cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Detecting COVID-19 Related Pneumonia on CT Scans using Hyperdimensional Computing

Pneumonia is a common complication associated with COVID-19 infections. Unlike common versions of pneumonia spread quickly through large lung regions, COVID-19 related pneumonia starts in small localized pockets before spreading over the course of several days. This makes the infection more resilient and with a high probability of developing acute respiratory distress syndrome. Because of the peculiar spread pattern, the use of pulmonary computerized tomography (CT) scans was key in identifying COVID-19 infections. Identifying uncommon pulmonary diseases could be a strong line of defense in early detection of new respiratory infection-causing viruses. In this paper we describe a classification algorithm based on hyperdimensional computing for the detection of COVID-19 pneumonia in CT scans. We test our algorithm using three different datasets. The highest reported accuracy is 95.2% with an F1 score of 0.90, and all three models had a precision of 1 (0 false positives).
Curved colloidal crystals of discoids at near-critical liquid-liquid interface.

The assembly of disc-shaped particles at curved liquid–liquid interfaces was studied by using confocal microscopy. The interface is formed by a phase-separating critical liquid mixture of 2,6-lutidine and heavy water, where the colloids spontaneously assembled forming a dome. The novelty of this system is three-fold. First, the domes can be constructed and annihilated remotely and reversibly, which allows dynamic control of the colloidal assembly. Second, the effect of curvature can be investigated by analyzing domes of different radii ranging from 5 μm to 125 μm. Third, the slow dynamics due to hydrodynamic interaction among the particles can be utilized to investigate the time-evolution of defect morphology. Unlike the widely studied repulsive colloids, the interparticle potential near the critical point has an attractive component. I contrasted the packing and defects morphology of a solid-like and liquid-like dome differing in particle number density. In the solid-like dome, a chain of 5- and 7-fold coordinated particles was observed. The analysis of trajectories showed that particles were bound in a potential well of a depth of about ten times the thermal energy, which matched well with the calculation of the pair-potential by considering the attractive critical Casimir force among the particles. In the liquid-like dome, 6-fold particles separated by clusters of 5- and 7-coordinated particles were observed, which is suggestive of liquid–solid coexistence. The uniqueness of this system will open up a new research avenue to investigate the effect of varying curvature on the crystallization, defects, and phase diagram of colloidal assemblies.
Response-to-Failure Analysis of Global Food System Initiatives: A Resilience Perspective

International food system initiatives have led the efforts to combat the threats to global food security resulting from the failure of the current food systems. This study set out to investigate and assess the contributions of global food system initiatives in tackling the food system challenges. In assessing the food system initiatives, we develop a three-step methodology for Food System Initiative (FSI) selection and then conduct a qualitative evaluation using relevant indicators based on food system failure narratives. Furthermore, the authors synthesize present literature in the context of the extent to which coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has compounded food system challenges and, together with the response-to-failure analysis, recreate a resilient transformational framework, which will be an invaluable tool to FSI during and after the COVID-19 era, and guarantee we build back better. The findings show that while considerable effort is being made in addressing food system failures, the current COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the challenges and would require a paradigm shift not only in the implementation of conventional food system initiatives but also in the role of food system actors. The food system resilience framework presented provides useful pathway in expanding the understanding of the role of all key stakeholders and in identifying tipping points for building the desired resilience moving forward.
“To Me, It’s Not about Immigration Status”: Divergent Perceptions of Legal Status among Undocumented College Students

Prior research about undocumented college students detailed structural barriers and derailed academic trajectories. However, education access policies in states like California have lowered barrier...
Construction Education Needs Derived from Industry Evaluations of Students and Academic Research Publications

In recent years, the American Council for Construction Education (ACCE) has shifted to outcomes-based accreditation standards for higher education construction programs, allowing greater customizat...
Teaching of Programming with a Programmer's Theory of Programming

We review the introductory programming courses of the widely accepted Curricula ’68, ’78, ‘1991 and ‘2001. We note that a one-language, imperative-paradigm approach still prevails, although multi-language programming systems are already available. We discuss the Kernel Language Approach, which provides a programmer’s theory of programming that permits a widening of introductory courses to multi-language, multi-thread programming without loss of depth. We suggest two broad outlines for the removal of the one-language constriction from introductory programming courses. We observe that because of the introduction of dotNET and because of student exposure to net-centric multimedia applications, text-based “Hello World !” examples disappoint the expectations of today’s students.
Relationships of electrostatic potentials to intrinsic molecular properties

The chapter discusses the relationships of electrostatic potentials to intrinsic molecular properties. Such relationships exist is inferred from the Hohenberg–Kohn theorem that establishes the electronic density ρ(r) as the fundamental determinant of molecular properties, and Poisson's equation that links ρ(r) and V(r). The chapter briefly reviews some formulations, both exact and approximate, of total energies and energy differences in terms of electrostatic potentials at nuclei. This is followed by an examination of how the magnitudes of V(r) at other key points reflect the interaction of the atoms that constitute the molecule.
A Year after Wal-Mart, Class Actions Not Dead Yet

