cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Capturing the Cardiac Injury Response of Targeted Cell Populations via Cleared Heart Three-Dimensional Imaging

Cardiovascular disease outranks all other causes of death and is responsible for a staggering 31% of mortalities worldwide. This disease manifests in cardiac injury, primarily in the form of an acute myocardial infarction. With little resilience following injury, the once healthy cardiac tissue will be replaced by fibrous, non-contractile scar tissue and often be a prelude to heart failure. To identify novel treatment options in regenerative medicine, research has focused on vertebrates with innate regenerative capabilities. One such model organism is the neonatal mouse, which responds to cardiac injury with robust myocardial regeneration. In order to induce an injury in the neonatal mouse that is clinically relevant, we have developed a surgery to occlude the left anterior descending artery (LAD), mirroring a myocardial infarction triggered by atherosclerosis in the human heart. When matched with the technology to track changes both within cardiomyocytes and non-myocyte populations, this model provides us with a platform to identify the mechanisms that guide heart regeneration. Gaining insight into changes in cardiac cell populations following injury once relied heavily on methods such as tissue sectioning and histological examination, which are limited to two-dimensional analysis and often damage the tissue in the process. Moreover, these methods lack the ability to trace changes in cell lineages, instead providing merely a snapshot of the injury response. Here, we describe how technologically advanced methods in lineage tracing models, whole organ clearing, and three-dimensional (3D) whole-mount microscopy can be used to elucidate mechanisms of cardiac repair. With our protocol for neonatal mouse myocardial infarction surgery, tissue clearing, and 3D whole organ imaging, the complex pathways that induce cardiomyocyte proliferation can be unraveled, revealing novel therapeutic targets for cardiac regeneration.
Establishment of the material storage and database on parasite germplasm resources in Fujian

Objective To establish the material storage and database on parasite germplasm resources in Fujian.Methods Specimens of parasites and intermediate hosts were collected and classified systematically,described,preserved and database was established in Fujian.Results Totally 61 species of the the material objects and database were collected,meeting the systematical requirements of medical biology studies,of which 9 kinds of nematodes,16 kinds of trematodes,7 kinds of tapeworms,16 kinds of medical mollusks,13 kinds of medical arthropods were sorted out with 3 106 specimens information and 6 212 images established.Conclusion The complete database and permanent preservation of specimens on parasites and intermediate hosts have been established in Fujian. Key words: Parasite; Intermediate host; Germplasm resources; Fujian Province
The Mantle of Agency: Principals’ Use of Teacher Evaluation Policy

Understanding Consequential Assessment Systems for Teachers (UCAST) studied a large urban school district in the United States as it adopted a new teacher evaluation system. This project studied 1,...
Ten Ways to Innovate and Revitalize Industries

This chapter addresses vital questions such as the following: How are industries born? How do they grow, plateau, and get revitalized? How do they get creatively destroyed? Disruptive technologies or business models typically emerge from outside of the industry and revolutionize it. Industries exist in a dynamic balance between monopolistic competition and oligopoly. Industry evolution and inertia are primarily driven by two factors that are often at odds with each other: the need for efficiency and growth. Contrary to conventional wisdom, industries are born due to many reasons besides new technological breakthroughs. Most new industries are born by transformation from manual to automation; outsourcing; reducing friction in commerce and consumption; tapping into unmet needs; converting wants into needs; moving from unbranded to branded products and services; leveraging platforms and infrastructure; government policy; inventing here, marketing there; and finally eureka! Access to capital is the real competitive advantage of entrepreneurs. Shakeouts and mergers occur more due to capital shortage than differentiation and competition. De jure as well as de facto standards are equally important in industry organization. Corporate strategy is becoming more dynamic and volatile. The breakup value is often greater than the original corporation value.
Competing with co-created products

Abstract The practice of upstream firms (suppliers) and downstream firms co-creating products (goods or services) together has a long history in business markets. We analyze the strategic choices of two competing downstream firms who simultaneously decide whether or not to co-create with an upstream supplier. Within this framework we incorporate endogenous pricing and effort choices by the upstream supplier and the downstream firms. Downstream firms contemplating co-creation with a supplier are faced with a trade-off. On the one hand they can benefit from the supplier's innovation efforts and therefore obtain a better product. On the other hand, they are confronted with the adverse effect of their own innovation efforts spilling over to their rivals via the supplier who would sell the co-created product to all firms. Our model captures this tension and offers several insights. First, we show that all the channel members (the supplier and the firms) are getting higher profits when they all co-create together, as compared to the situation where there is no co-creation and the Supplier alone designs the product. However, we also demonstrate that the abovementioned trade-offs provide an incentive for firms to deviate from this outcome, sometimes resulting in no-co-creation between the downstream firms and upstream supplier in equilibrium. Further, we show that in the competitive co-creation environment, ex-ante symmetric firms may pursue asymmetric strategies in equilibrium. The asymmetric equilibrium, in which only one of the two firms co-creates with the supplier, is obtained when the degree of price sensitivity to competitor's product in the consumer market is moderate. Third, we find two types of asymmetric equilibria. For moderately low degrees of price sensitivity, all parties prefer the asymmetric outcome. For moderately high price sensitivity, both firms prefer co-creation, but the supplier will refuse to co-create with one of them thereby enforcing the asymmetric outcome. Thus, a strategic supplier's role is critical in that it expands the region where the asymmetric equilibrium takes place, beyond the one preferred by the firms themselves. We also show that, when firms compete in the end-consumer market, the supplier may exert lower innovation effort when it co-creates with two firms as compared to one. This is not the case in the absence of competition between the downstream firms. Finally, and counterintuitively, a higher degree of product fit for the rival can actually benefit the co-creating firm in the asymmetric outcome, even though it improves its rival's product.
Quantized Fields and Particle Creation in Expanding Universes. I

