cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A medium-bright quasar sample - New quasar surface densities in the magnitude range from 16.4 to 17.65 for B

A new medium-bright quasar sample (MBQS) is constructed from spectroscopic observations of 140 bright objects selected for varying degrees of blue and ultraviolet excess (B-UVX) in five Palomar 1.2 m Schmidt fields. The MBQS contains 32 quasars with B less than 17.65 mag. The new integral surface densities in the B range from 16.45 to 17.65 mag are approximately 40 percent (or more) higher than expected. The MBQS and its redshift distribution increase the area of the Hubble diagram covered by complete samples of quasars. The general spectroscopic results indicate that the three-color classification process used to catalog the spectroscopic candidates (1) has efficiently separated the intrinsically B-UVX stellar objects from the Population II subdwarfs and (2) has produced samples of B-UVX objects which are more complete than samples selected by (U - B) color alone.
Separation of urinary estrogens by micellar electrokinetic chromatography

Urinary estrogen levels are important for monitoring the normal pregnancy process as well as for the diagnosis of reproductive diseases. 17β-Estradiol and estrone are maintained at very low concentrations in urine and, therefore, are difficult to determine using standard chromatography with UV detection. In the present study, we describe a potential method for the determination of urinary estrogens (estrone, estradiol and estriol) using a solid-phase extraction and rapid capillary electrophoretic (CE) separations. Micellar electrokinetic chromatographic (MEKC) analysis was optimized by evaluating the number of surfactants in a 5 mM borate-5 mM phosphate separation buffer, of which sodium cholate (75–90 mM) was found to be optimal. Changing the hydrophobic character of the separation buffer with organic additives had a significant effect on the resolution of the three estrogens and an internal standard (d-equilenin). The addition of an organic additive (20% acetonitrile) was found to be necessary for the resolution of all components of the mixture. Substitution with 20% methanol provided a similar separation with better resolution but at the cost of increased analysis time. Analysis of two extracted urine samples from 18-weeks and 21-weeks pregnant women showed that, with the present technology, CE can provide adequate resolution and superior speed, but the sensitivity limits attainable with the existing technology may limit its utility to the measurement of estriol and estrone.
Performance of hyperspectral imaging system for poultry surface fecal contaminant detection.

Abstract A hyperspectral imaging system demonstrated potential to detect surface fecal and ingesta contaminants on poultry carcasses. Hyperspectral imagery were processed and analyzed with four pre-processing methods considering calibration and spectral smoothing approaches. A band-ratio image processing algorithm, using 2-wavelengths ( I 565 / I 517 ) and 3-wavelengths ( I 576 − I 616 )/( I 529 − I 616 ) equations, was then applied for each pre-processed method that included background masking for ratioed images, and fecal thresholding. Based on a high accuracy of 96.2% for predicting surface contaminants and significantly less false positives on the 64 birds measured, the method with calibrated and smoothed images was the best pre-processing method for fecal and ingesta contaminant detection. In conjunction with appropriate image processing algorithms, the hyperspectral imaging system is an effective technique for identifying fecal and ingesta contaminants on broiler carcasses. Specifically, band-ratio with 2-wavelength equation ( I 565 / I 517 ) performed very well with 96.4% accuracy and 147 false positives for detecting both feces (duodenum, ceca, colon) and ingesta contaminants.
Sensitivity Analysis in Structural Equation Models: Cases and Their Influence.

The detection of outliers and influential observations is routine practice in linear regression. Despite ongoing extensions and development of case diagnostics in structural equation models (SEM), their application has received limited attention and understanding in practice. The use of case diagnostics informs analysts of the uncertainty of model estimates under different subsets of the data and highlights unusual and important characteristics of certain cases. We present several measures of case influence applicable in SEM and illustrate their implementation, presentation, and interpretation with two empirical examples: (a) a common factor model on verbal and visual ability (Holzinger & Swineford, 1939) and (b) a general structural equation model assessing the effect of industrialization on democracy in a mediating model using country-level data (Bollen, 1989; Bollen & Arminger, 1991). Throughout these examples, three issues are emphasized. First, cases may impact different aspects of results as identif...
Evolution, attachment, and cultural learning

This target article presents a theory of human cultural learning. Cultural learning is identified with those instances of social learning in which intersubjectivity or perspective-taking plays a vital role, both in the original learning process and in the resulting cognitive product. Cultural learning manifests itself in three forms during human ontogeny: imitative learning, instructed learning, and collaborative learning - in that order. Evidence is provided that this progression arises from the developmental ordering of the underlying social-cognitive concepts and processes involved. Imitative learning relies on a concept of intentional agent and involves simple perspective-taking. Instructed learning relies on a concept of mental agent and involves alternating/coordinated perspective-taking (intersubjectivity). Collaborative learning relies on a concept of reflective agent and involves integrated perspective-taking (reflective intersubjectivity). A comparison of normal children, autistic children and wild and enculturated chimpanzees provides further evidence for these correlations between social cognition and cultural learning. Cultural learning is a uniquely human form of social learning that allows for a fidelity of transmission of behaviors and information among conspecifics not possible in other forms of social learning, thereby providing the psychological basis for cultural evolution
An unusual internal ribosome entry site in the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase gene

