cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Brief Pro Se Amicus Curiae, in ACE Securities Corp. v. DB Structured Products, Inc.

ACE Securities vs. DB Structured Products is one of several similar cases pending in New York courts relating to residential mortgage-backed securities that were created prior to the financial crisis and that lost value during and after the crisis. In the transaction underlying this case, as in such transactions generally, DB Structured Products (DBSP) made various representations and warranties to the purchasers of the securities about the quality of the mortgage loans being sold, and also promised that, if any of these representations and warranties turned out to be false with respect to a particular loan, DBSP would repurchase the non-conforming loan at face value. The plaintiff has alleged that a large percentage of the loans did not conform to the representations and warranties, but DBSP has denied this. At this stage of the litigation, the issue is whether ACE’s claim is barred by New York’s six-year statute of limitations for contract claims. DBSP argues that, if the representations and warranties were breached, then that breach occurred at the time the loans were first sold in 2006, which means that the statutory period ran out in 2012. The plaintiff argues that the period began to run not at the time the representations and warranties were breached, but only when, much later, the plaintiff demanded that DBSP repurchase the allegedly non-conforming loans and DBSP refused. The case thus concerns a complex allocation of risk among sophisticated commercial parties: how long should DBSP bear the risk that the loans did not conform to the representations and warranties — for six years, or until six years after some indeterminate time in the future when the purchasers claim that the representations and warranties were breached and demand that DBSP repurchase the loans? This brief argues that the efficient solution would be for DBSP to bear the risk only for the statutory period of six years beginning at the time the agreement was made. The brief also calls the court’s attention to the fact that, within the securitization market, there is a menu of standard provisions that the parties can choose to include or not to include in their agreement. The key provision at issue in ACE vs. DB Structured Products is a "Sole Remedy Provision," but some other agreements include an additional provision called a "Claims Accrual Provision." The brief argues that, in deciding this case, the court ought not to prejudge the issue of whether, in an agreement that also includes a Claims Accrual Provision, the outcome may be different.
Age-Related Changes in Speech Recognition Performance in Spanish-English Bilinguals' First and Second Languages.

Purpose The purposes of the current study were to examine the effect of age on Spanish–English bilinguals' speech recognition performance and to identify differences in speech recognition performan...
Gaining fluency: Five practices that mediate effective co-teaching between pre-service and mentor teachers

Abstract This study examined four years of data on co-teachers in a teacher preparation program in the United States. Co-teachers were pre-service teachers and cooperating teachers participating in a single subject teaching practicum. Findings highlighted how pairs gained fluency, or proficient ways of collaborating, in co-teaching by engaging in five key practices: negotiating difference, sharing authority, co-mentoring, coaching in the moment, and immersing in real world teaching experiences. As co-teachers moved toward fluency, they reported increases in professional understanding and their abilities to meet the needs of students in their diverse, rural classrooms. Key implications are discussed.
Heuristics for Symmetric Rectilinear Matrix Partitioning.

Partitioning sparse matrices and graphs is a common and important problem in many scientific and graph analytics applications. In this work, we are concerned with a spatial partitioning called rectilinear partitioning (also known as generalized block distribution) of sparse matrices, which is needed for tiled (or {\em blocked}) execution of sparse matrix and graph analytics kernels. More specifically, in this work, we address the problem of symmetric rectilinear partitioning of square matrices. By symmetric, we mean having the same partition on rows and columns of the matrix, yielding a special tiling where the diagonal tiles (blocks) will be squares. We propose five heuristics to solve two different variants of this problem, and present a thorough experimental evaluation showing the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms.
Enabling Underwater Acoustic Cooperative MIMO Systems by Metamaterial-Enhanced Magnetic Induction

The acoustic cooperative multi-input-multi-output (MIMO) systems equipped on the underwater robot swarms (URSs) can enable long-range and high-throughput communications. However, the acoustic communications cannot provide the real-time and accurate synchronization for the distributed transmitters of the cooperative MIMO due to the large delay of acoustic channels. In addition, the narrow bandwidth of the acoustic channel further enlarges the synchronization time and errors. In this paper, we propose the metamaterial magnetic induction (M2I)-assisted acoustic cooperative MIMO to address aforementioned challenges. The synchronization time can be reduced since the M2I has negligible signal propagation delays. To quantitatively analyze the improvement, we deduce the synchronization errors, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), effective communication time, and the throughput of the system. Finally, the improvement of using M2I-assisted synchronization is validated by the numerical evaluation.
Traffic congestion assessment based on street level data for on-edge deployment