Spin-0 fields of arbitrary mass and massless fields of arbitrary spin are considered. The equations governing the fields are the covariant generalizations of the special-relativistic free-field equations. The metric, which is not quantized, is that of a universe with an expanding (or contracting) Euclidean 3-space. The spin-0 field of arbitrary mass is quantized in the expanding universe by the canonical procedure. The quantization is consistent with the time development dictated by the equation of motion only when the boson commutation relations are imposed. This consistency requirement provides a new proof of the connection between spin and statistics. We show that the particle number is an adiabatic invariant, but not a strict constant of the motion. We obtain an expression for the average particle density as a function of the time, and show that particle creation occurs in pairs. The canonical creation and annihilation operators corresponding to physical particles during the expansion are specified. Thus, we do not use an $S$-matrix approach. We show that in a universe with flat 3-space containing only massless particles in equilibrium, there will be precisely no creation of massless particles as a result of the expansion, provided the Einstein field equations without the cosmological term are correct. Furthermore, in a dust-filled universe with flat 3-space there will be precisely no creation of massive spin-0 particles in the limit of infinite mass, again provided that the Einstein field equations are correct. Conversely, without assuming any particular equations, such as the Einstein equations, as governing the expansion of the universe, we obtain the familiar Friedmann expansions for the radiation-filled and the dust-filled universes with flat 3-space. We only make a very general and natural hypothesis connecting the particle creation rate with the macroscopic expansion of the universe. In one derivation, we assume that in an expansion of the universe in which a particular type of particle is predominant, the type of expansion approached after a long time will be such as to minimize the average creation rate of that particle. In another derivation, we use the assumption that the reaction of the particle creation back on the gravitational field will modify the expansion in such a way as to reduce, if possible, the creation rate. This connection between the particle creation and the Einstein equations is surprising because the Einstein equations themselves played no part at all in the derivation of the equations governing the particle creation. Finally, on the basis of a so-called infinite-mass approximation, we argue that in the present predominantly dust-filled universe, only massless particles of zero spin might possibly be produced in significant amounts by the present expansion. In this connection, we show that massless particles of arbitrary nonzero spin, such as photons or gravitons, are not created by the expansion, regardless of its form.
Exploring a link between network topology and active learning

In many online networking platforms whether they are online social networks or academic citation networks, community label memberships are applied to the nodes to generalize overlaps based upon common features or associations. The relatively recent methods in graph convolutional neural networks has provided new tools to infer community labels of nodes but they still depend upon a labeled dataset to be provided. Obtaining these labels can be costly and methods to reduce the required number of labels needed can speed up the process and reduce costs. This study explores different strategies for selecting nodes to be used as training data showing which strategies work better or worse and on different percentages of the network's nodes. An unsupervised approach of deciding the best active learning sampling direction (i.e. ascending or descending selection of nodes in terms of importance) procedure is derived by fundamental network properties. The conclusion is supported on both simulated and real data.
Elevated C-Reactive Protein in Alzheimer's Disease without Depression in Older Adults: Findings from the Health and Retirement Study

We examined the association between differential diagnoses of major stroke and probable Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Mixed AD on c-reactive protein (CRP) in older adults with and without depression. Secondary data analyses examined associations between blood-based measures of probable peripheral inflammation using CRP collected from dried blood spots in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a nationally representative sample of individuals aged 50 and older. A validated pattern recognition algorithm was utilized to identify cognitive decline indicative of probable AD, Mixed AD, and major stroke. Negative binomial regressions were utilized to model concentrations of serologic CRP. On average, participants (N=4,601) were 70 years old, female, and non-Hispanic white. Mixed AD participants had 0.26 mg/dL increase in CRP compared to unimpaired participants, controlling for demographics, health behaviors and comorbidities. Those with Mixed AD had 2.14 times increased odds of having high CRP (OR=2.14; [1.19-3.85]). In analyses stratified by depression, adults with Mixed AD and without depression had an additional 0.37 mg/dL increase in CRP (SE=0.06; p<0.001) compared to unimpaired adults. Those with AD without depression had an 0.20 mg/dL increase in CRP (SE=0.07; p<0.01). Age was not associated with increased CRP in non-depressed older adults. Depressed adults with major stroke had a -0.26 mg/dL decrease in CRP (SE=0.11; p=0.02), controlling for hypertension, alcoholic drinks/beverages per week and smoking status. Concentration modeling revealed that participants with major stroke, probable AD and probable mixed AD without depression had significantly higher CRP concentrations when compared to unimpaired older adults.
Evolution of RNA tumor viruses: analogy for nonviral carcinogenesis.

