cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Joint spacing in sedimentary rocks

Abstract It is widely observed that joint spacing is proportional to bed thickness in sedimentary rocks. The origin of this proportionality is explored by observation of joint spacing in the Monterey Formation of California and by one-dimensional numerical modelling based on Hobbs' theory of joint spacing. Cohesive rocks of the Monterey Formation—including dolostone, porcelanite, siliceous shale and chert show a nearly constant ratio of layer thickness to joint spacing of about 1.3. The frequency distribution of the ratio of joint spacing to median spacing is log-normal. Relatively pliable mudstones do not have regular joint sets but are mechanically important because they form the boundaries to the jointed, cohesive strata. Hobbs' model intuitively predicts a constant ratio of bed thickness to joint spacing; however, a simulation based on this model predicts a multimodal distribution of joint spacing. By adding the effect of a limited number of flaws to the model, which weaken the bed at random sites along its length, a simulated distribution of joint spacing is obtained that is similar to the observed log-normal distribution. Thus, Hobbs' model, modified to include the effect of flaws, seems capable of predicting the observed statistics of joint spacing as a function of layer thickness in sedimentary strata.
Operation Northwoods: The Pentagon's Scripts for Overthrowing Castro

A review ofPentagon planning [in 1990...] makes it clear that for a small circle ofhigh civilian and military officials, the idea that the United States might deliberately provoke events in Cuba that could serve as a pretext for U.S. intervention represented a possible course ofaction, frequently invoked, rather than an unthinkable libel that had emergedfrom the paranoidfantasies ofHavana and Moscow.
Oxides formed on the (111) surface of lead I: Orthorhombic PbO or massicot

The structure of oxide films formed on the (111) surface of polycrystalline but highly textured lead films was determined by transmission electron microscopy and diffraction. It was found that most of the lead surface was covered by a thin layer of yellow orthorhombic PbO or massicot. The yellow PbO grains were small compared with those of lead and tended to be oriented with their (001) plane parallel to the (111) surface of lead. There was also a tendency for the (010) plane of PbO to be parallel to one of the three {110} lead planes that were perpendicular to the specimen plane. The preference for this orientation relationship is a little surprising. This is because there are orientation relationships that lead to a small misfit between lead and yellow lead oxide but this is not one of them. A small fraction of the lead surface was covered by small grains of red tetragonal PbO or litharge.
A predictive model for space-based X-ray CCD degradation

The first generation of X-ray telescopes to use Charge-Coupled Devices (CCDs) is being launched this decade. With a read noise of a few electrons, CCDs provide Fano-limited spectral resolution across the soft X-ray band (0.1 – 10 keV). However, degradation of resolution due to charge transfer losses becomes noticeable as Charge Transfer Inefficiency (CTI) increases to 10−5. In this paper, we present a model which calculates the effects of radiation damage in low Earth orbit in order to predict CCD lifetimes over which good charge transfer is maintained. The model presented here considers damage mechanisms within the CCD, environmental conditions in which the CCD operates, and experiment shielding. We find that the predicted CTI approaches 10−5 after a one to two year mission for the flight instruments considered here.
Cenozoic Magnetic Time Scale in Deep-Sea Cores: Completion of the Neogene

Piston core S68-24, collected in the central equatorial Pacific, contains a continuous sedimentary record that ranges from early middle Miocene to latest Oligocene and from earliest Oligocene to latest Eocene time. Paleomagnetic and radiolarian events observed in this core allow the extension of a proposed magnetic polarity time scale into Epoch 23 (ca. 27 m.y. B.P., latest Oligocene time). Correlation of this present data with planktonic foraminiferal and calcareous nannofossil events, primarily from Deep Sea Drilling Project results, shows that this time scale corroborates previous radiochronologies and biochronologies of deposits of early Neogene–latest Paleogene time. The Neogene-Paleogene boundary occurs within polarity Epoch 21 and the Lychnocanoma elongata Zone at about 23 to 24 m.y. B.P. The Oligocene-Eocene boundary (ca. 37.5 m.y. B.P.) falls within a long sequence of reversed magnetic polarities that may correlate with a similar sequence predicted between anomalies 12 and 13 by the sea-floor–spreading time scale.
Folk Management among Belizean Lobster Fishermen: Success and Resilience or Decline and Depletion?