With the increasing technological advancements and fields such as the industrial internet, autonomous driving, smart homes, intelligent transportation, and smart cities, all may benefit greatly from edge applications. These fields demand greater speed and efficiency for computing, network transmission, and user interaction in order to keep up with the growth. Stemming from the unique speed-up advantages that the edge computation model gives over traditional cloud computation, it is a suitable technology for deployment on the roads and streets, making edge a prime candidate to process traffic data. As previously mentioned, intelligent transportation, autonomous driving and smart cities all require intense computation to ensure they function correctly, and deploying edge on roads serves to address this issue. We explore the KITTI data set from the perspective of analyzing traffic congestion on complex roads. Our analysis shows: 1) based on object bounding boxes expressed within the data, each instantaneous situation can be separated into non-congestion and congestion; 2) the mid-point distances between bounding boxes effectively determines the congestion level. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first proposed use of a non-continuous timestamped data set for traffic congestion detection.
In defense of a pragmatic picture of belief

In Belief: A Pragmatic Picture, I define “belief” as information poised to guide relatively attentive, controlled action. Though I admit that this is one of several definitions compatible with science and common speech, I mount a pragmatic argument for its adoption as the best means for structuring egalitarian social relations. I here further explicate and defend the pragmatic view of belief in response to my critics.
Endovascular Repair of Blunt Thoracic Aortic Trauma is Associated With Increased Left Ventricular Mass, Hypertension, and Off-target Aortic Remodeling.

Background Aortic elasticity creates a cushion that protects the heart from pressure injury, and a recoil that helps perfuse the coronary arteries. TEVAR has become first-line therapy for many aortic pathologies including trauma, but stent-grafts stiffen the aorta and likely increase LV afterload. Objective Test the hypothesis that trauma TEVAR is associated with LV mass increase and adverse off-target aortic remodeling. Methods Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA) scans of 20 trauma TEVAR patients (17 M/3 F) at baseline [age 34.9 ± 18.5 (11.4-71.5) years] and 5.1 ± 3.1 (1.1-12.3) years after repair were used to measure changes in LV mass, LV mass index, and diameters and lengths of the ascending thoracic aorta (ATA). Measurements were compared with similarly-aged control patients without aortic repair (21 M/21 F) evaluated at similar follow-ups. Results LV mass and LV mass index of TEVAR patients increased from 138.5 ± 39.6 g and 72.35 ± 15.17 g/m to 173.5 ± 50.1 g and 85.48 ± 18.34 g/m at the rate of 10.03 ± 12.79 g/yr and 6.25 ± 10.28 g/m/yr, whereas in control patients LV characteristics did not change. ATA diameters of TEVAR patients increased at a rate of 0.60 ± 0.80 mm/yr, which was 2.4-fold faster than in controls. ATA length in both TEVAR and control patients increased at 0.58 mm/yr. Half of TEVAR patients had hypertension at follow-up compared to only 5% at baseline. Conclusions TEVAR is associated with LV mass increase, development of hypertension, and accelerated expansile remodeling of the ascending aorta. Although younger trauma patients may adapt to these effects, these changes may be even more important in older patients with other aortic pathologies and diminished baseline cardiac function.
Trusted Remote Function Interface

The Trusted Remote Function Interface (TRFI) is a small library that exposes services via a REST API to allow function execution with scientific programming languages. Functional units are uploaded to a remote server using the provided REST API. The API stores registered functions for later execution. Maintaining code using this technique allows clients to repeatedly execute functions without having the native language, typically Octave or Python, installed on the client machine. A common problem in scientific applications is the requirement for a program to interface with scientific scripting languages. Typically, this is not a straightforward approach for accomplishing the data exchange and subsequent function execution on that data from popular languages such as Java or JavaScript. This task is extraordinarily cumbersome if the interpreter, used by the scientific programming language, is not installed locally. By separating the function signature from the underlying implementation, and providing a uniform REST API, the TRFI library allows function interfacing in two ways. First, direct interfacing by using the equipped Java library. Second, the more common scenario is interfacing remotely by deploying the library using aJAX-RS compatible web server. The result of the TRFI library's design and the provided REST API is the facilitation of code interoperability and reuse for scientific applications.
Detection of Visual Signals for Pneumonia in Chest Radiographs using Weak Supervision

Pneumonia usually manifests as areas of increased opacity in chest radiographs. Diagnosing pneumonia often requires a review of a chest radiograph by highly trained specialists. Automatic identification of regions of interest in chest radiographs could be an initial step in prioritizing radiology worklist for radiologists to review. In this paper, we show how to exploit class-activation mapping and weak supervision to automatically localize regions in chest radio-graphs exhibiting signs of pneumonia. For this research project, we evaluate a dataset of 30,000 chest radiographs collected by the Radiology Society of Northern America (RSNA). Data was annotated by six board-certified radiologists who provided bounding boxes to specify lesion location. We investigated the utility of weak supervision for detecting visual signs of pneumonia in chest radiograph (CXR). We formulate the problem as one of inference in binary pneumonia classification. Binary classification only requires a binary label indicating the presence of pneumonia as opposed to bounding boxes or detailed annotations outlining the regions of interest. We compared the regions of interest identified by our approach and a data-set of chest x-rays with detained ROI bounding box annotations prepared by the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) in collaboration with the US National Institutes of Health, We show that our approach achieves good correlation intersection-over-union with the radiologists ground truth annotations from the (RSNA) dataset. Weakly supervised learning can improve the data curation burden by using weak labels in training for identification of pneumonia. These findings have broader implications, as annotating and labeling large datasets for medical imaging applications is a difficult task, and is often the bottleneck in efforts to apply advances in machine-learning and deep learning.
Experimental and numerical analysis for thermal-hydraulic characteristics in circular tubes with twisted tape and wire coil inserts

