cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Formation of F Centers at Low and Room Temperatures

It has been found that the x-ray production of $F$ centers at liquid helium temperature is primarily dependent on the type of alkali halide and not on the defect structure of the particular specimen in contrast to observations at room temperature. This result indicates that the low-temperature production of $F$ centers is a bulk property of the alkali halide and occurs as a result of the creation of halide ion vacancies by the ejection of halide ions from their normal lattice sites. The formation of $F$ and $H$ centers in pairs at liquid helium temperature is in accord with this model and is supported by the fact that the energy required to produce an $F$ center at liquid helium temperature in a variety of alkali halides depends on the interstitial space available for accepting the halide atom. A comparison of the energy required to form $F$ centers under various conditions at low temperature and at room temperature gives additional evidence for a two stage coloration process at room temperature.
Present Tectonic-Plate Motions from Lunar Ranging

Abstract Measurements to determine the motion of the Pacific Plate with respect to North America are planned to start within a few months. The University of Hawaii Lunar Ranging Station on Maui is expected to begin operating, and to achieve an accuracy of 2 or 3 cm soon for a single run. The University of Texas McDonald Observatory has been achieving an accuracy of 8–15 cm on a routine basis since late 1971. Work on further improving the McDonald accuracy is planned. Using data from many runs, an accuracy of 1 cm/yr is expected for the relative motion within the first few years. A transportable lunar-ranging station has been proposed which could be constructed in about eighteen months. The station could observe for 3–6 weeks at a chosen site, and determine the location of the site with respect to the fixed lunar-ranging stations. The accuracy expected is 1–3 cm in each coordinate. If approved, a possible initial itinerary for the station might be as follows: 1. (a) two or three sites in California, including Goldstone, plus one site in Utah; 2. (b) sites in Baja California and Mexico, plus several others in the U.S.; 3. (c) several sites in Central America, the Caribbean, and South America; 4. (d) repeat measurements in California, Utah, and Baja California, plus initial measurements at sites in Africa, India, and the Pacific. It is expected that data on plate motions also will become available from satellite range measurements and VLBI.
Sex-specific Attraction of Moth Species to Ultraviolet Light Traps

Abstract Phototactic behavior toward ultraviolet light varies among nocturnal flying insects. By recording sex ratios of 28 southeastern US moth species, we tested the commonly held belief that UV light-trap collections of moths are significantly skewed toward males. Twelve species demonstrated a statistically significant male preponderance, but a wide range of sex ratios was found. Two of the 28 species demonstrated both significant male and female bias during different observation periods, illustrating the need to collect over the entire flight period. Since the sex ratio of collected organisms varies by species and by time, this must be taken into consideration when using light-trap collection to make population estimates and to gather information for conservation or control of any particular species.
Phenotypic evidence for inducible multiple antimicrobial resistance in Salmonella choleraesuis

Multiple antimicrobial resistance (MAR) in Salmonella choleraesuis is becoming a major concern. It has been demonstrated that a MAR phenotype can be induced in Escherichia coli and other members of the Enterobacteriaceae by exposing the isolates to salicylates, various antimicrobials, or organic solvents used to combat and control bacterial infection. Therefore the purpose of the present study was to determine whether this marA-associated MAR-phenotype is inducible in S. choleraesuis. Isolates used in the present study were able to withstand toxic effects of the organic solvent cyclohexane naturally, or following exposure to the inducing compounds salicylate, tetracycline, or chloramphenicol. All isolates possessed fragments of marA with the predicted size of 408 bp when amplified using marA-specific primers by PCR. The resulting PCR products that were sequenced revealed that amplified S. choleraesuis marA was 99% and 85% homologous to the published Salmonella typhimurium and E. coli marA sequences respectively. Minimum inhibitory concentrations of tetracycline (P<0.08), chloramphenicol (P<0.001), rifampin (P<0.08), and nalidixic acid (P<0.001) against cyclohexane-tolerant mutants were significantly increased when compared with wild-type S. choleraesuis. Northern hybridization signals for both marA and acrB were increased in the induced isolates when compared to uninduced controls while soxS expression did not change between induced and uninduced cultures. The results suggest that marA is present in S. choleraesuis and a MAR-phenotype is inducible in S. choleraesuis presumably due to the overexpression of marA and acrB and not to the overexpression of soxS.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OPERATIONAL AND BIOAVAILABLE PHOSPHORUS FRACTIONS IN EFFLUENTS FROM ADVANCED NUTRIENT REMOVAL SYSTEMS

