cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Development of behavior and learning in Aplysia.

A set of fundamental issues in neuroethology concerns the neural mechanisms underlying behavior and behavioral plasticity. We have recently analyzed these issues by combining a simple systems approach in the marine molluscAplysia with a developmental analysis aimed at examining the emergence and maturation of different forms of behavior and learning. We have focussed on two kinds of questions: 1) How are specific neural circuits developmentally assembled to mediate different types of behaviors? and 2) how is plasticity integrated with these circuits to give rise to different forms of learning? From our analysis of the development of learning and memory inAplysia, several themes have emerged: 1) Different forms of learning emerge according to different developmental timetables. 2) Cellular analogs of learning have the same developmental timetables as their respective forms of behavioral learing. 3) An analysis of non-decremented responses prior to the emergence of sensitization reveals a novel inhibitory process on both behavioral and cellular levels. 4) Sensitization emerges simultaneously in diverse response systems, suggesting an underlying general process. 5) A widespread proliferation of central neurons occurs in the same developmental stage as the emergence of sensitization, raising the possibility that some aspect of the trigger for neuronal proliferation may also contribute to the expression of sensitization.
Actuation of a discontinuous structure with piezoelectric actuators

Abstract An alternate approach to exciting a one-dimensional structure with discontinuities using a piezoelectric actuator is presented and examined. Instead of being bonded to the uniform side of a beam, the piezoelectric actuator is attached such that it spans two adjacent rib discontinuities. In this configuration, the actuator generates an eccentric actuation force on the structure and induces both axial and transverse motions. The goal of this work is to first model the axial and transverse response caused by the piezoelectric actuator. Then, the change in that response is examined for the case where an external disturbance force is present. The system is modeled by coupling the piezoelectric strain and structural dynamic response. The characteristics of the voltage-generated piezoelectric forces are discussed through numerical examples. The structural response found using the dynamic force–voltage model for the actuator is then compared to the response when the actuator model is approximated by its static or zero-frequency value. Furthermore, the ability of the actuator to potentially provide better control authority by using this alternate configuration is examined. The numerical study shows that when the actuator spans two discontinuities, there is potential for greater control authority than when that same actuator is placed on the uniform side of the structure.
Freezing the canine thoracic aorta in situ

Abstract The descending thoracic aorta was frozen in situ in 32 dogs with liquid nitrogen (−196°C). After thawing, the thoracic aorta continued to function as a blood conduit. Devitalization of the aorta was produced but no postoperative complications or serious late sequelae occurred. The reparative process was orderly and featured gradual resorption of necrotic tissue and replacement by new tissue that restored normal aortic wall structure. Late changes, 8 months after freezing, included progressive localized arteriosclerotic changes and calcification (cartilaginous and bony metaplasia). These results encourage the continued development of cryosurgical techniques for visceral tumors involving critical blood vessels.
Photohydrolysis of Substituted Benzyl Esters in Multilayered Polyelectrolyte Films

Poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) is partially esterified with various benzyl (i.e., benzyl, 3-methoxybenzyl, 3,5-dimethoxybenzyl, and 2-nitrobenzyl) groups, and the resulting benzyl acrylate copolymers are then incorporated into multilayered polyelectrolyte films. Upon exposure to UV light, the benzyl groups are photohydrolyzed. The hydrolysis is monitored by reflectance FTIR spectroscopy, ellipsometry, and advancing water contact angle measurements. The nature of the substituents on the aromatic rings affects the photoreactivity and thermal stability of the films. For example, 3,5-dimethoxybenzyl and 2-nitrobenzyl esters are photohydrolyzed to form primarily acid groups in the film matrix. On the other hand, when benzyl and 3-methoxybenzyl ester films are irradiated, fewer acid groups are formed. Films made with 3,5-dimethoxybenzyl groups appear to be the most thermally stable during the cross-linking of the polymeric film layers.
The making of a ‘charismatic’ carbon credit: clean cookstoves and ‘uncooperative’ women in western Kenya

The Kyoto Protocol under the United Nations Convention on Climate Change first legitimized state-to-state carbon trading in 1997 with the goal of cost-effectively reducing carbon emissions. Voluntary carbon markets for private trading have emerged since, often claimed by their proponents to pioneer innovative projects that reduce poverty as well as carbon emissions. We use the case of a cookstove project, financed by the carbon emissions reductions generated when rural Kenyan women switch from traditional to energy-efficient cookstoves, to illuminate the complex process through which 'charismatic' pro-poor carbon offsets are produced. We highlight the role of women's labor in creating the initial carbon emissions reductions, which then become tradable virtual commodities through a series of studies to measure and verify the associated carbon savings, as well as the signing of a contract that transfers the property rights to the verified savings from the stove user to an international nonprofit carbon credit developer. We argue that, while introducing some improvements in cooking time, smoke level, and labor, the improved cookstove carbon offset ultimately constitutes a gendered, ongoing accumulation by decarbonization that, by securing the means of future wealth that could be generated from the project for investors in the Global North, marginalizes rural Kenyan women.
Cold acclimation increases fatty acid-binding protein concentration in aerobic muscle of striped bass, Morone saxatilis