Thermal-hydraulic characteristics in circular tubes with twisted tape (Y=4.762, 7.143 and 9.524) and wire coil (p=20mm, e=2mm) inserts were studied experimentally and numerically. It was found from experimental analysis that Nusselt number and friction factor in tubes with twisted tape inserts were 38%-57% and 148%-202%, respectively, higher than those of plain tubes .When wire coil was inserted in plain tubes, the Nusselt number and friction factor grew by 75%-94% and 685%-792%, respectively. In particular, Nusselt number and friction factor in tubes with twisted tape and wire coil inserts were 113%-139% and 836%-874%, respectively, greater than those of plain tubes. Furthermore, PEC value of tubes with the twisted tape and wire coil inserts was larger than all others. Numerical analysis shows that a large tangential velocity can be generated after inserting a twisted band or coil in the tube. The angle between the temperature gradient vector and velocity vector was significantly less than 90°. So collaborative degree between temperature field and velocity field was improved.
Exploring the practical efficiency limit of silicon solar cells using thin solar-grade substrates

Multiple silicon solar cell technologies have surpassed or are close to surpassing 26% efficiency. Dielectric and amorphous silicon-based passivation layers combined with minimal metal/silicon contact areas were responsible for reducing the surface saturation current density below 3 fA cm−2. At open-circuit, in passivated contact solar cells, the recombination is mainly from fundamental mechanisms (Auger and radiative) representing over 3/4 of the total recombination. At the maximum power point, the fundamental recombination fraction can drop to half, as surface and bulk Shockley–Read–Hall step in. As a result, to further increase the performance at the operating point, it is paramount to reduce the bulk dependence and secure proper surface passivation. Bulk recombination can be mitigated either by reducing bulk defect density or by reducing the wafer thickness. We demonstrate that for commercially-viable solar-grade silicon, thinner wafers and surface saturation current densities below 1 fA cm−2, are required to significantly increase the practical efficiency limit of solar cells up to 0.6% absolute. For a high-quality n-type bulk silicon minority-carrier lifetime of 10 ms, the optimum wafer thickness range is 40–60 μm, a very different value from 110 μm previously calculated assuming undoped substrates and solely Auger and radiative recombination. In this thickness range surface saturation current densities near 0.1 fA cm−2 are required to narrow the gap towards the fundamental efficiency limit. We experimentally demonstrate surface saturation currents below 0.5 fA cm−2 on pi/CZ/in structures across different wafer thicknesses (35–170 μm), with potential to reach open-circuit voltages close to 770 mV and bandgap-voltage offsets near 350 mV. Finally, we use the bandgap-voltage offset as a metric to compare the quality of champion experimental solar cells in the literature, for the most commercially-relevant photovoltaic cell absorbers and architectures.
Usage of a genetic algorithm for optimizing stock usage

We are presenting a common supply chain problem and how we were able to use a Genetic Algorithm (GA) to solve it. We start with a very short introduction on the problem, the GA used and its preliminary results. We also present at the end future works and fields of improvement.
Staging and Classification of Severity of Legg-Calvé-Perthes Disease and Its Relevance

Legg-Calve-Perthes disease (LCPD) remains controversial regarding treatment and outcome. In order to bring uniformity to the discussion of management of LCPD, researchers and clinicians must be able to reliably stratify LCPD patients by disease severity and stage at presentation. The intervention offered and ultimately the treatment outcome may be impacted by the disease stage and severity. It is essential to control for these confounding variables by grouping patients accurately and precisely, regardless of observer.
Leaving the shadow of pain: a cross-cultural exploration of truth, forgiveness, reconciliation and healing: by Doris H. Gray, Berlin, Logos Verlag Berlin, 2020, 124 pp., €24 (softcover), ISBN 978-3-8325-5144-5

Leaving the Shadow of Pain is a deeply personal work by an established scholar of gender in North Africa. The book explores how people survive and come to terms with horrific violence beyond the li...
Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (BIA-ALCL): Are You Covered?