Publisher Summary To understand the evolution of strongly transforming, highly oncogenic retroviruses as an analogy for nonviral carcinogenesis, this chapter presents the study of reticuloendotheliosis virus T (REV-T), a highly oncogenic avian retrovirus with genus-specific relationships to mammalian C-type viruses. REV-T causes a rapid lethal lymphoma in young chickens. In culture, REV-T transforms spleen and bone marrow cells into the permanent lines of immature lymphoid cells. However, less than 0.01% of a bone marrow cell suspension is transformed. REV-T is structurally a recombinant between REV-A and specific sequences in turkey DNA (c-rel). To determine the retrovirus sequences that are needed to allow the formation of infectious virus in the presence of a helper virus, the deletions of spleen necrosis virus is done and the herpes simplex virus type-1 thymidine kinase gene is used as a marker for the formation of infectious virus. It has been found that all internal retrovirus coding sequences can be deleted without affecting the yield of virus. To determine the particular stage at which viral synthesis was blocked, the presence of progeny virions and formation of unintegrated viral DNA in cells infected with medium from transfected cells was studied in the chapter.
Magnetization Dynamics: Thermal-driven Noise in Magnetoresistive Sensors

The development of spin-valve and magnetic tunnel junction read sensors in hard disk drives has enabled tremendous reduction of data track width, leading to the tremendous increase of storage capacity, over the past decade. As the physical dimensions of the read sensors decrease into the deep submicron regime, thermally excited magnetization precession in the sensing magnetic layer becomes nonnegligible with amplitude comparable to that induced by magnetic flux from written data bits in disk media. This article provides a detailed analysis, based on the phenomenological Gilbert damping, of the nature of the thermally excited magnetization precession and the resulting noise temporal and spectral characteristics in the read sensors for hard disk drive applications. Comparison between the analysis and experimental measurements shows a remarkable agreement. Previous research on this subject is also reviewed. Keywords: GMR; mag noise; TMR; MTJ; spin valve; magnetoresistive read heads; hard disk drives; Gilbert damping; Landau–Lifshitz–Gilbert equation; fluctuation–dissipation theorem; ferromagnetic resonance
The effect of decoupling capacitor distance on printed circuit boards using both frequency and time domain analysis

This paper demonstrates the effect of decoupling capacitor distance on the amount of EMI noise created at an IC's power pin. As the distance is increased, the amplitude of the noise is increased if the capacitor has been attached to the printed circuit board (PCB) with a low inductance connection. This effect is most apparent when the dielectric thickness of the PCB is greater. Furthermore, this paper demonstrates the need to do this type of analysis in the time domain and not the frequency domain
Cumulus Cloud Synthesis with Similarity Solution and Particle/Voxel Modeling

A realistic yet simple 3D cloud synthesis method is examined in this work. Our synthesis framework consists of two main components. First, by introducing a similarity approach for physics-based cumulus cloud simulation to reduce the computational complexity, we introduce a particle system for cloud modeling. Second, we adopt a voxel-based scheme to model the water phase transition effect and the cloud fractal structure. It is demonstrated by computer simulation that the proposed synthesis algorithm generates realistic 3D cumulus clouds with high computational efficiency and enables flexible cloud shape control and incorporation of the wind effect ...
Rapid E-Learning Simulation Training and User Response

A new trend in e-learning development is to have subject matter experts use rapid development tools to create training simulations. This type of training is called rapid e-learning simulation training. Though companies are using rapid development tools to create training quickly and cost effectively, there is little empirical research to indicate whether training created in this manner meets the needs of learners. The purpose of this study was to compare user responses to rapid e-learning simulation training to user responses receiving instructor-led training. The target population for this study was employees of a medium size private company in North America. Employees were divided into two groups and either received instructor-led training (comparison group) or received rapid e-learning simulation training (experimental group). The instrument used to measure user response was an adaptation of the technology acceptance model. Three variables were measured: training satisfaction, perceived ease of use, and perceived usefulness. Though no statistical significance was found between the two groups for training satisfaction and perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use was found to be statistically significant. Overall results fail to demonstrate the superiority of rapid e-learning simulation training over instructor-led training; however, this study indicates that rapid e-learning simulation training may be a viable substitute for classroom instruction based on user response.
Infrared reflectance spectroscopy on thin films: Interference effects

