both by showing that this series almost always possesses a physically significant radius of convergence, and by calculating higher-order (in r) material velocity and plastic dissipation corrections. We then propound a method for employing this stress field representation to construct approximate global analytical solutions for crack growth in finite geometries at general yielding. The method is illustrated for the specific, practically important geometry of a crack approaching a straight, perpendicular surface; the applied loads considered are all combinations of bending and tension on the uncracked ligament, and all levels of uniform normal stress on the perpendicular surface, that together produce symmetric near-tip crack opening and general yielding of the ligament. An important product of these solutions is approximate analytical relations between Part I's near-tip characterizing parameter m and the applied loading. These display interesting features: in situations where the applied bending dominates, m is shown (at least approximately) to be independent of the applied moment/tension ratio ; whereas when the applied tension dominates, m does depend on this ratio. (The manner in which m varies with applied loading and geometry has a significant effect on crack growth criteria, as will be shown in Part III.) Our global solutions also provide specific analytical estimates of the radius of validity of the leading-order (in r) asymptotic solutions for differing far-field conditions ; one particular, striking result is that this radius is exceedingly small for a purely tensile uncracked ligament at general yielding, but is enormously increased by application of a small bending moment. Comparisons between our approximate global analytical solutions and full-field numerical finite element solutions verify the analytical results and demonstrate their remarkable accuracy.
Timing of mid-Tertiary volcanism in the Sierra Madre Occidental between Durango City and Mazatlan, Mexico

The relatively flat-lying rocks of the upper volcanic supergroup exposed between Durango City and Mazatlan in western Mexico consist of two distinct sequences. Near Durango about 800 m of ignimbrites and associated lavas and tuffs were emplaced between 32.1 and 28.3 m.y. ago (23 K-Ar dates). About 100 to 200 km to the west, at least 1,000 m of ignimbrites, lavas, and tuffs were emplaced 23.3 ± 0.3 m.y. ago, as indicated by 8 K-Ar dates. The two calc-alkalic sequences have significant but slight chemical and mineralogic differences, the older and eastern one being more alkalic. In the Durango vicinity, distinctive alkali basalts were erupted during normal faulting about 12 m.y. ago. Tholeiitic basalt of Quaternary age is also widespread there. Neither the normal faulting nor the basalts are prominent to the west, except near the Gulf of California. The upper volcanic supergroup commonly rests upon an older volcanic-intrusive complex approximately 100 to 45 m.y. old. Between 45 and 32 m.y. ago little or no magmatism occurred in the Sierra Madre Occidental, but major rift-related alkalic volcanic rocks were erupted then in Trans-Pecos Texas. Voluminous rhyolitic activity occurred between 32 and 23 m.y. ago in western Mexico. Intense volcanism began in southern Baja California 20 m.y. ago. The shifting position, nature, and amount of volcanism may correspond to changes in lithospheric plate motions in the east Pacific region, and 45 m.y., 32 m.y., and 23 m.y. ago appear to be key times of plate-boundary reorganization.
An object-oriented simulation architecture with real-time capabilities

Simulation that approximates real-time system response has previously been used to train operators in the use of system controllers. These simulations typically use architectures that are highly specific and tightly coupled to the system hardware. A formalized generic real-time simulation architecture is presented to decouple the simulation and provide a mechanism for implementation and rapid reconfiguration. This architecture distributes the state variables in the system by coupling them with manufacturing process equipment, specifically for the continuous process industries such as chemical, food and pharmaceutical. This design provides a mechanism for rapidly interchanging manufacturing equipment and simulation model components for discrete and continuous simulation, that facilitates operator training.
A Demographic and Psychographic Profile of Heavy Internet Users and Users by Type of Internet Usage

ABSTRACT With the penetration rate of the web approaching 70 percent, profiles of general web usage are less important. Web marketers must begin to focus on the profile of heavy web users and users by type of web usage. This article develops a demographic and lifestyle profile of heavy web users (those using the web for 20 hours a week or more) based on a survey of over 5,000 respondents. It also identifies six key web usage categories—Web Generalists, Downloaders, Self-Improvers, Entertainment Seekers, Stock Traders, and Socializers—and develops a profile of each. This may be the first study providing a detailed demographic and lifestyle description of both heavy users and web usage types. The profiles should be useful to web marketers for selecting media and setting the tone of their marketing effort in targeting these groups.
Calcium and cardiac arrhythmias: DADs, EADs, and alternans.