BACKGROUND Breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) is a locally aggressive T-cell lymphoma that can develop following breast implantation. In 2017, and updated in 2019, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) recommended total capsulectomy with implant removal as definitive therapy. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to evaluate the US insurance coverage for the management of BIA-ALCL and compare it to the NCCN recommendations. METHODS A cross-sectional analysis of US insurance policies for coverage of BIA-ALCL treatment was conducted. Insurance companies were selected based on their market share and state enrollment. Medical necessity criteria were abstracted from the publicly available policies. RESULTS Of the 101 companies assessed, only 30 (30%) had a policy for the management of BIA-ALCL. Of those policies, all (n = 30, 100%) provided coverage of the implant removal of the breast diagnosed with BIA-ALCL. For the contralateral breast implant, 20 policies (67%) covered their removal, but significantly fewer did so if the implant was placed for cosmetic reasons vs medically necessary (n = 13 vs n = 20, 43% vs 67%; P = 0.0026). Twenty-one policies (70%) covered an implant reinsertion, but fewer would do so if the implant was cosmetic rather than medically necessary (n = 5, 17% vs 70%; P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS There was notable intercompany variation in the coverage of BIA-ALCL treatment, some of which is unnecessarily based on whether the original reason for the breast implant was cosmetic or medically necessary. This variability may significantly reduce access to definitive treatment in patients with a BIA-ALCL diagnosis.
Latent Developmental Potential to Form Limb-Like Skeletal Structures in Zebrafish

Changes in appendage structure underlie key transitions in vertebrate evolution. Addition of skeletal elements along the proximal-distal axis facilitated several critical transformations, including the fin-to-limb transition, which permitted generation of diverse modes of locomotion. Despite their importance in evolution, genetic changes that result in the establishment of new skeletal elements along this axis are unknown. Here, we identify zebrafish mutants that form novel bones in their pectoral fins with limb-like patterning. These new bones are integrated into musculature, form joints, and articulate with neighboring bones. Mutations in vav2 and waslb, members of a previously unrecognized appendage developmental pathway, cause this phenotype. We show that loss of Wasl in mouse limbs causes defects similar to those seen in Hoxa11 mutants. Concordantly, supernumerary bone formation in fins requires hoxa11, indicating developmental homology with the forearm. Our findings reveal a latent, limb-like pattern ability in fins that is activated by simple genetic perturbation.
Sediment transport simulation and design optimization of a novel marsh shoreline protection technology using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling

Abstract Coastal Louisiana has the nation's most fragile and valuable wetlands, whose loss represents 80% of the total losses in the United States. The severely restricted mobility of conventional shoreline protection structures makes them impossible to be redeployed. The Wave Suppression and Sediment Collection (WSSC) system is a novel technology of high mobility and compatible with existing shoreline protection technologies. Previous laboratory studies on WSSC showed great potential for wave reduction and sediment collection. The current study aimed to optimize the design parameters of WSSC using a validated computational model. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was developed and validated using experimental data from the previous laboratory study. Then, a parametric analysis was conducted with a focus on the performance optimization of wave reduction and sediment collection with respect to pipe diameter and face slope. Simulation results showed that the wave reduction efficiency decreased with increasing pipe diameter and face slope. In contrast, the sediment transport efficiency was enhanced by increasing pipe diameter but was not affected significantly by varying face slopes.
A Look at Interactivity from a Consumer Perspective

U.S. homes are adopting computer mediated technology at a very high rate. Approximately 40 percent ofU.S. homes own a computer, 21 percent own a modem and 3 7 million individuals use the World Wide Web (Find/SVP, 1997; SRDS, 1996). Conservative grow1h projections indicate that 50 percent ofU.S. homes will own a computer by the year 2,000, and 22 to 31 million will have Internet access (Toner & Gipson. 1997; Krugman, 1995). The growth of technology has fostered the potential for direct marketers to “interact” with consumers via in-home technologies, and the field of direct marketing is becoming increasingly dependent on in-home technologies to reach consumers. Advocates of this type of marketing laud the ability of the computer to facilitate a more "interactive" relationship between marketers and consumers. However, despite the amount of attention that has been paid to interactive marketing, how consumers define the term “interactivity” has been investigated only on a limited basis. No studies have examined the implications that consumer perceptions ofinteractivity have on direct marketers. The purpose of this article is to illuminate how consumers perceive and interpret the concept of interactivity with respect to computer mediated technology.
Determinants of technology adoption in Mexico

The author tries to identify the impact of firm-, region-, and industry-specific characteristics on technology adoption by Mexican firms. Cross-sectional and panel data from 1992-99 show that the firms most likely to adopt new technology are large, train workers, have highly skilled workers, are near the U.S. border, and are owned by foreign entities. Also, bigger firms, firms with a large share of highly skilled workers, and firms that train workers, use intensively more complex technologies in their production process.
Damage assessment and possible damage mechanisms to 1-meter diameter Nova turning mirrors

