cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mechanical Resuscitation of Chemical Oscillations in Belousov-Zhabotinsky Gels

The conversion of mechanical to chemical energy is a natural phenomenon that few synthetic materials have been able to mimic robustly. The fi rst dem- onstration of mechanical triggering of Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) oscillations is presented in N -isopropylacrylamide- co -Ru(bpy) 3 gels for which the oscilla- tory nature of the BZ reaction can be visualized via periodic changes in color. It is demonstrated that BZ oscillations can be induced by the application of compressive stress to gels in which the BZ reaction has attained a steady- state upon depletion of reagents. Such macroscopic compression physically increases the volume fraction of polymer to which the Ru(bpy) 3 catalyst is grafted and triggers BZ oscillations by utilizing unreacted reagents in the aqueous solution, thus effectively resuscitating and extending the function- ality of these oscillatory gels. The applied stress and the initial concentrations of malonic acid are varied to show that there is a critical stress required to trigger and restore these oscillations, and that the period and amplitude of oscillation are tunable. Leveraging this capacity to restore the functionality of the material via applied pressure, sensor applications comprising discrete BZ gels, which are capable of both visually indicating the origin of mechanical loading and transmitting this signal away from the deformation site, are demonstrated. Mechanical resuscitation of such chemical oscillations affords novel approaches to creating pressure sensors based on self-oscillating gels.
The Archetypal Atom-Probe

The ultimate microanalytical tool would be an instrument capable of selecting and identifying the individual constituents of a surface seen in atomic resolution. This daunting task is possible with a combination field ion microscope and mass spectrometer having single-particle detection sensitivity. The resulting device is called the atom-probe. With the atom-probe it is possible to identify a single atom seen on a metal surface and selected from neighboring atoms at the discretion of the observer.
Concentration of protein in fibrin fibers and fibrinogen polymers determined by refractive index matching.

We have used refractive index matching to determine the concentration of protein in the fibers in fibrin clots and of needlelike crystals of native fibrinogen. Our results are in agreement with those of Carr and Hermans [(1978) Macromolecules11, 46–50], as determined by light scattering—namely, that protein makes up about 20% of the volume of the fiber. However, we have found that the protein concentration is strongly dependent on ionic strength. An increase in ionic strength caused a substantial drop in the protein concentration. In a buffer containing 100 mM NaCl, the protein concentration was 26.6–29.8 g of protein per 100 cm3 of polymer, and at 200 mM NaCl it was reduced to 22.1–23.1 g/100 cm3.
SIRT4 Inhibits Glutamate Dehydrogenase and Opposes the Effects of Calorie Restriction in Pancreatic β Cells

Sir2 is an NAD-dependent deacetylase that connects metabolism with longevity in yeast, flies, and worms. Mammals have seven Sir2 homologs (SIRT1-7). We show that SIRT4 is a mitochondrial enzyme that uses NAD to ADP-ribosylate and downregulate glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) activity. GDH is known to promote the metabolism of glutamate and glutamine, generating ATP, which promotes insulin secretion. Loss of SIRT4 in insulinoma cells activates GDH, thereby upregulating amino acid-stimulated insulin secretion. A similar effect is observed in pancreatic beta cells from mice deficient in SIRT4 or on the dietary regimen of calorie restriction (CR). Furthermore, GDH from SIRT4-deficient or CR mice is insensitive to phosphodiesterase, an enzyme that cleaves ADP-ribose, suggesting the absence of ADP-ribosylation. These results indicate that SIRT4 functions in beta cell mitochondria to repress the activity of GDH by ADP-ribosylation, thereby downregulating insulin secretion in response to amino acids, effects that are alleviated during CR.
Convergent cortical innervation of striatal projection neurons

Anatomical studies have led to the assertion that intratelencephalic and pyramidal tract cortical neurons innervate different striatal projection neurons. To test this hypothesis, we measured the responses of mouse striatal neurons to optogenetic activation of intratelencephalic and pyramidal tract axons. Contrary to expectation, direct and indirect pathway striatal spiny projection neurons responded to both intratelencephalic and pyramidal tract activation, arguing that these cortical networks innervate both striatal projection neurons.
Acute monoblastic leukemia with t(8;16): a distinct clinicopathologic entity; report of a case and review of the literature.

We report a case of acute monoblastic leukemia with t(8;16) in a 71-year-old man who had rapid rise of leukocyte counts from 20.3 × 109/l to 62.7 × 109/l in two weeks. The peripheral blood showed many granular promonocytes that led to the consideration of acute promyelocytic leukemia of the hypogranular variant. The bone marrow, however, revealed mainly monoblasts with erythrophagocytosis. Cytogenetic study finally confirmed the diagnosis of acute monoblastic leukemia with t(8;16). The patient died three days after admission. The demonstration of these two characteristic features of this subtype, granular promonocytes and erythrophagocytosis by monoblasts, separately, in the peripheral blood and bone marrow is unusual and misleading. This cytogenetic abnormality can be demonstrated only in M5 and M4 with characteristic clinical features of disseminated intravascular coagulation, extramedullary involvement, and poor prognosis. Although it is not a common disease, this specific subtype of acute myelogenous leukemia is consistently associated with a specific cytogenetic marker, thus it should be considered a distinct clinicopathologic entity. Am. J. Hematol. 66:207–212, 2001. Published 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Excited‐State Perylene—Pyrene Interactions: Relation to the Interpretation of Excimer Emission

