cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Intermediate-coupling calculations for the dielectronic recombination of B-like ions.

We have calculated \ensuremath{\Delta}n=0 dielectronic recombination cross sections and rate coefficients for the B-like ions ${\mathrm{C}}^{+}$, ${\mathrm{N}}^{2+}$, ${\mathrm{O}}^{3+}$, and ${\mathrm{F}}^{4+}$ in the LS-coupling and intermediate-coupling approximations, using the program autostructure, as well as in a partitioned configuration-average approximation (PCA). There is broad agreement between the zero-field PCA results and the LS-coupling and intermediate-coupling results, which differ by no more than 10%. The experimental cross sections obtained by Dittner et al. lie between the zero-field and the maximum-field-enhanced PCA results, the enhancement being a factor of 3. In the case of the rate coefficients the general formula of Burgess was found to overestimate the zero-field results by a factor of between 1.3 and 1.8, mainly due to the neglect of autoionization into excited states.
Violent Crime in Asperger Syndrome: The Role of Psychiatric Comorbidity

Although several studies have suggested an association between violent crime and Asperger syndrome (AS), few have examined the underlying reasons. The aim of this review is to determine to what extent psychiatric factors contribute to offending behavior in this population. Online databases were used to identify relevant articles which were then cross-referenced with keyword searches for “violence,” “crime,” “murder,” “assault,” “rape,” and “sex offenses.” Most of the 17 publications which met the inclusion criteria were single case reports. Of the 37 cases described in these publications, 11 cases (29.7%) cases had a definite psychiatric disorder and 20 cases (54%) had a probable psychiatric disorder at the time of committing the crime. These findings underscore the role of psychiatric disorders in the occurrence of violent crime in persons with Asperger syndrome and highlight the need for their early diagnosis and treatment.
Composition of Soil Testate Amoebae Communities: Their Structure and Modifications in the Temperate Rain Forests of New Zealand and Tasmania

A study of the temperate rain forests of New Zealand and Tasmania showed that their soil testate amoebae communities are composed of five groups of taxa: (1) seven taxa characteristic of wet acidic soils and Sphagnum peatlands (i.e., Amphitemidae, Apodera, Alcodera, Certesella, Cyphoderia, Placocista); (2) a group of 16 species of predatory Nebelids and Heleopera spp., characteristic of Sphagnum and rainforests; (3) a group of 17 species of litter and soil Euglypha, excluding the smallest ones; (4) a diverse population of other morphotypes common in other biomes; and (5) a population of small euryoecious taxa - Cryptodifflugia and Pseudodifflugia spp., Euglypha rotunda, E. laevis, Corythion and Trinema spp. This fifth group, with other r-selected protists (e.g., colpodid ciliates) appears in all habitats. Soil testate communities of other rainforests are composed of the same five groups and are distinguished by the first three assemblages. The fourth and fifth groups, often supplemented with a few Euglypha species, comprise the soil testate amoebae of other biomes. Nebelids and Heleopera, incorporating prey idiosomes into their shells, add an additional link to the role of Euglyphids in the silica cycle. Three Gondwanan Nebelid genera, Apodera, Alcodera, and Certesella were frequently observed, and the discovery of Alcodera cockayni in Tasmania extends its recorded distribution in the Southern Hemisphere.
Web Services for Dynamic Coloring of UAVSAR Images

QuakeSim has implemented a service-based Geographic Information System to enable users to access large amounts of Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) data through an online interface. The QuakeSim Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) profile tool calculates radar-observed displacement (from an unwrapped interferogram product) along user-specified lines. Pre-rendered thumbnails with InSAR fringe patterns are used to display interferogram and unwrapped phase images on a Google Map in the InSAR profile tool. One challenge with this tool lies in the user visually identifying regions of interest when drawing the profile line. This requires that the user correctly interpret the InSAR imagery, which currently uses fringe patterns. The mapping between pixel color and pixel value is not a one-to-one relationship from the InSAR fringe pattern, and it causes difficulty in understanding general displacement information for QuakeSim users. The goal of this work is to generate color maps that directly reflect the pixel values (displacement) as an addition to the pre-rendered images. Because of an extremely uneven distribution of pixel values on an InSAR image, a histogram-based, nonlinear color template generation algorithm is currently under development. A web service enables on-the-fly coloring of UAVSAR images with dynamically generated color templates.
Kids, Crime, and Local Television News

The vast majority of crime reporting occurs on local television news and in newspapers. Although crimes are extraordinary events, they assume an ordinariness that only daily reporting can give them. The obvious question is what does the news tell us about crime. This article compares the coverage of adult crime and the coverage of what the author has termed “KidsCrime,” defined as a story in which a juvenile was either the suspect or the victim (or both). What is the nature of that coverage? How consistent is it with official statistics? Are there differences between adult crime and KidsCrime coverage regarding offenses, victimization, production techniques, and other attributes? This examination of the crime coverage revealed (a) significant differences between KidsCrime and adult crime coverage, (b) a portrait of crime that was consistent and inconsistent with official statistics, and (c) a presentation approach that discouraged critical viewing.
A latent growth curve analysis of early and increasing peer victimization as predictors of mental health across elementary school.