Commentary and analysis on case law developments in the lower federal courts, approximately one year after the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes, 131 S. Ct. 2541 (June 20, 2011). In the wake of the Court’s Wal-Mart decision, several melodramatic commentators suggested that the Court’s decision signaled a death-knell for class actions, in light of the Court’s tightening the standard for class certification threshold requirement for proving commonality under Rule 23(a)(2). The negative commentary on the Wal-Mart decision further suggested that the Court’s decision would signal a set-back for future Title VII gender-based class employment discrimination litigation.This analysis of emerging lower court cases suggests that any pronouncements of the death of class litigation in the wake of the Wal-Mart decision seem premature. Instead, among the few courts that have evaluated the newly articulated commonality standards, courts have certified class actions holding that the class proponents were able to satisfy those standards. In addition, in two California federal courts – where the Wal-Mart litigation arose – have not found the Wal-Mart commonality requirement to be an impenetrable barrier to class certification.
The mud-sand crossover on marine seismic data

ABSTRACTThe average depth or traveltime in which the acoustic impedance of marine muds exceeds surrounding sands is not clearly established but is important for a host of applications, such as geohazard analysis for deepwater drilling, slope stability, and prospecting for natural gas hydrates. We have established a practical depth and time for the mud-sand crossover. We have assembled the largest bulk density and compressional velocity data set for marine muds in the first 1200 m below the seafloor (mbsf) from drilling data. The marine mud data set is combined with laboratory data for sands at pressure to determine the physical property trends and crossovers in the average marine sediment column. We have used a simple lithologic model, the average marine mud and sand trends, and a Ricker wavelet to link the physical properties to marine seismic data. We found that a seismic mud-sand crossover occurs, on average, at 875 mbsf, which is approximately 1 s two-way time below the seafloor. More practically, t...
Fast Pulses with Oscillatory Tails in the FitzHugh--Nagumo System

Numerical studies indicate that the FitzHugh--Nagumo system exhibits stable traveling pulses with oscillatory tails. In this paper, the existence of such pulses is proved analytically in the singular perturbation limit near parameter values where the FitzHugh--Nagumo system exhibits folds. In addition, the stability of these pulses is investigated numerically, and a mechanism is proposed that explains the transition from single to double pulses that was observed in earlier numerical studies. The existence proof utilizes geometric blow-up techniques combined with the exchange lemma: the main challenge is to understand the passage near two fold points on the slow manifold where normal hyperbolicity fails.
The calculation of features for non-stationary signals from moments of the singular value decomposition of Cohen-Posch (positive time-frequency) distributions

This paper presents a new method for determining the principal features of a non-stationary time series process based on the singular value decomposition (SVD) of the Cohen-Posch (1985) positive time-frequency distribution. This new method uses density functions derived from the SVD singular vectors to generate moments that associate with the principal features of the non-stationary process. Since the SVD singular vectors are orthonormal, the vectors whose elements are composed of the squared-elements of the SVD vectors are discrete density functions. Moments generated from these density functions are the principal features of the non-stationary time series process.
Recurrence risk in Prader‐Willi syndrome

Il semble raisonnable d'admettre que le risque de recidive pour le syndrome de Prader-Willi (SPW) est inferieur a 1 p. 1000 et que cette recidive est improbable lorsqu'une deletion interstitielle 15 q existe chez le cas indicateur. Ce faible risque de recidive est interessant dans le conseil des familles d'enfants atteints du SPW qui projettent de futures grossesses ou demandent une analyse prenatale des chromosomes
The treatment of acute ulcerative necrotizing gingivitis with aureomycin

Abstract Fifteen cases of acute ulcerative necrotizing gingivitis have been treated by the oral administration of aurcomycin with excellent results. The advantages of this drug over penicillin have been discussed.
Fetal death repetition: The event memory hypothesis

Summary Fetal death recurrence is an important problem in reproductive health that is poorly understood. Based on preliminary epidemiologic evidence, we propose an “event memory” hypothesis which posits that when fetal death occurs the event is retained (memorized) as a program that is replayed in future pregnancies. We describe a pathway through which excessive programmed death (apoptosis) that mediates fetal demise in an initial pregnancy gets stored as an apoptotic cascade program that is replayed in a subsequent pregnancy regardless of the cause of the initial pregnancy loss. We propose an innovative method by which this hypothesis could be tested. If proven, the hypothesis will potentially represent a shift in paradigm in the field of epidemiology by introducing a new dimension (memory recall) to the cause--effect inference model; it will create a new intervention concept in prevention science, and will positively influence inter-conceptional care for mothers with a previous fetal death.
Comparison of frits used in the preparation of packed capillaries for capillary electrochromatography.