The ``anomalous'' emission properties of perylene—pyrene mixed crystals have been re‐examined. The results of this study demonstrate that the unusual character of the mixed‐crystal emission spectra is primarily due to reabsorption of ``normal'' monomeric perylene emission, rather than to a very large excited‐state perylene—pyrene interaction as previously suggested. Studies of the emission and absorption properties of perylene in liquid solutions containing pyrene indicate, however, that there is a significant excited‐state perylene—pyrene interaction. This excited‐state interaction shifts the perylene emission over 150 A to the red, reduces the intensity, and produces a loss of some of the vibronic structure of the perylene emission. Because the lowest excited singlet states of perylene and pyrene are far from degenerate in energy, the excited‐state perylene—pyrene interaction cannot be due to a resonance interaction. Preliminary experimental results suggest that the excited‐state interaction is of charge‐transfer character.
Visco-elastic waves by the use of wave-front theory

Abstract By combining the ideas of Ray Theory, Singular Surface Theory and asymptotic expansions, a method is proposed which enables the study of the structure of a weak shock in rate-type visco-elastic materials. The present study is limited to centro-symmetric cases and to an initially unstressed medium. It is found that the plane wave problem can have a Taylor's solution while a curved one cannot. Further, a shear wave is governed by a linear equation. Some self-similar solutions are presented that generalize the known laws of decay for linear dissipative media and exhibit the universal character of the asymptotic solution.
Use of Chloroethylene Carbonate as an Electrolyte Solvent for a Graphite Anode in a Lithium‐Ion Battery

The electrolyte decomposition during the first lithiation of graphite is reduced to 90 mAh/g in an electrolyte containing equal volumes of chloroethylene carbonate and a cosolvent of propylene carbonate, dimethyl carbonate, or diethyl carbonate. The volume fraction of chloroethylene carbonate can be further reduced to 0.05 in a trisolvent system with a cosolvent containing equal volumes of ethylene carbonate and propylene carbonate. A lithium-ion cell containing chloroethylene carbonate and propylene carbonate shows a long cycle life. The capacity decreases by 20% from the initial value in over 800 cycles. The charging efficiency is 80 to 90%, is rate dependent, and is accompanied by a self-discharge mechanism. A hypothesis of a chemical shuttle is suggested to explain the low charge efficiency and self-discharge.
Older US emergency department patients are less likely to receive pain medication than younger patients: results from a national survey.

Study objective The purpose of this study is to determine whether older adults presenting to the emergency department (ED) with pain are less likely to receive pain medication than younger adults. Methods Pain-related visits to US EDs were identified with reason-for-visit codes from 7 years (2003 to 2009) of the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. The primary outcome was the administration of an analgesic. The percentage of patients receiving analgesics in 4 age groups was adjusted for measured covariates, including pain severity. Results Pain-related visits accounted for 88,031 (46.9%) ED visits by patients aged 18 years or older during the 7-year period. There were 7,585 pain-related ED visits by patients aged 75 years or older, representing an estimated 3.65 million US ED visits annually. In comparing survey-weighted unadjusted estimates, pain-related visits by patients aged 75 years or older were less likely than visits by patients aged 35 to 54 years to result in administration of an analgesic (49% versus 68.3%) or an opioid (34.8% versus 49.3%). Absolute differences in rates of analgesic and opioid administration persisted after adjustment for sex, race/ethnicity, pain severity, and other factors and multiple imputation of missing pain severity data, with visits by patients aged 75 years and older being 19.6% (95% confidence interval 17.8% to 21.4%) less likely than visits by patients aged 35 to 54 years to receive an analgesic and 14.6% (95% confidence interval 12.8% to 16.4%) less likely to receive an opioid. Conclusion Patients aged 75 years and older with pain-related ED visits are less likely to receive pain medication than patients aged 35 to 54 years.
Minimally Invasive Repair for Pectus Excavatum in Adults

Background The purpose of this study is to review the minimally invasive pectus excavatum repair in adults to determine the safety and effectiveness. Methods An Institutional Review Board approved chart review identified patients 17 years or older who underwent minimally invasive pectus excavatum repair (MIPER) between January 1999 and January 2004. Results Nineteen patients underwent MIPER. Indications for surgery were reduced exercise tolerance (13), dyspnea on exertion (17), improve self-perception (10), and chest pain (6). There were no intraoperative complications or conversions to open repair. Twelve patients (63%) required one strut and seven patients (37%) required two struts. Postoperative complications included self-resolving asymptomatic pneumothorax in six patients and pneumonia in one. Pain at six weeks postoperatively was mild to none in most patients and all had no pain at three months postoperatively except one patient with strut displacement. Two patients required removal of one of two struts due to displacement. The mean postoperative pectus index was significantly lower than preoperative value: 2.5 versus 4.6, p = 0.002. Among six patients with strut removal at two years postoperatively, two patients had mild recurrence of their deformity. Conclusions Minimally invasive pectus excavatum repair can be performed safely in adults. This approach is technically more challenging in adults with one-third of the patients requiring two struts for optimal repair. The risk of strut displacement is higher than in the pediatric population. The long-term effectiveness and durability of this procedure in adults is still unknown.
Religious Discrimination in the Workplace: A Review and Examination of Current and Future Trends