Peer victimization has been implicated as a traumatic stressor that compromises children's long-term mental health, yet a dearth of prospective research documents lasting effects of early victimization. This study examined whether early (2nd grade) and increasing (2nd–5th grade) victimization predicted 5th grade depressive symptoms and aggressive behavior. Children (238 girls, 195 boys) reported on victimization and depressive symptoms; teachers reported on victimization and aggressive behavior. Latent growth curve analysis revealed that early and increasing victimization made unique contributions to depressive symptoms and aggressive behavior. Relational aggression was particularly likely to follow victimization in girls. This study reveals that victimization contributes to mental health over an extended period and elucidates the role of early versus increasing victimization, supporting the need for programs to prevent the pernicious mental health consequences of victimization.
A High Performance Digital Triggering System for Phase Controlled Rectifiers

The larger power supplies used to power accelerator magnets are most commonly polyphase rectifiers using phase control. While this method is capable of handling impressive amounts of power, it suffers from one serious disadvantage, namely that of sub-harmonic ripple. Since the stability of the stored beam depends to a considerable extent on the regulation of the current in the bending magnets, sub-harmonic ripple, especially that of low frequency, can have a detrimental effect. At the NSLS, we have constructed a 12 pulse, phase control system using digital signal processing techniques that essentially eliminates sub-harmonic ripple.
Regulation and Physiological Role of Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Proteins

The insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) are potent anabolic agents, structurally related to insulin, that can influence growth processes in virtually every system of the body. Unlike insulin, these peptides associate with distinct binding proteins present in serum and other biological fluids as well as in medium conditioned by cultured cells. The IGFs are pleiotropic in activity and near ubiquitous in distribution, making the IGF binding proteins (IGFBPs) integral components of IGF physiology that define and coordinate IGF and insulin action at the level of the target cell. Thus, to fully understand and, ultimately, manipulate IGF-directed growth, it is critical to take into account the IGFBPs. Six distinct IGFBPs have been cloned and characterized, and they are postulated to serve specific, but as yet poorly defined, functional roles. Expression of these multiple IGFBP species is under developmental, hormonal, and nutritional control. In addition, IGFBPs can undergo a variety of posttranslational modifications that can have profound effects on IGFBP structure/function, and, hence, IGF action. The significance of IGFBP glycosylation, phosphorylation, proteolysis, and cell-membrane and extracellular matrix association as components of IGF physiology has only begun to be appreciated. In each case identified so far the modified IGFBP acts dramatically different from native or recombinant IGFBP in solution. In this presentation, I will briefly review the IGF/IGFBP system and use data from in vitro models to illustrate the potential power of posttranslational regulation of IGFBP in cellular response to IGFs.
The Smooth Muscle Cross-bridge Cycle Studied Using Sinusoidal Length Perturbations

The mechanical characteristics of smooth muscle can be broadly defined as either phasic, or fast contracting, and tonic, or slow contracting (, Pharmacol. Rev. 20:197-272). To determine if differences in the cross-bridge cycle and/or distribution of the cross-bridge states could contribute to differences in the mechanical properties of smooth muscle, we determined force and stiffness as a function of frequency in Triton-permeabilized strips of rabbit portal vein (phasic) and aorta (tonic). Permeabilized muscle strips were mounted between a piezoelectric length driver and a piezoresistive force transducer. Muscle length was oscillated from 1 to 100 Hz, and the stiffness was determined as a function of frequency from the resulting force response. During calcium activation (pCa 4, 5 mM MgATP), force and stiffness increased to steady-state levels consistent with the attachment of actively cycling cross-bridges. In smooth muscle, because the cross-bridge states involved in force production have yet to be elucidated, the effects of elevation of inorganic phosphate (P(i)) and MgADP on steady-state force and stiffness were examined. When portal vein strips were transferred from activating solution (pCa 4, 5 mM MgATP) to activating solution with 12 mM P(i), force and stiffness decreased proportionally, suggesting that cross-bridge attachment is associated with P(i) release. For the aorta, elevating P(i) decreased force more than stiffness, suggesting the existence of an attached, low-force actin-myosin-ADP- P(i) state. When portal vein strips were transferred from activating solution (pCa 4, 5 mM MgATP) to activating solution with 5 mM MgADP, force remained relatively constant, while stiffness decreased approximately 50%. For the aorta, elevating MgADP decreased force and stiffness proportionally, suggesting for tonic smooth muscle that a significant portion of force production is associated with ADP release. These data suggest that in the portal vein, force is produced either concurrently with or after P(i) release but before MgADP release, whereas in aorta, MgADP release is associated with a portion of the cross-bridge powerstroke. These differences in cross-bridge properties could contribute to the mechanical differences in properties of phasic and tonic smooth muscle.
Abstract 4995: Role of MICAL1 in NEDD9 invasive signaling

Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA Metastasis is the final step leading to patient death in most solid tumors, including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). For metastasis to proceed, tumor cells must become mobile and invasive, losing their communal behavior. A goal of our work is to delineate the downstream effectors of growth factor signaling pathways that contribute to invasion. Using a phosphotyrosine proteomics screen we previously identified neural precursor cell expressed, developmentally down-regulated 9 (NEDD9; CasL) as a mediator of VEGF and IGF-1 signaling to invasion in HNSCC cells. NEDD9 tyrosine phosphorylation led to matrix metalloproteinase9 (MMP9) expression and secretion, invadopodia formation and enhanced invasion. To determine the molecular details of NEDD9 protein:protein interactions leading to invasion, we have generated a series of NEDD9 substrate domain tyrosine (Y to F, YXXP) and SH3 domain mutants. Mutation of all 13 YXXP motifs to FXXP blocked NEDD9 tyrosine phosphorylation, MMP9 expression and invadopodia formation. Of note, we found that NEDD9 co-immunoprecipitated with Molecule Interacting with CasL 1 (MICAL1). To further define this interaction and its downstream impact, stable NEDD9 or MICAL1 silenced HNSCC cell lines expressing select shRNAs were generated, with each exhibiting reduced migration and invasion. MICAL shRNA transfected cell lines also exhibited decreased MMP9 secretion, consistent with our findings that lack of MICAL1 decreases cell invasion and with findings of other labs that MICALs interact with Rab proteins altering intracellular trafficking. Further, we have verified that MICAL1 and NEDD9 form complexes in cells based on coimmunoprecipitation analyses. Better understanding of this pathway will undoubtedly lead to the identification of novel therapeutics for the prevention of invasion and metastasis. Supported by NIH R01CA134845 (SAR), P30 CA138313 and NIH/NCRR UL1 TR000062/TL1 TR000061 from the South Carolina Clinical & Translational Research Institute (COH). Citation Format: Casey O. Holmes, Amanda M. Brock, Philip T. Sobash, Jessica A. Tiedeken, Steven A. Rosenzweig. Role of MICAL1 in NEDD9 invasive signaling. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 4995. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-4995
\bar K-nucleon interactions-nucleon interactions

Total scattering and absorption cross-sections for $$\bar K$$ -nucleon collisions inI=1,p3/2-channel are given as functions of the two sets of energy-dependent $$\bar KN$$ scattering parameters solutions, called solutionA′ and solutionB′. These scattering parameters are obtained by linear interpolations between Watson’s amplitudes around 400 MeV/c and the amplitude at the position of the pole in the $$\bar KN$$ scattering amplitude corresponding to thep3/2-wave 1385 MeV Y1* resonance with 50 MeV width. The zero-range expansion forp-wave $$\bar K$$ -nucleon phase shift and the scattering parameters of Watson’s solutionB are found to be in violation of the requirements of causality and of positive definiteness of transition probabilities.
Learning Emotional Understanding and Emotion Regulation Through Sibling Interaction

Research Findings: Young children's relationships with their sisters and brothers offer unique and important opportunities for learning about emotions and developing emotional understanding. Through a critical analysis, this article examines sibling interaction in 3 different but normative contexts (conflict/conflict management, play, and sibling–parent interaction) in order to elucidate the processes by which emotional understanding and emotion regulation develop. The results of recent research and theoretical frameworks are used to explore the ways in which sibling relationships are effective contexts for the development of children's emotional understanding, including identifying emotions, decoding the emotions of others, and anticipating the emotional responses of others in particular situations; emotion regulation; and the use of emotional understanding to build (or impede) relationships and affect the behaviors of others. Practice or Policy: Implications from the current analysis include methods for...
Comparison of Usefulness of Inflammatory Markers in Patients With Versus Without Peripheral Arterial Disease in Predicting Adverse Cardiovascular Outcomes (Myocardial Infarction, Stroke, and Death)

We tested the hypothesis that a combination of measurements of different aspects of atherosclerosis, including burden of atherosclerosis and levels of inflammation, would contain more predictive information than either alone in an outpatient population. We enrolled 110 patients (62 ± 15 years of age) who were referred to the noninvasive vascular laboratory for sequential Doppler pressure measurements of the lower extremities. We measured ankle-brachial index (ABI) and serum markers of inflammation and followed subjects for a mean of 2.25 years. Fifty subjects did not have peripheral arterial disease (PAD; ABI ≥0.9), whereas 60 did (ABI
Creep of niobium at low temperatures