Laboratory simulations of processes on astronomical surfaces that use infrared reflectance spectroscopy of thin films to analyze their composition and structure often ignore important optical interference effects which often lead to erroneous measurements of absorption band strengths and give an apparent dependence of this quantity on film thickness, index of refraction and wavelength. We demonstrate these interference effects experimentally and show that the optical depths of several absorption bands of thin water ice films on a gold mirror are not proportional to film thickness. We describe the method to calculate accurately band strengths from measured absorbance spectra using the Fresnel equations for two different experimental cases, and propose a way to remove interference effects by performing measurements with P-polarized light incident at Brewster's angle.
Determination of U-O bond distance in uranyl complexes from their infrared spectra*

Abstract From the U-O bond force constant and U-O bond distance in K 3 UO 2 F 5 the constant, d UO , has been calculated to use with Badger's rule. It is shown that this relation ( r UO = 1·08 F UO −1/3 + 1·17) gives good agreement when applied to NaUO 2 (Ac) 3 . R is in angstroms and F in mulidynes per angstrom. The other known cases (UO 2 CO 3 and MgUO 2 O 2 ) are in agreement, but the limits of error involved are too great to allow further confirmation of the relation. It is shown that the observation of the two vibrational frequencies, ν 3 and ν 1 + ν 3 , of the uranyl group, should serve as a very sensitive measure of the U-O bond distance.
THE ATTRACTION PARADIGM REVISITED Responses to Dissimilar Others

A laboratory study investigated the effects of three kinds of information on response to dissimilar others. A2 × 2 × 2 design with two levels of “expectation of evaluation” (expressed like or dislike), two levels of “message openness” (open or closed), and two levels of “attribution of intent” (expressed desire to share or change attitudes) was employed to test hypotheses related to impression formed, defensiveness of response, and attraction toward a dissimilar other. Results from a multivariate analysis showed that response to dissimilarity differed significantly with variation in expectation of evaluation and message openness, but that responses did not vary in relation to attribution of intent. Results support uncertainty reduction theory, and it is suggested that some of the rewards normally associated with similarity can also be associated with dissimilar others, thus making for a more positive response to dissimilarity.
Brain regional distribution of physostigmine and its relation to cerebral blood flow following intravenous administration in rats.

3H-labeled physostigmine (50 micrograms.kg-1) was administered intravenously to rats, and its concentration in brain tissue and spinal cord was assessed by quantitative autoradiography. Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was measured with iodo-14C-antipyrine autoradiography in control rats and in animals injected i.v. with a dose of physostigmine similar to that used for the distribution studies. Tissue concentration of 3H-physostigmine was correlated with rCBF for 37 brain regions. A high degree of correlation was found at 0.5 min after drug injection, r (correlation coefficient) = 0.87. This association decreased at later times (5 min r = 0.73, 12 min r = 0.24). Structures with high cholinesterase activity (caudate-putamen, amygdala, hippocampus) showed greater retention of physostigmine over time. The highest initial physostigmine concentrations were found in regions lacking a blood-brain barrier (pineal bland, median eminence, choroid plexus) (range = 10.4-23.8 nCi/mg) and the lowest in white matter (corpus callosum, internal capsule, hippocampus commisure, spinal cord dorsal column) (range = 1.2-2.6 nCi/mg). Initial concentrations of the drug in the areas in which physostigmine induced vasodilatation (motor, sensory, temporal and occipital cortex, claustrum, and superior collicullus) were not different from concentrations in areas of comparable basal rCBF in which no such effect was observed. Variations in drug access to brain regions, then, do not explain the topographical variations of the cerebrovascular action of physostigmine.
Exergy and Economic Analysis of Catalytic Coal Gasifiers Coupled With Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) has undertaken a review of coal gasification technologies that integrate with solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) to achieve system efficiencies near 60% while capturing and sequestering >90% of the carbon dioxide [1–2]. One way to achieve an overall system efficiency of greater than 60% is in a power plant in which a catalytic coal gasifier produces a syngas with a methane composition of roughly 25% on a dry volume basis and this is sent to a SOFC, with CO2 capture occurring either before or after the SOFC. Integration of a catalytic gasifier with a SOFC, as opposed to a conventional entrained flow gasifier, is improved due to (a) decreased exergy destruction inside a catalytic, steam-coal gasifier producing a high-methane content syngas, and (b) decreased exergy destruction in the SOFC due to the ability to operate at lower air stoichiometric flow ratios. For example, thermal management of the SOFC is greatly improved due to the steam-methane reforming in the anode of the fuel cell. This paper has two main goals. First, we converted the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) estimates of various research groups into an average internal rate of return on investment (IRR) in order to make comparisons between their results, and to underscore the increased rate of return on investment for advanced integrated gasification fuel cell systems with carbon capture & sequestration (IGFC-CCS) compared with conventional integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC-CCS) systems and pulverized coal combustion (PCC-CCS) systems. Using capital, labor, and fuel costs from previous researchers and using an average price of baseload electricity generation of $61.50 / MW-hr, we calculated inflation-adjusted IRR values of up to 13%/yr for catalytic gasification with pressurized fuel cell and carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS), whereas we calculate an IRR of ∼4%/yr and ∼2%/yr for new, conventional IGCC-CCS and PCC-CCS, respectively. If the carbon dioxide is used for enhanced oil recovery rather than for saline aquifer storage, then the IRR values improve to 16%/yr, 10%/yr, and 8%/yr, respectively. For comparison, the IRR of a new conventional IGCC or PCC power plant without CO2 capture are estimated to be 11%/yr and 15.0%/yr, respectively. Second, we conducted an exergy analysis of two different configurations in which syngas from a catalytic gasifier fuels a SOFC. In the first case, the CO2 is captured before the SOFC, and the anode tail gas is sent back to the catalytic gasifier. In the second case, the anode tail gas is oxy-combusted using oxygen ion ceramic membranes and then CO2 is captured for sequestration. In both cases, we find that the system efficiency is greater than 60%. These values compare well with previous system analysis [1–4]. In future work, we plan to calculate the IRR of these two cases and compare with previous economic analyses conducted at NETL [1–2].Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Distributed memory code generation for mixed Irregular/Regular computations