Fishermen from Caye Caulker, Belize use a local management system based on traditional "areas," or territories, which limits access to the fishing areas around the caye. Data from Northern Fishermen Cooperative Society annual reports suggest that fishermen members of the cooperative have produced lobster tails at a stable rate for over thirty years. Other data from observations and interviews suggest that this seemingly effective local management system may be beginning to teeter. Many factors are shifting the nature of tenure and access to fishing areas in the lobster fishery around Caye Caulker. Other factors are increasing pressure on the lobster population. Here I will discuss changing tenure patterns, fishermen's children's emigration from the caye, and tourism development at the caye. Though these factors are defining characteristics of success among villagers at Caye Caulker, they are in other ways threatening the resilience of this folk management system.
Developing a value stream map to evaluate breakdown maintenance operations

Maintenance management has found new vigor and purpose to increase equipment capacity and capability due to increasing focus on lean manufacturing (lean) in today's competitive environment. Tremendous efforts have been made to develop different types of maintenance strategies for enhancing the performance of equipment but nothing has been done to actually streamline Breakdown Maintenance Activities (BMA). This refers to systematically evaluating the Non-Value Added (NVA) activities within BM. The primary lean tool that provides insights on identifying and analysing NVA activities is Value Stream Mapping (VSM). However, traditional VSM cannot be utilised 'as is' because the BMA do not completely correspond with VSM terminology. Therefore, this paper develops a VSM to evaluate BM operations.
Magnetoencephalography: Detection of the Brain's Electrical Activity with a Superconducting Magnetometer

Measurements of the brain's magnetic field, called magnetoencephalograms (MEG's), have been taken with a superconducting magnetometer in a heavily shielded room. This magnetometer has been adjusted to a much higher sensitivity than was previously attainable, and as a result MEG's can, for the first time, be taken directly, without noise averaging. MEG's are shown, simultaneously with the electroencephalogram (EEG), of the alpha rhythm of a normal subject and of the slow waves from an abnormal subject. The normal MEG shows the alpha rhythm, as does the EEG, when the subject's eyes are closed; however, this MEG also shows that higher detector sensitivity, by a factor of 3, would be necessary in order to clearly show the smaller brain events when the eyes are open. The abnormal MEG, including a measurenment of the direct-current component, suggests that the MEG may yield some information which is new and different from that provided by the EEG.
High dietary fiber intake is associated with decreased inflammation and all-cause mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Chronic kidney disease is considered an inflammatory state and a high fiber intake is associated with decreased inflammation in the general population. Here, we determined whether fiber intake is associated with decreased inflammation and mortality in chronic kidney disease, and whether kidney disease modifies the associations of fiber intake with inflammation and mortality. To do this, we analyzed data from 14,543 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III. The prevalence of chronic kidney disease (estimated glomerular filtration rate less than 60ml/min per 1.73m 2 ) was 5.8%. For each 10-g/day increase in total fiber intake, the odds of elevated serum C-reactive protein levels were decreased by 11% and 38% in those without and with kidney disease, respectively. Dietary total fiber intake was not significantly associated with mortality in those without but was inversely related to mortality in those with kidney disease. The relationship of total fiber with inflammation and mortality differed significantly in those with and without kidney disease. Thus, high dietary total fiber intake is associated with lower risk of inflammation and mortality in kidney disease and these associations are stronger in magnitude in those with kidney disease. Interventional trials are needed to establish the effects of fiber intake on inflammation and mortality in kidney disease.
Eccentric stent graft compression: An indicator of insecure proximal fixation of aortic stent graft

Abstract Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether radiographically demonstrated proximal stent graft contour can be used as a marker for security of proximal neck fixation after endovascular aneurysm repair. Methods: Stent graft structure was examined in 100 consecutive patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms who were treated with the stent graft. Stent graft integrity, stent contour, angulation, compression, and position were assessed by use of plain abdominal radiography, and the results were correlated with contrast computed tomography (CT) scanning, clinical findings, and outcomes. Repeated imaging was carried out during follow-up of 3 to 38 (mean, 12) months. Results: Stent graft repair was successful in all 100 patients. No stent fractures were identified. Concentric compression of the proximal portion of the stent graft was visible in 69% of patients and reflected deliberate oversizing of the stent graft at the time of implantation. In 5% of patients, a short eccentric compression deformity of the proximal stent was observed. This finding was associated with an increased risk of stent graft migration ( P P Conclusion: Plain abdominal radiographs are important in the postoperative evaluation of patients with aortic stent grafts. They allow for more precise evaluation of the structural elements of the stent graft than CT scanning and may disclose inadequate proximal fixation by demonstration of an eccentric compression deformity. They are less useful for assessment of migration. (J Vasc Surg 2001;33:481-7.)
Human milk oligosaccharides shorten rotavirus-induced diarrhea and modulate piglet mucosal immunity and colonic microbiota