Because different phosphorus (P) forms vary greatly in their bioavailability, total phosphorus concentrations are a problematic predictor of the eutrophication potential of natural surface waters and wastewater treatment facility effluents. It is currently not known which operational P characterizations (i.e., dissolved/particulate and reactive/non-reactive) best predict effluent P bioavailability. We characterized the P speciation and directly measured the bioavailability of P (BAP) using algal bioassays for 14 full-scale advanced nutrient removal wastewater treatment plants representing a wide range of P removal technologies. A strong statistical relationship was observed between the effluent total BAP (tBAP) and total reactive P (TRP) (r 2 ≈ 0.81), with a tBAP/TRP ratio of 0.61 ± 0.24, indicating that TRP can be used as a conservative surrogate predictor of tBAP. A comparison of different operational categories for phosphorus indicated that sBAP is consistently lower than both soluble P (SP) and soluble reactive P (SRP) with average ratios of 0.34 ± 0.19 and 0.62 ± 0.27, respectively. This shows a large fraction of the dissolved non-reactive P (i.e., SP−SRP), and ≥40 % of the P classified as SRP was not bioavailable. Total BAP concentrations were on average 30 % higher than soluble BAP (sBAP) concentrations, indicating that the particulate P fraction was an important component of the BAP for the tested effluents. Comparisons between different P removal technologies suggest the bioavailability, and P species composition varies with the nutrient removal process, and that in many cases, a large portion (>60 %) of the effluent P is recalcitrant to algal growth.
Pulse image processing using centripetal autowaves

The mammalian visual cortex has presented unique visual processing algorithms,. The system rely on spiking neural networks that are coupled leaky-integrators. It has been proposed that the visual system converts 2D images into 1D signatures. So far, efforts to create digital algorithms have been thwarted by interference amongst objects in the input space. Here the marriage of curvature flow with pulse image processing creates a new system in which the expanding autowaves of individual objects in an input scene do not interfere. Thus, it becomes possible to identify multiple objects in a scene solely through the 1D signature.
Measurement of mie scattering intensities from monodispersed spherical particles as a function of wavelength.

Mie scattering intensities as a function of the size parameter are measured by use of a tunable dye laser and monodispersed spherical particles. The experimental results are compared with the Mie single scattering theory; a discrepancy in the exact position of the maxima and minima was detected. Agreement between experiment and theory was improved by applying a correction to the manufacturer’s index of refraction function for the particles.
Automated microscopy for electron tomography.

Abstract Instrumentation and methodology for the automatic collection of tomographic tilt series data for the three-dimensional reconstruction of single particles is described. The system consists of a Philips EM 430 TEM, with a Gatan 673 cooled slow-scan CCD camera and a Philips C400 microscope computer control unit attached. The procedure for data collection includes direct digital recording of the images on the CCD camera and the automatic measurement and correction of (a) image shifts resulting from tilting the specimen, (b) variation of defocus and (c) the eucentric height position of the specimen. Experiments are described illustrating the possibilities and limitations of automatic data collection. Data collection at a magnification of 30k shows that the exposure time of the specimen to the beam is reduced by a factor of 10–100 compared to manual operation of the TEM.
Quantitating the dynamics of NBD hexanoic acid in homogeneous solution and in solutions containing unilamellar vesicles

We report here on the motional and fluorescence lifetime dynamics of the chromophore NBDHA (6-(N-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl)amino)hexanoic acid) in neat solvents and in aqueous solutions containing unilamellar vesicles of varying composition. We measure the transient response of this chromophore by time-correlated single-photon counting, using one- and two-photon excitation to resolve the Cartesian components of the rotational diffusion constant, D. Our experimental data for NBDHA in selected solvents of varying viscosity demonstrate that one- and two-photon excitation probe different components of the rotational diffusion constant and that this chromophore reorients as a prolate rotor with an aspect ratio of approximately 2. For NBDHA in aqueous solutions containing unilamellar vesicles of varying composition, we recover the same reorientation behavior regardless of vesicle composition. Fluorescence lifetime and steady-state fluorescence data show the chromophore to reside in a polar environment that is different from neat water. We understand these data in the context of the chromophore residing in close proximity to the unilamellar vesicle polar headgroups in all cases.
Durability and alteration of some Cretaceous and Paleocene pyroclastic glasses in North Dakota

Abstract The presence and character of a Paleocene and two Upper Cretaceous volcanic ash deposits in North Dakota validates other workers' suggestions that natural glasses are stable for long periods of geologic time. Except for superhydration, glass grains from each deposit are commonly unaltered. Grains which have altered to montmorillonite follow the same pattern of chemical change commonly reported for the origin of bentonites.
Drug Combinations against Borrelia burgdorferi Persisters In Vitro: Eradication Achieved by Using Daptomycin, Cefoperazone and Doxycycline