A major concern in the operation of the LLNL 120 kJ Nova laser system is damage to the nominal l-meter diameter mirrors (i.e. HR coatings). The damage appears to originate from microscopic defects that vary in size up to approximately 30 {mu}m in diameter. These defects produce damage sites up to 250 {mu}m and, in some cases, covering 20% or more of the mirror surface. Defects due to particulates that are in or under the coating are highly unlikely due to the fact that coating thickness is only 5 {mu}m thick and particles up to 30 {mu}m would produce surface roughness that could be easily detected. Consequently, the defects must be plate-like (i.e. 2-D'') in nature. A by-product of the damage is a haze left on the surface of the mirror. This haze is analyzed and shown to be blown-off particles of ZrO{sub 2}/SiO{sub 2} coating material. The particle morphology suggests nucleation from a vapor phase which implies localized heating in the coating to temperatures on the order of 3000{degree}K. Some possible damage mechanisms are also explored. 10 refs. 8 figs., 2 tabs.
Private Liability for Reckless Consumer Lending

Congress recently enacted amendments to the Bankruptcy Code that possess the overarching theme of cracking down on debtors due to the increasing rate at which individuals have been filing for bankruptcy. Taking into account the correlation between the overall rise in consumer credit card debt and the rate of individual bankruptcy filings, the author nevertheless hypothesizes that not all credit card debt is troubling. Instead, the author proposes that the catalyst driving individual bankruptcy rates higher than ever is the level of bad credit - or credit extended to individuals even though there is a reasonable likelihood that the individual will be forced to default. While the author recognizes the need to hold individuals accountable for the debt they incur, he contends that bankruptcy reform should be targeted towards those creditors who are partly, if not chiefly, responsible for causing a debtor to default, given creditors' competitive advantage in determining the repayment capacity of individuals. To this end, the author explores the idea of imposing private liability on consumer lenders who bear primary responsibility for a debtor's financial default through a contract defense to collection, or possibly an affirmative cause of action in tort. Possible consequences of this proposal, such as a reduction in lending activity, are considered and addressed.
Perceiving, Analysing and Coping with the Local–Global Nexus

Dramatic changes in the technology of transportation, communications, and production, as exemplified by the jet engine, communications satellites, and transnational production of automobiles, have significantly changed the ways in which people in human settlements are linked to people in distant settlements. As a result, most people in the world now live their lives in a sea of worldwide transactions, as consumers of products and resources from throughout the world, as workers for transnational corporations and for other enterprises that must compete with them, as unemployed whose jobs have taken flight, and as consumers of global fads in music and dress. At the same time many people who travel are fearful of state and anti-state terrorism, and they attempt to overcome children’s fears, and their own, that bombs from thousands of miles away may at any time incinerate their city.
Demystifying Fair Use: the Gift of the Center for Social Media Statements of Best Practices

The fair use doctrine is famous for its uncertainty. As lawyers who counsel clients making fair use of copyrighted materials, we have experienced the frustration caused by fair use’s unpredictability on many occasions. In this Essay we discuss a more positive piece of the story: the development of Statements of Best Practices in Fair Use for various user communities. The Best Practices, pioneered by Peter Jaszi and Patricia Aufderheide, have helped demystify fair use for specific user groups without unduly limiting the flexibility that gives the fair use doctrine its strength, and have helped lawyers and gatekeepers understand important user norms.
The Duality Between Algebraic Posets and Bialgebraic Frames: A Lattice Theoretic Perspective

This paper sets two goals. The first is to present algebraists with a purely order-theoretic derivation of the adjunction between the category DCPO of DCPOs (directed complete posets) and the category Frm of frames. This adjunction restricts to several Stone-type dualities which are well-known and of considerable interest to computer scientists. The second goal is to describe the object classes of these subdualities in terms familiar to algebraists, thereby making a large body of literature about them more accessible.
A 1.5-GHz 130-nm Itanium/sup /spl reg// 2 Processor with 6-MB on-die L3 cache

This 130-nm Itanium 2 processor implements the explicitly parallel instruction computing (EPIC) architecture and features an on-die 6-MB 24-way set-associative level-3 cache. The 374-mm/sup 2/ die contains 410 M transistors and is implemented in a dual-V/sub t/ process with six Cu interconnect layers and FSG dielectric. The processor runs at 1.5 GHz at 1.3 V and dissipates a maximum of 130 W. This paper reviews circuit design and package details, power delivery, the reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS) features, design for test (DFT), and design for manufacturability (DFM) features, as well as an overview of the design and verification methodology. The fuse-based clock deskew circuit achieves 24-ps skew across the entire die, while the scan-based skew control further reduces it to 7 ps. The 128-bit front-side bus has a bandwidth of 6.4 GB/s and supports up to four processors on a single bus.
Mantle displays of freshwater mussels elicit attacks from fish