The impact of human milk oligosaccharides (HMO) on mucosal immunity, gut microbiota and response to rotavirus (RV) infection was investigated in the piglet model. Newborn piglets were fed with formula alone (FF) or formula supplemented with 4 g l−1 HMO (HMO) or a prebiotic mixture of 9:1 short-chain galactooligosaccharides (3.6 g l−1) and long-chain fructooligosaccharides (0.4 g l−1) (PRE) (n=19–21 per group) for 15 days. Piglets (n=7–8) in each dietary group were orally infected with porcine rotavirus (RV) OSU strain on d10, and stool consistency was assessed daily. Blood, small intestine and colonic contents were collected at day 15. Serum RV-specific antibody concentrations, intestinal histomorphology, RV non-structural protein-4 (NSP4) and cytokine mRNA expression were assessed. Colonic content pH, dry matter (DM) and short-chain fatty acid concentrations were measured. Ascending colonic microbiota was analyzed by 16S rRNA gene v1-3 region pyrosequencing. HMO- and PRE-fed groups had shorter duration of diarrhea than FF piglets. Infection changed intestinal histomorphology, increased serum RV-specific antibody response and intestinal RV NSP4 expression, and modulated ileal cytokine expression. HMO enhanced T helper type 1 (interferon-gamma) and anti-inflammatory (interleukin-10) cytokines in the ileum, while prebiotics promoted RV-specific immunoglobulin M response to the infection. RV infection and HMO supplementation altered intraluminal environment and gut microbiota. HMO increased pH and lowered DM of colonic contents and enhanced the abundance of unclassified Lachnospiraceae, which contains numerous butyrate-producing bacteria. In conclusion, HMO and prebiotics did not prevent the onset of RV infection but reduced the duration of RV-induced diarrhea in piglets, in part, by modulating colonic microbiota and immune response to RV infection.
Phase I trial and pharmacokinetic study of intravenous and oral α -Difluoromethylornithine

Eflornithine-HCl (alpha-difluoromethylornithine or DFMO), an irreversible inhibitor of ornithine decarboxylase, blocks polyamine synthesis and has demonstrated antitumor activity in cell culture and animal tumor models. This phase I study was designed to determine and compare toxicity and the maximally tolerated dose of a 4-day course of DFMO given to patients in oral, continuous intravenous infusion or pulse intravenous infusion forms. Twenty-four patients were entered into this study: 8 received intravenous pulse drug, 10 intravenous continuous infusion of drug, and 6 oral DFMO. The most frequent toxicity was nausea and vomiting which occurred in 9 courses of oral drug. Only two patients receiving intravenous DFMO had nausea and vomiting. Clinically significant thrombocytopenia and audiometric abnormalities were not encountered in contrast to previous experience with 28-day courses of oral DFMO. The maximally tolerated dose of a four-day course of oral DFMO was 3.75 gm/M2 every 6 hours. The maximally tolerated dose of intravenous pulse and continuous infusion DFMO was not attained. Pharmacokinetic studies demonstrated that the intravenous schedules achieved higher plasma levels of DFMO than those previously obtained with chronic oral dosing.
Inequalities and bounds for generalized complete elliptic integrals

Computable bounds for the generalized complete elliptic integrals of the first and second kind are obtained. Also, bounds for some combinations and products for integrals under discussion are established. It has been proven that both families of integrals are logarithmically convex as functions of the first parameter. This property has been employed to obtain several inequalities involving integrals in question.
Interrogation of nucleotide excision repair capacity: impact on platinum-based cancer therapy

DNA repair is essential for routine monitoring and repair of damage imparted to our genetic material by exposure to endogenous and exogenous carcinogens, including reactive oxygen species, UV light, and chemicals such as those found in cigarette smoke. Without DNA repair pathways, the continual assault on our DNA would be highly mutagenic and the risk of cancer increased. Paradoxically, the same pathways that help prevent cancer development are detrimental to the efficacy of DNA-damaging cancer therapeutics such as cisplatin. Recent studies demonstrate the inverse relationship between DNA repair capacity and efficacy of platinum-based chemotherapeutics: increased DNA repair capacity leads to resistance, while decreased capacity leads to increased sensitivities. Cisplatin's cytotoxic effects are mediated by formation of intrastrand DNA crosslinks, which are predominantly repaired via the nucleotide excision repair (NER) pathway. In an effort to personalize the treatment of cancers based on DNA repair capacity, we developed an ELISA-based assay to measure NER activity accurately and reproducibly as a prognostic for platinum-based treatments. Here we present an overview of DNA repair and its link to cancer and therapeutics. We also present data demonstrating the ability to detect the proteins of the pre-incision complex within the NER pathway from cell and tissue extracts. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 14, 2465–2477.
Effects of H-R upon post-burn plasma volume loss in the nonresuscitated dog

Abstract The effects of H-R, a mixture of β-hydroxyethyl rutosides, upon postburn plasma volume loss were studied in the anesthetized dog. Animals were pretreated with H-R 30 minutes prior to a 15 per cent total body surface area 3° flame burn and were not fluid resuscitated. The results of this study showed that H-R pretreatment will significantly reduce postburn plasma loss. The amount of reduction of plasma volume loss is dose-dependent. Maximum reduction occurs following a dose of 100mg/kg of H-R. Cardiac output, mean arterial blood pressure and peripheral resistance were also measured. The postbum changes in these parameters produced by H-R did not parallel the reduction of plasma volume loss.
Infectious and noninfectious aortitis: cross-sectional imaging findings.