The performance of several types of frits, including sintered frits, photopolymerized frits, and frits made by sol−gel technologies, is evaluated. The frits are formed in open capillaries, and the electroosmotic mobilities are calculated and compared to those obtained in an open capillary. Run-to-run, day-to-day, and column-to-column reproducibilities are evaluated. In all cases, the run-to-run reproducibility varied by <4%. The greatest mobility was through the capillaries with the sol−gel frits (1.29 × 10-3 cm2/V·s) which also exhibited the best day-to-day reproducibility. The capillaries with the photopolymerized frits had the best column-to-column reproducibility, yet the slowest mobility (1.00 × 10-3 cm2/V·s). The second central moment of benzene as a solute is calculated and plotted as a function of time to estimate the differences in peak dispersion among the various frits studied. Although the mobilities through the capillaries with the sintered frits were the least reproducible, these frits are a...
Species‐Dependent Effects of Zooplankton on Planktonic Ecosystem Processes in Castle Lake, California

Freshwater zooplankton communities typically undergo pronounced seasonal succession and often show dramatic responses to external factors such as changes in zooplanktivore abundance. For this reason it is important to assess how common zooplankton species differ in their grazing impacts on planktonic ecosystems. To accomplish this we used single—species treatments with Diacyclops bicuspidatus thomasi, Daphnia rosea, Diaptomus novamexicanus, and Holopedium gibberum in situ in Castle Lake, California. These taxonomically diverse zooplankters differ markedly in feeding modes and typical seasonal population dynamics. We measured the response of nutrient concentrations, bacterioplankton abundance, phytoplankton species composition and biomass, primary production, a grazing index (phaeophytin/chlorophyll a), and microzooplankton to our single species treatments. The filter—feeding cladocerans Daphnia and Holopedium and the raptorial filter—feeding calanoid copepod Diaptomus showed several effects typical of herbivorous zooplankton. These included increasing dissolved nutrient concentrations, decreasing algal biomass and the abundance of several common algae, increasing a grazing index, increasing the ratio of bacterial to algal biomass, as well as depressing ciliate microzooplankton abundance. The raptorial cyclopoid copepod Diacyclops was apparently exclusively predaceous as it decimated the ciliate and rotifer microzooplankton, but had no notable effect on the other measured parameters relative to zooplankton—free controls. Diacyclops had the greatest effect on the microzooplankton and Daphnia and Diaptomus had the greatest effect on inorganic nutrients and characteristics of the phytoplankton. Holopedium had qualitatively similar but weaker impacts compared to Daphnia and Diaptomus. None of the zooplankton treatments had an effect on bacterioplankton abundance, nor did grazing by any of these zooplankters increase total algal primary production. Our results suggest differences in the grazing effects of common freshwater zooplankton can be pronounced and indicate that both seasonal succession and long—terms shifts in the zooplankton community structure should have marked effects on microzooplankton competitors and prey, the phytoplankton, and nutrient cycling.
Conversion of Glucose to Hydrogen-Rich Gas by Supercritical Water in a Microchannel Reactor

Microchannel reactors offer the intensification of heat transfer to endothermic chemical reactions. Microchannel reactors consist of a parallel array of micron-scale channels that are integrated into one device using microfabrication techniques. The gasification of glucose by supercritical water was studied in a stainless-steel microchannel reactor at 250 bar and 650−750 °C. The microchannel reactor architecture consisted of a parallel array of 21 rectangular microchannels (75 µm × 500 µm), each of 100 cm length, that were packaged into a serpentine pattern of 25 layers. At 750 °C, glucose was completely converted to gas products within a 2.0 s residence time, yielding an average gas composition of 53% H2, 35% CO2, 10% CH4, and 0.5% CO and a H2 yield of 5.7 ± 0.3 mol H2/mol glucose. At 650 °C, the intermediate products from the decomposition of glucose prior to their gasification and reforming were characterized. Routes for glucose transformation included the decomposition to acetic and propanoic acids, a...
Introduction: The Adaptive Response of Families to Maternal Employment: Part II—Family Perspectives

The increasing entrance of women into the American workforce during the past few decades is undoubtedly one of the greatest societal changes Americans have experienced, with important effects on fa...
An internal domain of the hepatitis B virus X antigen is necessary for transactivating activity

A number of deletion mutants of the hepatitis B viral X antigen had been constructed and assayed for their ability to transactivate heterologous viral regulatory elements. Neither the N-terminal nor the C-terminal amino acid residues were required for transactivating activity. Transactivating activity that resided within amino acid residues 32 to 148 of the X antigen did not show any target DNA sequence or cell line specificity.
Estimation of Food Guide Pyramid Serving Sizes by College Students

The utility of the Food Guide Pyramid (FGP) as a guide to quantity of consumption and serving sizes was investigated. Participants used the FGP model to assist them in selecting serving sizes on a 10-item questionnaire. Overall mean scores (31% correct) indicated that participants generally did not know the serving sizes recommended for use with the FGP, despite having access to the model, and having had some previous instruction (73% of participants). Those who had previously read about or received instruction on serving sizes had higher mean scores than those who had not (p < .004). The utility of the FGP as a guide for quantity of consumption requires further attention.
"Zamene," Isomeric C19 Monoolefins from Marine Zooplankton, Fishes, and Mammals