1. Gravid females of some North American freshwater mussel species (Bivalvia: Unionidae) display highly modified mantle margins and other reproductive structures which mimic small fish, terrestrial insects, or aquatic macro-invertebrates. We report the responses of fish to these lures, based on the results of laboratory encounters between the following pairs of displaying mussels and fishes: Lampsilis cardium and Micropterus coosae; L. perovalis and M. coosae; and Villosa nebulosa and Percina nigrofasciata. In all three encounters, the lures elicited attacks from fish. 2. Encounters between Lampsilis spp. and M. coosae resulted in gill infestations of the fish by larval mussels, which are obligate parasites on fish. An encounter between V. nebulosa and P. nigrofasciata did not result in infestation. 3. The use of these lures to attract fish may greatly increase the chances of parasite/host encounters and may also reduce the chances of infestation of unsuitable hosts.
Induction of Cellular Morphogenesis in Myxococcus xanthus II. Macromolecular Synthesis and Mechanism of Inducer Action

Sadler, William (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis), and Martin Dworkin. Induction of cellular morphogenesis in Myxococcus xanthus. II. Macromolecular synthesis and mechanism of inducer action. J. Bacteriol. 91:1520–1525. 1966.—Net changes in ribonucleic acid (RNA), deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), and protein syntheses in cells of Myxococcus xanthus during induced, synchronous conversion to microcysts are described. The net synthesis of all three macromolecules was temporarily halted for a brief period during the initiation of shape change. Synthesis then resumed and leveled off when refractile microcysts began to appear. The conversion was completely sensitive, throughout the process, to low concentrations of chloramphenicol and actinomycin D. The uptake of amino acids and uracil was linear throughout the conversion, suggesting that the plateaus in rates of net synthesis of protein and RNA represented a period of rapid turnover. The most effective inducers of microcyst formation were fully saturated aliphatic compounds containing 2 to 4 carbon atoms and at least one primary or secondary alcohol group. Studies with labeled inducer indicated that the inducer need not be taken up by the cells to be effective, and probably interacts with some peripheral structure of the cell. The possibility that induction involves an alteration of a membrane-DNA complex is discussed.
A phase-field model for grain growth with trijunction drag

Abstract A phase-field model has been developed to study the effect of triple junction (TJ) mobility on 2-D grain growth kinetics. The method captures the results of past work such as a linear increase in the average grain size with time, but can also follow the transition from TJ-limited to grain boundary energy-limited growth. The distribution of grain boundary curvature is examined. In the low TJ mobility simulations the distribution has a peak at zero curvature and approaches the grain boundary mobility-limited steady-state distribution at larger sizes. Even for extremely low TJ mobility, a small fraction of the grain boundary length has non-zero curvature and thus a lack of self-similarity is observed for all TJ-limited simulations, even when the average size is increasing linearly in time. We find that the topology of the grain structure is independent of the degree of TJ drag, within the range of parameters employed in the simulation. The effects of TJ mobility increase as the grain size decreases, suggesting that TJ mobility can play a significant role in nanocrystalline grain growth kinetics.
Glutathione-dependent enzymes in intact rod outer segments.

We have compared the specific activities of glutathione-dependent enzymes in rod outer segments (ROS) and in whole retina of rabbits and rats, using three different assays. In the first, glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity was measured as the combined activities of the Se-dependent and Se-independent forms using cumene hydroxide as a substrate. In the second, Se-dependent GSH-Px alone was measured using hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as a substrate. In the third, the combined activities of several enzymes, collectively known as GSH-S-transferase, were measured. The latter includes the activity of the Se-independent GSH-Px. GSH-Px activity (Se-dependent and Se-independent combined) in ROS of rat and rabbit were found to be 47·7±8·2 and 72·9±11·9 nmol of GSH oxidized min−1 mg−1 soluble protein, respectively. From whole retina, values were 67·3±6·0 and 128·8±12·3, respectively. Se-dependent GSH-Px specific activities from the above tissues were 43·5±2·9 (rat ROS), 70·6±11·3 (rabbit ROS), 30·6±9·6 (rat whole retina), and 113·2±12·2 (rabbit whole retina). GSH-S-transferase activity was negligible in rabbit ROS, whereas, in rat ROS, it was 40·4±8·0, expressed as nmol of S-2,4-dinitrophenylglutathione produced min−1 mg−1 soluble protein. In contrast, the GSH-S-transferase specific activity in whole rabbit retinas was about eight times that found in the rat retina (101·5±12·3 for rat retina and 885·3±60·0 for rabbit retina). These results demonstrate that ROS contain glutathione enzymes which are important in protecting membranes from oxidative stresses by reducing hydrogen peroxide and lipid hydroperoxides at the site of their formation.
Inheritance of radiation-induced partial sterility in the Indian meal moth.