Over the last decade, religious discrimination claims have risen more rapidly compared to most other protected categories under the Civil Rights Act (CRA). The goal of this review paper is to summarize the psychological and HR practitioner-focused research on religious discrimination as it relates to the CRA to understand these religious discrimination claims. In doing so, this review also highlights what future research is needed, and what the challenges and practical implications of religious discrimination are for managers. We conduct a systematic literature review of the psychology and business research on religious discrimination. Building from the literature review and case law, we highlight four trends that contribute to religious discrimination in the workplace: (1) legal ambiguities, (2) increased religious diversity in the American workforce, (3) increasing expression of religious beliefs, and (4) the unique nature of religion. The trends identified in our review paper highlight the need for employers to understand and address religious discrimination issues in the workplace and the lack of empirical research in this area points to a critical gap in our understanding of workplace religious discrimination that warrants future research. In addition to highlighting trends that contribute to religious discrimination in the workplace, this literature review addresses where there are gaps in the existing research that call for further research and offers practical implications for employers and organizations.
1174 HOST DETERMINANTS OF TOXIC SHOCK SYNDROME AND SCALDED SKIN SYNDROME IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome (SSSS) and toxic shock syndrome (TSS) appear to be toxin mediated diseases caused by different strains of S. aureus. We reviewed all cases of TSS (defined by the collaborative strict case definition) and SSSS (acute fever, painful erythroderma, positive Nikolsky sign) at The Children's Hospital of Denver for the years 1979-84. Of the 16 TSS cases, 13 (81%) were female compared to a balanced distribution of 5 (50%) of 10 hospitalized SSSS cases (p=0.22). The mean age was significantly greater (p=0.0007) for TSS compared to SSSS females (13.8±5.8 vs 2.4±2.5 years) but not males (7.1±0.8 vs 3.6±4.2 years). The likelihood of a potential focus of sequestered infection (vagina, abscess) was significantly greater (p=0.0003) in the TSS group. All 10 postmenarchal females with TSS were menstruating, grew S. aureus from vaginal cultures, and were using tampons at the time of clinical onset. Of the remaining 6 TSS patients (3 female), 4 had distinct loci of infection (bacteremia, cervical abscess, wound abscess, cervical adenitis) compared to only 1 (bacteremia) of 10 SSSS patients (p=0.07). These clinical differences suggest that S. aureus strains capable of causing TSS may require different host potentiating conditions than SSSS strains (focal infection vs nasopharyngeal colonization) to cause disease.
Morphological Analysis of Shooting Star Populations (Dodecatheon, Primulaceae) in Pennsylvania

ABSTRACT In Pennsylvania, Dodecatheon inhabits upland woods and wooded rock outcrops in the Potomac and Susquehanna watersheds, respectively. We marked 60 randomly selected plants in each of six Potomac and eight Susquehanna populations. We assessed 20 characters in these plants in flower and fruit to clarify whether they represent D. meadia or D. amethystinum, both of which had been reported for Pennsylvania. The populations differ, often significantly, in the means of all characters; but they overlap in the ranges. For example, corolla color varies from dark to pale pink in all populations. The Potomac population means are greater than the Susquehanna means in scape dimensions, flower number, floral calyx lobe length, anther length, and capsule wall thickness. In the Potomac populations, mean capsule wall thickness is intermediate between the ranges reported by previous authors for the two species. In the Susquehanna populations, this feature resembles the values reported for D. amethystinum.
Evidence for a Decision Variable in the Human Motor System

Many traditional information-processing models assume that the processes underlying decision formation are neatly separable from, and causally antecedent to, those involved in action generation. According to these models, centralized cognitive processing results in the formation of a decision that
Hydrogen atom initiated chemistry

H atoms have been created by the photolysis of H2S. These then initiated reactions in mixtures involving acetylene-ammonia-water and ethylene-ammonia-water. In the case of the acetylene system, the products consisted of two amino acids, ethylene and a group of primarily cyclic thio-compounds, but no free sulfur. In the case of the ethylene systems, seven amino acids, including an aromatic one, ethane, free sulfur, and a group of solely linear thio-compounds were produced. Total quantum yields for the production of amino acids were ~ 3 × 10−5 and ~ 2 × 10−4 with ethylene and acetylene respectively as carbon substrates. Consideration is given of the mechanism for the formation of some of the products and implications regarding planetary atmosphere chemistry, particularly that of Jupiter, are explored.
Metabolic effects of selenium as related to vitamin E