Although most Lyme disease patients can be cured with antibiotics doxycycline or amoxicillin using 2-4 week treatment durations, some patients suffer from persistent arthritis or post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome. Why these phenomena occur is unclear, but possibilities include host responses, antigenic debris, or B. burgdorferi organisms remaining despite antibiotic therapy. In vitro, B. burgdorferi developed increasing antibiotic tolerance as morphology changed from typical spirochetal form in log phase growth to variant round body and microcolony forms in stationary phase. B. burgdorferi appeared to have higher persister frequencies than E. coli as a control as measured by SYBR Green I/propidium iodide (PI) viability stain and microscope counting. To more effectively eradicate the different persister forms tolerant to doxycycline or amoxicillin, drug combinations were studied using previously identified drugs from an FDA-approved drug library with high activity against such persisters. Using a SYBR Green/PI viability assay, daptomycin-containing drug combinations were the most effective. Of studied drugs, daptomycin was the common element in the most active regimens when combined with doxycycline plus either beta-lactams (cefoperazone or carbenicillin) or an energy inhibitor (clofazimine). Daptomycin plus doxycycline and cefoperazone eradicated the most resistant microcolony form of B. burgdorferi persisters and did not yield viable spirochetes upon subculturing, suggesting durable killing that was not achieved by any other two or three drug combinations. These findings may have implications for improved treatment of Lyme disease, if persistent organisms or detritus are responsible for symptoms that do not resolve with conventional therapy. Further studies are needed to validate whether such combination antimicrobial approaches are useful in animal models and human infection.
Perioperative Anesthetic Considerations for Burn Patients

One of the challenges faced by military healthcare providers in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) is the treatment of severely burned Wounded Warriors and local civilians. As with the management of other combat-related injuries sustained during the overseas contingency operations, modern-day burn care reaps the benefits of recent advancements in evacuation times from point of injury through Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany to the US Army Institute of Surgical Research (USAISR) Burn Center at Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas. The USAISR Burn Center is the Department of Defense’s only military facility treating severely burned soldiers. The burn center has a dedicated operating suite (operating room [OR]) and OR staff to include an independent anesthesia department and a surgical team consisting of 11 surgeons and six physician assistants. The burn center also provides care to patients of the US Department of Veterans Affairs, several federal agencies, and civilians in the south Texas region. Burn patients have perioperative anesthesia concerns that are distinct from other surgical populations. These issues require consideration and planning by the surgical team and the anesthesia provider (anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist) in order to
Association of congenital megacalycosis and ipsilateral segmental megaureter

Four cases of congenital megacalycosis associated with ipsilateral segmental megaureter in children are presented. This association has not been emphasized, although review of the English and French literature revealed eight such cases. In all cases, the concurrent entities are unilateral, with a left-sided predominance and a male prevalence. The diagnosis of megacalycosis is presumed in four of the cases by normal function and prompt emptying of the calyceal systems on diuretic renography and/or urography. The presence of normal caliber renal pelvis interposed between the dilated collecting system and the distal dilated ureter without evidence of vesicoureteral reflux implies the coexistence of ipsilateral idiopathic megaureter. The patients usually present because of urinary tract infection and/or calculus formation, but respond well to conservative therapy.
Spectroscopic and Photoluminescence Studies of a Wide Band Gap Insulating Material: Powdered and Colloidal ZrO2 Sols

Powdered zirconia and colloidal zirconia aqueous sols have been examined by diffuse reflectance and absorption spectroscopies and by photoluminescence methods in solid/gas and solid/liquid systems. The former system was examined following high-temperature treatment in vacuo and under reducing and oxidizing atmospheres. Studies of the influence of H2 and O2 on the photophysics of microparticles (powder) and nanoparticles (colloidal sols) of zirconia at solid/gas interfaces and the effects of free carrier scavengers (CH3OH and O2) on the photophysics at solid/liquid interfaces were undertaken to explore the correlation between surface chemistry and the nature of preexisting or photogenerated defect centers (e.g., F-type and V-type color centers). ZrO2 is an insulating, direct wide-gap metal oxide with an optical band gap of ∼5.0 eV; another optical transition occurs at 5.85 eV. The optical behavior depends on whether zirconia is preirradiated in the intrinsic (hν > 5.0 eV) or extrinsic (hν < 5.0 eV) absorpt...
Second moment resource allocation in multi-service networks

A crucial problem for the efficient design and management of integrated services networks is how to best allocate network resources for heterogeneous and bursty traffic streams in multiplexers that support prioritized service disciplines. In this paper, we introduce a new approach for determining per-connection performance parameters such as delay-bound violation probability and loss probability in multi-service networks. The approach utilizes a traffic characterization consisting of the variances of a stream's rate distribution over multiple interval lengths, which captures its burstiness properties and autocorrelation structure. From this traffic characterization, we provide a simple and efficient resource allocation algorithm by deriving stochastic delay-bounds for static priority schedulers and employing a Gaussian approximation over intervals. To evaluate the scheme, we perform trace-driven simulation experiments with long traces of MPEG-compressed video and show that our approach is accurate enough to capture most of the inherent statistical multiplexing gain, achieving average network utilizations of up to 90% for these traces and substantially outperforming previous "effective bandwidth" techniques.
Electronic properties of bromine-doped carbon nanotubes