The activation energy, H, the activation volume, v∗, and the frequency factor, ν, for the plastic deformation of niobium at low temperatures (T < 0.2 Tm) were derived from creep tests. The values of H and v∗ for τ∗ = 1 kg/mm2 were 0.75 eV and 47b3 respectively, decreasing with increase in stress. The value of ν was 2 × 108sec−1. These values are in excellent agreement with those derived from constant strain rate tests, indicating an equivalence between the two types of testing. The present results support the idea that overcoming the Peierls-Nabarro stress is the rate-controlling mechanism during the plastic deformation of the b.c.c. metals at low temperatures. Using the models of Seeger and of Dorn and Rajnak the kink energy in niobium is calculated to be 0.34–0.40 eV.
Randomized trial of a cellular phone-enhanced home visitation parenting intervention.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Although home visiting programs have been documented to improve parenting in high-risk families, their effectiveness is diminished when parents disengage from programs. Cellular phones offer an approach to promoting parent engagement and enhancing parenting outcomes. Our objective was to examine whether mothers in a parenting intervention, Planned Activities Training (PAT), or cellular phone-enhanced version (CPAT) of the intervention would demonstrate greater use of parenting strategies after treatment and at 6 months post-treatment compared with a wait-list control (WLC). METHODS: A sample of 371 low-income mothers and their 3.5- to 5.5-year-old children were randomly assigned to condition and assessed at pre-test, post-intervention, and 6 months post-intervention. Treatment efficacy was evaluated through observations of mother-child interactions as well as maternal interviews about depression, parenting stress, and child behaviors. RESULTS: Mothers receiving PAT and CPAT demonstrated more frequent use of parenting strategies and engaged in more responsive parenting than mothers in the WLC. Mothers receiving CPAT used more PAT parenting strategies than mothers in the other 2 groups and experienced greater reductions in depression and stress. Children of mothers receiving PAT and CPAT demonstrated higher rates of positive engagement, and children of CPAT mothers demonstrated higher levels of adaptive behaviors than children in the WLC. Importantly, changes in parenting, depression, and stress predicted positive child behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: PAT and CPAT conditions improved parenting strategies and child engagement and reduced children’s challenging behaviors. The addition of cellular phones to a home visiting program enhanced maternal responsivity and reduced depression and stress.
New Tricks with Old Maps: Urban Landscape Change, GIS, and Historic Preservation in the Less Developed World

This article presents a methodology for a more detailed investigation of urban landscape change in rapidly growing cities of the less developed world beyond typical macrolevel approaches. This research is an attempt to bridge the gap between traditional landscape analysis and geographic information science (GIS). The article presents the preliminary results from a pilot project in Zamalek, Egypt, highlighting the benefits and drawbacks of the two techniques. Rarely used to study the less developed world, these techniques are utilized to assess change within a portion of Cairo's urban landscape. Large-scale historic maps and high-resolution satellite imagery, combined with field attribute collection, are the major data sources in this applied landscape analysis. A motivating factor in the desire to examine landscape change at such a large scale is the need to create monitoring systems for historic preservation in cities of the less developed world.
Task Effects on Three-Dimensional Dynamic Postures during Seated Reaching Movements: An Investigative Scheme and Illustration

In this paper we describe a new scheme for empirically investigating the effects of task factors on three-dimensional (3D) dynamic postures during seated reaching movements. The scheme relies on an underlying model that integrates two statistical procedures: (a) a regression description of the relationship between the time-varying hand location and postural angles to characterize the movement data and (b) a series of analyses of variance to test the hypothesized task effects using representative instantaneous postures. The use of this scheme is illustrated by an experiment that examines two generic task factors: hand motion direction and motion completion time. Results suggest that hand motion direction is a significant task factor in determining instantaneous postures, whereas a distinctive difference in the time to complete a motion does not appear to have a significant effect. We discuss the concept of an instantaneous posture and its utility in dynamic studies of movements, some insights into human reaching movement control strategy, and implications for the development of a 3D dynamic posture prediction model.
Algorithm for the minimum-effort problem

Give a consistent set of m linear equations in n unknown variables, a minimum-effort solution is defined to be a solution of that set of equations whose maximum component's magnitude is the smallest possible. An algorithmic procedure for obtaining a minimum-effort solution is developed. Its development is based on the duality principle from functional analysis. Possible applications of such an algorithm for typical digital control problems is presented in the introductory section. In such situations, it is frequently desirable to effect a given control task while using minimum control amplitude.
Transnational regulatory capture? An empirical examination of the transnational lobbying of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision

ABSTRACT Since the global financial crisis, scholars of international political economy (IPE) have increasingly relied on the concept of ‘regulatory capture’ to explain the weakness of regulatory oversight and, hence, regulatory failures. Yet despite the widespread use of the concept of regulatory capture, its precise mechanisms are not well understood. This paper empirically investigates this hypothesis by examining one important institution of global financial governance that has been subjected to intense private sector lobbying at the transnational level: the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision. Using extensive archival material as well as interviews with participants in the generation of the Basel II Capital Accord, I argue that while private sector lobbyists had unprecedented access to the regulatory policymaking process, this access did not always translate into influence. Furthermore, when influence was present, it sometimes had the effect of increasing regulatory stringency, rather than weakeni...
Services for Families of Severely Handicapped Preschool Students: Assumptions and Implications