Rapid progress has been made in understanding the molecular mechanisms by which calcium ions mediate certain cardiac arrhythmias. Principal advances include imaging of cytosolic calcium in isolated cells and in intact tissues, use of fluorescent indicators and monophasic action potentials to record membrane potentials in isolated tissue, and sequencing of the genes that encode critical ion channel proteins. In this review, five types of arrhythmias are discussed where calcium ion currents, or currents controlled by calcium, appear to be responsible for arrythmogenesis. These include: (1) the delayed afterpotential that occurs in conditions of intracellular calcium overload such as digitalis toxicity; (2) the early afterdepolarization that occurs when action potential duration is prolonged; (3) the slowly conducted calcium-dependent action potential (the slow response) in the SA and AV nodes; (4) the phenomenon of calcium transient alternans during ischemia, which is related to action potential duration alternans and t-wave alternans; (5) catecholamine-induced cardiac arrhythmias in families with mutations of the sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium-release channel. For each type of arrhythmia, the clinical implications of emerging knowledge are discussed. An especially important issue is whether ventricular fibrillation during acute coronary artery occlusion is due to calcium transient alternans. Ventricular fibrillation due to acute ischemia is an important subset of the 400,000 sudden cardiac deaths that occur annually in the U.S. Certain drugs, including beta blockers, fish oils, verapamil, and diltiazem, seem to specifically prevent ventricular fibrillation in this setting, and in most cases an effect of the drug on cytosolic calicum appears to be involved.
Recent developments in ternary nitride chemistry

Recent developments in the synthesis, structures, and properties of ionic/covalent ternary nitrides are reviewed. A description, including synthetic conditions, is given of preparative methods reported in the literature. Solid state synthetic reactions from binary nitrides as well as novel synthetic approaches such as amide synthesis and ammonolysis of ternary oxides are described. Examples of common structure types as well as electronic and magnetic properties are discussed.
Apolipoprotein synthesis in newborn piglet intestinal explants.

To determine the effects of hormones and epidermal growth factor (EGF) on the small intestinal synthesis of apolipoproteins B-48, A-I, and A-IV in the neonatal mammal, apolipoprotein synthesis by proximal jejunal explants from 2-d-old female piglets was studied in tissue culture. Initial comparison studies with various media showed optimal total protein and apo A-I synthesis with Williams' medium E without fetal bovine serum. Sets of explants were prepared containing EGF and various hormones in the medium. After 35S-methionine radiolabeling, explants were homogenized, and specific apolipoprotein synthesis was quantitated by immunoprecipitation as the percentage of total protein synthesis. Apo B-48 synthesis was not affected by any additives except the combination of EGF and hydrocortisone, which slightly decreased synthesis. Apo A-I synthesis was significantly increased by EGF. This EGF-induced increase in apo A-I synthesis was blunted by concomitant treatment with hydrocortisone. In contrast, the combination of insulin and hydrocortisone induced a significant increase in apo A-I synthesis. Although EGF and insulin modestly increased apo A-IV synthesis, the combination of insulin and hydro- cortisone treatment up-regulated apo A-IV synthesis by 2.6-fold. Thyroid hormone lacked effect on synthesis of any of the apolipoproteins. EGF, glucocorticoids, and insulin may play regulatory roles in the developmental expression of apolipoprotein synthesis in the neonatal small intestine.
Maximizing throughput on a dragonfly network

Interconnection networks are a critical resource for large supercomputers. The dragonfly topology, which provides a low network diameter and large bisection bandwidth, is being explored as a promising option for building multi-Petaflop/s and Exaflop/s systems. Unlike the extensively studied torus networks, the best choices of message routing and job placement strategies for the dragonfly topology are not well understood. This paper aims at analyzing the behavior of a machine built using a dragonfly network for various routing strategies, job placement policies, and application communication patterns. Our study is based on a novel model that predicts traffic on individual links for direct, indirect, and adaptive routing strategies. We analyze results for individual communication patterns and some common parallel job workloads. The predictions presented in this paper are for a 100+ Petaflop/s prototype machine with 92,160 high-radix routers and 8.8 million cores.
The contribution of RCK domains to human BK channel allosteric activation