Fatty acid-binding protein was isolated from aerobic skeletal muscle of the striped bass Morone saxatilis. FABP from striped bass (MS-FABP) has a molecular mass of 14,800 Da (as estimated by SDS-PAGE) and binds long-chain fatty acids with 1:1 molar stoichiometry and with micromolar affinity. Binding dissociation constants, as estimated by liposome assay, were 0.63 ± 0.44, 0.82 ± 0.12, and 1.60 ± 0.44 μM for palmitic (16:0), oleic (18:1), and palmitoleic (16:1) acids, respectively. No significant difference was detected in MS-FABP's binding affinity among these fatty acids or those estimated by competitive displacement assay (22:6, 20:5, and 18:0). Acclimation of striped bass from 25°C to 5°C caused an increase in FABP concentration in aerobic skeletal muscle (5°C = 1.44 ± 0.12 mg/g wet weight; warm = 1.04 ± 0.11 mg/g wet weight). The magnitude of this increase matches the predicted decrease in diffusion coefficient of FABP at 5°C. Previous studies, however, report that fatty acid oxidation is not only maintained but increased in cold-acclimated fish. We speculate that FABP may increase flux of fatty acids through β-oxidation (in cold-acclimated fish) by an increase in the percent of FABP molecules carrying fatty acid. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Bladder function after ambulatory surgery

Abstract Micturition is a complex process under both involuntary and voluntary control. A variety of pathological conditions, as well as certain surgical and anesthetic procedures cause urinary retention, which may have long lasting consequences. Patients undergoing ambulatory surgery have traditionally been required to void prior to discharge; however, this practice is increasingly being questioned. Ultrasound scanning of the bladder is an accurate method of measuring urine volume in postoperative patients. It may be useful as a non-invasive method of monitoring bladder volume, thus avoiding unnecessary bladder catheterization whilst at the same time preventing prolonged overdistension. We present an algorithm for managing ambulatory patients in both low and high-risk groups for postoperative urinary retention.
Auxiliary entanglement in photon pairs for multi-photon entanglement

A growing number of experiments make use of multiple pairs of photons generated in the process of spontaneous parametric down-conversion. We show that entanglement in unwanted degrees of freedom can adversely affect the results of these experiments. We also discuss techniques to reduce or eliminate spectral and spatial entanglement, and we present results from two-photon polarization-entangled source with almost no entanglement in these degrees of freedom. Finally, we present two methods for the generation of four-photon polarization-entangled states. In one of these methods, four-photon can be generated without the need for intermediate two-photon entanglement.
A computational study of dissociation pathways in the FOC1-FC1O system

Abstract Ab initio molecular orbital calculations have been carried out to determine the relative stabilities and decomposition pathways of FOC1 and FC1O. Second-order Moller-Plesset perturbation theory along with quadratic configuration interaction and Brueckner doubles including perturbational corrections of connected triple excitation (BD(T)) methods are used. We find that FC1O is more stable than FOC1. An examination of the potential energy surface for the reaction of oxygen atoms with FC1 shows that only FC1O should be produced. This is consistent with the experimental observation from matrix studies.
Sleep-Disordered Breathing in Neuromuscular Disease

Patients who have neuromuscular disorders are at high risk for development of sleep-disordered breathing. As a result of an abnormal ventilatory pump patients are unable to maintain Paco2 at or less than 45 mm Hg or normoxemia, particularly when asleep. The most common complaint is excessive daytime somnolence. Polysomnography is the gold-standard test for evaluation of sleep-disordered breathing. Noninvasive ventilation has improved the quality of life and may have extended survival of many patients who have neuromuscular disease.
Using transit or municipal vehicles as moving observer platforms for large scale collection of traffic and transportation system information

The availability of traffic flow data on urban roads, as presently collected, is limited due to the sparse number of sensors over the spatially extensive network. We describe a prototype implementation of a sensor and data analysis system that could be deployed on transit or municipal vehicles to collect traffic flow data. It consists of a data collection vehicle with positioning sensors (GPS, IMU, and OEM vehicle state sensors) as well as multiple ranging sensors to monitor the ambient traffic (vertical LiDAR). Our premise is that some data on a given link is better than the current situation where most links go unobserved. The system is capable of detecting vehicles over multiple lanes, providing velocity and shape-based vehicle classification for each vehicle. We also present the results of several validation experiments, comparing the detection system against concurrent ground truth data.
COMETS, TELEOLOGY, AND THE RELATIONSHIP OF CHEMISTRY TO COSMOLOGY IN NEWTON'S THOUGHT

title RIASSUNTO /title Nella teoria newtoniana delle comete, queste servono come agenti per la conservazione e la riforma del sistema solare: non solo completano le stelle e i ?CTRLerr type="1" mess="Doute Cars isoles avec recollage" ?pianeti, ma, a volte, alterano radicalmente l'ordine celeste. Il saggio esamina sia la filosofia chimica sulla quale si fondano le funzioni attribuite alle comete, sia le credenze tradizionali che hanno dato corpo a queste stesse funzioni.
Fabric wrinkle characterization and classification using modified wavelet coefficients and support-vector-machine classifiers

In this paper we present a novel wrinkle evaluation method that uses modified wavelet coefficients and optimized support-vector-machine (SVM) classifications to characterize and classify the wrinkl...
Teaching the Past through Oral History.