We have investigated a herpes simplex virus mutant that expresses low levels of thymidine kinase (TK), a phenotype associated with drug resistance and pathogenicity, despite a single-base deletion in the gene. Using a dual-reporter system, a 39-nt sequence including the mutation was shown to direct expression of the downstream reporter gene in reticulocyte lysate. Translation of the downstream reporter was not impaired when the mRNA lacked a 5′ cap or had a stable stem loop 5′ of the upstream reporter and was relatively resistant to edeine, an antibiotic that prevents AUG codon recognition by the 40S-eIF2-GTP/Met-tRNAi complex. Twelve nucleotides were as active as the original sequence for translation of the downstream reporter. Surprisingly, this sequence lacks an AUG codon. Analysis of point mutations showed that a CUG codon in the sequence was important. However, many single-base changes had only limited effects, and introduction of AUG codons did not increase translation. A mutant virus containing both the single-base deletion and a mutation that reduced downstream translation in vitro had significantly less TK activity than a virus with the single-base deletion alone. Thus, a remarkably short internal ribosome entry site (IRES) that lacks an AUG codon resides in the viral tk gene. The IRES appears to be responsible for TK expression from a drug-resistant mutant that would otherwise express no TK, which may contribute to pathogenicity. Because we found numerous short sequences with IRES activity, there might be many hitherto unrecognized polypeptides expressed at low levels from eukaryotic mRNAs.
Effects of registration errors on multi-look averaged data

Multi-look processing provides a straightforward method for enhancing the quality of grainy (speckle-filled) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery. This improvement in quality results from a reduction in variability of the individual pixel values brought about by non-coherent averaging of multiple, statistically independent views of the same scene. That is, the variance of the average of independent, identically distributed random variables is inversely proportional to the number of independent looks that are averaged. Of course, the quality of the averaged image depends heavily on the accuracy of the algorithm used to align the individual looks prior to averaging. The Army Research Laboratory (ARL) has recently applied multi-look processing techniques to sets of images from independent views to generate look-averaged images. In the course of this processing, we have identified the need to quantify any degradation in multi-look image quality resulting from mismatches in registration of the individual looks used to form the look-averaged image. Since these degradations can affect the performance of automatic target detection algorithms, we have also identified the need to quantify the effects of look-averaged image degradation on the performance of such algorithms. In this paper, we use X-Band SAR data to determine the extent to which translational and rotational errors in the registration of individual looks degrade the quality of the resulting multi-look averaged image. We then examine how this degradation in image quality impacts the automatic detection of small targets in the final, look-averaged image. Finally, we introduce variations in target-to-clutter ratio within each of the individual looks and analyze how these changes affect the resulting look-averaged image.
Retraining Laid‐off Engineers and Scientists Using an Integrated Curriculum: The Project INTENT Experience

This paper describes the certificate program in Integrated Environmental Training for Defense Industry Engineers and Scientists (Project INTENT), which was funded through the Technology Reinvestment Project Manufacturing Education and Training Program and was cosponsored by California State University-Fullerton. The main objective of the program was to retrain laid-off Southern California aerospace/defense professionals for dual-use capacity employment in manufacturing businesses, with an emphasis on the ever- changing environmental health and safety laws and regulations. The program was designed for one year and repeated three times from 1994 to 1996. The project helped participants gain new technical knowledge as well as career oriented skills for use in defense and civilian industries.
A coordinate gradient descent method for nonsmooth separable minimization

We consider the problem of minimizing the sum of a smooth function and a separable convex function. This problem includes as special cases bound-constrained optimization and smooth optimization with l1-regularization. We propose a (block) coordinate gradient descent method for solving this class of nonsmooth separable problems. We establish global convergence and, under a local Lipschitzian error bound assumption, linear convergence for this method. The local Lipschitzian error bound holds under assumptions analogous to those for constrained smooth optimization, e.g., the convex function is polyhedral and the smooth function is (nonconvex) quadratic or is the composition of a strongly convex function with a linear mapping. We report numerical experience with solving the l1-regularization of unconstrained optimization problems from More et al. in ACM Trans. Math. Softw. 7, 17–41, 1981 and from the CUTEr set (Gould and Orban in ACM Trans. Math. Softw. 29, 373–394, 2003). Comparison with L-BFGS-B and MINOS, applied to a reformulation of the l1-regularized problem as a bound-constrained optimization problem, is also reported.
Water oxidation catalyzed by dimeric μ-oxo bridged ruthenium diimine complexes