Three isomeric C(19) monoolefins with the carbon skeleton of pristane (2,6,10,14-tetramethylpentadecane) have been isolated from mixed zooplankton of the Gulf of Maine and from liver oils of various marine fishes and mammals. The structures have been elucidated. Zamene (norphytene), the terminal olefin, is a minor component of the mixture. The usage of the older trivial name "zamene" should be restricted to the total mixture of marine C(19) monoolefins with the pristane skeleton. Conventional chemical nomenclature should be used for individual isomers.
Test port cable instability and VNA measurement errors

Test port cables are often analyzed to determine the quality of their stability performance. However, the actual impact of their instability often is overlooked or not accounted properly. Cable stability measurements using traditional methods, such as using a short, do not correlate to the impact of cable instability on DUT measurements. An alternative method is presented that use ECal to analyze cable stability that provides a greater degree of insight on how DUT measurements are impacted by cable instability. In addition, methods to minimize the impact of cable instability are examined.
Auditor independence, executive pay and firm performance

This paper investigates whether compensation committees actively intervene to adjust accounting performance-based incentive schemes for the real, or perceived, reduced earnings credibility signalled by the purchase of non-audit services. Using a nonlinear, two-stage least-squares method that accounts for the simultaneity of executive pay, firm performance and non-audit fees, we find a significant negative relationship between non-audit fees and the sensitivity of chief executive officer (CEO) pay to firm performance. Point estimates suggest that the reduced weight applied to accounting performance lowers the incentive component of executive pay between roughly 5 and 8 per cent for the CEO of the ‘average firm’.
Computer Simulation for Cylindrical Plunge Grinding

A computerized simulation is described for cylindrical plunge grinding operations. The simulation predicts both the grinding behavior during the cycle and the final part quality, including grinding forces, power, actual material removal, temperature, thermal damage, thermal expansion, wheel wear, surface roughness and roundness. While not necessarily predicting the exact performance, the simulation does capture the main effects which occur during the grinding cycle. The conceptual and physical construction of the simulation program are described. Examples are presented to illustrate how the simulation works. Experimental results are found to compare favorably with predictions from the simulation.
Generation of Induced Regulatory T Cells from Primary Human Naïve and Memory T Cells

The development and maintenance of immunosuppressive CD4+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) contribute to the peripheral tolerance needed to remain in immunologic homeostasis with the vast amount of self and commensal antigens in and on the human body. Perturbations in the balance between Tregs and inflammatory conventional T cells can result in immunopathology or cancer. Although therapeutic injection of Tregs has been shown to be efficacious in murine models of colitis, type I diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and graft versus host disease, several fundamental differences in human versus mouse Treg biology has thus far precluded clinical use. The lack of sufficient number, purity, stability and homing specificity of therapeutic Tregs necessitated a dynamic platform of human Treg development on which to optimize conditions for their ex vivo expansion. Here we describe a method for the differentiation of induced Tregs (iTregs) from a single human peripheral blood donor which can be broken down into four stages: isolation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells, magnetic selection of CD4+ T cells, in vitro cell culture and fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) of T cell subsets. Since the Treg signature transcription factor forkhead box P3 (FoxP3) is an activation-induced transcription factor in humans and no other unique marker exists, a combinatorial panel of markers must be used to identify T cells with suppressor activity. After six days in culture, cells in our system can be demarcated into naive T cells, memory T cells or iTregs based on their relative expression of CD25 and CD45RA. As memory and naive T cells have different reported polarization requirements and plasticities, pre-sorting of the initial T cell population into CD45RA(+) and CD45RO(+) subsets can be used to examine these discrepancies. Consistent with others, our CD25(Hi)CD45RA(-) iTregs express high levels of FoxP3, GITR and CTLA-4 and low levels of CD127. Following FACS of each population, resultant cells can be used in a suppressor assay which evaluates the relative ability to retard the proliferation of carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester (CFSE)-labeled autologous T cells.
Acute effects of aflatoxin B1 on tRNA methylase function

Transfer RNA methylase activity and capacity were measured in relation to the acute effects of aflatoxin B1 on rat liver. Dose-independent methylase activity was elevated approx. 40% within 3 days after dosing, and gradually declined towards control values over a 3-week period. Transfer RNA methylase capacity, in contrast, exhibited a linear dose-response relationship with values elevated as much as 100% over control levels.
Cyclooxygenase-2 is essential for normal recovery from 5-fluorouracil-induced myelotoxicity in mice.