"Aortitis" is a pathologic term that refers to an abnormal inflammation of the aortic wall. A wide spectrum of infectious, inflammatory, and idiopathic conditions may result in the development of aortitis. Infectious aortitis may be secondary to bacterial, tubercular, syphilitic, and viral pathogens. Although Takayasu arteritis and giant cell arteritis are the most common rheumatologic causes of aortitis, the other systemic diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, Behcet disease, and Cogan syndrome, may also be associated with aortitis. In addition, aortitis may also occur without any systemic diseases or infectious causes (idiopathic). Clinical features of aortitis are nonspecific and may include fever, abdominal or chest pain, and vascular insufficiency. Patients may have elevated serum levels of acute phase reactants. A high index of clinical suspicion is always needed for the diagnosis of aortitis in a timely manner. Cross-sectional imaging techniques, such as computed tomographic angiography, magnetic resonance imaging, magnetic resonance angiography, and positron emission tomography, are extremely helpful in diagnosis, assessing disease activity, treatment planning, and post-treatment follow-up. Many of the patients with aortitis may require a multimodality imaging approach for appropriate diagnosis. Knowledge of the clinical features and cross-sectional imaging findings of different types of aortitis permit optimal patient management.
An endogenous virus from lophortyx quail is the prototype for envelope subgroup I of avian retroviruses

The cells of most vertebrates contain retrovirus genomes integrated in their chromosomal DNA. These viral genes can be expressed, resulting in the production of viral proteins, and, if the endogenous viral information is complete, in the release of infectious endogenous retrovirus (Robinson, 1978; Rovigatti and Astrin, 1983; Weinberg, 1980; Coffin, 1982). All known endogenous retroviruses of chickens belong to the same envelope subgroup, E. The prototype of subgroup E is Rous-associated virus type 0 (RAV0), an infectious virus released spontaneously by normal line 7 chicken cells (Vogt and Friis, 1971). Avian leukosis virus recombinants between endogenous subgroup E envelope information and exogenous leukosis viruses are referred to collectively as RAV-60. Such recombinants usually replicate more efficiently than spontaneously released virus that consists entirely of endogenous viral genes (Hanafusa et ab, 1970). Endogenous viruses from other galliform species include ring-necked pheasant virus, an avian leukosis virus with subgroup F envelope specificity, and golden pheasant virus which carries a subgroup G envelope. Although the latter virus can undergo phenotypic mixing with chicken
Species-Specific Identification of Commercial Probiotic Strains

Products containing probiotic bacteria are gaining popularity, increasing the importance of their accurate speciation. Unfortunately, studies have suggested that improper labeling of probiotic species is common in commercial products. Species identification of a bank of commercial probiotic strains was attempted using partial 16S rDNA sequencing, carbohydrate fermentation analysis, and cellular fatty acid methyl ester analysis. Results from partial 16S rDNA sequencing indicated discrepancies between species designations for 26 out of 58 strains tested, including two ATCC Lactobacillus strains. When considering only the commercial strains obtained directly from the manufacturers, 14 of 29 strains carried species designations different from those obtained by partial 16S rDNA sequencing. Strains from six commercial products were species not listed on the label. The discrepancies mainly occurred in Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus casei groups. Carbohydrate fermentation analysis was not sensitive enough to identify species within the L. acidophilus group. Fatty acid methyl ester analysis was found to be variable and inaccurate and is not recommended to identify probiotic lactobacilli.
The critical need to share our successes.

![Figure][1] “One may know how to gain a victory, and know not how to use it.” –Pedro Calderon de la Barca (1600 to 1681) [(1)][2] Only through sharing, collaboration, and helping each other will the field of cardiovascular medicine continue to advance at a rapid pace. No single
Islam and English Drama: A Critical History

Though it may seem to be a recent phenomenon, scholarly interest in Islam and early modern English drama goes back almost a hundred years. This introduction surveys the criticism of early modern English plays with Islamic themes or elements, assessing the influence of pioneers such as Samuel C. Chew, the reaction to Edward W. Said’s 'Orientalist thesis', and the questions that currently engage a growing number of scholars in the field, including the four authors whose essays constitute this edition of 'Issues in Review'.
New oxygen-deficient perovskite phase in the La1−xSrxCuO3−y system☆

Abstract In the La1−xSrxCuO3−y system, a new non-stoichiometric perovskite solid solution was found to exist in a narrow range of 0.200 ⩽ × ⩽ 0.250. This perovskite phase has a tetragonal distortion based on a Jahn-Teller effect of the copper ion. The lattice parameters are closely related to those of the simple cubic perovskite: a = 10.8492(6) and c = 3.8628(4) A for x = 0.200, and a = 10.8296(8) and and c = 3.8623(5) A for x = 2.250 where a = 2(2 1 2 ) c. These perovskite compounds exhibited metallic conductivity and no superconducting transition was observed above 10 K. With increasing Sr content, the crystal lattices contracted and the resistivity ratio of ϱ(T) to ϱ290 decreased. When annealed at 880°C in a flowing N2 gas, La0.75Sr0.25CuO2.52 decomposed to superconducting La2−xSrxCuO4, La2SrCu2O6 and unknown phases.
Measurement of the change in the normal canine EEG with age.