Trace amounts of dietary selenium, which prevent certain vitamin E deficiency symptoms, have been found to affect the composition of chick tissues. Both selenium and vitamin E increased liver coenzyme A levels to normal when cystine was omitted from the diet. Liver and plasma total fatty acids were unaltered by selenium but vitamin E increased the arachidonic acid content slightly. There was no effect of either selenium or vitamin E on total lipid, cholesterol, phopholipid or coenzyme Q in liver. Low dietary levels of either selenium or vitamin E, which were insufficient in preventing deficiency symptoms, completely eliminated mortality from toxic amounts of a dietary antioxidant. The ability of dietary selenium to reducein vitro lipid peroxidation in chick liver homogenates was not demonstrable with rat liver.
Optimum inverter sizing in consideration of irradiance pattern and PV incentives

This paper proposes a general method of sizing the inverter for a PV system. The method evaluates effects of PV incentive policies, inverter efficiency curves, and inverter protection schemes on optimum inverter sizing through system-level cost analysis. Specifically, different scenarios of PV incentives are discussed and compared to show that the optimal inverter size varies notably by location and context.
Contemporary status of the North American paddlefish, Polyodon spathula

North American paddlefish, Polyodon spathula, were once abundant in most large rivers and tributaries of the Mississippi River basin, but numbers have declined dramatically in most areas during the past 100 years. Habitat destruction and river modification are the most obvious changes affecting their distribution and abundance. Although peripheral range has dwindled, paddlefish still occur over most of their historic range and are still found in 22 states. Populations are currently increasing in 3 states, stable in 14, declining in 2, unknown in 3, and extirpated in 4. Sport harvests presently occur in 14 states, however two states with traditionally important sport fisheries report decreased recruitment into the population and are planning more restrictive regulations. Commercial fisheries are reported in only six states. During the past 10 years, five states have removed paddlefish from their commercial list primarily because of declines in adult stocks due to overfishing or illegal fishing. Ten states are currently stocking paddlefish to supplement existing populations or to recover paddlefish populations in the periphery of its native range.
All Politics are Still Local: The Iraq War and the 2006 Midterm Elections

Both scholars and pundits alike have attributed the Democrats' success in gaining control of the House and Senate in 2006 to their “nationalization” of the election and their success in connecting Republican candidates to both the war in Iraq and the highly unpopular George W. Bush presidency. The “election has been nationalized around two standards that could not be more unfavorable to the GOP: an unpopular war and an unpopular president” (Novak 2006). Many have gone so far as to say that the election results provide evidence that former House Speaker Tip O'Neil's famous aphorism, “all politics are local,” has been “swept aside” (Lambro 2006) and does not apply during wartime. “If one trend emerged this year when 435 House seats and 33 Senate seats were at stake, it was this: All politics are not local” (Israel 2006).We would like to thank Francisco I. Pedraza for his research assistance.
Construct Validity of Anticipated Work–Family Conflict and Barriers Measures

The purpose of this study was to explore the occurrence of anticipated work–family conflict (AWFC) in young adults and examine the assumption that AWFC and anticipated work and family barriers were interchangeable constructs. Previous research sought to examine AWFC but due to theoretical and measurement factors, an understanding of it remains contradictory and unclear. Clarification is needed for subsequent research on work and family planning. For this purpose, 120 college students between the ages of 18 to 25 completed six different self-report questionnaires measuring AWFC and barriers. Results were examined to establish construct validity and prevalence rates for AWFC. A multi-trait, multi-method matrix revealed construct validity for some, but not all, AWFC and barriers measures. Low to moderate AWFC prevalence rates were reported overall, and Friedman’s analysis of variance revealed that rates varied by different types of measurement instruments. Thus, methodology emerged as a critical factor for c...
Neocalanus scattering layers near the western Aleutian Islands

Dense copepod scattering layers were detected in the upper 50 m of the water column in the Bering Sea north of the western Aleutian Islands during June 1992. Acoustic data were collected at frequencies of 200 and 420 kHz, and compared with simultaneous estimates of wet weight biomass from net tows. Regression of net and acoustic data produced a scaling factor of-69.6 dB gr1 to convert volume scattering to biomass. Application of the fluid sphere scattering model produced an average equivalent spherical radius for the targets of 0.54 mm. The major sound-scattering organism, Neocalanus cristatus copepodid stage V, dominated the biomass in the pycnocline between the upper mixed layer and the underlying cold intermediate layer. Populations were dominated by Neocalanus plumchrus and Neocalanus flemingeri, with greatest abundance above the pycnocline.
Family Law in the New Millennium: For Whose Families?

In this article, the authors review changes in family law over the past 30 years in the following areas: marriage, divorce, child custody, remarriage and stepfamilies, unwed fathers, third-party visitation, nontraditional partnerships, assisted reproduction, and adoption. The authors also discuss the role that the social sciences have had in the family law revolution. Finally, the authors speculate about future changes in family law and the role that the social sciences will play in these legal reforms.
Myometrial activity and the IUCD

Three-channel transducers built into Lippes loops were introduced into 7 human volunteers and left in place for periods of 3 to 6 months to determine the presence of uterine muscle propagation waves. Definite fundus-to-cervix waves were seen during menses, but it appears that during the rest of the cycle uterine muscle contractility is unsynchronized without any evidence of a pattern.
The effects of proactive interference (PI) and release from PI on judgments of learning.