Many applications feature a mix of irregular and regular computational structures. For example, codes using adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) typically use a collection of regular blocks, where the number of blocks and the relationship between blocks is irregular. The computational structure in such applications generally involves regular (affine) loop computations within some number of innermost loops, while outer loops exhibit irregularity due to data-dependent control flow and indirect array access patterns. Prior approaches to distributed memory parallelization do not handle such computations effectively. They either target loop nests that are completely affine using polyhedral frameworks, or treat all loops as irregular. Consequently, the generated distributed memory code contains artifacts that disrupt the regular nature of previously affine innermost loops of the computation. This hampers subsequent optimizations to improve on-node performance. We propose a code generation framework that can effectively transform such applications for execution on distributed memory systems. Our approach generates distributed memory code which preserves program properties that enable subsequent polyhederal optimizations. Simultaneously, it addresses a major memory bottleneck of prior techniques that limits the scalability of the generated code. The effectiveness of the proposed framework is demonstrated on computations that are mixed regular/irregular, completely regular, and completely irregular.
Algorithms for two bottleneck optimization problems

A bottleneck optimization problem on a graph with edge costs is the problem of finding a subgraph of a certain kind that minimizes the maximum edge cost in the subgraph. The bottleneck objective contrasts with the more common objective of minimizing the sum of edge costs. We propose fast algorithms for two bottleneck optimization problems. For the problem of finding a bottleneck spanning tree in a directed graph of n vertices and m edges, we propose an O(min{n log n + m, m log∗ n})-timer algorithm. For the bottleneck maximum cardinality matching problem, we propose an O((n log n)12m)-time algorithm.
Elements of system design optimization in service quality management

Services Quality is an area of opportunity for IT service providers to innovate and deliver outstanding results to their customers. The objective is to minimize the variance of key quality indicators and deliver predictable capabilities. In this paper we adopt the Lean Sigma methodology from the manufacturing domain as a quality control framework and propose an optimized system model for managing predictability and reducing cost in the IT incident management process. The model establishes guidelines for receiving, classifying and distributing work in a service delivery organization. It defines metrics, controls and management objectives. Using simulation, we conduct an extensive numerical study to show how the model behaves under different operational scenarios that reflect a diverse skill base, the presence of service level objectives, and incoming work with varying levels of complexity. In addition, we provide managerial insight into what drives performance and illustrate the trade-offs between different service delivery designs.
The optimization of 750kV anti-ice-flashing composite insulator string

Composite insulators have been widely used for its excellent flashover endurance capability, but the umbrella of standard composite insulators are easily been bridged in icing condition. Flashover problems caused by icing insulator have a serious threat to the safe operation of transmission lines,. It is the key technologies for the safe operation of power system which should be solved as soon as possible. The influence of two types of composite insulator umbrella structure (common type and anti-ice type) on iced AC flashover voltage characteristics in the same structure length, as well as same artificial pollution and artificial icing test conditions, but also the method of artificial iced flashover test on composite insulator were introduced. Iced flashover test results showed that the ice bridge formation could be prevented or extended if the umbrella structure design of anti-ice-type composite insulators was more reasonable. For the 750kV composite insulator under the same conditions of artificial pollution test (SDD/NSDD=0.08/0.48mg/cm2) and artificial icing test (when icing water converted to 20 °C, the conductivity is 100μS/cm and the iced thickness from 15mm), it is shown that AC iced flashover voltage of Anti-ice type increased 12%∼28% than common type. Upon the existent theoretical and experimental results and based on a great of laboratory investigations carried out in environment laboratory of China UHV AC test base, for the first time this paper studies systematically the insulators shed optimization which will contribute to the designation for Ultra-UHV anti-icing composite insulators.
Regioselective lipase-catalyzed acylation of 41-desmethoxy-rapamycin without vinyl esters