Abstract Dimeric μ-oxo ions such as cis,cis -[(bpy) 2 Ru(OH 2 )] 2 O 4+ , its congeners containing ring-substituted bipryidine ligands, and related structures have long been known to efficiently catalyze water oxidation by strong chemical oxidants and at electrode surfaces. However, despite considerable effort, the goal of identifying the underlying molecular mechanisms has not yet been realized. In this contribution issues concerning the reactivity of these catalysts are reviewed from the perspective of recent research findings, which have led to considerable clarification of the reaction pathways. Alternative postulated molecular mechanisms are also discussed within the framework of general principles governing the reactivity of group 8 polypyridyl complexes.
Modification of DNA damage in transcriptionally active vs. bulk chromatin

Abstract Our previous experiments have demonstrated that regions of nuclear chromatin, containing transcriptionally active DNA sequences and associated with the nuclear matrix, are hypersensitive to the production of both single-strand breaks and DNA-protein cross-links upon γ-irradiation of exponentially growing mammalian cells. In this study, we have irradiated Chinese hamster V79 cells in buffered saline with or without DMSO to scavenge hydroxyl radicals and in buffered salines of various tonicities to expand or condense chromatin. The yield of DNA-protein cross-links was assayed by a nitrocellulose filter binding technique and the DNA recovered from the cross-links hybridized to 251 -poly(A+)RNA to determine the relative frequency of transcriptionally active sequences in the cross-links compared to the bulk DNA. In all cases, the data show that active DNA is affected to a greater extent than bulk, primarily inactive DNA. The more extensive alteration of the level of ionizing radiation-induced damage in active DNA by the diffusible agents tested suggests that other agents, such as chemical sensitizers and protectors, which need to diffuse to the nuclear DNA, may also be acting primarily on active, matrix-associated DNA.
Short communication: Radio frequency dielectric heating of nonfat dry milk affects solubility and whey protein nitrogen index

The US infant formula market is estimated at over $3.5 billion, of which 75% are dairy-based formulas. Dried dairy powders pose a significant food safety risk, with Cronobacter sakazakii and Salmonella spp. being pathogens of particular concern. Radio frequency dielectric heating (RFDH) can provide rapid, uniform heat treatment of dry powders; thus, it potentially may be used as a postprocess lethality treatment for nonfat dry milk (NDM) or powdered infant formula. Because RFDH is a heat treatment, the functionality of the NDM may be altered and should be evaluated. High heat- and low heat-NDM were RFDH processed at temperatures ranging from 75 to 90°C for 5 to 125 min. Products were then assessed for whey protein nitrogen index (WPNI), solubility, and color. In low heat-NDM, RFDH decreased WPNI and solubility if the process was done at ≥ 80°C; however, in high heat-NDM, RFDH had a greater effect on solubility than WPNI and some color properties were altered. Further investigation of RFDH is merited to validate its application as a pathogen control process for NDM across processing parameters that result in acceptable functional properties for infant formula and other food products containing NDM.
Upper bounds on the critical temperature for various ising models

Upper bounds are obtained for spin ±1 systems. In the case of only nearestneighbor interactions on, for example, the square lattice we obtainΒcJ>0.3592. The method's strength is seen when considering systems with longer-range interactions. For example, we obtainΒcJ>0.360 compared to the previous best bound ofΒc J⩾ 0.345 for the one-dimensional lattice with 1/r2 interactions. The method relies upon an identity between correlation functions and then the use of correlation inequalities to obtain the final bounds.
Role of leukotrienes in N-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)succinimide (NDPS) and NDPS metabolite nephrotoxicity in male Fischer 344 rats.

Abstract The agricultural fungicide N-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)succinimide (NDPS) can induce marked nephrotoxicity in rats following a single intraperitoneal (ip) administration of 0.4 mmol/kg or greater. Although NDPS induces direct renal proximal tubular toxicity, a role for renal vascular effects may also be present. The purpose of this study was to examine the possible role of vasoconstrictor leukotrienes in NDPS and NDPS metabolite nephrotoxicity. Male Fischer 344 rats (4 rats/group) were administered diethylcarbamazine (DEC; 250 or 500 mg/kg, ip), an inhibitor of LTA4 synthesis, 1 h before NDPS (0.4 mmol/kg, ip), N-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)-2-hydroxysuccinimide (NDHS, 0.1, 0.2, or 0.4 mmol/kg, ip), or N-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)-2-hydroxysuccinamic acid (2-NDHSA, 0.1 mmol/kg, ip) or vehicle. In a separate set of experiments, the LTD4 receptor antagonist LY171883 (100 mg/kg, po) was administered 0.5 h before and again 6 h after NDHS (0.1 mmol/kg, ip) or 2-NDHSA (0.1 mmol/kg, ip) or vehicle. Renal function was monitored for 48 h post-NDPS or NDPS metabolite. DEC markedly reduced the nephrotoxicity induced by NDPS and its metabolites, while LY171883 treatments provided only partial attenuation of NDHS and 2-NDHSA nephrotoxicity. These results suggest that leukotrienes contribute to the mechanisms of NDPS nephrotoxicity.
Comparing the long and short forms of the student version of the Jenkins Activity Survey