Any teacher of an American history survey course has wrestled with organizing a vast amount of material into a concise, integrated, and understandable series of lectures that can be presented within a few months. Covering the major national events that occurred between 1865 and the present often leaves little time to explore the underlying causes and effects that propelled historical development. To provide students with a deeper level of historical understanding, I have found it advantageous to base my lectures on two broad themes: the changing relationship between the federal government and its citizens and the expanding citizenship rights of women and minorities. Both themes focus on change and development and highlight the impact that national trends have on the everyday lives of Americans. While traditional teaching sources-class lectures, textbooks, videos, and other secondary materials-offer students the basic facts and ramifications of historical change, they often fail to connect the broader national trends to individual lives and to show how individuals' perceptions and attitudes have changed or remained static over time. Oral history provides students with an important tool to make such connections. Personal interviews not only enliven historical study and personalize historical events; they also allow students to perceive how the nation and its individual citizens have changed through time. Interviewing people who experienced the poverty of the Great Depression, the violence of school integration, the turbulence of the Vietnam War era, or the fears of the Cuban missile crisis dramatically underscores the evolutionary nature of American history. As part of my teaching curriculum, I require my students to conduct historical interviews for their term paper assignments and to present their findings during class discussion. I instruct each student to choose one event covered in class and to interview at least two people who lived through that event.' That process alone can raise as many questions as it answers. Students often discover during an interview that individuals forget or gloss over painful subjects. For example, several students discovered that their interviewees resisted answering questions about their involve-
A fundamental limit on delay estimation using partially correlated speckle signals

Delay estimation is used in ultrasonic imaging to estimate blood or soft tissue motion, to measure echo arrival time differences for phase aberration correction, and to estimate displacement for tissue elasticity measurements. In each of these applications delay estimation is performed using speckle signals which are at least partially decorrelated relative to one another. Delay estimates which utilize such data are subject to large errors known as false peaks and smaller magnitude errors known as jitter. While false peaks can sometimes be removed through nonlinear processing, jitter errors place a fundamental limit on the performance of delay estimation techniques. The authors apply the Cramer-Rao Lower Bound to derive an analytical expression which predicts the magnitude of jitter errors incurred when estimating delays using radio frequency (RF) data from speckle targets. The analytical expression presented includes the effects of signal decorrelation due to physical processes, corruption by electronic noise, and a number of other factors. Simulation results are presented which show that the performance of the normalized cross correlation algorithm closely matches theoretical predictions. These results indicate that for poor signal to noise ratios (0 dB) a small improvement in signal to noise ratio can dramatically reduce jitter magnitude. At high signal to noise ratios (30 dB) small amounts of signal decorrelation can significantly increase the magnitude of jitter errors. >
Assessing Impacts of Global Warming on Tropical Cyclone Tracks

A new approach is proposed to assess the possible impacts of the global climate change on tropical cyclone (TC) tracks in the western North Pacific (WNP) basin. The idea is based on the premise that the future change of TC track characteristics is primarily determined by changes in large-scale environmental steering flows. It is demonstrated that the main characteristics of the current climatology of TC tracks can be derived from the climatological mean velocity field of TC motion by using a trajectory model. The climatological mean velocity of TC motion, which is composed of the large-scale steering and beta drift, is determined on each grid of the basin. The mean beta drift is estimated from the best track data, and the mean large-scale steering flow is computed from the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis for the current climate state. The derived mean beta drift agrees well with the results of previous observational and numerical studies in terms of its direction and magnitude. The outputs of experiments A2 and B2 of the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) R30 climate model suggest that the subtropical high will be persistently weak over the western part of the WNP or shift eastward during July-September in response to the future climate change. By assuming that the mean beta drift in the future climate state is unchanged, the change in the general circulation by 2059 will decrease the TC activities in the WNP, but favor a northward shift of typical TC tracks. As a result, the storm activities in the South China Sea will decrease by about 12%, while the Japan region will experience an increase of TCs by 12-15%. During the period of 2000-2029, the tropical storms that affect the China region will increase by 5-6%, but return to the current level during 2030-2059. It is also suggested that, during the period of 2030-2059 tropical storms will more frequently affect Japan and the middle latitude region of China given that the formation locations remain the same as in the current climate state.
Choosing route of delivery for the macrosomic infant of a diabetic mother: Cesarean section versus vaginal delivery