Abstract Cyclooxygenase (COX) plays a key regulatory role in prostaglandin synthesis. COX-2 is inducible and is the major isoform of inflammatory cells. COX-2–deficient mice were shown to have normal basal hematopoiesis and hematology. We hypothesized that COX-2 induction plays a role in the recovery phase of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) induced bone marrow injury, because significant macrophage-driven phagocytic removal of necrotic debris and stromal cell reorganization of repopulating marrow occur after 5-FU induction of bone marrow necrosis. Hematologic recovery was markedly delayed with moderately severe leukopenia, thrombocytopenia and reticulocytopenia compared to heterozygotes on day 8 or 12 in Cox-2 − /− mice. Mild anemia was present in 5-FU–treated Cox-2 − /− and Cox-2 + /− mice on days 8 and 12, which was more severe in Cox-2 − /− mice. Cox-2 − /− mice had markedly decreased bone marrow cell counts per femur and reduced numbers of erythroid and myeloid colony-forming cells compared to heterozygote mice on days 8 and 12 post 5-FU. Histologic examination of 5-FU–treated Cox-2 − /− mice revealed a failure to repopulate the intact marrow stroma with hematopoietic cells. Accelerated erythropoiesis following phenylhydrazine-induced hemolytic anemia, however, was comparable between Cox-2 − /− and Cox + /− mice, as were induced levels of renal erythropoietin mRNA. COX-2 induction is likely a central event in the accelerated hematopoiesis following myelotoxic injury, because recovery from 5-FU–induced myeloablation is markedly impaired in Cox-2 − /− mice but is normal after phenylhydrazine induction of anemia.
A heuristic for direct consumer participation in primary health care planning

Abstract Recent attempts at consumer participation in the health care planning process have proved weak in their ability to responsively account for consumer health welfare. This can be attributed, in large part, to the mechanisms employed for identifying and utilizing the consumer's health care views and preferences. A heuristic planning procedure designed to overcome these problems by directly incorporating consumer preferences is developed. It identifies that (primary) health care delivery system which maximizes total incremental health benefit to a community subject to a prespecified budget constraint. The model assumes a methodology (previously developed by the author) for measuring, in aggregable units, the benefit, Bip, from some health care facility p as perceived by some consumer i. Application of the procedure and subsequent sensitivity analyses demonstrate its ability to generate valid solutions that are robust to disturbances in the planning system.
The relationship between principal stress directions and the geometry of kinks in foliated rocks

Abstract This paper describes the results of a series of experiments carried out on card decks and foliated rock in order to study the nucleation and growth of kinks. Parameters varied in the experiments were confining pressure and the angle of inclination between the foliation and the direction of maximum shortening. The results showed that most kinks initiated as symmetric or monoclinal buckles which rapidly changed to an angular, stable form similar to that observed in nature. The amount of strain required to set up this stable geometry is small. The effect of increasing confining pressure is to diminish the size of the kinks while that of changing the angle of inclination of the foliation to the direction of maximum shortening is to modify the style of deformation from the development of a set of conjugate kinks at small angles (0 – 5°), to a single set of kinks at larger angles (5 – 15°), and, finally, to a combination of sliding along the foliation and kinking at the largest angles (15 – 30°) investigated. During this change in mode of deformation, the angular relationships between the kinks and the directions of the applied loads change systematically and graphs are presented which may be of use in relating the geometry of natural kinks to the principal stress directions.
Maternal inheritance of the mouse mitochondrial genome is not mediated by a loss or gross alteration of the paternal mitochondrial DNA or by methylation of the oocyte mitochondrial DNA

To evaluate whether the absence or modification of paternal mitochondrial DNA or methylation of the oocyte mitochondrial DNA could be the molecular basis for maternal inheritance of mitochondria in mammals, the mitochondrial genome has been analyzed in four meiotic and postmeiotic testicular cell types, and in oocytes from the mouse. All four testicular cell types including spermatozoa contain mitochondrial DNA. Between meiosis and the end of spermatogenesis the number of mitochondrial genomes per haploid genome decreases 8- to 10-fold with spermatozoa containing approximately one copy of the mitochondrial genome per mitochondrion. Restriction enzyme digestions with six different enzymes indicate no gross differences in DNA sequence in the testicular mitochondrial DNA from meiotic cells, early haploid cells, late haploid cells, and spermatozoa. By the criterion of differential digestion with the isoschizomers, MspI and HpaII, the mitochondrial DNA is not differentially methylated during spermatogenesis. No methylation differences were detected in mitochondrial DNA from sperm and oocytes following digestion with seven methylation-sensitive restriction enzymes.
BCILAB: a platform for brain-computer interface development

Objective. The past two decades have seen dramatic progress in our ability to model brain signals recorded by electroencephalography, functional near-infrared spectroscopy, etc., and to derive real-time estimates of user cognitive state, response, or intent for a variety of purposes: to restore communication by the severely disabled, to effect brain-actuated control and, more recently, to augment human?computer interaction. Continuing these advances, largely achieved through increases in computational power and methods, requires software tools to streamline the creation, testing, evaluation and deployment of new data analysis methods. Approach. Here we present BCILAB, an open-source MATLAB-based toolbox built to address the need for the development and testing of brain-computer interface (BCI) methods by providing an organized collection of over 100 pre-implemented methods and method variants, an easily extensible framework for the rapid prototyping of new methods, and a highly automated framework for systematic testing and evaluation of new implementations. Main results. To validate and illustrate the use of the framework, we present two sample analyses of publicly available data sets from recent BCI competitions and from a rapid serial visual presentation task. We demonstrate the straightforward use of BCILAB to obtain results compatible with the current BCI literature. Significance. The aim of the BCILAB toolbox is to provide the BCI community a powerful toolkit for methods research and evaluation, thereby helping to accelerate the pace of innovation in the field, while complementing the existing spectrum of tools for real-time BCI experimentation, deployment and use.
Induction of tyrosine transaminase in rat liver by actidione.