The 44-item (long-form) student Jenkins Activity Survey (SJAS), used in locating subjects on the Type A/B continuum, requires an average of 8 min more to complete than the short form (containing only the 21 scored items). This study was conducted to determine whether the long and short forms provide comparable score distributions and factor structures for independent random samples of undergraduates (N=1248). Analyses revealed that the short form provides factors that are more independent than those of the long form, provides comparable factor structures for A's and B's, and provides comparable distributions of SJAS scores.
Rapid computerized analysis of Na+/H+ exchange flux

The regulation of intracellular pH (pHi) is mediated by membrane transporters whose activity is directly controlled by pHi. Therefore, transport rates must be compared at identical pHi values in functional studies of these transporters. This is conventionally performed using scatter plots showing initial rates of proton flux versus intracellular pH. We present justification for determining proton flux over a wide range of pHi, by digitally smoothing a pHi trace and then directly taking the first derivative versus time of smoothed data. Compared to conventional least-squares analysis of initial rates, the derivative method generates much more information per experiment. Compared to other methods which fit pHi traces to a defined equation prior to rate calculation, the new method does not require that the pHi trace be well fit by any given mathematical function. The derivative technique is illustrated in an analysis of Na+/H+ exchange in Caco-2 cells. Intracellular pH is measured fluorometrically in cells loaded with BCECF (2',7'-bis[2-carboxyethyl]-5-(and-6)carboxyfluorescein). To validate the analysis of Na+/H+ exchange over an extended time range, we demonstrate that cellular acidification with NH4Cl does not change steady state Na+ content. We find that proton flux rates analyzed by the derivative method are equivalent to initial rates measured by least-squares analysis.
Nutritional repletion of malnourished tumor-bearing and nontumor-bearing rats: Effects on body weight, liver, muscle, and tumor☆

Effects of nutritional repletion were evaluated in malnourished rats with either no tumor (NTB), small tumor burdens (TB), or large tumor burdens (TB). One hundred and four Sprague-Dawley rats were inoculated with Walker-256 carcinosarcoma and were fed regular diet (RD) for 5 days in Study A. At this time, one group was maintained on RD while the remaining rats were fed a high carbohydrate, protein-free diet (PFD). On Day 15, one PFD group was switched to RD; one PFD group continued on PFD. Eighty-nine NTB rats received an identical dietary protocol. Animals were killed on Days 15, 21, and 33. Mean food intake and carcass weight changes were similar in corresponding groups of TB and NTB rats in Study A. After Day 15, mean carcass weight and liver and muscle protein content increased rapidly in PFD → RD TB and NTB rats, becoming similar to the RD group by Day 33. By Day 33, mean tumor weights and mean total tumor protein content in the PFD group were significantly less than the RD or PFD → RD groups. In Study B, tumor-bearing animals were fed regular diet for 20 days after tumor inoculation to produce a larger tumor burden prior to nutritional depletion. Twelve rats were given PFD; six rats continued on the RD. On Day 30, one PFD group (n = 6) was switched to RD while the other PFD group (n = 6) continued on PFD. On Day 36, all rats were sacrificed. Mean carcass weight, liver, and muscle protein levels at sacrifice were significantly less in the PFD → RD group compared with the RD group, but mean serum protein levels were similar in the two groups. Animals co$tinued on PFD lost significant carcass weight, liver, and muscle protein. The presence of a small tumor (5% carcass weight) did not affect protein repletion in host liver or muscle when an adequate diet was provided, although tumor growth was increased. The presence of a larger tumor burden (>25% carcass weight) significantly inhibited host nutritional repletion.
Simulations of Historical and Future Trends in Snowfall and Groundwater Recharge for Basins Draining to Long Island Sound

AbstractA regional watershed model was developed for watersheds contributing to Long Island Sound, including the Connecticut River basin. The study region covers approximately 40 900 km2, extending from a moderate coastal climate zone in the south to a mountainous northern New England climate zone dominated by snowmelt in the north. The input data indicate that precipitation and temperature have been increasing for the last 46 years (1961–2006) across the region. Minimum temperature has increased more than maximum temperature over the same period (1961–2006). The model simulation indicates that there was an upward trend in groundwater recharge across most of the modeled region. However, trends in increasing precipitation and groundwater recharge are not significant at the 0.05 level if the drought of 1961–67 is removed from the time series. The trend in simulated snowfall is not significant across much of the region, although there is a significant downward trend in southeast Connecticut and in central Ma...
Bandwidth choice for nonparametric hazard rate estimation

Abstract An asymptotic representation of the integrated square error for the kernel based estimator of hazard rate in the case of right censored samples is obtained. Also it is shown that the bandwidth selected by the data based method of least square cross-validation is asymptotically optimal.
Estimating cross-section semiconductor structure by comparing top-down SEM images

Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images for semiconductor line-width measurements are generally acquired in a top-down configuration. As semiconductor dimensions continue to shrink, it has become increasingly important to characterize the cross-section, or sidewall, profiles. Cross-section imaging, however, requires the physical cleaving of the device, which is destructive and time-consuming. The goal of this work is to examine historical top-down and cross-section image pairs to determine if the cross-section profiles might be estimated by analyzing the corresponding top-down images. We present an empirical pattern recognition approach aimed at solving this problem. We compute feature vectors from sub-images of the top-down SEM images. Principal component analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) are used to reduce the dimensionality of the feature vectors, where class labels are assigned by clustering the cross-sections according to shape. Features are extracted from query top-downs and compared to the database. The estimated cross-section of the query is computed as a weighted combination of cross-sections corresponding to the nearest top-down neighbors. We report results obtained using 100nm, 180nm, and 250nm dense and isolated line data obtained by three different SEM tools.
Nonlinear waves in rotating magnetohydrodynamics

We consider an electrically conducting fluid in rotating cylindrical coordinates in which the Elsasser and magnetic Reynolds numbers are assumed to be large while the Rossby number is assumed to vanish in an appropriate limit. This may be taken as a simple model for the Earth's outer core. Fully nonlinear waves dominated by the nonlinear Lorentz forces are studied using the method of geometric optics (essentially WKB). These waves are assumed to be of the form of an asymptotic series expanded about ambient magnetic and velocity fields which vanish on the equatorial plane. They take the form of short wave, slowly varying wave trains. The first-order approximation is sinusoidal and basically the same as in the linear problem, with a dispersion relation modified by the appearance of mean terms. These mean terms, as well the undetermined amplitude functions, are found by suppressing secular terms in a “fast” variable in the second-order approximation. The interaction of the mean terms with the dispersion rela...
Effect of streptavidins with varying biotin binding affinities on the properties of biotinylated gramicidin channels.

The pentadecapeptide gramicidin A, which is known to form highly conductive ion channels in a bilayer lipid membrane by assembling as transmembrane head-to-head dimers, can be modified by attaching a biotin group to its C-terminus through an aminocaproyl spacer. Such biotinylated gramicidin A analogues also form ion channels in a hydrophobic lipid bilayer, exposing the biotin group to the aqueous bathing solution. Interaction of the biotinylated gramicidin channels with (strept)avidin has previously been shown to result in the appearance of a long-lasting open state with a doubled transition amplitude in single-channel traces and a deceleration of the macroscopic current kinetics as studied by the sensitized photoinactivation method. Here this interaction was studied further by using streptavidin mutants with weakened biotin binding affinities. The Stv-F120 mutant, having a substantially reduced biotin binding affinity, exhibited an efficacy similar to that of natural streptavidin in inducing both double-...
Numerical simulation of three-dimensional unsteady viscous flow past fixed hexagonal ice crystals in the air — preliminary results

Abstract The flow fields of hexagonal ice plates and broad-branch ice crystals fallingin the air with Reynolds numbers from 20 to 140 were investigated by numerical simulations. The three-dimensional incompressible, unsteady Navier-Stokes equations for flow past fixed targets were solved by a second-order QUICK numerical scheme. Several velocity fields are displayed. It is shown that unsteady flow can be modeled by adding an artificial disturbance at a certain point. Computations showed that thin oblate spheroids are good approximations to hexagonal plates of the same size in the drag calculation whereas the broad-branch crystals are significantly different. Empirical formulas for drag coefficients were developed for cloud physical calculations.
Time-accurate CFD conjugate analysis of transient measurements of the heat-transfer coefficient in a channel with pin fins

Abstract Heat-transfer coefficients (HTC) on surfaces exposed to convection environments are often measured by transient techniques such as thermochromic liquid crystal (TLC) or infrared thermography. In these techniques, the surface temperature is measured as a function of time, and that measurement is used with the exact solution for unsteady, zero-dimensional (0-D) or one-dimensional (1-D) heat conduction into a solid to calculate the local HTC. When using the 0-D or 1-D exact solutions, the transient techniques assume the HTC and the free-stream or bulk temperature characterizing the convection environment to be constants in addition to assuming the conduction into the solid to be 0-D or 1-D. In this study, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) conjugate analyses were performed to examine the errors that might be invoked by these assumptions for a problem, where the free-stream/bulk temperature and the heat-transfer coefficient vary appreciably along the surface and where conduction into the solid may not be 0-D or 1-D. The problem selected to assess these errors is flow and heat transfer in a channel lined with a staggered array of pin fins. This conjugate study uses three-dimensional (3-D) unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) closed by the shear-stress transport (SST) turbulence model for the gas phase (wall functions not used) and the Fourier law for the solid phase. The errors in the transient techniques are assessed by comparing the HTC predicted by the time-accurate conjugate CFD with those predicted by the 0-D and 1-D exact solutions, where the surface temperatures needed by the exact solutions are taken from the time-accurate conjugate CFD solution. Results obtained show that the use of the 1-D exact solution for the semi-infinite wall to give reasonably accurate “transient” HTC (less than 5% relative error). Transient techniques that use the 0-D exact solution for the pin fins were found to produce large errors (up to 160% relative error) because the HTC varies appreciably about each pin fin. This study also showed that HTC measured by transient techniques could differ considerably from the HTC obtained under steady-state conditions with isothermal walls.
Errata: MIMO Radar Waveforms and Cancellation Ratio