Selective lipase-catalyzed acylation of 41-desmethoxyrapamycin has been achieved with a quaternary carboxylic acid avoiding the use of vinyl ester activation. Among the acyl donors investigated, the novel butanedione-monooxime and the N-acetylhydroxamate ester proved to be the most efficient donors, comparable in reactivity to the undesired vinyl ester and allowing selective, preparative acylation on gram scale in excellent yields. These new donors are proposed as sustainable and process-friendly alternatives to the widely used vinyl ester substrate activation in lipase-catalyzed acylations of secondary alcohols.
Effects of a Thermistor String Mounted between the Acoustic Beams of an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler

Abstract A useful extension of upward-looking buoy-mounted acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs), in particular for studying surface-mixed-layer dynamics from underneath, would be to combine them with a thermistor cable for obtaining simultaneous current and temperature profiles. Measurements with an ADCP, operating at 150 kHz and sampling at 2.2 m vertical bin lengths, were carried out from a barge moored in Lake San Vincente, California, over a water depth of 45 m, to investigate the effects of a thermistor string running along the axis of the instrument between the acoustic beams and held by a small auxiliary float. The biasing effect of the thermistor string itself was only of order 1%. Doppler biasing of the horizontal currents by two different kinds of Coats (one a cylindrical hard foam float with low acoustical reflectivity, the other a hollow sphere) was investigated. The floats were suspended at 15 and 30 m. For floats at 30 m, evidence was not conclusive because of apparent interference by ...
Do Motoneurons Encode the Noncommutativity of Ocular Rotations

As we look around, the orientation of our eyes depends on the order of the rotations that are carried out, a mathematical feature of rotatory motions known as noncommutativity. Theorists and experimentalists continue to debate how biological systems deal with this property when generating kinematically appropriate movements. Some believe that this is always done by neural commands to a simplified eye plant. Others have postulated that noncommutativity is implemented solely by the mechanical properties of the eyeball. Here we directly examined what the brain tells the muscles, by recording motoneuron activities as monkeys made eye movements. We found that vertical recti and superior/inferior oblique motoneurons, which drive sensory-generated torsional eye movements, do not modulate their firing rates according to the noncommutative-driven torsion during pursuit. We conclude that part of the solution for kinematically appropriate eye movements is found in the mechanical properties of the eyeball, although neural computations remain necessary and become increasingly important during head movements.
Diffractive optics technology for space-based sensors

Diffractive Optics Technology for Space-Based SensorsDean Faklis, Michael J. Hoppe, Daniel H. Raguin and 0. Michael MorrisRochester Photonics Corporation, 330 Clay Road, Rochester, New York 14623ABSTRACTDiffractive (or binary) optics offers unique capabilities for the development of high-performance, low-weight opticalsystems for space-based sensors. The basic operating principles of diffractive optical elements along with fabricationmethods suitable for production of diffractive elements for space-based applications are described. Several potentialapplications where diffractive optics may serve as a key technology for improving the performance and reducing theweight and cost of sensors for the Geostationary Earth Observatory will be discussed. These applications include theuse of diffractive/refractive hybrid lenses for the Lightning Mapper Sensor, diffractive telescopes for narrowbandimaging and subwavelength structured surfaces for antireflection and polarization control.I. INTRODUCTION
Effects of added alkali hydroxides in mix water on long-term SO42− concentrations in pore solution

Abstract In ASR (alkali silica reaction) studies it has become common to pre-dissolve NaOH or KOH in the mix water to simulate the effects of high alkali content cements. It has been found that such treatment does not result in the expected augmentation of the OH− ion concentrations, and much or all of the dissolved alkali hydroxide is immediately converted to alkali sulfate by reaction with gypsum. Much of the dissolved sulfate so produced remains in the pore solution under long-term exposure at 38°C, the common temperature employed in ASR studies. The concentration of SO42− ions produced at a given alkali hydroxide dosage varies with the specific hydroxide added, increasing in the order LiOH to NaOH to KOH. If ASR reaction is occuring, the SO42− ion concentration diminishes progressively with time. This effect was not due to progressive incorporation of sulfate in the ASR reaction product, as had been suspected. It may be due to secondary ettringite precipitation in ASR-induced cracks.
Fairness and Participation in Evaluation Procedures: Effects on Task Attitudes and Performance