Fifth-stage larvae and adult males of Plodia interpunctella (Hubner) were subjected to doses of gamma radiation sufficient to produce partially sterile populations. Radiation of 5th-stage larvae at 3.5 krad caused a 72% reduction in numbers of offspring in the F, generation compared with numbers produced by unirradiated crosses. When F1 males from this treated line were mated with normal females, there was an 89% reduction in the F2 generation. Males treated with 3.5 krad as 5th-stage larvae were sexually competitive with normal males. When one-day-old adult P. interpunctella males were irradiated at various dose levels, irradiation of adults at 25 krad did not produce results comparable with those produced by the 3.5-krad radiation of the 5th-stage larvae. Dosages above 25 krad reduced the sexual competitiveness of the males treated as adults.
Transmural distribution of myocardial tissue growth induced by volume-overload hypertrophy in the dog.

BACKGROUNDAlthough chronic volume overload is thought to induce uniform cardiac enlargement, the stimulus for tissue growth has not been defined. Changes in diastolic and systolic stress or strain have been proposed as mechanical factors that may stimulate hypertrophy. Since there are thought to be transmural variations in these stresses and strains, three-dimensional patterns of myocardial tissue growth may provide insight into the role of these factors.METHODS AND RESULTSTo assess the transmural variation in tissue growth after volume overload, the configurations of three columns of four to six gold beads (1-mm diameter) implanted in the left ventricular anterior free wall were recorded in five dogs before and after cardiac enlargement induced by creating a systemic arteriovenous fistula. Data were obtained with end-diastolic pressures adjusted to the same level in the control and hypertrophic states. End-diastolic wall thickness remained constant, whereas left ventricular diameter increased. Small incr...
Fresnel-Corrected Second-Order Interfrequency Correlations for a Surface-Scatter Channel

The correlation of the transfer function taken simultaneously at two different frequencies is computed for a random surfacescatter channel. The analysis is limited to transmission in the specular direction but uses a Fresnel-corrected model. It is therefore applicable to channels excited by a wide beam transmitter. Using this model it is possible to explain why in certain circumstances channel activity at two closely spaced frequencies is uncorrelated while in other cases correlation may be observed at widely spaced frequencies. Some guidelines for predicting various modes of channel behavior are derived. The Fresnel-corrected model is also used to explore the duration of the reverberant impulse response of the channel. The results are presented in a broad-band Sonar context but they can easily be generalized. Comparisons with the Fraunhofer limit are made in order to establish what advantages are offered by the Fresnel model.
Regulation of threonine biosynthesis in Escherichia coli.

Abstract Threonine synthase, the enzyme system which catalyzes the formation of threonine from homoserine, and its two components, homoserine kinase and homoserine phosphate mutaphosphatase, were studied in broken cell preparations of Escherichia coli and of yeast. The purpose of these studies was to determine whether the concentration of threonine within the cell has an effect on the biosynthesis of this amino acid. A feed-back mechanism whereby threonine inhibits the formation of its precursor, homoserine phosphate, appears to be a factor in the control of the rate of threonine biosynthesis in E. coli. Although yeast was studied in less detail, the data indicate that a similar mechanism exists in this organism.
Approximate quantum differential cross sections for the F + H2 reaction

Abstract Approximate differential cross sections are calculated (using collinear exact quantum reaction S matrices with transition state theory) for the F+H2(ν = 0) → HF(ν' = 2), HF(ν' = 3) + H reactions at translational energies of 1.9 and 2.9 kcal/ mole. For the former reaction the cross section is backward peaked at the lower energy but sidewise peaked at the higher one; for the latter it is backward peaked at both energies.
Time resolved flow-field measurements of a turbulent mixing layer over a rectangular cavity

High Reynolds number, low Mach number, turbulent shear flow past a rectangular, shallow cavity has been experimentally investigated with the use of dual-camera cinematographic particle image velocimetry (CPIV). The CPIV had a 3 kHz sampling rate, which was sufficient to monitor the time evolution of large-scale vortices as they formed, evolved downstream and impinged on the downstream cavity wall. The time-averaged flow properties (velocity and vorticity fields, streamwise velocity profiles and momentum and vorticity thickness) were in agreement with previous cavity flow studies under similar operating conditions. The time-resolved results show that the separated shear layer quickly rolled-up and formed eddies immediately downstream of the separation point. The vortices convect downstream at approximately half the free-stream speed. Vorticity strength intermittency as the structures approach the downstream edge suggests an increase in the three-dimensionality of the flow. Time-resolved correlations reveal that the in-plane coherence of the vortices decays within 2–3 structure diameters, and quasi-periodic flow features are present with a vortex passage frequency of ~1 kHz. The power spectra of the vertical velocity fluctuations within the shear layer revealed a peak at a non-dimensional frequency corresponding to that predicted using linear, inviscid instability theory.
Cerebral Tumors in Children Presenting With Epilepsy