Large conductance voltage- and Ca2+-activated K+ (BK) channels are potent regulators of cellular processes including neuronal firing, synaptic transmission, cochlear hair cell tuning, insulin release, and smooth muscle tone. Their unique activation pathway relies on structurally distinct regulatory domains including one transmembrane voltage-sensing domain (VSD) and two intracellular high affinity Ca2+-sensing sites per subunit (located in the RCK1 and RCK2 domains). Four pairs of RCK1 and RCK2 domains form a Ca2+-sensing apparatus known as the “gating ring.” The allosteric interplay between voltage- and Ca2+-sensing apparati is a fundamental mechanism of BK channel function. Using voltage-clamp fluorometry and UV photolysis of intracellular caged Ca2+, we optically resolved VSD activation prompted by Ca2+ binding to the gating ring. The sudden increase of intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) induced a hyperpolarizing shift in the voltage dependence of both channel opening and VSD activation, reported by a fluorophore labeling position 202, located in the upper side of the S4 transmembrane segment. The neutralization of the Ca2+ sensor located in the RCK2 domain abolished the effect of [Ca2+]i increase on the VSD rearrangements. On the other hand, the mutation of RCK1 residues involved in Ca2+ sensing did not prevent the effect of Ca2+ release on the VSD, revealing a functionally distinct interaction between RCK1 and RCK2 and the VSD. A statistical-mechanical model quantifies the complex thermodynamics interplay between Ca2+ association in two distinct sites, voltage sensor activation, and BK channel opening.
Noncritically Phase-Matched Ktp And KnbO 3 For Tunable Lasers At Room Temperature

ABSTRACT In this paper, we report the first systematical analyses of the room temperature noncritical phase match­ ing (NPM) curves for biaxial crystals of KTP and KNbO3. The advantages and potential applications using these NPM conditions are explored, with an emphasis on tunable lasers in diode-pumped systems. 1. INTRODUCTION Nonlinear crystals operated at the noncritical phase-matching(NPM) conditions, particularly at room tem­ perature, are always desirable for high-efficiency frequency conversions. Crystals at the NPM provide sev­ eral advantages over that of the critically-phase-matched: (1) maximum effective nonlinear coefficient (deff) in most of the crystals, except for crystals such as beta-barium-borate(BBO) with deff = d22cos0 = 0, for 6 = 90 degrees; (2) maximum angular, spectral and temperature bandwidths; and (3) minimum Poynting vector walk-off, where the first-order dispersion of k-vector vanishes and only the second-order dispersion contri­ butes to the phase mismatching.KTP crystals operated at the critical-phase-matching(CPM) conditions have been widely used for fre­ quency doubling of Nd:YAG(1064 nm) laser, were the NPM usually cannot be temperature-tuned due to the rather small temperature-gradient of the refractive indexes. High temperature NPM operations have been identified in several crystals usch as MgO-doped lithium niobate and potassium niobate in doubling Nd:YAG lasers and diode lasers.[l,2] Angle-tuned CPM in KTP crystal for tunable IR lasers was recently reported.[3-6] In this paper, we report the room temperature NPM using KTP and KNbO3 for various fre­ quency conversions including second harmonic generation(SHG), sum-frequency-mixing(SFM) and differ- ence-frequency-mixing(DFM). These high-efficiency NPMs operated at room temperature promise the potential applications for the generature of coherent sources ranging from visible to mid-IR, particularly in the diode-laser-pumped systems. The tuning ranges at various polarization configurations will be analyzed and specific examples in diode-pumped systems will be explored.
High-Speed Signal Reconstruction with Orthogonal Matching Pursuit via Matrix Inversion Bypass

Compressive sensing (CS) is an emerging research area that has great significance to the design of resource-constrained cyber physical systems. Signal reconstruction in CS remains a challenge due to its high computational complexity, which limits the practical application of CS. In this paper, we propose an algorithmic transformation referred to as Matrix Inversion Bypass (MIB) to reduce the computational complexity of the Orthogonal Matching Pursuit(OMP) based CS reconstruction. The proposed algorithm naturally leads to a parallel architecture for high-speed dedicated hardware implementations. Furthermore, by applying the proposed MIB, the energy consumption of CS reconstruction can be reduced as well. This is vital to many cyber-physical systems that are powered by batteries or renewable energy sources. Simulation results demonstrate the advantages of the proposed technique over the conventional OMP algorithm.
Development of Microorganisms and Fluorescence of Poultry Chilled in Water Containing Iron or Magnesium