The macrosomic fetus of a diabetic woman faces increased risk for injury at the time of vaginal birth. Cesarean section offers the promise of avoiding trauma to the fetus, but can result in increased morbidity in the mother as compared to vaginal delivery. In this article, the advantages and disadvantages of the two routes of delivery for the overgrown fetus of a diabetic mother are discussed. Specifically, data regarding risk of permanent neurological damage to the infant from vaginal delivery, and maternal morbidity from elective, pre-labor Cesarean delivery are critically examined. In addition, methods for diagnosing macrosomia by ultrasound are discussed, along with the benefits and pitfalls of ultrasonic fetal weight estimation in the setting of diabetes. Finally, management approaches for selecting route of delivery for the macrosomic fetus are described and analyzed.
Improved Cerebral Resuscitation From Cardiac Arrest in Dogs With Mild Hypothermia Plus Blood Flow Promotion

Background and Purpose In past studies, cerebral outcome after normothermic cardiac arrest of 10 or 12.5 minutes in dogs was improved but not normalized by resuscitative (postarrest) treatment with either mild hypothermia or hypertension plus hemodilution. We hypothesized that a multifaceted combination treatment would achieve complete cerebral recovery. Methods With our established dog outcome model, normothermic ventricular fibrillation of 11 minutes (without blood flow) was followed by controlled reperfusion (with brief normothermic cardiopulmonary bypass simulating low flow and low Pao2 of external cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and defibrillation at <2 minutes. Controlled ventilation was provided to 20 hours and intensive care to 96 hours. Control group 1 (n=8) was kept normothermic (37.5°C), normotensive, and hypocapnic throughout. Experimental group 2 (n=8) received mild resuscitative hypothermia (34°C) from about 10 minutes to 12 hours (by external and peritoneal cooling) plus cerebral blood flow ...
Source study of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake

All quality teleseismic recordings of the great 1906 San Francisco earthquake archived in the 1908 Carnegie Report by the State Earthquake Investigation Commission were scanned and digitized. First order results were obtained by comparing complexity and amplitudes of teleseismic waveforms from the 1906 earthquake with well calibrated, similarly located, more recent earthquakes (1979 Coyote Lake, 1984 Morgan Hill, and 1989 Loma Prieta earthquakes) at nearly co-located modern stations. Peak amplitude ratios for calibration events indicated that a localized moment release of about 1 to 1.5 × 10^(27) dyne-cm was responsible for producing the peak the teleseismic body wave arrivals. At longer periods (50 to 80 sec), we found spectral amplitude ratios of the surface waves require a total moment release between 4 and 6 × 10^(27) dyne-cm for the 1906 earthquake, comparable to previous geodetic and surface wave estimates (Thatcher, 1975). We then made a more detailed source analysis using Morgan Hill S body waves as empirical Green's Functions in a finite fault subevent summation. The Morgan Hill earthquake was deemed most appropriate for this purpose as its mechanism is that of the 1906 earthquake in the central portion of the rupture. From forward and inverse empirical summations of Morgan Hill Green's functions, we obtained a good fit to the best quality teleseismic waveforms with a relatively simple source model having two regions of localized strong radiation separated spatially by about 110 km. Assuming the 1906 epicenter determined by Bolt (1968), this corresponds with a large asperity (on the order of the Loma Prieta earthquake) in the Golden Gate/San Francisco region and one about three times larger located northwest along strike between Point Reyes and Fort Ross. This model implies that much of the 1906 rupture zone may have occurred with relatively little 10 to 20 sec radiation. Consideration of the amplitude and frequency content of the 1906 teleseismic data allowed us to estimate the scale length of the largest asperity to be less than about 40 km. With rough constraints on the largest asperity (size and magnitude) we produced a suite of estimated synthetic ground velocities assuming a slip distribution similar to that of the Loma Prieta earthquake but with three times as much slip. For purposes of comparison with the recent, abundant Loma Prieta strong motion data set, we “moved” the largest 1906 asperity into Loma Prieta region. Peak ground velocity amplitudes are substantially greater than those recorded during the Loma Prieta earthquake, and are comparable to those predicted by the attenuation relationship of Joyner and Boore (1988) for a magnitude M_W = 7.7 earthquake.
AR Suppresses Transcription of the α Glycoprotein Hormone Subunit Gene Through Protein-Protein Interactions with cJun and Activation Transcription Factor 2

Previously, we reported that the AR directly suppressed transcription of the α glycoprotein hormone subunit (αGSU) gene in a ligand-dependent fashion while ER had no effect. Mutagenesis studies of the αGSU promoter indicated that two elements were required for AR-mediated suppression: the α basal element and tandem cAMP response elements (CREs). Because several members of the bZip family of transcriptional proteins can bind the CREs, we used several functional assays to determine whether AR interacts selectively with cJun, activation transcription factor 2 (ATF2), or CRE binding protein (CREB). When tested by cotransfection with AR, cJun and ATF2 specifically rescued androgen-mediated suppression of theα GSU-reporter construct in a gonadotrope-derived cell line. In contrast, cotransfected CREB displayed no activity in this rescue assay. In fact, overexpression of CREB alone diminished activity of theα GSU promoter, suggesting that the transcriptional activity normally conferred by the tandem CREs in gonad...
Effect of Food Matrix on Saltiness Perception—Implications for Sodium Reduction