The above-named article [ibid., vol. 48, no. 2 (Apr. 2012), pp. 1167?1178] contains an editorial error. The text following the equation on page 1169 [defining the metric (MCR) upon which the entire paper is based] should read: "where e(t) = y1(t) - ay2(t) and a is a complex weight chosen to minimize (overbar) |e(t)|2, the mean square value of e(t). Note that by this definition, a good MCR will be close to zero (i.e., if expressed in decibels, it would have a large negative value)."
Breakage of λdg DNA: Chemical and genetic characterization of each isolated half-molecule

Molecules of DNA isolated from bacteriophage λ dg can be broken in half when exposed to hydrodynamic shear. There are two types of half-molecules as demonstrated by their biological activity: those that contain the gal + and m 6 + genes ( gal + -halves), and those that contain the i λ and mi + genes ( i λ -halves). This is the result expected if the linkage map for vegetative λ dg phage were also cleaved at its center to form two linkage groups. Although the two types of half-molecules co-sediment in a sucrose gradient, they can be separated from each other by chromatography on methylated serum albumin columns, 50% of the total DNA being associated with each activity. The buoyant densities of the isolated half-molecules differ by 0·006 g/cm 3 , suggesting that the guanine-cytosine content of the gal + -half is 0·52 while that of the i λ -half is 0·46. The thermal denaturation curves of each half-molecule as well as the whole molecule are compatible with this suggestion.
Cross-Cultural Instrument Translation: Assessment, Translation, and Statistical Applications

This article has four major sections: (a) general issues of assessment; (b) assessment of ethnic-group members, including those who are deaf; (c) translation of assessment tools, emphasizing translation into American Sign Language (ASL); and (d) statistical applications for translated instruments. The purpose of the article is to provide insight into and guidelines for translating instruments into another language and using the results for practice or research purposes. The use of translated instruments with deaf individuals is highlighted. A protocol for translating a scale into ASL is offered. Statistical applications for examining internal consistency and component structure are discussed. Finally, implications for practice and research are addressed.
Cross-cultural developmental performance of Navajo children on the Bender-Gestalt test.

Developmental data on a cross-cultural population of 160 Navajo Indians and Anglos were obtained for the Bender-Gestalt test. Two age groups of 6- to 7- and 11- to 12-yr.-old children were tested. Significant differences obtained between ethnic groups and age groups. 6- to 7-yr.-old Navajo children produced more distortions than Anglo children of this age. However, at 12 yr. of age, Navajo children functioned at the same competence level as the Anglos.
Gain- and Loss-Frame Sun Safety Messages and Psychological Reactance of Adolescents

Adolescents are frequently thought of as having strong desires for independence and defiance of authority. Using psychological reactance theory, this study investigated the effects of gain and loss frame messages advocating sun safety behavior on the perceived threats to freedom of high school-aged adolescents. A loss, rather than a gain, frame message produced greater perceived threats to freedom among adolescents. Perceived threats to freedom were associated with anger, but anger was not associated with attitudes toward behavior. Perceived threats to freedom were not associated with negative cognitions, but more negative cognitions were associated with less positive attitudes toward behavior. Implications of the findings on future research are explored.
CO2-Binding-Organic-Liquids-Enhanced CO2 Capture using Polarity-Swing-Assisted Regeneration

A new solvent-based CO2 capture process couples the unique attributes of non-aqueous, CO2-binding organic liquids (CO2BOLs) with the newly discovered polarity-swing-assisted regeneration (PSAR) process that is unique to switchable ionic liquids. Laboratory measurements with PSAR indicate the ability to achieve a regeneration effect at 75˚C comparable to that at 120˚C using thermal regeneration only. Initial measurements also indicate that the kinetic behavior of CO2 release is also improved with PSAR. Abstract cleared PNWD-SA-9743
Formation of triplet naphthalene by energy transfer from Hg(63P0 atoms, observed by a modulation technique

A new technique, employing a modulated mercury lamp, has been used for monitoring absorption by triplet naphthalene and metastable mercury atoms in the gas phase. the process was observed. Its rate constant, k2 = (2.75 ± 0.06) × 1011 liters mole−1 sec−1, was measured by the phase method. A new gas phase spectrum of triplet naphthalene was obtained.
Microglia Promote Learning-Dependent Synapse Formation through Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor

Summary Microglia are the resident macrophages of the CNS, and their functions have been extensively studied in various brain pathologies. The physiological roles of microglia in brain plasticity and function, however, remain unclear. To address this question, we generated CX 3 CR1 CreER mice expressing tamoxifen-inducible Cre recombinase that allow for specific manipulation of gene function in microglia. Using CX 3 CR1 CreER to drive diphtheria toxin receptor expression in microglia, we found that microglia could be specifically depleted from the brain upon diphtheria toxin administration. Mice depleted of microglia showed deficits in multiple learning tasks and a significant reduction in motor-learning-dependent synapse formation. Furthermore, Cre-dependent removal of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) from microglia largely recapitulated the effects of microglia depletion. Microglial BDNF increases neuronal tropomyosin-related kinase receptor B phosphorylation, a key mediator of synaptic plasticity. Together, our findings reveal that microglia serve important physiological functions in learning and memory by promoting learning-related synapse formation through BDNF signaling.
Emerging technologies in medical applications of minimum volume vitrification

Cell/tissue biopreservation has broad public health and socio-economic impact affecting millions of lives. Cryopreservation technologies provide an efficient way to preserve cells and tissues targeting the clinic for applications including reproductive medicine and organ transplantation. Among these technologies, vitrification has displayed significant improvement in post-thaw cell viability and function by eliminating harmful effects of ice crystal formation compared to the traditional slow freezing methods. However, high cryoprotectant agent concentrations are required, which induces toxicity and osmotic stress to cells and tissues. It has been shown that vitrification using small sample volumes (i.e., <1 µl) significantly increases cooling rates and hence reduces the required cryoprotectant agent levels. Recently, emerging nano- and micro-scale technologies have shown potential to manipulate picoliter to nanoliter sample sizes. Therefore, the synergistic integration of nanoscale technologies with cryogenics has the potential to improve biopreservation methods.
Sequence of biosynthesis of the components of the polyene macrolides candidin and candihexin: macrolide aglycones as intracellular components.

A sequential formation of the single components of the polyene macrolide candidin complex (heptaene) has been found. In addition to the three components occurring in the candidin complex at the end of the fermentation, two other “early” all-trans heptaene components have been characterized. They exist only during the phase of active biosynthesis of candidin. Two of the components of the polyene macrolide candihexin complex (hexaene) that have been described as lacking amino sugar were the only intracellular (mycelium-associated) components observed under conditions in which no extracellular polyene remained attached to the producing cell. The results indicate that glycosylation of the macrolide ring takes place during the secretion process.
Job-Seeking in a Turbulent Economy: Social Networks and the Importance of Cross-Industry Ties to an Industry Change

This study extends previous research on the micro-level processes of job-seeking and demonstrates that job-seeking behaviors are affected by macro-level factors. Using a longitudinal research design, we monitored the job-seeking strategies of a diverse sample of recently unemployed labor market participants. Specifically, we examined the impact of shrinking or growing industry sectors on the use of personal contacts. Overall, results indicated that growth or decline in employment levels of the job-seeker’s pre-displaced industry subsequently affected the likelihood of using cross-industry contacts during a job search. In addition, the use of cross-industry contacts significantly increased the likelihood of making an industry change. Limitations of the study and practical implications for conducting a job search in a contemporary environment are also discussed.
New Urban Teachers Transcending Neoliberal Educational Reforms: Embracing Aesthetic Education as a Curriculum of Political Action

This article presents 7 years of qualitative research into the emerging understandings of a population of 456 beginning 7 to 12 urban teachers who supplied 130 participants who were enrolled in a total of 26 MSEd English Language Arts courses over 7 years. These were interviewed while teaching in urban schools focused primarily on testing and accountability systems, and their class writings were used to present seven of their voices in this study. The study investigates participant engagement in two theoretical frameworks emphasized in the courses: first, the neoliberal ideology of testing and accountability; second, the transactional tradition of aesthetic education. The study finds that education students need not passively acquiesce to neoliberal reforms, but can reclaim a culturally critical stance in their teaching.
Human-Humanoid walking gait recognition

This paper addresses a typical humanoid problem, that of walking gaits. Creating a stable walking gait on a humanoid robot is a problem that is addressed by many roboticists worldwide. We want to focus on a similar issue that is often overlooked: recognition of different walking behaviours in humans and humanoid robots. We introduce a method that is able to recognise persons as well as their current walking behaviour based on accelerometer data. This is an important skill and prerequisite for all human-humanoid imitation and interaction tasks.
A new North American chorus frog species (Amphibia: Hylidae: Pseudacris) from the south-central United States

We describe a new species of chorus frog of the North American treefrog genus Pseudacris from the south-central United States. This new species is morphologically similar to the parapatric species P. feriarum and has thus previously been considered synonymous with this species. The new species is geographically distinct from P. feriarum and from its sister species, P. nigrita . We diagnose the new species based on advertisement call, morphological, and genetic characters.
Statistical properties and numerical implementation of a model for droplet dispersion in a turbulent gas