This article summarizes the literature on intervention with preschool-aged handicapped children and their families. More specifically, the review excludes those programs and papers pertaining to high-risk, disadvantaged, or mildly delayed children, focusing instead on services for children labeled trainable, severely or profoundly retarded; severely emotionally disturbed or autistic; or multihandicapped.Several authors have argued for, and provided models of, parent involvement in the education of young handicapped children. Parents and professionals alike, however, have suggested that attempts at true partnership have succeeded only minimally. This article proposes a series of assumptions as a philosophical foundation for improved parent-professional relations. Each assumption is discussed in terms of its implications for practice. Proposed practices are illustrated with examples for existing service delivery models. The article summarizes the state of the art in services for families. This evaluation ca...
Polarization ray tracing in anisotropic optically active media

Procedures for performing polarization ray tracing through birefringent media are presented in a form compatible with the standard methods of geometric ray tracing. The birefringent materials treated include the following: anisotropic optically active materials such as quartz, non-optically active uniaxial materials such as calcite, and isotropic optically active materials such as mercury sulfide or organic liquids. Refraction and reflection algorithms are presented which compute both ray directions and wave directions. Methods for computing polarization modes, refractive indices, optical path lengths, and Fresnel transmission and reflection coefficients are also specified.
An aggression-specific cell type in the anterior hypothalamus of finches

The anterior hypothalamus (AH) is a major integrator of neural processes related to aggression and defense, but cell types in the AH that selectively promote aggression are unknown. We here show that aggression is promoted in a very selective and potent manner by dorsal AH neurons that produce vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP). Fos activity in a territorial finch, the violet-eared waxbill (Estrildidae: Uraeginthus granatina) is positively related to aggression in the dorsal AH, overlapping a population of VIP-producing neurons. VIP is known to promote territorial aggression in songbirds, and thus we used antisense oligonucleotides to selectively block AH VIP production in male and female waxbills. This manipulation virtually abolishes aggression, reducing the median number of displacements in a 3-min resident–intruder test from 38 in control subjects to 0 in antisense subjects. Notably, most antisense and control waxbills exhibit an agonistic response such as a threat or agonistic call within 2 s of intrusion. Thus, antisense subjects clearly classify intruders as offensive, but fail to attack. Other social and anxiety-like behaviors are not affected and VIP cell numbers correlate positively with aggression, suggesting that these cells selectively titrate aggression. Additional experiments in the gregarious zebra finch (Estrildidae: Taeniopygia guttata) underscore this functional specificity. Colony-housed finches exhibit significant reductions in aggression (primarily nest defense) following AH VIP knockdown, but no effects are observed for social preferences, pair bonding, courtship, maintenance behaviors, or anxiety-like behaviors. To our knowledge, these findings represent a unique identification of an aggression-specific cell type in the brain.
Characterization of high affinity GTPase activity correlated to β-adrenergic receptor stimulation of adenylyl cyclase in rat parotid membranes

Abstract β-Adrenergic receptor stimulation of adenylyl cyclase involves the activation of a GTP-binding regulatory protein (G-protein, termed here Gs). Inactivation of this G-protein is associated with the hydrolysis of bound GTP by an intrinsic high affinity GTPase activity. In the present study, we have characterized the GTPase activity in a Gs-enriched rat parotid gland membrane fraction. Two GTPase activities were resolved; a high affinity GTPase activity displaying Michaelis-Menten kinetics with increasing concentrations of GTP, and a low affinity GTPase activity which increased linearly with GTP concentrations up to 10 mM. The β-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol (10 μM) increased the V max of the high affinity GTPase component approx. 50% from 90 to 140 pmol/mg protein per min, but did not change its K m value (≈ 450 nM). Isoproterenol also stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity in parotid membranes both in the absence or presence of GTP. In the presence of a non-hydrolyzable GTP analogue, guanosine 5′-(3- O -thio)triphosphate (GTPγS), isoproterenol increased cAMP formation to the same extent as that observed with AlF 4 − . Cholera toxin treatment of parotid membranes led to the ADP-ribosylation of two proteins (≈ 45 and 51 kDa). Cholera toxin also specifically decreased the high affinity GTPase activity in membranes and increased cAMP formation induced by GTP in the absence or the presence of isoproterenol. These data demonstrate that the high affinity GTPase characterized here is the ‘turn-off’ step for the adenylyl cyclase activation seen following β-adrenergic stimulation of rat parotid glands.
Characterization of a ligand-receptor binding event using receptor-dependent four-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship analysis.