Abstract This report describes a quantitative method for assessing normal development of the brain in the beagle dog. Ninety-three beagles in 7 age groups from 5 to 90 days old were studied. During the early part of the life span, behavioral responses to stimuli become more organized and differentiated. This suggests a corresponding development of the correlation of electrical activity between various parts of the brain. Cross-correlation and its transform, the cross-energy spectrum, are used to measure the similarity in the EEG activity recorded at different points on the scalp. The maximum and the minimum from the cross-correlogram, and the dominant frequency and its amplitude from the cross-energy spectrum were selected to characterize these similarities. These 4 parameters which measure the correlation between a pair of scalp-recorded EEGs are calculated and are shown to have a significant change with age. These parameters provide an objective and quantitative way to measure brain development in the normal beagle dog.
Determination of molecular symmetry in crystalline naphthalene using solid-state NMR

DIFFRACTION techniques have shown that the crystal structure of naphthalene has a unit cell with Ci symmetry1–7. These studies were unable, however, to resolve any departure of the molecular structure from the D2h, symmetry observed in the gaseous state. We found recently8 that the solid-state 13C-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) chemical shifts for naphthalene exhibit the Ci symmetry of the unit cell. If these chemical-shift data reflect structural distortions of the molecule, rather than simply intermolecular effects on the shifts owing to the Ci symmetry of the environment of each molecule, one could assert that the NMR data are able to reveal structural information beyond the limits of the diffraction methods. Here we show that this is the case by performing ab initio quantummechanical calculations of the 13C chemical shifts for naphthalene, and their derivatives, with respect to structural parameters. We find that intermolecular shift terms (which of necessity exhibit Ci symmetry) can account for only about 30% of the maximum deviations from D2h symmetry; the remainder must therefore result from structural distortions of the molecules below D2h symmetry. This sensitivity of NMR chemical shifts to very small changes in molecular structure opens up the possibility of using solid-state NMR along with quantum-chemical methods to refine structural parameters obtained from diffraction methods.
Benefits of frequent nocturnal home hemodialysis

To the Editor: Only 87 patients could be randomized for the trial by Rocco et al. (Frequent Hemodialysis Network Trial Group).1 Contrary to the study on frequent short dialysis, in which patients with substantial residual renal function were excluded from randomization, 57.2% of the patients in the control group had a urine output of >500 ml/day (including 19.1% who had a urine output of >1 l/day). Patients with a urine output of >1 l/day do not require high-dose dialysis. In the past such patients were not dialyzed unless their urine output dropped below 1000 ml/day, and they achieved clinically adequate dialysis with long, twice-weekly sessions if the urine output exceeded 500 ml/day.2 Further indication of an inappropriate selection of patients for randomization is the fact that mortality in the conventional arm was 1/42=2.38%, which is at least 7 times lower than that in the general population of hemodialysis (HD) patients in the United States. Many patients in the control group performed more frequent dialysis sessions and those in the more frequent group performed less frequent dialyses. The ultimate conclusion that was reached was that the frequent nocturnal dialysis study group had improvement in “control of hyperphosphatemia and hypertension but no benefit among other main secondary outcomes”. Improvement of left ventricular mass was rejected as insignificant on the basis of a P-value of 0.09, which means a chance difference probability of 1 in 11 instead of 1 in 20. We wonder whether the Student's paired t-test, if performed in the patients in the ‘frequent group’, would show that a decrease of left ventricular mass from an average of 141 to 132 was in fact statistically significant. In all, this study committed a type II statistical error because of the evidently small number and inappropriate selection of subjects. On the basis of this study it absolutely cannot be accepted that frequent nocturnal HD is not better than conventional thrice-weekly HD. Interestingly, the front page of Kidney International egregiously highlights the rather misperceived notion that frequent nocturnal HD is of no benefit!
Organizing and Failures of Imagination

Page 344 of the 9/11 Commission Report contains this striking assertion: “Imagination is not a gift usually associated with bureaucracies….It is therefore crucial to find a way of routinizing, even...
An index of compositional dissimilarity between observed and expected assemblages

AbstractThe reference-condition approach to bioassessment often uses the observed/expected (O/E) ratio to indicate anthropogenic alteration of aquatic macroinvertebrates, fish, or periphyton assemblages. Given a list of taxa found at ≥1 minimally disturbed reference sites, E is the number of those taxa that would expected in a sampled assemblage if the sampled stream were in reference condition, and O is the number of those taxa observed in the sample. An O/E value significantly <1.0 indicates that a stream has lost taxa relative to its reference-condition expectation, possibly because of anthropogenic stress. However, the O/E index can be insensitive to stress-induced shifts in taxonomic composition that leave assemblage richness unchanged. As an alternative to O/E, I propose using BC, an adaptation of Bray–Curtis distance, to measure the compositional dissimilarity between an observed and expected assemblage directly. I compared the performance of BC and O/E at 5685 stream and lake sites throughout the ...
INJURIES AND CONSIDERATIONS IN MASTERS AQUATICS SPORTS