Enhancing sodium release from the food matrix, thus increasing saltiness perception, is a promising strategy to reduce the amount of salt needed in foods. However, the complex nature of the effect of the food matrix on saltiness perception makes it difficult to control saltiness perception when designing food products. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the food matrix effects on saltiness perception of sodium chloride. The effects are discussed in the order of 3 stages in saltiness perception: release of sodium from food matrix into oral cavity (1st stage), delivery of sodium within oral cavity (2nd stage), and detection of sodium by the taste receptor cells (TRCs) (3rd stage). In the 1st stage, the food matrix affects the initial availability of sodium to be released, and also affects the spontaneous and facilitated migration of sodium from the matrix into the oral cavity. In the 2nd stage, the food matrix affects the availability of sodium and the mixing efficiency of sodium with saliva. The relationship between food matrix and oral processing of food that may affect the sodium release (1st stage) and the delivery (2nd stage) is also discussed. In the 3rd stage, the food matrix affects the physical availability of sodium for the TRCs, the physiological activity of TRCs, and the central activities involved in the perception process. Based on the understanding of complex nature of the matrix effects on saltiness perception discussed in this review, the properties of food matrix may be controlled effectively to enhance saltiness perception and achieve sodium reduction.
Approximation Algorithms for Some Clustering and Classification Problems

Clustering and classification problems arise in a wide range of application settings from clustering documents, placing centers in networks, to image processing, biometric analysis, language modeling and the categorization of hypertext documents.
Morphology, distribution, mineral density and volume fraction of human calcified costal cartilage

This study examines the properties of calcifying human costal cartilage and adjacent rib bone using qualitative and quantitative micro-computed tomography analysis. Calcifications are categorized with respect to location, microstructure, shape, and contiguity using a novel classification scheme and quantified in terms of mineral density, volume fraction, and length of infiltration from the costo-chondral junction (CCJ). Calcifications were present throughout the cartilage by location and ranged from small diffuse calcifications to nodes, rods, plates, and even large complex structures that exhibited a microstructural morphology similar to a cross-section of diaphysial bone, with a dense shell surrounding a trabecular core. Solid microstructure was most common for calcifications (44.5%), and the morphologies were found to vary with location, with rods and plates being most prevalent at the periphery (91.7% of all rods, 98.4% of all plates). The average mineral density of the calcifications over all locations and morphologies was 658.8±86.36, compared with 662.7±50.37 mgHA cm(-3) for the adjacent rib bone. The calcification volume fraction (6.54±4.71%) was less than the volume fraction of rib bone (21.62±6.44%). The length of contiguous calcification infiltrating from the CCJ into the costal cartilage, when present, was 19.21±11.65 mm. These changes in the costal cartilage should be considered in biomechanical models of the thorax since the presence, location, and morphology of the calcifications alter the material behavior of the costal cartilage, as well as the structural behavior of the entire rib.
Pediatric Auditory Brainstem Implant Surgery

Auditory brainstem implants (ABIs) provide auditory perception in patients with profound hearing loss who are not candidates for the cochlear implant (CI) because of anatomic constraints or failed CI surgery. Herein, the authors discuss (1) preoperative evaluation of pediatric ABI candidates, (2) surgical approaches, and (3) contemporary ABI devices and their use in the pediatric population. The authors also review the surgical and audiologic outcomes following pediatric ABI surgery. The authors' institutional experience and the nearly 200 cases performed in Europe and the United States indicate that ABI surgery in children can be safe and effective.
Neuroimaging demonstration of evolving small vessel ischemic injury in cerebral amyloid angiopathy.

Background and Purpose— Cerebral amyloid angiopathy is a small to medium vasculopathy most commonly associated with symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage and microbleeds. Summary of Case— We present a patient with cerebral microbleeds and likely amyloid angiopathy with evolving ischemic lesions visualized on diffusion-weighted imaging. Conclusions— This case captures with serial MRI the evolving and dynamic nature of cerebral amyloid angiopathy and particularly illustrates the subclinical, yet progressive, ischemic aspects of this vasculopathic process.
Dependence of Compaction Efficiency in Dry Pressing on the Particle Size Distribution

The compact densification with pressing pressure (compaction efficiency) was determined to be sensitive to the particle size distribution. For the three types of alumina powders used in this research, the compaction efficiency increased with increasing particle size. It has been demonstrated that if the compact density versus log (pressure) has a linear relationship for any two types of powders, so do the blends of the two powders. A model is proposed which can predict the compaction efficiency of a binary particle system based on the Furnas particle packing model and consider the packing efficiency as a function of forming pressure. The composition of the binary mixture at which the highest density is obtained under high pressures is also the composition having the largest compaction efficiency. When coarse particles were added to this composition, the compaction efficiency slowly decreased, and when fine particles were added, the compaction efficiency rapidly decreased. For a continuous particle size distribution, the highest compaction efficiency is related to the average value of {minus}log (pore fraction).
Orange juice ingestion and supplemental vitamin C are equally effective at reducing plasma lipid peroxidation in healthy adult women.