SUMMARY Studies were conducted to determine the effects of iron, magnesium, and 8-hydroxyquino-line (oxine) in chill waters on growth of microorganisms and production of fluorescence in broth cultured from poultry chilled in the waters. When chicken was chilled for 16–20 hr in solutions containing 0, 10, or 20 ppm iron, fluorescence development was inversely proportional to iron concentration. Bacterial populations were greater on packaged poultry stored for 1 week at 5°C when no iron was added to chill solutions than when 10 or 20 ppm iron was included. Trials with pure cultures of pseudomonads in asparagine broth containing 0, 50, 100, and 200 ppm magnesium indicated that the greatest amount of pigment was formed with 100 ppm of the metal. Oxine added to chill water had the following effects: 1) produced greater amounts of pyoverdine than were formed when oxine was not present; and 2) inhibited bacterial growth.
A two-sided market mechanism for trading big data computing commodities

The big data trend is generating compute-intensive and data-intensive applications requiring unique services that are different from conventional computing services. Therefore, there is a need to fundamentally address such requirements by developing market mechanisms for managing, trading, and pricing big data computing services. The cloud computing platforms have a great potential to meet the economic requirements of market mechanisms for big data applications due to their technological advances, cost benefit ratios, and easy to use services. We design a two-sided mechanism for trading computing resources for big data applications. Our proposed mechanism is universally strategy-proof, providing incentives for both cloud providers and users to voluntarily reveal their true private information. We perform extensive experiments to evaluate our proposed mechanism.
A stochastic after hyperpolarization model of repetitive activity in vestibular afferents

A stochastic version of Kernell's (1968, 1972) model with cumulative afterhyperpolarization (AHP) was simulated. A characteristic of the model is that the AHP is the result of an increased potassium conductance (g K) that is time-dependent but not voltage-dependent. Quantal synaptic inputs are assumed to be the only source of interspike interval variability. The model reproduces many features of the steady-state discharge of peripheral vestibular afferents, provided that firing rates are higher than 40 spikes/s. Among the results accounted for are the interspike interval statistics occurring during natural stimulation, their alteration by externally applied galvanic currents and the increase in the interspike interval following an interposed shock. Empirical studies show that some vestibular afferents have a regular spacing of action potentials, others an irregular spacing (Goldberg and Fernandez 1971b; Fernandez and Goldberg 1976). Irregularly discharging afferents have a higher sensitivity to externally applied galvanic currents than do regular afferents (Goldberg et al. 1984). To explain the relation between galvanic sensitivity and discharge regularity requires the assumption that neurons differ in both their synaptic noise (sigma v) and the slopes of their postspike voltage trajectories (d mu v/dt). The more irregular the neuron's discharge at a given firing frequency, the greater is sigma v and the smaller is d mu v/dt. Of the two factors, d mu v/dt is estimated to be four times more influential in determining discharge regularity across the afferent population. The shortcomings of the model are considered, as are possible remedies. Our conclusions are compared to previous discussions of mechanisms responsible for differences in the discharge regularity of vestibular afferents.
Direct Pattern-Based Simulation of Non-stationary Geostatistical Models

Non-stationary models often capture better spatial variation of real world spatial phenomena than stationary ones. However, the construction of such models can be tedious as it requires modeling both statistical trend and stationary stochastic component. Non-stationary models are an important issue in the recent development of multiple-point geostatistical models. This new modeling paradigm, with its reliance on the training image as the source for spatial statistics or patterns, has had considerable practical appeal. However, the role and construction of the training image in the non-stationary case remains a problematic issue from both a modeling and practical point of view. In this paper, we provide an easy to use, computationally efficient methodology for creating non-stationary multiple-point geostatistical models, for both discrete and continuous variables, based on a distance-based modeling and simulation of patterns. In that regard, the paper builds on pattern-based modeling previously published by the authors, whereby a geostatistical realization is created by laying down patterns as puzzle pieces on the simulation grid, such that the simulated patterns are consistent (in terms of a similarity definition) with any previously simulated ones. In this paper we add the spatial coordinate to the pattern similarity calculation, thereby only borrowing patterns locally from the training image instead of globally. The latter would entail a stationary assumption. Two ways of adding the geographical coordinate are presented, (1) based on a functional that decreases gradually away from the location where the pattern is simulated and (2) based on an automatic segmentation of the training image into stationary regions. Using ample two-dimensional and three-dimensional case studies we study the behavior in terms of spatial and ensemble uncertainty of the generated realizations.
Attitude Measurement and the Gun Control Paradox