Abstract Intercalation of bromine molecules (Br2) into single-wall carbon nanotube (SWNT) ropes is studied using the ab initio pseudopotential density functional method. Electronic and vibrational properties of the SWNT and Br2 are studied for various bromine concentrations. A drastic change in the charge transfer, bromine stretching-mode, and bromine bond-length is observed when the bromine–bromine distance decreases. Calculated electronic structures show that, at high bromine concentrations, the bromine ppσ∗ level broadens due to the interbromine interaction. These states overlap with the electronic bands of the SWNT near the Fermi level which results in a substantial charge transfer from carbon to bromine.
Creation of an in vitro biomechanical model of the trachea using rapid prototyping

Abstract Previous in vitro models of the airways are either rigid or, if flexible, have not matched in vivo compliance characteristics. Rapid prototyping provides a quickly evolving approach that can be used to directly produce in vitro airway models using either rigid or flexible polymers. The objective of this study was to use rapid prototyping to directly produce a flexible hollow model that matches the biomechanical compliance of the trachea. The airway model consisted of a previously developed characteristic mouth–throat region, the trachea, and a portion of the main bronchi. Compliance of the tracheal region was known from a previous in vivo imaging study that reported cross-sectional areas over a range of internal pressures. The compliance of the tracheal region was matched to the in vivo data for a specific flexible resin by iteratively selecting the thicknesses and other dimensions of tracheal wall components. Seven iterative models were produced and illustrated highly non-linear expansion consisting of initial rapid size increase, a transition region, and continued slower size increase as pressure was increased. Thickness of the esophageal interface membrane and initial trachea indention were identified as key parameters with the final model correctly predicting all phases of expansion within a value of 5% of the in vivo data. Applications of the current biomechanical model are related to endotracheal intubation and include determination of effective mucus suctioning and evaluation of cuff sealing with respect to gases and secretions.
Ideological Values and the Votes of U.S. Supreme Court Justices Revisited

Segal and Cover (1989) analyzed the content of newspaper editorials to devise measures of the ideological values of the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court. Because their measures came from sources independent of the judicial vote, scholars have widely adopted them. This note updates, backdates, and extends the Segal and Cover research by adding the two Bush appointees and the seven Roosevelt and four Truman nominees whose service extended beyond the start of the Vinson Court. While we find that the ideological values of the Eisenhower through Bush appointees correlate strongly with votes cast in economic and civil liberties cases, the results are less robust for justices appointed by Roosevelt and Truman.
Impact of internet use on loneliness and contact with others among older adults: cross-sectional analysis.

Background: Older adults are at increased risk of experiencing loneliness and depression, particularly as they move into different types of care communities. Information and communication technology (ICT) usage may help older adults to maintain contact with social ties. However, prior research is not consistent about whether ICT use increases or decreases isolation and loneliness among older adults. Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine how Internet use affects perceived social isolation and loneliness of older adults in assisted and independent living communities. We also examined the perceptions of how Internet use affects communication and social interaction. Methods: One wave of data from an ongoing study of ICT usage among older adults in assisted and independent living communities in Alabama was used. Regression analysis was used to determine the relationship between frequency of going online and isolation and loneliness (n=205) and perceptions of the effects of Internet use on communication and social interaction (n=60). Results: After controlling for the number of friends and family, physical/emotional social limitations, age, and study arm, a 1-point increase in the frequency of going online was associated with a 0.147-point decrease in loneliness scores ( P =.005). Going online was not associated with perceived social isolation ( P =.14). Among the measures of perception of the social effects of the Internet, each 1-point increase in the frequency of going online was associated with an increase in agreement that using the Internet had: (1) made it easier to reach people ( b =0.508, P <.001), (2) contributed to the ability to stay in touch ( b =0.516, P <.001), (3) made it easier to meet new people ( b =0.297, P =.01, (4) increased the quantity of communication with others ( b =0.306, P =.01), (5) made the respondent feel less isolated ( b =0.491, P <.001), (6) helped the respondent feel more connected to friends and family ( b =0.392, P =.001), and (7) increased the quality of communication with others ( b =0.289, P =.01). Conclusions: Using the Internet may be beneficial for decreasing loneliness and increasing social contact among older adults in assisted and independent living communities. [J Med Internet Res 2013;15(2):e39]
When Superstition Fails Reactions to Disconfirmation of Paranormal Beliefs

Previous research has suggested cognitive distortion of counter attitudinal information bi' believers but not by skeptics of paranormal phenomena. The present stud}' sought to extend these results, using a different mode of information presentation and measuring emotional arousal as well. Both believers and skeptics showed increased emotional arousal when presented with counter attitudinal information, but only believers showed selective learning of the information. These findings are discussed in light of dissonance theory and selective learning.
A novel RF phase error Built-in-Self-Test for GSM