ACTIDIONE (cyloheximide) inhibits protein synthesis in yeasts, certain protozoa and mammalian cell lines1–3. It is a toxic compound for some mammalian species, for example, rats; however, in these cases, hydrocortisone acts as an antidote against such poisoning4. We recently reported5 that actidione in rats stimulates the adrenal cortex by way of the anterior pituitary. The stress reaction protected rats against actidione while hypo-physectomy or adrenalectomy made them more sensitive to actidione poisoning5. Furthermore, mice (which are normally highly resistant to actidione poisoning4,5) became sensitive to actidione after adrenalectomy5.
Characterization of NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase from house flies (Musca domestica, L.) susceptible and resistant to insecticides, and the blow fly (Phormia regina, meigen)☆

Abstract NADPH-cytochrome c reductase was purified by affinity chromatographic techniques from microsomes prepared from the abdomens of insecticide-resistant (R) and -susceptible (S) house flies Musca domestica and of the black blow fly Phormia regina. Data are presented which describe (1) the ability of the purified enzymes to support an in vitro reconstitution of mono-oxygenase activity, (2) the changes in activity of these preparations observed in buffers of varying ionic strength, (3) comparative kinetic behaviour between microsomal and purified forms of the enzymes, (4) the immunochemical characteristics of these preparations, and (5) their amino acid composition. The reductases from the three sources were found to be very similar in all of these tests. Substrate binding constants were 5 μM for NADPH, 12 μM for cytochrome c , and the catalytic mechanism was interpreted as ordered Bi Bi. The inhibitory constant of the reductase from the resistant fly for 2′-AMP, an analogue of NADP+, was 187 μM; whereas no assciation of the inhibitor was observed below concentrations of 400 μM for the enzyme of either the susceptible house fly or the blow fly. However, the data are insufficient to suggest that the reductase is a significant factor in insecticide resistance. Compared to the same enzymes from rat and rabbit liver, the insect reductases show a different ionic strength optimum (0.14), have distinct antigenic determinants, and have different levels of acidic and basic amino acids in the membrane-binding peptide.
S2 F10 Formation in Computer Simulation Studies of the Breakdown of SF6

The chemistry subsequent to the dielectric breakdown of SF6 under "mild" conditions has been modeled on the basis of known or estimated chemical kinetic data for the neutral reactive species postulated to be formed in the breakdown process. The emphasis is on the significance of S2FlO as an end product of dielectric breakdown and on the role of water vapor in S2F10 formation.
Electrical resistivity of U1−xMxBe13 under pressure

Abstract Measurements of the electrical resistivity of U 1− x Th x Be 13 compounds as a function of pressure provide a possible explanation for the unusual behavior of these materials.
Effect of Fe2+ and Mn2+ on 3-mercaptopicolinate inhibition of cytosolic and mitochondrial phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinases of five species

Liver cytosolic or mitochondrial fractions of five species were incubated with 30 micrometer Fe2+ or with 100 micrometer Mn2+ prior to assaying for phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (GTP:oxaloacetate carboxy-lyase (transphosphorylating), EC 4.1.1.32) acticity in the presence of 3-mercaptopicolinate. Only the cytosolic carboxykinases were activated 3--4-fold by Fe2+ or Mn2+. Fe2+ enhanced the inhibitory potency of 3-mercaptopicolinate 10--50-fold against the cytosolic and the mitochondrial carboxykinases, but Mn2+ was ineffective. Mn2+ interfered with Fe2+ -enhancement of inhibition by 3-mercaptopicolinate in a manner competitive with Fe2+. It is hypothesized that Fe2+ and 3-mercaptopicolinate form a coordination complex that inhibits the carboxylkinases and that 3-mercaptopicolinate does not blind to a carboxykinase containing Mn2+.
Wavelet-based acoustic emission detection method with adaptive thresholding

Reductions in Navy maintenance budgets and available personnel have dictated the need to transition from time-based to 'condition-based' maintenance. Achieving this will require new enabling diagnostic technologies. One such technology, the use of acoustic emission for the early detection of helicopter rotor head dynamic component faults, has been investigated by Honeywell Technology Center for its rotor acoustic monitoring system (RAMS). This ambitious, 38-month, proof-of-concept effort, which was a part of the Naval Surface Warfare Center Air Vehicle Diagnostics System program, culminated in a successful three-week flight test of the RAMS system at Patuxent River Flight Test Center in September 1997. The flight test results demonstrated that stress-wave acoustic emission technology can detect signals equivalent to small fatigue cracks in rotor head components and can do so across the rotating articulated rotor head joints and in the presence of other background acoustic noise generated during flight operation. This paper presents the results of stress wave data analysis of the flight-test dataset using wavelet-based techniques to assess background operational noise vs. machinery failure detection results.
Vibrational Circular Dichroism: Predominant Conformations and Intermolecular Interactions in (R)-(-)-2-Butanol