Receptor-dependent four-dimensional quantitative structure−activity relationship (RD-4D-QSAR) analysis is used to map the ligand−receptor binding event characteristic of a set of 47 glucose analogue inhibitors of glycogen phosphorylase (GPb). Specifically, the geometric and energetic binding profiles are constructed, conformational changes are determined, and conformational couplings among structural units are identified for the composite set of ligand−receptor complexes. A pruned ligand−receptor model is used to estimate ligand−receptor thermodynamics. Rather than explicitly handling the large amount of structural data generated from each of the pruned ligand−receptor models, these complexes were divided into three subregions. The subregions consist of a “functional” region, the smallest region providing definitive information about inhibitor binding, and two “allosteric” regions that surround the “functional” region and are based on distances from the center of the catalytic site. Maximum information on...
A probability of encounter with interstellar comets and the likelihood of their existence

A theory of the probability of encounter of the sun with an interstellar comet at a distance comparable to the earth-sun distance is formulated, and a general expression is derived establishing the relationship among the influx rate of interstellar comets, the perihelion distance, the space density of the comets, the Maxwellian distribution of comet velocities in the interstellar cloud, and the cloud's systematic velocity relative to the sun. An upper limit of .0006 solar mass per cubic parsec is established for the space density of interstellar comets. The theoretical distribution of semimajor axes of interstellar comets shows that a strong hyperbolic excess must be present in the orbits of a majority of interstellar comets regardless of the dynamical characteristics of the comet cloud, except when the cloud is moving along with the sun and the distribution of individual velocities has a very low dispersion. This case, however, implies a possibility of capture by the sun and thus becomes a problem of an Oort-type cloud.
THE NASA LANGLEY LAMINAR FLOW CONTROL AIRFOIL EXPERIMENT

A large chord swept supercritical LFC airfoil has been constructed for NASA-Langley's research program to determine the compatibility of supercritical airfoils with suction laminarization and to establish a technology base for future transport designs. Features include a high design Mach number and shock-free flow, as well as the minimization of the laminarization suction through a choice of airfoil geometry and pressure distribution. Two suction surface concepts and a variety of hybrid suction concepts involving combinations of natural and forced laminar flow are to be investigated. The test facility has been modified to insure achievement of required flow quality and transonic interference-free flow over the yawed LFC airfoil.
Dynamic Imagery Modeling and Motion Estimation Using Weak Formulations

Basic research into the modeling and analysis of image sequence dynamics is presented. A distributed parameter system (DPS) framework and the concept of weak solutions are used to develop image motion estimation algorithms. These algorithms represent a region-oriented (as opposed to point-by-point) approach to image motion analysis which is theoretically justifiable, computationally advantageous, and leads to interesting extensions. Particularly noteworthy is the use of weak solution-based motion features to obtain static image structural information and multiple object motion estimates. Experimental results confirm the validity and accuracy of the approach. Future research topics are described.
Forced Exercise as a Rehabilitation Strategy after Unilateral Cervical Spinal Cord Contusion Injury

Evaluation of locomotor training after spinal cord injury (SCI) has primarily focused on hind limb recovery, with evidence of functional and molecular changes in response to exercise. Since trauma at a cervical (C) level is common in human SCI, we used a unilateral C4 contusion injury model in rats to determine whether forced exercise (Ex) would affect spinal cord biochemistry, anatomy, and recovery of fore and hind limb function. SCI was created with the Infinite Horizon spinal cord impactor device at C4 with a force of 200 Kdyne and a mean displacement of 1600-1800 microm in adult female Sprague-Dawley rats that had been acclimated to a motorized exercise wheel apparatus. Five days post-operatively, the treated group began Ex on the wheel for 20 min per day, 5 days per week for 8 weeks. Wheel speed was increased daily according to the abilities of each animal up to 14 m/min. Control rats were handled daily but were not exposed to Ex. In one set of animals experiencing 5 days of Ex, there was a moderate increase in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and heat shock protein-27 (HSP-27) levels in the lesion epicenter and surrounding tissue. Long-term (8 weeks) survival groups were exposed to weekly behavioral tests to assess qualitative aspects of fore limb and hind limb locomotion (fore limb scale, FLS and BBB [Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan locomotor rating scale]), as well as sensorimotor (grid) and motor (grip) skills. Biweekly assessment of performance during wheel walking examined gross and fine motor skills. The FLS indicated a significant benefit of Ex during weeks 2-4. The BBB test showed no change with Ex at the end of the 8-week period, however hind limb grid performance was improved during weeks 2-4. Lesion size was not affected by Ex, but the presence of phagocytic and reactive glial cells was reduced with Ex as an intervention. These results suggest that Ex alone can influence the evolution of the injury and transiently improve fore and hind limb function during weeks 2-4 following a cervical SCI.
Benchmarking temporal database models with interval-based and temporal element-based timestamping