This paper discusses a novel RF Built-in-Self-Test (RF-BiST) targeting to replace the traditionally expensive and time-consuming RF parametric phase error test on a GSM/EDGE Digital Radio Processor (DRP) radio transceiver. The verification of the RF BiST in a production environment and a comparison of the internal BiST vs. the current test in are presented, which validates the RF BiST as an accepted test method for determining the phase error of GSM devices. The results illustrate that there are great opportunities in reduction of test time and costs by moving to the internal digital method of BiST for testing RF/analog IC products.
Principled Architecture Selection for Neural Networks: Application to Corporate Bond Rating Prediction

The notion of generalization ability can be defined precisely as the prediction risk, the expected performance of an estimator in predicting new observations. In this paper, we propose the prediction risk as a measure of the generalization ability of multi-layer perceptron networks and use it to select an optimal network architecture from a set of possible architectures. We also propose a heuristic search strategy to explore the space of possible architectures. The prediction risk is estimated from the available data; here we estimate the prediction risk by v-fold cross-validation and by asymptotic approximations of generalized cross-validation or Akaike's final prediction error. We apply the technique to the problem of predicting corporate bond ratings. This problem is very attractive as a case study, since it is characterized by the limited availability of the data and by the lack of a complete a priori model which could be used to impose a structure to the network architecture.
Noninvasive vibration diagnostics to detect head–disk contact in hard disk drives

Reliability of modern hard disk drives (HDDs) is a major concern especially with decreasing head-to-disk spacing in order to attain higher recording densities. One of the reasons for HDD failure is the occurrence of intermittent or sustained head–disk contacts. It is therefore important to be able to detect such head–disk contacts early on so that backup safety schemes can be implemented before catastrophic HDD failure and permanent data loss. In the study reported here, we used noninvasive vibration diagnostics and multiaxial vibration measurements to assess the condition and functionality of HDDs.We chose a miniature triaxial accelerometer for the diagnostic study, given that it is relatively inexpensive and easy to use.We measured contact vibration, induced by a scratch on the top surface of the rotating disk, on the outside of the HDD by attaching an accelerometer on the actuator shaft.We found that contact vibrations between the head and disk inside the HDD can reliably be measured on the outside of the HDD with an accelerometer. We also found that a miniature accelerometer does not cause significant mass loading, as verified by noncontacting laser vibrometry
Tumor hypoxia adversely affects the prognosis of carcinoma of the head and neck

Purpose: Tumor hypoxia adversely affects short term clinical radiation response of head and neck cancer lymph node metastases and long term disease-free survival (DFS) in cervix carcinoma. This study was performed to evalaute the relationship between tumor hypoxia and DFS in patients with squamous carcinoma of th ehead and neck (SCCHN). Methods and Materials: Pretreatment tumor pO2 was assessed polagographically in SCCHN patients. All patients were AJCC Stage IV and had pretreatment oxygen measureemnt taken from locally advanced primaries (T3 or T4) or neck nodes ≥ 1.5 cm diameter. Treatment consisted of once daily (2 Gy/day to 66–70 Gy) or twice daily irradiation 91.25 Gy B.I.D. to 70–75 Gy) +/- planned neck dissection (for ≥N2A disease) according to institutiional treatment protocols. Results: Twenty-eight patients underwent tumor pO2 measurement. The average pre-treatment median pO2 was 11.2 mm Hg (range 0.4–60 mm Hg). The DFS at 12 months was 42%. The DFS was 78% for patients with median tmor pO2 > 10 mm Hg but only 22% for median pO2 < 10 mm Hg (p = 0.009). The average tumor median pO2 for relapsing patients was 4.1 mm Hg and 17.1 mm Hg in non-relapsing (NED) patients (p = 0.07). Conclusion: Tumor hypoxia adversely affected the prognosis of patients in this study. Understanding of the mechanistic relatiosnhip between hypoxia and treatment outcome will allow for the development of new and rational treatment programs in the future.
Increased Maintenance and Persistence of Transgenes by Excision of Expression Cassettes from Plasmid Sequences In Vivo