In three experiments, we investigated metacognitive monitoring in a variant of an A–B A–C learning paradigm in which the repetition of cues, but not targets, led to increasing proactive interference (PI) across trials. Judgments of learning (JOLs) correctly predicted decreases across trials in this paradigm but incorrectly continued to predict decreases on a final release trial in which new cues were introduced and performance consequently increased. Experience with the paradigm did not ameliorate this metacognitive failure (Experiment 3). In addition, JOLs decreased equally for pairs with repeated and with novel cue terms, even though recall of the latter group of items did not decrease across trials (Experiment 2). These results suggest that metacognizers’ naive theories of remembering and forgetting include a role for global, but not cue-specific, interference.
Sensitivity of blocking-based adaptive capacity control in a dynamic traffic network environment

We consider a dynamically reconfigurable network environment where dynamically changing traffic is offered. Rearrangement and adjustment of network capacity can be performed to maintain Quality of Service requirements for different traffic classes in the dynamic traffic environment. In this work, we specifically consider the case of a single, dynamic traffic class scenario in a loss mode environment. We have developed a numerical, analytical tool which models the dynamically changing network traffic environment using a time-varying, fluid-flow, differential equation that can be used to study the impact of an adaptive capacity adjustment control scheme. In particular, we show that a purely blocking-based capacity adjustment control scheme can be very sensitive to capacity changes, and can lead to network instability.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
HTS sensors for NQR spectroscopy

Using a high temperature superconductor (HTS) sensor, we have detected a /sup 14/N nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) signal from a room temperature sodium nitrite (NaNO/sub 2/) sample. This demonstrates the feasibility of using such sensors for the NQR detection of contraband, e.g. explosives. The sensor is composed of two high Q-value, self-resonant HTS devices strongly coupled to each other that detect the induced magnetization of the target compound. We briefly describe our techniques for making, adjusting the resonant frequency and spoiling the Q-value of the HTS sensors.
Clamp/repair: a safe technique for treatment of blunt injury to the descending thoracic aorta.

Abstract Debate exists with regard to the use of pump bypass, shunt bypass, or clamp/repair techniques in treating injuries to the descending thoracic aorta. The objective in using any of these techniques is to minimize the complications of paraplegia and renal failure, while achieving the lowest possible mortality. During an eighteen-year period, 45 patients were seen with acute blunt injury to the descending thoracic aorta. The shunt bypass method of repair was used in 1; pump bypass in 8; and clamp/repair in 23. There were desperate unsuccessful attempts to resuscitate and control hemorrhage in 13 patients, 1 of whom was placed on portable pump bypass. Thirty-two patients survived resuscitation and operation, and 26 were long-term survivors. Among surviving patients with permanent paraplegia, 2 underwent pump bypass and 1, the clamp/repair technique. Four other patients were seen with paraplegia or paresis and had reversal of the paralysis. The clamp/repair technique was used in these patients with clamp times ranging from 35 to 62 minutes (mean, 47.4 ± 13.3 minutes). Renal failure did not occur in any patient, despite clamp times of up to 62 minutes (mean, 37.5 minutes). Excluding patients seen in a moribund condition, mortality most often was secondary to neurological or multisystem injury. Debate continues concerning intraoperative management of this highly lethal vascular injury. The data presented here support the historical composite experience that clamp/repair is a safe and efficacious technique that minimizes paraplegia and mortality.
High speed IDDQ current sensors for VLSI system testing

A scheme for measuring IDDQ is presented. It is based on a current sensor which consists of a large W/L MOS transistor in parallel with a small W/L transistor. For IDDQ measurement the large transistor is turned off leaving only the small W/L transistor in the IDDQ's current path. The potential of the proposed scheme for high resolution, high speed (>1 MHz) IDDQ measurements is discussed with the aid of transistor level computer simulations.
Geoffrey g. Hallock, m.d.

I want to thank Dr. Geoffrey Hallock for serving as guest editor and the exceptional group of knowledgeable and experienced authors that he has brought together to write on “Frontiers in Endoscopic Plastic Surgery” for Seminars in Plastic Surgery. Dr. Hallock is a board-certified plastic surgeon who is well-known nationally and internationally for his reconstructive work. He received his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia and trained in general surgery at Dartmouth. Dr. Hallock completed his plastic surgery residency at the University of North Carolina and went on to complete a cosmetic surgery fellowship in Miami. Currently, he is assistant chief of the Division of Plastic Surgery for Allentown Affiliated Hospitals and clinical associate professor in the Department of Surgery at Temple University. Dr. Hallock is an active member of numerous plastic surgery societies and a prolific writer on many different plastic surgery topics, having authored more than 300 journal articles and 32 book chapters. We are honored to have him as our guest editor.
Extending the motion ranges of magnetic levitation for haptic interaction