Objective: To directly examine the contribution of vitamin C to the antioxidant potential of fruits and vegetables, the antioxidant effect of orange juice consumption (8 and 16 fl. oz.) was compared to the antioxidant effect of supplemental vitamin C (dosage equivalent to that supplied by 8 fl. oz. of orange juice).Methods: Subjects (n = 11; 28.6 ± 2.1 years) received each treatment in a 3 × 3 randomized crossover design, and each two-week treatment was preceded by a two-week washout. During the entire trial, subjects restricted fruit and vegetable consumption to ≤3 servings per day except the vitamin C-rich foods (items containing >20 mg/serving), which were restricted to ≤3 servings per week. A fasting blood sample was collected at the end of each washout and each treatment period.Results: Following washouts, plasma vitamin C and lipid peroxidation (plasma TBARS) were similar by treatment group and averaged 25.4 ± 3.6 μmol/L and 3.82 ± 0.10 nmol/mL respectively. Plasma vitamin C concentrations were simi...
A distribution free summarization method for Affymetrix GeneChip® arrays

Motivation: Affymetrix GeneChip arrays require summarization in order to combine the probe-level intensities into one value representing the expression level of a gene. However, probe intensity measurements are expected to be affected by different levels of non-specific- and cross-hybridization to non-specific transcripts. Here, we present a new summarization technique, the Distribution Free Weighted method (DFW), which uses information about the variability in probe behavior to estimate the extent of non-specific and cross-hybridization for each probe. The contribution of the probe is weighted accordingly during summarization, without making any distributional assumptions for the probe-level data. Results: We compare DFW with several popular summarization methods on spike-in datasets, via both our own calculations and the 'Affycomp II' competition. The results show that DFW outperforms other methods when sensitivity and specificity are considered simultaneously. With the Affycomp spike-in datasets, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for DFW is nearly 1.0 (a perfect value), indicating that DFW can identify all differentially expressed genes with a few false positives. The approach used is also computationally faster than most other methods in current use. Availability: The R code for DFW is available upon request. Contact: [email protected] Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Use of auxiliary data for spatial interpolation of surface ozone patterns

Abstract The spatial pattern of tropospheric ozone in the Sierra Nevada and surrounding Central Valley was interpolated to the surface of a digital elevation model at 1-km resolution by using sampled data from continuous ozone monitors and passive samplers in conjunction with auxiliary data for temperature. The network of passive samplers supplemented the active monitoring network to provide a more accurate ozone prediction surface in the Sierra Nevada for identifying the geographic locations at potential ecological risk. The passive sampler data indicated much higher ozone concentrations in the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada than predicted based on only the continuous monitoring data. Prevailing westerly to northwesterly winds transported pollutant plumes from major urban sources in the southern latitudes of the San Joaquin Valley toward the Sierra Nevada foothills, where seasonal mean ozone concentrations were higher than in the low-elevation Central Valley region sheltered by the Coastal range. The leave-one-out cross-validation bias was −0.1 ppb, and the mean absolute error was 6.3 ppb for the mean ozone concentration for the June 9 to September 15, 1999 period.
Undergraduate Research Panel

Chair/Discussant: Todd Shaw, University of South CarolinaPresenters:Karra W. McCray, University of South Carolina"To Fear or Not to Fear: Examining How Unconscious Fears Affect Fear and Aggression in Police Officers Policing of African American Men"This research examines how unconscious prejudices such as implicit bias and colorism affect fear and aggression in police officers policing of African American males. Police officers in the United States use excessive force against unarmed, black men at a higher rate than any other racial demographic group. Through careful analysis of scholarly articles, racial implicit association tests and video game simulations this research attempts to theorize the correlation between these biases and the processes of the brain that causes fear and aggression. Findings suggest that these implicit attitudes negatively affect the way that officers police black males as it forces them to be more aggressive in their efforts to protect their own well-being. This behavior leads to an increase of homicides and severely injured African Americans by police officers here in the United States.Lauren Mims, University of South Carolina"I Am Not My Hair: The Effect of Respectability Politics on African American Millennial Women"For over a century, black women have been confronted with the problem of the “respectability politics”. This idea gained prominence in the late eighteenth century and it states that black empowerment is more readily achieved when elites police the social behaviors of the group so to avoid white stereotypes and actions. Upper class black women have often chastised lower class black women about their representation of their bodies. I argue that this these notions of respectability politics have negatively affected the body images of current Millennial African American women in their sense of skin color and choices in hair style.Caitlyn Brockington, University of South Carolina"The Determinants of Antisocial Behavior and Juvenile Crime"This paper investigates research findings of whether adolescents who are conditioned to be antisocial are more likely to commit violent crimes. It not only examines the conditions that trigger antisocial behavior and produce violent aggression that is or borders upon criminal violence. It examines adolescent behavioral in effort to predict subsequent adult criminal behavior. It is theorized that there is a correlation relationship between antisocial behaviors and violent crime since the behaviors reflect an underlying theoretical concept.
Role of Metallothionein in Detoxification and Tolerance to Transition Metals