Persistence of transgene expression is a major limitation for nonvirus-mediated gene therapy approaches. We have suggested that covalent linkage of bacterial DNA to the expression cassette plays a critical role in transcriptional silencing of transgenes in vivo. To gain insight into the role of the covalent linkage of plasmid DNA to the expression cassette and transcriptional repression, and whether this silencing effect could be alleviated by altering the molecular structure of vector DNAs in vivo, we generated a scheme for converting routine plasmids into a purified expression cassette, free of bacterial DNA after gene transfer in vivo. To do this, the human � -1-antitrypsin (hAAT) and human clotting factor IX (hfIX) reporter genes were flanked by two ISceI endonuclease recognition sites, and coinjected together with a plasmid encoding the I-SceI cDNA or a control plasmid into mouse liver. Two weeks after DNA administration, mice injected with the reporter gene alone or with the irrelevant control plasmid showed low serum levels of hAAT or hFIX, which remained low throughout the length of the experiment. However, animals that expressed I-SceI had a 5- to 10-fold increase in serum hAAT or hFIX that persisted for at least 8 months (length of study). Expression of I-SceI resulted in cleavage and excision of the expression cassettes from the plasmid backbone, forming mostly circles devoid of bacterial DNA sequences, as established by a battery of different Southern blot and polymerase chain reaction analyses in both C57BL/6 and scid treated mice. In contrast, only the input parental circular plasmid DNA band was detected in mice injected with the reporter gene alone, or an I-SceI plasmid together with the hAAT reporter plasmid lacking the I-SceI sites. Similar results were obtained when the Flp recombinase system was used to make mini-plasmids in mouse liver in vivo. This study presents further independent evidence that removing the covalent linkage between plasmid and transgene sequences leads to a marked increase in and persistence of transgene expression. Unraveling the mechanisms by which the covalent linkage of bacterial DNA to the expression cassette is connected to gene silencing is fundamental to establishing the mechanism of transcriptional regulation in mammalian systems and will be important for the development of versatile nonviral vectors that can be used to achieve persistent gene expression in different cell types.
Culture instability of auxotrophic amino acid producers.

The long-term dynamic characteristics of the L-lysine producer Corynebcterium glutamicum in continuous culture were studied over a range of specific growth rates. The double-auxotroph parent strain was found to be susceptible to a back mutation, or reversion, which negated the regulatory bypass that allows this strain to accumulate L-lysine in culture but also gives rise to a L-threonine auxotrophic requirement. Consequently, the revertant cells no longer over-produced L-lysine, nor were they limited in their growth by the low levels of L-threonine in the medium. All continuous culture experiments were enventually taken over by these revertants. The instability of the culture was found to be primarily due to the growth rate differential between the two competing populations, the (productive) parent auxotrophs and the (nonproductive) revertants. A deterministic mathematical model of the culture dynamics, incoroporating two limiting-substrate balances, satisfactorily described the takeover profiles. A linear stability analysis of the model equations identified that although long-term culture demise is inevitable, the dimensionless ratio of the two limiting substrates controls the rate of takeover by nonproductive cells. The anslysis further demonstrated the importance of proper medium design in delaying the onset of takeover in cultures of this double-auxotroph strain. The theoretical medium design criterion was then confirmed experimentally by the stabilization of a fed-batch culture against revertant takeover for an extended fermentation time.
Retrieving Correct Semantic Boundaries in Dependency Structure

This paper describes the retrieval of correct semantic boundaries for predicate-argument structures annotated by dependency structure. Unlike phrase structure, in which arguments are annotated at the phrase level, dependency structure does not have phrases so the argument labels are associated with head words instead: the subtree of each head word is assumed to include the same set of words as the annotated phrase does in phrase structure. However, at least in English, retrieving such subtrees does not always guarantee retrieval of the correct phrase boundaries. In this paper, we present heuristics that retrieve correct phrase boundaries for semantic arguments, called semantic boundaries, from dependency trees. By applying heuristics, we achieved an F1-score of 99.54% for correct representation of semantic boundaries. Furthermore, error analysis showed that some of the errors could also be considered correct, depending on the interpretation of the annotation.
Tellurium‐Based Far‐Infrared Transmitting Glasses

Spectroscopic investigations of molecules having their main infrared (IR) signatures at longer wavelengths require optical elements transmitting lights as far as possible in the IR region toward 20 μm and beyond. In this paper, several far-IR transmitting glass systems including Ge–In–Te, Ge–As–Te, as well as some compositions containing gallium, CsI, KI, or iodine are reported. Their glass-forming ability, thermal stability, and IR transmitting property are investigated. The gallium-containing glasses show intrinsic absorptions in the 15–20 μm region. These absorptions disappear if gallium is replaced by indium, a heavier element, but these glasses display mediocre glass forming ability. Among the systems, Ge–As–Te glasses show superior glass-forming ability and wide IR transparency. The ΔT of glasses in this system can be as great as 145°C and most of the studied glasses exhibit excellent transparency in the 3–20 μm spectral window. These glass properties compares favorably to the state-of-the-art Ge–Te–I glasses both in terms of optical quality and thermodynamic stability.
DAT: An AP scheduler using dynamically adjusted time windows for crowded WLANs

This paper proposes a new packet scheduling algorithm for access points in a crowded 802.11 WLAN. Our goal is to improve the performance of efficiency (measured by packet response time or throughput) and fairness which often conflict with each other. Our solution aggregates both metrics and leverages the balance between them. The basic idea is to let the AP allocate different time windows for serving each client. According to the observed traffic, our algorithm dynamically shifts the weight between efficiency and fairness and strikes to improve the preferred metric without excessively degrading the other one. A valid queuing model is developed to evaluate the new algorithm's performance. Using trace-driven simulations, we show that our algorithm successfully balances the trade off between the efficiency and the fairness in a busy WLAN.
Short-Term Effects of Timber Harvest and Weather on Northern Goshawk Reproduction in Northern Idaho