Vibrational absorption and circular dichroism spectra of (R)−(−)-2-butanol have been measured in CS2 solutions in the 2000−900 cm-1 region. Experimental spectra obtained at different concentrations have been compared with the ab initio predictions of absorption and VCD spectra obtained with density functional theory using B3LYP/6-31G* basis set for nine different conformers of (R)-2-butanol. The Boltzmann populations, obtained from Gibbs free energies, indicate the presence of all nine conformations for isolated molecule. Vibrational assignments have been proposed with the observed bands assigned mainly for the most stable conformers. The population weighted theoretical spectra are in satisfactory agreement with the experimental spectra obtained at dilute concentrations. The influence of intermolecular hydrogen bonding on the bands originating from C−O−H bending and C−O stretching is observed in the experimental spectra.
Boundary Role Ambiguity in Marketing-Oriented Positions: A Multidimensional, Multifaceted Operationalization:

Though marketers have begun to use the role ambiguity construct in understanding the boundary role phenomenon, several researchers have noted that extant measures of role ambiguity are deficient be...
Scanning electron microscope observations of the development of sporophores ofColletotrichum atramentarium (B. et Br.) Taub. on infected potato periderm

Sections of potato periderm (1cm2), bearing sclerotia ofC. atramentarium were incubated for 16 days at 25°C, fixed in OsO4 vapor at room temperature, dehydrated in a graded ethanol series and stored in 100% ethanol. Fixed specimens were coated with gold and examined with a Stereoscan electron microscope. Initial observations revealed numerous sclerotia and non-spore producing acervuli. After 16 days acervuli in various stages of development were observed. Initial development consisted of periderm swellings caused by a sclerotial body which enlarged to occupy an entire cork cell and eventually ruptured the periderm. A palisade layer formed from which setae developed, and apical ends of conidiophores were evident. Further development of the palisade layer was partially obscured by extrusion of a mucilaginous layer. Cylindrical, single-celled conidia (2.2–3.8u x 14.4–19u) were extruded through the mucilaginous matrix. Remnants of periderm wall were associated with acervuli and conidia lay in closely packed masses around the bases of mature acervuli. Conidia washed from spore producing acervuli onto PDA, germinated within 24 hours at room temperature. Electron scan is a rapid method for following acervulus development ofC. atramentarium on diseased potato periderm and demonstrates the feasibility of studying other potato periderm diseases with this technique.
Weak neutral-current effects in electron-scattering coincidence experiments

Abstract Using a recently developed helicity analysis of electron-scattering coincidence experiments, we derive general expressions for the asymmetry in the coincidence cross section with polarized incident electrons. The asymmetry cross section is expressed in terms of the helicity components of the electromagnetic and weak neutral currents in the center-of-momentum frame. The asymmetry arises from an interference between the electromagnetic and weak neutral currents and from parity admixtures in the nuclear wave functions. In the limit of heavy, static nuclei, connection can be made to the usual multipole matrix elements of the electromagnetic and weak interactions. Some simple examples are discussed for the case where the reaction proceeds through a single intermediate resonance.
Retrospective analysis of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) marine growth and condition in the northwest Atlantic based on tag‐recovery data

The life history of North American Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) is characterized by extensive round-trip migrations between freshwater rearing habitats and marine feeding grounds off the coasts of Canada and Greenland. Growth is rapid during the marine migration, and growth rate and condition factor may be indicators of salmon health during this period. Growth data were evaluated from a tag-recovery program conducted from 1969 to 1991 using hatchery-reared Atlantic salmon smolts released in the Penobscot River, Maine, U.S.A. Information from recaptures of 3167 salmon that were at large in the marine environment for 1 month to 3 yr was analyzed. Length–weight measurements coupled with time-at-large data were used to estimate von Bertalanffy and allometric growth parameters specific to the marine phase. Variations in growth and condition factor in relation to smolt age, release date, and temperature conditions in the northwest Atlantic were also examined. The von Bertalanffy k parameter declined with ordinal release date, indicating faster growth rates during the first year of smolts released earlier in the spring. The 2-yr-old smolts had a larger k than 1-yr-old smolts, although 1-yr-old smolts grew to a larger asymptotic size. Sea surface temperature had variable effects on growth parameters and condition factor, with temperature at the beginning of the migration and in overwintering habitat during the first year at sea having the greatest influence on length–weight relationships. Determining the mechanisms that influence growth of individuals during the marine phase will help elucidate the factors responsible for historic growth trends, establishing a baseline for current research.
Exploration of Student Perceptions, Behaviors and Academic Performance in Construction Management Classes