We have developed two different magnetic levitation devices which provide unprecedented ranges of motion in both translation and rotation to a levitated handle to be used for tool-based haptic interaction. The first device levitates a handle attached to a thin spherical shell of flat coils suspended in permanent magnet fields using Lorentz forces. A novel coil type and magnet configuration provides motion ranges of 50 mm and 60 degrees in all directions, double the translation and triple the rotation ranges of the current maximum range Lorentz levitation haptic devices developed at Carnegie Mellon University. The second device uses a planar array of cylindrical coils to levitate a platform of one or more magnets. By using redundant control methods and an experimentally measured high resolution model of the forces and torques generated on the levitated magnets from each coil, the translation range of the magnet in horizontal directions and its rotation in all directions and can be extended potentially indefinitely. The present prototype uses 10 coils to levitate a single magnet over a 80×60 mm planar range, a 30 mm vertical range, and a tilt range of 40 degrees, or to control the yaw rotation of a pair of magnets over 360 degrees. Design and control methods are presented with preliminary motion trajectory results from both devices.
Computation of shape through controlled active exploration

Accurate knowledge of depth continues to be of critical importance in robotic systems. Without accurate depth knowledge, tasks such as inspection, tracking, grasping, and collision-free motion planning prove to be difficult and often unattainable. Traditional visual depth recovery has relied upon techniques that require the solution of the correspondence problem or require known lighting conditions and Lambertian surfaces. In this paper, we present a technique for the derivation of depth from feature points on a target's surface using the controlled active vision framework. We use a single visual sensor mounted on the end-effector of a robotic manipulator to automatically select feature points and to derive depth estimates for those features using adaptive control techniques. Movements of the manipulator produce displacements that are measured using a sum-of-squared difference (SSD) optical flow. The measured displacements are fed into the controller to alter the path of the manipulator and to refine the depth estimate. >
Weight change following deep brain stimulation for movement disorders

Patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and essential tremor (ET) tend to lose weight progressively over years. Weight gain following deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) for treatment of PD has been documented in several studies that were limited by small sample size and exclusive focus on PD patients with STN stimulation. The current study was undertaken to examine weight change in a large sample of movement disorder patients following DBS. A retrospective review was undertaken of 182 patient charts following DBS of the STN, ventralis intermedius nucleus of the thalamus (VIM), and globus pallidus internus (GPi). Weight was collected preoperatively and postoperatively up to 24 months following surgery. Data were adjusted for baseline weight and multivariate linear regression was performed with repeated measures to assess weight change. Statistically significant mean weight gain of 1.8 kg (2.8% increase from baseline, p = 0.0113) was observed at a rate of approximately 1 kg per year up to 24 months following surgery. This gain was not predicted by age, gender, diagnosis, or stimulation target in a multivariate model. Significant mean weight gain of 2.3 kg (p = 0.0124) or 4.2% was observed in our PD patients. Most patients with PD and ET gain weight following DBS, and this gain is not predicted by age, gender, diagnosis, or stimulation target.
Hepatic Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury Involves Functional TLR4 Signaling in Nonparenchymal Cells

Endogenous ligands from damaged cells, so-called damage-associated molecular pattern molecules, can activate innate immunity via TLR4 signaling. Hepatic warm ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury and inflammation is largely TLR4 dependent. We produced TLR4 chimeric mice to assess whether the TLR4-dependent injury required TLR4 expression on liver parenchymal or nonparenchymal cells. Chimeric mice were produced by adoptive transfer of donor bone marrow cells into irradiated recipient animals using reciprocal combinations of TLR4 wild-type (WT; C3H/HeOuj) and TLR4 mutant (C3H/HeJ) mouse bone marrow. Wild-type chimeric mice bearing TLR4 mutant hemopoietic cells and TLR4 mutant mice transplanted with their own bone marrow-derived cells were protected from hepatic I/R and exhibited decreased JNK and NF-kappaB activation compared with WT chimeric mice transplanted with their own bone marrow. In contrast, TLR4 mutant mice transplanted with TLR4 WT bone marrow were not protected from liver I/R and demonstrated pronounced increases in JNK and NF-kappaB activation when compared with autochthonous transplanted mutant mice. In addition, depletion of phagocytes taking up gadolinium chloride failed to provide any additional protection to TLR4 mutant mice, but substantially reduced damage in WT mice after hepatic I/R. Together, these results demonstrate that TLR4 engagement on actively phagocytic nonparenchymal cells such as Kupffer cells is required for warm I/R-induced injury and inflammation in the liver.
MRNet: A Software-Based Multicast/Reduction Network for Scalable Tools

We present MRNet, a software-based multicast/reduction network for building scalable performance and system administration tools. MRNet supports multiple simultaneous, asynchronous collective communication operations. MRNet is flexible, allowing tool builders to tailor its process network topology to suit their tool's requirements and the underlying system's capabilities. MRNet is extensible, allowing tool builders to incorporate custom data reductions to augment its collection of built-in reductions. We evaluated MRNet in a simple test tool and also integrated into an existing, real-world performance tool with up to 512 tool back-ends. In the real-world tool, we used MRNet not only for multicast and simple data reductions but also with custom histogram and clock skew detection reductions. In our experiments, the MRNet-based tools showed significantly better performance than the tools without MRNet for average message latency and throughput, overall tool start-up latency, and performance data processing throughput.
Myths Blown Away by Taseer Killing