Starting from mid 1980s, there has been a debate about what data model is most appropriate for temporal databases. A fundamental choice one has to make is whether to use intervals of time or temporal elements to timestamp objects and events with the periods of validity. The advantage of using interval timestamps is that Start and End columns can be added to relations for treating them within the framework of classical databases, leading to quick implementation. Temporal elements are finite unions of intervals. The advantage of temporal elements is that timestamps become implicitly associated with values, tuples, and relations. Furthermore, since temporal elements, by design, are closed under set theoretical operations such as union, intersection and complementation, they lead to query languages that are natural. Here, we investigate the ease of use as well as system performance for the two approaches to help settle the debate.
Atoms and Photons: One Perspective on Quantum Optics at the College of Optical Sciences

Over the years quantum optics at the College of Optical Sciences has been shaped by theory and experiment alike. The modern era of atomic physics arrived in the 1990's, and has brought a variety of experiments including ultracold atoms, quantum information, and optical frequency metrology.
Resource Allocation in the Grid with Learning Agents

One of the main challenges in Grid computing is efficient allocation of resources (CPU – hours, network bandwidth, etc.) to the tasks submitted by users. Due to the lack of centralized control and the dynamic/stochastic nature of resource availability, any successful allocation mechanism should be highly distributed and robust to the changes in the Grid environment. Moreover, it is desirable to have an allocation mechanism that does not rely on the availability of coherent global information. In this paper we examine a simple algorithm for distributed resource allocation in a simplified Grid-like environment that meets the above requirements. Our system consists of a large number of heterogenous reinforcement learning agents that share common resources for their computational needs. There is no explicit communication or interaction between the agents: the only information that agents receive is the expected response time of a job it submitted to a particular resource, which serves as a reinforcement signal for the agent. The results of our experiments suggest that even simple reinforcement learning can indeed be used to achieve load balanced resource allocation in large scale heterogenous system.
Violations of the equivalence principle by a nonlocally reconstructed vacuum at the black hole horizon.

If information escapes from an evaporating black hole, then field modes just outside the horizon must be thermally entangled with distant Hawking radiation. But for an infalling observer to find empty space at the horizon, the same modes would have to be entangled with the black hole interior. Thus, unitarity appears to require a ``firewall'' at the horizon. Identifying the interior with the distant radiation promises to resolve the entanglement conflict and restore the vacuum. But the map must adjust for any interactions, or else the firewall will reappear if the Hawking radiation scatters off the cosmic microwave background. Such a map produces a ``frozen vacuum,'' a phenomenon that is arguably worse than a firewall. An infalling observer is unable to excite the vacuum near the horizon. This allows the horizon to be locally detected and so violates the equivalence principle.
Women Coping With Chronic Disease: The Psychosocial Impact of Lupus

ABSTRACT The purpose of this cross-sectional study (n = 92) was the further identification of the unique psychosocial challenges facing those living with lupus. Specifically, the study aim was to clarify which particular lupus symptomatology may result in which emotional states. The authors review relevant literature, discuss findings, and provide evidence-based recommendations for social workers providing services to patients with lupus. Key findings include the following: Frequent flare-ups resulted in the highest need for assistance with feelings of depression, anxiety, and socioeconomic challenges. Hair loss had the most significant impact on depression, anxiety, and socioeconomic coping. Being hospitalized in the past year for lupus also significantly impacted depression, anxiety, and socioeconomic coping. And, finally, the participants reported that having friends to rely on reduced their reported depression and anxiety. Fatigue from lupus was seen as the highest correlate of anxiety.
The effect of sodium hypochlorite and citric acid solutions on healing of periodontal pockets.

This study compared the effects of root planing and chemical curettage to root planing and soft tissue curettage on healing of periodontal pockets in beagle dogs. The solutions used for the chemical curettage were sodium hypochlorite and citric acid (antiformin). Following an initial 28 day period of intensive oral hygiene the four dogs all exhibited high levels of gingival health. Periodontal disease was then induced around the second, third, and fourth premolare, and first molars of all animals by the placement of silk ligatures. During the 40 days the ligatures were in place, the animals were fed a soft diet and all oral hygiene measures were discontinued. Clinically at the end of the 40 days, the dogs exhibited gingival enlargement and slight to moderate pocket formation. Radiographs at day 40 showed extensive interproximal bone destruction and decreased furcal bone density. After ligature removal, the right maxillary and mandibular teeth were scaled, root planed and treated with chemical curettage. T...
Late-onset Type II Endoleaks and the Incidence of Secondary Intervention