A laboratory study was conducted to examine the role of two components of participatory work evaluation procedures on fairness attitudes and work performance. “Opportunity for influential opinion expression” and “knowledge of evaluation criteria” were manipulated in a business simulation exercise. Thirty-eight male and 49 female undergraduates worked under a task evaluation procedure that either did or did not allow them to express their opinions to the evaluator. In addition, subjects either were or were not provided with specific information about the criteria to be used in making the performance evaluation, and they received either a favorable or an unfavorable outcome. Questionnaire responses indicated that influential opinion expression enhanced perceptions of procedural and distributive fairness independently of the outcome of the evaluation. Both knowledge of evaluation criteria and perceptions of evaluation fairness correlated with subsequent task performance. The implications of these findings are discussed with respect to understanding the influence of procedural justice on attitudes and task behavior in organizational settings.
Dislocation mobility in copper and zinc at 44°K

The torsion technique for dislocation mobility studies in close-packed metallic crystals developed by Pope, et al. (1) was first extended to low temperatures by Gorman, et al. (2). With this method, dislocation displacements are observed by x-ray diffraction on a crystal surface which was previously bonded directly to the torsion machine. Therefore a bonding agent must be utilized which is sufficiently strong to transmit the torsional stress pulse but pliable enough to prevent damage to the very soft test crystal. Various mixtures of organic solvents were found to have suitable properties when cooled to their glass-transition temperatures, and with these bonding agents mobility experiments were extended down to 66°K (2, 3, 4, 5). The torsion tests were carried out in an apparatus in which the test crystal could be cooled to any temperature down to the freezing point of nitrogen.
Mechanical Behavior of Lightweight Ceramics Based on Sintered Hollow Spheres

A simple micromechanical model, describing the Young's modulus, fracture toughness, and density of a lightweight ceramic structure produced by the sintering of hollow spheres and based on shell theory, was developed. The approach combined an analysis of the elastic deformation using shell theory and a simple analysis of the densification in terms of the micro-structural parameters. The results were compared with experimental data for materials produced by the sintering of hollow glass spheres and gave reasonable to good agreement, especially in the prediction of the nonlinear variation of Young's modulus and fracture toughness with density. The model should provide a useful basis for rationalizing the relation between mechanical properties and fabrication procedure for such materials.
Reduced creatine kinase release with statin use at the time of myocardial infarction

Abstract Background: Statin pre-treatment has been shown to reduce myocardial infarct size in animal models. We evaluated peak creatine kinase levels in humans based on concomitant or very early statin initiation following myocardial infarction. Methods: We identified 66 consecutive patients who received a statin within 24 h of admission to our coronary care unit for myocardial infarction. Each statin patient was matched with three patients who had not received statin therapy ( n =198). Statin patients were subgrouped into those receiving statin therapy at the time of infarction ( n =44) and those initiated on statin therapy within 24 h of infarction ( n =22). Peak total creatine kinase concentrations were compared between groups. A linear regression model was developed to test for differences in peak creatine kinase after adjusting for differences between groups. Results: Patients receiving statin therapy within 24 h of admission had significantly smaller median peak creatine kinase concentrations compared to those not receiving a statin (416 IU/l [258, 992] vs. 699 IU/l [339, 1728]; p =0.020). Subgroup analysis revealed that the lower peak creatine kinase concentrations within the statin group were a result of lower creatine kinase concentrations in those patients on a statin at the time of myocardial infarction (399 IU/l [255, 869] vs. 678 IU/l [276, 1870]; p Conclusion: Statin therapy at the time of myocardial infarction is associated with lower peak creatine kinase concentrations. This suggests that statins may exhibit protective effects in the setting of myocardial ischemia and/or infarction in humans.
Novel Selectivity in Carbohydrate Reactions Ii. Selective 6-O-Glycosylation of a Partially Protected Lactoside

Abstract A novel regioselectivity was observed in the silver salt promoted glycosylation of 2-(trimethylsilyl)ethyl 3′-O-benzyl-β-D-lactoside using acetobromogalactose as the glycosyl donor. The resulting trisaccharide, obtained in 67% yield, was shown to have the newly formed β-glycosidic linkage at the O-6 position of the lactoside. This was confirmed by synthesis of the authentic product by an alternate route. The novel regioselectivity observed is attributed to the presence of the axially disposed 4′-OH group in the lactoside acceptor. 1. Dedicated to the memory of Professor Akira Hasegawa. 2. Presented at the VIIIth Carbohydrate Conference of the Association of Carbohydrate Chemists and Technologists India, Trivandrum, India, November, 1992. For Part I, see K.P.R. Kartha, M. Kiso, A. Hasegawa and H.J. Jennings, J.Chem.Soc. Perkin Trans. 1, 3023 (1995). 3. Present address: School of Chemistry, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, Fife KY16 9ST, U.K.
On the relation between diffusion coefficients and grain boundary energy

Abstract The relation between self-diffusion coefficients and grain boundary energy proposed by Borisov et al. (1964) has been examined for various metals. Satisfactory agreement was obtained between observed and calculated values.
Selective attention in visual recognition with pictorial and verbal alternatives