The discrepancy between public support for gun registration as measured in national surveys and legislative inaction on the same issue leads to questions about the adequacy of traditional poll measures of public opinion. Hypotheses about three kinds of shortcomings are tested: (1) gun registration sentiment tends to vary appreciably with question wording, and therefore is less crystallized than survey data suggest: (2) anti-gun registration opinions are held with greater intensity than are pro-gun registration opinions, and therefore have different consequences for political action: (3) opposition to gun registration is located particularly among those with greater political knowledge and influence, and thus has a disproportionate impact on legislators. Although there is some evidence in support of the first two hypotheses, it does not appear sufficient to explain the discrepancy. However, the study produces a valuable finding about the use of intensity measures in attitude surveys, particularly the importance of designing and measures of maximum sensitivity to nonlinear relations. Language: en
Structure and conformation of polyriboadenylic acid

The Raman spectra of 1.5% polyriboadenylic acid in 0.2 M malonic acid at 15°C and pH 7.2, 5.7 and 5.2 are reported and discussed. Four regions of the spectrum reveal particular aspects of the structure and/or the conformational character of the double-stranded helix, poly(rA+).
New insights into Mott-scattering electron polarimetry

In order to understand some of the systematic effects associated with conventional Mott-scattering electron polarization measurements, we analyzed asymmetry data obtained with 94-keV polarized electrons scattered at 120\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} from gold-foil targets ranging in thickness from 27 to 62 \ensuremath{\mu}g/${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$. Based upon an examination of the influence of multiple and plural scattering, we conclude that the precision of such Mott measurements is fundamentally limited by an experimental uncertainty of greater than \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}2.5% and an absolute uncertainty of approximately \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}5%, considerably worse than is customarily assumed. We believe that similar conclusions can be drawn for measurements made with ``compact'' cylindrical and spherical Mott polarimeters.
The performance impact of flexibility in the Stanford FLASH multiprocessor

A flexible communication mechanism is a desirable feature in multiprocessors because it allows support for multiple communication protocols, expands performance monitoring capabilities, and leads to a simpler design and debug process. In the Stanford FLASH multiprocessor, flexibility is obtained by requiring all transactions in a node to pass through a programmable node controller, called MAGIC. In this paper, we evaluate the performance costs of flexibility by comparing the performance of FLASH to that of an idealized hardwired machine on representative parallel applications and a multiprogramming workload. To measure the performance of FLASH, we use a detailed simulator of the FLASH and MAGIC designs, together with the code sequences that implement the cache-coherence protocol. We find that for a range of optimized parallel applications the performance differences between the idealized machine and FLASH are small. For these programs, either the miss rates are small or the latency of the programmable protocol can be hidden behind the memory access time. For applications that incur a large number of remote misses or exhibit substantial hot-spotting, performance is poor for both machines, though the increased remote access latencies or the occupancy of MAGIC lead to lower performance for the flexible design. In most cases, however, FLASH is only 2%–12% slower than the idealized machine.
Complications of nail surgery: a review of the literature.

Background. The realm of nail unit surgery encompasses the dermatologist as well as the hand surgeon. Nail surgery complications may include allergy to anesthetic, infection, hematoma, nail deformity, and persistent pain and swelling. Objective. To review the pertinent literature regarding nail unit surgery complications. Methods. A Medline literature search was performed for relevant publications. Results. Nail unit surgery complications appear to be relatively infrequent. The majority of postoperative nail deformity complications result from nail matrix damage. Conclusion. Complications may be reduced to a minimum by preventive measures, such as careful patient selection, sterile technique, and gentle treatment of the nail matrix.