Type II endoleaks are a recognized complication of endoluminal treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms. In order to better understand the natural history of type II endoleaks and their influence on secondary procedures, we examined our experience with patients who developed isolated type II endoleaks 6 months or more after their original procedure. We conducted a retrospective review of patients who underwent endoluminal repair of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms with bifurcated endoluminal devices at a single institution from June 1996 to June 2000. Endoleak surveillance was performed on all patients by using a defined CT angiogram protocol. Patients with definitive and isolated type II endoleaks on CT angiogram were identified. Patients with indeterminate endoleaks or a combination of different types of endoleaks were excluded. Data were analyzed on the basis of early ( 6 months) groups, which was nearly identical (40% vs. 43%). Ten patients in the early group and seven of the late-onset group required secondary intervention for treatment of type II endoleak (50% vs. 23%; NS). Three patients in the early group underwent surgical conversion (vs. 0 patients in the late-onset group). The mortality rate was not significantly different between groups (15% vs. 7%). Most isolated type II endoleaks in this patient population occurred 6 months or more after initial endoluminal repair of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm. Timing of type II endoleak occurrence did not significantly affect the rates of spontaneous resolution or mortality. Although differences were observed in the number of patients receiving secondary interventions, these findings did not reach statistical difference. All patients who required surgical conversion had early type II endoleaks. There were no observed ruptures in patients with increased aneurysm size treated with secondary intervention or those with stable aneurysm volumes who were followed without intervention. The continued development of type II endoleaks beyond the perioperative period supports the need for continued endoleak surveillance.
Routing with graphene nanoribbons

Conventional CMOS devices are facing an increasing number of challenges as their feature sizes scale down. Graphene nanoribbon (GNR) based devices are shown to be a promising replacement of traditional CMOS at future technology nodes. However, all previous works on GNRs focus at the device level. In order to integrate these devices into electronic systems, routing becomes a key issue. In this paper, the GNR routing problem is studied for the first time. We formulate the GNR routing problem as a minimum hybrid-cost shortest path problem on triangular mesh ("hybrid" means that we need to consider both the length and the bending of the routing path). In order to model this hybrid-cost problem, we apply graph expansion and introduce a shortest red-black path problem on the expanded graph. We then propose an algorithm that solves the shortest red-black path problem optimally. This algorithm is then used in a negotiated congestion based routing scheme. Experimental results show that our GNR routing algorithm effectively handles the hybrid cost.
Teaching Inflation Targeting: An Analysis for Intermediate Macro

Over the last decade, many central banks have adopted policies known as inflation targeting. If intermediate-level macroeconomics students are to be prepared to think about current policy issues, it is important to provide them with an introduction to the macroeconomic implications of inflation targeting. Unfor- tunately, the standard aggregate demand-aggregate supply frameworks com- monly used to teach intermediate macroeconomics are not well suited for this task because they are expressed in terms of output and the price level and because they fail to make explicit the policy objectives of the central bank. The author provides a simple graphical device involving the output gap and the inflation rate that overcomes these problems and that can be used to teach intermediate macro- economics students about inflation targeting.
Adaption of Nonstandard Piping Components Into Present Day Seismic Codes

With spiraling energy demand and flat energy supply, there is a need to extend the life of older nuclear reactors. This sometimes requires that existing systems be evaluated to present day seismic codes. Older reactors built in the 1960s and early 1970s often used fabricated piping components that were code compliant during their initial construction time period, but are outside the standard parameters of present-day piping codes. There are several approaches available to the analyst in evaluating these nonstandard components to modern codes. The simplest approach is to use the flexibility factors and stress indices for similar standard components with the assumption that the nonstandard component’s flexibility factors and stress indices will be very similar. This approach can require significant engineering judgment. A more rational approach available in Section III of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, which is the subject of this paper, involves calculation of flexibility factors using finite element analysis of the nonstandard component. Such analysis allows modeling of geometric and material nonlinearities. Flexibility factors based on these analyses are sensitive to the load magnitudes used in their calculation, load magnitudes that need to be consistent with those produced by the linear system analyses where the flexibility factors are applied. This can lead to iteration, since the magnitude of the loads produced by the linear system analysis depend on the magnitude of the flexibility factors. After the loading applied to the nonstandard component finite element model has been matched to loads produced by the associated linear system model, the component finite element model can then be used to evaluate the performance of the component under the loads with the nonlinear analysis provisions of the Code, should the load levels lead to calculated stresses in excess of Allowable stresses. This paper details the application of component-level finite element modeling to account for geometric and material nonlinear component behavior in a linear elastic piping system model. Note that this technique can be applied to the analysis of ASME B31 piping systems.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Biological inspired CMOS foveated sensor: For neural network training

In this work we describe the design and testing of a custom CMOS-based motion detection system that derives its functionality from biology. The system will beone component of a CMOS visual sensor system that will identify and foveate on objects. The system is inspired by different animals that perform similar functions and have similar retinal structures. For example, we mimic frog's eye using a hemispherical surface structure to provide a wider field of view. In addition, we mimic the human retina with a combination of fovea and peripheral light detectors. The result is a sensor array that combines these aspects to attend and foveate on objects of interest.