Masters level athletes in all aquatic sports challenge healthcare professionals, providing them with many opportunities to test their sports medicine training. Along with sports-specific injuries, the medical professional must factor in physiologic differences due to aging and even the older athlete's basic motivation to pursue the sport--which differs greatly from that of younger swimmers. Organized Masters programs, complete with national and international championships, are growing in Masters Diving, Masters Synchronized Swimming, Masters Swimming, and Masters Water Polo.
Rethinking the language of thought

In this piece, we overview the language of thought (LOT) program, a currently influential theory of the computational nature of thought. We focus on LOT's stance on concepts, computation in the central system, and mental symbols. We emphasize certain longstanding problems arising for the LOT approach, suggesting resolutions to these problems. Many of the solutions involve departures from the standard LOT program, i.e., the LOT program as developed by Jerry Fodor. We close by identifying avenues for future work. WIREs Cogn Sci 2012, 3:153-162. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1155 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
Impact of Labrador Sea Convection on the North Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation

The overturning and horizontal circulations of the Labrador Sea are deduced from a composite vertical section across the basin. The data come from the late-spring/early-summer occupations of the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) AR7W line, during the years 1990–97. This time period was chosen because it corresponded to intense wintertime convection—the deepest and densest in the historical record—suggesting that the North Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (MOC) would be maximally impacted. The composite geostrophic velocity section was referenced using a mean lateral velocity profile from float data and then subsequently adjusted to balance mass. The analysis was done in depth space to determine the net sinking that results from convection and in density space to determine the diapycnal mass flux (i.e., the transformation of light water to Labrador Sea Water). The mean overturning cell is calculated to be 1S v (1 Sv 10 6 m 3 s 1 ), as compared with a horizontal gyre of 18 Sv. The total water mass transformation is 2 Sv. These values are consistent with recent modeling results. The diagnosed heat flux of 37.6 TW is found to result predominantly from the horizontal circulation, both in depth space and density space. These results suggest that the North Atlantic MOC is not largely impacted by deep convection in the Labrador Sea.
Design of two-dimensional IIR digital filters with linear phase

Digital Spectral Transformation (DST) has been used to approximate the magnitude response specifications of circular, elliptic and fan shaped filters. In this paper, it is shown that when the DST proposed by Harn and Shenoi (1986) is applied to the 1D lowpass prototype filters with linear phase characteristics to realize 2D IIR filters, it preserves both magnitude and phase characteristics in the /spl omega//sub 1/-/spl omega//sub 2/ plane. Several attractive features of using this approach are discussed and simulation results are provided to illustrate its performance. >
Confidence limits based on the first occurrence of an event

Confidence limits for population prevalence based on the first occurrence of an item in a medical database, or for incidence based on time to first occurrence, should be based on the geometric or exponential distributions, respectively. These intervals are presented and compared with the corresponding intervals based on the binomial and Poisson distributions. The lower confidence limits are shown to be the same, but the upper limits are smaller, hence leading to shorter intervals. Applications of these intervals are also presented.
Intestinal CCL11 and Eosinophilic Inflammation Is Regulated by Myeloid Cell–Specific RelA/p65 in Mice

In inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), particularly ulcerative colitis, intestinal macrophages (MΦs), eosinophils, and the eosinophil-selective chemokine CCL11, have been associated with disease pathogenesis. MΦs, a source of CCL11, have been reported to be of a mixed classical (NF-κB-mediated) and alternatively activated (STAT-6-mediated) phenotype. The importance of NF-κB and STAT-6 pathways to the intestinal MΦ/CCL11 response and eosinophilic inflammation in the histopathology of experimental colitis is not yet understood. Our gene array analyses demonstrated elevated STAT-6- and NF-κB-dependent genes in pediatric ulcerative colitis colonic biopsies. Dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) exposure induced STAT-6 and NF-κB activation in mouse intestinal F4/80(+)CD11b(+)Ly6C(hi) (inflammatory) MΦs. DSS-induced CCL11 expression, eosinophilic inflammation, and histopathology were attenuated in RelA/p65(Δmye) mice, but not in the absence of STAT-6. Deletion of p65 in myeloid cells did not affect inflammatory MΦ recruitment or alter apoptosis, but did attenuate LPS-induced cytokine production (IL-6) and Ccl11 expression in purified F4/80(+)CD11b(+)Ly6C(hi) inflammatory MΦs. Molecular and cellular analyses revealed a link between expression of calprotectin (S100a8/S100a9), Ccl11 expression, and eosinophil numbers in the DSS-treated colon. In vitro studies of bone marrow-derived MΦs showed calprotectin-induced CCL11 production via a p65-dependent mechanism. Our results indicate that myeloid cell-specific NF-κB-dependent pathways play an unexpected role in CCL11 expression and maintenance of eosinophilic inflammation in experimental colitis. These data indicate that targeting myeloid cells and NF-κB-dependent pathways may be of therapeutic benefit for the treatment of eosinophilic inflammation and histopathology in IBD.
A survey of spacecraft formation flying guidance and control. Part II: control