To improve student success, instructors need to understand how students feel about their own learning and how much responsibility the students take for it. This information is crucial to teaching and to the development of more effective courses. Yet, very often, instructors in higher education focus on content learning exclusively. While summative assessment of learning in these courses is important, content learning is not the only measure of educational outcomes. This study used an instrument-surveying tool in which the Course Valuing Inventory (CVI) was adapted for Construction Management (CM) courses to evaluate cognitive-content, affective-personal and behavioral learning in students taking these courses. The study also examined the relationship between course valuing scores, Approaches to Study Inventory (ASI), and course performance. Results indicated that the CVI can be adapted for use in CM courses. Multiple regressions run in this exploratory study predicting final course grade from seven predic...
Dose-response of prolactin and thyrotropin to N3im-methyl-thyrotropin releasing hormone in euthyroid men.

The synthetic N3im-methyl analogue of thyrotropin releasing hormone (methyl-TRH) was administered intravenously to 15 euthyroid men, ages 36–62, in graded doses from6.25 μg to 500 μg in order to establish the range of response of prolactin (PRL), TSH, T3 and T4 to various doses of methyl-TRH. There was a dose-related rise in serum TSH, PRL, T3 and T4 which gave a nearly linear relationship when the integrated area of response was used as an index of response to the various doses of methyl-TRH. All15 men had a clear elevation in TSH, PRL, T3 and T4 following the lowest dose of methyl-TRH tested (6.25 μg). There was considerable variability in the response to methyl-TRH among the individuals. One hundred μg of methyl- TRH gave a maximum TSH response; a 25 μg dose elicited a maximum PRL response.
In vitro study of vitellogenesis in the blue crab (Callinectes sapidus): Site and control of vitellin synthesis

The determine the site of vitellin (Vn) synthesis in the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, tissues (ovary, hepatopancreas, and gill) from adult female crabs were incubated in vitro with [35S]methionine. Tissue extracts were separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and radiolabeled proteins were visualized by autoradiography: Four radiolabeled ovarian proteins (188, 168, 109, and 86 kDa) comigrated with the subunits of Vn. A Western blot analysis confirmed that these ovarian proteins were the Vn subunits. Proteins in the hepatopancreas and gill were also radiolabeled but were not Vn-immunoreactive. In vitro incorporation of [35S] methionine into ovarian proteins was inhibited by an extract of eyestalks; the inhibition was dose-dependent and specific. Autoradiography of the electrophoretically separated ovarian proteins revealed that the eyestalk extract inhibited incorporation of [35S] methionine into numerous proteins, including the Vn subunits. These results suggest that the ovary is a site of Vn synthesis and that the eyestalks contain a factor or factors that directly inhibit the synthesis of Vn and other ovarian proteins. It is anticipated that the suppression of ovarian protein synthesis will be a useful bioassay for blue crab vitellogenesis-inhibiting hormone. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Virtue Training in Medical Schools: The Perspective of Behavioral Science Course Directors

Although the multidisciplinary research on physician socialization has focused on areas such as developments in learners' ideological commitments and ethics knowledge and skills, the literature on physician virtues has been anecdotal. To contribute empirical knowledge of virtue development during socialization, I performed constant comparisons on interviews with 20 directors of preclinical behavioral science courses. In discussing their courses, participants revealed foci on virtues involved in making intimate connections with patients (e.g., empathy) and "being professional" with colleagues (e.g., trustworthiness). To cultivate virtues for intimate connections, participants used the strategies of learner engagement with patients' narratives of illness, service in underserved communities, and shadowing and observing role models. To develop virtues for being professional, participants used the strategy of small learner groups, which consisted of discussions, project collaborations, and group evaluations. I conclude with implications for training students of various health sciences and managing health care teams.
User Control and Dynamic Reorganization of Multimedia Presentations During Playout

A methodology to dynamically adjust the multimedia presentations as a result of user interactions during the playout is introduced. A constraint-driven approach is described for the automated assembly, organization and playout of presentations from multimedia databases. To allow interactive user control over the playout of an automatically generated presentation, a set of control buttons are provided. Using these buttons, the user can control and change the flow of the presentation in a variety of ways. Interactive user control during the presentation playout, however, can introduce new delays in the original presentation schedule of multimedia segments and possibly change playout constraints. To account for these delays and changes, strategies to (a) dynamically reorganize the subpresentations into a presentation, (b) replace segments with their compacted clips, and (c) delete segments on the presentation graph are proposed.
In defense of health-based standards

Abstract This paper explores the utilitarian ethical foundations underlying two standards for pollution control: an efficiency standard and a health-based standard. The main point is that a health-based standard can be defended quite easily on utilitarian grounds; safety proponents need not be self-serving, irrational nor ignorant. Criticism of health-based standards as “too costly” is not always persuasive since material consumption is not the only component of social welfare, nor do consumption increases necessarily increase social welfare.