Abstract Nesting habitat of the Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) in North America has been associated with the amount of mature, closed-canopy forest in the nesting area; however, few studies have experimentally tested the effects of timber harvest on goshawk reproduction. We tested the effects of clear-cutting within goshawk nesting areas on reoccupancy and nesting success for two years following treatments. We also included habitat and weather variables as potential covariates in our models. We found no treatment effects on goshawk reoccupancy, nesting success, or number of fledglings between harvested and unharvested nesting areas. Our models suggested goshawk breeding area reoccupancy was a function of the amount of potential nesting habitat available in the 170-ha area surrounding the nest; goshawks reoccupied breeding areas if they contained >39% potential nesting habitat following harvest. Nesting success was correlated with mean April precipitation and January daily temperatures. Our results ...
Structural and functional classes of multipolar cells in the ventral cochlear nucleus.

Multipolar cells in the ventral cochlear nucleus (VCN) are a structurally and functionally diverse group of projection neurons. Understanding their role in the ascending pathway involves partitioning multipolar cells into distinct populations and determining where in the brain each sends its coded messages. In this study, we used retrograde labeling techniques in rats to identify multipolar neurons that project their axons to the ipsilateral dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN), the contralateral CN, or both structures. Three rats received injections of biotinylated dextran amine in the ipsilateral DCN and diamidino yellow in the contralateral CN. Several radiate multipolar neurons (defined by their axonal projections to the ipsilateral DCN and their dendrites that traverse VCN isofrequency sheets) were double-labeled but over 70% were not. This result suggests two distinct populations: (1) radiate-commissural (RC) multipolar cells that project to the ipsilateral DCN and the contralateral CN, and (2) radiate multipolar cells that project exclusively (in this context) to the ipsilateral DCN. In a different group of animals, we retrogradely labeled multipolar neurons that project their axons to the contralateral CN and measured the size of their cell bodies. The mean size of this population (266 156 m 2 ) was significantly smaller than those of RC-multipolar cells (418 140 m 2 ). We conclude that the CN commissural pathway is composed of at least two components: (1) RC multipolar cells and (2) commissural multipolar cells that are small- and medium-sized neurons that project exclusively (in this context) to the contralateral CN. These results identify separate structural groups of multipolar cells that may correspond to physiological unit types described in the literature. They also provide protocols for isolating and studying different populations of multipolar cells to determine the neural mechanisms that govern their responses to sound. Anat Rec Part 288A:331–344, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Regulation of natriuretic peptide receptor-A gene expression and stimulation of its guanylate cyclase activity by transcription factor Ets-1.

ANP (atrial natriuretic peptide) exerts its biological effects by binding to GC (guanylate cyclase)-A/NPR (natriuretic peptide receptor)-A, which generates the second messenger cGMP. The molecular mechanism mediating Npr1 (coding for GC-A/NPRA) gene regulation and expression is not well understood. The objective of the present study was to elucidate the mechanism by which Ets-1 [Ets (E twenty-six) transformation-specific sequence] contributes to the regulation of Npr1 gene transcription and expression. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and gel-shift assays confirmed the in vivo and in vitro binding of Ets-1 to the Npr1 promoter. Overexpression of Ets-1 enhanced significantly Npr1 mRNA levels, protein expression, GC activity and ANP-stimulated intracellular accumulation of cGMP in transfected cells. Depletion of endogenous Ets-1 by siRNA (small interfering RNA) dramatically decreased promoter activity by 80%. Moreover, methylation of the Npr1 promoter region (−356 to +55) reduced significantly the promoter activity and hypermethylation around the Ets-1 binding sites directly reduced Ets-1 binding to the Npr1 promoter. Collectively, the present study demonstrates that Npr1 gene transcription and GC activity of the receptor are critically controlled by Ets-1 in target cells.
Right Ventricular Systolic-to-Diastolic Time Index: Hypoplastic Left Heart Fetuses Differ Significantly from Normal Fetuses