The records of 20 children with seizures who had cerebral tumor confirmed histologically between 1979 and 1989 have been reviewed. These patients represented 2.9% of all children presenting with seizures. Forty percent were aged 15 months or younger, all of whom presented with partial seizures. Initial misdiagnosis of seizures occurred in 25% of these infants. Examination was normal in 75% of the study group. Behavior disturbance was present in 50%, with deterioration occurring in 60% of these. Electroencephalograms revealed focal abnormalities in 62% and generalized abnormalities in 25% when performed. Cranial ultrasound was performed in two cases, with false-negative results. Computed tomographic scan findings were not diagnostic of tumor in 40%. Magnetic resonance imaging confirmed the presence of tumor in all children in whom it was performed. Tumors most frequently involved the temporal lobes (55%) and the frontal lobes (40%). Surgical intervention resulted in considerable improvement in seizure cont...
Pre- and post-processing correlation filter data

Correlation filters have been shown to perform well for localization and classification tasks. In this paper, we investigate different techniques used to pre- and post-process the data to improve the correlation filter performance. In addition, we present an efficient method to use zero-mean, unit-norm test chips in a large test image. We compare the localization, classification, and recognition performance when we apply one or more of these methods.
Ouabain-induced Wenckebach conduction block in canine Purkinje fibers: The role of cycle length and time dependent changes in membrane potential☆

The purpose of this study was to determine the mechanism for digitalis-induced Wenckebach conduction block. Canine Purkinje cells were exposed to ouabain (2.0 × 10−7 M) and studied with conventional microelectrode techniques. When trains of stimuli were interrupted by a 5 second pause, restoration of stimuli resulted in successive action potentials showing an increasing slope of phase 4 depolarization which was expressed after the last beat as a delayed afterdepolarization. For any given state of ouabain toxicity, a beat-to-beat reduction in maximal diastolic potential could be induced by shortening the basic cycle length. If basic cycle length remained constant, continued exposure to ouabain would increase the net voltage reduction in membrane potential occurring during the train of ten beats. During the 5 second pause, an increase in membrane potential was observed and this hyperpolarization was of the same magnitude as the depolarization occurring during stimulation. With successive beats as membrane potential was reduced, action potential amplitude and dVdt were concomitantly reduced and conduction slowed. Intracellular current threshold measurements showed that the reduction in membrane potential initially was associated with decreased current threshold requirements, but later in toxicity current threshold was markedly increased for beats occurring late in the train. These data suggest that (1) the beat-to-beat reduction in membrane potential is due to both an increase in the height of the delayed afterdepolarization and a reduction in maximal diastolic potential; (2) trains of beats are associated with progressive prolongation of activation time with concomitant reduction in dVdt and membrane potential; and (3) failure of conduction is probably related to Purkinje segments showing decreased excitability.
The Effect of Spousal Bereavement on Cognitive Functioning in a Sample of Older Adults

Objective: This study examined the association between bereavement and cross-sectional differences in cognitive performance in a sample of older adults. Methods: Secondary cross-sectional data analysis was conducted on 211 participants from the MacArthur Battery dataset. Participants completed several cognitive tasks 6-months post-loss. Results: Hierarchical multiple regression results suggested that bereavement status was not associated with cognitive performance. However, the effect of bereavement on memory (immediate and delayed story recall) performance was moderated by age and gender where the younger participants and men who were bereaved performed worse compared to their non-bereaved counterparts. Discussion: Our results support the finding that bereavement is associated with poorer memory performance within certain subgroups (i.e., men and younger participants). We discuss findings in light of theories of stress and cognitive aging.
Severe tooth loss in older adults as a key indicator of compromised dietary quality.

Objective. Poor oral health influences the dietary quality of older individuals. The objective of the present study was to relate the number of teeth to adherence to the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans among an ethnically diverse sample of older adults, Design. A block cluster design was used to obtain a sample of older adults, Data were weighted to census data for ethnicity and gender, Dietary intakes were assessed using an FFQ and converted into Healthy Eating Index-2005 (HEI-2005) scores, Setting. Two counties in North Carolina, USA, with large African-American and American Indian populations, Subjects. Community-dwelling older adults (N635), Results. Three hundred and twenty-six participants had severe tooth loss (0–10 teeth remaining), compared with 305 participants with 11+ teeth, After controlling for socio-economic factors, those with 0–10 teeth had lower total HEI-2005 scores and consumed less Total Fruit, Meat and Beans, and Oils, and more energy from Solid Fat, Alcohol and Added Sugar, compared with those with 11+ teeth, Less than 1 % of those with 0–10 teeth and 4 % of those with 11+ teeth met overall HEI-2005 recommendations, Those with 0–10 teeth were less likely to eat recommended amounts of Total Vegetables, Dark Green and Orange Vegetables, and energy from Solid Fat, Alcohol and Added Sugar, Conclusions. Older adults with severe tooth loss are less likely than those with moderate to low tooth loss to meet current dietary recommendations, Nutrition interventions for older adults should take oral health status into consideration and include strategies that specifically address this as a barrier to healthful eating.