Recognition accuracy for tachistoscopically presented pictures of common objects was tested for independent groups of subjects who performed under factorial combinations of pictorial or verbal, similar or dissimilar alternatives, which were presented either before and after or only after test pictures. For both verbal and pictorial alternatives, recognition was less with similar than with dissimilar alternatives, the difference being greatest in the only-after condition, and performance with dissimilar alternatives was relatively unaffected by the time at which alternatives were presented. Although the pattern of results was similar, recognition was generally poorer with verbal than with pictorial alternatives. Results are interpreted in terms of pictorial recoding of verbal information, such that for both pictorial and verbal alternatives a set of critical features may be identified which distinguish among the alternatives, and which guide selective perceptual processing of a following pictorial target.
Novel adjuvant therapy for heat-assisted capsular shift procedures

Heat-Assisted Capsular Shift (HACS) procedures are currently applied to treat shoulder (glenohumeral) instability. The therapy aims at thermally denaturing the collagenous framework, thus shrinking the surrounding soft tissues of the lax glenohumeral joint. The desired outcome of the therapy is restoring the kinematic stability of the joint without degrading its mechanical stability. Reports describing the outcome of HACS procedures reveal considerable variations, most likely due to utilization of different heat deposition modalities and the diversity of the thermal treatment protocols applied. The uncertainty of the outcome is also amplified by the post-heating recovery from shrinkage and the heat-induced degradation of mechanical stability. This study introduces a novel method designed to minimize the adverse effects of current therapies. A mechanical property enhancement technique in the form of an adjuvant chemical treatment is presented. In-vitro experiments performed on rabbit patellar tendons using a new arthroscopic fluid with thermal treatment indicate therapeutic improvement compared to therapies based on heating alone. A decrease in the strain recovery as large as 50% and an increase in stiffness as much as 100% have been produced in collagenous tissues without compromising strength. In summary, this work presents the initial results of an effort aimed at increasing the safety and reliability of currently applied HACS procedures by optimal manipulation of novel thermo-chemical treatments.
Modeling power system load using adaptive neural fuzzy logic and Artificial Neural Networks

The modern power system consists of an integrated, complex, dynamic system. This dynamic system and its power system operation and control needs to be analyzed with numerical simulation. Among many components in the power system operation, load model is one of the least known models. The commonly used models include the ZIP load model and exponential load model. Load parameter representation for dynamic performance can be complicated and non-linear. The dynamic characteristics of power system loads are used for obtaining power system controls, operations and stability limits. Different approaches can be made to determine models for power system loads. In this paper, the authors used adaptive-neural network-based fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) to model power system loads.
Nitrosative stress-induced Parkinsonian Lewy-like aggregates prevented through polyphenolic phytochemical analog intervention

Nitrosative stress has recently been demonstrated as a causal in a select sporadic variant of Parkinson’s (PD) and Alzheimer’s (AD) diseases. Specifically, elevated levels of NO disrupt the redox activity of protein-disulfide isomerase, a key endoplasmic reticulum-resident chaperone by S-nitroso modification of its redox-active cysteines. This leads to accumulation of misfolded AD- and PD-specific protein debris. We have recently demonstrated in vitro that polyphenolic phytochemicals, curcumin and masoprocol, can rescue S-nitroso-PDI formation by scavenging NOx. In this study, using dopaminergic SHSY-5Y cells, we have monitored the aggregation of green-fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged synphilin-1 (a known constituent of PD Lewy neurites) as a function of rotenone-induced nitrosative stress. Importantly, we demonstrate a marked decrease in synphilin-1 aggregation when the cell line is previously incubated with 3,5-bis(2-flurobenzylidene) piperidin-4-one (EF-24), a curcumin analogue, prior to rotenone insult. Furthermore, our data also reveal that rotenone attenuates PDI expression in the same cell line, a phenomenon that can be mitigated through EF-24 intervention. Together, these results suggest that EF-24 can exert neuroprotective effects by ameliorating nitrosative stress-linked damage to PDI and the associated onset of PD and AD. Essentially, EF-24 can serve as a scaffold for the design and development of PD and AD specific prophylactics.
Ibn Khaldun: A dialectical philosopher for the 21st century∗

Abstract After situating Ibn Khaldun in his historical context, I critically examine his views on topics relevant to contemporary discussions of identity. He was a dialectical thinker for whom spirit was a material force, a staunch advocate of justice (which indicated to him the need for a strong state), and a partisan in the struggle to ennoble the human species. I seek to illuminate his contributions to the forging of an understanding that is both spiritual and material. While universalizing themes of importance in his cultural tradition, I pay particular attention to the role of the individual and the place of the group. Ibn Khaldun's attention to group identity is one reason why his understanding of human beings is vital to a creative synthesis of tradition and (post)modernity.