Abstract We explore the statistical properties of a model proposed by Dukowicz for calculating the dispersion of spray droplets due to turbulent gas motions. The distributions of turbulent velocity and position changes are derived, making no assumptions concerning the relative magnitudes of the drag time, turbulence correlation time, and the time at which the distributions are evaluated. We also tell how the model is implemented in the computer program KIVA and give some computational examples.
Paxillin mediates stretch-induced Rho signaling and endothelial permeability via assembly of paxillin-p42/44MAPK-GEF-H1 complex

Suboptimal ventilator support or regional ventilation heterogeneity in inflamed lungs causes excessive tissue distension, which triggers stretch-induced pathological signaling and may lead to vascular leak and lung dysfunction. Focal adhesions (FAs) are cell-substrate adhesive complexes participating in cellular mechanotransduction and regulation of the Rho GTPase pathway. Stretch-induced Rho regulation remains poorly understood. We used human lung endothelial cells (ECs) exposed to pathological cyclic stretch (CS) at 18% distension to test the hypothesis that FA protein paxillin participates in CS-induced Rho activation by recruiting the Rho-specific guanine nucleotide exchange factor GEF-H1. CS induced phosphorylation of paxillin and activated p42/44-MAP kinase, Rho GTPase, and paxillin/GEF-H1/p42/44-MAPK association. CS caused nearly 2-fold increase in EC permeability, which was attenuated by paxillin knockdown. Expression of the paxillin-Y31/118F phosphorylation mutant decreased the CS-induced paxillin/GEF-H1 association (16.3 ± 4.1%), GEF-H1 activation (28.9 ± 9.2%), and EC permeability (28.7 ± 8.1%) but not CS-induced p42/44-MAPK activation. Inhibition of p42/44-MAPK suppressed CS-induced paxillin/GEF-H1 interactions (15.9 ± 7.9%), GEF-H1 activation (11.7 ± 4.3%), and disruption of EC monolayer. Expression of GEF-H1T678A lacking p42/44-MAPK phosphorylation site attenuated Rho activation (31.2±11.6%). We conclude that MAPK-dependent targeting of GEF-H1 to paxillin is involved in the regulation of CS-induced Rho signaling and EC permeability. This study proposes a novel concept of paxillin-GEF-H1-p42/44-MAPK module as a regulator of pathological mechanotransduction.-Gawlak, G., Tian, Y., O'Donnell, J. J., III, Tian, X., Birukova, A. A., Birukov, K. G. Paxillin mediates stretch-induced Rho signaling and endothelial permeability via assembly of paxillin-p42/44MAPK-GEF-H1 complex.
Strain rate effects on the thermomechanical behavior of polymers

Abstract The thermomechanical behavior of two common polymers, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and polycarbonate (PC), subjected to compressive dynamic loading was investigated in this study. The stress–strain response of each material was examined, over a wide range of strain rates (10−4 to 103 s−1), using an Instron machine and a split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB). It was found that the compressive yield stress for both materials increases with strain rate increases. For PMMA, the material changes its compression behavior from ductile to brittle as strain rate increases. In the SHPB experiments, simultaneously to stress and strain measurements from the bars, temperature change was monitored using a high speed infrared HgCdTe detector array. The amount of plastic work converted to heat, β, was measured. For PC, this value was found to be within the range of 0.5 to 0.6. It was found that competition between thermal softening and strain hardening dictates the behavior of this material after yielding, in a process similar to that occurring in metals. For PMMA, a value of β could not be defined, because of the brittle nature of the material. However, some heating was observed during the failure of the PMMA specimen, suggesting that the material at this strain rate is not perfectly brittle.
MicroRNA-431 regulates axon regeneration in mature sensory neurons by targeting the Wnt antagonist Kremen1

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNAs that function as key post-transcriptional regulators in neural development, brain function, and neurological diseases. Growing evidence indicates that miRNAs are also important mediators of nerve regeneration, however, the affected signaling mechanisms are not clearly understood. In the present study, we show that nerve injury-induced miR-431 stimulates regenerative axon growth by silencing Kremen1, an antagonist of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling. Both the gain-of-function of miR-431 and knockdown of Kremen1 significantly enhance axon outgrowth in murine dorsal root ganglion neuronal cultures. Using cross-linking with AGO-2 immunoprecipitation, and 3'-untranslated region (UTR) luciferase reporter assay we demonstrate miR-431 direct interaction on the 3'-UTR of Kremen1 mRNA. Together, our results identify miR-431 as an important regulator of axonal regeneration and a promising therapeutic target.
A neurocomputing algorithm for linear state estimation

A linearized Hopfield neural network (HNN) is used as a computing tool to solve a continuous-time linear state estimation problem. The estimation problem is treated as a dynamic optimization problem, where the objective is to find the system state that optimizes a performance measure. It is shown that, by appropriate choice of the weights of the HNN, the optimal state can be obtained as the sealed output of an HNN. >