Background A growing body of evidence indicates that right ventricular dysfunction in patients with palliated hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) originates in fetal life. In this study, the systolic-to-diastolic time index (SDI) was used to study the presence of ventricular dysfunction in single right ventricles in fetuses with HLHS or evolving HLHS and to assess whether this dysfunction is related to increase preload, myocardial performance, or interventricular interaction. Methods Echocardiograms from 78 fetuses with HLHS and 10 with evolving HLHS were retrospectively compared with those of 78 normal control fetuses. Fetuses with HLHS were further grouped according to morphology of the left ventricle (LV): not visible ( n = 35) or visible ( n = 43). Spectral Doppler signals obtained from right ventricular inflow (blood pool) and tissue Doppler from the tricuspid lateral annulus were analyzed. The SDI was calculated as the ratio of the ejection time plus isovolumic contraction and relaxation times to the diastolic filling time. E/A and E/e′ ratios, cardiac output, preload index, and Tei index were also calculated. Results Fetuses with HLHS demonstrated significantly elevated right ventricular SDI values by both blood pool Doppler and Doppler tissue imaging compared with control subjects (1.89 ± 0.33 vs 1.58 ± 0.29 [ P P P = .001; evolving HLHS, 2.19 ± 0.68; P R = 0.58) and was more sensitive than the Tei index in identifying differences between the HLHS subgroups. Conclusions Fetuses with evolving and overt HLHS exhibit abnormally increased SDI values in utero. This difference is likely related to inherently pathologic interventricular interactions and/or diastolic dysfunction of the right ventricle in fetuses with HLHS.
Temporal and spatial distribution of murine placental and brain GLUT3-luciferase transgene as a readout of in vivo transcription

To investigate in vivo transcription of the facilitative glucose transporter isoform-GLUT3 gene, we created GLUT3-firefly luciferase transgenic mouse lines that demonstrate tissue-specific [adult: ...
Solar Theology and Civil Religion in Plato’s Laws

How is a legislator to harness the positive cohesive power of religion without falling prey to a charge of hypocrisy? As with so many theoretical puzzles, it was Plato who first recognized this paradox of civil religion. Consequently, the multi-tiered religion he proposes in the Laws should be understood as western thought’s first attempt to solve this problem.At the centre of the Laws stands a single icon – the sun – that fits within both the Olympian schema of polis-religion and a naturalistic, rationalist account persuasive to the more philosophically minded. Using the language and imagery of solar worship, Plato designed a shared ‘civil religion’ (to use an anachronistic term), that can reasonably claim to link the social forms of political life to the higher truths of reason, even if not all the city’s citizens will mean the same thing when they speak of the god and his rites.
The near real time statistical asset priority driven (nrtsapd) risk assessment methodology

The NRTSAPD Risk Assessment methodology offers two key advantages over other risk assessments. The first advantage is that the NRTSAPD risk assessment methodology provides management with a simple, quick, and easy to use risk assessment methodology based on an organizational mission critical asset priority. The second advantage of using this NRTSAPD risk assessment is to integrate several organizational databases such as network helpdesk, asset management, Intrusion Detection System (IDS), Intrusion Prevention System (IPS), firewall and incident response report databases with the management's decision on the mission critical asset priorities. Having the most current asset management with the integrated security incident response databases, the management asset priority driven risk assessment would be answered in a near real time or as current as the asset management inventory; which can sometimes be scanned in real time. Consequently, it produces a realistic Information Systems (IS) production environment risk assessment report in a near real time manner.
On visual detection of light sources

Experiments show that human beings are capable of detecting self-illuminating surfaces in their visual field, and that this capacity is based, to a great extend, on immediate processing by the visual system, rather than on a higher-level analysis. What are the physical parameters associated with this perception? The following factors are discussed; The highest intensity in the scene, absolute intensity value, local and global contrast, comparison with the average intensity, and lightness computation. All these factors are shown to be insufficient for explaining human's ability to identify light sources in their visual field. Finally, a method for accomplishing the source detection task in the so-called Mondrian world is presented.
Wavelength tunable fiber lens based on multimode interference

A new concept for a fiber-based wavelength-tunable condensing lens is theoretically and experimentally investigated in terms of its ability to shift the longitudinal focus position as a function of wavelength. By exploiting multimode interference effects with reimaging theory, a compact and robust device, completely contained within a standard FC connector, can be constructed by simply splicing a single-mode fiber (SMF) to a finite length section of multimode fiber (MMF). This paper summarizes the theoretical and experimental results of such a device, with additional results for wavelength sensitivity.
Further Ado concerning Dasein's “Undifferentiated Mode”: Distinguishing the Indifferent Inauthenticity of Average Everyday Dasein from the Possibility of Genuine Failure

In this paper, I argue against the interpretive view that locates an “undifferentiated mode” – a mode in which Dasein is neither authentic nor inauthentic – in Being and Time. Where Heidegger seems to be claiming that Dasein can exist in an “undifferentiated mode”, he is better understood as discussing a phenomenon I call indifferent inauthenticity. The average everyday “Indifferenz” which is often taken as an indication of an “undifferentiated mode”, that is, is better understood as a failure to distinguish between the possibilities of authentic and inauthentic self-understanding. Dasein's average everyday self-understanding is indifferent to this distinction, and I show that this is precisely what renders it inauthentic. Recognizing this distinction, however, is not enough to render Dasein authentic. Rather, it opens up the possibility of a non-indifferent inauthenticity and what Heidegger calls the possibility of “genuine failure”. To read an “undifferentiated mode” into Being and Time is to misunderst...