The assassination of Pakistani Punjab's governor Salman Taseer has once again highlighted the existential crisis plaguing Pakistan today. While it is tautologically true that a solution to Pakistan's current troubles must be preceded by an accurate analysis of its current situation, we claim that such analysis is impeded by certain exogenous constraints - such as the dubbing of any critical analysis as being racially or religiously motivated - placed on any Pakistani observer. These constraints have led to certain viewpoints commonly found in western tracts that are unsubstantiated by any evidence on ground. In this short note, we take advantage of the extensive reporting by media sources in the aftermath of the Taseer assassination to shine a critical light on these shibboleths surrounding Pakistan and counteract them using illustrative newspaper reports. Case Background: A Christian lady Aasia Bibi from rural Punjab had been accused of blaspheming Prophet Mohammed of Islam - a crime in Pakistani law invoking the death penalty. Salman Taseer was the governor of Punjab province, who has a member of the Pakistani People's Party and the publisher of a relatively liberal newspaper Daily Times from Lahore. Taseer had argued that Aasia Bibi was falsely accused of blasphemy, called for her pardon and proposed suitable modification to the existing statutes to prevent their misuse. Taseer was earlier in spotlight a couple of years back when pictures of his family caused a furor in conservative circles due to their perceived violation of conventional Islam-directed notions of modesty.
Michael Brune's Misguided Optimism on Climate Change

In the January 2014 issue of Sierra, Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune issues a bold call for optimism about what we can do to fight climate change. He writes, “Everywhere I turn, I … se...
All-electrical readout of atomically-thin MoS2 nanoelectromechanical resonators in the VHF band

We report on the first mono-, bi-, and tri-layer (1L, 2L, and 3L) molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanoelectro-mechanical resonators with all-electrical excitation and detection. These atomically-thin MoS2 membranes, suspended on circular microtrenches, make vibrating-channel transistors (VCTs). The devices are measured using down-mixing techniques with frequency modulation (FM) and/or amplitude modulation (AM), showing resonance frequency(f0) in the very high frequency (VHF) band, up to 88MHz (for a 1L MoS2 VCT), higher than all other MoS2 nanomechanical resonators measured by optical interferometry reported to date, and quality (Q) factor up to ∼127 (for a 2L device). DC performance of these field-effect transistors (FETs) is also measured to provide guidance for the electrical readout of resonances. As a first demonstration of applications of these MoS2 VCTs, we use 2L and 3L devices for resonant detection of photons at different wavelengths. When further integrated with MoS2 FETs and optoelectronic devices, these VCTs can not only facilitate development of novel nanoscale sensors and actuators, but may also create a unique platform for enabling new types of atomically-thin, transparent devices with multiple functionalities, such as ultralow-power resonant signal processing and sensing, all based on two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors.
Dichlorvos Degradation on Stored Wheat and Resulting Milling Fractions

Dichlorvos sprayed on wheat at 15 ppm resulted in deposits ranging from 2.4 to 6.0 ppm immediately after treatment. Residues decreased to 0.5 ppm or less during 6 weeks of storage in 3.5-m3 bins. Temperature of the grain was an important factor affecting residue-degradation rate. There was little or no loss of residues from wheat stored for 3 months at -18°C. The residues on wheat stored at 27°C for 1 week was about equal to that stored in bins at 18 to 12.7°C for 5-6 weeks. Residues on the milling fractions were greater on the bran and shorts than on the flour. The treatment did not adversely affect patent flour or bread baked from the patent flour.
Identification of candidate target genes for EVI-1, a zinc finger oncoprotein, using a novel selection strategy

We have sought to identify and isolate target genes for the zinc finger protein, EVI-1, which has been implicated in the genesis of myelogenous leukemia both in mouse and human. We have approached this with a two-step selection: we first selected for genomic fragments of mouse DNA that bind to the protein with high affinity; second, we employed cDNA hybrid selection to identify gene sequences contained within these fragments. We show that we have constructed a sublibrary of genomic fragments that contains a significant fraction of the EVI-1-binding sites in the mouse genome. Our data has allowed us to estimate that there are approximately 4300 binding sites per haploid genome in the mouse. We further demonstrate that by using cDNA hybrid selection, it is relatively straightforward to isolate cDNAs that correspond to genes embedded in the EVI-1-binding sublibrary. Several of these are novel, but are represented in databases of anonymous human or mouse cDNAs (expressed sequence tags). One selected gene is Itpr2, encoding the inositol trisphosphate type two receptor, which is transcriptionally regulated during myelopoiesis. Finally, using a chimeric EVI-1-VP16-fusion protein under the control of a tetracycline-regulated system, we have shown that this chimeric activator can directly regulate Itpr2.
Effect of digitoxin on hypoxia-produced cardiac hypertrophy in rats.