Animal tolerance to the transition metals cadmium and zinc is hereditary. The evolution to a high level of resistance can be accelerated through mutation and selective pressure. We have studied inbred strains of mice and mutants of Chinese hamster ovary cells resistant to cadmium to further these understandings. Results with whole animals show that the difference in the rate and level of metallothionein accumulation is at most twofold between sensitive and resistant strains. However, with cadmium resistant CHO mutant cells, there is an over 60 fold increase in metallothionein and its mRNA upon induction. These mutants show over 60 fold amplification in metallothionein genes. These results offer a direct contrast in the correlation between elevation of metal resistance and increases in metallothionein between two genetic systems.
Knight shift and nuclear spin relaxation in Fe/n -GaAs heterostructures

We investigate the dynamically polarized nuclear spin system in $\text{Fe}/n$-GaAs heterostructures using the response of the electron-spin system to nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) in lateral spin-valve devices. The hyperfine interaction is known to act more strongly on donor-bound electron states than on those in the conduction band. We provide a quantitative model of the temperature dependence of the occupation of donor sites. With this model we calculate the ratios of the hyperfine and quadrupolar nuclear relaxation rates of each isotope. For all temperatures measured, quadrupolar relaxation limits the spatial extent of nuclear spin polarization to within a Bohr radius of the donor sites and is directly responsible for the isotope dependence of the measured NMR signal amplitude. The hyperfine interaction is also responsible for the $2\phantom{\rule{4.pt}{0ex}}\text{kHz}$ Knight shift of the nuclear resonance frequency that is measured as a function of the electron-spin accumulation. The Knight shift is shown to provide a measurement of the electron-spin polarization that agrees qualitatively with standard spin transport measurements.
The Effect of Ecdysis on the Number of Mitotically Dividing Cells in the Hemolymph of the Insect Blatta Orientalis

In a recent paper Tauber (7) described a method, modified slightly from that of Yeager and Tauber (10), for determining the mitotically dividing cell (M. D. C.) percentage occurring among the circulating amebocytes found in the hemolymph of normal large nymphs and adults of the roach, Blatta orientalis. Values of M. D. C. counts for such specimens ranged from 0.0 per cent (that is, less than one karyokinetic cell in 2,000 cells counted in each hemolymph sample) to 0.50 per cent, with an average of approximately 0.2 per cent. These values were not affected by age (within the limits indicated above), sex, or fluctuations in laboratory temperature so long as the animal remained in a condition which could be considered “normal.” However, it soon became evident that the process of ecdysis was associated with decided deviations from the normal M. D. C. range. This paper is a report of results from determinations made on a series of nymphs which underwent molting during the periods of observation.
Alkaline and Acid Phosphatase in Murine Leukemia

Alterations for acid and alkaline phosphatase levels and their pattern of splenic and lymph node activity in normal and virus-induced lymphoblastic leukemia were studied. Enzyme levels were examined by using both cytochemical and biochemical procedures. The GC leukemia virus, a ribonucleic acid murine virus antigenically related to the Rauscher-Moloney viruses, was used to stimulate acid and alkaline phosphatase by producing lymphomaceous disease in Ha/ICR mice. With the Burstone and Gomori cytochemical procedures, both enzymes were found in higher than normal levels in lymphomaceous spleen and lymph nodes. Confirmation of the cytochemical studies was obtained by enzyme assay of cell-free homogenates in each case with the exception of spleen acid phosphatase. The discrepancy between the cytochemical tests which showed significant elevation of spleen acid phosphatase and the enzyme assays which failed to reveal such elevation could be due to a labile acid phosphatase isozyme which is lost on cellular disruption during homogenate preparation. A significant spleen alkaline phosphatase specific activity elevation above normal was found with a 50% incidence only when leukemic spleen wet weight increased nearly threefold its normal value. This result suggests that alkaline phosphatase elevation is a secondary event occuring after the onset of disease and is not a fundamental metabolic alteration concerned with the onset of murine lymphoblastic leukemia.
Study on DBF for Multi-Beam at Uniform Subarray Level Based on Genetic Algorithms

Modern radar systems usually adopt the form of subarray in order to reduce the number of channels.The performance of multi-beam is degraded due to the grating lobe which appears at the uniform subarray set which contribute to actualize the microwave net.A method based on genetic algorithms to search the weights of multi-beam at elements level and channel level is proposed for the purpose of reducing the grating lobe.The results turn out the validity of the method.
Linear Systems with Random Inputs

This chapter discusses linear systems with random inputs. It also discusses the autoregressive moving average process.
Hyperthermia in Locally Recurrent Breast Cancer