Formation flying is defined as a set of more than one spacecraft whose states are coupled through a common control law. This paper provides a comprehensive survey of spacecraft formation flying control (FFC), which encompasses design techniques and stability results for these coupled-state control laws. We divide the FFC literature into five FFC architectures: (i) multiple-input multiple-output, in which the formation is treated as a single multiple-input, multiple-output plant, (ii) leader/follower, in which individual spacecraft controllers are connected hierarchically, (iii) virtual structure, in which spacecraft are treated as rigid bodies embedded in an overall virtual rigid body, (iv) cyclic, in which individual spacecraft controllers are connected non-hierarchically, and (v) behavioral, in which multiple controllers for achieving different (and possibly competing) objectives are combined. This survey significantly extends an overview of the FFC literature provided by Lawton, which discussed the L/F, virtual structure and behavioral architectures. We also include a brief history of the formation flying literature, and discuss connections between spacecraft FFC and other multi-vehicle control problems in the robotics and automated highway system literatures.
Activation of Shaker Potassium Channels I. Characterization of Voltage-dependent Transitions

The conformational changes associated with activation gating in Shaker potassium channels are functionally characterized in patch-clamp recordings made from Xenopus laevis oocytes expressing Shaker channels with fast inactivation removed. Estimates of the forward and backward rates for transitions are obtained by fitting exponentials to macroscopic ionic and gating current relaxations at voltage extremes, where we assume that transitions are unidirectional. The assignment of different rates is facilitated by using voltage protocols that incorporate prepulses to preload channels into different distributions of states, yielding test currents that reflect different subsets of transitions. These data yield direct estimates of the rate constants and partial charges associated with three forward and three backward transitions, as well as estimates of the partial charges associated with other transitions. The partial charges correspond to an average charge movement of 0.5 e0 during each transition in the activation process. This value implies that activation gating involves a large number of transitions to account for the total gating charge displacement of 13 e0. The characterization of the gating transitions here forms the basis for constraining a detailed gating model to be described in a subsequent paper of this series.
How Do Business Owners Perceive the State Business Climate? Using Hierarchical Models to Examine the Business Climate Perceptions, State Rankings, and Tax Rates

State business climate rankings are popular and can be influential in policy making. Past academic studies have criticized rankings that are based on elusive criteria of state-level data. Breaking from such practice, the authors argue that state business climate is better conceived and measured at the individual firm level. The authors show how perceptions of business climate varies across business owners, depending on their firms’ sectors and stages of development. Using a survey of more than 3,600 small business owners, mainly in the personal and business service sectors, the authors find that many of the popular state rankings either do not associate with individual perceptions of business climate or predict in the wrong direction. The findings warn against the use of state rankings in making policies that affect small business owners. The authors also suggest a need for further study measuring the perceptions of business owners covering different sectors.
Post-Si-CMOS Devices - Scaling FETs to (Beyond?) 10 nm: From Semiclassical to Quantum Models

Understanding (and predicting!) the properties of electronic transport in aggressively scaled devices used in VLSI requires a significant departure from 'conventional' approaches used so far which have relied on extrapolations to smaller length scales of models based on bulk band-structure (often a simple 'effective mass') and semiclassical (Boltzmann) transport. In this talk I will discuss some unexpected and controversial aspects of the physics of semiclassical transport and some attempts to study quantum electronic transport in nanometer-scale structures. From the semiclassical perspective, I will discuss how our attempts to scale FETs to the 10 nm length rely on alternatives to conventional Si CMOS sought on the grounds that: 1. Si seems to have reached its technological and performance limits and 2. The use of alternative high-mobility channel materials will provide the missing performance. With the help of numerical simulations here I will argue about the reasons why indeed Si seems to have hit a performance barrier and whether or not high mobility semiconductors can indeed grant us our wishes. The role of long-and short-range electron-electron interactions will be revisited together with a recent analysis of the historical performance trends. The density-of-states (DOS) bottleneck and source starvation issues will also be reviewed to see what advantage alternative substrates may bring us. Finally, the well-known 'virtual source model' will be analyzed to assess whether it can be used as a quantitative tool to guide us to the 10 nm gate length. From a quantum perspective, I will describe a Master equation approach to handle transport within a density-matrix formalism, giving a few examples on how the method (within a simple effective mass approximation) deals with dissipative transport and with the quantum access resistance in double-gate devices in presence of impurity scattering. Finally, I will present our preliminary efforts to go beyond bulk-band simulation embedding quantum transport in an empirical pseudopotential framework. I will give several examples of systems whose band-structure we have investigated: Thin semiconductor bodies (as in UTBSOIs, FinFETs, Double-Gate FETs), hetero-channels (as those employed in III-V MOSFETs and HEMTs), graphene, graphene nanoribbons, semiconductor quantum wires, and carbon nanotubes. Finally, the coupling of the supercell method to the full-band envelope approximation will be discussed, together with the open boundary conditions and scattering process (handled using a Pauli Master equation scheme) required to study transport in nanometer-scale devices. Work done in collaboration with prof. Eric Polizzi, UMass-Amherst, Dr. Shela Aboud, Stanford University, Dr. Jiseok Kim, Dr. Zhun-Yong Ong, and PhD students Bo Fu, Sudarshan Narayanan and Catherine Sachs.
Retrograde double-labeling demonstrates convergent afferent innervation of the prostate and bladder.