SummaryAdministration of digitoxin prevented hypertrophy of the left ventricle of the rat during exposure to hypoxia. The right ventricle was not affected by the drug and showed a significant degree of hypertrophy. Presumably digitoxin greatly lessened left ventricular hypertrophy by increasing the capacity of cardiac muscle to do work.
A New Species of Calomyxa from the Andes

turbinate, olivaceous sporangia and free, delicately reticulate spores. The habit and the striking shiny, bright yellow color of T. conglobata at first glance suggest the yellow phase of T. lutescens (A. Lister) A. Lister, but the clustered spores, as well as the larger sporangia and stouter elaters with long-tapered tips, distinguish T. conglobata from that species. Trichia synsporum, the other species with conglobate spores, has larger, tan sporangia, tan, narrow elaters with two spirals and blunt apices, and smaller spore clusters. The disparity between the two species with clustered spores was confirmed by D. T. Kowalski (private communication), who examined the type of T. conglobata.
Time-Dependent Approximations For Oueues With High Traffic Intensities

AbstractFor a certain class of queues, the time-dependeiit analysis with a Laplace transform-generating function technique involves the complex root u&> inside the unit circle of a polynomial. The exact value of u&> gives for the queue size distribution Pn(t) and the mean queue size E[X(t)] transforms that are, in general, difficult to invert. We discuss some iterative procedures that give successive rational approximations for u&>. The resulting transforms for Pn(t) and E[X(t)] are rational and more easily inverted to give approximations for the queue size distribution and the mean queue size respectively. Applications to the M/M/c queue and the M/Ep/1 queue suggest that a first approximation for u&> by Newton’s method is sufficient to yield a good approximation for the mean queue size for a wide range of values of t, particularly for large t, provided the traffic intensity exceeds, but is not too close to, one. A fairly accurate approximation for Pn(t) is also obtained but only for rather small values o...
Interview with Terry Herbert, metal detectorist, Hammerwich parish, Staffordshire

In September 2015, Terry Herbert, the metal detectorist who discovered the Staffordshire Hoard in 2009, agreed to conduct a brief interview with Maggie M. Williams via email. Below is the transcript of that interview, without edits and with heartfelt thanks to Mr. Herbert. We are also grateful to Jenni Butterworth at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and to Vicky Hyden for facilitating the interview process.
Very High Hospital Admission Rate after Outpatient Non-Myeloablative Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant Using Fludarabine and Low Dose TBI.

One of the theoretic advantages of non-myeloablative (“mini”) preparative regimens such as fludarabine and low dose total body irradiation (TBI) is that the transplant can be performed as an outpatient. Data is surprisingly sparse concerning the later hospital admission rate of such transplanted patients. We transplanted 71 patients from 1/1/00 to 6/15/05 using a “mini” preparative regimen of fludarabine and TBI (200cGy, n=53, 400cGy, n=18) and examined the rates of admission after transplant. All transplants and preparative regimens were delivered as an outpatient. The admission rate was similar between those receiving 200cGy and 400cGy, and the two groups were combined for this analysis. Median patient age was 52 (range, 15–65). Diagnoses included NHL (n=16 [23%]), AML (n=13, [18%]), myeloma (n=7, [10%)]), CML (n=7, [10%]), MDS (n=7, [10%], myelofibrosis (n=6, [8%]), CLL (n=4, [6%]), other (n=11, [15%]). Approximately 40% had resistant or untreated disease at transplant. 63 of 71 patients (89%) were admitted within 1 year of their original transplant. Rates of admissions were similar for related donor transplants (41/47, 33%) and unrelated donor transplants (22/24, 92%). Of 63 patients admitted to the hospital after their outpatient transplant, 52 (83%) were admitted within 3 months of the transplant. The most common reason for admission was fever (n=30, [58%]). Four patients were admitted for cardiac events (chest pain, tachycardia, possible MI and atrial fibrillation) and 7 patients were admitted for acute graft vs host disease. Of the 30 patients with fever at the time of transplant, the absolute neutrophil count was 0.94 k/μL (range, 0–16.49), and 9 had an absolute neutrophil count
El ciclo de metilmercurio y otros metales pesados en ambientes lacustres

Aun cuando las descargas de mercurio, plomo y arsenico causadas por actividades humanas han disminuido en las ultimas dos decadas, su liberacion indirecta a traves de diversas fuentes tiene un gran impacto en el ciclo ambiental. En el medio acuatico, estos elementos son biometilados por bacterias y hongos para producir compuestos metilados de mercurio, plomo y arsenico altamente toxicos; estos compuestos son movilizados con facilidad y a su vez bioacumulados por organismos acuaticos, ya que son liposolubles. Aparentemente, la biometilacion de metales pesados que ocurre por un selecto grupo de organismos vivos, especialmente bacterias y hongos, sucede de manera global. Aunque no se entienda su funcion de manera completa, parece ser un mecanismo de destoxificacion. En la actualidad, solo se conoce la bioacumulacion del metilmercurio en organismos acuaticos, a una velocidad mayor de la que puede ser metabolizada y eliminada. Por lo tanto, se presenta un bioaumento rapido a lo largo de la cadena alimentaria, cuya biotoxicidad y larga vida biologica pueden implicar un riesgo para la salud y la estabilidad del ecosistema. Por otro lado, los organismos acuaticos que bioacumulan compuestos metilados de arsenico y plomo, parecen metabolizarlos y eliminarlos con poco o ningun bioaumento en la cadena alimentaria. Asi, mientras que la sintesis de compuestos organometalicos parece jugar un papel destacado en el ciclo biogeoquimico, unicamente el metilmercurio representa un riesgo real.