Locally recurrent breast cancer poses a major therapeutic challenge, especially in a patient who has received prior radiotherapy and treatment options limited at the time of recurrence. Estimates of locoregional recurrence rates from large randomized trials range from 5 to 15 % of all patients with breast cancer treated with definitive intent postmastectomy or postlumpectomy radiotherapy [1–4]. Of the patients who recur, the ipsilateral breast or chest wall is the most common site of recurrence, representing up to 95 % of all locoregional recurrences [5–7]. Symptoms of a recurrent tumor in the chest wall can be devastating, with profound effects on quality of life. Such symptoms can include intractable pain, bleeding, infection, deformity, impaired breathing from lung invasion, and foul-smelling wounds requiring daily wound care. Isolated axillary or supraclavicular recurrences are observed less frequently than chest wall recurrences, ranging from 0.5 to 3.0 % [8, 9]; however, these patients also have a 50–65 % risk of developing distant metastatic disease [10, 11]. Given their location, however, axillary and supraclavicular recurrences tend to cause significant morbidity such as pain, lymphedema, impaired range of motion, and brachial plexopathy and may therefore require locoregional treatment despite the competing risk for distant metastases that will be treated with systemic therapy.
Energy dissipation in general purpose processors

In this paper we investigate how super-scalar issue and pipelining affect the energy-delay product of general purpose processors. We show that for idealized machines pipelining gives approximately a 2/spl times/ improvement in energy-delay product, while super-scalar issue only improves the energy-delay product by a small amount. We then show that real processors are roughly half as efficient as the idealized machines. We also show that improving the efficiency will be difficult since the overhead is distributed among many units, none of which represent a significant fraction of the energy dissipation.
Healing Earths: The Third Leg of Medicine. A History of Minerals in Medicine by W. Rudolph Reinbacher.: 1st Books Library, Bloomington, IN 47404, USA, 2003; xiv + 244 pages. [ISBN: 1-4033-5096-5]. Price $19.95 paperback, $4.95 electronic version from www.1stbooks.com

The use of healing earths is an ancient medical practice with suggested utility in modern society. This thesis is explored in detail in this easy-to-read volume by author Reinbacher. The text is clear with footnotes to explain ancient and scientific terms. The themes, developed in 18 chapters, provide a general, and sometimes specific, historical account of the use of earths as remedies for external and internal afflictions of mankind. Four chapters, and parts of others, are devoted to the work of Julius Stumpf (1856–1932), a Bavarian physician and professor. Reinbacher credits him with a clay cure for cholera and other afflictions of the stomach and intestinal tract. Some of his earliest experiments concerned the use of clay to prevent bacterial infections of wounds and to cure other skin problems. Several experiments are described involving the use of …
Psychosocial functioning and the cortisol awakening response: Meta-analysis, P-curve analysis, and evaluation of the evidential value in existing studies

Cortisol levels rise immediately after awakening and peak approximately 30-45min thereafter. Psychosocial functioning influences this cortisol awakening response (CAR), but there is considerable heterogeneity in the literature. The current study used p-curve and meta-analysis on 709 findings from 212 studies to test the evidential value and estimate effect sizes of four sets of findings: those associating worse psychosocial functioning with higher or lower cortisol increase relative to the waking period (CARi) and to the output of the waking period (AUCw). All four sets of findings demonstrated evidential value. Psychosocial predictors explained 1%-3.6% of variance in CARi and AUCw responses. Based on these effect sizes, cross-sectional studies assessing CAR would need a minimum sample size of 617-783 to detect true effects with 80% power. Depression was linked to higher AUCw and posttraumatic stress to lower AUCw, whereas inconclusive results were obtained for predictor-specific effects on CARi. Suggestions for future CAR research are discussed.
Comparative Analysis of Three-Dimensional Nasal Shape of Casts from Patients With Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate Treated at Two Institutions Following Rotation Advancement Only (Iowa) or Nasoalveolar Molding and Rotation Advancement in Conjunction With Primary Rhinoplasty (New York):

Objectives:To compare 3-dimensional nasal symmetry in patients with UCLP who had either rotation advancement alone or nasoalveolar molding (NAM) followed by rotation advancement in conjunction with...
Luria: The Second Coming of the Moor

In Luria, Browning embarks on another ‘foreign’ topic and character. Browning’s choice to devote another play to a non-European character demonstrates his strong commitment to his own philosophy of humanism, a new form of transcendental cosmopolitanism. Luria dramatizes the fate of a Moorish general, Luria, employed in Florence. Luria is a hero not unlike Abd-el-Kader, who protested against ‘the arrogance of mere majorities’ (Nichol, 1904, p. 11). Luria is another clash of cultures along racial and geographical lines. Luria is astride two worlds, one native and the other adopted. Even the most superficial reading of the play acknowledges Shakespeare’s Othello as a dramatic precedent. However, unlike Shakespeare who exacerbates the racial divide in Othello, Browning presents an unprecedented, positive view of the Moor.
Modeling dislocations and heat conduction in crystalline materials: atomistic/continuum coupling approaches

ABSTRACTDislocations and heat conduction are essential components that influence properties and performance of crystalline materials, yet the modelling of which remains challenging partly due to th...