BACKGROUND Prostatic inflammation is a common histologic finding in men with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). It has been postulated that prostatic inflammation could sensitize afferent neurons innervating the bladder and thereby produce changes in voiding behavior. In support of this, we demonstrate an anatomic basis for pelvic cross-talk involving the prostate and bladder. METHODS Retrograde labeling was performed by an application of a neuro-tracer Fast Blue (FB) to one side of either the anterior prostate (AP), dorsal lateral prostate (DLP)/ventral prostate (VP), bladder, or seminal vesicle (SV). RESULTS Examination of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neuron labeling revealed shared afferent innervation of the prostate and bladder at spinal segments of T13, L1, L2, L6, and S1. Dual labeling was performed by an application of FB and 1,1′-dioctadecyl-3,3,3′,3′-tetramethylindocarbocyaine perchlorate (DiI) to the AP and bladder, respectively. We observed double-labeled DRG neurons at T13, L1, L2, L6, and S1—a finding that proves convergent innervation of prostate and bladder. CONCLUSIONS Our observations demonstrate the potential for neural cross-talk between the prostate and bladder and support a postulated mechanism that prostatic inflammation may induce hyper-sensitization of bladder afferents and produce irritative LUTS. Prostate 76:767–775, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Rabbit thyroid metabolism in tissue and organ culture.

Summary and conclusions1. Organ cultured rabbit thyroid glands are able to concentrate I-131 from culture media and can incorporate the iodide into MIT, DIT, and T4. 2. TSH accelerates all of these processes in organ cultured rabbit thyroid glands. 3. No evidence for the incorporation of C14 tyrosine or C14 phenylalanine into MIT, DIT, and T4 could be found in histologically normal and apparently metabolically normal organ cultured thyroid glands. 4. The most probable explanation for this lack of incorporation of C14 phenylalanine and C14 tyrosine is that only a small proportion of tyrosine incorporation into thyroid protein is found as residues of thyroglobulin appropriate for iodination and generation into thyroid hormones. Thus the specific activity of the radioactive tyrosine in MIT, DIT, and T4 would be too low to measure in spite of culturing in tyrosine-free media.
Size and Orientation Effects on the Kinetics and Structure of Nickelide Contacts to InGaAs Fin Structures

The rapid development of ultrascaled III–V compound semiconductor devices urges the detailed investigation of metal–semiconductor contacts at nanoscale where crystal orientation, size, and structural phase play dominant roles in device performance. Here, we report the first study on the solid-state reaction between metal (Ni) and ternary III–V semiconductor (In0.53Ga0.47As) nanochannels to reveal the reaction kinetics, formed crystal structure, and interfacial properties. We observe a size-dependent Ni surface diffusion dominant kinetic process that gradually departs to a volume diffusion process as the Fin width increases, as properly depicted with our Fin-specific growth model. The interfacial relationship was found to be Ni4InGaAs2 (0001) ∥ In0.53Ga0.47As (111) with a single Ni4InGaAs2 phase whose [0001] axis exhibit a peculiar rotation away from the nickelide/InGaAs interface due to surface energy minimization. This crystalline interfacial relationship is responsible for introducing a uniaxial height ...
The Microstructural Effects on Magnesium Alloy AZ31B-O While Undergoing an Electrically-Assisted Manufacturing Process

In today’s industry, the need for lightweight alloys with high strength properties is growing. More specifically, magnesium alloys are in high demand. Unfortunately, magnesium’s limited formability hinders its broad range applicability. Previous research has discovered that the tensile formability of this alloy can be increased using electrical pulsing during the deformation process, referred to as Electrically-Assisted Manufacturing (EAM). Although this method increases a material’s formability (i.e. lowers flow stress, increases elongation, and reduces springback), a detailed analysis is required to further evaluate the effects of electricity on the material’s microstructure. The research herein will examine the microstructure of Magnesium AZ31B-O specimens that were deformed under uniaxial tension while electrically pulsed with various pulsing parameters (i.e. different current density/pulse duration combinations). This microstructural analysis will focus on how EAM affected grain size, grain orientation, and twinning. The microstructure of the following different specimen types will be compared: deformed EAM specimens, deformed non-pulsed baseline specimens, and undeformed non-pulsed “as received” specimens.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Temperature dependence of angular momentum transport across interfaces

National Science Foundation [ECCS-1404542]; SHINES, an EFRC - US DOE Basic Energy Science [SC0012670]